VIRGINIA WATER, England – Graeme McDowell is skipping next week’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth to spend time at home in Florida with his pregnant wife, Kristin.

George O’Grady, chief executive of the European Tour, says the 2010 U.S. Open champion is choosing not to fly to England so that he can be with Kristin, who is expecting their first child and will not be able to travel for the next three months.

The rest of Europe’s Ryder Cup-winning team from Medinah in 2012 will be playing at the tour’s flagship event, with Luke Donald seeking his third victory in four years at the tournament.

The event starts May 22.

GIRONA, Spain – Eddie Pepperell of England shot a 4-under 68 for a one-shot lead after the first round of the Spanish Open on Thursday.

Spanish players Sergio Garcia and Miguel Angel Jimenez were among eight chasing Pepperell at the PGA Catalunya Resort golf course.

Garcia, coming off a third-place finish at the Players Championship at Sawgrass, shrugged off jet lag to put himself in contention for his second Spanish Open title – 12 years after his first.

Garcia says, “The course is tough and the fairways are some of the tightest we have played all year.”

A further eight players trailed Pepperell by two strokes, including former British Open champion Paul Lawrie, who was playing for the first time since January because of back and neck problems.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Many of the top players in women’s golf have won when the LPGA Tour visits Kingsmill.

From Annika Sorenstam and Se Ri Pak to Karrie Webb and Suzann Pettersen, it is a layout that brings the best to the top.

No one loves the River Course more than three-time winner Cristie Kerr, but the defending champion missed Wednesday’s Pro-Am due to an illness and her status for Thursday is uncertain. If Kerr doesn’t play or isn’t 100 percent, Stacy Lewis would be the likely favorite to win. She is coming off a victory and has a chance to rise to No. 1, the favorite.

Lewis won the North Texas LPGA Shootout by six shots last weekend, closing with a 7-under 64.

Inbee Park has led the world rankings for 57 weeks, but she isn’t playing this weekend. But Lewis said her focus isn’t the ranking, it’s winning.

“My number one goal is to win tournaments,” Lewis said Wednesday. “Obviously the rankings and the money list, everything like that takes care of itself. The goal doesn’t change: win tournaments.”

Lewis has won nine times in her career and has eight top 10 finishes this season while Pettersen, another favorite based on her track record, has three top 10s after rebounding from a back injury.

She arrived at Kingsmill feeling like she’s rounding into form at just the right time.

“Overall I feel very happy with my game,” she said Tuesday. “I feel great. I’m happy that I kind of managed to get back and get a couple tournaments in before we got here after being out with an injury.”

Pettersen has won 14 times in her career, and the first one came on the River Course in 2007. She was in it to the end last year, too, and then some, losing to Kerr on the second hole of a playoff.

“I’ve been looking forward to this tournament since that last putt dropped last year,” she said. “This is by far one of my favorite stops. I mean, we can say that each and every week, but I’ve had some great success here. I love the course. I think it’s one of the best courses we play all year.

“I’m staying here at the resort. It’s just very pleasant and nice and calm. You have all the facilities you need. If you can’t find peace here, I don’t think you’ll find it anywhere.”

If Kerr rebounds to play Thursday, eight of the top 10 players in the world are in the field with Park and No. 7, Shanshan Feng, the only ones missing. Michelle Wie, one of the tour’s most popular players and in the midst of her best season, also is skipping the tournament. Wie is now ranked 12th worldwide.

Other former champions in the field include Pak, the 2004 champion and Karrie Webb (2006), along with 17-year-old sensation Lydia Ko, who won her last event and is ranked third in the world.

It’s Ko’s first experience with Kingsmill, and she said will place a premium on accuracy off the tee.

“They always seem to put the bunkers where my drive distance goes,” she said.

Parksville, B.C. (Golf Canada) – It only took one playoff hole for amateur Michelle Piyapattra to claim the season-opening Canadian Women’s Tour stop at Morningstar Golf Club.

Tied at 1-over par 145 after 36 holes, Piyapattra of Corona, Calif., headed into a hole-by-hole playoff with Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., and Lauren Mielbrecht of Gulf Stream, Fla. The 21-year-old faced an almost identical shot from the middle of the 18th fairway that she had taken just minutes earlier on her first trip down the 400-yard par-4 before posting a 2-over 74.

