HALIFAX – Roland Deveau of Bedford, N.S., was inducted as Golf Canada’s 113^th 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 111^th 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.

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.

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.

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).

CHONBURI, Thailand – Lexi Thompson shot an 8-under 64 Saturday in the third round of the LPGA Thailand to establish a four-stroke lead over Korean In Gee Chun at Siam Country Club.

The fourth-ranked American fired nine birdies – against a lone bogey on the 16th – for an overall 16-under 200.

“I missed a putt on the first hole which got me down a little bit, but I tried to stay positive going into the next hole and fire at pins like I did the first day,” said Thompson, who is chasing her seventh LPGA Tour career victory.

Thompson has won four out of the six times she has led after the third round.

Chun carded three birdies on both the front and back nine for a 6-under 66.

Overnight leader and defending champion Amy Yang (70) had five birdies and three bogeys. The South Korean is five shots off the lead.

SAO PAULO – The Olympic golf course that welcomes the sport back to the Games in Rio de Janeiro will have a test event for nine Brazilians in an exhibition that will be closed to the public.

Rio 2016 organizers confirmed that the March 8 event will have no more than nine players – five men and four women – in a stroke-play format.

Brazil has little tradition in golf, a sport that has not been part of the Olympic program since 1904. The top-ranked player among those invited is Alexandre Rocha, who is No. 588. Two other Brazilians ahead of him in the world rankings play on the European Tour (Adilson da Silva) and the PGA Tour (Lucas Lee).

The best Brazilian female is Miriam Nagl at No. 482.

The PGA Tour had tried to arrange for some of the world’s best to play in the exhibition and could not find anyone to go to Rio because of the schedule. A World Golf Championship in Miami ends on March 6, and the LPGA Tour event concludes that day in Singapore.

Jordan Spieth, the No. 1 player in the world, is defending his title at the Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Florida, that week.

Rio’s Olympic golf course was handed to organizers in November after a series of delays involving environmental lawsuits and land ownership disputes.

The course, designed by American golf architect Gil Hanse, covers 970,000 square meters and will have room for 15,000 fans. A delegation from the International Golf Federation (IGF) will be present to observe, Rio 2016 said in a statement.

There will be 104 volunteers in the test event and players will be in groups of three. Claudia Guedes, the Rio 2016 sport manager for golf, said that the main tests are for the course itself and the results system.

“It’s a tough course, there is quite a lot of wind, so it will bring the best out of the players,” Guedes said.

RIONEGRO, Colombia – Ken Looper of Mandeville, La., carded a 12-under 60, the lowest round in five seasons of PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, to claim the 36-hole lead at the 69th Avianca Colombia Open presented by BBVA. His impressive charge to the top featured ten birdies, a hole-in-one and no bogeys at Club Campestre de Medellin Llano Grande.

“A fairy tale round,” he went on to say about his “lowest career everything.”

Coming off an opening 67 on Thursday afternoon, the 27-year-old broke the course record only a day after Canada’s Corey Conners set it at 63. His 12-under 60 was also the lowest score in relation to par ever recorded on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica.

Leading the championship at 17-under par 127, Looper also claimed the lowest score for the first 36 holes of a PGA TOUR Latinoamérica tournament. Only Fabián Gómez, a two-time PGA TOUR champion, had gone this low in any 36-hole stretch ever before on this Tour.

Looper will enter the weekend holding a two-shot lead over Justin Hueber of Fort Wayne, Ind. Solo second after rounds of 65-64 to stand at 15-under, a number that matches the second lowest first 36 on Tour, Hueber is one of two players who remain bogey-free this week. The other is Medellin’s own Oscar Álvarez, currently tied for the 13th spot.

Holding the overnight lead by two after his opening 63, Corey Conners carded a 69 to drop to third, where he now trails Looper by five at 12-under. Two strokes behind, the leading Colombian Omar Beltrán ranks solo fourth thanks to a couple of 67s.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -Rickie Fowler kept bogeys off his card for the second straight round Friday for a 4-under 66 and the early lead in the Honda Classic.

In some respects, it was identical to Fowler’s opening round – no bogeys, another 66 in windy conditions and a big par save on his 10th hole. Having started on the back nine, Fowler worked himself out of his toughest spot well right of the fairway and managed to get up-and-down for par to keep some momentum.

Otherwise, this was a clean day. His longest par putt was 12 feet on the fourth hole after driving into the bunker, and he ended his round with a 25-foot birdie putt on the ninth hole to reach 8-under 132.

Jimmy Walker finished birdie-eagle, holing a 40-foot putt on the 18th hole for a 66 and was one shot behind. Sergio Garcia had a 69 and was another stroke back.

Fowler is the first person to go bogey-free over the opening 36 holes at the Honda Classic since it moved to PGA National in 2007.

“I’m definitely pleased about that,” Fowler said. “Got a nice break on 1 to kind of continue that. But yeah, I kept myself in it with some up-and-downs, made some good putts, and then continued to move forward. Made a couple birdies coming in, so it was a little bit of a bonus there at the last.”

Rory McIlroy was hopeful of a bonus to keep playing.

He headed home after a 72 and it was uncertain if he would be back this week. McIlroy took a triple bogey on the par-5 fifth – his 14th hole of the round – and a birdie on the final hole put him at 4-over 144. He would not speak to reporters as he left the course.

It would be the second straight year for McIlroy to miss the cut.

Fowler has bounced back nicely from giving up a two-shot lead with two holes to play in his last tournament at the Phoenix Open. And he put in some good practice last week after returning home to Florida.

