Recapping Golf Canada’s 2016 AGM
Golf Canada’s 2016 Annual General Meeting (AGM) took place February 25-27 at the Prince George Hotel in Halifax.
The event brought together Golf Canada’s Board of Directors, committee volunteers and staff, as well as representatives from Canada’s provincial golf associations and stakeholders from within the golf industry. The three days included meetings, presentations and discussion in preparation for the upcoming golf season.
In case you missed it, we’re prepared this recap below.
Scott outlasts Garcia to win the Honda Classic
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Adam Scott tapped in a 30-inch par putt to win the Honda Classic on Sunday, and the smile was more relief than joy over ending the longest drought of his career.
A small measure of satisfaction might come from the silence he hopes will follow.
Yes, he still can win with a short putter.
In his third tournament since a new rule that outlaws the anchored stroke Scott used for a long putter the last five years, he made enough putts at PGA National for an even-par 70 to hold off Sergio Garcia and win for the first time since Colonial in May 2014.
“Probably good for everybody who likes talking about it, absolutely,” Scott said. “And therefore, good for me. Good for me because maybe we don’t have to go over it too much anymore. Again, it just reassures me I’m on the right track with the things I’m doing on the greens, and I’m just going to try and get better every week. And I think it’s in a great spot at the moment.
“If I can get better and better, then I like what’s to come.”
Scott opened with a 10-foot birdie putt that set the tone, and he seized control early on the back nine when Garcia missed a 3-foot par putt on the 11th hole, and Scott followed with a 9-iron out of a bunker to 2 feet for birdie and a two-shot lead.
Garcia made birdie on the final hole for a 71, forcing Scott to convert his short par putt.
“He played really, really solid,” Garcia said. “I played with him the last two days, and he looked awesome. I know I can play better. That’s the good thing. Without feeling like I was swinging that great, I still managed to have a chance, so I’m happy with that.”
It was the first time Scott won with a short putter since the 2010 Singapore Open. He switched to a long putter that he anchored to his chest at the Match Play Championship and when he won the Masters in 2013, he was the fourth player in six majors to use an anchored putting stroke.
It was outlawed at the start of this year, and Scott had grown weary of talking about it. Overlooked was that he had won 18 times worldwide with a short putter, including The Players Championship and the Tour Championship. He even led the tour in the “strokes gained” category over Tiger Woods, Brad Faxon and Steve Stricker in 2004, before the tour began publishing that data.
All the evidence he needed was the trophy he held on Sunday.
“I’ve kind of said it the whole time. I don’t think it’s going to be that big a deal for me,” Scott said. “It’s some hard work, and I’m not afraid of that. I’m glad it’s going in the right direction, and I’ve putted pretty solid the last couple weeks, and I want to make sure that keeps going.”
The final round was a duel between Scott and Garcia, though Justin Thomas and Blayne Barber both got within two shots at one point on the back nine. Barber didn’t make a birdie over the final seven holes and shot 70. Thomas took double bogey from the back bunker on the par-3 17th and closed with a 69. They tied for third, four shots behind.
Scott had one last hurdle to clear.
Garcia made his first birdie of the round with a 6-foot putt on the 14th hole to close to within one shot. They headed to the tee on the par-3 15th over water, where a day earlier Scott hit two balls into the water and made a quadruple-bogey 7, going from a three-shot lead to a one-shot deficit.
It helped that the tee was moved forward to make it only 151 yards (instead of 179 yards), though the front pin was close to the water. Scott was ready to hit 8-iron when he felt a small puff of wind in his face and backed off the shot. He got back in quickly when he felt the wind die, and the ball landed safely 30 feet away.
After both made careless bogeys on the 16th, Scott faced one more par 3 over the water on the 17th hole, where fans holding beer in both hands hurled insults at Scott and Garcia as they stood on the tee. “Two more in the water, Adam,” one man yelled.
Scott had a 7-iron that he hit “as hard as I could,” and it was a relief to see it find the green. He took a two-shot lead to the final hole when Garcia made bogey, and only needed a simple par for the victory.
Scott finished at 9-under 271 and moved to No. 9 in the world, his highest ranking in 10 months.
The timing was perfect.
This was only his 10th event since a permanent switch to the short putter dating to the Presidents Cup, and he has finished out of the top 10 only twice since then. And he finally had another victory.
“I want to feel somewhat relevant out here when it comes to being one of the best players in the world,” he said. “That’s just down to my results. You can talk it in your head and try and build yourself up as much as you want. But at some point, you’re going to have to have the results to actually prove it.”
Graham DeLaet shot 75 Sunday to finish 6-over and tie for 53rd.
