OAKVILLE, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada is pleased to congratulate National Amateur Squad member Chris Hemmerich of Kitchener, Ont., for his decision to pursue a career in professional golf.

Hemmerich, 21, makes the jump to the professional ranks after a strong season, which featured taking home the hardware at this year’s Investors Group Ontario Amateur Championship. As of this week, the University of Guelph graduate sat at no. 88 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR).

The decision comes shortly after being eliminated from the U.S. Amateur last week, giving Hemmerich time to officially turn professional before PGA Tour Canada’s Great Waterway Classic begins on Thursday at the Loyalist Golf & Country Club in Bath, Ont.

Hemmerich has had some experience playing in professional events as an amateur, with his best finish coming at PGA Tour Canada’s Thunder Bay Classic earlier this year, where he finished T35.

As his two-year stint with Team Canada comes to a close, Hemmerich is grateful for all the support he has received and has nothing but good things to say about the program.

“It gives you the ability to gain experience in tournaments you otherwise couldn’t, and also the ability to practice in a team environment,” said Hemmerich. “The coaching staff, lead by Derek (Ingram), was great because he would travel to our tournaments, helping us create a game plan for the four rounds of golf ahead.”

The former Guelph Gryphons team captain feels that although he may be young, he is well prepared to make the jump to the pros.

“The Team Canada program does a great job of showing you the proper ways to travel, train, and practice on a regular basis – which is much needed when doing it for a living,” said the commerce major. “I feel like my game has gotten much stronger since first being selected and I’m looking forward to continuing to improve and start out a professional career.”

Oakville, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada is pleased to announce the six individuals selected to represent Canada at the 2014 World Amateur Team Championship, conducted by the International Golf Federation. The championships – features both a women’s (Sept 3^rd-6^th) and men’s (10^th-13^th) competition which will take place in Karuizawa, Japan from September 3 – 13, 2014.

Representing Canada on the women’s team is Brooke Henderson, 16, of Smiths Falls, Ont., Augusta James, 21, of Bath, Ont., and Brittany Marchand, 21, of Orangeville, Ont. The trio will vie for the Espirito Santo Trophy at the Kurizawa Prince Hotel Resort’s Oshitate Course and Iriyama Course.

The men’s team selected to represent Canada consists of Corey Conners, 22, of Listowel, Ont., Taylor Pendrith, 23, of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Adam Svensson, 20, of Surrey, B.C. Also contested on both the Oshitate Course and Iriyama Course at Kurizawa Prince Hotel Resort, the men will vie for the Eisenhower Trophy.

“The World Amateur Team Championships are a critical benchmark in our evaluation of Golf Canada’s efforts in high performance player development,” said Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer Jeff Thompson. “This particular championship allows our players to compete best on best with the top amateur golfing talents from across the globe. It was an extremely difficult selection for this event. The players selected have demonstrated an extremely high level of performance throughout the selection period over a number of world-class competitions and I am very confident that they will represent the country and themselves very well.”

Women’s Team Bios:

Brooke Henderson, a member of Team Canada’s National Squad for the past three years, will represent Canada in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship for the second time (2012). She enters the competition as the No. 2 ranked amateur in the world after a wildly successful 2014 season that saw her claim victory at the Porter Cup, the Ontario Women’s Amateur, the Canadian Women’s Tour Ontario stop, and the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada. These stellar performances were highlighted by a Top-10 finish at the U.S. Women’s Open where she was awarded low amateur honours as well as a runner up finish at the U.S. Women’s Amateur.

Augusta James has been a member of Team Canada’s National Squad for the past four years and is entering her senior year at North Carolina State University. The 21-year-old has had a strong 2014 season, finishing tied for fourth at the Porter Cup and runner-up to Henderson in the Ontario Women’s Amateur before winning the prestigious Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship. The 2014 World Amateur mark James’ second time competing (2012 she finished T12th).

Brittany Marchand, also a four-year member of Team Canada and fifth year student athlete at NC State, rounds out Canada’s World Amateur trio. Marchand’s busy 2014 season included a 7^th place finish at the Canadian Women’s Amateur, 3^rd place finish in the Ontario Women’s Amateur and T4 finish at the Porter Cup.

Men’s Team Bios:
Cory Conners has been a member of Team Canada for the past four years and recently graduated from Kent State University. Competing in the World Amateur for a second time (2012), he is currently ranked No. 44 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings. In 2014 Conners claimed the Jones Cup, the Mid-American Conference Championship, the General Hackler Championship, and the Gopher Invitational. He also recently finished runner-up at the U.S. Men’s Amateur Championship to earn exemptions into the 2015 Masters Tournament and U.S. Open Championship and was a finalist in the North & South Amateur Championship held at the prestigious Pinehurst Country Club.

