CALGARY—Three of golf’s legends who have combined to win six PGA Tour major championship titles – Tom Lehman, Mark O’Meara and Hale Irwin – have added additional depth to an already stellar field that will compete in Calgary for the second annual Shaw Charity Classic, August 27-31, 2014.

Lehman, who hosted the Claret Jug in 1996, will be joined by the 1998 Masters and British Open winner O’Meara, along with three-time U.S. Open winner, Irwin, in Calgary. The trio brings a combined 41 PGA TOUR titles and 55 victories on the Champions Tour with them to Canada’s Stampede City.

“The Shaw Charity Classic has worked very hard to bring the biggest names on the Champions Tour to Calgary, and these three players certainly support that mission,” said Sean Van Kesteren, tournament director, Shaw Charity Classic. “Not only are Mark, Tom and Hale some of the most successful players on Tour, they are also among the most respected. They can still play at a very high level and we are thrilled to host them in Calgary again this summer.”

The only player to win Player-of-the-Year on all three PGA Tours: Web.com; PGA Tour; and Champions Tour, Lehman won five times on the PGA Tour. The highlight of his career came in 1996 when he followed up his British Open victory with a win at the TOUR Championship. Ranked number one on the official World Golf Rankings for a brief stint in 1997, Lehman has won eight times on the senior circuit including his three majors coming in 2010 at the Senior Players Championship, and 2011 and 2012 Regions Tradition.

“I am thrilled to be heading back to Calgary this year. I have a lot of friends in Scottsdale who are from Calgary and it will be fun to come back and spend more time in their city,” said Lehman. “The crowds last year were very enthusiastic and impressive, and so was the golf course. It may have been a first year tournament, but it was one of the best of the year. I’m sure it will be even stronger this year.”

One of the most popular figures in international golf, O’Meara is a winner of 16 victories on the PGA Tour including five times at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and the 1995 Canadian Open. The two-time major winner has won twice since joining the Champions Tour in 2007, including one major in 2010 – the SENIOR PLAYERS Championship.

Rounding out the newest trio to return to Calgary will be World Golf Hall of Fame member, Hale Irwin. Inducted into the Hall in 1992, Irwin racked up 20 career titles on the PGA Tour, and became the oldest U.S. Open winner in 1990 (45 years old) when he captured his third national title just prior to joining the senior circuit. Since turning 50, Irwin is the Champions Tour career leader in wins and earnings with 45 victories and more than $26 million. The 69 year old, who has gone on to win seven major titles on the Champions Tour, became the first man since Gary Player in 2009 to shoot three rounds better than his age in a tournament last week at the 3M Championship (68-66-68).

Tickets and corporate packages for the Shaw Charity Classic are available online at www.shawcharityclassic.com. Youth 17 and under are admitted free with a ticketed adult. Shaw Communications Inc. will also celebrate tournament week with Calgarians by hosting a FREEconcert featuring rock icons, Randy Bachman and Fred Turner, along with acclaimed Canadian band, The Sheepdogs, at Shaw Millennium Park on Thursday, August 28. Presented by Rdio, the country’s leading digital streaming music service, tickets to the all-ages concert are available by visiting shaw.ca/concert.

Winnipeg – Jonathan Garrick and Sam Saunders sit tied for the lead at the halfway point of the 110th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at Elmhurst Golf and Country Club and Southwood Golf and Country Club.

The American duo played opposite courses Tuesday and share top spot on the leaderboard at 8-under 134 thru 36 holes of play.

New Mexico’s Saunders carded the low round of the day at Southwood, firing a 5-under 67 during the afternoon flight. The Albuquerque native’s scorecard was highlighted by an opening 3-under 33 front-nine and a closing birdie on the par-5 18th hole.

“I just sort of played steady all day, I made two bogeys on the back nine on both the par-3’s and I actually birdied the next hole both times so that was good to keep my momentum going,” Saunders said. “I didn’t ever get into a lull in my round where it was too slow, so I just kept steadily making birdies all day and ended up 5-under.”

