The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada announced on Thursday that its 12 tournaments combined to raise more than $1 million for charity in 2017, surpassing the million-dollar mark for the second consecutive season and bringing the total donated to charity since 2013 to more than $3.2 million.

Each event on the 2017 schedule directed funds toward official charitable partners and was aided by a $150,000 donation by the Mackenzie Tour on behalf of Mackenzie Investments.

“Making a positive impact in the communities where we play is a priority for each and every tournament under the PGA TOUR umbrella, and we’re so proud to see the work Mackenzie Tour events have done to help make a difference in people’s lives,” said Mackenzie Tour President Jeff Monday. “Along with our umbrella sponsor, Mackenzie Investments, we’re proud to support each of these causes and are thrilled to have surpassed $1 million in donations again this year.”

“We are so pleased with the success of the 2017 Mackenzie Tour. The team at Mackenzie is especially proud of the Tour’s focus on charity and community, and we’d like to thank everyone who helped reach this significant milestone for the second season in a row,” said Barry McInerney, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mackenzie Investments.

Leading the way once again in 2017 was the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel, which raised $271,500 for families battling cancer in Northwestern Ontario. The event was the top fundraiser for all 2017 tournaments and brings the Staal Foundation Open’s total amount donated since 2014 to more than $800,000.

JEJU, Korea, Republic Of – Justin Thomas eagled twice in a 9-under-par 63 to take a three-stroke lead after the first round of the CJ Cup, the first U.S. PGA Tour regular-season event in South Korea.

Thomas started on Thursday with a bogey at the 10th hole but made amends with eagles on the par-5 12th and 18th holes around four straight birdies from No. 14-17 to turn in 29. He added three more birdies and a bogey to hold his margin.

“It was kind of a weird day,” Thomas said. “It started off with a really, really bad bogey. And then I had a seven-hole stretch there where I basically kind of went unconscious. That was pretty much most of my round.”

Thomas set up a long eagle putt on No. 12 with a driver and a 3-wood.

“That was a weird putt,” Thomas said. “Jimmy and I had a hard time reading it which usually means it’s pretty straight so that’s how we ended up playing it.”

His second eagle on 18 came when he hit a wedge to three feet from the hole.

Thomas won the CIMB Classic in Malaysia in 2015 and 2016 and says he is comfortable playing overseas.

“It’s still golf,” Thomas said. “It doesn’t matter where you are and I know that it is very cliche and easier said than done but you just have to take advantage of the rest and time you have off the course.”

Chez Reavie, Gavin Kyle Green, Scott Brown, Patrick Reed and Marc Leishman all opened with 66s and were in a five-way share of second at 6 under.

Jhonattan Vegas and Charles Howell III were among five players a shot further back at 5 under.

Jason Day and fellow Australian Rod Pampling were at 4 under, one stroke ahead of Pat Perez, who was coming off a victory last week at the CIMB Classic.

Adam Scott had a 72 containing four birdies and four bogeys.

Canadian Nick Taylor sits T12 after opening with a 4-under-par 68.

TAIPEI, Taiwan – Eun-Hee Ji had a 6-under 66 on Thursday to take a three-stroke lead after the first round of the LPGA’s Taiwan Championship.

Ji got off to a strong start with back-to-back birdies at the Miramar Golf Country Club, and added four more to finish the round clear of fellow South Korean Sei Young Kim, Megan Khang and Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand.

Lydia Ko was in a group of five tied for fifth after a 70 that included three bogeys and five birdies.

Top-ranked So Yeon Ryu and No. 2 Sung Hyun Park struggled to find their rhythm. Ryu finished with a 73 for a share of 23rd place, and Park was 4 over.

Defending champion Ha Na Jang struggled in an opening round of 81.

Canada’s Brooke Henderson is tied for 34th after an opening-round 74 (+2).

Despite improved scores nearly across the board by team and individuals alike, the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades continue to hold first place on all four leaderboards at the PING CCAA Golf National Championships at Royal Ashburn.

“I think we played well yesterday (Tuesday) given the course was tough and it was windy, but I think it got a little bit better today and more scoreable,” said UFV head coach Chris Bertram. “I think overall we’re playing well. I don’t think we’re playing our best yet. I think at this point it’s good enough, but we’re only at the halfway point and we’ve got some work to do still.”

