The CN Future Links Atlantic Championship opened at Gowan Brae Golf & Country Club in Bathurst, N.B., with 98 juniors in the field. At day’s end, the crowded leaderboards featured four players tied for the Junior Boys division lead at even par, while three junior girls posted 3-over for the low score in their division.

Four players opened with rounds of 72 to sit atop the Junior Boys division. Gabriel Gingras of Chelsea, Que., closed the day with two birdies to secure his share at the top. Playing in his home province, Calvin Ross of Fredericton, N.B., kept a steady pace, balancing three bogeys with three birdies. Rimouski, Que., product Julien Roy took full advantage Gowan Brae’s par 5s, notching eagles on holes 11 and 14. Michael Simms from St. John’s, Nfld., joined the trio at even par by shooting 1-under across the back nine.

One stroke back of the leaders at 1-over par are Blair Bursey from Gander, Nfld., William Gagné of Québec City, Que., and Charlottetown, P.E.I., native Ryan Legault. Tristan Vandette of Beaconsfield, Que., and Nathan Douglas of Thornhill, Ont., follow closely behind with scores of 2-over 74.

In the Junior Girls division, three players share the lead at 3-over 75. Allison Chandler, a Chester, N.S., native, highlighted her round with an eagle on hole 14 before adding a birdie on 15. St-Gabriel de Valcartier, Que., product Felixe Jacques earned her share at the top of the leaderboard with an even-par back nine. Reigning New Brunswick Junior Girls champion, Laura Jones of Moncton, N.B., claimed her place among the leaders with a strong 1-under front nine start.

Holding a tie for fourth place and signing for rounds of 5-over 77 are Claire Konning of Indian Mountain, N.B., and Oceane Jacques of St-Gabriel de Valcartier, Que.

The top six finishers in both the Junior Boys and Junior Girls divisions at the CN Future Links Atlantic Championship will be awarded direct entry into their respective national championships. The 2015 Canadian Junior Boys Championship will be held August 2-6 at Summerlea Golf & Country Club in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., while the 2015 Canadian Junior Girls Championship will be contested at Deer Park Golf Course in Yorkton, Sask., from August 3-7. In addition, the CN Future Links Junior Girls Atlantic champion will also receive an exemption into a 2016 Canadian Women’s Tour event of her choice.

The second round begins tomorrow with the junior girls teeing off at 7 a.m. ADT before the junior boys take to the course at 8:10 a.m. ADT.

For complete first round scoring from the 2015 CN Future Links Atlantic Championship, please click here.

When Graham DeLaet arrived in St. Andrews for The Open Championship on Sunday his most valuable possessions – his golf clubs – failed to find its way. Finally, he was able to take a breather when his clubs arrived Tuesday, but something wasn’t as expected. The Canadian tweeted out the following picture of his bag covered in protein powder:

You just can’t make this stuff up. pic.twitter.com/CWyEQXIPcK

— Graham DeLaet (@GrahamDeLaet) July 14, 2015

It was quite deceiving when he first received his clubs from the airline, he thought he could get right to work, but some tender loving care was needed first.

54 hours later…my babies have arrived! Time to get to work! pic.twitter.com/qSnmimQgZz — Graham DeLaet (@GrahamDeLaet) July 14, 2015

Luckily DeLaet was able to practice and tune up his game thanks to Titleist.

Big thanks to @TitleistonTour for hooking me up with a set of hooks this morning so I could play a practice round. pic.twitter.com/xL4QJf06Cj

— Graham DeLaet (@GrahamDeLaet) July 13, 2015

And for good measure, at least the pro golfer was able to have some fun with the unfortunate situation.

Carry it in that bag every week of the year, but it was a protein powder explosion, not this…. pic.twitter.com/T6NzboPIYn — Graham DeLaet (@GrahamDeLaet) July 14, 2015

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Tiger Woods is still gunning for Jack Nicklaus’ record.

Despite a slump that has sent him plummeting to No. 241 in the world golf rankings, Woods remains confident he can win at least four more majors in his career.

