SHENZHEN, China – Alexander Levy of France overcame driving rain and gusting winds to shoot a 2-under 70 at the China Open on Saturday and maintain a three-stroke lead over Alvaro Quiros of Spain heading into the final round.

Levy, aiming for his first European Tour title, birdied three straight holes on the back nine, but opened the door for Quiros with bogeys on No. 14 and 16. The Spaniard couldn’t close the gap, however, making two bogeys of his own down the stretch.

Levy has a 16-under total of 200.

Finland’s Mikko Ilonen was four strokes back in third place after a 67, while England’s Tommy Fleetwood (67) and Spain’s Adrian Otaegui (71) were another stroke behind in a tie for fourth.

A day after 15-year-old Chinese amateur Guan Tianlang failed to make the cut, another young homegrown talent, 18-year-old Li Haotong, shot a 67 to match the low score of the day and jump into joint eighth at 7 under.

Third-ranked Henrik Stenson, however, didn’t make up any ground on the leaders, falling 12 shots behind after shooting a 71. The Swede needed a win here to take over the top ranking from Tiger Woods – a goal that now appears well out of reach.

Levy wasn’t nearly as accurate as he was on Friday, when he holed a 20-foot putt for eagle and sunk eight birdies en route to setting a new course record at Genzon Golf Club. But he handled the nasty weather at the start of his round and maintained his focus after his late bogeys, managing to avoid a third with a 15-foot putt for par on the 18th.

The Frenchman knows he will face a lot more pressure on Sunday, even with a three-stroke cushion. Last year, he was tied with Ernie Els for the lead heading into the final round of the BMW International Open, but committed four bogeys in his last nine holes to slip to third.

“I will be nervous, but because you’re nervous doesn’t mean you can’t play well,” he said. “I’ll sleep nicely because I’m tired. It was a long day with the weather and difficult golf course.”

Quiros has six European Tour titles to his credit but hasn’t gotten a win – or even a top-three finish – since his title at the Dubai World Championship in November 2011.

“If Alex plays really well then we might not be able to catch him,” he said. “It has been two and a half years since I won so I have not had those feeling for a long time.”

With the leaders so far ahead, Li is playing for another goal – a big payday. The golf club has pledged to double the purse for any Chinese player finishing in the top five.

While Guan has received most of the attention in China after his breakthrough performance at last year’s Masters, where he became the youngest player to make the cut, Li is perhaps better poised to make an immediate impact on the game.

Last year, he signed an endorsement deal with Nike and played remarkably well against elite fields at the HSBC Champions and BMW Masters in his hometown of Shanghai, finishing tied for 39th and 42nd, respectively. And after practicing on the Genzon Golf Club course for the last two months, he’s close to his first top-five finish.

“I’m very happy. I want to keep that name on the leaderboard,” he said.

England’s Ian Poulter also shot a 67 Saturday to move up to equal 11th place. But Poulter said he was still smarting from a two-stroke penalty he incurred on the 13th hole Friday when he improperly measured his drop after hitting into the rough. He took a triple-bogey 8 on the hole, following a double bogey on the 12th.

“I shouldn’t be happy with the position I’m in. I dropped five shots yesterday in two holes. It’s unacceptable. It’s disgraceful,” he said. “I should be a lot closer to the lead, but that’s golf. You can’t have it perfect all the time.”

DALY CITY, Calif. – Stacy Lewis overcame rain and hail Friday to take the second-round lead in the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic, shooting her second straight 3-under 69 at Lake Merced.

Winless since the Women’s British Open in August, the third-ranked Lewis had a one-stroke lead over 17-year-old playing partner Lydia Ko and first-round leader Karine Icher.

“We all went into the day knowing it would play hard,” said Lewis, who has five runner-up finishes since her victory at St. Andrews. “”It was a test of patience. I took it one shot at a time and wanted to get the ball into the hole as fast as I could. Fortunately, I was able to do that.”

Ko had a 71, and Icher followed her opening 66 with a 73.

Lewis and Ko played alongside Michelle Wie, dealing with heavy rain and hail that suspended play for just over an hour. Play resumed in steady drizzle that gave way to sunny afternoon conditions that helped several of the late starters.

