DELTA, B.C. – James Allenby of Langley, B.C., shot a bogey-free 7-under par 65 on Monday to earn medallist honours at Kings Links by the Sea, host of the first of three RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifying events of 2019.

Allenby started the day off strong with birdies on holes 1, 5, and 7 before making the turn. He’d add four birdies on the back-nine, including holes 11, 13, 14 and 17.

Allenby was one of 10 golfers to earn a spot in the field for final RBC Canadian Open Qualifying, taking place June 3^rd at Heron Points Golf Links in Alberton, Ont.

Austin Hughes of Delta, B.C., carded a 4-under 68, while Raoul Menard of Ange-Gardien, Que., rounded out the top-three after firing a 3-under 69.

Calgary’s Wes Heffernan and amateur Mitchell Thiessen of Chilliwack, B.C., shot matching 1-under 71^s.

Five players all recorded even-par rounds of 72 to punch their tickets to the final stage. They were amateur Thierry Martine of Victoria, B.C.; Noah Lee of Langley, B.C.; Mewail Kidane of Vancouver; Bradford Curren of Hammonds Plains, N.S.; and Eric Banks of Truro, N.S.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL SCORING FROM
2019 RBC CANADIAN OPEN REGINAL QUALIFYING AT KINGS LINKS BY THE SEA

In total, there are three regional qualifying events, each consisting of 18 holes of stroke play. Provided that there are 100 or more players in the field, the low qualifier receives an exemption directly into the 2019 RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Hamilton, Ont.

Otherwise, the top 15 percent of finishers at each qualifier become eligible to compete at the final qualifying event.

A minimum of four players from the 18-hole stroke play Final Qualifier at Heron Point will gain entry into the RBC Canadian Open field.

There are two more regional qualifying events before the final qualifier:

• May 16 – TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley
• May 27 – Elm Ridge Country Club (North)

Additional information regarding the 2019 RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier at Kings Links by the Sea can be found here.

Tickets to the RBC Canadian Open are available at www.rbccanadianopen.com/tickets.

The Rules encourage prompt pace of play by all players as it has a huge impact on your group and everyone on the course.

Click here to learn more.

Brigitte Thibault of Rosemère, Que. shot even-par on 54 holes at the 2019 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Regional this week. Thibault competed as an independent at the event, and narrowly missed advancing to the season ending Final Championships.

Four regional tournaments were conducted from May 6-8 to determine the field for the Final Championships. A total of 384 participants were selected for regional competition. Of these players, 132 advanced to the Championships. Six teams and three individuals advanced from each regional.

Here is the official list of Canadians who played, represented in three of four regional sites:

• East Lansing Regional
  

  Name	Hometown	Position
  Mary Parsons (Indiana University)	Delta, B.C.	T61 (+14)
  Sydney Naro (Michigan State University)	Toronto, Ont.	T89 (+26)
  Phoebe Yue (UCLA)	West Vancouver, B.C.	T82 (+21)

• Norman Regional
  

  Name	Hometown	Position
  Kathrine Chan (Pepperdine University)	Richmond, B.C.	85 (+20)
  Naomi Ko (North Carolina State)	Victoria, B.C.	T-90 (+29)

• Auburn Regional
  

  Name	Hometown	Position
  Brigitte Thibault (Fresno State)*	Rosemère, Que.	T11 (E)
  Sarah-Eve Rhéaume (Furman University)	Québec, Que.	T51 (+9)

*Brigitte Thibault is an individual qualifier.

The national championships will be May 17-22 at The Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Arkansas hosted by the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. The final three days of the championships will be televised live by the Golf Channel.

Click on the event site above to access the tournament leaderboard and follow our Canadian golfers during the week.

HAMILTON – Today, RBC and Golf Canada announced that world ranked No. 3 Brooks Koepka and world ranked No. 18 Bubba Watson will compete in the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, June 3-9 at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club.

Koepka, the reigning PGA TOUR Player of the Year, has claimed three major championship titles including the 2017 and 2018 U.S. Open championships as well as the 2018 PGA Championship. The 28-year old star has already notched one PGA TOUR victory in 2019, and is coming off a recent T2 finish at The Masters.

“I’m looking forward to getting back to Canada to compete in the RBC Canadian Open,” said Koepka, who has played the tournament in 2015 and 2018. “I’ve heard really great things about the course [Hamilton Golf and Country Club] and for me, it’s an opportunity to play well and build momentum leading into the U.S. Open.”

