BELMONT, Mass. – Bernhard Langer wasn’t sure what to expect from unfamiliar confines on Thursday, but that didn’t keep him from making history.

The two-time Masters champion shot four birdies on the final five holes to tie a course record with a 6-under-par 65 in the first round of the Senior Players Championship.

“I was watching the leaderboards and I saw a bunch of 3 and 4 unders so I figured that must be doable,” said Langer, who was playing the par-71, 6,855-yard course at Belmont Country Club for the first time.

Afternoon wind gusts made for difficult playing conditions on an otherwise pleasant day, but that didn’t seem to bother Langer.

Langer bogeyed twice on his first nine holes, but still carded a 2-under 34 at the halfway point. After opening the back nine with four straight pars, Langer charged up the leaderboard with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 14 and 15 and finished with two more on Nos. 17 and 18.

It wasn’t until the 17th hole that Langer took sole possession of the lead. On the par-4 18th, his tee shot landed in the rough, but a hard wedge swing placed the ball three yards from the hole for an easy putt.

A victory this weekend in Belmont would give Langer his second consecutive Senior Players title, something no golfer has done since Arnold Palmer in 1984-85.

“It’s still early in the week so I’m just trying to not shoot myself in the foot and be in contention,” said Langer.

Guy Boros, Lee Janzen, and Rocco Mediate finished the round in a three-way tie for second at 4-under 67.

Boros, whose father Julius won the 1963 U.S. Open at The Country Club in nearby Brookline, birdied three of his final six holes to put himself in contention.

“I didn’t hit it great,” Boros said. “I putted pretty well, so I made a lot of good par putts and I two-putted twice for birdie. I hit some good, some bad, so it was kind of all over the place.”

Janzen, a two-time U.S. Open champion who qualified for the tournament again on Monday, birdied five of his first nine holes while Mediate, best known for his second-place finish after a battle with Tiger Woods in the 2008 U.S. Open, began the day with three birdies on his first four.

“Golf course is fantastic,” Mediate said. “It just keeps you on your toes really. I missed a few fairways today by feet, a couple of feet and it was nasty.”

Charles Schwab Cup points leader Colin Montgomerie is three shots off the lead, and tied for fifth at 3-under-par 68.

“I’m not quite comfortable yet,” Montgomerie said. “You play defense a wee bit around here and you’ve got to position your ball and it’s playing chess the with course sort of thing.”

The Senior Players is the third of four Champions Tour majors and the 12th of 25 events the season, marking the tour’s unofficial halfway point.

A winner’s share of $405,000 of the $2.7 million purse and 810 points in the Charles Schawb Cup will be awarded to the champion.

NORTHERN IRELAND, U.K. – Team Canada’s Brittany Marchand, Maddie Szeryk and Elizabeth Tong advanced through to the round of 16 on Thursday at the Ladies British Open Amateur.

25^th seeded Marchand, an Orangeville, Ont. native, defeated 40^th seed Leonie Harm of Germany in the morning’s round of 64 match, 1up. The 22-year-old N.C. State alumnus followed that up with another nail-biting victory over Spain’s Fatima Fernandez in the afternoon match, also 1up.

Dual-citizen Maddie Szeryk had a convincing victory in her morning match, besting 37^th seeded Meghan MacLaren of England, 3&2. The Texas A&M sophomore went on for a 1up victory over Sweden’s Frida Kinhult.

Tong, a Thornill, Ont. native, just narrowly advanced through her first match, taking an extra hole to defeat 26^th seeded Agathe Sauzon of France. The afternoon was a different story however, as the 39^th seeded Tong defeated Spain’s Nuria Iturrios, 4&3.

Team Canada’s matches for Friday’s round of 16 at the Portstewart Golf Club are as follows:

8:40 a.m. – Brittany Marchand (CAN) v. Linnea Strom (SWE)

8:50 a.m. – Maddie Szeryk (CAN) v. Leslie Cloots (BEL)

9:30 a.m. – Elizabeth Tong (CAN) v. Charlotte De Corte (BEL)

Click here for full scoring.

