The 2014 Elmhurst Invitational golf tournament will offer two exemptions into the 2014 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.

As part of Elmhurst’s 100-year celebration the invitational will run from June 27-29th, 2014 and is expecting to draw its strongest field ever.

Invitations will be extended to top caliber players from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, North Dakota and Minnesota. To entice players to enter, fully paid exemptions to the 2014 Canadian Men’s Amateur to be hosted by Elmhurst Golf & Country Club from August 2–7, 2014 will be awarded to the top-two finishers at the conclusion of the Elmhurst Invitational.

The Elmhurst Invitational was created to fill a gap that was left behind when the Manitoba Amateur Golf Tour ceased to exist.

“Top ranked players in Manitoba were saddened by the demise of the amateur tour,” said John Multan a long time member and founder of the ElmhurstInvitational. “As a former player, there were not enough competitive events left to play in and we were hungry for some competition. After discussing the concept with other competitive golfers, Elmhurst decided to step up to the plate and fill this gap.”

Since its inception in 2004, the Elmhurst Invitational has succeeded in its goal to supply competitive golfers with a golf course and a field that truly tests everyone who plays in it.

For further information on the Elmhurst Invitational, please contact Dave McMillan, Director of Golf, Elmhurst Golf and Country Club by phone at (204) 222-5511.

Victoria, B.C. (Golf Canada) – Bear Mountain Resort will play host to the first of six CN Future Links Championship events in 2014 – the CN Future Links Pacific Championship – which will be held May 9-11, with a practice round being staged on Thursday, May 8th.

The 54-hole stroke play championship will feature the country’s top junior golfers aged 11-18 including eight of Team Canada’s National Development Squad members. Players will vie for titles in a Junior Boys and Junior Girls division on Bear Mountain’s Valley Course.

“Golf Canada is delighted to return to Victoria to host our opening event of the season,” said Golf Canada tournament director Cam Crawford. “The field at Bear Mountain is going to be exceptionally strong with some of Canada’s top junior competitors in the field and it should prove to be an exciting championship.”

Team Canada’s Development Squad program will be represented on the junior boys side by 2013 CN Future Links Ontario Champion, Carter Simon, 17, of Sutton, Ont., and CN Future Links Quebec Champion, Étienne Papineau, 17, of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que. Teammates Matt Williams, 17, of Calgary and Tony Gil, 15, of Vaughan, Ont. will also vie for the Pacific title.

On the junior girls side, Team Canada’s Development squad will be led by 2013 CN Future Links Western champion Sabrine Garrison, 17, of Calgary, alongside the reigning 2013 CN Future Links Prairie Champion, Jaclyn Lee, 17 from Calgary. Valérie Tanguay, 18, of St-Hyacinthe, Que., and Naomi Ko, 16, of Victoria will also represent the squad in the season opening event.

The Bear Mountain Golf Resort was designed by Jack Nicklaus and previously hosted the Telus World Skins Game in 2010 where Mike Weir, Fred Couples, Ian Poulter, Retief Goosen and Camilo Villegas dueled it out over two days for charity.

“With new ownership increasing its investment in all aspects of Bear Mountain we are working towards our goal of becoming the finest residential resort community in Canada. We are proud to be able to host the best Canadian young golfers here at Bear Mountain and work with Golf Canada to grow our great game,” said Jordan Ray Director of Golf at Bear Mountain Resort.

The top six competitors in the Junior Boys division of each CN Future Links Championship 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., while the Junior Girls champion from each 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.

In 2013, Team Canada’s Kevin Kwon of Maple Ridge, B.C. captured the Junior Boys title at the CN Future Links Pacific Championship at Crown Isle Resort in Courtenay, B.C., while Brooke Henderson grabbed the 2013 CN Future Links Junior Girls title. Neither will be in the field this year at Bear Mountain.

The CN Future Links Junior Golf Championships are part of CN’s ongoing partnership with Golf Canada and their commitment to junior golf. Focused on supporting safe and fun activities that have a positive impact on children’s health and well being, CN’s investment into CN Future Links is helping to increase grassroots junior golf participation in communities across Canada.

