Golf—like most sports—is a game of numbers. For Team Canada’s youngest Amateur Squad member, Austin Connelly, it’s simply “going out there and playing the way you know you can.”

Holding the No. 9 World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) has its benefits—for one, being able to make that statement with the utmost confidence.

Speaking of which, Connelly has a lot of it. Following an earlier-than-anticipated exit at the U.S. Four-Ball last week, the reigning Jones Cup champion was quick to express disappointment and place blame upon himself.

“It just didn’t quite go our way,” he said of his semi-final match with partner Sam Burns. “We certainly would have liked to play better. I had a hard time swinging the club for the first nine holes and felt I didn’t give my partner enough help.”

Connelly has the benefits of youth on his side to fuel his confidence, without overstepping boundaries. He knows there is much still to learn—something he took to heart when playing with (and against) Team Canada teammate, Corey Conners.

“Last year, Corey actually beat me in a playoff to win the Jones Cup—he’s a very, very good player,” said Connelly. “We’ve become pretty good friends and I have a lot of respect for him.”

In November, Connelly and Conners teamed up in Argentina to lead Canada to its first Tailhade Cup victory by a staggering 19-stroke margin.

Three months later, Connelly (along with Conners) returned to the Ocean Forest Golf Club where he took home the title for a little friendly revenge—something he sees as source of motivation for both players.

“We don’t joke about it too much,” he stated. “There is certainly still a level of competitiveness—a way of pushing each other.”

As a matter of fact, Connelly’s journey with Team Canada was sparked at the Jones Cup in a chance encounter with Men’s Head Coach, Derek Ingram.

“My dad and I ran into Derek before the event even started,” said Connelly, who now speaks with Ingram on a daily basis. “He did not know much about me at the time, including that I was Canadian. After the match with Corey, we started talking a lot more at events. Personally, I could see that they’ve done a phenomenal job in improving their players, which was a big draw for me.”

Since joining Team Canada, Connelly has lowered his World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) from an already solid 48 to inside the top-10, where he currently sits as Canada’s best-ranked amateur golfer.

“I’m a very proud Canadian and couldn’t be happier to be a part of this program,” he said. “Having that support is a big deal for me and is very valuable in helping me get to the next level.”

Where did Connelly come from? What’s his story?

The 18-year-old high school senior is a dual-citizen, splitting his time mostly between Nova Scotia and Texas.

“I spent a lot of my childhood, mostly the summers, with my family in Nova Scotia and continue to visit every year—we love the north-east.”

The Canadian standout is considering attending qualifying school in the fall, taking his shot at earning status and turning professional. In the interim, Connelly has signed a letter of intent with the University of Arkansas, a prospect he is also certainly excited about.

In potentially his last year as an amateur, expect Connelly’s name to be atop key leaderboards at the summer’s most prestigious tournaments.

The 2015 CN Future Links Ontario Championship will welcome the talents of Canada’s elite junior golfers to Pine Knot Golf and Country Club in Dorchester, Ont., from May 21-24. Following a practice round on May 21, the athletes will compete over the course of three days in a 54-hole stroke play tournament.

The CN Future Links Ontario Championship is part of a series of six junior competitions played across the country in partnership with CN. Pine Knot Golf and Country Club – located outside of London, Ont. – features a number of narrow fairways and several water hazards that offer a unique and challenging playing experience to competitors.

“Golf Canada is looking forward to hosting the CN Future Links Ontario Championship at Pine Knot Golf and Country Club. Pine Knot is an ambitious and scenic track that will serve as an excellent opportunity for the athletes to test their games early in the season,” said Justine Decock, Tournament Director for the competition.

Sun Kim from L’Île-Perrot, Que., will be in the field of 70 to defend his CN Future Links Ontario title. He won last year’s edition of this event at The Rock Golf Club in Minett, Ont., by shooting a combined 1-under 212 with rounds of 69, 73, and 70.

Returning in an attempt to improve upon her second-place finish in 2014 will be Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont. Last year, Team Canada Development Squad member Naomi Ko (Victoria, B.C.) edged out Costabile in a playoff to be crowned CN Future Links Ontario champion.

