NAPLES, Fla. – Shanshan Feng was right back on top of an LPGA Tour leaderboard Thursday, shooting a 6-under 66 to take a one-shot lead over So Yeon Ryu and Charley Hull after the first round of the CME Group Tour Championship.

Coming off consecutive victories in Malaysia and Japan, Feng is one of nine players who entered the season finale with a chance to win the Race to the CME Globe season title and $1 million bonus. The Chinese star won in 2013 at Tiburon Golf Club.

“Somehow, the course is playing longer compared to three years ago,” Feng said. “I don’t know, maybe because I’m getting older I’m hitting shorter.”

Ha Na Jang, Sei Young Kim, In Gee Chun, Amy Yang, Lizette Salas, Beatriz Recari, Ryann O’Toole and Mo Martin all shot 68.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko had a 70. She needs a win this week to secure player of the year honours,

Ariya Jutanugarn and Smiths Falls, Ont., native Brooke Henderson, who like Ko are guaranteed the points crown if they prevail this week, each shot 72.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was 3 under.

Feng has finished no worse than a tie for fourth in her last seven events. She started the run with the Olympic bronze medal in Rio, tied for fourth at Evian in France, opened the Asia trip at home in China with a fourth-place tie, was second in Taiwan and tied for third in South Korea before winning in Malaysia and Japan. She took last week off, practicing only three days in Orlando.

“I think after the Asian wave, we’re just so tired. I think I needed the rest,” Feng said. “I feel actually pretty fresh coming into this week. … I’ve been playing well, so just wanted to keep up with the good playing.”

Feng birdied four of the last six holes – the par-4 13th, par-5 14th, par-3 16th and par-5 17th – in her bogey-free round. She made a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-5 first hole and also birdied the par-3 eighth.

Ryu won the last of her three LPGA Tour titles in 2014.

“What I learned through this year, having like swing change this year, sometimes I just think about swing too much,” Ryu said. “So what I learned through that is I just rather more focus to like imagination. Just keep imagine how the ball is going to fly and what shot I am going to hit instead of where is my hand going to be, my wrist.”

Hull birdied the final four holes on the front nine and also birdied the 14th. She also was off last week after being delayed getting out of Japan.

“I was only home for four days,” the 20-year-old English player said. “I didn’t touch a golf club. Hung out with my friends. I think I only touched a golf club once or twice last week.”

Carlota Ciganda had a 75. She won her first LPGA Tour title last month in South Korea and won the event in Mexico City on Sunday.

Ko and Jutanugarn are fighting for the big year-end honours.

Only a win would be enough to give Ko her second straight player-of-the-year award; any other result, and that title goes to Jutanugarn. They came in separated by $17,305 in the money standings, and Ko (69.611) enters with a minuscule edge over Chun (69.632) for the Vare Trophy presented to the player with the lowest scoring average.

The points in the CME Globe standings reset for the finale, so Jutanugarn, Ko and Henderson all truly control their destinies when it comes to the $1 million bonus that goes to the points champion.

GIRONA, Spain –  Y.E. Yang and former Ryder Cup player Edoardo Molinari were among the 30 golfers to earn a European Tour card for the 2017 season on Thursday following the final round of Q School.

On one of the most nerve-racking days on the European golfing calendar, the high-profile names in the 156-player field all came through safely after six rounds at PGA Catalunya just outside Barcelona.

Unfortunately, Canada’s Austin Connelly wasn’t as lucky.

The former Team Canada member, who enjoys dual citizenship from Canada and the U.S., fell just a single-shot shy of joining a group of players tied for 25th place –  the cut-off mark for qualifying.

Connelly bogeyed his final hole, which would have given him a share of 25th.

The Church Point N.S., native was the lone Canaidan in the field.

There was a tension-filled end to the day for Englishmen Jamie Rutherford and Gary King, Jaco Ahlers of South Africa, Niclas Johansson of Sweden and Espen Kofstad of Norway, who were all tied for 25th place as Richard McEvoy made his way down the 18th. A birdie for McEvoy would have deprived the quintet of European Tour privileges and forced them to compete next year on the second-tier Challenge Tour, where the prize money is less. However, McEvoy made par and all six got their cards.

For Yang, a Major winner, his seven-year exemption for winning the 2009 U.S. PGA Championship expired this year, meaning he had to go to qualifying school after a disappointing season on the main tour when he had just two top-20 finishes.

For full results, click here.

The final PGA of Canada national championship of 2016 takes place next week in Bermuda at the famed Port Royal Golf Course.

