SWITZERLAND –The International Golf Federation Board convened a virtual meeting yesterday focused on long-term strategic planning and progress toward next summer’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Originally scheduled for the Olympic House in Lausanne but moved online due to the continued impact of COVID-19, the Board was addressed by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach on the status of the Olympic movement and then followed by IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell, who provided updates and answered questions regarding preparations for Tokyo. The overarching message was one of determination and confidence that the Olympic competition will proceed as scheduled with particular focus on health, safety and the simplification and reduction of the complexity of the Games. The Board expressed support and a shared commitment to deliver the golf competition with safety for the athletes and all involved a top priority.

During his presentation at the beginning of the meeting, Bach recognized and thanked outgoing IGF President Peter Dawson for his 10 years of leadership and service. Dawson notified the Board that he would not seek reappointment when his current two-year term expires at the end of the year.

In light of Dawson’s decision, the IGF Board has elected Annika Sorenstam as the IGF President, effective January 1, 2021.

“It has been a great pleasure and privilege to serve as IGF President,” Dawson said. “Golf’s reinstatement to the Olympic programme was a landmark for our sport and it was a true thrill to witness our return at Rio 2016. Our Olympic status has been a strong catalyst for increasing cooperation and coordination between the major organisations in golf and has significantly strengthened the bonds between the IGF and our National Federations.

“My thanks go to so many people in golf and in the Olympic family for their support over the past 10 years,” he added. “Their help and goodwill have been invaluable. I wish my successor, Annika Sorenstam, every success. The IGF could not be in better hands.”

IGF Board Chairman Jay Monahan commended Dawson for his decade of service with the IGF.

“On behalf of the IGF Board, I want to extend our sincere gratitude to Peter for the outstanding job he has done over the past decade on behalf of the IGF, including helping to assure golf’s highly successful return to the Olympic Games,” said Monahan, Commissioner of the PGA TOUR. “Peter has had a distinguished career dedicated to the growth of golf and the IGF has been fortunate to have him as such a strong advocate.

“With Peter’s impending departure, we are thrilled to have someone as accomplished and universally respected as Annika Sorenstam to move into the role as IGF President. As a generational talent in women’s golf, Annika played a prominent role in golf’s successful Olympic bid by serving as a Global Ambassador with Jack Nicklaus and since retiring from competition, has been dedicated to promoting women’s golf at all levels through her foundation. She is the ideal person to succeed Peter in this role.”

“Peter did a great job the last 10 years as IGF President and I am humbled and honored to have been asked to succeed him,” Sorenstam said. “As an international player, having golf back in the Olympics means so much to me and to our sport.  I very much look forward to working with the Board, the IOC and the governing bodies of golf in their efforts to continue to grow the game globally.”

In addition to naming Sorenstam as the new IGF President, the Board appointed PGA TOUR executive Ty Votaw to another term as IGF Vice President.

In other business

• The Board approved the IGF’s Strategic Business Plan for 2021-28 and a budget for 2021. The Business Plan reflects the culmination of a 12-month process of consultation, input and guidance from the IGF Board and the IGF Administration. The plan lists the IGF’s key strategic priorities and outlines the activities it will deliver going forward and the finances required to do this.

• Beyond receiving an update on planning and preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the Board received an update on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

• The Board also approved the revised version of its Policies and Charters, following the IGF Administration’s recent, thorough review of its governance and Policies and Charters to ensure they comply with statutory requirements, the IGF’s commitments with the Olympic Charter and in response to the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations’ third review of the IGF’s governance.

Golf Canada is pleased to announce that Kevin Blue has joined the National Sport Federation as its new Chief Sport Officer.

A dynamic and accomplished executive, coach, and high-performance golfer, Blue joins the Executive Team of the National Sport Federation after serving nearly five years as Director of Athletics for the University of California, Davis, an NCAA Division I institute.

His responsibilities with Golf Canada as Chief Sport Officer include the oversight, management and strategic development of key functional areas including golf services with a focus on membership; high-performance player development; sport and junior programs including First Tee – Canada; amateur competitions; and governing body activities across the Rules of Golf, Handicapping, Course Rating and Amateur Status. Blue will be a lead contact with numerous provincial, national, and international stakeholders.

