McIlroy to miss another title defense at Firestone
AKRON, Ohio – Rory McIlroy has told the PGA TOUR he will not play the Bridgestone Invitational next week as he recovers from his ankle injury.
It will be the second straight tournament that McIlroy will miss as the defending champion. He injured his left ankle while playing soccer with friends in Northern Ireland the first weekend in July. He was not able to defend his title in the British Open at St. Andrews.
McIlroy did not indicate if he would be able to play the PGA Championship on Aug. 13-16 at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin. He won the PGA Championship last year for his fourth career major.
Jordan Spieth will have another chance to replace McIlroy at No. 1 in the world next week at Firestone.
Thames Valley Children’s Centre named as official charity of Freedom 55 Financial Championship
Golf Canada in partnership with title sponsor Freedom 55 Financial and the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada announced today that the Thames Valley Children’s Centre (TVCC) will serve as the official charitable beneficiary of the Freedom 55 Financial Championship, which will run September 14-20, 2015 at Highland Country Club in London, Ont.
Thames Valley Children’s Centre (TVCC) works to support children and their families to achieve the highest possible quality of life. TVCC serves more than 8000 children, youth and their families every year through a wide range of services provided out of the main London Centre and 15 regional office locations across Southwestern Ontario. Clients range in age from birth to 19 with services supporting a range of special needs including physical disabilities, communication disorders, developmental delays and autism spectrum disorders. Fifty-five percent of all ticket proceeds from the event will go towards supporting the TVCC.
“We endorse Golf Canada’s selection of Thames Valley Children’s Centre for the tournament’s charitable proceeds,” said Mike Cunneen, Senior Vice-President, Freedom 55 Financial. “Through the annual London Life Forest City Road Races and the Freedom 55 Financial We’re All Stars event, our company has proudly supported the important work Thames Valley does to support children and families from London and across Southwestern Ontario. I applaud the tournament’s goal to raise funds and welcome the Children’s Centre and its supporters to Highland.”
“We are thrilled to be the charitable beneficiary for the Freedom 55 Financial Championship,” commented Dr. John LaPorta, CEO, Thames Valley Children’s Centre. “We are heartened that Golf Canada will not only focus on coordinating a stellar tournament but equally on a fundraising strategy that will benefit the more than 8,000 clients our Centre serves throughout Southwestern Ontario.”
“Children’s Health Foundation, the fundraising partner of TVCC, is excited to see Golf Canada taking such initiative to further strengthen TVCC’s ability to provide the very best rehabilitation services, positively impacting every aspect of our kids’ lives,” shares Susan Crowley, President and CEO of Children’s Health Foundation. “In partnership with community members, like Golf Canada and Freedom 55 Financial, we are contributing to care, research and rehabilitation that helps young people to be happy, healthy and strong.”
The 12th and final event on the Mackenzie Tour schedule will see the culmination of the race for Web.com Tour status at Highland Country Club. Only the top 60 players on the Order of Merit will be eligible, setting up an exciting race to the season’s final event.
The top five players on the Mackenzie Tour Order of Merit earn Web.com Tour status for the following season, with players finishing in spots 6th through 10th earning an exemption into the final stage and players finishing 11th through 20th into the second stage of Web.com Tour Qualifying School.
In addition to serving as title sponsor of the Freedom 55 Financial Championship, Freedom 55 Financial also sponsors the Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week award presenting $2,500 to the top Canadian player at each Mackenzie Tour event as well as the season ending Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Year Award, which comes with a $25,000 prize.
Ryan Williams of Vancouver won the 2014 season ending championship along with both the Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week and Canadian Player of the Year Awards.
Volunteer and ticket information is available at www.freedom55financialchampionship.com. As well, children aged 17 and under get in free all week long at the Freedom 55 Financial Championship – download your free junior tickets here.
Calgarians Stephen Ames and Darryl James Lead Four Canucks into Shaw Charity Classic
CALGARY—Calgary’s PGA TOUR professional, Stephen Ames, and local professional, Darryl James, will welcome the world to their backyard at the PGA TOUR’s Champions Tour’s 2015 Shaw Charity Classic, August 5-9.
Ames, who has played a mix of Champions Tour and PGA TOUR events since joining the senior circuit last spring, will make his second appearance in the tournament he helped bring to Calgary two years ago. Ames is part of the six-person philanthropic Patron Group who has backed the award-winning tournament that doles out record-setting charitable donations for youth-based charities in Alberta.
