Toronto (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada and The Good Beer Folks at Steam Whistle have announced the renewal of a multi-year partnership that will see Steam Whistle continue on as the Official Beer of Golf Canada, the RBC Canadian Open, and the CP Women’s Open.

Through the multi-year partnership – which began in 2018 – Steam Whistle will continue to work with Golf Canada to grow their brand amongst golfers and golf enthusiasts across the country.

Through the partnership, Steam Whistle’s premium product line will be served at Golf Canada’s PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour events—the RBC Canadian Open and CP Women’s Open.

“We are thrilled to extend our relationship with Steam Whistle as Golf Canada’s Official Beer Partner,” said John Sibley, Chief Commercial Officer of Golf Canada.  “There is tremendous interest in golf right now and we are fortunate to have the continued support of Steam Whistle who have aligned their premium brand with our sport. Their commitment to quality craftsmanship and proud Canadian identity are well positioned as the beer of choice to enjoy at our National Open Championships or after a round at golf courses from coast to coast.”

The renewed agreement builds on Steam Whistle’s largest partnership in company history – a significant milestone for the independent Canadian brewer.

“Steam Whistle is committed to supporting the game of golf in Canada and our partnership with Golf Canada is the best example of that,” said Tim McLaughlin, Steam Whistle’s Vice-President of Marketing. “There is so much momentum behind the sport in our country thanks to the great work Golf Canada has done at the grassroots, amateur and professional level, and we are thrilled to be a long-term partner to support their efforts.”

In the first year of the partnership, beer sales at the 2018 RBC Canadian Open were up 200 per cent to the year prior. Founded in 2000, Steam Whistle’s Premium Pilsner has long been a staple of golf courses and refrigerators across the country. The Toronto-based brewery launched a Premium Pale Ale in 2019 and a Premium Session Lager in 2020 to go along with its award-winning Premium Pilsner.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — For Jessica Korda, the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions was all about her ability to just hang in there.

Trailing by three shots headed to the back nine at Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club Orlando on Sunday, she first caught Danielle Kang with a late four-birdie burst to shoot 5-under 66, then won with a curling 30-footer for birdie on the first playoff hole.

Kang shot 68. The leader after each of the first three rounds, she had a chance to extend the playoff, but missed her 18-foot birdie putt on the low side at the 185-yard 18th.

Smiths Falls, Ont. native Brooke Henderson finished in ninth place at 13-under par. She shot a 70 in her final round Sunday.

It was the sixth LPGA victory for the 27-year-old Korda, her last one coming nearly three years ago.

She and Kang finished at 24-under 260 to eclipse the previous tournament record by 10 shots. Korda, ranked 23rd in the world, also had to turn back her younger sister, Nelly Korda, 22, who at No. 4 in the world ranking was the top player in the elite winners-only field.

“I knew I was going to have to go low today,” said Jessica Korda. Half of her six victories have arrived at season-opening events. “It was a crazy day … A crazy two days. A crazy week!”

Nelly Korda started her round six shots back Sunday and shot a 64 —- which included a missed 3-footer for birdie at 16 —- that left her two shots out of the playoff.

Saturday, Jessica Korda became the sixth player in LPGA history to shoot 60 or better with her sparkling 11-under 60. A day later, she was slow to build any sort of momentum, playing her first 12 holes in 1 under. At one point early in the opening nine, Kang had a 7-foot putt to stretch her lead to five shots, and she was threatening to leave the field way behind.

Jessica Korda had owned the back nine all week (she would play it in 21-under par despite her three closing bogeys Friday). Trailing by two shots while standing on the par-5 13th tee, and relaxed as she chatted to three celebrity players on the tee, she knew she needed to be more aggressive —- especially because Kang had yet to make a single bogey all week.

“When you’re chasing, you need to keep the pedal to the metal,” Korda said, “and I wasn’t doing that.”

Kang went 68 holes in the tournament without a bogey (and 84 holes overall, dating to December’s CME Group Championship) her streak ending when she three-putted for bogey at the rugged 419-yard 15th.

