JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – George Coetzee came from four shots back to win the Joburg Open, his first European Tour title, and a place at the British Open on a profitable Sunday for the South African.

Coetzee’s final-round 6-under 66, with six birdies and no bogeys, took him to 19-under 268 overall and past compatriots Thomas Aiken and Justin Walters, the overnight co-leaders.

The 27-year-old Coetzee was flawless on the East Course at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club to clinch his maiden title in his 107th tour event, a sequence that included 24 top-10 finishes.

“I don’t know what I’m feeling,” he said. “I’m lost for words. I’ve been waiting a while and I started doubting so I’m very happy.”

Coetzee won by three shots from England’s Tyrrell Hatton (66), South Korea’s Jin Jeong (71) and Walters (73), who needed an eagle on the last to take Coetzee to a playoff and made bogey instead. Jeong and Walters claimed the other two British Open places on offer at Royal Joburg, with Hatton missing out because his world ranking was lower than the two he tied with for second, the European Tour said.

Aiken struggled to a 74 and was tied for fifth on 15 under with Englishmen Andy Sullivan and Matthew Baldwin and Spaniard Alvaro Quiros.

Charl Schwartzel, No. 4 in the Race to Dubai and the highest-placed player on Europe’s money list competing in Johannesburg, was tied for 59th after a second straight 72.

Coetzee was smooth through his final round to set the target at 19 under and birdied all three of the par 5s in his front nine. He enjoyed a lucky break on No. 15 when his wayward tee shot bounced off a tree and back into the fairway and he went on to sink a 20-foot putt for birdie.

Hatton and Jeong couldn’t catch him and, two shots back with two to play, Walters left a birdie putt just short on No. 17 to leave himself a tough task on the last. He could only manage bogey, with Coetzee, from nearby Pretoria, confirmed as the champion while he was signing autographs for fans.

“I got to share this with my family and my friends,” the first-time winner said. “It was my mum’s birthday yesterday and I wanted to do it for her as I forgot to buy her a present.”

Coetzee was the sixth South African to win the title in eight Joburg Opens.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – The wind was so strong, the conditions so demanding, that Jimmy Walker felt like Saturday at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am was competing against the golf course instead of the rest of the field.

Golf’s hottest player wound beating them both.

Walker finally made his first bogey of the tournament, and that was only a nuisance. He ran off five birdies at Monterey Peninsula for a 4-under 67, the best score of a blustery day, giving him a six-shot lead going into the final round.

Walker went 187 starts on the PGA Tour without winning. He now has a chance to win for the third time in his last eight tournaments. He won the Frys.com Open last fall about an hour away at CordeValle. He won for the second time this season last month in Honolulu. In both those tournaments, Walker was trailing going into the last day.

This time, he has the largest 54-hole lead at Pebble Beach since Phil Mickelson led by seven in 2005. Mickelson went on to win by four shots.

“I’ve never had whatever big lead this is going into the last round,” Walker said. “Just go out and hit good shots and play good golf and see what happens.”

He was at 13-under 202.

Tim Wilkinson of New Zealand had a 69 and Hunter Mahan had a 72, both at Monterey Peninsula. They were at 208.

Havoc happened on Saturday on all three courses, particularly at Pebble Beach.

The third round was not completed because of a delay lasting 2 hours, 19 minutes due to gusts at 30 mph that made golf balls roll off the green, mostly at Pebble Beach. In a three-course rotation, play has to be stopped at all three courses.

The average score at Pebble Beach was just over 75.

Jordan Spieth caught the brunt of it. Tied with Walker going into the third round, Spieth was 5-over through 15 holes when the round was halted by darkness. That included a pair of three-putts on the front nine when he went out in 40, and another three-putt from 18 feet. Spieth missed an 8-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole, and then chose to mark the 5-foot par putt he had coming back.

Walker opened with a 66 at Pebble Beach when it was calm, the best time to play it. That doesn’t mean he was off the hook on the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula. He just had to play his best, and he did.

