WOODBRIDGE, Ont. – TaylorMade Golf have introduced Phenom, a set of clubs designed and engineered to support junior golfers with proper swing fundamentals through optimized lengths, weights and lofts, allowing for shots from tee to green with consistent distance gapping throughout the set. For each club in the set, the shafts have been both flex and weight-optimized and made to appropriate lengths, while the grips have been developed to meet the needs of smaller hands, allowing proper feel throughout the swing.

Driver & Fairway
The Phenom driver is a 400cc titanium driver made to the same exacting standards of performance and design for which TaylorMade drivers are known. Designed at the USGA limit of COR, the Phenom driver delivers remarkable distance, forgiveness and easy launch technology in a visually appealing design, three key performance attributes rarely found in junior sets.

The Phenom fairway wood features a stainless steel head with a low profile, low-CG design, providing technology that will help junior golfers get the ball airborne off the tee or from the fairway. A larger head size adds forgiveness and promotes confidence at address.

Rescue & Irons
Similar to the fairway wood, the Phenom RescueTM club features a stainless steel head design in the first Rescue that junior golfers will be excited to hit. Designed to be easy to launch with long distance, the versatile Rescue will also help bridge the critical gap between a players’ fairway wood and irons.

Availability
Phenom is available in two set configurations, each created for a specific size and age range of player. Both sets include graphite shafts that have been flexed specifically for junior swing speeds.

K40 comes in a 6-piece set for golfers ages 5-8 (12” – 18” fingertips to floor) that includes a 400cc Titanium driver, Rescue, 7-iron, SW, putter and bag at an MSRP of $349.99 CDN starting June 15th.

K50 comes in an 8-piece set for golfers ranging from 9-12 years old (18” – 24” fingertips to floor) that includes a 400cc Titanium driver, fairway wood, Rescue, 7-iron, 9-iron, SW, putter and bag at an MSRP of $399.99 CDN starting June 1st.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – James Hahn beat Roberto Castro with a par on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff Sunday in the Wells Fargo Championship to snap a three-month slump.

Hahn, who failed to make the cut in his previous eight tournaments and hadn’t shot a round in the 60s since February, made a 4-foot putt on the par-4 18th to win his second career PGA Tour title.

Castro’s tee shot on the playoff hole found the creek on the left side of the fairway and his third shot landed in a spectator’s shoe on the side of the green, leading to a bogey.

Hahn bogeyed the 18th in regulation for a 2-under 70, and Castro had a 71 to finish at 9 under, one shot ahead of Justin Rose (71). Hahn also won the 2015 Northern Trust Open at Riviera.

Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson both shot 66 to tie for fourth at 7 under with third-round leader Rickie Fowler (74) and Andrew Loupe (71).

Both Castro and Hahn had chances to win in regulation.

Castro broke a tie when he rolled in a birdie putt from 6 feet on the 15th hole to get to 11 under. But he quickly gave the lead up with bogeys at 16 and 17 on the “Green Mile,” the toughest closing holes on the PGA Tour.

That gave Hahn a one-shot lead and a chance to put pressure on Castro on the 18th hole if he made par. But Hahn rolled a 7-foot putt past the hole and took a bogey.

Castro, playing with Fowler in the group behind Hahn, got up-and-down from the rough on right side of the fairway on 18 and went on to make a 6-foot par putt to force the playoff.

Like Castro, the 18th hole ultimately proved to be the undoing for McIlroy and Mickelson, too.

McIlroy played the 493-yard hole in 4-over par for the week, including a bogey Sunday when his approach shot landed behind a rock on the other the side of the creek that runs along the left side of the hole. Lefty was left to ponder what could have been had it not been for a quadruple-bogey 8 on the hole Saturday.

“I hit a lot of good shots over the weekend, but unfortunately, one bad hole yesterday kind of cost me,” Mickelson said.

McIlroy had seven birdies in between his bogeys the first and last holes.

“Anytime you walk off the golf course and shoot 66, you can’t be too disappointed,” McIlroy said. “But I think in the circumstances having a feeling like I had a chance on the back nine to post a number for the guys to at least think about it and I didn’t.”