Taylor Pendrith, a Kent State grad known for his powerful drive, ball speed and distance off the tee, is currently ranked No. 45 on the WAGR. He recently made headlines after an impressive performance at the 2014 RBC Canadian Open that saw him finish in a tie for 43^rd, highlighted by an opening round 65. Also in 2014, Pendrith captured the Monroe Invitational and finished second at the Mid-American Conference Championship.

Adam Svensson is entering his junior year at Barry University in the fall. In 2014 he was awarded the Jack Nicklaus Award for being the top NCAA Division II golfer – well-deserved recognition after a 2014 season that saw him claim the Sunshine State Conference Championship, the Buccaneer Invitational and the Bobcat Invitational. Svensson has been a part of the Canadian men’s national team for the past five years.

About the World Amateur Team Championships:
A biennial competition, the World Amateur Team Championship has been played since 1958, with the winner taking home the Eisenhower Trophy. The United States won the 2012 title in Antalya, Turkey, by five strokes over Mexico in a championship that was contested over 54 holes rather than 72. The Canadian contingent of Conners, Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., and Albin Choi of Toronto tied Norway for sixth place that year.

Conducted every two years, the World Women’s Amateur Team Championship has been staged since 1964, with the winner earning the Espirito Santo Trophy. In 2012, Korea claimed the title by three strokes over Germany. The Canadian team of Henderson, James, and Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont. placed seventh.

In 27 appearances at the World Amateur Team Championship, Canada has captured the Eisenhower Trophy on one occasion (1986) and earned runner-up honours four times. In 24 appearances at the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship, Canada has earned runner-up honours three times.

The World Amateur Team titles are contested over four days of stroke play. A country may field a team of two or three players. In each round, the total of the two lowest scores constitutes the team score for the round. The four-day total is the team’s score for the championship.

The World Amateur Team Championships are conducted by the International Golf Federation, which was founded in 1958 to encourage the international development of the game and to employ golf as a vehicle to foster friendship and sportsmanship. The IGF, the International Olympic Committee’s international federation for golf, comprises the national governing bodies of golf in more than 125 countries, and it will conduct the golf competition at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

LONDON, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Twenty-nine players took to Sunningdale Golf and Country Club during Monday’s final qualifying event in hopes of securing one of the four final spots into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

Amateur Jillian Hollis of Rocky River, OH and Emma Jandel of Dayton, OH shot matching 2-under par 70s to top the Monday Qualifier leaderboard and earn spots in the field for Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship. The pair will be joined by amateur Elizabeth Tong of Thornhill, Ont., who finished third after a 1-under 71.

Emma de Groot of Sydney, Australia grabbed the final spot, winning a three-for-one sudden death playoff over Carmen Bandea of Atlanta, GA and Hannah Hellyer of Quinte West, Ont. The trio all finished regulation play tied for fourth at even-par 72.

With the addition of Tong to the field, a total of 15 Canadians will now compete for Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship at London Hunt and Country Club.

Click here for complete results from the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open Monday Qualifier at Sunningdale Golf and Country Club.

PITTSBURGH – Arnold Palmer has had a pacemaker implanted to correct an abnormal heartbeat.

According to his website, Palmer had successful surgery Monday at the UPMC Presbyterian Hospital. The 84-year-old Palmer was to remain in the hospital overnight for observation. He is expected to be released on Tuesday.

Golf Channel earlier this year produced a three-part documentary called “Arnie,” which was broadcast the week after the Masters in April. The seven-time major champion remains one of the most endearing figures in golf.

Palmer turns 85 on Sept. 10.

NANJING, China – Canada’s Tony Gil and Maddie Szeryk are set to tee off in Tuesday’s opening round of the Summer Youth Olympics at the Zhongshan International Golf Club.

The event marks the debut of golf at the Youth Olympics, coinciding with the sport being voted back into the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Both Szeryk and Gil were in attendance for remarkable the opening ceremonies, which saw over 4,000 performers light up the Nanjing Olympic Arena for a crowd of over 62,000. The stunning ceremony paid tribute to the great history of Nanjing, China, and its many icons and landmarks.

Diego Melendraras/IOC

The practice round took place on Monday in the very hot, humid conditions at Zhongshan. The course is in great shape, especially noticeable in the undulation of the greens. With wide fairways, the long-hitting players will have a slight advantage.

Team Canada’s Lead Development Squad Coach, Robert Ratcliffe, is in attendance with the players to help prepare for the week and all the festivities.

