A ring on his finger. New clubs in his golf bag.

If marriage and a new equipment deal were not enough for Rory McIlroy, he also was presented with his own bobblehead for winning the FedEx Cup last year. That’s the only thing that made him feel old.

“All these wrinkles around my eyes,” McIlroy said Tuesday as he gazed at the doll. “It makes me look like I’ve been tour two decades instead of one.”

He is about to complete his 10th full year as a pro, and it’s been a reasonable ride. McIlroy, who turned 28 on Thursday, already has 21 victories around the world and four major championships.

But he’s gone through quite a bit since he tied for seventh at the Masters.

“I needed to address a few issues in between Augusta and here, and I did that with the first 10 days after Augusta,” McIlroy said.

That was related to his equipment, and McIlroy wound up with his fourth brand of clubs in the last five years. He left Titleist for Nike to start 2013, and when Nike got out of the club-making business last year, he began using Callaway. He still wasn’t entirely comfortable, especially with the golf ball, so McIlroy went back to testing and wound up signing a long-term deal with TaylorMade.

“I came to the conclusion that was the best way forward for me to try and improve, try and win more, try to get back to world No. 1, try to win more majors,” McIlroy said.  “So I’m really excited about that.”

Time to show the world what you’re really made of.

Welcome to the family, Rory. #TeamTaylorMade pic.twitter.com/akofFlZI1X

— TaylorMade Golf (@TaylorMadeGolf) May 9, 2017

He was excited about his wedding, too.

McIlroy met his bride, Erica Stoll, nearly five years ago when she worked for the PGA of America in transportation for the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah. Stoll played a big part in sparing him major embarrassment when McIlroy forgot he was in the Central time zone and needed a police escort to the course. He got there with minutes to spare and won his match, and Europe staged a record-tying comeback.

They married two weeks ago in Ireland and spent their honeymoon in the Caribbean.

“It was obviously the best weekend of my life, and hopefully, the best weekend of Erica’s, as well,” he said. “It seems like with everything that’s went on the last few weeks – with getting married and teaming up with TaylorMade – it seems like everything’s very settled. There’s not many question marks going on in my life right now. I feel like everything’s exactly where it’s meant to be, and if you feel like that off the golf course, then I can only imagine that it will help you on it.”

And now it’s back to work.

McIlroy, whose combined 95 weeks atop the world ranking are the most of any player since 2010, is at No. 2. But he’s so far behind Dustin Johnson that he could win The Players Championship and the U.S. Open and still not catch up to Johnson.

McIlroy has not won anywhere in the world since his playoff victory in the Tour Championship last year to capture the FedEx Cup. This week doesn’t figure to be any easier, not so much because it has the strongest and deepest field in golf, but because of the nature of the Stadium Course on the TPC Sawgrass.

It doesn’t really favour any style of play.

“It is the toughest tournament to win in golf,” Jordan Spieth said.

For all his greatness, McIlroy didn’t even break par at The Players until his fourth appearance. He missed the cut three straight times, though he has shown steady improvement in recent years. Even so, he has never been closer than four shots of the winner.

“I’ve always felt that driving is a big advantage for me if I can drive the ball well,” McIlroy said. “Here, it just doesn’t let me do that, and earlier on in my career I had to come to terms with that and come to terms with hitting the ball in the same positions as everyone else off the tee and then trying to beat them in from there.”

Johnson arrived Tuesday fresh off a runner-up finish in the Wells Fargo Championship that ended his three-tournament winning streak. The defending champion is Jason Day, who went wire to wire a year ago. That was his last victory. No one has ever won back to back since The Players began in 1974.

“As well as all the great players who have won here, they all have different styles of game,” Adam Scott said. “So I think that the course is open to so many different guys to have a chance to win that maybe that’s why it makes it a little bit harder to have someone go back to back here. There’s just more guys in the mix.”

Keith Martin, of Kelowna, B.C., and Derek Barron, from Lakewood, Wash., both shot 5-under par-66’s to share medallist honours at Bear Mountain Resort, host of the first of three RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifying events.

