AVONDALE, La. – Brian Stuard shot an 8-under 64 on Thursday to top the leaderboard in the suspended first round of the Zurich Classic.

The 33-year-old Stuard had only 21 putts in his bogey-free round at TPC Louisiana, finishing his final hole after a rain delay of nearly five hours.

“It was just one of those days where it seemed like I was really reading the putts well, and luckily they were going in,” Stuard said. “I picked this putter up last week in San Antonio and had a good feel for it. I putted well last week and it continued over to today.”

None of the afternoon starters were able to finish before darkness suspended play.

Top-ranked Jason Day bogeyed his final two holes after the delay for 69.

“It’s just the waiting part,” Day said. “Obviously, the weather hovering above us just wouldn’t go away. It had just been a very long wait, and you just want to get in and finish. I had two holes left. Yeah, I mean, clearly a little frustrated, but looking forward to tomorrow.”

The Australian is the first No. 1 player to play in the event since David Duval in 1999.

“I’ve just got to manage myself out there,” Day said. “Obviously, this is going to be bit of a tough week with these double start rounds. Some guys are going out to play 27 holes tomorrow, or some guys have got to play 36. With that said, I might be able to sneak in nine holes and play 27 on Saturday, but I’ve just got to stay positive, keep moving forward, and see how it goes from there.”

Retief Goosen was second after a 65. The 47-year-old South African is a two-time U.S. Open champion.

“I hit a couple of bad shots coming in, unfortunately, but I managed to save pars,” Goosen said. “It’ll be a long wait now until my next round.”

J.J. Henry, Geoff Ogilvy, Derek Ernst, Charles Howell III and Patrick Rodgers shot 67, and Rickie Fowler topped the group at 68.

“A lot of just sitting around, hanging out,” Fowler said. “Boo (Weekley) was in there sleeping at one point. There was people spread out all over, from player family dining to the locker room. There might have been some pictures posted on Snapchat. But no, it’s always fun to hang with the fellow players and families and just kind of relax.”

Stuard is winless on the PGA Tour. He’s making only his seventh start of the season.

“I haven’t been able to get in too many tournaments,” Stuard said. “I played last week and then this week, obviously, so playing two in a row is kind of nice to get a little momentum going. … It’s tough. I guess it’s just part of the deal. You’ve got to deal with it. But it’s definitely tough, not sure what your schedule is going to be even next week.”

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., had a 69 and found himself tied for 12th at 3-under. Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., was in the following group tied for 26th place after a 2-under 70.

Adam Hadwin, also of Abbotsford, found himself at even-par thru three holes, while Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ont., was 1-over after six holes.

Santee, Calif. – California’s John Chin shot a 6-under 66 on Thursday at Carlton Oaks Country Club to take the 54-hole lead at Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada qualifying school.

The 29-year old rebounded from bogeys on his first two holes with eight birdies to reach 12-under for the tournament, three shots ahead of fellow Californian Colin Featherstone with one round to go.

“It was kind of a kick in the butt and got me going,” said Chin of the bogey-bogey start. “I didn’t feel like I was trying to press anything and was just trying to take it one shot at a time, and 66 is just what happened.”

A former Web.com Tour member, Chin was victorious at a Golden State Tour event held at Carlton Oaks last week. The University of California-Irvine grad said he’s benefited from being familiar with the challenges presented by the tough Perry Dye layout.

“It’s definitely a ball-striker’s course. If you’re not striking your ball somewhat decently, you’re going to have a hard time even playing out here,” said Chin.

Jae Yong Kim is the leading Canadian heading to the final round. The North York, Ont., native is tied for 8th at 1-under after a 2-under 70.

The Hyundai PGA Scramble of Canada’s  new website is now up and running.

Visitors to the website—www.hyundaipgascramble.com—can easily locate and register for local qualifiers across the country. Currently there are more than 100 local qualifying sites from B.C. to Newfoundland.

The Hyundai PGA Scramble of Canada is a new national series of events taking place across the country beginning this June.

The series of events expects to draw nearly 20,000 amateur golfers—who will form their own team of four players— from across the country. Teams will look to make it through local and regional qualifying with the ultimate goal of playing in the national final this fall at Lookout Point Country Club, with a PGA of Canada professional playing on their team.

