London, Ont – Highland Country Club has officially been named the host organization of the 2017 Freedom 55 Financial Championship, the final event of the Mackenzie Tour season.

Highland, the venue for the event since 2015, will assume control of the tournament’s daily operations, marketing and sales efforts as part of a multi-year agreement starting in 2017. Golf Canada, which has operated the event since its inception in 2013, will continue to provide operational, logistical and promotional support during the tournament.

“Highland Country Club is looking forward to a great event, and we’re thrilled about our new
role,” said Justin Wismer, Tournament Director. “We have a great team and the first two years of hosting the Freedom 55 Financial Championship have provided a great deal of experience that we can build upon to produce a wonderful event this coming fall.”

Freedom 55 Financial remains in place as title sponsor of the exciting capstone event of Mackenzie Tour season. They also sponsor the season-opening Freedom 55 Financial Open and present the Freedom 55 Financial Canadian player awards to top Canadian players at each Mackenzie Tour stop across Canada.

“Highland has provided a top-notch course for the players and excellent service to spectators over the past two years” says Mike Cunneen, who leads Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life Wholesaling and Product Solutions.

“Their knowledge of the local golf landscape and passion to grow this tournament into a marquee London sporting event makes their increased involvement with the tournament a great fit.”

Wismer will assume the role of Tournament Director, with Mike Silver, who recently retired after 39 years as Highland’s Head Professional, providing support with the tournament’s operations.

“Highland has shown itself to be a tremendous host venue for our season-ending event over the past two years, and we’re thrilled to be expanding our relationship with them as the event’s host organization,” said Mackenzie Tour President Jeff Monday.

“We’re confident that Justin, Mike and the entire team at Highland will be able to take this event to even greater heights starting this year, and I’d like to thank the Highland membership for their support of this fantastic event.

A classic 6,600-yard par-70 Stanley Thompson design located in the heart of London, Highland Country Club has been one of the city’s finest member-owned private clubs since 1922. Last year, France’s Paul Barjon set the new Mackenzie Tour 72-hole scoring record on the way to his first professional victory, earning him an exemption into the Final Stage of Web.com Tour QSchool.

The 2017 Freedom 55 Financial Championship will take place September 11-17. The Mackenzie Tour season will begin at the Freedom 55 Financial Open, May 29-June 4 at Point Grey Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, B.C.

Santiago, Chile’s Horacio Leon shot a 6-under 66 on Tuesday at Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community in Comox, British Columbia to take the first round lead at the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s Canada Q-School.

The 27-year old, whose older brother is two-time Mackenzie Tour winner Hugo Leon, carded six birdies and was without a bogey on the day to lead by one over Eric Onesi,  Derek Barron, Chelso Barrett and Ryan Heisey after day one’s play.

“I kept it out of trouble and hit great shots all around. I was always in play and it was pretty stress-free,” said Leon, who held conditional status on the Mackenzie Tour last year and has played in 37 events on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica.

With cool, windy weather making the 7,025-yard Crown Isle layout play even longer than normal, Leon said he was pleased with how he kept the ball in play and out of the thick rough around the greens.

“I didn’t try to take on too much off the tee and just kept hitting solid shots all through the day,” said Leon.

Leon had arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle to remove scar tissue a little over three months ago and Tuesday was only his third time walking 18 holes since the operation. The Chilean says the ordeal has given him a new perspective on playing the game.

“It helped me out to realize I just have to keep it easy and ‘keep the car running.’ I don’t try to overpower the course,” said Leon. “I’m just happy to be able to finish the round.”

Onesi, who earned medalist honours here at Q-School in 2015, has been a full-time member of the Mackenzie Tour the past two seasons. Heading into Q-School, Onesi felt good, and his first round score showed how relaxed he is at Crown Isle.

“I just feel comfortable here. I decided to come back here, even though I easily could have played in Florida and been closer to home,” said Onesi. “I have good vibes here and like making the journey.”

Hometown boy Riley Wheeldon, who hails from Comox B.C and grew up playing Crown Isle, is a former Mackenzie Tour winner and a member of The Five in 2013, was part of a group of four players tied for sixth at 4-under 68.

