At a time when golf in all its facets is facing challenges, there can be no doubt that Paul McLean was the man for the job as he took on the presidency of Golf Canada.

When McLean of King City, Ont., took office as the 112^th president of the national association in February 2015, he did so with impressive and appropriate credentials. Not only is he part-owner of two golf courses and a member of three national associations—Golf Canada, the National Golf Course Owners Association Canada and the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association—but he is the co-founder and president of Maxium, one of the country’s leading privately held leasing companies, with assets exceeding $1 billion. A significant portion of that billion dollars is focused on approximately 800 golf courses, which Maxium supports through leasing, loans and mortgages.

With the support of a Board which he calls “excellent, with a variety of expertise and perspective,” McLean focussed much of his attention on his area of proven expertise.

“There were more financial challenges than I anticipated,” he said, “and those challenges exist throughout golf. But several positives came out of that realization, especially the fact that we really tightened our focus on what we do and how we do it, from top to bottom. We spent a lot of time and went to great lengths to try to achieve a balanced operating budget that gives us a direct line of sight to achieving the goals of our strategic plan.”

That objective has several prongs, says McLean.

One of the most fundamental is a revolutionary new membership structure, introduced in 2015, designed to reflect changing golf demographics and engage all golfers, not just members of private clubs. The previous model, about a century old, was “decaying,” says McLean.

“The new model is designed to connect us and the provincial associations with all golfers in Canada. This is key not just from a fiscal perspective, but even more importantly, to grow the game.”

From the outset of McLean’s presidency, a major theme was to strengthen the bridges between all stakeholders in Canadian golf, from the provincial amateur associations to the other members of the National Allied Golf Associations body. “We need to align ourselves, work together and maximize our resources to grow the game.”

On the professional championships front, the public perception couldn’t have been better, says McLean. “We had a great RBC Canadian Open and a great CP Women’s Canadian Open. Wonderful events, wonderful attendance and wonderful champions. From that perspective, we checked off all the boxes.”

But one important box went unchecked. “The financial results were not as good as they need to be going forward. We have to develop a long-term, financially sustainable plan for our professional championships.”

On the professional front, McLean points out with pride the fact that there are almost 40 Canadians combined on the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, Web.com Tour, Symetra Tour, PGA Tour Latinoamerica and Mackenzie Tour/PGA Tour Canada.

“Twenty-five of those pros went through Golf Canada programs, so we are having a major impact at the highest levels, and building heroes creates awareness.”

In 2015, awareness of Golf Canada was also spread through the continual successful expansion of grassroots programs such as Golf in Schools (almost 2,800 schools) and CN Future Links (518 clubs).

But the life of a volunteer golf association president isn’t all interminable Board meetings, budget conferences and other related duties.

“I have some unforgettable memories,” says McLean.

“The first, and this may sound like a cliché, but I was humbled and honoured to see first-hand how hard our volunteers work. This year was really the first time I was inside the ropes at so many of our tournaments and it is unbelievable how dedicated these people are. I was in awe of our volunteers and our staff. “

He recalls the excitement of Sunday at the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey. “What drama, what crowds! We were all cheering for David Hearn [of Brantford, Ont., who led after 54 holes and finished third] but Jason Day was such a great champion.”

And, although he had been to previous Open Championships, he was invited inside the ropes at last year’s tournament at the Old Course at St Andrews. “Just in awe of the aura, the history, the tradition. Unforgettable.”

That experience was made even more unforgettable because he was accompanied by his wife and two adult children. “We got to share the game of golf at the home of golf. And then we went to a nearby course so my son, who had a tournament coming up back home, could hit some balls.

“I was standing there, watching three young boys chipping and putting. As I watched them, it brought me back to my own childhood and how I would spend hours doing the same thing. Then a car pulled up and four seniors got out to hit balls. And then another car came with two teenaged girls.

“It brought home just how great and inclusive our game is and how important it is that we take care of it.”

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

CHONBURI, Thailand – Lexi Thompson had two eagles in an 8-under 64 Thursday to take a one-stroke lead over Q Baek at the LPGA Tour’s Thailand tournament.

Amy Yang, the defending champion, shot 66 and was two strokes behind after the first round. Two golfers were tied for fourth after opening 68s – Azahara Munoz and Jenny Shin.

“Two eagles definitely helps out the scorecard,” Thompson said. “We couldn’t have asked for better conditions, weather-wise and golf course, so just happy to be out here.”

The 20-year-old Baek won her first and only LPGA title on home soil in South Korea in 2014. She had an eagle and five birdies in her round of 65.

Currently ranked No. 4, Thompson could overtake No. 3 Stacy Lewis as the top-ranked American with a win this week in Thailand and become the first American to win the event in its 10-year history.

“I think I was just very confident out there,” Thompson said. “I committed to all my shots, just aiming at pins and focused on doing my routine, staying relaxed, and I think that’s what helped me out the most.”

