RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Ally McDonald was the last player to finish the first round of the ANA Inspiration.

It was worth the wait.

The 26-year-old from Mississippi closed with a 5-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th in fading light Thursday to take the lead at 4-under 68 in the first major championship of the year.

Playing in the last group of the day off the first tee, she birdied all four par-5 holes on the tree-lined Mission Hills course toughened this year by thicker rough, tighter fairways and some longer holes.

“On a major championship golf course you have to start out playing the par 5s really well,” McDonald said. “The par 4s play really tough, very long.”

Only 28 of the 112 players broke par, with McDonald and the other afternoon starters facing gusting wind. She had a one-stroke lead over 2014 champion Lexi Thompson, Jin Young Ko, Hyo Joo Kim and Linnea Strom. Thompson, Ko and Kim played in calmer morning conditions, but with the thick rough wet from dew.

“I just drove the ball really well,” McDonald said. “Gave myself a lot of opportunities to make good approach shots into the green. … Sometimes you hit the ball above the hole and you have to take a two-putt.”

McDonald played at Mississippi State after becoming the only female player to win the state boys’ high school championship. She has made only two previous starts in her third season on the tour, tying for 58th two weeks ago in Phoenix in the Founders Cup and missing the cut last week in Carlsbad.

“I think in this position that I’ve never been in it’s so easy to get ahead of yourself,” McDonald said. “For me, I’m just going to take it easy. I know that on the very first day a great round is awesome, but there is so much more golf left to play.”

McDonald birdied the last three holes on the front nine and added on another on the par-5 11th. She gave back a stroke on the par-3 14th before pulling ahead on the water-guarded 18th.

Also playing in the afternoon, Strom made a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th, with the pin on the far right side, to reach 4 under, then bogeyed the 18th after hitting her drive over the right-side cart path and under a tree. The former Arizona State player from Sweden is making her fifth start in her first season on the LPGA Tour.

“I know it’s a tough course, but there are some birdies out there,” Strom said.

Thompson birdied the final two holes, hitting to a foot on 18 after caddie Benji Thompson talked her into a lower-lofted wedge.

“I wanted to hit my 50 degree, which was max what the yardage was,” Thompson said. “He was like, ‘No, just chip the 47, take the spin off, in case a gust does come up.’ Sure enough, it did. Just chipped up there. I was like, ‘Thank you so much, Benji.”’

Ko won the Founders Cup.

“I don’t have greed on the course,” Ko said. “Course is hard, so I’m thinking always, ‘Hit the fairway, also green, middle of the green. Like two-putt is fine. I’m good.”’

Playing partner Jessica Korda had seven birdies in an adventurous 70. Coming off a second-place tie in Phoenix in her return from a left forearm injury, she also had a double bogey after driving out-of-bounds on the par-4 third and three bogeys.

“A serious roller-coaster,” Korda said. “Glad I got off it on 18. It was a crazy day.”

She was tied with fellow morning starters Lydia Ko, Cristie Kerr, Jane Park, Lizette Salas, Amy Yang and Lauren Stephenson and afternoon players Jing Yan, Mi Hyang Lee and Xiyu Lin.

Lydia Ko, the 2016 winner, matched playing partner Thompson with a birdie on 18.

“You just have to play smart,” Lydia Ko said. “If you are in not so good position, try and not get yourself out of it.”

Top-ranked Sung Hyun Park, 2011 winner Stacy Lewis and Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., topped the group at 71.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp shot a 4-over 76 to finish the day tied for 80th.

Defending champion Pernilla Lindberg shot 73. She beat Inbee Park last year on the eighth hole of a sudden-death playoff that ended on a Monday. Park, the 2013 winner, also shot 73, playing in the afternoon.

Michelle Wie and Nelly Korda shot 74 in the afternoon.

Wie hadn’t played on tour since withdrawing during the first round of her Singapore title defence in late February because of pain in her right hand. She played a four-hole stretch in 5 over, then birdied the next four holes.

“It was definitely a battle,” Wie said. “Definitely proud of myself for coming back. Front nine felt just really rusty.”

Sei Young Kim made a 10 on No. 18 in a 78. After laying up on the par 5, she twice hit into the water and was penalized a stroke for dropping from the wrong height. Kim instinctively held out her arm and dropped at shoulder-height, but the modernized Rules of Golf that began this year require drops to be knee-height.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Masters should have been the first major Rory McIlroy won.

