EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France – In Gee Chun posted a 5-under round of 66 to take a two-shot lead at the Evian Championship on Friday, keeping the 22-year-old South Korean on course for the second major of her career.

Chun, the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open champion, had a bogey on the fourth hole but otherwise played with great control, hitting six birdies in rainy and overcast conditions at the picturesque resort overlooking Lake Geneva.

“I always try not to think about winning,” said Chun, who missed the cut here last year. “Thinking about winning is more pressure.”

South Korean Sung Hyun Park, who shared the overnight lead with Chun, juggled three bogeys and six birdies in a round of 68, tying her for second place with Shanshan Feng – China’s only major winner.

So Yeon Ryu, who is also from South Korea, is three shots behind Chun in fourth place after posting 66, matching her score from round 1.

Feng was a shot back overnight, as was American Annie Park, while defending champion Lydia Ko of New Zealand sat seven strokes behind after a disappointing opening day in her bid for a third major by the age of 19.

Feng started to tire on the back nine, hitting two bogeys, but perked up with birdies on the final two holes for a 67.

“There’s no benefit for just long hitters,” she said. “The rough is really long.”

Ko fared better this time with a 68 but is nine shots off the lead.

Playing the back nine first, the South-Korean born New Zealander went out in an even 36. But Ko improved on her way back to the clubhouse with a bogey and four birdies – including a brilliant chip in from the edge of the green on the fifth for one of the shots of the day.

Teeing off at 7:45 a.m. local time did not work out well for Park.

She ended her round with a bogey on 16th and double bogey on the 17th to finish with a 2-over 73 and drop down the leaderboard.

Second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand recovered from her first-round 73 to make a consistent 67 featuring four birdies. But the British Open champion is 11 shots off the lead.

Ko and Jutanugarn are trying to win the Annika Major Award, rewarding the major winner with the best combined record at all five majors of the season. It is named after 10-time major winner Annika Sorenstam.

Veteran American Angela Stanford is four shots behind Chun in fifth place as she tries to win her first major at the age of 38.

“Usually by Friday this course has killed me,” Stanford said. “But I still feel like I have a little energy.”

Her best performance in a major was back in 2003, when she was tied for second at the U.S. Women’s Open.

“Having cameras around all day felt new again,” said Stanford, who has five career wins on the LPGA Tour. “For somebody that hasn’t been in that position for a while.”

Two-time major winner Brittany Lincicome is a shot behind her in a tie for sixth with South Korean Eun-Hee Ji.

Lincicome, who had nine birdies and four bogeys in her erratic 66, had a unique way of describing the course.

“There’s no flat lie anywhere, and then the greens are impossible,” the 30-year-old American said. “Like there’s elephants buried under every one of them.”

Smiths Falls, Ont., native and World No. 3 Brooke Henderson carded an even-par 71 and is tied for 27th. Maude-Aimée LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que., holds a share of 57th at 2-over.

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – When the world gathers at Mississaugua Golf & Country Club for the third annual World Junior Girls Championship, a returning champion will be among the familiar faces at the tournament. A total of 47 athletes will represent 15 countries, including 2014 individual winner Mika Liu of Beverly Hills, Calif.

“We are extremely excited for this year’s field,” said Tournament Director Mary Beth McKenna. “There are not many opportunities in terms of international competitions for girls of this age-group. These players are some of the best junior girls in the world and Golf Canada, Golf Ontario and our partners are thrilled to host them in a tournament where they can continue their growth and development.

“The World Junior Girls Championship is a chance for them to not only measure themselves against the world’s golfing talents, but to also learn from their fellow competitors. The 47 athletes in this championship represent the future of international women’s golf over the next few years, both in terms of their skills on the course and the camaraderie they share away from it.”

A then 15-year-old Liu claimed medallist honours at the inaugural World Junior Girls Championship at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont., and paced Team USA to a convincing 18-stroke victory. The Stanford University commit opened 2016 with a win at the 90^th annual South Atlantic Women’s Amateur Championship. The No. 21 player on the World Amateur Golf Ranking, alongside teammates Jennifer Chang from Cary, N.C., and 2015 returnee Elizabeth Wang of San Marino, Calif., will aim to return to the winners’ circle following Team USA’s fifth-place showing last year.

Mexico’s Isabella Fierro and Finland’s Anna Backman will return for their third stints at the world’s premiere junior girls competition. A 15-year-old Fierro claimed a share of 16^th last year and is hoping to build upon a season which has included a win at the 2016 Mexicana Campeonato Nacional Juvenil. Backman, then 17, earned sixth in 2015 and is coming off a third-place finish at the 2016 Duke of York Young Champions tournament.

