ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. – Lucas Glover entered the Web.com Tour Finals with the likely safety net of a PGA TOUR medical extension but still in search of a victory and a guaranteed card for the 2018-19 season. The Greenville, South Carolina, native posted back-to-back rounds of 64 at the Web.com Tour Championship to reach 14-under par at host Atlantic Beach Country Club, good for a one-shot lead heading into Saturday’s third round of the Web.com Tour’s season-ending event.

Glover played brilliant golf over the opening 36 holes in Atlantic Beach, recording 14 birdies against zero bogeys to finish the halfway point at 14-under par.

After starting Friday’s second round in the afternoon wave, Glover parred his opening four holes before notching birdies on 14, 17 and 18 to turn in 3-under 33.

Birdies on Nos. 1, 4, 6 and 7 vaulted him into the lead at 14-under par before he closed with pars on Nos. 8 and 9 to round out a closing 31 and a second-round 64.

“Similar to yesterday, just gave myself a lot of chances and just converted a bunch of opportunities. Drove it a little better today and I’m hitting my irons a little worse, but same result, so pretty happy obviously,” he said after his round. “I hit a lot of good putts today that could have gone in, I just didn’t make the ones I made yesterday. So I felt like it could have been one of those scary low ones.  But I hit my lines, felt like I just misread a bunch by like half a ball or something, kind of like the last, but I’m not displeased at all, believe me.”

Glover has accrued 382 starts on the PGA TOUR, collecting wins at the 2005 Children’s Miracle Network Classic, 2009 U.S. Open and 2011 Wells Fargo Championship. The win in Charlotte, where he defeated 2017 Web.com Tour Championship winner and former Clemson teammate Jonathan Byrd, came 7 years, 4 months and 13 days ago.

In June, Glover had arthroscopic knee surgery to repair two meniscus tears that had bothered him for the last three to four years. Under a PGA TOUR medical, he was granted eight starts in the 2018-19 season to accrue 53.151 FedExCup points to retain his full membership status.

“Yeah, I mean, like I’ve got a lot to fall back on regardless of this week, but any time I tee it up, I want to play well.  Tomorrow won’t be any different, Sunday won’t be any different,” said Glover when asked if the medical allowed for less pressure this week.

This year marks Glover’s second time in the Web.com Tour Finals. In 2015, he posted top-25 finishes in all four events (including a T12 in the Web.com Tour Championship) to finish 19^th on the Finals-only money list to secure his card for the 2015-16 season.

Through the first three events of the 2018 Finals, he sits at No. 46 on the Finals-only money list with his lone top-25 being a T17 effort at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship. With $44,000 as the safe benchmark for a PGA TOUR card, Glover needs to finish solo-10^th or better to secure a return to golf’s biggest stage.

“It’s good. It’s 36 holes, we’ve got 36 more. Nobody’s going to all of a sudden stop making a bunch of birdies, so I’ve got to do the same thing,” he said.

Canadian Ben Silverman shot a 3-under-par 68 to sit three shots back of the leader in a two-way tie for 4th place. Fellow countryman Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., holds a share of 11th at 9 under par – the Team Canada graduate has already earned his PGA TOUR card for 2019 via Web.com Tour money list.

Denny McCarthy, who graduated from the Web.com Tour in 2017, is one shot behind Glover at 13-under 129.

The former University of Virginia golfer opened his week with a 7-under 64 before recording seven birdies on Friday en route to a 6-under 65.

McCarthy finished the PGA TOUR season with conditional status for 2018-19 following a rookie campaign which left him at No. 149 in the FedExCup. The 25-year-old posted four top-25 finishes over the last year, including a season-best fourth-place effort at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship.

In the Web.com Tour Finals, McCarthy recorded top-10 finishes in his first two starts to secure status for next year’s PGA TOUR season, entering the week in Northeast Florida at No. 13 in the Finals-only money list. With $75,792 in earnings, he is still within striking distance of wining the Finals money list, which would provide a fully-exempt card for the 2018-19 season as well as an exemption into THE PLAYERS.

“Yeah, 100 percent, I’m trying to get that spot. There’s no secret about it. I’ll come out and tell you I’m here to win this tournament and get that No. 1 spot,” said McCarthy. “I’ve been hungry for a while. I have a pretty hungry attitude and I’m going to stay hungry.”

Longtime PGA TOUR member Cameron Tringale is in solo-third place at 12-under 130 following rounds of 63-67.