Woods comes into the British Open with 14 major titles on his resume, but his last victory in one of golf’s biggest events came at the 2008 U.S. Open.

Nicklaus holds the record with 18 championships.

Woods pointed out he doesn’t turn 40 until December.

“I’m still young,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “I know some of you guys think I’m buried and done, but I’m still right here in front of you.”

Woods is a three-time British Open winner, capturing two of his titles at the Old Course.

He hopes that familiarity will carry him into contention this week.

“I just love the creativity,” Woods said. “You need to have the right angles. Over the years of learning how to play the golf course under all different type of wind conditions, it changes greatly, and it’s based on angles. You have to put the ball on certain sides of the fairways in order to get the ball close.

“To me, that type of thinking and the strategy that goes into that is something I’ve always loved. Yeah, you can run the ball up here on a lot of the holes. It won’t really be doing that this week because it’s a little bit softer, but still, you have that option. You know, a five-degree wind change here changes the whole golf course completely. I’ve always found that very fascinating.”

Once the world’s most dominant player, Woods has been plagued by injuries and turmoil in his personal life since his stirring victory at Torrey Pines more than seven years ago.

He missed the cut last month at the U.S. Open, after opening with an 80. Woods hasn’t finished in the top 10 of a major since a sixth-place showing in the 2013 British Open at Muirfield.

Even so, he feels better about his game after making the cut two weeks ago at the Greenbrier Classic, insisting that he “hit the ball the best I’ve hit it in probably two years.”

“That was awfully nice to be able to do coming into this week,” Woods said. “I’ve hit the ball just as well in my practice rounds.”

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Symetra Tour, Road to the LPGA, confirmed on Monday night that 17-year-old Brooke Henderson will play in the 2015 Toyota Danielle Downey Classic. Henderson narrowly missed qualifying for the Marathon Classic by one stroke.

“Although I was hoping my 2-under 69 would qualify for the Marathon Classic, I’ve heard nothing but great things about Rochester and I’m excited to compete this week on the Symetra Tour at the Danielle Downey Classic,” said Henderson. “I enjoy playing alongside my sister, Brittany, and it’s nice that we get to do it just four hours from my home of Smiths Falls, Ontario.”

Henderson is coming off a tie for fifth at the U.S. Women’s Open on Sunday. She moved up 13 spots on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings to No. 32. She also finished in a tie for fifth at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

The Smiths Falls, Ontario native has accumulated $458,866 as a non-member in just eight LPGA Tour starts, the equivalent of 17th on the money list.

Henderson petitioned for Symetra Tour membership after winning the Four Winds Invitational as a non-member and commissioner Mike Whan accepted. She has played in one event, the Island Resort Championship, as a member and finished solo third. Henderson finished in a tie for second at her first Symetra Tour tournament, the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic. She currently ranks 49th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list.

“We have known about the possibility of Brooke and Brittany Henderson playing here for some time, but did not want to get the community excited or even rooting against any offsetting successes that they may have had in the U.S. Open or in Toledo,” said tournament chair Mike Vadala. “As a committee, we decided to do what was in the best interest of the players and to keep a low profile until we knew. That said, Brooke is the most exciting young player in golf this year, and her sister Brittany, who recently spent a summer in Rochester working at CCR, has also done well on the Symetra Tour (28th on Volvik Race for the Card money list). We are pleased and excited that these two fine young ladies will be part of our field. I know they will feel the support of Rochester’s huge golf fan base.”

The Henderson’s will be two of 13 Canadians competing in the 144-player field for a total tournament purse of $150,000. The winner will earn $22,500.

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Laura Davies was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame on Monday, even though she wasn’t around to enjoy all of it.

A four-hour flight delay out of Philadelphia forced her to miss the induction.

In a rush to the University of St. Andrews, she at least watched the ceremony on Sky Sports in the car, but when her pre-recorded video came on, the signal went out and she missed her speech and that of Mark O’Meara. She finally made it to the reception, a surprise to hundreds of guests who thought she had abandoned efforts to get there.

“Everything that seems to happen to me is weird,” Davies said at the reception.