She followed that with her loosest swing of the day, a driver flared right, into the trees and pine straw at the drivable par-4 16th. She did well to scramble for par. Jessica Korda, meanwhile, made an easy birdie after hitting a drive onto the front apron, and with two holes to play, the pair were tied at 23 under. Both birdied the par-5 17th.

Kang, also seeking her sixth LPGA victory, had spoken all week about not being able to prepare for the event as she normally would. That caught up to her down the stretch. Though she never tested positive for COVID-19, she twice was exposed, and took six tests before getting on a plane from Las Vegas to Orlando, landing late Monday night. Still, she’d played flawlessly. But when she needed to make clutch shots down the stretch, she discovered something was missing.

“’I’m not disappointed in that I didn’t win,” Kang said. “It’s not about winning and losing for me. It’s about being able to execute when I want to —- and having a feeling when I feel like I can’t do something is something I don’t like.”

In the Diamond Resorts’ 53-player celebrity division, tennis player Mardy Fish, captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team, finished on top with 158 points, beating Chad Pfiefer, an inspirational former military serviceman who competes with a prosthetic leg. With his victory Fish became the event’s first three-time winner. He also won the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe in July.

LA QUINTA, Calif. _ Si Woo Kim birdied two of the final three holes to finish a rock-solid, 8-under 64, coolly rallying past late-charging Patrick Cantlay by one shot to win The American Express on Sunday for his third PGA Tour victory.

A year after Kim withdrew from the desert tournament because of a back injury following an awful first round, he began the final round with a share of the lead as he attempted to win for the first time since the 2017 Players Championship.

The 25-year-old South Korean didn’t flinch when Cantlay shot a 61 and surged out of 13th place to the front while breaking the Stadium Course record by two strokes.

Playing six groups behind Cantlay, Kim comfortably birdied the par-5 16th to pull even. Kim then buried a 19-foot birdie putt on the island green on the 17th to take the lead, joyously pumping his fist when his perfectly paced putt dropped.

Kim wrapped up his third bogey-free round of the tournament _ all on the Pete Dye-designed Stadium Course _ with a two-putt par on the 18th to finish at 23-under 265.

Adam Hadwin finished in a tie for 32nd place, the highest-ranked of all Canadians at the tournament. Roger Sloan finished in a tie for 40th, while Nick Taylor finished in a tie for 47th. David Hearn finished in a tie for 64th.

Kim had a much better time than he did last year in his return to the Palm Springs-area tournament long hosted by Bob Hope. A year ago, Kim shot a 15-over 87 in the opening round on the easier neighbouring Nicklaus Course before withdrawing.

Australia’s Cameron Davis shot a 64 to finish in a career-best third at 20 under. Tony Finau had a 68 and finished fourth after starting the final round with a share of the lead in his quest to land his long-awaited second PGA Tour win.

Cantlay was in 56th place when the third round began, but the Southern California native’s 65-61 finish shot him out of the crowded field and nearly led to his second victory of the 2020-21 season. He also won the Zozo Championship in Thousand Oaks last October when it was relocated from Japan.

The 28-year-old Cantlay made 11 birdies in the final round, including six in eight holes on the front nine. Cantlay capped his spectacular round with a 37-foot birdie putt on the 18th, pumping his fist subtly for the few fans clapping from their houses near the green.

Cantlay was born in Long Beach, went to high school in Anaheim and was the Division I player of the year at UCLA before his pro career.

All told, Cantlay made 20 birdies in his final two rounds, offset by two bogeys Saturday.

The top Canadian in the field was Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., who finished off the tournament with a round of 66 and ended 10 under in a tie for 32nd.

Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., was 8-under 280 for the tournament and T40, with Abbotsford native Nick Taylor following one shot behind at T47. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., finished the tournament 1-under par.