The 2014 CN Future Links tournament schedule also includes the CN Future Links Ontario Championship (May 22-25 at The Rock Club in Minett, Ont.), the CN Future Links Prairie Championship (May 29-June 1 at Shilo Country Club in Westman, Man.) the CN Future Links Western Championship (July 1-4 at Birchbank Golf Course in Trail, B.C.), the CN Future Links Quebec Championship (July 7-10 at Club de golf Continental (St-Laurent) in Ste-Victoire de Sorel, Que. and the CN Future Links Atlantic Championship (July 13-16 at Humber Valley Resort (River Course) in Little Rapids, Nfld.

For more information on the 2014 CN Future Links Pacific Championship, including starting times, post-round results and a full field list click here.

(COURTENAY, British Columbia) – California’s David Bradshaw carded a 7-under 65 Tuesday at Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community to take the first round lead at PGA Tour Canada’s British Columbia Qualifying Tournament. Bradshaw led by two over Garrett Driver and Russell Surber after one round.

With the top 18 players this week earning exempt status and rest of the top 40 plus ties earning conditional status for 2014, 22 players were at 2-under or better and in position for full cards, while 52 players were at even or better and in position for conditional status.

The 31-year old Bradshaw is coming off an appearance two weeks ago at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where he Monday Qualified to play on the PGA Tour for the fourth time in his career. He is playing PGA Tour Canada Q-School for the first time, with an eye on earning status on the Web.com Tour next season.

“In years previous, I’ve done a lot of Monday Qualifying and played some of the mini tours, but even playing well in those events doesn’t advance you to the next level,” said Bradshaw. “I had never been to Canada until four days ago, so I thought ‘why not? Let’s go to Canada’ and try to play my way up.”

The Shepherd University grad started with an eagle on the par-5 10th, his first hole of the day, and would go on to post six more birdies on the round. His only miscue on the day came on the par-5 15th, where a ball out-of-bounds led to a bogey.

“I putted really well and I went on a good run on the front. I rolled it pretty well and hit some close iron shots. It’s wet out there so you can play so aggressive, but the greens are perfect too so you can really get on a roll,” said Bradshaw, who added that he was able to play aggressively due to the near-perfect weather conditions.

“I didn’t even look at how far right and left the pins were – I just aimed right at them.”

Two shots behind Bradshaw were Humble, Texas’s Garrett Driver and longtime PGA Tour Canada member Russell Surber, who fired a pair of 5-under 67s. Four Canadians – Summerland, B.C.’s Greg Machtaler, Huntsville, Ont.’s Braeden Cryderman, Langley, B.C.’s Adam Cornelson and Calgary’s James Love – were a shot further back at 68.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Three greens at The Players Championship remained off limits Tuesday to the strongest field in golf, a combination of bad weather in the winter and the misapplication of a turf product.

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said he expects the greens on Nos. 4, 11 and 12 will be fine when golf’s richest tournament begins Thursday, and the warmth and sunshine will only help through the week.

Even so, he conceded that conditions at the Stadium Course on the TPC Sawgrass have not been perfect in the seven years since The Players moved from late March to early May. And while he called it “unlikely,” he did not entirely rule out a return to a late March date if it can’t be figured out.

Complaints have been minimal. Then again, the players were warned last week about a cold, wet winter and the issue with the greens. Some were expecting them to be in far worse condition than they were. Some sections have been sodded and plugged, and while there might be cosmetic issues, they appear to be fine.

“When you build a tournament and you’re shooting for perfection – which is what we do – and we have some imperfections, it doesn’t make it any more palatable that the players are being good about it,” Finchem said. “I mean, we need to fix our greens. And we intend to take all the steps I just mentioned and some others aggressively next year. So I think we’re going to be fine.

“At the end of the day, if we can’t maintain consistent conditions – and I think they will be competitively fine this week on balance – then we may have to examine the date.”

The grass was overseeded with rye when The Players was held in March, which is typical for most Florida courses. Finchem said that was easier to manage with the weather. But he said it still took 10 years “to really get it dialed in” for speed and firmness.

The new Bermuda greens were not build until 2007, and a sand cap under the grass on greens and fairways allow the course to be firm after a rain delay.

May typically offers warmer, drier weather, compared with a greater chance for rain in March. Finchem said the problem this year wasn’t just a cold winter, but a rainy winter.