Playing at Elmhurst, Garrick of Atherton, Calif. continued his solid play from the first round carding a 2-under 68. The only blemish on the UCLA Bruins’ scorecard was a double-bogey on the par-4 16th hole before closing with a 2-under 33 back-nine.

“Today I got off to a good start, I eagled I think the fourth or fifth hole and then made a double after that and turned at even-par,” said Garrick “ On the back I gave myself some opportunities and made a couple more birdies coming in.”

A trio of players lead the way for the Canadian contingent in a tie for third including Team Canada’s Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont. who carded a second round 2-under 68. Conners hopes to continue his strong play heading into the final 36 holes after a runner-up finish at this championship last season.

“I was pretty disappointed last year, so I want to make sure I don’t do anything silly and and jeopardize winning the tournament,” Conners said. “Basically the plan is to stick to my game plan and just stay relaxed, take it one shot at a time and do my own thing.”

Blair Hamilton of Burlington, Ont. and Winnipeg’s Bret Thompson share third place alongside Conners at 6-under par. Hamilton and Thompson both posted 4-under 68’s at Southwood to soar up the leaderboard on Tuesday.

In the Willingdon Cup team competition, Team Ontario’s squad of Conners, Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont. and Chris Hemmerich of Kitchener, Ont. captured the title by eight strokes. The Team Canada trio carded a 2-under 138 second round team total to finish the championship at 9-under 275 ahead of Alberta’s A.J. Armstrong of St. Albert, Banff’s Jack Wood and Tyler Saunders of Sturgeon Country.

For a full field list as well as starting times, live scoring and post-round results for the 110th playing of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, click here.

GLEN COVE, N.Y. -Five Canadians are headed to match play at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship.

Brooke Mackenzie Henderson was the leading Canadian. The 16-year-old Smiths Falls, Ont. native who was the low amateur in the U.S. Women’s Open, had a 71 to tie for 12th at 2 over.

Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont. was 4 over and tied for 21st; while Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City, Elizabeth Tong of Thornhill, Ont. and Augusta James all tied for 46th at 6 over.

Bethany Wu shot a 2-under 68 on Tuesday to top the 64 match-play qualifiers.

Wu, the 17-year-old Diamond Bar, California, player who has committed to play at UCLA, finished stroke play at 3-under 137 at Nassau Country Club.

“Going to the back nine, I was thinking, `Don’t make any mistakes,'” said Wu, the runner-up last week in the Junior PGA Championship and a quarterfinalist two weeks ago in the U.S. Girls’ Junior. “(Earning medalist honors is) good for me because I’ve beat really top players here through stroke play.”

Australia’s Su-Hyun Oh, the first-round leader, was a shot back along with Andrea Lee of Hermosa Beach, California. Oh had a 72, and Lee shot 69.

Princess Mary Superal, the 17-year-old Filipino player who won the U.S. Girls’ Junior, was another stroke back after a 73.

Defending champion Emma Talley, the 20-year-old University of Alabama player from Princeton, Kentucky, tied for 46th at 6 over. She followed her opening 76 with a 70.

“I knew that today was a big day,” said Talley, who made the winning putt for United States in June in the Curtis Cup. “I got 1 over at one point, and I knew I just needed to stick with my game.”

A tour of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum located in Golf Canada’s Golf House at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont. can be a fun experience for anyone who plays the game.

The displays of old clubs and equipment leaves you wondering what it must have been like to play the game in days of yore.

One of the museum’s greatest collections, however, is virtually never seen by the public. In the basement of Golf house, down the hall past boxes of golf artifacts is one of the largest collection of golf books and magazines in the world.

The Canadian Golf  Hall of Fame and Museum’s library is so extensive that they regularly donate extra copies of some of their books to the World Golf Hall of Fame and the United States Golf Association Museum.

“We recently sent out a list of our extra books and the World Golf Hall of Fame emailed right back and asked us if they could have 50 of them,” said Meggan Gardner, curator of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum.