Third-round co-leaders Max Homa and Finau both faded, with Homa struggling to five bogeys in a 76, leaving him at 11 under. Finau posted his third top-10 finish of the season, but couldn’t keep up with Kim.

LA’UPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii — Darren Clarke won the Mitsubishi Electric Championship by two strokes Saturday for his second straight PGA Tour Champions victory, playing the back nine in 6 under in a closing 8-under 64.

The 52-year-old former British Open winner from Northern Ireland started the back-nine run with birdies on Nos. 10-11, added two more on 13 and 14, made a 10-foot par save on 15 and birdied 16 and 17. He parred the 18th to cap the bogey-free round in the first event of the year.

“Just to win, to get in the winners and to win again is certainly very gratifying,” Clarke said. “I love the Champions Tour. The guys have been so good to me out here since I’ve been out here, so welcoming. And the standard is so high, just it’s incredible. The guys really flat out can play. I’ve been fortunate these past couple tournaments.”

Clarke finished at 21-under 195 at Hualalai Golf Course. He won the TimberTech Championship in Boca Raton, Florida, in early November in his final tour start last year.

“I sort of broke through in Boca as you know and I sort of liked the feeling of that, Clarke said. ”But down in Abaco straight after, I couldn’t play Phoenix, had to go down to Abaco. Went down there with my group of mates down there, GFY Group. We play all the time. I give them lots of shots and all that sort of stuff and just keeping me competitive. I worked and practiced nearly every day from the break.”

Retief Goosen, tied for the second-round lead with Jerry Kelly, closed with a 64 to finish second. The two-time U.S. Open champion took the first-round lead with a 62, then bogeyed the final two Friday in a 71.

“It was a good week,” Goosen said. “I’ve not played since, when was it, November we last played. So got off to a great start and yesterday killed me. That’s the thing about the Champions Tour, you’ve got to put three rounds together, otherwise you’re not going to make it. Today I gave it a good run, but Clarkie behind me played awesome.”

Kelly had a 68 to finish third at 17 under.

Fred Couples shot a 67 to tie for fourth at 15 with Scott Parel (66), and Kevin Sutherland (67). The 61-year-old Couples shot a 63 on Friday.

Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., shot a 66 and finished 12 under in a tie for seventh with Gene Sauers (69)

The tournament was the first of the year, but the season is a continuation from last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic that shut down the tour for four months.

LA QUINTA, Calif. — Max Homa has been tearing up the Stadium Course at The American Express for two days. If he can do it one more time Sunday, the Southern California native could be raising his second career PGA Tour trophy.

Homa made nine birdies and shrugged off a double bogey on the way to a 7-under 65 in the third round Saturday, joining Tony Finau and Si Woo Kim atop the leaderboard at 15-under 201.

Richy Werenski also shot a 65 and moved within a shot of the lead on the Stadium Course at PGA West near Palm Springs.

Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., is in a seven-way tie for 13th place after a 3-under 69 Saturday, four strokes behind Homa, Finau and Kim.

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C. shot a 2-over 74, to fall into a tie for 31st place. Taylor finished his second round in second place, one stroke behind then-leader Sungjae Im.

Fellow Abbotsford native Adam Hadwin also shot a 2-over 74 and is now in a tie for 55th place. Brantford, Ont., native David Hearn is in a tie for 63rd at 2-under par.

Burlington, Ont., native Michael Gilgic failed to make the cut to play Saturday.

Scotland’s Russell Knox shot the day’s low round with a 64 — one stroke off the course record — to join Brian Harman and Emiliano Grillo at 13 under.

Finau and Kim both shot 67. Kim was bogey-free, while the streakier Finau bounced back from a double bogey on the 13th with three consecutive birdies.

The field played through sparse desert rain in the afternoon. Precipitation finally fell in earnest when the final group reached the 18th hole, with Finau and Kim forced to pull out their umbrellas.

Second-round leader Sungjae Im struggled to a 73, leaving him five shots off the lead after four bogeys — including a triple bogey on the ninth after putting two straight shots in the water. First-round leader Brandon Hagy shot a 72 and was even with Im at 10 under.