After Mielbrecht missed her approach shot to the left of the green, Piyapattra stepped up and stuck a pitching wedge to 3-feet. Richdale followed and landed her second shot 25-feet away. Moments later Piyapattra watched both players miss their birdie attempts and confidently converted her short putt for the victory and exemption into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

“It was amazing for my approach shot just to stay on the green because I’ve been having trouble with that all week,” Piyapattra said. “I was just trying to stay focused and make sure to think that it’s not over until it’s over. It was really a great feeling especially with such great competitors out here.”

Piyapattra’s final round 2-over 74 was highlighted by three birdies – the most critical coming at the par-4 16th hole to grab a share of the lead. The Columbia University Lion senior graduates next week and hopes to play as a professional at Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship at London Hunt and Country Club, August 18-24th, 2014.

“It’s really an honour and I’m obviously still an amateur since I’m still in school and graduating next week,” she said. “Hopefully by then I’ll have a professional status. It’s going to be great that it’s my first event and I got into it as an amateur, it’s a real honour.”

Richdale and Mielbrecht shared first-place prize money following their playoff losses. They both took home $8,498.18 for their second place finishes. Mielbrecht carded the low round of the day at Morningstar with a 1-under 71, while Richdale posted a 3-over 75.

Team Canada Development Squad member, Valérie Tanguay of St. Hyacinthe, Que., shared fourth place at 2-over 146 place alongside amateur SooBin Kim of Coquitlam, B.C., and Seul-Ki Park of Northbrook, Illinois.

How do I measure the success of Golf Fore the Cure events? It’s simple – laughter.

Sure, it’s relative and it can’t be tracked. But if you’re looking, it’s there. Through the bogies, the birdies, the mulligans and the lost balls, laughter is the key to engagement.

Laughter creates fun, which leads to engagement – my personal goal (also the goal of the program). Golf Fore the Cure events are by no means required to be competitive. In fact, less than 10% of events feature some form of competition. And even then, that competition is almost always suited to accommodate all skill levels.

I felt it necessary to address competition, because it can be seen as a barrier to the game for women who are considering taking up the sport. Being at the centre of Golf Fore the Cure for over two years, I know that there are ladies who are hesitant to play for that very reason.

I want to change that. WE want to change that.

Golf is a game for a lifetime, and I want any and all ladies to be introduced to the game, even if interest doesn’t develop. Let’s not forget, a round of golf takes roughly four hours – the majority of time is spent in between shots. That’s where the laughter happens.

This is what Golf Fore the Cure looks like in my head:

We could all use more laughter. It’s a sign of happiness, it’s a sign of enjoyment, and above all it’s contagious. Hearing the foursome ahead of you erupt in laughter is a sure way to make anyone smile. That’s what I love about golf.

Awareness and fundraising for breast cancer is the financial goal of Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru. It is a global issue that affects millions and is a cause very dear to my heart. Through laughter on the golf course, we can grow female participation and work towards ending the fight against breast cancer forever.

So, what are you waiting for? Get involved… Register a Golf Fore the Cure event before June 27^th and you will be entered to win an iPad mini.

If you have any questions about Golf Fore the Cure, feel free to drop me a line.

Rebecca Siddall
Coordinator, Recreational Programs
Golf Canada
1.800.263.0009 x495
rsiddall@golfcanada.ca

Parksville, B.C. (Golf Canada) – Samantha Richdale and Anne-Catherine Tanguay fired opening round 2-under 70’s to share the lead at the Canadian Women’s Tour B.C. stop at Morningstar Golf Club.

Tanguay, of Quebec City, arrived at the season’s first stop on the heels of an eighth place finish at the NCAA West Regionals last week with her national championship bound Oklahoma Soooner’s squad. On Tuesday, she carded five birdies in her opening round that was highlighted by a 3-under 33 front-nine.

“We played in some tough conditions [at regionals] and I did really well so that gave me some confidence,” Tanguay said. “I made some pretty solid swings today and my putting was definitely what kept me going, I made a lot of putts for birdie and par.”

As the defending champion, Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., opened with a 1-under 35 front-nine. Her round included four birdies and was blemish free until a double-bogey on the par-3 4th hole on her closing nine.