The first CN Future Links Championship of the season was played from May 8-10 at Pheasant Glen Golf Resort in Qualicum Beach, B.C., with two Team Canada Development Squad members emerging victorious. Trevor Ranton led wire-to-wire to capture the Junior Boys division while Grace St-Germain (Ottawa, Ont.) claimed the Junior Girls Pacific title. The pair – who will be looking to build upon their strong starts to the season – will be joined at Pine Knot by fellow Development Squad members Tony Gil (Vaughan, Ont.) and Étienne Papineau (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.).

The CN Future Links Championships are conducted by Golf Canada in partnership with CN as part of their commitment to the growth and development of the sport at the junior level.

Four additional CN Future Links Championships will be played coast to coast throughout the summer:

• June 11-14 – CN Future Links Prairie – Cooke Municipal Golf Course, Prince Albert, Sask.
• July 2-5 – CN Future Links Quebec – Domaine Château-Bromont, Bromont, Que.
• July 6-9 – CN Future Links Western – Goose Hummock Golf Course, Gibbons, Alta.
• July 13-16 – CN Future Links Atlantic – Gowan Brae G& CC, Bathurst, N.B.

Each of the six CN Future Links Championships will reward its top six junior boys with exemptions into the 2015 Canadian Junior Boys Championship, to be hosted by Summerlea Golf and Country Club in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., from August 2-6. Similarly, the top six finishers on the junior girls side in each of the CN Future Links Championships will earn a spot in the 2015 Canadian Junior Girls Championship. These 36 exempt players will have the right to compete in the field at Deer Park Municipal Golf Course in Yorkton, Sask., from August 3-7.

Additional information on the 2015 CN Future Links Ontario Championship, including a full list of competitors, tee-times and the leaderboard are available here.

JACKSON, Miss. – The fiancee of professional golfer John Daly is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to throw out a lawsuit that blames her for breaking up his previous marriage.

In February, the Mississippi Supreme Court gave the green light to Sherrie Allison Miller to pursue damages against Anna Cladakis, claiming alienation of affection.

Miller and Daly married in 2001 and separated in 2007. She is suing Cladakis, to whom Daly became engaged in December, for unspecified damages, arguing that Cladakis broke up their marriage.

Miller says her marriage with Daly ended because Cladakis and Daly developed a sexual relationship while the couple was separated. Daly’s divorce from Miller was granted in 2010.

The Mississippi Supreme Court said Miller may have grounds to collect damages if she can prove Daly and Cladakis conducted their relationship in Mississippi. Mississippi is one of only a handful of states that permit lawsuits for alienation of affections.

Cladakis has argued in court filings that she doesn’t live in Mississippi and neither does Daly so Mississippi courts have no interest in the case.

Miller alleges the sexual trysts occurred in DeSoto County, Mississippi, which borders Memphis, Tennessee.

Cladakis’ attorneys appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court in April. Lawyers for Miller have until May 18 to file a response.

A Mississippi judge in 2012 dismissed a lawsuit by Miller because none of the parties involved were located in the state, but Miller’s attorney argued on appeal that Daly and Cladakis had sexual trysts in Mississippi. The Mississippi Court of Appeals agreed, determining the case should be heard in DeSoto County, Mississippi, and the state Supreme Court upheld that decision.

Daly won the PGA Championship in his first year on tour in 1991. He also won the British Open in 1995. He has won five PGA tournaments overall. Daly announced on Twitter last December that he popped the question to Cladakis, whom he has been with for seven years.

RYE, N.Y. – Canadian teen Brooke Henderson will play her first LPGA major as a pro in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

The tournament on Monday announced the 17-year-old Henderson has received a sponsor’s exemption. The major will be played June 11-14 at Westchester Country Club.

Henderson had the 54-hole lead in the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic two weeks ago at Lake Merced in San Francisco. She wound up third. Henderson has played two other events this year and has earned $161,557, which would make her equal to No. 29 on the LPGA money list.