Not her place in the Hall of Fame. That was earned with four major titles, more than 70 wins around the world and becoming such a dominant force in women’s golf that she starred on the LPGA Tour and still took time to crisscross the Atlanta Ocean to support the Ladies European Tour.

Davies was inducted along with major champions Mark O’Meara and David Graham of Australia and architect A.W. Tillinghast, who studied under Old Tom Morris and created golf courses that hosted majors.

It was the first time the World Golf Hall of Fame took its ceremony outside the United States, and it created a scheduling problem for Davies.

The 51-year-old from England made the cut in the U.S. Women’s Open and tied for 47th on Sunday. And that’s when the fun began.

The heat in Philadelphia led to mechanical problems and a four-hour delay from the scheduled 10 p.m. departure. When it finally took off and reached Heathrow in London, the airport was so busy that her plane had to circle for about a half-hour.

And when she finally got to Edinburgh, her luggage didn’t make it. Davies had another bag that allowed her to wear something she considered presentable.

“I was quite upset,” Davies said. “At the end, it was getting quite distressing.”

She had a large group of family and friends at the induction, including the caddies of Justin Rose (Mark Fulcher) and Ian Poulter (Terry Mundy) who once caddied for Davies on the LPGA Tour.

During this saga, some of her peers on the LPGA Tour took to Twitter to express their outrage. Karrie Webb tweeted that her induction was a career highlight and the special occasion was taken from Davies through “terrible scheduling.”

Beth Daniel said she was “sad and sickened” that Davies couldn’t make the induction.

“Delayed flights from US. Lack of foresight by all,” she tweeted.

“As soon as her last putt dropped Sunday, the World Golf Hall of Fame and others onsite made every effort to get Laura to St. Andrews,” the Hall of Fame said in a statement. “Unfortunately, mechanical issues with her plane and other international travel logistics made it impossible for her to arrive on time.”

Previous induction ceremonies were held at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida. The ceremony in Florida first was held in May 1998 and in recent years was moved to the fall.

Davies arrived at the Old Course Hotel about 7 p.m., changed clothes and headed to the reception. She was announced as she walked in the door.

“I was terrified,” Davies said. “I look in the room and see Arnold Palmer and Bernhard Langer and all these great faces. It was a bit intimidating.”

The Hall of Fame selection process was overhauled to eliminate the independent voice of the writers and turn the voting over to a nominating panel and a 16-member board to vote on finalists. Both bodies consisted of a majority of golf administrators.

O’Meara won 16 times on the PGA Tour, including the Masters and British Open in 1998 when he became at age 41 the oldest player to win two majors in one year. He also won the U.S. Amateur and titles around the world.

Graham won three majors – twice at the PGA Championship and the 1981 U.S. Open at Merion when he putted for birdie on every hole in the final round.

Tillinghast was inducted posthumously and perhaps was overdue. He designed more than 250 courses, including Winged Foot, Baltusrol, Bethpage Black, Ridgewood and San Francisco Golf Club.

The next induction ceremonies will be in 2017 at the World Golf Village, and then in 2019 during the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

The Canada Day Pro-Am is set for Monday July 20 to kick off the tournament week of the 2015 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club. The Canada Day Pro-Am will tee off in a 12:30 p.m. shotgun featuring Toronto Maple Leaf Alumni and Canadian PGA TOUR stars along with up and coming Canadian talents in a charity Pro-Am to support the Golf Canada Foundation.

THE STARS:

• Wendel Clark – Played 13 NHL seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs; captained the team from 1991-1994.
• Rick Vaive – Former Toronto Maple Leafs captain who played eight seasons with the team; first Leaf in franchise history to score 50 goals in one season.
• Peter Ing – Former NHL goaltender played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers and Detroit Red Wings.
• Bill Derlago – Selected 4th overall in the 1978 NHL Draft; played for five NHL teams including the Toronto Maple Leafs.
• Mark Osborne – Former Maple Leaf played 900 NHL games with four different clubs.
• Mike Pelyk – Former Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman.
• Pat Boutette – Former Toronto Maple Leaf centre.
• Greg Hotham – Former Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman selected in 1976 NHL draft; played a total of 230 games with Toronto and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
• Lou Franceschetti – Former NHL player with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals and Buffalo Sabres.
• Kevin Maguire – Former NHL player with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres and Philadelphia and former NHL Referee.
• Jim McKenny – Retired NHL player and sports broadcaster; scored the 5th most points in Maple Leafs history among defencemen.
• Ric Nattress – Former NHL player with five teams including the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens.
• Dave McLlwain – Former NHL player with six teams including the Toronto Maple from 1991-93.
• Pat Hickey – Played 10 seasons in the NHL with five teams including the Toronto Maple Leafs.
• Mark Laforest – Goaltender with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1989-90 season; played for four NHL teams in his career.
• Bob Nevin – Former NHL winger played over 1,100 NHL games; member of two Stanley Cup teams with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1962 & 1963.
• Jim Morrison – Former NHL defenceman played seven seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs; also played for the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins.
• Mike Palmateer – Former Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender; played six of his eight NHL seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs including the 1978 team that reached the Stanley Cup semifinals.
• Ron Ellis – Won the Stanley Cup with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1967; played 16 seasons in the NHL, all for the Leafs, reaching the 20-goal mark in 10 consecutive seasons.
• Dave Hutchison – Former NHL defenceman who played 10 seasons for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks and New Jersey Devils.
• Dave Reid – Played three seasons for the Toronto Maple Leafs; also played for the Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche and won the Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars in the 1998-99 season.
• Peter Holland – Current NHL player with Toronto Maple Leafs; drafted 15th overall by the Anaheim Ducks and traded to the Leafs in the 2013-14 season.

THE PROS:

• Graham DeLaet – Currently the top-ranked Canadian on the World Golf Rankings (No. 80). Competing in his 7th RBC Canadian Open.
• David Hearn – Currently ranked No. 128 in the world and No. 60 in the FedEx Cup standings; competing in his 13th RBC Canadian Open.
• Adam Hadwin – PGA TOUR Rookie topped the 2013-14 Web.com money list; competing in his 6th RBC Canadian Open (finished T4 in 2011).
• Nick Taylor – PGA TOUR Rookie won the 2014 Sanderson Farms Championship (first Canadian-born player to win on PGA TOUR in six years). Former World No. 1 Amateur is competing in his 6th RBC Canadian Open.
• Roger Sloan – PGA TOUR Rookie won the 2014 Web.com Tour Nova Scotia Open; competing in his 3rd RBC Canadian Open.
• Brad Fritsch – Currently ranked No. 81 on the 2015 Web.com money list; competing in his 8th RBC Canadian Open.
• Corey Conners – Member of Golf Canada’s Young Pro Squad; runner-up at the 2014 U.S. Amateur to earn an exemption into the 2015 Masters; competing in his 3rd RBC Canadian Open.
• Taylor Pendrith – Member of Team Canada’s Young Pro Squad; low amateur at 2014 RBC Canadian Open; competing in his 2nd RBC Canadian Open.
• Adam Svensson – Member of Team Canada’s Young Pro Squad; two-time runner-up on the Mackenzie Tour PGA Tour Canada; competing in his 3rd RBC Canadian Open.
• Austin Connelly – Member of Golf Canada’s National Amateur Team is currently ranked No. 13 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking; will represent Team Canada at the 2015 Pan-Am Games golf competition; competing in his 1st RBC Canadian Open.
• Blair Hamilton – Member of Golf Canada’s National Amateur Team is currently ranked No. 104 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking; competing in his 1st RBC Canadian Open.
• Garrett Rank – Current NHL Referee and Former Team Canada National Team member won the 2014 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship; 2015 Ontario Mid-Amateur champion; will represent Team Canada at the 2015 Pan-Am Games golf competition; competing in his 1st RBC Canadian Open.
• Billy Walsh – Currently ranked No. 1 on the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC; competing in his 2nd RBC Canadian Open.
• Richard Jung – Winner of the 2015 RBC Canadian Open Ontario Regional Qualifier; competing in his 1st RBC Canadian Open.