Now it is the only one he is missing.

Augusta National was thought to be the domain of Tiger Woods when he won four green jackets before turning 30.

Now he is 43, with eight surgeries behind him, so far removed from his last Masters victory that the club has changed chairmen twice since he last won 14 years ago.

McIlroy and Woods are the central figures at the 83rd Masters, which starts April 11. They share the stage with a cast of characters that gets deeper and stronger every year, so tough that 23 of the last 25 major champions were among the top 25 in the world ranking.

One is looking to join the most elite group in golf by capturing the final leg of the career Grand Slam.

The other is looking to recapture glory on a course where his red shirt was blazing among the azaleas, dogwoods and all the colours of springtime in Augusta.

 

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Welcome to the RBC Canadian Open, @rorymcilroy – see you in JUNE! ?? #SummersOpen #RBCCO

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Woods has always had a hold on the Masters, so much that his Sunday shirt packed as much interest as the green jacket. To see him two years ago walk gingerly to the Masters Club dinner for past champions was to wonder if he would ever shine at Augusta, much less play. It was only a few weeks later that Woods had a fourth surgery on his back to fuse the lower spine.

He not only returned, Woods capped his remarkable comeback by winning in Georgia last year for his 80th career victory on the PGA Tour. But it was at East Lake in late September, not at Augusta National the second week in April.

Is his comeback complete without a major?

Woods last year was still learning what his fused back was capable of doing. He was coming off two close calls in Florida, but he didn’t break par at the Masters until the final day, when it was much too late.

Now he is building, and while his results in five tournaments this year have not been anything special, Woods has been gearing for this week.

“I’m right there where I need to be,” he said. “I’ve gotten a little bit more consistent with my play, and I think that everything is headed on track toward April.”

His last two majors were telling because he was in the hunt at both of them until the final hour. He briefly had the lead at Carnoustie in the British Open. He chased Brooks Koepka all the way to the finish line in the PGA Championship.

McIlroy had reason to think he would be allowed upstairs in the champions’ locker room by now. It was in 2011 when he had a four-shot lead, only to throw it away with a tee shot behind the cabins, a four-putt from 12 feet, a wild drive along the azaleas and an 80 on his scorecard.

He responded by winning four of the next 15 majors, before being slowed by a few nagging injuries.

This will be his fifth shot at the career Grand Slam, and he is getting closer. McIlroy played in the final group last year with Patrick Reed, missing a short eagle putt on the second hole that set the tone for his day. Already this year, he has not finished out of the top 10 in all seven of his tournaments, including a victory at The Players Championship against the best field in golf.

Is he excited? Hard to tell.

McIlroy has spent the last year reading books on life and success, working more on his attitude than his golf game. He is determined not to let the sport define his success. And it appears to be paying off. Las Vegas has installed him as the favourite at the Masters.

“I would have said a couple of years ago, ‘I need to win a Masters, I need a green jacket,’ where now it’s, ‘I want to win it.’ And I’d love to win it,” he said. “But if I don’t, I’m OK. Maybe some people will say that I’m not motivated enough. Believe me, I am motivated to make the most of what I have and to put my name among some of the greats of our game.”

This figures to be his biggest test. So powerful is the allure of Augusta National and the exclusivity of the club and its list of winners that players have been haunted over the years at being left out, whether it was Greg Norman or Tom Weiskopf, David Duval or Tom Kite.

That’s just the mystique. Equally tough will be the players Woods and McIlroy are trying to beat.

McIlroy at No. 3 is among five players who are vying for No. 1 in the world – Justin Rose, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas are the others. All of them have reached the top of the ranking before, all of them having won a major or more. It has never been this crowded at the top since the ranking began in 1986.

Missing from that list, and perhaps the most intriguing player at the Masters besides Woods and McIlroy, is Jordan Spieth.

No one has performed as well at Augusta as Spieth since his debut five years ago – two runner-up finishes, a wire-to-wire victory, in the hunt on Sunday every year and ending the day atop the leaderboard eight times out of 20 rounds.

But he is in the worst slump of his young career, winless since the 2017 British Open, no performance in the top 20 this year. He says his game is close. The Masters might be the ultimate measure of how close – or far – he really is.

That is also true for Woods, McIlroy and everyone else.