McIlroy also took a gut shot on 15 when failed to hole a birdie putt, prompting him to immediately drop his hands to his knees as he bent over in disbelief.

Both players said they were pleased with how they finished and feel good about their games heading into The Players Championship next week.

Adam Hadwin, of Abbotsford, B.C., finished 4 over and tied for 61st while fellow Canadian Graham DeLaet, of Weyburn, Sask., shot a 6 over in his final round and was 8 over for the tournament.

Fowler talked Saturday about how he feels more prepared to handle the pressure of playing in the final group of Sunday.

But he struggled from the start, and his approach shot on the seventh hole that sailed over the water hazard and landed in the backyard by a house typified his control problems. He finished with a double bogey.

PRATTVILLE, Ala. – Ariya Jutanugarn was shaking over her final 5-foot putt, with personal, Thailand and LPGA Tour history on the line.

She made it anyway, becoming the first Thai winner in LPGA Tour history Sunday in the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic.

“Last putt my hand shake, my leg shake,” Jutanugarn said. “I’ve had that before but I have not had it this bad before. My putter’s shaking, and I’m like, OK just go out from here.”

The 20-year-old Jutanugarn shot a 1-under 71 to beat Stacy Lewis, Amy Yang and Morgan Pressel by a stroke after losing two shots off her third-round lead. Her mom, Narumon, and sister Moriya, a tour player who tied for 63rd in the event, were on hand to celebrate on Mother’s Day.

Jutanugarn had four birdies and three bogeys a day after tying the tournament record with a 63, but didn’t repeat two previous failed attempts to keep a Sunday lead.

The long-hitter gave cheering fans a wave and smile as she approached the final green, chipping to 5 feet to set up a par putt. Jutanugarn finished at 14-under 273 on the Senator Course at Capitol Hill.

Yang bogeyed the 17th in a 67. Lewis shot her third straight 68. Pressel also had a 68.

Lewis had her 10th runner-up finish in a 49-event drought. The 11-time tour winner has 23 career second-place finishes.

“This week helped a lot because I was able to see shots come off the way I wanted to,” Lewis said. “The way I got the ball up and down on the last hole. There’s so many good things that came out of this week and so excited to get playing again next week. We have a busy stretch coming up and it’s a good time to start to play some good golf.”

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was the top Canadian, finishing the tournament tied for 22nd with a 5-under 283. Brooke Henderson, of Smiths Falls, Ont., was 4 under and tied for 29th while Samatha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., was 1 under.

Jutanugarn two-putted from about 8 feet on 17, dropping a stroke from her lead with Lewis and Pressel on the final hole and Yang waiting and hoping to make a playoff.

Jutanugarn’s drive on the final hole went into the left rough and her second shot didn’t make the green but landed above the bunker.

There was plenty of drama but no ending collapse this time. Last month in the ANA Inspiration, she had a two-stroke lead with three holes left and closed with three bogeys to finish fourth _ two strokes behind winner Lydia Ko in the major championship. In the 2013 LPGA Thailand at age 17, Jutanugarn blew a two-stroke lead with a closing triple bogey in a one-stroke loss to Inbee Park.

She handled the pressure from an array of challengers better this time.

“This tournament was very different than ANA,” Jutanugarn said. “Because first hole of this tournament I’m very excited and very nervous because I (have a) three-shot lead, and ANA one shot behind.”

Pressel had drained a birdie putt on 18 to remain in contention, pumping her fist as the ball rolled toward the hole. Lewis saved par after planting her tee shot into the left rough, some 180 yards from the hole.

Caroline Hedwall was fifth at 12 under after a 68. The 19-year-old Minjee Lee, who won at Hawaii last month, was among four players three strokes back after a roller-coaster 72. She was 4 over through the first four holes, including a double bogey on the fourth _ and added another double on 17. She eagled the par-5 10th and had four birdies.

Yang started a string of four birdies on No. 2 and got another one on 8 before losing a stroke with a bogey.

Yang parred the final hole following a bogey-birdie-bogey stretch. She landed in the rough on 17 and then had to take a drop after sending her next shot into hip-high grass.