Eight players from last year’s competition at The Marshes in Ottawa will return in hopes of improving upon their 2015 results. Angelica Moresco, who finished with a share of 23^rd last year, and her Italian teammates represent the only nation in the 2016 competition with all three members sitting within the Top-200 in the world.

In 2015, the trio representing the Republic of Korea captured a wire-to-wire victory to secure the team title. Paju-si, South Korea native Hye-jin Choi finished 12-under to win the individual title by seven strokes. While Choi – who claimed the 2016 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship – and her former teammates will not be present to defend their 2016 titles, a new team of three will proudly represent Korea, looking to continue the country’s winning ways.

Including the Canadians in the field, a total of 37 players will be making their debuts at the World Junior Girls Championship with teams representing the Philippines and Germany taking part in this competition for the first time. Aside from Liu, 17-year-old Esther Henseleit of Hamburg, Germany – whose resume includes a third-place showing at the 2016 German International Ladies Amateur Championship – is the highest-ranked player at No. 113.

The 41 international athletes join the six players chosen to represent the host nation. Canada One will be comprised of Chloe Currie (Mississauga, Ont.), Mary Parsons (Delta, B.C.) and Monet Chun (Richmond Hill, Ont.). As host of the competition, Canada will field a second team made up of Céleste Dao (Notre-Dame-de-L’Île-Perrot, Que.), Hannah Lee (Surrey, B.C.) and Isabella Portokalis (London, Ont.).

In addition to the 72-hole team and individual competitions, the World Junior Girls Championship will celebrate the sport and focus upon the promotion and development of junior girls golf. Golf Canada will host a PGA of Canada coaches clinic and a girls skill development clinic on Sunday, September 25, as well as a Golf Fore the Cure clinic on Wednesday, September 28.

The four-day tournament’s opening round gets underway on Tuesday, September 27.

Admission to the competition is free. Additional information regarding the third annual World Junior Girls Championship can be found on the competition’s website.

ORILLIA— Golf Ontario and Golf Barrie unveiled a new concept on September 11 with the first Golf Jam, hosted by Hawk Ridge Golf & Country Club in Orillia. The day, geared at junior golfers under 14 years of age, was a huge success as 64 players comprised 16 teams to take part in the day’s events.

“Golf Jam is a program that we’ve partner with the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport to create and provide to kids across the province. It aims to engage local golf clubs and promote fun family, friends and fitness all in a team environment,” said Mike Kelly, Golf Ontario Executive Director.

The day broke down into two components: a CN Future Links Skills Challenge and a nine-hole alternate shot team golf competition. Half of the teams took to the course, while the other half competed in the skills challenge, before swapping after lunch.

“I believe we continue to create and inspire new ways for kids and families to get into golf but this just blew my mind,” added Kelly. “Based on the reaction from coaches, kids and parents, I see this as a home run! I see it going to different communities across Ontario in future years because it is a great way to bring the province together.”

Kelly’s optimism was echoed by coaches and parents who attended the day. “Golf Jam is a great introduction for players who have participated in our camps, clinics and leagues to be involved in potentially their first tournament,” said Ryan Star, Coach at Geared to Golf. “There are a lot of players who haven’t crossed paths with one another so we hope that there are a lot of new friendships by the end of the day.”

“The day has been fantastic!” Remarked Kevin Potter, a parent attending the event. “What Golf Ontario is doing for the kids is awesome! It is great to see the team sprit and everyone has a smile on their face today! The team competition was a lot of fun. It was well put together and we had a great time playing the alternate-shot format.”

Those sentiments also trickled down to the young golfers themselves who not only enjoyed the golf and skills challenge, but also the fun and games that made up the rest of the day.

“Today has been great especially since we just started school and have been really busy,” said Abigail Dove, 11-years-old from Brooklin. “To have all of these fun things to do like golf with friends, bouncy castles, and play games has been great to enjoy!”

“My favorite part of the day was golfing on the course. I played awesome and so did the rest of my team. Golf Jam has been good and lots of fun. I like it!” Added Aiden Hodgkinson, 8-years-old from Brooklin.