“I’ve been striking the ball really well the last two weeks,” said Martin. “At Mackenzie Tour Q-School last week I finished with a 70 on the last day and putted really well too, so I just carried that momentum through to today.”

Martin started off strong and never looked back. He finished the front-nine with a scorching 5-under par 30, making back-to-back birdies on holes three and four, another birdie on eight, and holing out for eagle on nine.

Riding the momentum of earning an exemption for the first four events of the season at Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Q-School last week, Barron started off hot as well.

He birdied four of his first five holes and didn’t drop a stroke until recording back-to-back bogeys on 15 and 16. He then closed with consecutive birdies on 17 and 18.

Thirty-two local and international golfers in total competed for one of six spots to move on to the final RBC Canadian Open Qualifier at Heron Point Golf Links in Ancaster, Ont., on July 24.

In addition to Martin and Barron, four others earned a spot at the final qualifier.

Lucas Herbert, who finished 32nd on the PGA of Australia Order of Merit in 2016, fired 2-under par 69, good for solo third.

Riley Wheeldon, the 2016 medallist from Comox, B.C., Danny Sahl, from Sherwood Park, Alta., and Chile’s Horacio Leon, who’s coming off a win at Mackenzie Tour PGA of Canada Q-School last week, all recorded 1-under par 70’s to round out the six golfers to advance.

In total, there are three regional qualifying events, each consisting of 18 holes of stroke play. Provided that there are 100 or more players in the field, the low qualifier receives an exemption directly into the 2017 RBC Canadian Open.

Otherwise, the top 15 percent of finishers at each qualifier become eligible to compete at the final qualifying event, as was the case at Bear Mountain.

A minimum of four players from the 18-hole stroke play Final Qualifier at Heron Point will gain entry into the RBC Canadian Open field.

There are two more regional qualifying events before the final qualifier:

May 15 – Blue Springs Golf Club in Acton, Ont.

June 5 – Club de golf de la Vallée du Richelieu on the Rouville Course in Sainte-Julie, Que.

Additional information regarding Tuesday’s RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier at Bear Mountain, can be found here.

National Amateur Squad members Maddie Szeryk and Jaclyn Lee hold the top two spots through 36 holes of the NCAA Columbus Regional at Ohio State University’s Scarlet Course in Columbus.

Szeryk, a junior at Texas A&M, carded a 2-under 70 on Tuesday to register the tournament’s low score, lifting her to sole possession of first place at 1-under par heading into Wednesday’s final round. The 20-year-old London, Ont., resident owns a two-stroke advantage over Lee and Van Dievoet, who share second place. The third-year Team Canada product was recently named to the All-SEC team for the third consecutive year.

Lee, a Calgary native, sits at 1-over par (73-72) for the tournament following a 72 (E) on Tuesday. The Ohio State sophomore led the Buckeyes in stroke advantage through the 2016-17 season, averaging 73.21 across 28 rounds, including five top-10 finishes.

Lee’s performance has the Buckeyes in second place, primed to grab one of the top-six spots to advance to the NCAA Championships from May 19-24. Szeryk and the Aggies sit just outside the number in 7th place, two strokes back of the sixth and final spot.

Team Canada’s Naomi Ko was also in action at the Albuquerque Regional for N.C State. The Victoria, B.C. product struggled with rounds of 78-82 to sit T89.

The full leaderboard for the Columbus Regional can be seen here.

The results have not been coming quite as quickly for Brooke Henderson in her second year on the LPGA Tour.

Henderson has two top-10 finishes through 10 events this season – by no means a sophomore slump, but well behind her pace of eight top-10 results through nine events as a rising rookie last year. However, the confident 19-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., believes a breakout will happen soon.

“It’s been a little disappointing, some of the results, but I feel like my game is extremely close,” Henderson said Tuesday at an Ottawa-area charity golf tournament while making a rare visit home. “It’s just one or two shots every week.”

“I’m really excited about the upcoming tournaments and hopefully I can switch the momentum and finish near the top.”

