TORONTO, ON (by Brent Long) – Members at Markland Wood Golf Club are coming to appreciate the calm after the storm as they prepare to celebrate the club’s 50^th anniversary throughout 2014.

The storm first blasted many Toronto area clubs and homes last summer with torrential rains and flooding. Markland Wood’s 18 low-lying fairways and bunkers were flooded in July by an overflowing Etobicoke Creek. The course remained closed for nearly two weeks for clean-up before fully opening a month later with rebuilt bunkers.

If that wasn’t enough, Mother Nature’s fury struck Toronto in December with a devastating ice storm, followed by the Polar Vortex’s flash freeze in early January that hit clubs across Ontario, Quebec and the North Eastern United States. Many courses in the Greater Toronto Area with poa annua (annual bluegrass) greens, including Markland Wood, were especially hard hit by a 4 to 8 inch blanket of ice over much of the course that severely damaged thousands of greens.

“You could say that Mother Nature has not been very kind to us, but the membership has really pulled together and turned these natural disasters into a positive outcome,” says Superintendent Owen Russell who has been dealing with the aftermath on a daily basis. Both private and public clubs across the GTA, and Ontario for that matter, continue to deal with the aftermath of the harshest winter in at least 25 years.

Since last summer’s storm, the club has spent close to $2 million to repair damage including; rebuilding all 65 bunkers with assistance from architect Cam Tyers, sodding 11 acres of fairway, installing a new irrigation system, cleaning up trees damaged by the ice storm and sodding 14 greens with 72,000 square-feet, or 8,550 rolls of Aggressor bentgrass. The remaining five greens will be re-surfaced at the end of season to ensure consistency for putting areas.

“I think the resiliency of the membership is quite remarkable and inspiring because they have been able to accept the circumstances and move forward very quickly,” he adds. Now there is sod shortage in Ontario and clubs are looking outside of the province and the country to try and make repairs. “When we fully open the course in June with the new greens our members are essentially going to have a new golf course to play on and that’s something they should be very proud of,” Russell says.

“While it was initially hard to see the silver lining through the devastation incurred, that dejection quickly turned to the realization of the opportunity to revitalize the golf course,” says Markland Wood GC President, Scott Peart. “We won’t be playing on the new greens for a few weeks, but I can already feel the anticipation building within the membership.  It’s going to be an exciting 50^thanniversary celebration with several member events in the works, a few great charity tournaments and the club is hosting the 15^thannual Toronto Star Women’s Amateur from June 23 to 26^th.”

The club is also publishing a book “50 Years of Fellowship” to commemorate the 50^th anniversary. If you have a chance to read it you’ll learn that the Markland Wood area goes back as far as 1810, when John Silverthorn and his family settled here along the Etobicoke River. They established a saw and gristmill that operated until 1870 when the flow of water diminished to the extent that there was insufficient power to drive the mill. The Silverthorn family then turned to farming, before selling it to developer Marc Cavotti in 1958. His associates lightheartedly referred to the property as “Marc’s Land”, which was the preamble to the area’s final moniker of Markland Wood.

After the initial plans for the Markland Wood community were prepared, it was discovered that the land adjoining the Etobicoke River was situated on a floodplain established by Hurricane Hazel, and not suitable for residential development. Being the avid golfers that they were, Cavotti and his associates decided this land would be an ideal place to put a golf course. The project was then turned over to architect Eric Hanson, who transformed the unique crescent shaped parcel of land into an 18-hole golf course. The Club officially opened with Bob Hope as special guest of Head Professional Al Balding, a member of both the Canadian and the Ontario Golf Halls of Fame.

The course plays from 4,763 yards to 6,285 yards, par-70 from five sets of tee blocks, but it is the narrow fairways, fast greens, strategically placed bunkers, mature trees and the ever present, Etobicoke Creek, that define its character and challenges players of every level.