“Kevin brings a depth of executive leadership experience across business, education, coaching and high-performance sport, and we are thrilled to have him elevate our sport, golf services and player development activities,” said Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum. “He is a transformative leader and passionate advocate for Canadian golf who will bring tremendous energy and enthusiasm to improving the golfer, facility and athlete experience at all levels.”

For Blue, born in Montreal and raised in Toronto, the opportunity to return to Canada to champion the growth of golf was an opportunity to apply his executive leadership experiences across the sport that has been a lifelong passion.

“Golf has impacted my life in extraordinary ways,” said Blue. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to return home and help to extend the reach of our sport to more Canadians. I’m also very excited to partner with our athletes, coaches, and many others in the golf community nation-wide to continue building Canada’s global prominence in the sport we love.”

As Director of Athletics for the University of California, Davis, Blue oversaw a $41M athletic department featuring 25 collegiate teams. He led record-setting fundraising campaigns at UC Davis that supported coaching endowments, athlete scholarships, and the construction of multi-million-dollar facilities including a $52M student-athlete performance centre currently under construction. In addition to facilitating all-time academic results for student-athletes and competitive success on the field of play, he implemented a formal diversity, equity and inclusion strategy for coaches and senior-level hires as well as mandatory implicit bias training for all employees.

Prior to joining UC Davis, Blue honed his executive management skills over three years as the Senior Associate Athletic Director, External Relations with Stanford University where he had oversight of key external business units including ticket sales, sponsorships, marketing, communications, business strategy, ticket operations, fan experience, and video. As a key member of the athletic department senior executive team, he contributed to strategic planning, policy, personnel, sponsor relations, and university integration in addition to launching the Pac-12 Network at Stanford. As a Lecturer at Stanford, he taught an introductory Sport Psychology course and constructed a curriculum that surveyed topics related to peak performance, talent development and mental health. He also taught a graduate level course on Strategic Management for Sport Business at the University of San Francisco.

Other leadership roles during his time at Stanford included three years as Associate Athletic Director and two years as an Athletics Department Fellow. Prior to Stanford, Blue was involved in high-performance golf, providing sport psychology and short game coaching to professional and elite amateur golfers.

An accomplished amateur golfer growing up in Toronto, Blue played in numerous provincial and national amateur competitions and spent time with Golf Canada’s National Junior Golf Team (prior to the formation of the Team Canada program) and represented Canada at the 2001 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Japan. He attended Stanford University on a varsity golf scholarship where he earned his B.A. in Psychology, was a captain on the golf team, and was an NCAA Academic All-American.

He went on to attend Michigan State University where earned his Ph.D. in Sport Psychology and then completed an executive education program at Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Blue has authored a multitude of articles on topics related to sport, education, and business.

Blue will be returning to Canada with his wife Betsy and their four children and is set to begin his role as Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer in early January 2021.

NOTE: pictures of Kevin Blue are available here.

Canadians golfers are playing golf and adapting to new technology such as the Golf Canada App like never before.

In a year where record numbers of recreational rounds were registered with Golf Canada through June (1.2 million), July (1.6M), August (1.5M), September (1.5M) and October (618,500) embracing technology and new apps has become a way of life for most Canadians who have spent much of 2020 learning to deal with  COVID-19 lockdowns, quarantines and social distancing measures.

“It has been here for years, creeping into our lives, but the rapid spread of technology accelerated by the pandemic has led to a digital transformation like no other – even for golfers, who now book the vast majority of their tee times on-line, post their scores digitally and use a virtual scorecard,” says Vanessa Morbi, Senior Director of Marketing at Golf Canada.

We carry less cash – it is all about contactless digital payments. We go to school less – it is all about virtual distance learning. We do not go to work as much or see people face-to-face – it is all about remote working and Zoom meetings. So much for seeing your doctor in their office – we are now using Telehealth. Friday night at the movies or concerts have become almost nostalgic – it is now all about on-line entertainment and the increase of endless streaming services. We shop on-line like never before. We are ordering take-out like never before and we connect with loved ones using the internet much more than we ever would have imagined. The COVID-19 digital transformation is now part of the fabric of our lives and there is mostly likely an app for that or it is in the works.