“If we’re doing everything we can and it just is a continuing weather problem that we can’t beat, I suppose we’d rethink the date,” he said. “But when you’re talking about a perennial problem of three greens which have been stubborn most years since `07, I think we’d probably go a different set of greens on those holes, different kinds of greens. These are small greens. We can make bigger greens and probably not have a problem.”

The three greens that were closed to practice are small and get a lot of foot traffic. Finchem is hesitant to make them larger to preserve the heritage of the greens and the shots that are played to them. He said the PGA Tour would be inclined to change the nature of the greens before switching the date.

He said he was 90 percent certain the Stadium Course would get a new strain of Bermuda (TifEagle) for the 2016 tournament. Finchem said a few courses in the area use it and it performs well.

Phil Mickelson was among those not concerned.

“I looked at them. They’re fine,” Mickelson said of the three greens closed to practice. “They’re very playable. Everybody has got to play them. It’s totally fine. Now, they’re not going to be able to be firm and fast like they normally are. They’re softer, a little bit slower, and that’s going to lead to lower scores, but it doesn’t matter. We’re all going to have the opportunity to shoot lower scores.”

Agonizing yet again over getting your mom or wife the perfect Mother’s Day present?

Fret no more. Consider me your personal shopper with the perfect suggestion!

Give her what she really wants: Her family, all wrapped up in the game of golf.

And I don’t mean entertaining her for a couple of hours this Sunday at the predictable Mother’s Day brunch at your club—golf’s equivalent of that cheesy mass-produced card you picked up at the last minute at Shopper’s Drug Mart. (Shame on you.)

What does every mother want? More time with her family, of course, and there are few better opportunities to share family time than through golf.

Indisputably, our world has changed. Rare is the family who gathers each evening around the dining room table to share a meal as well as their respective experiences that day. Rarer still are those families who spend an evening hovering around a board game, playing cards or interacting in other ways. More likely, after a hasty dinner, the family members splinter off in different directions, most likely to individual isolation with their electronic entertainment device of choice.

What if one evening or afternoon each week was a family golf outing? The onus is on golf clubs to promote this opportunity, not only to strengthen the family unit but also, with a nod to today’s financial realities, as a potential membership boost. As one example, ClubLink now offers a complimentary family twilight membership to the spouse and children under 16 of members of its Prestige- and Platinum-level clubs. Family nights with free instruction, complimentary loaner clubs, nine (or fewer, if desired) holes of golf, special menus and other activities are scheduled weekly.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I recently left my post as ClubLink’s director of communications. Nevertheless, I continue to endorse this initiative for other clubs as well. There are other such initiatives out there, but not enough. Truth is, there will never be enough.  Having said that, if your club has a great and proven method of attracting families, I would appreciate hearing about it for inclusion in a future column. Email me at gordongolf@outlook.com.)

Let’s bid good riddance to the days when the husband and father opens his annual dues letter from his male-dominated golf club and announces to his wife: “Hey, honey, guess how much more it’s going to cost us this year for me to spend more time away from you and the kids? Where’s our cheque book?”

On the bookshelf in my office is a framed cover of the Sept. 3, 1960, edition of The Saturday Evening Post. The Norman Rockwell illustration depicts a tubby, cigar-smoking husband in a pork-pie hat and golf attire entering the kitchen door, golf clubs in hand. His facial expression is dumbstruck as he stares at his apron-clad wife. For there, leaning against the wall, is a new set of golf clubs and golf shoes—for her! She is putting a ball across the linoleum floor into a water glass.

Apparently, the message conveyed by that magazine 54 years ago was that America’s newly emancipated women were about to invade golf courses, previously the exclusive domain of men.  And yet I see illustrations from the late 1800s and early 1900s showing men and women playing together in the same foursome. In fact, the very first golf event at venerable Shinnecock Hills on New York’s Long Island was organized by its women members in 1891. Women have a long and revered and well-deserved place on the golf course and we shouldn’t need a magazine cover or some golf columnist to remind us.

So smarten up. Give your mom or wife and, by natural extension, your family and you a great and lasting gift this Mother’s Day. Make the commitment to golf as a family. It will be, as the saying goes, the gift that keeps on giving.

As the proud patriarch of a golfing family, I am well positioned to tell you that. Here’s one story that is apropos, I believe.

