OTTAWA – Growing Canadian golf brand, TheTurn Tee, has partnered with another Canadian on the rise, Augusta James.

James, a former Canadian Women’s Amateur Champion and winner of the Symetra Tour’s 2015 Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial finishing T4 this past week, has signed a multi-year agreement with the Ottawa, Ontario-based brand.

The 23 year-old from Bath, Ontario is currently in 11th place on the 2016 Symetra Tour money list and already has two wins to her credit this season on the National Women’s Golf Association Tour. Her recent addition of the TheTurn Tee to her game has had an immediate impact.

“I am very excited about my new partnership with TheTurn Tee, “ says Augusta. “My favourite club in the bag is my driver so to have the perfect tee to go with it is huge. I love the consistency it gives me with the height of the ball. The first week I put it in play I won so I am excited to keep that momentum going this year!”

Introduced to the market just over two years ago, TheTurn Tee has continued to grow in reputation. The durable 3” poly-carbonate tee was developed and is made in Canada. It is fully adjustable, allowing golfers to set the tee height perfectly each time. Augusta James is using it in the #5 setting.
She joins Web.com Tour member Brad Fritsch who has been using TheTurn since 2014 as a member of TheTurn Tee team; Fritsch went on to win in a playoff at the Web.com Tour’s most recent event, the Servientrega Championship.

Aligning with athletes that have a similar focus is important to TheTurn Tee owner, Jeff Garber.

“This is a journey shared by a Canadian start up business and an athlete on a mission,” Garber shared in regards to the decision to partner with Augusta James. “Working with a quality individual with such a strong reputation within the Canadian Golf community speaks volumes as to what this translates into when it comes to establishing, growing, and building a quality brand.”

He added, “Having a high calibre golfer that is doing what it takes to earn her LPGA card is exciting. In order to get where she wants to be she needs resources and support. TheTurn Tee is in a position to provide this for her.”

In 2015 James narrowly missed advancing to the LPGA Tour after finishing 12th on the Symetra Tour Race For The Card. With her play of late, and the support of TheTurn Tee, the goal is to take that next step

Garber explains, “Expectations are high that Augusta will be an outstanding representative and brand ambassador for TheTurn each and every time that she tees it up. We welcome Augusta on board as part of our team and wish her tremendous success in pursuit of her LPGA card!”

Golfers from coast to coast now have improved access to Augusta’s tee of choice, TheTurn, as the product is now available in Golf Town stores across Canada.

TheTurn is available in five distinct packages, each includes eight tees; Traditional White, Olympic Medals, White/Neon, White/Purple, and White/Blue.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Branden Grace has had his share of big moments. He believes winning the RBC Heritage is his biggest, by far.

The 27-year-old South African had won 10 times overseas, finished in the top five last year in the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, and went 5-0 for the International team at the Presidents Cup. On Sunday, he shot a 5-under 66 to overtake Luke Donald for his first title on the PGA Tour.

“This really puts the cherry on top of the cake,” Grace said. “And I’m excited for things to start.”

Grace has already fashioned a very accomplished career. He’s 14th in the world ranking and three of his seven career wins on the European Tour have come since 2015.

“I can tick this one off the box and head into the next couple of majors trying to win it,” he said. “I have one notch, I’ve done it before and I can do it again.”

Grace trailed leader Luke Donald by three shots when the round began, but wiped out that deficit by the turn with five birdies. Grace took the lead for good with consecutive birdies on 12 and 13.

He overcame a final challenge on the 16th hole, rolling in a 12-foot par putt to maintain a three-shot lead. A hole behind, Donald lipped out a birdie try. He could get no closer.

Grace finished at 9-under 275, two shots ahead of Donald and Russell Knox. Donald shot a 71, and Knox had a 67.

Grace earned $1,062,000 and a PGA Tour exemption through the 2017-18 season, which he said was a weight off his mind and will allow him to comfortably contend without worrying about keeping his tour card.

Grace also became the latest to rally past hard-luck leader Donald at Harbour Town Golf Links. The Englishman has finished second four times and third twice in the past eight events here.

Brandt Snedeker shot a final-round 64 to catch Donald and win in a playoff in 2011. Matt Kuchar shot a 64 in 2014, overtaking Donald for the win with a chip-in from the bunker on the 72nd hole.

Donald said Saturday after taking a one-shot lead he’d need to be aggressive and make birdies. That did not happen. He settled for pars on the opening six holes, while Grace moved in front with four birdies on the same stretch.

