CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — Adam Scott is playing in the Presidents Cup for the 11th straight time, the most of any player from the International team. That wasn’t much of a surprise.

Neither were the six players for the American team.

The BMW Championship was the final tournament for six automatic qualifiers for the U.S. and International teams who will compete Sept. 27-30 at Royal Montreal.

The leading six players remained unchanged.

Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay and newcomer Sahith Theegala qualified for the Americans. Sam Burns could have grabbed the sixth spot only if he had won. He finished one shot behind Keegan Bradley.

The six qualifiers for the International team were Hideki Matsuyama, Tom Kim, Sungjae Im, Jason Day, Scott and Byeong Hun An.

Corey Conners of Canada had a chance with a big finish at Castle Pines, but he closed with a 73 and tied for 22nd. The International team is based on the world ranking.

Jim Furyk and Mike Weir of Canada will announce their six captain’s picks after the Tour Championship, and that’s where the intrigue lies.

“I hope I didn’t throw a huge wrench in everybody’s plans,” Bradley said, whose victory moved him to No. 10 in the U.S. standings.

Bradley, 38, already is the youngest Ryder Cup captain since Arnold Palmer (34) was a playing captain in 1963. He also has PGA Tour titles in each of the last three years, and his win at the BMW Championship moved him to No. 11 in the world ranking.

Burns moved to No. 7, followed by Tony Finau, Russell Henley, Bradley, Brian Harman and Max Homa. Henley has never played in the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup team.

Harman and Homa have not been in good form for most of the summer. And then there is Justin Thomas, who has played for every U.S. team since 2017. He is at No. 19, following a year in which he was the lowest-ranked player in the Ryder Cup standings when he was picked. Thomas at least made it to the Tour Championship — the 30th and final spot — giving him a week to perform.

“I feel like I played well in some big tournaments this year. I just did it earlier in the season,” Thomas said. “I know I’m playing well enough, but that’s up to Jim and the rest of the captains and the guys on the team. My hope is that I get to Atlanta and I prove that I belong.”

Weir would like to have Canadians on his side for the home crowd. None qualified. Conners was at No. 7, followed by Cam Davis and Min Woo Lee of Australia, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, and three Canadians — Taylor Pendrith, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin.

Pendrith played in the last Presidents Cup. He held it together on the back nine to assure a spot at the Tour Championship next week.

“I want to be at East Lake. I want to be on the Presidents Cup badly. But I’ve had a great season, and if I didn’t play great these last two weeks, I’d be OK with it,” he said. “It would sting a little bit for sure, but to come out here and do it and perform under the pressure, it feels incredible. I can’t wait to keep going.”

Scott has played on every Presidents Cup team since 2003 — one year after Tom Kim was born — but has never been on a winning team. The 2003 matches ended in a tie in South Africa, and the Americans have won nine in a row.

Phil Mickelson played in 12 Presidents Cup, the most of any player.

Click here for more info on the 2024 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal Golf Club

Manotick, Ont. – The Carleton Golf and Yacht continued to test some of the best Mid-Amateur golfers for the fourth day in a row, but nothing could stop Cam Burke’s dominant play as he finished at 14-under to capture the 2024 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, presented by BDO on Friday. 

Starting his day atop of the leaderboard, Burke of Kitchener Ont., got off to a tough start by making a bogey on the par-4 fourth hole. From there the 37-year-old never looked back, by making an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole and recorded four birdies for the day, shooting a final round 3-under 67.  

“It feels awesome. Obviously, every time you show up to one of these events that is what you are trying to do and you know I didn’t let myself get too far ahead of myself if that makes sense,” said Burke. “I tried to stay in the moment and just focus on what I was doing but now that it’s over, it feels pretty cool for sure. Again, I just, I don’t know my parents have been watching my dog all week so I kinda miss my dog so I will probably just go back there tonight and scoop her up and my friends and family will probably want to get something together this weekend, but nothing planned as of yet.” 

