World No. 1 Lydia Ko will have some Canadian Ko-mpany at this summer’s U.S. Women’s Open. Victoria, B.C.’s Naomi Ko — no relation — has qualified to play in the biggest event in women’s golf. And it wasn’t easy.

Ko, an 18-year-old member of Canada’s national golf team who just completed her freshman year at North Carolina State University, topped a field of 48 players to earn the only spot up for grabs at a sectional qualifier Monday at The Home Course in Dupont, Wash., south of Tacoma.

Ko shot rounds of 74 and 67 to post a 36-hole score of three-under 141 and topped the field by two shots. She made four birdies on the back nine of her second round to overtake Caroline Inglis of the University of Oregon.

Now she prepares to play in the U.S. Women’s Open, which goes July 7-10 at CordeValle Golf Course in San Martin, Calif.

Ko had made three previous attempts to qualify for the U.S. Open.

“I’ve played in a lot of U.S. Open qualifiers before and never played well,” she told the Tacoma News Tribune after her round. “I just think it was because of my lack of experience, and being around (professionals) and not feeling … as good as them.

“This means a lot,” Ko said. “It will be something I can work toward throughout the summer, and have a goal.”

After three years on Golf Canada’s national development squad, Ko was named to the national team earlier this year. Last year, she tied for second at the Ontario Women’s Amateur, placed third at the Canadian Junior, tied for fifth at the B.C. Women’s Amateur and made it to the quarter-finals of the U.S. Junior Girls Championship. Ko won the 2014 B.C. Junior Girls title.

Ko, who plays out of Royal Colwood Golf Club, was named Sport B.C.’s Junior Female Athlete of the Year for 2014.

In celebration of this weeks THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass, we thought we’d share this footage of Rickie Fowler hitting trick shots to the famous island green 17th hole. Enjoy the show!

If you’re a parent looking to get your kid into golf, the first place you should look is…in the mirror. Gone are the days when parents would drop their children off at their golf club in the morning with enough money for a hotdog and a Coke and pick them up at suppertime. Also gone, for the most part, is the opportunity for less-affluent kids to learn about the game by caddying.

Those were not the proverbial “good ol’ days,” at least when it came to developing junior golf. The first example was glorified babysitting for those parents fortunate enough to be members at a private club and the latter was by no means typified by the entertaining sequences in the movie Caddyshack.

In these “good new days,” there are ever-increasing opportunities for parents, golfers or not, to get their kids involved in golf and to watch them progress as far as their skill level and love of the game will take them.

Sorry, folks, but that’s the only time you’re allowed to sit back and watch. In order to introduce your kids to golf and keep them in it, it is your turn to get busy and do some homework.

1. DISCOVER JUNIOR GOLF OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE TO YOUR CHILD

“First and foremost, the onus is on the parents to find good programs to introduce and then to keep their kids in the game, if the child wants to do that,” says Doug Lawrie, an internationally respected junior golf instructor who is the owner and director of instruction at Focus Golf Group Academy in Burlington, Ont.

“The right program will guarantee an amazing, enriching, fun time for your child. And the instructor will be compassionate, caring, and will never forget that they are dealing with children. Ask questions, lots of questions. Ask your golfing friends, visit the golf facilities in your area. It’s an important decision.”

Finding the programming that suits your child’s specific situation is critical. “I’ve got seven-year-olds who are competing in world championships and 14-year-olds who are just taking up the game,” says Lawrie. “You can’t have a cookie-cutter approach for instruction based simply on age. You have to view each child as unique.” Lawrie’s advice is vital, and there are numerous online resources available on the Golf Canada website and through your provincial golf association.

2. LOOK FOR RECOGNIZED JUNIOR PROGRAMS IN YOUR AREA

You may be fortunate enough to live near a National Junior Golf Development Centre. A relatively new initiative, these centres (approximately 30) are located across Canada at golf facilities that are “doing all the right things,” says Dave Stockton, Golf Canada’s manager of sport development.