Donald got to 8 under with a birdie on the seventh hole, then quickly gave it back on No. 8 when he drove in the water and took bogey.

He caught Grace one final time with a ninth-hole birdie, but could not keep up with the South African.

“I think I’ve got to put myself three or four behind on Sunday,” Donald said. “Leading doesn’t seem to be working out for me.”

Although Donald earned $519,200 and moved past five-time RBC Heritage champion Davis Love III for second in tournament winnings here with $3,063,520.

Graham DeLaet, of Weyburn, Sask., was the top Canadian, finishing tied for 14th at 2-under 282. DeLaet shot par on Sunday. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., moved up 25 spots on the leaderboard to tie for 30th following a 4 under in his final round.

Bryson DeChambeau, the former SMU star who won the NCAA and U.S. Amateur last year, tied for fourth in his first event since turning pro, four shots behind Grace after a 68. Kevin Na was tied with DeChambeau after a 69.

Top-ranked Jason Day rebounded from a season-worst 79 on Saturday with a 68 to tie for 23rd at 1 under. He now gets a week off before returning to play at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, starting on April 28. He said he’ll use the time to refresh his mind and improve his fitness, which he said got a bit loose during this last run of tournament golf.

Not that it hurt him on the course. In the past month, Day won the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the World Golf Championship’s Dell Match Play event. He tied for 10th at the Masters and shared the 36-hole lead at Harbour Town until his third-round blow up.

His finish was his third round in the 70s this week. “A lot of positive stuff” at the tournament, Day said. “I’ve just got to get back, just rest my mind, rest my body and try and get back in the swing of things.”

FT. MYERS. Fla. – Sweden’s grinded on a very windy Sunday at the Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial to capture her first professional victory.  The 23-year-old posted a 3-over 75 to win by one shot at 9-under 279. Sophia Popov (Heidelberg, Germany) finished second and Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong (Thailand) took third at 5-under 283.

Four-time LPGA Tour winner Lorie Kane won the Legends Tour event by three shots at 1-under 143. The 51-year-old Canadian had a 1-under 143 total and earned $19,500. Barb Mucha was second after a 73, and Jane Crafter was another stroke back after a 74.

The first place Symetra Tour check of $30,000 moves Sagstrom to first on the Volvik Race for the Card money list at $52,914 through just three events. Sagstrom becomes the fastest player in the history of the Symetra Tour to cross the $50,000 mark in single-season earnings. In 2015, Giulia Molinaro was the first player to reach $50,000 and she didn’t cross that mark until the Fuccillo Kia Championship, which was the 15th event of the year.

“It feels great, I feel so good at the moment and I had such a great time on the golf course today,” said Sagstrom, who was the 2015 SEC Player of the Year at LSU. “It was definitely tough, but we played pretty well and I had such a good time.”

On a day filled with heavy winds, Canada’s Rebecca Lee-Bentham carded a 4-under 68 on Sunday to finish T8. Bentham’s 68 was the only round in the 60’s.

“I went out there and played like I had nothing to lose,” said Bentham, who was plagued by injuries in 2015 and lost her LPGA Tour status. “I made a birdie on the first hole and from then on I hit everything close and gave myself chances. I never really had to grind for par.”

Bentham, a former Team Canada Young Pro member, finished T4 in last week’s Florida’s Natural Charity Classic, where she carded a 3-under 69 on the final day. She started her first round off with a 4-over 74 and then posted back-to-back 69’s.

This week, she carded a 6-over 76 in the first round and once again played her best on the weekend.

“It’s kind of my trend,” said Bentham. “I always start on a bad round and then work my way up on the leaderboard.”

Coming off last year, where Bentham held conditional status and battled injuries, the Toronto native is focused on making the top ten on the Volvik Race for the Card money list.

“Last year was tough,” said Bentham. “I’m focused on making the top ten this year.”

Her strong finish this week moved her to eighth on the money list.

Augusta James of Bath, Ont., finished 4th and was the top Canadian.

NAPLES, Fla. – Team Canada’s Tony Gil added another trophy to the shelf on Sunday, rallying to win the Terra Cotta Invitational hosted at the Naples National Golf Club.

The University of Houston commit began the day two strokes off the pace set by leaders Andy Zhang of Reunion, Fla. and Andrew McCain of Jacksonville, Fla. Gil found himself still two strokes back on the 16^th hole, until both Zhang and McCain bogeyed two of their final three holes to leave the door open. Gil jumped on the opportunity, birdying the par-5 18^th to seal the come-from-behind victory. He closed the tournament at 2-under par (72-71-71), with Zhang finishing alone in second at 1-under (71-70-74).