Golf Channel recently announced a new reality competition series, Altered Course, that combines golf, speed, fitness, teamwork and decision-making as teams navigate re-imagined and extreme golf holes in excess of 700 yards, traversing the natural obstacles and challenging terrain as fast as possible.

Altered Course’s inaugural season will take place in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Of particular interest to Canadians, and British Columbians specifically, is the team of Eileen Kelly and Kyla Inaba, calling themselves the Canadian Ninjas.

Teammates at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Kyla is the veteran of the duo when it comes to the game of golf. Kyla took up golf at the age of 15. Eileen only started competing at the age of 20. Kyla was team captain when Eileen enrolled at UBC on a golf scholarship, and took her under her wing.

Both are an inspiration to each other and grew to become best friends during college and following graduation. The two pushed each other to be the best they can be on the golf course while teammates at UBC, and that continues today.

Kyla has competed on both the Australian and Canadian tours, and is looking forward to her 2015 Symetra Tour season. Eileen turned professional to compete on Altered Course Montego Bay and is beginning her professional golf career by competing on mini tours in preparation for stage one of LPGA qualifying this summer.

The two are known for their extreme fitness regimens and often joke that they are training to be ninjas. Their secret ninja abilities should come in handy in this extreme adventure competition.

Bios: Eileen Kelly and Kyla Inaba

Eileen Kelly
Age: 27
Current Residence: Victoria, British Columbia
Hometown: Victoria, British Columbia
College: University of British Columbia
Home Golf Course: Royal Colwood Golf Club, Victoria, B.C.
Profession: Professional Golfer
Marital Status: Single

Kyla Inaba
Age: 28
Current Residence: Kelowna, British Columbia
Hometown: Kelowna, British Columbia
College: University of British Columbia
Home Golf Course: Gallagher’s Canyon Golf & Country Club, Kelowna, B.C.
Profession: Professional Golfer
Marital Status: Single

Slow play won’t be an issue on this fast-paced series that features two-person teams competing on extraordinary hole layouts exceeding 700 yards — while racing against time.

“Athleticism and fitness have taken on a much greater emphasis in golf in recent years, and as a result we are seeing more athletes coming up in the ranks of men’s and women’s golf,” said Keith Allo, Golf Channel vice president of programming development and original productions.

“Altered Course is taking this trend to a whole new level, rewarding teams that are the most physically fit and play the best golf. The terrain and re-imagined golf holes will test their golf skills and challenge them both mentally and physically. Pace of play will not be an issue on Altered Course.”

The tournament-style competition series will feature eight two-person teams racing against the clock as they take on the twists and turns of these extreme golf holes – one Altered Course hole can incorporate upwards of three traditional golf holes – in an alternate-shot or scramble format.

Teams will be scored on both shots taken as well as time, with weekly eliminations leaving one team left standing as the champion of Altered Course. To capture the action of this innovative format, Golf Channel will utilize Sony Action cameras and aerial footage to track the teams’ progress on each challenge, providing rarely-seen golf course camera angles.

Which team will win the inaugural season? Find out June 15 on Golf Channel.

Keep up with #AlteredCourse on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.

Get ready to bid on great golf deals! Whether you choose to bid on courses that have challenged the greatest players in golf or whether you just want a great deal on a local gem, you are supporting the future of the game by funding turfgrass research programs through the Rounds 4 Research auction.

This is the first year the Canadian Turfgrass Research Foundation (CTRF) is participating in the Rounds 4 Research auction, presented by the Environmental Institute for Golf, the philanthropic organization of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. Rounds 4 Research is an innovative program that was designed to address a critical shortage in funding for turfgrass research by auctioning off donated rounds of golf at courses across the country. The CTRF will receive 80% of all auction proceeds from rounds donated to it and sold. The funds raised will be used to support golf and sports field turf management research projects.

