Hoydalo, Friyia lead Future Links, driven by Acura Prairie Championship after round 1
PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, Man. — Wesley Hoydalo and Jillian Friyia shot an even-par and 4-over, respectively, to lead their divisions after round one of the Future Links, driven by Acura Prairie Championship at Portage Golf Club on Friday.
Hoydalo posted an even-par 70 to lead in the junior boys division. After back-to-back bogeys on the front-nine, the Selkirk, Man., native stayed afloat thanks to birdies on holes 6, 14 and 16.
5 players are in striking distance of the lead. Bradley Moser of Saskatoon, Sask., is the closest, only one stroke behind the lead at 1-over-par 71. Four players — Steven Duchscher (Saskatoon, Sask.), Gerry Mei (North York, Ont.), Sylvain Ruest (Winnipeg, Man.) and Jakob Chicoyne (Calgary, Alta.) — share a piece of third at 2-over-par 72. With only two shots separating them from first, the competition will be close going into round two.
In the girls division, Jillian Friyia is in the lead at 4-over-par 76. The London, Ont., product had a rough time with three consecutive bogeys on the back-nine but finished strong on the last hole after hitting her third birdie.
Bobbi Uhl of Erickson, Man., is the closest to the lead at 5-over-par 77. Vancouver’s Michelle Liu rounds out the top-three at 6-over-par 78.
The top six finishers in the junior boys’ division will earn exemptions into the 2018 Canadian Junior Boys Championship on July 30-Aug. 2 at Medicine Hat Golf & Country Club in Medicine Hat, Alta. The top six finishers in the junior girls’ division will earn exemptions into the 2018 Canadian Junior Girls Championship on July 31-Aug. 3 at Beach Grove Golf Club in Tsawwassen, B.C.
Round one results can be found here.
Final RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier heads to Le Blainvillier
The final RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier of 2018 will take place Monday, June 18th, at Le Blainvillier in Blainville, Que. 80 golfers will be looking to finish in the top 15% of the field and secure a spot in the RBC Canadian Open Final Qualifier, which takes place Monday, July 23 at Heron Point Golf Links in Ancaster, Ont.
The low qualifier receives a direct exemption into the RBC Canadian Open if 100 players or more compete at a regional qualifier. If less than 100 people register for a regional qualifier – as is the case for Monday’s event – the top 15% of the field and ties beyond the low qualifier, advance to Final Qualifier.
33 players have already advanced to the final qualifying event through the Regional Qualification process. At the first Regional Qualifier at Ledgeview Golf Club in Abbotsford, B.C., Matt Matheson secured medallist honours to earn a spot in the final Qualifying event.
At the Ontario Regional Qualifier at Blue Springs Golf Club in Acton, Ont., Nyasha Mauchaza posted a 6-under 66 to claim medallist honours to punch his ticket to his first RBC Canadian Open as more than 100 golfers competed at the event.
The qualifying competitions are open to members in good standing with the PGA of Canada or other PGA affiliates, amateur golfers with a current Handicap Factor not exceeding 2.0, who are members of Golf Canada or in good standing with their respective associations, as well as other golf professionals.
During the 2017 Quebec regional qualifier, Mack Duke of Camden, Maine earned medallist honours to advance to the final qualifying event, alongside fourteen additional golfers.
Notables
Griffin Jones
The seventeen-year-old amateur finished one stroke behind the winner at this event last year, the highest of all returning players. Jones recently won the Investors Group Men’s Amateur Qualifier at The Marshes Golf Club.
Thomas Baik of Buenos Aires, Argentina
The 24-year-old made his 2018 PGA TOUR Latinoamerica debut at the Molino Cañuelas Championship, where he won in a sudden death playoff. In 2017, Baik claimed medalist honors at the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Qualifying Tournament played at Club Las Praderas de Lujan in Argentina.