Conducted by specially trained PGA of Canada professionals, they offer programming for children five to 18 years old, covering everything from introduction to the game to competitive opportunities. “These centres offer a best-in-class experience, regardless of age or skill level,” says Stockton. “The instructors are committed to juniors and the centre is linked to at least one local school delivering the Golf in Schools program.”

The word “linked” comes up frequently when discussing the state of junior golf development with those leading the charge in Canada. Not only is it formalized in CN Future Links’ “Get Linked” program, wherein schools establish a relationship with a local golf facility, but it is mentioned often in reference to creating a golfing continuum for enthusiastic youngsters and their families.

“We need to build more bridges, not just between all our programs, but between golf and the community, and golf and kids and their families,” says Mike Kelly, executive director of the Golf Association of Ontario (GAO). For years, Kelly has been an innovative force in advancing the sport. For example, he was one of the instigators of what is now known as Golf in Schools, a program that involved nearly 2,800 schools across Canada last year.

“We’re missing a continuous, engaging pathway when it comes to growing the game,” says Kelly. “Why can’t a golf facility be like the local arena? You’ve got all ages and skill levels, the kids are all playing a sport they enjoy, parents are connecting with parents. We’ve got to stop living in our old golf world and start living in the real one.”

3. CONSIDER GETTING MORE INVOLVED BY BECOMING A COMMUNITY GOLF COACH

The GAO is launching a program called Building a Golf Community. The season-long pilot project, with the theme ‘Try, Learn, Play,’ is based in Barrie, Ont., and surrounding communities. The objective is to “get individuals of all ages and backgrounds playing golf and create a bridge between courses, community partners and golfers. The goal is to bring more people to the game and keep them playing for life.”

As one aspect of the initiative, several students in Georgian College’s Professional Golf Management Program will be trained in 2017 as Community Golf Coaches, under a program unveiled a year ago.

As a parent, if you want to share in your child’s golf development, you might make an ideal Community Golf Coach. This joint initiative of Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada is open to individuals who are not members of the PGA of Canada. They must complete a two-day workshop with both classroom and outdoor components to enable them to deliver the CN Future Links Learn to Play program.

As a result, they will play a vital role in supporting other volunteers and PGA of Canada members at club-level junior programs by assisting with the administration and/or delivery of the program.

“There are ideal candidates for this program right across the country,” says Glenn Cundari, the PGA of Canada’s technical director. “They are parents or other passionate people who are likely already helping out with junior programs at courses that may or may not have a PGA of Canada professional. The fact of the matter is that there just aren’t enough PGA of Canada pros to successfully engage all the kids who want to play golf, so that’s where the Community Golf Coach comes in. Let’s give them proper training and let them facilitate that first step into a lifetime of golf.”

“While some facilities view junior golf programs, camps and clinics as a hassle, theirs is a very short-sighted perspective,” says Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s chief sport officer. With the right programming, he says clubs can foster a family environment that can enhance customer acquisition and retention for years to come. “We’ve heard some great stories, clubs that went from practically zero junior members to 200 or 300.” Contingent to that success is quality instruction and appropriate pricing, of course. Engaging more golfers and new enthusiasts must take priority over a potential revenue stream.

4. SUPPORT YOUR CHILD AND THE INSTRUCTORS

Finally, parents, don’t succumb to the common pitfalls of raising children in athletics. Let the teachers teach and you specialize in being mom or dad. If you’re doing your homework and your local community’s golf facility isn’t involved in Golf in Schools or doesn’t know how to become a National Junior Golf Development Centre, ask them why not. If your local golf facility doesn’t have a junior program, find out why. Sign up to be a Community Golf Coach. Get some answers from Golf Canada, your provincial golf association or a PGA of Canada professional.

There will be a quiz later.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

Aside from asking all the right questions, there are extensive online resources for parents who want to encourage their kids in golf. The most comprehensive is available at juniors.golfcanada.ca.