Bidding will run June 8-21, 2015.  To visit the auction site and place a bid please click here.  To learn more about the program, visit the Canadian Turfgrass Research Foundation website or the Rounds 4 Research website.

ATZENBRUGG, Austria – Gregory Bourdy of France carded a bogey-free 7-under 65 to take a two-stroke lead on a warm and sunny opening day of the Lyoness Open on Thursday.

Bourdy, who missed just one green, hit four birdies on the front nine and seven in total to go two strokes clear of a group of four: England’s Chris Wood and Robert Dinwiddie, Spain’s Carlos Del Moral and Germany’s Maximilian Kiefer.

Former champion Bernd Wiesberger, at 37 the highest-ranked player in the field, had a disappointing 7-over 79. The Austrian, who was beaten for last year’s title by Mikael Lundberg of Sweden in a playoff, had a round without a birdie for the first time this year.

Defending champion Lundberg dropped three strokes on his first three holes but finished on par.

When it comes to fighting breast cancer, fundraising remains a leading avenue for everyday citizens to lend their support. With that said, additional help is always a welcome sign.

New this season, Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru is teaming up with 1:Face Watch, an international fundraising movement that proudly holds the belief that one person can change the world.

Every pink 1:Face Watch sold helps support campaigns that promote early breast cancer detection through the Canadian Cancer Society—Golf Fore the Cure’s proud fundraising partner.

The sleek, elegant design will look good on any wrist—but more importantly, it symbolizes support that is fitting of the movement’s slogan: Be the face of change with 1:Face charity watch.

The movement also features other styles, each significant to eight different causes: disaster, water, AIDS, environment, animals, education, hunger and other forms of cancer.

Visit the Golf Canada eStore to purchase your very own pink 1:Face Charity Watch for just $60.

NORTHERN IRELAND, U.K. – Team Canada’s Women’s Amateur  Squad came out of the gate hot in Wednesday’s second and final stroke-play qualifying round of the Ladies British Open Amateur, shooting a collective 5-under par to each grab one the top-64 match play qualifying spots.

Twenty-two year-old veteran Brittany Marchand, who played in the tournament in 2012, had the low-round of the day for the Canadians with a 4-under 69. The Orangeville, Ont., native finished at 1-over par (78-69) to grab the 25^th seed heading into tomorrow’s first match-play round.

Teammate Maddie Szeryk, a dual-citizen of Canada and the U.S., also finished at 1-over par (75-72), drawing the 28^th seed.

Rounding out the scores for the Canadian quartet was Elizabeth Tong of Thornhill, Ont., and Jennifer Ha of Calgary, who both came in at 3-over par. They drew the 39^th and 41^st seed, respectively.

Tomorrow’s first match-play round begins Thursday morning at 7:30 a.m. local time back at the Portstewart Golf Club. The Canadian tee-times are as follows:

Jennifer Ha (CAN) v. Bethan Popel (ENG) – 8:10 a.m. BST
Brittany Marchand (CAN) v. Leonie Harm (GER) – 8:18 a.m. BST
Maddie Szeryk (CAN) v. Meghan MacLaren (ENG) – 8:42 a.m. BST
Elizabeth Tong (CAN) v. Agathe Sauzon (FRA) – 10:50 a.m. BST

Click here for full scoring.
Click here for the match-play draw.

RYE, N.Y. – So Yeon Ryu walked off the ninth green in the fading late afternoon sun light at the Westchester Country Club and, with a big smile on her face, thanked her pro-am partners at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

The smile said a lot. The game has stopped being a grind for the defending Canadian Pacific Women’s Open champion.

A meeting a month ago with former British Open champion Ian Baker Finch, which was arranged by her caddie to discuss her putting, evolved into an exploration of how Ryu was beating herself up on the golf course.

“I think my expectation level was so high, I just kept pushing myself into a corner,” said the 24-year-old, who has turned things around lately. She’s coming off two top five finishes including a tie for fourth last week at the Manulife LPGA Classic in Cambridge, Ont. “Now I’m enjoying reading the line, enjoying the putting and even when I miss it, I just get away from there and focus on the positive things.