Burke won by nine strokes over David Lang and Kyle Gordon who both tied for second at 5-under. Lang finished his final round with a 3-under 67, while Gordon recorded a 2-under 68. This is Burke’s first time winning the Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship after recently capturing the Ontario Mid-Amateur championship in a playoff last month at the North Bay Golf & Country Club. 

“Today I had a comfortable enough lead, but you never know because there is a lot of good players out there and things can get challenging if you are uncomfortable so what I tried to do was just focus on playing another under par round,” said Burke. “I felt like that was a good target for me and was just focus on that and not worrying so much about the leaderboard, instead kind of stay in my own little world. I was able to do that, and I was really happy with the way I played today as it could have been easy to lose focus.”  

In addition to the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur title, Burke has received an exemption into the 2024 U.S. Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship and the 2025 Canadian Men’s Amateur and Mid-Amateur Championships. 

“I have nothing on the schedule as of now so I suppose there is U.S. Mid-Amateur exemption later in the year so I would imagine I would be able to get some time off of work to go and play that, but I don’t play a ton of golf honestly,” said Burke. “I kind of just try to focus on one or two events and luckily this year they have both gone pretty well. It will be great to go and tee it up over there, but I don’t have anything coming up as of right now. I’m sure there will be some more opportunities I have to play in more events, but I will be selective with it. I had a short professional career that kind of didn’t go the way I wanted it too and I got sick of it for awhile and needed a break. I have been very mindful of not overdoing it and get back to that bad place with the game because I really do love it and enjoy it, and I want it to stay that way. I’m sure I will play a little bit more if my game is in good shape as I also have to get back to run our family business with my dad as there is still lots to be done there as well.” 

Ryan DenBraber of Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. came into the final round tied for sixth and finished with a 2-under 68 to place fourth overall.  

Brett McKinnon of Truro, N.S., finished in fifth place at 2-under and Brooks Lancaster of Kaleden, B.C, finished in sixth place at 1-under. 

Lancaster also won the Mid-Master division with Christopher Tayer of Golden, Colo. placing second. Gary Pike of Victoria, B.C., placed third in the Mid-Master after shooting a final round 1-over 71, finishing 1-over for the championship. 

On Wednesday, Team Ontario defended their inter-provincial title, securing the Bruce Forbes Trophy for a record 18th time in the 30-year history of the competition. Ontario was represented by Cam Burke, Ben Thompson of Toronto, Ont., and Charles Fitzsimmons of King, Ont., who finished with a total score of 5-under to defeat Team Manitoba by seven strokes. 

For the final standings at the 2024 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, please click here.  

GOLF CANADA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS         

Golf Canada annually conducts more than 30 golf competitions and qualifiers nation-wide – including nine National Amateur Championships – which play host to more than 3,000 domestic and international athletes from all corners of the world. In partnership with our host clubs, thousands of volunteers, provincial golf associations and our proud sponsors, Golf Canada is dedicated to supporting player development through world-class competition since our inception in 1895. Officiated by certified Canadian Rules of Golf officials, Golf Canada’s amateur competitions are fully compliant with golf’s international governing bodies and include marquee events such as the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships as well as the Canadian Junior Girls and Junior Boys Championships. Golf Canada’s amateur championships are proudly supported by BDO Canada, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Titleist, FootJoy, Sport Canada, Levelwear and JOURNIE Rewards. For more information and scheduling visit https://www.golfcanada.ca/competitions-calendar/.        

123 of Canada’s top women’s senior golfers will compete for the Ada Mackenzie Challenge Trophy; along with a Super Senior division title and an inter-provincial team championship all up for grabs in Georgetown

Georgetown, Ont. – The 2024 Canadian Women’s Senior Championship, presented by BDO is set for August 27-29, with a field of 123 golfers competing over three rounds at The Club at North Halton in Georgetown, Ont.

This year’s field competing for the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship features seven of the most recent winners including defending champion and Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member, Mary Ann Hayward of St. Thomas, Ont. Last year, Hayward battled with Judith Kyrinis of Thornhill, Ont. right up to the final hole to claim her fourth Canadian Women’s Senior national championship.