Wie, the winner last week in Hawaii, was even par after her second 72.

The weather wavered between a slight mist and light shower before pounding the course just after noon, forcing the suspension at 12:36 p.m.

“I honestly thought we’d get it done,” Lewis said. “Then we got to seven and it just poured. We had to call off Lydia from her putt when it started to hail.”

Ko, who turned 17 on Thursday, thought she could get her putt in before being called off.

“I was crazy and out of my mind thinking about putting in the hail,” Ko said. “It started getting dark and I’m glad I was called off.”

After spending the delay eating chicken soup and playing cards, Ko returned to the course and sank the putt.

Icher was tied for the lead with Lewis at 5 under when the horn sounded.

“I ate a little and dried my clothes,” Icher said. “Rain delays are never fun but it happens. Being in the top five to start the tournament is pretty good, definitely my best start this year.”

Top-ranked Inbee Park, Mika Miyazato and Ilhee Lee were three strokes back at 3 under. Park had a 68 in the afternoon, Miyazato shot 69, and Lee had a 73.

“It was a very good putting day and I hit a lot of fairways,” Park said. “I got a little lucky with the weather. I only had to play in the rain for four holes.”

Miyazato finished before the delay.

“The golf course was more challenging,” Miyazato said. “I needed better course management.”

Second-ranked Suzann Pettersen, returning from a since back injury that sidelined her for three tournaments, was 2 under after a 72.

AVONDALE, La. – When Ben Martin played junior golf, his father, Jim, would tell him that his demeanor should be the same every time he walked off a green, whether he made birdie or double bogey.

That might explain why Martin seemed so calm when his game briefly unraveled Friday in the middle of the second round of the Zurich Classic, and why he righted himself quickly enough to post the best two-round score ever at TPC Louisiana.

Martin, who shot a course-record 62 on Thursday, shook off his first bogey and double bogey of the tournament to finish with a 67 on Friday, putting him at 15 under – three shots ahead of closest pursuer Andrew Svoboda.

If the 26-year-old Martin can continue to show that type of composure, he might capture his first PGA Tour victory.

“That’s my personality in general. Sometimes my wife gets mad at me because I don’t get excited about anything,” Martin said. “And then I don’t get down too much, either. That’s golf. You can’t expect to shoot 62 every day.”

Svoboda followed his opening 64 with a 68.

Robert Streb (66) and Sueng-Yul Noh (68) were tied for third at 11 under. Erik Compton also shot a 68 and was at 10 under, a score that keeps the two-time heart transplant recipient in contention for his maiden PGA Tour triumph. Tied with Compton for fifth was Peter Hanson, who shot 69, four shots off the pace of his strong opening round.

Keegan Bradley (66), Jeff Overton (68) and Charley Hoffman (67) were 9 under.

The tournament record score at TPC Louisiana- which is hosting New Orleans’ PGA Tour event for the ninth time – is 20 under, set last year by Billy Horschel.

For a while, it looked as if Martin might match that in the second round. Starting the day on the 10th hole, Martin hit an 8-iron 160 yards to a foot to set up his first birdie. On the par-5 11th, he used a 54-degree sand wedge to chip in from nearly 58 feet, one day after he chipped in with the same club from 55 feet on 17. He then sank a 7-foot putt for birdie on 13.

Martin said his hot start was cooled off, almost poetically, by the sound of ice being poured into a cooler in one of the VIP suites overlooking the par-3 17th hole. It forced him to back away from a putt attempt, and he wound up three-putting.

Then he proceeded to hit his drive into water to the right of the 18th fairway, and three-putted for a double bogey.

Yet, as he walked off the green, he smiled slightly and proceeded calmly and purposefully to the first tee, where he made the first of four birdies on his second nine.

That’s the kind of composure Martin’s wife, Kelly, has come to know well.

“When he comes off the course, you wouldn’t know if he shot 10 under or 10 over,” she said.

Svoboda, who will tee off with the final group for the first time in a PGA Tour event, continued to be pleased with his putting, which he credited in part to a new putter with a shaft bent to 71 degrees and grooves on the face.