“Preparation has been centered around keeping the ball below the hole on approach shots,” said Ratcliffe of the team strategy. “Both Tony and Maddie are striking the ball well and they look confident heading into tomorrow’s opening round.”

Gil, a first-year member of Team Canada’s Development Squad, is planning to maintain focus on a difficult course in difficult conditions.

“My key will be staying hydrated and avoiding any mental errors by focusing on my pre-shot routine,” said the Vaughan, Ont. native.

The 16-year-old Gil is set to tee-off at 9:00 am (CST), partnered with the no. 6 ranked player in the world, Italy’s Renato Paratore.

Meanwhile, Szeryk, a dual citizen of Canada and the U.S., is hoping to stay calm under the pressure of an event of such large magnitude.

“I need to focus on maintaining a calm approach to every shot by capitalizing on my breathing techniques,” said the 2013 Canadian Junior Girls Champion. “Hitting greens will be important, so my main focus will be putting the ball in the right place off the tee.”

Szeryk, 18, will tee off at 9:50 am (CST).

The boys and girls divisions will each play in three stroke play rounds, ending on Thursday. The three days of team competition will follow starting on Sunday.

Cameron Tringale a communiqué avec les dirigeants de la PGA six jours après la conclusion du Championnat de la PGA pour leur mentionner qu’il croyait avoir commis une faute lors de la ronde finale.

Il a terminé le tournoi en 33e position, mais n’avait pas la conscience tranquille à la suite d’un incident qui s’est produit sur le 11e trou. Il a signé sa carte en inscrivant un pointage de 4 sur cette normale-3. En voulant effectuer le dernier coup roulé, il a posé un geste au-dessus de la balle et estime que cela aurait pu être interprété comme un coup, ce qui signifie que son véritable pointage aurait été de 5.

Il a remis la bourse de 53 000$ qu’il a touchée. Le montant sera redistribué comme il se doit aux autres golfeurs selon le nouveau classement.

En agissant de la sorte, Tringale a provoqué sa propre disqualification.

LONDON, Ont—For Doug Alexander, the fact that much of Canadian golf has come together in Southern Ontario this summer is just happenstance.

Alexander, the president of Golf Canada, is an accountant by trade. So he knows what the numbers add up to, even if he says it wasn’t part of a master plan.

This week London, right in the center of Southwestern Ontario, will host the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open. Earlier this year the city held Golf Canada’s annual meeting. In September PGA Tour Canada’s Tour Championship will be battled over at Sunningdale Golf and Country Club, just a few minutes’ drive from London Hunt, where Lydia Ko will shop up this week as two-time champ.

But it doesn’t stop there. The Canadian Women’s Amateur was contested at Craigowan in Woodstock, about 40 minutes east of London, and an equal distance west, at Maple City, Courtney Tolton won the Ontario Junior Girls title.

At the heart of it is the Canadian Women’s Open, rebranded the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open after the railway that came on as title sponsor.

Scott Simmons, CEO of Golf Canada, says there are some real advantages to having such a large number of significant events in one area.

“Once you realize you have this critical mass of events and can market it around it by calling London the capital of golf this summer,” Simmons says. “The breadth of golf in that area makes it a hotbed of golf in Canada.”

According to Alexander, the decision to head to London for the event was made by CP CEO Hunter Harrison. He liked the market and the natural synergy it has with the Canadian Women’s Open. The tournament last appeared in London in 2006, the first year it was with CN, and drew record crowds. Mid-markets like London tend to draw enthusiastic fan support, and CP, under Harrison, was keen on revisiting the town and venue, London’s Hunt Golf and Country Club, where the 2006 tournament was met with such fanfare.

Mark Wallace, CP’s chief of staff and vice-president of corporate affairs, said the company was anxious to take the tournament to London, certainly with the recognition of the success the LPGA and Golf Canada had with it eight years ago.

“It presents a great opportunity,” he said at a press conference in London earlier this year.

Golf Canada works with the title sponsors to find locations that work for their respective tournaments both from a fan perspective, and strategically for the business, says Simmons. London, it turns out, is “good for both parties,” he adds.

“You want to work with the CP and make sure it achieves their goals,” he says. “And for London it is just a wonderful market for this type of event. That market always wraps around big events and it is a big market for CP. And then the quality of golf is great—you can’t do better than London Hunt.”

And so far this summer London has seen its share of high-profile successes. Smiths Falls, Ont.’s Brooke Henderson won the Women’s PGA Championship at Firerock Golf Club, just outside of the city, at the end of July, and turned up at the Hunt Club the next day to see the course in preparation for the CP Women’s Open. Who did she play with during her visit? None other than Doug Alexander, who also happens to be a member at London Hunt, and took Henderson and her father around the course as the 16-year old prepared for the tournament.