*Additional participants TBD

For information and to purchase tickets please click here.

To print your FREE Junior Pass (17 years old & under) click here.

With a final round of 4-under par 66 this past Sunday, Brooke Henderson managed to climb up the U.S. Women’s Open leaderboard and finish in a tie for fifth place. She began the day in a tie for 18^th but made a charge recording five birdies on the card and a single bogey.

Her performance at Lancaster Country Club in Lancaster, Pa., earned her $141, 396 in prize money and a spot in next year’s U.S. Women’s Open to be hosted by CordeValle in San Jose, Calif. It also pushed her closer to the possibility of having full status on the LPGA Tour in 2016.

The Smiths Falls, Ont., product also recorded a T5 finish earlier this season at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship with a 10-under par score earning her $132,725.

These two T5 finishes in major championships have significantly contributed to the 17-year-olds 2015 LPGA earnings, currently sitting just below $459, 000.

This places her in a good position to earn status on the LPGA Tour next season. If Henderson’s earnings land within the equivalent of the top 40 on the LPGA money list, she will earn her 2016 tour card. In 2014, the 40^th-place finisher on the LPGA Tour earned $447, 658. With her T5 finish this past weekend she has surpassed this number to date. Although this is a fluctuating number, Henderson appears to be right on track.

Brooke Henderson’s season continues today as she attempts to Monday qualify for the LPGA’s Marathon Classic Presented by Owens Corning and O-I. If she does not make it into the field, she will compete in the Symetra Tour’s Toyota Danielle Downey Classic in Rochester, N.Y.

Among the remaining tournaments on the LPGA calendar, Henderson has exemptions into both the Ricoh Women’s British Open and the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open where she will look to solidify her 2016 LPGA Tour card.

The Golf Facilities in Canada 2015 report was published last week by Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada in cooperation with the U.S. National Golf Foundation.

While it contained interesting data about the current number, distribution and type of golf facilities in this country, it also provided the opportunity to analyze just where the game in Canada stands from some wider perspectives, historically and globally.

The “snapshot” summary of the report is available here. Snapshots aside, from a historical long view, the game remains popular and accessible, with almost six million people playing at least one round annually. In total, almost 60-million rounds are played in Canada each year.

The Golf Facilities report indicates that of the 2,346 golf facilities in Canada, more than 90 per cent are open to the public, putting to rest the misconception that the game is elitist and exclusionary. To the contrary, thanks to the variety and number of facilities, combined with the handicap system, it can be argued that golf is the most democratic of all sports.

Those who worry about the length of time it takes to play will be interested to find out that nine-hole layouts account for close to 40 per cent of the country’s courses. And it goes without saying that most 18-hole courses are composed of two returning nine-hole loops, making it possible to play in little more than a couple of hours.

Just as happened after golf booms in the 1920s and 1960s, course construction has dropped off following the spectacular growth of the game in the 1990s. In the 1960s, more than 420 facilities opened across Canada, closely followed by more than 310 new openings in the 1990s. Golf, like any other business and recreational activity, is tied to economic factors and changing consumer behaviours. As such, it cycles periodically and unpredictably. In the past 10 years, 158 facilities across Canada have closed for various reasons. Since 2010, 29 courses have opened in six different provinces and 31 18-hole equivalent facilities are in various stages of development.

When the report was released, it also pointed out some inarguable facts about the vital role golf plays across Canada.

“The golf industry is worth more than $14.3-billion to the Canadian economy and represents more than one per cent of our nation’s total GDP,” the report summary stated. “The $5-billion in direct revenues generated by Canada’s 2,346 facilities are more than the revenues generated by all other participation sports and recreational facilities combined ($4.8-billion). The numbers reinforce the massive financial, charitable, and environmental impact that golf has in communities across Canada including hundreds of thousands of jobs, billions in taxes, and a major tourism driver both domestic and international. Canadian golf facilities are a channel for major charitable giving with close to 37,000 events at Canadian courses raising more than $533-million annually for worthwhile causes.”

