DALY CITY, Calif. – Haru Nomura shot a 2-under 70 in windy conditions Friday at Lake Merced to take the second-round lead in the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic.

The 23-year-old Japanese player had a 9-under 135 total for a three-stroke lead over South Koreans So Yeon Ryu and Na Yeon Choi and Australia’s Minjee Lee.

“Today very windy, so I thought today’s best score even par,” Nomura said. “So, I keep my patience, so I’m so relaxed, and a couple putts go in.”

She opened with 11 straight pars, then made 15-foot birdie putts on the par-3 12th and par-4 13th. She dropped a stroke on the par-4 16th after driving into the right rough and short-siding herself in the left greenside bunker, and rebounded with a birdie on the par-4 17th.

“I will try and keep the patience this weekend,” Nomura said.

Nomura won the Australian Women’s Open in February, pulling away to beat top-ranked Lydia Ko by three strokes for her first LPGA Tour title.

Ko was four strokes back at 5 under after a 71. The two-time defending champion birdied three of the first three holes, but bogeyed two of the last four.

“I knew with the wind getting up, I knew it would be tough,” Ko said. “Just seeing yesterday afternoon’s scores, I saw that the back nine played quite tough yesterday, and it kind of played the same. I don’t think it was because the holes are particularly more difficult. I think the fairways are a little tighter, so if you miss them, you’re having a tough time trying to scramble for par.”

Set to turn 19 on Sunday, the New Zealander already has two victories in California this year, winning the Kia Classic and ANA Inspiration – the first major of the year – in consecutive weeks.

Ryu, the first-round leader after a tournament-record 63, bogeyed four of her first five holes in rain and wind and finished with a 75.

“The weather was pretty bad until the sixth hole,” Ryu said. “It was like really strong wind and rain. Also the wind direction just keep changing, so it was really hard to judge where is the wind coming from.”

The 19-year-old Lee followed her opening 73 with a bogey-free 65 in calmer morning conditions.

“I just took advantage of the opportunities I had,” Lee said. “I just stayed patient. If I made a mistake, I tried to make up-and-downs, and I did today. Just chipped and putted well today.”

Lee won the Lotte Championship last week in Hawaii for her second LPGA Tour title. She took the 2012 U.S. Girls’ Junior at Lake Merced.

Choi had a 70.

“A lot of bogeys out there, but I tried to hang in there until the last hole,” Choi said. “I didn’t give up.”

American Gerina Piller also was 5 under after a 71.

Brooke Henderson was tied for 16th at 2 under after her second straight 71. The 18-year-old Canadian has seven straight top-10 finishes.

Third-ranked Lexi Thompson (74) and former Stanford student Michelle Wie (73) were 2 over.

No. 4 Stacy Lewis had a 76 to make the cut by a stroke at 4 under.

Fifty-five-year-old Juli Inkster also was 4 under in home event, shooting her second 74. Fellow area star Paula Creamer dropped out, following an opening 72 with a 78.

As we celebrate this year’s Earth Day, here are five facts about golf and the sport’s focus on the environment.

1. Golf courses are professionally-managed landscapes where environmental protection and preservation are important – from using water and nutrients efficiently to implementing improved methods of erosion control.
2. In general, the golf industry strives to deliver firm playing surfaces that are better for everyone and improve the bottom line. More than two-thirds of golf courses report that they are keeping turfgrass drier than in the past.
3. The golf industry is continually investing in research to identify drought-tolerant grasses and improve water conservation through best management practices.
4. Golf courses provide habitats for wildlife, including a number of protected species.
5. Many golf courses make use of recycling programs to reduce and reuse.

SAN ANTONIO – Brendan Steele topped the Texas Open leaderboard at 8 under through 13 holes Thursday when the first round was suspended because of darkness.

Steele, whose only PGA Tour victory came in the tournament five years ago, was unable to finish the opening round after play was delayed for 3 1/2 hours because of morning rain.