Étienne Papineau
Graduate of the Team Canada Amateur Squad who finished T4 at this event last year. The second year West Virginia University golfer is fresh off a win at the Men’s Provincial Match Play Championship that took place from June 5-7. Papineau was the 2015 Amateur Golfer of the Year in Quebec and was twice named the Junior Golfer of the Year.
Derek Gillespie
The 39-year-old Big Break Prince Edward Island winner is currently playing on the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica. He has six career top-10s on the tour, including T9 finishes in 2017 at the Aberto do Brazil tournament and BMW Jamaica Classic. Gillespie advanced to the final qualifier from the 2016 Ontario Qualifier.
Charles-Éric Bélanger
Eighteen-year-old Team Canada Men’s Development Squad alumus who won the 2015 Canadian Junior Boys Championship. Most recently finished T2 at Men’s Provincial Match Play Championship at Royal Bromont Golf Club.
QUICK FACTS
The Regional Qualification process gives players from across Canada and the world a chance to qualify for the RBC Canadian Open, the third-oldest national open golf championship in the world, after the British Open and the U.S. Open.
The low qualifier receives a direct exemption into the RBC Canadian Open if 100 players or more compete at a regional qualifier. If less than 100 people register for a regional qualifier, the top 15% of the field and ties beyond the low qualifier, advance to final Monday qualifying.
In 2013, Jesse Smith became the first Six Nations golfer to participate in the RBC Canadian Open after advancing through the final Qualifier and the Quebec Regional Qualifier. He will look to advance to the final qualifier for the second consecutive year.
ABOUT THE COURSE
Designed by architect Graham Cooke.
Opened on May 18, 1991.
Designated as the Training Center of the Junior Elite of Quebec (CEP) in 2014.
For more information on the tournament, click here.
Celebrating 125 years of Rosedale Golf Club
Every day, tens of thousands of harried commuters inch along in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Ontario’s major artery, Highway 401. Down the Yonge Street off-ramp they inch along like lemmings, heading for downtown offices. Few realize they are just a long par-5 away from one of Canada’s oldest and grandest golf clubs, Rosedale.
Founded 125 years ago, Rosedale Golf Club evolved from the defunct nine-hole Deer Park Club. The club relocated several times before settling in its present location, cradled in a verdant tree-lined valley, in 1910. A founding club in 1895 of what then was called the Royal Canadian Golf Association (now Golf Canada), it played host to the 1912 and 1928 RBC Canadian Opens, the 1912 Canadian Ladies’ Championship, the 1924 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, two PGA of Canada Championships and a variety of provincial amateur tournaments.
But, as Head PGA of Canada Professional Andrew Donaldson says, Rosedale’s members are content these days with keeping their oasis in the middle of Canada’s largest city just that—a quiet enclave with a tradition of understated elegance.
“Rosedale is known, but not known, if that makes sense,” says Donaldson. “A lot of golfers have heard of it, know its reputation as a great classic layout, but just aren’t sure where it is or exactly what it is.”
Although the present layout originally was designed by Scottish-born Tom Bendelow, it was totally redone shortly after by famed American architect Donald Ross and the club is justifiably proud of that status.
Another note of historical importance is the fact that Rosedale was the home club of George S. Lyon, winner of the 1904 Olympic gold medal for golf in St. Louis. A stunning feat, no doubt, but so was his record here in the country. Picking up the game at 38, two years later, in 1898, he won the first of his incredible eight Canadian Men’s Amateur Championships
On Saturday, June 16, Rosedale Golf Club will officially celebrate its quasquicentennial—its 125th anniversary. The day will include welcoming back some of its professional alumni for a member-pro scramble, a hickory event courtesy of the Golf Historical Society of Canada, followed by a gala dinner.
Without a doubt, all will be conducted with the decorum and class that has typified stately Rosedale Golf Club throughout its admirable history and will do so into its future.
Johnson shares lead in a US Open that plays like one
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. – The return to a classic U.S. Open course brought back the kind of scoring that gave this major its reputation.