Homa is in prime position for his second career win in his first tournament of the new year. He began the day just three shots off Im’s pace at 8 under, and he swiftly closed the gap with four birdies in his first five holes.

Homa has 17 birdies in the last two rounds on the Stadium Course.

“There’s obviously a handful of very daunting holes, but I’ve been fortunate enough to play here a ton, so I have a pretty good feel for the place,” Homa said. “I’ve been able to put myself in a position to have good looks for birdie, and I’ve been putting great. It’s just something about these greens. It feels like home.”

The Burbank-born son of a well-known acting coach put his tee shot in the water and two-putted for that double bogey on the seventh, but Homa made up for it with birdies on five of his next eight holes, including three in a row down the back stretch.

Finau put his tee shot in the water on the 13th and then missed a 10-inch putt for double bogey, but the Utah native rebounded with three of his eight birdies on a series of impressive approach shots.

Werenski charged into fourth with a round that included six birdies and was highlighted by an eagle on the fifth after an exceptional 224-yard approach shot left him a 4-foot putt.

The 29-year-old Massachusetts native is seeking his second PGA Tour win. After going bogey-free through his first 48 holes at The American Express, he finally missed a 10-foot par putt on the 13th before rallying with two more birdies down the stretch

“I’ve been giving myself plenty of looks and just haven’t been converting them, and today I finally made some (putts),” Werenski said. “So I think we’re kind of turning the corner.. … I’ve always liked this place. I’ve never finished really, really high here, but I’ve always known that I could play really good. It just fits my eye.”

Australia’s Cameron Davis had the shot of the day on the 15th, holing out for eagle from 157 yards away from a section of rough below the fairway. Davis finished the third round at 12-under 204 along with Rory Sabbatini, Chase Seiffert, Francesco Molinari and Doug Ghim.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Danielle Kang played great, tying her career low with an 8-under 63 and protecting her lead Saturday in the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions.

Jessica Korda owned the day.

A sizzling 28 on the back nine — 9-under par — at Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club Orlando lifted Korda to an 11-under 60, just one shot off the LPGA Tour scoring mark.

Kang was at 21-under 192 through three bogey-free rounds. Her total tied an LPGA mark for raw score through 54 holes (shared by three others) and shattered the tournament’s 54-hole record (200). She will take a two-shot lead over Korda into Sunday in what sets up as a terrific shootout for the LPGA’s season opener:

Kang leads Jessica Korda by two and Nelly Korda (67) by six. South Korea’s In Gee Chun (67) sits fourth, eight shots back.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., carded a third-round 65 and enters the final round eight shots off the pace in 5th place.

Jessica Korda, 27, is the older of the LPGA’s uber-talented sisters — younger sister Nelly, 22, is No. 4 in the women’s world ranking, just ahead of Kang. She followed a ho-hum start with birdies on six of her first seven holes on the second nine. She then finished with a huge kick, making an eagle on the 537-yard 17th hole, which she reached in two with a 4-iron, pouring in an 18-foot, right-to-left putt.

Korda added a ninth birdie at the challenging, water-guarded par-3 18th, where she struck a soft 6-iron to 9 feet.

The slick downhill putt tumbled in on its last turn, giving Korda the tour’s first 60 since Paula Creamer in the 2008 Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic. Korda became the fifth LPGA player to ever shoot that number.

The back-nine birdies and eagles were arriving at such a pace that neither Korda nor those playing alongside could keep up with the dizzying math. The two celebrities in her group — NFL receiver Larry Fitzgerald and Fox television anchor Brett Baier — knew something special was happening and just tried to stay out of her way.

Korda’s round was just one shot off the record of 59 by Annika Sorenstam nearly 20 years ago in Phoenix. Sorenstam is at Diamond Resorts this week competing in the 53-player celebrity division.