Jim Fraser, the retired former executive director of the Golf Canada Foundation, is currently re-cataloging and digitizing the entire library.

“Right now, we have 5,795 books by 1,991 authors in our collection,” added Fraser.

The golf books are stored on shelves and filed by categories that include, but aren’t limited to: architecture, art, associations, auto biographies, biographies, championships, equipment and collections, general, geography, golf clubs (courses), health and fitness, history, instruction, psychology, literature (including humour and poetry), management, quotations, reference, rules, tournaments and turf.

The collection of instruction books, which includes a number that are in french, is the largest in the library. They have 973 of them. If you read them all it would probably mess up your game to the point that you’d never play again.

The Museum buys the odd book and they have some rare ones in their collection. Mostly though, they’re donated.

Noted Canadian golf journalist and author Lorne Rubenstein recently donated about 600 books and close to 2,000 magazines.

Fraser says they aren’t getting as many books donated as they used to and they want to encourage anyone with golf books to consider donating them to the museum. You’ll even receive a tax receipt.

“It’s a shame more people don’t know about the library and it would be nice if we could have it in a building where people could see it,” says Fraser. “I think more people would donate books if they knew we were here.”

Gardner says the library has almost become the forgotten part of the museum’s collection and digitizing the collection will help bring it back into the light.

“There’s some great things happening with digitization projects and making these things available on-line,” says Gardner.

Fraser says their magazine collection probably numbers around 10,000. That includes a priceless collection of Ralph Reville’s Canadian Golfer Magazine, which offers a complete history of golf in this country from 1915 to 1933.

While very few people have ever seen Golf Canada’s Library, the collection is not completely closed to the public. “

We don’t let people borrow books and take them out, but we do allow access to the collection, especially if someone is doing research,” says Gardner. “They can make an appointment and we’ll find a place for them here to read whatever book they want.”

Gardner says there are all kinds of reasons someone might want to access the library as reference material. For example, a golf course designed by any of the great golf course architects might be coming up on a special anniversary. Chances are pretty good the Golf Canada library would have books written by or about that architect.

If you want to see a list of the books in the library, click here.  You can also contact Meggan Gardner at cghf@golfcanada.ca if you’re doing research and would like to access the museum library.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -Golf stories about Rory McIlroy are a lot more flattering than those a year ago. And if he reads too much into them, they can be a lot more dangerous.

McIlroy went wire to wire at Hoylake to win the British Open. Then, he overpowered Firestone on the weekend to win his first World Golf Championship. Now he is the overwhelming favorite at the PGA Championship. He is looked on in some corners as a sure thing, a label once reserved only for Tiger Woods.

Boy Wonder is not so sure about that.

“Sometimes I feel that people are too quick to jump to conclusions,” McIlroy said Tuesday before heading out for his first look at Valhalla. “I’ve had a great run of golf and I’ve played well over the past few months. Look, I said at the start of the year that golf was looking for someone to put their hand up and sort of become one of the dominant players in the game. I felt like I had the ability to do that. And it’s just nice to be able to win a few tournaments and get back to where I feel I should be.”

He is No. 1 in the world again. He has three wins in his last seven starts. And with three legs of the career Grand Slam – only Woods and Jack Nicklaus were younger than the 25-year-old McIlroy when they achieved that – there was even talk about the start of a new era.

McIlroy wasn’t buying.

“I’m just really happy with where my golf game is at the minute, and I just want to try and continue that for as long as possible,” he said. “And people can say what they want to say. That’s fine. But I can’t read too much into it. … Because if you read everything that was being written, I’d turn up at the first tee on Thursday thinking I’d already won the tournament.”

The question lingered Tuesday whether Woods was going to make it to the first tee at all.

Woods injured his back Sunday – just four months after back surgery – and canceled his news conference Tuesday. There was no word on his prospects, presumably because he wanted to give himself as much time as possible to see if he could play.