Kyrinis, a two-time champion (2016 and 2019) is in the field in Georgetown coming off her sixth Ontario Senior Women’s Championship earlier this month at Lora Bay Golf Club in Thornbury, Ont. Kyrinis joined Marlene Streit and Gayle Borthwick as the only six-time winners of the provincial championship.

Fellow two-time champion (2022 and 2021), Shelly Stouffer of Nanoose Bay, B.C. will also be competing next week. Stouffer has enjoyed a successful season thus far earning a clean sweep at the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship last month, winning the Mid-Amateur, Mid-Master and Inter-Provincial Team titles at the Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community in Courtenay, B.C. Stouffer also added the B.C. Women’s Mid-Master and B.C. Women’s Senior Championships to her trophy cabinet this season.

Additional past champions in the field include Sue Wooster of Australia who won back-to-back Canadian Women’s Senior titles in 2017 and 2018. Wooster won the 2024 Australian Mid-Amateur in May. Terrill Samuel of Etobicoke, Ont., also a two-time champion (2012 and 2015) is coming off a T19 finish and earned low amateur honours at the U.S. Senior Women’s Open at Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh, Pa. earlier this month. Joining them is 2014 winner, Helene Chartrand of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Que. and two-time winner (2008 and 2009) Jackie Little of Procter, B.C.

“We are excited to welcome such a strong field with a number of past champions ready to compete for our Canadian Women’s Senior Championship next week at The Club at North Halton,” said Sam Brown, Tournament Director, Golf Canada. “The staff at North Halton have done a tremendous job in preparing to host our national championship and will provide a great test and hospitality for our field.”

The Club at North Halton is hosting the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship while celebrating its 70th anniversary. Established in 1954, the course presents a test that allows golfers to use every club in the bag. The course features tree lined fairways, wooded ravines and natural foliage set in the valley of Georgetown. The history of the golf course itself extends back to 1914 and 1915 when local entrepreneur, J.A. Willoughby purchased two farms that would eventually become North Halton Golf and Country Club.

“We are honoured to be hosting a national championship at The Club at North Halton.  Players will be welcomed into our home and community during the championship week,” said Marc Bezaire, Director of Golf Operations, The Club at North Halton. “The field of players is very strong, we are looking forward to watching some of the best players in the country compete at the highest level.”

Conducted since 1971, the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship has featured the country’s most accomplished senior golfers including Canadian Golf Hall of Fame members Marlene Streit, Gayle Borthwick, Marilyn O’Connor, Margaret Todd, Alison Murdoch and Mary Ann Hayward who all own senior national championship titles. Four women have won the national championship four times including: Marlene Streit (1985, 1987, 1988, 1993), Gayle Borthwick (1994, 1995, 1999, 2000), Alison Murdoch (2002, 2004, 2005, 2007) and Mary Ann Hayward (2010, 2011, 2013, 2023).

The Senior and Super Senior championship rounds are played concurrently over three rounds, with the low 70 players plus ties in the Senior division and a minimum of five players in the Super Senior division advancing to the final round. Players over 50 are eligible to compete in the senior championship and those 60 and over are eligible to compete for the super senior title.

In addition, the Inter-Provincial Team Championship will be played over the first 36 holes, where teams will compete for the Katherine Helleur Trophy. Last year, Team Ontario won by 14-strokes over Team British Columbia. Ontario was represented by Mary Ann Hayward, Judith Kyrinis and Terrill Samuel. It marked Ontario’s tenth title in a 12-year span, with Hayward being part of all ten championships. Kyrinis earned her sixth team title and Samuel claimed her second team title.

The winner of the 2024 Canadian Women’s Senior Championship will earn an exemption into the 2024 U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur Championship taking place September 21-26 at the Broadmoor Golf Club in Seattle, Wash. Along with exemptions into the 2025 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, 2025 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship and the 2025 U.S. Women’s Senior Open.

Practice rounds are scheduled for Monday, August 26, with the opening round scheduled to begin on Tuesday, August 27. For the full player field competing in the 2024 Canadian Women’s Senior Championship, presented by BDO, please click here.

