(LONDON, Ont.) – Golf Canada in partnership with title sponsor Freedom 55 Financial and PGA TOUR Canada announced today that the Golf in Schools program will serve as the official charity of the TOUR Championship of Canada presented by Freedom 55 Financial which will run September 8-14, 2014 at Sunningdale Golf and Country Club in London, Ont.

In establishing a community legacy for the TOUR Championship of Canada presented by Freedom 55 Financial, Golf Canada will invite area golf clubs throughout London and Southwestern Ontario in a campaign to adopt schools to be a part of the Golf in Schools program.

Golf in Schools – which is currently offered in more than 2,225 elementary and close to 230 high schools across Canada – provides children with a basic introduction to golf through the Canadian school physical education curriculum. The program, which is endorsed by Physical Health and Education Canada (PHE Canada), is conducted by Golf Canada in partnership with the PGA of Canada and the provincial golf associations. More information about the Golf in Schools program including the school adoption program is available by clicking here.

“We’re excited to promote Golf in Schools,” said Mike Cunneen, Senior Vice President, Freedom 55 Financial/Wealth & Estate Planning Group. “We got involved in the program because it introduces golf and promotes healthy lifestyle – and hopefully gets more young people involved in the game.”

An elite field will compete at the TOUR Championship of Canada presented by Freedom 55 Financial with the top 60 players on the Order of Merit through the season’s penultimate tournament gaining entry into the season-ending event.

Max Gilbert of Quebec City, Que. won the inaugural TOUR Championship of Canada presented by Freedom 55 Financial and will return to Sunningdale Golf and Country Club to defend his title.

The 12^th and final event on the PGA TOUR Canada schedule will see the culmination of the race for Web.com Tour status at Sunningdale Golf and Country Club with the event once again operated by Golf Canada. Only the top 60 players on the Order of Merit will be eligible, setting up an exciting race to the season’s final event.

The top five players on PGA TOUR Canada’s Order of Merit earn Web.com Tour status for the following season, with players finishing in spots sixth through 10^th earning an exemption into the final stage and players finishing 11^th through 20^th  into the second stage of Web.com Tour Qualifying School.

In addition to serving as title sponsor of the TOUR Championship of Canada, Freedom 55 Financial also sponsors the Freedom 55 Canadian Player of the Week award presented at each PGA TOUR Canada event as well as the season ending Freedom 55 Player of the Year Award.

BETHESDA, Md. – Tiger Woods says he is without pain for the first time in two years as he embarks on his latest comeback.

Nearly three months after having back surgery to alleviate a pinched nerve, Woods returns to competition this week in the Quicken Loans National at Congressional.

Woods is the tournament host. He says he probably wouldn’t have played this week if the event did not benefit his foundation.

That’s not to suggest he is coming back too early. Woods says he has been ahead of schedule in the recovery and began taking full swings with a driver a few weeks ago. His goal all along was to be ready for the British Open.

He already has missed two majors this year.

PINEHURST, N.C. – Michelle Wie put her table-top putting stance to good use in the late hours after she became a U.S. Women’s Open champion.

In a photo she posted to Instagram, Wie is bent over so sharply that her back is parallel to the ground. Only instead of a hitting a putt – like the 25-footer for birdie on the 17th hole at Pinehurst No. 2 that clinched her first major – her head is buried in the Women’s Open trophy.

A text message to Meg Mallon would seem to confirm what she was doing.

“She said, `It takes 21 1/2 beers to fill up the U.S. Open trophy,” Mallon said Monday.

The maturation of the 24-year-old from Hawaii has been fascinating to watch.

She was a 12-year-old with chubby cheeks and braces who stood behind the 18th green at the Sony Open and talked about her dream of playing the Masters.

Wie played in the final group of an LPGA major when she was in the eighth grade. She had a chance to win three majors when she was 16. She shot a 68 on the PGA Tour to miss the cut by one shot at age 14, which inspired her to compete against the men and invited sharp criticism when she couldn’t even beat the women.

No one moved the needle like Wie in women’s golf.

And perhaps no other female athlete, especially one so young, endured so much condemnation. To her credit – and her parents deserve credit for this, too – she never lashed back at those who questioned the path she chose.