Even if he did, that wouldn’t take the focus from McIlroy.

McIlroy appears to be in full flight, just as he was in his record victory at Congressional in the 2011 U.S. Open, and just as he was when he won the PGA Championship by a record eight shots in 2012, and then added three more wins the rest of the year against strong fields.

Valhalla, where Woods won 14 years ago, would appear to be suited for him. Then again, just about any course is for a guy who hits it long and straight.

McIlroy said his work in gym has added about 7 pounds of muscle in recent months, and he is now the heaviest he has been. He also has shortened his swing, which would make him more accurate off the tee.

“He’s such a great driver of the golf ball,” Phil Mickelson said as he looked back on McIlroy’s win at Firestone. “Even though the golf course was fairly tight and hitting fairways is important, he kept hitting drivers and he kept putting the ball in play and he kept playing the course aggressively and making birdies. And he plays to his strength. He’s just a very good talent. We’ve been waiting a year, year and a half now for it to turn. And it’s really turned for him. And he’s tough to beat.”

McIlroy was foundering at this time a year, missing the cut in three out of six tournaments, not even sniffing contention as he worked through equipment changes. The final touch was an alignment issue he solved after the Masters, and he is soaring now.

Of the 13 players to win a major and a World Golf Championship, McIlroy and Woods are the only ones to win them in consecutive starts. In the last 20 years, Woods, Padraig Harrington and Nick Price are the only players to win the final two majors of the year.

McIlroy ended Adam Scott’s 11-week run at No. 1, and his intent is to stay there.

“I think the right guy is at No. 1 at the moment,” Scott said. “I hope that I could go ahead and win this week and maybe go back to No. 1. But there’s no doubt Rory has played the best golf over the last few months.

“It’s only motivating to see Rory play so well,” he said. “I’ve said a lot that I feel this is my time, so I’ve got to beat whatever Rory is throwing out there.”

McIlroy considers this his best major, and the results bear that out. In five starts, he has finished out of the top 10 only one time. That was in 2011 in Atlanta, where he played the last three rounds with an arm injury after trying to hit a shot through a tree root.

Golf courses typically are softer in August because of the heat. Nicklaus courses tend to have generous fairways, not that McIlroy needs any help these days. The only change now is the perception.

“Expectations are higher. Hype is a little higher,” McIlroy said. “So it’s a little bit different this year.”

Through the years the PGA Championship has been won by many great champions. Check out the 10 best players who never hoisted the Wanamaker Trophy.

A look at Dufner and Bradley’s unique pre-shot routines

Fellow PGA Championship winners and close friends Jason Dufner and Keegan Bradley comment each other’s unique pre shot routines in this humorous video from the PGA TOUR.

During the 2014 RBC Canadian Open at The Royal Montreal Golf Club, adidas Golf gave eight lucky spectators the opportunity to participate in a once in a lifetime golf adventure.

In addition to getting up close and personal with the Tours finest, including Canada’s own Mike Weir, wide-eyed fans were immersed in an afternoon of incredible experiences. Take a look at their best day ever.

TaylorMade Golf introduces three new premium putters

One year ago, TaylorMade Golf Company released the most stable putters the company had ever created – the counterbalanced Daddy Long Legs and the counterbalanced Spider Blade. Later, TaylorMade expanded its counterbalance putter offerings to include the Spider Mallet and the ultra-stable Ghost Spider Si.

Today, TaylorMade announces new counterbalanced models of the Daddy Long Legs, Spider Blade and Spider Mallet, each with Tour-inspired aesthetics.

Crafted with insights from TaylorMade Tour Professionals, the new designs feature an enhanced color scheme, including a luxurious black finish and white tungsten heel/toe weights, which frame the ball at address. A matte-black shaft and high-polish sole round out the premium aesthetics.

“The new tour-inspired cosmetic is visually stunning, while also delivering the ultimate in stability and performance,” said Tomo Bystedt, TaylorMade’s director of iron, wedge and putter creation. “Each of these putters promote an extremely stable putting stroke, to help golfers deliver a consistent roll time after time.”