“I didn’t process what exactly was happening until I made that putt on 17,” Korda said. “I was like, `Oh, OK. That’s nice.’ ? Days like today don’t come often, so you really cherish them when they do. Everything has to come together to have a day like today.”

Fitzgerald, who said he watches the LPGA more than he does the PGA Tour, said of Korda, “It was mastery at its finest. She had complete command of her ball today.”

On a day conducive to low scoring —- overcast, light wind, and late morning rain that softened greens —- Kang, a five-time LPGA champion, made eight birdies against no bogeys and tied her career low. Her streak without a bogey was stretched to 70 holes, dating to the final round of the CME Group Tour Championship in December.

The eight birdies were nice, but Kang took particular pride in a hard-fought par at the 17th that kept her card clean. She chunked her 5-wood second shot into a pond fronting the green, took a penalty drop, hit wedge to 11 feet and made the par-saving putt. When it fell, she gave a belt-high, intense fist pump. She then birdied the last hole from 4 feet to push her lead to two shots.

“Overall, I think my game is pretty solid,” Kang said. “I think my mental game is pretty strong this week. Just kind of chugging along. That’s what I’m doing, is just focusing on what I need to hit, and what I need to execute. That’s pretty much it.”

LPGA players in the winners-only field have been grouped with celebrity players in each of the first three rounds, but on Sunday, Kang will be joined with the Korda sisters in the final threesome.

Jessica and Nelly are best friends, and they downplay that any rivalry exists, but both are highly competitive. Kang is the player to beat, sure, but finally, the Kordas will play with something big on the line.

With a wry smile, Jessica Korda said, “You guys finally get your wish.”

Among celebrities, who are using a Modified Stableford format, former tennis player Mardy Fish (117 points) leads by six over former NFL kicker Josh Scobee.

LA’UPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii — Jerry Kelly and Darren Clarke shared the second-round lead Friday in the Mitsubishi Electric Championship after first-round leader Retief Goosen stumbled late at Hualalai.

Kelly birdied the 18th for a 5-under 67 to match Clarke at 13-under 131 with a round left in the first PGA Tour Champions event of the year.

“You strive to be in the last group,” Kelly said. “That’s what we’re out here for.”

Clarke had a 68, rebounding from a bogey on the 11th with four straight birdies.

“I just didn’t really have it today, to be honest with you,” said Clarke, the former British Open winner from Northern Ireland. “Goose played really, really nicely and he just struggled on the greens a bit. He just had a tough day on the greens. He was playing nicely. So I was just trying to hang on a little bit, and then hit a few better shots on the back nine obviously. Holed a couple putts as well.”

Goosen followed his opening 63 with a 71. He bogeyed the final two holes.

“Just couldn’t make a thing,” said Goosen, the two-time U.S. Open champion from South Africa. “Lost sort of my speed on the greens quite badly today, and if you have the wrong speed you can’t make anything.”

Fred Couples had a 63, the best round of the day, to join Kevin Sutherland (68) at 10 under. The 61-year-old former Masters champion eagled the par-5 14th and birdied Nos. 16 and 18.“

“Much needed to go fairly low and then it just kept getting better and better,” Couples said. “I hit a wicked 3-wood on 14 and curved it up on the green. It rolled about 30 feet and made it for eagle. It was a really good round.”

Charles Schwab Cup leader Bernhard Langer Bernhard Langer was 9 under after a 67. The 63-year-old German star is a three-time winner of the tournament.

Jim Furyk had his second 68 to get to 8 under. Ernie Els was 6 under after a 69.

Stephen Ames of Calgary, Alta., had a 66, climbing the leaderboard to T13. Fellow Canadian Mike Weir (Brights Grove, Ont.,) was one shot behind Ames and tied for 15th.

The tournament is the first of the year, but the season is a continuation from last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic that shut down the tour for four months. It is being played for the 25th straight season at Hualalai Golf Course, the longest run a venue in PGA Tour Champions history.

LA QUINTA, Calif. — Although Sungjae Im hasn’t been on the PGA Tour for very long, the 22-year-old South Korean already feels awfully comfortable on the generous desert courses at The American Express.