On the par-3 ninth, typically a 6-iron, Walker smashed a 5-wood into the wind and couldn’t reach the green. He made one birdie with an 8-iron from 140 yards, and was hitting 4-iron that went only about 165 yards.

“It just feels like a battle,” Walker said. “You’re not battling really anybody else. You’re not battling the field or a tournament. You’re just out there trying. The golf course is trying to beat you up.”

Richard Lee had a 72 at Spyglass Hill and was alone in fourth at 209. Phil Mickelson had a 71 at Spyglass and was among those eight shots behind. Only three players broke par at Pebble _ none better than Dustin Johnson’s 70. Brendon Todd looked as if he might have one of those rounds until bogeys on the last two holes.

“Nine and 10 are par 5s today. I couldn’t reach either one,” Todd said. “There were no birdie holes out there.”

Play was stopped about an hour after the last group teed off. It was a peculiar sight to see clouds gathering on the Pacific horizon, and officials trying to spray water on the greens to help balls stay on the putting surface.

It didn’t work.

And when play resumed, Brian Gay was given relief on the fourth green at Pebble Beach because of standing water left from hosing down the greens. He was able to move his ball some 15 feet to the other side of the green.

But the big trouble was the wind.

Kevin Chappell’s approach to the par-3 fifth sailed over the cliff, and he ambled down toward the beach to play the shot. The par-5 sixth at Pebble, usually reachable with a long iron, was a true three-shot hole. On the 109-yard, downhill seventh hole into the wind, the club of choice was a chip 8-iron.

It was most difficult with the putting _ being able to stand over the ball, trying to hit it as it wobbled and judging the speed. Geoff Ogilvy three-putted from 3 feet twice in a three-hole stretch on his way to an 81. Spieth had a pair of three-putts that sent him tumbling out of contention. The worst was on the ninth, when he gunned his 12-footer for par about 4 feet by the hole, sent the next one 5 feet by on the other side and raised his arms in mock triumph when he made the third one.

D.A. Points might have had the best time. His score didn’t count.

Points was disqualified Friday for using a sponge ball as a training device while waiting on the 18th tee. He returned Saturday to contribute to the pro-am side of the competition with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The team shot 77 and missed the cut.

“It meant an enormous amount to me,” Rice said. “He didn’t have to do that. It speaks really well for him and for the tour that he came out played, anyway.”

Douglas Alexander of London, Ont. was inducted as Golf Canada’s 111^th President during the National Sport Organization’s (NSO) Annual General Meeting held this weekend in London, Ont.

Alexander succeeds 2013 President, Michael Carroll of Vancouver, while Paul MacLean of Richmond Hill, Ont. becomes First Vice-President and Roland Deveau of Bedford, N.S. assumes the role of Second Vice-President.

“I am privileged and deeply honoured to be appointed the 111^th president of this storied Association,” said Alexander. “As a golf enthusiast and long time volunteer, I believe that our organization, working in partnership with our members and industry stakeholders will continue to do great things to grow participation and excellence in our sport. I want to thank the Board of Directors for the trust and confidence they have shown in my leadership and I look forward to helping Golf Canada accomplish great things in 2014.”

Alexander, MacLean and Deveau will lead Golf Canada’s 2014 Board of Directors which also includes Charlie Beaulieu of Lorraine, Que., Leslie Dunning of Calgary, Liz Hoffman of Thornhill, Ont., Nick Marrone of Toronto and  Don MacKay of Bracebridge, Ont. as well as immediate past President Michael Carroll. New Board members joining in 2014 include Rob MacDonald of Winnipeg, Man. and Pat Thompson of Kelowna, B.C.

A word from our President

Click here to read the acceptance speech given by incoming Golf Canada President, Douglas Alexander at our 2014 Annual General Meeting.