Three months into the year, six months into the PGA Tour season, golf doesn’t feel as though it really starts until Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player hit the honorary tee shot, until “Fore, please” is heard on the first tee as players are introduced, and until that first big cheer makes fans wonder where it came from and what it was for.

One of the lasting images from last year’s Drive, Chip, & Putt Finals at Augusta National Golf Club featured Canadian youngster Vanessa Borovilos getting lifted off her feet by multi-time Green Jacket winner Gary Player.

Borovilos is hoping for a repeat celebration this year.

“I’m not sure how old he is, but I didn’t expect that,” says Borovilos with a laugh from her home in Toronto. The Borovilos family flies to Augusta, Georgia on Friday.

“After I won I felt like something got lifted off my shoulders. I was just relieved and happy.”

Playing in her third championship in 2018, Borovilos, who also competed in 2015 and 2016 (she finished 4th and 5th, respectively) became the second Canadian to win a division at the Drive, Chip, & Putt Finals. In 2017 Savannah Grewal captured the Girls 14-15 division.

Savannah Grewal (Mike Stobe/ Getty Images)

Borovilos credits her intensive, but fun, practice regime for her success a year ago.

She attends Hollycrest Middle School in Toronto, where she is part of an elite athlete program that allows her to finish school early each day, and she plays out of Credit Valley Golf and Country Club, coached by the Director of Instruction at the Mississaugua, Ont. course, Doug Lawrie.

She says she’s been working with Lawrie on getting her swing looking good for the national finals competition, and specifically on the landing spots for her chipping.

“The driving range is 40 yards wide, but it seems a lot closer together when I’m actually up there,” admits Borovilos,

The past participant of Golf Canada’s Future Links, Driven by Acura – the Canadian equivalent to Drive, Chip & Putt – said Brooke Henderson continually inspires her as she looks to try to win another title this weekend.

“She can really focus on shots that matter. When she won the CP Women’s Open I was watching, and she made every shot count,” says Borovilos, who wants to join Henderson on the LPGA Tour one day.

A year ago, Henderson told The Canadian Press after she finished up the final round of the ANA Inspiration she watched Borovilos win her title at the Drive, Chip & Putt finals.

“Who knows,” said Henderson, “maybe I will see her out here on the LPGA (Tour) one day.”

There are four other Canadians participating in this year’s Drive, Chip & Putt Finals at Augusta National but Borovilos is the only return competitor.

Local qualifying was held at more than 250 sites throughout the U.S. last summer for the 2019 event. There were 50 subregional qualifiers, and then just a handful of regional qualifiers at some world-class courses like TPC Sawgrass, Torrey Pines, Chambers Bay, Whistling Straits, Bellerive Country Club, and Winged Foot Golf Club (where Borovilos competed) – major championship venues, all.

As one of the top finishers from each regional site’s age/gender division – a total of 80 finalists – earned a place at the National Finals at Augusta National.

Borovilos says it was important for her to return, and she’s happy to have the opportunity again this year.

“I practiced really hard to get there,” she says. “There’s a lot of great competition I had to go through to get there, so I’m really happy to be going there again.”

OTHER 2019 CANADIAN DRIVE, CHIP & PUTT FINALISTS

Name: Carter Lavigne
Competition Category: Boys’ 7-9 (qualified at Winged Foot Golf Club)
Hometown: Moncton, New Brunswick
Began playing golf: Age 4
Favourite golfers: Jordan Spieth and Brooke Henderson  

Name: Andy Mac
Competition Category: Boys’ 10-11 (qualified at Winged Foot Golf Club)
Hometown: Candiac, Quebec
Began playing golf: Age 5
Favourite golfers: Jordan Spieth and Lydia Ko

Name: Anna Huang
Competition Category: Girls’ 10-11 (qualified at Chambers Bay)
Hometown: Vancouver, British Columbia
Began playing golf: Age 4
Favourite golfer: Tiger Woods

Name: Nicole Gal
Competition Category: Girls’ 14-15 (qualified at Winged Foot Golf Club)
Hometown: Oakville, Ontario
Began playing golf: Age 5
Favourite golfer: Jordan Spieth and Sandra Gal

It’s no secret that Brooke Henderson wants to catch Sandra Post for most wins by a Canadian on the LPGA Tour. Matching Post’s record at this week’s ANA Inspiration – where the Canadian golfing great won twice – would be Henderson’s ideal event to do it.

Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp are the only Canadians in the field at the ANA, the first major of the LPGA Tour’s season, starting Thursday in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Post won the event in 1978 and 1979 when it was known as the Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner’s Circle. Post has eight career LPGA wins, one more than Henderson

“Tying Sandra would be amazing. I’m really looking forward to, and excited, that hopefully I will get this eighth win this year and to do it at a major would be incredible,” Henderson, 21, said. “Especially at ANA where she has won twice.

“I talked to her there before and she’s given me some hints on how to beat the course and hopefully I can put those into action and see what I can do.”

As winner of the Women’s PGA Championship in 2016, Henderson qualified for the ANA Inspiration well before this season began. But her strong start to this year – three top-10 finishes and one top 15 – would also have qualified her.

Sharp qualified as one of the top 20 players on the LPGA’s 2019 money list not already in the field.

“I’m really happy with my start to the season,” said Henderson. “I feel like I have been in contention a little bit, I’ve felt the competitive juices flowing. It’s been fun, for sure.

“I feel like my game is in a good spot, I just think there’s some small things I’m continuing to clean up.”

Another highlight of Henderson’s season has been her prominent role in the LPGA’s Drive On campaign.

In the campaign’s 45-second introductory video released on March 20, Henderson is seen practising at a driving range and she is the first of several golfers to do a voiceover encouraging girls to overcome adversity and be true to themselves.

“It was pretty amazing to be a part of a film like that, that is so powerful and has so much meaning behind it,” said Henderson. “I didn’t really realize I was going to be one of the biggest people to kickstart it, but definitely an honour.

“Drive On’s just getting started and I think it will empower not only women and young girls but I think people of all genders and all ages, helping them to push past negativity and focus on what you’re trying to do and get there.”

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This is for every girl. Let’s crush it ?? #DriveOn

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Old Man Winter is finally loosening his grip on golf courses across the country and many of you are already shaking off the rust of a Canadian winter and heading to the first tee, ready to post those scores for handicap purposes.

Good for you!

But did you know that those scores can only be posted in Canada during what is called the “Active Season” in your province?

While some lucky folks in more temperate climes (that’s you, British Columbia) can already post their scores, the rest of us have to wait until the middle of April or later.

From west to east, Active Seasons are: B.C., March 1-Nov. 15; Alberta, March 1-Oct. 31; Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia, April 15-Oct. 31; New Brunswick, May 1-Oct. 31; P.E.I., April 16-Nov. 14; Newfoundland and Labrador, May 1-Oct. 15.

Why is there such a thing as an “Active Season”?

“Active Season exists to help eliminate scores that might adversely affect the calculation of a handicap because they are generally not played under what we call `mid-season` playing conditions,” said Craig Loughry, Golf Canada’s representative on the World Handicap Committee.

“Generally, outside the Active Season, conditions are soggy, wet, lots of leaves (potential lost ball or bad lie), cool, etc., which makes the course play a little longer and different than mid-season (virtually little to no roll on tee shots, which means a loss per drive of about 20 yards. On an average course that has 14 driving holes, that could mean a 280-yard difference just on yardage alone.

“Greens are also much more receptive and generally slow compared to mid-season. It’s a combination of these things which distort how the course plays from which it was rated (we assume mid-season when the majority of rounds are played) and what the expected scores would be in optimum conditions, so we set an Active Season to help mitigate the effect of scores played in the shoulder season.”

While those dates aren’t likely to change in 2020, there will be a significant updating of the handicap system starting Jan. 1 when the new World Handicap System is implemented.

For the past four years, Loughry has represented Canada as Golf Canada’s representative on the World Handicap Committee, sitting beside the other major golf associations from around the globe in an effort to make the system more equitable, flexible, consistent and understandable.

Significantly, the committee—Loughry calls it “the United Nations of handicapping”—will meet in Toronto this fall, its first gathering ever outside the United States, Britain and Europe.

“We hope by informing golfers of the impending changes this far in advance, they will have the opportunity to review the changes and comment on them,” Loughry says.

A limit of net double bogey per hole will be allowed for handicapping purposes and the maximum Handicap Index will be set at 54.0, regardless of gender, to encourage more golfers to measure and track their performance to increase their enjoyment of the game.

