At a conference for the International Association of Golf Administrators (IAGA) in early November in Amelia Island, Fla., Barb Trammell was named the new president of the IAGA. She will serve a one-year term.

An industry veteran with over 30 years’ experience in the golf business, Trammell has served as CEO of the Oregon Golf Association since November 2007, a position she will continue to serve.

The IAGA is made up of golf administrators from state, regional, provincial and national golf associations, and serves as a means of exchanging information, techniques and communication among the world’s golf organizations, to which Golf Canada is a proud member.

Golf Canada CEO, Scott Simmons, acted as a panelist at the event, where he spoke about the state of the game in Canada and the Natioanl Sport Federation’s Strategic Plan.

Trammell was Senior VP of Tournament Operations for the LPGA Tour, having served in that role for 19 years, beginning her tenure as a Rules official in 1987. Widely regarded as an internationally respected Rules expert and golf administrator, she was one of the first women to be invited to officiate The Masters, The Open Championship, the U.S. Open and PGA Championship. She served on the USGA Rules of Golf Committee for 15 years, contributing to the changing and updating of the Rules of the game during that time.

Barb is a Class A member of the PGA of America and has also held roles as PGA club professional and Division I college golf coach.

Other regional golf administrators who have served as IAGA president are John Bodenhamer (2001), the former PNGA/WSGA executive director; and Kris Jonasson (2007), who still serves as the executive director of British Columbia Golf.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico – Canadian Graham DeLaet has withdrawn from this week’s OHL Classic at Mayakoba, giving first alternate Jonathan Randolph a chance to take on El Camaleón Golf Club.

DeLaet was set to make his first appearance at the OHL Classic since a missed cut in his 2010 debut, but back issues will keep him away.

Told Graham DeLaet has WD’d from Mexico due to tweaking his back in Vegas Saturday. Went to MEX, thought he could play, needs more time.

— Adam Stanley (@adam_stanley) November 9, 2016

In his place, Jonathan Randolph will be making his second appearance at this event. He missed the cut in his 2015 debut.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The Web.com Tour is starting next year in the Bahamas with two tournaments that will end in the middle of the week.

The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic will be played Jan. 8-11 at Sandals Emerald Bay. The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic will be played Jan. 22-25 at The Abaco Golf Club. Both events will start on Sunday and end on Wednesday.

The schedule change is to give the PGA Tour’s chief developmental circuit more attention and to provide Golf Channel with live programming in the middle of the week. Golf Channel will have live golf every day those weeks.

The Bahamas now has four tournaments: the Hero World Challenge in December hosted by Tiger Woods, the two Web.com Tour events and the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tim Finchem officially retires at the end of the year as PGA Tour commissioner, ending more than two decades during which he expanded the tour’s footprint around the world and saw prize money grow to nearly $300 million.

The PGA Tour’s board of directors accepted Finchem’s resignation Monday and unanimously approved Jay Monahan as his replacement.

Monahan, who has served as Finchem’s deputy commissioner since April 2014, becomes the fourth commissioner on Jan. 1.

“I have the highest regard for Jay and have total confidence in his ability to lead the PGA Tour well into the future,” Finchem said. “He has been a key member of the executive team since joining the tour and has worked closely with me on all business matters since becoming deputy commissioner. Jay is well respected throughout the PGA Tour family and the golf industry. I know he will do a tremendous job for the players and all constituents of the PGA Tour.”

Neither development was a surprise. Monday was the final quarterly meeting of the board this year, and Finchem had indicated he would not seek another extension.

Monahan, 46, was executive vice-president at Fenway Sports Group when he joined the PGA Tour in 2008, first as executive director of The Players Championship, and quickly moving his way through other business functions, including the key role of chief marketing officer. He was appointed chief operating officer earlier this year.

“I’ve worked with him closely now for a good period of time, and he’s absolutely the right guy,” Finchem said at the Tour Championship in September. “He doesn’t have a negative moment in his day. He is a total glass-is-half-full individual, and I think you’ll see that as we go forward.”

Finchem also was a deputy commissioner under Deane Beman when he was appointed in 1994, and he leaves behind a legacy of growth and new programs.