Barbara Allan and the late Norm Woods Honoured as Co-Recipients of Distinguished Service Award

Created in 1993, Golf Canada’s Distinguished Service award has been awarded annually to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the game of golf in Canada. This year’s recipients are long time golf volunteer Barbara Allan of Kingston, Ont. and the late Norm Woods of Kitchener, Ont. – founder of both GolfScene magazine and the Golfscene Junior Tour.

Click here for more information on Barbara Allan and the late Norm Woods.

Sandra Craig named Volunteer of the Year

Sandra Craig of Calgary was recognized as Golf Canada’s Volunteer of the Year for 2013. It marked the seventh year for this initiative which recognizes individuals in the golf community whose tireless efforts and dedication help to grow the game in Canada.

Click here for more information on Sandra Craig.

Diane Dunlop-Hébert appointed as Honorary Life Governor

Congratulations to Diane Dunlop-Hebert of Montreal on being named an Honorary Life Governor with Golf Canada. Dunlop-Hébert served as Golf Canada’s 109^th president in 2012.

Annual Report & Strategic Plan

Click here for a link to Golf Canada’s 2013 Annual Report including a recap of the past season as well as the association’s 2013 Financial Statements.

Click here for link to Golf Canada’s One Vision Strategic Plan, outlining the key activities that Golf Canada is focused on as the National Sport Organization and Governing Body.

Golf Canada’s Annual General Meeting has historically been an important week for Canada’s National Sport Organization and governing body for golf.  In addition to appointing its new president and members to the Board of Directors, the association presents details of its strategic plan and gathers with key stakeholders from the provincial golf associations as well as a number of national association partners.  The AGM also celebrates key accomplishments from the previous year and provides the association a forum to discuss issues and opportunities facing the Canadian golf industry.

JOHANNESBURG — Home town players Thomas Aiken and Justin Walters moved into a tie for the lead at 17 under at the Joburg Open on Saturday as overnight pace-setters Edoardo Molinari and David Horsey lost ground.

Aiken carded a 9-under 63 on the East Course at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington, while Walters shot an 8-under 64 to open a two-shot lead on the chasers.

The Johannesburg-born pair were clear of South Korea’s Jin Jeong (66) on 15 under heading to the final round of the European Tour event. Finland’s Roope Kakko is 14 under and another stroke back.

Aiken had five birdies on the front nine and five on the back, while Walters opened with five birdies on the front and finished with an eagle to draw level with Aiken after putting his second to within two feet on No. 18 and tapping in. Walters has never won on the European Tour.

“I’ve got one more round tomorrow and I’m so happy that I’ve put myself into a strong position,” Walters said. “I’m super excited for tomorrow because it’s what we play for.”

South Africans have won five of the seven previous Joburg Opens.

Molinari and Horsey appeared to be the strongest challengers to that strong home record after leading on Friday, but both slipped up as the action moved to the longer, tougher East Course at Royal Joburg for the last two rounds.

Italian Molinari struggled to a level-par 72 to slip six shots behind the leaders and Horsey, following a blistering 63 on Friday, finished with 10 straight pars to be five shots behind on 12 under.

Aiken, a two-time winner on the tour, was impressive after dropping his only shot of the day on No. 2. His good friend Walters also had just one drop, on No. 16, before finishing with a flourish with his three on the par-5 last hole.

Jeong also collected an eagle on the way to his 6-under 66 and Kakko eagled No. 18 to claw back the two shots he lost with a double bogey on No. 4. Scotland’s Alastair Forsyth and South Africa’s George Coetzee were 13 under and tied for fifth.

Players are also chasing three places at the British Open in July after the Joburg Open was announced as a qualifying event for July’s championship at Royal Liverpool. The three highest-placed finishers in the top 10 not already qualified will win a place at the Open.

Former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel continued a mediocre tournament with a 72 on Saturday to go with his 69 and 70 for a tie for 65th on 4 under.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif.  — The wind and the rain arrived Friday, perhaps a prelude to a nasty weekend. Leave it to a pair of Texans – Jimmy Walker and Jordan Spieth – to thrive in Crosby Clambake conditions at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Walker made some tough par saves and wound up bogey-free at Spyglass Hill with a 3-under 69. Spieth was down the coast at Monterey Peninsula, where he called the birdie on his final hole the best of his life. He’s only 20, but it was a proud moment.