Manotick, Ont. – Team Ontario won their second straight Bruce Forbes Trophy as the Inter-Provincial team champions at the 2024 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, presented by BDO. Team Ontario continued their tradition of dominance in the inter-provincial team competition, capturing the title a record 18 times in the 30 year history of the competition. 

The trio of Cam Burke of Kitchener, Ont., Ben Thompson of Toronto, Ont., and Charles Fitzsimmons of King, Ont., combined for a total score of 5-under to defeat Team Manitoba by seven strokes on Wednesday at Carleton Golf and Yacht Club.  

“We don’t get to play team golf very often so it’s kind of a cool format for us where we get to have a little bit of comradery and you know the entire country is here, so I am lucky enough to have won it before and it feels really good,” said Burke following completion of round two earlier on Thursday. “We will not get to celebrate today as we will be heading right back out, but it’s just cool to be able to compete with some guys who you have played with all of these years, and we had a really good day today, so it was fun.” 

All three Team Ontario members headed into round three with under par scores on the individual leaderboard.  

“I only ended up playing three holes yesterday, so it was raining the whole time so today the fact it wasn’t raining and there was no wind, it was fairly straight forward as far as the conditions were concerned,” said Burke. “I think we were all under par for the day and we ended up taking advantage of the good conditions.” 

Team Manitoba shot a total score of 3-over to place second in the Inter-Provincial Team Championship. Team British Columbia placed third after shooting a total score of 4-over.  

Burke recorded an impressive second round shooting a 7-under 63 Thursday morning to have his score count, while Thompson’s 2-under 68 also counted on Thursday towards the team’s final score. “It feels awesome. It kind of brought me back to the college days of sort of having that team comradery and watching everybody on the fairway with the team shirts and all that, it was awesome and a privilege to support Team Ontario,” said Thompson.  

Play resumed at 7:00 a.m. ET on Thursday at Carleton Golf and Yacht Club in Manotick, Ont. After Wednesday’s second round was suspended due to unplayable conditions due to the rain, 80 players in the field completed their second rounds and were treated to sunny conditions for round three. 

Burke finished his third round shooting 3-under 67, to sit at 11-under for the tournament and leads by eight shots over Brooks Lancaster and Kyle Gordon heading into Friday’s final round. 

During round three, Burke’s round got off to an ideal start by carding two birdies on the front nine before bogeying on the par-3 sixth hole. He carded a total of four birdies during his third round. 

Burke added, “there was no real plan, only to hit as many good shots as possible. You just have to go out there and give yourself chances and hopefully things work out. Today they did and two days ago it was also a very good score given the conditions as well so I’m obviously very happy to be where I am at but we got a heck of a long way to go. Lots of work to still be done but this is where you want to be. If I would shoot a 63 like I did today, I may be on television right now.” 

Kyle Gordon of Whitby, Ont. finished his second round yesterday with a 4-under 66 and followed up with a 1-over 71 on Thursday to sit in a tie for second place with Brooks Lancaster of Kaleden, B.C. at 3-under. Tied for fourth are Jared Coyle of Manotick Ont., and David Lang of Toronto, Ont.

Lancaster leads the Mid-Master division by two strokes over Christopher Thayer of Golden, Colo. The Mid-Master is a separate division for players 40 and older.  

Tim Hollman of Olds, Alta. recorded a hole-in-one on the eighth hole during his third round today on his way to shooting a 3-under 67. Hollman sits T13 at 2-over. 

In addition to the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur title, the 2024 champion will receive direct exemptions into the 2024 U.S. Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship and the 2025 Canadian Men’s Amateur and Mid-Amateur Championships.  

The final round will tee off at 8:00 a.m. ET on Friday, with the lead group of Burke, Lancaster and Gordon teeing off at 10:10 a.m. For Friday’s groupings and tee times, please click here. 

For the leaderboard following the third round of the 2024 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, presented by BDO, please click here. 