Tringale is making just the 13^th Web.com Tour start of his career this week, as the former Georgia Tech standout has spent most of his career on the PGA TOUR. The 31-year-old has made at least 22 starts per season on TOUR since 2010, recording 50 top-25 finishes in 243 starts, including runner-up efforts at the 2014 NORTHERN TRUST, 2015 Zurich Classic of New Orleans and Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

Over the last two years, Tringale has found himself in the Web.com Tour Finals at season’s end following 133^rd– and 195^th-place finishes in the FedExCup in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

Last year, Tringale entered Web.com Tour Championship week at No. 63 on the Finals money list but posted 17-under 267 in Atlantic Beach for a T5 effort which vaulted him to No. 24 and back on the PGA TOUR.

“Yeah, I was hoping last year was my last time here, but I do have a comfort at this golf course and I’m excited to keep pressing,” he said after Friday’s round.

OTTAWA – Brooke Henderson earned yet another accolade, taking the female summer athlete of the year honour at the Canadian Sports Awards, while short-track speedskating star Kim Boutin earned the winter distinction.

Henderson became the first Canadian woman in 45 years to win an LPGA title on home soil with her victory at the CP Women’s Open in Regina last month.

The 21-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., has seven LPGA victories, one shy of the Canadian record held by Sandra Post.

Very proud to receive the #CDNSportAward for Summer Female Athlete of the Year!! ?????

— Brooke Henderson (@BrookeHenderson) September 21, 2018

Boutin was a breakout start at the Pyeongchang Games in February, taking home three medals – two bronze and a silver – in short track.

The 23-year-old from Sherbrooke, Que., served as Canada’s flag-bearer at the closing ceremony.

On the men’s side, decathlete Damian Warner was named the male summer athlete of the year and para-nordic skier Brian McKeever was the winter athlete.

The men’s Commonwealth Games basketball team was named summer team of the year while Jennifer Jones’ curling rink took the winter team of the year.

Ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir won the winter sports partners of the year award for their gold-medal winning performance at the Pyeongchang Games. The pair also helped Canada win gold in the team figure skating event.

This was the 41st edition of the Canadian Sports Awards, but first since 2012. The awards honour the top Canadian athletic performances over the past 12 months.

ATLANTIC BEACH, Florida – England’s Chris Paisley used four starts on the 2017-18 PGA TOUR to earn a spot in the Web.com Tour Finals and inched one step closer to full status on golf’s biggest stage on Thursday at the Web.com Tour Championship. Paisley recorded eight birdies and one eagle on his way to a 10-under 61, good for a two-shot lead heading into Friday’s second round of the Web.com Tour’s season-ending event.

Paisley opened his week at host Atlantic Beach Country Club with three birdies in his first four holes before closing with a birdie on the 17^th and an eagle on the par-5 18^th (thanks to a holed bunker shot) to turn in 6-under 30 after starting on the back nine.

The 32-year-old’s momentum slowed mid-round with four pars on Nos. 1-4, but he rallied quickly thereafter with a birdie on the short par-3 fifth and back-to-back birdies on Nos. 7 and 8 to reach nine-under overall.

“I think just all around was really good. I hit it well off the tee, which gave me a lot of kind of short irons into the greens and opportunities to, you know, I had to knock it on the green in two on the par 5s or leave a good wedge number,” he said. “I hit a lot of really good iron shots close, and then a few other bonus kind of things happened where I holed the bunker shot on 18 and holed a long putt on No. 8. So, there was a couple little things like that that obviously helped a lot.”

Paisley, who won twice during his college golf career at the University of Tennessee, turned professional in 2009 and has since spent the majority of his time playing overseas on the European and Challenge Tours. Since 2015, he has competed mainly on the European Tour, earning third-place finishes in the 2015 BMW International Open, 2016 Italian Open and 2017 Made in Denmark.

Earlier this year, the Stocksfield, England, resident broke through for the biggest win of his career when he captured the BMW SA Open in South Africa with a three-shot victory over PGA TOUR winner Branden Grace. The biggest week of his career, however, may have come at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in April, where he and fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood partnered in the team event to finish T4. The $216,900 paycheck, coupled with earnings from a T37 effort at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship in March allowed Paisley to earn a spot in the Web.com Tour Finals via non-member FedExCup points.