Alexander admits there are a lot of connections among the golf tournaments in the region, though there was never a grand design.

“In a funny kind of way everything has come together,” says Alexander. “Though a lot of it is really just accidental.”

That doesn’t mean it all works easily. There’s still corporate support needed for many of the events. And yes, CP has stepped up for the women’s open in London, and Freedom 55 has back the PGA of Canada’s Tour Championship, which is run by Golf Canada. But Alexander admits that corporate support can be a challenge in a community like London, which was hard hit by the economic downturn of 2008.

“This has been a tremendously generous community as far as golf goes,” he says.

In the end, Alexander says the biggest question about the Southern Ontario golf juggernaut is what the impact on the area will be once all the events have been completed. As the national sports organization in charge of golf, Alexander says there’s a real goal of improving the visibility of the sport at the elite level, something the region will have seen plenty of, from the elite amateur level through to the professionals. And when all is said and done, and the tournaments are over and the corporate tents have been put away, what’s key is the lasting ramifications of the tournaments and the people who connect with golf in some fashion.

“As a national sports organization you want to improve in any way you can the culture in your sport,” Alexander says. “This is the perfect opportunity. When we get to October, and all of these events are completed, there’s a real chance of increasing the interest in golf. And if we do that, we’ll have accomplished something.”

If you go:

What: CP Women’s Open
Where: London Hunt Golf and Country Club, London, Ont.
When: Aug. 18-24
www.cpwomensopen.com

What: PGA Tour Canada Tour Championship
Where: Sunningdale Golf and Country Club, London, Ont.
When: Sept. 8-14
www.golfcanada.ca/tourchampionshipofcanada

CALGARY—Kevin Sutherland, who became the latest professional to shoot 59 and first on the Champions Tour, will lead a group of three that have fired golf’s magic number into Calgary to tackle the Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club for this year’s Shaw Charity Classic in just one week’s time.

Sutherland went where nobody has ever gone on the Champions Tour breaking the 60 mark on the scorecard over the weekend by firing a sizzling 13-under par round, which included 12 birdies, one eagle and one bogey. The lone bogey came on the final hole of the par-72 En-Joie Golf Club in Endicott, New York.

“Amazing round. Obviously I played really well. I was just in my own little world,” said Sutherland.

The 50-year-old Champions Tour rookie was greeted on the 18th hole with a standing ovation and many of his fellow Champions Tour players who rushed out to the green to witness this historic moment.

“The response I got when I came up 18 I have to admit gave me chills. I guess if your Jack Nicklaus or Arnold Palmer you get used to that, but when everybody stood up around the green and was clapping, I got some chills,” said Sutherland, whose low round on the PGA Tour coincidentally came at the 2010 Canadian Open when he shot 62. His lone PGA Tour victory was at the 2002 World Golf Championships Match Play Championship.

“To have the players behind the green giving me hugs and high fives, hand shakes and congratulations, that stuff means a lot and that is the stuff I’m going to remember most today.”

One of those players standing behind the 18th green to watch Sutherland complete his near flawless round was his best friend on Tour, and another member of golf’s 59 Club, Paul Goydos.

Goydos will join Sutherland in Calgary later this month – both in search of their first Champions Tour victories. Goydos became the fourth player in PGA Tour history to card a 59 when he made history himself in the opening round of the 2010 John Deere Classic. A Champions Tour rookie, Goydos has two PGA Tour titles: 1996 Bay Hill Invitational and the 2010 Sony Open in Hawaii.

Rounding out the trio of the 59 Club members that will swing into Alberta’s foothills for the second annual Shaw Charity Classic, August 27-31, 2014, is Chip Beck.

One of the Tour’s most colourful characters, Beck shot his 59 in the third round of the 1991 Las Vegas Invitational at Sunrise Golf Course. A four-time winner on the PGA TOUR, Beck also represented the United States on three Ryder Cup teams. Beck was part of the 81-man field that competed in the inaugural Shaw Charity Classic one year ago.

Tournament officials will announce the complete list of players that will tee it up in Calgary during a media conference on August 20.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Martin Piller won the News Sentinel Open on Sunday at Fox Den to give himself a chance to earn a PGA Tour card through the regular-season money list.

The 28-year-old Piller, married to LPGA Tour player Gerina Piller, shot an 8-under 63 for a two-stroke victory over former Texas A&M teammate Bronson Burgoon.

“Wow, I did it,” Piller said. “It was really awesome.”

Piller finished at 22-under 262 for his third career Web.com Tour title and first since 2010.