Henderson’s best finish has been a tie for fourth and the HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore earlier this year. She finished tied for 14th at the ANA Inspiration, the first major on the LPGA Tour schedule in late March. She has her sights set on the other four majors on the calendar, including the KPMG Women’s Championship, where she will be the defending champion.

She played the most out of anyone on the LPGA Tour last year and said she has been able to apply that learning. She admitted she will take two weeks off later this summer to make sure her “focus and mental strength is where it needs to be.”

“Playing all the courses last year, this year I knew where to hit it. I knew where the good spots and the bad spots were, even in the hotels I felt more comfortable and the surroundings.” she said. “Every golf course I see, everywhere I go and get to do `more’ it makes me feel better for this year, and for years to come.”

She said she’s particularly looking forward to the CP Women’s Open in August at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. Henderson was recently bestowed an honorary membership to that club, which last hosted the Women’s Open in 2008.

She knows it will be a pressure-packed week.

“Almost every week I think about the CP Women’s Open in the back of my mind,” she said. “When there are TV cameras or crowds around I think about how it’s going to be at the CP Women’s Open and take every week as a stepping stone. I know it’s going to be pressure filled.

“There are going to be a lot of expectations for sure, and I don’t want to disappoint. I want to give them a good show.”

But the pressure, she said, is something she’s starting to relish.

“I do think there are a lot of expectations on me, but I love pressure and I think it’s just what you make of it,” she said.

And despite more than US$2 million in earnings in her career, rolling up to the course in a new BMW SUV, and just having procured a home in Naples, Fla., Henderson remains a teenager at heart.

She said she’s binge-watches the show White Collar on Netflix, follows her hometown Ottawa Senators during their Stanley Cup playoff run, has a penchant for Disney films and is a big texter away from the golf course.

“It’s nothing too crazy,” she said. “Just a typical teenager.”

Henderson will take the rest of this week off, staying in her hometown of Smiths Falls visiting with family and friends  – she has not been back since Christmas – before going to Williamsburg, Va., for the next event on the LPGA Tour schedule.

“I love being home, even though it’s like December here, it’s so cold,” she said. “I’m excited to get back playing again next week in Virginia, and hopefully have some great finishes.”

Watching high-level junior and amateur tournaments around the world, I get to see some great young players and am continually impressed with the talent and skills these kids display. However, one area in which I often see simple mistakes made and shots given up is around the green, like hitting high-lofted shots to hole locations that don’t require such a risky play. Sure, it’s fun to throw the ball up in the air but less fun to waste shots!

If you have an opportunity to use the ground then always play the smart, easy and more effective shot. I like the idea of flying the ball one-third of the way to the hole and letting it roll the other two-thirds of the way. And I also like hitting these run shots with lower-lofted clubs — like a pitching wedge or nine-iron. When you have to deloft a 60-degree wedge to hit a running shot, the shaft leans so much toward the target that it effectively eliminates the bounce on the wedge, making it easier to stick the leading edge into the ground. Instead, use a pitching wedge, which allows the shaft to be more vertical (90 degrees) to the ground and makes the shot way easier to play.

Technically, I like the ball in the middle of the stance, the feet close together, and the pressure a little more under your lead leg (60 per cent on lead leg). I like the grip pressure to be lighter so you can feel the club head during this flowing, rhythmic stroke. I also like the feet and shoulders to be slightly open for this shot and the bottom of the club to brush and skim the ground under and just past the ball.

Try this drill, featuring Team Canada’s Jared du Toit, to develop your feel and confidence on run shots. From about five yards off the green to a flag about 10 yards on the green, drop six balls. Start with your most lofted club — maybe a 60-degree wedge — and hit a shot trying to get the ball close to the hole. Then, for each of the next five balls, use a less lofted club each time. Ball No. 2 could be your 56-degree wedge, ball No. 3 your 52-degree wedge, ball No. 4 your PW, ball No. 5 your nine-iron and ball No. 6 your eight-iron. Notice how where you want to land the ball gets closer to you and the ball rolls out more as you move to a less lofted club. You will often be best when the ball flies one third of the shot and rolls the other two thirds — like a putt.

Practise varying your clubs and trajectory to enhance your creativity and get up and down more often.