Former Team Canada member Matt Williams of Calgary also made his mark in Naples, cracking the Top-10 with a T9 finish at 7-over par. Alistair Tidcombe of Wolfville, N.S., came in at T33 and Team Canada’s Eric Banks of Truro, N.S., struggled to end at T62.

The Terra Cotta Invitational is a “B” ranked event on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), featuring many of the world’s top amateurs and boasting past champions such as Bud Cauley and Matt Kuchar.

Click here for full scoring.

Tony Gil with the birdie on 18 to take the lead at @terra totaling pic.twitter.com/rlO6CyK0wJ

— Greg Hardwig (@NDN_GHardwig) April 17, 2016

DULUTH, Ga. – Woody Austin’s Sunday putter came through again.

Austin tied the tournament record with an 8-under 64 and beat Wes Short Jr. with a par on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff in the PGA Tour Champions’ Mitsubishi Electric Classic.

The 52-year-old Austin has two victories in the last three events on the 50-and-over tour, also winning in Tucson, Arizona, last month. In each win he switched putters for the final round.

It’s an example of why he said “I’m not a normal person when it comes to golf.”

“I do everything quite different than most golfers,” Austin said. “I’m not a range guy. I don’t even go to the range an hour before my round.”

Austin also didn’t go to the range after his 64, instead sitting in the clubhouse for about an hour as Short and others finished. The televised coverage of the tournament kept showing Austin munching on popcorn.

Austin didn’t hear the commentators speculate about why he wasn’t warming up, because he wasn’t even watching the tournament.

“I went in the clubhouse because I wanted to watch the Cavaliers-Pistons game,” he said. “I’m a sports junkie. I was more happy watching that. That keeps my mind off what is going on.”

Austin won the 2013 Sanderson Farms Championship at age 49 for the last of his four PGA Tour titles. His win in Tucson last month was his first on the senior tour.

Austin said his Sunday putter – the same style but black instead of silver – has earned a try in the first round of his next tournament.

Short bogeyed the second playoff after pulling his tee shot left into tall grass for the second time.

“You can’t hit it left,” Short said. “I mean, I’m dead. I knew it as soon as I hit it both times. … I didn’t think I’d be tree-locked on the second time, though.”

Short finished with a 68. He could have avoided the playoff at TPC Sugarloaf, but missed a 6-foot birdie putt on No. 18, leaving him tied with Austin at 11 under. That missed putt may have been more painful than his errant drives on the playoff holes.

“It was very makeable,” he said. “I pushed it. As soon as I hit it, I knew. That kind of stings.”

Paul Goydos had a 67 to finish third at 10 under. Joey Sindelar (67), Tom Lehman (67), Miguel Angel Jimenez (68) and Colin Montgomerie (69) were another stroke back.

Bernhard Langer shot a 67 to tie for 11th at 6 under, ending his streak of five top-10 finishes on the tour this season. He had one win and two second-place finishes in the tournament’s first three years.

Tom Watson, the 66-year-old star who shared the first-round lead a week after playing in his final Masters, closed with a 68 to finish 4 under.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Team Canada Amateur Squad member Josée Doyon carded a final-round 76 on Sunday to share runner-up honours at the Lady Buckeye Invitational.

Doyon, the reigning Quebec Women’s Amateur champion, closed the tournament at 2-under par (70-68-76) to collect her third Top-5 collegiate result this season. The St-Georges-de-Beauce, Que., product held the lead through 36 holes but a 4-over par effort on Sunday at the Scarlet Course spoiled her bid to repeat as medalist. Champion Camille Chevalier (Indiana University) of France was the one who stole the show, shooting up the leaderboard with a closing 68 (-4) for the one-stroke victory.

The Kent State senior, led the Golden Flashes to a five-stroke cushion for the repeat team victory. The win marks the fifth title this season for the women’s squad, who will lay it all on the line next week at the Mid-American Conference Championship from Apr. 22–25.

Click here for full scoring.

KAPOLEI, Hawaii – Minjee Lee won the Lotte Championship on Saturday for her second LPGA Tour title, closing with an 8-under 64 for a one-stroke victory.

The 19-year-old Australian played a seven-hole stretch in 6 under with a chip-in eagle on the par-5 13th and four birdies. She rebounded from a third-round 74 to finish at 16-under 272 at Ko Olina.