Among those who did finish, Charley Hoffman had a 6-under 66, a stroke ahead of Stuart Appleby and Peter Malnati.

Defending champion Jimmy Walker opened with a 75. Walker had four rounds under par last year in his hometown event to hold off Jordan Spieth in what was his last PGA Tour victory.

Spieth isn’t in this year’s field, the first time since he turned pro at the end of 2012 that he missed a Texas event.

When Steele returns Friday morning to complete the first round at the TPC Oaks Course, he could make a run at the course record of 63 set by Matt Every in 2012 and matched by Martin Laird in 2012.

There are a pair of Canadians in the field this week. Brantford, Ont.’s David Hearn was 1-over with 1-hole remaining. Abbotsford, B.C.’s Nick Taylor was 3-over thru 14 holes.

DALY CITY, Calif. – So Yeon Ryu shot a tournament-record 9-under 63 on Thursday to take the early first-round lead in the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic.

Playing in the first group of the day off the 10th tee, the South Korean player had seven birdies in an eight-hole stretch on the back nine and added two more on the front nine at Lake Merced.

“I was kind of lucky to tee it off really early,” Ryu said. “I had a really fresh green, no wind. Also San Francisco is really cold in the morning, but this morning it was just perfect temperature.

“I think today just everything was just great. My tee shot was great. I only missed one green today. I shot 17 greens. Putting was really good.”

Japan’s Haru Nomura was second after a 65. China’s Xi Yu Lin and the Netherlands’ Christel Boeljon shot 67, and two-time defending champion Lydia Ko topped the group at 68. Ko already has two victories in California this year, winning the Kia Classic and ANA Inspiration in consecutive weeks.

“Course is easy, whatever course she’s playing on,” the top-ranked Ko joked about Ryu. “Obviously, everything was going right today. For her to shoot a score like that, that’s really impressive.”

Ryu is winless since the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open. She also won the 2011 U.S. Women Open and 2012 Jamie Farr Toledo Classic.

“Every tournament, I really want to win” Ryu said. “I think it’s a bit too early to discuss about the result. We still have three more days.”

U.S. Women’s Open champion In Gee Chun braided Ko’s hair on the opening hole.

“I had my two bracelets and my hair tie and I was planning on braiding my hair before I played,” Ko said. “She was like, ‘Oh, doesn’t it bother you having stuff on your wrist? I said, ‘No, no.’ Well, the hair tie was for me to braid it. She was like, ‘Do you want me to braid it for you?’ I was like, ‘Sure. It’s going to end up way nicer than how I braid it.’ She did good. I told her, ‘It’s hairstylist In Gee.”’

Chun opened with a 71

Canadian Brooke Henderson also shot a 71. The 18-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., has seven straight top-10 LPGA finishes.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp had a 1-over 73, while Quebec’s Maude-Aimee LeBlanc struggled to a 6-over 78.

Lake Mary, Florida. – Saskatoon’s Anna Young picked up her first professional win today in the NWGA Tour event being held at Alaqua Country Club in Lake Mary, Fla.

Young carded rounds of 67-72-70 to finish 4-under par on the par 71 track.

“Today’s goal was to stay within each shot, not taking too many unnecessary chances,” said Young who carded one of only two rounds under par this morning.

Monifa Sealy carded the other sub par round of 68 to move up into second place.

For full scoring, click here.

A joint initiative between Golf Canada, the PGA of Canada and the Provincial Golf Associations, National Junior Golf Development Centres (NJGDC) are recognized as facilities that deliver premium, engaging environments for junior golfers aged 6–18.

To receive the shield, along with the added benefits and promotional perks, facilities are required to meet a set list of minimum standards.

New in 2016, each facility must staff at least one PGA of Canada coach that is certified within the Coach of New Competitor or Developing Competitor context of the National Coaching Certification Plan (NCCP).  For Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer, the decision comes at an important time for the initiative and for junior golf altogether.

