Golf Canada is deeply saddened by the passing of PGA of Canada teaching professional Rick Sovereign.

After a long spirited battle against cancer, Sovereign passed away at the age of 52 on Friday January 3rd, 2014.

Rick was a loving husband to his best friend, Barb. Proud father to two – Kristen and Kelly. Son of the late Len and Joan Sovereign. He is fondly loved by his brother Mike (Lori) and sister Julie (Ian).

He will be greatly missed by his many family and friends whom he has inspired. Rick lived a full life pursuing a dream with an unbreakable spirit.

Friends and relatives will be received at Glen Oaks Reception Centre 3164 Ninth Line (403/Dundas), Oakville (905-257-8822) on Tuesday, January 7th from 5pm- 9pm. Memorial service will be held at Glen Oaks on Wednesday, January 8th at 1:00 pm.

Donations can be made to Prostate Cancer Canada.

Visitation:

Will take place Tuesday January 7th, 2014 from 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Glen Oaks Memorial Chapel and Reception Centre
3164 Ninth Line
Oakville, Ont.
L6H 7A8

Funeral

Glen Oaks Memorial Chapel and Reception Centre
Wed, 8 Jan 2014 1:00 PM

The funeral will be followed by a time of reception at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

Glen Abey Golf Club
1333 Dorval DriveOakville, Ont.
L6M 4X7

KAPALUA, Hawaii – Webb Simpson wanted to give his caddie some good news from the golf course Sunday. He delivered a 5-under 68 that gave Simpson a three-way tie for the lead with defending champion Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth going into the final round of the Tournament of Champions.

On a glorious day of sun and surf, Simpson played with a heavy heart.

His caddie and friend, Paul Tesori, was in a hospital in Florida with newborn son Isaiah in intensive care. Simpson said the child suffered a seizure short after he was born with indications of an infection in his brain.

One of Tesori’s best friends in the business is Ted Scott, the caddie for Bubba Watson, who is filling in this week as Simpson’s caddie. Tesori tweeted that he tuned into the telecast at Kapalua in time to see his son’s name on Scott’s hat.

“Paul sent me a text this morning, just told me he loved me and wanted to go out and fight as hard as I would any other day,” Simpson said. “And that’s what Teddy and I did. I felt like we were out there playing for Isaiah. Paul needs something to watch there in the hospital. It’s been a long few days, so hopefully, we gave him something good to see on TV. But it was tough. I was thinking about him a lot out there.”

Winning on Monday won’t be easy.

Simpson ran off four birdies in a five-hole stretch on the back nine, and then hung on with two good pars to reach 14-under 205.

Spieth, the 20-year-old Texan who looks just as good as he did during a sensational rookie season, got back into the mix with a tough birdie on the par-3 eighth and capped off a 69 with a 15-foot birdie putt on the 17th and a long two-putt for par on the 18th.

Spieth won the John Deere Classic last year. This is his first time with at least a share of the 54-hole lead.

The most intimidating figure is Johnson, whose power is suited for the Plantation Course. Johnson also had a 69 and was disappointed at playing the par 5s in 3-under for the day. One of them was a tap-in eagle on the par-5 ninth. But he had to settle for pars on the long holes on the back nine.

One shot hit the front of the green and rolled off the putting surface on the 15th and into a valley. On the 18th, his 4-iron came up short and left him a pitch that had to be perfect. It was a few inches from that. The pitch didn’t have enough roll to glide with the grain and left him a 15-foot birdie chance that he missed.

No matter. He’s still tied for the lead, still in good position to start the new year the same way he did in 2013.

Zach Johnson, who had a three-shot lead going into the third round, couldn’t make anything and shot a 74. His only birdie was a two-putt on the par-5 fifth hole. Still, he was only two shots behind at 12-under 207 heading into the Monday finish.

Instead of building his lead, Zach Johnson effectively gave more players in this winners-only field a chance.

Gary Woodland (67), PGA champion Jason Dufner (69), Brandt Snedeker (69) and Kevin Streelman, who had a 33 on the back nine to salvage a 70, were within three shots of the lead. Masters champion Adam Scott wasted a chance to join them.