Former Golf Canada National Amateur Team member Blair Hamilton opened with a 1-over 73 and was T41.

Below is a breakdown of what exemptions are on the line this week at Crown Isle.

1st (Exempt for 2017 season): -6/1st
5th (Exempt for first 8 events, subject to 2nd reshuffle): -5/T2
16th (Exempt for first 4 events, subject to 1st reshuffle): -3/T11
40th (Conditional status): E/T33

The full leaderboard can be seen here

The Golf Canada Score Centre was initially developed for golfers to post their scores and track their Handicap Factor. While that still remains its core use, additional features implemented have dramatically increased the portal’s popularity. In fact, each golf season Golf Canada members post more than seven million scores into the system from Canada and around the world.

With the vast number of users and significant number of scores, Golf Canada recognizes the importance of system development. That’s why we’ve worked hard to make the Score Centre available through three platforms: GolfCanada.ca, the Golf Canada mobile scoring app and at club kiosks nationwide. Each channel has been specifically designed to give golfers convenience in posting their scores.

It used to be that the only way to submit a round was through an adjusted gross score, where players had to make all the Equitable Stroke Control (ESC) adjustments themselves. However, in 2016, we added several new features, such as the ability to post scores hole-by-hole (HBH), where the system will automatically adjust for handicapping purposes based on a player’s current Handicap Factor.

This has greatly enhanced the experience for golfers tracking scores. Members can even add game statistics, and there are tools provided to also track birdies, pars and bogeys, so you can compare your rounds year-by-year and retrieve a performance report in your account. We’ve seen many golfers take advantage of these features, with more than one million rounds posted HBH in 2016.

Hole-by-hole posting also unlocks such things as an Ultimate Scorecard and Badging, where members are rewarded with achievements and personal bests via our system and membership. The Ultimate Scorecard allows a golfer to track their best possible round at a golf course throughout a season, simply by utilizing the HBH posting method. If a golfer plays at a course more than once during the year, the system will take the lowest HBH scores from each round and create the ultimate scorecard for the golfer. It gives a player the opportunity to let go of a bad hole here and there and see the overall best score they played at a course during the year. Some golfers may know this as a ringer card.

Badging brings about a mix of achievements a golfer might reach throughout their golf season and career as well as fun acknowledgements within the game. Badges are awarded each season, along with a career tally similar to a trophy case. Did you play your first round this season? By simply posting your score, your Opening Round badge will light up in your account. Once a golfer posts their first five 18-hole scores, their Handicap Factor badge will appear too. For those who play on weekends, they can earn a Weekend Warrior badge by playing three weekend rounds during the season. Other badges are dedicated towards scoring milestones and acknowledging golfers being Rules Certified. Each badge has a simple explanation on how you can unlock it through the season.

These features can be found on the main landing page of the Golf Canada Score Centre once logged in. If you are a social media buff, you also have the option to share your achievements via Facebook and Twitter to celebrate and socialize with fellow golfers. We encourage you to try posting hole-by-hole to experience some of these new features. In doing so you may see that you have played that pesky par 4 better than you thought. Or maybe you deserve a pat on the back for breaking 90 for the first time. The Golf Canada Score Centre does much more than crunch a Handicap Factor. It allows you to track your game in many ways, and helps you celebrate your golf achievements throughout the season and your career.

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

AVONDALE, La. – The team of Cameron Smith and Jonas Blixt won the Zurich Classic on the fourth playoff hole Monday, capturing a new-format tournament that had been held over a day because of darkness.

Smith hit a 58-yard approach shot within 3 1/2 couple feet of the pin, and the Aussie sank a birdie putt on the par-5 18th hole to give himself and his Swedish teammate the victory. Smith and Blixtcould have won on earlier playoff holes but missed short birdie putts.

For the 23-year-old Smith, this was his first PGA Tour victory.

Kevin Kisner and Scott Brown had combined for a 12-under 60 Sunday to force the playoff. Kisner made a chip-in from nearly 95 feet on No. 18, but darkness prevented further play.

