ST ANDREWS, Scotland – A new manual giving guidance to golf clubs and golfers on ways of improving pace of play has been published today by The R&A.

The manual will be distributed to The R&A’s 152 affiliated organisations around the world and every golf club in Great Britain and Ireland. It will be available to download from The R&A website, www.randa.org/paceofplay, where further information, resources and related videos can also be viewed.

The new manual provides practical guidance in the three key areas of management, course set-up and player behaviour.

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “There is no doubt that pace of play is a key issue for golf today and one on which many golfers have strong views. Through the research exercise and the conference we gained some valuable insights into the views of players, administrators and officials involved in all levels of golf.

“We fully recognize that in a sport as diverse as golf there is no one-size-fits-all approach and so the new manual outlines approaches which have proved to be effective and offers some thoughtful solutions to day-to day pace of play challenges which can arise in golf. We hope the manual will prove to be a useful reference guide for clubs, competition organizers and players alike.”

The R&A carried out an extensive international survey into golfers’ views on pace of play in 2014/15 which attracted more than 56,000 responses from golfers in 122 countries. One of the key findings of the research was that 60% of golfers said they would enjoy golf more if they played in less time.

The findings were discussed at the Time for Golf conference last November, which was attended by professionals and administrators from throughout the world of golf and those discussions helped shape the new manual.

European Ryder Cup player Stephen Gallacher took part in a discussion session at the conference. Welcoming the launch of the new manual, he said, “I think this is an important step forward in providing some practical ways of improving pace of play. It was fascinating to hear different perspectives on pace of play at the Time for Golf conference and there was definitely a feeling that we should share some of the best approaches to dealing with the issue with a wider audience. The new manual gives some great examples of best practice and I would definitely recommend it to anyone involved in golf.”

BETHESDA, Md. – Tiger Woods grimaced as he took three warmup swings after sitting in a chair for 30 minutes on a cool, blustery Monday morning at Congressional talking about his upcoming tournament. Hitting a ceremonial shot from a forward tee on the par-3 10th hole, he chunked his first attempt into the pond short of the green.

He asked for another ball. That one splashed, too. With officials from his foundation egging him on, he tried one more time. The last one cleared the pond, but not by enough. It landed on a steep bank and rolled down into the water.

His efforts at Congressional – home to the Quicken Loans National, which he hosts and which benefits his foundation – put to rest most of the lingering questions about whether he’ll be ready to return to competitive golf anytime soon.

“I have been practicing at home, and I’m progressing nicely. I’m hoping to play,” Woods said. “That’s the overriding question I keep hearing: When are you coming back, when are you playing? I get it all the time. If I knew, I’d tell, you, because it’d be fun to know.”

Woods, who underwent two back surgeries last fall, said he’s getting stronger and hitting the ball better. The tournament at Congressional will be played June 23-26, the week after the U.S. Open, and it certainly appears that Woods will attend only in a noncompetitive role.

Woods, 40, hasn’t played since last August, and he’s fallen to no. 524 in the world ranking. He said Monday he can’t spend nearly as much time practicing as he used to. He’s been playing friendly games at Medalist, his home club in Florida, but he’s yet to play 18 holes, although he said he’s physically capable of playing a full round.

“Everything about my game is coming around. Now it’s just a matter of being consistent with it,” Woods said. “And then being able to do that not only at home against the boys at Medalist and trying to take their cash, but trying to come out here and doing it against the best players in the world is a completely different deal.”

If he were healthy, June would be a busy month for Woods, starting with the Memorial and then the U.S. Open at Oakmont, where he tied for second in 2007, followed by the Quicken Loans National, which he’s won twice. While Woods did not confirm that he would be absent from those events, he said it’s frustrating not to be able to play at places where he’s been successful.

“I want to play. Trust me, I want to,” he said. “The plan is to get well, and whether that’s by next week or it’s a year from now, I don’t know. My doctors don’t know, I don’t know.”

Woods also said he considered walking away from the game after his first back surgery, a microdiscectomy in 2014.