The accessibility, affordability and popularity of golf in Canada cannot be disputed.  A recent global study by the R&A in partnership with the NGF puts us third in total golf facilities behind the United States and Japan.

The R&A study also reported that there are 34,011 facilities in 204 countries worldwide, providing the opportunity for international participation in showcases such as the current Pan Am Games and the 2016 Olympics. Professional golf tours around the world also reflect this positive international trend.

(The Pan Am golf competition starts Thursday, July 16, at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont. The Olympic golf championship takes place next August in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.)

Viewing the three- or four-decade downswing between previous golf booms, we can be hopeful the game will once again recycle in a few years. However, it is impossible to predict economic trends or whether the presence of the game on global stages such as the Pan-Am Games and the Olympics will enhance its popularity or encourage construction of more facilities.

What is known, in the wake of the release of last week’s study, is that there is plenty of golf to go around in Canada and plenty of people interested in taking advantage of it.

The complete Golf Facilities in Canada 2015 report including national and provincial data is available for download here.

For more information about the impact of golf in Canada, visit www.canadagolfs.ca.

After 22 years, Bill Paul, the veteran tournament director of the RBC Canadian Open stepped aside from his day-to-day job and into a more strategic role as Chief Championship Officer.

Golf Canada didn’t have to look very far to find his replacement. In fact, Brent McLaughlin was only one office away.

But the long-time lead of the rules department at Golf Canada – and the tournament director at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open – is far from your usual championship leader.

Here are five things you need to know about the 44-year-old McLaughlin.

His ice-fishing hut is parked at Glen Abbey

Dubbed the Heisenberg II – because of it’s glaring resemblance to the trailer from the critically-acclaimed television show Breaking Bad – McLaughlin’s ice-fishing hut is actually an old trailer he bought from Kijiji and fixed up.

The grounds crew at Glen Abbey lets him park it in the maintenance yard during the summer months before he takes it up to Cook’s Bay and Lake Simcoe for the winter.

“It has a woodstove in it, three fishing holes… it’s hilarious. I originally stored it in the parking lot of Glen Abbey,” he says. “Being from (Sault Ste. Marie) I love the outdoors. I love fishing and hunting. I just can’t shake it.”

He’s riding home from the CP Women’s Open in Vancouver on his motorcycle

At the conclusion of the CP Women’s Open, McLaughlin will be taking a well-deserved vacation.

But not just any vacation.

McLaughlin, who says he has driven across Canada a few times, will be riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle back to Oakville from Vancouver, through the U.S. The ride will take 10-12 days, and admits he has a bunch of landmarks chosen to stop at.

However, he says he hasn’t arranged hotels in every city. He’ll be bringing a tent with him, just in case, on his self-described, “hippie trip.”

“I’ve always love the bad-boy image of the Harley, and I’m a true-and-true Harley guy now. I love the sound of it,” he explains. “I’ve got my bike shipped out (to Vancouver) and I’ll just take my time getting home.”

He went on tour with the Barenaked Ladies

In the early-1990s, the Barenaked Ladies were one of Canada’s biggest bands. Their song “If I had $1,000,000” was burning up the charts and they were about to embark on their first cross-country tour, called the “Mr. Rockin’s All You Can Eat Salad Bar” Tour.

And, McLaughlin would be along for the ride.

“I was shipping lumber at Lansing Build-All and my roommate was scheduled to go on this tour as a roadie with another buddy. In the 11th hour, literally two days before it started, he bailed. (My roommate) was looking for someone, so I said I was in,” McLaughlin explains. We picked up tour buses in Victoria and went all the way to Newfoundland and back to Toronto. It was an unbelievable trip.”

Six months prior, McLaughlin began dating a girl. He told her he was going on this tour and left. But, she was waiting for him when he got back.

That girl is now his wife.

He has a great Justin Leonard story

In 1996, Justin Leonard was playing in the Canadian Open as a young PGA Tour pro. Although “kind of a nobody” according to McLaughlin, he could not have been nicer, and the Texan and McLaughlin ran into each other a few times at Glen Abbey.