Blixt and Smith led by a stroke after two rounds and by four after three. They had fallen behind by two strokes, with Kisner and Brown birdieing 10 of their first 11 holes Sunday. But they rallied with birdies on Nos. 12, 15 and 16 to regain a one-stroke lead heading into the final hole of regulation, which they wound up having to birdie to force the playoff after Kisner’s clutch chip.

Both teams finished four rounds at 27 under par at the par-72 TPC Louisiana in suburban New Orleans.

Each player on the winning team earned $1.02 million and 400 FedExCup points.

This is the first team event on the PGA Tour since the Walt Disney World National Team Championship in 1981.

The tournament began with 80 two-player teams, with players choosing their teammates. Many said they chose friends on the Tour rather than research whose game best complemented their own. It made for a relaxed environment, the camaraderie showing golf’s looser side. The new format attracted half of the top 30-ranked players.

The players on each team alternated shots in the first and third rounds. In the second and final rounds, each player hit his own balls and each team took the best score per hole. The playoff was held in the same format as the final round.

Kelly Kraft and Kevin Tway finished third at 23 under Sunday. Jordan Spieth and Ryan Palmer were fourth. Six teams tied for fifth, including the pairs of Jason Duffner-Patton Kizzire and Bubba Watson-J.B. Holmes.

A couple of favoured teams missed the cut – Jason Day and Rickie Fowler, and Masters runner-up Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson.

Golf Canada is proud to announce that The R&A has become a supporting partner in Future Links, driven by Acura, Canada’s national junior golf program.

The decision to align with Canada’s national junior golf program was led by The R&A’s Golf Development Committee, a group that assesses applications and requests from the 152 worldwide affiliates of The R&A, including Golf Canada, and whose mandate is to support what is good for golf.

For Golf Canada Chief Sport Officer and interim CEO Jeff Thompson, welcoming The R&A as a supporting partner in Canadian junior golf is a natural extension of a strong working relationship that exists between the two organizations.

“We are tremendously proud to have The R&A as a partner in the Future Links program,” said Thompson.  “We share a common vision to engage more youth in golf and believe the strength of our junior golf curriculum and depth of the overall Future Links program are well aligned with The R&A’s goal for golf development.”

“We thought this was a good program and one that was worthy of our support,” explained Duncan Weir, Executive Director – Golf Development at The R&A, who see a possibility

for the model to be replicated in other countries. “Links are strong, dialogue is strong, Golf Canada has a strong track record and I’d like to think we have a decent track record of supporting Golf Canada’s good efforts. So this was really a continuation of that relationship and something that impressed us.”

Future Links, driven by Acura, is a joint grassroots initiative of Golf Canada, the PGA of Canada and the provincial golf associations which offer a full suite of junior golf programs for boys and girls ages 6 to 18—from beginners to those with more experience or greater playing ability.

Future Links, driven by Acura includes a comprehensive suite of junior golf activities for children of all ages and skill level. The program has been restructured under three core areas of focus—in-school programming, facility programming and community outreach.

Elements under the Future Links junior golf umbrella include Learn to Play, Junior League, Girl’s Club, Mobile Clinics, Junior Skills Competition, and Community Golf Coach, along with six regional Future Links Junior Championships.

Beginning in 2017, Golf Canada has also integrated the popular Golf in Schools program under the Future Links suite of junior golf activities. With more than 400,000 children currently learning golf at nearly 3,400 schools (elementary, intermediate and high schools) as part of the Canadian Physical Education curriculum, Future Links, driven by Acura is supporting quality junior golf experiences from in-schools to on-course at clubs across Canada.

Under the leadership of PGA of Canada golf professionals, Future Links driven by Acura programs help young golfers develop the technical skills, appropriate attitude and self-confidence to succeed on the golf course, while instilling positive life lessons to succeed off the course.

“On behalf of the PGA of Canada and our 3,700 members from around the country, I’d like to welcome and commend The R&A for supporting Canada’s junior golf program—Future Links,” said PGA of Canada CEO Gary Bernard. “With this new partnership, Future Links will only become stronger and continue to be a world-class junior golf program”

In 2016, 85,000 junior golfers participated in one or more elements of Future Links, including 60,000 juniors who took part in more than 750 Future Links Mobile Clinics across the country.