“Do I want to go through that whole process again of getting back? Some part of me said yes, some part of me said no. Because it is hard,” Woods said. “Nerve pain – if you’ve never experienced it, man, it’s something else.”

He said he no longer has any nerve pain, although he’s not pain-free.

Still, Woods believes he can still generate the same clubhead speed that he did when he was younger, and he showed little interest in changing his aggressive style of play to protect his body.

“Ironically enough, my speed’s higher than it’s been in a few years. And I’m not trying. My technique just changed. That’s a good sign. When I get stronger and I do crank it up, I’ll have the speed I used to have, which will be nice,” Woods said. “… Guys who are on the shorter side have success, but when they’re not quite on their game, they’re missing cuts.”

While sidelined, Woods has watched admiringly as his friend Jason Day has solidified his hold on the No. 1 ranking. The two are in touch frequently and Day, who won the Players Championship on Sunday, has spoken about the valuable advice he’s gotten from Woods.

“I think it’s fantastic how he’s playing, how he’s handling himself, how focused he is and how committed to improving” he is, Woods said. “He practices with purpose and you can see it when he plays.”

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – The final round of the 2016 CN Future Links Pacific Championship at The Dunes at Kamloops Golf Club unfolded in much the same way as the previous two – with the Junior Boys and Junior Girls fields in pursuit of Tony Gil and Mary Parsons. Neither would be caught as the pair completed wire-to-wire victories to open Golf Canada’s championship season.

Team Canada Men’s Development Squad member Tony Gil matched his opening-round 66 with another six-birdie performance. “I managed myself really well, strategically and mentally,” said the product of Vaughan, Ont. “Tee to green, I was really solid. I made a couple of long putts for birdie. Overall this week, my ball-striking was on point. I only made two bogeys which was quite nice. I’m pretty happy with how I played.”

The significance of the victory was not lost upon Gil. “This is my last CN Future Links event, so it means a lot to cap it off with a win. This was a huge confidence booster. To know that I’m shooting that low – this experience will be really useful for the World Junior coming up.” The Toyota Junior Golf World Cup will take place at Chukyo Golf Club in Toyota, Japan from June 11-17.

The 18-year-old Gil finished 16-under 200 – 10-strokes clear of Conaire Kehoe of Calgary, who tallied five birdies to match the 69 he posted on the first day. Two Calgarians finished tied for third at 5-under: Brendan MacDougall, who carded a 68, and Development Squad member Alexander Smith, who made four birdies, including three across a bogey-free back nine.

When asked about her play throughout the tournament, Mary Parsons credited her preparedness for the victory. “I felt I played pretty well. I stuck to my game plan and didn’t try to change anything out on the course.”

“I really wanted to start the (Golf Canada) season off strong because I’ve had a bunch of Top-5 finishes in the season openers,” added the 16-year-old when reflecting on the importance of the win. “I really wanted to make this one count because I want to make Team Canada this year. I just played my game and I just wanted to have a good showing this week.”

Entering the final round, Parsons from Delta, B.C., held a six-shot advantage over Team Canada Development Squad member Chloe Currie of Mississauga, Ont. Parsons finished with four birdies on the day to hold off Currie, who was unable to catch the leader despite a seven-birdie 3-under 69. Fellow National Team member Grace St-Germain surged up the leaderboard with a bogey-free 5-under performance to finish T3 alongside British Columbians Sumie Francois of Burnaby and Amanda Minni of Delta.

All competitors within the Top-6 in the Junior Girls division have earned exemptions into the 2016 Canadian Junior Girls Championship from August 2-5 at The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S. Joining Parsons in playing their way into the national amateur championship were Currie, St-Germain, Francois, Minni and Courtenay, B.C., native Abigail Rigsby.

As the competition’s top-six finishers, Gil, Kehoe, MacDougall, Smith, Chandler McDowell (Springbrook, Alta.) and Gavin Ciulla (Surrey, B.C.) have earned entry into the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship. McDowell claimed his exemption on the first playoff hole, while Ciulla emerged victorious on the third extra hole. The national amateur championship will be hosted by Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L., from August 1-4.

