ENDICOTT, N.Y. – John Riegger wasn’t sure he’d be able to play the second round of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open because of a lingering case of shingles. The pain subsided long enough for him to show his first round wasn’t a fluke.

Riegger followed his opening 66 with a 5-under 67 Saturday and is tied with Paul Goydos (66) for the lead at 11-under 133.

“It’s kind of gone away, but the pain is still there and it’s just an after-effect of the attacks of the nerves,” Riegger said after his second straight bogey-free round. “I think it’s just the fact that I’ve gotten used to it and dealing with it a little bit better. I know that nothing’s going to happen to me.”

First-round leader Scott Dunlap (70) was third at 10 under. Wes Short Jr. and Monday qualifier Neal Lancaster also shot 66 and shared fourth, another shot back at En-Joie Golf Club.

John Daly and Calgary’s Stephen Ames shot 68 and were tied for sixth at 8 under with Bart Bryant (70), who is trying to become the first repeat winner of this Champions Tour event since its inception in 2007.

Victoria’s Jim Rutledge shot even-par to move into a tie for 62nd, and Rod Spittle of St. Catharines, Ont., follows three strokes behind with a share of 72nd.

Riegger thrived on the four par-5s on the narrow, tree-lined course. On Saturday, he birdied two of the three on the front side and eagled No. 12, the final par 5.

This will be the first time Riegger has had the lead, or a share of it, entering the final round of a Champions Tour event.

“I’m just trying to hope that I wake up tomorrow and I feel all right and I can play,” he said.

Goydos had four birdies and two bogeys on the front nine. But after another bogey on the back side he finished with a flourish – birdie at the tough par-4 15th hole that’s guarded by an imposing water hazard, eagle at the par-4 16th hole, and birdie at No. 17.

“You go from 7 under to 11 under, I’m still stunned a little bit myself,” said Goydos, who drove the green at 16 to set up the lone eagle at the hole over two rounds. “If you had strokes gained with lucky bounces, I would be leading that right now by a large margin.”

Daly, who turned 50 in April, is making his seventh Champions Tour start. It’s his first appearance at En-Joie since the 1995 B.C. Open on the PGA Tour. He won there in 1992 and the gallery hasn’t forgotten.

“It helps, and it always helps when you’re playing good, you feed off of it,” Daly said. “A lot of times when things aren’t going good, the fans kind of pump me up to keep hanging in there.”

Daly had five birdies and a bogey on the front nine and two birdies and two bogeys on the back.

“I just remember that when I did win here, I felt comfortable off the tees, although it’s not showing this week,” he said. “I feel like I can hit the fairways, but I’m just not executing a lot of them.”

Short started strong, notching four birdies and an eagle over the first 11 holes before a three-putt par at No. 12. The 52-year-old Texan finished with seven straight pars.

“Anytime you can be close going into the last nine holes, that’s what you really want – to have a chance to win it,” he said.

Jeff Maggert won this tournament last year, beating Goydos by two shots. Nobody will have to worry about Maggert this time. The defending champion was at 1 under and out of contention.

INVERNESS, Scotland – Alex Noren of Sweden birdied the last two holes to extend his lead to two shots at the Scottish Open on Saturday after a third round that ended in heavy rain at the Castle Stuart links.

Noren shot a 4-under 68 to move to 12-under 204, two clear of Tyrrell Hatton of England (66) and Matteo Manassero of Italy (68).

The top 15 players are separated by six shots in the last event before the British Open at Royal Troon next week. With the weather turning nasty for the final few hours of the third round, this could be good preparation for the third major of the year.

Noren – the second-round leader by a shot – defied the conditions by hitting a 219-yard tee shot to 3 feet at No. 17 and then getting up and down at the par-5 18th for another birdie.

“I’m really satisfied because it was one of the toughest days this year,” said Noren, who is seeking the fifth European Tour victory of his career.

“I’m hoping for better weather (on Sunday) so it’s not a grind.”