Future Links, driven by Acura junior golf programming is fully aligned with the Canadian golf Long-Term Player Development Guide. Developed by Golf Canada in partnership with the PGA of Canada, LTPD provides an age- and stage-based blueprint for golfer development rooted on research, statistics and expert insight.

Since launching in 1996, Canada’s national junior golf program has introduced golf to more than 1.3 million children, providing junior golfers across Canada with affordable and accessible golf activities in their community. More information is available at golfcanada.ca/futurelinks

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida – Team Canada’s Hugo Bernard and teammate Mike Weeks turned in a 5-under par 67, on Sunday to claim victory at the Palm Beach County Four Ball at Bear Lakes Country Club Lakes Course.

Trailing by two strokes heading into the final round, Bernard and Weeks had a strong front-nine, posting a bogey free, 4-under par 32.

Three more birdies and two bogeys on the back-nine put Bernard and Weeks at 16-under for the championship and two strokes clear of 36-hole leaders Josh Powers and Ryan Howison.

The victory marked a continuation of a string of strong play for Bernard who finished tied for seventh at the South American Amateur in January.

Bernard, a native of Mont-St-Hilaire, QC recently transferred from Saint-Leo University (Division II NCAA) to the University of Montreal Carabins.

At Saint-Leo, Bernard was named the NCAA Division II Freshman of the year, and a first team All-American thanks to seven top-5 finishes. His strong play wasn’t limited to NCAA competition, as he won the 2016 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.

A three-year veteran of Team Canada, Bernard believes transferring to the Carabins will give him a more flexible schedule and allow him to play more top-tier amateur events with Team Canada.

His goal for the 2017 season is to move into the top-30 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). Prior to his victory this weekend Bernard was slotted at 130.

IRVING, Texas – Haru Nomura a signé un oiselet au sixième trou de prolongation, dimanche, remportant ainsi le tournoi Volunteers of America devant Cristie Kerr.

La Japonaise de 24 ans a mérité son troisième gain en carrière.

Cinq normales de chaque côté ont précédé le court roulé victorieux de Nomura, environ sept heures et demie après le début de sa ronde.

Kerr aurait pu prolonger les choses encore plus, mais son roulé de 12 pieds est passé à la gauche du trou.

L’Américaine de 39 ans a brièvement mené vers la fin du parcours régulier, après que Nomura ait commis un double boguey au 17e.

Kerr tentait de mériter deux gains de suite. Elle s’est imposée à Hawaii il y a deux semaines, soulevant un 19e trophée environ cinq mois après une opération au genou.

Kerr (74) et Nomura (76) ont conclu le parcours régulier à 281, trois coups sous le normale.

Le trou de prolongation a été le 18e, six fois. Il s’agit d’une normale cinq de 518 verges.

AVONDALE, La. – Kevin Kisner chipped in for eagle on the 18th hole as darkness fell Sunday night at the Zurich Classic, lifting himself and teammate Scott Brown into a Monday playoff with Jonas Blixt and Cameron Smith.

Kisner’s chip-in – which skipped on a wet green, hit the pin and dropped in from nearly 95 feet – forced the 23-year-old Smith to make a 1 1/2-foot birdie putt to remain in contention for his first PGA Tour victory.

They were at 27 under through four rounds at the TPC Louisiana in the PGA Tour’s first team event in 36 years.

Blixt, a Swede, and Smith, an Australian, haven’t bogeyed a hole yet, and appeared to have the victory wrapped up before Kisner’s chip-in, which whipped the die-hard crowd around the final green into a frenzy while Kisner waved both arms in celebration.

The round finished in barely playable darkness because of a more than six-hour delay cause by thunderstorms.

Each player on the winning team will take home $1.02 million and earn 400 FedExCup points.

The Canadian duo of Graham DeLaet and David Hearn shot a 9-under 63 on the final day to finish 16 under.

Blixt and Smith led after the second and third rounds, but had to overcome a remarkable surge by Brown and Kisner, who stormed into the lead with birdies on the first eight holes and 10 of their first 11.

