ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen and three-time major champion Jan Stephenson are among five people selected for induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

A 16-member panel of mostly golf administrators also selected retired Augusta National chairman Billy Payne, LPGA charter member and renowned teacher Peggy Kirk Bell and Dennis Walters, who has been inspiring golfers through clinics despite being paralyzed from the chest down since he was 24.

Goosen recovered from a lightning strike to win 33 times worldwide, including U.S. Opens at Southern Hills and Shinnecock Hills. Stephenson won the LPGA Championship, U.S. Women’s Open and du Maurier Classic among her 16 titles on the LPGA Tour.

The induction will be June 10, the Monday of the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

Tiger Woods finished off the PGA Tour season by tapping in for par to win the Tour Championship, a moment that ended any doubts that he could win again after four surgeries on his lower back. And then the moment was gone.

Hours later, Woods and 17 other players were headed to France for the all-consuming Ryder Cup. And with barely enough time to digest Europe winning and Patrick Reed pouting, the PGA Tour started up a new season in California.

A few nuggets were lost in the quick transition.

Justin Thomas tied for fifth at the Tour Championship, and that was enough for him to win the PGA Tour money title for the second straight year after earning $8,694,821, beating out Dustin Johnson by $237,469. That was the smallest margin since Matt Kuchar won by $100,855 over Jim Furyk in 2010.

The PGA Tour no longer talks about money in the FedEx Cup era, though Thomas still wins a trophy. The Arnold Palmer Award is given to the leading money winner. Thomas became the first back-to-back winner of the award since Woods in 2006 and 2007.

Johnson, meanwhile, won the Vardon Trophy for the lowest scoring average (the PGA Tour has the Byron Nelson Award, so Johnson gets two trophies). Johnson won for the second time in three years. The first time, in 2016, he wasn’t sure what it was.

Brooks Koepka won PGA Tour player of the year, which was no surprise considering his two major championships. The only time someone won two majors and was not PGA Tour player of the year was in 1990, when Nick Faldo wasn’t a PGA Tour member.

For the first time in 10 years, the tour’s three main awards were won by three players _ Koepka, Thomas and Johnson. In 2008, Padraig Harrington was the player of the year, Vijay Singh won the money title and Sergio Garcia won the Vardon Trophy.

Singh won the money title by $826,094 over Woods while playing 17 more events. That was the year Woods had season-ending knee surgery in June, so he was ineligible for the Vardon Trophy (Woods played only 20 rounds). Harrington won two majors that year.

As for Woods?

The Tour Championship was his 80th victory, which was well documented even with all the attention on the Ryder Cup. He also improved his record to 44-2 when leading going into the final round on the PGA Tour. Also worth noting is that Woods joined Johnson and Rory McIlroy with his fourth FedEx Cup playoff victory.

The victory also meant Woods has won five tournaments in three decades — Firestone, Torrey Pines, Memorial, Tour Championship and World Golf Championships at Valderrama in 1999, Ireland in 2002, Atlanta in 2003, Harding Park in 2005, England in 2006 and Doral in 2007 and 2013.

FATHER & SON

Bob Tway was 50 when he played his last PGA Championship, making the cut at Hazeltine in 2009 and tying for 56th. He never returned, even though Tway has a lifetime exemption from his 1986 victory at Inverness, where he holed out from a bunker on the 18th hole to beat Greg Norman.

Now it appears he will be heading back, all because he has company _ his son.

Kevin Tway’s victory in the Safeway Open earned him an exemption to the Masters, but it also gets him into the PGA Championship in May at Bethpage Black.

“Winning the PGA, you’re always invited to go back, but I never did,” Tway said. “I just did not want to go back kind of ceremoniously. I wanted to go back when Kevin went back. So I’m very, very excited.”

Kevin Tway has played the U.S. Open three times but never the PGA Championship.

NAPA TIME

Phil Mickelson is bullish on the future of the Safeway Open when the shortened PGA Tour schedule takes hold.

“This has really turned into a great tournament the first three years, and I think next year when it has a bit of a break between the FedEx Cup and the start of the season, I think the field here is going to get really strong,” Mickelson said. “I think it will be one of the best all year.”

Whether it measures up to perennially strong fields at regular PGA Tour events _ Riviera, Quail Hollow and Muirfield Village, for example _ remains to be seen.

The PGA Tour season ends on Aug. 25 next year, and there likely will be a break before the Safeway Open. This year, it was two weeks after the Tour Championship and, for Mickelson, the week after the Ryder Cup. It showed in the weak field.

It was the first time since July that the European Tour (Scottish Open, one week before the British Open) had a stronger field than the PGA Tour.

