Une autre preuve que les golfeurs professionnels du Québec poursuivent la relance de leur association après avoir été mis en tutelle par la PGA du Canada est le retour de la remise des Méritas de concert avec le groupe Pro Golf.

« En plus d’honorer l’excellence, voilà une autre chance de continuer à connecter avec   nos membres afin de poursuivre à bâtir ensemble, » déclare Dominic Racine en poste dans le rôle de directeur général depuis juillet.

L’hommage principal était la présentation du titre de Pro de l’année, lequel est allé à Debbie Savoy-Morel pour son impact à la barre du Mirage et son sport. Cette reconnaissance survient à un moment de transition majeure.

Debbie a été chaudement applaudie par ses collègues qui l’ont élue par une très forte majorité dans les votes. En prenant la parole, Debbie a remercié son équipe.

« Ce genre de prix ne se gagne jamais seule, » a-t-elle mentionné. Debbie a également profité de sa tribune pour transmettre un message à ses pairs.

« Afin de poursuivre la relance, il est important d’apporter notre appui et notre collaboration au président Steven Brosseau et son comité qui donnent leur temps bénévolement, » a-t-elle ajouté.

Jean-Philippe Moffet, du Manoir Richelieu a obtenu le prix de pro-gestionnaire et celui de la classe A a été décerné à Steve Deschênes, de Pinegrove.

Plus que mérité, un prix devient une célébration de carrière pour Debbie

Même un scénariste professionnel n’aurait pas fait mieux et je parle ici de Debbie Savoy-Morel, la première femme nommée professionnelle par excellence au golf québécois en attendant les annonces canadiennes, où elle se situe favorite en raison de son rayonnement ici et ailleurs.

Entre vous et moi, Debbie aurait pu et dû recevoir cet ultime hommage voilà cinq ans, dix et même bien avant.

Son travail depuis deux décennies et plus au club Le Mirage toujours en très étroite collaboration avec son directeur général René Noël constitue un modèle d’efficacité   dans la façon de faire.

La grande décision est prise

Cela dit, le moment pour les grands honneurs ne peut être mieux choisi lorsqu’on connaît toute l’histoire de Debbie auparavant nommée enseignante et « gentilhomme ».

Membre du Panthéon de Golf Québec depuis l’an dernier et avec un tournoi provincial portant son nom depuis quelques années, Debbie a l’habitude des prix sauf que celui-ci revêt un caractère particulier.

Une mention nécessaire et essentielle à faire est que Debbie se retrouve à un point de transition majeure dans sa vie professionnelle. Les membres du Mirage ont été avisés. Elle a pris la grande décision. Le temps est venu de profiter un peu plus du bon temps avec son mari Denis (Morel).

Là pour rester

De fait, l’annonce d’un nouveau pro pour joindre l’équipe en place surviendra aussitôt que ces jours-ci.

Qu’on lise bien ici : Debbie quitte ses fonctions administratives, mais pas le Mirage. Elle y sera présente la saison prochaine et plusieurs autres à venir.

Dans une décision populaire, René Noël nomme son amie Debbie professionnelle émérite du Mirage et proche conseillère.

Tel que mentionné au début, même un scénariste professionnel n’aurait pas pu faire mieux avec cette reconnaissance de ses pairs comme pro de l’année pour applaudir l’excellence de Debbie Savoy-Morel en même temps que célébrer une très belle carrière qui n’est pas terminée.

PS : au sujet des prix nationaux, les gagnants seront connus plus tard, mais avis aux dirigeants à Toronto – Debbie a déjà mon vote et celui de l’ensemble du golf au Québec.

Marc-Étienne Bussières honoré pour son jeu

Bien que la «nouvelle» PGA du Québec ne soit plus en large partie une organisation de tournois avec la nouvelle philosophie en place, la reconnaissance aux performances compétitives existe toutefois toujours.

Sans surprise, la distinction du meilleur golfeur est allée à Marc-Étienne Bussières, du club LongChamp.

Parmi ses principaux succès cette année, il y a les victoires aux championnats du Québec des pros et du Canada chez les adjoints cela une deuxième année de suite dans ce dernier cas. Bussières est aussi premier au classement des points de la PGA du Canada.

La relève en évidence 

De nouveaux noms ressortent cette année ce qui est bien pour assurer le renouvellement dans la profession et Benoît Lemieux est du nombre en ravissant la récompense d’entraîneur de l’année. Benoît est du groupe Golf Performance, qui appartient à Daniel Langevin.