Each golfer who plays in a Hyundai PGA Scramble of Canada local event will receive impressive gifting and prizing from supporting partners.

In addition to the 36-hole championship, the Hyundai PGA Scramble of Canada national final promises to be a golf trip of a lifetime, which includes a festival of special events, prizing, activations and a chance to interact with the latest Hyundai vehicles.

The website also features a detailed summary of the Hyundai PGA Scramble of Canada event rules, policies and eligibility.

The website was designed in partnership by Saskatoon’s Green Golf Designs and Yastech Developments.

The first Hyundai PGA Scramble of Canada local qualifier takes place June 5th at the home of the PGA of Canada, Blue Springs Golf Club in Acton, Ont.

For more information about the Hyundai PGA Scramble of Canada, click here.

Santee, Calif. – California’s Cody Blick managed a 3-under 69 in breezy conditions on Wednesday at Carlton Oaks Country Club to take the solo lead through 36 holes at Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada qualifying school.

The 22-year old recent graduate of San Jose State University carded five birdies and two bogeys to reach 8-under par and lead by two shots over California’s John Chin and fellow Californian Colin Featherstone with two rounds remaining in the quest to earn Mackenzie Tour status for 2016.

“We’re only halfway there, so it’s the same thing as the first two rounds; I’m going to pick out targets, swing at ‘em and whatever happens happens. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and I’m expecting gusty, high winds, so we’ll see,” said Blick.

With the sun just rising on his professional career, Blick said he was embracing the transition from college and learning the nuances of the professional game.

“It’s different. In college, if you lose by four shots in a tournament, you’re still in fifth. If you’re four back of the lead in a professional event, you’re 30th. Every shot is 10 guys, so every shot really matters,” said Blick.

Two shots behind Blick were Chin, who fired the day’s only bogey-free round (69) and is coming off a victory at a Golden State Tour event at Carlton Oaks last week, and Featherstone, who played collegiate golf at nearby San Diego State.

RICHMOND, B.C. – British Columbia Golf has announced the election of Patrick Kelly as the association’s new President. Kelly assumes the role from now immediate past president David Atkinson, who has held the position since 2013.

Patrick, who operates a consulting business, is a member of the Leq:amel First Nation (Sto:lo Nation.) and was elected their Treaty Representative for treaty negotiations, a role he held from 1998 to 2001. He has had a number of high level positions including a five-year term as Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor of BC.

The Attorney General for British Columbia appointed Patrick as a Bencher for the Law Society of BC, to represent the public interest in the administration of justice and in December 2010, he was appointed as Governor of the Law Foundation of BC.

A member of the UVic Gustavson School of Business International Advisory Board and the UBC Sauder School of Business Ch’nook Indigenous Business Advisory Board, Patrick also serves on the Board of Directors of the Victoria Foundation.

In addition, he has been the Vice President, National Services, CESO; BC Director, Strategic Planning and Communications, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and Manager, Cultural Relations and Corporate Training in BC Hydro’s Aboriginal Relations Department as well as having the role of Executive Director of the BC Chapter of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business.

Joining Patrick as Directors on the Board are Victoria’s Barry Petrachenko, Vancouver’s Michelle Collens, Summerland’s Edwin Helgason, Fort St. John’s Jim McKinnon, Sechelt’s Helen Steeves, who was elected as Secretary, Duncan’s Grace Hui, Helen Jung from Maple Ridge, Fairmont Hot Springs’ Wilda Schab, Surrey’s Jasvinder (Jolly) Dhaliwal, and Adam Fritz from Vancouver. Immediate Past President David Atkinson of Vancouver rounds out the 12-person Board.

British Columbia Golf – a member-based organization governed by the British Columbia Golf Association (BCGA) – represents more than 57,000 individual golfers, in over 300 clubs at 261 member courses. As the governing body for golf in the province, British Columbia Golf acts as the voice for provincial golf affairs and functions as a resource centre for the golf industry. Through its affiliation with Golf Canada, the association is also involved in national golf affairs. British Columbia Golf as it exists today was formally established on October 1, 2004, following the amalgamation of the British Columbia Ladies Golf Association Golf Association (BCLGA) and the British Columbia Golf Association (BCGA).