They were tied for the lead going into the third round, one shot to par ahead of Hunter Mahan.

The slight advantage would go to Walker, who was at 9-under 135. Already a two-time winner this season, Walker next goes over to Monterey Peninsula, the easiest of the three courses in the rotation. Spieth was at 9-under 134 and headed to Pebble Beach, which can be brutal in nasty weather.

And the forecast for Saturday was not particularly pleasant.

Along with a three-club wind on the exposed sections of all three courses, steady rain began coming down sideways toward the end of the second round. There was about a 75 percent chance for more rain Saturday.

More than looking ahead, Spieth was looking behind. He was happy to at least get Spyglass out of the way already, having opened with a 67 on Thursday. That didn’t make the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula a picnic.

“Today was very difficult,” Spieth said. “We started out in the rain and wind, and we finished in rainier and windier,” he said.

Spieth caught Walker for a share of the lead on the 187-yard ninth hole, which typically requires a 6-iron. He watched Kevin Chappell hit first with a 3-iron, and the ball rolled back down off the front of the green. Spieth doesn’t carry a 3-iron.

“I went to a hybrid,” he said. “And I just kind of hit a little stinger cut about 20 feet away. And then it was normally a straight putt and Michael (Greller) and I, my caddie, are looking at each other saying, `Well, we’ve got to play this about a foot out to the right with the wind.’ And so I hit it a foot out. With about 3 feet to go, the wind just blew it right, just broke perfectly right into the hole.”

Walker’s best holes were his pars, particularly the par-5 14th. His 8-iron came back down into a bunker, leaving him such an awkward lie that he had to plant his feet outside the sand. With a shallow swing, he did well to blast out 12 feet away, and he made the par putt.

“That was pretty big to keep it feeling like things were still in my favor,” Walker said.

He made two long birdie putts, and then hit a drive of nearly 390 yards on the seventh hole – with the aid of a cart path. It left him only an 8-iron to the green, and he had an easy up-and-down for his final birdie.

Mahan had a 68 at Spyglass Hill, with half of his six birdies on the par 5s. He was at 8-under 136.

“Coming up these last few holes are tough,” Mahan said. “They’re uphill, they got the wind, it’s getting cold, raining. You just don’t want to throw away shots. Because this can be a long week, and it could be mentally more grinding than anything.”

Andrew Loupe, who has missed every cut in his rookie season so far, followed his 63 at Monterey Peninsula with a 73 at Pebble Beach. That wasn’t too bad, for Pebble Beach was playing to an average of 74.1, about 2 1/2 strokes more difficult than Thursday. He was at 7-under 136 and plays Spyglass on Saturday.

Phil Mickelson finished off his 66 at Monterey on Friday morning, and then got an early indication at Pebble Beach that this might be a long day. He three-putted from 5 feet above the hole on the par-5 second for a double bogey. Mickelson holed some good birdies, but missed plenty of short ones. He switched from a conventional grip to the claw during his round, searching for answers. A three-putt bogey on the 18th at Pebble gave him a 73. He was at 4-under 139, still very much in the game.

“Tee to green, I’m playing very well, but I haven’t putted this poorly in a year,” he said. “For the way I’m hitting it, it’s a little disappointing because I should have a really good opportunity. And I’ll have to turn it around. It’s not too late, but I’ve got to get it turned around here.”

This is his last tournament until the Florida swing.

David Duval showed some promise in his first PGA Tour event of the year with a 68 at Spyglass, a course that traditionally gives him fits. He was at 4-under 140.

“What’s the forecast tomorrow? More of this? Cool,” Mickelson said with a deadpan delivery. “We’ve had a great run of weather … so we certainly can’t complain. It’s sometimes a fun challenge to play out here as the reigning Scottish and British Open champion. I don’t really mind the elements, but I do have to get this putter worked out.”