“I’m hitting the ball great and I’m putting really well,” said Svoboda, whose highlights included a 40-yard bunker shot to set up a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-5 second hole.

He didn’t have a single bogey in the tournament until his final hole of the day, when he three-putted the par-3 ninth.

“I hit a bad second putt there,” he said of his miss from 6 feet. “But I dug pretty hard today. I played really well, so I’m pretty happy.”

Graham DeLeat of Weyburn, Sask., fired a 4-under 68 on Friday and currently sits in a tie for 12th at 7-under par.

SHENZHEN, China – Alexander Levy of France shot a career-best 10-under 62 to open a four-shot lead after the second round of the China Open on Friday.

Henrik Stenson tried to keep alive his chances of taking over the No. 1 world ranking with a 70 to sit at 3 under overall, 11 shots behind Levy. The Swede can nudge Tiger Woods out of the top spot with a win here.

Levy, whose best finish on the European Tour was third place at last year’s BMW International Open, sunk a 20-foot eagle putt on the ninth hole to cap a front-nine 30.

He then birdied four more times on the back nine to finish at 14-under 130, four shots clear of Spaniard Adrian Otaegui in second.

“I played unbelievably,” Levy said. “I shot 63 at Kingsbarns during the Dunhill Links in Scotland last year, but this course is a lot tougher and I am only starting to realize how good that score is.”

Ian Poulter, meanwhile, saw a promising round fall apart on a disastrous par-5 13th hole where he was assessed a two-stroke penalty for playing from the wrong spot after hitting into dense foliage and incorrectly measuring his own drop. He took a triple-bogey and ended up with a 74, still good enough to make the cut.

The cut was at par, which U.S. PGA Championship winner Jason Dufner barely made after shooting a 71.

The 15-year-old Chinese amateur Guan Tianlang, however, was sent home after a 76. He’s only made one cut on the U.S. PGA and European Tours after his sensational debut at the Masters last year, when he became the youngest player to complete 72 holes.

Levy began his climb up the leaderboard in the Thursday twilight when most golfers were already in the clubhouse or long gone. Playing in one of the last groups, the Frenchman was tied for the lead but bogeyed the eighth hole in the faltering light before play was finally suspended.

“It was tough because it was dark and I made some bogey and I wasn’t happy in my bed last night,” he said. “I just focused on finishing the first round well this morning and continuing this afternoon.”

Levy was a newcomer to the tour – he gained his playing card only last year – but he’s been in these types of high-pressure situations before. He had a share of the lead with Ernie Els heading into the final round of the BMW International Open, but faltered with four bogeys in Sunday’s opening nine holes.

He said he’s been inspired by the recent performance of his good friend and fellow Frenchman, Victor Dubuisson, who held off Tiger Woods, Stenson and Poulter to win his first European Tour title at the Turkish Airlines Open in November.

“What he has done over the past few months has been amazing and it has really had an effect on all the French players, so hopefully I can try to emulate that,” Levy said.

If he stumbles, Stenson is close enough to make a move.

The No. 3-ranked Swede is on the mend after coming down with the flu this week, which prevented him from practicing before Thursday’s opening round. He said he felt better that night but then woke up on Friday weak and tired again.

Still, he believes he’s playing well enough to challenge the leaders this weekend.

“I made six birdies out there today and missed a few good opportunities to make more,” he said. “But then I threw a silly double in there and a few bogeys as well so I need to cut that out.”

Poulter was upset with himself, as well, after his mistake on the 13th. He measured two club-lengths for his first drop from the foliage, but that landed on a cart path, requiring a second drop. He measured two club-lengths again but should have just taken one.

“We make mistakes, I guess, and that was a fun one,” he said. “Guess I need to get the rulesbook back out and start chewing it.”

Dufner is happy just to be sticking around for the weekend after curling in a 15-footer for birdie on No. 6 and scrambling to make par on No. 9, his final hole.

“It’s been a struggle all year for me, so far, with scoring,” he said. “Luckily I play a lot of the tougher events so you don’t have to shoot a lot of low scores, but guys are shooting pretty good scores out here.”

DALY CITY, Calif. – Karine Icher and her caddie husband, Fred, evaluated the conditions and course at challenging Lake Merced and decided on a Day 1 strategy: stay short of the pin and putt uphill.