Watson, 40, is a two-time major champion with wins coming at The Masters Tournament in 2012 and 2014. The popular, big-hitting lefty from Bagdad, Florida has two top-5s this season on the PGA TOUR, with a pair of T4 finishes coming at the Valspar Championship and Waste Management Phoenix Open. Watson has a deep connection to Canada as his wife, Angie, is from just outside Toronto.

“Winning a National Open, one that is part of my family now, would be a big deal,” Watson explained. “We’ve got two flags up at our house, so it’s a big deal. It would be a great honour.”

The pair join a world-class field of players including world no. 1, defending champion and Team RBC Ambassador Dustin Johnson, world No. 4 Rory McIlroy, and Team RBC members including Matt Kuchar, Webb Simpson, Ryan Palmer, Jim Furyk, Brandt Snedeker, Adam Hadwin and recent first-time PGA TOUR winner, Corey Conners.

“Having Brooks Koepka and Bubba Watson, both big hitters and Major winners, competing at Hamilton Golf and Country Club this summer is really exciting,” said Tournament Director Bryan Crawford. “Three of the top-four world ranked golfers are now competing in our Open, so it’s going to be one to watch, and will give golf fans another reason to get excited about the 2019 RBC Canadian Open.”

“We have a strong field competing at the RBC Canadian Open this June, and we’re excited to welcome Brooks and Bubba back to Canada,” said Mary DePaoli, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, RBC. “Adding the pair to an impressive roster that includes Rory McIlroy, our Team RBC ambassadors including our defending champion Dustin Johnson, and a growing list of Canadian talent will make it a memorable week.”

Koepka and Watson’s commitment to the 2019 RBC Canadian Open builds on an earlier announcement that introduced a two-night RBCxMusic Concert Series at the tournament. The concerts will feature Grammy nominated and internationally acclaimed duo Florida Georgia Line on Friday, June 7, and JUNO award-winning homegrown rock band The Glorious Sons on Saturday, June 8.

In the coming weeks, additional players, including Canadians and tournament exemptions will be announced. PGA TOUR players have until Friday, May 31 to commit to the field of the 2019 RBC Canadian Open.

Brooks Koepka’s results include:

• Three-time Major Champion (U.S. Open 2017 & 2018; PGA Championship 2018)
• Five-time PGA TOUR winner
• One-time European Tour winner (Turkish Airlines Open, 2014)
• 2018 PGA TOUR Player of the Year
• Former World No.1-ranked golfer

Bubba Watson’s results include:

• Two-time Major Champion (The Masters Tournament, 2012 & 2014)
• 12-time PGA TOUR winner including 3 in 2018 (Genesis Open, World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, Travelers Championship)
• Four-time Ryder Cup Team USA member (2010, 2012, 2014, 2018)
• Represented the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics, finishing T8

Tickets for the 2019 RBC Canadian Open are on sale at rbccanadianopen.com/tickets2019/.

PARINGS ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE HERE.

FOLLOW SCORING ONLINE AS PLAYERS COMPLETE THEIR ROUNDS BY CLICKING HERE.

DELTA, B.C. – RBC Canadian Open regional qualifying tees off Monday, May 6 at Kings Links by the Sea in Delta, B.C. Forty-four players are vying for seven spots in the RBC Canadian Open Final Qualifier at Heron Point Golf Links in Alberton, Ont. on Monday, June 3.

The 18-hole qualifier at Kings Links is the first of three regional qualifiers taking place across the country. The second qualifier takes place at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ont. on Thursday, May 16 and the third regional qualifier is at Elm Ridge Country Club in L’île Bizard, Que. on Monday, May 27.

The top 15% of finishers at each regional qualifier are eligible to compete at Final Qualifying on June 3. Should there be more than 100 competitors at any of the regional sites, the low qualifier at said site will receive an exemption directly into the RBC Canadian Open field.

The regional qualification process allows amateurs and professionals from across Canada and the world a chance to qualify for the RBC Canadian Open.

The qualifying competitions are open to members in good standing with the PGA of Canada or other PGA affiliates, amateur golfers with a current Handicap Factor not exceeding 2.0 who are members of Golf Canada or in good standing with their respective associations, as well as other golf professionals.

About Kings Links by the Sea

A seaside course located adjacent to Boundary Bay in Delta, B.C., Kings Links is a traditional par 72 links-style course, which models itself to resemble Scottish golf courses found in the British Isles. Originally a private course, Kings Links is now public.

Tickets to the RBC Canadian Open are available at: https://rbccanadianopen.com/tickets2019/

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Max Homa traded in a shovel for a ladder to get places he always thought he could reach.

