LAS VEGAS — When Jeff Flagg’s minor league baseball career ended, he needed something to stay competitive.

Known for his strength, and his ability to drive home runs out of Traverse City’s Wuerfel Park when he played for the Traverse City (Mich.) Beach Bums of the Frontier League, Flagg turned to golf. He has spent the past two-and-a-half years honing his power in long-drive competitions.

His efforts culminated Tuesday night when the 29-year-old Flagg edged Jeff Crittenden to win the World Long Drive Championship at the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort.

“It’s been awesome. I’m speechless,” an awe-struck Flagg said. “I’m sitting here smiling, taking pictures, doing interviews, but I have no clue what’s going on.”

Flagg and the 43-year-old Crittenden hit their second ball of the final round 365 yards off the platform. Flagg’s shot measured 20 inches past the hash mark, and Crittenden’s was seven inches from the 365-yard mark.

“I never played golf really serious, baseball was always No. 1,” said Flagg, who earned $250,000 for the win. “I was always athletic enough to play when I was young and got the chance. I just don’t think the mindset changes. When baseball got done, it was one of those things where I had to find something to keep my competitive juices going.

“It’s been a heck of a run the last two and a half years.”

Flagg said he had no plans to make it as far as he did because Crittenden eliminated him earlier this year in a regional qualifier in Alabama. But at the urging of his girlfriend and former college baseball teammate Connor Powers, he gave it one more shot at another qualifier, this time in Chicago.

“I was kind of dejected, ready to hang it up,” Flagg said. “I’m one of those guys that just gives it one shot, see what happens. I’m not going to chase it around, I mean, it’s kind of expensive. (But) I kept it going and haven’t lost since. It’s unbelievable how this year played out.”

The finalists advanced from a field of eight that began the night in fair weather conditions, but ended with a brisk wind blowing across the grid.

Flagg and Crittenden were followed by semifinalists Joe Miller and Adam Smith. Daniel Beckman, Powers, Jamie Sadlowski and Matt Hanger didn’t make it to the final round.

Phil Mickelson has re-listed his Rancho Santa Fe estate for a sixth time.

The Mickelsons are purportedly asking for $6 million for the five bedroom, 9,000+ square foot mansion.

Built in 1999 and originally purchased by the two-time Masters champion in 2001, the manor was originally put on the market in 2008 when the Mickelsons reportedly moved to a larger house in the area.

Amongst other luxurious amenities, the 4.5 acre property boasts a putting green, two guest houses, seven fireplaces and a coffee/juice bar.

Runaway Golf Cart:

Worried about finishing your round in less than four hours?

Plum Quick Motors has set the new Guinness World Record for fastest golf cart with its “Bandit” engine.

The cart recorded a speed of 118.76 miles per hour last Friday at Darlington Dragway in Hartsville, S.C., shattering its former record of 103.65 mph.

COBRA Golf has announced the release of its new Fly-Z family of products.

The Fly-Z lines of drivers, fairway woods/hybrids, and irons includes a new Speed-Channel technology that will add club head speed across the face resulting in more distance when the ball is not struck square.

Additionally, Crown Zone Weighting has been added to the Fly-Z family, removing weight from the top of the club and redistributing it lower on the face for a deeper and more forgiving centre of gravity.

”While these internal technologies are not visible to the golfer, performance gains can be easily noticed and easily attributed to the Speed Channel face,” said Jose Miraflor, Director of Product Marketing for COBRA Golf.

In addition to the regular Fly-Z line, COBRA is also introducing:

a)  Fly-Z XL (for super game improvement)

c)  Fly-Z + (with Flip Zone weight technology)

Flip Zone weight technology allows mid-to-lower handicap players to adjust the weight of the club face to better suit one’s game. A front setting results in a lower and more piercing ball-flight, while setting the weight in the back allows players to experience maximum control and feel.

The Fly-Z XL series will be in stores starting on November 14, 2014, while the Fly-Z and Fly-Z + lines will be available for purchase in February 2015.

The Open Championship has unveiled a new brand identity, including a new logo which will be presented alongside distinctive graphic elements, reflecting the unique landscape of links golf, and evocative photography.

Peter Dawson, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “We know that fans of The Open share a tremendously strong connection with the Championship.  The new branding celebrates the values long associated with The Open, the inspiration provided by great champions, the authentic and unrelenting challenge of links golf and the openness of our unique championship.