Total prize money in 1994 was $52.4 million for 40 official tournaments. As the 69-year-old Finchem retires, he leaves a fully sponsored schedule of 43 tournaments with prize money this season at just under $300 million. That doesn’t include the four majors.

Finchem used the arrival of Tiger Woods to negotiate massive television deals that drove prize money, and his finest work might have been the last one.

He steered the tour through a severe economic downturn in 2009, keeping it fully sponsored with prize money slightly increasing. And with Woods on the sidelines coping with injuries and a scandal in his personal life, the tour negotiated a nine-year television contract through 2021.

“Under Tim’s leadership, the PGA Tour has made remarkable progress, even in the most difficult economic times,” Monahan said. “We are now entering a very important time in our organization’s history, and I know our executive team and I will draw upon and be inspired by the invaluable experience of working with Tim as we take advantage of the extraordinary opportunities, as well as face the challenges, that are ahead for the tour.”

The first big challenge is likely to be the next television contract. Finchem and Monahan already have been meeting this summer with media executive to prepare for the next negotiations and figure out where advancements in media fit into the future.

Finchem also used the arrival of Woods to launch The First Tee, an education program geared around golf.

The Presidents Cup began in his first year as commissioner, and he was behind the World Golf Championships that began in 1999 and have been played in America, Spain, Ireland, England, Australia and China. Another one is schedule for Mexico City next March.

Finchem also tried to provide structure to the sprawling golf season with the FedEx Cup, which pays $35 million in bonus money to the players and $10 million to the winner. He also emphasized the Web.com Tour as the pathway to the PGA Tour. That also led the tour to create satellite circuits in China, Canada and Latin America.

Monahan comes from a rich New England golf heritage, playing at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. He previously worked at EMC Corp. in branding and global sponsorships, then spent three years at IMG where he ran the Deutsche Bank Championship until leaving for Fenway Sports Management, and then the tour.

“Jay has proven himself to be an outstanding leader who has developed an intimate knowledge and understanding of the PGA Tour and a clear vision for the future of the organization,” board chairman Victor Ganzi said.

LAS VEGAS – The birdie putt was still a foot away from the hole when Rod Pampling raised his right arm and thrust it in the air as the ball tumbled into the cup.

His victory Sunday in Las Vegas was a long time coming.

Pampling left nothing to chance by holing a 30-foot putt on the final hole at the TPC Summerlin to close with a 6-under 65 for a two-shot victory in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, his first PGA Tour title in 10 years.

“Sometimes you amaze yourself at what you can do under the gun, which hadn’t been for a long time,” Pampling said. “And it was great.”

The 47-year-old Australian last won on the PGA Tour at Bay Hill in 2006. He lost his card and spent two full seasons on the Web.com Tour, and then had to return to the Web.com Tour Finals at the end of last season just to get his card back.

He was No. 451 in the world ranking.

And now Pampling is headed to Kapalua for the Tournament of Champions in January, and he’ll be returning to the Masters for the first time in 10 years.

“It’s extremely rewarding,” Pampling said. “Winning Arnold Palmer’s event is still on top. But coming back from what we’ve had the last few years, to get a win under the belt, it’s phenomenal. Amazing.”

Brooks Koepka closed with a 67 to finish second.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., was the top Canadian. He shot a 1-over 72 in the final round to place 27th at 11 under. Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., and Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor both finished 6 under while Hamilton’s Mackenzie Hughes came in at 2 under.

Lucas Glover, going for his first victory in five years, was tied with Pampling with two holes to play until he made a bogey from the bunker on the par-3 17th, and he closed with another bogey when winning was out of reach. He shot a 69 to finish third.

Francesco Molinari of Italy had a career-best 61 and tied for fourth with Geoff Ogilvy (68) and Harris English (67).

For someone who had gone so long since he last won, Pampling kept his poise even when it looked as though the final round was getting away from him. He began the back nine with two bogeys in three holes – a three-putt on No. 10, missing the green with a pitching wedge on No. 12 – and fell one shot behind Glover.

Pampling bounced back with a 12-foot birdie putt, and an 8-iron to 18 feet for birdie on the 14th to catch Glover. Pampling made a 12-foot birdie on the next hole to keep pace, and his biggest shot might have been for par.

