KARUIZAWA, Japan – The men’s trio of Corey Conners, Taylor Pendrith and Adam Svensson have continued the success for Canada at the World Amateur Championship, firing a 10-under 134 to share the lead with Sweden and Switzerland after Wednesday’s opening round at Karuizawa 72 Golf East.

Conners, the 2014 U.S. Amateur runner-up, carded a 6-under 66 to lead the way for the Canadian contingent. The Listowel, Ont. native posted five birdies on the front nine, boosting him to a tie for second on the individual leaderboard, one back of Sweden’s Marcus Kinhult.

“It was definitely motivating to see the ladies do so well and we want to continue the success for Canada,” said the 22-year-old. “We’re all hoping to play as well as they did and we’re off to a nice start.”

His Team Canada teammate and old roommate at Kent State, Taylor Pendrith, carded a 4-under 68.

“I drove the ball pretty well and my putting was probably the best part of my game today – I made a lot of nice putts and some 15- to 20-footers,” said the Richmond Hill, Ont. native. “Overall I’m pleased with the way I played. It was unfortunate to bogey the last two holes but I’m very happy.”

Adam Svensson, a Surrey, B.C. native, carded a non-counting 3-under 69.

“We put in some really good preparation,” said team captain, Graham Hill. “Derek Ingram, our coach, works very closely with all the guys here. I don’t think we’re surprised that we played well here today. We’re just taking it day by day and we’re happy with the start.”

Canada was one of thirty-seven teams to break par in the first round and contribute towards the 65 sub-par scores, breaking the record of 42 in 2004.

The Canadians opened on the Iriyama Course in the first round – they will alternate tomorrow by playing the Oshitate Course. They are set to tee-off at 10:35 am (JST), grouped with Malaysia and Slovakia.

Click here for team scoring.
Click here for individual scoring.

Corey Conners (USGA/ Steve Gibbons)

ATLANTA – Nick Faldo was honored with the Payne Stewart Award on Tuesday about an hour after his father died in England.

Faldo was with his father at the time. George Faldo was 88.

The six-time major champion accepted the award through a recorded video. He described his father in the video as “playing the 18th hole of life.” Faldo’s son, Matthew, was to receive the award on his behalf at a Tuesday night ceremony in Atlanta.

The Payne Stewart Award is presented annually to a player who shares Stewart’s respect for golf’s traditions and commitment to charity and who takes care in how he presents himself through dress and conduct.

Stewart, a three-time major champion, died in October 1999 when a private jet crashed into a field in South Dakota.

ATLANTA – Nick Faldo was honored with the Payne Stewart Award on Tuesday about an hour after his father died in England.

Faldo was with his father at the time. George Faldo was 88.

The six-time major champion accepted the award through a recorded video. He described his father in the video as “playing the 18th hole of life.” Faldo’s son, Matthew, was to receive the award on his behalf at a Tuesday night ceremony in Atlanta.

The Payne Stewart Award is presented annually to a player who shares Stewart’s respect for golf’s traditions and commitment to charity and who takes care in how he presents himself through dress and conduct.

Stewart, a three-time major champion, died in October 1999 when a private jet crashed into a field in South Dakota.

NOBLESVILLE, Ind. – Christina Proteau, 31, advanced to the quarterfinals on Tuesday at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship in Noblesville, Indiana.

The Port Alberni, B.C. native who is competing in her third U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur defeated Pennsylvania’s Katie Miller with a par on the 19^th hole after Miller forced the match into extra holes after winning the 18^th. All three of the 4-time Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur champion’s matches have went into extra holes thus far in the tournament.

Her previous best U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur result was a quarterfinal loss to Laura Coble in 2012

Proteau, winner of the 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championships, now faces two-time U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, Meghan Stasi of Oakland Park, Fla., in Wednesday’s quarterfinals at 8:25 a.m. EDT. If she advances through the match, the semifinals will be played on Wednesday afternoon.

For scoring from the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, click here.

So Yeon Ryu had been racking up top-10 finishes, a total of 27, before finally pulling off her third career victory in record setting fashion at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open. Ryu fired a tournament record 23-under-par to win by two strokes over one of her best friends, Na Yeon Choi. The World No. 5 player followed up her win with her 11th top-10 finish of 2014 – a tied for third – at the Portland Classic the following week and has been named the Kia Most Compelling Performance for the month of August.