Graham DeLaet’s beard care routine is nearly as precise as his pre-shot routine these days, as the 34-year-old golfer’s facial hair has quickly become the talk of the PGA Tour.

“I trim it every day pretty much,” said DeLaet from his home in Arizona. “I shampoo and condition, and I have oils and leave-in conditioner.”

Although the golf course isn’t exactly ideal conditions for DeLaet’s bristly beard – “It gets blown around a lot,” he said – there’s no chance he’s getting rid of it any time soon.

That could make Canada’s highest-ranked male golfer one of the more recognizable athletes at the upcoming Rio Olympics. DeLaet is in the midst of a two-week break before he gets ready for a “hectic” summer that includes a likely appearance representing Canada in Rio, where golf makes its Olympic return for the first time since 1904.

Although a handful of the world’s top golfers including major champions Adam Scott from Australia, Vijay Singh from Fiji, and Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel from South Africa have withdrawn their names from Olympic consideration, DeLaet said he would welcome the opportunity.

“All these guys are getting a lot of heat in the media, but when it comes down to it, they’re grown men and can make their own decisions,” he said. “I don’t really understand it, because I think it would be an absolute thrill to play for your country. For me, it’s something I’m really looking forward to and hopefully have the opportunity to do.”

DeLaet currently sits 119th in the official world golf ranking, 23 spots ahead of David Hearn. That pair will likely represent Canada in Rio, but the final standings aren’t confirmed until July 11.

DeLaet has earned just over US$756,000 in 13 events this year on the PGA Tour. His best finish was a tie for fifth in March at the Valspar Championship, when he entered the final round just one shot back of the lead.

A balky putter ended up being DeLaet’s demise.

“I played great but putted horribly, especially on Sunday. You can’t win golf tournaments like that,” said DeLaet. “But as poorly as I putted, I still finished fifth in the tournament. That spoke to how well I played otherwise.”

DeLaet said he recently took a putting lesson from celebrated golf instructor and analyst Peter Kostis at his home club in Arizona. But he said caddy Julien Trudeau (a “very very distant relative” to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, according to DeLaet) has been the go-to guy for his short game.

“He makes sure my lines are right and my hands are in the right positions. I had gotten a little sloppy with my set-up,” he said. “I got back to basics and squared everything up, and the roll coming off the putter has been a lot better.”

DeLaet will be in the field next week at the Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina before heading to The Players Championship in Florida and the AT&T Byron Nelson in Texas.

With so many tournaments in a row, DeLaet said the key is to stay mentally sharp.

“Physically I’ve been feeling really good this year, probably the best I have been while on the PGA Tour,” he said. “I’ve been able to practise more than I have been in the past. It’s more on the mental side that I need to stay ready.”

Although his life has changed dramatically after he and wife Ruby welcome twins Roscoe and Lyla in November, he said things have been “really fun” during his break.

“It’s a little extra work after golf, but it’s definitely better than being alone in the hotel room and having to FaceTime them,” he stated.

And do the kids like the beard?

“They tug on (it) every once and a while, but it actually hurts more when they tug on my chest hair versus the beard,” said DeLaet with a laugh. “With the beard they usually just grab a big chunk and pull.

“Not everyone is going to like the beard, but if you don’t like it, that’s fine with me,” he continued. “I’m not insulted if you don’t like my beard, I can take it.”

TORONTO – After a strong performance at the Winter Olympics, the Canadian Olympic Committee is sticking with a wintry theme for its Rio 2016 brand campaign.

The COC launched the “Ice In Our Veins” campaign Wednesday morning with the Summer Olympics just 100 days away. Tennis star Milos Raonic, sprinter Justyn Warner and diver Jennifer Abel are some of the athletes included in the spots, which were shot on a beach along Georgian Bay.

The campaign, which includes a 60-second, 30-second and series of 10-second spots, was unveiled on the Canadian team’s digital channels and via athletes’ social media channels.

With a narrator providing a dramatic reading and a tense sound bed running underneath, athletes can be seen walking and posing on the beach. A fire and ice theme runs throughout the spot, designed to highlight that the icy landscape helps strengthen will and determination.