The only change at the top was in the women’s individual standings. Emery Bardock, who led after the opening round dropped to second place, but her teammate Madison Kapchinsky moved into the top spot with the best round of the day at one-over par to keep the Cascades in the lead at 17-over. Hannah Dirksen, also of the Cascades is tied with Bardock for fourth at 21-over after two rounds, trailing Bardock’s and Sarah-Eve Rheaume of the Champlain St. Lawrence Lions at 18-over.

Defending individual champion Addison Wallwin of the Georgian Grizzlies is also tied with Dirksen at 21-over, while her teammate is in sixth at 22-over.

The strong presence of Cascades and Grizzlies at the top of the individual leaderboard has their teams in the same position as yesterday, sitting 1-2 respectively. Georgian currently trails by 11 strokes after two rounds. The entire team leaderboard saw no changes for the women as the Humber Hawks and Champlain St. Lawrence Lions sit third and fourth, 18 and 20 strokes back of Fraser Valley.

On the men’s side the team standings also didn’t change for the top four as Fraser Valley continued to hold first place over PACWEST rival UBC-Okanagan by five strokes. The top team from the host conference (OCAA) continued to be the Humber Hawks, who are 16 strokes back of the Cascades, but only lead fourth-place André-Laurendeau by five strokes.

Thomas Code of the Fanshawe Falcons had the low round of the day for the men at one-under par, moving him into sixth place overall on the individual leaderboard. That wasn’t enough to shuffle the top three though as they all stayed in medal spots midway through the championship.

Daniel Campbell and Zach Olson hold first and second place again for Fraser Valley, while Olivier Ménard of the André-Laurendeau Boomerang still sits in third after Round 2.

James Casorso passed his UBC-Okanagan teammate Nik Federko for fourth place, but Federko only dropped to fifth after a round of four-over.

The host Durham College Lords struggled on the second day of play and dropped from fifth to seventh in the team standings. This also puts them 25 strokes out of a podium position.

Defending champion @GeorgianGrizz speak about their opening two rounds of @PingTour CCAA Golf National Championships at @RoyalAshburn. pic.twitter.com/78eVrQHDEv

— CCAA/ACSC (@CCAAsportsACSC) October 18, 2017

As part of the championship the host committee at Durham College and Conroy’s No Frills in Whitby have partnered to have one pound of food donated to the Salvation Army for every birdie made throughout the tournament.

Through two rounds the total sits at 213 birdies, or 213 pounds of food. The teams improved their total of 97 from the opening day to 116.

Round three opens at Royal Ashburn at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., – The LPGA Tour today announced that 24-year-old Sung Hyun Park, of the Republic of Korea, has mathematically clinched the 2017 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award with five events remaining on the season’s schedule.

Park, who won the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open Championship for her first LPGA and major victory, has a 798-point lead over Angel Yin which would mark the third-largest margin of victory in the history of the award, passing 2016 winner In Gee Chun (778 points) and trailing only Karrie Webb over Mayumi Hirase in 1996 (1030 points) and Se Ri Pak over Janice Moodie in 1999 (929 points).

“I am honored to receive this award which was one of my goals from the beginning of the season,” Park said. “This is really special because you only get one chance in a lifetime. Taking this opportunity, I want to be a better player.”

In July, Park rallied from three strokes behind after three rounds to pull off a victory at the U.S. Women’s Open, becoming a Rolex First-Time Winner and capturing her first major title. The following month, Park earned her second career win with a four-stroke rally at the CP Women’s Open. She has six additional top-10 finishes in 2017, with no showing worse than 43rd, and finished in the top 20 at four of the season’s five major championships.

Through October 15, Park leads the LPGA in Official Money with $2,092,623, making her the fastest player in LPGA history to reach $2 million in career earnings at 7 months, 13 days (19 starts; 2017 LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship). She was also the fastest to reach $1 million in career earnings following her U.S. Women’s Open victory at 4 months, 14 days (14 events).

Park also sits in the top 10 in Scoring Average (first), Race to the CME Globe (second), Rolex Player of the Year (third), Birdies (sixth), Driving Distance Average (ninth) and Greens in Regulation (sixth). She is currently No. 2 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, less than one point behind No. 1 So Yeon Ryu.

Park is currently on leave from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, where she is majoring in International Sports and Leisure. After taking up the game in the second grade at her mother’s suggestion, Park joined the KLPGA Tour in 2012 at the age of 19. She earned her first win on the KLPGA in 2015, and captured 10 total victories before joining the LPGA Tour in 2017.

Park will receive the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award at the 2017 Rolex LPGA Awards ceremony, to be held Thursday, Nov. 16, in conjunction with the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship.