Mickelson at least has shown a change of heart.

It was in February 2015 when Mickelson explained that fall events won’t get Ryder Cup points because “you’re giving the bottom half of the tour a three-month head start over ultimately the top guys.” So maybe a few weeks will make a difference.

It’s also worth noting that eight months after Mickelson made those comments, his management company took over the Safeway Open. Mickelson played in Napa the following year _ his first fall event in a decade _ and has not missed it since then.

ASIA SWING

The PGA Tour will spend the next three weeks in Asia, which can pay off for those willing to travel.

For players like Joel Dahmen and Sam Ryder, it will be their first tournament without a cut in the CIMB Classic. For players like Pat Perez, who won the CIMB Classic last year, it can set him up for the rest of the year. Perez earned 56 per cent of his regular-season FedEx Cup points from the CIMB Classic, CJ Cup in South Korea and the World Golf Championships event in Shanghai.

Perez was among 16 players who took part in all three stops in the Asia swing.

Also at stake are world ranking points, especially for those close enough to the top 50 to think about the Masters. The top 50 in the world at the end of the year are invited to Augusta National. Perez is at No. 56 and not yet eligible for the Masters.

Others outside the top 50 going into the Asia swing are Russell Knox (No. 58), Ryan Moore (No. 61), Kevin Chappell (No. 63) and Peter Uihlein (No. 66). All but Knox are playing in Malaysia.

DIVOTS

Thomas Pieters is playing the CIMB Classic on an unrestricted sponsor’s exemption. Pieters took PGA Tour membership last year but failed to play the minimum 15 events. He would have to wait a year before joining the PGA Tour. … Justin Rose will have a chance to return to No. 1 in the world this week at the British Masters, where he is the tournament host at Walton Heath. … The USGA is increasing the field for the U.S. Junior Amateur from 156 to 264 players starting in 2020 at Hazeltine. The idea is to allow for more exemptions that will attract the best juniors from around the world.

STAT OF THE WEEK

Pat Perez earned 56 per cent of his regular-season FedEx Cup points from three tournaments in the Asia swing, most of that from his victory in Malaysia.

FINAL WORD

“It was nice to start or end the year, however you look at it.” —  Phil Mickelson after his tie for 17th in the Safeway Open, the first PGA Tour event of the new season and his last PGA Tour start of the year.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – The PGA TOUR announced today that Brooks Koepka has been named the 2018 PGA TOUR Player of the Year as voted by the TOUR’s membership for the 2017-18 season.

PGA TOUR members who played in at least 15 FedExCup events during the 2017-18 season were eligible to vote. The balloting process ended on October 1.

Koepka, a 28-year-old native of West Palm Beach, Florida, finished a career-best ninth in the FedExCup following a season that included victories at both the U.S. Open and PGA Championship. He earned four additional top-10 finishes, including runners-up at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions and Charles Schwab Challenge.

“On behalf of the PGA TOUR, our congratulations to Brooks Koepka on being voted PGA TOUR Player of the Year by his peers,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Brooks has brought a new brand of athleticism to the PGA TOUR, and we saw the results this year with his historic season at the major championships and a top-10 finish in the FedExCup. These feats were accomplished despite missing significant time due to injury, a testament to his work ethic and perseverance throughout the season.”

Following the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January, Koepka did not compete on TOUR while recovering from a left wrist injury, making his return in late April at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He collected his first top-10 post-injury at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club, a second-place finish to Justin Rose.

With his victory at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, Koepka became the first player since Curtis Strange (1988-89) to win back-to-back U.S. Open titles. Five starts later, Koepka won his third major title in his 100^th PGA TOUR start, capturing the PGA Championship by two strokes over Tiger Woods with a tournament record 16-under 264. At age 28, Koepka became the fifth American since 1945 with three or more major wins before the age of 29 and the fifth player to win the U.S. Open and PGA Championship in the same season.

Koepka posted season-low rounds of 63 on four occasions in 17 PGA TOUR starts, including the lowest final round ever at THE PLAYERS Championship. He closed the season with 13 of 16 rounds in the 60s over the four FedExCup Playoffs events.

Kopeka competed in his first ever RBC Canadian Open in 2008, where he failed to make the 36-hole cut.

Koepka, who will receive the Jack Nicklaus Trophy for winning PGA TOUR Player of the Year, was selected for the honor over Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Francesco Molinari, Justin Rose and Justin Thomas.

NAPA, Calif. — Kevin Tway made a 10-foot birdie putt on the third hole of a playoff Sunday to win the season-opening Safeway Open for his first PGA Tour title.