Perhaps the most obvious change for Canadians is that the term “Handicap Factor” used in this country for years will become “Handicap Index” to align with the USGA terminology and which will be used worldwide. But the new system will adopt Canada’s practice of updating handicaps daily in all countries, as opposed to the current USGA model.

A list of 9 useful tips for the World Handicap System can be found here.

The committee’s research shows that your Index is unlikely to change significantly from your previous Factor. Only 54 holes worth of scores will be required for an initial Index and your Index will eventually be averaged using the best eight of your last 20 scores posted.

One very notable innovation is the Playing Conditions Calculation which “analyzes how players have performed that day compared to their expected performance on that golf course. It will naturally include weather and course setup (reflected in the scores) and if expected results fall outside a tolerance level, an adjustment will apply to all scores played on that course for that day.”

Have a look at the changes and take advantage of the opportunity to comment.

As for me, when the Active Season starts here in Ontario, I’ll already be posting scores via the Golf Canada app from South Carolina where the Active Season never ends. My snow blower’s broken.

TORONTO – Canadian Pacific (CP) and Golf Canada today announced that SickKids Foundation has been chosen as the primary charity partner for the 2019 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

The 2019 CP Women’s Open will see Canadian sensation and CP ambassador Brooke Henderson defend her national golf title against the top LPGA Tour players in the world from August 19-25 at Magna Golf Club, in Aurora, Ont.

“CP is elated to be working with SickKids Foundation through the 2019 CP Women Open,” said CP’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Keith Creel. “This is a natural partnership as CP is focused on giving back through our community investment program, CP Has Heart, and SickKids Foundation is focused on helping young hearts across Ontario – a province that has been integral to our network for more than 130 years.”

This year, CP will be working with Kyle Hayhoe, a child ambassador for SickKids Foundation. Kyle was cared for at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) for four months after he was diagnosed with a hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy at only seven weeks old and required a heart transplant. Now, when Kyle isn’t attending his regular check-ups with the heart transplant, respiratory and nephrology teams at SickKids, he can be found on the golf course perfecting his swing.

Funds raised through the CP Women’s Open will go towards renovating a Cardiac Operating Suite at SickKids.  In addition, CP is also proud to support our tournament host community this year. CP will make a donation of $250,000 to Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, Ont. to support paediatric cardiac care.

“We appreciate the generous support of the community and are extremely grateful to our partners CP, Golf Canada and the CP Women’s Open,” said SickKids Foundation CEO, Ted Garrard. “Funds raised through this partnership will help continue to advance cardiac care that will deliver better outcomes for our patients who come from all across Canada, for many years to come.”

In the five years of CP’s title sponsorship of the CP Women’s Open, $8.5 million has been raised to support children’s heart health in Canada. This will mark the third time in six years southern Ontario has hosted the CP Women’s Open resulting in more than $3.3 million dollars invested in London (2014 – $1.3 million) and Ottawa (2016 – $2 million)

“I can’t say enough about the incredible work CP does through the CP Has Heart campaign – they are an absolute terrific partner who are helping to make a meaningful impact in the lives of countless Canadians,” said Golf Canada’s CEO, Laurence Applebaum. “Tournament week will be a fantastic showcase of world-class golf and charitable giving in support of SickKids Foundation.”

In 2018, Brooke Henderson became the first Canadian to win the country’s National Open Championship in 45 years, shooting 65 in the final-round for a four-stroke victory at the CP Women’s Open in Regina, Sask. Jocelyne Bourassa was the last Canadian to win the event, when she was crowned Canadian champion in 1973.

“On behalf of all Canadian golf fans, I’m eagerly awaiting the opportunity to see Canadian golf superstar Brooke Henderson defend her title,” added Applebaum.

This is the first time the Greater Toronto Area will play host to a major LPGA Tour event since 2001, when the event was held at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham. The 2019 CP Women’s Open will run August 19-25, 2019 at Magna Golf Club in Aurora.

Tickets and corporate hosting are available for purchase at www.cpwomensopen.com.

AUGUSTA, GA – The field for the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship is taking shape as the tournament announced the first 66 players who accepted invitations into the 72-player field for the April 3-6 event.

Included in the field announcement is Team Canada member Brigitte Thibault. The 20-year-old, who is a native of Rosemère, Que., is currently the highest ranked Canadian (221) on the Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings. Thibault, a sophomore at Fresno State, will tee it up at 11:12 a.m. ET in Wednesday’s opening round.