“Well, I mean, the nice thing was I won early in the year in Europe. I’ve got the first two Final series events locked up, I think I’m in those. I’m not guaranteed to be in Dubai yet,” said Paisley when asked of his decision to play in the Finals. “But I just thought we have a house over here, my wife’s American, my goal is to try to get on the PGA TOUR, so it was a perfect opportunity to try and do it.”

Paisley missed the cut in each of the first three Finals events, which left him needing a strong week at the Web.com Tour Championship in order to achieve his PGA TOUR goal.

“In January I obviously played amazing and I was ‘Player of the Month’ in Europe and I went from 300th in the world to top 100 in the world and everything’s great,” he said. “Then all of a sudden about four or five months where I can’t make a cut and can’t seem to break par. It’s just a weird game.”

Paisley needs to finish in a two-way tie for fourth or better, in order to mathematically secure his card.

“I’m sure it’s a thing where you miss the first three, you don’t play very well and your expectations drop and you almost write it off, a bit like what I have. I was just trying to make a cut and get back to playing well again. So kind of putting that pressure on yourself and maybe it frees you up and you just have that really good week, hole a few putts, get a bit of confidence,” Paisley said. “It’s the nature of golf, I think. It’s a strange sport psychologically and hopefully I’m one of those guys that does that.”

Ben Silverman and Cameron Tringale are tied for second, two shots back of Paisley after matching rounds of 8-under 63.

Silverman, who played in the morning wave, was the outright leader for much of the day in Atlantic Beach, recording eight birdies against zero bogeys to set the early mark.

“I’ll make it easy,” quipped Silverman when asked to sum up his round. “I hit a lot of good shots and made some good putts. Actually, it could have been lower, but I’m not complaining. Missed a couple putts inside six feet, but I’m not complaining at all, it was a great round.”

From 2014 through 2016, Silverman competed on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada, posting four top-10s in 26 events, including a career-best runner-up at The Syncrude Boreal Open Presented by AECON. He qualified for the Web.com Tour via Q-School in 2015 and again in 2016 after losing his card.

In 2017, Silverman bloomed late on the Web.com Tour, posting four consecutive top-10 finishes – including a win at the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper – to finish No. 10 on the money list, securing one of 25 PGA TOUR cards awarded at the WinCo Foods Portland Open presented by KraftHeinz, where he finished T2.

On the PGA TOUR, Silverman recorded two top-10 finishes in his first five starts to finish the fall season at No. 49 in the FedExCup, but struggled thereafter with just three top-25 finishes and a missed cut at the Wyndham Championship to wind up at No. 136. That standing guaranteed him conditional 126-150 status on TOUR next season, but put him in the Web.com Tour Finals with hopes on improving his standing.

“I have zero pressure on myself right now. I know I’m going to get some starts on TOUR next year anyway with my conditional status and I’m thinking more long term,” he said. “I like the strategy that I’m going with my game moving forward, so I’m just going to play and try to make some birdies, see what happens.”

Canada’s @Bsilvermangolf leads the @WebTourChamp after an opening-round 63 ???? pic.twitter.com/NzjnHsa3iO

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) September 20, 2018

After opening the Finals with a T58 finish at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship, Silverman notched back-to-back missed cuts at the DAP Championship presented by NewBrick and the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft Nabisco to dip to No. 103 on the Finals-only money list.

Tringale, who played in Thursday’s afternoon wave, turned in a modest 2-under 33 but played brilliant golf on the closing nine with birdies on 10, 11, 14, 15, 17 and 18 for a 6-under 30 and an opening 63.

“I really hit my irons well, I gave myself a lot of good birdie opportunities,” said Tringale. “I believe I just had look after look all day and really had a low stress round and was able to get some of those putts to go in.”

Tringale has accrued 243 PGA TOUR starts over his career, notching three runner-up finishes and over $9.8 million in earnings. After finishing 195^th in the FedExCup this past year, he was forced to return to the Web.com Tour Finals again in order to secure playing status for the 2018-19 season.

The former Georgia Tech star used a T5 at the 2017 Web.com Tour Championship to earn his PGA TOUR card for the 2017-18 season and feels good about his chances on an Atlantic Beach Country Club course that suits his eye.

“No doubt, I like the golf course,” he said. “To come back a year later and think, ‘Oh, I played well last year, I can do it again despite how I was playing coming in,’ it feels doable. I’m excited for the next three days and to see how I can hold up.”