Daddy Long Legs is the most stable putter in the trio, with an MOI of more than 8,500. The high-MOI design resists twisting at impact to protect ball speed on off-center hits, promoting a reliable roll regardless of where the ball is struck on the face.

At more than 5,200 MOI, the Spider Blade offers the stability of a mallet putter in a blade shape to promote outstanding twist-resistance and distance control on off-center hits. All three models feature a heavy steel frame, and tungsten heel and toe weights, all designed to raise the MOI to deliver increased head stability.

TaylorMade Tour Staff pros who contributed to the development of these premium putters include Sergio Garcia, who finished tied for second at The Open Championship using the new counterbalanced Spider Mallet; Jason Day; Boo Weekley; and Troy Matteson.

To optimize counterbalance technology, golfers should grip two to three inches below the top end of the grip when assuming a normal stance, posture and address. By doing so, more weight is “above” the golfer’s hands, which is key for increasing stroke-stability. Because players should grip down, each new counterbalanced putter is offered in two lengths: 38” and 35”. The 38” is for players who traditionally use a 34”-36” putter, while the 35” option is for players who traditionally use a 32”-34” putter.

The new Daddy Long Legs is priced at $279.99 CDN, while the Spider Blade and Spider Mallet retail for $259.99. Each model is offered in a single bend 35” or 38” shaft. Retail availability begins August 1. For more information, visit taylormadegolf.ca.

Daddy Long Legs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – U.S. captain Tom Watson said Monday that Tiger Woods’ latest back injury “doesn’t bode well right now” for Woods playing in the Ryder Cup.

Watson told SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio he was watching the final round of the Bridgestone Invitational when Woods withdrew after hitting his tee shot on the ninth hole because of another injury to his back.

“Tiger would be a great addition to our team,” Watson said. “As I’ve said all along, I would pick Tiger Woods if he’s healthy and playing well. This doesn’t bode well right now. I just hope that maybe it’s just an isolated problem that he can turn around and possibly play this week at the PGA.”

Woods flew home to Florida on Sunday to be evaluated. It was not clear when he would know if he could play at Valhalla, where Woods won the PGA Championship in 2000. His caddie was on the course Monday.

Woods, in only his third tournament since returning from back surgery, said he jarred his lower back when he hopped into a deep bunker after playing an awkward shot from the slope of the bunker on the second hole at Firestone.

He tried to keep playing and hit some shockingly bad shots – one into the water on No. 3, another on the par-3 fifth that was 65 yards short of the flag.

“I watched him play almost the entire front nine,” Watson said. “And the shot he had at 5 … I said, `Something’s wrong with Tiger.’ You don’t hit that terrible a shot ever – ever. And then, of course, No. 9, he just couldn’t go any farther. It concerns me because that’s an injury that seems like he tried to address before and he’s come back from that particular injury.”

Watson said he sent Woods a text to tell him he was sorry about the injury, and “I hope you get well soon.”

Woods missed two majors and three months of the season after March 31 back surgery. He has no chance of making the Ryder Cup team unless he wins the PGA Championship. If he can’t play this week, that would be the end of his PGA Tour season until after the Ryder Cup.

COPETOWN, Ont. – A number of Canada’s legends of golf are set compete at the 2014 Mr. Lube PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada presented by Adams Golf Aug. 6-7 at Beverly Golf & Country Club.

Champions Tour player Jim Rutledge of Victoria eyes his third straight—and fourth since 2010—PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada, but faces stiff competition from the likes of fellow Champions Tour player Rod Spittle of Niagara Falls, Ont.

Past champions in the field include 2011 winner Ken Tarling of Sandford, Ont., 2002 winner Gar Hamilton of Oakville, Ont., and three-time champion Bob Rose of Dundas, Ont. Two-time defending Super Senior winner Norm Jarvis of Surrey, B.C., is also in the field this week.