“This is the back nine of my career so I am thrilled once again to have the opportunity to play in a Tour event in a city that is very special to me,” said Ames, who also spends time living in Vancouver. “Many of us worked very hard for a long time to bring an event of this caliber to this market. Hopefully I will play well and it would be great to have a Canadian at the top of the leaderboard on Sunday.”
Ames has played 22 seasons on the PGA TOUR where he has racked up nearly $20 million in earnings. The longtime Calgary resident won four times on the PGA TOUR, most memorably The Players Championship victory in 2006. A top-10 finisher 58 times on the elite TOUR, Ames has two European Championship titles to go along with six, top-10 finishes at major championships.
Another local boy, Darryl James, will take advantage of a sponsor’s exemption to tee it up with a star-studded international field that includes the best senior golfers on the planet. James, an instructor with the National Golf Academy in Calgary, was a Tuesday qualifier for last year’s tournament. James made it to the final stage of qualifying school, but came up short in his bid to earn one of five full-time cards for the senior circuit.
“Qualifying last year was an absolute dream come true. It was the biggest day of my life,” said James, who was on-hand at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club for the third annual media day horse race competition on Wednesday. “The experience kind of reignited the fire in me to start playing more competitively again, and I hope to build on the knowledge gained last year to put in a strong showing next week. I am grateful to everyone at the Shaw Charity Classic for providing me with this opportunity.”
Joining the Calgary-based Canucks will be Champions Tour veterans Rod Spittle and Jim Rutledge.
Born in St. Catharines, Ont., Spittle is the lone Canadian to win a Champions Tour event since joining the 50-and-over Tour in 2005. A three-time finisher in the top-10, Spittle who is recognized as one of the nicest guys on Tour captured the 2010 AT&T Championship in San Antonio, TX.
Victoria’s Jim Rutledge will round out the Canadian contingent. A regular on the Champions Tour since 2009, Rutledge will look to find some magic on home turf as he continues to search for his first Champions Tour win.
The four Canucks will prowl the fairways of Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club with 81 of golf’s greats that includes: 10 PGA TOUR major winners (O’Meara, Janzen, Woosnam, Stadler, Tway, Simpson, Sluman, Calcavecchia, Pavin, Brooks); three World Golf Hall of Fame Members (Couples, Montgomerie, O’Meara); Champions Tour rookies Lee Janzen and Scott McCarron; and other newcomers to Calgary – Peter Jacobsen and Carlos Franco.
Quebec’s Summerlea Golf & Country Club to host 77th Canadian Junior Boys Championship
Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que. – The 77th playing of the Canadian Junior Boys Championship will be hosted by Summerlea Golf & Country Club in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., from August 2-6. The field vying for the national title will include members of Team Canada’s National Development Squad, provincial junior champions and top finishers in the 2015 CN Future Links Championship series.
The prestigious Canadian Junior Boys title has marked the beginning of many successful professional and amateur careers. This national title has previously been captured by PGA TOUR rookie Nick Taylor, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada member and Golf Canada Young Pro Squad member Adam Svensson, Jim Rutledge of the Champions Tour, as well as, Canadian Golf Hall of Fame members Doug Silverberg, George Knudson, Gary Cowan and Doug Roxburgh.
In 2014, Austin James of Bath, Ont., captured the Canadian Junior Boys title at Legends on the Niagara in Niagara Falls, Ont., before entering his sophomore year at Charleston Southern University. This year, 156 juniors will compete at Summerlea in hopes of having their names added to the tournament’s long list of celebrated champions.
“With a field of highly talented juniors ready to take on Summerlea Golf & Country Club, the 77th edition of Canadian Junior Boys Championship will prove to be an exciting competiton,” said Tournament Director Justine Decock. “Summerlea is a big supporter of junior golf and Golf Canada is proud to host Canada’s best at its facility. The course is in excellent condition and we look forward to the championship.”
Summerlea Golf & Country Club is located half an hour from Montreal, Que., in Vaudreuil-Dorion. Summerlea – a family-oriented club dedicated to the development of golf at all levels – has a long history of hosting professional and amateur championships, including the 2002 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, the 1966 Canadian Men’s Amateur, as well as, the 1996 Canadian Men’s and the 2001 Women’s Senior Championships.