Manassero kept up his resurgence to stay in with a good chance of winning his first event in more than three years, since the BMW PGA Championship in 2013. That victory lifted him to No. 25 in the rankings but the one-time prodigy arrived in northern Scotland ranked No. 596.

After birdies at Nos. 1 and 2 and an eagle at No. 6, Manassero wound up taking the lead thanks to a run of three birdies on Nos. 14-16, including chipping in from just off the green at the 15th. A bogey at No. 17 and a missed short birdie putt at the last dropped him behind Noren, just as the Swede was making his strong finish.

Justin Walters, among the earlier starters when the sun was out and the wind wasn’t so strong, shot 65 to tie for the lowest round of the day and share fourth place with Danny Lee (70).

Former U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell was in a two-way tie for sixth place after a 69, which included four birdies in his last eight holes as the weather turned.

“When the weather got bad, I managed to dig in and get some birdies,” McDowell said. “This is great preparation for next week.”

Phil Mickelson shot 70 and is 11 strokes behind Noren.

Four places in the British Open are available for those not already qualified and who finish in the top 12 plus ties. Hatton, Manassero, Walters and Romain Wattel would currently qualify.

In the foreword to a book celebrating the 150-year anniversary of the oldest championship in golf, Arnold Palmer refers to the event as “The Open Championship.” In his autobiography, Palmer refers to the major he won twice as the “British Open.”

So which is it?

That depends on the source. And it depends on the audience.

The Open Championship began in 1860 when Willie Park Sr. defeated seven other golfers at Prestwick. It was 35 years until another big championship came along at Newport Country Club in Rhode Island known as the U.S. Open. That was followed by the Canadian Open, the South African Open and the Australian Open.

When the “British Open” began is a little more unclear.

According to an Associated Press account in 1900, J.H. Taylor “won the open golf championship” at St. Andrews. Two paragraphs later, however, the story noted that Taylor scored “his third triumph in the English championships,” even though it was held in Scotland.

In 1910, the AP reported from St. Andrews that “the open golf championship tournament” ended in victory for James Braid. Just four years later, however, an AP story in The Los Angeles Times said that Harry Vardon won for the sixth time “the British open golf championship.”

The R&A has never referred to it as anything but The Open Championship, and it recent years it has made a stronger case for the name of golf’s oldest major to go by one name – the proper name – in any country.

The USGA in its official U.S. Open entry form for years noted that players were exempt from qualifying if they had won the British Open in the last five years. This year, the language was changed to refer to a five-year exemption for winning “The Open conducted by the R&A.”

William McGirt, headed over to Scotland for the first time, said he received a packet in the mail reminding players that it’s called The Open Championship.

“I’m sure I’ll call it the British Open and get pounded for it,” McGirt said. “But hey, it’s in Britain.”

The R&A has never referred to its premier championship as anything but “The Open.” It just happens to be held on links courses in Britain, with an exception in 1951 at Portrush in Northern Ireland, where it will return in three years.

“The name of the championship hasn’t changed in 155 years,” said Malcolm Booth, communications director for the R&A. “The reason we think 155 years on there is legitimacy in calling it ‘The Open Championship’ is it really was the birthplace of open competition.”

It was the first. It was the original. It was the template. It is The Open.

But not to Jack Nicklaus.

Nicklaus was asked in late February about how he decided which sons would caddie for him in the majors. He recalled one year when Jackie, his oldest son, caddied in the Masters and “I think he had the Open.” And then he mentioned his second-oldest son, Steve, had “the British Open and the PGA.”

The British Open?

“That’s what it is,” Nicklaus said.

Has he ever referred to the major he won three times The Open?

“Sure, when I’m over there,” he said. “Over here, people don’t know what The Open Championship is. It’s ‘The Open Championship of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.’ If it’s The Open Championship, it could be the U.S. Open, the Australian Open, the Japanese Open.”

That’s where the R&A might beg to differ.

When championship golf began in 1860, the golfing world was defined by Scotland. The Open was not held anywhere else until it went to Royal St. George’s in England in 1894, one year before the U.S. Open began.