It already was a challenge for so many others. John Daly shot 79 at Monterey Peninsula. Four players failed to break 80. Two-time champion Dustin Johnson fell back with a 73 at Monterey. Jason Day of Australia shot 77 at Pebble Beach with one birdie.

As part of Golf Canada’s Annual General Meeting in London, Ont., the association’s Rules & Amateur Status Committee has approved the use of Distance Measuring Devices (DMD’s) for all amateur championships beginning in 2014.

This Local Rule will be introduced at CN Future Links junior championships as well as Canada’s national amateur competitions. Competitors will not be allowed to use DMD’s at Golf Canada’s professional championships including Canadian Women’s Tour events, the TOUR Championship of Canada presented by Freedom 55 Financial, the RBC Canadian Open and the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, including their respective qualifiers.

This Local Rule allows competitors to use Distance Measuring Devices that measure distance only – not those devices that can measure other conditions such as wind speed or direction, temperature or elevation.

“With recent technological advances designed to enhance the golfer experience, our Rules Committee felt that this decision to allow DMD’s was a step in the right direction without jeopardizing the spirit and challenge of the game,” said Dale Jackson, Chair of Golf Canada’s Rules & Amateur Status Committee. “We have received a tremendous amount of feedback from golfers and this decision allows us to align with all of our provincial and international partners that have moved to allow DMD’s at their respective amateur competitions.”

Since 2006, committees have had the option of adopting a Local Rule under the Rules of Golf to allow players to use Distance Measuring Devices that measure or gauge distance only. See note to Rule 14-3 of the Rules of Golf.

Recently, the R&A and the USGA Championship Committee’s decided it will allow the use of distance measuring devices (DMDs) in R&A amateur events in 2014.

For more information on the Rules of Golf, please click here.

To ask a Rules of Golf question, 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.

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Edoardo Molinari and Craig Lee share the halfway lead at the Joburg Open on 11 under par, while David Horsey charged into contention with a 63 to sit a shot off the pace on Friday.

England’s Horsey went 8 under through his second round with eight birdies and no dropped shots on the par-71 West Course at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington to be in contention for a first European Tour title in three years.

Ahead of him, Molinari and Lee held onto their overnight advantage. Molinari had a 4-under 68 on the longer, tougher East Course and Lee a 67 on the West after a run of four birdies on the front nine.

South African George Coetzee (68) is alongside Horsey a shot back.

Finland’s Roope Kakko matched Horsey for best round of the day with his 8-under 64 on the East to move to 9 under after racing through the front nine with seven birdies. Kakko slowed on the back nine, and dropped shots at Nos. 10 and 16, but had done enough by then to be within striking distance of the top.

Charl Schwartzel made an inconsistent 70, with seven birdies and six bogeys, to sit in a tie for 55th on 4 under – flirting with the cut.

Players at the Joburg Open aren’t only chasing the $280,000 winner’s check. Three places in the British Open are available for the highest-placed finishers in the top 10 who have not already qualified.

The highest player in Johannesburg already with a place at the Open was Frenchman Gregory Bourdy in a tie for 12th, leaving a bunch of players to battle it out for the qualifying spots.

While Italy’s Molinari and Scotland’s Lee hold the edge ahead of the two final rounds on the East Course, Horsey’s performance on Friday started with six birdies in his first nine and was capped by a 30-foot putt for his eighth birdie on No. 16 to put him in sight of the title, and also a place at his home major.

“It’s (the British Open) at the back of my mind at the moment, but it’s certainly a bonus to consider near the end of the week,” Horsey said.

Molinari has looked like the player of 2010 – when he won both the Ryder Cup and his last tour title – over the opening two days in South Africa with his 64 and then a 68.

“I’m very happy with pretty much everything. I am very happy with my position and my game right now,” he said.

Lee is hanging in there to share the lead with Molinari. Kakko’s impressive 64 put him in a seven-way tie for fifth, two shots off the leaders.