Canada’s Conners finishes 3rd at Avianca Colombia Open
RIONEGRO, Colombia – Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Corey Conners held on to finish solo third Sunday, despite struggling in his final round with a 2-over 74 at PGA Tour Lationamérica’s Avianca Colombia Open presented by BBVA.
The 24-year-old from Listowel, Ont., ran into trouble early in the final round, posting a triple-bogey on the par-4 6th. The 2015 Masters top-amateur wasn’t able to make up the strokes, but held off the field with a late birdie on the par-4 15th to secure third place with a one-stroke advantage over a trio of competitors.
Conners held the first-round lead after setting a course record 63 (-9) on Thursday—which was later broken by Ken Looper’s 60 (-12) on Friday. The Kent State alumnus followed that up with a 69-68-74 to close out at 14-under for the tournament, seven back of champion Justin Hueber.
Hueber, 28, fired four consecutive rounds in the 60s at Club Campestre de Medellin Llano Grande to record the victory, his second on the PGA Tour Latinoamérica. The Mandeville, La., native won the Abierto Mexicano last May and also finished 10th on the Order of Merit.
Chilean rookie Guillermo Pereira captured runner-up honours as the only other golfer to post four rounds in the 60s. The 20-year-old finished at 16-under, five back of Hueber.
The third place finish matches Conners’ best result on the PGA Tour Lationamérica—he finished T3 last year at the Bridgestone America’s Golf Cup presented by Value. Winning Qualifying School earlier this season, Conners is slated to tee-it-up in the next event kicking off Mar. 17. He will split events with the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada when the season stars on May. 26.
Thompson wins LPGA Thailand for seventh career title
CHONBURI, Thailand – American Lexi Thompson won her seventh LPGA title after a final-round 68 that completed a six-stroke victory over In Gee Chun of South Korea in the final round of the LPGA Thailand at the par-72 course at the Siam Country Club on Sunday.
The 21-year-old from Florida hit an eagle on the 10th to go along with three birdies and a lone bogey for a 20-under-par total of 268 to become the first American winner of the tournament.
“I never like to count it as a win until it’s over. I just try to play aggressive and play my best out there,” said the No. 4-ranked player whose four-shot advantage at the start of the final round was reduced to one after the Korean opened with three straight birdies.
“I was just saying I had to make birdies to win this thing. She was playing unbelievable with a three-birdie start there, and I knew I had to make birdies to stop her. I was just trying to focus on my game and nobody else’s out there,’ added Thompson.
Chun, winner of the US Women Open last year, added four bogeys to her eight biridies on the final day to end with a 70 and a four-day total of 14 under 274.
No. 25-ranked Jessica Korda of the United States fired eight birdies for a 64 and a 13 under total of 275, giving her a share of third place along with defending champion Amy Yang of South Korea, who signed off with a 70.
“It would have been nice to not shoot three over yesterday and end up pulling myself totally out of the tournament, but it’s a good redemption around for sure,” said Korda, who recovered from a dismal 76 on Saturday.
Oosthuizen wins in first Australian appearance
PERTH, Australia – Louis Oosthuizen made his first tournament appearance in Australia a winning one, shooting a 1-under 71 for a one-stroke victory at the Perth International on Sunday.
The former British Open champion, who led by three strokes going into the final round, finished with a 16-under total of 272 in the tournament sanctioned by the European and Australasian PGA tours.
Alexander Levy of France was second after a 66, followed by West Australian golfer Jason Scrivener, whose 69 left him in third place, two strokes behind.
American Peter Uihlein (71) and France’s Gregory Bourdy (66) were tied for fourth, three behind Oosthuizen.
Canada’s Richard T. Lee carded a final round 74 and finished tied for 22nd at 7-under 281.
Henderson picks up another top 10 in Australia
GOLD COAST, Australia – Former No. 1 Jiyai Shin has added the Australian Ladies Masters to her career victory total after shooting a 4-under 69 for a three-stroke win Sunday at Royal Pines.
The South Korean, who has twice won the British Open, led by two strokes after the third round and completed a 14-under total of 278. England’s Holly Clyburn shot a closing 70 to finish in second place.
Tied for third were Nicole Broch Larsen of Denmark (68) and Sweden’s Camilla Lennarth (71), four behind Shin.
Katie Burnett of the United States shot 71 and was tied for fifth, six behind.
Canadian Brooke Henderson, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 11, shot 75 and finished at 5-under, nine strokes behind and tied for eighth.
Golf Canada’s AGM culminates with induction of Roland Deveau as 113th president
HALIFAX – Roland Deveau of Bedford, N.S., was inducted as Golf Canada’s 113th president at the conclusion of the National Sport Federation’s Annual General Meeting this past weekend in Halifax.