We are proud to announce the IAGA will honor our longtime Golf Ontario Executive Director Dave Mills with its Distinguished Service Award, to be presented on Nov 6th at the 2018 IAGA Annual Conference @Innisbrook Congrats from all of us Dave on your accomplishments! #golfontario pic.twitter.com/HnfNGZ2KdD

— Golf Ontario (@TheGolfOntario) September 20, 2018

ATLANTA – The crowd at East Lake was larger and louder than it has been in five years, which was the last time Tiger Woods was at the Tour Championship.

It was no coincidence.

Woods played one of his best rounds of the year in his return to the FedEx Cup finale and caused the biggest cheer of a sun-baked Thursday afternoon by making an eagle putt from just over 25 feet on the par-5 18th for a 5-under 65 and a share of the lead with Rickie Fowler.

It was the second time in as many FedEx Cup playoff events that Woods was tied for the 18-hole lead. He shot a 62 at Aronimink in the opening round of the BMW Championship two weeks ago on a rain-soaked course that allowed just about everyone to go low.

This felt even better on a dry, tougher East Lake course.

“This was by far better than the 62 at Aronimink,” Woods said. “Conditions were soft there. This, it’s hard to get the ball closer. If you drive the ball in the rough, you know you can’t get the ball close. You just can’t control it.”

Fowler, who missed two playoff events recovering from an injury to his right oblique, putted for birdie on all but two holes for his 65 as he tries to avoid ending the season without winning.

Justin Rose, in his debut as the No. 1 player in the world, got up-and-down from the bunker for birdie on the 18th for a 66 and was tied with Gary Woodland. Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy, all of whom will be in France next week for the Ryder Cup, were another shot behind.

Woods already considers this a successful year just by making into the 30-man field at East Lake for the FedEx Cup finale, where everyone has a mathematical shot at capturing the $10 million bonus. He started the season in January after a fourth back surgery that limited him to only 16 PGA Tour events in the previous four seasons.

“To be able to play golf again and to earn my way back to this level is something that I was hoping I would do at the beginning of the year, but I didn’t know,” Woods said. “And I’ve done it?”

What would winning mean in this comeback?

“It would enhance the year,” he said.

Woods still has 54 holes remaining. Two weeks ago, he went from a share of the first-round lead to five shots behind on a course where attacking flags on soft greens was the only option for low scoring.

This was more about precision, and Woods felt in total control. He opened with a three-putt bogey from 25 feet, and he twice ran birdie attempts farther beyond the hole than he would have liked. But after making birdie putts from 25 feet on No. 5 and from 15 feet on No. 6, he figured out the speed of the greens and was on his way.

“I hit so many quality shots all day, whether it was tee-to-green or it was putts,” Woods said. “I didn’t really mishit a single shot today. The only shot I can honestly say that I necked pretty bad was the tee shot at 17. Hit a 3-wood there, and with an iron, I probably would have shanked it. But ended up in the fairway and made par.”

Woods will play in the final group Friday with Fowler, who has seen plenty of him at home in Florida in the months before Woods returned to golf. He had finished his round and was doing interviews when he heard the head-turning roar of Woods making eagle.

They will be teammates next week at the Ryder Cup. Fowler has other objectives at East Lake.

“The biggest win for him is just staying healthy and being out here all year consistently,” Fowler said. “Definitely happy for him. It’s obviously great for our sport. It’s great to have him as part of the team next week. We hope he continues to play well. I just want to play a little bit better and beat him.”

Sixteen players in the 30-man field broke par on a hot afternoon with only a light breeze, and Thursday was all about staying in the game, especially as it relates to the chase for the FedEx Cup.

Bryson DeChambeau, the No. 1 seed after the points were reset, had to birdie two of the last three holes for a 71. For someone like Woods or Fowler to win the FedEx Cup, they would need the top five seeds to falter.

Rose and Thomas didn’t go along with that with strong opening rounds. Finau overcame a pair of early bogeys for his 67.

The key for Woods could be Friday. Only once this year, at the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook, has he stayed consistently in the thick of it all tournament. He figures to have plenty of support. Houses along the side streets outside East Lake, and even one funeral home, offered parking and their yards were packed. It hasn’t been like that in several years.

“I hadn’t played this tournament in five years, and some of the people said they haven’t been out here in five years,” Woods said. “That’s kind of nice that they’re coming out and supporting this event and supporting me, as well.”

OTTAWA, Ont. – Fifty-seven of the best young female golfers from 18 countries around the world will always draw a crowd – but not who you might think.

