THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.  -Rory’s McIlroy’s year began with a coronation. He was the star attraction at what felt like a rock concert, with music blaring and lasers flashing in a room at Abu Dhabi to celebrate the No. 1 player in golf joining Nike’s stable.

It ended Sunday with a bogey on the ninth hole at Sherwood with hardly anyone watching.

An off-season never looked more appealing to him.

“It’s been a long season, a long stretch,” McIlroy said after signing for a 70 to finish 11th in an 18-man field at the World Challenge. “I’m excited to put the clubs down for a little bit, have a few weeks’ rest and get after it at the start of the new year.”

He won’t have to worry about getting used to new equipment. He spent the better part of nine months doing that.

Expectations are sure to be lower.

A year ago, McIlroy was the clear No. 1 in golf. He was coming off another record win in a major – an eight-shot victory in the PGA Championship – and threw his game into overdrive with two FedEx Cup playoff wins and money titles on both sides of the Atlantic by closing his season with a win in Dubai.

It looked as if he would stay there for many years.

That lasted three months.

There were equipment issues, a product of changing everything at once instead of slowly working the swoosh into his bag, as Tiger Woods did a decade earlier. He changed management companies, which ordinarily is a seamless transition unless the split is ugly.

McIlroy is scheduled to be in a courtroom in Ireland not long after the Ryder Cup next year. So yes, this is ugly. According to reports in Irish newspapers, he split with girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki at least twice, maybe three times. Except it wasn’t true. The tennis star was at Sherwood all week, an ever-present smile as she followed him along, even going across the parking lot to hit balls (tennis, not golf) at Sherwood’s stadium court.

All that became as tough an obstacle as anything on the golf course.

McIlroy, for all his brilliance inside the ropes, is refreshingly honest when it comes to his golf and often self-deprecating. He was talking earlier in the week about playing casual rounds with friends, noting that he had more of those days than in previous years.

“Had more weekends (off),” he said.

It wasn’t that bad, though his golf certainly was by his standards. He failed to make the cut five times, which is high for a player of his calibre. One was at the British Open. Another was at the Honda Classic, where he walked off the course after 26 holes out of frustration, blaming it on his wisdom tooth.

He didn’t win a tournament until his 24th start, two weeks ago at the Australian Open. He ends the year at No. 6 in the world, miles away from Woods at the top.

“It’s been the first year I’ve had to put up with scrutiny and criticism,” McIlroy said. “You just have to believe in what you’re doing and not let it get to you too much. I let it get to me a few times.”

The toothache was one example of that. McIlroy conceded a week later at Doral that all the hype translated into more pressure he put on himself to perform, and he snapped. An honest answer. He said he would never do it again. So far, so good.

More than the golf was the inspection outside the ropes.

“All the other stuff,” he said. “I don’t care what people say about my golf. It’s when people start digging into my personal life, that’s where it starts to annoy you. Whether it’s Caroline, the management, all that should that should be no consequence to how I play my golf.”

That’s a part of celebrity he still hasn’t mastered.

When you’re 24 and already have two majors (setting records in each), when you’re dating a former No. 1 tennis player, when you’re looked upon as the next great player in golf, there will be prying. He has to learn how to protect what he wants to keep private and ignore the rest.

As for the golf, McIlroy can only hope this year was an aberration.

Woods went through his first “slump” _ everything is relative when it comes to Woods _ at age 22 in his second full year as a pro. He won only two tournaments. He lost to Nick Price in a playoff at Sun City. He lost to Mark O’Meara in a 36-hole final at the World Match Play Championship. About the only off-course issue he faced was the GQ article that quoted him telling racial jokes.

“As far as battling a slump, that’s just part of playing golf,” Woods said. “You play golf long enough, you’re going to go through it.”

The great ones emerge. And the great ones don’t stay in slumps for long.