GOLF CANADA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS        

Golf Canada annually conducts more than 30 golf competitions and qualifiers nation-wide – including nine National Amateur Championships – which play host to more than 3,000 domestic and international athletes from all corners of the world. In partnership with our host clubs, thousands of volunteers, provincial golf associations and our proud sponsors, Golf Canada is dedicated to supporting player development through world-class competition since our inception in 1895. Officiated by certified Canadian Rules of Golf officials, Golf Canada’s amateur competitions are fully compliant with golf’s international governing bodies and include marquee events such as the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships as well as the Canadian Junior Girls and Junior Boys Championships. Golf Canada’s amateur championships are proudly supported by BDO Canada, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Titleist, FootJoy, Sport Canada, Levelwear and JOURNIE Rewards. For more information and scheduling visit https://www.golfcanada.ca/competitions-calendar/.       

The R&A and the USGA have put together a survey about the World Handicap System (WHS™) and you are invited to participate.

Your honest feedback and insights are invaluable to the ongoing review of the Rules of Handicapping™ and the Course Rating System™, which have accuracy, consistency and equity as core principles – as well as enhancing the enjoyment of the game of golf for everyone. 

This is a global survey, and all individual responses are confidential and anonymous.

Please click on the link below to start the survey:

START SURVEY

Taylor Pendrith has always been able to find his groove as summer winds down. This year, it’s made him the top Canadian in the PGA Tour’s playoffs.

Pendrith, from Richmond Hill, Ont., tied for fifth at the Barracuda Championship on July 21, was solo fifth at the 3M Open on July 28, and most importantly tied for 22nd at last week’s FedEx St. Jude’s Championship, the first round of the top men’s tour’s playoffs. That moved him up to 27th in the FedEx Cup standings and on to this week’s BMW Championship, the playoffs’ second round. 

“I don’t know if the warmer weather allows my body to move better in the past couple years or what,” said Pendrith. “I seem to play well in the summertime. Last week (at TPC Southwind in Memphis) was super hot and I don’t necessarily love those conditions, but I have strung together a bunch of good weeks in a row.”

The St. Jude’s Championship had a 70-player field and the top 50 players in the FedEx Cup standings after that event advanced to this week’s tournament at Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, Colo. 

That included Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., who tied for 50th at 1 under at the St. Jude’s Championship. Conners is now 33rd in the FedEx Cup rankings and Hadwin is 42nd.

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., and Nick Taylor of Abbotsford did not move on.

The top 30 players after the BMW Championship will then move on to the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta next week.

“I think this is probably the best putting year that I’ve had in my career,” said Pendrith, who won the CJ Cup Byron Nelson on May 5 for his first-ever PGA Tour victory. “I feel really comfortable over every putt and I’ve made quite a lot of crucial putts this season. 

“My iron play has also been really good. Last week my iron play was really strong and so everything’s kind of coming together.”

Pendrith will be paired with Tom Hoge of the United States at Castle Pines on Thursday, Hadwin will be with Australia’s Adam Scott, and Conners will play alongside American J.T. Poston.

The BMW Championship is also the last event where players can earn official world golf ranking points to play in this year’s Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal Golf Club on Sept. 24-29. Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Mike Weir is the captain of the International Team and Pendrith hopes to play in the biannual event for the second time in a row.

“I don’t think it necessarily adds more pressure, but it’s been on my mind for the last couple months,” said Pendrith, who made his International Team debut with Conners at Quail Hollow in Charlotte in 2022. “I’ve played great leading up to here and I’m hoping to have a really solid week again this week and earn my way on to that team.”

The top six players in the International Team rankings are automatically selected, with Weir filling out the rest of his 12-player roster. Conners is currently seventh on the rankings, Taylor is 11th, Hadwin is 12th, Pendrith is 13th and Hughes is 15th.

Manotick, Ont. – Kyle Gordon and David Lang both sit as the clubhouse leaders at 4-under at the 2024 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, presented by BDO. 

The second round was delayed due to unplayable conditions caused by rain that pushed back tee times by an hour and a half or more at Carleton Golf and Yacht Club in Manotick, Ont. Most of the players in the afternoon wave were not able to complete their rounds with play being suspended due to unplayable conditions due to the rain at 4:45 p.m. ET. As a result, round two will resume at 7:00 a.m. ET on Thursday with round three tee times to follow.  