Thirteen years ago, almost exactly to the day of this Mother’s Day, my 70-year-old mother-in-law, Shirley Ironstone, aced the seventh hole at Midland Golf and Country Club. It was her first and only hole in one. What a celebration we had! As we all gathered at the family cottage, three golfing generations toasted her achievement. Surrounded by family, Shirley was in her glory. A certificate announcing her feat adorned her house until she passed on. It now hangs in our home. She may be no longer with us, but that memory and many others shared on the course and in the clubhouse are still vivid among those of us who loved her.

Flowers fade, cards are recycled, appetites return unabated after even the most lavish brunch.  This year, give that most beloved woman in your life the gift of family, the gift of golf, and lifelong memories.

About John Gordon

It’s been said that John Gordon has “done it all” in Canadian golf since he first got involved in 1985 as managing editor of SCOREGolf.

Based on his resume, it’s a statement that’s hard to dispute. He left SCOREGolf to become Golf Canada’s director of communications and member services and was the founding editor of Golf Canada magazine.

In 1994, he turned to golf writing fulltime, authoring eight books, penning a regular column for the Toronto Sun and then the National Post, and writing innumerable articles for golf consumer and trade publications. He was the on-air and online golf analyst for Rogers Sportsnet for eight years before joining ClubLink, one of the world’s largest multi-course owners and operators, to build their communications department, re-launch their magazine and build out their websites.

In 2014, John returned to golf writing fulltime and will contribute regularly to golfcanada.ca. You can follow him on Twitter at @gordongolf.

With yesterday’s announcement of the Young Pro squad, Team Canada’s programming has expanded even further. The diagram below gives a visual outline of where the 25 players, four coaches and six sport science members fit into the ‘big picture’ of Team Canada.

Carlsbad, Calif. – TaylorMade Golf has announced SLDR S, their newest SLDR model engineered to provide distance for golfers of all abilities and swing speeds through high-lofted metalwoods.

The SLDR S line features a low forward center of gravity (CG) placement wherein weight is re-located to the front of the head to promote faster ball speed, a higher launch angle and a lower spin-rate.

“It’s no secret that high launch and low spin maximize driver distance, but some players think that only Tour pros can benefit from lofting up with low forward CG,” said TaylorMade Chief Technical Officer, Benoit Vincent. “This is simply not true. By lofting up, you can generate serious distance regardless of swing speed”.

SLDR S fairway woods and Rescues feature a larger footprint and a shallower face compared to SLDR.

Each club in the SLDR S lineup is bonded. However, golfers will still enjoy four loft options as the driver is available in 10°, 12°, 14° and 16°.

“Historically on the PGA Tour, guys would de-loft their drivers in an attempt to achieve a lower ball flight and gain distance,” said Keith Sbarbaro, TaylorMade Golf’s Vice President of Tour Operations. “But when we introduced low forward CG, players started to see huge distance leaps from added loft. This has been a monumental shift in the way of thinking and a breakthrough in unlocking more distance.

The entire SLDR S metalwood family will be available at retailers starting May 16. The driver will retail for $359 CDN; the fairway woods for $259 CDN; and Rescues for $229 CDN. For more information, visit taylormadegolf.ca.

Oakville, Ont. – Golf Canada has announced the names of the athletes who have been selected to the new Team Canada Young Pro program.

In all, five athletes – three female and two male – have been chosen to the inaugural Team Canada Young Pro Squad. Developed in partnership with the PGA of Canada and supported in large part by the Golf Canada Foundation, the Young Pro program was created to bridge the gap between amateur and professional performance on the international golfing stage.

“There has been a critical gap for our top amateur golfers making the difficult jump to professional golf and the launch of the Team Canada Young Pro initiative is designed to bridge that gap,” said Golf Canada CEO Scott Simmons. “We have seen tremendous results for Team Canada amateur athletes at national, international and collegiate competitions. With the launch of Young Pro, we expect those strong results to carry over to the professional ranks including the PGA and LPGA Tours, the various developmental tours and ultimately the Olympic Games beginning in 2016.”