“The Open has enjoyed great success for more than 150 years and strengthening its brand will help to ensure its appeal continues to grow over the decades ahead.  We believe the new branding will reflect an enhanced experience for the millions of golf fans who support The Open.”

The new brand will come to life when The Open returns to St Andrews, the Home of Golf, next July for the 144th playing of The Open.

A short film celebrating the unique story of The Open has been released to coincide with the launch. The film entitled, The One, The Open, can be viewed below.

SHANGHAI – As far as caddies are concerned, this might as well be the Adam Scott sweepstakes.

Scott is in the market for a new caddie after Steve Williams headed off into semi-retirement. There figured to be a long line of candidates to work for the former Masters champion, who is No. 2 in the world and regarded as one of the most congenial players in golf.

He just never expected so many – and from so many walks of life.

“There were some shockers, like random ones – some guy in Florida who lives at home and looks after his mom,” Scott said Tuesday in downtown Shanghai after taking part in a promotion to celebrate the 10th edition of the HSBC Champions. “I guess he figured it would be a good job.”

For a caddie, there are not many better jobs in golf.

Scott has earned about $18 million in PGA Tour earnings alone over the last five years, and he has become a regular contender in the majors. He had Tony Navarro, who previously worked for Greg Norman, and then picked up Williams after his split with Tiger Woods.

“The way I see it, you cannot replace a Steve Williams,” Scott said. “I cannot go out and look for the next Steve Williams. I don’t think that’s possible. I need to go out and find what is going to work for me at this stage in my career, to complement all the things I am doing now, just like I did when I hired Steve.”

Scott has time to decide. He has two events in Australia after the HSBC Champions, and he doesn’t plan to start his 2015 season until the Honda Classic. He used Swiss neighbor Eddie Gardino in Japan; Gardino caddied for Angel Cabrera in his 2007 U.S. Open win at Oakmont. Scott is using David Clark, who currently works for Cameron Tringale, at the HSBC Champions.

“I need to see a few personalities, see what fits best with me,” Scott said. “I had such a strong one (personality) for so long.”

As for other possibilities? Speculation has been running rampant among the caddies. Scott said he has received more than 100 inquiries, and that he has responded to most of them – except for the guy in Florida.

“It’s good to know people would want to work with me,” Scott said. “If the phone didn’t get a message, I’d be a little worried what they all think of me. Like us golfers, the caddies are very aspirational as well. The way I’ve talked about what I want to achieve, some of the guys believe they can help me to do that and want to do the same.”

Mark Rypien, the first Canadian-born quarterback to start in the NFL and win a Super Bowl MVP Award, is one of six Canadians participating in Champions Tour regional qualifying tournaments this week.

The Alberta native has recorded two victories and seven Top 10 finishes at the American Century Championship, a tournament that determines the best golfers from the sports and entertainment industries.

Taking place November 4-7, this year’s tournament consists of two separate stages. Three regional qualifying tournaments will narrow the field down to 78 participants for the final qualifying stage which takes place November 17-22 at Panther Lake Golf Course in Winter Garden, Fla.

The regional qualifiers take place at Bear Creek Golf Club in Murrieta, Cal., Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge in Winter Garden, Fla. and Woodforest Golf Club at Fish Creek in Montgomery, Tex.

Also in the field this week is Remi Bouchard (Candiac, Que.), a three-time PGA of Canada champion.

Other Canadians joining Bouchard and Rypien are Marc Hurtubise (Chambly, Que.), Michael Dagenais (Quebec), Darryl James (Calgary), JC LeBlanc (Blaineville, Que.), and Ken Tarling (Sanford, Ont.).

Regional Qualifying Fields & Scoring:

Florida

California

Texas

Following the release of his new autobiography, Grant Fuhr: the Story of a Legend, the former Edmonton Oilers’ goalie chatted with Stephen Whyno of the Canadian Press, discussing his life and career. Not surprisingly, the former Vezina Trophy winner spoke about his love for golf.

On his golf game:

“I still enjoy it, it’s a hobby. I enjoy competitive golf, but I also realize that the body doesn’t have that many miles left it in that I can sit and practice for six or seven hours a day. But the mind’s good, so I can get away with the mind being a little bit better than some guys, but I don’t have the talent. I can compete but not compete at a high enough level to be successful at it.”