The son of eight-time PGA Tour winner Bob Tway, the 30-year-old former Oklahoma State player beat Ryan Moore on the par-4 10th after Brandt Snedeker dropped out on their first extra trip down the par-5 18th.

After strong wind died down in the late afternoon on Silverado’s tree-lined North Course, Tway birdied the final two holes in regulation for a 1-under 71, then birdied all three holes in the playoff.

Moore birdied three of the last four in a 67.

Snedeker, three strokes ahead entering the day and five in front with 11 to play, had four back-nine bogeys in a 74. The nine-time PGA Tour winner bogeyed the first three holes on the back nine, birdied the par-5 16th, bogeyed the par-4 17th and parred the 18th, missing from 9 feet.

Luke List eagled the 18th for a 67 to finish a stroke out of the playoff with Troy Merritt (68), Sam Ryder (69), Aaron Baddeley (69) and Sungjae Im (71).

Phil Mickelson tied for 17th at 8 under after a 72. Fred Couples had a 75 to tie for 41st at 5 under in his final start in a regular PGA Tour event.

LPGA TOUR

INCHEON, South Korea (AP) —South Korea held off challenges from the United States and England to win the eight-nation International Crown for the first time in front of a delighted home crowd at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea.

The top-seeded host team started the final round two points clear of the chasing pack and won two of the four singles matchups to finish with 15 points, four ahead of the defending champion United States and England.

Thailand finished fourth, and Sweden fifth. Australia, Taiwan, and Japan were all eliminated at the end of the third round.

In contrast to the wet conditions that cost the tournament an entire day’s play on Saturday after Typhoon Kong-rey hit the Korean peninsula, bright sunshine helped produce a big and passionate crowd that cheered the home team on to victory.

In Gee Chun and I.K. Kim won singles matches for South Korea on the 18th hole. So Yeon Ryu rallied from a 2 down deficit to halve her match with Lexi Thompson. Sung Hyun Park was lost to Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand.

“We never really feel nervous before majors but we have been nervous for a couple of months before this,” Ryu said. “Turns out that because this was home field, we felt comfortable with all the fans that came out to support us, and we had a lot of benefits. The support was incredible.”

EUROPEAN TOUR

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP)— Lucas Bjerregaard of Denmark closed with a 5-under 67 on the Old Course at St. Andrews for a one-shot victory in the Dunhill Links Championship that denied Tyrrell Hatton a chance at his third straight title.

Bjerregaard started the day four strokes behind Hatton but he reeled in the European Ryder Cup player to finish with at 15-under 273.

Hatton (72) shared second place on 274 with Ryder Cup teammate Tommy Fleetwood (69).

Hatton, who was attempting to become only the fifth player to win the same tournament in three straight seasons, was six shots clear with 12 holes to play but came undone on the back nine with a 40. He missed a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that would have forced a playoff.

Bjerregaard won for the second time this year on the European Tour.

SYMETRA TOUR

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) —Ruixin Liu won the season-ending Symetra Tour Championship for her second straight victory and third of the season to top the 10 LPGA Tour qualifiers.

The Chinese player closed with a 1-under 71 for a one-stroke victory over Taiwan’s Pavarisa Yoktuan. Liu finished at 19-under 269 at LPGA International and earned $33,750 to take the season money title with $124,839.

Yoktuan shot 72. She finished third on the money list with $80,313.Dottie Ardina was second on the money list with $97,822. Elizabeth Szokol, Linnea Strom, Stephanie Meadow, Kendall Dye, Charlotte Thomas, Isi Gabsa and Dana Finkelstein also earned LPGA Tour cards, with Finkelstein edging Min Seo Kwak by $737 for the final spot.

OTHER TOURS

MEN

Takumi Kanaya closed with a 5-under 65 to win the Asia-Pacific Amateur on Sunday and earn a spot in the Masters and British Open next year. Kanaya shot 64-65 on the weekend at Sentosa Golf Club for a two-shot victory over Rayhan Thomas of India and Keita Nakajima of Japan. … In a battle of Americans on the Asian Tour, John Catlin closed with a 7-under 65 for a two-shot victory over Sihwan Kim in the Yeangder TPC in Taiwan. … Oliver Wilson of England shot 3-under 69 for a two-shot victory in the Monaghan Irish Challenge, his second victory this year on the European Challenge Tour. … Kevin Techakanokboon of Long Beach, California, closed with a 73 and hung on for a one-shot victory over Yuwa Kosaihira of Japan in the Zhuhai Championship on the PGA Tour China Tour. … Nicolas Echavarria closed with a 2-under 70 for a four-shot victory in the San Luis Championship on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica. … Santiago Luna of Spain closed with a 3-under 69 for a two-shot victory over Peter Wilson and Markus Brier in the European Senior Masters on the European Staysure Tour.