A trio of LPGA players including Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Toronto, Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont., and Sue Kim of Langley, B.C., will join the new Young Pro squad. All three players are graduates of Golf Canada’s National Amateur Squad and have secured full playing status for the LPGA Tour’s 2014 season. Bentham, 22, was the top-earning Canadian on the LPGA Tour last season after finishing a personal best T-11 at the Evian Championship. Kim, 23, secured her full card by finishing in sixth on the LPGA’s Symetra Tour’s Volvik Race to the Card. Kirby, 23, earned her spot after a fifth place finish at the LPGA’s Final Qualifying in December.

“I feel so fortunate to once again, have the opportunity to be a part of a program that is so dedicated to developing players,” said Rebecca Lee-Bentham. “Golf Canada, without a doubt, has helped me tremendously throughout my amateur career and has led me to where I am today. It is an honour to represent Canada each week on the LPGA tour and having the opportunity to play for Canada at the Olympics would mean more than words can describe.”

“I am incredibly grateful to have been selected for the Young Pro program,” said Jennifer Kirby. “Golf Canada has always been supportive of my career and I am proud to be an ambassador of this important program in my inaugural season on the LPGA Tour.”

“I know that with the launch of the Young Pro program, I will get the support I need to further my career and be successful on the LPGA Tour,” said Sue Kim. “Even from my time with the Amateur Team, the coaching staff has gone above and beyond to help develop players.”

On the men’s side, Web.com Tour players Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., and Toronto’s Albin Choi debut as the first two male members of the Team Canada Young Pro program. A two-time Canada Amateur champion, Hughes, 23, finished the 2013 season atop PGA Tour Canada’s Order of Merit after capturing the Cape Breton Celtic Classic. Choi, 22, is also a former Canadian Amateur champion who earned his ticket to the Web.com Tour after a 15th place finish at final qualifying in December.

“I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to be a part of Team Canada and the new young pro squad,” said Mackenzie Hughes. “The coaching and support staff has played a big role in my development and my transition to pro golf. I also want to thank the Golf Canada Foundation as well as all the sponsors and donors that have made this program possible.”

I am very excited to be back with the national team and part of the program,” added Albin Choi. “I have been with Team Canada for over six years and have always appreciated the support and having a team around me. Most pros lose that support structure from a national or college team as soon as they turn pro and it’s easy to get lost. It’s great to have an opportunity to have a team behind me with my best interests in mind.”

Each member of the Young Pro squad will receive funding as well as access to Team Canada’s coaching staff and sport science experts. Men’s National Squad coach Derek Ingram and Women’s National Team coach Tristan Mullally will provide coaching to their respective Young Pro players. In addition, the athletes will have access to Team Canada’s sport science staff that includes psychologist, Dr. Adrienne Leslie-Toogood, strength and conditioning coach, Jason Glass, nutritionist, Nicole Springle and physiotherapist Greg Redman.

“I congratulate Golf Canada on the launch of this exceptional program,” said PGA of Canada CEO Gary Bernard. “The commitment Golf Canada has shown in collaborating with the PGA of Canada in our world class teaching and coaching certification programs is commendable.”

The Team Canada Young Pro initiative has been in the works for more than a year as an extension of Golf Canada’s National Amateur Team program. The 2014 launch is a direct result of the fundraising support of the Golf Canada Foundation.

“On behalf of the board of the Golf Canada Foundation, we’re proud to help support these talented young golfers in their pursuit of competitive golfing excellence,” said Golf Canada Foundation CEO Martin Barnard. “In the coming months, we look forward to announcing more fundraising activities as well as donors and corporate partners to extend the program to more Canadian athletes.”

ABOUT THE ATHLETES:

The 2013 LPGA season was a breakout year for Rebecca Lee-Bentham, who currently sits as the highest ranked Canadian at No. 212 in the women’s Rolex Rankings. Last year, Bentham soared up the rankings after earning medalist honours at LPGA qualifying school and posting a T11 major finish at the LPGA’s Evian Championship. This year, the 22-year-old Toronto native has a season best finish T28 at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open and sits at No. 91 in the LPGA’s Race to the CME Globe.

As an amateur, Bentham was the 2011 Canadian Women’s Amateur Champion and the 2010 Canadian Junior Girls Champion. She was also a member of Team Canada’s National squad in 2011 and spent four seasons on the Women’s Development team.