Wie reached the ultimate destination Sunday, even if she never could have imagined how she would get there. Stardom included a detour to two stages of Q-school, just so she could become a part-time player while attending – and eventually graduating – from Stanford.

“This is exactly where I wanted to be,” Wie said on the eve of the final round at Pinehurst. “When I was 15 and 16, I think the troubles that I came into when I was younger is that I tried to plan my life, and a lot of times things don’t happen the way they should – or the way they should in my mind.”

She had a road map at 15?

“Oh, yeah,” she replied, smiling at a room full of reporters. “Don’t you all?”

It would be easy to suggest that Wie arrived as the player everyone thought she could be when the final putt fell for a two-shot victory, just moment before the church bells began ringing at Pinehurst.

She arrived much earlier. She won in Hawaii earlier this year. She was in the last group at a major. She was a contender just about every week.

“This was just the exclamation point,” Mallon said.

Mallon won her fourth major 10 years ago at the U.S. Women’s Open, the same year she first got to know a 6-foot teen from Hawaii who could hit the ball a mile. She saw a prodigy. She also saw a girl.

“I adore the kid,” Mallon said. “We were paired in a pro-am when she was 14 and we had a blast. We were challenging each other with short-game shots and we made a bet. She said, `If I win, I get to put streaks in my hair.’ I went over to Bo (Wie’s mother) and asked if that was OK. She won and put streaks in her hair that afternoon.”

Wie’s game recently was questioned last August when she was a captain’s pick for the Solheim Cup – by Mallon – over a player who had won that year and was ahead of Wie in the standings. Mallon called it a “no-brainer” because she needed someone who could handle the big stage. Few knew it better.

“I was looking at picks about three weeks out and Michelle came up and said, `Gosh, Meg, I know I’m six months away from where I want to be. I am so close.’ And you kind of look now at where she is,” Mallon said.

Wie is leading the LPGA Tour money list, approaching $1.6 million. She had never earned over $1 million in a season. She is No. 7 in the women’s world ranking.

And she figured this out all on her own.

She always had the swing and the power to win a major. Her putting for years was the weakest part of her game. And yet she won the Open by going an entire week without a three-putt, by making a tricky 5-foot putt to salvage double bogey on the 16th hole and keep the lead, and by making one of the hardest putts at Pinehurst at the 17th. It was fast and broke in two directions, and this one slammed into the back of the cup nearly as hard as she slammed her fist when it fell.

Wie created this unique “table-top” style all by herself. She followed Mallon’s advice in the offseason by putting away the video and bringing more feel into her game.

There was no better feeling than holding the trophy – or drinking out of it.

She no longer tries to map out her life as much as she once did, though Wie allowed herself such a moment a week ago Sunday when she walked up the 18th fairway with Martin Kaymer when he won the men’s U.S. Open.

“I thought to myself, `I want to be here on Sunday. I want to feel this exact thing,'” she said. “It’s a dream come true that it actually happened.”

LONDON, Ont. — Bolton’s Dan Partland was the man to beat at the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) Senior Men’s Champion of Champions on June 23 at the Riverbend Golf Community in London. Partland finished the day six-under (66) for a comfortable three-shot win.

The 60-year-old, who is a member of The National Golf Club of Canada and six-time course champion, topped the field of 64 senior men’s club champions from across the province with his dominant round.

The closest competitors to Partland were Bradford’s Tom Hodgins (Meadowbrook Golf and Country Club) and Stoney Creek’s Greg Adoranti (Glen Abbey Golf Club) who finished the day in a tie for second at three-under 69.

Just three other players finished the round under par as Pickering’s Christopher Kertsos and Listowel’s Robert Greer tied at two-under 70 and London’s Stephen Brodie ended the day one-under 71. Defending champion Rich Parsons, from St. Mary’s, was one of three players to finish at even par.

With the win, Partland earned an exemption into the GAO’s 2014 Investors Group Senior Men’s Amateur Championship Aug. 12-14 at Hunters Pointe in Welland.

The Ontario Senior Men’s Champion of Champions was first contested in 1970 and features senior men’s club champions age 55 and over from Golf Association of Ontario member clubs across the province.

View full results here.