WOMEN

Seon-woo Bae closed with a 68 for a two-shot victory in the Hite Jinro Championship on the Korean LPGA Tour. … Shoko Sasaki shot a 4-under 68 for a one-shot victory in the Stanley Ladies GolfTournament on the Japan LPGA Tour.

“I’m not good enough to keep track of my handicap.”

Craig Loughry, Golf Canada’s Director of Handicap and Course Rating, is tired of hearing that.

“The purpose of the Handicap System is to make the game of golf more enjoyable by enabling players of differing abilities to compete on an equitable basis,” the Golf Canada Handicap Manual states.

“If you’re playing golf regularly, you’re keeping track of your scores in some fashion,” he points out. “You’re golfing for a reason or reasons, whether it’s for the competition against yourself or others, recreation, socializing, whatever. It obviously is a significant part of your activity schedule, so why not keep track on an ongoing basis?

“If golfers didn’t care about keeping score, then courses wouldn’t need scorecards, but they seem to have to replace thousands every year.”

Loughry is right. Everyone tracks their progress in just about every other facet of their lives, so why not in their golf games? In business or other pursuits, you expect a level playing field, right? A Golf Canada handicap factor provides both for your golf life.

Additionally, you never know when not having a Golf Canada handicap factor will come back to haunt you.

Knowing zero about your handicap can find you playing off a zero handicap.

A couple of personal anecdotes…

Years ago, I was invited to play in a pro-am. When I showed up at registration, I was asked for my handicap. When I said I didn’t have one, I was told I would have to play off scratch, from the pro tees. Some of my drives barely made the tee block from where my fellow amateurs (the ones with official handicaps) were playing from. Needless to say, I started posting every score after that humiliation.

My wife (who faithfully maintains an accurate handicap factor) plays in the member-guest tournament at a friend’s club every summer. The club sends out a friendly note leading up to the event.  It says, “it is the member’s responsibility to provide a handicap factor from an accredited golf association for their guest(s). Failure to do so will result in your guest(s) playing from scratch. Please note that scorecards, letters or ‘she shoots about an 85’ are unacceptable.”

If you have a Golf Canada Gold-level membership, the lengthy list of benefits includes an official handicap factor. It’s easy to post your adjusted scores online or at any Golf Canada member course and there’s even an app for your phone. It’s easy to join online even if you’re not already a member of a club and start tracking your scores right away.

Now that I’ve persuaded those of you who haven’t maintained a current and accurate factor (you must post all scores using the easy-to-understand Equitable Stroke Control system) to get on the bandwagon, here are some other handicapping notes.

Active Seasons

Regrettably, the end of the Canadian golf season is approaching. Each provincial golf association decides on what is called the “active season” for handicap posting purposes.

By province, the active seasons are:

• British Columbia March 1-Nov. 15
• Alberta March 1-Oct. 31
• Saskatchewan April 15-Oct. 31
• Manitoba April 15-Oct. 31
• Ontario April 15-Oct. 31
• Quebec April 15-Oct. 31
• Nova Scotia April 15-Oct. 31
• New Brunswick May 1-Oct. 31
• Prince Edward Island April 16-Nov. 14
• Newfoundland and Labrador April 1-Nov. 30

Going South This Winter?

It’s never been easier to post out-of-country scores if you’re lucky enough to play in a warmer clime this winter.

“Essentially, all you have to do is simply change the Canadian flag icon to the international one and then start typing in the most unique part of the club/course name,” says Taylor Stevenson, Golf Canada’s manager of member services.

As well, says Loughry, the International Golf Network (IGN) allows Golf Canada members to link their golf membership (handicap record) from Canada to their U.S. club(s). What’s the advantage of that?

“You only need to post your score once and that score automatically gets posted into the other record. This is not only important now for our many members who travel and golf outside the country, but will be more so when the World Handicap System is implemented.”

We Are The World

In 2020, the new unified World Handicap System will be implemented to make handicaps truly consistent and equitable around the globe. The new system will feature more flexibility and reflect the changes in how the game is played worldwide.

For example, both competitive and recreational rounds will count for handicap purposes, the number of scores needed to obtain a new handicap will be reduced and, perhaps most importantly, the result will be a consistent handicap that is portable from courses to course and country to country.

There is even a calculation that considers the impact that abnormal course and weather conditions affected your score.

Click here for more on handicapping.

Some Canadian golfers are long-standing members of the PGA TOUR, while others secured status for the 2018-19 season at the last minute.

Add them all up and the CanCon will hit a record level at this week’s Safeway Open.