Other commitments include three players who earned their exemptions by winning recognized events, 55 qualifiers from the final Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking of 2018 and eight committee picks. The remaining spots will be filled by the tournament committee.

Making the field of 72 seemed like a long shot to Thibault, who needed to be in the 30 highest ranked players not from the United States and not otherwise qualified, based on the final women’s world amateur golf ranking of 2018.

Thibault was therefore surprised when she was leaving the gym on Jan. 17 and got a call from an anonymous number. It was a tournament official offering her a spot at the elite amateur event.

“I was so excited that I wanted to hang up so I could cry,” said Thibault, now ranked 197th. “I didn’t want to cry on the phone and so I was trying to keep calm but I was just super excited.

“When the call ended, the only people I could tell was my family. So I couldn’t tell anyone for five whole days so everyone was asking me ‘why are you so excited?’ but I couldn’t say anything.”

 

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Not every day you get invited to play #augustanational ⛳️ #TeamCanada’s @bri.thib will be among 66 players to tee-it-up in the inaugural @anwagolf from April 3-6 prior to @themasters ?

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Forty of the top 50 women’s amateurs in the world, including five of the top 10, are set to tee it up,

(Starting this year, winners of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur will receive a five-year exemption into the championship.)

The first 36 holes of the 54-hole Augusta National Women’s Amateur will be played at Champions Retreat Golf Club with the top 30 and ties making the cut and competing at Augusta National Golf Club on April 6. Players who qualify for the final round will play in a practice round at Augusta National on April 5.

NBC will broadcast the final round from noon-3 p.m. ET with Golf Channel providing highlights, live reports and news coverage during the event.

The magnitude of the event is not lost on Thibault.

“It still feels surreal,” said Thibault. “It was always a dream of mine, but it was not possible because I’m a woman. That’s why this dream was not unrealistic, but not possible, because the rules of the course was that it was men’s only.

“The fact that they took the first step in including women on this huge platform, when it’s been on everyone’s bucket list, I thought it was great.”

Tickets to the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur are sold out following an online ticket application process. No tickets will be available at the gates.

Click here for more info on the event, including a look at all the players currently in the field.

FAIRHAVEN, Mass. – The introduction of the new Titleist TS4 driver provides golfers seeking ultra-low spin performance with the speed and distance gains that have made Titleist TS2 and TS3 the most played driver models this season on the PGA Tour.

The new TS4, making its debut this week at the Valero Texas Open, is engineered to be a high-speed ultra low-spin design – challenging the notion that a driver designed for extreme spin reduction can’t produce this level of ball speed.

Available in golf shops and fitting locations beginning in late June, TS4 merges technologies developed through the Titleist Speed Project with a low, forward CG that neutralizes spin to produce a longer, more piercing ball flight.

“TS drivers have exceeded all our expectations both on tour and with golfers around the world,” said Josh Talge, Vice President of Marketing, Titleist Golf Clubs. “When it comes to driver performance, TS has shown that it’s no longer a one- or two-horse race.”

“While we know most golfers find their best fit in a TS2 or TS3 driver, there is a percentage of players out there with distinct performance needs, such as aggressive spin reduction,” Talge said. “TS4 is the ultra low-spin driver that still produces exceptional ball speed. If you want to hit it longer but are having trouble controlling spin off the tee, TS4 was made for you.”

Titleist TS4 drivers will be available in golf shops and fitting locations beginning in late June. Available in 8.5, 9.5 (RH & LH) and 10.5 lofts. MAP $699 CAD.

From April 22-26, Golf Canada will be celebrating all donations made towards the Future Links, driven by Acura Golf in Schools program in support of the third annual Adopt a School Week.

The week represents a coast-to-coast celebration to mark the efforts of all Golf in Schools adoptions. Since the program’s inception in 2009, adoptions have accounted for close to 50% of the over 3,800 registered schools delivering the curriculum. Together, Golf Canada, the PGA of Canada the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA), and all provincial partners have aligned to celebrate the generosity of golf enthusiasts across the country.

“Golf Canada recognizes the many investments made by Canadians across the country in support of the Golf in Schools program,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s chief sport officer. “It is in the industry’s best interest to support the continued growth of the sport at the grassroots level, which in turn benefits the future membership of facilities.”

