Prior to teeing off this morning for day three of the Sony Open, B.C. native Adam Svensson hit a few practice balls and admitted that he “just kind of wasn’t feeling it.” Clearly, the 28 year old overcame those nerves as he finished the day tied for third heading into the final round tomorrow.

Despite a tsunami advisory in effect for Honolulu in the early hours of the morning, the tournament was able to safely continue with weather conditions slightly windier than the previous two days of play. When asked if this affected his game Svensson replied:

“I’m usually pretty good into the wind. I kind of like the wind. Yeah, there is some extremely tough golf shots. I think on 13 I hit 3-iron into that hole, so you definitely got to play smart, golf your ball around here.”

Corey Conners who had been tied with Svensson after the first two rounds dropped to T18.

Play resumes tomorrow morning. Full leaderboard here.

Round 2 of the Sony Open brought envy-worthy views as golfers tee’d up for the second day of competition in paradise. Around mid-day Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time, the thermometer read 77F, equating to 25C for those who are north of the border.

For Conners and Svensson, the Friday round in Hawaii was a successful one as the pair moved up four spots on the leaderboard to finish the day at nine under in a tie for fifth. Both sit six strokes back of leader Russell Henley.

At the midway point of the tournament Conners is error-free, carding nine birdies total. His best finish at the Sony Open was in 2019 when he finished T3 at Waialae.

Conners and Svensson are the only two Canadians advancing to the third round with Sloan, Pendrith, and Gligic missing the cut.

Full leaderboard here.

2022 is off to a good start as the Canadians kick things off in Hawaii after the PGA TOUR broke for the holidays. For many of us in Canada experiencing especially cold weather as of late, the oceanfront views and swaying palm trees at Waialae County Club are an added draw along with the main attraction – spectacular professional golf.

After the conclusion of round 1, Corey Conners and Adam Svensson sit T9, with Conners carding a bogey-free round on Thursday. Both players finished six-under par 64, just three strokes behind leader and defending champ Kevin Na.

Roger Sloan and Taylor Pendrith each opened with a 71 and are tied for 119th. Michael Gligic sits T132 after he opened with a 72.

As host to 144 golfers, The Sony Open marks the first full-field event of the reopening of the PGA TOUR season. The host club, Waialae Golf and Country Club, has served as the only venue since the tournament was established in 1965.

Click here for the full leaderboard.

There is considerable debate about this topic, to say the least. There are several clubs and several people who have staked claims about the origin of the term ‘mulligan.’

The story most widely accepted focuses on a gentleman named David Mulligan who played at the St. Lambert CC in Montreal during the 1920s. There are several versions of the David Mulligan story.

Story one: Mr. Mulligan was a hotelier in the first half of the century, a part-owner and manager of the Biltmore Hotel in New York City, as well as several large Canadian hotels. One story says that the first mulligan was an impulsive sort of event – that one day Mulligan hit a very long drive off the first tee, just not straight, and acting on impulse re-teed and hit again. His partners found it all amusing, and decided that the shot that Mulligan himself called a ‘correction shot’ deserved a better named, so they called it a ‘mulligan.’

Story two: Mulligan played regularly with a group of friends at St. Lambert, and in the morning he drove to pick up his golfing buddies. The road into the club was reportedly bumpy and windy and just sort of generally poor, with bridge of bumpy railroad ties. An extra shot was allotted to Mulligan, the driver of the car, on the first tee because he was jumpy and shaking from the difficult drive.

Story three: this story again identified a specific moment, citing a day when David Mulligan showed up late to the course, having scrambled to get out of bed late and get dressed and get to the course on time. He was frazzled on the first tee, hit a poor shot, and re-teed.

Another version of the ‘mulligan’ story comes from the Essex Fells CC in N.J. This story is one of the latest, and may therefore be less credible. According to this version, the term was named after a locker room attendant at the club named John A. ‘Buddy’ Mulligan, who worked at the club during the 1930s and was known for replaying shots, particularly on the first tee.

Born on this day (January 7) in 1908, Jules Huot is often considered to be one of the finest of all Quebec golf professionals and an important contributor to the growth of the game across the country.

Huot grew up in Boischatel, Quebec, the second boy in a family of 13 children. His home within close proximity of Royal Québec Golf Club, Huot became a caddie and pro shop assistant while using his wages to help support his large family. At the age of 16, Huot’s mentor Frank Locke urged his assistant to begin competing and entered him in the 1924 Quebec Open.

