MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Shawn Stefani, Tom Hoge and Seung-yul Noh shared the FedEx St. Jude Classic lead at 5-under 65 on Thursday.

Little wind and perfect though fast greens created near perfect scoring conditions at the TPC Southwind. Some extra rough requiring tight shots also provided a good test for players preparing for the U.S. Open next week at Oakmont in Pennsylvania.

Hoge had a bogey-free round with five birdies in the morning group. This is only the second time Hoge has played the event, but he has qualified for the U.S. Open twice in Memphis and tied for 12th at Southwind last year.

“I don’t know if it’s the food or the water or what it is, but Memphis has been good to me,” Hoge said. “Hopefully, I can keep it going.”

Stefani was the lone player teeing off in the afternoon to work his way into a tie for the lead and stay there. The Texan was 5 under between Nos. 7 and 10 with an eagle at No. 9 where Stefani was just trying to avoid the water with the hole tucked left.

“It was nice to see one go in for a change,” said Stefani, who has made only eight of 20 cuts this season. “Most of them have been hitting and spinning back going in the water this year. It is nice to kind of see some balls going my way and shots going my way for the day.”

Dustin Johnson, the 2012 champ here, was in the group at 66 with Steve Stricker, Jamie Donaldson, Colt Knost, Brian Gay and Miguel Angel Carballo. Retief Goosen, Scott Stallings and Justin Leonard – a two-time champ here – all shot 67s. Henrik Norlander of Sweden had a share of the lead with two holes to play among the final players on the course. But he three-putted from 4 feet on the par-3 eighth and finished with a 67.

Phil Mickelson matched defending champion Fabian Gomez of Argentina at 70.

Johnson had a share of the lead too with three holes left after going 6 under between Nos. 16 and No. 2 with an eagle and four birdies. He might have had the top of the leaderboard to himself if not for what happened during the rest of a roller-coaster round that also featured a double bogey, three bogeys and three other birdies.

He said he feels as if he’s playing well with the exception a few lapses in concentration. The last came on his final hole at the par-4 ninth when he came up well short of the hole, resulting in his third bogey and dropping him a shot back of the leaders.

“Obviously, I hit a lot of great shots and, you know, just a little disappointed I made a bogey on the last hole being in the middle of the fairway,” Johnson said. “I pulled my wedge shot a little bit, but it’s right there. I mean, 15 feet from the hole you got to get that up and down. Have to hit a great chip shot. All in all, it’s a good day. 4-under out here is not a bad score but I feel like I’m playing a lot better than that.”

That Johnson is. He finished third at Memorial last week for his seventh top 10 this season, and a tie for 28th at The Players Championship in May is his worst week since tying for 41st at Pebble Beach in February.

But Johnson has a streak of winning at least once a year the past eight years, and he also is prepping for the U.S. Open after his agonizing three-putt on the final hole of that major a year ago to miss out on a playoff.

“I’m very excited. The game is in good shape all around,” Johnson said. “Everything is working pretty well. Just a few poor swings today but other than that, I made most of the putts.”

Goosen is playing after a three-week break to prepare for Oakmont, and he needs to work on his putting to finish off more birdie chances. Hitting the fairways is a must this week.

“Generally there’s not much rough, and this year we have rough,” Goosen said. “Hitting fairways this year is a premium, and in the past you could miss a few fairways and get away with it. But you get punished this time.”

Brantford, Ont., native David Hearn shot 71 for a share of 68th.

ACTON, ONT. — The PGA Championship of Canada sponsored by Mr. Lube and presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf begins next week at one of the country’s most beautiful golf settings.

Sixty-four of the PGA of Canada’s best players tee it up June 13-16 at Victoria Golf Club in Victoria, B.C., all vying for the association’s most prestigious championship and historic P.D. Ross trophy.

“As head PGA golf professional at Victoria Golf Club, I am extremely excited to showcase our club and our course for this year’s PGA Championship of Canada,” said Lindsay Bernakevitch. “We have a great history here at Victoria Golf Club and the P.D. Ross is one of the most iconic trophy’s in all of golf, so the marriage between the course and the championship is outstanding.”