Eight Canadians are in the field for the season opener at the Silverado Resort and Spa North in Napa, Calif. That’s the most at a PGA TOUR event outside of Canada since the TOUR started keeping track in 1970.

TOUR regulars like David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., are joined by Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., and Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont.

Silverman, who’s entering his sophomore campaign, was among the group of Canadians who broke through in the last few years after spending time on lower-level TOURs.

“I think we were just pushing each other to get better,” Silverman said. “We were all very talented at the time but just not there yet, not at TOUR level yet. Just knowing that there was only two or three Canadians to look at — yet we were all right there in the mini-TOUR ranks — it just probably pushed us all and motivated us all to make it.”

The previous high for Canadians in a non-domestic TOURnament was seven, according to PGA TOUR senior communications manager Doug Milne. It happened twice in 1987 (John Deere Classic and BMW Championship), at the 2008 U.S. Open, and twice last year (Safeway Open and CareerBuilder Challenge).

The number could grow again when Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., makes his return. He has status on the PGA TOUR with a major medical extension but isn’t ready to play after undergoing back surgery in August.

Silverman needed a strong finish at the recent Web.com Tour Championship to book his return to the PGA TOUR. A tie for third did the trick as he moved into 22nd on the Web.com Tour Finals money list, just inside the 25-man cut.

Sloan was 10th on the list while Svensson earned his card by finishing 14th on the Web.com TOUR’s regular-season list.

Silverman’s best finish on the PGA TOUR last season was a tie for seventh at the Sanderson Farms Championship last October. His other top-10 result came a few weeks later when he was tied for eighth at the RSM Classic.

He earned US$793,140 over the campaign, made the cut at 17 tournaments and finished 136th in the FedExCup standings.

Reached this week in Napa, he said he was very pleased with how his rookie campaign played out.

“A whole slew of courses that I’ve never seen before, which is always tough to get used to,” Silverman said. “I think I handled it pretty well. I had some good finishes. I learned a lot about myself in terms of how many TOURnaments I can handle.

“I think 28 regular-season events was kind of a lot for me. I’m going to learn from that and try to manage my schedule a little bit differently so I can get some more rest this season.”

Ben Silverman (Getty Images)

Silverman said he was inconsistent at times due in part to his effort to develop a more well-rounded game. He wanted to be able to hit high-, medium- and low-trajectory shots either straight or with a draw or fade, all while trying to add different short-game skills.

This season, he plans to keep it simple and go with what got him to the PGA TOUR in the first place. He’ll go with more bump-and-run shots around the green and will stick with his “little fade” off the tee and on the fairways.

“The biggest adjustment with my game is I’m pretty much just sticking to one ball flight and never changing it,” Silverman said. “Whether it suits the hole from a traditional standpoint or not doesn’t matter to me anymore. I’m just going to stick to hitting shots that I feel comfortable with.

“That was my gameplan in Jacksonville in the Web Finals and I had great control of the ball all week. I’m just going to keep that strategy going moving forward.”

Hadwin is the lone Canadian in the top 100 of the world golf rankings at No. 58. Silverman is next at No. 240, followed by Taylor (No. 280), DeLaet (No. 294) and Hughes (No. 297).

Play begins Thursday on the 7,203-yard course. American Brendan Steele is the defending champion.

VERO BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 1, 2018) – The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced tee times for the first two rounds of the 57th U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, Saturday (Oct. 6) and Sunday (Oct.7), at 5,817-yard, par-72 Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club, in Vero Beach, Fla.

The U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur consists of 36 holes of stroke play on Oct. 6 and 7, after which the field will be reduced to the low 64 scorers. There will be six rounds of match play, starting Oct. 8. The quarterfinals and semifinals are slated for Wednesday, Oct. 10. The championship is scheduled to conclude with an 18-hole final on Thursday, Oct. 11, starting at 8:30 a.m. EDT.

The 132-player field feature 12 Canadians, including defending champion Judith Kyrinis of Thornhill, Ont. Joining her is 2017 runner-up Terrill Samuel of Toronto and Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Mary Ann Hayward.

Below is the full list of Canadians competing in the 57th U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur:

• Judith Kyrinis
• Terrill Samuel
• Mary Ann Hayward
• Helene Chartrand
• Gail Pimm
• Cheryl Newman
• Audrey Akins
• Alison Murdoch
• Marie-Therese Torti
• Barbara Flaman
• Jackie Little
• Rhonda Orr

Judith Kyrinis, 54, of Canada, won the 2017 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship by defeating Terrill Samuel, 4 and 3, in the final at Waverley Country Club in Portland, Ore. Kyrinis is a registered nurse at Toronto General Hospital and primarily preps cancer patients for surgery. She has competed in 14 USGA championships, including four Senior Women’s Amateurs. Her brother, Dan Allan, qualified for the 2016 U.S. Senior Amateur Championship. In September, she reached the Round of 32 in the 2018 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Norwood Hills Country Club in St. Louis.