Throughout the week at Camelot, several squad leaders from some of the biggest NCAA golf programs were seen around the course to take in the action from the fifth annual World Junior Girls Championship in Ottawa. Among them were coaches of Oklahoma, Purdue, UCLA, Iowa, Arizona, Nebraska, Tennessee and Georgia, to name a few.

Close to 20 NCAA Division I golf coaches were on hand to witness history being made, as 15 year-old Atthaya Thitikul set a tournament and club record with a bogey-free round of 60 to claim the laurels and return home with the title of World Junior Girls Champion. The Thailand native is the No. 11 ranked golfer in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) and has yet to commit to an NCAA program.

Italy took the team event in a nail-biting extra-holes playoff to earn a well-deserved gold medal and return to old continent with the championship trophy.

So, what brings them to Ottawa?

“The competition level is great. Obviously, all these different countries are represented and, you know, they’re not just players but the top junior players from those countries,” confides Ryan Sirman, a first-year member of the women’s golf coaching staff at Oklahoma University.  “It’s definitely a high level of play here this week,” adds Sirman.

Golf Canada’s chief sport executive Jeff Thompson concurs that this was a key driver in creating this international event. “We purposely limited the number of teams at the event and capped it at that level. The very best can go.”

Canada’s top performer was Céleste Dao, who took fifth place in the individual competition, while Team Canada 1 finished just outside the podium in fourth amongst the 19 teams taking part.

For Justin Bubser, the assistant coach from the University of Arizona Wildcats, it’s a fantastic opportunity to scout talent. “You’ve got some very good players here at this event so we’re just trying to search up the future for the University of Arizona,” says Bubser.

Accompanying Bubser is Kolton Lapa, the associate head coach at the University of Nebraska. “This is a great tournament because it’s the three best junior golfers from each country, so it gives coaches the opportunity to look at golfers that you won’t usually see in action,” adds Lapa, who shares coaching duties with Robin Krapfl at Nebraska. “For example, Thailand is here, and it gives us a chance to evaluate a number of other kids we wouldn’t see anywhere else.”

“You know, as college coaches, it’s definitely our job to do our homework and with these international girls, it’s rare for us to see – especially in this field – elite level of play and to see them all in one spot,” says Sirman. “We can see what their swings look like on video you know, but to actually see them going around the golf course – a phenomenal golf course by the way – is something else.”

From humble beginnings, this event is now a prominent competition in Golf Canada’s championship calendar.

“Year over year, it’s great to see the increase in interest from Division I programs and coaches attending. It’s our fifth year now. In our first year, we were not a ranked event and have since earned  “A” ranked status – people know that now. They know the quality of players that are going to be there,” concludes Thompson, who is also in charge of Canada’s national squads at the junior, amateur and young pro levels.

For Canada’s junior girls coach Matt Wilson, the World Junior Girls Championship is circled on the calendar all year as a major opportunity for the team.

“The World Junior Girls is a can’t miss opportunity for our athletes, who are always striving to be the best they can be while competing against the best in the world,” said Matt Wilson. “It’s a great test for the world’s top talent and from a timing perspective, it’s also the perfect stage for scouts and coaches. ”

The World Junior Girls Championship will return to Canada for its sixth edition next year. Click here for additional information.

INVERNESS, Scotland – Team Canada Development Squad member Christopher Vandette completed a remarkable come-from-behind victory on Thursday, gaining seven strokes on the field to capture the Duke of York Young Champions trophy in a playoff.

Vandette – who captured the Canadian Junior Boys title earlier this year – posted a final-round 71 (-1) in the gusty conditions at the Castle Stuart Golf Links to record the day’s only round under par. The Beaconsfield, Que., native drew even with Ireland’s Joseph Byrne, forcing a sudden-death playoff in Scotland.

The pair squared the first playoff hole and were all even until Byrne missed the green on his approach on the second hole. Vandette jumped at the opportunity with an approach inside 10 feet, going on to close the event with an emphatic birdie putt. At the time, the 17-year-old wasn’t paying too much attention to his movement on the leaderboard, but had a feeling he was gaining ground.

“I didn’t really want to take a look – I just wanted to finish up the best I could and focus on myself,” he said. “I made up strokes by keeping the ball in play and limiting mistakes. I also hit a lot of greens and putted well, I was very efficient around the greens which helped.”

Vandette was quick to credit the new centralized program in his preparation and performance this week.