Founded in 1893, the Victoria Golf Club is the oldest course in Canada on its original site. The seaside links venue boasts craggy shorelines, lush fairways, challenging ocean breezes and undulating greens, which conjure up images of historic links venues in Scotland.

“Victoria Golf Club is a very strategic golf course,” Bernakevitch said. “The course simply can’t be overpowered, watch out for the player who is tactical, understands the angles of approach shots and can putt on tricky greens to be the champion at week’s end.”

Re-launched in 2011, the PGA Championship of Canada was contested strictly as a match play event thru 2014 with players from the four brackets—Stan Leonard, George Knudson, Al Balding and Moe Norman—looking to advance through the six rounds to capture the historic P.D. Ross trophy. However, this year’s championship at Victoria Golf Club sees the 64 top-ranked players from the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC playing two rounds of stroke play. The top-16 players from the 36-hole stroke play portion of the event fill out the four match play brackets with the eventual champion winning four match play rounds.

Danny King looks to become the first back-to-back winner of the championship since Knudson won in 1976 and 1977. In 2015, King bested Oliver Tubb 1-up in the final match at Cabot Links in Inverness, N.S.

“To have my name etched on this trophy among the legends of golf is really surreal,” King said after winning last year. “Guys like George Knudson who mentored me when I was growing up and Bob Panasik, a man I absolutely admire, have won the PGA Championship and now I can say I have too.”

In addition to King, past champions of the PGA Championship of Canada include Moe Norman, George Knudson, Dave Levesque, Eric Laporte, Bryn Parry, Al Balding, Bob Panasik, Tim Clark, Lanny Wadkins, Jim Rutledge, Wilf Homenuik, Stan Leonard, Lee Trevino and Arnold Palmer.

King, Rutledge, Levesque, and Parry are all in the field at Victoria Golf Club.

The player who sits atop the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC at the conclusion of the PGA Championship of Canada earns an exemption into this year’s RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

Currently, Walsh sits No. 1 on the player rankings with 286 points, ahead of ‘14 PGA Championship of Canada winner Levesque and ‘13 winner Parry of North Vancouver.

In addition to Walsh, Levesque and Parry, eight of the top 10 players from the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC will be in the field at Victoria.

For the full field and first round tee times, click here.

SUTTON WEST— Conditions were finally better for the remaining field at the Investors Group Ontario Women’s Senior and Mid-Amateur Championships, on June 9, as the final round concluded at The Briars Golf Club in Sutton West.

After the cut, following the second day, 62 players remained for the final round. For the championship, all senior aged players were eligible for both titles, while a field of 13 were exclusively competing for the Mid-Amateur.

Entering the day, Wasaga Beach’s Kristy McLaughlin, held a two-shot lead in the Mid-Amateur. The 30-year-old Mad River Golf Club member had put together a strong tournament finishing with rounds of two-over (74) and one-over (73). She would continue her steady play during the final round and went on to capture the title following a two-over (74) final round.

McLaughlin (74-73-74-221) started well with a birdie on the first hole before back-to-back bogeys on two and three. She got back to even with a birdie on the fourth and finished the front nine one-over due to a bogey on six.  After a pair of bogeys on the back nine, McLaughlin’s lead was down to just one after 15. However a clutch birdie on the 17^th hole helped put it out of reach as she went on to win the championship.

McLaughlin summed up her win after the round. “It feels great to win this. I have the Ontario Ladies Match Play Championship under my belt, but never had a win like this. I had a great day, I was striking the ball well, so it feels good.”

“I came into the day focused on playing steady. I just wanted to make pars. If a few birdies fell then great and if I made a bogey I would just make it up. I knew it was getting close at one point, so I knew I had to grind it out. I birdied 17 and that allowed me to get to 18 with a little more confidence,” added McLaughlin.

Finishing in second in the Mid-Amateur and winning the Investors Group Women’s Senior Amateur Championship was Thornhill’s Judith Kyrinis. Kyrinis, 52-years-old and a member of the Thornhill Golf & Country Club, came into the final round sitting third overall and second in the Senior Championship at seven-over.