Jennifer Kirby vaulted into the spotlight after winning the 2013 Canadian Women’s Tour Québec stop in her professional debut. The 23-year-old followed up her victory with a T3 finish at the season-ending Tour stop in Ontario, which earned her a second place finish on the Canadian Women’s Tour Order of Merit. In her first season as a professional, Kirby earned an exemption into the LPGA’s 2013 Manulife Classic where she finished T41 and also played in the 2013 CN Canadian Women’s Open. She earned her ticket to the LPGA Tour by finishing fifth at qualifying school in December of 2013. In seven starts this season Kirby’s best finish is a T36 at the JTBC Founders Cup.

Prior to turning professional, the Paris, Ont., native was a member of the 2012 Alabama Crimson Tide Division I National Championship squad. On the national stage, Kirby captured both the 2009 Canadian Women’s Amateur and Canadian Junior Girls titles. She was also a longtime member of Team Canada program, playing for the National Squad in 2012 and 2010 and the Development Team from 2007-2009.

A member of the LPGA’s Symetra Tour in 2013, Sue Kim earned her fully-exempt ticket to the LPGA for the 2014 season after a sixth place finish in Volvik’s Race for Card – Symetra’s Order of Merit. As a professional, the Langley, B.C. native captured the Decatur-Forsyth Classic, alongside two top-3 finishes on the Symetra Tour in 2013. In the 23-year-old’s six LPGA starts last season, her best finish was a T34 at the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic. In 2014, Kim’s best finish is a T45 at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open.

As an amateur, Kim was a five-year member of Team Canada’s National Amateur and Development Squad program. During that time she was a two-time champion on the Canadian Women’s Tour professional circuit and also recorded two runner-up finishes at the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship in 2007

Mackenzie Hughes soared into the spotlight after capturing his first professional victory at PGA Tour Canada’s 2013 Cape Breton Classic. Alongside his win, Hughes recorded three other top-10’s that included a T2 finish at The Wildfire Invitational and a T3 at The Players Cup. His strong play secured his playing card for the 2014 Web.com Tour season after finishing in the top spot on PGA Tour Canada’s Order or Merit after starting the season on sponsor’s exemptions.  Last year, the 23-year-old also qualified for the U.S. Open at Merion and the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club. In five starts this season on the Web.com Tour Hughes sits at No. 154 on the money list.

Prior to turning professional, the Dundas, Ont., native had a decorated amateur career that included back-to-back Canadian Amateur titles in 2011 and 2012. Hughes was also a member of Team Canada’s National Squad (2012, 2011) and a Development Squad Member in 2008. As a member of the Kent State Golden Flashes, Hughes picked up three NCAA collegiate victories and was the MAC Freshman of the year in 2009.

Albin Choi notched three top-25 finishes in his rookie season on PGA Tour Canada. The Toronto native finished a season-best T13 at the Cape Breton Classic and secured his full playing card for 2014 after a T17 finish at the season-ending TOUR Championship of Canada presented by Freedom 55 Financial. As a rookie, Choi began his season playing on sponsor’s exemptions and made five of eight cuts to retain his playing card for 2014 after finishing 52nd on the Order of Merit. Choi earned his ticket to the Web.com Tour after finishing T15 at qualifying school in December. Already this season he’s posted three top-30 finishes as a rookie and currently sits at No. 88 on the money list.

Choi had a highlight filled amateur career that included capturing the 2010 Canadian Men’s Amateur and finishing as the low amateur at the 2012 RBC Canadian Open. The 22-year old was also a member of the victorious Team Canada squad at the 2013 Copas de las Americas championship and was a member of Team Canada’s National Squad in 2012 and 2011. Prior to turning professional, Choi amassed nine NCAA victories during his three years at North Carolina State University.

You can find out more about the Golf Canada Foundation and support these young athletes by donating here.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Tiger Woods described his recovery from back surgery as a “very slow process” that offered him no timetable on when he can return for a summer filled with big championships.

Woods already missed the Masters, choosing to have microdiscectomy surgery March 31 to relieve pain from a pinched nerve.

In a wide-ranging blog on his website Monday, Woods said he is still sore from the incision and his only contact with golf clubs is a few putts and chips that do not require him to rotate his back. He said tests showed no arthritic changes, which he attributed to being in good shape and strong in his legs and abdomen.

“I made the decision to have surgery because physically I just couldn’t make a golf swing,” Woods wrote. “The pretty much sums it up.”