She isn’t an LPGA member because of its minimum age requirement of 18.

Henderson tied for 10th in the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst No. 2 last year as an amateur.

This is so misunderstood in this great game, and periodically leads to a heated argument hopefully not leading to blows.  Maybe golf needs a Seinfeld themed day such as “Festivus” to air golf grievances like these?  We’ve all heard the debates on which is the No.1 stroke hole at your course; you may have taken part in them.  It usually goes something like this: “There’s no bloody way the 4th is our No.1 hole, it’s a simple 404-yard par 4.  The 7th is our hardest hole; it’s a monster 438 yard par 4, and I never par it.”

STROKE ALLOCATION

What is “Stroke Allocation”?  It’s that table you see on every scorecard, you may see it referenced by “HDCP” or “Handicap” showing each hole ranked 1 through 18. This is far too often thought of as ranking each hole by pure difficulty.  You might also think Golf Canada or your Provincial Golf Association assigns these for every course too.  In both cases, your assumptions are wrong.  Golf Canada does have guidelines and recommendations to setting your stroke hole table (in Section 17 of the Golf Canada Handicap Manual) but it is carried out by each course/club, preferably the Handicap Committee.  There are two main methods: The Comparison Method and The Regression Method (linear regression).

DARE TO COMPARE

The Comparison Method is an allocation based on scores where the committee collects 200 hole-by-hole scores for lower handicap golfers (Course Handicaps of 8 or less) and 200 scorecards for higher handicap golfers (15 to 20 strokes higher than the average of the low handicap group).  The average score for each hole is calculated for both groups, and the holes are then ranked from one to 18 where one is the hole with the largest differential between the scores of the two groups and 18 is the lowest differential. There is another option comparing scores to par, but we’ll stick to the main method for simplicity.  There is some fine tuning, picking the hole to be ranked as No.1 so as to award a stroke most useful in matches with same/similar Course Handicaps, and also assigning odd numbered handicap holes to the front nine and even numbered handicap holes to the back nine.  For specifics please reference section 17-2a in the Golf Canada Handicap Manual.

While difficulty plays a part, the true purpose of allocating strokes is to give the higher handicap golfer strokes where they will most need them as an equalizer when playing a match against a low handicap golfer.  Difficulty in making par on a hole is not an effective indicator of the need for a stroke.  And the more you read about this you’re thinking this certainly makes sense.  We also recommend allocating low numbered strokes at the end of each nine because you want players who are to receive strokes to use them before a match is decided.  In the event of a hole-by-hole playoff, we should avoid placing lower numbered strokes on the first and second holes.

REGRESS FOR SUCCESS

The Regression Method allows the collection and analysis of at least 400 gross scores from players of all handicap levels from the most frequently played tee.  Each hole uses the score and player’s Course Handicap to help determine the ranking. There is a complex mathematical function involved that you can review in Section 17-2b of the Handicap Manual.

When should a club/course review its table and consider modifying it? If your course hasn’t used one of the two methods described especially in the last 10 years, or if your course has been significantly renovated, we highly recommend going through the process. How can you do this?  Here’s where the Golf Canada Score Centre comes in handy.  Should your club want to evaluate this data, you can run a report that will automatically produce the results for you. There is one catch.  Your club will require hole-by-hole entry to calculate the results, but that can be collected over the summer from your members.  Contact Golf Canada or your Provincial Golf Association for spreadsheet templates that you can use to help in your analysis.

Don’t have a stroke over a stroke.  Sure, have the friendly “discussion.” But, now that you know the process, do so cordially.

What would it be worth to play one of the best courses in the country with the chance to qualify to take on Glen Abbey Golf Club the Monday after the RBC Canadian Open, experiencing the same conditions as the PGA Tour pros?

Just imagine if, at the same time, you were supporting junior golf programs in Canada.

For a golfer, it just doesn’t get any better.

The new Golf Canada Foundation “Play Like The Pros Charity Challenge” gives you that “bucket list” opportunity.