“Yesterday I spoke to my coach and he was like, ‘You’re only five back. Just shoot 8 under and you’ll be fine,'” Lee said. “And I shot 8 under, so that was good.”

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., tied for 10th at 10 under to extend her top-10 streak to seven events. The 18-year-old closed with a 68.

Third-round leader Katie Burnett and U.S. Women’s Open champion In Gee Chun tied for second.

Lee made an 11-foot birdie putt on the par-4 17th and got up-and-down for par from short of the green on the par-4 18th, holing a 6-foot putt.

“I think after I went eagle-birdie-birdie, I think the second birdie I was like, ‘Oh, I’m going to be really close,” said Lee, projected to move up 17th to 12th in the world ranking. “I just did all I could do, and here I am.”

She won the Kingsmill Championship last year in Virginia.

“Definitely a big confidence boost,” Lee said. “Last couple of weeks I was there, but not quite there. Now my game seems to be coming together really well.”

Burnett shot a 70. She lost the lead with a three-putt bogey on the par-3 16th, then missed a 6-foot birdie try on 17 and a long birdie putt on 18. The 26-year-old Georgia player, winless on the tour, led most of the day, going bogey-free for 40 holes before dropping a shot at No. 7.

“I don’t think I gave it away by any means,” Burnett said. “That’s something, last year I struggled in the final rounds, especially when I had been playing well. So, to have played well today was really good for me. … I don’t necessarily feel like I lost the tournament. I feel like Minjee just won it. Eight under, I mean, that’s pretty solid.”

Chun finished with a 67, missing a 16-foot birdie try on 18.

“Very tricky on the green,” Chun said. “I try enjoy my game, so I’m still happy.”

She tied for second for the second straight event after sitting out a month because of a back injury. She was hurt when she was struck by a hard-case suitcase that rival South Korean player Ha Na Jang’s father dropped down an escalator at the Singapore airport.

Thailand’s Moriya Jutanugarn was fourth at 14 under after a 68.

Su-Yeon Jang was another stroke back after a 71. Playing on a sponsor exemption, the 21-year-old South Korean player was coming off a victory last week in the Korean LPGA event sponsored by Lotte.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko shot a 69 to tie for 23rd, her worst finish of the year, at 5 under. Ko won her last two starts in California and also has two seconds, a third and a tie for 15th this season. She will try to defend her title at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic next week in California.

Alena Sharp of Hamilton equaled her fellow Canadian’s final-round 68 to finish T39 at 3-under-par. Kelowna, B.C., native Samantha Richdale closed with a 77 to finish in 72nd place.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – For Luke Donald, it’s another chance to end his hard-luck history at Harbour Town Golf Links. For Jason Day, it’s a rare round to forget for the world’s No. 1 player.

While Donald took the lead Saturday at the RBC Heritage with a 2-under 69, Day – tied atop the leaderboard entering the round – had a season-worst 79 to fall nine shots behind.

“It’s obviously not the way I wanted to play,” said Day, the winner of two of his past three PGA Tour events.

It was exactly what Donald wanted at one of his most successful courses. He has mastered the swirling wind, tight fairways and really small greens better than just about anyone since 2009 with five top-three finishes over that span. The only thing he hasn’t accomplished? Victory.

He has learned from those close calls that he can’t sit back Sunday and allow others – like winners Brandt Snedeker did in 2011 or Matt Kuchar did in 2014 – to zoom past him as he pars his way home.

“I can’t sit back on my heels,” the Englishman said.

Donald was at 7-under 206 through 54 holes, a stroke in front of Jason Kokrak and Charley Hoffman. Kokrak shot 68 while Hoffman had a 71. Patton Kizzire shot a 71 and was another shot behind in fourth. British Open champion Zach Johnson, after a 70, was among three at 4 under.

Donald was a stroke behind when the round started and quickly moved up with three birdies on his first eight holes to reach 8 under. He bogeyed the 13th and trailed Hoffman by a shot. But Donald steadied his game with five straight pars over the windy back nine to get himself on top once more.

Donald has won more than $2.5 million at the RBC Heritage, the third-highest total. But he’s known as much for his disheartening defeats on Pete Dye’s tricky layout. Snedeker rallied from six shots behind Donald to force a playoff and win in 2011.

Three years later, Kuchar’s chip in from a bunker in front of the 72nd hole capped a four-shot comeback and left Donald, whose last of five PGA Tour wins came in 2012, in second once more.

