SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Brandt Jobe won the Champions Tour qualifying tournament Friday to earn one of five fully exempt spots next year, closing with a 2-under 69 for a one-stroke victory.

Jobe, a six-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour, had an 18-under 266 total on TPC Scottsdale’s Champions Course. Tom Byrum, Willie Wood and Jose Coceres tied for second, and Mike Grob was another stroke back to take the last fully exempt spot. Byrum shot 63, Wood and Coceres 67, and Grob 69.

The next seven players – John Riegger, Gibby Gilbert III, Jean-Francois Remesy, Stan Utley, 1996 U.S. Open champion Steve Jones, Chien Soon Lu and Miguel Angel Martin – are conditionally exempt. The top 30 finishers – including Canada’s Jim Rutledge – and ties are eligible to compete for spots in open qualifiers.

Canadians Stuart Hendley (-4) and Rick Gibson (-2) finished T53 and T59 respectively.

The Western Canadian Golf Champion University of British Columbia Thunderbirds Women’s golf team (47 points) are ranked No. 1 in the Golf Coaches Association of Canada (GCAC)-Golf Canada Annual Fall Top-10 Coaches Poll. The RSEQ Champion Montréal Carabins finished a close second (45 points), while the OUA Champion Toronto Varsity Blues and Victoria Vikes tied for third place (47 points). The Waterloo Warriors claimed fifth place (28 points) and the Humber Hawks (27 points) completed the top-six.

The Laval Rouge et Or (20 points) placed in seventh overall, followed by the Queen’s Golden Gaels (13 points).  The UBCO Heat came in ninth place (16 points), and the Alberta Pandas (8 points) round out the Top-10. The Western Ontario Mustangs and Lethbridge Pronghorns also received votes in the women’s rankings.

On the men’s side, the Western Canadian Golf Champion University of Victoria Vikes Men’s golf team (49 points) are ranked as the top University/College golf team in Canada based on the vote conducted by the GCAC on December 4.  The British Columbia Thunderbirds (39 points) are ranked second, while the OUA Champion Waterloo Warriors (38 points) complete the top-three.

The RSEQ Champion Laval Rouge et Or (36 points) claimed fourth place in the poll and the CCAA champion Camosun Chargers ranked fifth (34 points). The University of Toronto Varsity Blues (22 points) took sixth while the Alberta Golden Bears and Fraser Valley Cascades were knotted at No. 7.  The Niagara College Knights and the Concordia Stingers (12 points apiece) rounded-out the Top-10 in a tie for ninth, following play in the fall portion of the season.

The Manitoba Bisons, Laurier Golden Hawks and UBCO Heat also received votes in the men’s rankings.

The 2016 University/College Golf Championship will be hosted in conjunction with the University of Victoria and will run May 30 to June 3 at Morningstar Golf Course in Parksville, B.C.

2015 Women’s University-College Fall Rankings

2015 Men’s University-College Fall Rankings

SUN CITY, South Africa – Henrik Stenson made five birdies on his back nine to shoot a 5-under 67 Friday and take a one-shot lead after the second round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge.

After bogeying three straight holes before a two-hour rain delay, the Swede came back out to pick up five shots between the 11th and 17th holes for an 11-under total of 133. Jaco van Zyl of South Africa was second after a 68, with American Robert Streb shooting the best round of the day for a 66 to sit another shot back in third.

“I was not on a good run before the break,” Stenson said. “I didn’t do too much wrong but managed to string three bogeys in a row, so at that time it was probably good to have a break, and it really cooled down afterward for the back nine.”

Van Zyl, who shared the overnight lead with Stenson, birdied his first two holes after the rain break to move to 10 under, but could only par the last seven.

“It felt a little like a duel between me and Henrik,” Van Zyl said. “I looked at the leaderboard and I think we were two or three clear of the rest of the field. I don’t feel that there’s too much expectation, so I’ll go out over the weekend and try and get a couple of low ones in there.”

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The Shaw Charity Classic, conducted annually at Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club in Calgary was awarded with the Champions President’s Award at the PGA TOUR’s Tournament Meetings on Thursday, December 3 in Miami, Fla.