“We want to inspire Canadians, our athletes, our partners,” said COC chief marketing officer Derek Kent. “We want people to rally behind Team Canada. They work so hard behind the scenes, out of the spotlight in between the Games.

“It’s time to start telling the athletes’ stories and that’s what this campaign does.”

The COC used a “We Are Winter” campaign for the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Canada finished fourth in the overall standings with 25 medals (10 gold, 10 silver, five bronze).

Canada won just one gold medal at the 2012 London Games and finished with 18 medals overall (five silver, 12 bronze).

A wider campaign launch is scheduled for July 1. The Rio Olympics begin Aug. 5.

Golf returns to the Olympic Games for the first time since 1904 in Rio. Players on both the men’s and women’s side of the game will be fighting for one of 60 spots in their respective fields.

Players will compete for their country in a 72-hole individual stroke play competition. In the event of a tie for first, second or third place, a play-off or multiple playoffs shall be conducted to determine the gold, silver and bronze medal.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has restricted the International Golf Federation (IGF) to an Olympic field of 60 players. The Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings will be used to determine the Olympics golf rankings. The top 15 world-ranked players will be eligible for the Olympics, with a limit of four players from a given country. Beyond the top 15, players will be eligible based on the world rankings, with a maximum of two eligible players from each country that does not already have two or more players among the top 15. The qualification period ends July 11, 2016.

Building the new golf course in Rio de Janeiro in time for the Olympics once was considered the biggest obstacle.

Now there’s a new problem facing golf – getting some of the stars to play it.

The perception is worse than reality. It’s not like golf won’t have its best players in Rio the first full week in August because Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and Rory McIlroy have said they’re going, and they’re the best three players in the world.

Still, it didn’t help the sport’s pampered image when four major champions said they won’t be competing for gold, silver, bronze or even pride.

Adam Scott was the biggest name to drop out and the least surprising. The first Australian to win a green jacket, and the No. 7 player in the world, Scott has been lukewarm to the Olympics all along and has said for more than a year that it wasn’t a priority.

Louis Oosthuizen, the sweet-swinging South African and British Open champion at St. Andrews, said he wasn’t going because of family and scheduling issues. That enabled Charl Schwartzel to move into position to play for South Africa, but only for a day. Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters champion, said he wasn’t going, either.

All are among the top 20 in the world.

The other dropout was Vijay Singh, who said the Olympics fell in a bad part of the golf schedule. That was more of a loss for Fiji, which won’t have a golfer in Rio because it doesn’t have any other players who have earned a ranking point in the last two years. Singh is a three-time major champion, former world No. 1 and a remarkable success story. He’s also 53 and hasn’t won in nearly eight years.

It’s easy to criticize these players because it’s rare in other Olympic sports for qualified athletes to stay home.

But golf isn’t like other Olympic sports, which is why it has been 112 years since it was part of the Olympic program. Canada’s George S. Lyon is the last gold medallist in golf and for years nothing more than a trivia question.

Golf ticks just about every box for Olympic values and virtues, especially with its global appeal. It misses the most important box, however, when it relates to the significance of winning a medal. It’s not the pinnacle of sport. It’s not even in the top five this year (with respect to The Players Championship, we’re talking about the four majors and the Ryder Cup).

Was it worth golf getting back into the Olympics? Absolutely. It does far more good than harm.

Officials are touting how much this will grow the game by the sheer audience of the Olympics and with governments funding the sport in countries where it is seldom played. Heroes are born in Olympic competition, and there’s no reason to believe golf – in time – will be any different.

Problems were to be expected, whether it was the format or full participation. (Golf does not having a team competition, and it might have changed the minds of some players not going.)

When a tight schedule is cited as a reason for not going, the officials carrying the Olympic torch for golf – mainly the PGA Tour – share the blame.

They have produced a schedule that causes them as little disruption as possible. If the Olympics were so important, could they not have done more to space out the biggest events that mean more to the players?

Instead, golf’s two oldest championship, the U.S. Open and the British Open, along with a World Golf Championship are played in a five-week stretch. If that’s not bad enough, the PGA Championship in New Jersey starts 10 days after the British Open in Scotland.