Kyrinis was able to battle though some tough spots early and managed to get to the turn at just two-over.  She continued to be steady on the back nine and then hit back-to-back birdies on the 14^th and 15^th holes. That ended up being the clincher as she ended the day two-over (74), for a tournament total of nine-over (75-76-74-225).

The win was a long time coming for Kyrinis who talked about what it meant to her. “It feels fantastic, I am a little lost for words. I had a little trouble early with my drives, just not getting my legs going, and had a little bit of nerves. I knew what I was doing wrong, so I just tried to be patient and I got things going on the back nine.”

Kyrinis pointed to her back-to-back birdies on 14 and 15 as a real turning point for her during the round. “It really calmed me down. I made some good shots in there and when you feel like you are swinging well and the putts drop, it’s nice.”

Rounding out the top three in the Mid-Amateur Championship was a tie between Picton’s Casey Ward (Picton Golf & Country Club) and Newmarket’s Christine Ryckman. Ward (78-78-74-230) and Ryckman (80-74-76-230) each finished the tournament at 14-over.

There was a tie for silver in the Senior Championship between St. Thomas’ Mary Ann Hayward (71-78-83-232) and Uxbridge’s Gail Pimm (78-77-77-232). Thanks to their 16-over tournament total, Hayward (St. Thomas Golf & Country Club) and Pimm (Whitevale Golf Club) will join Kyrinis as the representatives for Ontario in the team competition at the Canadian Senior Women’s Championship, Aug. 24-26, at Wolf Creek Golf Resort in Ponoka, Alberta.

In addition to the overall champions, there were two other division champions crowned within the Senior Championship. Capturing the 60 and over division was Brockville’s Theresa deLuis, from the Brockville Country Club. She finished at 19-over (83-79-73-235) for the tournament to win the title. In the 70 and over division, it was Blue Mountain’s Maureen Burns who took the gold medal. Burns, from the Blue Mountain Golf & Country Club finished with a two-round total of 42-over (93-93-186).

District teams also competed during the championships. Winning the Senior Gross Championship was York District at a total of 474. The team consisted of Kyrinis, Marion Reid (Islington Golf Club), Joanne Noble (Weston Golf & Country Club) and Debbie Court (Toronto Golf Club).

The Senior Net Championship was won by London District at a total of 454. The team was made up of Hayward, Sue Postian (Sunningdale Golf Club), Jayne Hedges-McKinnon (Bear Creek Golf & Country Club) and Irini Perivolaris (London Hunt & Country Club).

The team from Scarboro District won both the Mid-Amateur Gross and Net division titles. The team, made up of Kathy Pilkey (Sleepy Hollow Golf Club) and Helen Williams (Station Creek Golf Club), finished with a 331 gross score and 305 net score.

There is great excitement surrounding golf’s return to the Olympics—and rightfully so. With the Olympic dream now a reality, it is important to remember a Canadian legend—the story of defending Olympic gold medalist George Seymour Lyon.

Canada has held the title of Olympic golf champion for 112 years since the trophy was last hoisted at the St. Louis Games in 1904. Lyon, 46 at the time of his victory, defeated American H. Chandler Egan 3&2 in the 36-hole match-play final. You can make a case that had his accomplishments happened against today’s sport and media landscape, we would be talking about one of Canada’s iconic athletes.

At the time, golf enthusiasts could not have predicted that 1904 would be the last time the Olympic golf competition would be contested for more than a century. As time went on and pro golf tours like the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour made their way to the forefront, golf slowly faded from the Olympic landscape.

Fast forward to 2009, where the International Golf Federation (IGF) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) collectively agreed to reintroduce golf to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games as a 72-hole stroke-play event.

How will Canada fare at the Games in Rio? Our team is well-positioned to defend its title—thanks in part to Mr. Lyon paving the way for golf in Canada.

Golf Canada is extremely excited to have a very talented group of professionals in line to fill the four spots (two male, two female) that we expect to receive based on the qualification process. On the women’s side, Brooke Henderson (currently ranked No. 4 on the Olympic rankings) and Alena Sharp (No. 37) hold Canada’s best female rankings and both have very good chances of being on the women’s squad come the July 11^th cut-off date.