David Lang of Toronto, Ont. was one of those not able to finish his second round and is sitting as the co-leader at 4-under through seven holes along with Kyle Gordon.  

Lang got off to a tough start bogeying the first hole of his opening nine after holding the lead in the first round. He finished with six consecutive pars and will resume play on the 17th hole tomorrow morning as he continues his second round. 

Gordon of Whitby, Ont. played in the morning flight and recorded six birdies on Wednesday to jump 10 spots up the leaderboard after shooting a 4-under 66. Coming out of round one Gordon shot an even par 70 and was sitting at T11.  

“Putting was the best part of my game today,” said Gordon. “Didn’t hit it the best today but made a couple good par saves on 12 and 13, then made a 40-foot putt for birdie on 14. The birdie on 14 was a bonus that got me going.” 

During round two, Gordon’s round got off to an ideal start by carding four birdies on the front nine and continued with two more on the back nine. 

“My game this week has been up and down so far. Hit some good shots on day one, but couldn’t get the putts to drop,” said Gordon. “Day two was kinda the opposite, hit some poor shots but made up for it with the putter. Just trying to take the positives that I haven’t played my best and I’m still in contention heading into the last two days.”  

Gary Pike of Victoria, B.C. sits first in the Mid-Master division by two strokes. Brooks Lancaster of Kaledon, B.C. is currently tied in second place with Adam Condello of Brentwood, Tenn. both are behind Pike sitting at 1-under par through seven holes. The Mid-Master is a separate division for players 40 and older. Pike resumes his second round play tomorrow and currently sits in a tie for third place alongside Jared Coyle of Manotick, Ont. at 3-under in the Mid-Amateur division.  

Team Manitoba continues to own a four-shot advantage in the Inter-Provincial Team Championship over Team Ontario. Allan Mcdonald and Lyle Mackenzie’s even par rounds have contributed to the total team’s continued score of 1-under par. The team component will conclude after tomorrow’s second round play is completed with the winner being awarded the Bruce Forbes Trophy.  

In addition to the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur title, the 2024 champion will receive direct exemptions into the 2024 U.S. Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship and the 2025 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championships. 

For the current leaderboard from the second round of the 2024 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, presented by BDO, please click here. 

GOLF CANADA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS       

Golf Canada annually conducts more than 30 golf competitions and qualifiers nation-wide – including nine National Amateur Championships – which play host to more than 3,000 domestic and international athletes from all corners of the world. In partnership with our host clubs, thousands of volunteers, provincial golf associations and our proud sponsors, Golf Canada is dedicated to supporting player development through world-class competition since our inception in 1895. Officiated by certified Canadian Rules of Golf officials, Golf Canada’s amateur competitions are fully compliant with golf’s international governing bodies and include marquee events such as the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships as well as the Canadian Junior Girls and Junior Boys Championships. Golf Canada’s amateur championships are proudly supported by BDO Canada, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Titleist, FootJoy, Sport Canada, Levelwear and JOURNIE Rewards. For more information and scheduling visit https://www.golfcanada.ca/competitions-calendar/.      

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — The BMW Championship is the last stop before the leading six players get automatic spots in the Presidents Cup next month at Royal Montreal.

Turns out the first FedEx Cup playoff event had a strong effect, too.

Jordan Spieth might have been a long shot to make the U.S. team, but last week sealed it. He finished 26 shots out of the lead, failed to advance and said he would be having surgery on his left wrist. His season is over.

It also was a big blow to Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., who dropped out of the top 50. International captain Mike Weir wants a strong Canadian presence, but none is in the top six and four other Canadians are ahead of Hughes.

Weir gets six captain’s picks after the Tour Championship. Hughes won’t be at East Lake, either. This comes two years after Hughes, renowned for his putting, was curiously left off the International side for the matches at Quail Hollow, where he is a member.

Fellow Canadians Corey Conners, Adam Hadwin of and Taylor Pendrith are all in the field at the BMW Championship.

Conners is currently 7th on the Presidents Cup International Team standings. Hadwin is 12th and Pendrith sits 13th.