McIlroy headed to his Florida home to start his vacation. He’ll eventually wind up in Melbourne to watch Wozniacki in the Australian Open, and then go to Dubai to start preparing for a new season that will begin in Abu Dhabi.

Even at age 24, this is shaping up as important season.

The men and women of Team Canada’s 2014 National Amateur Team were all together for the first time to continue their training in the warm conditions of Phoenix, Ariz., at the Raven Golf Club at Verrado from Nov. 27 – 30.

Much like the Development Squad camp, the amateur athletes undergo three full days of training that incorporate golf tests, sports science assessments, team workouts, seminars and more.

The images below show what activities athletes endure during a typical day at training camp.

Women’s Head Coach Tristan Mullally goes over the game plan with the girls

Garrett Rank & Corey Conners: the final two remaining in the beep test! (Head Coach Derek Ingram looks on)

IST coaches Jason Glass & Greg Redman assess Taylor Kim of the Development Squad

Adam Svensson and Kevin Kwon follow the lead of strength and conditioning coach, Jason Glass

Nicole Springle (nutritionist) gives the women’s team a detailed tour of the grocery store

The men’s team heads home after a long day

To view the full roster of Team Canada athletes, click click here.

Get to know Anne-Catherine Tanguay

Hometown: Quebec City
Age: 22

Q: What are some of your nicknames?
A: “AC”, “Anne-Cat”

Q: Who or what got you into golf?
A: My mom had me and my siblings take clinics when we were younger

Q: What is your best golfing moment? (i.e. Tournament finishes, first eagle, hole in one etc..)
A: Playing my first LPGA event in Edmonton (CN Canadian Women’s Open in August of 2013)

Q: What is your worst golfing moment, and the lesson you learned from it?
A: Disqualified myself from Canadian Amateur because I realized I had signed a wrong scorecard. I learned that integrity and honesty are the most important qualities to have

Q: When you aren’t working on your golf game, you are likely:
A: Working out, at the movies, eating or shopping

Q: Who is in your dream foursome?
A: Fred Couples, Suzann Pettersen and Tiger Woods

Q: What is something most people don’t know about you?
A: My dad and I were born on the same day (Jan. 8^th)

Q: What course would you most like to play that you haven’t already?
A: Pebble Beach.

Q: What is the best thing about your hometown?
A: Being next to the St. Lawrence river

Q: Favourite type of shot to hit?
A: Low punch dead into the wind (I play lots of golf in Oklahoma!)

Q: What is the most surprising thing in your golf bag?
A: I have all the necessities (Kleenex, Advil, Tylenol, Immodium, band-aids etc..)

Q: If you could have a walk-up song on the first tee box, what would it be?
A: “Army Of Me” – Christina Aguilera

Q-School Alumni Updates

LPGA tour

Jennifer Kirby, a 22-year-old Team Canada alumnus, tallied five solid sub-par rounds (71-69-69-71-68) to finish the five-day, 90-hole event at 12-under par. As a result, the Paris, Ont. native earned her LPGA Tour card for the 2014 season. Read the full story here.

Web.com tour

Six former members of the High Performance program look to advance through the third and final qualifying stage to earn their respective Web.com Tour Cards. They will tee-it-up this week from Dec. 12-17 at the PGA West Stadium Course in La Quinta, Calif.

Beautiful morning here in Palm Springs. Looking forward to these next 9 days! #Qschool #PGAWest

— Albin Choi (@AlbinChoi) December 9, 2013

Chris Hemmerich in the spotlight

Chris Hemmerich, a member of the Men’s National Amateur Team, has received recent recognition for his solid play as the captain for the University of Guelph Gryphons. The senior is one of the premier golf talents that chose to display their skills at post-secondary institutions in Canada. He was recently profiled in the University’s ‘At Guelph’ publication. Read more

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The RBC Canadian Open was honoured by the PGA TOUR at the TOUR’s Tournament Meetings on Thursday, December 5, at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., earning the “Most Fan-Friendly Event” award for its 2013 staging at Glen Abbey Golf Club.