There you will be asked to enter your postal code in order to find local junior golf opportunities. There are descriptions of all Golf Canada/PGA of Canada junior programs under the categories Learn, Play and Compete.

“Learn” includes Camps and Clinics, Golf in Schools, Instruction, Girls Club, Community Golf Coach and Long-Term Player Development. “Play” covers Junior Leagues, Development Centres, CN Field Trip Program, Golf in Schools Pro Visit, Junior Memberships, Equipment and Junior Skills Challenge. “Compete” explains National Development Squad, National Junior Order of Merit, Provincial Order of Merit, Provincial Teams and Financial Assistance.

The information at learntocompete.golfcanada.ca is geared toward coaches and instructors but is of considerable value to parents who want to understand what the future may hold for their young golfer. Many communities have instructors who specialize in juniors. But before you sign your child up, do some research. Ask for references. More importantly, says Chad Rusnak, director of golf operations at the Golf Canada Calgary Centre, look for “passion, engagement and dedication. Not every instructor is suited to teach juniors. Make sure you get one who is.” His facility, one of several National Junior Golf Development Centres in Alberta, welcomes up to 500 juniors into its Learn to Play program every year.

Every province has junior tours that typically offer fun, competitive events for golfers of varying abilities and ages. A quick Google search will show you if there is one in your locale or reach out to your provincial golf association or Golf Canada for resources to enhance your junior’s golf experience.

ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL

As Doug Lawrie, recently recognized for the third straight year as one of U.S. Kids Golf top 50 junior instructors in the world, points out, “You can’t have a cookie-cutter approach for instruction based simply on age.”

But while that applies to individuals, Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada developed the Long-Term Player Development guide in conjunction with leading experts from all sectors of sports as a road map to golfing satisfaction and success. The second iteration of this leading-edge guide was released in 2015 and describes seven age-based “developmental stages of the competitive pathway” under the heading “Golf For Life: Active Start, Fundamentals, Learn to Golf, Introduction to Competition, Learn to Compete, Train to Compete and Compete to Win.” You can board and disembark this train at any point. It is not just for elite players. It is a guide for education and engagement for golfers of all ages (literally from the cradle to the grave) and all abilities. It also outlines the important role that parents, instructors, coaches and golf facilities play in the development of a golfer.

Although intended more for coaches and instructors, parents with a promising young golfer will find it educational from many perspectives, not the least of which is the comments from leading authorities on how to handle a young athlete…and how to behave as the parent of one.

Time for parents to pitch in This article was originally published in the April 2016 edition of Golf Canada Magazine. To view the full magazine, click the image to the left.

In Canada we are blessed with beautiful landscapes and a seemingly endless choice of fantastic golf courses but we have a much shorter season than most of us would like. While not ideal, this hiatus allows time in the off-season for the short-term results to be less important.

One of the best changes you can make in the winter is to your grip because of the time it takes to become comfortable. For the majority of players, a strong grip (positions not pressure) produces a right to left shape and a weaker grip produces a left to right shape. However, Hall of Fame members who were faders of the golf ball often had a strong grip, which flies directly in the face of this information.

The correct grip is much more than how many knuckles are visible and an often overlooked angle at address could be your way to have improved positions at impact. There will be some experimentation here to see what works for you and I would encourage you to work with your PGA of Canada professional to make this fast and efficient.

In these two pictures above featuring Team Canada’s Maddie Szeryk, you will see two grips (A & B) that are viewed as being strong (three knuckles clearly visible). While these two grips look similar in terms of knuckles they have the potential to produce different flights based on the angle created between the lead arm and the hands.

Now let’s look at photos C and D. The positions at the top look different (wrist angles and clubface orientation) because they have maintained the highlighted angle that was created at address. In picture C the wrist angles mirror those at address in picture A and you can see the difference between this clubface and the clubface in picture D (D is functionally more closed).

If both of these swings return the club with a relatively flat left wrist at impact (one of golf’s few non-polarizing points of instruction) then the face would point in two very different positions at impact. The face has the most influence over the start line of the ball and is critical to achieving the desired direction.