“This winter, the centralized training at Bear Mountain obviously helped me develop as a player and I also think the conditions (wind, temperature) in Victoria helped me this week. I put in a lot of hours…it felt nice to get this one.”

 

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Comeback complete!! #TeamCanada member and reigning Canadian Junior Boys Champ @chrisvandette10 stormed from 7 strokes back today to capture the @doytrophy in a playoff ??? #DOYYCT – – – #golf #golfstagram #golfer #golfcanada #golfr

A post shared by Golf Canada (@thegolfcanada) on Sep 20, 2018 at 8:47am PDT

For Team Canada Lead Development Squad coach Robert Ratcliffe, Vandette continues to show incredible resilience and growth this season.

“Chris was able to draw on his experience of playing this event last year in some pretty testing conditions to deliver a great performance at Castle Stuart,” said the PGA of Canada Class “A” member. “The wind howled for three days but Chris kept calm and showed why he’s one of Canada’s best juniors.”

The win marks the second time a Canadian has won the event – Mississauga, Ont., native Chloe Currie won back in 2016.

Also making her mark in Scotland was fellow Canadian Emily Zhu of Richmond Hill, Ont. Zhu finished the 54-hole mixed event in a tie for 8th place, which is also good for runner-up in the girls’ division.

The Duke of York Young Champions Trophy, founded in 2001, is a highly rated international event. All of the competitors are either the current holders of their Under 18 National Championship or have won another major golfing event in the previous year. The event boasts an impressive array of former competitors, including four-time major winner Rory McIlroy.

Click here for full scoring.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – The PGA TOUR today announced the 2019 Web.com Tour schedule, which features 27 tournaments played in 17 states and four countries outside the United States and culminates with the Web.com Tour Finals in August and September. The Finals will consist of three tournaments culminating with the Web.com Tour Championship, which will conclude on Labor Day.

“The Web.com Tour has enjoyed tremendous momentum in recent years and has created a platform from which graduates are enjoying immediate success on the PGA TOUR,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “The revamped schedule will allow for a more natural cadence to the season for our fans, while providing an earlier finish that enhances the visibility of the Web.com Tour Finals.”

The Web.com Tour will welcome three new events to the 2019 calendar, with the Suncoast Classic in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, debuting the week of February 11-17 as the fifth of five consecutive events to open the season (a Web.com Tour record). The Evans Scholars Invitational will be held in suburban Chicago at The Glen Club the week of May 20-26, while The TPC Colorado Championship at Heron Lakes in Berthoud, Colorado, will be conducted the week of July 8-14 at the newly-opened TPC Colorado.

The season-long chase for 50 available PGA TOUR cards encompasses a 24-event Regular Season that runs from The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay in January through the WinCo Foods Portland Open presented by KraftHeinz in August, before giving way to the seventh annual Web.com Tour Finals, which will consist of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship (Aug. 12-18), Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft Nabisco (Aug. 19-25) and Web.com Tour Championship (Aug. 27-2). The Finals moving from four events to three mimics the PGA TOUR’s re-aligned FedExCup Playoffs, which will also feature three events in 2019.

“The 2019 Web.com Tour schedule is a result of the incredible support we receive from our title sponsors and tournament teams in their respective markets combined with the immediate and sustained success that our players are having on the PGA TOUR,” said Web.com Tour President Dan Glod. “We are excited to unveil a schedule that includes three new events as we continue to focus on growing the tournament experience for our fans and providing more playing opportunities for our membership.”

Ten events will air on Golf Channel, including all three Web.com Tour Finals tournaments. Tournament programming is distributed in 180 countries and territories across more than 320 million potential households, with 35+ channels carrying long-form and/or highlights coverage and live coverage distributed in 100+ countries and territories across 100 million potential households.

MEMPHIS, Tenn., – One day prior to the start of the PGA TOUR’s TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, teen entrepreneurs myCryptoHippo from Junior Achievement (JA) of Central Ontario won the second annual FedEx Junior Business Challenge program for their business presentation and secured a $75,000 donation from FedEx to further support youth entrepreneurship.

myCryptoHippo, which aims to educate Generation Z about cryptocurrencies and blockchain through the use of their integrated cryptocurrency simulator, presented its business to a panel of judges, including Warrick Dunn (3-time Pro Bowler and Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor member), David Cunningham (president and chief executive officer of FedEx Express), Ryan Lane (owner of Dream Beard and FedEx Small Business Grant Recipient) and Marc Leishman (3-time PGA TOUR tournament winner who is competing for the coveted FedExCup).