“On behalf of the PGA TOUR, I am pleased to congratulate the RBC Canadian Open for being named the best among its peers on TOUR,” said PGA TOUR EVP and Chief of Operations Andy Pazder. “The tournament committee should be proud of the special recognition the event has earned for its efforts.”

The 2013 RBC Canadian Open was made more enticing and affordable to fans by special ticket offers, as well as complimentary parking. The fan experience was enhanced by on-site attractions open to the public, such as golf simulators and displays, putting contests, drink tastings, water stations, mural paintings and a relaxation lounge. Fans were also encouraged to take photos on media partners’ sets and stages and share via social media.

Not only did RBC have interactive displays that educated fans about the company’s business and golf program, but tournament information was easily accessible to fans via a new mobile website, daily e-blasts and social media posts.

“On behalf of RBC, Golf Canada and everyone involved with Canada’s National Open Golf Championship, it’s an honour for the RBC Canadian Open to be recognized among the ‘Best Of’ awards,” said RBC Canadian Open Tournament Director Bill Paul. “Delivering a world-class fan experience is a priority for the championship and this award is a testament to the full team effort among our tournament sponsors and stakeholders as well as our dedicated team of more than 2,400 volunteers.”

The RBC Canadian Open, which was won this year by Brandt Snedeker, will be held July 21-27, 2014, at Royal Montreal Golf Club in Ile Bizard, Quebec. Information on tickets, corporate hospitality and volunteer opportunities can be found here.

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Zach Johnson put together the storybook finish at Sherwood on Sunday that for the longest time belonged to Tiger Woods.

Johnson rallied from four shots behind with eight holes to play, holed out from a drop area for par on the last hole to force a playoff, and beat the No. 1 player in golf at the World Challenge when Woods missed a 5-foot par putt on the first extra hole.

“Pretty impressive what he did,” Woods said. “He got me.”

It was an extraordinary sendoff at Sherwood, which hosted the World Challenge for the 14th and final time before it moves to Florida next year.

The big surprise was the winner in so many ways.

“I feel very fortunate, and a bit lucky,” said Johnson, who moved into the top 10 in the world ranking for the first time in his career.

For Woods, it was only the fourth time in his career that he lost a lead of at least two shots going into the final round, the second time at Sherwood. Graeme McDowell overcame a four-shot deficit in 2010 and beat Woods in a playoff.

This was far more dramatic.

They were tied after Johnson hit his tee shot to 4 feet for birdie on the 17th hole. Playing from the left rough, Woods came up just short and watched his approach tumble down the elevated green and into the bunker. Johnson followed with his worst shot of the week, an 8-iron so weak that it came up well short and into the hazard.

Johnson knew Woods had a difficult bunker shot, and if he figured if he could stick his wedge close from 58 yards away in the drop zone, a bogey might be enough to get into a playoff. The ball bounced three times and then spun back a few inches into the cup for an unlikely par and a 4-under 68.

“A little too dramatic for me,” Johnson said.

Woods’ hit a superb bunker shot to 2 feet and matched his par for a 70. They finished on 13-under 275.

Woods was between clubs from the 18th fairway in the playoff and tried a smooth 7-iron that he lost enough to the right that it again found the bunker. He hit an exquisite sand shot, this one sliding 5 feet by the hole, and the par putt spun out of the left side.

Johnson won $1 million and should go to No. 9 in the world.

Woods ended what he called a “damn good year” _ five wins, the most of anyone in the world _ with a shocking loss to Johnson. Two years ago, Woods ended the longest drought of his career when he went birdie-birdie at Sherwood to beat Johnson by one shot.

Matt Kuchar (67) and Bubba Watson (70) tied for third at 9-under 279.