Known as “le petit Jules”, Huot received many accolades and captured the CPGA Championship and Quebec Open Championship three times, won five Quebec PGA Championships, and finished as the low Canadian Professional at the Canadian Open on two occasions. His most notable victory however, was in 1937 when he bested Harry Cooper at the General Brock Open. The occasion marked the first time a Canadian professional had won a PGA TOUR tournament.

Huot would also be invited to play in the Masters on three occasions, serve as the President of the PGA of Canada in 1946, and represented Canada four times in the Hopkins Cup, as well as the Canada Cup (now World Cup) in 1954.

His achievements and legacy earned him Honoured Membership to the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 1977, Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1978, The Quebec Sports Hall of Fame and Quebec Golf Hall of Fame in 1996, and, posthumously, the PGA of Canada Hall of Fame in 2014.

In recognition of his loyal services, Jules Huot was named Honorary Life Member at Le Club Laval where he served as head professional for 25 years until he retired in 1970.

In Chicoutimi and Montreal, you can find streets named after this French-Canadian icon who gave so much to the sport.

Visit his Honoured Member page here.

Noah Steele, 24, announced today that he has selected One Eleven Management Group for representation.

Steele, a National Team Program member and a 3-time NCAA tournament champion at Sam Houston State, begins his professional career after a summer to remember in 2021. That included a victory as an amateur on PGA Tour Canada against a field of professionals.

“I’m really excited to get my professional golf journey underway and thrilled to work with Jeff Dykeman and One Eleven Management Group in doing so,” said Steele, a Kingston, Ont., native. “Jeff’s reputation in the golf industry is fantastic and it was clear after a number of conversations that this would be a great match for both of us.”

In 2021, the Kingston, ON. native finished tied for fifth at the Canadian Amateur Championship before making an impressive run on PGA Tour Canada with a win, a runner-up and one additional top 10 on his way to finishing third on the points list. That secured him 2022 membership on the Canadian circuit. His victory at the 2021 Osprey Valley Open was especially impressive as he finished at 23-under par to win by six strokes at TPC Toronto.

“We are thrilled to start working with Noah, who on top of being exceptionally talented is also a total class act,” said Jeff Dykeman, CEO of One Eleven Management Group. “Noah is extremely dedicated to the process of achieving his goal of winning on the PGA Tour. We feel very privileged to be working with him and will do whatever we can to help and support him on this journey.”

Steele also earned conditional status on PGA Tour Latinoamerica for the 2022 season and hopes to play a full slate of events starting in February before returning home to play a full schedule on PGA Tour Canada. In addition, he will try to qualify for June’s RBC Canadian Open on the PGA Tour.

Golf Canada congratulates Noah on this next step in his career.

The internet was abuzz in late December when an image of a neatly hand-addressed envelope made the rounds on social media – Mackenzie Hughes’ invitation to the Masters.

With a new year comes a fresh realm of possibilities and many of us use the month of January as a time to craft new goals or anticipate what the next twelve months have in store for us. For golf enthusiasts, the list of things to look forward to is, thankfully, a long one.

In addition to watching Hughes compete in his third Masters Tournament in April, the Canadian golf contingent returns to PGA TOUR golf after a holiday hiatus. The current standings for players with full PGA TOUR status are as follows:

If you’ve added ‘attend a PGA TOUR event’ to your 2022 bucket list, you can purchase tickets to the 2022 RBC Canadian Open, the only Canadian stop, HERE.

The new Vokey Design SM9 wedges – the next generation of the PGA Tour’s most played wedges – will make their debut this week at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Maui. 

Master Craftsman Bob Vokey and Vokey Tour Rep Aaron Dill, working alongside Vokey’s team of engineers, have spent the last two years designing prototypes and testing them with the world’s best players, pushing forward in their relentless mission to craft better performing and better feeling wedges.

Players in the field this week at Kapalua are getting the first opportunity to game the new models in competition. The tour launch of SM9 will continue at The American Express, when AD is back behind his grinding wheel in the Titleist Tour Truck at PGA West.

Visit Titleist.ca and Titleist’s social channels over the coming weeks for updates as the introduction of SM9 wedges continues on the PGA TOUR and across the worldwide professional tours.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Emily Zhu is back at historic Biltmore Golf Club this week with the chance to join a highly exclusive circle of two-time Junior Orange Bowl International champions.

In a very real sense, though, Zhu’s 2021 triumph already has paid huge dividends. Fair to say the Biltmore will be seeing a lot more of her in the coming years.

“It was because of the tournament that I was able to get (familiar) with the University of Miami,” said the Canadian champion, who signed in November to play for the Hurricanes starting next fall. “I’m very grateful for that.”