“Many businesses across this land have been extremely busy creating and expanding digital platforms to maintain or grow their business, while connecting with old and new consumers in creative ways,” added Morbi. “The launch of Golf Canada’s bilingual app on August 1, 2020 was a perfect parallel with the smartphone app boom. It has hit a real sweet spot with Canadian golfers.”

Golf Canada experienced a tremendous 175% increase in net-new downloads of its app between August 1 and October 1. Monthly active users soared 77% over last year and monthly app sessions are up 67%. Score posting for handicap purposes has been hugely popular with users of the new app. Score posting for September 2020 was up 28% versus September 2019.

“In my books Golf Canada really hit a home run with this app and I’m looking forward to seeing what they have in store for 2021,” says Frank Novello, a member at Dundas Valley G&CC in Ontario. “I love the new interface. It is so simple to use. I really like the new options and user experience. Everything is at your fingertips. It’s awesome actually.”

Golfers can enter their scores on the app as they play hole-by-hole or at the end of a game. Shot-by-shot GPS is also hugely popular. Golfers can track a variety of stats including driving accuracy, greens in regulation, putting strokes, sand shots and up & downs. You can also add friends and track those scores following their rounds.

“All my buddies at Dundas Valley use it. We have a little Saturday morning match for a beer and we use the app to keep track of how everyone did. It is a ton of fun,” Novello adds, noting that due to COVID-19, the club, like many others, eliminated traditional scorecards and pencils as a safety precaution.

In September, Novello went on a buddies’ golf trip. The two foursomes played Lora Bay, Batteaux Creek, Monterra and Cobble Beach in the Collingwood area.

“Once you start using the app it simplifies the game,” he added. “It was easy to determine our handicaps for each of the courses based on slope and course rating of each course and using the GPS feature on a course you’re not familiar with proved to be a real shot saver.”

As the 2020 golf season winds down, Golf Canada is delighted with the success of the app to date. During a time when Canadians have been separated and distanced from each other as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the app allowed golfers to better connect with the game they love and those they play it with.

The app is available for download for both iOS and Android mobile devices from the App Store and Google Play at no cost. Some benefits and features require a Golf Canada membership to use.

“COVID-19 has demonstrated the importance of digital readiness, which allows business and life to continue as usual – as much as possible – during pandemics,” Morbi says. “The Golf Canada App was our leap forward during a challenging year. We are preparing to include exciting new features including Shot Tracer and gaming for 2021 to build on the momentum and create a more connected golf community among our 1,400 member clubs and those who play the game.”

To download the new Golf Canada App – a free tool for Canadian golfers to enhance their course experience and go digital with their game – click here.

WINNIPEG – After 23 years with Golf Manitoba, Garth Goodbrandson will retire as the Director of Player Development at the end of 2020.

Goodbrandson first began his career with Golf Manitoba in 1997 after 16 years as a PGA of Canada club professional. The move into coaching and leadership as the Director of Player Development for Golf Manitoba made him the first full time coach hired by any provincial golf association.

During his tenure with Golf Manitoba, Garth introduced thousands of young people to the sport of golf through golf in schools and rural instruction programs. In addition to grassroots programming, Garth became one of the top high-performance golf coaches in the country with many of his athletes achieving success at the junior, collegiate, amateur, and professional levels.

Photo: Bison Sports

In 1999, Goodbrandson, along with co-founder Derek Ingram, had a vision to expand high-performance golf opportunities by establishing the University of Manitoba golf program. Since the program’s inception, Goodbrandson has coached every Bison team until his retirement in the fall of 2019.  During his 20-year career with the Bisons, Goodbrandson’s teams amassed over 30 wins with the most notable coming in 2014 when the men’s team won the Canadian University & College Championship.  In recognition for winning the national championship, Goodbrandson was named Canadian University Golf Coach of the Year in 2014 and received the City of Winnipeg Outstanding Achievement Award in the same year.  The golf team was names as a finalist for the 2014 Manitoba Sportswriter/Sportscaster Team of the Year.

Throughout his career, Goodbrandson has been recognized by his peers and numerous golf and sports associations for his dedication and commitment to coaching.

Some notable highlights include being inducted to the Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame in 2016, awarded the PGA of Manitoba Coach of the Year in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and most recently, he was honored as the Sport Manitoba Male Coach of the Year in the spring of 2020.