About the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Award

The Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award, named for the late Louise Suggs, an LPGA Founder and LPGA and World Golf Hall of Fame member, was established in 1962. Suggs passed away at the age of 91 in August 2015 but leaves an unsurpassed legacy behind as the namesake for the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Award.

This is the 56th year the LPGA Tour will recognize a rookie for their performance in official tournaments. Since its inception, ten Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year winners have become members of the LPGA or World Golf Hall of Fame: Joanne Carner (1970), Amy Alcott (1975), Nancy Lopez (1978), Beth Daniel (1979), Patty Sheehan (1981), Juli Inkster (1984), Annika Sorenstam (1994), Karrie Webb (1996), Se Ri Pak (1998), and Lorena Ochoa (2003).

The rookie of the year award was established in 1962. Until 1992, the rookie of the year award went to the first-year LPGA player who finished with the highest ranking on the LPGA money list through the close of the official domestic LPGA season.

In 1992, a point system was instituted. LPGA Tour rookies are awarded points at each official LPGA tournament based on top 40 finishes and positions 41 through each player making the cut receive 5 points each. All points are doubled at LPGA major championships.

Past Winners

Golf Canada is pleased to announce the 18 athletes who have been chosen to represent Team Canada as part of the 2018 National Amateur Squad and Development Squad.

In all, eight athletes comprise Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad including four players on the men’s team and four on the women’s. The 10-member Development Squad will include five women and five men.

“Based on their outstanding performances this year, we are pleased to announce the young men and women chosen to represent Canada as part of the national team program,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s chief sport officer. These talented athletes are a product of a circle of support that includes personal coaches, parents and provincial high-performance programs and will proudly represent Canada on the global golf stage.”

The following athletes have been selected to Team Canada’s 2018 Amateur Squad:

WOMEN’S NATIONAL AMATEUR SQUAD

• Maddie Szeryk, Allen, Tex., Ontario Public Player (21)
• Naomi Ko, Victoria, B.C., Olympic View Golf Club (20)
• Jaclyn Lee, Calgary, Alta., Glencoe Golf & Country Club (20)
• Grace St-Germain, Ottawa, Ont., Camelot Golf & Country Club (19)

MEN’S NATIONAL AMATEUR SQUAD

• Hugo Bernard, Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., Laval sur-le-Lac Club (22)
• Josh Whalen, Napanee, Ont., Napanee Golf & Country Club (22)
• Joey Savoie, La Prairie, Que., Pinegrove Country Club (23)
• Chris Crisologo, Richmond, B.C., Marine Drive Golf Club (21)

Complete National Amateur Squad bios can be found here.

The following athletes have been selected to Team Canada’s 2018 Development Squad:

WOMEN’S DEVELOPMENT SQUAD

• Céleste Dao, Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que., Summerlea Golf & Country Club (16)
• Monet Chun, Richmond Hill, Ont., Summit Golf & Country Club (16)
• Ellie Szeryk, Allen, Tex., Ontario Public Player (16)
• Alyssa DiMarcantonio, Maple, Ont., Station Creek Golf Club (14)
• Euna Han, Coquitlam, B.C., Morgan Creek Golf Course (15)

MEN’S DEVELOPMENT SQUAD

• Christopher Vandette, Beaconsfield, Que., Summerlea Golf & Country Club (16)
• Johnny Travale, Stoney Creek, Ont., Hamilton Golf & Country Club (16)
• Nolan Thoroughgood, Victoria, B.C., Royal Colwood Golf Club (17)
• Peyton Callens, Langton, Ont., Delhi Golf & Country Club (17)
• Thomas Critch, Cedar Park, Tex., Ontario Public Player (17)

Complete Development Squad player bios can be found here. 

Development Squad to Feature Centralized Program out of Bear Mountain Resort

New in 2018, the National Development Squad program will feature a centralized component, which will be based out of Bear Mountain Resort in Victoria, B.C.—Team Canada’s official training centre since 2015.

The program will send Development Squad athletes to Bear Mountain from February through to early June to be immersed in a focused centre of excellence, surrounded by world-class technical coaching staff and experts in the areas of mental performance, physiotherapy, biomechanics and nutrition.

The change in program structure and commitment to a centralized training environment over four and a half months of the year are designed to better support emerging talents as part of Golf Canada’s next generation strategy.

The number of days that Development Squad athletes will spend in a world-class training environment will increase from approximately 30 (in the current structure) to 120 in the new program.