“I think it’s a bit dangerous to say a place owes you,” Donald said. “Certainly, I’ve knocked on the door many times. I’d love to put that tartan jacket on tomorrow.”

One who figured to join the battle was Day, but his round went bad right from the start.

Tied for the top and playing in the final group, Day came up short of the first green and made bogey. Two holes later he drove into water after hitting some trees way right of the third fairway for a double-bogey 6. The wheels came off for good during an awful stretch around the turn – Day made five bogeys in a six-hole span.

His 79 was his highest round of the year and his worst showing in 63 rounds since an 81 last year in the second round of The Players Championship.

“I felt like there was a good score out there today if you hit it in the right spots,” Day said. “And unfortunately, I just kept missing it in the wrong spots.”

Day attempted to take his poor play in stride, signing autographs for fans behind the 18th green. After winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The WCG-Dell Match Play, finishing 10th at the Masters, Day said several times this week he was ready for a break – which the PGA Championship winner will get next week.

Hoffman also has a score to settle with Harbour Town. He was the 54-hole leader here in 2013, yet ballooned to a 77 in the final round. He looked like he would hold the lead after moving to 8 under, one up on Donald, with a birdie on the 16th hole. Yes, he missed a 6-footer for par on No. 17 and a 17-foot putt from the back fringe on No. 18.

“Hopefully, I can reach down deep,” Hoffman said. “I know I’ve done it before.”

Jason Bohn continued his up-and-down play in his first tournament back since a heart attack in February. Bohn ballooned to a 4-over 75 on Saturday – a round that including back-to-back double bogeys.

Boeing, the presenting sponsor, showed off another of its 787 Dreamliners to the RBC Heritage crowd. The sleek aircraft glided along the 18th hole over Calibogue Sound before leaving. It’s the fourth time the company, the presenting sponsor of the tournament, has showcased its aircraft with a flyover.

Past RBC Heritage champion Carl Pettersson was among seven players who missed the cut after the third round. New pro Bryson DeChambeau briefly got himself into the mix with three birdies on his first four holes. He made four bogeys after that and stands five shots back of Donald.

A 1-over 72 performance has Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., in a tie for 13th to lead the Canadian contingent. Abbotsford, B.C., native Adam Hadwin carded a 73 and sits T55. Fellow Abbotsford product Nick Taylor survived the third-round cut, but will not advance to the final round after shooting a 77 on the day.

DULUTH, Ga. – Wes Short Jr. shot a 5-under 67 on Saturday in the PGA Tour Champions’ Mitsubishi Electric Classic to take a lead into the final round for the first time in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event.

Short had a 7-under 137 total at TPC Sugarloaf for a one-shot advantage over Colin Montgomerie, Todd Hamilton and Mark O’Meara. Montgomerie shot 66, Hamilton 69, and O’Meara 70. Miguel Angel Jimenez, the 2014 winner, was 5 under after a 67.

Tom Watson, tied for the first-round lead at 68, fell back with two early double bogeys and finished with a 76. The 66-year-old Watson was seven shots behind Short.

Short, from Austin, Texas, won his lone PGA Tour title in Las Vegas in 2005. He took the 2014 Quebec Championship for his only PGA Tour Champions victory.

An even-par round has Rod Spittle of St. Catharines, Ont., in a tie for 25th, while a second-straight 73 has Calgary’s Stephen Ames at T46.

SOTOGRANDE, Spain – Mike Lorenzo-Vera of France shot a par-71 third round to take over the lead of the Spanish Open on Saturday.

The new leader, who has never won on the European Tour, eagled the 17th hole to build a two-shot advantage, but a bogey on his last left him one stroke ahead of a trio including Germany’s Martin Kaymer (71), Joost Luiten of the Netherlands (70), and Andrew Johnston of England (74).

“I’m very excited,” Lorenzo-Vera said. “I’m going to have a big nap tonight because it takes so much energy to stay patient here. I’m just going to try to relax and enjoy it as much as I can tomorrow.”

Defending champion James Morrison (74) and fellow Englishman Ross Fisher (72) were another shot back.

Heavy winds kept scores low at the Valderrama course for a second straight day. On Saturday, only Luiten and Alex Noren shot rounds under par.

Lorenzo-Vera, whose double bogey on No. 4 was sandwiched by birdies, said the key was to remain calm even when struggling to make par.

“I’m just trying to look at the pace of the leaderboard and accept that you’re going to have a lot of bogeys here,” he said. “A bogey on the hole is never really a bad score so you just try to accept it. Take the bogey and get out of there.”