Despite the steep repair bill, Peart says the club of 700 members remains in an excellent financial position having now completed a significant portion of capital work on the course without any assessments to the members. It’s a place where denim can be worn year-round in the lounge of a modern full-service clubhouse where families are encouraged to become friends with other families. The club’s slogan for this year is “Celebrating 50 years of Fellowship.”

“The Markland Wood residential community has the motto “a circle of friends”. This holds true for Markland Wood Golf Club as well,” Peart says.  “It is a tightly knit group of golfers who are proud of their golf course and support their fellow members.  As we turn the corner and prepare for the journey for the next 50 years I believe the club is well positioned for growth and prosperity.”

Former Canadian Tour Commissioner Joins Niagara Parks Commission – Golf News Now

Former Canadian Tour commissioner Rick Janes has been named manager of golf business development for the Niagara Parks Commission.

Janes has more than two decades of experience in golf, as well as communications, sponsorship and event marketing.
As commissioner of the Canadian Tour, Janes led talks that resulted in the launch of PGA Tour Canada in 2013.

He became chairman of the Canadian Tour board of directors in 2002 and managed a financial turnaround in 2005 in his first year as commissioner, rebuilding the tour’s profile. The tour also gained full membership in the International Federation of PGA Tours.

>> Read more here.

World #1 ranked golfer Inbee Park to play in Manulife

Financial LPGA Classic

WATERLOO, ON – Three more top players on the LPGA Tour join the field for the 2014 Manulife Financial LPGA Classic at Grey Silo Golf Course, June 4 to 8.

Joining previously announced No. 2 ranked Stacy Lewis, and No. 3 ranked Lydia Ko, is the number one player in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, Inbee Park. Park is a nine-time winner on the LPGA Tour, and first player in the modern era to win the first three major championships of the season (Kraft Nabisco Championship, Wegmans LPGA Championship and U.S. Women’s Open) in 2013. Park was awarded Rolex Player of the Year in 2013, becoming the first South Korean in LPGA Tour history to hold this title. Park won the money title for the second-consecutive year and became just the second player in history to earn at least $2 million in back-to-back seasons.

Suzann Pettersen, the fourth-ranked player in the Women’s Rolex Golf Rankings, has won 14 tournaments as a professional, on the LPGA Tour. She is coming off an extremely strong performance in the 2013 season, notching four LPGA victories, including her second-career major championship at The Evian Championship. The Oslo, Norway native is currently in her 11th season on the LPGA Tour and is currently the highest ranked European player in the world.

Anna Nordqvist also joins the field for the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic. In 2013, Nordqvist recorded five top-10 finishes, and crossed the $3 million mark in career earnings after a T11 finish at the U.S. Women’s Open. Nordqvist, currently No. 5 in the Race to CME Globe, is up against previously announced Stacy Lewis, Michelle Wie, and Lydia Ko in the race for the top spot.

“With the announcement of the contract extension from our title sponsor Manulife, along with the support by the local community, and the competitive field we are able to attract, I am confident that this tournament will be a memorable one,” says Manulife Financial LPGA Classic Tournament Director Richard Kuypers.

For more information, including ticketing and volunteer opportunities, visit www.manulifeclassic.ca.

“You know, professional golf is pretty easy. You just go out there, knock a ball around, and then you win.” This, from reigning PGA Tour Canada Order of Merit winner Mackenzie Hughes, elicited laugher from the large crowd assembled at Toronto’s Real Sports on May 5 at the introduction of the Golf Canada Young Pros Program.

However, it was clear that despite the good-natured remark, it was done in jest. Professional golf is difficult, and even with copious resources in place, the best young players in the world sometimes fizzle out.

They run out of money. They can’t find a coach. They aren’t mentally strong enough. These are all common stories that golf fans and followers hear about.

Now, thanks to Golf Canada, the PGA of Canada, and the Golf Canada Foundation, there’s hope that stories like the above will become a rarity, as they’ve, in concert, announced Jennifer Kirby, Sue Kim, Rebecca Lee-Bentham, Mackenzie Hughes and Albin Choi as the first batch of ‘Young Pros’ in the Young Pros Program.