“NJGDCs were created to showcase facilities that demonstrate the drive to deliver Long-Term Player Development compliant programming through expert PGA of Canada coaching,” he said. “We started with requiring a trained coach but as the initiative evolved, we enhanced the standards to include certified coaches leading the programming”.

Thompson went on to elaborate that the emphasis of the initiative lies primarily with programming and coaching over all else.

“This initiative is aimed at highlighting those committed to providing playground to podium programming that can accommodate juniors of all abilities and desires.  From those picking up a club for the first time through to those who are more serious about pursuing competitive golf—NJGDCs are structured to support a player’s full development.”

All NJGDCs are leaders in delivering Long-Term Player Development compliant programming, including CN Future Links, Learn to Compete and ongoing relationships with Golf in Schools sites.

Looking to find a NJGDC in your area? Visit the Golf Canada Juniors website.

Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa won’t be taking part in golf’s return to the Olympics this year, the third major champion to withdraw in the last week as the deadline nears to confirm participation.

Oosthuizen, who won the 2010 British Open at St. Andrews is No. 12 in the world, said Thursday he was pulling out because of family and scheduling issues.

“I have always represented South Africa with pride, so didn’t make my decision without a great deal of thought,” Oosthuizen said.

Adam Scott, the 2013 Masters champion and No. 7 in the world, cited the busy schedule around the Olympics when the Australian said Tuesday he was withdrawing.

Vijay Singh, a three-time major from Fiji, said last week he was not going to play. The 53-year-old Singh has not won on the PGA Tour for nearly eight years. By not playing, Fiji will not have a representative in Rio because no other male professional has any ranking points.

The International Golf Federation said in a statement, “We’re disappointed with the decision, but we respect the scheduling and personal reasons they cite.”

Potential golfers must submit on May 6 to Olympic drug testing, which is more stringent than the random testing on the PGA Tour. Candidates for the Rio Games are subject to testing at any time and must inform officials of their whereabouts.

Golf is returning to the Olympics for the first time since 1904, a 72-hole stroke-play event for 60 men and 60 women. Qualifying is based on the world ranking, with no country allowed more than two players if they are outside the top 15. Countries, such as the United States in men’s golf and South Korea in women’s golf, are allowed a maximum of four players if they are in the top 15.

Scott’s withdrawal means Marc Leishman (No. 34) would be the top candidate to replace him. The other eligible Australian is Jason Day, who is No. 1. Former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel of South Africa is No. 20 and would be the best bet to replace Oosthuizen. Branden Grace at No. 11 is the highest-ranked South African.

There is no team competition in Rio.

Jack Nicklaus, at a charity event for the Memorial, told Golf Digest on Wednesday that Scott not playing was “sad for the Olympics and for the game of golf.”

“I don’t know Adam’s circumstances, so I couldn’t comment on what he’s dealing with,” Nicklaus said. “Obviously, he felt like he couldn’t play, and if he felt that way, I understand. But it’s unfortunate. What I’m concerned about is that golf has a little bit of momentum going right now. If the guys don’t want to participate, then we might not be in the Olympics after this. They vote next year.

“And if they vote to keep golf in, then that’s great, but if not then we lose that momentum with growing the game.”

The men’s competition is Aug. 11-14, and it caps a hectic summer schedule. From the U.S. Open (June 16-19) through the PGA Championship (July 28-31), there are three major championships and a World Golf Championship at Firestone.

The British Open ends on July 17 at Royal Troon in Scotland. The RBC Canadian Open runs July 18-24 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont. The PGA Championship goes the following week at Baltusrol in New Jersey.

Nearly half of the men’s current field for the Olympics would then have one week off before the FedEx Cup playoffs begin in New York on Aug. 25. Three straight weeks of playoff events would be followed by one week off, the Tour Championship and then straight to Minnesota and the Ryder Cup for U.S. and European players.

Day, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy have all indicated they are looking forward to the Olympics.

Tennis faced similar issues when it went back on the Olympic program in 1988 at Seoul. Boris Becker and Mats Wilander withdrew with injury, while John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova declined to play.