The move worked beautifully and Icher delivered the most consistent performance on a day there weren’t many in the debut of the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic.

“I think it’s the key on this course,” Icher said. “It’s a tough golf course, especially with the wind and temperature. It gets so cold. You try to stay warm and try to catch the right wind and go with it and make some putts.”

The Frenchwoman birdied four of her first seven holes and finished with a 6-under 66 on Thursday to take the lead, two strokes ahead of Lydia Ko and several others. Afterward, Icher was off to pick up nearly 2-year-old daughter, Lola, from the tour’s children’s care.

The start was delayed two hours because of fog and play was suspended because of darkness with 24 players still on the course.

Icher had a bogey-free round and hit all but one green in regulation. Many struggled off the tee or with their putters on speedy, tricky greens on a cool day with plenty of wind and hovering fog not far off the Pacific Ocean.

The gallery sang “Happy Birthday” to Ko on her 17th birthday as she started from the first tee, and Ko came through with a 68 on a day she was also named among TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people. Ko’s group barely beat the horn for darkness.

“I wanted to finish today,” she said, acknowledging the birthday song was “kind of embarrassing” but much-appreciated.

Morgan Pressel birdied four of her first eight holes and was among the players sitting three strokes back at 69.

Mo Martin also shot a 69 after warming up four times before finally hitting her first tee shot following the fog delay.

Pressel, whose round began on the back nine, went to 4 under at the turn.

Top-ranked Inbee Park opened with a 73 in the $1.8 million event, while second-ranked Suzann Pettersen had a 70 in her first tournament since missing three events with a back injury. On the par-4 11th, a frustrated Pettersen made an 8-foot putt for triple-bogey to fall from 3 under to even par before bouncing back.

Michelle Wie, coming off her first win in nearly four years last week in her home state of Hawaii, finished at even-par 72.

Those who were still on the course will resume their rounds Friday morning, so many will have a quick turnaround after a short break.

Angela Stanford and Se Ri Pak withdrew Thursday, and neither have yet to provide a reason to tournament officials.

Canadians were not immune to the challenging opening-round conditions.

Alena Sharp opened with a 2-over 74.

Langley, B.C.’s Sue Kim had yet to compete her round, but was 2-over thru 15 holes of her first round.

Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont. was 7-over thru her first 11 holes, but rallied with two birdies to get to 5-over.

Mississauga, Ont.’s Brogan McKinnon, playing in her first LPGA Tour event after Monday qualifying, was 6-over after a 78.

AVONDALE, La. – Ben Martin treated a tiny gallery to a course-record round, shooting a 10-under 62 on Thursday in the first round of the Zurich Classic.

Martin’s 10th birdie was his most spectacular shot in a round full of them as he chipped in from 55 feet on the par-3 17th hole. That came a hole after the 26-year-old former Clemson player he hit the flag on a chip from behind the green, setting up a tap-in par.

The previous record at TPC Louisiana was a 64, accomplished many times, including once earlier Thursday, when Andrew Svoboda did it to take a lead that held up until Martin surged past late in the day.

Peter Hanson and Sueng-Yul Noh were tied for third at 65.

Martin matched his career best Sunday with a third-place tie in the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head, S.C. He also finished third last month in the Puerto Rico Open.

Martin opened with a 10-foot birdie putt, the first of six birdies on the front nine, most set up by approach shots within 10 feet. One exception was his 26-foot birdie putt on No. 5. He opened the back nine with a 14-foot birdie putt, made a 10-footer on 11 and a 20-footer on 13.

Svoboda birdied six of his last nine holes.

Like Martin, the 34-year-old Svoboda has never won on the PGA Tour and appreciates how much can change in the next three rounds. At the same time, New Orleans has seen its share of maiden tour triumphs. It has happened in six of the past nine years, and 10 of the past 16.

“I’ll take that stat,” Svoboda said.

Svoboda’s best career finish on the PGA Tour is a tie for 15th at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas last October.

Hanson’s round was highlighted by an eagle on the par 4 sixth hole. After a 277-yard drive to the middle of the fairway, Hanson knocked in his second shot with a 6-iron from 183 yards.