Tony Gil (Chuck Russell/ Golf Canada)

Five additional CN Future Links Championships will cross the country this summer:

• May 27-29 – CN Future Links Ontario – Midland, Ont. – Midland Golf & Country Club
• June 3-5 – CN Future Links Quebec – Beauceville, Que. – Club de golf Beauceville
• June 10-12 – CN Future Links Prairie – Neepawa, Man. – Neepawa Golf & Country Club
• July 4-6 – CN Future Links Western – Medicine Hat, Alta. – Medicine Hat Golf & Country Club
• July 12-14 – CN Future Links Atlantic – Fairview, P.E.I. – Countryview Golf Club

Additional information regarding the 2016 CN Future Links Pacific Championship can be found here.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Jason Day wanted to win The Players Championship so badly that he wasn’t going to let anything stop him.

Not the super slick greens that nearly derailed him Saturday. Not the three muffed chips that turned potential birdie into a unsettling bogey as he made the turn Sunday. And certainly not the best field in golf.

With another command performance, Day put his stamp on No. 1 in the world by never letting anyone closer than two shots in the final round, playing bogey-free on the back nine of the TPC Sawgrass for the fourth straight day and closing with a 1-under 71 for a wire-to-wire victory.

It was his seventh title in the last 10 months.

And the 28-year-old Australian wants to win a lot more.

“I want to be to be able to be looked back on and know that ‘he was one of the greats in the game.’ If I have the opportunity to do that, I’m going to try my best,” Day said after his four-shot victory. “And I have the opportunity to do that right now, try and work has hard as I can to really leave my footprint in this game.

“I’m very motivated to win as much as I can right now.”

He stomped his way all over everyone at The Players Championship, even though he had a few nervous moments.

Day made bogey on No. 6, had to make a 15-foot par putt on the next hole and really looked out of sorts from just 40 feet right of the green on the par-5 ninth. He muffed three straight chips and had to make a 6-foot putt just to escape with bogey, dropping his lead to two shots.

“If I walk away with a double bogey there, I let everyone (back) in the field,” he said. “I was right there next to the green in two and felt like an amateur chopping my way to the pin. That putt was probably the most crucial putt of this tournament for me.”

Two 15-foot birdies over the next three holes restored his margin and sent him on his way. The last hurdle was finding land on the island-green 17th, and he cleared the water with about 10 feet to spare.

Day’s seven victories dating to the Canadian Open include the PGA Championship, The Players, a World Golf Championship and a pair of FedEx Cup events, all some of the strongest fields in golf. He became the first wire-to-wire winner in 16 years at Sawgrass, and he joined Tiger Woods, Johnny Miller and Tom Watson as the only players to go wire-to-wire twice in the same season dating to 1970.

Day finished at 15-under 273 and earned $1.89 million, the richest payoff in golf.

Kevin Chappell, who finished one shot behind Day at Bay Hill, was 5 under over his final 10 holes for a 69. He picked up a consolation check of $1,134,000 and moves just outside the top 30 in the world, giving him a spot in the next two majors.

“That’s getting a little old,” Chappell said of his two runner-up finishes to Day. “I’m not sure what Jason’s scrambling stats were, but they were much better than mine on the week.”

Day got up-and-down 85 per cent of the time this week, best at Sawgrass.

He now has won 10 times on the PGA Tour – only Rory McIlroy with 11 has won more among players in their 20s.

“It’s no coincidence he’s No. 1 in the world,” Justin Thomas said after closing with a Sunday-best 65 to tie for third. “He drives it extremely far, extremely straight. He hits it to the moon, so he can access pins that most people can’t. His short game is ridiculous. I think I’ve pretty much covered it all there when it comes to the golf.”

Day is the third No. 1 player to win The Players Championship, joining Greg Norman (1994) and Woods (2001 and 2013).