“I don’t even know what to say right now,” Piller said. “It’s been a tough couple of years, but this is sweet.”

He earned $99,000 to jump from 134th to 29th on the money list with $120,676, with the top 25 after the Portland Open next week earning 2014-15 PGA Tour cards.

Piller eagled the par-5 10th and had seven birdies and a bogey in the final round. He opened with rounds of 65, 67 and 67.

Burgoon matched the course record with a 62 after shooting a 64 on Saturday.

“I’ve been playing good all week,” said Burgoon, who moved to 36th on the money list. “I’ve been hitting it close all week; I finally got some putts to fall. I’m thrilled, this gets me into the playoffs.”

The four-event Web.com Tour Finals – also offering 25 PGA Tour cards – starts Aug 28-31 in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Darron Stiles was third at 18 under after a 64.

Canada’s Roger Sloan finished at 9-under 275, leaving him in a tie for 30th.

GREENSBORO, N.C.  – When Camilo Villegas finished his final round in the Wyndham Championship, he was hoping to get into a playoff.

Instead, every other contender stumbled, and the Colombian didn’t have to hit another shot to win his first PGA Tour title since 2010.

Villegas shot a 7-under 63 and finished at 17-under 263. He earned $954,000 and 500 FedEx Cup points in the final regular-season event.

Villegas had four birdies and an eagle on the front nine, added a birdie on the par-5 15th and watched the rest of the tournament from the air-conditioned scorer’s tent with his caddie.

“I was hoping for a playoff,” Villegas said. “I thought I needed one more (stroke).”

Turns out, he didn’t. When the rest of the field struggled late, he wound up with his fourth PGA Tour title and first since the 2010 Honda Classic.

He also became the second first-round leader to win the tournament since its 2008 move back to Sedgefield Country Club and first since Arjun Atwal in 2010.

Bill Haas and Freddie Jacobson tied for second. Haas had a 64, and Jacobson shot 66.

Jacobson needed a par on the final hole to force a playoff, but he rolled his 11-foot putt inches past the hole.

Heath Slocum was two strokes back after his 67. Brandt Snedeker, Webb Simpson and third-round leader Nick Watney were at 14 under.

Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch finished tied for eighth at 13 under.

Villegas had to wait about 40 minutes after his round ended before his victory was secure.

He closed his round with three straight pars, tapping in from about 2 feet on 18 and hoping it was good enough.

It was – once the crowd thinned itself out.

“When the boys got closer to the last hole, you can get a little anxious,” Villegas said. “You don’t have a golf club in your hand. You can’t really control it.”

Watney was at 17 under and appeared headed for his sixth PGA Tour victory before he ran into trouble on 14 and picked up his third bogey of the tournament and second of the day.

He followed with three straight pars, leaving him needing a birdie on the final hole to tie Villegas.

He had one on Saturday – but couldn’t do it again.

He wound up with a double bogey after his tee shot bounced past a cart path and out of bounds.

“I knew what was at stake, and I pushed it a little bit,” Watley said. “Extremely disappointed. If you said at any point, you birdie (the) last hole, you’re in a playoff, you would take it. … That was really a bad shot at a really bad time.”

That came after Jacobson also couldn’t catch Villegas.

The Swede’s second shot on 18 fell short of the green and his 70-foot birdie putt from the front edge rolled well past the hole before he was wide with his par putt.

“It really sucks when you play solid all day and, you know, I really thought it was my day coming in,” Jacobson said. “All I needed was a solid strike to get up there and good feed in and have a good chance of winning.”

Congestion atop the leaderboard was expected after 12 players entered their last trip around Sedgefield within three strokes of third-round leader Watney, who was at 14 under through three rounds.

And Villegas wasn’t one of them.

He began five strokes back but made a quick trip up the leaderboard, with three birdies and an eagle among his first five holes to move to 15 under and put himself within striking distance.

The other main subplot here this week was the last-gasp push for spots in the PGA Tour’s playoffs, which begin next week at The Barclays in New Jersey.

Slocum, who arrived at No. 158 on the points list, was briefly at 17 under but slipped off the pace by closing with two bogeys that also helped keep him out of The Barclays field. He finished at No. 129.

Martin Laird, who was at No. 136, was near the lead all weekend but his tie for 14th could only propel him to No. 127.

Paul Casey, 125th at the start of the week, tied for 18th to put himself safely in the field. Sang-Moon Bae played his way into the playoffs with a tie for 14th that moved him to No. 120. Jhonattan Vegas was at No. 124 but kept himself securely in the field with his tie for eighth.

“The goal was definitely to move on to next week,” Vegas said. “Mission accomplished.”