At just 18 years of age, Brooke has vaulted herself amongst the world’s elite through her amazing talent and work ethic. I have had the pleasure of watching her develop as a member of Team Canada for five years—witnessing first hand her abilities, confidence and commitment to excellence. She has shown poise beyond her years and is eager to represent Canada on the global stage.

Her counterpart, Alena, had her best season in 2015 with five Top-25 LPGA finishes and continues to impress as the Games get closer. With ten years of professional experience, she will be a strong addition to Team Canada in Rio this August.

On the men’s side, PGA TOUR stars David Hearn and Graham DeLaet are currently positioned to fly the flag for Canada. Hearn (No. 38 on the Olympic rankings), wowed Canadians this past summer in his bid to win the RBC Canadian Open—eventually finishing third.

Rounding out the squad if selection were today would be DeLaet, (No. 41), who not only is a premier competitor but also someone who has given back to the game as an ambassador for the Golf in Schools program. A graduate of the Team Canada Amateur Squad, he has been a leading Canadian figure on Tour and is primed for a strong return following last year’s injury-plagued season.

The selection of the men’s team could come down to the wire as a pair of rising stars—Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor—could very well make a run at one of the top-two rankings. Hadwin currently sits 32 world ranking spots out of the second Olympic spot.

Supporting the players as they head into Rio, I am proud to serve in the capacity of Team Leader and will be leaning on the coaching expertise of Team Canada coaches Derek Ingram and Tristan Mullally. Proud members of the PGA of Canada, Ingram and Mullally will lead the men’s and women’s squads respectively in Rio and will provide support to the players leading up to and during the event.

Preparation for the Olympics began long ago. I have had the pleasure of making two trips down to the site of the Games with the Canadian Olympic Committee—familiarizing with the organizing committee and the local environment. Ingram and Mullally will both have made a site visit to the golf course in advance of the Games to gain some insight into how they can best support the players.

To say I’m excited about golf’s return to the Games is an understatement—the global exposure will be huge for our sport and for Golf Canada’s high performance program. Will we see Canada defend George S. Lyon’s gold medal in Rio? I know our athletes and our coaches are determined to take advantage of this incredible opportunity. I can’t wait for the 2016 Games to get here as it will be two of the most exciting weeks in golf’s storied history.

For the third time in the past six years, the U.S. Open will go on without three-time champion Tiger Woods.

Woods said on his website Tuesday that he is not ready for tournament competition and will skip the U.S. Open next week at Oakmont, along with his Quicken Loans National the following week at Congressional.

“While I continue to work hard on getting healthy, I am not physically ready to play in this year’s U.S. Open and the Quicken Loans National,” he said. “I am making progress, but I’m not yet ready for tournament competition.”

Woods first missed the U.S. Open in 2011 when he was recovering from leg injuries. He missed in 2014 at Pinehurst No. 2 while recovering from his first back surgery a week before the Masters that year.

He has not played since a tie for 10th in the Wyndham Championship in August. Woods had two more surgeries on his back after that, in September and October.

Meanwhile, his absence fueled speculation about when he might return, even though Woods repeatedly has said he does not know. Woods played five holes when he opened his golf course in Houston, and also was seen swinging a club at a junior clinic in South Carolina and at his media day at Congressional – three swings from 100 yards to the 10th green, all of them in the water.

Jack Nicklaus said last week at the Memorial he expects Woods to return.

“I think Tiger would have liked to have played this week,” Nicklaus said. “He’s just not ready.”

Since Woods was exempt from having to qualify because he won the 2008 U.S. Open, his spot will be filled by an alternate from the 12 sectional qualify sites, though it was not clear which one. The USGA compiles an alternate list that is based on how many spots each qualifying site was allocated and the strength of each field in determining the list.

When qualifying ended on Tuesday, and with Woods saying he will not play, 149 of the 156-man field for Oakmont was set.

The USGA set aside six spots for any players who crack the top 60 in the world ranking after this week. One of them will be William McGirt, who now is No. 44 in the world after winning the Memorial. If fewer than five more players get into the top 60, the extra spots also go to the main alternate list.

But if a player who qualified has to withdraw, his spot is taken by the alternate from his qualifying site.