First things first, though. When the international golf showcase tees off Monday, Zhu sets out to become just the fourth golfer to win multiple Junior Orange Bowl titles in the tournament’s long history.

A year ago, Zhu staved off a dogged challenge from Chile’s Antonia Matte to emerge a three-stroke victory that ended a 17-month winless drought. Now she seeks to join Michelle McGann (1985-86), Kellee Booth (1991-92) and Grace Park (1993, ’96) to have her name more than once on the trophy.

“I definitely want to go for it again,” said Zhu. “I think as long as I play my game, I will have a chance at winning again. But it’s not something I can exactly control.”

Anna Davis (Spring Valley, Calif.) is the reigning Junior PGA Championship girls’ champion, pulling away to a seven-shot triumph after a closing 67 at Valhalla Golf Club. It was one of three victories last year for Davis, No. 6 in the latest Golfweek rankings.

Colombia’s Maria Jose Marin, ranked 12th, captured last summer’s Optimist International championship and two AJGA events on the way to nine victories overall in 2021. Argentina’s Juan Loureiro, who won the boys’ Optimist International title in a playoff, also is set to tee it up.

The boys’ division is guaranteed a 58th different champion in as many years, with 2021 winner Sebastian Moss now playing collegiately at the University of Louisville. However, four of last year’s top 10 finishers are back in hopes of adding their name to the champions’ list.

“It’s a tournament that has some pretty cool (winners) over the years,” said Tommy Morrison (Frisco, Texas), who placed fifth a year ago. “I would be honored to have my name on that list.”

The boys’ lineup also features Jean-Philippe Parr, the Canadian junior champion who took third at last year’s Junior Orange Bowl, South American Junior champion Alejandro Ramos of Peru and Caribbean Junior champion Gustavo Rangel of Puerto Rico.

In all, 60 boys and 34 girls are set to tee up in the tournament’s 58th edition, some 20 percent more than last year when the pandemic held down numbers. Several European nations are back in the lineup after sitting out a year.

All seek to join a roster of Junior Orange Bowl champions that includes Tiger Woods (1991), LPGA Hall of Famer Inbee Park (2002), LPGA major winners Lexi Thompson (2009) and Brooke Henderson (2013) and recent PGA Tour winners Joaquin Niemann (2014) and Kevin Na (2000).

Zhu, for her part, acknowledged she has yet to see her name on the trophy. “I would love to, though,” she added. “Just to be able to take a picture.”

Though Zhu captured the 2019 Canadian Junior title, she arrived in Coral Gables last year without a victory since then. A 69-66 start at the Biltmore put her in the driver’s seat, though Matte twice sliced the lead to one before falling back.

“It kind of gave me the sense that I still have it,” Zhu said. “In those times when I get down and my scores aren’t that good, I can look back on the Junior Orange Bowl and what I did during those moments to help me win.”

Zhu became Canada’s third Junior Orange Bowl champion, joining Brooke Henderson (2013) and Maude-Aimee LeBlanc (2006). And there was the added bonus when she managed to catch the attention of University of Miami coaches.

“I love the coaches, the team environment,” said Zhu, who kept a limited schedule in 2021 amid virus concerns. “They’ve been very big supporters over the past year as I’ve gone through some of my struggles. I really appreciate what they’ve done for me already.”

The Biltmore, by the way, is UM golf’s home base. “I’ve won here,” she quipped, “so I already like the course.”

Morrison, No. 17 in the Golfweek boys’ rankings, also has a certain familiarity with the Biltmore. This marks his fourth year of teeing up at the Junior Orange Bowl.

“I know a lot of the pins and how the course plays in different wind directions,” he said. “I think I’ve just become more comfortable out here. If you can chip and putt well and play the par-3s well, it leads to some pretty good success.”

This year’s field brings together entrants from such diverse locales as Ukraine, Jamaica, Serbia, Slovenia, Thailand, Guatemala, Bulgaria, India, Zimbabwe, Peru, Turkey, Iceland and Barbados.

“I like the international field,” Morrison said. “We get to meet a lot of new kids we don’t usually get to play with. At a lot of the junior events we play, you kind of see the same people every time.”

Live scoring can be found here.

Golf continues to provide a record number of Canadians safe refuge during the COVID-19 global pandemic as a proven activity that benefits physical and mental health. 

As we look ahead to 2022, there is comfort in knowing golf can continue to be a haven for safe gathering and fitness – for all. 

And beyond just the ability to continue to play the game, the world of golf has given Canadians much to be excited about as we look ahead to a new year! 