Other notable players in the field include European Senior’s Tour player and two-time PGA Assistant’s Championship of Canada winner Philip Jonas; Scott Allred, who is ranked No. 9 on the PGA of Canada Player Rankings; two-time PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada winner Remi Bouchard; past PGA of Canada President Ian Clake.; former PGA Club Professional Championship of Canada winner Ian Doig; past PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada winner Marc Girouard; two-time PGA Club Professional Championship of Canada winner Brian Hutton; Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame member Scott Knapp; former European Senior’s Tour player David Wettlaufer; and six-time PGA Tour Canada winner Daniel Talbot.

Last year at Lookout Point Golf Club in Fonthill, Ont., Rutledge birdied the fourth playoff hole over Spittle. With the dramatic victory, the native of Victoria became just the seventh player in the championship’s history to win three or more times.

Attendance to the Mr. Lube PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada presented by Adams Golf is free and spectators are encouraged to attend during tournament play.

Located in Copetown, Ont., Beverly Golf & Country Club is a classically designed Robbie Robinson gem and often referred to as one of the best secrets in Canada golf. At more than 6,500 yards, the par-70 layout features angled greens, traditional bunkering and large mature trees.

The PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada was first played in 1938 as a division of the Canadian PGA Championship. In 1973, the championship became an independent event and has stayed that way since.

Among the Canadian golf legends to win the PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada are Stan Leonard, Moe Norman—who won a record seven straight years from 1979-1985—Bob Panasik, Al Balding—who wowed the golf world by winning at age 76 in 2000—and Jim Rutledge.

For first round tee times, click here.

COPETOWN, Ont. – A number of Canada’s legends of golf are set compete at the 2014 Mr. Lube PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada presented by Adams Golf Aug. 6-7 at Beverly Golf & Country Club.

Champions Tour player Jim Rutledge of Victoria eyes his third straight—and fourth since 2010—PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada, but faces stiff competition from the likes of fellow Champions Tour player Rod Spittle of Niagara Falls, Ont.

Past champions in the field include 2011 winner Ken Tarling of Sandford, Ont., 2002 winner Gar Hamilton of Oakville, Ont., and three-time champion Bob Rose of Dundas, Ont. Two-time defending Super Senior winner Norm Jarvis of Surrey, B.C., is also in the field this week.

Other notable players in the field include European Senior’s Tour player and two-time PGA Assistant’s Championship of Canada winner Philip Jonas; Scott Allred, who is ranked No. 9 on the PGA of Canada Player Rankings; two-time PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada winner Remi Bouchard; past PGA of Canada President Ian Clake.; former PGA Club Professional Championship of Canada winner Ian Doig; past PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada winner Marc Girouard; two-time PGA Club Professional Championship of Canada winner Brian Hutton; Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame member Scott Knapp; former European Senior’s Tour player David Wettlaufer; and six-time PGA Tour Canada winner Daniel Talbot.

Last year at Lookout Point Golf Club in Fonthill, Ont., Rutledge birdied the fourth playoff hole over Spittle. With the dramatic victory, the native of Victoria became just the seventh player in the championship’s history to win three or more times.

Attendance to the Mr. Lube PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada presented by Adams Golf is free and spectators are encouraged to attend during tournament play.

Located in Copetown, Ont., Beverly Golf & Country Club is a classically designed Robbie Robinson gem and often referred to as one of the best secrets in Canada golf. At more than 6,500 yards, the par-70 layout features angled greens, traditional bunkering and large mature trees.

The PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada was first played in 1938 as a division of the Canadian PGA Championship. In 1973, the championship became an independent event and has stayed that way since.

Among the Canadian golf legends to win the PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada are Stan Leonard, Moe Norman—who won a record seven straight years from 1979-1985—Bob Panasik, Al Balding—who wowed the golf world by winning at age 76 in 2000—and Jim Rutledge.

For first round tee times, click here.