After spending the last year playing golf in such places as Italy, Morocco, Fiji, Australia, and South Africa, Canadian Mike Weir returns to the PGA TOUR this week for the first time since last year’s RBC Canadian Open.

Weir, of Brights Grove, Ont., is a past champion at the CareerBuilder Challenge in La Quinta, Calif. He’s in the field on a sponsor exemption alongside six other Canadians including Adam Hadwin of Moose Jaw, Sask., who finished second in 2017.

Weir, the ’03 Masters champion, has been relying on special invitations to earn starts on the European Tour and PGA TOUR of Australasia since he has very limited status on the PGA TOUR. His tie for 15th at the Australian PGA Championship in November was his best result since a tie for 21st at the CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur in 2014.

Since then, Weir has missed 25 cuts and withdrawn five times on the PGA TOUR. Despite setbacks and injuries, the 47-year-old shows no signs of giving up.

“My game feels good,” Weir said during a telephone interview. “Since Australia, I had a month off.

“Last week was OK?I shook off a little rust. I was a little bit inconsistent, but a lot of good things. Overall I feel good, there’s a lot of power back in my swing again.”

Weir said he’s not doing anything differently to get stronger but is working on his flexibility. As he gets older Weir said keeping his back strong is key otherwise he’s working mostly on core strength and stability.

Weir admitted he’s battling a knee injury after “landing funny” while walking a course in South Africa early last week. He’ll get an MRI on his right knee at the end of this week but his doctor said he wouldn’t do any further damage if he played.

“It’s definitely uncomfortable,” he said. “Bit of a bummer but hopefully it’s nothing serious.”

Weir captured the ’03 CareerBuilder Challenge as part of a three-win season — including the Masters — en route to being named the Lou Marsh Award winner as Canada’s athlete of the year. He’s the last golfer to win the honour.

Although Weir doesn’t tee it up as often these days, he remains a beacon for golf in the country according to Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum.

“(Weir) continues to be such an example for Canadians from coast to coast with his work ethic and his commitment and his warrior mentality out on the golf course,” Applebaum said. “He’s in phenomenal shape and has a great balance in life going.

“I know that next chapter, which includes a really strong push on the PGA TOUR, is what he’s trying to write and Golf Canada is behind him through and through.”

Weir is hopeful to play the PGA TOUR’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February but hasn’t heard from tournament organizers yet.

Weir said he’d be interested in playing on the Web.com Tour — a PGA TOUR feeder — and is hopeful for some exemptions this spring leading into the Masters.

Weir hasn’t earned official money on the PGA TOUR since 2014. But he remains focused on earning a PGA TOUR card via the Web.com Tour by finishing in the top-25 on the money list — something Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., did last year.

The Web.com Tour has a special category for longtime PGA TOUR members who are 48-to-49. Weir will take advantage of some of those spots after he turns 48 on May 12.

“When I turn 48 in May I’ll have pretty much unlimited access to the Web.com Tour but I’d like to play some events before May comes along,” he said. “Not only for prep for Augusta (National), but if I end up focusing on the Web.com Tour come May, I don’t want to be too far behind when that date comes along to try to secure a spot in the top-25.”

Weir said he’s committed to regaining some status on the PGA TOUR one more time before he begins playing on the PGA TOUR Champions, the circuit for golfers aged 50 and over.

“I love the game, I love to compete, I love to see what I can do,” he said. “I love to experiment and try to get better and overcome obstacles.

“That’s what golf is about.”

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – National Amateur Squad member Chris Crisologo hoisted the South American Amateur trophy on Tuesday following a four-stroke victory at the Martindale Country Club.

The Richmond, B.C., native struggled early in the final round, going 4 over par through his first five holes before recovering on the back nine with four birdies. Crisologo, 23, recorded the tournament’s two lowest rounds (64-66) to hold a lead as large as seven. He went on to close the event at 13 under par, four strokes clear of runner-up Alejandro Tosti of Argentina.

With the win, the Simon Fraser University junior becomes the first Canadian male to capture the event. LPGA star Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., captured the women’s division in 2013. The victory also marks Crisologo’s first win as a member of Team Canada—he joined the National Amateur Squad back in October.

pic.twitter.com/D83j7SnULp

— AAG (@GolfAAG) January 16, 2018

Fellow countryman Matt Williams of Calgary finished the 13th edition of the event with a 3-under-par 69—his best score of the tournament. The University of Houston of Houston junior finished the event at 4 under par in a tie for 12th.