Scott was at 11-under and in range of the par-5 15th until he smothered a long iron into the hazard and had to scramble for a bogey. He missed a 7-foot birdie putt on the next hole, missed the green and took bogey on the 17th and closed with a birdie for a 69. He still was only four shots behind.

KAPALUA, Hawaii – On the golf course with the widest fairways on the PGA Tour, Zach Johnson believes that keeping the ball in the short grass is key to success. On a course that favours power players because the par 5s can be reached in two, Johnson didn’t make birdie on any of them Saturday.

Stranger still is that he matched the best score of the day and had a three-shot lead in the Tournament of Champions.

The only explanation is that Johnson is playing some pretty good golf.

“Am I surprised? No. It’s only two days, so it’s halfway done for me,” Johnson said after his 7-under 66 gave him a three-shot lead. “I’m very comfortable as a competitor. One of my goals every year is those par 5s, and I’m a little bitter about that right now. But I’ll get over it.”

Defending champion Dustin Johnson birdied half of the holes at Kapalua for a 66 and was three shots behind, along with Matt Kuchar (68) and Jordan Spieth (70).

Zach Johnson was at 13-under 133.

Dustin Johnson approaches the Plantation Course differently. He birdied all the par 5s with his length, and only fell back with a pair of bogeys on the back nine when he missed short putts. Even so, he was in good position heading into the final two rounds of a tournament that ends Monday.

“This golf course sets up well for me,” Dustin Johnson said. “I can reach all the par 5s, and there’s a few short holes where you can drive it up close to the green. So if I chip and it and putt it well, I’m going to shoot a good score pretty much every time.”

So what does Zach Johnson make of that outlook?

“I would say I’m up by three gross, and by eight or nine net, based on that rationale,” he said.

Clearly, there’s more than one way to get around a course built on a side of the mountain on the west end of Maui.

Kuchar had his second straight round of 68 with some good birdies and a few bogeys. Spieth had said he shouldn’t make too many bogeys on this course if he kept it in play, though he made one on No. 7 to lose some momentum. Even so, the 20-year-old Texan had few complaints after his opening two rounds of a new year.

Webb Simpson and Michael Thompson, part of a four-way tie for the lead after the opening round, each had a 71 and were four shots behind.

Masters champion Adam Scott, who can get within range of No. 1 in the world depending on his two weeks in Hawaii, had a 70 and was seven shots behind. The Australian was in dire need to a low round to at least have chance going into Monday.

Zach Johnson is going after his second straight win.

The last one was unofficial, yet no less memorable. Johnson was four shots behind Tiger Woods in the World Challenge on the back nine and rallied to catch him, holed out from the drop zone on the 18th hole to force a playoff and then won on the first extra hole.

Except for his Masters win in 2007, it might be the most famous of his 11 victories worldwide.

“When you’re talking about a guy that’s done what he’s done and raised the bar, any time you beat him – especially if you’re playing with him and come back from four shots with eight holes to go, it’s going to happen. So I can deal with that.”

Dustin Johnson has the power that is suited for Kapalua, and even though he had to withdraw from the pro-am with a sore neck, he appears to be hitting his stride. He twice had a batch of three straight birdies on the front nine to go out in 30 and claim a share of the lead, and even after missing the short putts on the 11th and 13th, he made three more birdies in the final five holes. Two of them were par 5s. Both times he had a look at eagle, missing from 20 feet on No. 15 and becoming the first player all week to reach the 689-yard, downhill closing hole in two shots. He two-putted from about 35 feet for one last birdie.

That could be attributed to a slightly more typical trade wind, though Johnson still had to give it two pretty good pops with a driver and a 3-wood.

The course played about a stroke harder than the opening round.

Zach Johnson is starting his 11th year on the PGA Tour. He has won a major (Woods tied for second), played on three Ryder Cup teams and knows his limitation. He said while in awe of what Woods can do, he is past the stage of intimidation. And the same goes for Dustin Johnson.

“I’ve played with him a number of times, too,” Zach Johnson said. “I like watching him hit driver. He’s not a whole lot different than a lot of the other guys I play with because they all hit it a lot further than me it seems like. … I don’t know. Dustin does not intimidate me.”