With a schedule that will see him on the road for 180 days this year, there is little time to look in the rear view mirror for Tristan Mullally, Ontario and Canadian Coach of the Year for 2015, unless he’s sitting on an airplane.

One look at the travel itinerary for the Head Coach of Golf Canada’s Women’s National Amateur and Development Teams over the next couple of months will leave you breathless – and that’s just the lead-up to the four majors in five weeks in August and September that Mullally is preparing his girls for, as well as members of the Young Pro Program that he oversees.

This past weekend, Mullally made the trip to Ohio State University to see Canadians in action at the Lady Buckeye Spring Invitational where Team Canada Amateur squad member Josée Doyon finished T2. From there he will make stops in the coming weeks at the LPGA Tour stops at Volunteers of America Texas Shootout and the Marathon Classic in Ohio, a couple of Symetra Tour events in Albany NY and Michigan, NCAA Regionals and NCAA National Finals, the CN Future Links Pacific Championship in Kamloops, a National Team training camp in Toronto, the Women’s Western National Amateur Championship, the Porter Cup, the Women’s North & South Amateur Championship, several provincial championships, the Canadian Junior Girls’ and Women’s Amateur championships, the US Women’s Amateur and that is just a warm up to the most important stretch of golf for this year.

Canada’s top professional and amateur female golfers will be on the world stage at the Olympic Games in Rio from August 15^th to 21^st, the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open from August 22^nd to 28^th in Calgary, AB, the Manulife LPGA Classic from August 31^st to September 4^th in Cambridge, ON, the World Amateur Team Championships from September 14^th to 17th in Mexico and Mullally will be with them every step of the way.

“We have four majors in five weeks. It’s going to be a busy run. It’s make or break. I want these players to have success. They work very hard to try to have success and I want to help them achieve it. I think we have had lots of success from players across the board this year. The last four, five years, Brooke Henderson has stolen the limelight, but if you were to really dig down and look deeper you’ll also see some strong players just below her who I think will start to shine over the next couple of years,” says Mullally who was named 2015 PGA of Ontario and PGA of Canada Coach of the Year earlier this year.

Mullally initially turned heads when he moved his family from Ireland to Oakville, ON, in 2011 to take over as the women’s national coach, but since then the girls he has been coaching have been turning heads. “During my first year, one of my many program targets was to place one player in the top-100 of the world rankings, based on the team’s previous best performance, and last year every player in the program was within the top-100 with six inside the top-50,” Mullally says, noting that players he has coached have won on every female professional tour in North America in 2015 including; the Cactus Tour, the Suncoast Tour, the Canadian Women’s Tour, the Symetra Tour, and the LPGA Tour.

Many of the up-and-coming female Canadian players Mullally has coached over the last five years are showing great potential including; Brooke Henderson, Alena Sharp, Sue Kim, Augusta James, Rebecca Lee Bentham, Brittany Marchand, Jenifer Ha, Anne-Catherine Tanguay and Maude-Aimee Leblanc are now among the professional ranks.

Now there’s a new crew that’s starting to move through the national team program including; Hannah Lee, Kathrine Chan, Chloe Currie, Tiffany Kong and Grace St-Germain on the Development Team and Josée Doyon, Michelle Kim, Jaclyn Lee, Maddie Szeryk and Naomi Ko on the National Amateur Team.

“This is a transition year for the national team and I’m looking forward to seeing the next wave start to come through the system,” says Mullally, who grew up playing Gaelic football, hurling and golf in Ireland. The average player age is 18, but with girls developing at an earlier age than boys, Mullally keeps a close eye on those who are 15-years-old, or a year on either side of that. “When players come to our program a lot of time the bigger weaknesses are about how to actually play, they are not about how to hit shots. It’s actually getting out there and bringing a level of play to competition that we focus on. Success as a professional is not getting your card, it’s actually making money and having a good life on tour, not just playing a year or two, but making a career of it.”