Dustin Johnson played some of his best golf Thursday and yet the world’s No. 1 player barely beat par in the treacherous wind at Shinnecock Hills. Johnson holed a bunker shot for birdie, kept his mistakes to a minimum and joined Ian Poulter, Scott Piercy and Russell Henley at 1-under 69 for a share of the lead.
“You had to focus on every single shot you hit – putts, everything,” Johnson said. “It was just difficult all day.”
No need to tell that to Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and a long list of golf’s bests who had their hopes crushed in gusts that approached 25 mph that made fairways look more narrow and the shin-high rough difficult to avoid.
In his return to the U.S. Open after a two-year absence, Woods opened a major with a triple bogey for the first time in 15 years. He added back-to-back double bogeys on the back nine and staggered to a 78.
Spieth waited until the second hole to make a triple bogey, blasted out of a bunker and over the 11th green, and then took three shots to get on the putting surface. McIlroy found trouble just about everywhere and shot 80, his highest first-round score in a major.
“It was pretty evident nobody was making any birdies in the morning – lots and lots of bogeys and ‘others,”’ Woods said. “My game plan was not to make any ‘others,’ and I made three of them. So didn’t do very well there.”
It was quite a contrast from last year at Erin Hills in Wisconsin, which set a record for the first round by yielding 44 rounds under par.
Piercy, the last man in the 156-man field as an alternate from qualifying, was so disgusted with his game in his final practice round that he walked off the course. He dropped only two shots, both on par 3s, and was the first to post a 69. Poulter also played in the morning, while Johnson and Henley played in the afternoon as the wind reached its full strength.
Henley was the only player to reach 3 under at any point, and he promptly gave that back with a double bogey on No. 10.
Jason Dufner opened with a 70, and even those at 1-over 71 felt as though they put in a hard day’s work, a group that included Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson.
“It’s a different kind of enjoyment, right?” Rose said. “I enjoy the battle. I enjoy the fight. I enjoy the grind, really. When you get a bit cut up and bruised, it can change pretty quick.”
Johnson is coming off a six-shot victory last week in the St. Jude Classic, and while no one has ever won the U.S. Open coming off a PGA Tour victory the week before, he played as though nothing had changed. He holed medium-length putts for birdies, a few nervy, short putts for par and picked up a bonus when his shot from a front bunker on the par-4 eighth rattled and rolled into the cup.
Not even Johnson was immune from mistakes, however, dropping shots on the 12th and 14th holes.
It didn’t take long to figure out what kind of test this was going to be, with the 15 flags atop the grandstand next to the 18th green already flapping as the first group teed off, and they were crackling by the afternoon.
Phil Mickelson, needing the U.S. Open to complete the Grand Slam, played in the feature grouping with Spieth and McIlroy. They finished a combined 25-over par, with Mickelson taking honours at 77. It was his highest opening round in his 27 U.S. Opens. Mickelson refused a request to speak to the media about his round.
So did McIlroy, who had a pair of double bogeys in his third round of 80 or more in a major.
Woods quickly joined them.
From the middle of the first fairway, he went long over the green. He chipped once and it came back to his feet. He tried it again with the same result, and then rapped his putter up the hill by the hole and missed the putt. He held it together until a four-putt on No. 13, the last three of those putts from 6 feet.
“Shoot something in the 60s tomorrow, and I’ll be just fine,” Woods said. “I just think today was the toughest day we’ll have all week. But then again, I think they’re going to let these greens firm out a little bit. They’ll start to pick up a little bit of speed, and it will be a good U.S. Open again.”
That already appears to be the case.
The U.S. Open has gone to new courses two of the last three years, and Jack Nicklaus is among those who feared it had lost its identity. Even with wider fairways, Shinnecock Hills resembled a U.S. Open course from past years, and it played like one.
Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., was the top Canadian golfer Thursday with a round of 76. Canadians Adam Hadwin of Moose Jaw, Sask., and Garrett Rank, an NHL referee, tied for 148th place after rounds of 83.