Ryu began the week by firing a course record 63 (-9) in her first round of the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open at the London Hunt and Country Club, and ended it by setting the tournament record with a 23-under-par 72-hole total (265), five shots better than the tournament record in relation to par.  While Ryu set one record, she made the tournament even more interesting by chasing another. Ryu had the LPGA record of of 27-under par held by Annika Sorenstam at the 2001 Standard Register Ping (261 total, par-72) in her sight until late in her final round. Despite not quite catching Annika, Ryu did win her first tournament since 2012 in convincing fashion and posted yet another top-10 finish.

The 2014 Kia Most Compelling Performance Award winner will be announced at the season-ending 2014 CME Group Tour Championship following an online fan vote which begins October 1, 2014. Performances may include a single tournament, multiple tournaments, single-round accomplishments or record-breaking performances. Winners of the 2014 Kia Performance Awards receive an all-new 2015 Kia K900, the brand’s first-ever luxury sedan, and the official vehicle of the LPGA.

Mo Martin earned the award for the month of July after clinching her first LPGA win and first major victory at the RICOH Women’s British Open. Martin was a shot behind the lead with a 240-yard second shot into the 18th – a par 5 – at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. She responded with the shot of her life – a 3-wood that thwacked off the pin that ended up five feet away from the hole. One short stroke later ended in the back of the hole for her first eagle of the year and a one-stroke victory.

INNISFIL, Ont. — After finishing the opening round at 1-under, Aurora’s Peter Willis looked to hang on to his lead during the final round of the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) Baka Wireless Public Player Championship, Sept. 9, at National Pines Golf Club in Innisfil.

It would not be easy for the 36-year-old Willis who had to fend off challengers from his final group along with the second to last group. Willis remained calm and despite all the moves going on around him, was able to tap in for par and the win on the 18^th, finishing the day with a 2-over 74 and the tournament at 1-over 145.

“I played well during the opening round before a slip up at the end,” said Willis. “I think over the two days my ball striking was very good. I was able to make a lot of up and downs to save par, which is pretty much what kept me going.”

Two shots back of Willis were a pair of players: Burlington’s Barrett McCarthy and Oakville’s Derek Dalziel. Barrett finished the day at even par (72), while Dalziel was one-over (73) resulting in them each earning a share of the silver medal at 3-over 147 for the tournament.

“It was a good battle between myself and the two guys I was playing with. But I was able to grind out the win in the end. I was just taking some deep breaths out there and tried to finish off the round,” added Willis.

In the Net A flight, Sarnia’s Nick Powell was able to capture the title after his second straight round of 2-under (70).

As for the Net B flight, Markham’s Fred Bowler fired an eight-under (64) during the final round to move to 5-under for the tournament to take the win.

For the final leaderboard for the Championship Division, click here. And, click here for Net Division results.

The Baka Wireless Public Player Championship has been contested since 1958. It was suspended between 1984 and 1995. This year’s event was a two-round competition with a Championship and Net A and B flight. Former champions include: Ontario Golf Hall of Famer Gerry Kesselring, Ken Trowbridge, Dave Bunker and Lucas Kim. Craig Loughry holds the record for the most victories with four.

KARUIZAWA, Japan – The Men’s World Amateur Team Championship will begin Wednesday when 69 countries from around the world tee-it-up at 72 Golf East in Japan.

Just like the women’s event, the men will alternate rounds between the Oshitate and Iriyama courses. The Canadian trio of Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.), Taylor Pendrith (Richmond Hill, Ont.) and Adam Svensson (Surrey, B.C.) tee-off early tomorrow morning on Iriyama, starting at 6:30 a.m. (JST).

The team will be paired with Malaysia and Slovakia to begin the event. The scoring format is four rounds of stroke play, with the best two scores from each day being counted towards the team total.

In 27 appearances at the World Amateur Team Championship, the Canadian men have captured the Eisenhower Trophy on one occasion (1986) and earned runner-up honours four times. Earlier this month, the Canadian women’s team of Brooke Henderson, Brittany Marchand and Augusta James finished as runner-up.

Click here for tee times.
Click here for scoring.

FootJoy has debuted golfgloveguide.com, a new microsite dedicated to educating players about the importance of a proper-fitting golf glove and providing insight as to how a glove can enhance a player’s game.  The site includes instructional and experiential content, outlining the five most important topics pertaining to a golf glove: equipment, grip, fit, durability and care.