“Heroes shape sports,” said CEO of Golf Canada Scott Simmons. “Rather than have heroes develop by chance, we wanted to have a systematic approach.”

Golf Canada engaged such big names as Graham DeLaet and Ian Leggatt to be a part of selection task force.

The task force, according to chief sport officer for Golf Canada Jeff Thompson, was “ruthless in (their) selection process.”

The goal of the program is to bridge the gap between a player’s amateur days and the start of a professional career.

The five players all receive $50,000 in support each, a $250,000 total investment for Golf Canada. Each player receives cash and a plethora of coaching and conditioning opportunities with a team they have been very familiar with.

The money is coming from Golf Canada’s foundation – which drove funding from private investors, corporate donations and from pro-am tournaments. There will be two this year – one before the RBC Canadian Open, and one before the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

To learn more about the Golf Canada Foundation, click here.

Kirby, Kim, Lee-Bentham, Hughes and Choi have all been a part of Golf Canada’s national team in years past, and they’ll receive the same support from coaches Derek Ingram (men), Tristan Mullally (women), and strength coach Jason Glass.

Hearing how difficult it was to select the players for the inaugural program, it appears that now was the perfect time for this initiative to begin.

Various people, players and attendees uttered phrases like: “unbelievable feeling,” and “I’m so excited” on more than one occasion Monday night.

“This program is not just going to make me better, but Canadian golf better,” said Choi. He explained he grew up with his fellow teammates, “like family.”

Hughes echoed Choi’s statement, saying the program just “feels natural” to him.

When asked if he felt more pressure – because there was a spotlight on him – or less – because a financial burden was lifted – the 23-year-old Choi said it was a little of both.

“The support gets me relaxed, but I’m not challenged by anyone. I don’t feel pressure from anyone else, except my own pressure. And that’s a good kind of pressure,” he said.

The players will need to reach certain benchmarks this season in order to continue to be a part of the team moving forward. The men, for example have to reach the top 500 in the world ranking by the end of 2014.

It’s hard to predict the future in golf, in fact, it’s nearly impossible, but, Golf Canada recognized a need for this program in order to build on the success of its national amateur team and as the saying goes: “timing is everything.”

Now, it’s up to the players.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The Royal & Ancient Golf Club could make history even before its historic vote in September to have female members.

R&A secretary Peter Dawson said the club is deciding whether to allow members to vote by proxy, something he said has never been done in club history. Club rules require members to be present to vote.

“The jury is still out on that,” Dawson said in a telephone interview last week during the R&A’s spring meeting. “The rules of the club only allow a vote to be taken at the business meeting of those present. There is a view in the club, and quite a strong one, that postal voting should be allowed.”

Dawson announced last month that the R&A would vote Sept. 18 to allow female members for the first time in its 260-year history.

The R&A Golf Club has about 2,400 members around the world.

Dawson is hopeful the vote will be favourable toward allowing women to join. There has been speculation that he had a strong sense how the members were leaning when he publicly announced that it was on the ballot, though he has said all along that’s not the case.

“It’s been written up that it will happen,” said Dawson, who is retiring in September 2015. “We’re never sure of the outcome. I don’t think that’s the case at all. I think it’s the right thing, and I hope that R&A members do what’s right for golf.”

Because attendance is required to vote, a proxy vote might include those who are in favour of change but are disinclined or unable to travel to St. Andrews in September. Several golf administrators are R&A members. The vote falls between the end of the FedEx Cup and the week of the Ryder Cup.

The R&A said Monday in a statement that “members from around the world have expressed the desire to be part of this September’s historic vote.” It said the general committee is investigating a change to club rules that would allow voting by mail on “particularly important issues such as this one so that every member can have the opportunity to be involved.”

It’s an important vote for the image of the R&A, particularly coming just two years after Augusta National allowed female members for the first time in its 80-year history. There are differences. Augusta National is a private golf club. The Royal & Ancient is based in St. Andrews, though the Old Course and other links run by the St. Andrews Links Trust are open to the public.