For the first 30 adoptions, any golf facility, PGA of Canada professional or individual who adopts a school into the Golf in Schools program from April 22-26 will see their adoption matched with a school of their choice. This matching grant is possible due to Golf Canada’s partnership with the Canadian Seniors Golf Association (CSGA).

In 2018, 263 new schools were adopted, introducing an average of 120 students per school to golf.

A Golf in Schools donation includes the full program kit, which features safe, age-appropriate golf clubs along with a teacher-friendly learning resource. Developed in conjunction with the PGA of Canada and Physical Health Education (PHE) Canada, the learning resource incorporates Life Skills into the curriculum—placing added focus on transferrable skills both on and off the golf course.

The Intrapersonal Life Skills—perseverance, goal-setting and emotional regulation—are meant to instill focus while the Interpersonal Life Skills—honesty, teamwork and respect—embody a sense of sportspersonship.

Following Adopt a School Week, Golf Canada will be announcing all elementary, intermediate and high school adoptions conducted in 2019.

To adopt a school in your community, visit golfcanada.ca/adoptaschool

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic – Graeme McDowell won the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title since November 2015, closing with a 3-under 69 for a one-stroke victory over Chris Stroud and Canadian Mackenzie Hughes.

“This is big. This is big. … It’s been a rough few years,” said McDowell, the 39-year-old major champion from Northern Ireland.

He didn’t get an automatic Masters spot with the victory because the event was played opposite the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play.

“It’s difficult to win on the PGA Tour,” McDowell said. “Don’t like calling this a second-tier event, but obviously the best players in the world are in Austin, Texas, this week. Still got a great field down here.”

 

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G-Mac with the clutch W @coraleschampionship! See you in June @hamiltongolfandcountryclub! ???? #RBCCO #TeamRBC

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McDowell took the lead from Stroud with a 7-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th and closed with a bogey – lagging a 30-foot par putt to inches – on the par-4 18th. Stroud bogeyed the final two holes in a 69. Hughes, of Dundas, Ont., also closed with a bogey for a 66.

“To be honest, Graeme earned it,” Stroud said. “He hit some great shots and 17 is a perfect example. He hit a lot of good shots today and didn’t get rewarded. He got rewarded there.”

McDowell set up the two-stroke swing on 17 with a 6-iron shot.

“I was standing on 16 green, I said to myself, ‘You’ve got to do something that’s tournament winning,”’ McDowell said. “The shot to 17 was tournament-winning level. … I’ve been struggling with my long-iron play all week, medium- and long-iron play. It’s a shot I’ve been working on on the range the last few days and it was a perfect 6-iron, it was a perfect number for me, and when it came off the bat I knew it was pretty good.”

McDowell finished at 18-under 270, rebounding from an opening 73 with consecutive 64s to take a one-stroke lead over Stroud into the final round. The 2010 U.S. Open champion, McDowellwon his fourth PGA Tour title.

“I sat over there Wednesday and I said that I was here on a mission,” McDowell said, “I was here motivated, and the attitude was going to be very, very important this week. I got off to a slow start and then I kind of found my groove Friday, Saturday, especially on the greens.”

Hughes rallied with his second straight 66 to climb into a share of 2nd place, his best PGA TOUR result since his 2016 win at the RSM Classic. The Dundas, Ont., native was coming off a strong T13 result at the Valspar Championship just a week earlier.

.@MacHughesGolf for birdie and a share of the LEAD ?? pic.twitter.com/ujHT0xgC5T

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) March 31, 2019

Stroud faltered after birdieing the par-5 14th and par-4 15th to take the lead.

“I hit the ball really poorly today and I did a really, really good job of making awesome pars, making some birdies when I had a chance,” Stroud said. “I just hit it pretty poorly, and to have a chance to win hitting it that poorly makes me feel pretty good. Even coming down the last two holes, I hit a pretty poor chip on 17 after hitting a horrendous 6-iron. That’s a perfect 6-iron for me.”

Jonathan Byrd (66) was fourth at 16 under, and Chip McDaniel (63) and Kelly Kraft (68) followed at 15 under.

Second-round leader Sungjae Im, likely needing a victory to get into the top 50 in the world and earn a Masters spot, had a 71 to tie for seventh at 14 under.

Canadians Ben Silverman (Thornhill, Ont.) and David Hearn (Brantford, Ont.) finished T12 and T18, respectively.