Amateur Jaclyn Lee comes out of first round of Meijer LPGA Classic T10
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Amateur, and Team Canada member, Jaclyn Lee, from Calgary Alta., is T10 after firing a 4-under 68 on Thursday in the Meijer LPGA Classic.
Maude-Aimée Leblanc from Sherbrooke (70) was one stroke less than Alena Sharp from Hamilton, Ont. Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City and Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., all recorded 73.
After the first round, defending champion Brooke Henderson is T25 at 3-under par.
Kelly Shon played her last six holes in 6 under for an 8-under 64 and a share of the lead with So Yeon Ryu.
Shon had a 7-under 29 on her final nine, the front nine at Blythefield Country Club. The former Princeton star played the five par-5 holes in 5 under with an eagle on No. 8.
“Honestly, going into the round, I was thinking maybe the front nine was kind of going to be the tougher nine,” Shon said. “So I just was pacing myself, trying to stay in the moment and hit every shot the best as I could. I don’t know, the back side, my putter started getting hot.”
Born in South Korea, the 26-year-old American is winless in four seasons on the LPGA Tour. She began the final-nine run with a birdie on the par-5 first, birdied the par-3 fourth, par-5 fifth and par-7 seventh, eagled No. 8 and closed with a birdie on the par-4 ninth.
“I haven’t liked this golf course, but to be honest, it’s playing a little bit different than it has in the past,” Shon said. “A couple of the tee boxes have changed and the course itself. The weather’s just perfect, which is also something we’re not used to all the time so far this year.”
The sixth-ranked Ryu birdied four of the par 5s in a bogey-free round.
“It’s more about the putting instead of score,” Ryu said. “Obviously, when you’re putting really well you have a chance for a really low round, but I just really wanted to have like confidence on the putting green. Like I don’t think I have enough confidence on the putting green, that’s why I always struggle. So from now on, hopefully, I can get fully confident when I’m putting.”
She winless this season after taking the major ANA Inspiration and Walmart NW Arkansas Championship last year. She also won the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open.
“Like to be honest, if I talk about this season, I’m not really fully satisfied with it,” Ryu said. “Hopefully, this week I’m going to start playing really well and hopefully I can win this tournament.”
Anna Nordqvist, Su Oh and Celine Herbin shot 66.
“I’ve had a really rough start to the year,” Nordqvist said. “Haven’t really felt like myself, but just trying to make a few changes the last couple weeks and get on a better bit of a roll. I know good golf is ahead of me, but it’s definitely been frustrating.”
Sophia Popov, Caroline Masson and Lee-Anne Pace shot 67, and Lexi Thompson, the 2015 winner, had a 68.
“The weather couldn’t have been any better for us out here,” Thompson said. “The course is in great shape. The last few days it’s actually been pretty windy out here, but today there was like nothing.”
Ariya Jutanugarn, making her first start since winning the U.S. Women’s Open, matched defending champion Brooke Henderson, Michelle Wie and Lydia Ko at 69. Annie Park, the ShopRite LPGA Classic winner last week in New Jersey, had a 76.
Future Links, driven by Acura Prairie Championship heads to Portage Golf Club
PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, Man. — The Future Links, driven by Acura Prairie Championship is set to take place from June 15-17 at Portage Golf Club.
With support from Golf Manitoba, the Future Links, driven by Acura Prairie Championship is the fifth of six regional junior championships presented in partnership with Acura. The 54-hole stroke play tournament will begin with a practice round on June 14 before the tournament gets underway with round one on June 15.
Before the golf course first opened on May 31, 1922, the land was littered with scrap iron until the club founders planted hundreds of trees on the course to divide the fairways. Now, Portage Golf Club is a true island gem and a beautifully manicured 18 hole golf course that is situated along the shores of Crescent Lake.