The R&A Golf Club is separate from “The R&A,” a business arm created 10 years ago to handle the Rules of Golf, organize the British Open and operate other business affairs. The R&A has female employees. Its committee and board, however, are populated by Royal & Ancient Golf Club members. Thus, there are no women in leadership roles for governing the game or running a major championship.

Dawson is secretary of the R&A Golf Club and chief executive of the R&A. He said he expected a decision on the voting procedure “fairly soon.”

“It would be very easy to say that would be the democratic thing to do,” Dawson said of a proxy vote. “There are cons to it. One can say that affairs are to be settled locally, not at the bar of one’s club. It’s a balance of what’s right or wrong. All the legislation in the UK – and maybe it’s the case in the U.S. – laws are passed by those who turn up at Parliament. There has not been a proxy.”

VICTORIA, B.C. (Golf Canada) – Valérie Tanguay and Alex Francois captured their CN Future Links Pacific Championship divisions at Bear Mountain Golf Resort Sunday in Victoria, B.C.

In the Junior Girls division, Team Canada Development Squad member Tanguay, 18, of St-Hyacinthe, Que., outlasted West Vancouver’s Alix Kong in a sudden-death playoff. The duo both birdied the par-5 18th hole to send the Junior Girls division into extra holes and Tanguay was declared the winner after Kong missed a short par putt on the first playoff hole.

“I’ve been in some playoffs, but this one was different because I played with Alix three days in a row,” said Tanguay. “This tournament was important for me because I won’t be playing in it next year since I won’t be a junior and I wanted this win so badly so it was great.”

With this victory, Tanguay carries momentum into the upcoming Canadian Women’s Tour stop this week at Morningstar Golf Club in Parksville, B.C.

“I played well on this course it was really difficult and I know Morningstar is a difficult too,” she continued. “If I was able to play well here I’ll be able to do it there too.”

Tanguay finished the championship at 11-over 224 after rounds of 71-81-72, while Kong finished in solo second after rounds of 80-71-73. Team Canada Development Squad member, Naomi Ko, 16, of Victoria finished in third at 12-over 225. Richmond, B.C. native Alisha Lau finished in fourth at 13-over, one stroke ahead of Michelle Kim of Surrey, B.C.

In the Junior Boys division, Alex Francois, 16, of Burnaby, B.C. held on to win by a stroke over Vancouver’s Jordan Lu. Francois carded a final round 2-over 73 to post a 4-over 217 for the championship.

“I was playing very well this week but I struggled a little on the greens,” Francois said. “I knew that if I could fight my way through the tough greens I’d be good and in the second round I made zero three-putts and I think that was the key to my win this week.”

Lu’s 2-under 69 matched the low round of the day but it wasn’t enough to edge out Francois as he finished the championship at 5-over 218 after rounds of 77-72-69.

Maxwell Sear of Unionville, Ont., Tyler Saunders of Sturgeon County, Alta., and Team Canada’s Development Squad member Tony Gil of Vaughan, Ont. shared third place at 8-over par.

The top six competitors in the Junior Boys division of each of six regional CN Future Links Championship being held in 2014 earn exemptions into the 2014 Canadian Junior Boys Championship, which will be contested July 28 – August 1 at the Legends on the Niagara (Battlefield Course) in Niagara Falls, Ont. The Junior Girls champion from each 2014 CN Future Links Championship earns an exemption into the 2014 Canadian Junior Girls Championship which runs July 28 – August 1 at Thornhill Golf and Country Club in Thornhill, Ont.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Martin Kaymer produced one of the most unlikely pars on the 17th green at the TPC Sawgrass without ever going in the water. It carried him to a one-shot victory Sunday in The Players Championship that was emotional in so many ways.

Kaymer nearly blew a three-shot lead after a 90-minute rain delay until he holed a 30-foot par putt on the famous island green. He got up-and-down with his putter from short of the 18th green for one last par and a 1-under 71.