Blixt made a 5-foot birdie putt on the 16th, and Smith did the same on 17th to put themselves back in the lead.

Smith then dropped a 57-yard approach on 18 within 2 feet, seemingly dooming Kisner and Brown to second place. Instead, both teams will be back at it at 8 a.m. on the 18th hole to start the playoff.

Kisner and Brown each have one PGA Tour victory. The 33-year-old Blixt has won twice, but not since 2013.

Jordan Spieth and Ryan Palmer combined to birdie seven of nine holes in the middle of their round to pull as close as three strokes back with three holes to play, but couldn’t quite overcome a deficit that had been as large as six strokes.

Speith’s 16-foot birdie attempt rolled around the lip of the cup and out on 16. That, combined with Spieth’s narrow miss from 3 feet on the 18th green Saturday, and Palmer’s two misses from within 3 feet in the third round, were shots that one of the favoured pairs would have to regret in an otherwise strong, fourth-place performance.

Brown and Kisner led by two strokes after their birdie on the eighth hole and maintained that gap until Smith’s 34-foot putt on the undulating 12th green made it a one-stroke affair with six holes to play.

Kelly Kraft and Kevin Tway finished third at 23 under after Kraft followed up a 266-yard approach on 18 with a 22-foot eagle putt.

The tournament is the first team event on the PGA Tour since the Walt Disney World National Team Championship in 1981. The Zurich began with 80 two-player teams, with players choosing their teammates. Many said they chose friends on the Tour rather than research whose game best complemented their own, and it made for relaxed environment and demonstrations of camaraderie that players said showed more of the fun side of golf.

The players on each team alternated shots in the first and third rounds. In the second and final rounds, each player played their own balls and each team took the best score per hole. The playoff will be in the same format as the final round.

IRVING, Texas – Hara Nomura two-putted for birdie on the sixth playoff hole Sunday for her third LPGA Tour victory after Cristie Kerr briefly took the lead on the 72nd hole in the windy Volunteers of America Texas Shootout.

Nomura, the 24-year-old from Japan who lives in Hawaii, also birdied the par-5 18th hole at the end of regulation to force the playoff after giving up the lead for the first time with a double bogey at No. 17.

Kerr and Nomura finished regulation at 3-under 281 at Las Colinas Country Club, then played the 518-yard 18th six more times. There were five matching pars before Nomura finally won nearly 7 1/2 hours after starting her round, almost making an eagle before her tap-in and then the wait while Kerr’s 12-foot birdie chance slid left of the cup.

Kerr was trying to win consecutive tournaments. The 39-year-old American won in Hawaii two weeks ago, her 19th career victory coming nearly five months after knee surgery.

Nomura shot a 5-over 76. Kerr made the only birdie all day at the par-3 17th, and was leading by a stroke when she tapped in a par putt on 18 for a 74.

Nomura made the turn with a five-stroke lead before consecutive bogeys to start her back nine.

After Kerr birdied No. 17 with a 10-foot putt and was still playing the 18th, Nomura made double bogey at the par 3 for the second day in a row. That knocked Nomura out of the lead for the first time after also leading at the end of the second and third rounds, but her regulation-ending birdie got her into the playoff.

Jessica Korda shot a 73 to finish third at 1 under, a stroke ahead of Sung Hyun Park. Eun-Hee Ji, whose 70 was one of only two subpar rounds Sunday, tied for fifth with Angel Yin at 1 over.

It was the third consecutive day with challenging wind, but the most brutal with cooler temperatures in the 60s and winds steady over 20 mph with gusts of 40-45 mph. The scoring average Sunday for the 53 players left in the field was nearly 5 1/2 strokes over par.

While only two players finished the round under par, and none shot even-par 71, there were eight players who shot in the 80s. The day began with 16 players under par for the tournament, and that was cut to top three finishers.

Lexi Thompson tied for 17th at 4 over in her first tournament since a TV viewer-cited penalty imposed a day later cost her a likely victory in the LPGA’s first major of the season three weeks ago. She opened with a 69 before rounds of 72, 73 and 74.