The 54-hole PGA Club Professional Championship of Canada presented by Titleist & FootJoy features PGA of Canada head professionals, head teaching professionals and executive professionals taking place Nov. 21-24.

“We’re very pleased to have the PGA Club Professional Championship of Canada presented by Titleist & FootJoy in Bermuda for the first time and the wonderful venue of Port Royal Golf Course,” said PGA of Canada President Steve Wood.

Six past PGA of Canada national championship winners highlight this year’s field at Port Royal, including Danny King, Dave Levesque, Matt Peavoy, Adam Chamberlain, Ian Dog and Matt Palsenbarg.

Additionally, a number of top-ranked PGA of Canada players are in the field including Scott Allred (No. 11); Ron Kenesky (No. 19); Jean Laforce (No. 25); Dan Greenwood (No. 27); Dave Zibrik (No. 40); Lindsay Bernakevitch (No. 41); Gordon Burns (No. 42); and Kevin Black (No. 49).

For tee-times and results, CLICK HERE.

In 2015, Danny King of The Performance Academy at Magna captured his third PGA Club Professional Championship of Canada. King’s three-day total of 11-under-par at Verrado Golf Club in Buckeye, Ariz., was two shots better than James Skrypec of The Golf Academy at Deer Ridge.

In addition to competing for the overall championship trophy, players in the PGA Club Professional Championship of Canada earn much-coveted ranking points with hopes of moving up on the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC. Players who are ranked inside the top 64 following the PGA Club Professional Championship of Canada earn invites into the following year’s PGA Championship of Canada.

The Inter-Zone Team Championship, which is comprised of four players per zone (and three scores per team counting), is also handed out after 36-holes.

Former champions of the PGA Club Professional Championship of Canada include Danny King, Adam Chamberlain, Roger Beale, Norm Jarvis, Gar Hamilton, Bob Panasik, Yvan Beauchemin, Graham Gunn, Ken Tarling and Brian Hutton.

FAR HILLS, N.J. – Diana Murphy has been nominated to serve a second one-year term as the 64th president of the United States Golf Association by the USGA Nominating Committee, as the organization prepares for its 123rd year of service to the game of golf.

In addition, there are three newly nominated candidates for the 15-member Executive Committee: Thomas Barkin, Stephen Beebe and William Siart. Their collective experience encompasses expertise in strategic planning and nonprofit leadership, as well as a passion for environmental sustainability. If elected at the USGA’s Annual Meeting on Feb. 4, 2017 in Washington, D.C., they will replace retiring members William Fallon, Malcolm Holland and Asuka Nakahara.

The committee also nominated Mark Newell, a four-year Executive Committee member, as president-elect. The new officer position replaces the role of vice president eliminated in 2016, and supports succession planning for future association leadership. Newell, who served as USGA general counsel in 2011-12, currently chairs the USGA Rules of Golf Committee. He has focused significant efforts on a multi-year Rules modernization project led by the USGA and The R&A, and he continues to provide support and leadership toward the development of a world handicap system.

Current officers Sheila Johnson and George Still have been nominated to continue their service as secretary and treasurer, respectively. The eight committee members nominated to continue their service are: Michael Bailey, Stuart Francis, Thomas Hough, Robert Kain, Martha Lang, Gregory Morrison, Mark Reinemann and Clifford Shahbaz.

In addition, Robert Weber has been nominated to serve a second term as USGA general counsel.

For some, the Mannequin Challenge may be starting to feel overdone. Everybody from The Rock to the NBA have created their own version of these viral videos, where people pose as mannequins while the hip-hop song Black Beatles plays.

Still, the European Tour joined the viral-video challenge this week and it is one of my favourite versions. Hope you enjoy it, too.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The laser machines that have been tracing shots at PGA Tour events for more than a decade were getting old and needed to be replaced. That led tour officials to ask if there was a better method to collect data.

The answer was found in sophisticated video cameras.

It started with small cameras attached to poles on the sides of three greens at PGA Tour events during a testing phase toward the end of last season. As 2016 ends this week, cameras are being used on six greens at Sea Island for the RSM Classic.

“It would be easy to buy new lasers,” said Steve Evans, the tour’s senior vice-president of information systems. “But would there be another way to collect data? And could we be collecting more than we’re collecting? What about using video cameras to translate what comes through video into data?”

ShotLink involves mapping golf courses and using lasers to show where each shot lands. That information generally allows for distance (how far off the tee, how close to the hole) and direction (fairway, rough, bunkers, greens).

The cameras bring motion into play, particularly with putting. It will allow for statistics on the percentage of putts that break left-to-right or right-to-left, whether the putt is downhill or uphill.