TOYOTA CITY, Japan – Canada sits tied for 9th after collectively recording a total of 2-under par during Tuesday’s opening round at the 2014 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup.

This year marks the 22^nd running of the international event, featuring an expanded field of 15 countries for 2014. The format remains the same, with the top-three scores from each team being recorded for the daily total.

The Canadian contingent is made up of four Team Canada Development Squad members, accompanied by Lead Coach Robert Ratcliffe.

Sixteen-year-old Tony Gil of Vaughan, Ont. led the Canadians, shooting a 3-under 68 to sit tied for 10th. He was followed by St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Qué. native, Etienne Papineau, who carded an even-par 71 to sit tied for 22nd. Carter Simon of Sutton, Ont., was the final score recorded by the Canadians – he shot a 1-over 72.

Calgary’s Matt Williams shot a 3-over 74 – which was discounted as the team’s highest score for the day.

Canada currently trails leading Chile by seven strokes. The United States and defending Venezuelan squad are tied for second, one-shot off the lead.

Simon, Papineau and Gil are all new to the Development Squad in 2014, making this an memorable experience for the team. You can catch a glimpse of the boys in the team introduction video below at the 43 second mark.

The boys also participated in the festivities leading up to play at the Chukyo Golf Club’s Ishino Course, with Carter Simon taking home third place honours at the long-drive contest.

For first round scores, click here.
For second round pairings, click here.

CAMBRIDGE, Ont. (Golf Canada) – The third of three RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifiers took place Monday at Whistle Bear Golf Club in Cambridge, Ont. with Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont. claiming medalist honours in a playoff to earn a place in the field at the 2014 RBC Canadian Open at The Royal Montreal Golf Club, July 21-27, 2014.

Gligic, who recently moved to Kitchener, Ont. and plays out of the Whistle Bear Golf Club, fired a 5-under 67 Monday and shared the clubhouse lead with Mark Hoffman of Thornhill, Ont. through 18 holes. Gligic birdied the second playoff hole to outlast Hoffman and earn his second trip to the RBC Canadian Open after previously earning an exemption in 2012.

A member of PGA Tour Canada, Gligic previously won the 2012 ATB Financial Classic and finished second on the PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit in 2012.

A total of 143 players competed over 18 holes of stroke play at Whistle Bear Golf Club with the top-15 percent of the field and ties (next 22 competitors and ties for a total of 27 players) finishing at even-par or better to advance to the final Monday Qualifier on July 21st at Club de Golf St-Raphaël in Île-Bizard, Que.

Click here for full results.

Mike Weir is Canada’s most recognizable golfer, and arguably, one of this country’s most decorated. And now, there’s a place where fans can view never-before-seen Weir memorabilia in one place.

On Saturday, June 21st, the official gallery at the Mike Weir Winery in Beamsville, Ontario – in Niagara wine country – was open to the public.

“Good things come to those who wait,” said Barry Katzman, president of Mike Weir Wine Inc., to a crowd of about 60 people, including Weir himself.

The gallery features trophies and artifacts from Weir’s extensive career as a professional golfer. Some artifacts of note include the trophy from his first PGA Tour victory at the Air Canada Championship in 1999, the official menu from his Masters Champions dinner in 2004, and the set of clubs he used during his magical 2003 season.

Set on top of a Niagara hillside with a clear view of the Toronto skyline in the distance, it’s an idyllic setting for a vineyard. Considering the building has Weir’s name on it, hosting a gallery dedicated to his accomplishments there just made sense.

“We’re excited, because we think people are excited for it – winery visitation is growing,” explained Katzman in an earlier interview.

The winery itself was officially opened in 2005 not long after Weir’s Masters victory, and 100% of the profits of the wine go towards the Mike Weir Foundation.

The team has found success in terms of sales and growth over the last nine years, but Jim Weir, Mike’s older brother, says despite the success, Mike still remains very much involved.

“I’m always bringing some wine stuff along (when I visit him on the road) so then he can see what we’re doing. He is more active than I expected him to be,” said Jim.

Mike, who flew out to Washington on Sunday before teeing it up at the Quicken Loans National, explained he gets just as many comments about his wine on tour as anything else, “and they are all positive.”

But even for Mike, the reception on Saturday was unexpected.