This article was written by Team Canada Men’s Coach, Derek Ingram.
Follow @dingramgolf

This article was originally published in the April 2017 edition of Golf Canada Magazine. Click here to view the full magazine.

Chase Komaromi and Stephane Dubois both shot 1-under 71 to win co-medallist honours at the U.S. Open Local Qualifier at Beacon Hall Golf Club in Aurora, Ont.

Komaromi, from London, Ont., was the sole leader of the tournament at 2-under when he was making the turn to the back nine. After a bogey on 10, the 23-year-old amateur managed to stay at 1-under to finish off the round.

“I started off well and made a few good par saves early,” he said. “I figured if I kept putting well and hitting the middle of the greens I might be able to get in a pretty good score. The last couple of holes I made a couple of sketchy first putts, but I was able to clean them up with some three footers.”

Dubois got off to a rocky start when he bogeyed the opening hole, but the Brantford, Ont., native managed to bring himself back to even with a birdie on the second hole.

“I got out to the first tee, elected to hit driver because I figured if I’m going to miss, I’m going to miss close to the green,” he said. “I then probably hit my worst tee shot of the day, ended up taking a bogey on the first, but got it back with a tap-in bride on the second.”

After dropping a birdie on six and make the turn at 1-under, Dubois managed to play the back nine even par and secure himself a spot at the top of the leaderboard beside Komaromi.

Dubois and Komaromi, along with Peter Laws (E), Beon Yeong Lee (E) and Ferrier (+2), will move on to the next round of the qualifying process and have earned a ticket to sectional qualifying on June 5.

The tournament was the first U.S. Open Local Qualifier to be held on Canadian soil since 1999 which worked to the benefit of the large Canadian representation in the field.

“It’s nice to not have to go to Michigan to play,” said Komaromi. “It’s good to stay here, close to home and you can’t play on a better course than this. It’s a pleasure.”

“With as much as Canadian golf has to offer, extending a qualifier to Canada, in Ontario or anywhere across the nation, is a good move,” said Dubois. “I think we’ve proven that there’s enough solid, competitive players out here that we should have more in the future.”

Both Komaromi and Dubois posted the low scores of the day despite having limited playing time at Beacon Hall. Komaromi managed just one practice round on Friday while it was Dubois’ first time playing the course.

“I played a practice round on Friday and I would have even played in the snow,” Komaromi said. “It was awesome.”

Branson Ferrier secured the final spot into sectional qualifying after he won a four-man playoff between J.C. Deacon, Russell Budd and Kevin Fawcett (a). Deacon and Budd were each eliminated after the first playoff hole while Ferrier had to play two additional holes to decide the winner.

The day got off to a slow start when a frost delay pushed the starting times from 7:30 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. while cold and windy conditions resulted in only two golfers able to post scores in the red.

THE TOP-5 ADVANCING TO SECTIONAL QUALIFYING

1. Chase Komaromi (a), London, Ont., 71 -1
2. Stephane, Dubois, Brantford, Ont., 71 -1
3. Peter Laws, Whitby, Ont., 72 E
4. Beon Yeong Lee, Montreal, Que., 72 E
5. Branson Ferrier, Barrie, Ont., 74 +2

NOTABLES

Chase Komaromi (a) of London, Ont.
Made it through the 2016 Canadian Open Regional Qualifier, but he posted an 8-over in the Final Qualifier and failed to make it to the final field.

“The atmosphere was great,” Komaromi said. “To see people walking out there which was awesome, and this course is phenomenal so it was a real treat to play here.”

Stephane Dubois of Brantford, Ont.
Has participated in multiple USGA championships and matched the day-low score of 71 while playing Beacon Hall Golf Course for the first time.

“I’d love to play it if it wasn’t so windy, and know that I know the course a bit more, but it leaves a real good taste in my mouth,” he said.

Peter Laws of Whitby, Ont.
Qualified and competed in the 2013 RBC Canadian Open where registered back-to-back 74 rounds and failed to make the cut by three strokes.

Beon Yeong Lee of Montreal, Que.,
The 27-year-old headed into the final three holes sitting at 2-under, but bogeys at 16 and 18 resulted in an even-par finish.