“I made a lot of good chips today and I really only had one bad shot where I hit it in the water,” Richdale said. “Last year’s win gives me a little bit of confidence, I just really wanted to come back and play, we have a Symetra event this week but I decided to take it off just because I really like these events and I like playing in B.C.”

Heading into tomorrow’s final round, the duo leads by a stroke over Michelle Piyapattra of Corona, Calif. Piyapattra opened with a 1-under 71, while a trio of players including Emily Childs, the 2013 Canadian Women’s Tour Ontario champion, sit at even-par.

Team Canada’s Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont. and Development Squad member Valérie Tanguay of St. Hyacinthe, Que., posted 1-over 73’s and share seventh place alongside six other players. World No. 3 ranked amateur, Brooke Henderson, carded a 2-over 74 and is currently tied for 15th heading into the final round.

Carlsbad, Calif. (May 13, 2014) – adidas Golf has announced the release of the new climachill apparel collection, featuring fabric technologies designed to keep golfers cool when temperatures rise on the course. 

Designed to help regulate body temperatures by delivering a cooling sensation upon contact with the skin. The climachill fabric construction utilizes woven titanium fibers that maximize surface contact with skin. Small aluminum dots are located inside the back neck, one of the warmest areas on the human body. Climachill fabric also draws heat away from the body and enables ventilation and evaporation.

adidas Golf Tour staff professionals Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia first debuted the climachill apparel collection at The Players Championship earlier this month, and the technology will be featured prominently in their scripting throughout the remainder of the 2014 PGA TOUR season.

The climachill apparel collection includes five men’s polos and three women’s polos. Available beginning June 1, visit adidasgolf.ca to learn more about climachill technology and to view the entire collection.

129 players earned status to play PGA Tour Canada this summer at three qualifying sites. See who got their card and will be teeing it up this year. (Bold denotes Canadian)

British Columbia Qualifying Tournament – May 5-9, 2014 – Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community (Courtenay, BC)

Earned Exempt Status:

1 David Bradshaw 65 62 71 73 271
T2 Adam Long 74 69 68 68 279
T2 Timothy Madigan 72 71 69 67 279
T4 Greg Machtaler 68 69 74 70 281
T4 Benjamin Silverman 69 72 71 69 281
T6 Brendan Gielow 70 68 73 71 282
T6 Matthew Smith 69 70 73 70 282
T6 Chris Williams 70 70 75 67 282
T9 Ryan McCormick 71 71 67 74 283
T9 Michael Schachner 72 69 70 72 283
T11 Ted Brown 70 74 74 66 284
T11 Adam Cornelson 68 71 76 69 284
T11 Chris McCartin 69 69 75 71 284
T14 Matthew Galloway 72 71 72 70 285
T14 Kazuo Hoffman 74 72 70 69 285
T14 Jay Myers 74 69 71 71 285
T14 Jordan Walor 74 69 72 70 285
T18 Brad Clapp 74 69 73 70 286*

* = won six-for-one playoff

Earned Conditional Status:

T18 Justin Bardgett 72 68 73 73 286
T18 Sean Dale 69 75 75 67 286
T18 Philip Francis 73 70 77 66 286
T18 Nate McCoy 69 69 75 73 286
T18 Russell Surber 67 71 75 73 286
T24 Brien Davis 72 72 73 70 287
T24 Blake Snyder 71 69 70 77 287
T26 Mario Clemens 71 70 73 74 288
T26 Garrett Driver 67 72 78 71 288
T26 Justin Peters 72 68 78 70 288
T26 Jake Sarnoff 71 72 75 70 288
T30 Timothy Bordeaux 70 73 73 73 289
T30 Riley Fleming 73 76 72 68 289
T30 James Love 68 73 74 74 289
T30 Cameron White 71 69 73 76 289
T30 Paul Woodbury 71 71 73 74 289
T35 Weston Eklund 70 75 73 72 290
T35 Mitch Evanecz 74 70 72 74 290
T35 James Seymour 73 74 68 75 290
T38 Brett Cairns 74 70 72 75 291
T38 Braeden Cryderman 68 78 73 72 291
T38 Jay Gehl II 74 70 72 75 291
T38 Kevin Stinson 71 73 82 65 291