“We don’t consider ourselves a national championship,” Booth said. “The Open remit is to identify the champion golfer of the year.”

Three years ago, that champion golfer was Phil Mickelson, who grew up in San Diego referring to it as “the British.”

“Now that I’ve won it, and the R&A strongly prefers it to be called just ‘The Open’ or ‘The Open Championship,’ I try hard to call it that,” Mickelson said. “But it’s not comfortable to me because it’s not what I referred to it as growing up in the United States.”

He’s not alone. And it’s not just Americans.

Russell Knox of Scotland says he goes by British Open, though he has been in Florida the last 15 years. Branden Grace of South Africa grew up calling it the British Open. So did Jason Day of Australia.

Adam Scott, however, was adamant that it is The Open and nothing else. That national championship in his home country? The Australian Open.

“I understand that when you say the ‘British Open’ you mean ‘The Open Championship,'” Scott said. “When you call it the ‘Open’ and you mean the U.S. Open, then I’m confused. Because that’s called the United States Open.”

Jim Furyk simply goes by the calendar.

A runner-up at Oakmont last month, he said people came up to him at the Bridgestone Invitational and congratulated him for his performance at the “Open” and it stopped him. His mind already was on the next Open, the one at Royal Troon that starts next week.

“If I were ever lucky enough to win the claret jug, I would definitely call it ‘The Open’ to show respect,” he said. “But when I’m not thinking about it, then it comes out as ‘British Open’ because that’s the way I grew up hearing it.

“And,” he added with a smile, “I might have fun with some folks when I know it will rub them the wrong way, just to watch them cringe.”

DALLAS — U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson is withdrawing from the Olympics because he is concerned about the Zika virus.

Johnson becomes the 13th player to pull out of the field for the Rio Games, where golf makes its return after a 112-year absence. Patrick Reed is expected to replace him.

Johnson released a statement through one of his representatives on Friday.

Johnson and his wife, Paulina, plan to have more children “in the near future,” according to the golfer, and he feels it would be irresponsible to put his family at risk. The Zika virus can cause severe birth defects and babies being born with abnormally small heads.

Seven other players who have pulled out specifically cited Zika, including world No. 1 Jason Day and world No. 4 Rory McIlroy.

Johnson and Day are both playing the RBC Canadian Open this July.

SAN MARTIN, Calif. – When Sung Hyun Park entered her first U.S. Women’s Open, her goals were modest. Halfway through the tournament, Park has put herself in prime position to contend.

Park capitalized on the favorable morning scoring conditions, shooting a 6-under 72 Friday to take a two-stroke lead after the second round of the U.S. Women’s Open at CordeValle.

“I didn’t even think about winning because this is the first time for me,” Park said through an interpreter. “I would like more experience with the USGA, LPGA. But I’m trying to enjoy this tournament. That’s why I am just more comfortable, don’t even think about the winning, I just enjoy the play.”

Park, a 22-year-old from South Korea, made her LPGA debut last year when she finished second at the KEB-HanaBank Championship in South Korea. She has played three more LPGA tournaments this year, tying for sixth in her first major at the ANA Inspiration in the spring.

Park had four birdies in a six-hole span to move to 9 under before struggling on the final two holes. She hit her second shot into the greenside bunker at the par-4 17th and then missed a short par putt for her only bogey of the round. Park then drove into a hazard on the par-5 18th for a one-shot penalty before saving par with a 15-foot putt.

Amy Yang shot a 71 to get to 6 under, tied for second with first-round leader Mirim Lee. World No. 1 Lydia Ko bounced back from a 1-over par first round to shoot 66 for a tie for fourth with Haru Nomura.

Lee, who tied a U.S. Open record by shooting 8 under Thursday, birdied three of the final four holes on her front nine in the afternoon to take a one-shot lead over Park.

But things then quickly fell apart. She missed the fairway with her drive on the par-4 10th and her approach shot sailed past the green. Her chip attempt fell short of the green before she three-putted from the fringe for a double bogey.