The next year, Leonard won the British Open and went on to be, well, Justin Leonard.

Fast-forward to 2015, and Leonard is still as nice as ever to McLaughlin, but for a slightly different reason.

“When I first took over this job, I got an email from Leonard saying he needed a larger rental vehicle because he’s bringing his family,” McLaughlin says, laughing. “He doesn’t know me from a hole in the ground, but I’m going to tell him that story. He’s emailed me, he congratulated me on the job, but he still needs that van.”

Bill Paul gave him awesome advice

McLaughlin knows he can lean on more than two decades of knowledge from Bill Paul, and, he’s been thrilled to receive two pieces of advice that he’s constantly coming back to.

Firstly, he was told to enjoy the experience.

“It’s such a unique job,” he says. “There’s just one tournament director for the RBC Canadian Open, so even when you’re worried about how many people can park on site, or, the fact that the washrooms are overflowing in The Valley, you have to take a step back and realize you have a great job.”

Secondly, family comes first.

“You get all consumed with (the tournament) and you have to have a life,” McLaughlin explains. “Steal a little time away with your family and enjoy the summer time, because it’s so short. I’m trying to live by that.”

SILVIS, Illinois – Jordan Spieth made it a lot tougher on himself than it needed to be.

In the end, Spieth got exactly what he was looking for from the John Deere Classic: a win and some positive energy ahead of the British Open.

Spieth beat Tom Gillis on the second hole of a playoff to win at TPC Deere Run on Sunday for his fourth victory of the season.

Gillis and Spieth, who opened the tournament with an even-par 71, finished the final round at 20-under 264. Zach Johnson and Danny Lee tied for third at 19 under.

“To be able to shoot 20-under in three rounds is nice momentum,” Spieth said. “The finish, when I really didn’t feel like tee to green I had much (Sunday), gives me a lot of momentum to draw on if I don’t have my best stuff. “

The 46-year-old Gillis, who was attempting to become the oldest first-time winner on the PGA Tour in 20 years, sent an approach into the water. Spieth made par for his second win at this tournament in three years.

Now Spieth heads to the British Open in search of his third consecutive major championship.

Spieth is the first golfer to win four times before the Open Championship since Tiger Woods in 2000 – and he silenced many of the critics who questioned why he played this tournament instead of heading overseas early to prepare for St. Andrews.

“I really didn’t care anyways. I came here for a reason, and we accomplished that reason,” Spieth said.

After shooting a career-best 10 under on Saturday, Spieth entered the final round with a two-shot lead.

But the field caught up to Spieth when he turned in a pedestrian front nine.

Spieth bogeyed two of his first three holes and was soon passed by the likes of Gillis and Johnson. Spieth was even at the turn and two shots back of Gillis, who in 171 previous PGA Tour starts had only finished in the top three twice.

Spieth’s low point was a bogey on the par-4 11th hole after a putt from the fringe went left.

But Gillis played his final six holes at even par. Spieth roared back into contention with four birdies in five holes, including a 21-foot chip from the fringe on No. 16.

Spieth had a 30-foot putt for the win on No. 18, but he pushed it left. He nearly won on the first hole of the playoff, but his 33-foot try lipped out.

Even though Spieth ultimately outlasted the field, he knows he has some work to do – specifically with his driver, which abandoned him at times this weekend – if he hopes to make it three majors in a row.

“I need to fine tune my driver. I love where my putter is at. My pace control, my speed is awesome right now,” Spieth said.

Gillis matched Spieth with a par on the first hole in sudden death. But a tee shot that went into the rough led to a shot in the water, effectively ending his bid for an elusive victory.

Gillis shot a 7-under 64 in the final round.

“When you’re going to be 47, the window is closing,” Gillis said. “What I saw (Sunday) and the last three days, I’d have to say makes me think I’ve still got some tread on the tires left.”

Canadians Adam Hadwin and Roger Sloan finished in a six-way tie for 18th at 12-under while David Hearn finished at 1-under for the competition.