California Qualifying Tournament – May 7-11, 2014 – Oak Valley Golf and Country Club (Beaumont, CA)

Earned Exempt Status:

1 Daniel Miernicki 66 72 71 64 273
T2 Alexis Anghert 65 71 66 73 275
T2 Greg Eason 69 66 68 72 275
T2 Sam Ryder 69 71 67 68 275
5 Clayton Rask 71 66 70 69 276
6 Seth Fair 67 70 69 74 280
7 Joseph Doramus 72 73 66 70 281
T8 Jon McDonald 75 68 69 70 282
T8 Jay Vandeventer 68 71 71 72 282
T8 Alan Wagner 67 73 72 70 282
T11 Peter Campbell 67 69 75 72 283
T11 Samuel Cyr 72 72 67 72 283
T11 Robert Karlsson 72 67 70 74 283
T11 Charlie Winegardner 69 68 76 70 283
15 Tyler Ostrovsky 72 68 71 73 284
T16 Hunter Hamrick 71 69 71 74 285*
T16 JP Brown 72 71 72 70 285*
T16 Devin Daniels 73 73 67 72 285*

* = denotes won six-for-three playoff

Earned Conditional Status:

T16 Drew Evans 69 72 74 70 285
T16 Bryan Bergna 72 69 70 74 285
T16 Jack Newman 73 73 72 67 285
T22 John Catlin 74 70 71 71 286
T22 Jeff Corr 72 69 73 72 286
T22 Geoff Gonzalez 68 74 73 71 286
T22 Mike Lavery 72 69 71 74 286
T22 Trent Redfern 67 71 76 72 286
T22 Drew Stoltz 72 71 68 75 286
T28 Julian Etulain 73 73 68 73 287
T28 Ben Fletcher 76 68 68 75 287
T28 Robert Hudson 71 75 69 72 287
T28 Eddie Olson 74 71 71 71 287
T28 Beau Schoolcraft 69 77 74 67 287
T28 Joshua Stone 70 76 69 72 287
T34 Zenon Brown 74 70 70 74 288
T34 Steve Carney 70 80 71 67 288
T34 Dakota Duerr 74 73 69 72 288
T34 Justin Kim 69 72 74 73 288
T34 Spencer Lawson 72 71 71 74 288
T34 Kyle Morris 74 71 72 71 288
T40 Ben Briscoe 71 71 76 71 289
T40 Kristian Caparros 70 69 71 79 289
T40 Khristopher Niess 75 70 73 71 289
T40 David Sanchez 71 70 75 73 289
T40 Joshua Wooding 75 70 73 71 289

Florida Qualifying Tournament – April 14-18, 2014 – Reunion Golf Resort and Community (Reunion, FL)

Earned Exempt Status:

1 Jordan Krantz 74 75 71 66 286
2 Ryan Brehm 72 73 71 72 288
3 Paul Cormack 73 79 70 67 289
4 Dan McCarthy 74 71 72 73 290
5 Kelvin Day 75 76 70 70 291
T6 Jeff Dennis 72 76 71 73 292
T6 Richard McDonald 74 74 70 74 292
T6 Brad Miller 73 71 77 71 292
T6 Christopher Wolfe 74 77 72 69 292
T6 Bruce Woodall 77 71 71 73 292
T11 David Holmes 72 73 76 72 293
T11 Immu Korvenmaa 75 73 73 72 293
T13 Donald Preston 75 76 69 74 294
T13 Travis Ross 75 75 72 72 294
T15 Paul Ferrier 76 77 73 69 295*
T15 Creighton Honeck 76 72 76 71 295*
T15 Clark Klaasen 70 74 78 73 295*
T15 Andrew Noto 74 74 72 75 295*

* = denotes won five-for-four playoff

Earned conditional status:

T15 Christian Westhorpe 70 78 72 75 295
T20 Daniel Charen 76 78 70 72 296
T20 Matt Harmon 74 75 71 76 296
T20 Hunter Howell 74 77 73 72 296
T20 Cody Paladino 78 74 71 73 296
T20 Chris Ross 75 77 75 69 296
T20 Wills Smith 76 76 74 70 296
T20 Jared Steger 73 75 75 73 296
T27 David Byrne 78 74 72 73 297
T27 Linus Gillgren 74 83 69 71 297
T27 Shun Yat Hak 77 72 71 77 297
T30 Evan Beirne 75 71 74 78 298
T30 Krister Eriksson 75 76 73 74 298
T30 Evan Harmeling 76 79 71 72 298
T30 Mark Hoffman 75 75 75 73 298
T30 Brant Peaper 75 76 72 75 298
T35 Peter Campbell 71 75 76 77 299
T35 J.T. Griffin 75 78 75 71 299
T35 Jonathan Hodge 73 74 79 73 299
T35 Alexander Rosen 71 75 76 77 299
T39 Tyler Brown 80 72 75 73 300
T39 Matthew Ceravolo 79 72 74 75 300
T39 Chad Gates 81 77 71 71 300
T39 Jesse Speirs 77 79 72 72 300
T39 Patrick Wilson 73 79 76 72 300

Ten years ago, golfer Erik Compton was a young professional beginning his second season on PGA Tour Canada, looking to make his way up the game’s ranks to the PGA Tour. Though the Miami native has gained most of his fame for his success story as a two-time heart transplant recipient, his pedigree as a player from the amateur levels onward has always been stellar, and he was about to show it playing in Canada.

Compton’s 2004 season on PGA Tour Canada would jumpstart his professional career, posting five consecutive top-three finishes at one point, capped by a win at The Players Cup in Winnipeg, and go on to win the Order of Merit. At the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in late April, where Compton finished tied for fifth, the former University of Georgia All-America looked back on the 10-year anniversary of his Order of Merit win knowing it helped fuel him to the new heights he would go on to reach.

“I think I have the confidence now that I had when I was playing PGA Tour Canada. I was very confident when I played in Canada, and I was very comfortable in my skin and knew what I was capable of, and I’m sort of getting to that feeling now,” said Compton.

His win at The Players Cup in Winnipeg is an experience that he still draws on to this day while playing the PGA Tour.

“The fans were just amazing,” said Compton. “I remember I stayed with some people and they were just so fired up about the event. It was like a PGA Tour atmosphere. They were so into the event, and that goes hand-in-hand with being more comfortable in a PGA Tour-type environment.”

Compton would go on to out-duel David Hearn, now a peer on the PGA Tour, on the back nine at Pine Ridge for the win. And as he looks to win for the first time on the PGA Tour, he knows he’ll have confidence from his days in Canada.

“It’s not easy, because this is the biggest stage in golf, but to be able to build that for young pros, it’s huge,” said Compton. “In Canada, I learned what it’s like to be in the lead and to try and win a golf tournament. It’s learning how to travel, learning how to eat out.

“It’s a beautiful tour Canada, too, so it’s a lot of fun.”

Most avid golf fans are familiar with Compton’s story. His first heart transplant came at age 12, and in 2008, he was successfully transplanted for the second time. He would not be slowed down, however, and continued to make a name for himself with his play on the course as well. He captured his first Web.com Tour win in 2011, earning a PGA Tour card for 2012. Last year, he retained exempt status for the first time, and with his top five in New Orleans, currently sits 61st in FedExCup points.

“It’s huge for me. It frees me up with some FedExCup points and now I can pace myself for the rest of the year,” said Compton of his week in New Orleans, matching the second best finish of his PGA Tour career.

The 34-year old uses his platform to raise awareness for Donate Life America, which helps educate the public and raise awareness for organ and tissue donation. At PGA Tour events, he’ll often conduct clinics and meet with young transplant recipients to deliver a message of hope.

“Some of these kids are young and they’ve just had their transplant,” said Compton. “So they want to know and their parents want to know that they can go on to do some cool stuff. Working with the kids is great, but sometimes when you get to talk to recipients and family members that are waiting, that makes even more of an impact.”

Compton’s effort to match his considerable profile as an off-course success story with on-course performance will always be a challenge. With his tale of triumph over adversity, it would likely take an enormous breakthrough on the golf course to make Erik Compton the story secondary to Erik Compton the player.

But if and when it happens, just don’t expect Erik – or anyone in Winnipeg – to be surprised.