Hanson noted that he used the same club for a hole-in-one during a practice round at Lake Nona in Orlando, Fla., last weekend.

“So it’s holed out twice in the last five days,” Hanson said.

Hanson, who missed the cut at the Masters, said the key to his strong start in New Orleans was probably putting away his clubs for four days after returning from Augusta and trying to relax more.

“We want to do this so exact and be so precise,” Hanson said. “I over-read putts and overanalyze the shots, trying to figure this game out. I think sometimes you have to let the score come to you instead of you going after it.”

Erik Compton, Chad Collins and Michael Thompson were tied for fifth at 66, and Jeff Overton, Stuart Appleby and Robert Streb followed at 67.

Compton, a two-time heart transplant recipient, spent the early part of the week talking to children with heart conditions at a New Orleans-area hospital and also participated in a junior golf clinic. Although that limited his practice time, he thought it put him in a good frame of mind.

“It seems to really relax me and really puts things in perspective,” Compton said. “I seem to play better during the weeks where I have hospital visits.”

On the par-5 seventh, his 297-yard drive sailed right of the fairway, crossing a cart path. He then belted a 227-yard shot out of the rough to the foot of the green and two-putted for birdie. On eight, he cringed disgustedly as he left a 1-foot birdie putt on the lip of the hole, but responded by closing his round with a 22-foot birdie putt on nine to briefly put him atop the leaderboard.

“This is a course that I feel very comfortable on,” said Compton, also winless on the PGA Tour. “You have to hit a lot of long iron shots and drive it well here, and those are some of the strengths of my game.”

Graham DeLaet is leading the Canadian charge. The Weyburn, Sask. native is tied for 20th at 3-under par.

David Hearn opened with a 1-under 71 and sits tied for 54th.

Mike Weir, Stephen Ames and Brad Fritsch were 2-over on the day after all firing 74s to sit among a group tied for 114th.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – RBC Heritage tournament director Steve Wilmot doesn’t want to return to the dark, sponsor-less days of just a few years ago when his longtime PGA Tour stop didn’t know if it would make it through to the next year. So everyone connected with the event is making sure that won’t happen.

New construction on a $20 million clubhouse at Harbour Town Golf Links started shortly after Matt Kuchar’s chip-in on the 72nd hole lifted him to victory Sunday. PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem was there early in the week to participate in discussions with lead sponsors Royal Bank of Canada and Boeing to extend backing past the five-year deal that ends in 2016.

There are new parking strategies ahead to help beautify the island that were tested this past week when rain swamped many of the grassy, field areas where spectators and volunteers have parked practically since the tournament began in 1969.

And there’s a new luxury hotel ahead for the grounds to help increase the number of clients and officials sponsors might entertain during tournament week.

“Sea Pines is making a commitment and obviously the Tour has to be in,” Wilmot said. “And then then sponsors. But it’s better than when it was a `no.'”

That came before the 2010 tournament when longtime event sponsor Verizon announced it was ending its ties to the tournament. A search for sponsorship went beyond the 2011 event when the Heritage Classic Foundation had to spend some $4 million in reserve funds along with about $1 million in local government help keep things going that year.

In June of 2011, the tour, state and federal leaders and Wilmot’s organization announced the deal that brought in RBC, which has long sponsored golf, and Boeing, which had recently opened a major manufacturing facility about two hours north of the course.

Things have gone well the past three years. But the island facility knew it faced challenges to keep pace with some of the larger country clubs and made-for-TV golf facilities that host PGA Tour events.

The new clubhouse, which has been there since the tournament began 45 years ago, will increase from 11,000 square feet to 18,000 square feet and have room for 150 full-size lockers. There will also be an art gallery to display oil portraits of RBC Heritage champions through the years, a new restaurant and expanded pro shop among other amenities.

It’s expected to be complete in time for next year’s tournament.

The clubhouse is part of some $50 million in upgrades around the resort for year-round visitors, residents and tournament attendees.

A wrinkle in sponsorship talks could be the pending retirement of RBC chief executive officer Gord Nixon next summer, Wilmot said. Nixon has been a fan of golf and Hilton Head since the deal, Wilmot says, and his departure could impact whether the company goes forward past 2016.