“As the long-time coach of Golf Manitoba’s Development programs, Garth was a leader and pioneer in many areas.  Passion, dedication and care went into every program he developed but he was also extremely successful at the provincial and national level,” said Derek Ingram, Golf Canada Men’s National Amateur and Olympic Team Coach when reflecting on his fellow professional and long-time friend.

“Garth is an expert coach and has one of the best records over a long career, consistently punching above the provinces weight class. A lot of provincial and even national programs that exist now are an offshoot of Garth’s Golf Manitoba programs that he crafted. More important than his record, Garth is of the highest character, caring, thoughtful and loved by students, coaches, professionals and industry leaders alike.”

“Garth’s contributions to golfers in Manitoba are unmatched and we are thankful to have had him on our team for the past 23 years,” Golf Manitoba President Ken Warwick said, “He will be greatly missed.”

“Golf Manitoba owes a debt of gratitude to Garth for all he has done for our association and our golf community,” Golf Manitoba Executive Director Jared Ladobruk said. “Throughout his career, Garth has shown an incredible passion for coaching and has created many wonderful opportunities for young Manitoba golfers. He is a gentleman, a consummate professional and has been a tremendous ambassador of our association and of golf over the years. We are sad to see him move on but at the same time extremely happy for him as he begins this new adventure.”

The PGA Tour has acquired a minority stake in the European Tour’s media production company as part of an alliance announced Friday, a big first step toward developing a more unified golf schedule around the world.

The deal effectively makes the two leading tours more partners than rivals. The tours said in a statement the alliance would allow them to collaborate on commercial opportunities and global media rights in certain territories.

“The PGA Tour moves from a competitor to a partner,” Keith Pelley, chief executive for the European Tour, said on a conference call.

While seen as a pivotal first step, any notion of a world tour _ which golf executives have contemplated for more than a decade _ remains some years away. The immediate goal is to figure out a schedule that keeps the tours from competing against each other and strengthening events on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond.

Pelley offered few details on scheduling, access to tours or even negotiating media rights.

As part of the agreement, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan will join the European Tour board as a non-executive member who would have a vote. “They have a monetary investment in our business,” he said of the PGA Tour.

Pelley said the board’s approval of the partnership was unanimous.

The announcement is likely to put an end to the Premier Golf League, which a year ago was courting the world’s best players for a team-based circuit and funded in part by Saudi money. Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka rejected the idea right before the pandemic.

Pelley said The Raine Group, a private equity firm behind the Premier Golf League, presented a “compelling offer to take the European Tour to another level but in a different direction.”

“We felt partnering with the PGA Tour was the best option,” he said.

Pelley said the partnership grew out of golf organizations having to work together at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to rearrange the major championship season for men and women.

“We shared the challenges of working through a year neither of us could have ever imagined and we found definite synergies in many areas of our respective tours,” Pelley said.

The announcement comes toward the end of a devastating year financially for both tours. The PGA Tour has lost more money than the European one because of its size, though it had more in reserve to handle the crisis.

The PGA Tour shut down for three months, and then resumed June 8 and played a tournament every week except for this one, with no reduction in prize money. Two of its Asia tournaments, in South Korean and Japan, moved to the western U.S. with a purse of $9.75 million (CJ Cup at Shadow Creek) and $8 million (Zozo Championship at Sherwood).

The European Tour resumed in July with a series of new tournaments geared toward giving its members events to play while maintaining a strict bubble to protect against the spread of the coronavirus. Players would stay in regions such as the Iberian peninsula and the U.K., though the total purse was rarely more than 1 million euros.

The exceptions were the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, the flagship event at its headquarters, the Scottish Open and the DP World Tour Championship next month in Dubai.

The gap between the tours has grown so much in the last decade there have been rumblings of a merger of the tours, or even a takeover, given the PGA Tour’s wealth. Monahan referred only to a partnership, and said “we look forward to working together for the benefit of the men’s professional game and for golf fans around the world.”

Pelley strongly disputed the notion of a merger, suggesting that would happen only if the tour had financial difficulties or there were significant benefits for the players. He said the European Tour had a strong balance sheet, which allowed it to create 15 new events during the pandemic and spend $3 million on a health and safety plan.

“This is not a merger,” he said.

A week before the pandemic, the PGA Tour announced a new media rights deal that starts in 2022 and is said to be worth $7 billion over nine years, which includes digital. The tour also has a 12-year deal with Discovery, which owns Golf TV.