“Golf Canada and Golf Manitoba are delighted to present the 2018 Future Links, driven by Acura Prairie Championship,” said Lisa Andersen, this week’s Tournament Director and Director of Competitions at Golf Manitoba. “We are certain that Portage Golf Club will challenge Canada’s premier junior golfers as they showcase their skills.”
The field will consist of 33 junior golfers in the Junior Boys Division with the top six earning exemptions into the 2018 Canadian Junior Boys Championship on July 30-Aug. 2 at Medicine Hat Golf & Country Club in Medicine Hat, Alta. A tie for the sixth position will be decided by a playoff following the conclusion of play.
The Junior Girls Division will consist of 10 golfers with the top six (including ties) earning an exemption into the 2018 Canadian Junior Girls Championship on July 31- Aug. 3 at Beach Grove Golf Club in Tsawwassen, B.C.
The Atlantic Edition of the 2018 Future Links, driven by Acura Championship will conclude the regional championship series this summer from July 16-19 in Port Blandford, Nfld., at Twin Rivers Golf Course
Results from the previous 2018 Future Links, driven by Acura championships can be found here: Pacific, Ontario, Western, Quebec.
Notables
Josh Nagy of Saskatoon, Sask.
The sixteen-year-old finished T5 at the event last year. Nagy recently won the MJT – Golf SK OOM Lloydminster Series at Lloydminster G&CC and is currently ranked no.1 on Golf Saskatchewan’s U19 Junior Men’s Order of Merit.
Andrew C. Campbell of Saskatoon, Sask.
The eighteen-year-old finished the event last year in a tie for fifth. He would go on to place T3 at the Saskatchewan Junior Boys’ Championship at Chinook Players Club.
Sydney Scraba of Calgary, Alta.
The Calgary, Alta. product most recently came in second at the MJT – Alberta Spring Classic 2018, which took place from May 5-6 at Paradise Canyon Golf & Country Club. Seventeen-year-old Scraba placed 3rd at the Western edition of this championship in 2017.
Bobbi Uhl of Erickson, Man.
The eighteen-year-old’s 2017 season included a win at the MJT – PGA of Manitoba Junior Championship and a second place finish at the Manitoba Junior Girls’ Championship.
FAST FACTS
In 2018, Golf Canada is conducting its six regional Future Links, driven by Acura championships in conjunction with the Provincial Associations.
Top six finishers in the Boys Division earn exemptions into the 2018 Canadian Junior Boys Championship.
Top six finishers (including ties) in the Girls Division earn exemptions into the 2018 Canadian Junior Girls Championship.
Ryan McMillan climbed up the leaderboard to earn his victory last year in the junior boys division.
Chaewon Baek went wire-to-wire to win the junior girls division at this event in 2017.
More information on the event can be found here.
ABOUT THE COURSE
First official opening day was May 31, 1922.
Joined the Manitoba Golf Association in 1924.
The finishing three holes run along picturesque Crescent Lake.
Team Canada’s Jared du Toit sits T6 at GolfBC Championship
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada— Among the 21 Canadians in the field, Jared du Toit from Kimberley, B.C.,
fired the lowest opening round, with a bogey-free, 6-under 65 and sits tied for sixth on Thursday after the opening round of the GolfBC Championship.
“It was the weirdest thing. I was playing a practice round and wasn’t playing great, and I was like, ‘Man, I don’t know how I shot 61 here, it’s kind of tough.’ But it is definitely good to have that 61 in the back of my mind.” said du Toit.
Mark Anguiano, Grady Brame, Jr. and Zach Wright carded matching rounds of 9-under 62 and are tied for the lead. They hold a two-shot lead heading into the second round.
Playing in the first group of the morning wave, Anguiano set the tone early with a bogey-free, 9- under 62. He carded nine birdies during his play at Gallagher’s Canyon Golf and Country Club, a round which included four consecutive birdies on Nos. 2-5. Anguiano came one shot shy of tying the tournament record, set last year by Canadian Jared du Toit in the third round.