He may be Queen’s Counsel, but that doesn’t mean Mike Carroll can recognize a Prince.

Carroll, a Vancouver lawyer, has a long list of highlights from his recently completed one-year term as Golf Canada president. But he calls meeting Prince Andrew in rather unusual circumstances at last year’s Open Championship at Muirfield Golf Club in Scotland his “most amusing highlight.”

Carroll was representing Golf Canada at the Open Championship and he and his wife Anne were invited to one of the daily lunches the Royal & Ancient Golf Club puts on during the tournament.

The Carrolls were escorted to a table where there were already a few people seated, including a gentleman on Mike Carroll’s right. When Carroll introduced himself as Golf Canada president and a Vancouver resident, that person began to pepper him with questions about James Island, a privately owned island off Victoria where an exclusive Jack Nicklaus-designed course has been built.

“I was embarrassed because I had forgotten that the McCaw family owns the Nicklaus-built golf course on James Island,” Carroll says. “I told this guy that I wasn’t familiar with the course and in his British accent he said, ‘oh, you mean to tell me that you are the president of Golf Canada and you have no idea whether there is a golf course on James Island?. That is quite incredible.’”

Carroll let that rather rude remark slide and fortunately the conversation turned. At one point, Carroll’s seat-mate told him he had to “go back to Balmoral because my mother is having a function.”

Suddenly, it all clicked for Carroll, who chuckles as he recalls the conversation.

“I realized that Balmoral is Balmoral Castle in Scotland, which is the home of the Royal Family. Then it dawned on me. This was Prince Andrew, who by the way was a former captain of the R&A. We had a very nice chat for the next half-hour, Prince Andrew and I.”

The past year has been an exhilarating one for Golf Canada’s 110^th president. Slow play may be one of the big issues facing the golf industry, but there has been nothing slow about the past 12 months for Carroll.

“My expectations were that it would be a busy year and my expectations were more than met,” he says. “It was very busy.”

As Golf Canada president, Carroll attended the four majors and watched Brandt Snedeker and Lydia Ko win the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Opens. He also attended a number of amateur championships throughout the country.

Jim Nelford’s induction into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame at last summer’s RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club was a particularly memorable night for Carroll.

“That was a personal highlight for me because I have been friendly with Jim and have known him for a long time.”

The presidency was a lot more than glad-handing at tournaments for Carroll, who practises law at the Vancouver firm of Davis & Co. and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1996. There was plenty of work to do and Carroll likes to think he helped move the needle in a couple of areas.

Under his guidance, the Golf Canada board continued its transition from an operational body to a policy board. Its job now is to set policy and then let Golf Canada staff follow up on its recommendations.

“In our board meetings this year we have continued to make really good progress, so that we are looking at what I would call the bigger picture items in golf, not the small stuff,” Carroll says. “An example of that would be what can we really do to get more kids playing golf?”

When he assumed the presidency at Golf Canada’s Annual General Meeting last February in Vancouver, Carroll talked about the need to get more children playing the game. He made that goal a priority over the past year.

He stressed the need for Golf Canada, in cooperation with the PGA of Canada and the National Golf Course Owners Association of Canada, to tackle this issue. Carroll strongly believes developing Canadian golf icons — “the next generation of Mike Weirs,” he calls them — is one of the ways to attract more young people to the game.

“The emergence of Graham DeLaet on the PGA TOUR is big and he is a very good ambassador for us and in particular for our young kids. He is really communicating with our national amateur teams. He tweets them and is sort of one of the guys. He takes a very active interest in how our young players are doing which is invaluable for us.”

At the amateur level, Carroll was encouraged by the fact four Canadians advanced to the Round of 32 at last summer’s U.S. Amateur Championship, with Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., making it all the way to the semi-finals.

On the women’s side, Carroll notes the splendid play of 16-year-old Brooke Henderson of Smith Falls, Ont. Henderson, who has recently won several high-profile amateur events, is now ranked sixth in the world.