Furyk closed with a 66 – he had to wait after the rain delay to rap in a 3-foot par putt – and it looked as though it might be enough to force a playoff, or even win outright when the 29-year-old German began to crumble. Furyk had to settle for a runner-up finish for the second straight week.

Jordan Spieth, tied with Kaymer going into the final round, made his first bogey of the tournament on the fifth hole, and plenty more followed. He closed with a 74.

The typical stress that Sawgrass brings on Sunday was contained to the final hour, and it was almost more than Kaymer could take. The German made double bogey from an aggressive play behind a pine tree on the 15th. He nervously chose putter from a collection area on the par-5 16th that cost him a chance at birdie.

Nothing could top the 17th hole, the most exciting on the Stadium Course.

Kaymer had a one-shot lead. His tee shot cleared the water and landed on a mound just over the bunker, but it mysteriously spun hard back toward the front of the green and looked as if it might go into the water until it settled into the clumpy collar a foot from the bulkhead. His chip was weak, and he still had 30 feet down a ridge with a sharp swing to the right. He made the putt, pumping his fist in a rare show of emotion.

His putt from the fairway on 18 settled 3 feet behind the hole, and Kaymer was as much relieved as excited when he knocked it in.

A former world No. 1 and major champion, Kaymer nearly choked up when asked about winning on Mother’s Day. His mother, Rina, died of cancer in 2008 shortly after Kaymer won the BMW International Open in Germany.

He has a sunflower – her favorite flower – on his golf bag.

“My mother was always there to be affectionate and show us love,” Kaymer said in a taped interview with NBC Sports. “When my mom passed away, that stopped. We had enough when we were younger. Mother’s Day is always a nice day. I hope a lot of kids show their mothers we love them.”

Interviewed on the 18th green, so dark that the clubhouse was glowing from the outdoor lights, Kaymer said brother Phillip sent him a text that morning which he described as “very emotional.”

“It’s a good day for all of us,” he said.

Kaymer finished at 13-under 275 and joined an elite group by winning the biggest event on golf’s strongest tour. Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott are the only other players to win a major, a World Golf Championship and The Players Championship.

Sergio Garcia made a strong run until he hit into the water on the par-5 11th and lost momentum by missing too many putts. He closed with a 70 to finish alone in third at 11 under.

For the 20-year-old Spieth, it was another lost opportunity. He went 58 consecutive holes without a bogey at Sawgrass until dropping a shot at No. 5. Spieth still was tied for the lead approaching the turn when Kaymer pulled away.

Spieth made bogey on No. 8. Kaymer got up-and-down from a bunker for birdie on No. 9. Spieth made another bogey on No. 10 when his wedge bounced over the green, and Kaymer made another superb bunker shot on the par-5 11th for birdie.

He was humming along until the horn sounded to stop play. When he returned, it all started to go wrong. But he held his nerve – he spoke earlier in the week about trying not to be a “wimp” – and produced an important win.

It was the 14th victory worldwide for Kaymer, ended an 0-for-29 drought. His last win was at the Nedbank Challenge in South Africa at the end of 2012, right after he delivered the crucial point for Europe in its Ryder Cup comeback. Kaymer was No. 1 in the world in February 2011 until he wanted to retool his swing to be able to hit a greater variety of shots. He needed all of them Sunday.

David Hearn tied for sixth, just four shots back of champion Kaymer. The Brantford, Ont. native climbed two spots Sunday after a 2-under par 70. He finished at 279 with four others including Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, Francesco Molinari and Jimmy Walker.

SANTO DA SERRA, Madeira Islands – Daniel Brooks made par on the first playoff hole Sunday to win the fog-shortened Madeira Islands Open, which was overshadowed by the death of a caddie earlier in the day.

Scott Henry, who had birdied the last three holes to force a playoff, three-putted for bogey on the first extra hole to finish second.

However, some European Tour members said the tournament should have been stopped after Ian MacGregor, the 52-year-old Zimbabwe-born caddy to Scotland’s Alastair Forsyth, collapsed and died of an apparent heart attack on the ninth fairway – Forsyth’s final hole.