Anguiano, who was fighting a left-knee injury last week at the Bayview Place DCBank Open presented by Times Colonist, almost withdrew before the final round in Victoria due to the pain. He went on to tie for 23rd in the event.
“I didn’t even warm up in the last round, and I was thinking of not even playing on the last day,”said Anguiano. “It was hurting that bad, but physically I feel better. It’s about 80 percent thisweek. I took good care of it.”
Joining Anguiano atop the leaderboard is Louisiana native Brame. He combined seven birdies with an eagle for a matching, bogey-free 9-under 62. His eagle on the par-5 ninth hole was the result of a stellar second shot from 205 yards. Using his 6-iron, the ball landed on the fringe and narrowly missed the hole, ending up 10 feet past the pin. He made the putt for eagle and closed the round with five additional birdies. Brame followed a tie-for-fourth finish at this year’s Q- School USA East No. 2 with two consecutive missed cuts in the first two events of this season.
Wright played his last four holes six-under par with an eagle-birdie-birdie-eagle finish. The 9- under 62 from the Louisiana State University alum consisted of two eagles, seven birdies and two bogeys. The 24-year-old started the season with a runner-up finish at the Freedom 55 Financial Open and entered this week No. 3 in the Order of Merit.
Golf in Schools totals 70 adoptions during Adopt a School Week
Golf Canada is proud to celebrate the 70 adoptions that occurred during Adopt a School Week thanks to the efforts of golf enthusiasts and industry partners across the country.
In total, the figure translates to an additional 8,400 elementary, intermediate and high school students being introduced to the sport through the Future Links, driven by Acura Golf in Schools program.
The coast-to-coast campaign was elevated by support from Canadian industry partners—the Provincial Associations, PGA of Canada and the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA).
A matching program for the first 30 adoptions was made possible by the Canadian Seniors Golf Association (CSGA), who continue to be a leader in supporting Adopt a School Week. In the campaign’s three years of running, the CSGA has helped to adopt over 78 schools in Canadian communities from coast-to-coast.
Golf Town, the official retailer of Future Links, driven by Acura, will continue to collect funds until June 30 as part of a fundraising initiative at retail locations across the country.
Since the program’s inception in 2009, adoptions have accounted for close to 50% of over 3,500 registered schools delivering the curriculum. For Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s chief sport officer, that number presents a great opportunity to build community relationships.
“With Golf in Schools adoptions, our hope is to help establish a connection between facilities and schools in respective communities across Canada,” said Thompson. “Establishing that link can enhance the school’s delivery of the program, while also contributing towards future membership numbers at the corresponding facility.”
Click here to learn more about Golf in Schools.
U.S. Open hopes ultimate test doesn’t feature trick questions
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — The U.S. Open wants to be the ultimate test in golf, and sometimes that leads to a series of trick questions.
One of them was 14 years ago at Shinnecock Hills.
A year after Jim Furyk tied the U.S. Open scoring record at Olympia Fields, the 2004 U.S. Open was so bone dry and lightning fast that only three players broke par on the weekend, none on Sunday. Fans having to move to the side because of a golf ball rolling toward them is not unusual, except when the player hit the shot with his putter from the green. Tee shots that landed on the seventh green rolled off the putting surface and into a bunker.
One year after Rory McIlroy broke the U.S. Open scoring record at Congressional, no one broke par at Olympic Club in 2012 when Webb Simpson won.
Moments like this lead to criticism that the USGA overreacts. Justin Rose sees it another way.
“When everything is in balance, it’s kind of boring,” he said. “And I think in life, the closer you get to the edges, that’s where the excitement is. So I would say the USGA is not reactionary. It’s counterbalancing. So if you go too far one way, you’ve got to come back the other way. You don’t want to fall off the edge.”
That’s the question going into the 118th U.S. Open that starts Thursday.
Might the USGA lean toward going easy on players because of what happened the last time at Shinnecock Hills? Or will it make it tougher on them because of the record scoring last year at Erin Hills? Brooks Koepka tied the record to par at 16 under, and six other players finished at 10 under or lower.