Thomas, who started 11 shots behind, stuck around Sawgrass to see if 10-under 278 would have a chance. He wound up tied for third with Matt Kuchar (68), Colt Knost (69) and Ken Duke (72).

Canada’s David Hearn, of Brantford, Ont., shot a 71 on Sunday to finish tied for 28th at 3 under for the tournament. Adam Hadwin, of Abbotsford, B.C., tied for 39th at 1 under.

Hideki Matsuyama, playing in the final group with Day, was 3 over after three holes and quickly out of the mix.

The pressure didn’t come from anyone else. Day brought it on himself. He only hit three greens on the front nine, and let evil thoughts of blowing the lead creep into his head until he steadied himself with the bogey putt on No. 9 and the two birdies on the 10th and 12th holes.

Day now has a large lead in the world ranking over Jordan Spieth, who missed the cut, and McIlroy at No. 3, who was never a factor on Sunday at Sawgrass. Dating to his 81 last year at The Players to miss the cut, Day has finished out of the top 10 only seven times in his last 20 starts.

Adam Scott referred to his run as “Tigeresque.”

“That’s one of the hardest things to do when you are hot like that, to keep pushing,” Scott said. “But he has a very strong desire to achieve so much, and I think probably his goals are changing throughout this period, and he’s expecting more and more of himself. He’s got that ability to push himself and accomplish.”

RALEIGH, N.C. – Trey Mullinax won the Rex Hospital Open on Sunday for his first Web.com Tour title, shooting a 3-under 68 for a two-stroke victory over Brady Schnell.

“It’s unbelievable. I still can’t believe it. It hasn’t hit me, but it will,” said Mullinax, five strokes behind Schnell with nine holes left. “This year hasn’t been long, but it’s been hard on me, dealing with expectations and being able to come out here and just have a free attitude and do what I need to do.”

The 23-year-old former Alabama player finished at 14-under 270 at TPC Wakefield Plantation. He earned $117,000 to jump from 33rd to fourth on the money list with $154,486. The top 25 at the end of the regular season will earn PGA Tour cards for next season.

“I think winning kind of changes some things. When you win, it changes your whole year. You can take off, but I don’t feel like I want to even take off,” Mullinax said. “I’m playing well. I’ve got a good attitude. I’m enjoying what I’m doing and I really just want to keep doing this.”

After playing the front nine in 2 over, Mullinax birdied the next three holes and chipped in from 20 feet for eagle on the par-5 15th.

“I got it up there real close to the green and had a pretty easy chip,” Mullinax said about the eagle. “In my mind, I thought I could make it and when I chipped it, it kind of took a good bounce to the hole and it went in.”

He two-putted from 45 feet for par on the par-4 18th.

“I got up there, and the crowd was obviously having a good time, and some guy yelled, ‘If you two putt this, you’ll win,”’ Mullinax said. “I thought, ‘Hey, thanks buddy.’ As if this wasn’t hard enough.”’

Schnell shot a 72. He bogeyed the final two holes, three-putting from 50 feet on the par-4 17th and hitting into the back bunker on 18.

“Looking back on it, probably tried to make too many pars and got a little conservative and a little gun shy with some shots out there,” Schnell said. “Just kept leaving myself with too long of putts, too long of opportunities coming in.”

JT Poston had a 69 to finish third at 11 under. Cameron Percy (67) and Dominic Bozzelli (73) followed at 10 under.

Toronto’s Albin Choi tied for 10th at 7 under.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Erica Popson won the Symetra Classic on Sunday for her first Symetra Tour title, rallying for a two-stroke victory.

The 25-year-old former Tennessee player made a 6-foot birdie putt on the par-4 17th and parred the par-3 18th for a 2-under 70 and an 8-under 208 total at Raintree Country Club.

“I feel like I’ve been playing some good golf this year and putting myself up there, and kind of tanking, to be honest, on the last day,” Popson said.“

She earned $22,500 to jump from 45th to fourth on the money list with $27,946. The final top 10 will earn LPGA Tour cards for next season.

“I’ve been struggling for a long time,” Popson said. “To have something like this is, it’s unreal and definitely a big confidence-booster going forward.”