“That being said, Boeing’s a big company and they’re not going away,” Wilmot said.

It shouldn’t hurt the tournament’s cause that four of RBC’s golf ambassadors in Jim Furyk, Brandt Snedeker, Graeme McDowell and Kuchar have won this event in the past five times it’s been played. Another RBC-backed golfer, Luke Donald, has finished second or third here in five of the past six tournaments.

The RBC Heritage has the strong support of players, many who enjoy the laid-back atmosphere a few days after the pressure of Augusta National at the Masters. Kuchar said he enjoys spending time with his family here, hitting the beach and riding bikes during down time. “It’s one of the nicest stops we go to,” Kuchar says.

There may be less traffic for cyclists to navigate at future events. Heavy rains forced officials to park fans and others outside the Sea Pines gates and bus them to the course. Wilmot said cars parked on grassy areas did not always go with the secluded, picturesque scenes officials want clients and sponsors to see.

“The rain just made us try it earlier and gave people the chance to see it working,” he said.

Wilmot’s confident a new deal will be done and he and others won’t face another doomsday scenario to keep the event afloat. “We can’t do what we did before,” Wilmot said. “So let’s try and take care of our sponsors and make sure they both feel at home.”

The golf season might be starting out slower than normal in some parts of the country, but active season for score posting will be underway coast-to-coast beginning May 1^st, 2014. Remember “active season” reflects the quality of the course conditions where you’re playing not where you live. For example if you played down south over the winter there’s a good possibility that course was “active” and you should post any rounds played.

Golfers playing in British Columbia and Alberta have been able to post scores since March 1^st, while active season for seven other provinces kicked off in mid-April. New Brunswick will officially open their season on May 1^st.

In addition to Canadian golfers posting their scores online at www.golfcanada.ca and at member club kiosks, Golf Canada members can also post their scores quickly and conveniently from their mobile devices on the Score Centre Mobile App.

The Score Centre Mobile App provides members with an option to post and track their scores on the go. It’s currently available on iOS and Android platforms and can be downloaded directly from Apple’s App Store or Android’s Google play. Golfers can also download the app by visiting www.golfcanada.ca/mobile on their mobile device.

This past winter hundreds of thousands of scores were posted online and each year over 7-million scores are posted by Golf Canada members through the Score Centre Mobile App and online.

In Canada, the active season in each province is as follows:

BC = Mar. 1 – Nov. 15
AB = Mar. 1 – Oct. 31
SK = Apr. 15 – Oct. 31
MB = Apr. 15 – Oct. 31
ON = Apr. 15 – Oct. 31
QC = Apr. 15 – Oct. 31
NS = Apr. 15 – Oct. 31
NB = May. 1 – Oct. 31
PE = Apr. 16 – Nov. 14
NL = Apr. 1 – Nov. 30

Not a Golf Canada member and would like to get an official Golf Canada Handicap Factor? Click here for info.

SHENZHEN, China – Alvaro Quiros and Simon Dyson each shot a 5-under 67 to share the lead after the first round of the China Open on Thursday.

The pair were a stroke ahead of a group of six golfers that included defending champion Brett Rumford of Australia and Alexander Levy of France, who briefly moved into a tie with Quiros and Dyson in the growing darkness on his back nine but bogeyed the par-3 8th hole before play was suspended. He has one hole remaining to play.

England’s Ian Poulter was in a group of 12 golfers just behind at 3-under on a crowded leaderboard.

Henrik Stenson, who has a chance to take over the top ranking from Tiger Woods with a win here, had a 71. The Swede, currently ranked third, has been battling the flu this week and didn’t get in any practice time on the course at Genzon Golf Club before the opening round.

“I’m not throwing up but I’m not too keen on eating and my energy levels aren’t the best,” he said. “It’s not easy to play a golf course blind, and it definitely costs a couple of shots when you haven’t seen it, or haven’t played it.”

Chinese 15-year-old Guan Tianlang, who became the youngest player to make the cut at the Masters last year, was level with Stenson at 71.