So do plenty of other pros, and that’s why the leaderboard is so crowded heading to the weekend.

Im shot a 7-under 65 on Friday at The American Express to take a one-stroke lead over first-round leader Brandon Hagy and four others including Abbotsford, B.C., native Nick Taylor.

Im, the tour’s rookie of the year in 2019, had seven birdies in a bogey-free round on the Stadium Course at PGA West, highlighted by three in four holes around the turn. After struggling with his putter in recent weeks, he banged in a 22-footer and an 18-footer for consecutive birdies late in his round.

“Visually from the tee box, it’s a course that I really like and enjoy to play, so I felt really comfortable throughout the round,” Im said. “The two courses that we’re playing this week, I like those courses, and that’s what led me to a good score.”

Hagy was in position to join Im at 11 under, but he bogeyed his final hole with a tee shot into the fairway bunker to finish his 70.

Taylor (66), South Korea’s Si Woo Kim (68), Tony Finau (66) and Mexico’s Abraham Ancer (65) also were 10 under. Emiliano Grillo (66), Francesco Molinari (66) and Doug Ghim (68) were two shots off the lead, and eight more were at 8 under.

Taylor appears to be rounding into impressive form as he prepares to defend his Pebble Beach title in three weeks.

“My game feels really good right now, so hopefully it keeps peaking,”

he said. “It was a lot of intimidating tee shots, iron shots into greens. I feel like I missed in the right places. I drove it really nice on the par-5s and gave myself pretty easy looks on a few of them.”

Tournament host Phil Mickelson missed the cut, but made 18 pars Friday for the first time in his 2,201 rounds of PGA Tour play.

With his drives looking sharp and his mid-range putts dropping regularly, Im is off to another strong start at a tournament in which he has already finished 10th and 12th in his short Tour career.

“I’m pretty satisfied with how I played all of my shots,” Im said. “Speaking of putting, I started drawing a line on the ball as I visualize my putts, and that seemed to work pretty well today.”

Im also feels he might have an edge because didn’t travel home to South Korea during the holiday break due to the mandatory coronavirus quarantine required. Instead, he stayed in the house he recently purchased in Atlanta and practiced for the new season.

Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., shot 5-under 67 to get to 8 under. Adam Hadwin matched fellow Abbotsford, B.C., resident Taylor with a 66 to reach 6 under. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., (71) was at 5 under, one stroke clear of the cut line, while Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont., (77) missed the cut.

The leaderboard was stacked with low scores as usual at the Palm Springs-area tournament long hosted by Bob Hope. Im, Taylor and Ancer were among 12 players who didn’t make a bogey Friday.

After splitting the first two rounds over two courses, the players will all play the once-feared Stadium Course for the final two rounds. Heavy cloud cover never developed into rain Friday, but there’s a possibility of afternoon showers Saturday.

Hagy made 10 birdies in his opening round, but got off to a rough start Friday on the Stadium Course with two early bogeys. He rallied with birdies on his 16th and 17th holes, but his errant drive on his final hole kept him one shot off the pace.

“I feel comfortable here,” Hagy said. “I’m a California kid, been to Palm Springs a ton of times, so I know the courses well. … The first two rounds of this tournament are showing me that the stuff I’m working on, especially this off-season, is definitely getting better.”

Taylor, who also led the Sony Open after two rounds last week, shot a 66 with six birdies on the Stadium Course. He had three straight birdies on the back nine of his bogey-free round, including a 24-foot birdie putt on the 15th and an 18-footer on the island green at the 17th.

Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., is 3 shots back at 8 under, and sits tied for 10th place. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford carded a 66 for 138, while David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., played a 71. Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont., missed the -4 cut line.

Mickelson finished his two rounds at 2 over, but making 18 pars felt encouraging to the 50-year-old veteran as he heads back to his native San Diego area next week.