While the emphasis on the day was squarely around fun the teams did want bragging rights as the inaugural Golf Jam champs. When all of the scores were tallied there was a three-way tie between Whistle Bear GC (Peyton Costabile, Andreas Diogenous, Owen Lipskie and Aiden Shan), Barrie CC (David Simon, Andrew Laurin, Olivia Stoggart and Matthew Simon), and TTGA (Alissa Xu, Sopia Xu, Arthur Wang and Joline Truong) who all finished with a score of 21 Stableford points to share the gold medal.

RIVIERA MAYA, Mexico – Team Canada’s Naomi Ko was the lone bright spot on the day for the Canadian trio, carding a tournament-low 66 (-6) on the Iberoster Playa Paraiso Golf Course to lift the team into sole possession of 10^th place through 36 holes at the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship.

Following her second round, the 19-year-old Victoria, B.C., native owns a share of third place individually at 3-under par (75-66), just two strokes off the pace. Ko’s round was a much-needed boost for the Canadian contingent, who otherwise struggled with a 78 (+6) from Maddie Szeryk and an 80 (+8) from Josée Doyon.

Szeryk, a 20-year-old Allen, Tex., native, sits at 8-over for the tournament to share 60^th place, while Doyon, 23, of St-Georges-de-Beauce, Que., sits T106 at 14-over par.

The Republic of Korea posted a second-round 137 with a 68 from Min Ji Park and a 69 from Hye Jin Choi for a 36-hole total of 275 to overtake first-round leader Switzerland and gain a seven-stroke advantage at the 27th Women’s World Amateur Team Championship (WWATC).

The Koreans are seeking their fourth victory in the event having first claimed the Espirito Santo Trophy in 1996. In 2012 in Turkey, Korea made a similar surge in the second round, moving from eighth-position into a five-stroke lead, and in 2010 in Argentina, they shot a record 128 to move from a tie for 13th into first place.

“I’m very happy that we are leading at the moment and I’m very proud of the players,” said Korean captain Sang-Won Ko. “It was a little different from yesterday. We struggled in the front nine yesterday but today everyone seemed very calm. I feel that they really enjoyed playing and that’s why the score is very good.”

Park, the 16-year-old Australian Amateur champion, posted six birdies and two bogeys for a 4-under-par 68 and Choi, 16, the low amateur at the 2016 U.S. Women’s Open, tallied four birdies and one bogey for her 3-under 69. The team, which began the day one-stroke behind Switzerland, played on the par 72, 6,295-yard/5,752-meter Mayakoba El Camaleon Golf Club.

“I will give them the same encouragement and advice for the next two days but my players are doing really well so I will give them the freedom to play their own game and enjoy the championships,” Ko said.

“This is a team event though, so we focus on playing as a team, practicing together and keeping a good team spirit,” Choi added. “We trust each other very much and that is good for our performance.”

First-round leader Switzerland, playing on the 6,167-yard/5,637-meter Iberostar Playa Paraiso Golf Club, registered a second-round 145 on the scores of the Metraux sisters, Kim (72) and Morgane (73) to hold second place at 6-under 282.

“I’m really pleased but a little frustrated right now because I finished with two bogeys,” said Kim Metraux, who is a Florida State University teammate with sibling Morgane. “But I couldn’t have wished for anything better, we are in contention and that’s all that is important. We still have two rounds to go so anything can happen.”

Ireland, which was tied seventh after the first round, moved into third position at 287, on a combined 3-under 141 from Leona Maguire (70) and Olivia Mehaffey (71). Maguire is one of two 2016 Olympic participants in the field and the Mark H. McCormack medal winner in 2015 and 2016 as the world’s top-ranked amateur.

“The goal today was to try to be under par as a team,” said Maguire, who is a junior at Duke University in the USA. “I had a lot of chances out there that just edged the hole so going into the last two days I will be trying to hole a few more of them and anything can happen really.

“Two good under par rounds from two of us is all it really needs to jump us up there. We will just be trying to keep giving ourselves chances and hopefully a few more will drop in the next two days.”

Denmark, on the strength of a 5-under 67 from Puk Lyng Thomsen, and a 2-under 70 from Malene Kroelboell Hansen, registered a 7-under 137 (matching Korea for the day’s low team total) to move into a tie for fourth with Thailand at 288.

The rest of the top 10 includes the People’s Republic of China is sixth at 290 with the Austria and the USA tied for seventh at 291. Host Mexico is ninth at 292.

Conducted every two years, the World Women’s Amateur Team Championship has been staged since 1964, with the winner earning the Espirito Santo Trophy. In 2014, Australia claimed the title by two strokes over the Canadian team of Brooke Henderson (Smiths Falls, Ont.), Augusta James (Bath, Ont.), and Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.).