Lydia Ko will remain the world’s No. 1 player for the 80th consecutive week, and for the 99th week in her career. She had to withdraw before the third round in Texas because of a swollen eye from an infection likely caused by allergies.

No. 2 So Yeon Ryu could have taken over the top spot in the world by finishing first or second, but had a closing 75 to tie for ninth. Ariya Jutanugarn, the third-ranked player who could have taken over No. 1 with a win, was a stroke off the 36-hole lead before consecutive weekend rounds of 76.

AVONDALE, La. – Jonas Blixt of Sweden and Cameron Smith of Australia apparently are enjoying playing as teammates too much to be unsettled by wind gusts reaching 36 miles per hour.

The pair extended their bogey-free run to three rounds in the new team format at the Zurich Classic, deftly adjusting to winds that unsettled many other PGA Tour pros and posting a 4-under 68 Saturday to widen their lead to four strokes.

“It’s like going back to playing as a kid,” the 33-year-old Blixt said. “I don’t feel like there’s any stress at all out there.”

Alternating shots on Saturday, as teams did in the first round, the Blixt-Cameron partnership posted four birdies to improve to 19-under, building on a lead that stood at one shot through two rounds. They are the only team without a bogey.

“Feels like back in the amateur days,” Smith said of playing in the first team event held on the PGA Tour since 1981, about 12 years before he was born. “It’s just nice to go out there and relax and have some fun.”

The Kevin Kisner-Scott Brown and Nick Watney-Charley Hoffman teams were tied for second. Canadians Graham DeLaet and David Hearn (73) were tied for 31st at 7 under. Also in contention are Jordan Spieth and Ryan Palmer, five shots behind – although they could have been several shots closer if not for some uncharacteristic misses of short putts by both players.

Spieth missed a 3-footer for birdie on the par-5 18th, wasting Palmer’s well-executed 86-yard approach shot. Throughout the round, Spieth was among players backing away from shots when they sensed a gust building and said the wind affected putting “significantly.”

“When you get a putt where the wind is blowing one way and you’ve got the grain the other, and the hill back with the wind, you just have no idea what that putt is going to do,” Spieth said. “If it gusts or doesn’t gust when you’re over it, it affects the putt by an entire cup, even from 6 or 7 feet. It’s really a guessing game.”

So expect more guessing in the final round, which will start earlier than planned – at 6:40 a.m. – because of rain in the forecast. The format will return to “best ball,” as in the second round, with each two-man team taking the best score of either player per hole.

Palmer narrowly missed par putts from within 3 feet on the second and 13th holes.

“You get winds whipping and swirling, it makes right-to-left putts break right,” Palmer said. “It’s tough.”

Blixt and Smith didn’t fail to execute many shots on the 7,425-yard TPC Louisiana course, which was carved out of cypress swamp and has a number of water hazards from which alligators took in the action, some climbing onto the course at the water’s edge.

The pair quickly recovered from minor errors or bad bounces. They wound up attempting only one par putt longer than 8 feet; Blixt rolled it in from 11 feet on the fifth. Blixt also made a putt of nearly 18 feet for birdie on the third hole.

“Sometimes things, bounces, stuff like that weren’t going our way, and we managed to get it up near the green and get it up and down, which kept the momentum going,” Smith said.

Brian Stuard, who won the Zurich last year when it was a traditional stroke-play event, and teammate Chris Stroud were alone in fifth at 13-under.

The teams of Kelly Kraft and Kevin Tway, and Angel Cabrera and Julian Etulian, were tied for sixth at 12-under.

Seven teams were tied for eighth at 11-under, including popular Gulf Coast native Bubba Watson and teammate J.B. Holmes.

As much fun as Blixt and Smith seem to be having, the pressure could mount a bit as they try to protect their final-round lead. Each golfer takes home $1.02 million and 400 FedEXCup points. Never mind the fact that the 23-year-old Smith has never won a PGA Tour event. But Smith noted that with each team keeping the best score per hole in the final round, there’s always the possibility for the veteran Blixt, who has won twice, to pick up the slack.

“I feel very comfortable going into tomorrow,” Smith said. “Jonas is playing so well … it’s just like having a backup.”