As of May 10th, you can register your foursome at www.playliketheprosgolf.com to guarantee your spot in this incredible event. First come, first served!

Take your pick from this list of exclusive courses (as of May 9): The National Golf Club of Canada, Hamilton Golf and Country Club, Redtail Golf Course, Coppinwood Golf Club, Oviinbyrd Golf Club, Summit Golf and Country Club, Mississaugua Golf and Country Club, and London Hunt and Country Club.

To support this endeavour, each of these outstanding clubs has donated one hour of tee times—five foursomes. Each team will compete against the other four teams at their chosen venue using a Stableford format to qualify for an exclusive outing, complete with caddies, at Glen Abbey on July 27. Imagine watching the exciting final round of our Open on Sunday and then playing that same course, under the identical tournament setup conditions, the day after!

Even if you don’t win at the course you selected, you still have a chance to get to that special Glen Abbey outing.

Golf Canada CEO Martin Barnard explains. “The objective is to raise funds to support junior golf, so let’s say your team finishes second at the course you selected. You think, ‘Wow, that was so much fun, but wouldn’t it be awesome to play in the Glen Abbey event?’ Well, you can, if you are one of the five top fundraising teams.” Those five teams will join the winning teams from each of the qualifying venues on July 27 for the golf experience of a lifetime.

Thanks to sponsor TaylorMade adidas Golf, participants will receive a welcome gift when they register at their qualifying site. Those who go on to Glen Abbey will get more gifting, as will the top fundraising teams.

“I know it’s a cliché,” says Barnard, “but this is a ‘win-win’ for everyone who participates. The golfers get to play incredible courses, the courses and their members unselfishly support junior golf, and everyone is helping the future of the game in Canada.”

Don’t wait! Spaces are limited. Visit www.playlikethepros.com now to register your foursome.

To learn more about all of Golf Canada’s philanthropic initiatives, go to www.golfcanadafoundation.com.

The first event of Golf Canada’s competitive season concluded in the same way it unfolded – with a pair of Team Canada Development Squad members atop the leaderboards as Trevor Ranton and Grace St-Germain claimed victory at the 2015 CN Future Links Pacific Championship.

No one could dethrone Trevor Ranton’s reign over the Junior Boys division. After opening with a course record of 7-under 65 and following with a second round of 3-under, the Waterloo, Ont., native carded a final round of 2-under 70 to complete the wire-to-wire win. When asked about his play over the past three days, Ranton credited his quick start as a key to his success. “I was pretty happy with (my performance). Right from the start, I was playing well. I started the tournament off with two straight birdies, so I felt comfortable on the course. I was hitting a lot of good shots and making a lot of putts.”

The first year Development Squad member will now set his sights upon the CN Future Links Ontario title – a competition in which he finished T2 in 2014. “If I can keep my putter hot like this week, I’m sure I’ll have a good chance again.”

Henry Lee of Coquitlam, B.C., finished runner up with a bogey-free final round of 3-under. Tony Gil – a member of the national team Development Squad – opened the back nine with four straight birdies to claim third place. Development Squad members Étienne Papineau and A.J. Armstrong took fourth and sixth place respectively, while teammate Patrick Murphy completed the tournament T18. A.J. Ewart finished in sole possession of fifth.

Grace St-Germain birdied the second playoff hole to win the Junior Girls title in exciting fashion. The extra session was only necessary after fellow Development Squad member Michelle Kim notched a pair of birdies in her final three holes to move to 2-over par and force the playoff. “I hit a pretty nice drive. After hers went in the water, I tried to stay calm and play it smart. It was a lot of fun,” said St-Germain of the second extra hole.

“I’ll try to play as well as I played this week for the rest of the summer and try to take what I did well here and incorporate it into the rest of the tournaments,” added St-Germain when asked about her outlook for the season ahead.

Tiffany Kong and Euna Han finished in a tie for third place at 2-over 220. Development Squad member Alisha Lau completed the tournament in sixth place while teammate Naomi Ko tied for the best Junior Girls round of the day at even par to climb into a tie for seventh.