Deveau succeeds 2015 president Paul McLean of King, Ont., in leading Golf Canada’s Board of Directors. Calgary’s Leslie Dunning becomes first vice-president while Charlie Beaulieu of Lorraine, Que., assumes the role of second vice-president.
“I’m humbled and privileged to assume the presidency of Golf Canada,” said Deveau shortly after his induction. “I’d like to thank and salute Mr. McLean as well as all our previous leaders who have worked tirelessly to grow the game and promote excellence in our sport with grace, dignity and commitment. Our organization has a tremendously rich history. I thank my fellow Board members for enabling me this opportunity to work with our members and industry stakeholders as we write our next chapter.
“We live in an astonishing country who loves golf. We are Canada’s most played sport with nearly 5.7 million Canadians teeing-it-up each year. But, we have and will always face challenges. It’s the responsibility of golf’s leaders to adapt to the modern reality that our society is changing. It’s time for all of us, as an industry, to be positive about golf and work collaboratively. We must target juniors, women and minority groups who haven’t traditionally been involved with our sport. That is how we will continue to be Canada’s most popular sport and I invite all those passionate about golf to join us.”
Deveau, Dunning and Beaulieu will lead Golf Canada’s 2016 Board of Directors which also includes Liz Hoffman of Thornhill, Ont., Dale Jackson of Victoria, Rob MacDonald of Winnipeg, Don MacKay of Bracebridge, Ont., Nick Marrone of Toronto, Pat Thompson of Kelowna, B.C., and Allison Chisholm of Rothesay, N.B., as well as immediate past president Paul McLean.
John Horton, Jim Clark, Allan ‘Bunny’ Dunlop and Brian MacLeod honoured as recipients of Golf Canada’s Distinguished Service Award
Created in 1993, Golf Canada’s Distinguished Service award has been presented annually to recognize individuals for their outstanding contributions to the game of golf in Canada. This year’s recipients are former Nova Scotia Golf Association (NSGA) president John Horton and long-time volunteer Jim Clark along with a pair of posthumous honourees – former NSGA historian Allan ‘Bunny’ Dunlop and Blind Golf Canada co-founder Brian MacLeod, who both passed away in 2015. Click here for more information on the four honourees.
Pat Irwin named Volunteer of the Year
Pat Irwin of Ladysmith, B.C., was recognized as Golf Canada’s 2015 Volunteer of the Year. This marks the tenth year in which the association has recognized individuals for their tremendous efforts and commitment to grow the game in their community. Click here for more information on Pat Irwin.
Doug Alexander appointed as Honorary Life Governor
Congratulations to Doug Alexander of London, Ont., on being named an Honorary Life Governor with Golf Canada. Alexander served as Golf Canada’s 111th president in 2014.
Annual Report & Strategic Plan
Click here to read Golf Canada’s 2015 Annual Report, which includes a recap of the past season, as well as the association’s 2015 Financial Statements.
Click here for Golf Canada’s 2016 Strategic Plan, outlining the key activities that Golf Canada is focused on as the National Sport Federation and governing body for golf in the country.
Golf Canada’s Annual General Meeting is an important week in the lead up to the 2016 golf season. In addition to appointing its new president and members to the Board of Directors, the association presents details of its strategic plan and gathers with key stakeholders from the provincial golf associations and a number of national association partners. The AGM also celebrates key accomplishments from the previous year and provides the association with a forum to discuss issues and opportunities facing the Canadian golf industry.
To follow Golf Canada’s 2016 Annual Meeting on Twitter, use #GCAGM16.
Scott, Garcia tied at Honda Classic after wild day
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Adam Scott looked as though he couldn’t miss as he began to pull away Saturday in the Honda Classic.
He hit every green through 13 holes at PGA National. He made seven birdies through 14 holes. He turned a three-shot deficit at the start of the round into a three-shot lead over Sergio Garcia. No one else was closer than seven shots.
One hole changed everything.
“Just one of those ones where it’s the wrong time to make an error,” Scott said.
Make that two errors. Scott put two balls into the water on the par-3 15th and made a quadruple bogey to lose the lead. He still managed a 4-under 66 to share the lead with Garcia going into the final round.
It was the other 17 holes that left Scott so optimistic about a chance to win for the first time since May 2014.
“I’m playing great,” he said. “I have to say, I’ve played better every day this week, and it started pretty good. It’s disappointing not to have walked out of here and shot 62 or something like that. But it might be tomorrow that I can do that.”
Garcia lost the lead again with a bogey from the bunker on the 17th, but a birdie on the final hole gave him a 67 to catch Scott.
They were at 9-under 201.
Blayne Barber had a 69 and was four shots behind.
Scott and Garcia were quick to point out that Sunday might not be a two-man race, and there was plenty of evidence to back them up.