“I kept asking my brother (Jim) to send me pictures, and he’d do it from really far in the distance so I couldn’t actually see the building,” Mike said. “So today was a great surprise.”

The Weir vineyard and gallery is located at 4041 Locust Lane in Beamsville. Tours of the vineyard happen twice daily (at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.) and the gallery is now open for public viewing.

Carrying Place Golf Course in King, Ont., is the official hosting site for the 2014 Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru National Event.

On September 22^nd, over 120 participants are expected to play 18 holes of golf in celebration of another successful year of promoting women’s golf and raising funds for breast cancer.

This marks the 11^th annual National Event and signifies the growing success of the women’s participation initiative.

“It’s been a natural progression for us,” said Steve Elliot, General Manager at Carrying Place. “We’ve hosted several ‘pink-out’ nights in the past and we are very happy to be a part of the National Event and its cause.”

Site coordinators, Erika, Bernie and Chris hosted a Golf Fore the Cure event last Monday at Carrying Place, playing host to well over 100 ladies in a “pink-out” themed tournament full of prizes, giveaways and more. Building off that, the team at Carrying Place is looking forward to the National Event celebration in three months’ time.

“An event like this is great for introducing ladies to golf with the friendly atmosphere of the scramble format,” said Brian Jones, Head Golf Professional at Carrying Place. “It’s also a great social event for ladies to enjoy their entire night with dinner and festivities afterwards.”

The National Event celebrates the collective accomplishments of all program participants from across the country. Among those in attendance will be corporate teams, club members, guests and even first-time golfers. Foursomes from the top two fundraising events will be honoured at the event, with Golf Canada covering their transportation and hospitality costs.

Also attending will be Evanka Osmak of Sportsnet who has been a program ambassador for three years running.

“It is truly an honour to be named an ambassador for Golf Canada’s Golf Fore the Cure Program” said Osmak. “I am thrilled to be involved with a program that promotes women’s participation in the game of golf and raises money for such a worthy cause as breast cancer. I look forward to doing my part to make a difference and hopefully inspire others to do the same.”

In addition to fighting breast cancer, Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru aims to encourage women’s participation in the sport. The National Event highlights these goals with a day of care-free golf and friendly contests.

Golf Canada is also proud to announce that Nancy Lopez Golf has signed on this year as the official apparel sponsor for the National Event. The Nancy Lopez line will provide each participant with a gift while also displaying their fall apparel collection.

Registration is open to the public – get involved by clicking here

FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. – With a final round 3-under 69 at Fort McMurray Golf Club, Clarkston, Washington’s Joel Dahmen won the Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON by five strokes on Sunday, claiming his second win of the season on PGA Tour Canada and taking a commanding lead on the Order of Merit through three events.

The 26-year old, who claimed the PC Financial Open three weeks ago in Vancouver for his first PGA Tour Canada win, moves to the top of the Order of Merit with $56,813 in earnings, and has a $28,815 lead on second place.

“I played really solid. I hit it great again,” said Dahmen, who finished 22-under par for the week. “I actually missed the first green, but after that I settled down and I hit it great. I didn’t make many putts, but I didn’t really have to. I made a birdie on 9 to take a five shot lead into the back nine, and after that nobody really made a push towards me.”

Dahmen fired a 9-under 63 in round one to take a two stroke lead and never looked back, becoming the first wire-to-wire winner on PGA Tour Canada since John Ellis at the 2008 Mexican PGA Championship.

The victory sees Dahmen continue what has been a breakthrough year, one that looked unlikely last winter when he admitted he felt disappointed by his performance in 2013. Dahmen had a handful of chances to win last season but was unable to convert and finished 22^nd on the Order of Merit.

“It’s crazy. Literally last year, this winter, I was sitting on the couch all bummed out and all of a sudden stuff is happening and dreams are being realized,” said Dahmen. “I’m very close to doing a lot of great things in the next year, so I’m excited.”

With the win, the former University of Washington Husky puts himself in great position to play in his first PGA Tour event. The top three on the Order of Merit through the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel earn a spot in the RBC Canadian Open.