From August 2-6, Summerlea Golf & Country Club will host the Junior Boys field on its scenic Dorion course that runs through valleys, testing competitors with uneven lies and undulating greens.
Headlining the field will be the members of Team Canada’s Development Squad. Étienne Papineau finished tied for tenth at the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup and claimed the 2015 edition of the Alexander of Tunis championship, one leg of Golf Québec’s prestigious Triple Crown. Joining the St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., native will be Trevor Ranton of Waterloo, Ont., who has experienced success this season, capturing the Ontario Junior Boys Championship, as well as the CN Future Links Pacific Championship title.
Completing the National Team contingent are the 2014 Canadian Juvenile Boys Champion Tony Gil of Vaughan, Ont., who is ranked fifth on the CN Future Links National Junior Boys Order of Merit, AJ Armstrong of St. Albert, Alta., and Patrick Murphy of Crossfield, Alta.
Earning their spots in the competition were the top finishers from the 2015 CN Future Links Championship series, including Ontario edition winner Jack Simpson of Aurora, Ont.; Alexander Smith of Calgary, Alta., – the Prairie champion and No. 1 on the CN Future Links National Junior Boys Order of Merit; Quebec champion Jason (Chan Young) Chung of Thornhill, Ont.; Western champion Jason Martens of Edmonton, Alta.; and Atlantic champion Calvin Ross of Fredericton, N.B.
The provincial junior champions will travel to Quebec in hopes of translating their success onto the national stage. The champions from the west include Jake Scarrow of Dewdney, B.C., Andrew Harrison of Camrose, Alta., Cory Selander of Prince Albert, Sask., and Wesley Hoydalo of Selkirk, Man. Traveling from the eastern provinces will be Blair Bursey of Gander, Nfld., Corey McMinniman of Fredericton, N.B., Matthew Chandler of Chester, N.S., and Ryan Legault of Charlottetown, P.E.I., who topped the Prince Edward Island Junior Order of Merit.
The Canadian Junior Boys Championship is open to male amateur golfers who have not reached their 19th birthday by August 1st, 2015; the Juvenile Boys competition is for those not yet 17. Team Alberta will defend its inter-provincial team title at the tournament. The winner of the Canadian Junior Boys Championship will receive an exemption into the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship to be hosted by Weston Golf & Country Club and The Lambton Golf & Country Club from August 8-13.
Following a practice round on August 2, the championship’s 72-holes of stroke play competition will commence on August 3. Following 36 holes, the field will be reduced to the low 70 players and ties. Ties for the Junior and Juvenile championship titles will be decided by a hole-by-hole playoff.
For more information on the 2015 Canadian Junior Boys Championship, including a full list of competitors and pairings, please click here.
David Hearn pauses to give back
Although David Hearn didn’t capture the RBC Canadian Open Sunday night, 24 hours later, he was still a winner.
The fourth annual David Hearn Charity Golf Classic raised $114,000 for the Alzhemier Society of Canada.
And, you could say the launch of the David Hearn Foundation – which was officially announced Wednesday of Canadian Open week – was a resounding success.
Hearn, whose great-grandmother and grandmother both suffered from the disease, said that given the personal, direct impact Alzheimer’s has had on his life, he felt a need to formally get involved with the cause, and help those who are affected by it.
“When I started playing PGA Tour golf I never envisioned I’d be at this point. But, it’s really nice to get here now,” Hearn said Monday from Beverly Golf and Country Club in Hamilton, Ont.
The foundation will fundraise for projects that will help build on and expand programs and services for those with Alzheimer’s across the country. The direct focus of the foundation is to support the Alzheimer’s Society nationwide work in improving care for Canadians with the disease.
“We’re grateful for David’s work in supporting dementia in the community and thrilled he has chosen the Alzheimer Society as his charity partner. The foundation is an incredible opportunity to further enhance the lives and well-being of all Canadians affected by Alzheimer’s disease,” said Mimi Lowi-Young, the CEO of the Alzheimer Society of Canada, in a press release.
The release further stated the foundation “will aim to increase awareness, enhance the quality of life for those affected by the disease, raise funds to research best practices and implement them in communities across the country.”
Hearn said he saw the positive impact the Mike Weir Foundation and the Graham & Ruby DeLaet Foundation has had on Canadians, and knew he wanted to get involved as well.
“Starting the foundation was the next step in my charitable endeavors,” explained Hearn.