“I went for it (on 17), didn’t think left side, it was going to bounce to the left,” she said. “I just wanted to chip it right on the green, or short of it, but I hit it a little thin and went in the hazard but, you know, oh well.”

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Jesper Parnevik won the Insperity Invitational for his first PGA Tour Champions victory, shooting a 5-under 67 for a four-stroke victory Sunday.

The 51-year-old Swede won in his 23rd career start on the 50-and-over tour. The five-time PGA Tour winner finished at 12-under 204 at The Woodlands Country Club.

Local favourite Jeff Maggert, first-round leader Mike Goodes and South Africa’s David Frost tied for second. Maggert, a Woodlands resident and former Texas A&M player, had a 71. Frost shot 69, and Goodes 70.

Canada’s Stephen Ames tied for 12th at 3 under after a 73.

John Daly tied for 17th with a group which included  Canada’s Rod Spittle at 2 under in his PGA Tour Champions debut. The two-time major champion closed with a 71 after opening with rounds of 70 and 73. He turned 50 on April 28.

GREENWOOD, S.C. – Canadian Lorie Kane won the Self-Regional Women’s Health Classic, edging out runner-up Michelle McGann of Florida in a Legends Tour event played simultaneously with the Symetra Tour.

Kane carded a one-under score of 71 in the 18-hole event to clip McGann, who finished at even-par 72 at The Links at Stoney Point.

“I’m excited because I’m playing good golf,” said Kane, who opened the round with a bogey, but answered with birdies on holes 2 and 3.

The PEI native birdied No. 7 and made the nine-hole turn at two under, taking a two-shot lead into the back nine.

After struggling in the wind and ballooning to two over on the front nine, McGann fought back with three birdies and a bogey on the back nine holes to briefly hold a clubhouse lead.

Kane had her own problems on the par-4 11th hole when her 5-iron approach shot hit the green’s top tier, spun and rolled all the way back off the green. She three-putted for bogey, but countered with a birdie from five feet on the par-3 13th hole.

“That was a scary, downhill putt,” she said of the birdie on No. 13. “I used all of the cup.”
Kane’s final hiccup came on the last hole, where she drove into a fairway bunker, flew the 18th green, chipped and missed a 10-foot putt for par. Even with a bogey, she was able to salvage the win.

“I’m just trying to play and have fun,” said Kane, who has four LPGA wins and four wins on The Legends Tour.

“I hit the ball as hard as I can and if I make a putt, great, and if I don’t, it’s not the end of the world. I was telling some of the Symetra Tour players I wish I had thought that way six or eight years ago.”

Legends Tour members Cindy Figg-Currier, Christa Johnson and Cathy Johnston-Forbes tied for third, each at 2-over 74, while Barb Mucha and Kris Tschetter tied for sixth at 3-over 75.

Twenty-four members of the Legends Tour played the inaugural 18-hole tournament alongside Symetra Tour players during their final round.

Madelene Sagstrom of Sweden won the Symetra Tour’s event with a final-round score of 2-over 74 and a 72-hole total of 10-under 278.

For complete Legends Tour results, click here.
For more information on The Legends Tour, visit www.thelegendstour.com.

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — It might have been a bit of a frustrating 73.

It might have been a smile-inspiring 67.

Under the desert sun at Mission Hills at the ANA Inspiration, Brooke Henderson, with sister Brittany on the bag, experienced both at the first major of the golf season.

The results on the course may vary, but not the constant for the Henderson girls: the smile from mom Darlene when they walked off the 18th green and across the bridge over Poppie’s Pond.

Darlene was there making her way around the course to root her daughters on to another top 10 finish. She made her way from tree to tree, pausing in the shade to check on the girls’ progress, all the while accepting greetings from fellow Canadians, gushing with pride.

Darlene and husband Dave spent three weeks on the road with Brooke and Brittany as they drove across the U.S. southwest (in a sweet ride, a BMW 7 Series, one of Brooke’s corporate partners) for the LPGA’s tour through Phoenix and Southern California and to the desert.