On professional Canadian golfers and prospects:

“Canadian golf is skyrocketing right now. Brad Fritsch, all those guys. It shows what Golf Canada’s done, putting a program in place. You look at the girls. Brooke’s unbelievable, Rebecca Lee-Bentham. You look at some of the girls and how the game’s progressed. Canada’s known as a cold-weather country with a short golf season, but yet you look at how they’ve all progressed, it shows that Canada’s doing something right with our golf programs.”

On the pride he feels for the sport’s growth in Canada:

“As a Canadian, yes, because I think if you look at it, nobody really expects it. And I think it shows the dedication and the effort that, as a country, they’ve put into it to make the game better.”

LAS VEGAS – Connor Powers has a bit of Happy Gilmore in him as he winds up to attack a golf ball with his driver, though he doesn’t shoot the kind of low scores Adam Sandler’s character did in the movie.

Kind of hard to make a lot of birdies when half the time you have no idea where the ball is going.

“I lose a bunch of balls off the tee,” Powers said. “Accuracy is not the main goal for me when I pick up a club.”

What is the goal for the former minor league baseball player is hitting the ball a long way, a very long way. He can pound it over 400 yards, and sometimes the balls even stay in the fairway by the time they’re done rolling.

On Tuesday, he could earn a cool $250,000 if he can be the biggest of the big hitters in the winner-take-all RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship.

“It’s pretty sweet that there’s an opportunity to make money doing this,” said Powers, a former Mississippi State first baseman who washed out in the minors after hitting 20 homers in three seasons in the San Diego Padres’ system. “But if it was just 500 bucks I’d still be doing it. It’s just so much fun to be out there and compete, especially after ending my baseball career. That’s really what it is about for me.”

Powers and seven others who qualified last month in Mesquite, Nevada, will go head-to-head in the championship final at the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort. Six balls each, with the winners advancing to the next round until only one long driver is still standing.

The 26-year-old Powers qualified for the finals by hitting a drive 402 yards, though that wasn’t enough to make him the favorite among the eight players left. That would probably be Joe Miller, the 2010 world champion and 2013 runner-up from London who competes on the Long Drivers European Tour and has a streak of 13 straight wins.

Or it could be Jamie Sadlowski, the 2008 and 2009 world champion from Canada who weighs just 165 pounds but had the longest qualifying drive of 409 yards in Mesquite.

“They are all different sizes and ages and have different backgrounds,” said Art Sellinger, the former two-time world champion who runs Long Drivers of America. “The one thing they do have in common is they’re focused on how fast they can swing a golf club and how square they can get at impact.”

Sadlowski, for one, uses his exceptional flexibility while hinging his shoulders and wrists to unload an incredible amount of force into the golf ball at contact.  It has been suggested that the key to the Alberta native’s hinge-system likely stems from years of playing hockey left-handed while swinging the golf club from the right side.

Powers barely played golf at all before stumbling onto the long driving scene, though several of the finalists are scratch handicap players or better. Powers took up long driving at the urging of former Mississippi State teammate Jeff Flagg, who is also in the finals.

Powers plays more now and is a 15-handicap, no better than most weekend golfers. But his ball striking skills – at least with the driver – are world class.

“I still think you have to be a legitimate striker of the ball,” said Sellinger, a pioneer of the long driving ranks. “Whenever I’m trying to educate amateurs I tell them they’re ball strikers. I didn’t say they know how to shoot 65 for a living.”

For Powers, it’s a lot like stepping up to the plate in baseball, complete with Golf Channel televising it live.

“It’s basically home run derby in golf,” he said. “And I’ve always loved home run derby in baseball.”

The 2014 Golf Industry Expo is giving a free night of accommodation away to the first 100 unique facilities that register and buy a product at this year’s event.

This year’s Expo, which is selling out quickly, will be held between November 5-7 at the Nottawasaga Inn Resort and Conference Centre.

Last year’s successful event has attracted a host of major industry leaders for 2014 including, but not limited to, TaylorMade, Adams, Callaway, CobraPuma Golf and ClubCar.

An afternoon educational seminar and panel on the sustainability of golf in a changing climate and economy will be offered to those in attendance on November 6. The panel, consisting of a variety of industry experts, will be led by Dr. Eric Lyons, Associate Professor of Turf Grass Science at the University of Guelph. Kevin Thistle, General Manager of the Toronto Hunt Club, will moderate the discussion.

Aside from the allure of a free one-night accommodation, there will be bi-hourly $1000 cash draws for those who have placed orders during the conference.

Moreover, this year’s event will include a mini-putt tournament with a $1,500 purse for participants.

Additional information can be found at pgaofontario.com.