Il dirige plusieurs talents de la relève, dont le champion junior canadien Christopher Vandette. Il dirige l’équipe du Cégep André-Laurendeau, championne provinciale, et celle du Collège de Montréal.

Kevin Bilodeau-Tremblay, de la Tempête, a mérité la distinction du meilleur enseignant.

Toujours dans la catégorie gala, mentionnons que Marc Foucault, du Lac Sainte-Marie, dans l’Outaouais, reçoit le prix de professionnel de l’année de la région d’Ottawa à laquelle il appartient pour des motifs de proximité.

On assure que les trophées, qui portent les noms de Jules Huot, Damien Gauthier, Jean-Paul Alary, Jean-Guy Regnaud et Richard Labonté à titre posthume, continueront d’être remis après leur restauration en cours. Un autre retour qui survient cette semaine sera le championnat des adjoints pour le trophée Ernie Findlay. Ce sera mardi, au club Beaconsfield.

TABLEAU DES LAURÉATS

Professionnel(le) par excellence: Debbie Savoy-Morel, Le Mirage

Compétiteur: Marc-Étienne Bussières, LongChamp

Pro-administrateur: Louis-Philippe Moffet, Manoir Richelieu

Pro classe A: Steve Deschênes, Pinegrove 

Entraîneur: Benoit Lemieux, Académie Golf Performance

Enseignant: Kevin Bilodeau-Tremblay, La Tempête

Candidat au titre national: Marc-Étienne Bussières, LongChamp

 Meilleure boutique: Pierre-Luc Bergeron et Maxime Beaulieu, B2Golf

Chef de file junior: Nicolas Quirion, Laval-sur-le-Lac   

Le 19^e trou
Le club Le Victorien, à Mirabel, a été vendu. À moins d’un changement, l’endroit changera de vocation… À surveiller cette semaine, il y a le championnat collégial canadien. André-Laurendeau et Champlain/St.Lawrence sont les représentants du Québec… Le temps risque de ne pas être très chaud avec la présentation à Medicine Hat, en Alberta…. Il a commencé à neiger en Abitibi.

Ten Canadians will move on to the second stage of 2018 Web.com Tour qualifying school as play concluded Friday (Oct. 12.) at events taking place across the United States.

Kaleb Gorbahn of Smithers, B.C., finished runner up at 8-under, while Hugo Bernard of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., tied for 17th after finishing 2-under at the Dayton Valley, Nev., qualifying event, where the top 22 positions and tied advanced.

Click here for the leaderboard.

In Pine Mountain, Ga., Joey Savoie of La Prairie, Que., advanced after tying for 14th at 10-under. The top 21 and ties qualified to move on to the next stage.

Click here to view the leaderboard.

Toronto’s Richard Lee finished ninth at 7-under and Robbie Greenwell of Georgetown, Ont., tied for 13th at 3-under at the San Diego qualifier, where the top 22 and ties moved on.

Click here for the leaderboard.

Jared du Toit of Kimberley, B.C., Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Andrew Funk of Sidney, B.C., all finished in the top 21 and ties at the SunRiver Golf Club in St. George, Utah to advance.

du Toit finished 9th at 16-under. Another shot back was Pendrith, who tied for 10th. Funk tied for 20th at 9-under.

Click here to view the leaderboard.

Jamie Sadlowski of St. Paul, Alta., previously earned top spot at a qualifier in Maricopa, Ariz., with a score of 16-under. Vancouver’s Sean Harlingten finished 4th, one-shot back of top spot at -15. Ryan Williams, also of Vancouver, tied for 13th at -10. The top 21 and ties moved on.

Click here for the leaderboard.

Second stage of 2018 Web.com Tour qualifying gets underway Oct. 30. Click here for the full schedule.

The world’s best junior golfers faced off this week at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games contested at Buenos Aires’ Hurlingham Golf Club.

In the women’s individual competition, Grace Kim of Australia won the gold medal, topping the 32-player field at 1 over par (211). Italy’s Alessia Nobilio, who was part of the gold medal winning team at the 2018 World Junior Girls Championship this past September in Ottawa, took home silver with a total score of 214 (+4). Nobilio, Emma Spitz of Austria and Yuka Saso of the Philippines squared off in an extra hole playoff with Nobilio making birdie and Spitz getting par to claim the bronze medal.