“On behalf of the Champions Tour, I am honored to congratulate the Shaw Charity Classic for their efforts in securing a second straight President’s Award,” said Miller Brady, the Champions Tour’s Chief Operating Officer. “In a short period of time, Sean Van Kesteren and his staff have put forth one of our Tour’s premier events, delivering on all applicable fronts to create a fantastic tournament week for players, fans, and most importantly, the community.”

The Shaw Charity Classic became the first international event to win the President’s Award in 2014, which captures the criteria of all Champions awards, as well as the intangibles that make it stand out amidst a plethora of successful tournaments.

In 2015, Jeff Maggert claimed his third of four PGA TOUR Champions titles at the Shaw Charity Classic with a four-shot victory over World Golf Hall of Fame member Colin Montgomerie.

“It’s an honor. To be honest, I’m quite surprised as I didn’t think we’d have a chance to win this award two times in a row,” said the tournament’s Executive Director, Sean Van Kesteren. “We’re very happy for our ownership group, for Shaw, but most importantly, for all of the charities we support. Charity is why we’re doing this. We have a great team up in Calgary, and the community has really embraced the event. We have a good thing going, so hopefully we’ll be around for a long, long time.”

The 2016 Shaw Charity Classic will again be played at Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club on September 2-4.

GOLD COAST, Australia – David Lingmerth of Sweden shot a 4-under 68 on Friday to take a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the Australian PGA championship.

Lingmerth had a 36-hole total of 3-under 141 on a Royal Pines course playing slightly easier than Thursday, when rain and gusting winds prevented all but six players from finishing under par in the European Tour co-sanctioned event.

Only 12 players were under par after the second round.

The six players tied for second included American Peter Uihlein (67), England’s Mark Foster (73) and first-round leader Zander Lombard of South Africa (75).

“This gives me some confidence going into the weekend, but at the same time, these are all players that can shoot seven, eight under, both rounds out there over the weekend,” Lingmerth said. “I’m going to have to play very well to win, but I do feel like I should have a good shot.”

One of five players tied for eighth, two strokes behind Lingmerth, was U.S.-based Australian Rhein Gibson, who shot 64 on Friday after an opening 79.

Gibson said he rated Friday’s round better than his unofficial 16-under-par 55 he carded in an out-of-competition match with friends in Oklahoma three years ago.

“Under tournament conditions … this course is tough,” said Gibson, who has qualified for next year’s PGA Tour after finishing 10th in the Web.com Tour finals.

“To be able to do that on a Friday to make the cut and get back in contention, it’s probably better than a 55.”

American Brandt Snedeker, the highest-ranked player in the tournament at No. 38, missed the cut after an opening 84. He shot 75 Friday and was 15-over to miss qualifying by nine strokes.

Snedeker promised to come back to Australia and play better.

“I definitely feel embarrassed about my play the last two days,” Snedeker said. “I’m going to need to come back down here and redeem myself. I feel like they deserved better and my game was not up to it obviously.”

Defending champion Greg Chalmers shot 76-75 to also miss the cut by one stroke.

NASSAU, Bahamas – Paul Casey a signé un oiselet au dernier trou pour ramener une carte de 66 le plaçant parmi les trois golfeurs en tête au Hero World Challenge, jeudi.

Lui, Jimmy Walker et Zach Johnson ont tous retranché six coups à la normale.

Le tournoi ne compte que 18 joueurs, dont cinq n’ont pas goûté à la victoire cette année. Casey fait partie de ce groupe.

Le champion en titre Jordan Spieth a réussi un trou d’un coup en route vers un 67, le même score que quatre autres golfeurs.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – China’s Simin Feng and South Korea’s Julie Yang shared the second-round lead at 9-under par Thursday in the LPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament.

Feng had a 2-under 70 on LPGA International’s Hills Course, and Yang shot a 69 on the Jones Course.

The top 20 finishers Sunday will earn full LPGA Tour cards, and Nos. 21-45 and ties will receive conditional status.

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint, but I’m happy with how I’ve played so far,” Yang said. “My only bogey of the day came on the last hole so it was a good day.”

She tied for 21st in the event last season.

“I have the experience from last year and I know what to expect,” Yang said. “Last year was a tough year with conditional status and I feel like my game is ready to go back to the LPGA.”