It’s not just on Mother’s Day that Brooke appreciates what her mom has done to help her on her remarkable journey which has seen the 18-year-old rise to become the fifth-ranked player in the Rolex World Rankings.

“We owe a lot to our mom, both Britt and I, for everything that she’s sacrificed and everything that she’s done for us,” Henderson said. “She’s our No. 1 fan and our No. 1 support system. We love having her on trips and even when she’s back home, we can always count on her for a late night text or anything like that.

“We’re grateful for everything she does and what she continues to do.”

No matter how it’s gone on the course, Brooke said things don’t change when it comes to your mom.

“You’re still No. 1 in her heart,” she said.

Over behind the ninth green at Mission Hills, just after completing a fine opening round 70 in very windy conditions, Hamilton’s Alena Sharp reflected on a similar theme.

She doesn’t get to see her mother, Pat, a nurse back in Hamilton, often enough, but knows the support is there.

“My mom has been there from Day One. She would always take me to soccer practice, hockey practice, golf. She’s a big part of my career,” said Sharp. “I saw her a couple of weeks ago. I just don’t get to see my parents that much so it’s nice to spend time with them when I can.

“My mom’s been amazing, always there no matter what, whether it’s good or bad. She’s there with me when I’m crying because I’m frustrated and is there when I’ve played well. It’s nice to have that support.”

Has Alena inherited any qualities from Pat?

“She’s got a lot of patience. That’s huge. She’s a nurse. She’s forty years in nursing and going to retire this year. She has a lot of patience. She doesn’t let things get to her too much. That’s a huge thing that I see. She always goes out of her way to make you happy. If you need something, she’s going to do her best to get it for you.”

So, did that patience rub off?

Said Sharp, “I try to be patient.”

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Rickie Fowler is looking to jumpstart his season at a course where he first won on the PGA Tour.

Fowler shot a 4-under 68 on Saturday to take the third-round lead at the Wells Fargo Championship.

Fowler, who broke through at Quail Hollow Club in 2012 for his first tour title, had a one-stroke lead over Roberto Castro, with Justin Rose and James Hahn two strokes back.

Fowler won The Players Championship and Deutsche Bank Championship last year and took the European Tour event in Abu Dhabi early this year. Though he blew a late lead and lost the Phoenix Open in a playoff this season, he has the confidence to handle pressure situations in the final round. That’s something he admitted he didn’t have five years ago.

“It’s completely different,” Fowler said. “I would say before (it was) maybe not the complete belief or knowledge of knowing what to do and how to win to get the job done. But now it’s fun to go out there and go take care of business.”

Castro was atop the leaderboard most of the day, but bogeyed the 18th hole for a 71.

Winless on the tour, he said he’s looking forward to playing with Fowler in the final group Sunday.

“If you want to win a tournament out here and really win a marquee event like this one, you’re going to have to grab your hat and play with one of the top five players in the world probably the final round,” Castro said. “So that’s what I’ve got tomorrow so I’m excited about it.”

Fowler parred the first seven holes Saturday before heating up with three straight birdies on Nos. 8-10. It appeared things were starting to crumble after bogeys on 10 and 12, but Fowler came back strong with three straight birdies starting on No. 14 to pull into a tie for the lead.

He had a little luck along the way.

Fowler avoided potential trouble on the 18th hole when his ball held up in the high grass instead of rolling into the creek along left side of the fairway. Playing with the ball well above his feet, Fowler ripped an iron onto the green and saved par.

Phil Mickelson and defending champion Rory McIlroy struggled, dropping eight shots behind Fowler.

Mickelson, looking for his first win at the Quail Hollow Club in 13 starts, was in contention until a quadruple-bogey 8 on his old nemesis, the 18th hole. He finished with a 76.

He found the creek on his approach shot and, after taking a drop, needed three chips before finding the green and two-putting for an 8.

Mickelson’s struggles on the final hole at Quail Hollow have been well documented. In the 51 career rounds, he is 21 over on No. 18 – a hole he said earlier this week simply doesn’t set up well for the left-hander.

McIlroy, the tournament’s only two-time winner, had two bogeys in the first four holes and shot 73.