“I think today I played pretty consistently. My putting feels good, but needs a couple changes so if tomorrow I got more birdies, will keep me going,” he said.

Quiros has six wins on the European Tour, but hasn’t had a top-3 finish in the past three seasons. The Spaniard said he’s worked on improving his putting this year and the results are starting to come – he finished tied for fifth at the Joburg Open in February and then joint 13th last week at the Malaysian Open.

“You can’t see it yet on the rankings, but I have been playing better,” said the Spaniard, ranked a lowly 240th in the world.

Dyson, who also has six wins on tour but none since 2011, said he played some of his best golf in a long time during his round, sinking six birdies to go with one bogey.

“I really didn’t miss a shot. I missed two fairways just, and didn’t miss a green so gave myself a lot chances, which is always nice,” he said.

Stenson is coming off a banner year that saw him become the first golfer to win the European Tour’s Race to Dubai and the U.S. PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup in the same season. He’s gotten off to a slow start this season, however, with his best finish a tie for 14th at the Masters.

According to the European Tour, Stenson can nudge Woods out of the top spot in the rankings this week only if wins the tournament and there are no withdrawals in the field to affect the maximum number of points he’d receive.

The Swede had back-to-back birdies on his first two holes, but then struggled to find the fairway and greens down the stretch, making four bogeys. He blamed the state of the rough for some “horrific lies.”

“I took a six on 13 by just being off the green – you can’t even get the ball hardly on the green to save par. I think it’s a course that when the rough gets that silly in certain areas, it kind of takes away a lot of skill,” he said.

Poulter is also looking for a boost, which he typically gets in Asia. He’s won three titles here, including the 2012 HSBC Champions at Mission Hills in Shenzhen.

He had four birdies and narrowly missed a couple others, including a 6-footer on the 9th that would have moved him into a share of the lead.

“Coming from Augusta National, where (the greens) are quite quick, you come here and the greens are very slow,” he said. “Even the putts that look downhill, down grain, are just not very quick and it takes some adjusting to.”

HAMILTON, Ont – One of Canada’s oldest municipal golf courses, Chedoke Civic Golf Club, is celebrating a historic milestone in 2014.

Nestled into the rolling parkland landscape of the stunning Niagara Escarpment, Chedoke Civic Golf Club dates back to 1896 when members of Hamilton Golf Club first started to play the game in the city with hickory clubs and rubber wound golf balls.

It was 90 years ago that Hamilton City Councillors finally agreed to purchase the original Aberdeen Road golf course lands from Hamilton Golf & Country Club in a move designed to open golf up to the working man in a city that was quickly growing and modernizing.

From about 1915 to 1919, the Club was used for military training and aviation purposes of the 120^th City of Hamilton Battalion, CEF. Hamilton Golf & Country Club abandoned the site in 1916 when it moved to a new Harry S. Colt designed layout in Ancaster. It was around this time that George C. Martin first suggested the City of Hamilton buy the Aberdeen Avenue golf course to turn it into a municipal facility, but the war put that plan on hold.

In 1921, Martin again proposed that the City buy the golf course from the Hamilton G&CC. The City balked at the idea and Martin and a group of others took out a one-year lease on the land with an option to purchase it if the club proved viable. It was very successful and on December 26, 1923, after months of negotiations, the land was purchased by the City of Hamilton for $90,000. The club opened with 750 members in 1924. Martin (1866 to 1950) was the first President of the Chedoke Civic Golf Course (1924-1943). It was his vision to create a golf club for the working man and it is his name which is on the original course.

“Chedoke Civic Golf Club has been a great spot for golfers young and old to learn and play the game of golf for many decades,” says Hamilton City Councillor Brian McHattie. “Our community is fortunate to have an affordable golf option where people can enjoy this wonderful pastime with friends and family members. It goes without saying that both courses at Chedoke also beautify south-west Hamilton, it truly is a green gem in our neighbourhood.”