“It was a tough day, a lot of wind and the course was playing tough, they moved every tee box really far back,” he said. I was struggling with my tee shot but I made a lot of up-and-downs and when I need to make a birdie, I made a birdie.”

Branson Ferrier of Barrie, Ont.
Won a four-man playoff to secure the final spot into sectional qualifying. He was sitting at 1-under entering the final three holes, but scored a bogey on both 16 and 17 before he registered a double-bogey on 18, forcing the playoff.

FAST FACTS

Tee times were delayed by an hour and 45 minutes due to frost.

Four players competed in a playoff for the final spot: J.C. Deacon, Russell Budd, Kevin Fawcett (a) and Branson Ferrier.

Fawcett is the alternate and Deacon is the second alternate.

First international local qualifier held on Canadian soil since 1999 when the Golf Association of Michigan held a qualifier in Windsor Ont., at Essex Golf and Country Club.

The last person to complete the qualifying process and go on to win the U.S. Open was Orville Moody in 1969.

Top five finishers receive an exemption into the sectional qualifying round where 980 gofers will compete for a to-be-determined number of slots on June 5.

Of the 14 Canadians who made it to the sectional qualifiers in 2016, only three (Drew Nesbitt, Matt Lemay and Brian Churchill-Smith) competed on Monday. None made it to the sectional qualifier.

Full results.

More information on the event can be found here.

ABOUT THE COURSE

No. 3 ranked Canadian course by U.S. Magazine Golfweek for courses built after 1960, and No. 11 on ScoreGolf’s 2016 list of Canadian golf courses.

Yardage: 7,037 yards, Par 72.

Rating/Slope: 74.8/148.

Opened in 1988 and designed by famed golf course architect Bob Cupp.

PHOTOS

Photos of the event will be made available on our Flickr page here.

Credit: (Golf Canada)

OAKVILLE – When professional golfer Steve Alker climbed the steps to enter the Glen Abbey clubhouse upon arriving at the 2000 RBC Canadian Open, he didn’t know it, but he was a marked man.

“They knew I was from New Zealand,” Alker said with a cheeky smile, referring to Gordon and Nancy Dooley, the married couple who were volunteers welcoming competitors and their families at the main entrance to the clubhouse that has played host to the RBC Canadian Open 27 times in its 112-year history.

At the time, the 29-year-old Alker was traveling with Tanya, whom he had met nine months earlier and had given up her job as a cruise ship director to travel with him and caddie for him. The Alker’s, now married and have two children, currently reside in Scottsdale, Arizona.

“Steve and Tanya asked us to keep an eye on his golf clubs while he went to register for the tournament,” Gordon Dooley said while recalling their first meeting. “We got to talking and while following him around the course during the week, Nancy mentioned our intention to travel to New Zealand.”

Alker could have said ‘great, thanks for your time and see you later’, but that’s not really his personality. As Gordon and Nancy continued to seek advice about New Zealand, it opened his eyes as to what his country really had to offer.

“I think the fact that they had the courage to approach me in the first place – many volunteers would be too shy or overawed to do that,” he said. “You’ve got to respect that. They were generally interested in my country and I was enthusiastic to tell them about it.”

Alker was at Canada’s premiere PGA TOUR event having qualified after winning the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit. Like most Kiwi’s, he’s proud of his country and took the opportunity, when asked, to share all the wonders of the spectacular island nation where he grew up. The Dooley’s, from nearby Clarkson, and in their 60s at the time, listened intently to Alker before inviting him and Tanya to dinner.

Later that week, after accepting the Dooley’s invitation to dine with them, the young couple got to know the older couple and a friendship was formed. Alker felt comfortable enough to make the Dooley’s an offer they couldn’t refuse.

“Steve offered his home and car for the period we were planning to be in New Zealand as he was going to compete on the Asian Tour at that time,” Gordon said. “We accepted his kind offer, and since he was aware that we played golf, he organized guest playing privileges for us at his home club.”