The Pacific edition of the CN Future Links Championships was the first of six junior-aged tournaments presented by Golf Canada in partnership with CN. The CN Future Links Ontario Championship – the next in the series – will be contested at Pine Knot Golf and Country Club in Dorchester, Ont. from May 22-24.

The top six Junior Boys from each CN Future Links Championship will earn exemptions into the 2015 Canadian Junior Boys Championship, to be held from August 3-6 at Summerlea Golf and Country Club in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Qué. The top six finishers on the Junior Girls side in each CN Future Links Championship will earn the right to join their peers at the 2015 Canadian Junior Girls Championship. Deer Park Municipal Golf Course in Yorkton, Sask. will host the tournament from August 4-7.

Complete results from the 2015 CN Future Links Pacific Championship are available here.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Nothing was overrated about Rickie Fowler at The Players Championship.

Not the way he rallied from a five-shot deficit with the greatest finish in the 34-year history of the TPC Sawgrass. Not the two tee shots he smashed down the daunting 18th fairway Sunday when a miss to the left or right spelled trouble. And certainly not the three tee shots – yes, three – he stuffed on the island-green 17th hole for birdie each time.

The last one made him a winner, the best answer to that anonymous player survey that he was an underachiever.

At a tournament that dresses up like a major, Fowler sure looked the part in beating the strongest field in golf.

“I’d say this was a pretty big one,” Fowler said.

It certainly wasn’t easy. Fowler’s record-setting finish – birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie on the last four holes for a 5-under 67 – looked like a winner until Sergio Garcia and Kevin Kisner delivered big shots of their own.

In the first three-hole playoff at The Players, Kisner hit his tee shot on the par-3 17th to 10 feet and rolled in a breaking birdie putt to keep pace with Fowler, who had hit his tee shot to 6 feet and converted the birdie. Garcia, who in regulation made a 45-foot birdie to give him new life, failed to repeat the putt from about the same range in the playoff. All three players made par on the final hole, which eliminated Garcia.

Fowler and Kisner, who closed with a 69 and is now 0 for 102 in his PGA Tour career, headed back to the 17th hole for the third time. The great shots kept coming. Kisner barely cleared the mound and the ball settled 12 feet away. Fowler answered by taking on the right side of the green and sticking it just inside 5 feet.

Kisner finally missed.

Fowler never seemed to miss over the final two hours, and he calmly clutched his fist to celebrate his first PGA Tour victory in three years.

Garcia, who had a two-shot lead heading to the back nine, closed with a 68. He had a 20-foot birdie putt to win in regulation that missed badly to the right. And he faced a crowd that was increasingly hostile to the Spaniard, perhaps remembering the tiff he had with Tiger Woods two years ago.

His caddie was asking for security when he made the turn. In the three-hole playoff, a small group of fans yelled, “USA!” as he took the putter back.

It marred what was other sheer brilliance, a most unforgettable final hour in a tournament that has a history of them.

For Fowler, the timing couldn’t have been better.

One of the questions in SI Golf’s annual player survey – players do not give their names – was to pick the most overrated player on the PGA Tour. Fowler and Ian Poulter shared first place at 24 percent. Fowler has never faced this level of criticism, a favorite among fans and most players for his considerate behavior.

He tried to play it down, though he said on more than one occasion this week that it would motivate him.

He was at 6 under, five shots behind Garcia, when he hit a 9-iron to 12 feet on the 13th hole and “hit the button.”

What he hit was warp speed.

Fowler made a 15-foot birdie on the 15th hole. He took on the water at the par-5 15th with a shot into a slight breeze to 30 inches for eagle. Not at all daunted by an island green, he went at the flag and made it for 6 feet to take the lead for the first time. And then he blasted a tee shot 331 yards and made a 15-foot birdie on the 18th hole to be the first player to reach 12-under 276. And then he had to wait.

The Stadium Course has rarely lacked for greater theater over the last three decades.

This topped them all.

Over the final hour, six players had hopes of winning the richest prize in golf. Four of them were tied for the lead.