Meanwhile, speculation on when or if Woods returns this year will resume after two weeks. The Greenbrier Classic, which he has played twice in the last four years when not dealing with injuries, is July 7-10. That’s one week before the British Open at Royal Troon.

The PGA Championship is two weeks after Troon, followed by the Travelers Championship, the John Deere Classic and the Wyndham Champion. Woods has never played the Travelers Championship and has not played at John Deere since he was a 20-year-old rookie.

After that, he would not be eligible for any PGA Tour event for the next six weeks during the FedEx Cup and Ryder Cup.

If someone mentions Hugo Bernard and you ask, “Who-go Who?, you haven’t been paying attention to the future of Canadian golf.

Full disclosure: That was me a couple of weeks ago.

Now I know better, and so should you.

Some close to him say he may turn out to be the best golfer ever to come out of Quebec. And that is saying a lot, considering the rich tradition of the game in that province.

Bernard, 21, has “flown under the radar for the most part,” says Derek Ingram, Golf Canada’s National Men’s Team Coach.

That’s a little surprising, seeing the 21-year-old lefty from Mont-St-Hilaire was the medallist at this year’s NCAA Division II Championship. That capped off an impressive freshman year at Florida’s Saint Leo University where he also won the NCAA’s Argonaut Invitational and posted a couple of other top four finishes in eight events. He won the Division II Golf Coaches Association of America Phil Mickelson Freshman of the Year award and was a first-team all-American.

We should have seen this coming.

In 2015, he tied for second in both the Canadian Amateur and Quebec Amateur, a title he won in 2013 as a junior. Those were just highlights from a stellar junior career.

Unlike us, Bernard did see this coming.

“I have always thought I had a good enough game to play at the highest level. My goal in my first year at college was to win at least once, and I won twice, including the big one. As well, I kept putting myself in position and if I keep doing that, I will win more.”

At 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, Bernard has the size, strength and talent to contend in the modern pro game.

But, says Ingram, “the mini-tours are jammed with big guys with lots of talent. It’s not all about that to make it to the top. It’s about putting in the effort.”

The 15^th club in Bernard’s bag, says his coach, is that almost uncoachable attribute: Hard work.

“Hugo is long and accurate off the tee. He’s got a great iron game and he continually is working on his short game. But what makes him special is his dedication to working, improving.  He’s super eager to learn and he learns fast.

“I’ve been doing this a long time and I know what the best players look like, whether it’s the pros or the top amateurs. I’ve always told Hugo that he has the ability to be among the top amateurs in the world. Now he is starting to believe that.”

And so should we.

(Hugo Bernard and several other Canadians will be competing this week at the historic Monroe Invitational at Monroe Golf Club in Pittsford, N.Y. www.monroeinvitational.com )

There is a rhythm, a tempo, to the sway of a regal train, particularly one grand enough to have carried Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabeth and other assorted royalty, dignitaries and celebrities, that the most successful, the most consistent of golfers can appreciate.

“Blue sugar!’’ laughs Lydia Ko, setting eyes on the icing of a mini-cupcake as a small lunch plate of salami, prosciutto and a mini-burger is dropped on the table.

“Where did they get that?”

There’s something comforting, even disarming, in seeing the world’s No. 1 female golfer, winner of 12 LPGA tournaments, including two majors, and over $5.9 million in career prize money, still being able to get charged up over something as you-and-me mundane as a dollop of blue icing.

Just an everyday, ordinary teenager jacked by a sugar overload.

Ko, of course, is anything but ordinary. She is, in actuality, a prodigy, in her field what Mozart was to a fortepiano or Bobby Fischer to a chess board.

The youngest-ever player to win a professional tournament, woman or man [a record since bettered by Canadian sensation Brooke Henderson];

• The youngest-ever Major winner, woman or man;
• The youngest ever to be ranked No. 1;
• The youngest ever to claim the Rolex Award as the LPGA’s player of the year;
• Named one of Time magazine’s Most Influential People for 2014.

Aboard the fabled Royal Canadian Pacific on this day, though, promoting the CP Women’s Open at Priddis Greens Golf Club outside Calgary, August 22^nd to 28^th, she’s not the woman to beat each and every weekend or a role model/idol to a new generation of ball-strikers, but a 19-year-old snapping selfies to post, kibitzing with her mom and sister.