In 1928, Chedoke Civic Golf Course purchased 26 additional acres west of the old course. Canadian golf course architect Stanley Thompson and brother Nicol, who lived a couple of blocks from the course on Homewood Avenue, drew up a plan for four holes on the new property, a new hole at the base of the Niagara Escarpment, the widening of several holes, 18 new clay tees and the grading of a new road from Aberdeen Avenue to the clubhouse. This work was done in 1929 under the supervision of Nicol Thompson and Superintendent Alf Sims. As time and funds allowed, both Thompsons continued to upgrade and make changes to the course. What we know today as Nos. 1, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17 and 18 would be Thompson holes.

Chedoke’s second 18-hole layout, The Beddoe Course is named in memory of Harold Stewart Beddoe (1891-1969) who succeeded George Martin as President from 1944 to 1953. Work on the Stanley Thompson-designed Beddoe Course started in 1948. It opened for play in May 1950 using some temporary greens with 900-plus members at Chedoke. At the time, it was the only 36-hole municipal facility in Canada. By the spring of 1951, the entire course was in play and a new clubhouse opened. The Beddoe Course was significantly altered in 1961-1962 from par 71 to 69 when a 300 foot corridor bisected the parkland layout to create Highway 403. Architect K.M. Broman and green keeper Maurice Ducharme redesigned all but seven holes on the course at a cost of $124,000 with holes 11-17 essentially new. Today, architect Graham Cooke, who is based out of Montreal, oversees changes to all three City run courses as part of a long range plan for the facilities.

Golfers playing Chedoke will notice a walking/bike path that crosses through the parking lot behind the clubhouse. That path was originally the rail line for The Brantford & Hamilton Electric Railway (B&H), which operated a radial streetcar from Hamilton to Ancaster from 1908 to 1931.

In January 1964, Mayor Vic Copps opened a winter sports park at Chedoke with a 900-foot lift and a 1,900-foot ski slope. Chedoke was always a perfect learning hill, but when it opened it also boasted the third-steepest vertical drop of any hill in Ontario. It remained until 2003 when the money losing operation closed and the lift was taken down in 2009.

Rickie Fowler’s jaw dropping plane ride

Rickie Fowler took an aerobatic plane ride with two-time Red Bull Air Race world champion Kirby Chambliss. Fowler got a taste of the high speeds and high g-forces in this stomach turning video created by our partners at the PGA TOUR.

NGCOA Canada Retains SportBox Entertainment Group as Agency of Record for Consulting & Partnership Opportunities

Toronto – National Golf Course Owners Association Canada (NGCOA Canada) has retained SportBox Entertainment Group to build, launch and manage a new model for corporate partnerships, delivering marketing opportunities for brand marketers in Canada.

There are approximately 70 million rounds of golf played in Canada per year. The NGCOA Canada owns properties that touch golf course consumers, such as consumer golf shows, junior player development programs, adult player development programs and publications. The NGCOA Canada also owns properties that serve the golf course owners, such as National trade events and an award winning publication.

SportBox has been retained to analyze all the assets and opportunities at the golf course level, and develop new strategies for corporate partners to connect with the millions of consumers that walk through the gates each year. As the agency of record for NGCOA Canada, SportBox will also represent the consolidated marketing interests of the NGCOA Canada in market.

“It’s our responsibility as the NGCOA Canada to identify new opportunities that will benefit our members,” said Jeff Calderwood, chief executive officer, NGCOA Canada. “Our alignment with SportBox will allow the NGCOA Canada to develop untapped marketing opportunities for our members. We are very excited to be working with SportBox on this project.”

The SportBox Consulting practice will lead the project, taking the NGCOA Canada and its members through a strategic analysis and planning phase to build a corporate platform with multiple touch points for brands, including experiential, events, and community investment opportunities.

“Through our discussions with the NGCOA Canada, we feel there is an opportunity to approach golf differently, as both a lifestyle and a sport,” said David Corelli, director, business partnerships, SportBox Entertainment Group. “When we look at the programs the NGCOA Canada manages and the sheer volume of consumers at the course level, we see great opportunity to develop integrated programs that not only provide corporate partners with value, but also enhance the experience for the golf consumer.”

SportBox Entertainment Group is a sports management and marketing agency. The agency’s focus is on talent representation, event development, consulting and representing the marketing rights of sports organizations and properties. SportBox represents 11 professional golfers, including PGA Tour stars Graham DeLaet, David Hearn and Mike Weir.