Lee then drove into the front bunker on the par-3 12th hole before missing an 8-foot putt for par to fall two strokes off the lead.

“I kept trying to hit the fairway and the green, but I couldn’t,” she said. “So score, it’s not bad, but not good, too.”

Ko got off to a shaky start with a bogey on the first hole before stringing together four straight birdies starting at No. 3. She added two more birdies before capping her round with the seventh of the day at the par-5 18th.

“My birdie on 3 kind of turned the round around and making the string of birdies definitely helped,” she said. “Just to know that this is the first time I was under par for the tournament kind of put myself in a positive position.”

While contending in a major is a mostly new experience for Park, Ko is an old hat at it at the age of 19. She won the Evian Championship last September to become the youngest woman ever to win a major and followed that up with her second at the ANA Inspiration this year.

Ko then lost a playoff to Smiths Falls, Ont., native Brooke Henderson in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in Washington last month.

“I think the more I play, I think the more I get used to it, especially at these majors where the courses are tough,” Ko said. “You need to stay patient. I think that’s the big key I’ve been learning, just keep my head high and just enjoy it out here.”

Sherbrooke, Que., product Maude-Aimée Leblanc carded a 69 to move into a share of 10th at 3-under. An even-par round has Hamilton’s Alena Sharp tied for 15th.

Henderson, ranked second in the world, and fourth-ranked Lexi Thompson could not match playing partner Ko and both finished the day at 3 over. The 18-year-old Canadian and Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Sue Kim of Langley, B.C., hold shares of 48th.

Among the players who missed the cut at 4 over were Canadian Taylor Kim (Surrey, B.C.), Team Canada National Team member Naomi Ko (Victoria), last year’s winner In Gee Chun, 2014 U.S. Open champion Michelle Wie and 1998 winner Se Ri Pak.

Pak, whose success helped lead to the surge of South Koreans on the tour, double-bogeyed her final hole to finish with an 80 on the day and plus-9 in her final scheduled tournament in the United States.

Some players, including Karrie Webb and Christina Kim, came back to the 18th green to watch Pak’s final shot and congratulate her on a remarkable career.

WINNIPEG – Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit leader Dan McCarthy took a big step towards solidifying his commanding lead atop the season-long money list on Friday, shooting a 7-under 64 at Niakwa Country Club to take the 36-hole lead at the Players Cup.

The Syracuse, New York, native recorded a hole-in-one on the par-3 second hole to go with another eagle, five birdies and two bogeys on the day, earning him a one-stroke lead over James White and Sam Fidone through two rounds in Winnipeg.

“You never expect it. I hit a really good shot, but whenever it goes in the hole it’s always a little bit lucky,” said McCarthy of his ace, the sixth of his life and fourth of his professional career. “It landed about 12 feet short of the hole and we saw it rolling, and then it just disappeared. I was hoping it went and my celebration wasn’t for nothing, I was hoping it didn’t go over the green.”

With two victories already this season at the Freedom 55 Financial Open and GolfBC Championship, McCarthy entered the week with more than twice the earnings of Order of Merit No. 2 Adam Cornelson. Still, the 30-year old said he expects to feel some nerves on Saturday as he looks for his third win of the year.

“I should be comfortable with it, but there’s always a bit of anxiety being in the lead and in the final group, so it’s a good test every time,” McCarthy said. “You learn what happens to you in the moment, but you’re still going to be on edge.”

One shot behind McCarthy were White, playing in a sponsor exemption this week, and Fidone, who ranks No. 5 on the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Order of Merit.

“Being a sponsor exemption this week, I really want to try and finish in that top 20,” White said. “That’s still a big priority of mine so I can play next week as well, and if I get a chance to win I’ll go for it.”

Fidone, who shared the first-round lead after opening with a 64, said he wasn’t as sharp as he was on Thursday but managed a good score to give himself a chance on the weekend.