That, too, draws us in.

Ko’s Canadian ties stretch back almost to the beginning. Her family immigrated to New Zealand from Seoul, South Korea when she was six years old. Raised in Albany, N.Z. and now living in North Harbour, the family very nearly relocated to Ontario.

“My sister was studying in Toronto at the time,’’ she’s explaining over the click-clack, click-clack of the Royal Canadian Pacific steaming down the tracks. “Our family was actually planning on moving to Canada but some little issues came up so we ended up going to New Zealand. Maybe that connection of me almost living in Canada might be a little spark that happens (when she plays here).”

“Whenever I come to Canada it feels a lot like New Zealand. Even just driving here this morning, I see these houses and it feels like a neighbourhood in New Zealand. It feels a lot like home. I feel a really huge welcome.”

Someone should really make her an honorary Canadian.

As a 15-year-old amateur Ko gobsmacked the golf world at the Vancouver Golf Club, winning the CN Canadian Open by three shots over Inbee Park. She defended that title, again as an amateur, at the Royal Mayfair in Edmonton a year later, then returning to the scene of her B.C. triumph last fall and chalking up a third, besting American Stacy Lewis in a playoff.

No wonder she’s developed a love-in with this land.

“Coming to play in that first Canadian Open, it was two weeks after I won the U.S. Amateur. As an amateur you always dream of winning that tournament.

“So afterwards I was so emotional, so happy. I think it took me a couple days to settle down a little bit. Christina Kim ran up to me and said ‘Hey, congratulations on the win.’ And that’s when I felt,’ Hey how amazing is this sport?’

“For me that week the goal was just to make the cut. I wasn’t expecting anything else. After two days I put myself in good position, after three days I put myself in a really good position. Then the fourth round was one of the best final rounds I’ve had in my career.’’

For someone so young, the expectations people have for her are mighty; the bar she herself has set, dizzying.

“There is pressure and stress, especially the higher you go,’’ she admits. “But if it’s not fun, it’s not worth it. You’ve got to have fun to have a long career. And golf is a sport where you can play for a long time. And there’s so much more than the results and the trophies.”

“To be honest, when I was 15 or 14, I did say ‘Hey, I want to go out on a Friday night and, you know, watch a movie with my friends or have a sleepover.’ Now I’m learning you get these rewards afterwards. After our season finale, I go to Korea. Last year I went on a three-four day trip with my friends. Just us.”

“The younger you are, you’re really in the moment, you want what you want and you want it right then. I still do, but I’m slowly learning that at the end of the season, you can enjoy all these things. Go to concerts, etc., etc. I’m having this experience of a lifetime being here, in Calgary, from a small-town in New Zealand. I’m going all over the world, seeing all these places, meeting all kinds of people.”

That balance, between being a happy teenager and the world’s best at what she does, is a

At 19, most kids are still trying to figure out how to parallel park properly.

“Well, I can’t parallel park, either,’’ Ko admits.

“Being 18 or 19 years old now,’’ says her mom, Tina, “is different than being 18 or 19 when we were, our generation. The (golf) field is getting younger. They develop; grow up, faster and faster, because of technology. Same as when she was 15, I do my job as a mom.”

“She played well in amateurs. She’s used to the attention. But not so many tournaments. I’m trying to get her to skip a tournament. But she says ‘I’m a professional. I can’t take a week off because I’m tired.’

“I don’t know what’s happening inside her but she feels pressure, at almost every tournament. She thinks she has to play well, better, best. I tell her ‘You don’t need to get stressed. Relax.’ But it doesn’t help sometimes.”

Like most kids, Ko loves sports, one of her passions being the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. The night she arrived in Calgary, the Warriors played Game 7 of their semi-final series against Oklahoma.

“On the flight from Minneapolis to here there was no TV. None of those little screens. I was getting excited so I decided to sleep through the last two-and-a-half hour flight. When I got off the plane there was like 14 minutes to go so I was refreshing my Twitter account every single minute.”

“I was getting so nervous. I was trying to refresh, refresh. You’re not allowed to have your phones on around customs but fortunately the game just finished before I got there. What a comeback. For them to be down two and win the next three games. It was a lot of fun just to refresh the Twitter. I think I would’ve gone crazy if I was actually watching it.”