In the women’s division, Team Canada Development Squad member Céleste Dao finished T8 at 1 over par. The Notre-Dame-de-lÎle-Perrot, Que., product carded four birdies in her final round to record her best score of the tournament with a 3-under 69.

Teammate Ellie Szeryk of London, Ont., finished tied for 22nd at 9 over par (72-79-74-72).

Click here for full scoring.

Chris Crisologo campeón del Abierto Sudamericano Amateur! Congratulaciones ! pic.twitter.com/0fJVQBp75E

— AAG (@GolfAAG) January 16, 2018

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Lorne Rubenstein, who spent 33 years as a golf columnist while writing 14 books and contributing to magazines around the world, has been named the recipient of the 2018 PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism.

Rubenstein, a native of Toronto, will be honored on April 4 at the ISPS HANDA 46th Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA) Annual Awards Dinner at Savannah Rapids Pavilion in Augusta, Georgia.

Rubenstein, 69, is the 29th recipient of the PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism, which recognizes members of the media for their steadfast promotion of golf, both locally and nationally.

“We celebrate Lorne Rubenstein’s outstanding career, a study in gracefully capturing the joy of the game while connecting readers to many of golf’s often underappreciated players,” said PGA President Paul Levy. “Through his work, Lorne also strengthened a bond with our extended golf family in Canada – home to an association born five years before the PGA of America. Together, we work to make golf the best game and we welcome Lorne among the most honored journalists in our sport.”

Rubenstein’s work spans more than 50 major championships, Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups as well as some 40 Canadian Opens.

Born in Toronto, Rubenstein began playing golf at 12 while continuing to compete in hockey, football and baseball. A graduate of York University in Toronto in 1970, Rubenstein earned an M.A. in psychology from the University of Guelph (1974). He worked as part-time curator-librarian for the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA, now Golf Canada), while pursuing a doctoral degree in psychology. He withdrew to focus on writing about golf. In 1980, Rubenstein became the first editor of SCOREGolf Magazine and a weekly columnist for The Globe and Mail, Canada’s national newspaper.

Personal golf experiences enriched Rubenstein’s work, including caddying in the 1970 Canadian Open for former U.S. and British Amateur Champion Bob Dickson, with whom he developed a long friendship that led to more connections with professional golfers. He caddied on tour part-time for Dickson and then for two-time Canadian Amateur champion Jim Nelford until 1982.

During that period, Rubenstein led the club championship at the Uplands Golf Course in Toronto after 54 holes. He was unable to fend off multiple swing thoughts and struggled to a 78 in the final round. He lost and went home to write about the experience, and sent the article to Golf Digest.

The editor was encouraging, but didn’t publish his offering. Still, the encouragement kick- started his writing career. Two years later, in 1979, he previewed the Canadian Open for Toronto Life magazine – “Psychology of the Swing,” focusing on Canadian great George Knudson.

After publication, Knudson left a voice message, “You have your foot in the door. Just keep writing and good things will happen.” One of the “good things” was The Natural Golf Swing, the book he co-authored with Knudson, an eight-time PGA Tour winner.

“I’ve made many friends around the world because of golf,” said Rubenstein. “Forty years have come and gone since my club championship debacle at Uplands. But the experience led me to write, and a world opened up. Even now I can hear George Knudson’s voice on my answering machine. I am most grateful for this honor. I join a group of past recipients, many of whom I have known as friends and long respected.”

Rubenstein is a four-time award-winner for magazine features/newspaper columns in the Golf Writers Association of America (1988, ’93, ’94, and 2003); won the 1985 Canada National Magazine Award; and has three first-place awards from the Golf Journalists Association of Canada (2009, ’16, and ’17). He was inducted into the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame (2006), the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame (2007), and is a recipient of Sports Media Canada’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2009) and the PGA of Canada’s Distinguished Service Award (2013).

From 1992-2005, Rubenstein was TSN television host of “Acura World of Golf,” and hosted “Looking Back” from 2014-15 on SiriusXM. His books include A Season in Dornoch: Golf and Life in the Scottish Highlands; Mike Weir: The Road to the Masters; and Moe & Me: Encounters with Moe Norman, Golf Mysterious Genius. He collaborated with Nick Price on The Swing: Mastering the Principles of the Game, and with David Leadbetter on The Fundamentals of Hogan.  His most recent work, published in 2017, is a collaboration with Tiger Woods on his memoir, “The 1997 Masters: My Story.”

Rubenstein lives in Toronto and Jupiter, Florida, with his wife, Nell.

The Grey Goose World Par 3 Championship returns for its ninth consecutive year March 1-4 at the Fairmont Southampton’s Turtle Hill Golf Club on the island of Bermuda.