As for his own game, Carroll says it has suffered. The combination of his busy schedule and a fairly recent interest — some would say obsession — with cycling, has resulted in Carroll’s Handicap Factor rising to double digits.

He says his friends at Point Grey Golf Club, the Vancouver course where he is a long-time member, will be seeing much more of him this year.

“My golf has suffered as a result of my cycling,” Carroll says. “But I am absolutely determined that I am going to get back to playing more golf now that my stint with Golf Canada is coming to a close. And I have a goal which is basically to get back to a high single-digit handicap. It is a goal that is going to be difficult to accomplish given the current state of my game.”

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods is skipping the Match Play Championship in Arizona in two weeks.

Woods announced on his website Thursday that he wasn’t planning to compete in the first World Golf Championship. He says his plan was to attend the Sochi Olympics in Russia before his girlfriend and champion skier Lindsey Vonn got injured.

Instead, he will stay home and prepare for three tournaments in Florida. He’ll next play the Honda Classic on Feb. 27 followed by title defenses at Doral and Bay Hill.

This was the first time Woods has missed the Match Play Championship when healthy and the tournament was held in America.

This means the Match Play will be without three of the top players in the world -Woods, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott.

On Thursday, 2013 PGA TOUR Canada Player of the Year Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont. joined a conference call with reporters to discuss the upcoming Web.com Tour season and reflect back upon his successful 2013 season on PGA TOUR Canada.

The former Team Canada member posted four top-10 finishes and won the Cape Breton Celtic Classic presented by PC Financial in his first season as a professional. He led the PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit, and will debut on the Web.com Tour next week at the Pacific Rubliales Colombia Championship presented by Claro.

Below are select quotes from the call with Mackenzie Hughes:

On his preparation for the upcoming Web.com Tour season: “I’ve been taking some time off to get fully prepared for the year. Since the PGA TOUR Canada season ended, I’ve played a few (NEC Series) PGA TOUR Latinoamérica events last fall to stay competitive, but I wanted to make sure I was rested and had a chance to take care of a few things off the course. I’m feeling relaxed and I’ve had a chance to work on my game and get ready for the upcoming year, and I’m really excited heading into next week.”

On reflecting on his PGA TOUR Canada season in 2013: “Even when you say it now, looking back and thinking about four top-10s and a win in my first season, it doesn’t seem real. To have the season that I did in my first year as a professional was a dream come true. I definitely set high goals for myself, but to have the season that I did was huge, especially after getting off to a slow start and missing the first few cuts. Starting off slow was definitely a mental test, but it helped me learn to grind it out and to get the most out of my game.”

On the experience of playing PGA TOUR Canada: “It definitely helped me a lot as a player. In the few PGA TOUR events that I have played, I thought it was really similar in terms of the setup, the fans and having galleries on the weekend, the leaderboards and things like that. It’s almost like a mini PGA TOUR. It was great for me to get out to places I’ve never been to before. I had never been to Victoria, I had never been to a few of the other places we played. That helped me a lot as a professional. And as far as the competition goes, any time you have access to the Web.com Tour, you’re going to get guys to come up and play. With the American guys coming up and some of the international players, the competition is really, really strong.”

On playing in his first major at the 2013 U.S. Open: “From the moment I qualified, it felt like the doors were opening. It seemed like something good was about to happen. Everything about the whole week I would do over and over again. I got to play some practice rounds with Lee Westwood and Brandt Snedeker, and later with Mike Weir, Adam Hadwin and David Hearn, and just picking up a few things from those guys helped a lot.”

On the announcement of the Nova Scotia Open on the Web.com Tour: “I think it’s great for us as players to see the game growing in Canada. I think it all goes back to Mike (Weir) winning the Masters in 2003, and now to see Graham (DeLaet), David (Hearn) and Brad (Fritsch) playing well on the PGA TOUR and guys like myself, Albin (Choi), Nick Taylor and Matt Hill coming up, I think the future’s very bright for the game here. The more opportunities we have to play here in Canada the better.”