Nick Taylor is currently 11th, but did not advance to this week’s BMW Championship.

For the Americans, there figures to be significant turnover from their last team competition at the Ryder Cup.

Three players already are effectively eliminated — Spieth, Rickie Fowler (didn’t qualify for the postseason) and Brooks Koepka (ineligible because he plays for LIV Golf).

The leading five — Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark and Patrick Cantlay — were at Marco Simone. Sahith Theegala is holding down the sixth spot over Tony Finau.

Max Homa, who went 4-0 in his Presidents Cup debut at Quail Hollow, finished last in the 70-man field last week. He has not contended since his Sunday chance at the Masters (his lone top 10 was at Wells Fargo, where he finished 13 shots behind). Homa is at No. 9 in the standings.

Right behind is Brian Harman, who has one top 10 in his last 13 starts.

The wild card, again, is Justin Thomas. He is at No. 16 in the standings and he could use a mile-high effort this week. Thomas faced plenty of scrutiny from being picked for the Ryder Cup team without having qualified for the postseason.

U.S. captain Jim Furyk could have some interesting choices, such as 20-year-old Nick Dunlap or 22-year-old Akshay Bhatia, depending on what kind of performances he sees at Castle Pines and then East Lake.

The International team, which has lost nine in a row, is the side that would appear to have some stability. The leading five players were at Quail Hollow and Byeong Hun An played in the 2019 matches. Four others from the ’22 team have done well enough to merit consideration.

Winners out

Winning a PGA Tour event that offers full FedEx Cup points is worth a trip to the Masters and PGA Championship, a start at Kapalua for The Sentry and a two-year exemption. But it doesn’t guarantee the top 50 in the FedEx Cup and the guarantee of playing the eight $20 million signature events the following year.

Nick Taylor (Phoenix Open), Jake Knapp (Mexico Open), Peter Malnati (Valspar Championship), Davis Riley (Colonial) and Jhonattan Vegas (3M Open) did not reach the BMW Championship.

Don’t expect Vegas to lose sleep over it. He was No. 139 in the FedEx Cup and in danger of losing his card when he won in Minnesota.

Manotick, Ont. – David Lang carded a 5-under 65 to lead after the opening round at the 2024 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, presented by BDO, held at the Carleton Golf and Yacht Club in Manotick, Ont. 

Lang of Toronto, Ont. made a total of six birdies during round one; the lone blemish for Lang was a bogey on the par-4 15th hole. He holds a one stroke lead over Tyson Ehnes of Winnipeg, Man. who sits second after shooting a 4-under 66 on Tuesday.  

“It was a great day today. I’ve been playing pretty well coming into this week, so I just really wanted to stick to my game plan and everything went very well,” said Lang. “I had a great group and we had a lot of fun out there so we were just sort of keeping things light and wasn’t really trying to think about anything other than the shot at hand.”  

With having won the 2022 Nicola Wealth Ontario Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, Lang is looking to etch his name on the Presidents Cup for the first time.  

“I had a bit of a game plan coming into today as I played yesterday and it was my first time seeing the golf course and I just really wanted to make sure that I do generally hit it pretty straight and just wanted to pick my spots right where I do hit driver and get aggressive and that’s what I tried to do today and it ended up working out well, so I am going to try and continue that for the next three days,” said Lang.  

With sunny conditions and the course being in spectacular shape Lang shares, “the greens were running awesome today and I mean it’s obviously gotten a lot of water recently, so the greens were quick and I could see the lines well so it helped me make six birdies today. I am going to try and stick to the same game plan I had going into today and try to do the same thing going into the next three days and see what happens at the end of the week.” 

Ehnes carded a total of seven birdies, with three bogeys during his round to hold second place following the opening round.  

Gary Pike of Victoria, B.C., sits third in the Mid-Amateur division and leads the Mid-Master division by one-stroke. The Mid-Master is a separate division for players 40 and older. Pike shot a 2-under 68 carding four birdies during the opening round. Brooks Lancaster of Kaleden, B.C., is currently in second place behind Pike following a 1-under 69. 