In 25 appearances at the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship, Canada has earned runner-up honours four times.

The World Amateur Team titles are contested over four days of stroke play. A country may field a team of two or three players. In each round, the total of the two lowest scores constitutes the team score for the round. The four-day total is the team’s score for the championship.

Click here for full scoring.

London, Ont. – Lake Elsinore, California’s Aaron Wise shot an 8-under 62 on Thursday at Highland Country Club to take the first round lead at the Freedom 55 Financial Championship, the final event of the 2016 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

The reigining NCAA champion and current Order of Merit No. 5 carded eight birdies, an eagle and two bogeys on the day to lead by one over French Polynesia’s Vaita Guillaume and France’s Paul Barjon after day one at the season-ending event, following which the top five players on the Order of Merit will earn status on the Web.com Tour.

“It was a good day. I made two bogeys en route to that 62, so I had the putter rolling, which I’ve been struggling with the last couple of weeks. It was nice to see some drop early on, and I got it hot when I made the turn,” said Wise.

After a 2-under front nine, the 20-year old caught fire, going birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie on holes 10-13 before recording two more birdies on the way in to reach 8-under.

“It was just really solid. I got off to a bad start with my irons, and I wasn’t giving myself many chances on the front nine. When I made the turn, I started hitting them in the middle and I knew could start doing something because I was rolling the putter well,” said the former University of Oregon star, who captured the NCAA individual title earlier this year while leading the Ducks to their first ever national championship.

At No. 5 entering the week, Wise holds the coveted fifth spot on the Order of Merit. Though Order of Merit leader Dan McCarthy has already secured the top spot on the season-long money list, Wise can move as high as No. 2 ahead of Brock Mackenzie with a win thanks to the increased $200,000 purse for the season-ending event, a target the rookie pro said was on his mind entering the week.

“It’s very volatile with the raised money at this week’s event, and I know can I jump to two if I play well and Brock doesn’t. That’s what I’m looking at, and I’m just trying to focus on playing the best golf I can and let it shake out at the end,” said Wise.

Two shots behind Wise in a tie for fourth were Los Angeles, California’s Jonathan Garrick and Dusseldorf, Germany’s Max Rottluff, who holds the No. 7 spot on the Order of Merit starting the week.

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France – South Koreans In Gee Chun and Sung Hyun Park birdied eight holes each as they carded 8-under rounds of 63 for a share of the lead in the first round of the Evian Championship on Thursday.

In the fifth and final major of the season, New Zealander Lydia Ko’s bid to defend her title – and clinch a third career major by the age of 19 – got off to a rocky start as she finished seven shots behind the co-leaders.

“It was tricky for me because on the back nine I was not hitting fairways,” said Ko, who has 14 career wins on the U.S. LPGA Tour. “Hopefully I’ll be able to hit some fairways tomorrow.”

Chun, the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open champion, said she felt nervous after missing the cut here last year but hardly let it show.

“I could see the putting lines and I was good rolling the ball on those lines,” she said. “The greens are getting softer this year.”

While Ko’s play was patchy, with a bogey and only two birdies, her rival Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand had a day to forget with a 2-over 73 featuring a triple bogey.

Ko and Ariya have a good chance at Evian of taking the Annika Major Award, which rewards the major winner with the best combined record at all five majors of the season, and is named after 10-time major winner Annika Sorenstam.

A win here would clinch the award for either Ko or Ariya, but they face an uphill struggle.

Ko revealed herself to the golfing world at the Evian in 2013, when she finished second as a 16-year-old amateur.

This year, another young player emerged into contention on her tournament debut.

American Annie Park posted an eagle and five birdies in a 7-under round of 64 to move into a tie for third place with Olympic bronze medallist Shanshan Feng, who was third here last year. They are one stroke behind the leaders.

Annie Park’s performance caught the eye; and not least because her mum was caddying for her.

“That was fun. It was good to have my mum back on the bag. The last time she caddied was Hawaii in April,” she said. “She keeps things light and does some dances out there.”

Ranked 201, Annie Park joined the tour this year. She showed good composure in overcast and somewhat drizzly weather conditions on the picturesque course perched over Lake Geneva, enjoying a run of birdie-birdie-eagle on her front nine, then starting and finishing with birdies on the back nine.

American Angela Stanford posted a 6-under 65 to move into fifth, one shot ahead of South Koreans So Yeon Ryu and Eun-Hee Ji.