The event, which had already been shortened to 36 holes because of a series of fog delays, was halted again after the delay but restarted following a minute’s silence.

“Can’t believe they are going to keep playing in Madeira,” Pablo Larrazabal, who was not in the tournament, wrote on Twitter. “Life is more important than golf.”

France’s Jean-Baptiste Gonnet, who missed the first-round cut, also wrote: “There is no respect anymore. How you can even walk on the 9th fairway.”

However, European Tour officials said they had consulted with players and caddies before deciding to play on. Forsyth said it was the right decision.

“I felt that was what Mac would have wanted,” Forsyth said. “He was a guy I’ve known for 15 years and he was very popular amongst the caddies. Obviously my thoughts go out to his family. For something like that to happen so suddenly is so sad. He’s far too young and he had no problem carrying bags around a golf course so I didn’t see an awful lot wrong with him.

“He was the life and soul of the caddies’ lounge, a good laugh and nice guy. I’m absolutely numb.”

Brooks shot a 5-under 67 to sit tied with Henry (68) at 9-under 135 after the second and final round.

It was Brooks’ first European Tour victory in his 33rd event. His previous best was 11th place at last December’s Nelson Mandela Championship in South Africa.

“It’s great to get a win, but it’s not nice to do it in these circumstances,” Brooks said. “It’s horrible what happened out there so my condolences go out to all of his family.”

Four players, including Spanish duo Jordi Garcia Pinto and Antonio Hortal, were three shots back in a tie for third.

GREENWOOD, S.C. – Taiwan’s Wei-Ling Hsu won the Symetra Tour’s Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Women’s Health Charity Classic on Sunday, closing with an eagle for a 4-under 68 and a five-stroke victory.

The 19-year-old Hsu had an 8-under 280 total at The Links at Stoney Point and earned a tour-record $30,000 to jump from 81st to fourth on the money list with $31,810. The final top 10 will earn 2015 LPGA Tour cards.

“It’s very exciting to win this tournament,” Wei-Ling Hsu said. “The big prize is very good. … A four-day event is very tough and everybody knows how important the money list is on the Symetra Tour. We also have to travel a lot and spend a lot of money and the money is very important for me and my family.”

If she also wins the Friends of Mission Charity Classic next week in Asheville, North Carolina, and the Symetra Classic in Charlotte, North Carolina, in two weeks, she will receive $1 million.

Hsu won the Credit Union Challenge last year in Albany, New York, and finished 15th on the money list.

Spain’s Marta Silva, France’s Joanna Klatten and South Korea’s Min Seo Kwak tied for second. Silva and Klatten shot 71, and Kwak had a 72. Kwak won the Patty Berg Memorial last week in Florida.

Sara-Maude Juneau, a former member of Team Canada, finished tied for eighth at even par after a 4-under par 68 during the final round. The Fossambault-sur-le-Lac, Que. native picked up a $4,490 (U.S.) paycheck for her troubles.

Maude Aimee-LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que., currently ranked 10th on the Tour’s money list, tied for 22nd at 5-over par.

SANTO DA SERRA, Madeira Islands – European Tour officials say caddie Ian MacGregor has died after suffering an apparent heart attack during the final round of the Madeira Islands Open.

The 52-year-old MacGregor was caddying for Alastair Forsyth of Scotland when he collapsed on the ninth fairway – Forsyth’s final hole.

The European Tour said in a statement that “it is with great sadness and deep regret that we report the untimely passing of caddie Ian MacGregor during play on the final day of the Madeira Islands Open.”

The tournament, which had already been cut to 36 holes because of fog delays, was suspended but resumed following consultations with players and caddies.

Gary Player was among those who paid tribute to MacGregor on Twitter, writing:

RIP Big Mac. You will be missed. My condolences

— Gary Player (@garyplayer) May 11, 2014

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The PGA Tour has rescinded the two-shot penalty given to Justin Rose at The Players Championship.