She birdied Nos. 3 and 6, bogeyed No. 9 and made seven straight pars before the birdie on 17.

“I hit a couple of bad wedges,” Popson said. “I chunked one on 9 and then I chunked another one on 10, both with wedges. I just kept telling myself, ‘Let’s write the good story this week and see what happens.’ I just come out with no expectations today. ‘Play the best I can and worry about me and see what happens.’ And it turned out pretty good.”

Second-round leader Kendall Dye tied for second with Jenni Jenq and Australia’s Emma de Groot.

A day after shooting a tournament-record 65, Dye birdied two of the last three holes for a 76. She birdied the par-5 fourth to reach 11 under, then played the next 11 holes in 7 over with two double bogeys and three bogeys.

Jenq shot a 68, and de Groot closed with a bogey for a 71.

Three Canadians tied for 5th spot. Augusta James of Bath, Ont. (76), Ann-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City (71) and Sara Maude Juneau of Fossambault-sur-le-Lac, Que., all finished at 5 under.

Money leader Madelene Sagstrom missed the cut after winning two of the first five events of the season. The Swede has earned $93,714 to join Cindy LaCrosse ($94,578 in 2010) and Vicky Hurst ($93,107 in 2008) as the only players in tour history to top $90,000 in a season.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Jason Day saw The Players Championship at its easiest and toughest, all in the span of nine hours Saturday on what felt like two golf courses.

He set a record when it felt like a shootout.

He was even stronger when the TPC Sawgrass turned into a battle for survival.

And when a long, wild and utterly exhausting day was finally over, the world’s No. 1 player could take solace that he still had a four-shot lead.

“I want to say this was the toughest day I’ve ever had to play in my life,” Day said after gutting out a 1-over 73 going into the final round. “I want to win this tournament so bad. I really do. … But right now, I’m just trying to focus on trying to play well tomorrow. I mean, that’s all you could do is just try to survive.”

The difference between morning and afternoon was more like night and day.

Day finished his storm-delayed second round with a 66 to set the 36-hole record at 15-under 199, and it appeared he would take aim at more records. And then it all changed. The PGA Tour rolled the greens one more time. The wind picked up. The air dried out. The sun baked out the course.

Suddenly, the greens were like putting on glass.

Day four-putted from 18 feet for a double bogey. He made another double bogey two holes later. But right when it looked like he would fall victim to the fierce conditions, the 28-year-old Australian played the final 10 holes with three birdies and seven pars to reach 14-under 202 and keep his big lead.

More than excited about a chance to win the PGA Tour’s premier event, he is worried about facing similar conditions Sunday.

“That would just ruin everything,” he said. “That won’t make it fun for … we were out there for nearly six hours today trying to play 18 holes. They made the course pretty much nearly unplayable. If they do make it like that, then I’m just going to have to grind my hardest to win the tournament, and I’m OK with that.

“I won’t stop until it’s done, and I can rest after that.”

It wasn’t unplayable for everyone.

Ken Duke in the round of a lifetime made six birdies over his last seven holes for a 65, which was more than 10 shots better than the average score. He was tied for second with Hideki Matsuyama, who made seven birdies in his round of 67. Joining them at 10-under 206 was Alex Cejka, who shot a 72 that felt much lower.

Canadians Adam Hadwin, of Abbotsford, B.C., and David Hearn, of Brantford, Ont., are 2 under and tied for 34th. Hadwin shot a 74 in his third round while Hearn had a 72.

“I don’t know what they did to the golf course overnight, but it was playing like a U.S. Open,” Cejka said. “It was just lightning-fast greens.”

Sixth of the 76 players who made the cut had a double bogey or worse.

There were 149 three-putts – or worse – in the third round. Sergio Garcia took six putts from just off the sixth green. Paul Casey took five putts from about 8 feet on the 15th hole. There was rare a lag putt. The putts wouldn’t stop rolling.

“A 10-foot putt felt like it was 60 feet away,” Day said.