“In the beginning of my round I was not finding a lot of fairways but ended up scrapping it in and got lucky on a 30 footer on 18 – hit the pin and went in for birdie,” Fidone said. “On the back nine I really dialed in my driver, made a few putts coming in and took advantage of the par 5s.”

Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont., leads the Canadian contingent after carding a 65 on the day to reach 9-under.

“I like this golf course, and it suits me more than Pine Ridge. I like Pine Ridge, but I never seemed to play well there and this place suits my eye a little better, so hopefully I can play well this weekend,” said Gligic, when asked about the difference between Pine Ridge and Niakwa.

Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Corey Conners from Listowel, Ont., holds a share of 28th at 5-under.

ENDICOTT, N.Y. – Scott Dunlap glanced at his scorecard and could only smile.

“Well, bogeying the first hole is usually my best way to start a round,” he joked. “I did that, so I knew it was going to be a good day.”

Was it ever.

After that bogey on the opening hole at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open, Dunlap rallied with four birdies in a five-hole span, then reeled off five straight birdies to start the back nine en route to an 8-under 64 on Friday at En-Joie Golf Club.

Since finishing second in April at the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic, Dunlap’s best showing was a tie for 17th at the Principal Charity Classic a month ago.

“I guess you never know,” Dunlap said. “In current form, today certainly wasn’t in the cards. The golf course was kind of there for the taking a little bit.”

Glen Day, Bart Bryant and John Riegger were tied for second at 66 after the first round.

Day ranks in the top 10 in driving accuracy on the Champions Tour, a big advantage on the narrow, tree-lined En-Joie layout.

“Obviously, here it helps great, and I did hit the driver good,” Day said. “I played well here in the past, in the old days. I’m very comfortable around the golf course. I see the golf course very well, so I’m excited about playing two more days.”

Day’s round included six birdies and no bogeys as he hit the ball close to the pin all day. His closing birdie at 18 gave him a one-stroke lead until Dunlap’s back-nine burst.

“Eighteen was the longest putt I made, and it was maybe 10 feet, so I hit the ball really good,” he said. “I’m very pleased.”

Gibby Gilbert III, Kevin Sutherland, Paul Goydos and Joe Durant were in a tie for fifth at 5 under. Calgary’s Stephen Ames collected six birdies on the day and is among nine players at 4-under, including Jay Haas, Steve Lowery and John Daly.

Daly, making his first appearance at En-Joie since the 1995 B.C. Open, started in the final threesome and quickly climbed the leaderboard. He birdied four of the first seven holes, including a long putt at the par-5 5th that lipped the cup before dropping and a 5-footer at the par-3 7th. He then faltered with two bogeys, the first coming at the par-5 8th where a long hitter like Daly normally has an edge.

“I had my moments,” said Daly, who won the 1992 B.C. Open. “I didn’t really get the par-5s the way I wanted to, but I don’t know, I hit it pretty good, made a couple putts, missed a couple.

“But, you know, if you hit the fairways out here and you’re putting half decent, you can really score low on it because the course is in great shape.”

At the Principal Charity Classic in June, Riegger was tied for second after an opening-round 67 but faltered to finish 14 shots behind winner Scott McCarron. That he was able to complete Friday’s round and be near the top of the leaderboard again was an accomplishment in itself as he continues to suffer with a case of shingles.

“I may feel great tomorrow, I might not be able to play, I don’t know,” he said. “I wasn’t able to even tee it up at the Players Championship this year because of it, so I’ll see. Go get worked on and see what happens.”

Rod Spittle of St. Catharines, Ont., opened at even-par and sits T49, while Victoria’s Jim Rutledge holds a share of 67th at 3-over.

There won’t be as much time as usual. A short but drenching rain shower soaked the course for less than 5 minutes in late afternoon on Friday. Because of the threat of storms on Saturday, the first groups will go off the 1st and 10th tees starting at 7:45 a.m. The leaders will tee off at 9:40 a.m.