Though he is uncertain when he can even start hitting half-shots, Woods made it sound as though he would not be ready for the U.S. Open on June 12-15 at Pinehurst No. 2, the major championship course where he has the most experience.

“As I’ve said several times, I hope to be back sometime this summer, but I just don’t know when,” Woods said.

The one nonmajor that is important to him is the Quicken Loans National at Congressional, with a new title sponsor stepping in at a tournament that benefits his foundation.

“Whether I’m able to play or not, I’m going to be there to support it,” Woods said.

That tournament is two weeks after the U.S. Open and three weeks before the British Open, with the PGA Championship, FedEx Cup playoffs and Ryder Cup filling out a busy lineup of big-time golf.

“You can understand why I want to hurry up and get better,” Woods said.

Woods, who last played March 9 at Doral, said all he could do was to follow a strength program, listen to the doctors, chart his progress and wait.

“I haven’t used a sand wedge yet,” he said. “I’ve done putting and chip-and-runs using the same length of motion. I haven’t really rotated yet. As far as taking a full swing, I have conference calls with my doctors every couple of weeks to see how my progress is and just kind of chart it out from there. Basically, you just follow a program. It’s tedious because it’s little rehab stuff, but you still have to do it.

“That’s where I think the experiences of having gone through the surgeries in the past have really helped, because you have to lay the foundation down first before you can do the more arduous activities and then return to form,” he said. “I’m walking and able to cycle now and started swimming last week.”

Woods missed the Masters for the first time in his career and said it wasn’t as difficult as some might think to watch on TV. He compared it to the British Open and PGA Championship in 2008, which he missed after reconstructive surgery on his left knee.

He started watching mainly when Fred Couples got into the mix, and he lost a little interest when Couples fell off the pace early in the final round. Woods congratulated Bubba Watson and said Augusta National is suited to left-handed players like Watson and Phil Mickelson who hit a fade, a shot that works well on key holes along the back nine.

On other topics:

-Woods said he has enjoyed spending time with his 6-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son. He says he can’t practice soccer with Sam, and he can’t move quickly when working on baseball drills with Charlie.

-He said it helps to go through rehab at the same time with Olympic ski champion Lindsey Vonn, even though she is further along. “Her sessions are much longer and more developed,” he said. “Her knee is getting stronger and it’s good to see. She hopes to be ready to compete again in December.”

Woods also said he has been texting with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who had “the exact same surgery” in December and couldn’t play the final game of the year. “He just couldn’t function anymore,” Woods said.

The mystery about Woods is that golf requires a sudden, swift rotation through the ball. Plus, Woods said every person responds differently to surgery.

“I’m doing everything I can and listening to my doctors and working on a strength program, and then we just have to see how my back is,” Woods said. “Some people heal up in three months, some people take four months, some people take longer. I just don’t know.”

FORT MYERS, Fla. – South Korea’s Min Seo Kwak won the inaugural Patty Berg Memorial on Sunday at Cypress Lake for her first Symetra Tour title.

The 23-year-old Kwak had four consecutive birdies early on the back nine and finished with a 3-under 69 for a three-stroke victory over Australia’s Stephanie Na.

Kwak’s win came in her 65th start on the tour.

“It’s really nice to win this week. I’ve worked harder this year than I did last year,” Kwak said. “I wish my mom was here to see my win, but it feels great regardless.”

She earned $15,000 to jump from 37th to fourth on the money list with $19,556. The top 10 at the end of the season will earn 2015 LPGA Tour cards.

Runner up Na finished with a 71.

Cindy Feng and Demi Runas tied for third at 2 under. Feng, the money leader with $41,407, had a 71, and Runas shot 69.

Maude-Aimée Leblanc (69-74-76), who sits ninth on the Tour’s money list, was the top finishing Canadian. The Sherbrooke, Que. native finished tied for 22nd at 3-over 219.

Brogan McKinnon (76-73-74) of Mississauga, Ont. and Jessica Wallace (78-71-74) of Langley, B.C. tied for 47th at 7-over 223.

Jessica Shepley (70-74-80) of Oakville, Ont. tied for 54th at 8-over 224, while Erica Rivard (75-74-78) of Tecumseh, Ont. tied for 68th at 11-over par.