London-based Discovery also is a rights holder for the European Tour, which has various contracts with TV companies, given its schedule that plays in more countries than any tour.

The PGA Tour has become so lucrative that Europe’s best players have taken up membership on both tours. Of the 20 Europeans among the top 75 in the world, only four are not PGA Tour members.

CHICAGO – (November 24, 2020) – Canadian golfer Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., has won $300,000 through RSM’s Birdies Fore Love charitable giving competition. Conners won for recording the most birdies (or better) over the first 11 events of the 2020-21 PGA TOUR Season.

The top three players who accumulated the most birdies (or better) throughout the fall, concluding with The RSM Classic at Sea Island, Georgia, were awarded with $300,000, $150,000 and $50,000, respectively, for charitable donations to the players’ choice of children- and/or family-focused charitable organizations.

Patton Kizzire recorded the most birdies (or better) at this year’s RSM Classic, winning $50,000 for his charity of choice to wrap up the 2020 RSM Birdies Fore Love program.

In addition, players who recorded the most birdies (or better) in each fall event earned $50,000 for charities of their choice, bringing the total raised through the Birdies Fore Love on-course competition to $950,000 through this year’s program.

For a list of the weekly Birdies Fore Love winners from this year’s fall events, as well as final scoring results, visit the PGA TOUR website.

Winning players donated funds to charitable organizations focused on building tomorrow’s middle market business leaders through programs that support education, as well as organizations committed to improving the lives of youth through a focus on hunger, housing and/or health.

“This year’s RSM Classic has certainly been like no other,” said Davis Love III, 21-time PGA TOUR winner and RSM Classic tournament host. “I am extremely proud and humbled by the success of the RSM Birdies Fore Love competition. The generosity of the RSM team, its clients and friends is truly remarkable. Our tournament and the charitable dollars we raise would not be possible without RSM, one of the best Title Sponsors in golf.”

Over the past three years, RSM’s Birdies Fore Love has helped PGA TOUR players support more than 30 deserving nonprofit organizations. Since The RSM Classic began in 2010, RSM and the Davis Love Foundation have donated more than $21.6 million to deserving charities.

BELLEAIR, Fla. — Sei Young Kim won the Pelican Women’s Championship on Sunday for her second straight victory, closing with an even-par 70 for a three-stroke victory over Ally McDonald.

The KPMG Women’s PGA winner way back on Oct. 11 in her last start, the second-ranked Kim won for the 12th time on the LPGA Tour to break a tie for third on the South Korean victory list with Jiyai Shin, behind only Inbee Park (20) and Se Ri Pak (25).

Smiths Falls, Ont. native Brooke Henderson finished in a four-way tie for sixth place after a 1-under 69 in her final round.

Henderson ended the tournament seven strokes behind Kim. It’s the third consecutive tournament where the 23-year-old has finished in sixth and her fourth straight top-10 finish.

The only fellow Canadian on the course was Alena Sharp of Hamilton, On., who shot a 72 today and tied for 27th.

Kim was drenched in champagne during the victory celebration.

“My friends put it on my head and then my T-shirt and everything,” Kim said. “Feel like take a shower in the champagne. I still smell. And then drink a little bit and feel — feels, you know, like little drunk.”

The 27-year-old Kim is the first player to follow her first major victory with a win in her next start since Ariya Jutanugarn in 2016 in the Women’s British Open and CP Women’s Open.

“Always after win always got the extra confidence, so when I play, standing on the golf course, it feels very happy when I walk on the course,” said Kim, also a five-time KLPGA winner. “It’s really great.”

Kim finished at 14-under 266 at Pelican Golf Club in the first-year tournament originally set for the same week as the PGA Championship in May. After her victory last month at Aronimink in Pennsylvania, she took a trip home to South Korea during the long break.

“After the tournament I just want to relax and then feel fresh, make myself feel fresh, so don’t think about golf,” Kim said. “Just fun thing to do.”

McDonald birdied the last for a 68. She was coming a victory in the Drive On Championship-Reynolds Lake Oconee in Georgia, her first on the tour.

“I’m really happy with how I played,” McDonald said. “I hung in there. … So I’m really pleased. Obviously, following a win to get another second and be in contention, that’s all I can ask for.”