Tied for the lead on the par-5 16th, he pushed his drive well right into rough so deep that Pampling asked to identify his ball, and it was a good thing – it wasn’t his ball. His ball was a foot to the right, buried so badly that he could only muscle it some 30 yards behind another tree, and he had to lay up short of the water. From 121 yards, Pampling hit wedge into 6 feet and saved par to stay tied.

“That was the turning point for Rod, and that was awesome,” Glover said. “He played great.”

Glover’s tee shot on the 17th was about a foot away from being good, but it caught the lip of the bunker and left a difficult shot with the green sloping away from him. He missed a 12-foot par putt and never caught up.

Pampling finished at 20-under 264 and will be exempt up until his 50th birthday when he is eligible for the PGA Tour Champions.

“After this week I still think I have a couple of more wins, so I’m looking forward to the next few years and just see what we can do.” Pampling said.

The victory was the third of his PGA Tour career for Pampling, who also won the now-defunct International in 2004. It puts him in the Masters for the first time since 2007, along with the PGA Championship for the first time since 2009.

He became the fifth Australian to win on the PGA Tour this year, joining Jason Day, Adam Scott, Greg Chalmers and Aaron Baddeley.

Ogilvy had his best finish since he tied for second in the Deutsche Bank Championship two years ago. Keegan Bradley closed with a 66 and tied for seventh. Bradley tied for sixth two weeks ago in Malaysia, giving him consecutive top 10s for the first time since March 2013.

Aaron Wise, the NCAA champion from Oregon, tied for 10th and earned a spot in the field next week in Mexico.

RICHMOND, Va. – Scott McCarron came into the season with a goal of winning the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

He put himself in position to do just that Sunday in the Dominion Charity Classic, making a 6-foot putt on the first hole of a playoff with Tom Byrum to win the second of three PGA Tour Champions playoff events. McCarron will start next week in Scottsdale, Arizona, second in points to two-time defending champion Bernhard Langer with the cup on the line.

“I think it’s awesome. Bernhard Langer’s had a great year, a phenomenal year, one of the best years ever, but it’s a playoff. You’ve got to play well in the playoffs,” McCarron said, who moved into the top five in the rankings by finishing sixth last week in California. “If I can play well next week, I control my own destiny.”

The three-time PGA Tour champion won the Principal Charity Classic in Iowa in June for his first senior victory.

“Any time you win an event, you’ve got a lot of good feelings about your game, you’re playing well. To win in a playoff in the fashion I did just gives you a lot of confidence,” he said. “For me, going into next week, again, I’m second in the Schwab Cup, and if I can win, I can win the Schwab Cup, which I think is amazing.”

McCarron, one of the longest hitters on the tour for players 50 and older, did most of his scoring on the longest holes.

“I thought that if I could take advantage of the par 5s, I could possibly have a great tournament, and I certainly did that for most of the week,” he said.

For the season, McCarron has had birdie or better on 54 per cent of par 5s. This week, be birdied nine out of 13, including the playoff hole.

McCarron and Byrum each shot 3-under 69 in regulation to finish at 13 under on the James River Course at The Country Club of Virginia. Byrum created the tie with a birdie at the 16th hole. Both made pars on the next two holes before McCarron’s winning putt on the extra hole gave him his second victory this season.

Byrum, seeking his first victory in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event since the 1989 Kemper Open, putted first, but his 15-foot putter slid past on the left edge. McCarron then rolled a slightly bending putt into the centre of the cup.

“I hit that putt just like I wanted,” said Byrum, who left soon after the loss to catch a plane. “I thought I made it.”

McCarron had missed a birdie putt on the 54th and final hole of regulation to necessitate the playoff.

Kevin Sutherland shot a course-record 63, with seven birdies and an eagle, to tie for third with Brandt Jobe (67) at 11 under.

Fred Funk was alone in fifth at 10 under. He closed with four consecutive birdies for a 67.

Sutherland also challenged for a coveted top five-spot in Scottsdale. But he needed McCarron to falter and, when the 51-year-old did not, Sutherland wound up sixth in the standings.