There was still the traditional trouble at the Stadium Course. Russell Knox hit three shots in the water on the island-green 17th and made a 9 that ruined his round (he shot 80) and his chances. Kevin Chappell had to play his second shot with his feet on the planks framing the water on the 18th hole. Having made two eagles, he closed with a double bogey to fall six shots back after a 70 that felt a lot better.

Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson and defending champion Rickie Fowler all missed the cut when the storm-delayed second round was completed Saturday morning. Canada’s Nick Taylor, of Abbotsford, and Graham DeLaet, of Weyburn, Sask., also missed the cut. If there was a consolation, it was not having to take on Sawgrass and its scariest.

Two Canadians did make the cut. Abbotsford, B.C.’s Adam Hadwin had a 74, while Brantford, Ont.’s David Hearn shot 72. The pair are now tied for 34th at 2 under.

Day had his moments.

His first blunder was a four-putt double bogey on the sixth hole, which started with an 18-foot birdie putt that he nearly made. It could have been worse. His 5-foot putt for double bogey nearly spun out of the cup. He answered with a wedge to 2 feet for birdie, but then had more trouble off the green at the par-3 eighth. This time, he had to make a 6-foot putt for double bogey.

And while his card was clean on the back nine, the biggest break of all came at the 15th. He was short of the green in three, certain to drop at least two shots, when Day chipped in from just over 50 feet for par. Then, he pounded a 3-wood and hit a towering 8-iron to 6 feet on the par-5 16th. He missed the putt and had to settle for birdie, made a 10-foot par putt on the 17th and finished with a solid par.

One more round, and no one is sure what to expect now.

The average score the opening two rounds was 71.02. It was 75.59 on Saturday, helped by 86 scores of double bogey or worse. There were 163 rounds under par the opening two rounds, and only six on Saturday.

“To have two doubles on the front side and then play some nice golf on the back to really kind of keep that distance between me and the rest of the guys was nice,” Day said. “But really hoping they slow the greens down tomorrow.”

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – Blue skies and a beaming sun set the stage for the second round of the CN Future Links Pacific Championship. Mary Parsons and Tony Gil continued their fine play at The Dunes at Kamloops Golf Club, as each extended their leads atop their respective divisions.

Mary Parsons collected five birdies, including two across a bogey-free back nine, to reach 3-under 69 on the day. The native of Delta, B.C., is now 9-under for the tournament and tops the Junior Girls Division by six strokes. Team Canada Development Squad member and Mississauga, Ont., native Chloe Currie maintained her hold on second with a 1-under second-round performance that included five birdies.

An eagle and five birdies propelled Amanda Minni, also of Delta, B.C., from T6 into third-place at 2-under. Sumie Francois from Burnaby, B.C., collected seven birdies to card the low-round of the day – a 5-under 67.

Women’s Development Squad members Tiffany Kong (Vancouver) and Grace St-Germain (Orleans, Ont.) are tied for seventh at 3-over 147 alongside former teammate Alisha Lau of Richmond, B.C. Fellow British Columbians Hannah Lee of Surrey and Kathrine Chan of Richmond round out the National Team contingent and sit T12.

Tony Gil of Vaughan, Ont., opened the second round with consecutive birdies and would go on to collect four more en route a 4-under 68 performance. The Team Canada Men’s Development Squad member is four strokes clear of Surrey, B.C., product Po Su. The 16-year-old Su tallied nine birdies on the day to climb into second after beginning the round at T24. Ethan Choi of Pincher Creek, Alta., is third after shooting 69.

Calgary’s Alexander Smith, a member of the Men’s Development Squad, shot 68 to move into a tie for sixth. Completing the Team Canada quartet in attendance are A.J. Ewart of Coquitlam, B.C., and Charles-Éric Bélanger of Quebec, who are T14 and T29, respectively.

The top six competitors in the Junior Boys division will receive exemptions into the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship from August 1-4 at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L. In the case of ties, exemptions will be awarded via a hole-by-hole playoff. All finishers within the Top-6, including ties, in the Junior Girls division will gain exemptions into the Canadian Junior Girls Championship to be played at The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S., from August 2-5.