Starting in muggy afternoon conditions, Ko played in a group with South Korean Hyo Joo Kim, the 2014 champion, and Norway’s Suzann Pettersen, the 2013 winner.

When Ko sank her first birdie of the day, a 15-meter effort on the fifth hole, it drew a rueful smile from Pettersen, who had just missed with her birdie attempt from a similar distance.

Ko bogeyed the eighth hole and she was again in trouble on the 10th when her tee shot landed in the rough between two trees.

She saved par with a good escape shot close to the green.

“It’s a good thing my wood shots and chip shots were good enough,” said Ko, who last year became the youngest man or woman to be ranked No. 1.

Women’s PGA champion Brooke Henderson of Canada ended the day one shot ahead of Ko at 2-under.

Pettersen had a difficult day, joining Ariya and American Lexi Thompson, last year’s runner-up, at 2 over.

U.S. Open winner Brittany Lang had a nightmare with two double bogeys and three bogeys in a 5-over 76.

Thornbury, Ont. – Dustin Risdon put the hammer down Thursday at Lora Bay Golf Club, winning the PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada presented by Callaway Golf in astonishing fashion.

The 35-year-old’s three-day total of 18-under-par (67-67-64) was 11-shots better than his nearest competitors, Mike Belbin, Thomas Keddy and Bryn Parry.

“All week I had the same goal of getting to 18-under-par,” Risdon said. “I had to make three birdies coming home to get to the number and I did, so that’s pretty awesome.”

Risdon’s final round 8-under-par 64 included nine birdies and a bogey—his first and only of the championship—at No. 11.

“I was grinding out there all day and was really nervous to be honest,” he admitted. “The bogey-free streak has been on my mind for the last couple days and I definitely didn’t want to slip up and let anyone back in the tournament.”
He most definitely didn’t let anyone in the field even get a scent of the top-spot, pouring in putt after putt on Lora Bay’s tricky greens.

The Calgary native’s last national championship came in 1997 when he won the Canadian Junior Boys Championship as a 16-year-old, but he says his win this week in definitely more special.

Risdon is a three-time Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada winner and played fulltime on the Web.com Tour in 2009 and 2010, amassing four top-10 finishes and winning nearly $200,000 USD.

“To be truthful I probably didn’t see myself playing this well ever again,” Risdon said. “There’s a lot of ups and down on the golf course and I’ve learned a lot about myself, my personality and how to deal with things out there.”

The win this week at Lora Bay caps off an impressive year for Risdon, who captured seven PGA of Alberta events in 2016. Risdon was also part of Team Alberta—which included Belbin, Wes Heffernan and Kasey Timms—that won the InterZone competition, winning by a remarkable 15-shots over Team Ontario.

Brian McCann, Sonny Michaud and Kevin Stinson finished 6-under-par, T5; while John Shin and Heffernan were T8 at 5-under. Nick Kenney and Dave McDonald rounded out the top 10 at 3-under.

For the full leaderboard, click here. 

The Canadian Golf Hall of Fame welcomed three new members into its storied ranks in 2016.

Charlottetown’s Lorie Kane and London, Ont., native Warren Sye were inducted in the Player category, while golf journalist Bob Weeks of Toronto was inducted in the Builder category. The trio became the Hall of Fame’s 75th, 76th and 77th honoured members. For more on the 2016 induction class, read here.

Here is a look back at this summer’s induction ceremonies as we celebrated another outstanding achievement in three distinguished careers.

WARREN SYE – June 18 – Weston Golf & Country Club

Warren Sye and guests enjoy a glimpse into the past.

Warren Sye and his family take to the podium.

Warren Sye, Sandra Post, Marlene Streit and Gary Cowan

Gary Cowan, Liz Hoffman, Sandra Post, Warren Sye and Kelly Roberts

BOB WEEKS – July 20 – Weston Golf & Country Club

Mike Weir has a few kind words at the induction ceremony.

Bob Weeks and Sandra Post

Bob Weeks and family

Warren Sye, Lorne Rubenstein, Mike Weir, Bob Weeks, Sandra Post, Marlene Streit, Gary Cowan and Richard Zokol

LORIE KANE – August 23 – Royal Canadian Pacific Building

Tiffany Gordon, Marlene Streit, Sandra Post and Marilyn O’Connor enjoy the festivities.

Lorie Kane and family

Lorie Kane and Hunter Harrison

Marilyn O’Connor, Marlene Streit, Lorie Kane and Sandra Post

SOUTHPORT, England – Team Canada Development Squad member Chloe Currie made history Thursday at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club, shooting up the leaderboard at the Duke of York to leapfrog the competition on her way to becoming the first Canadian to capture the Young Champions Trophy.