Two years ago in his second try on the PGA Tour, he made only two cuts the entire season and played only one round on a Sunday. Eight months ago, he was on the verge of going back to Q-school and an uncertain future until closing with four straight birdies to make the cut in a Web.com Tour event that gave him another shot at the big leagues.

It made Sunday all that much sweeter in the Wells Fargo Championship.

In a three-way tie for the lead, in the final group on the PGA Tour for the first time, with Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia right behind him, Homa outplayed them all with a 4-under 67 for a three-shot victory at Quail Hollow and his first PGA Tour title.

“I used to say when I hit rock bottom I found a shovel and kept digging. I went to some low, low places,” he said. “I’d use a shovel and dig deeper. I went to some low, low places. I realized in that year or two when I started to play bad that my attitude was going to have to get a lot better. … I’m very proud I finally found a ladder and started climbing, because it was getting dark down there.”

Suddenly, the immediate future is bright as can be.

He has a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour, a tee time at the PGA Championship in two weeks at Bethpage Black and a spot in the Masters next year.

A former NCAA champion at Cal, Homa has “Relentless” in block letters tattooed on his right forearm. The 28-year-old Californian also has a signed photo from former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, who once told him to look at the picture and be reminded to believe in himself.

The trophy at his side, Homa’s press conference was interrupted for him to take a call from the 91-year-old Lasorda.

“I guess my whole world is different,” he said.

Golf felt so hard for Homa for so many years after he left Cal, and then he made it look so easy in a final round that made him so nervous he wanted to throw up, except when he had his hands on a golf club. He pulled away with two birdies to start the back nine for a four-shot lead. He didn’t make a bogey until it only affected the final margin. But it was a one-hour rain delay that tested Homa the most.

He was leading by three when he nearly went in the water on the 14th hole and chipped up to 6 feet when the horn sounded to stop play. With time he didn’t need on his hands, he called his fiancee and his coach and can’t remember what either of them said.

And then he returned and buried the putt.

“I knew in the back of my mind if I made that putt, I win this golf tournament,” he said.

Joel Dahmen, who pushed Homa as hard as any major champion, saved par with a tough chip over the creek for a 70 and finished three shots behind.

“I didn’t beat myself today, which was kind of the goal,” Dahmen said. “Max is playing awesome. He’s a good friend. I think we’re going to celebrate tonight.”

Homa effectively sealed it with a perfect play to the green on the par-5 15th for a two-putt birdie, and a 10-foot par putt on the 17th to keep a three-shot leading playing the tough closing hole at Quail Hollow. He made a 10-foot par there, too, and the celebration was on.

Homa finished at 15-under 269.

“Over the moon, man,” he said before going to sign his card. “It means a lot to do it under pressure, and job security is great. I haven’t had that.”

The victory was worth $1,422,000, about $454,000 more than he had made in his previous 67 starts.

Justin Rose (68) finished alone in third and moved ahead of Brooks Koepka to No. 2 in the world.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., was the top Canadian. He shot a final-round 73 to finish 1-under. Fellow Abbotsford native Nick Taylor (72) was 2-over.

Rory McIlroy was primed to join Tom Weiskopf as the only three-time winners at Quail Hollow, starting the final round two shots behind. He never got anything going until it went the wrong way. He turned a 20-foot eagle attempt into a three-putt par on the par-5 seventh, failed to get up-and-down on the reachable eighth for a birdie, and then went bogey-double bogey around the turn to take himself out of the mix.

No one else was much of a threat either, just two guys who had never come remotely close to winning on the PGA Tour.

Former PGA champion Jason Dufner, part of the three-way tie for the lead to start the final round, made consecutive bogeys early and had no bearing on the final round. A double bogey on the 18th gave him a 73 and dropped him into a tie for fourth.

Rose pulled within two shots with a birdie on the par-5 10th, only to settle into a series of pars. By the time Sergio Garcia reached double digits under par, Homa was well on his way.

Homa and Dahmen were at 13 under until Dahmen blinked first. He found a fairway bunker on No. 9, couldn’t get to the green and made bogey and dropped another shot on the 11th. Homa, playing behind him in the final group, holed a 15-foot birdie putt on the 10th for a two-shot lead, made birdie from the left rough on the 11th with a 12-foot putt and escaped more trouble off the tee on the 12th with a two-putt from 80 feet.

He survived the rain delay, the nervy finish.

Homa has endured a lot more than that over the last few years.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Rory McIlroy was in position to become the first three-time winner of the Wells Fargo Championship.

McIlroy celebrated his 30th birthday Saturday with a 3-under 68 to pull within two shots of leaders Max Homa, Jason Dufner and Joel Dahmen.