Audrey Akins, 51, of Canada, won the Canadian Junior Girls Championship in 1980 at age 13, making her the youngest winner in championship history. She was a member of the Canadian team that won a gold medal in the 1986 Commonwealth Games, an Olympic-style competition for countries that were traditionally associated with the former British Empire. Akins, a 1980 graduate of the University of Oklahoma who works as an English teacher, won the 2016 Michigan Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship.

Helene Chartrand, 62, of Canada, won the 2014 Canadian Senior Women’s Amateur Championship and finished runner-up in 2016. She is also the 2013 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur champion.

Mary Ann Hayward, 58, of Canada, is the manager of sports performance for the Golf Association of Ontario. The four-time Canadian Women’s Amateur champion has been inducted into the Canada, Ontario and Quebec Golf Halls of Fame. In 2005, she won the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur as Mary Ann Lapointe. An eight-time member of the Canadian team in the World Amateur Team Championship, she also served as the team’s captain in 2008. Hayward advanced to the Round of 16 in last year’s Senior Women’s Amateur.

Terrill Samuel, 57, of Canada, was the runner-up in last year’s U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, losing to fellow Canadian Judith Kyrinis, 4 and 3. It was the first time in USGA history that two Canadian players met in a final match. Samuel’s 80-year-old mother, Cam, served as her caddie for the 2017 Senior Women’s Amateur. Samuel, who is competing in her seventh Senior Women’s Amateur, played in the Inaugural Senior Women’s Open at Chicago Golf Club earlier this year. She was the 2010 Ontario Mid-Amateur Champion and the 2011 Ontario Senior Champion. Samuel is a two-time Canadian Senior Champion, winning in 2012 and 2015. Samuel is a teacher and a high school volleyball coach in the Toronto School District.

Gail Pimm, 58, of Canada, was a professional squash player for 10 years and competed in three world championships as a member of the Canadian team. Pimm was a teacher for 20 years and started playing golf in 2003.

Jackie Little, 60, of Canada, was a quarterfinalist in last year’s U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, losing to Patricia Schremmer, 2 and 1. Little, who is competing in her fourth Senior Women’s Amateur, is a five-time winner of the British Columbia Women’s Amateur and British Columbia Senior Women’s Amateur, and a three-time British Columbia Women’s Mid-Amateur champion. In 2008 and 2009, Little won both the Canadian Senior Women’s Amateur and Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA) Senior Women’s Amateur, earning Senior Women’s Amateur player-of-the-year honors from both associations. She is a member of the Golf Hall of Fame of British Columbia (2009), Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame (2012) and the PNGA Hall of Fame (2017). She and her husband, Pat, formerly owned the Hollies Executive Golf Course in Canada.

Click here for more information on the championship.

ROBERTS CREEK, B.C.  – Jennifer Gu emerged as leader in the Girls Division and Ilirian Zalli captured the Boys Division at the Future Links, driven by Acura Fall Series Championship at Sunshine Coast Golf & Country Club on Sunday.

Gu, who started the third and final round tied with the lead, carded a 1-over 73 to distance herself from the pack en route to a six-stroke victory. The West Vancouver, B.C., native finished at 7 over par in the 54-hole event.

“I knew that I had to bring my best this week to be medalist against a strong field here this week at Sunshine Coast,” said Gu. “Once I started getting a little bit of a lead I started hitting to the fat part of the greens; I was really focused on my lag putting to play safely which helped me.”

Angela Arora (Surrey, B.C.) and Emma Yang (Langley, B.C.) finished tied for 2nd at 13 over par and will advance to the Canadian Junior Girls Championship from July 29 – Aug. 2, at Lethbridge Country Club in Lethbridge, Alta.

In the Boys Division, Zalli of Burnaby, B.C., completed the wire-to-wire victory with a convincing 16-stroke win. The 2018 B.C. Junior Boys Champion closed at 14 under par (68-66-68) as the only player in the red.

“As this was the first fall series event in the west, it was more than just about winning,” said Zalli. “It was about setting the bar for years to come.”

Vancouver’s Dylan Bercan also finished with a 4-under-par 68, lifting him into a tie for runner-up with Zach Ryujin (North Vancouver) at 2 over par.

All three golfers will advance to the the 2019 Canadian Junior Boys Championship from Aug. 11-15, at Covered Bridge Golf & Country Club in Hartland, N.B.