Christine Song was third at 8 under after a 71 on the Hills Course. Cydney Clanton was another stroke back after a 70 on the Hills Course.

Canada’s Maude-Aimee LeBlanc and Thailand’s Benyapa Niphatsophon were tied for fifth at 6 under. LeBlanc had a 67 on the Hills Course, the best round of the day.

“Everything seemed to be working today,” LeBlanc said. “I didn’t make any putts on the front nine, but I made five birdies on the back and no bogeys so it was just a solid round.”

Niphatsophon shot a 70 on the Jones Course.

Cheyenne Woods, Tiger Woods’ niece, had a 69 on the Hills Course to top the group at 4 under. Mexican amateur Gaby Lopez also was 4 under after a 72 on the Hills Course.

“I’ve been giving myself a lot of opportunities for birdies and I’ve converted a lot of them,” Woods said. “I had six today, which was nice. Overall, it comes down to ball striking and I’ve been keeping it in play and giving myself a lot of chances on the greens.”

She tied for 11th last year.

“It’s nice to know that I’ve played well here before,” Woods said. “I’ve played this course a lot whether it was on Symetra Tour or Q-school. It’s nice to know that I have that history here and also mentally to know that I’ve done it before it’s nice to be able to fall back on that and take that confidence into this year.”

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Brandt Jobe shot a 5-under 66 on Thursday to increase his lead to two strokes in the Champions Tour qualifying tournament.

The top-five finishers Friday will earn fully exempt status, and the next seven will be conditionally exempt. The top 30 finishers and ties will be eligible to compete for spots in open qualifiers.

Jobe, a six-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour, had a 16-under 199 total on TPC Scottsdale’s Champions Course. He had five birdies in a six-hole stretch on the back nine.

“I really didn’t play that well today and got lucky with the score I ended up with,” Jobe said. “Tomorrow, I’ll try not to beat myself because I tried hard to do that today on the front nine. I’ve put myself in a good spot and I’m happy with that, but I’ve got one more big round to play.”

Mike Grob was second after a 66. The Billings, Montana, player had a hole-in-one on the 199-yard eighth hole with a 6-iron.

“It feels like you need to make some birdies out here and if you’re not making them early, you get a little worried,” said Grob, a six-time winner on the Canadian Tour. “That hole-in-one really helped.”

Jose Coceres, Willie Wood and Gibby Gilbert III were tied for third at 13 under. Coceres had a 64, and Wood and Gilbert shot 68.

In a tie for 30th, Jim Rutledge leads the Canadians at 6-under 207.  Rick Gibson and Stuart Hendley – the other two Canadians in the field – are tied for 53rd at 2-under 211.

NASSAU, Bahamas –

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Paul Casey is off to a good start in his final chance to win a tournament this year.

Casey birdied the final hole at Albany Golf Club on Thursday for a 6-under 66 that gave him a share of the first-round lead with Jimmy Walker and Zach Johnson in the Hero World Challenge.

The scenery and tropical sunshine made it feel like a working vacation, and a gentle breeze off the tip of New Providence island only added to the relaxation. Hideki Matsuyama (75) was the only player in the 18-man field who didn’t break par.

Defending champion Jordan Spieth made a hole-in-one with a 6-iron on the second hole and finally added a birdie on a par 5 to join a large group at 67 that included Bubba Watson and Adam Scott, who lives at Albany and still holds – barely – the course record of 65.

Casey is among five players in this field of top-50 players who has yet to win this year.

“The only blemish I can think of is maybe I left a putt short on line, which is a little criminal,” Casey said. “Other than that, I played some really, really nice golf.”

He wasn’t alone. Walker made quick strides with a new move in his swing and produced eight birdies, six of them in an eight-hole stretch on the back nine.

Johnson recovered from a slow start that could have been worse. He originally was penalized one shot for marking his ball off the green at the par-5 third, only for the penalty to be rescinded when officials determined it was too difficult on some holes to determine where the putting surface ended.

“When we started rolling the greens and mowing them down at tournament height, and then the sun came out, we had a situation in a lot of places where you couldn’t differentiate between the collar and the green,” said Mark Russell, the tour’s vice president of competition. “Rather than put the players in a situation where they were going to have a problem, we took care of it.”