“From a data perspective, we can learn if uphill is harder or downhill is easier,” Evans said.

Evans said the cameras also can correct flaws with projected putting paths because it eliminates the assumption on how hard the ball must be struck.

“With this system, let’s say it’s a 30-foot putt. We’ll know a foot off the putter how fast the ball is moving,” Evans said. “It’s gives us a much more accurate projection on where it will end.”

With the cameras installed only at the green, there are some limitations. The cameras can pick up the golf ball only as it approaches the green. Evans said if it proves worthwhile, cameras could be installed from the tees and along the fairways.

By tracking a ball in motion instead of where it comes to a rest, statistics would be available showing how much a ball rolls once it’s on the green. That would relate to the trajectory of the ball in its approach.

Evans said digital and broadcast media are likely to get the most of the information, along with publications that go heavy on analytics. It figures to be useful for players, too, allowing them to spot tendencies in their games.

“All that feedback and analysis on the golf course is nice to have,” Rickie Fowler said. “We look at statistics and stuff a lot more. Joe (Skovron), my caddie, does it for feedback on areas that we may have been working on to see the improvement and then what areas need improvement. Some guys use it more than others.”

The tour hopes to have it in place in the first part of 2017, at which point Evans said it will work with broadcast partners and how to make the best use of the data.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Olympic gold and silver medalists Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson are among the first to sign up for the PGA Tour’s first team event since 1981.

The tour announced Monday that the Zurich Classic outside New Orleans will be feature 80 two-man teams and both players will receive credit for an official victory. It’s the first official team event since the Walt Disney World Team Championship in 1981.

Rickie Fowler and Jason Day, the world’s No. 1 player, also announced plans to compete as a team.

The Zurich Classic is April 27-30 at the TPC Louisiana. It will feature two rounds of fourballs and two rounds of foursomes. Players can pick their partners, provided they have PGA Tour status or receive a sponsor’s exemption.

Calgary – Alberta Golf has announced the 2016 Player of the Year recipients.

“We are thrilled to celebrate our winners and two junior achievers for their performances over the course of the 2016 season that led to their successes on both the Provincial and National Orders of Merit,” said Randy Robb, Alberta Golf’s Manager of High Performance Sport. “These rankings recognize our athletes’ incredible accomplishments while also providing them with a measuring stick for their continued development as a player.”

The Player Rankings are used to identify and give recognition to top performing amateur & junior golfers across Alberta who has achieved success in the golf season. The Alberta Golf Rankings are based on those Championships that represent an high standard of competition. A point system is used based on the scores and results of the players in the approved events in order to objectively rank each individuals performance.

The objective of the Alberta Golf Rankings is to provide a Provincial comparison/ranking system for Alberta’s top junior/amateur players which will enable players to compare themselves to their counterparts across the country. The Alberta Golf Player Rankings is also used to select Camp invitations, Multi-Sport Games (Western Canada Games/Canada Summer Games) participants, High Performance Team Members and the invitations for the PGA of Alberta Junior Masters.

Being named the Player of the Year is a true testament to the dedication, hard work and commitment to achieve the goals set at the beginning of each competitive season.

The 2016 Player of the Year winners are:

Junior Boys Division:

1. Brendan MacDougall
2. Chandler McDowell
3. Max Sekulic
4. Max Murchison
5. Ethan Choi

Juvenile Boys Division:

1. Chandler McDowell
2. Max Murchison
3. Ethan Choi
4. Kai Iguchi
5. 5. Ethan de Graaf

Bantam Boys Division:

1. Ethan Choi
2. Marko Banic
3. Hunter Thomson
4. Caden Park
5. Thomas Sluka

Junior Girls Division:

1. Kenna Hughes
2. Sharmaine Rapisura
3. Kehler Koss
4. Katy Rutherford
5. Annabelle Ackroyd

Juvenile Girls Division: 

1. Annabelle Ackroyd
2. Taylor Stone
3. Lauren Koenig
4. Jessica Marks
5. Reese Martin

Bantam Girls Division: 

1. Annabelle Ackroyd
2. MacKenzie Baustad
3. Kaitlyn Wingnean
4. Tillie Claggett
5. Stephanie Chelack

Mens Amateur Division:

1. Evan Holmes
2. Matt Williams
3. Scott Secord
4. Jordan Irwin
5. Brett Hogan

Ladies Amateur Division:

1. Kat Kennedy
2. Jaclyn Lee
3. Quinn Fitzgerald
4. Lauren Diederichs
5. Erin Farner

Senior Mens Division:

1. Frank Van Dornick
2. David Schultz
3. Brian Brown
4. Christopher Hairrell
5. Howard Broun

Senior Ladies Division:

1. Lynn Kuehn
2. Cheryl Newman
3. Joan Wilson
4. Susan Plum
5. Barbara Flaman/ Susan Thomson

Boys Junior Achiever of the Year 

 Logan Carver

1. T21 Canadian Junior Boys Championship
2. 14th Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship
3. 3. T7 Alberta Junior Boys Championship

Girls Junior Achiever of the Year 

 Claire Emery

1. 9th Alberta Junior Girls Championship
2. 5th Future Links Western Championship
3. 1st CJGA RedTail Landing event

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico – Pat Perez won the OHL Classic at Mayakoba on Sunday in his third start since returning from shoulder surgery.

Perez closed with a 4-under 67 for a two-stroke victory over third-round leader Gary Woodland on the Greg Norman-designed El Camaleon course. Perez finished at 21-under 263.

“I had an attitude that I can’t really repeat, but I had a lot of thoughts going on,” Perez said. “The main one was I wanted to stay aggressive. I knew if I just stayed aggressive I was seeing the line great on the putting green. … This type of grass and these greens, if you can get it on line you can make them.

“I just saw the line, I thought I could make them all and I just had a confidence. I had an entirely different attitude than I would have had a few years ago. It was definitely a different win than last time. Last time, I was a little more scared coming down the stretch. I didn’t really believe and this and that. This time, I really had like this calmness, kind of like a madness to get it done.”

Perez had surgery on his shoulder in February. He returned with a tie for 33rd in Malaysia, and tied for seventh last week in Las Vegas.

“When you hit 40 and then you have surgery, it’s like ‘Oh, God, you know, what are we going to do?”’ Perez said. “I had sleepless nights, I had a lot of sleepless nights wondering, ‘What are we going to do? How are we going to do this? What’s going to happen here? What would happen here? Because all you do is sit around and think. That’s all you have time is to sit around. You’re just sitting in a sling doing nothing and you can’t hit balls for five months. I had a lot of time to think about a lot of things.”

Perez shot a 62 on Saturday to pull within a stroke of Woodland. The 40-year-old former Arizona State player birdied five of the first eight holes and had a bogey on the par-4 12th.

“In a lot of ways, when you win you’ve got to have a lot of things go your way,” Perez said. “You’ve got to make a lot of putts, you need some help from other players. It’s everything. It’s so hard to win. But I just had this different look about it this week and I’ll hopefully carry that through for a while.”

He also won the 2009 Bob Hope Classic.

“I guess I’m just one of those late-maturers,” Perez said. “I know I was sort of a punk and all that early on, but I think I learned a lot about myself in the last nine, 10 months and it just paid off this week. I couldn’t be more excited about what’s going on.”

Woodland birdied the final two holes for a 70.

Russell Knox was third at 18-under after a 66.

“I wasn’t all that comfortable out there.” Knox said. “This course kind of makes you put the steer on sometimes, but I made seven birdies. A couple mistakes, but overall starting the day I would have taken 66.”

Chez Reavie (67), Kevin Streelman (65) and Scott Piercy (70) were 17 under.

Adam Hadwin (67) of Abbotsford, B.C., finished in a tie for 10th at 14-under par, while Nick Taylor (70), also from Abbotsford, was tied for 15th at 12 under.

LUJAN, Argentina – The par saving 18-footer he made on the 54th hole on Saturday afternoon turned out to be the Argentina Classic title clincher for Spain’s Samuel Del Val.

The 29-year old was declared the winner of the 16th tournament of the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica season when thunderstorms moved into the Club Campos de Golf Las Praderas de Lujan to force the cancellation of the fourth round on Sunday.

After postponing the start of the final round several times throughout the day, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica officials found the course saturated by rain that made it unplayable. The final round was cancelled at 12:50 p.m.

Del Val, who posted rounds of 69-66-68, secured the title with a score of 13-under 203. He won by one over Augusto Núñez of Argentina and Derek Gillespie of Oshawa, Ont.

“This is a long-awaited victory. I’ve been seeking this win for four years and it’s finally here,” said the champion who had had two runner-up finishes in 58 previous starts thru four seasons in Latin America.

“When stuff like this happens is hard to control the emotions. You really don’t know if you are going to play or not, but I kept telling myself that we were going to play and that is was going to be a long day, a good battle with several good players near the top. You know we didn’t play and I guess it was enough to claim the win, so I’m very happy for the way things turned out.”