Ben Martin raced into the picture with three straight birdies, the last one an 8-footer after taking on the corner of the island on the par-3 17th. But he pushed his tee shot into the woods on the 18th, pitched out and missed his par putt for a 70 that knocked him out of the playoff.

Bill Haas had a chance to tie for the lead twice – first with a 10-foot eagle putt on the par-5 16th that just missed to the left, and then with a long birdie putt on the 17th that stopped one turn from falling in on the left side. Needing a birdie on the 18th to join the playoff, he had to play a runner to the green because he was blocked by trees. It came up short and he made par for a 70.

Fowler was the most sensational.

The finish by Garcia and Kisner would have been talked about for years. On this day, thanks to Fowler, it was nearly an afterthought.

Garcia two-putted from 70 feet from the fringe for a birdie at the 16th, and then rolled in his improbable birdie at the 17th. He missed from 20 feet on the 18th. Kisner, who twice made big putts in a losing effort to Jim Furyk at Hilton Head last month, got up-and-down for birdie on the 16th and holed a 10-footer for birdie on the 17th.

He had a 10-foot birdie putt for the win, and it touched the right side of the cup.

Tiger Woods had a 72 and tied for 69th, his worst position ever in The Players Championship. Rory McIlroy, who started the final round four shots behind, didn’t get going until it was too late. He closed with a 70 and tied for eighth, four shots behind.

BEL OMBRE, Mauritius – George Coetzee beat Thorbjorn Olesen on the second playoff hole to win the Mauritius Open on Sunday.

Overnight leader Coetzee had a trio of birdies at the par-5 18th hole – one at the end of the final round and two in the playoff – to clinch his third European Tour title.

“Being on the playoff was the most comfortable I felt today,” the South African said. “I just had to get the job done, it doesn’t matter how long it takes.”

Olesen also birdied the first playoff hole before being limited to par at his second attempt in the inaugural event on the Indian Ocean island.

Earlier, both players finished on 13-under 271 at Heritage Golf Club after Coetzee shot 2-under 69, one behind his Danish opponent.

Coetzee started with three birdies on his first five holes before stumbling with a bogey-six at No. 7. He needed a birdie at the last to force the playoff but could have won outright after he almost eagled the hole from 30 feet.

Coetzee was the highest-ranked player at the tri-sanctioned European, Asian and South African tour event.

Mardan Mamat of Singapore shot 67 to finish third on 12-under 272.

Canada’s Richard T. Lee tied for 13th after a final round 66.

GREENWOOD, S.C. – Mexico’s Alejandra Llaneza birdied the final hole Sunday for a one-stroke victory in the Symetra Tour’s Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Women’s Health Classic.

The 26-year-old Llaneza is the third Mexican winner in Symetra Tour history, following Lorena Ochoa and Violeta Retamoza. Ochoa won three times in 2002, and Retamoza had a victory in 2007.

“It feels amazing, I am just really, really excited,” Llaneza said. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. There have been a lot of ups and downs, but I am just really excited to have this opportunity today and come out on top.”

Llaneza closed with a 1-under 71 for a 10-under 278 total at the Links at Stoney Point. She earned $30,000 to jump from 26th to first on the money list with $35,969. The top 10 at the end of the season will earn 2016 LPGA Tour cards.

“Deep inside I wanted to prove to myself that I could win out here,” Llaneza said. “Of course I want to win on the LPGA Tour, but it was very important to see that I could do it at a big tournament like this. This is a great confidence-booster.”

Alejandra Llaneza (Symetra Tour)

Casey Grice was second after a 70.

On the par-5 18th, Llaneza hit inside a foot from a greenside bunker to set up her winning birdie.

“I’ve been working a lot on those,” said Llaneza, who will play the Kingsmill Championship on the LPGA Tour next week. “I took my 60 degree out and honestly I was thinking about making the shot.”

South Korea’s Jimin Kang had a 72 to finish third at 7 under.

The top Canadian was Anne-Catherine Tanguay. The Quebec City native and Team Canada member tied for 10th at 1 under.