And when the Olympics are over, PGA Tour players have one week before the start of the FedEx Cup playoffs, the $35 million bonanza that the PGA Tour billed as the “new era in golf” before it chased a spot on the Olympic program. That’s four big tournaments in five weeks, with the Ryder Cup right behind it.

Most other sports spend the entire Olympic year building toward that one big moment. For golf, the Olympics are plopped in the middle of big moments.

The cutoff to qualify through the world ranking is July 11, meaning someone like Phil Mickelson could win the British Open and PGA Championship and be shut out of Rio. Here’s another scenario: There likely will be players – Brendon De Jonge of Zimbabwe comes to mind – who risk losing their PGA Tour cards by playing the Olympics.

The Olympics will do just fine without Scott, Oosthuizen and Schwartzel, and even a few others who may decide not to play. The depth of talent in golf is such that it can do without every eligible player in Rio.

Golf in the Olympic will still get the attention it deserves.

About the only thing that could change that is if Tiger Woods decides to play the John Deere Classic the week of the Olympics.

Santee, Calif – Danville, California’s Cody Blick and Rancho Santa Fe, California’s Ryan Burgess shot a pair of 5-under 67s on Tuesday at Carlton Oaks Country Club to share the first round lead at Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada qualifying school.

Blick and Burgess are beginning their journeys as professional golfers this week, having completed collegiate careers at San Jose State and Southern Methodist University, respectively. The pair were one shot ahead of a group of five players at 4-under following the completion of round one.

Blick carded nine birdies in his early morning round to offset four bogeys, and said he knew he would need to take advantage of the good conditions before the wind picked up in the afternoon.

“The wind always picks up in the afternoon, so these morning rounds are crucial to take it low and see what you can do,” said Blick. “It seems like a ball strikers’ golf course, and so my swing coach and I just picked out our targets and stuck to it. We got it around the course pretty well today.”

Burgess, who recently completed his collegiate career at Southern Methodist University, posted the low round of the afternoon to match Blick for the head through 18 holes and credited a level-headed approach for his score.

“I kept the ball in front of me mostly and just stayed patient throughout the round. I left a couple out there but I know I gained a couple too, so that’s probably right around where I thought a good score would be,” said Burgess.

Tiger Woods registered for the U.S. Open, which was more procedure than pronouncement. Three weeks later, he played five holes during the official opening of the golf course he designed outside Houston. The next step is returning to competition, for which the timeframe remains unknown.

Monday was the first time he had played any golf holes since the Wyndham Championship in August, he said, contrary to speculation that he had played at The Medalist near his home in South Florida. He described those five holes at Bluejack National as “nice and smooth.”

“That’s harder than I have been going at it the last month,” Woods told reporters for Global Golf Post and ESPN. “Just gradually progressing. We’re just trying to progress, and I’m doing that.”

As for the return? Woods said he hasn’t set a date, which he described as frustrating. Then again, he said, he never would have thought he would be this far along five months ago at his tournament in the Bahamas, where he was in pain from two back surgeries.

Woods had to register for the U.S. Open at Oakmont (June 16-19) by the deadline Wednesday.

He offered mixed signals to reporters on when he might play again.

Woods said he has to get stronger and faster and that “I’m not hitting it very far right now.” He said he was able to hit the ball as far as he is now without too much effort, and that he’s trying to work on new drivers.

“I know I need to hit a bunch of drivers. But I can’t hit a bunch of drivers,” he said. “I’m trying to figure that out.”

Then again, he said he eventually has to get back to a competitive environment, where he has to be patient and “plod my way along.”

“I can play a lot more at home and get my playing sense back, but tournament golf is so much different,” he said. “And I’ll have to make those adjustments. And the only way to make those adjustments is to get out there in the heat and feel it.”

Here are a couple videos shared from Tiger’s Twitter account during the Bluejack National opening event.

RG: Taking a crack at the par-3 12th hole. pic.twitter.com/hqArUey34r

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) April 25, 2016

RG: The tee shot on the long 18th hole. pic.twitter.com/KdI9dQHi1V

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) April 25, 2016