“We’re confident this should be a marvelous test,” said Mike Davis, the chief executive of the USGA who has been in charge of setting up the courses for the U.S. Open since 2006 at Winged Foot, when the winning score was 5 over.
Davis believes Shinnecock Hills is right where the USGA wants it, even with a light, steady rain on the final day of practice.
Wednesday is never the measure of how a golf course presents itself.
McIlroy is among those who likes what he sees. It’s not a U.S. Open if players are not complaining, but it’s been a quiet three days ahead of competition. The biggest question is whether the fairways are narrow enough.
They are tighter than last year at Erin Hills, for sure, and an average of 15 yards wider than in 2004.
“Honestly, I think they’ve got it right,” McIlroy said. “It presents guys with options off the tee. You have to make a decision basically on every tee box what you’re going to do. I’m obviously not that old, but when I watched U.S. Opens on TV and saw these long, narrow corridors of fairways and thick rough, that’s what I was used to at a U.S. Open. … If you look at the venues that are coming up, they’re very traditional venues like Oakmont, Winged Foot, Pebble Beach.
“Maybe you’ll see more of what we perceive as a traditional U.S. Open setup.”
Rain was expected to yield to plenty of sun over the next four days, with the strongest wind on Thursday. Davis said he already has called several audibles on the original plan of where to put the pins on the greens, an example of the USGA not wanting the course to get on the wild side.
Davis also said the winning score is not an issue at a major where par tends to be at a premium.
“Never since I’ve been at the USGA — and it’s been almost 30 years — I’ve never heard anybody at the USGA say we’re shooting for even par,” Davis said. “But we talk incessantly, ‘How do we get the course to be really a great test of golf?’ As we say, get all 14 clubs dirty to make sure that these players are tested to the nth degree.”
And what makes a good championship inside the ropes?
The quality of the winner? Different players have won the last 15 U.S. Opens, the longest stretch of the four majors. The margin? The last playoff was 10 years ago when Tiger Woods won at Torrey Pines. Three of the last four U.S. Opens have been decided by three shots or more.
“You need some great players in the mix,” Rose said. “You need some great story lines.”
This U.S. Open is not lacking for either. Five players have a chance to replace Dustin Johnson at No. 1 in the world this week. Woods is hitting the ball well enough to win any week if he ever gets all parts of his game working together. To win a record-tying fourth U.S. Open would cap off an unlikely comeback following four back surgeries. Phil Mickelson, in the USGA record book with his six runner-up finishes, needs only this trophy to complete the career Grand Slam.
“And then just a good test of golf where people think, ‘Wow, they’ve really stepped up and played great golf under pressure,”’ Rose added. “I think that’s what people would like to see in this tournament is that guys are tested to the ends of the ability, to whether they can cope or not. And I think that’s part of the charm … not charm, but part of the allure of this tournament.”
The ultimate test starts Thursday. Results won’t be available until the end of the week.
Garrett Rank’s remarkable journey to the U.S. Open
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — It was a dream, one that hardly even seemed possible, back in the days when Garrett Rank was a member of Golf Canada’s National Men’s Team from 2012-14.
One of his teammates was Mackenzie Hughes and now, four years later, the band will be back together again, this time on one of golf’s biggest stages.
Rank and Hughes have taken different paths to get to this U.S. Open at the demanding, undulating and windswept Shinnecock Hills, but they will be together Thursday morning, along with Australian Aaron Baddeley, at 7:18 a.m. off the 10th tee.
Rank, from Elmira, ON, has been one of the popular stories in the early days of the tournament. Coming off his second full season as a referee in the NHL, he has been a media darling. He was the first player in the media centre on Monday and has done a steady stream of interviews since.
The 30-year-old deserves all the attention he has been getting, from winning a battle with testicular cancer in 2011 to putting together an impressive amateur career to establishing himself as a referee in the best hockey league in the world.