Rose was penalized Saturday evening after the third round when he addressed a chip shot off the 18th green and it was deemed his ball moved ever so slightly. Rose didn’t think it did and played the shot. It took viewing of three television shots for the tour to assess the penalty under Rule 18-2b.

An hour before his 12:35 p.m. EST tee time, the tour rescinded the penalty.

The third-round score became a 71, and Rose teed off only five shots behind the leaders.

The penalty was lifted under Rule 18-4, which limits how players can be penalized based on video evidence from HD cameras. Rose was informed of the decision about an hour before his

“I was good with the way everything played out; I want to play by the rules,” Rose told PGATOUR.COM before teeing off in the final round. “But I was reading an article in the evening and the rule states — and I’m paraphrasing — but if a player can’t discern whether the ball moved or not, it’s deemed not to have moved. I sort of scratched my head and said that’s exactly what happened to me and yet I was docked two.

“But obviously all the governing bodies all got together overnight to talk about it.”

Instead of a 73 in the third round Rose was credited with a 71 and enters the final round at TPC Sawgrass five shots back of the lead.

“It was thought that Decision 18-4 was not applicable because the review of the footage shown in the telecast showed that the ball may have moved in a way that was discernable to the naked eye and when viewing the incident with Rose in the television compound, it was confirmed that the ball did in fact move very slightly,” the PGA Tour said in a statement. “Thus, at the time, the Rules Committee deemed that the ball had moved in a manner that was reasonably discernable to the naked eye. The Committee, therefore, assessed the general penalty under Rule 18 of two strokes.

“Overnight, given the fact that Decision 18-4 had been implemented in January of 2014, yet had not been utilized in PGA Tour competition, the Rules Committee reopened the incident and focused on how much the use of sophisticated technology played a part in making the original ruling. After that review, it was determined that the only way to confirm whether and how much the ball had in fact changed position, was to utilize sophisticated technology.

“This morning, after consulting with the governing bodies and PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem, it was determined that without the use of sophisticated technology, it was not reasonably discernable to the naked eye that the ball had left its original position and had come to rest in its original place.”

Victoria, B.C. (Golf Canada) – Excitement continued on Canada’s wast coast Saturday as the second round of the CN Future Links Pacific championship took to Bear Mountain Resort in Victoria, B.C.

Jason Martens of Edmonton and Alex Francois of Burnaby, B.C. are tied for the lead thru 36-holes in the Boys division – Martens shot 1-under-par 70 in the morning, while Francois followed with 1-over 72. Both players sit at 2-over 144. In the Girls division, Team Canada’s Development Squad member Naomi Ko leads by a stroke.

Francois finished yesterday’s round in second, but carded a 1-over 72 on Saturday to move into a share of top spot with 17-year old Martens, who carded four birdies in today’s round. Development Squad member Tony Gil of Vaughan, Ont. currently shares third alongside A.J Armstrong of St. Albert, Alta. and Patrick Tan of Vancouver.

On the girls’ side, Alix Kong of West Vancouver carded an even-par 71 to trail leader Ko is second. while yesterday’s leading scorer and Development Squad member Valérie Tanguay of St-Hyacinthe, Que. and Alisha Lau of Richmond B.C. are tied for third.

Connor McLellan, 18, of Chilliwack B.C., had the shot of the day with an incredible 218 yard hole-in-one on the par 3 6^th hole at Bear Mountain’s Valley course.

The top six competitors in the Junior Boys division of each of six regional CN Future Links Championship being held in 2014 will earn exemptions into the 2014 Canadian Junior Boys Championship, which will be contested July 28 – August 1 at the Legends on the Niagara (Battlefield Course) in Niagara Falls, Ont. The Junior Girls champion from each 2014 CN Future Links Championship will earn an exemption into the 2014 Canadian Junior Girls Championship which runs July 28 – August 1 at Thornhill Golf and Country Club in Thornhill, Ont.

The final round of CN Future Links Pacific begins tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. PST. For complete scoring and information, click here.