“I just told them they were welcome to stay at my house in Hamilton,” Alker added. “It was helping them out and I wasn’t going to be there anyway so it made sense for them to use it as a base.”

Hamilton, in the central North Island of New Zealand, was where Alker learned the game. He spent hours honing his well-envied short game on the practice facilities at the St. Andrews Golf Club alongside the Waikato River under the watchful eye of his dad, Bill, who was an accomplished amateur golfer himself. Alker felt the city’s central location made it a good jumping-off point for the Dooley’s.

“It’s easy to get to the incredible geothermal activity in Rotorua, the lakes and mountains near Taupo, or the popular beaches at Mt. Maunganui,” he said. “It’s all within a couple of hours drive.”

The Dooley’s five-week trip to New Zealand in 2001 was all they’d dreamed of and their relationship with the Alker’s snow-balled from that point. Steve and Tanya stayed at the Dooley’s home the following year when he competed in the RBC Canadian Open. The Canadian couple returned to New Zealand for a second vacation the next year, this time renting a beachside condo at Mt. Maunganui as they wanted to enjoy the atmosphere of the popular holiday destination. The avid golfers even became temporary members at the Omanu Golf Club during their second visit.

The two couples stayed in contact and became family friends, exchanging Christmas cards each year. Sometimes they don’t talk for five or six months but they easily pick up from where they left off, like good friends do.

After missing the cut in his first RBC Canadian Open, the same year he first met the Dooley’s on the steps at Glen Abbey, Alker made three more starts in the tournament, tying for 55^th in 2001, posting a tie for 42^nd in 2003 and making the cut in 2015 but failing to advance to the final round after a 54-hole cut.

“They were still volunteering each time I played,” Alker said.

While reflecting on his relationship with the Dooley’s, Alker was asked why he thinks his bond with the Canadian couple is so strong.

“They are nice people, they are genuine,” he said. “Perhaps it’s the Commonwealth bond of Canada and New Zealand. Right from the start they were very interested in us. My wife is the chatty one. She got to know them really well.”

Alker admits that others may find the relationship that he and Tanya have with tournament volunteers like the Dooley’s is a little unusual.

“It’s kind of unique I guess, but I’m not sure if it’s just volunteers,” he added. “It’s no different than getting paired with people in pro-am events and exchanging cards and staying in contact. I think, deep down, the game of golf and what it offers, the bond with people, that’s the key here.”

Gordon thinks this year will be the 14^th he and Nancy have volunteered for the Toronto tournament. His favorite moment during that time was watching Tiger Woods hit the epic 6-iron from the fairway bunker on the final hole to win in 2000 by a single stroke over New Zealander Grant Waite.

“What we like most about volunteering is the proximity to the professionals,” he said. “Sometimes they will engage in chatter with us if they are so disposed.”

Alker will see the Dooley’s again at this year’s RBC Canadian Open. Tournament staff confirmed the couple registered as volunteers well in advance. Alker will be in the field, with the 2016-17 season his third full stint on the PGA TOUR. He was also exempt on TOUR in 2003 and 2015 and has bounced around the PGA Tour of Australasia, the Web.com Tour and the European Tour since turning professional in 1995. Along with 10 professional wins (four on the Web.com Tour, four on the Australasian Tour and two on the Canadian Tour), Alker has posted six top-25 results in 63 PGA TOUR starts before the 2016-17 season began. His claim to fame, and a guaranteed statistic to win you a bet, is defeating South Africa’s Dawie van der Walt on the 11^th playoff hole to win the 2014 Cleveland Open, a Web.com Tour record for longest playoff.

Regarded by his peers as one of the nicest guys on TOUR, Alker has made many friends through golf. He’s appreciative of the times he’s played in the RBC Canadian Open and says meeting the Dooley’s has influenced the way he reacts to volunteers at other tournaments.

“Not that I had disrespect for volunteers before, but it’s amazing what they do and how they give up their time to do it,” he said. “I definitely feel a responsibility to volunteers, especially on Sunday when you are playing your final nine holes. I make a point of saying ‘thanks guys, for your help this week’. I think just doing that goes a long way.”