The attendance Sunday was 24,922, a record for any round in 14 years at Sherwood. Traffic outside the tony club in the Santa Monica foothills looked like an LA freeway in what could be the last chance in the near future to see Woods in southern California.

Woods appeared to have his sixth title at Sherwood sewed up when Johnson missed a short par putt on the 10th hole to fall four shots behind with eight holes to play. Woods had said on Saturday that Johnson wasn’t the kind of player who went away easily, and he was right.

Johnson picked up birdies on the 11th and 12th holes, and then got back in the game on the 14th when Woods three-putted from long range on the 14th, and Johnson saved his par with an 8-foot putt to get within one shot.

The rest of the way looked like the final rounds of a heavyweight fight, even if only one of them looked the part.

Johnson laid up on the par-5 16 and nearly holed a sand wedge from 88 yards, setting up a tap-in birdie. Woods, with a tough chip left of the green, rehearsed the shot over and over and it came out perfectly for a matching birdie. Johnson finally caught him with a tee shot to 4 feet for birdie on the 17th, leading to the big finish.

Johnson looked almost apologetic when Woods missed his par putt in the playoff, and it was shocking to see. No one from his generation as made more clutch putts than Woods, who spoke about the topic earlier in the week.

But not this time. It was not the way he wanted to leave Sherwood, where Woods has five wins and now five runner-up finishes. The only consolation was $400,000 for finishing second, bringing to just over $14 million the earnings he has donated to his foundation from the three tournaments (AT&T National, Deutsche Bank, World Challenge) that support his education programs.

Final Canadian Results:

5.  Jennifer Kirby (-12) 71-69-69-71-68 – 348
T32. Maude-Aimée LeBlanc (-2) 71-73-73-71-70 – 358
T44. Lorie Kane (E) 72-73-73-72-70 – 360
T65. Erica Rivard (+5) 77-72-69-70-77 – 365
T70. Jessica Shepley (+8) 73-76-750-67-77 – 368
— MISSED CUT —
T71. Natalie Gleadall (+4) 73-73-71-75 – 292
T71. Stephanie Sherlock (+4) 73-74-72-73 – 292
T79. Sara-Maude Juneau (+5) 77-70-74-72 – 293
T102. Ashely Sholer (+8) 73-78-71-74 – 296
T122. Nicole Vandermade (+11) 78-74-79-68 – 299

_________________________________

Paris, Ont. native and former Team Canada member, Jennifer Kirby, finished 5th at the LPGA‘s Final Qualifying Tournament Sunday to earn exempt status on the Tour for 2014.

Kirby took to Twitter shortly after earning her card.

Couldn’t be happier with this week! So excited to play the LPGA tour this year!! Thank you everyone for the amazing support!!!!!!!!!

— Jennifer Kirby (@kirbyjennifer) December 8, 2013

The 22-year University of Alabama alumnae tallied five solid sub-par rounds (71-69-69-71-68) to finish the five-day, 90-hole event at 12-under par.

Kirby joins fellow Canadians Sue Kim of Langley, B.C., Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Lorie Kane of Charlottetown and Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Toronto as full-time LPGA Tour members in 2014.

Kim and Sharp earned their way back onto the LPGA Tour via their play on the Symetra Tour, while Lee-Bentham finished in the top 80 of the Tour’s money list just one year after she won medalist honours at Q-School.

Kirby was the only one of the 10 Canadians who started the week to gain full (Category 12) status.

Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que. tied for 32nd at 2-under par. She will have conditional status next year.

Kane, a four-time winner on the Tour, finished tied for 44th. She was looking to improve her priority standing in order to get into more tournaments in 2014.

Jaye Marie Green of Boca Raton, Fla. completed the wire-to-wire victory to earn medalist honors. The 19-year-old finished 29-under with a 10 shot victory over South Korean Mi Rim Lee.

Green set the record for the lowest score at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament since it moved to a 90-hole event in 2004. Eight-time LPGA Tour winner Stacy Lewis set the previous record in 2008 when she posted an 18-under 342.