She got off to a quick start with an eagle at the par-5 first hole, followed by two more birdies and another eagle on the par-5 seventh to make the turn in 30.

Thompson bettered her low round at Siam Country Club’s Old Course by two strokes and finished one stroke away from matching the course record of 63 after missing a birdie putt at the last.

Thompson is playing with a new driver this week, and said she used it on nearly every hole, hitting 11 of 14 fairways.

“I’ve been trying to work into it for probably the last few months, and just trying to find a shaft that works for me, and finally found something I’m very comfortable with,” Thompson said.

PERTH, Australia – American Peter Uihlein shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Perth International.

India’s Shiv Kapur, recovering from a shoulder injury, and Romain Wattel of France shot 66s, both in morning groups when the conditions were more conducive to low scoring.

Australian Rhein Gibson was in fourth place after a 67, while Australian Brett Rumford and Northern Ireland’s Cormac Sharvin were among those three strokes behind after 68s on the Lake Karrinyup Country Club course.

Uihlein was among the few afternoon starters to move up the leaderboard in tough, blustery conditions. He bogeyed his first hole, the par-4 first.

“When the wind is blowing the way it was, you’ve got to expect to hit a few bad shots,” Uihlein said. “Just accept it and move on.”

Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion playing for the first time in Australia, shot 70. Defending champion Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark had a 71.

Oosthuizen started strongly with three birdies in his first six holes, but bogeyed his 11th hole to fade from the leading groups in the European and Australasian PGA tour event.

“I hit it really well all day, but just found myself on the front nine in awkward spots on the greens,” Oosthuizen said. “I just need to think a bit better around it. I left myself with a few shockers to try and make birdies. I found the places on the green you’re not supposed to be.”

Kapur almost didn’t play Thursday because of his lingering shoulder injury. He injured his right shoulder while lifting his golf bag at Singapore airport two weeks ago, but some treatment just before his opening round eased the pain enough for him to play.

“I was really struggling on the driving range this morning with my shoulder,” Kapur said. “The first few shots that I hit I couldn’t really hold the club at the top of my backswing. The chiropractor here did a great job to get me fit to play, and I popped a couple of pills. Sometimes when you drop expectations and you don’t think about your golf swing, it seems to work pretty well.”

Australian Marcus Fraser, who won last week’s European Tour event in Malaysia, shot 69. European Ryder Cup player Victor Dubuisson of France birdied his final hole on an otherwise forgettable day in which he shot 77.

GOLD COAST, Australia – Canadian Brooke Henderson birdied her first three holes and the final one Thursday for a 6-under 67 and a share of the early first-round lead at the Australian Ladies Masters.

Henderson, at No. 11 the highest-ranked player in the field, started on the back nine at Royal Pines. She had seven birdies overall and her only bogey came on the par-4 sixth.

Henderson was tied with Denmark’s Nicole Broch Larson.

Jiyai Shin, Taiwan’s Cheng Ssu-chia and England’s Lauren Taylor were a stroke behind and tied for second after 68s.

Australian Su Oh, the defending champion, shot 71. Canada’s Lorie Kane had a 72. Cheyenne Woods, niece of Tiger Woods and 2014 champion, had a 75.

The tournament, which began under sunny skies and virtually no wind, is sanctioned by the Ladies European and Australian Ladies tours.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Tiger Woods posted a video of him swinging a 9-iron in a golf simulator on Wednesday to shoot down rumors on social media that suggested his recovery from back surgeries had worsened to the point he could not even sit in a chair.

The 13-second video Woods posted on Twitter shows him dressed in shorts and golf shoes, and he takes a smooth swing on a golf simulator.

“Progressing nicely,” Woods wrote.

Progressing nicely. pic.twitter.com/HKnnluR1OW

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) February 24, 2016

If nothing else, it provided the first update on Woods since he spoke at the Hero World Challenge the first week of December. This was intended primarily, however, because of the social media storm that began over the weekend with a Twitter account called “Secret Tour Pro.”

Mark Steinberg, Woods’ agent at Excel Sports Management, released a statement Monday that said the rumors were “ridiculous and absolutely false.”

“With everything that went on this weekend with Twitter exploding and the ridiculous and erroneous discussions – I don’t even want to call it reporting – we were inundated with fans saying: ‘Wow. How can this be true?’ Clearly, it wasn’t true,” Steinberg said Wednesday.

“If I picked up the phone and called you and said he’s doing some chipping and putting and making some swings up to a 9-iron – and that’s what the club was – is that impactful or a visual evidence of that?” he said. “We felt that was a more appropriate way to go.”

Woods first had a microdiscectomy a week before the 2014 Masters, which kept him out nearly three months. He took off another three months to get stronger, but then announced another back surgery in September, and a third one at the end of October.

He has not played since August. He has not won since August 2013.

The tweet Sunday from “Secret Tour Pro” – who claims to be a tour player, though it has never been verified – said that Woods’ condition had worsened since Christmas and that he has to ride in a car with the seat full reclined. The tweet also said Woods has to lay down for the majority of the time and sitting in chair is no longer possible.