Team Canada National Squad member Hugo Bernard finished T9 at the Terra Cotta Invitational on Sunday at the Naples National Golf Club in Naples, Fla.

Bernard, 22, saved his best effort for the final round of the 54-hole event, firing four birdies and an eagle en route to a 2-under par 70.

The Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., product closed the event at 3-over par (74-75-70), three shots back of winner Chris Nido, who beat John Pak on the first playoff hole.

The T9 marked a continuation of Bernard’s strong play of late. He and partner Mike Weeks won the Palm Beach County Four Ball at Bear Lakes Country Club from April 28-30, and he was T7 at the South American Amateur in January.

Bernard recently transferred to the Montreal Carabins, from Saint-Leo University (Division II NCAA). At Saint-Leo, Bernard was the NCAA Division II Freshman of the year, thanks to seven top-10 finishes.

Heading into the Terra Cotta Invitational, Bernard was ranked 129th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR).

Blair Bursey (Gander, Newfoundland) finished T24 at 7-over par. Fellow Amateur Squad member Stuart MacDonald (Vancouver, B.C) was T28 at 8-over par.

Team Canada graduate and reigning Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Champion Garrett Rank (Elmira, Ont.) was T36 at 10-over par, while Development Squad pair of Peyton Callens (Langton, Ont.) and A.J. Ewart (Coquitlam, B.C.) finished T49 and 60^th, respectively.

The full leaderboard can be seen here.

RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifying  gets underway May 9th at Bear Mountain Resort in Victoria B.C., where players will be vying for a spot in the RBC Canadian Open final qualifying event, which takes place July 24th at Heron Point Golf Links in Ancaster, Ont.

Players need to finish among the top 15% of the field, including ties, in order to punch their ticket to the final qualifying event.

The 18-hole qualifier at Bear Mountain’s Valley Course is the first of three regional qualifiers taking place across the country. The second qualifier takes place May 15th at Blue Springs Golf Club in Acton, Ont.,  with the third regional qualifier taking place June 5th at Club de golf de la Vallée du Richelieu on the Rouville Course in Sainte-Julie, Qué.

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.

This is the second straight year Bear Mountain is playing host to a RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier. Last year, Comox, B.C.’s, Riley Wheeldon became the first Canadian to win a regional qualifying event in Western Canada since the two-stage qualification process for the RBC Canadian Open was reinstated in 2011. His 6-under-par 64 was a course record that gave him a one-shot victory. In total, seven players advanced to the final qualifier.

NOTABLES

Brad Clapp, Chilliwack, B.C.
The 30-year-old had two top-10s on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada last season. In 2015, he won the Great Waterway Classic and finished No. 12 on the Order of Merit.

Evan Holmes, Calgary (a)
The 22-year-old, just finished his fourth year of eligibility at the University of British Columbia. In the fall with UBC he won the 2016 Vikes Shootout at Cordova Bay Golf Course. Last summer he won the 2016 Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship

Brady Stead, Victoria, B.C.
The 23-year-old was 7th place at the 2016 Canadian University/College Championship and the low-amateur at the 2016 Vancouver Open. He was a 2015 CCAA National All-Canadian and the 2015 Pacwest Conference Player of the Year.

Nate Ollis, Victoria, B.C.
The 23-year-old was T9 at the BC Amateur Championship in 2016, T-68 at the 2016 Canadian Men’s Amateur and played university golf with the UBC Thunderbirds. He was T11 at the 2016 NAIA Men’s Championships and T7 at the 2016 Canadian University/College Championship.

Danny Sahl, Sherwood Park, Alta.
The 37-year-old had one top-20 on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada in 2016 and was 111th on the Order of Merit. He was formerly Mike Weir’s caddy and has one career win on the Mackenize Tour – PGA TOUR Canada in 2011, at the Syncrude Boreal Open. He played golf at Kent State with Ben Curtis.

QUICK FACTS

The regional qualification process allows amateurs and professionals from across Canada and the world a chance to qualify for the RBC Canadian 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 the final Monday qualifier.

This is the first time since the RBC Canadian Open two-stage qualifying process was reinstated that the western Canadian event has been held at the same location back- to-back years.