Turtle Hill Golf Club has been recognized by Golf Magazine as one of the “Top 5 Par 3 Courses in the World” and is a recipient of Golf Digest’s “Best Places to Play Golf Award.”

As the world’s premier par 3 championship, the event is expected to attract 150 participants from more than 10 countries, including a number of noted professionals and celebrities. In addition, the field will be rounded out by an impressive list of amateur golfers—from Bermuda, the United States, Canada and Europe—vying for titles in the men’s, women’s and senior amateur divisions.

This year’s championship package includes:

• Grey Goose World Par 3 Championship entry
• Three nights single occupancy luxury accommodations at the Fairmont Southampton
• Daily breakfast and lunch
• Exclusive activation event at the iconic Bacardi Limited headquarters in Hamilton, Bermuda
• Premium Grey Goose World Par 3 Championship tee gifts
• Opportunity to take part in the $1-million (USD) hole-in-one contest

For more information about this year’s Grey Goose World Par 3 Championship, please click here.

PERTH, Australia – Team Canada’s Hugo Bernard opened the Australian Amateur on Tuesday with a 4-under-par 68 at the Wanneroo Golf Club to hold a share of 4th place.

The Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., product jumped to a hot start, going birdie-eagle-birdie in his first three holes to sit inside the top-five against competitors from 15 countries across the world. Bernard, 24, will tee-it-up Wednesday at co-host Lake Karrinyup Golf Club for the second and final stroke play round.

Team Canada teammates Joey Savoie (La Prairie, Que.) and Josh Whalen (Napanee, Ont.) sit T20 and T55, respectively.

The top 64 men and 32 women will advance to Thursday’s match play draw.

Impressive opening 68 by @Hbernard63 at @Wanneroogc to start #AusAm. And some bonus weather advice for those shivering at home in @TheGolfCanada. pic.twitter.com/l7sIYe8vgL

— Golf Australia (@GolfAust) January 16, 2018

Japan’s Yuna Nishimura leads the women’s division at 6 under par; there are no Canadians in the field.

The Amateur Championships are Australia’s oldest golfing events, dating back to 1894.

Past winners include Michael Clayton, Michael Campbell, Mat Goggin, Brett Rumford, Kristie Smith and Nikki Campbell, and more recently Cameron Smith, newly crowned Australian Open champion Cameron Davis, former world No.1 Lydia Ko, Minjee Lee and current world No.12 Hye-Jin Choi, who won in 2017.

With both champions receiving exemptions into their respective Australian Opens, they are the most prized titles in Australian amateur golf.

Click here for full scoring.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – National Amateur Squad member Chris Crisologo fired a 6-under 66 on Monday to extend his lead to seven at the South American Amateur.

The 23-year-old Richmond, B.C., native posted the low round for a second consecutive day at Martindale Country Club to sit a 14 under through 54 holes.

The Simon Fraser University junior will look to become the first Canadian male to win the event when he tees off in tomorrow’s final round at 1:30 p.m. local time. LPGA athlete Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., captured the event in 2013 with a wire-to-wire victory in Bogotá, Colombia, to become the first female Canadian to win the event.

Fellow Canadian Matt Williams of Calgary carded a 2-under-par 70 jump inside the top 20 with a share of 17th.

On the women’s side, Team Canada duo of Céleste Dao () and Ellie Szeryk (London, Ont.) sit T14 and T23, respectively. The pair of Team Canada Development Squad members are in chase of Colombia’s Silvia Garces and Maria Serrano who share the lead at 4 under par.

Click here for full scoring.

HONOLULU – Patton Kizzire figured he was in for a long day when his putting stroke wasn’t up to his standards.

He just wasn’t expecting the Sony Open to go this long.

The longest playoff in more than five years on the PGA Tour finally ended Sunday when Kizzire two-putted for par from just off the green on the par-3 17th hole, and James Hahn’s 8-foot putt to keep it going caught the right edge of the lip and spun away.

“It wasn’t pretty,” Kizzire said. “I was able to get it done.”

Kizzire, who closed with a 2-under 68, became the first multiple winner on the PGA Tour this season. He went head-to-head with Rickie Fowler and beat him by one shot in the OHL Classic in Mexico last fall for his first PGA Tour title. He was in a four-man battle on the back nine at Waialae that was whittled down to Kizzire and Hahn, who closed with a 62 to match him at 17-under 273.

And the fun was just getting started.