Results for previous 2018 Future Links, driven by Acura Championships can be found here: Pacific, Ontario, Western, Quebec, Prairie, Atlantic, Fall Series Quebec.

Click here for scoring, pairings and additional information.

SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France – Payback belongs to Europe, and so does the Ryder Cup.

Two years after the Americans thought they had their Ryder Cup problems figured out, Europe reminded them Sunday why it practically has owned this shiny gold trophy for the last quarter-century.

British Open champion Francesco Molinari was just as good on his own as he was with Tommy Fleetwood. The best year of the Italian’s golfing life got even better at Le Golf National when he became the first European – and only second player since the current format began in 1979 – to win all five of his matches.

The last one set off a wild, champagne-soaked celebration.

Europe already was assured the 14 1/2 points it needed because they were guaranteed halves in two matches. Molinari made it official. He was 2 up and safely on the green at the par-3 16th green when Phil Mickelson hit into the water, removed his cap and conceded the match.

The finish was most appropriate.

The celebration and singing had already begun. The Europeans were treated like rock stars before more than 50,000 fans. All that remained was Alex Noren in the anchor match. He was 1 up on the 18th hole when DeChambeau stuffed his approach to 2 feet for a conceded birdie. Noren hit the final shot in this Ryder Cup, a 40-foot birdie putt to win the match, and the stoic Swede hurled his cap.

Europe won, 17 1/2-10 1/2, the most lopsided victory since consecutive 18 1/2-9 1/2 victories by Europe more than a decade ago when the Americans looked utterly lost. They formed a Ryder Cup Task Force, spearheaded by Mickelson, after the 2014 loss. The idea was to build continuity and momentum, and it seemed to work when they won at Hazeltine in 2016.

Now, maybe it’s back to the drawing board.

Mickelson was desperate to make this team because the 48-year-old saw it as his last chance to win a Ryder Cup on European soil. He wound up losing both his matches. He started the week by setting a record with his 12th Ryder Cup appearance. He ended it by setting a more dubious Ryder Cup record with 22 losses.

He wasn’t alone. Tiger Woods went 0-4, the first time in his eight Ryder Cups that he failed to contribute a single point.

But this was more about the Europeans as a team, and they were tougher than ever on a course they know well.

“This team has been incredible from the start,” Molinari said. “We were determined to do the job. Nothing was going to stop us. And you saw it on the course.”

Trailing 10-6 going into the final day of singles, the Americans needed to put red points on the board early to build momentum. It never happened. Justin Thomas won the leadoff match over Rory McIlroy, but not until the 18th hole.

Webb Simpson and Tony Finau, the lone bright spot among the wild-card picks for U.S. captain Jim Furyk, won easily. Behind them, Woods was hanging tough against Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson started to pull ahead of Ian Poulter.

“There’s always a moment where it looks like a spark of light,” Furyk said. “When it was there for us, Europe played really well.”

It wasn’t there long.

Rahm won two straight holes with pars to seize control. Johnson went from 1 up to 2 down in a four-hole stretch that ended his chances.

Rahm dropped his putter after making a 5-foot birdie on the 17th hole as Woods stood to the side of the green, arms crossed. One week ago, he overcame four back surgeries to win for the 80th time on the Tour Championship, a signal that he was all the way back.

And then at the Ryder Cup, it was another result with which he is far too familiar. Woods has played on only one winning team in 1999.

“It’s disappointing because I went 0-4, and that’s four points to the European team,” he said. “And I’m one of the contributing factors to why we lost the cup, and it’s not a lot of fun. It’s frustrating because I thought we were all playing pretty well, and I just didn’t perform at the level that I had been playing, and just got behind early in the matches and never got back.”

Thorbjorn Olesen, who had played only one match the previous two days, went 5 up at the turn over Jordan Spieth and won in 14 holes. Spieth is now 0-6 in singles matches in the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup.

Sergio Garcia was in tears.

He played so poorly this year that he failed to qualify for the PGA Tour’s post-season. Thomas Bjorn picked him anyway, saying he was like the captain of a football team. Garcia showed why by going 3-1. That final victory over Rickie Fowler made Garcia the biggest contributor in Ryder Cup history with 25 1/2 points.

But this was more about team, and about redemption, even for a team that now has won nine of the last 12 times.

“We took a really tough loss at Hazeltine a couple of years ago and that stung,” McIlroy said. “That was my first experience of what it feels like to be on the other side, so coming in here, obviously none of us want to feel like Sunday afternoon.”

SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France – Phil Mickelson is used to being a spectator when the Ryder Cup comes to Europe.