Green, who placed second to New Zealand star Lydia Ko at the 2012 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, played on the Symetra Tour this season and tallied three top-10 finishes to end the season ranked 29^th on the Volvik Race for the Card.

Finishing runner-up at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament was South Korea’s Mi Rim Lee, a two-time winner on the Korean LPGA Tour, who finished with a 3-under 69 and 19-under for the tournament.

Two-year LPGA Tour veteran Tiffany Joh finished third with a 15-under 354 total to improve her status for the 2014 season. The Californian, who celebrated her 27^th birthday, said the solid finish was quite the present today.

Twenty-six additional players also earned 2014 LGPA membership and will fall in Category 17. Others who finished T49 and below and made the 72-hole cut earned Symetra Tour status.

SUN CITY, South Africa – Thomas Bjorn carved out two eagles in his last nine holes, one brilliant and one a little lucky, to come from behind and win the Nedbank Golf Challenge on Sunday, closing with a 65 for 20-under overall and a two-shot victory.

Overnight leader Jamie Donaldson of Wales wasted a three-shot advantage with a final-round 70 and tied for second with Sergio Garcia (65).

Bjorn’s sweet five iron into No. 10 set up the first eagle to push him past Donaldson. The Dane had his second on No. 14 after his approach pitched in a bunker and rolled up onto the green.

“They were two big moments,” Bjorn said. “Obviously having two eagles on the back nine on a Sunday doesn’t happen very often. The shot into 14 was a bit fortunate but that’s what happens when you win golf tournaments, I guess.”

The $1.25 million winner’s check at Sun City is the 42-year-old Bjorn’s biggest prize and it’s his 15th European Tour title.

Donaldson was bidding to become the first debut winner at Sun City since Zimbabwe’s Mark McNulty in 1986 but bogeyed No. 9, and couldn’t find any more birdies until No. 17. Garcia’s challenge slipped away with a dropped shot on No. 16 after a run of four straight birdies at the end of his front nine, allowing Bjorn to bogey the last at Gary Player Country Club and still win.

Bjorn’s triumph was hailed by fans in the galleries on No. 18 waving streams of South African flags in late afternoon sunshine on a day dedicated in the country to prayer and reflection following the death of former President Nelson Mandela. The tournament stood for a rendition of the South African anthem at the end.

“I think to the whole world he was just an inspiration to human beings. He was a great man,” Bjorn said of Mandela at the trophy presentation. “To see what one man can do, it’s an inspiration to all of us. If we all just did a bit more, this world would be a better place.”

FedEx Cup and European money list winner Henrik Stenson was fourth on 6 under after his 67 in the No. 3-ranked Swede’s first tournament back since ending last season as the world’s best-performing player.

Brendon de Jonge (66) was fifth on 15 under and Charl Schwartzel (66) sixth on 13 under, the highest placed South African. Ryan Moore of the United States, another Sun City rookie, was in contention through three rounds before a 73 on Sunday took him back to a tie for seventh with U.S. Open champion Justin Rose.

Home favourite and three-time champion Ernie Els had to deal with news of Mandela’s passing on Thursday and the death of his former psychological coach on Saturday, and ended with a second straight 77 to finish 12 over par and second from last in the expanded 30-man field.

This is the first year the Nedbank has been part of the European Tour’s schedule.

Lydia Ko didn’t waste any time picking up her first victory in only her second start as a professional at the Swinging Skirts World Ladies Masters on Sunday in Taiwan.

The two-time Canadian Women’s Open champion bested a strong field that included four of the top seven players in the world. Her 11-under 205 total left her three strokes clear of So Yeon Ryu, after a final round 4-under 68.

“I didn’t know I’d do it this quickly,” Ko told reporters of her first title as a pro. “I’m just so fortunate to do it at such a great tournament. I was nervous, but I just said to myself, `Concentrate on your game.’”