Here are nine things Canadians should be excited about in 2022: 

BROOKE’S BACK AT THE CP WOMEN’S OPEN

After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, planning for the 2022 CP Women’s Open is full-steam ahead. Hosted by Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club, it’s the first time our national open will be in our nation’s capital since 2017. That year Brooke Henderson made the cut on the number and proceeded to fire a course-record 63 on Saturday to zip up the leaderboard. Henderson would, of course, go on to win the CP Women’s Open in 2018 and end up in the final group on Sunday in 2019. Tickets are on sale now for Ottawa’s event and it’s a fabulous opportunity to see some of the best golfers in the world tee it up – including our home-grown hero. 

RBC CANADIAN OPEN WELCOMES THE GAME’S TOP STARS

Like the CP Women’s Open, plans for the 2022 RBC Canadian Open are well underway as the excitement for the return of Canada’s lone PGA TOUR stop is at an all-time high. Hosted by St. George’s Golf and Country Club and Islington Golf Club’s practice facility, signs are pointing to this event – last won by Rory McIlroy in Hamilton in 2019 – being a very special one. There is set to be a ton of fabulous new activations for Canadian golf fans and there’s nothing quite like seeing our guys, like the top-ranked male Corey Conners, tee it up in person. Get your tickets here.

PRESIDENTS CUP HOPEFULS

Speaking of Corey Conners! Both he and childhood friend – and long-time Golf Canada National Team member – Mackenzie Hughes are in the conversation to be part of the International Presidents Cup team at Quail Hollow come September. Mike Weir is back as an Assistant Captain, and if Hughes and Conners both make the team it will be the first time in history with multiple Canadians on the squad. 

NEW YEAR, NEW GEAR

We say it often enough, but the top brands in golf continue to put out amazing gear to help you look, feel, and play better year after year. The Titleist Pro V1 (and Pro V1x) continue to be the No.1 ball in golf, while Puma and Levelwear are set to make clothing drops that are fit for the fairways or streamlined for the streets. Look in your bag or your closet to see what might need replaced in the new year and you won’t be disappointed at what’s on offer now, or what’s to come. 

FIRST TEE LAUNCHES IN CANADA

In concert with the PGA of Canada, Golf Canada was thrilled to put in motion the launch of the First Tee – Canada in 2021, with a targeted growth strategy for next year and beyond. The commitment from golf’s key stakeholders in Canada will allow for the next generation of divot-diggers to be able to thrive in any environment. With a big thanks to the Golf Canada Foundation and some key donations through this year, it’s an exciting time to be a youngster involved in golf in this country. 

ROAD TRIP! 

If the last two golf seasons have shown anything to Canadians, it’s that we have a lot of darn good golf courses in this country. Whether you’re looking for a hidden gem somewhere in Saskatoon, keen to combine golf and wine in Niagara, ready to heed the call of the mountains in Canmore Kananaskis, hot for history in Quebec City, or finally ready to check that bucket-list item off your list at Cabot Cape Breton, there’s no better time that grabbing some friends and safely hitting the road, or the skies, to explore what kind of great golf is on offer in this country. Find your course here.

CLUB COMPETITIONS

Perhaps the last two years have been restrictive in terms of who can play and when, but with more safety measures installed at clubs across Canada it’s likely you might have the opportunity to get those competitive juices flowing once again. Maybe you want to test your mettle at your club, or tee it up at a provincial tournament? Or maybe you can finally bring your friend to your place for a thrilling member-guest experience? Whatever the event may be, we’ve got our fingers-crossed that there will be more opportunities in 2022. 

GOLF’S GROWING POPULARITY

Whether there was play at a local muni, a nine-hole layout, or a championship 18-hole track, 2021 saw more Canadians teeing it up than ever before – this after a record-setting year in 2020. As Golf Canada continues its commitment to inclusion at all levels, don’t be surprised to see more people from all backgrounds enjoying the game more in 2022. A safe space means more enjoyment for all. 

ALWAYS TRYING TO GET BETTER

Even Tiger Woods, the greatest modern player in history, is trying to chase improvements on the course. While Woods’ return – of which we saw a tease of in December – is something itself to look forward to in 2022, take a page out of Woods’ book and keep working on your own game. The opportunity to improve (be sure to speak with a PGA of Canada professional!) is something that makes golf a game for a lifetime, and a new year means more time to try to shave a few strokes. Trying to get just a little bit better next year is something that carries many Canadians through wintertime. To keep detailed stats on your game, give Golf Canada’s free mobile app a try.