He had a hat trick at the Canadian Mid-Amateur championship, winning it three times in a row and finished runnerup in the 2012 U.S. Mid-Am. Winning the Canadian Mid-Am got him a ticket to three RBC Canadian Opens, making the cut in 2016. (Last year, he played the par-3 seventh hole, made to look like a hockey rink, in a referee’s sweater).
This season, despite being limited to less than a dozen rounds of golf during the winter as he worked 73 regular-season games in the NHL, he qualified for the U.S. Open with a pair of 71s at the Ansley Golf Club’s Settindown Course in Atlanta.
Hughes turned pro in 2013 and won the RSM Classic in 2016.
After playing 14 holes with Hughes, from Dundas, ON, and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, BC, on Tuesday, Rank put in a good session on the range with coach Dave Smallwood and was then interviewed live on The Golf Channel.
The whirlwind will ease Thursday morning when he can step onto the tee where there will be a familiar face.
“That was great for me. I couldn’t have got a better group, I don’t think,” Rank said. “I attended Mackenzie’s wedding. We’re great friends. We played on the Canadian national team for three years together, so very comfortable. It will be kind of nice for me, as I’m sure I’ll be really anxious and nervous and just to have that familiar face beside me in battle is huge.
“And then it’s cool, like Aaron Baddeley growing up was a huge name and still is a big name in golf. Secretly, it’s cool. Like I saw all the guys on the range today and I’m just there kind of like a little fan boy, so it’s cool to see those guys and be able to play with them, as well.”
Stephen Walkom, the NHL’s director of officiating, said the same qualities that make Rank an up-and coming referee serve him well on the golf course.
“I think he’s going to be really happy when the tournament starts,” Walkom said. “Once the tournament starts, it’s like a hockey game starting. He’s going to feel at peace, I’m sure. In golf, you have to be mentally tough and I think there are similarities with hockey, recovering quickly from a bad shot or a missed call. Garrett’s got a real passion for hockey and for the game of golf.
“On behalf of all the guys (on the officiating staff), we’re all extremely proud of Garrett and all that he’s accomplished qualifying for the U.S. Open. All the guys are going to enjoy it and wish him the best of luck. It’s great for Garrett. He’s going to have the chance to do something he dreamed about as a kid.”
With the spotlight turned on him, Rank has been taking the opportunity to spread the word Canada isn’t just about hockey.
“Yeah, growing up in Canada, you’re kind of born with a pair of skates on your feet, so hockey is probably our number one sport. But golf is getting there,” he said. “I’ve had a great opportunity with Golf Canada for three years on their Canadian Men’s National Team and have represented them in many international competitions. Obviously, I owe a huge debt to them. I wouldn’t be here without the guidance and support their staff has given me.”
Rank said his goal is to make the cut at Shinnecock. He said he had some issues with the wind, which shifted from the east to southwest on Tuesday, and that’s what kept him on the range.
Rank’s coach, David Smallwood, said what Rank has done getting here is remarkable for a guy who has a full-time job.
“You know what? For somebody who spends 72 nights dropping a puck, this is a part-time gig for him. He gets a few opportunities (to play) when he refs some Florida games and some mini-camps with me in Florida. We’d like it to be a couple more, but he’s busy with all the travel and stuff.
“It’s not the best situation to be able to come out here and compete with the best players in the world, but he’s a helluva an athlete, a helluva player and a helluva guy. When you have talent, you have talent. Is he as sharp mentally? Does he not question stuff because he’s a little rusty or not? He’s had three or four tournaments in the spring. He’s had some playing time. He just hasn’t had the range time.
“It’s a whirlwind,” Smallwood said as Rank headed off to talk to The Golf Channel. “We were planning on being out of here by now just relaxing at the house. It hasn’t worked out that way, so we’re going to do some chipping, some putting, some media. It’s a busy week.
“It’s a bucket list thing and we’re just all so excited about his opportunity this week.”