When it comes to the overall approach to coaching, Mullally’s objective is to create pathways to success for as many players as possible. To do this, the 36-year-old, has created a team dynamic for his players to develop not only as individuals, but as a group of players who learn to support each other and may become friends. He has improved and increased consistency for player contact and personal coaching, introduced yoga and meditation to daily practice rituals, included the use of phone Apps to challenge the mental game, added pressure situations to training, streamlined the player support program, increased the use and analysis of stats and much more.

“I now visit players at their home, at their schools and at provincial tournaments rather than just Team Canada events, because it’s important to see them in a variety of settings. It makes for a busy schedule, but it also allows us to have a better picture of the athlete so we can help them get to the next level,” says Mullally, who enjoys spending time with his wife Yelena and their five-month old son when he’s not on the road.

By mid-summer most golfers avoid the 100 year-old maples that dot several of the fairways at Thornhill Golf and Country Club at all costs, but in the early spring, these leafless giants are a welcomed sight to many.

Superintendent Greg McFarlane, who has been the caretaker for the 150-acre property for the past 19 years, has been as busy as a bee, (and we will get to those buzzing creatures momentarily) for the past few weeks collecting sap once or twice a day from about 50 tapped trees on the property. In the kitchen, every week or so, executive chef Tim Ayiotis and his staff have been enjoying the sweet aroma of boiling down the sap and bottling liquid gold – or maple syrup for members to enjoy at home or at the Young Street club that dates back to 1922.

This is unusual business for a private country club in the GTA, but it’s one of the many attributes that set the 27-hole Stanley Thompson designed layout apart from other establishments.

“We’re a golf course first and foremost, but we also recognize that we play a big part in the natural environment that encompasses the property and we strive to preserve and enhance what Mother Nature has given us,” McFarlane says who has worked with Global Organics since 2008 to reduce pesticide use annually without negatively impacting turf conditions. The program that is also in play at Toronto’s Oakdale Golf and Country Club, has been so successful, that Thornhill is now using 90 per cent less active ingredients when it comes to pesticides and fertilizers than the other top-100 private clubs in Ontario, as confirmed by an audit by KPMG.

Thornhill is home to deer, coyotes and foxes. There’s a naturalized water retention pond surround by water plants and bulrushes that is inhabited by snapping and painted turtles, ducks, fish and other creatures – even the odd Canadian goose!

Thornhill superintendent Greg McFarlane checking out his sap buckets (Brent Long)

McFarlane and Ayiotis have also teamed up to introduce a honey-producing bee colony that’s multiplying to six hives and a hollowed out tree this year. Their ever-expanding vegetable garden is taking root in new areas of the golf course and the bees also enjoy a variety of fruit trees that are scattered throughout the golf course.

“I like to call it the farm, and we’re putting it to work for the members to enjoy the fruits of our labour and love for the property,” says Ayiotis, who has been the club’s executive chef for four years.

The wild leaks that they planted among some hostas last spring will be ready for picking by the middle of May and Ayiotis can’t wait to incorporate them into soups and other dishes.

“Our members eat differently here and I think they have come to appreciate that,” he added. “We’re about creating menu items that are homemade, handmade, made fresh, as local as we can make it, almost everything we use is grown or produced within a 100 kilometre radius.”

Ayiotis doesn’t serve berries from California or South America during the winter months, but in the summer, he’ll flash freeze berries and fruits and then incorporate that fruit into preserves, syrup and puree that can be used throughout the year.

He’s even created a one-of-a-kind health bar for members using the maple syrup and the honey that’s produced from the golf course . . . and his poached pears in honey are a menu favourite.

Ayiotis also provides members with a fridge full of “To Go” menu items that can be picked up on the spur of the moment and the kitchen crew will also put together “Cottage Packs” for those members who like to enjoy prepared steaks or smoked ribs on the BBQ without all the work when they head north during the summer.

“Back in February I sat down with Greg and we went through the seed catalogue together and picked up the vegetables and herbs that we’ll be growing this summer,” he explained.