Through its PGA TOUR sponsorship, FedEx teed off the second annual FedEx Junior Business Challenge program earlier this year at the WGC-Dell Match Play Championship (Austin, Texas) and held three other qualifying events at THE PLAYERS Championship (Jacksonville, Florida), the RBC Canadian Open (Ontario) and Dell Technologies Championship (Boston).  Judging panels comprised of PGA TOUR players, business leaders and local celebrities selected one junior achievement business at each qualifying event to move on to the FedEx Junior Business Challenge finals. myCryptoHippo was the JA champter that moved on from the 2018 RBC Canadian Open held at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

The four student-led companies that qualified for the finals were evaluated on their pitch skills, presentation content, visual aids and connection to innovation, sustainability, job creation or trade industry.  myCryptoHippo came out on top for their integrated cryptocurrency simulator, impressing the judges with their goal to make blockchain technology easy to learn and investing in cryptocurrencies less intimidating by providing a hands-on learning experience.

“It was incredible to see these teenagers from JA chapters across the country showcase their entrepreneurial skills and ambition, in addition to their innovation and intellectual curiosity,” said Warrick Dunn.  “I don’t remember what I was doing at their age, but I wasn’t starting a business.  I’m inspired by these young entrepreneurs and it’s comforting to know the kids from JA will be tomorrow’s business leaders.”

In just two years, the FedEx Junior Business Challenge program has provided more than 30 JA student-led companies the chance to present their businesses at more than ten PGA TOUR tournaments, and awarded $150,000 to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs.

“Every day around the world, businesses are faced with new challenges, and to stay ahead of competition, companies and leaders need to be creative, agile and innovative,” said David Cunningham, president and CEO, FedEx Express.  “Success in small business and entrepreneurship is paramount to FedEx, and the JA students who participated in today’s FedEx Junior Business Challenge finals proved that the future is bright.”

Since 1996, FedEx has donated nearly $14 million to JA Worldwide in support of small businesses and future entrepreneurs.  As a part of FedEx Cares global giving initiative, the FedEx Junior Business Challenge program is part of FedEx’s goal of investing $200 million in more than 200 global communities by 2020 to create opportunities and deliver solutions for people around the world.  The JA Worldwide network reaches more than 10 million young people in more than 100 countries, making JA a natural partner for FedEx Cares.

With FedEx as the official sponsor of the PGA TOUR since 2002, FedEx and the PGA TOUR have a long-standing relationship.  In 2007, the PGA TOUR introduced the FedExCup as the first season-long competitive and promotional platform, transforming the competitive landscape of professional golf.  The performance-based point structure culminates with the FedExCup Playoffs, a four-tournament playoff at the end of the season to determine the FedExCup Champion.

CALGARY – For the second consecutive year, Marc-Etienne Bussieres came roaring from behind to capture the PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada presented by Callaway Golf.

When the final round at The Winston Golf Club in Calgary began, the 32-year-old from Longchamp, Que., sat four shots off the lead. But by the time the dust had settled after a wild final round featuring impressive scoring from the just about everyone in the field, Bussieres found himself two clear of his nearest competitor.

“I can admit it now, but I was nervous all day long—right from the very first tee shot until I made the birdie putt on the last hole,” Bussieres said. “However, for whatever reason, I usually play my best when I feel the nerves.”

Bussieres’ final round 7-under-65 included seven birdies, five of which came on Winston’s tough back-nine holes.

“All of a sudden I got my groove going on the back nine and the birdies started happening,” he said. “I think it helped that I was playing with Dustin (Risdon) and he was playing so well, that pushed me to make more birdies.”

Bussieres’ three-day total of 199 (65-69-65) saw him two-shots better than Airdrie, Alta’s., Riley Fleming who posted the round of the championship Wednesday, shooting an astounding 9-under-par 63.

“I figured I had to take it really low today to even have a chance,” Riley said after his round. “Unfortunately, I didn’t take it deep enough, but it was still an amazing round with 11 birdies.”

Risdon, who won the 2016 PGA Assistants’ Championship in 2016 finished solo third at -13. Thirty-six hole leader Albert Pistorius and 2013 PGA Assistants’ Championship Billy Walsh shared fourth spot at -12.

Nearly 40 players finished the national championship at even-par or better.

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