This year’s event marks the fifth time since 2011 that a regional qualifier has been held in BC (2012’s event was held in Alberta).

There are three players from the 2016 Camosun Chargers golf team competing at the event: Mike Flegel, Mac Keats and Matt Matheson.

Pairings and more information can be found here.

ABOUT THE COURSE

Bear Mountain’s Valley Course opened in 2009 and was designed by Nicklaus Design Group Inc. It measures 6,392 yards and is a par 71. The signature features of the course are elevated tee-boxes, large undulating greens and striking views of Vancouver Island.

Bear Mountain is the Official Training Center for Golf Canada’s Team Canada program.

Employees of Bear Mountain Resort recently donated $12,197 to the B.C Hospitality Foundation, which helps industry workers in financial crisis due to injury or illness, and offers industry-related scholarships to hospitality workers and their families

Bear Mountain Resort Community is located 20 minutes from downtown Victoria. In addition to golf the resort offers mountain biking, tennis and spa options.

Sei Young Kim held off Ariya Jutanugarn 1 up on Sunday to win the Lorena Ochoa Match Play for her sixth LPGA Tour title.

After Jutanugarn won the par-5 17th with a birdie to force another hole, Kim finished off the match with a halve for a par on the par-4 18th.

“It was a really tough day today,” Kim said. “I never had such a hard win like today. I am happy that I was able to win and hold this trophy.”

Though, that wasn’t easy.

“That trophy is really heavy,” Kim said. “When I held it, I felt pain.”

In the morning semifinals at Club de Golf Mexico, Kim beat Mi Jung Hur 5 and 4, and the third-ranked Jutanugarn topped Michelle Wie 4 and 3. Hur won the third-place match, overcoming a five-hole deficit to beat Wie in 22 holes.

Kim trailed for only four of the 95 holes she played, also beating Maude-Aimee Leblanc (3 and 1), Danielle Kang (3 and 2), Charley Hull (3 and 1) and Karine Icher (5 and 4) in the event that switched from stroke to match play and moved from November. The 24-year-old South Korean player is projected to jump from 12th to eighth in the world ranking.

Sei Young Kim talks about her 6th LPGA career win @LOYMEXICO and celebrating her victory with a margarita! pic.twitter.com/ffDDOMqAgT

— LPGA (@LPGA) May 7, 2017

Kim opened birdie-eagle-birdie to take a 3-up lead in the final.

“She is an aggressive player, even with the 3-up start, I was still very nervous and focused in making birdies,” Kim said. “I just kept playing as if I was 1 down.”

Jutanugarn, a five-time winner last year, won the par-5 10th with a birdie, Kim took the par-4 12th with a birdie, and Jutanugarn cut the deficit to two holes with a par win on the par-4 14th.

Kim missed a chance to win on the par-3 16th when her short birdie try lipped out. She then drove out of bounds to the right on the par-5 17th, and Jutanugarn took the hole with a 12-foot birdie putt.

“I had a problem with my ball-striking. It was really pushy,” Kim said. “That’s why it was going out of bounds. I tried to stay calm, but I really couldn’t. My hands were shaking, my legs were shaking too. It was really hard to keep calm.”

Both players had birdie tries from about 10 feet on the par-4 18th. Kim’s just brushed the hole, knocking her to her knees in disbelief, and Jutanugarn missed to end the match.

Wie had a 5-up lead over Hur after 10 holes. Hur took five of the next seven holes to tie it and won with a birdie on the 22nd hole.

“I was so frustrated with my game,” Hur said. “I played 36 holes on Saturday and today as well, my mind was trying to keep it up. My caddie kept saying positive things and trying to keep my focused.”

Wie is winless since the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open. She won the then-Lorena Ochoa Invitational in stroke play in 2009 in Guadalajara for her first tour title.

Kim knocked off friend Hur in the morning.

“We have a good relationship. We live in the same area in Dallas so we’ve had dinner a couple times,” Kim said. “It’s really tough to play against a close friend, but it is a tournament, so we forget about it and focus on the tournament.”

The full leaderboard can be seen here