The two-time tournament champion who shot 11-under 61 last year in the third round on his way to a runaway victory, couldn’t muster that same magic on Saturday.

He struggled throughout his round with his accuracy off the tee and putting. A double bogey on the ninth hole and bogey on the 11th seemed to zap him of any momentum and likely a chance at becoming the tournament’s first three-time winner.

McIlroy said the course is “tricky,” especially on the back nine but said his game still isn’t where it needs to be.

“There’s been spells where it’s been good and I’ve had a couple of chances to win this year, but it’s a work in progress,” said McIlroy, who has not won on the PGA Tour this season. “I’m trying to stay patient, as patient as possible, but there are definitely times out on the course where I get quite frustrated.”

Adam Hadwin, of Abbotsford, B.C., and Graham DeLaet, of Weyburn, Sask., are both 2 over for the tournament and tied for 51st.

Rose has quietly put himself in contention on Sunday after rounds of 70, 70 and 69.

He said the course, which will host the PGA Championship next year, is playing extremely hard especially given the gusty wind this week.

“This type of scoring would definitely hold up in a PGA Championship,” Rose said. “They’re not looking for us to shoot even par like a U.S. Open. Single digits under par is really good golf and it’s a sign of a great golf course.”

PRATTVILLE, Ala. – Ariya Jutanugarn knows the pain of losing a final-round lead, so she’s sticking with the theme of “having fun” this time.

Jutanugarn certainly had some good times when she birdied eight of the final nine holes Saturday to match the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic record at 9-under 63 and take a three-stroke lead.

Seeking her first LPGA Tour victory, the 20-year-old Thai player had a 14-under 202 total. She showed little emotion at the end, giving a small wave toward the bleachers after picking up her ball and strolling toward her playing partners for a hug.

“(Sunday’s) going to be so much fun,” Jutanugarn said. “I just want to enjoy and have fun.”

Ryann O’Toole and Australia’s Minjee Lee were tied for second. They each shot 68 on a day when the winds calmed down after the first two rounds.

Jutanugarn parred No. 15, the only blemish in her back-nine birdie run on the links-style Senator Course at Capitol Hill. She pulled her approach left on No. 17 and still knocked it within a couple of feet of the hole, and closed with a 5-footer on the final hole for yet another birdie.

She has flirted with wins before but had two final-round collapses. Last month in the ANA Inspiration, she had a two-stroke lead with three holes left and closed with three bogeys to finish fourth _ two strokes behind winner Lydia Ko in the major championship. In the 2013 LPGA Thailand at age 17, Jutanugarn blew a two-stroke lead with a closing triple bogey in a one-stroke loss to Inbee Park.

Asked about the close calls, Jutanugarn stuck to the “fun” theme.

“Final round, so (I) just want to have fun and enjoy and good shots tomorrow,” she said.

She’s the eighth player to shoot 63 in the tournament, which was moved up from its normal late summer slot because of the Olympics.

“As far as she hits it, on this golf course, she should shoot that number,” Stacy Lewis said.

The 19-year-old Lee won last month in Hawaii for her second LPGA Tour title.

Second-round leader So Yeon Ryu was four strokes back after a 71, making two birdies and a bogey.

Alena Sharp is the top Canadian after shooting a 71 on Saturday. The Hamilton native is tied for 20th at 5 under. Brooke Henderson, of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 68 to move into a tie for 30th while Samantha Richdale, of Kelowna, B.C., is 1 under for the tournament.

Lewis, the 2012 winner, didn’t have a bogey until the final hole Saturday for her second straight 68. She and Morgan Pressel, who shot a 70, were 9 under.

“I just got on the wrong side of the holes,” Lewis said. “I had a lot of tough putts, a lot of downhill sliders and just played a lot better than the score, which I guess is a good thing going into the final round.

“I know a low score is still out there.”

Brittany Altomare was among six players at 8 under after a 66. She birdied seven of the first 11 holes, then had two straight bogeys before regrouping.

Altomare got her first victory as a professional two weeks ago in the Symetra Tour’s Guardian Retirement Championship, beating Nicole Broch Larsen with a birdie on the fifth hole of a playoff.