The points were reset after the event, so that the top five -Langer, McCarron, Colin Montgomerie, Joe Durant and Miguel Angel Jimenez – only have to win the season finale at Desert Mountain to capture the Charles Schwab Cup.

Langer, who played despite a sore knee that kept him out of last week’s tournament, would have locked up the championship weeks ago because of his huge lead in the player standings, but the first-year format means he has to play to claim the title. He shot a 71 on Sunday to tie for sixth at 9 under.

“Glad I played. I know what to work on, a couple of things that weren’t firing,” said Langer, who also won the Cup in 2010 and was the dominant player on the circuit this season. “Spend the next few days working on that and hopefully be ready next week.”

Each dollar earned Sunday was worth two points – McCarron earned $305,000 worth 610,000 – and was added to the regular-season total.

Rod Spittle tied for 39th thanks to a 3-over 75 Sunday. Ames carded a final round even-round of 72 to finish 51st.

Neither Spittle or Ames were among the top 36 who will move on to the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Scottsdale.

IBARAKI, Japan – Shanshan Feng needed every bit of the three-stroke lead she took to final hole Sunday at chilly Taiheiyo Club to finish off her second straight LPGA Tour victory.

The 27-year-old Chinese star closed with a double-bogey 6 to beat Ha Na Jang by a stroke in the TOTO Japan Classic, the last of six straight events in Asia. Feng closed with a 2-under 70 for a 13-under 203 total, the double bogey her only dropped shots since the fourth hole Friday.

She knew she had a three-stroke lead after birdieing the par-5 17th, not that she wanted to know.

“I have a habit where I don’t look at leaderboards when I play, but I accidentally saw the board when I was on the 17th green,” said Feng, the winner last week in steamy Malaysia.

She drove to the left and needed two more shots to reach the green.

“I thought easy two-putt, but the first putt, I just hit it way too hard,” Feng said. “The second putt, I missed and left myself a 3-footer and said, ‘It’s time to make this putt.’ I didn’t want to lose by making a triple bogey on the last.”

The putt – really only about half the length that Feng recounted – fell for her sixth LPGA Tour victory.

Projected to jump from eighth to sixth in the world ranking, Feng has finished no worse than a tie for fourth in her last seven events. She started the run with the Olympic bronze medal in Rio, tied for fourth at Evian in France, opened the Asia trip at home in China with a fourth-place tie, was second behind Jang in Taiwan and tied for third in South Korea.

“Coming into this week I had a lot of confidence and I’m feeling really comfortable,” Feng said. “I knew that I would have a chance because I’ve always liked the Japanese courses that I’ve played and I’ve played well in Japan.”

She broke through at Taiheiyo after losing a playoff to Momoko Ueda in the 2011 event at Kintetsu Kashikojima, the tournament venue from 2006 to last year.

Playing two groups ahead of Feng, Jang birdied 16 and 17 in her third 68. The South Korean player has three victories this year, beating Feng by a stroke in Taiwan.

“Every day, I had strong front nine, but was a little tired on the back nine,” Jang said. “Just tried to be patient every hole. My target was 12-under par this week and I hit my target perfect.”

A stroke ahead after parring the first eight holes, Feng birdied the next three to open a four-shot lead. She made putts from 8 feet on the par-5 ninth, 25 feet on the par-4 10th and 6 feet on the par-4 11th.

“I wasn’t actually striking the ball very well and then I didn’t give myself many birdie chances,” Feng said. “Putting was OK and then after the eighth hole I said to the others in my group, ‘We are the last group, so we need to start making birdies.’ Then, the ninth hole I had a very good chance and made it and then 10th and 11th were great birdies.”

She earned $225,000, giving her $1,062,204 in her last six tour starts. She’s sixth on the money list with $1,416,301 after making $354,097 in her first 15 events.

Feng shot a tournament-best 64 on Saturday to take one-stroke lead over second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn into the final round.

Jutanugarn missed a chance to wrap up the LPGA Tour player of the year award with a victory, shooting a 74 to drop into a tie for 10th at 8 under. The Thai star leads the tour with five victories and also tops the money list.