Kizzire had to watch three times as Hahn had a putt to win, two of those putts from 6 feet and 10 feet on the par-5 18th hole. Kizzire had two putts to win, though both of them were in the 30-foot range.

“That playoff was quite a marathon,” Kizzire said.

Canadian Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., — the lone Canadian to make the cut — finished in a tie for 39th place at 8 under.

Hahn has won both his PGA Tour title in playoffs, at Riviera and Quail Hollow. Closing with a 62 to even have a chance was no consolation.

“I played good enough to win, but I didn’t,” he said. “So for me, no matter how many birdies I make, if I’m not coming out of the room with the trophy, it really feels like I was defeated out there. I had a putt to win it. I’m going to be playing that over and over and over again.”

The six-hole playoff was the longest on the PGA Tour in just over five years, and given how the week transpired, it was only fitting.

Saturday brought panic to the islands with a push alert of a ballistic missile strike that turned out to be a false alarm.

There was a real strike on Sunday – the audio and video production workers for Golf Channel walked out over a labour dispute, leaving the network scrambling to provide at least limited coverage of an event that ended in prime time after the NFL playoff games were over.

Golf Channel managed enough cameras to provide coverage of the final three holes – one of their on-course reporters manned a camera on the 16th tower – and all six holes of the playoff.

It was worth the wait for Kizzire. His goal is to get to East Lake for the FedEx Cup finale, and he is well on his way with two victories so early in the season.

“One win doesn’t necessarily mean a whole lot,” Kizzire said. “Two means a little more, and three is even better. I’m always looking for the next one. I’m super excited right now.”

Missing from the playoff was Tom Hoge, who did everything right in his bid to win for the first time on the PGA Tour except for one swing. He had a one-shot lead when he was between clubs on the 16th hole, and opted to hit a draw to the back-left pin. He turned it too much and it found the bunker. His next shot got hung up in the shaggy rough, he chipped that to 12 feet and missed to make double bogey to slip one shot behind.

Hoge gave himself two good chances with putts of about 7 feet. Both burned the edge. He shot 70 and had to settle for third place, his best finish on the PGA Tour.

“This sets me up a lot better for the rest of the year, and hopefully made the FedEx Cup playoffs,” said Hoge, a 28-year-old from North Dakota who hasn’t kept his full card his previous three years on tour. “More so just the confidence I had to play in the final group and play well today.”

Brian Harman, who played in the final group at both Hawaii events, was two shots behind after a tap-in birdie at No. 12. But he three-putted for bogey from long range on the 13th, took two shots to get out of the bunker left of the 16th green and had to settle for a 70. He tied for fourth.

Defending champion Justin Thomas closed with a 68 and tied for 14th. Jordan Spieth finished with eight straight pars for a 66 and tied for 18th, ending his streak of seven consecutive top 10s dating to the PGA Championship in August.

BEUNOS AIRES, Argentina – National Amateur Squad member Chris Crisologo climbed into the lead at the South American Amateur following a tournament-low 64 on Sunday at the Martindale Country Club.

Crisologo, a Richmond, B.C. product, sits at 8 under (72-64) to hold a two-stroke advantage through 36 holes. Fellow Canadian Matt Williams of Calgary stands at 1 over par in a tie for 27th.

On the women’s side, Céleste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que. leads all Canadians with a four-way share of 5th place at even par. Fellow Team Canada Development Squad member Ellie Szeryk of London, Ont., sits a 7 over par in a tie for 21st.

The Canadian pair is chasing Peru’s Luisamariana Mesones and Colombia’s Maria Serrano who share the women’s outright lead at 3 under par.

LPGA superstar Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., captured the event in 2013 with a wire-to-wire victory in Bogotá, Colombia, to become the first (and only) Canadian to win the event.

Click here for full scoring.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Scott Parel beat fellow PGA Tour Champions player Scott Dunlap on the first hole of a playoff Sunday to complete a wire-to-wire victory in the Diamond Resorts Invitational.

The 52-year-old Parel won the 32-player professional division with a par on the extra hole, the 203-yard 18th at Tranquilo Golf Club. Dunlap hit a fat shot short into water and made a double bogey.

In regulation, Dunlap made an 8-foot birdie putt for three points, and Parel failed to get up-and-down and made a bogey to fall into the playoff. Unable to play a practice round before the event because of the flu, Parelearned $125,000.

“Beware the injured animal,” Parel said. “I think low expectations (helped). My expectations were just to try to finish and do the best I can.”

Parel and Dunlap finished with 93 points in the 54-hole Modified Stableford event, Parel earned 32 points in the final round. He spent 10 years as a computer programmer before turning pro at age 31.