The scores didn’t count, but they were impressive.

Fowler set the course record at The Medalist with a 66 (he broke his own record), and the next day went up to The Floridian and shot 60 to break the course record that had been held by Justin Thomas.

“Pretty good accomplishment,” he said.

The first two days of the Honda Classic haven’t been too shabby, either. Even though he lost the late lead in Phoenix and missed the cut at Torrey Pines, Fowler has been quietly moving into the conversation of the elite players this year. He finished fifth at Kapalua to start 2016, won against a strong field in Abu Dhabi that included Jordan Spieth and McIlroy, and now is the player to catch at PGA National.

Walker missed the cut at Riviera last week, though he has been steady since a tweak to his swing in the offseason. Except for Riviera, he has not finished lower than a tie for 13th since October.

So far, the 18th hole has been kind to him. On Thursday, Walker went into the water and made a 12-foot putt to escape with par. On Friday, he was trying to lag his long eagle attempt and “luckily, the hole got in the way.”

Garcia held his own for a big part of the round until he three-putted for bogey on his 10th hole (No. 1) and Fowler built his lead by making birdies.

“Tomorrow is going to be an important day,” Garcia said. “Rickie is playing really, really well, so I’m going to have to play extremely well to keep up with him. We’ll see. Hopefully we have a good chance on Sunday. See what we can do.”

Graham DeLaet had a 70 and was 2-over and will be the lone Canadian to play the weekend.

Adam Hadwin had a 77 that included four double-bogeys, he was 5-over.

Mike Weir and David Hearn both finished at 8-over.

HALIFAX – Golf Canada is pleased to announce that Ladysmith, B.C., native Pat K. Irwin has been named its 2015 Volunteer of the Year. He will receive the honour at the Saturday, February 27 closing dinner of the 2016 Annual General Meeting at the Prince George Hotel in Halifax.

Individuals’ paths to the game of golf can travel many routes. Golfers often recall early years on the course with parents or grandparents and credit them as sources of inspiration. Pat Irwin’s journey to the game came about in a more unique fashion – he decided to quit smoking.

While the health benefits alone are enough reason to quit, the financial savings from his decision propelled Irwin to take on a new hobby – golf. Urged on by his daughter, Irwin became a member at Mount Brenton Golf Course on Vancouver Island.

As familiarity became interest and interest grew to passion, Irwin came to realize the benefits of the game reached beyond age and ability. He believed in the benefits that golf could instill in children and wanted to help promote that message. Mount Brenton’s junior membership at that time was eight and Irwin knew he could help to grow those numbers.

Irwin volunteered to take the reins of the junior program in 1988 and grew its membership to 70 within his first year. His hard work and determination continue to drive junior golf programs and inspire young enthusiasts to engage with the sport.

For over a decade, Irwin has served as the Junior Chair of British Columbia Golf’s Zone 6 committee. He has organized and managed competitions, clinics and events in support of junior golf development in the North Vancouver Island area.

In 2011, the inaugural Patty Irwin Junior Tournament was conducted to recognize one of British Columbia’s strongest proponents of junior golf. He received Sport BC’s President’s Award in 2015 for his tremendous efforts in developing the sport in his home province.

Pat Irwin is an extraordinary and passionate volunteer. He is a dedicated individual who has spent countless hours championing the growth of the game. He is a believer in the sport and the values it instills.

Now in its tenth year, Golf Canada’s Volunteer of the Year award is annually presented to individuals who best exemplify the National Sport Federation’s commitment to growing the game.

In his time with the sport, Pat Irwin has consistently and selflessly demonstrated a willingness to serve, share and support the game in B.C. It is for this dedication and devotion that Golf Canada recognizes him as its 2015 Volunteer of the Year.

To follow Golf Canada’s 2016 Annual Meeting on Twitter, use #GCAGM16.

GOLD COAST, Australia – Nicole Broch Larsen of Denmark and Sweden’s Camilla Lennarth took a two-stroke, second-round lead Friday at the Australian Ladies Masters.

Lennarth shot her second consecutive 5-under 68 while Broch Larsen, thanks to a chip-in eagle on the final hole, carded a 69 for two-round totals of 10-under 136 at Royal Pines.

Lennarth, starting on the 10th hole, had four birdies on her final nine, including the eighth and ninth.

Broch Larsen said she was confident of making eagle or birdie at 18 but her five-iron approach on the 423-meter, par-5 hole missed the green to the right, finishing in a deep swale.

“It was probably the worst place you could be,” she said. “But I struck the chip nicely and it hit the pin and dropped.”

Brooke Henderson of Canada, who led with Larsen after the first round with 67s, was tied for third after a 71 with South Korean Jiyai Shin (70).

So Young Lee of South Korea and England’s Holly Clyburn, who each shots 69s, were tied for fifth.

Lennarth said she sang Justin Bieber songs to help get her through her five-hour round.

“You do notice it was really slow but you try to adjust and just focus on your shots,” she said. “I’m a bit of a Justin Bieber fan so was singing away for quite a few holes.”

Lennarth, 27, finished third behind Cheyenne Woods in 2014 at Royal Pines and was tied for sixth last year behind champion Su Oh.

“I feel comfortable on the course and also the Gold Coast,” she said. “I play my shots with a little draw and that suits quite a few of the holes here at Royal Pines.”

Marion Ricordeau of France, the other first-round leader, shot 77 to drop eight strokes off the pace in the joint Ladies European Tour and Australian Ladies event. Oh shot 75 and was at even par.

Woods shot 81 Friday after an opening 75 and missed the cut.