Hearn’s charity tournament directly supports the Alzheimer Society of Brant, Haldimand-Norfolk and Hamilton-Halton. Hearn was thrilled to see the outpouring of support.
Before the day began, he assumed the attendees would raise more money than they ever had before.
He was right. The $114,000 mark eclipsed the previous mark earned at the 2014 edition of the event.
“It’s exciting to see these tournaments grow,” said the 36-year-old, who still lives in Brantford for half the year.
As a long-time member of the PGA Tour, Hearn has made over $6 million (USD) in his career, including nearly $1.8 million this season alone. Hearn said giving back is what the PGA Tour stands for, and he’s happy to do his part.
“If you talk to anyone who is related to the Tour, our number-one goal is to raise money for charity,” he explained. “We play for a lot of money and the golf tournaments are exciting to watch, but each and every tournament, the benefactors are charities.
“So much of what the PGA Tour is about is about giving back and being charitable. It’s in the fabric of what we do. To have a foundation and be able to do that is really exciting,” he continued.
Despite falling just short at Glen Abbey – “I gave myself a chance right until the very end,” he explained – Hearn said his experience during the Canadian Open week was something he would remember for the rest of his life.
Hearn will now enjoy two weeks off – including a full week without swinging a golf club, he said – before playing the PGA Championship.
Inclement weather forces delay of the first round of 2015 Canadian Womens Amateur Championship
Saskatoon, Sask. – Heavy rainfall and the ensuing unplayable conditions forced the postponement of the first round of the 2015 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Riverside Country Club in Saskatoon, Sask.
The first round of play will begin on the morning of Wednesday, July 29 at 7 a.m. CST with revised tee times. Round two will also see a revised draw and is slated to begin immediately following the completion of the first round. Pairings for rounds one and two will remain the same as the original groupings.
“Unfortunately weather did not cooperate with the first round of play,” said Tournament Director Mary Beth McKenna. “However the weather forecast is looking good for the remainder of the week and we are confident that we will be able to finish the 72-hole national competition.”
In addition to the title of 2015 Canadian Women’s Amateur Champion, the field of 105 Canadian and International players will also be golfing for a prized exemption into the 2015 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open to be played at The Vancouver Golf Club in Coquitlam, B.C., and the 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship.
For additional information on the championship, including revised tee times and live scoring, proceed to the competition’s website.
Tiger Woods running out of chances to salvage season
GAINESVILLE, Va. – Tiger Woods is running out of opportunities to salvage a lost season.
This week’s Quicken Loans National could be his second-to-last start before the new PGA Tour season begins in the fall. He’s on track to miss the FedEx Cup playoffs, and he needs a victory just to be eligible for next week’s Bridgestone Invitational, on a course where he’s won eight times.
Barring a dramatic turnaround, Woods’ season will conclude at the PGA Championship in two weeks.
Woods acknowledged Tuesday that his last two years have been forgettable. Last year, he missed three months after back surgery, and this year he took two months off to fix a balky short game. He says he doesn’t feel a huge sense of urgency because he hasn’t played much competitive golf.
Billy Hurley III says his father has been missing for 9 days
GAINESVILLE, Va. – Billy Hurley III took a few questions about his struggles on the golf course and his ties to northern Virginia before a PGA Tour official said Hurley had an announcement.
Fighting off tears, Hurley delivered the stunning news that his father, retired police officer Willard Hurley Jr., has been missing since July 19.
“Last Sunday, nine days ago, my dad took some clothes, he took some cash, he got in his truck and drove away and no one has heard from him since,” Hurley said Tuesday during a pre-tournament media availability at the Quicken Loans National. “No one really knows why. It’s complete speculation as to why he left.”
Willard Hurley, 61, lives in Leesburg, Virginia, where the younger Hurley grew up. The family home is about 25 miles north of Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, the site of this weeks’ tournament.
Lt. Jeffrey Dube, a Leesburg police spokesman, confirmed that Hurley’s mother filed a missing-persons report on Monday, and police are investigating.
“Right now, we have no reason to believe that there’s any suspicious circumstances surrounding his disappearance,” Dube said. “Everything points to that he left his residence on his own volition.”
Dube said the elder Hurley used a credit card to buy gas near Winchester, Virginia, on the day he left.
“Since then, we kind of ran into a brick wall,” he said.