Dunlap had 34 points in the scoring system that awards six points for eagle, three for birdie, one for par, zero for bogey and minus-two for double bogey or worse. John Daly was third with 88 points after a 34-point day.

Five-time LPGA Tour winner Brooke Henderson, playing from the same tees as the men, was seventh with 80 points. The 20-year-old Canadian had 25 points Sunday.

Finishes 7th ✔️
Beats most of the @ChampionsTour guys ✔️
Pretty solid week at #DRIGolf for @BrookeHenderson! ? pic.twitter.com/ouQGMJj7IW

— LPGA (@LPGA) January 14, 2018

Former tennis player Mardy Fish won the 52-man celebrity division for the second time in three years, finishing with 75 points. Former hockey star Jeremy Roenick was second at 61.

HONOLULU – Tom Hoge was too caught up watching college basketball in his hotel room to be bothered with a push alert – a false alarm, as it turned out – that a ballistic missile was headed toward Hawaii.

He showed a steady hand on the golf course, too, even as the leaderboard at the Sony Open became increasingly crowded.

Hoge finished off a 6-under 64 by holing a 40-foot birdie putt at the par-3 17th, and then hitting a 40-yard bunker shot to within 3 feet for a birdie on the par-5 closing hole at Waialae Country Club for a one-shot lead.

Hoge was at 16-under 194, one shot ahead of Brian Harman (68) and Patton Kizzire, who recovered from a double bogey on his opening hole and shot 64. Another shot behind was Kyle Stanley (65).

Corey Conners was the lone Canadian left in the field. The Listowel, Ont., native shot 3 under for a 7 under total.

Seven players were separated by four shots, a big difference from a year ago when Justin Thomas led by seven going into the final round of his wire-to-wire victory.

Hoge has never led going to the final round on the PGA Tour in his 75 previous starts. He has never won.

“A new position,” Hoge said. “It’s a good one, obviously. I’ve been close to the lead a few times in the fall, so a little bit to draw on there. Haven’t quite pulled it off yet. Just getting a little more belief in myself and hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day for me.”

It should be a day where everyone can breathe a little easier compared with how Saturday began.

Hawaii was buzzing – literally – when the push alert came through on mobile phones across the island shortly after 8 a.m. alerting of a missile. It said to seek shelter and that it was not a drill.

There was panic across the island. J.J. Spaun tweeted that he was in the basement of his hotel. John Peterson tweeted that he was in a bathtub with his family covered by mattresses.

Hoge?

“I was watching the TCU basketball game at the time, so I was a little frustrated with that,” he said of his alma mater ultimately losing to Oklahoma. “The missile was kind of off my radar on that one. I don’t even know what you do for a missile. So I wasn’t really freaking out or anything. Some other people were around us. If it’s going to be your last day, it’s going to be your last day, right?

“To be here in Hawaii and see the beach and everything, I guess it would be a good spot to go.”

Hoge once shared the 36-hole lead with Tiger Woods at the Wyndham Championship, the last tournament Woods played before two back surgeries in the fall of 2015. This time he starts out the final round as the leader.

With so many players right in the mix, no one is sure what to expect in the final round.

“There’s a lot of birdies out there,” Kizzire said. “You just have to make the most.”

Thomas had a wild start – bogey on No. 1, holing out from 175 yards for eagle on No. 2, another bogey on No. 3. He settled down for a 66 and was six shots back, with other eight players ahead of him.

“You can go shoot 8 or 9 under in a heartbeat out here,” Thomas said. “It’s hard if you’re five back and you’re in 15th or 20th as opposed to five back and you’re in sixth or seventh. We’ll just wait and see.”

Hoge figured out how to handle Waialae on another warm, sunny and missile-free day. He was bogey-free, picking up birdies with good tee shots on some of the shorter holes, knocking in the long putt on the 17th and finishing with a birdie.

Five players had at least a share of the lead at some point, and Harman was never too far from the mix. It was a steady performance, just not as low as the players chasing him, and he failed to hit his bunker shot close on the 18th, two-putting from 25 feet for par.

Even so, he’ll be in the last group in Hawaii for the second straight week, and Kapalua winner Dustin Johnson already is on his way to Abu Dhabi.

Jordan Spieth never got much going again and headed to the putting green after his round for more work. He only made four birdies in his bogey-free round of 66, but that left him nine shots behind.

For most players, the talk of the day was the push alert that turned out to be a mistake.

“It was pretty scary at the hotel when they came over the loud speaker and said, ‘Everyone take shelter, this isn’t a drill,”’ Spieth said.