Altomare expects to be eligible the rest of the year for LPGA Tour events after gaining status on the money-list reshuffle.

Possibly being in LPGA Tour contention going into the final day is another new experience for the 25-year-old, though Jutanugarn’s scorching finish made that less likely. Asked about her approach for Sunday, Altomare laughed and gave a shrug.

“I don’t really know, actually,” she said. “I’ve never really been in this position on the LPGA. It’s just the same, I think. Just go out there and just be aggressive and hopefully it’s your day.

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Local favourite Jeff Maggert and Jesper Parnevik shared the Insperity Invitational lead at 7 under Saturday, leaving John Daly six strokes back in his PGA Tour Champions debut.

Maggert birdied the par-4 18th for a 3-under 69, and playing partner Parnevik had a bogey on the par-4 17th in a 68 at The Woodlands Country Club.

Daly followed his opening 70 with a 73 to drop into a tie for 21st at 1 under.

“I just have to get some confidence with the putter. That’s the thing,” Daly said. “My chipping wasn’t very good today, but I’m under par and I think seven is leading, you never know what can happen tomorrow. Maybe try to get maybe a little more aggressive with the driver, hit it a little bit more, get some more wedges in the holes and give myself a chance.”

The two-time major champion made four straight bogeys in the middle of the round and rebounded with birdies on 15 and 18. He turned 50 on April 28.

“Just bad execution, bad chips, bad putts,” Daly said about the bogey run on Nos. 8-11. “I actually thought I had a good shot on 9. I hit a 9-iron and it went over the back and you’re dead. But all in all, I hung in there. … I didn’t hit it real close today. The wind was a little tricky on the back nine.”

Maggert had four birdies and a bogey.

“Up and down today,” Maggert said. “I think the golf course played a couple shots harder today. I hit the ball great. I didn’t even struggle with the ball-striking. … I was trying to press a little bit on the back nine, trying to make up a little ground. But it was good. Gusty wind, and also the direction was shifting quite a bit, so that made shot selection harder.”

The Woodlands resident and former Texas A&M player led the tour with four victories last year, including major wins at the U.S. Senior Open and Regions Tradition. He won three times on the PGA Tour.

“I had a great career, and it’s different now,” Maggert said. “I think the difference is, when you’re younger, we’re all out here trying to prove things to ourselves and now, it’s more like there’s not a lot left to prove. I’d like to play well here tomorrow, but just going to enjoy the day and really looking forward to this week to jump-start my summer.”

Parnevik eagled the par-5 13th and had four birdies and two bogeys.

“The game didn’t feel good today, but putting felt a little bit better, even though I seemed to miss every short one,” Parnevik said. “Then, I holed two monsters, to sort of kind of even it out.”

The 51-year-old Swede is winless on the 50-and-over tour. He won five times on the PGA Tour.

“It’s great to feel the butterflies come alive,” Parnevik said. “All of a sudden you go, ”Oh, I have to focus on these shots.’ It’s different and it’s going to be fun tomorrow, just to be able to have a chance to win.“

First-round leader Mike Goodes was 6 under after a 72. Glen Day (68), Michael Allen (69), Grant Waite (69) and David Frost (70) were 5 under.

Canadian Stephen Ames (73) was in a tie for 8th at 4 under.

TAVARES, Fla. – Calgary’s Jennifer Ha won her second National Women’s Golf Association (NWGA) event on Friday at the International Club.

The 22-year-old Kent State alumna jumped out to the early lead after opening with a bogey-free 71 on Wednesday. The Team Canada graduate finished at 3-over par (71-72-76) to hang on for the two-stroke victory over Eileen Vargas of Winter Garden, Fla.

Ha led the field with 49 pars to lock up her second professional victory this season—she earned a one-stroke victory back in April at NWGA’s event hosted at the Timacuan Golf Club.

Ha’s win adds to an impressive streak of Canadian victories on the NWGA this season. Young Pro Squad’s Augusta James (Bath, Ont.) recorded two wins earlier in the year, followed by a win from Saskatchewan’s Anna Young at the end of April.

The next NWGA event takes place from May 10–12 at the Zellwood Country Club.

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