Canada’s Céleste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Qué. — who entered the final round with share of 7^th position — finished the tournament in a tie for 13^th with rounds of 75-72-76 (223).

On the men’s side, Australia’s Karl Vilips topped the field of 32 to win the gold medal with a total score of 4 under 206 (69-68-69), besting American Akshay Bhatia by two strokes. Bhatia was awarded the silver medal with a total score of 208 (69-69-70) while the bronze medal was won by the Netherlands’ Jerry Ji who scored 211 (+1) for the tourney.

William Duquette of Laval, Qué., finished the competition in 28^th spot with rounds of 80-79-82 for a total score of 241 (+31).

The Youth Olympic Games golf competition resumes Oct. 14-15 with the mixed team tournament, which will see the Québec duo of Dao and Duquette team up to represent the maple leaf.

Golf Canada’s Director of Next Generation and Women’s Junior Squad coach Matt Wilson is accompanying Team Canada in Buenos Aires.

As well, Golf Canada’s Mary-Beth McKenna, who is assistant tournament director for the RBC Canadian Open, is working as a rules official for the Youth Olympic Games golf competition.

Click here for the full results.

Lara Tennant of Portland, Ore., won 1-up against Samuel to move on to Thursday’s final round against Sue Wooster of Australia.

Tennant defeated a Senior Women’s Amateur runner-up in the semifinals, edging Terrill Samuel, 57, of Canada, 1 up. The match went to the 18th hole all square after Samuel, who lost in the championship match in 2017, birdied No. 17 with a 7-foot putt. Both players had birdie putts on No. 18, with Samuel hitting her 50-footer 6 feet past the hole. Tennant, who was co-medalist in last year’s championship before bowing out in the Round of 64, rolled in her birdie try from 25 feet to seal victory and earn a spot in Thursday’s final.

The match had its share of dramatic moments. All square on No. 11, it looked like Tennant would regain the lead after hitting her approach shot on the par 4 to less than a foot from the hole, but Samuel chipped in from just off the green to halve the hole with birdies. Tennant would then trail for the only time in the match after hitting her tee shot on the par-3 12th in the water, but she squared the match again with a birdie on the par-5 13th.

While she fell short in her bid to get to a second straight final, Samuel did gain a bit of redemption on Wednesday morning, defeating countrywoman Judith Kyrinis, 54, in the quarterfinals, 1 up. Kyrinis, the reigning champion, had defeated Samuel in the championship match a year ago.

MISSISSAUGUA, Ont. – Higher Ground Sports Management Inc. announced today the signing of former No.1-ranked Canadian amateur golfer Hugo Bernard of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, who has turned professional.

Bernard is making his professional debut this week at the First Stage of Web.com Tour Q-School in Dayton, Nevada.

The 23-year-old has also signed an endorsement deal with Titleist.

“With my professional career getting started this week, I was thrilled to sign with an experienced management team,” said Bernard, the former Canadian Men’s Amateur Champion, who has been a member of Golf Canada’s National Team since 2016. Bernard was also a member of Canada’s National Development Squad in 2013.

“I’ve had a lot of great opportunities as an amateur and collegiate golfer and I’m very proud of my career so far. I can’t wait to get started on the next phase of my golf career and join the professional ranks.”

Higher Ground, led by President George Sourlis, manages the business affairs of PGA Tour winner Adam Hadwin, LPGA Tour player and Canadian Olympian Alena Sharp, and fellow Golf Canada National team alums Jared du Toit and Blair Hamilton. Higher Ground will assist Bernard in sourcing and securing endorsement arrangements, developing and marketing his professional brand, and day-to-day management of his career.

“Hugo has it all,” said Sourlis. “He is extremely talented on the golf course, and that talent has shone through for years throughout his amateur and collegiate career. But away from the golf course he’s also an exemplarily young man. I’m excited to be part of what should be a long and successful career.”

Bernard was a star freshman at Saint Leo University in Florida. He led the team to a NCAA Division II national team championship and secured one individual title, at the NCAA Argonaut Invitational. He was also the individual medalist at the 2016 NCAA Division II Championship.

Bernard has had a long list of accomplishment in Canada, the U.S., and his native Quebec.

Bernard’s immediate goal will be to secure Web.com Tour status for 2019, otherwise he will play on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada next year.

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.

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