Montréal – The best golfers of Québec and Eastern Ontario were at Le Portage this week for the 91st NIVO Women’s Provincial Amateur Championship. Part of the Jocelyne Bourassa Series presented by NIVO, this event is also used to identify the Québec teams for the Canadian Championships to be held later on, in the season.

Josée Doyon of Club de golf Beauceville has retained its provincial title by winning the honors of the amateur competition for the second consecutive year with a cumulative score of 72-74-70-216 (E) for the three rounds of competition. Doyon grabbed the lead in the first round with Valérie Tanguay. She maintained his lead until the end. With two birdies on holes # 3 and # 14 in the final round, she ensured not only the first place in the tournament, but also his place on the provincial team.

Only 4 strokes behind, Grace St-Germain from Camelot took second place with a score of 220 while Katherine Gravel-Coursol of Blainvillier club was third with 223 strokes.

A thrilling challenge in the senior division
Francesca Palardy of the Parcours du Cerf was crowned in the senior category as she cumulated 148 (+4) after two rounds. Following her by 2 strokes, Hélène Chartrand of Summerlea took the second place with 150(+6) and Marie-Thérèse Torti of La Vallée du Richelieu ranked third with 152.

Two Québec teams
Josée Doyon of Beauceville, Katherine Gravel-Coursol of Le Blainvillier and Valérie Tanguay of St-Hyacinthe, are the first three (3) players on the Women’s Amateur Order of Merit of the Jocelyne Bourassa Series. As such, they will represent Golf Québec as its provincial team at the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship presented at the Ken-Wo GC, Nova Scotia, from July 26 to 29, 2016.

Hélène Chartrand of Summerlea, Marie-Thérèse Torti of La Vallée du Richelieu and Marlene Desbiens of Murray Bay, are the first three (3) players on the Women’s Senior Order of Merit of the Jocelyne Bourassa Series. They will compose the Golf Québec team for the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship to be held at the Wolf Creek Golf Resort, in Ponoka, Alberta, from August 24 to 26, 2016.

Le Portage and Golf Québec honoured Lucile Theroux
A founding member of Le Portage, Lucile Theroux has been an active and dedicated member for over 53 years. She is always available to support and represent her club. Very respectful of the game of golf, its etiquette and rules, as well as of her partners and competitors, she truly personifies sportsmanship. She is always sharing her passion for golf with professionalism and enthusiasm. Throughout the years, Mrs. Theroux has always been a dedicated volunteer and rules official both at the regional and provincial levels.

The Club de golf Le Portage and Golf Québec are thanking her for her exceptional contribution and support. We will forever be grateful to her for her time and dedication.

INVERNESS, Scotland – Alex Noren of Sweden rolled in five birdies in his last eight holes to shoot a 6-under 66 in calmer conditions and take a one-stroke lead after the second round of the Scottish Open on Friday.

On a day of lower scoring around the Castle Stuart links, Danny Lee of New Zealand (66) and Eddie Pepperell of England (67) were a shot behind Noren, who had an 8-under 136.

Lee is only playing the Scottish Open after the PGA Tour canceled this week’s Greenbrier Classic because of flooding in West Virginia. Lee is defending champion at the Greenbrier and is donating money for every birdie ($500) and eagle ($1,000) he makes to the flood-relief efforts.

Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson, two of the top names in the field, made the cut after shooting rounds of 69 but were nine shots off the lead. Matteo Manassero and Branden Grace (both 67) were in a four-way tie for fourth on 6-under overall.

Winds were lighter after a blustery first round in northern Scotland and Noren found his form with the putter from No. 2 – his 11th hole, after starting on the back nine. He birdied Nos. 2 and 3, then Nos. 6, 7 and 8. His tee shot at the par-3 8th landed about 2 feet from the pin.

Noren didn’t drop a shot and has just one bogey in two rounds.

“I just kind of worked on my swing, and you’re messing around and all of a sudden I got a little bit better strike,” said Noren, who has already qualified for the British Open at Royal Troon next week in Western Scotland.

“Played steady on the front nine, and then you know, my last nine holes, I really got it going.”