With the victory, Ko, 16, took home the $150,000 first place prize cheque for her fifth professional title.  Her next start is scheduled for the LPGA Tour’s 2014 season opener, the Pure Silk Bahamas Classic, January 23-26.

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. –  After a day of so much uncertainty about where the ball was going, Tiger Woods landed in a place where the outcome is rarely in doubt.

He was in the lead.

Woods survived a rough round of swirling swing at Sherwood on Saturday with two birdies on his last three holes. That enabled him to salvage an even-par 72 and maintain his two-shot lead over Zach Johnson going into the final round of the World Challenge.

Woods’ round featured a tee shot into the water, a three-putt from 6 feet and a long delay on the 18th fairway as he tried to figure out which way the wind was blowing. He took a little off an 8-iron when he felt the wind switch yet again and holed a 12-foot birdie putt.

“I’m pleased at having the lead _ not real pleased with the way I putted today,” Woods said. “I left a few out there today.”

But he wasn’t alone.

The average score was just under 73, and everyone ran into problems somewhere along the way, particularly on the 15th, a par 3 that played to an average score of 4.17. Johnson made two double bogeys on par 3s on the back nine, and didn’t feel as though he hit a poor shot on either hole. It was simply a matter of getting the wind to co-operate.

“I didn’t take myself out of it,” said Johnson, who also birdied two of the last three holes for a 72.

Woods was at 11-under 205, two shots ahead of Johnson, just like he started the day.

There are 18 holes to go, and Woods has a 48-5 lead worldwide when he has the outright lead going into Sunday. He has won all four times with the lead this year, and the last time he gave up a lead on Sunday was at Sherwood in 2010, when Graeme McDowell came from four shots behind and won in a playoff.

It can be done, and two shots can be erased in one hole in conditions like this.

Woods is trying to end his year with a sixth title, which would be the ninth time he’s done that in his career. What began as an elite field of 18 players _ all of them from the top 30 in the world ranking _ has effectively been whittled to three barring a late charge from deep in the pack.

Bubba Watson was within one shot of the lead briefly until a three-putt bogey on the 18th, and two late birdies by Woods. Watson had a 69 and was four shots behind. No one else was within six shots of Woods.

“This golf course is very difficult,” Watson said. “Right now, there’s a pretty good player leading. He’s won here before. He knows this golf course pretty well. But I’m just going to come out there and play. I’ve shot under par my last few rounds. I want to keep doing that. If I can shoot in the 60s, give myself a chance, we’ll see what happens.”

Rory McIlroy had the low round Saturday of 68, and that included a double bogey on the par-3 15th, which was playing 193 yards from an elevated tee. Keegan Bradley and Steve Stricker each took a 7 on the par 3.

Johnson was one shot out of the lead when his 5-iron went into the creek, and it wasn’t particularly close. He made double bogey. Woods hit 6-iron well to the left, and while he three-putted from long range for bogey, that was about par for the day.

“I thought Zach hit it perfect,” Woods said. “He hit a little cut 5 and it was right on the flag. I mean, I thought it was the perfect flight to get there. I had a 6, and I knew that if my ball kicked up at all, it wasn’t going to get there after seeing his ball get smoked at the end. So I went ahead and flipped it over to the left and bailed out.”

Johnson briefly took the lead with a birdie on No. 9, though Woods caught him with a birdie on the 10th. Johnson lost momentum with one bad shot, a fairway metal for his second shot on the par-5 11th that went right into a bed of leaves under a small cluster of trees. He tried to punch under the trees and onto the green, but his shot hit one branch and led to bogey.

Johnson made a double bogey on the par-3 12th and just like that was three shots behind. He got back to within one shot on the next hole when Woods three-putted from 6 feet for bogey and Johnson made bogey.

Ultimately, they ended up where they started the day, putting Woods one round away from his sixth win at Sherwood. The tournament is moving to Florida next year.