“I’m right there going into (Sunday), so I’m excited for that,” McIlroy said after a round that was delayed twice by weather. “I’m three shots closer to the lead than I was starting off the day, so that’s a good thing.”

Nobody finishes the Wells Fargo Championship better than McIlroy.

He’s been dominant on Sundays at Quail Hollow Club, which he calls one of his favourite courses. In his seven previous final rounds at the tournament he is a combined 19-under par, including a 62 in 2010 when he won the first of his two trophies.

His average final round score at the Wells Fargo is a 68.7, better than any other player. He’s trying to join Tom Weiskopf as the only three-time winners at Quail Hollow. Weiskopf won the old Kemper Open three times on this course before the tournament moved to Washington.

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McIlroy has experience on his side entering Sunday, too.

He’s up against two players – Homa and Dahmen – who’ve never won on the PGA Tour, and Dufner, who is looking to break out of a lengthy slump and who appears to be just barely holding on after shooting 71 on Saturday. Pat Perez also was in contention, one shot ahead of McIlroy, but he’s coming off a torn calf muscle.

As he walked from hole to hole, McIlroy was repeatedly greeted by fans wishing him happy birthday.

“I felt the love,” he joked.

But there were no gifts for the star from Northern Ireland early in the round.

He opened with pars on his first six holes. It wasn’t until the par-5 seventh that McIlroy drained a short putt for his first birdie. He finished the round with four birdies and one bogey.

Ironically, the bogey came after his best shot of the day.

McIlroy nearly holed out from the middle of fairway 99 yards away on the par-4 12th when ball just missed rolling backward into the cup with some backspin. It appeared McIlroy was building some momentum, but the second horn sounded suspending play again as he was lining up his birdie putt and he had to go all the way back to the clubhouse again. When McIlroy returned to the course, he three-putted for bogey.

“That one sort of got me a little bit,” McIlroy said about the second delay. “But it’s the same for everyone, we just have to deal with it the best we can.”

But McIlroy pulled it together, making birdie on the short par-4 14th hole and the reachable par-5 15th hole to claw back to within two shots of the leaders, none of whom could separate themselves from the pack coming down the stretch at Quail Hollow’s difficult three closing holes called the Green Mile.

McIlroy said the key for him Sunday will be patience, something he learned after winning the Players Championship earlier this year. During that victory he started the final two rounds 2-over before battling to get on track.

“I told myself I’m right in the thick of the tournament but you have to stay patient and almost let it come to you rather than try to chase it,” McIlroy said about The Players Championship. “That was on thatgolf course. I think it’s similar here. You have to pick your spots to be aggressive and make your birdies, the par 5s, the two short par 4s. If you can do that and pick those off and you don’t make many mistakes, you know, 68 or 67’s always going to do you pretty well around here.”

It’s no surprise that McIlroy is in contention.

He’s in midst of another outstanding season. He’s made the cut in all nine events he’s entered and not finished worse than a tie for 21st,at the Masters.

McMaster University has announced two new online courses in its Golf and Resort Management program for 2019, with each running May 14 through July 8.

Golf Course Design & Construction – Turf Management

This course addresses golf course design principles and turf management practices. How the golf course architect designs the golf course throughout all phases of development will be considered. Topics include: designing a new facility, how to renovate and/or expand an existing facility, the processes of obtaining permits and dealing with local authorities about environmental issues associated in golf course development, and the fundamentals of golf course maintenance. Topics such as grass and soil identification, drainage systems, equipment use in maintenance procedures, and establishment and implementation of a turf management program, and an introduction to pesticides and fertilizers will also be covered.

Cost: $709.36
Instructor: Rod Speake

Marketing Management in Golf Operations

Participants will apply the basic components of marketing and marketing research in the development of a marketing plan for a golf facility. The various strategies required to ensure a successful marketing environment will be introduced (segment and positioning, product, distribution, pricing and promotion strategies). Students will learn to analyze and segment markets, identify target markets, and design and develop a strategic marketing plan that meets the needs of the specified target market. Through cases and examples, students will develop an appreciation for trends and issues in today’s marketing environment. The significance of sponsorship and endorsements in marketing a special sports event will be covered.
Cost: $709.36
Instructor: Scott Simmons

Both courses cost $709.36. For enrolment information, click here.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Rory McIlroy a joué 66 (moins cinq) pour prendre la tête en compagnie de Joel Dahmen au Championnat Wells Fargo, jeudi.