Golf people go crazy watching Lydia Ko. Her poise. Her precision. Her beguiling combination of veteran savvy and teenage exuberance.

Imagine. Already tied with Hall of Famers Meg Mallon and Pat Bradley for most Canadian Open wins in a career. And not yet 20. With the chance to move on top, alone, three weeks into August just outside Calgary.

Lydia Ko may hold a foreign passport and live 13,000 kilometres away, but in a staggeringly short period of time this honorary citizen has written a Canadian sporting history that Pierre Berton would appreciate.

“As I said, playing in Canada is like being home for me,’’ she says. “I feel comfortable here. I feel the support here. Winning this tournament again … it would be … would be …Pretty sweet.”

Every bit as sweet, perhaps, as a dollop of blue icing sugar atop a mini-cupcake.

NEW YORK – Tiger Woods is getting back to work – as an author.

Woods is writing his second book, which will look back on his historic victory in the 1997 Masters, when he broke 20 records and became the first player of black heritage to win a major championship.

The book, which does not yet have a title, will be co-written with Canadian golf writer Lorne Rubenstein and be released in hardcover, as an e-book and in audio editions in March, a month before the 20th anniversary of his first Masters title.

“The 1997 Masters was one of the most important tournaments in my life for many reasons,” Woods said in a news release issued Monday by Grand Central Publishing, which acquired the rights to the book. “I think about the hug with my dad and all the events that went on that week. A lot of people know generally about that tournament, but this gives me a chance to tell in detail what happened on and off the golf course.”

The book will describe his history of the game and how golf has changed over the last 20 years. Woods also will open up about his relationship with his father, Earl Woods, dispel misconceptions and reveal stories that have never been told.

His first book came out in 2001 and was called “How I Play Golf,” which was written with the editors of Golf Digest magazine.

The announcement of his second book promotes Woods as the first player of African and Asian heritage to win a major. Woods’ mother, Kultida, is from Thailand.

The 1997 Masters was the first of his 14 majors. Beyond his record score of 270 (which Jordan Spieth tied last year), it was significant because of Augusta National’s history with blacks. The club did not have its first participant until Lee Elder in 1975, and its first member until Ron Townsend in 1990.

Woods has won the Masters three other times.

He has not played since August because of two surgeries on his back, and there has been no indication when Woods might return to competition. He is likely to announce this week his plans for the U.S. Open.

GOODWOOD, Ont. – It’s an assignment unlike any other for Canadian golf coaches Derek Ingram and Tristan Mullally.

They’re tasked with getting the Canadian Olympic golf team – two women and two men – ready to play a unique course in Rio at an event which will be much different than the usual PGA and LPGA Tour stops.

Unlike most tournaments where players are thinking about overall results, the money list and ranking position, the only thing that really matters at the Games is whether you’re in first, second or third. The podium-or-bust mindset should make for some aggressive shotmaking and a wild four rounds of stroke play.

Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp are virtual locks for the women’s team. The men are in a tight race with David Hearn, Graham DeLaet, Adam Hadwin, Nick Taylor and Brad Fritsch in the mix for two spots.

Golf Canada expects to formally unveil its team nominations in mid-July. The Summer Olympics begin Aug. 5.

Ingram and Mullally visited the Olympic Golf Course in Rio’s Barra da Tijuca district last March and came away impressed.

“More like a British Open I would say in terms of the wind and the style of shot that you’re going to have to play,” Mullally said at an availability Monday at Goodwood Golf Club. “But then it’s in the Brazilian heat, so it’s going to be different.”

The coaches say the Olympic course has wide fairways but plenty of hazards, shrubs and steep bunkers. High winds are expected to make things even more challenging.

Mullally – who will coach Henderson and Sharp – thinks the course plays nicely into the Canadians’ strengths.

“It’s a golf course that if it gets windy, can play very long and both of those players bomb it,” Mullally said. “So I think that’s certainly an advantage for them and they’re both good around the greens.

“They have the skills, so it’s a matter of whether they can bring them on the day.”

Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., has risen to No. 4 in the world rankings and will be one of Canada’s best bets for a podium appearance.

“She’s such a good player that the top-10’s are not a given, but she’s capable of doing that when she’s not even playing at her best,” Mullally said. “So when things are firing on all cylinders, a medal and hopefully a gold is certainly on our mind for sure.”

Sharp, meanwhile, has strengthened her ability to play in windy conditions over the last year. Couple that with her impressive length off the tee, and the veteran from Hamilton could also be in the mix.

The Canadian team is planning a pre-tournament camp in Houston shortly before heading to Rio.

Hearn, from Brantford, Ont., and DeLaet, from Weyburn, Sask., are good bets to make the men’s squad.

However, DeLaet withdrew from the Memorial last week to work on his short game. It’s unclear how long he might be out of action.

Meanwhile, Hadwin, from Abbotsford, B.C., started the final round one shot off the lead and finished tied for 11th place. A hot run over the next month could be the difference for the Olympic team selection.

Both the men’s and women’s competitions will have 60-player fields in Rio. The top 15 players in the world rankings will be eligible with a limit of four players per country.

“Honestly it’s not quite as strong as a major or a PGA Tour event because of the quantity of players,” said Ingram, who will coach the Canadian men. “So I think that gives our guys, because they’re good, solid players, an even better chance to potentially medal or have a great finish.”

The men’s tournament is scheduled for Aug. 11-14. The women will play from Aug. 17-20.

Given the reward, players may push for that birdie or eagle more than at a normal tournament. Or they could go for the steady approach and hope that others go for it and get burned.

“I think the turtle is definitely going to win the race because a lot of people will go out of the gate very hot, try that, and think that’s the way to go,” Mullally said.

With no need to worry about pressing to get a top-10 or top-20 result like they might on tour, the players will be dialled in on a top-three finish. That could provide some top-shelf dramatics in the final round.

“If you’re in 30th or 40th position, there’s not a whole lot of point in holding on to that score and playing it safe,” Mullally said. “You probably have to go for it. It’s almost all or nothing at that point.”

SAINTE-JULIE, Que. – A field of 29 fought against 60km/h winds at Club de Golf La Vallée du Richelieu, with Gianfranco Guida, Jean-Philip Cornellier, Tim Alarie, and Marc-Étienne Bussières earning exemptions into the 2016 RBC Canadian Open Final Qualifier on July 18.

Guida of Maple, Ont., stayed bogey-free through 15 holes with a birdie on 13 and an eagle on 14 to claim a share of the top spot.

“It was playing really tough because of the wind, but the greens were very pure,” he said. “Playing golf in Australia really taught me how to play into the wind. You just have to hit a lot of knockdowns and you have to know what clubs to hit.”

The 27-year-old is hoping that the final qualifier will lead to a spot in the RBC Canadian Open field. “My career is at the tipping point of whether I’m going to continue doing it. I’m glad in the sense that hopefully if I get through it will be big validation, and I can continue playing and find it easier to find funding.”

Co-leader Jean-Philip Cornellier of St-Césaire, Que., tallied four birdies on the day, two of which came back-to-back on holes 14 and 15. Tim Alarie of St-Jérôme, Que., and Sherbrooke, Que., native Marc-Étienne Bussières also finished with matching 72s.

At T5, former Team Canada Development Squad member Étienne Papineau (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.), Chad Merzbacher (Eden Prairie, Minn.), and Pierre-Alexandre Bédard (Chibougamau, Que.) will join Guida, Cornellier, Alarie, and Bussières at the Final Qualifier at Heron Point Golf Links in Ancaster, Ont., on July 18.

In total, there are three regional qualifying events, each consisting of 18 holes of stroke play. Provided that there are 100 or more players in the field, the low qualifier receives an exemption directly into the 2016 RBC Canadian Open. Otherwise, the top 15 per cent of finishers at each qualifier become eligible to compete at the final qualifying event.

A minimum of four players from the 18-hole stroke play final qualifier will gain entry into the RBC Canadian Open field.

There is one RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier left to be played:

• June 20 – King’s Forest Golf Club, Hamilton, Ont.

Additional information regarding the RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier in Quebec can be found here.