“It’s surprising, because I really try to hit fairways and centre of the greens and just make easy pars,” Mickelson said. “For that to be the first time, it’s really shocking. … There’s a lot of good things to take from it — the way I’m driving the ball, my iron play. There’s a lot of positives. If you look at the scorecard, it’s pathetic. I’m not denying that. But I think that it’s a little bit closer than it looks.”

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Danielle Kang continued to sail along at the LPGA Tour’s season-opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions on Friday, shooting a 6-under 65 to stretch her lead to two shots.

A five-time LPGA Tour winner ranked fifth in the world, Kang had a 13-under 129 total at Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club Orlando. She has yet to make a bogey.

Nelly Korda, at No. 4 the top-ranked player in the 25-woman, winners-only field, was second after a 66.

In Gee Chun and defending champion Gaby Lopez were four strokes back at 9 under. Chun, a two-time major champion, matched Kang for the best score of the day with a 65. The South Korean player had a triple-bogey 7 on the sixth hole Thursday in an opening 68.

Lopez shot 68. The Mexican player won last year in a seven-hole playoff.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a bogey-free 68 Friday to remain in a tie for seventh place at 6 under.

The 28-year-old Kang won twice last season. She’s a serious, focused player who prepares well and figures out a lot of things on her own. When she doesn’t, she has some pretty sage mentors. Her boyfriend is Maverick McNealy, who competes on the PGA Tour.

And in the last year, Kang has struck up a texting relationship with Annika Sorenstam, the World Golf Hall of Famer and 72-time LPGA Tour winner who happens to be on the grounds this week competing in the tournament’s 53-player celebrity division. For Kang, it’s a nice little edge.

“I did reach out to her specifically about stuff, but she’s always been just very a welcoming, classy person that has been approachable, always giving me a door to approach her,” Kang said. “So I took it.”

Kang was remiss to share much detail about “best” advice, but Sorenstam said the two started first texting about Kang’s wedge game, than progressed into discussions about better starts, and how to score better.

“She felt like she was a slow starter and always played better in the end,” Sorenstam said. “So we had little few chats how to get off to a better start. She’s obviously doing well this week. She’s very committed to her game and working hard. I think it helps to have Maverick, her boyfriend, in the same industry. I am sure they push each other quite well.”

Kang missed only three greens in regulation Friday, and her short game and putting continue to be sharp. Her round was very tidy, and she stretched her lead with three birdies on the back nine, converting on two par 5s (13 and 17) and the short par-4 16th.

Korda’s ball-striking has been very good through two days, leading her to 13 birdies and an eagle. Starting her round one shot behind Kang, Korda hit 12 of 13 fairways and 17 greens. She also got an added bonus: she played her round alongside Sorenstam.

“It was very cool, honestly,” Korda said. “She still has it.”

Korda returned to coach David Whalen in December, worked on quieting her hips in her swing, and has been happy with what she has seen in her game. Outside of one three-putt bogey on Friday, her round was pretty solid. Older sister Jessica Korda (69) is in the mix, too, five shots out of the lead, and Nelly was eager to see what the weekend will bring.

“Danielle is playing well. My sister is playing well. So there is going to be some low scores this weekend,” Nelly Korda said. “We’ll try to stay aggressive and capitalize on that.”

Tennis player Mardy Fish, a two-time champion of the tournament’s celebrity division, leads the celebrity side through two rounds. Using a Modified Stableford format, he has 78 points through 36 holes, five points better than New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks and NFL kicker Josh Scobee.

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2021 PRO V1 & PRO V1x PERFORMANCE

 From the best players in the world to amateurs of all skill levels, new Pro V1 and Pro V1x are designed for golfers who prioritize performance  above all else. Both new 2021 models deliver longer distance, increased Drop-and-Stop™ greenside control, softer feel and long-lasting durability – while maintaining their differences in flight, feel and spin. New Pro V1 offers the greatest combination of speed, spin and feel in the game, providing the best fit for the majority of golfers. Pro V1 flies lower than Pro V1x with a penetrating trajectory and has a very soft feel. 2021 Pro V1x has a fast, high flight and delivers spin when and where a golfer wants it. Pro V1x is designed for players who want a higher trajectory and increased spin relative to Pro V1, with a slightly firmer feel.