In a repeat of four years ago, Mickelson didn’t play at all Saturday at Le Golf National, reduced to a role of cheerleader and occasional coach while the rest of the team got on the course for at least one session.

Mickelson wasn’t happy with his omission in Gleneagles, ripping into captain Tom Watson after the Sunday singles finished off Europe’s 16 1/2-11 1/2 triumph.

The leader of this team, Jim Furyk, said Mickelson was more understanding about getting left on the sideline. He was out cheering during the afternoon foursomes, even allowing his teammates to rub his belly for good luck.

“Phil is a really good friend,” Furyk said. “We talked earlier this week about his play and how he was playing and his opportunities for play this week. He fully understood the role that he had today. Gave me a pat on the back and put his arm around me … (and) we had a great conversation. He said he would be ready tomorrow.”

Mickelson lost his only match Friday, dropping his career Ryder Cup record to 18-21-7. He has the most losses than any player in U.S. history, though Tiger Woods is now only one behind after three straight defeats in France.

Mickelson went out to practice Saturday morning, hopeful of getting another shot at playing the afternoon. But Furyk texted him about the time the pairings were submitted, letting him know he would be sitting out again.

Furyk conceded that he expected Mickelson to play more at the beginning of the week. But he’s struggled with his driving, and a poor showing Friday led the captain to go a different way.

But Furyk said Mickelson is still an asset to the team, even when he’s not playing.

“You’ve got him in your team room,” Furyk said. “He’s funny, he’s sarcastic, witty, likes to poke fun at people, and he’s a great guy to have in the team room. I think the younger players had fun having a go at him as well this week, which was fun to see. He provides a lot more than just play.

“I know Phil. He wants to be out there just like everyone else. That’s part of being a team and part of this event. We have 12 amazing players, and they can’t all play every match, and you accept what you get.”

Lefty will be back on the course one more time for singles matches Sunday, facing one of the hottest European players, Francesco Molinari. The British Open champion teamed with Tommy Fleetwood to win all four of their matches, propelling Europe to a 10-6 edge heading to the final day.

Furyk is counting on the 48-year-old Mickelson to give the Americans a boost at the back end of the singles draw. He’ll be playing in the ninth of 12 matches.

“I hope that our guys get off to a fast start and put him in that position,” the captain said.

FINAL MESSAGE

Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas won both their matches Saturday, both at the expense of Ian Poulter, who has built his reputation at these matches. Poulter’s signature move is to pound the Ryder Cup crest on his chest with his fist.

Spieth had the final word.

When he made birdie on the 15th hole to close out Poulter and Rory McIlroy in fourballs, he pounded his chest four times.

“He pounded his chest earlier on us today, so I was waiting for the right moment, and I think to win the match this afternoon felt like the right time,” Spieth said. “Clearly, we’re down four points, so in the scheme of things, we shouldn’t necessarily be celebrating. But for us two to get that point and the way that we played today and the battle that we had with those guys both matches, it was emotional.”

Spieth has one TV memory of Poulter, from the 2012 matches at Medinah. Poulter is most famous for making birdie on the last five holes to win the last team match Saturday evening. He pounded his chest because of the raw emotion, and Europe rode the momentum to rally from a 10-6 deficit the next day.

RORY’S OUTBURST

A taunt from a spectator beside the third green prompted an aggressive response from Rory McIlroy.

After rolling in an 8-foot putt for birdie to halve the hole with Ian Poulter against Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in the foursomes, McIlroy reacted by turning to the crowd and seemingly picking out one spectator in particular.

“Who can’t putt?” McIlroy shouted, before tapping his chest. “I can putt. I can putt.”

As he spun to pick the ball out of the cup, McIlroy uttered some more words.

European captain Thomas Bjorn said he was unaware of the incident.

“If it was a big problem for Rory,” Bjorn said, “he would have mentioned it to me.”

CAPTAINS’ PICKS

European captain Thomas Bjorn apparently picked the right four players for his team, even though three of them have not won a tournament this year.

Sergio Garcia, already a boost in the team room, teamed with rookie Alex Noren to split their two foursomes matches and with Rory McIlroy to win in fourballs. Henrik Stenson delivered the key putts in a foursomes victory with Justin Rose. Ian Poulter won a fourballs match Friday and gave a boost to McIlroy.

Add them up and his picks have contributed a combined six points.

As for Jim Furyk?

Tiger Woods is 0-3. Phil Mickelson lost his only match – he didn’t even play on Saturday. Bryson DeChambeau has lost foursomes matches while paired with Mickelson on Friday and Woods on Saturday. The only point came from Tony Finau – his final pick – in the opening match of the Ryder Cup.