“Today was just not a good day,” Jutanugarn said. “I missed some tee shots and my putting was so bad.”

The top-ranked Lydia Ko, 14 points behind Jutanugarn in the player of the year race, had a 69 to tie for 43rd at 2 under. Ko and Jutanugarn are skipping the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico and will close the season in two weeks in Florida at the CME Group Tour Championship.

Japan’s Kotone Hori (68) tied for third at 10 under with defending champion Sun-Ju Ahn (70), So Yeon Ryu (68) and Soo-Yun Kang (71). Suzann Pettersen had a 72 in the final group to finish at 9 under.

Lexi Thompson shot a 68 to tie for 14th at 7 under. U.S. Solheim Cup teammate Stacy Lewis tied for 31st at 4 under after a 72. The 2012 champion is winless in 62 starts since June 2014.

LAS VEGAS – One long putt got Lucas Glover going Saturday and put him in position for his first PGA Tour victory in five years.

Glover was even par for his round when he holed a 45-foot birdie putt on No. 8, followed with a 9-foot eagle putt on the next hole and made a pair of birdies and a key par putt in the closing holes for a 6-under 65 in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

Glover had a one-shot lead over Brooks Koepka (70) and Rod Pampling (71).

“That eighth hole was kind of the catapult,” Glover said. “I made that long one, and two great shots into 9 and turned in 3 under and kept it going.”

Playing in the final group, Koepka and Pampling were slowed by mistakes and wound up letting a dozen or so players back into the mix. Twenty players were separated by four shots going into the final round at the TPC Summerlin.

“We’ve got a shootout ahead of us tomorrow,” said Glover, who was at 15-under 198. “I like where I stand, but you’re going to have to play good tomorrow.”

Glover pulled ahead when he got up-and-down on the short par-4 15th, two-putted from birdie from about 50 feet on the 16th hole and then made a 5-foot par putt on the par-3 17th. The short putts are what has hurt Glover the most during the five years since the former U.S. Open champion last won at Quail Hollow.

He recently switched to a claw grip to get his shoulders more involved.

“I’ve really been working hard, and it’s starting to pay off,” Glover said. “Eighteen holes tomorrow, and see how many we can make because I’m going to have make some.”

Russell Henley made eight birdies – only one of them from under 10 feet – for a 63, and Geoff Ogilvy ran off four straight birdies late in his round for a 65. They were two shots behind. The group at 12-under 201 included Las Vegas resident Scott Piercy, Harris English and Pat Perez, who missed eight months this year with shoulder surgery. Another Las Vegas resident, Ryan Moore, was in the large group at 11 under.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., was three shots back after shooting a 67. Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., was tied for 28th place, Nick Taylor, also of Abbotsford, was tied for 57th and Dundas, Ont., native Mackenzie Hughes was tied for 71st.

Koepka had three bogeys on his opening six holes to fall behind, and he caught up by using his power to make birdie on the par 5s on the back nine and with a 3-wood that he hit to 20 feet for a two-putt birdie on the 15th. He was tied for the lead until pulling his tee shot into the water on the 17th and making bogey, and then he ended his wild round with a sand wedge that spun back to tap-in range on the 18th.

“For as bad as we played today, I was kind of happy to be one off the lead,” Koepka said. “Just kind of struggled with everything. I feel like speed was a bit off, putting never really got comfortable. … Not my best performance, but I guess one off the lead isn’t too bad for how bad we played.”

The final group of Pampling, Koepka and Chris Kirk (75) combined to shoot 3-over par.

“We struggled out there, and at least it was good see Brooks make some birdies at the end,” Pampling said. “They were out there. It was just a few breaks here and there weren’t quite what I had been getting. Hopefully, it’ll turn around tomorrow and we’ll actually post a proper number again.”

Pampling and Glover both had to go back to the Web.com Tour Finals two seasons ago to regain their full tour cards. While it has been since 2011 that Glover last won, Pampling hasn’t won since the 2008 Australian Masters, and his last PGA Tour victory was 10 years ago at Bay Hill.