There is no universal grip that is perfect for everyone but there is one grip that works best for you. Think not only about the amount of knuckles showing but also the angle between the lead hand and the club.

As you will likely be indoors, a mirror can be your best friend in trying to recreate these positions both at address and at the top. One of these may feel very foreign to you but it may also be the key to getting your ball started in the direction you want. Practise creating the angle you desire by thinking of your normal shot type and recreating the one you need.

Get a grip This article was originally published in the April 2016 edition of Golf Canada Magazine. To view the full magazine, click the image to the left.

Ten years ago on the final time The Players Championship was played in March, before moving to May in 2007, it was Canadian Stephen Ames who captured his second PGA Tour title at the iconic event.

After three rounds, Mike Weir was just three shots back and tied for fourth. It was shaping up to be a Canadian Sunday before Weir faded and Ames pulled away from the pack for an eventual six-shot win, his biggest on the PGA Tour at an event many dub the ‘Fifth’ major – thanks to its tremendous field and recognizable, challenging course (the TPC Sawgrass ‘Stadium’ course, which has hosted each iteration of the event since its inception in 1982.

This year will mark the 42nd playing of the PGA Tour’s marquee event, and even though a decade has gone by since a Canadian victory, there will still be the usual contingent of today’s Canadian PGA Tour stars like Graham DeLaet, David Hearn, Nick Taylor, and Adam Hadwin in the field.

And, there’s no shortage of Canadian connections to the event in Jacksonville, FL.

“Thousands of international travelers come to Northeast Florida every year for The Players Championship, and, historically, Canadians have always been at the top of the list,” explains Players Championship tournament director Matt Rapp.

The Players has consistently had the strongest field of any golf tournament on the calendar, including the major championships. This year, the rumour mill is swirling if Tiger Woods will be making his return to professional golf at The Players, beginning May 12th.

However, even without Woods (who is a two-time champion), and after Rickie Fowler’s history-making finish in 2015 (trailing by five shots with only six holes left, Fowler played the final six holes at 6-under-par to force a playoff. He went on to win the playoff after landing his tee-shot on the par-3 17th five feet from the hole), the 2016 edition of the tournament is set to be another strong one.

“The tournament draws the best field in golf every single year. The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass offers the purest test in golf – challenging everyone and favouring no one,” explains Rapp. “The fact that the best players in the sport come to compete on golf’s greatest stage sets this tournament apart from any other event all year.”

Rapp also says the tournament will also introduce a new fan experience for 2016 called ‘The PLAYERS Club’ where a special ticket gives fans access to the clubhouse, special suites on the iconic 17th and 18th holes, unlimited food and beverages, valet parking, and a $500 gift card to the golf shop.

“This provides that ultra-luxury hospitality experience some fans are looking for,” says Rapp. “It’s a perfect setting for any trip,” states Rapp. “There’s access to miles of beautiful beaches and world-class accommodations just minutes from the course. If you’re a golfer, there are more than 70 courses in the area to play. Mix in great dining options, and it makes for a special visit.”

Graham DeLaet is also hoping his fifth visit to The Players is a special one. Canada’s highest-ranked male golfer’s best finish at TPC Sawgrass is a tie for 26th.

This year’s Players comes during a busy stretch for DeLaet, and he recently told the Canadian Press that staying mentally sharp will be the key for him, especially around the difficult TPC Sawgrass layout.

“Physically I’ve been feeling really good this year, probably the best I have been while on the PGA Tour,” he told the wire service. “I’ve been able to practice more than I have been in the past. It’s more on the mental side that I need to stay ready.”

With Canadians in the field looking for a victory, a past Canadian champion, and some fine hospitality awaiting Canadians to chose to visit Jacksonville, Rapp says it’s an idyllic time to consider adding The Players to your list of tournaments to visit in the future.

“It’s a bucket list item for many to be here in-person, and will certainly be no different this year,” he explains.

Click here to learn more about The Players Championship.

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.