Lee, who also started at No. 10, had six birdies in a bogey-free round – four of them coming between Nos. 1 and 6.

“I love to play great every week. But making birdies and eagles are very important to me this week,” said Lee, who had five birdies in the first round. “It’s very unfortunate that happened at West Virginia. I won the Greenbrier Classic last year there and was so looking forward to go back there and interact with a lot of fans, and people were just so nice to me last year.

“I know it’s not that much to help everybody but I’m trying to make as much birdies as possible to add a little bit of help.”

Mickelson made the cut, which was at 2 over, after recovering from two bogeys on his first four holes that put him on 6 over for the tournament. On the par-5 16th – his seventh hole – the five-time major champion ran a 2-iron to about 4 feet and made eagle. He birdied three of his last eight holes, including a 25-foot putt on No. 2.

Mickelson said his putting was better Friday after taking time to make adjustments to the slower greens than he is used to playing on the PGA Tour.

“I’ve been leaving every putt short here,” he said. “I just haven’t trusted it on the golf course. I keep fearing knocking it five, six feet by.”

Canada defending Olympic gold is nothing new. This country has been there. It understands that pressure and what it feels like. Hockey, curling, figure skating, skiing; Canada accepts that challenge. It embraces it. Our athletes relish the opportunity. Here, it’s considered a mark of distinction.

When the Summer Olympics convene in Rio de Janeiro this August, Canada will again carry that crown. What makes this forthcoming gold medal defence in golf compelling is the circumstances. They are, as I see them, the most unique any athlete or team from any country, in any sport, has experienced in Olympic history.

Can’t say the duo of Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp and a twosome among Graham DeLaet, David Hearn, Adam Hadwin or Nick Taylor haven’t had time to prepare. It’s been 112 years since their fellow countryman George S. Lyon bestowed them the defending champion tag for 2016. The charismatic 46-year-old won Olympic gold at the Games in 1904. It was just the second time golf was an official medal sport at the Olympics.

That is until now. Responsibility for wiping away that century-plus time warp goes to the International Golf Federation (IGF), a powerful consortium consisting of the United States Golf Association, Royal & Ancient, PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, Augusta National GC and PGA of America. It sees the Olympics as an untapped wealth of growth potential.

“We believe our game’s visibility will be dramatically elevated by the global platform that only the Olympics offer,” Billy Payne, Masters chairman, said during his press conference ahead of this year’s tournament.

To get this to the finish line with delegates from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), a presentation the IGF made on October 9, 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark left nothing to chance. The group solicited unprecedented support from Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Annika Sorenstam, Michelle Wie, Padraig Harrington and others in pitching golf’s reinstatement for the 2016 Games in Rio and 2020 Games in Tokyo. The IOC vote wasn’t even close — 63 to 27 (with two abstentions) in favour.

Fast forward six years. Here we are just weeks, days and hours until a first shot is struck in Rio. A brand new Gil Hanse-Amy Alcott designed golf course awaits 60 player fields (men and women) that will compete in two separate 72-hole stroke play events.

Jordan Spieth says winning a gold medal for the United States would be right up there, in his mind, with winning a major championship.

“We’re going to approach it like a fifth (major),” the American said earlier this year.

Canadian Olympic team member Henderson is in her own countdown mode. The Smiths Falls, Ont., standout is relishing the opportunity to be in Rio, to walk in with the Canadian Olympic team and be part of something so few people experience. Think she’s ready?

“They showed a couple of videos the last couple of days of Olympians standing for the national anthems, standing on the podium and out there competing (for Canada),” said the teenager during a Canadian Olympic Committee symposium. “Every time I watch those videos I get goosebumps. My blood runs crazy.”

Defending gold in golf? We’ll do it the Canadian way — the way George S. Lyon did it 112 years ago in St. Louis — with class and distinction. But most of all, with everything we’ve got.

Defending gold in Rio This article was originally published in the May 2016 edition of Golf Canada Magazine. To view the full magazine, click the image to the left.