“I’m not going to lie, there was a little bit of tension early on,” Pampling said. “They guys who are a long way back go low because they’re not protecting a little bit. Obviously, I don’t think we can protect tomorrow, but I feel good. Just go out there and let it go and just hope juices are good. It’s nice to have them.”

RICHMOND, Va. – Scott McCarron and Tom Byrum shared the Dominion Charity Classic lead Saturday, with Bernhard Langer two strokes back in the second of three PGA Tour Champions playoff events.

McCarron shot his second straight 5-under 67, and Byrum had a 69 to reach 10-under 134 on The Country Club of Virginia’s James River Course. Langer also had a 69 in his return for a left knee injury that forced him to withdraw from the playoff opener last week in California.

McCarron birdied the par-5 16th and 18th for the second day in a row, holing a 12-footer on 18.

“I made two nice putts on 2 and 3 from probably 30 feet or so,” McCarron said. “It’s always nice to get off to a good start when you’re making putts like that. Then just played pretty solid and took advantage of the par 5s coming in. Really like this golf course. It’s a great track. It’s in perfect shape, we have unbelievable weather, so looking forward to tomorrow.”

Byrum closed birdie-bogey-birdie, making a 20-footer on 18 to tie McCarron.

“I hung in there. Just tried to stay patient,” Byrum said. “Hit the ball decent on the front nine, struggled a lot on the back nine. I had to scramble a little bit, but all in all it was a good day playing under the pressure of leading and guys coming after me. … Maybe I can be a little more aggressive tomorrow.”

Langer is fighting the knee injury that he re-aggravated at home doing routine spinning. The 59-year-old German star leads the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs standings, had a tour-high our victories and has wrapped up the season money title with $2,697,459.

“The worst thing for me is walking downhill and bending,” Langer said. “I can’t bend my knee very well, so I’m just trying to avoid all stress, if possible.”

The playoff field was cut from 72 to 54 for the event, and Tom Lehman dropped out because of an elbow injury. The top 36 after the week will qualify for the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship next week in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Each dollar earned in the first two events is worth two points – first place is worth $305,000 and 610,000 points this week – and is added to the regular-season total. At the Charles Schwab Championship, points will be reset so that the top five only have to win to capture the Charles Schwab Cup.

The 51-year-old McCarron is fifth in the standings. He won the Principal Charity Classic in Iowa in June for his first victory on the 50-and-over tour.

“I’m having an absolute blast,” the three-time PGA Tour winner said. “I’m playing with some of my best buddies. When you get to play with Hall of Famers like Bernhard Langer it really is a lot of fun.”

The 56-year-old Byrum is 27th in the standings. He’s winless on the senior tour after winning once on the PGA Tour.

Jay Haas (71), Michael Allen (69), Rocco Mediate (71), Scott Parel (66), Paul Broadhurst (68) and Brandt Jobe (69) were 6 under. The 62-year-old Haas won a month ago in Newport Beach, California, to become the second-oldest winner in tour history.

IBARAKI, Japan – Shanshan Feng shot an 8-under 64 on Saturday to take the TOTO Japan Classic lead, putting the Chinese star in position to close the Asian swing with consecutive victories.

Feng birdied the final two holes for a one-stroke advantage over Ariya Jutanugarn, the 20-year-old Thai player who leads the LPGA Tour with five victories. Jutanugarn had a 68 on another chilly day at Taiheiyo Club in the tour’s first tournament in the Tokyo area since 1991.

Feng won last week in steamy conditions in Malaysia. She has finished no worse than a tie for fourth in her last six events. She started the run with the Olympic bronze medal in Rio, tied for fourth at Evian in France, opened the Asia trip at home in China with a fourth-place tie, was second in Taiwan and tied for third in South Korea before winning.

The five-time LPGA Tour winner two-putted for birdie on the par-5 17th, then capped the bogey-free round with a 10-footer on the par-4 18th that caught the left edge, circled the cup and fell in to get her to 11-under 133.

The second-ranked Jutanugarn had six birdies and two bogeys. She has a 13-point lead over Lydia Ko in the player of the year standings. The top-ranked Ko was tied for 52nd at 1 over after a 71.

Suzann Pettersen (66) and Soo-Yun Kang (69) were 9 under on the pine tree-lined Minori Course.