“This virtually locks up my RBC Canadian Open spot, I’m pretty sure, so I get to play my first PGA Tour event in a month or so. That’s going to be incredible,” said Dahmen, who will also make his second career Web.com Tour start next week at the United Leasing Championship presented by PTI thanks to a sponsor’s exemption.

Dahmen’s win is once again a popular one amongst PGA Tour Canada members, as a gathering of fellow competitors waited to congratulate the winner as he exited the 18^th green, including 2012 and 2013 Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON champions Cory Renfrew and Riley Wheeldon.

“We have great camaraderie out here,” said Dahmen. “It’s nice just to know that we’re all pulling for each other. I’m excited for them and I know their time is coming. We all feed off each other a little bit, and I think it helps.”

Perhaps the happiest of all fellow competitors was Dallas, Texas’ Will Strickler, who caddied for Dahmen over the final two rounds after missing the cut. Dahmen credited Strickler, who played on the PGA Tour in 2011 and has five career top-10s on PGA Tour Canada, with helping him stay calm over the final two rounds.

“I had to kind of poke him in the ribs on Friday night and Saturday morning because of the weather, and he wasn’t sure if he was going to caddie. I said, ‘I need you out there, Will,’” said Dahmen. “He’s an incredible player himself and he’s been around, so he knows how to caddie and what to say.”

Five shots behind Dahmen in second was PGA Tour Canada rookie Ricky McDonald of Edmonds, Washington. One shot further back was Las Cruces, New Mexico’s Tim Madigan, who posted his second consecutive top-three finish following a T-2 result at the Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by Times Colonist.

PINEHURST, N.C. – There’s no doubting Team Canada’s Brooke Henderson knows how to rise to the occasion.

She’s won major amateur events like the Porter Cup and the Spirit Invitational. She’s the youngest golfer ever to win a professional golf title. And now, in perhaps her biggest feat to date, the 16-year-old Smiths Falls, Ont. native captured low amateur honours at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst No. 2 – where she finished tied for 10th at 5-over 285 on the devious track.

“There’s a lot of great amateurs here that qualified this week,” said Henderson following her round Sunday in North Carolina. “It’s very exciting, that’s for sure. The best players in the world are here and to know that I’m right up there, it’s really awesome. I still have a long way to go to where I want to be in the next couple years, but it’s really exciting to know that I have the potential and it was a great finish here this week.”

Henderson, who had her sister Brittany as her caddie this week, improved on the tie for 59th she recorded in her first Women’s U.S. Open last year at Southampton, N.Y. She credited her ball striking in the final round for part of the improvement.

“Ball striking was really big for me today,” she added. “I made two mistakes off the tee which cost me a double and a bogey, but other than that, I was hitting it really well and had a couple tap-in birdies, which is really nice.”

She had five birdies, two bogeys and a double on Sunday to be exact for a 69, her lowest round of the week. A round she likely didn’t see coming a week ago.

“When I first got here I was like, wow, this is an extremely tough course and it’s going to take four really solid rounds to even make the cut and then to climb up the leaderboard like I did,” Henderson admitted. “But I was almost intimidated the first couple days and then as I got playing and I started to hit the ball really well, I knew where to hit it on the fairways and where to hit it on the greens and I became much more confident. And today, right now, I sort of wish there was another round to go back out there, but I’ll have to wait until next year.”

Thanks to her finish at Pinehurst, Henderson automatically qualifies for the 2015 U.S Women’s Open being contested at Lancaster Country Club in Lancaster, Pa.

Henderson outlasted the world’s top women’s amateur golfer in Australia’s Minjee Lee, who finished 3-shots back of Henderson at 8-over 288, to claim the low amateur title.

“Well, Minjee is an amazing player,” explained Henderson. “She’s ranked No. 1 in the world as amateurs and she’s been at a lot of pro events and she always plays really well. Coming in that (winning low amateur) wasn’t necessarily my goal, but it’s nice that it happened.”

Brooke and Brittany will have little time to relish in the moment. The pair headed north Sunday evening as they will face off against each other, and others, at the Canadian Women’s Tour event at Legends on the Niagara’s Battlefield Course in Niagara Falls, Ont. which gets underway Tuesday. For more details on that event – which offers an exemption into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open – and the Canadian Women’s Tour, click here.

And, click here to watch an interview with Brooke following her final round at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open.