“When a golfer chooses Pro V1 or Pro V1x, they are choosing absolute performance,”

said Jeremy Stone, Vice President, Titleist Golf Ball Marketing. “Our R&D and Operations teams have spent years engineering new technology into each and every component of 2021 Pro V1 and Pro V1x. When it comes to the performance and quality of these products, we will continue to go to every length possible to help golfers play their best and shoot their lowest scores.”

2021 PRO V1 AND PRO V1x TECHNOLOGY

Advancements in Titleist’s industry-leading multi-component technology are precisely designed to work together, providing total performance and extreme consistency on every shot:

• Reformulated 2.0 ZG Process Cores deliver increased distance in the solid core Pro V1 and dual core Pro V1x.

• Faster High-Flex Casing Layer adds speed and lowers long game spin. This highly-resilient, high-speed ionomer was initially developed for and validated by Pro V1x Left Dash.

• New, Softer Cast Urethane Elastomer Cover – the softest cover formulation ever used on a Pro V1 or Pro V1x – increases greenside spin for more control in the short game.
• New Spherically-tiled Tetrahedral Dimple Designs– featuring a 388 dimple layout for Pro V1, and 348 for Pro V1x – are optimized to each model to maximize distance and flight consistency. Pro V1 maintains its penetrating trajectory while Pro V1x will fly higher than the prior generation.

AERODYNAMIC BREAKTHROUGHS

The new dimple designs on 2021 Pro V1 and Pro V1x – the first entirely new patterns since 2011 – are the result of Titleist’s unparalleled commitment to understanding and improving the flight of the golf ball.

Since the original Pro V1 debuted 20 years ago, Titleist R&D has designed, manufactured and tested more than 1,900 aerodynamic patterns. That includes more than 60 different iterations of 2021 Pro V1’s 388 dimple layout, and more than 30 versions of Pro V1x’s 348 dimple design.
“When we find a pattern we like, the next step is making sure we find the best possible version of that pattern by building and testing different variations of dimple depths, diameters, shapes and surface coverages,” said Mike Madson, Titleist R&D’s Director of Aerodynamics & Research Engineering “It takes years of work – we’ve been working on these new packages for almost a decade – but it is that commitment to research that ensures each golf ball is optimized to fly at its longest and most efficient trajectory.”

PRECISION MANUFACTURING

 The continued investment in advanced technology and quality control at Titleist Ball Plants 3 and 4 – where every Pro V1 and Pro V1x are manufactured by Titleist associates to the industry’s highest performance and quality specifications – ensures that every new generation of Pro V1 and Pro V1x are the best performing and most consistent models ever. Consistency from ball to ball, and dozen to dozen is critical to allowing golfers to consistently execute the same types of shots, round after round.

PLAYER VALIDATION

 Since their October 2020 introduction on the PGA Tour, many of the world’s best players have teed up new Pro V1 and Pro V1x in competition including Adam Scott (Pro V1x), Justin Thomas (Pro V1x), Tony Finau (Pro V1), Ryan Palmer (Pro V1x), Scottie Scheffler (Pro V1) – and Cameron Smith, who became the first player in the history of The Masters to finish with all four rounds in the 60s while playing new Pro V1x.

“When I first tested it, it was a bit hotter off the driver, which was great,” Smith said. “The ball flight and windows were great. But the biggest thing that stuck out was the control coming out of the rough and around the greens. I can control my shots – especially those difficult, soft shots – so much better.”
The new 2021 Pro V1 and Pro V1x White (play numbers 1-4, 5-8) and High Optic Yellow (play numbers 1-4) golf balls will be available in Canada beginning Jan. 27, 2021. Custom play numbers (00, 1-99) will be available beginning March 15.