“Last week in Canada my golf game looked really in great shape so I feel really comfortable and I’m enjoying playing so I’m really excited to be playing a major tournament.”

Ryu and Baker Finch met in West Palm Beach. Her results had been slipping this season, including a 47^th place finish at the Volunteers of America North Texas Shootout Presented by JTBC.

Baker Finch looked over her putting stroke and couldn’t find any serious faults.

“It’s not about the golf technique or what the stroke looks like, what it has to be. Not that type of thing,” said Ryu. “He just taught me maybe I just worried about so many things on the golf course. I started to worry about ‘what if I miss the putt?’

“That kind of behaviour wasn’t really helping to make a lot of good putts. He mentioned just enjoy reading the line, feel like you’re on your putting. Be kind to me. That’s the thing he taught me. After that I realized how harsh I was to myself.”

Accepting the result and moving on will be an important ability at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship this week. Westchester’s rolling terrain and perched greens are going to be a challenge and there will be bogeys.

“Sometimes you really have to accept bogey and just walk away,” said Ryu, exhibiting some of her new attitude.

The Women’s PGA, now being staged by the PGA of America, is playing on a big stage in a big market.

Westchester was a regular stop on the PGA Tour and has hosted the PGA Tour’s playoffs.

“It’s such an honour to play this golf course. I was here like a month ago with Inbee (Park). We talked about what a good golf course it is,” said Ryu. “The golf course is in great shape. They don’t have any similar holes. It’s a really historical place. I really love to play here. I think it’s really going to be tough to play, but I always enjoy the tough golf course.

“I think par is going to have a really good chance to finish in the top five.”

Ryu said she’s hoping to have a strong run up to her defence of her Canadian Pacific Women’s Open title at the Vancouver Golf Club Aug. 20-23.

She said she’s looking forward to being the defender.

“Absolutely. No matter, even if I’m not the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open defending champion, I’ll always have fun to play in Canada because the Canadian crowds are so great, you know? They are so humble and they are always very supportive of the LPGA.

“I was always happy to play up there especially now that I’m defending champion. I’m more excited. I’m wishing I can have a lot of great wins before I got to play in the Canadian Women’s Open. I hope I can defend my title.”

FAR HILLS, N.J. – The United States Golf Association has announced the launch of its new “There’s a Lot to Love About Golf” campaign, which features multiple television spots and animated digital banners that highlight golf as a game for everyone.

The six television spots and digital banners, created by DDB New York, will principally air in conjunction with the USGA’s summer schedule of televised golf championships, starting with the U.S. Open Championship on June 15. In addition to 21st Century Fox’s wide national and international platforms including Fox, Fox Business, fox.com, foxsports.com, and the National Geographic Channel, the television spots will air on Golf Channel and TSN Canada.

“The game of golf is really the star here,” said Sarah Hirshland, USGA senior managing director of Business Affairs. “Intended to be welcoming and inspiring, the campaign collectively shows where the USGA is devoting its resources relative to the game and its long-term health.”

Each television spot, with its corresponding digital ad unit, is themed to present several key messages and principles tied to the USGA’s mission, including:

“Overview” – highlighting golf as a game for everyone, this :30 spot in the 2015 USGA TV campaign celebrates that “there’s a lot to love about golf”.

“Champions Among Us” – a 30-second spot that highlights the USGA’s commitment to amateur golf, and its capacity to inspire those who play and love the game.

“The Social Game” – a 30-second spot that promotes golf as welcoming and supportive of friendly competition, as enabled by the USGA Handicap System™.

“First Green Kids” – a 30-second spot featuring an educational program that teaches children about science, technology, engineering and math through the lens of the golf course habitat.

“Modernizing Rules Delivery” – a 30-second spot showcasing the digital applications – including the new interactive Rules of Golf Experience – developed by the USGA to help make the game easier to learn.