Many of the different seeds were planted indoors in March and will be transplanted when the weather warms up. They’re always experimenting and new this year will be some specialty cauliflower, squash and potatoes to go along with tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, kale, Swiss chard, lettuce, 200 bulbs of garlic and a wide variety of herbs.

So if healthy eating isn’t enough, how about a club that engages and promotes a healthy lifestyle, with a state-of-the art fitness center that opened in 2015, six sheets of curling ice, four new Har-Tru tennis courts that will be unveiled this spring and construction of an outdoor swimming pool is scheduled to start this fall.

“We like to say that Thornhill G&CC is an oasis within the city where the entire family can escape to a special place where they can focus on being together and have fun in a healthy and active environment where we care for the entire person, not just a golf game,” says Joe Murphy, GM and COO at Thornhill.

Back on course, McFarlane is preparing the turf to host the mid-summer 2016 Investors Group Ontario Men’s Amateur Championship from July 12th to 15th. The club has a long tradition of hosting major events including the 1987 Ontario Men’s Amateur Championship won by Steve Hayles and more recently the 2006 Canadian University/College Championship, the 2009 Toronto Star Women’s Amateur won by Jennifer Kirby and 2014 Canadian Junior Girls Championship won by Team Canada Development Team member Grace St-Germain, who carded four consecutive under-par rounds to claim the title. In addition, Thornhill was the site that played host to 1945 Canadian Open where Byron Nelson claimed his remarkable 11th victory in a row.

It should be another memorable year at one of Canada’s most remarkable country clubs.

For more information on Thornhill, visit www.thornhillgcc.com.

The R&A is demonstrating its support for nine hole golf as an ideal way to play golf in less time whilst still doing so competitively and for handicap purposes by introducing a new championship at Royal Troon this summer.

The inaugural event for amateurs will be played Saturday, July 9th at Royal Troon, giving players the opportunity to play nine holes at the historic Ayrshire links on the eve of The 145TH Open.

In 2017, the event will be expanded to cover golf clubs in Great Britain and Ireland with players being given the opportunity to qualify at nine hole events held by The R&A’s affiliated national associations in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Padraig Harrington, two-time Champion Golfer of the Year and R&A Working for Golf Ambassador, welcomed the initiative.

“People who want to play golf are increasingly struggling to find the time to play and so positioning nine hole golf as a legitimate alternative makes a lot of sense,” he said. “I’m really pleased to see The R&A taking the lead in this area.

“For regular amateur golfers to be able to play The Open venue in championship condition immediately before the best players in the world is a fantastic initiative and I’m sure this new competitive format will encourage more people to get out on the golf course and play nine hole golf.”

The R&A’s extensive survey on pace of play and the subsequent Time for Golf conference in St Andrews last November highlighted the challenges many people face in finding time to play 18 holes, with 60% of the golfers surveyed expressing the view that they would enjoy golf more if it took less time.

The survey also revealed that among 25-44 year-olds who are unhappy with the pace of play, 21% would like to see the playing time reduced by as much as one-and-a-half hours, while 19% said they would welcome the opportunity to play nine holes more often as an alternative format.

“One of the messages that came through clearly from the survey and the Time for Golf conference is that people would play more golf if they could do so in significantly less time,” said Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A. “Nine hole golf is not new but we feel it is often overlooked as a perfectly valid way to play the sport either with your family and friends or competitively.

“We are delighted to introduce a nine hole championship and will be promoting this format as a way of playing golf in less time which can have wider appeal among people who lead increasingly busy lives today. We are very much looking forward to working with the national associations to promote nine hole golf and we hope to see more events being played throughout Great Britain and Ireland to cater for this important audience.”

This year’s event will see 30 golfers playing a nine hole championship at Royal Troon. Two players will qualify from events held at each of the 13 Regional Qualifying venues for The Open throughout Great Britain and Ireland with host venues Royal Troon Golf Club and The Ladies’ Golf Club, Troon each providing two players. The handicap event will be open to men, women, boys and girls who are members of the clubs taking part.