“All of the feel in your golf game comes through your hands. You must wear a glove with the best feel,” says professional golfer Adam Scott. “It is so important that I have a good feel through my glove, as my hands are connected to the club, which is doing all of the work.”

FootJoy estimates that over 50% of players are wearing the wrong sized glove, often dismissing the glove’s importance as a piece of equipment and the improvement a glove can provide to an individual’s game.

“The make and fit of a golf glove can affect a player’s swing more than most realize. At FootJoy we’re dedicated to making the best golf gloves in the world. The care we take in their creation reflects a long-held philosophy that the right glove can mean as much to your game as the right ball or right club,” says Maria Bonzagni, Senior Director of Marketing, FootJoy Gloves & Accessories, Acushnet Company. “The glove is not just an accessory but an essential part of every player’s game.”

A proper fitting can improve a player’s performance and provide valuable insight to adjustments the player should make to their grip and hand positioning on the club. This information is readily accessible to consumers on golfgloveguide.com. From the make and fit of a glove to its care and durability, these items are essential to consider when purchasing a golf glove and utilizing the glove to improve one’s game.

“We need our hands so much in this game and we need to take care of them. I need a combination of protection and feel in my glove and I trust FootJoy gloves to provide both of these qualities,” says professional golfer Hunter Mahan.

As the golf season wanes, our days become shorter and a little bit cooler, there is no lack of excitement in competitive golf.

On the amateur side, Canada finished second among a very strong Women’s World Amateur Golf Championship field in Japan last week, while our men’s team will look to do the same this week. In professional golf, the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs remain a focus as the season winds down towards the Ryder Cup in what will seem like a few short weeks.

With much attention on the FedEx Cup Playoffs, specifically the BMW Championship last week, an interesting rules situation arose with PGA Tour Player, Keegan Bradley. Bradley, one of the more popular players on Tour with a quirky pre-shot routine and Air Jordan branded golf shoes, found himself questioning a relief procedure he followed in the first round of the BMW Championship.

On the 18^th hole last Thursday, Bradley’s 4-iron approach came up short of the green. Upon reaching his ball he had found the ball to be embedded in it’s own pitch mark. The rules of golf permit a player (under Rule 25-2), to take relief from a ball that is embedded in a closely-mown area through the green. A closely-mown area is any area that is mowed to fairway height or less. However, the Committee may adopt a Local Rule that allows for relief from an embedded ball anywhere through the green.

Following his round and during some interaction with fans, Bradley was told by one of the fans present that he saw his ball bounce before it came to rest, thereby questioning whether or not his ball was actually embedded in its own pitch mark – a determining factor in Rule 25-2. Having taken the feedback from the fan to heart, Bradley sought out Slugger White, the PGA Tour’s Vice President of Rules and Competitions and showed him the pitch mark where the situation had developed. Having investigated the situation, White didn’t find any violation of the rules and Bradley went on to play in the second round. Despite the support from Tour Officials, Bradley opted to withdraw from the championship and provided this statement in the process:

“I just feel withdrawing is the right thing to do to protect the field in the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship next week,” Bradley said. “It’s eating me alive. I didn’t call my fellow competitors for help in the first place and that bothers me. I know the official approved the drop, but I just can’t be absolutely sure it was the right spot.”

While reports of rules breaches, violations, infractions, etc. have gained much publicity via the ‘phone-in’ over the past few years, it isn’t often that we hear of a fan or player questioning a ruling without the use of HD television or other high-tech mediums. It should be noted that while there are critics of the ‘phone-in’ rules expert, a referee or rules official by definition must act on any breach of a Rule that they observe, or is reported to them (although, there are some exceptions in match play).

Somewhat ironically, in the 2014-15 edition of the Decisions on the Rules of Golf, golf’s governing bodies revised Decision 25-2/0.5 (When Ball Embedded in Ground), which states the following:

A ball is deemed to be embedded in the ground only if:

• the impact of the ball landing has created a pitch-mark in the ground,
• the ball is in its own pitch-mark, and
• part of the ball is below the level of the ground.

Provided that these three requirements are met, a ball does not necessarily have to touch the soil to be considered embedded (e.g., grass, loose impediments or the like may intervene between the ball and the soil).