Rickie Fowler had a one-shot lead going into the third round and was the first player at the Honda Classic to go bogey-free through the opening 36 holes. And then on Saturday, he couldn’t make a birdie. Fowler made bogey on the easiest hole at PGA National, the par-5 third, and wound up with a 74 to fall five shots behind.
Nothing went right for Jimmy Walker, starting with the first tee. Playing alongside Fowler, he was introduced as “Jimmy Fowler.” Walker had the lead with his birdie on the third hole. He didn’t make another birdie until the 18th hole, and that was to break 80. Walker was 11 shots back.
“Who can tell me that the guys that are 4 under are not going to go and play like Adam did today?” Garcia said. “We’ll see how the day goes. And then if it becomes a two-horse race on the last three or four holes, I’ll welcome that. But I will expect some of the guys behind to shoot a good number and make it tough for all of us.”
Thanks to one swing by Scott, those guys at least have a chance.
Justin Thomas opened with three straight birdies and had to settle for a 68, putting him at 4-under 206 with Fowler. Graeme McDowell had a 67 and was six shots behind at 207 along with Scott Brown and Vijay Singh (68). Singh made a double bogey on the 15th hole without hitting in the water, hitting in the bunker or hitting in the rough. His problem was the golf ball hit the putter four times from 20 feet.
Still, nothing was more shocking than Scott how quickly his fortunes turned.
The former Masters champion with one of the prettiest swings in golf was flawless. He ran off four straight birdies to close out the back nine, starting with a 50-footer on No. 6, the toughest hole of the day. Garcia’s three-putt bogey on the 13th made the deficit three shots, and he was in danger of falling too far behind.
“Obviously, if he shoots 61 the way the course was playing, the only thing you can do is just say – I want to say it in Spanish, but you’ll have to beep it,” he said with a laugh. “There’s nothing you can do. So I was just trying to make sure to stay with him again, still have a shot at tomorrow. I’d rather be where I am right now.”
Scott’s most important holes were the next two. He pulled his tee shot left, cleared the water from the rough and got up-and-down for par
“The par there was very important at the time, because it’s really stopping a severe bleed after 15,” he said.
And then he hit 6-iron to 10 feet on the 17th for birdie, regaining the lead when Garcia made bogey.
Scott last won at Colonial in 2014. Last year was his first without a victory since he was a 20-year-old rookie in 2000. Garcia ended last year with a victory in Vietnam on the Asian Tour. His last PGA Tour victory was in 2012.
“I think we’re both pretty desperate to have a win tomorrow after putting ourselves in this position,” Scott said. “So hopefully, we both play well and it’s a good show.”
Canada’s Graham DeLaet carded a 69 Saturday and is tied for 22nd at 1 over.
Brooke Henderson trails by three in Australia
GOLD COAST, Australia – South Korea’s Jiyai Shin shot a 2-under 71 for one of the few sub-par rounds of the day in post-cyclonic winds Saturday to take a two-stroke lead after three rounds of the Australian Ladies Masters.
Strong winds from last week’s Cyclone Winston in the South Pacific buffeted the Royal Pines course, and only nine of 75 players shot under-par rounds.
Shin had a 54-hole total of 10-under 209, two ahead of England’s Holly Clyburn, who was tied for the late lead before bogeying her final two holes for a 72.
Clyburn was tied for second with Camille Lennarth of Swden, who shot 75.
Canada’s Brooke Henderson, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 11, had a 74 and was in fourth place, three strokes off the lead.
Canada’s Richard T. Lee sits 6th at Perth International
PERTH, Australia – Former British Open winner Louis Oosthuizen shot a 5-under 67 Saturday to take a three-stroke lead after three rounds of the Perth International.
Oosthuizen, making his first tournament appearance in Australia, had a 54-hole total of 15-under 201 on the Lake Karrinyup Cointry Club course.
American Peter Uihlein (71) and Romain Wattel of France (65) were tied for second, with Australia’s Jason Scrivener another stroke back after a 69.
Oosthuizen, who had seven birdies, dropped two shots over his final three holes.
“I lost a bit of concentration on 16, worrying too much on the way about where the pin position was,” he said. “It was right on a slope. Those things happen. As long as they don’t happen when you are tied for the lead with three shots to go.”
Overnight leader Uihlein bogeyed the 18th hole and took six shots on the 135-meter, par-3 12th when he hit his tee shot to the back of the green and struggled to recover before taking two putts to finish.
Australian Brett Rumford was five strokes behind after a 73, while Marcus Fraser, who won last week’s European tour event in Malaysia, shot 65 to move up the leaderboard, six behind Oosthuizen.
Fraser was tied with Mikko Korhonen of Finland (66), Canada’s Richard Lee (68), Mardan Mamat of Singapore (69) and Alexander Levy of France (70).