The weather played a big role in the low scoring. Still, there was one noticeable difference from past years. This was the fewest number of rounds over par on the first day, and there had been no shortage of rounds in the upper 70s and 80s.

Part of that might be the first time the World Challenge has been played at Albany Golf Club. It was at Isleworth last year in Florida, and at Sherwood Country Club in California for 14 years.

Then again, players have been competing around the world – Spieth and Scott in Australia last week, Johnson at Sea Island two weeks ago.

There were a few exceptions. Walker hasn’t played since Las Vegas in mid-October and he has just begun to work with Butch Harmon on a move in which his head moves down the target line, similar to how David Duval swung the club.

“It’s something he’s been trying to get me to do for a while, and it’s tough,” Walker said. “I told him I was going to make a really tough commitment to try to do it. I’ve been swinging a certain way for a long time and it’s a hard habit to break.”

It didn’t go so well in the pro-am, mainly because there was a lot of standing around. In twosomes, Walker found his groove.

Scott started par-birdie-eagle until losing some momentum with a bogey, and then he added three birdies on the back nine. Spieth’s start was sensational, a 6-iron that landed in front of the hole and dropped in the cup.

“Absolutely flushed it right at the hole and didn’t think it went in,” Spieth said. “I started walking because balls have been sticking on the green, so I thought it stuck. But I guess it just crept forward that extra 2 feet.”

He didn’t get much help from the crowd reaction, mainly because there wasn’t much of a crowd. No more than two dozen fans were with any group.

Dustin Johnson might have had the largest gallery when he added his coach, a social media consultant, his wife, her brothers and their girlfriends. He was happy just to be playing after he cut his right heel coming out of the water from diving on Tuesday.

“I thought it was just a scratch,” he said. “Then I was just sitting in the boat, looked down and there was blood everywhere.”

He played the opening round in tennis shoes and managed just fine with a 68.

Anirban Lahiri of India, playing on a sponsor exemption had a 69 that included a bogey on the par-5 ninth when he hit a sand wedge out of the dunes that went over the green and over some 25 yards of water near the 18th fairway.

Johnson was penalized on his third hole for marking his ball off the green. The penalty later was rescinded because it was not clear where the putting surface ended on several greens.

Cher ami golfeur,

En cette fin de la saison de golf 2015, je vous remercie de votre soutien et de votre appui du golf canadien comme membre de Golf Canada et de Golf Newfoundland Labrador.

Vos cotisations servent à appuyer des programmes comme :

• Golf en milieu scolaire – 2 795 écoles du Canada (programme élémentaire : 2 501 écoles; programme intermédiaire : 12 écoles; programme secondaire : 282 écoles)
• Premiers élans CN – le programme national de golf junior : 518 clubs participants au Canada
• Vert la guérison – 145 sites participants au Canada
• Compétitions de golf nationales, provinciales et régionales
• Évaluation de parcours et indice Slope; séminaires sur les règles et le handicap; formation et certification des entraîneurs.

Pour vous tenir au courant des nombreux programmes et services destinés aux clubs membres et aux membres individuels, je suis heureux de vous faire part des statistiques suivantes qui mettent en relief l’engagement des golfeurs membres :

• Golfcanada.ca, le site Web no 1 du golf au Canada, a eu plus de 6,7 millions de visites cette année;
• Plus de 7 millions de scores ont été inscrits au Centre de scores Golf Canada par des membres de Golf Canada.

Golf Canada s’est engagé à investir dans la croissance et la santé du golf. Comme toujours, ce fut un plaisir de collaborer avec nos associations provinciales pour exécuter les programmes destinés à la base qui ont attiré les athlètes d’élite et les adeptes du golf récréatif d’un bout à l’autre du Canada.

Nous sommes convaincus que votre appui par le truchement des cotisations d’adhésion contribuent à créer une nouvelle génération de golfeurs qui à leur tour assureront la vitalité du golf.

Je vous souhaite un hiver à l’enseigne de la santé et de la sécurité. Au plaisir de célébrer avec vous une autre merveilleuse saison de golf en 2016.

Salutations cordiales,

Scott Simmons
Directeur exécutif et chef de la direction
Golf Canada