McIlroy, victorieux deux fois au club Quail Hollow, a inscrit cinq de ses six oiselets sur le deuxième neuf, incluant trois d’affilée.

Dahmen a calé un roulé de 15 pieds au 18e trou, ramenant une carte sans boguey.

Il y a cinq joueurs à 67, dont le Canadien Nick Taylor. Patrick Reed, Adam Schenk, Martin Laird et Dylan Frittelli ont un seul coup de retard eux aussi.

Dans le groupe à 68 se trouve le champion en titre, Jason Day.

L’unifolié est aussi représenté par Ben Silverman (71), Adam Svensson (73), Adam Hadwin (73), David Hearn (74), Roger Sloan (74) et Mackenzie Hugues (75).

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Rory McIlroy looked every bit like a player who has won twice at the Wells Fargo Championship.

He just didn’t feel like one.

Twice when he was out of position off the tee, he managed to make birdies. He missed a 4-foot birdie putt after his most amazing recovery of all. And late in his round Thursday, he ran off three straight birdies for a share of the lead with Joel Dahmen at 5-under 66, his lowest start in 10 appearances at Quail Hollow.

Walking to the scoring area, he smiled and said, “Managed my game.”

His translation of that?

“Get the most out of your round, turn 70s in 66, like I did today,” he said. “I felt like I hit it like I should have shot 1- or 2-under par. I didn’t feel like it was a round that I deserved to shoot 5 under, but I got the most out of it, which is nice if I’m able to continue to do that sort of stuff.”

He wasn’t complaining. In his first start since tying for 21st at the Masters – his only finish out of the top 10 this year – McIlroy got out of trouble and made enough key putts to keep moving in the right direction. His only bogey came after a drive that bounced into a creek, and there’s no recovering when a ball is in 4 feet of water.

Dahmen, a cancer survivor who tries not to take himself too seriously, played a more steady game. Playing three groups behind the large crowd following McIlroy, he kept bogeys off his card and holed a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th for his 66.

They were a shot ahead of a group that included Patrick Reed, who is having the opposite year of McIlroy. The former Masters champion has yet to finish in the top 10, and he hopes a bogey-free round like Thursday morning will be a signal that his work on his swing is done and it’s time to start hitting shots.

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., was the low Canadian, in a tie for third with Reed, Adam Schenk, Dylan Frittelli and Martin Laird.

Defending champion Jason Day led a large pack at 68.

Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., was tied for 47th at even-par 71. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., were tied for 83rd at 2 over, David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., were tied for 103rd at 3 over. Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., was 4 over to tie for 116th.

Dahmen tied for 12th at The Players Championship and earned just over $250,000, which made him feel like “the richest man alive.” He decided to grow in a moustache, which he kept for good luck until hitting a ball in the water last week at the team event in New Orleans. So he shaved.

But he’s still playing well enough to think this might be the week he at least gives himself a chance.

“I want to be in the hunt with nine to play. That’s the goal,” he said. “I haven’t really been there yet. I’m good enough to. I should be there. I should have chances by now. I just kind of need to get out of my own way and let it go.”

McIlroy was in the trees on the second hole when he punched out low and let the ball run across the sun-baked, fast fairway and onto the green about 20 feet, setting up a long birdie putt. He got out of minor tree trouble on the par-5 10th to set up a birdie. He was out of position left of the 11th fairway and hit that to 2 feet.

His best shot was from a suspect lie in the right rough, blocked by a tree, facing an elevated green with a back pin. The idea was to dump it in a front bunker and try to get up-and-down for par.

“That’s where I assumed it was going to go, but it came out perfectly, had a little more cut on it than I thought it was going to out of the rough, took a nice couple of hopes and got up there very close,” he said.

Not close enough, for he badly pushed the birdie putt.

“Probably didn’t deserve to make the putt after the tee shot,” he said.

And then in a three-hole stretch, he moved to the top of the leaderboard. It started with a long bunker shot to 6 feet for birdie on the short par-4 14th. His 3-wood on the par-5 15th went over the green and he chipped weakly to 12 feet and made the putt. And then he smashed a driver that bounced off the ridge next to a bunker and down the fairway, leaving a chip 9-iron to 8 feet for a third straight birdie.

Good golf usually goes his way at Quail Hollow.

This is where McIlroy won his first PGA Tour title in 2010, closing with a 62. He lost in a playoff to Rickie Fowler and D.A. Points two years later, and won in 2015.

“I’ve got some great memories here,” he said. “Every time I step onto this golf course, I feel like I have a chance to shoot a good score. I didn’t play my best today. I managed my game well, scrambled well. But it added up to a good number at the end of the day.”