Hurley said his father worked as a police officer in the area for a quarter-century and has been married to his mother for more than 30 years. He has no history of mental health problems, Hurley said.
Hurley said he decided to go public with his family crisis in hopes that someone who knows his father’s whereabouts will come forward. He decided to play this week because his father might watch on TV or check his score and decide to come home.
“Maybe, you know, a bartender who served him dinner sees this story on `Golf Central’ or whatever, and we can get a hit on his location or something,” Hurley said.
Hurley, a 33-year-old Naval Academy graduate, earned his PGA Tour card after serving as a Naval officer for five years.
He said he only found out on Monday that his father had disappeared.
“I’m just hopeful,” Hurley said. “This was a hard decision for my family to make to even make this public.”
Ricky Barnes’ hole-in-one earns him a new BMW at RBC Canadian Open
RICHMOND HILL, Ont. – BMW Canada handed over the keys to a new BMW i8 at the 2015 RBC Canadian Open in Oakville, Ont. Ricky Barnes earned the new vehicle after hitting a hole-in-one during tournament play at Glen Abbey Golf Club.
“What a day out there,” said Barnes. “I haven’t had a hole-in-one in a long time and to win the i8 is unreal. The place was full of energy.”
Barnes’ ace on the 165 yard 4th hole during championship play was his first hole-in-one on the PGA TOUR.
“What a thrill,” said Kevin Marcotte, Drector of Marketing at BMW Group Canada. “For Ricky and the golf fans who witnessed the perfect shot. I know Ricky will have many more joyous moments behind the wheel of the i8.”
Revered as the world’s most-progressive sports car, the BMW i8 is an icon of innovation. It combines the efficiency of an all-electric motor and the power of a TwinPower Turbo engine to deliver a truly exhilarating driving experience.
Barnes, 34, now residing in Phoenix, AZ is a California native and former All-American at the University of Arizona. Barnes turned pro in 2003 and has enjoyed great success on the PGA Tour, including a standout performance at the 2009 US Open at Bethpage Black where he finished tied for second.
“It’s a partnership we’re very proud of,” said Marcotte. “To showcase our brand alongside the best players in the world is very fitting.”
Terry Marcotte, Ricky Barnes (Golf Canada/ Bernard Brault)
Miguel Angel Jimenez adds fire power to 2015 Shaw Charity Classic Field
CALGARY — The most interesting man in golf, Miguel Angel Jimenez, will tee it up in Calgary for the 2015 Shaw Charity Classic.
“Adding Miguel to this year’s field is a huge win for our tournament and Calgary golf fans,” said Sean Van Kesteren, tournament director, Shaw Charity Classic. “I think one of the things that makes Champions Tour events exciting to watch is you have many of the legends of the game on the same Tour with relative newcomers to the Tour who are still competitive on the PGA TOUR. Miguel can obviously still play at a very high level, and I know he is going to put on a great show next week.”
Currently ranked 56th on the Official World Golf Rankings, Jimenez will make his first trip to Calgary just weeks before competing in the PGA Championship. Jimenez is recognized by his trademark ponytail and is often seen smoking a Cuban cigar while firing at flag sticks around the globe. The colourful Spaniard’s game is as flashy as his personality. He brings23 Tour wins around the world with him to the Shaw Charity Classic.
“I love it out here on the Champions Tour. I still feel I am competitive, I still love competing and I have a great life playing on both the Champions Tour and European Tour,” said Jimenez. “This will be my first trip to Canada so I am looking forward to getting to Calgary for the Shaw Charity Classic, playing well and having some fun. It will be a good opportunity for me to prepare for the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.”
Jimenez has won 21 times on the European Tour. He made a splashy Champions Tour debut last year when he fired a course record 65 in his opening round, and went on to win the Greater Gwinnett Championship. He also won the Mittsubishi Electric Championship in Hualalai earlier this year. Jimenez is a four-time member of the European Ryder Cup Team, and was the vice-captain for Europe at the Miracle of Medinah in 2012 and at Gleneagles in 2014.
Jimenez will share centre stage down the fairways of Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club with the tournament’s first-two champions, Rocco Mediate and Fred Couples, along with 81 of golf’s greats including: Colin Montgomerie; Mark O’Meara; Fred Funk; Mark Calcavecchia; Corey Pavin; David Frost; Ian Woosnam; Jay Haas; Scott Simpson; Peter Jacobsen; Craig Stadler; and Lee Janzen.