Any doubt as to whether a ball is embedded should be resolved against the player.

In his review of the situation, Slugger White would have reviewed the procedure employed by invoking Rule 25-2 and the state in which Bradley’s ball existed in the ground, referencing much of the information contained above and outlined by Decision 25-2/0.5.

Unfortunately, when it came to Rule 25-2 this weekend, it seems that Bradley’s integrity got the better of him, which is an admirable characteristic in any professional athlete. Once again, the uniqueness of golf and the integrity shown by its players has separated golf from other sports in an era where professional athletes will generally seek any advantage over their competitors, often disputing a referee or an official’s decision in the process.

For more information on the rules of golf, please click here.

For more information on how to proceed in various rules of golf situations, guidance on the Golf Canada Handicap System and more, please consult our rules of golf publications – for purchase in Golf Canada’s eStore, or at your local book retailer.

“From a property that offered every variety of terrain for golf holes, Stanley Thompson, in his element, was naturally able to produce … a plan that will provide for every requirement of present day golf.”

Those words were written in 1934 in Canadian Golfer, but it turns out the writer’s author’s remarks about Sunningdale Golf and Country Club ring true to this day.

The London, Ont. private club, which includes two 18-hole designs, one by Thompson and one by his associate, Robbie Robinson, will host the Tour Championship for PGA Tour Canada this week. The tour’s Top 60 players will test a throwback course from another era, but the variety and the interest of its holes have kept it relevant in an era of titanium drivers and ProV1 golf balls.

“The whole feel of the course is awesome,” says Vancouver’s Ryan Williams, who played in last week’s Tour Championship and tees it up again this week. “The practice facilities, the clubhouse—it looks like a Tour Championship event. There isn’t another course out there that we play that suits the Tour Championship as well.”

That’s the take of Adam Cornelson. The PGA Tour Canada pro played at Sunningdale last year and missed the cut, but despite that is anxious to get back to the course which he says has “probably the best set of par threes we play all year.”

“They’re fantastic,” he says. “It is a great old-style course and the combination gives it a great feel. You have to attack the par fives which give you the opportunity to get the number in the red.”

The course is a composite of the work of both Thompson and Robinson. The first nine holes come largely from the back nine of Thompson (10-16, and then 7-8-1), while the remainder come from the Robinson course (11-16, 2 and 18). The two designs have similarities, though Robinson’s work is slightly more muted in style. Both courses were renovated in recent years by Cam Tyers, an associate at the time with Carrick Design, and a new practice facility was built, as well as a new clubhouse.

The composite course offers a classic parkland feel, with the drama of having several holes that return to the clubhouse, making it the center of the action for the week. That’s significant as many of PGA Tour Canada’s best compete for the coveted final 10 spots on the money list that will give them status on the Web.com Tour next season. Last year unheralded Max Gilbert won the tournament, finishing out on the 18^th hole surrounded by spectators. Not surprisingly Sunningdale is a classic course for a classic golfing battle.

While the greens on the Robinson holes are somewhat tame, and perhaps yield more opportunities for birdies late in the round, the Thompson putting surfaces have unique character and could provide for some intrigue early. Though they don’t have exceptional internal contour, they are sloped enough to force conservative putts if above the hole. And holes like the par three 16^th on the Thompson course (the tournament’s 9^th hole on composite course), which at a devilish 207-yards is a stunner, offer challenges many golfers won’t see on modern designs. The green has a false front and given that the hole plays into the prevailing wind, even the best golfers will face a challenge.

Williams says keeping the ball in play off the tee is the key to success.

“The one thing I like about the course is you don’t have to hit driver on every hole,” he says. “There are lots of options in the way you can play it, but hitting fairways is imperative.”

That makes Sunningdale one of the stars of the show this week.

“Sunningdale will be another monument to an artist whose appreciation of beauty and thorough knowledge of the royal and ancient pastime has enabled him to contribute so generously to the golfers of [North] America,” Canadian Golfer concluded almost 80 years ago.

Williams concurs that the club and the tournament have a unique flavor among the events he’s played on PGA Tour Canada this season.

“The feel of this tournament is as good as anything we play all year,” says Williams, who is vying for one of the Top 20 spots on the Order of Merit that will secure him a spot in second stage of Web.com qualifying school. “The set up, the organization and the course are really strong.”