For kids who are into golf, the CN Future Links Junior Skills Challenge has it all: a reason to spend more time at the course or range, an opportunity to compete against their peers locally, provincially and nationally, online stats tracking and personal leaderboard, and a chance to —not only advance to the national final at Glen Abbey Golf Club the Saturday prior to the RBC Canadian Open —but to actually play the course and rub shoulders with some of their golf heroes.

Created in 2008, the CN Future Links Junior Skills Challenge is focused on developing the key golf skills of putting, chipping, iron play and driving. Administered by Golf Canada, and run by PGA of Canada professionals at facilities across Canada, the program allows participants up to the age of 18 to compete in all four skills and receive a score based on their performance in each of the categories.

“When we launched this program, we saw it as the first output of our Long Term Player Development [LTPD] program,” says Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “The redesigned Junior Skills Challenge is an interactive program aligned with the LTPD guidelines that focuses on all the key golf skills, rather than just a score. It is now an integral part of the suite of junior programs that is available to kids across Canada.”

In addition to the National Skills Challenge, other CN Future Links programming includes the Learn to Play program as well as mobile clinics, PGA Junior Leagues, Girls Club and the CN Future Links Championships. As part of its investment in Canadian junior golf, CN is also a proud supporter of Golf in Schools.

In 2014, there were 150 Skills Challenge qualifying events throughout Canada, involving more than 3,500 juniors. In total, since the program’s inception in 2008, more than 15,000 kids have participated.

The 2014 national final was held at Angus Glen GC in Markham, Ont., last September in conjunction with the inaugural World Junior Girls Golf Championship. The champions were: Braxton Kuntz, Breezy Bend Country Club, Manitoba (Boys 911); Sarah Gallagher, Braeben Golf Course, Ontario (Girls 911); Finn Lawlor, Seymour Golf Club, British Columbia (Boys 1214); Laura Wong, Seymour Golf Club, British Columbia (Girls 1214); Tyler Leclair, Seymour Golf Club, British Columbia (Boys 1518); Molly MacDermaid, Gowan Brae Golf Club, New Brunswick (Girls 1518).

“It was a lot of fun out there,” said Leclair after his victory. “It was very special to win here. The event was really set up well and all of the sponsors have been great. It was tough, everyone battled hard, and it got close and came down to one putt in the end. To win this on a national level is very sweet.”

This year, the topperforming juniors will be invited to Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ont., to compete in the national championship on July 18, the Saturday prior to the RBC Canadian Open. The next day, they will play in a Ryder Cupstyle event on the tournament course. On the Monday of tournament week, they will have a chance to caddie in the Golf Canada Foundation ProAm, and on Wednesday, they can walk with a pro inside the ropes.

“It’s a real weeklong memorable experience of a lifetime,” says Thompson.

Each of the qualified and attending participants in the final will receive a performance recognition package valued at more than $200 courtesy of Titleist. The winners of the national event in each age group for each gender will also receive a performance recognition package valued at $300 courtesy of Titleist. The national champions in the 1518 age group will also receive an exemption into one CN Future Links Championship in 2016.

Juniors can get involved in two ways. There is no charge for either option.

First, they can register with an official CN Future Links Skills Challenge facility. (A listing of participating facilities is available at www.cnfuturelinks.com.) Then, a PGA of Canada professional will run them through an official skills test. Following that, the junior can post and review their skills scores on the national leaderboard.

Alternatively, they can develop their skills on their own time and track their progress with a personalized online practice scorecard. Where they practice doesn’t matter—golf course, range, field or backyard. They will receive personalized login information so they can access a secure and private site to record their putting, chipping, iron play and driving scores.

“One of the strengths of the CN Future Links Junior Skills Challenge is that it is designed to identify and reward kids who have wellrounded golf games,” says Thompson, “and that is one of the goals of our Long Term Player Development Program.

Details on the CN Future Links Junior Skills Challenge and the entire listing of programs and information for junior golfers, parents, instructors and facilities are available at: cnfuturelinks.com.