The Mississauga, Ont., product saved her best for last, carding a tournament-low 68 (-4) to finish atop both the boys’ and girls’ divisions with a 54-hole total of 214 (-2). The 16-year-old held a share of fourth place heading into Thursday’s final, eventually going to jump ahead of runner-up Markus Braadlie of Norway for the come-from-behind one-stroke victory.

With the win, Currie adds to a string of impressive results this past summer including defending her Ontario Junior Girls title and finishing runner-up at the Canadian Junior Girls. Currie’s next challenge will be flying the flag on home soil at her home club—Mississaugua Golf & Country Club—as a member of Canada’s first team at the third annual World Junior Girls Championship.

“I didn’t know what to expect as I have never played Links golf or even played in Europe but I played very well,” Currie said after winning the trophy. “This Tournament is great as you get to play with other juniors from different countries. It makes it a memorable experience.”

On the boys’ side, Canada’s Peyton Callens of Langton, Ont., finished with a share of 25^th. The reigning Ontario Junior Boys’ Champion started out a strong with a 73 (+1) to sit inside the Top-10 through 18 holes but couldn’t maintain his spot, slipping with a 78-79 to close out the tournament.

The Duke of York Young Champions Trophy, founded in 2001, is a highly rated international event. All of the competitors are either the current holders of their Under 18 National Championship or have won another major golfing event in the previous year. The event boasts an impressive array of former competitors, including four-time major winner Rory McIlroy.

Click here for full scoring.

Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. and Oakville, Ont. – PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada unveiled today the Aruba Cup, a team competition December 12-18 at Tierra del Sol Resort and Golf in Aruba.

A three-year agreement will see the team event take place through at least 2018, featuring 10 players from each Tour competing against each other in a President’s Cup-style match play event, with the three competition days featuring Fourball, Foursomes and Singles matches on December 15, 16 and 17 this year.

“One of PGA TOUR Latinoamérica’s core missions is to provide opportunities for players in the region to prepare their games for the highest levels of golf. The Aruba Cup is one more opportunity for our players to showcase their game on a grand scale, and we’re delighted we could bring this team-format to Aruba,” said Jack Warfield, President PGA TOUR Latinoamérica.

“Since launching the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada in 2013, we’ve been working towards having a team event with players from both Tours competing against each other,” said Jeff Monday, President, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada. “We’re thrilled to partner with Tierra del Sol Resort and Golf for this event and look forward to a great week of competition.”

The teams will be composed of the top 10 available players from each Tour’s season-ending Order of Merit, with at least five Canadians on Team Mackenzie Tour and five players from Latin American countries on Team Latinoamérica. Honorary captains consisting of players from each Tour’s region will be announced for each team at a later date.

Aruba Tourism, the Destination Marketing and Management Organization (DMMO) for Aruba responsible for uniting tourism interests amongst the on- and off-island stakeholders/partners, will be the event’s title sponsor.

“We’re thrilled to host the Aruba Cup on our One Happy Island, welcoming guests and competitors from around the world to showcase their skills while enjoying the ultimate Caribbean experience,” said Ronella Tjin Asjoe-Croes, CEO of Aruba Tourism Authority. “We are truly excited about the opportunity to partner with the PGA TOUR and hosting a world class event on our beautiful island. We are sure all of the competitors and fans will enjoy their time while in Aruba.”

“Our gratitude goes out to the Aruba Tourism Authority for their efforts and support to make this event a reality, and we eagerly await the opportunity to showcase Aruba as a premiere golf destination with the inaugural Aruba Cup,” said Monday.

The tournament will also feature a week-long schedule of ancillary events, including formal opening and closing ceremonies and a pro-am on Sunday, December 18 following the competition.

“For Tierra del Sol Resort and Golf, it is a privilege to partner with the PGA TOUR and the Aruba Tourism Authority to host an international golf event of this calibre. Tierra del Sol is a unique course that combines the best of golf in Scotland, Arizona and the Carribean in one round, and we cannot wait to welcome the players here in December,” said Cisco Quant, General Manager, Tierra del Sol Resort and Golf.

The 2016 Mackenzie Tour season will conclude on Sept. 18 at the Freedom 55 Financial Championship, while the 2016 PGA TOUR Latinoamérica season will conclude on Dec. 4 at the Latinoamérica Tour Championship.