“We felt that this change was necessary to deliver a significant impact to targeted athletes aged 18 and under in this crucial stage of their development,” said Thompson. “An increased number of contact days with our expert high-performance coaches and sport science staff will provide our next generation athletes with a true world-class training environment.”

In addition to the world-class facilities available at Bear Mountain, athletes will have access to one of the best training centres in the country just 10 minutes away – the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence.

For accommodation, Development Squad members will be paired with billet families in the region to provide safe, supportive home environments for training and study throughout the program. All potential billet candidates will undergo a screening process with Golf Canada.

Athletes will be enrolled at Belmont Secondary School in Langford, B.C., where they will attend classes in the morning, followed by training in the afternoon. Team members will also be assigned a teacher from West Shore Distributed Learning Centre, where they will take online courses and receive advanced credits for their sports training. Academic commitment will remain a cornerstone of the Team Canada program with Golf Canada coaches and support team working closely with the teaching staff to ensure success in and out of the classroom.

Bear Mountain Resort has served as Golf Canada’s national team training centre since 2015. In addition to world class amenities and accommodations, the resort features a 36-hole Nicklaus design golf course located on 836 acres with spectacular mountain vistas and views of British Columbia’s seaside capital city. 

Team Canada Coaching Staff Announced….

Golf Canada is pleased to announce the 2018 Team Canada coaching staff that will support both the National Amateur and Development Squads.

On the women’s side, Tristan Mullally of Waterdown, Ont returns as Women’s Amateur Squad Head Coach. Matt Wilson, from Newmarket, Ont., will oversee the Women’s Development Squad. Wilson, who also works as Golf Canada’s director of next generation performance, takes over for long-serving Women’s Development Squad coach Ann Carroll who will be taking a new step in her coaching career.

Derek Ingram of Winnipeg, Man. returns as Men’s Amateur Squad Head Coach. Robert Ratcliffe of Comox, B.C.  will be leading the Men’s Development Squad.

“Derek and Tristan have had tremendous success with Team Canada athletes and the evolution of our national team program will see Robert and Matt play a more significant role through the centralized training environment at Bear Mountain,” added Thompson. “We also want to express our sincere thanks to Ann Carroll on her tremendous contributions to our Women’s Development Squad over the past six years.”

Mullally, Ingram, Ratcliffe and Wilson are all class “A” professionals with the PGA of Canada.

“Not only am I excited to see these young athletes represent Team Canada in 2018, but I’m also thrilled for their PGA of Canada coaches as well,” PGA of Canada President Steve Wood. “The commitment Golf Canada has shown in collaborating with the PGA of Canada in our world class teaching and coaching certification programs is exemplary.”

The 2018 Young Pro Squad team selection is expected in December.

The University of Fraser Valley (UFV) Cascades jumped to the first-round advantage on Tuesday in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) National Championship at the Royal Ashburn Golf Club in Durham, Ont.

The Cascades hold the lead in all four categories: men’s team, women’s team, men’s individual and women’s individual. Daniel Campbell (Wellington, Wash.) led the men’s division, carding a 1-under 71 to register the only under-par score of the day. Campbell holds a two-stroke advantage over teammate Zach Olson (Strathmore, Alta.).

Collectively, the Cascade men recorded an opening-round 13-over par, nine strokes ahead of University of British Columbia Okanhagan Heat.

On the women’s side, UFV sit at 24-over par for a three-stroke cushion over defending champion Georgian College. The Cascade women are led by Emery Bardock of Armstrong, B.C., who posted a round of 10 over par, highlighted by an ace on the par-3 7th.

“It was probably the most exciting thing all day because I wasn’t playing too well,” said Bardock. “Our last three holes are always ice cream holes for our team, so my coach was like ‘make this birdie putt.’ When I got up there (green), I was like ‘it’s in the hole,’ so it was really exciting.”

Emery Bardock of the @UFVCascades talks about her first career ace today on No. 7 at @RoyalAshburn! ⛳️??#CCAAgolf2017 pic.twitter.com/E6P7YMIvFI

— CCAA/ACSC (@CCAAsportsACSC) October 17, 2017

As part of the championship the host committee at Durham College and Conroy’s No Frills in Whitby have partnered to have one pound of food donated to the Salvation Army for every birdie made throughout the tournament. Through one round the total sits at 91 birdies, or 91 pounds of food.

The Georgian Grizzlies took home the women’s title in 2016, and the Niagara College Knights were victorious on the men’s side.

Round two will get underway at Royal Ashburn at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

Click here for full scoring.