Stephanie Meadow was third at 9 under after a 69.

Lydia Ko (69) and Austin Ernst ( 68) were 8 under, and Brooke Henderson (69) was another stroke back with Jessica Korda (64), Angela Stanford (65) and Jennifer Song (65).

Top-ranked Jin Young Ko tied for 34th at 3 over after a 71 in her first LPGA Tour event of the year. No. 1 in the world for the last 68 weeks, she was home in South Korea since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kim is close to taking the top spot.

“It means a lot because world ranking No. 1 is my wish list in this year, so that’s my biggest goal in this year,” Kim said. “Before Olympic gold medal was my biggest goal in this year, but it cancel. Might be next year.”

JOHANNESBURG – Canadian Aaron Cockerill has posted a career-best finish on the European Tour with a share a fourth place.

Cockerill, from Stone Mountain, Man., ended with a 68 for 13-under at the Joburg Open on Sunday, tied with South African Brandon Stone and Steve Surry of England.

The trio were six strokes back of winner Joachim B. Hansen.

“Personal best T-4 finish on the European Tour this week,” Cockerill said in a post to his Twitter and Instagram accounts. “Getting closer and closer.”

Currently ranked 118th, the 28-year-old is the only Canadian on the tour.

 

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Hansen of Denmark overturned a three-shot deficit with nine holes remaining to win his first European Tour title Sunday.

Hansen closed with a composed, bogey-free 67 to win on 19 under par, two shots clear of 20-year-old Wilco Nienaber of South Africa. Nienaber carded a final-round 70 and saw his chance at a first tour title slip away with bogeys on his last two holes.

Nienaber took a one-stroke lead into the final round at Randpark Golf Club and extended his advantage to three with three birdies from No. 4.

Hansen birdied Nos. 10, 12 and 14 to get into a tie for the lead before Nienaber bogeyed No. 17 after almost finding the water to the left of the green.

Nienaber then dropped another shot on the last as Hansen saved par from a greenside bunker to seal his victory.

“It was a fun battle out there with Wilco,” Hansen said. “I kept the head calm out there and we stuck to the plan in terms of where we wanted to hit our drives and approaches. I kept pushing. It started slowly but suddenly the birdies came on the back nine.”

Shaun Norris of South Africa was third on 16 under after finishing with a 66.

The Joburg Open returned to the European Tour schedule this year for the first time since 2017. It’s the first of three straight tournaments in South Africa before the season-ending World Tour Championship in Dubai from Dec. 10-13.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. — Robert Streb made an 8-foot par putt to stay alive in a playoff and ended it on the second extra hole Sunday with a pitching wedge that came an inch from going in, giving him a victory over Kevin Kisner in the RSM Classic.

Streb won for the second time on the PGA Tour, his other title also coming in a playoff at Sea Island six years ago.

He rallied from a five-shot deficit in 2014. This time, he lost a three-shot lead until a 6-iron to 12 feet on the par-3 17th hole for a birdie that allowed him to close with a 2-under 68 and force extra holes.

Kisner, whose first of three PGA Tour titles came at Sea Island in 2015, closed with a 63.

They finished at 19-under 263, one shot ahead of Cameron Tringale (62).

Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., finished tied for 10th on the strength of a 7-under 65 in the second round—the lowest round ever by a Canadian. Conners recorded six birdies during a bogey-free Sunday, finishing 15-under 267 for the tournament. Bunched up in a seven-way tie for 23rd was Roger Sloan from Merritt, B.C — he shot up 18 spots on Sunday after a round of 64.

 

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Fellow Canadians Michael Gligic (Burlington, Ont.), Mackenzie Hughes (Dundas, Ont.), David Hearn (Brantford, Ont.), Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor (both from Abbotsford, B.C.) did not make the cut.

Kisner had the advantage on the 18th hole on the Seaside course for the first playoff hole. His approach caught a good bounce and left him a 15-foot birdie putt, while Streb drove into the bunker, couldn’t reach the green and his pitch from about 30 yards away still came up some 8 feet short.

Kisner missed, and Streb rolled in his par putt. They returned to the 18th again, and Streb had a flyer lie in the rough left of the fairway. He went with pitching wedge from 158 yards expecting it to come out hot, and it did. It was close to perfect, the ball landing softly and rolling just over the left edge of the cup.