Team Manitoba owns a four-shot advantage in the Inter-Provincial Team Championship over Team British Columbia and Team Alberta. Lyle Mackenzie’s 1-under and Drew Jones even par rounds contributed to the total team score of 1-under after round one. 

“My game plan going into today was to hit fairways and greens as it’s a very tight golf course and I think there’s a premium for sacrifice so it’s ok to sacrifice distance off of the tee and just make sure you are on in a good spot on every hole and it seemed to work out for me,” said Manitoba Team Captain Lyle Mackenzie. “I think tomorrow I would like to see a few more putts go in, I got off to a slower start today as I bogeyed holes one and two which wasn’t great as I hit poor drives on both of those holes and didn’t recover so I see what happens when you miss the fairway and I think going into tomorrow’s round, I do all the same things but make sure I hit the fairway on holes one and two and get rolling early. It’s a long tournament and you can’t win it on the first or second day so my goal is to go out tomorrow and do the same things I did today and hopefully make a few more putts and be right there heading into round three.” 

Team British Columbia and Team Alberta are tied for second place with a total score of 3-over. The team component will conclude following tomorrow’s second round with the winner being awarded the Bruce Forbes Trophy.  

In addition to the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur title, the 2024 champion will receive direct exemptions into the 2024 U.S. Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship and the 2025 Canadian Men’s Amateur and Mid-Amateur Championships.  

For the leaderboard following the opening round of the 2024 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, presented by BDO, please click here. 

GOLF CANADA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS      

Golf Canada annually conducts more than 30 golf competitions and qualifiers nation-wide – including nine National Amateur Championships – which play host to more than 3,000 domestic and international athletes from all corners of the world. In partnership with our host clubs, thousands of volunteers, provincial golf associations and our proud sponsors, Golf Canada is dedicated to supporting player development through world-class competition since our inception in 1895. Officiated by certified Canadian Rules of Golf officials, Golf Canada’s amateur competitions are fully compliant with golf’s international governing bodies and include marquee events such as the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships as well as the Canadian Junior Girls and Junior Boys Championships. Golf Canada’s amateur championships are proudly supported by BDO Canada, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Titleist, FootJoy, Sport Canada, Levelwear and JOURNIE Rewards. For more information and scheduling visit https://www.golfcanada.ca/competitions-calendar/.     

MONTREAL – International Team Captain Mike Weir announced Japan’s Shigeki Maruyama as his fifth and final captain’s assistant for the 2024 Presidents Cup, which returns to The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Sept. 24-29. Maruyama joins fellow captains assistants Ernie Els, Trevor Immelman, Geoff Ogilvy and Camilo Villegas, who were announced in April. 

Maruyama competed in the Presidents Cup in 1998 and 2000, compiling a 6-2-0 record, including a 5-0-0 performance in the former, when the International Team defeated the U.S. Team in Australia, 20.5-11.5. He is one of only six players in Presidents Cup history to post a 5-0-0 record on the week.

“I am thrilled to announce Shigeki as my fifth captain’s assistant for the 2024 Presidents Cup,” said Weir. “His record in this event speaks for itself, but more importantly, he adds a trusted voice in our team room and is someone who will inspire these 12 players through his unwavering support and dynamic personality.”

Maruyama won three times during his PGA TOUR career, with his last victory coming at the 2003 Wyndham Championship. The 54-year-old posted three top-10 finishes in major championships, including a career-best T4 at the 2004 U.S. Open. Maruyama won 10 times on the Japan Golf Tour and represented Japan in the 2002 World Cup of Golf, partnering with Toshimitsu Izawa to notch a two-shot victory over the United States team of Phil Mickelson and David Toms.

“Representing the International Team in the Presidents Cup as both a player in 1998 and 2000 and later as a captain’s assistant in 2013 was one of the most valuable experiences in my golf career,” said Maruyama. “I am honored that Captain Weir has given me the chance to be part of this special brotherhood once again. I am looking forward to a great week in Montreal and helping to deliver an incredible atmosphere for our players and fans in Canada.”