Robert Lusetich, who wrote a book about Woods’ 2009 season after returning from knee surgery, tweeted similar information the next day that he attributed to his sources, and talked about it on a national radio show.

Steinberg could not say if Woods would have posted the video without the rumors.

“He does want to keep people in the loop to some degree,” he said.

Missing from the update was anything beyond “progressing nicely.” Woods said in December that he misses competing and wants to return, though he does not appear to be in any rush this time. He has said he tried to come back too early from the first back surgery.

“He’s going to learn from the past,” Steinberg said. “We don’t want to put a timetable on it. He’ll come back when he’s ready.”

Four-time Team Canada member Eric Banks was honoured as one of five Heart Heroes by the QEII Foundation in November of 2015.

Banks, a Truro, N.S. product, along with Dr. Camille Hancock-Friesen, tell the remarkable story of Banks’ heart condition and how it changed his life.

Operating out of Halifax, the QEII Foundation helps fund new technologies, medical research, innovation and professional education that contribute to life-changing moments experienced every day by patients.

Click here to learn more about the QEII Foundation.

WATERLOO – Golf Canada’s Leslie Dunning will be recognized as a Distinguished Alumni by the University of Waterloo – a recognition presented to alumni who are making significant contributions to the University, their professions and their communities – at an event taking place on the school’s campus March 3, 2016.

Dunning is beginning her 8th year on the Board of Directors of Golf Canada, this year serving as vice president. In 2015, she chaired a working group focused on enhancing Golf Canada’s volunteer services and nominations processes. She was a member of the Amateur Competitions and Professional Championships Committees, as well as the Compensation Committee.

She has previously chaired the Provincial Council and both the Governance and Human Resources Committees. She is a Past President of Alberta Golf and has served on various boards at the local, provincial and national levels. She is a member of Earl Grey Golf Club in Calgary and Bigwin Island Golf Club in Muskoka.

She was employed in many parts of the country and in a variety of senior leadership roles for the Canadian Red Cross over 36 years. She is currently focused on family and volunteer commitments, as well as improving her golf game. She holds a BSc. (Geology) from the University of Waterloo; an MBA from Queen’s University and is a Certified Management Accountant.

Leslie lives in Calgary with her husband Neill. They have three children, who are all active golfers. In 2014, they welcomed their first grandchild whom they look forward to introducing to golf in the next few years.

If you would like more information regarding volunteering with Golf Canada, please email volunteers@golfcanada.ca.

On Thursday February 25, George S Lyon will be posthumously inducted in to the Toronto Sports Hall of Honour.  This will add to his other acknowledgements including an induction to Canada’s Sport Hall of Fame in 1955 and the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 1971.

The Toronto Sports Hall of Honour is celebrating and promoting exceptional sport contributions and accomplishments of those who have served as inspirational role models in sport and have brought sport recognition and honour to the City of Toronto.

As the 2016 Olympics grows closer, it is important to celebrate the great success that George S Lyon had as a athlete and Olympian particularly with his 1904 Gold Medal win in Golf.

Lyon was one of three Lambton players representing Canada at the 1904 Olympics.  He won using his souvenir putter, now being displayed in “The Lyon Lounge” at Lambton Golf Club.  His final Olympic opponent, Chandler Egan was 26 year his junior and he won his match in a virtual monsoon.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Whether the road to the Masters started at Riviera (Rory McIlroy), PGA National (Rickie Fowler) or Doral (Jordan Spieth), qualifying for the most restricted field of the majors starts with the Florida swing.

Last year ended with 89 players having earned invitations to Augusta National. Seven weeks into the new year, the number is likely to be unchanged.

The only PGA Tour winner to earn a spot so far is Vaughn Taylor, who won the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. The other addition was Paul Chaplet, who won the Latin America Amateur Championship. While there have been no official subtractions, Jim Furyk had wrist surgery and is hopeful of a return in May at The Players Championship, and the latest report on Tiger Woods is no report at all. It would be surprising if he returned to the Masters.

There are six PGA Tour events left for players to earn a spot in the Masters, and two of them are World Golf Championships: the Cadillac Championship at Doral, and the Dell Match Play in Texas. The latter has the top 64 in the world, and currently only seven of those players are not yet eligible for the Masters.

After two years of the Masters field coming close to 100 players or more for the first time since 1966, it most likely won’t come close to that this year. Augusta National will take the top 50 in the world ranking after the Match Play. As of Monday’s world ranking, everyone in the top 50 already is exempt.

The lone Canadian to already sit in the field is Mike Weir – being a former champion.

Among those not yet eligible are Matt Jones (No. 52), Rafael Cabrera Bello (No. 58), Thorbjorn Olesen (No. 60), Thomas Pieters (No. 61), Marcus Fraser (No. 62), Gary Woodland (No. 63) and Ryan Palmer (No. 64).