TORONTO – Newly minted PGA TOUR members Ben Silverman (Thornhill, Ontario) and Roberto Diaz (Veracruz, Mexico) will captain the teams from the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR Latinoamérica at the 2017 Aruba Cup, taking place December 11-16 at Tierra del Sol Resort and Golf, it was announced Tuesday

Silverman and Diaz, both PGA TOUR rookies who earned a spot in “The 25” on the 2017 Web.com Tour, will lead teams of 10 players in the Presidents Cup-style match-play event at Tierra del Sol.

“It’s an honour to be selected by the Mackenzie Tour to lead our team at the Aruba Cup this December,” said Silverman, who made his debut as a PGA TOUR member with a T43 finish at the Safeway Open. “It feels like it’s happened pretty fast, but it’s fun to look back and remember where I came from and go help out some guys who are coming from there right now.”

“I owe a lot to PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and it’s an honour for me to come to the Aruba Cup and try to represent my past with the Tour,” said Diaz. “I think we’re going to have great chemistry, and hopefully I can help them with everything they need and defend the title.”

Silverman, 29, played on the Mackenzie Tour in 2014 and 2015 before going on to earn Web.com Tour status for the 2016 season. In 2017, he produced a breakthrough year, with five top-10s and a win at the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper. He finished 10th on the money list to secure his first trip to the PGA TOUR, in 2017-18.

Diaz, 30, played on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica from 2012-15 before earning Web.com Tour status for the 2016 season. In 2017, he recorded two top-10 finishes including a playoff loss at the Club Colombia Championship by Servientrega. He was 25th on the money list allowing him to join the 2017-18 PGA TOUR.

The roster for the Mackenzie Tour, which includes the top-10 available players on the Order of Merit, will be announced in the coming weeks, while the Latinoamérica team, which includes the top-10 available players on the Order of Merit with a minimum of two Latin American players selected, will be announced following the conclusion of the 2017 season, at the Shell Championship in Miami in early December.

The inaugural Aruba Cup took place in 2016, with the team from PGA TOUR Latinoamerica defeating the Mackenzie Tour team, 13-7. The 2017 Aruba Cup consists of three competition days, featuring four-ball, foursomes and singles matches from December 14-16.

Three Canadian juniors will be among the 80 competitors in the fifth annual Drive, Chip and Putt championship at Augusta National on April 1, 2018.

Toronto’s Vanessa Borovilos headlines the Canadian trio, returning for a third time after finishing atop the girls 10-11 age group at the Winged Foot Golf Club regional qualifier in Mamaroneck, N.Y., — one of 10 conducted across the United States. The 10-year-old is one of three returning three-time finalists—she finished 5th in 2016 and 4th in 2015.

Borovilos is joined by fellow Ontario natives Landon Kelly (Bobcaygeon, Ont.) and Luke DelGobbo (Fonthill, Ont.) who also advanced at Winged Foot by capturing the boys 7-9 and 14-15 age groups, respectively.

Kelly mastered Winged Foot’s greens tying the high score in all divisions with 65 points in the putting competition to win the Boys 7-9 division. Good golf runs in the family, as Kelly learned the game from his mother, Shana – a PGA of Canada professional – and sister Nyah, who participated in the 2014 National Finals.

Canada’s Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., captured the girls 14-15 division at last year’s championship, becoming the first Canadian to win a title.

Local qualifying began in May, June and July, held at more than 260 sites throughout the United States. The top-three scorers per venue, in each of the four age categories in separate boys and girls divisions, advanced to 50 subregional qualifiers in July and August. Two juniors in each age and gender division then competed at the regional level in September and October, held at some of the top courses in the country, including several U.S. Open and PGA Championship venues.

The top finisher from each regional site’s age/gender divisions – a total of 80 finalists – earned a place in the National Finals.

Click here for all regional qualifying results.

The Canadian equivalent—Future Links, driven by Acura Junior Skills Challenge National Event— will be contested on July 21 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont. Learn more here.

Born in Montreal and raised in Verdun, Que., Bob Vokey has become one of the world’s foremost wedge designers and trusted short game advisor to many of the modern game’s greatest golfers. His innovative designs have made Titleist Vokey wedges a trusted brand among golfers of every age and skill level. Over his illustrious career, Vokey has designed wedges for many of golf’s notable players.

Earlier this year, as part of the 2017 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club, the legendary club maker officially entered the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame as an honoured member.

Watch the video teaser below for a glimpse into the life of Vokey and click here to watch the video in full.