The final round of competition will see the Junior Boys Division begin the day at 7 a.m. PT before the Junior Girls take to the course at 11 a.m. PT. Additional information, including start times and scoring, is available here.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Kendall Dye of Edmond, Okla. carded a Symetra Classic tournament-record 7-under 65 on Saturday to take a one shot lead into the final-round on Sunday. Dye moved to 10-under, 134 and will aim for her second career win. Augusta James of Bath, Ont., drained a 30-footer on her last hole to shoot a 5-under, 67 and is 9-under, 135. Erica Popson of Davenport, Fla., turned in a 4-under 68 to move to solo third at 6-under, 136.

The cut was made at 1-over, 145 and 70 players will tee it up in groups of two on Sunday.

Dye made nine birdies on the day including three in a row to end the round.

“It was all about my putter,” said Dye, who one-putted the final five holes. “Normally, I find fairways and greens, but today it was hard work and I had to get up-and-down. Once I got a putter in my hand, I was making it or getting real close. It was nice to see them go in.”

Dye attempted just 24 putts on the day. For the first time in 20 plus years, Dye changed her putting grip this week.

“I was tired of insanity, doing the same thing over and over and not seeing the ball go in so I switched it up because it couldn’t have got any worse,” said Dye, who googled videos of Jordan Spieth. “I knew this course set up to my eye, it is a course similar to the one I grew up playing in Oklahoma City and you have to move the ball both ways and I love that.”

Dye struggled on the LPGA in 2015 and is off to a hot-and-cold start in 2016. She has one top 10 finish, but also missed back-to-back cuts in early April.

Dye and James will play in the final group on Sunday and tee at 1:10 p.m.

Golf Canada gave Special Olympics BC (SOBC) athletes and coaches the opportunity to showcase their abilities and hone their skills at the CN Future Links Pacific Championship in Kamloops on May 11.

Twenty-five golfers from SOBC – 100 Mile House, Kamloops, Kelowna, Quesnel, Surrey, Trail, and Victoria opened the day with a nine-hole competition, followed by a clinic for the athletes and SOBC coaches with a PGA of Canada professional to cover key lessons from the day.

The top-scoring female golfer was SOBC – Victoria’s Kelsey Simpson, and the top-scoring male golfer was Ryan Courtemanche of SOBC – Kelowna.

Golf is one of SOBC’s fastest-growing sports, and the support from Golf Canada provides great opportunities to help build the game.

“For the past two years we’ve been working with Golf Canada on a partnership, and this is the outcome of that partnership. This is the first time that Special Olympics athletes have been a part of their series,” Special Olympics Canada Vice President, Sport, Blair McIntosh told CFJC.

There are now 1,675 registered Special Olympics golfers nationally, including approximately 400 in B.C. The Special Olympics Canada 2014 Summer Games in Vancouver had the first National Games golf competition, and Special Olympics Team Canada 2015 marked the first time the national team included golfers.

This spring and summer, there will be great SOBC competition on greens and fairways around the province as Golf Regional Qualifiers are being hosted by SOBC – Creston (May 14), Kamloops (June 18), Surrey (July 2), Sunshine Coast (July 10 for Regions 4 and 5), Victoria (June 12), and Quesnel (June 25 to 26). For all except SOBC – Sunshine Coast, this will be their first time hosting Golf Regional Qualifiers. Competitors are seeking to advance to the 2017 Special Olympics BC Summer Games.

SOBC – Kamloops golfer Andrew Mitchell told CFJC that he first started playing golf at age six or seven, but subsequently stepped away from it, and Special Olympics brought him back in.

“I like being able to get out with friends and family members. It’s just kind of a fun game to play. You get better at it as you go,” Mitchell said.

SOBC – Victoria’s Scott Jones seemed to have a great day on the links in Kamloops.

“This is a great life. Golf is my dream, golf is my business, golf is my blood. Golf is my everything,” he told CFJC.