Kisner’s tee shot settled in the Bermuda rough to the right of the fairway, and his approach bounded over the green. Knowing his chip had to go in, he ran it some 20 feet by and holed that for a meaningless par with Streb inches away.

The victory came at just the right time for Streb, who had to return to the Korn Ferry Tour Finals more than a year ago just to regain full status on the tour. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic that shut down golf for three months, no one lost his current status. Streb missed out on the PGA Tour post-season again, but kept his card.

Now he has a two-year exemption through the end of August 2023, and he returns to the Masters in April.

Streb also extended a trend in his new PGA Tour season that began in September, joining other players who ended long victory droughts. Stewart Cink won the Safeway Open for his first victory in 11 years. Martin Laird ended seven years without winning in Las Vegas. Brian Gay won in Bermuda, his first victory in more than seven years.

In 11 tournaments of the new season, Streb is the fifth winner to be ranked outside the top 300 in the world.

Kisner did well to get in the playoff after starting five shots back. He made five birdies in 10 holes, including a pitch from thick rough in the middle of a sandy waste area to tap-in range on the par-5 seventh. He caught Streb with a 6-foot birdie on the 13th hole, and stayed in the game with an 18-foot par putt from the fringe on the next hole.

Streb missed a pair of 5-footers on the back nine, one for par and another for birdie on the par-5 15th, but he delivered the key shots when he needed. One of them was his 6-iron on the 17th. The shot he’ll remember is the pitching wedge he nearly jarred that gave him the victory.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. — Robert Streb kept his game from coming undone over the first hour Saturday, and then pieced together enough birdies for a 3-under 67 to build a three-shot lead going into the final round of the RSM Classic.

Streb came from five shots behind when he won at Sea Island six years ago, his only PGA Tour title. This time, he has a lead over Zach Johnson (65) and Bronson Burgoon (67).

Streb was at 17-under 195.

Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., was the top Canadian on Saturday, tied for 14th spot with 4-under 66. His only fellow Canadian left in the competition is Roger Sloan from Merritt, B.C., who was tied for 41st heading into Sunday, the final day of the tournament.

Camilo Villegas pulled within one shot on the lead going to the back nine of the Seaside course Saturday until a two-shot swing at the 10th that cost him momentum. Streb hit his approach to 8 feet for birdie. Villegas was just on the fringe 15 feet away, ran it by 5 feet and missed that to fall three shots back.

Villegas added a bogey on the 13th, didn’t make a birdie on the back nine and had to settle for a 70. He was five shots behind as he tries to win for the first time since five years, and following a summer in which he lost his 2-year-old daughter.

Streb had to earn back his full PGA Tour card a year ago, and then missed the PGA Tour post-season for the third straight year. He kept his status because of the pandemic-shortened year, and a victory Sunday would give him an exemption through August 2023.

Even so, he knows from experience not to look too far ahead.

It was in 2014 when Streb closed with a 63 to make up a five-shot deficit before winning a three-man playoff. Six players were within five shots of the lead going into Sunday.

Even with no spectators and only limited corporate clients allowed, Johnson will feel an entire community behind. He lives at Sea Island, and no resident has ever won this event. Winless since the 2015 British Open at St. Andrews, Johnson rallied late with three birdies over his last five holes, finishing with a 30-foot birdie putt.

Burgoon had five birdies in a six-hole stretch on the back nine — the exception was a bogey on the 14th, playing straight into a strong wind along the water — to overcome a rough start and get into the final group.

Emiliano Grillo had a65 and was four shots behind, while Kevin Kisner (66) and Kyle Stanley (68) were five back.

Streb began his round with a quick hook and escaped trouble with par. From the left side of the second fairway, 123 yards to a back pin and facing the wind, he left it on the front of the green and had to two-putt from 75 feet. He came up well short of the green on the par-3 third and had to get up-and-down from 65 meet, making an 8-foot par putt.

“It wasn’t the greatest start, but got out of there with a bunch of pars and tried to find some consistency and it got better,” Streb said.

It never felt easy, but he wasn’t losing any ground. He made his first birdie with a sand wedge to 3 feet on No. 8, and the rest of the round was relatively stress-free except for a couple of more two-putts from 50 feet or longer.