KAPALUA, Hawaii – Jordan Spieth thought the Plantation Course was a blast to play when he arrived at Kapalua. He had even more fun Friday.

Coming off a sensational rookie season, Spieth opened the new year by never coming close to bogey and making a 12-foot birdie putt on the last hole for a 7-under 66. That gave him a share of the lead at the Tournament of Champions with fellow newcomer Michael Thompson, Chris Kirk and Webb Simpson.

“It’s a course that I shouldn’t make a lot of bogeys on if you keep the ball in play and just think your way around the course,” Spieth said. “Ultimately, I did some good preparation and did a lot of hard work the last two or three weeks getting ready for today, and now just happy to be in good position after the first round.”

The wind off the west coast of Maui was the biggest surprise, shifting direction and speed throughout the opening round on a mostly sunny afternoon. But with an inch of rain overnight, the Plantation Course was soft enough that only two players in the 30-man field of PGA Tour winners failed to break par.

Kirk thought he might be one of them when he first got to this slice of paradise. He had not played since winning the McGladrey Classic at Sea Island two months ago, and his first practice round was a skins game with Matt Kuchar and Scott Brown. Kirk got shut out and figures he shot about 80.

When it counted, he was on the money, especially late in the round by closing with five straight birdies.

The last two were not easy, especially with the wind blasting into him on the 17th hole, a par 4 that measures 545 yards down the hill. He hit a poor tee shot and had to smash a 3-wood into 30 feet for an unlikely birdie. He had to hit 3-wood and 9-iron for his final two shots on 18 to make birdie.

“Some slightly more exciting birdies in the last few holes,” he said.

For the opening round of the year, where players are still trying to shake off some rust, the leaderboard has rarely been this tight.

PGA champion Jason Dufner had four birdies and an eagle on his front-nine 30, only to settle into a string of pars on the back nine for a 6-under 67. Kevin Streelman bogeyed his last two holes and also was at 67, along with Zach Johnson and Ryan Moore. The top 10 players were separated by three shots.

Adam Scott, coming off a two wins and a runner-up in Australia, and defending champion Dustin Johnson were among those at 70

On a day like this, experience might have been overrated.

“I think the more times you play it, the more advantage you have,” Kirk said. “Today was a little bit funny. Today was a day with the wind … I’ve never played in this wind. All the guys who have played here a bunch of times, you’re very rarely going to see that wind. So that could throw some people off that were used to it.”

Even the players at Kapalua for the first time have watched enough of it on television to know how the ball reacts on the ground. That’s why Thompson was so surprised to see that his tee shot on the 18th bounced back a few feet.

“From what I understand from guys that I’ve talked to, that ball at least rolls 40 yards,” Thompson said. “So it’s playing obviously very different.”

Spieth is getting plenty of attention going into a new year, mostly to see if he can back up his amazing rookie season. He had no status on any tour at this time a year ago, and by the end of the year he had won a tournament (John Deere Classic), finished No. 7 in the FedEx Cup and played on the Presidents Cup team.

He is easing his way into the year, coming out to Maui with only his agent, still finding time to enjoy the Pacific and everything else at Kapalua.

“It’s almost like a vacation tournament in a sense,” Spieth said. “It’s been an awesome week so far. Obviously, I’m here for this reason, and I don’t have my family here with me. So there’s definitely more of an emphasis on golf than maybe some other guys are putting into it here. Maybe that’s an advantage.”

DIVOTS: Along with 13 newcomers to Kapalua, there were a few new – or different – faces on the bags. Simpson is using the caddie of Bubba Watson because the wife of his regular looper, Paul Tesori, is about to have a baby. The biggest change was with Patrick Reed, whose wife has carried his bag for his entire professional career. She is expecting their first child, so her brother is taking over. … Kapalua is the toughest walk on tour, especially for the caddies. So it didn’t help when Kip Henley, the caddie for Brian Gay, felt the bag heavier than usual on the fourth tee. He searched into the umbrella pocket and found a bottle of red wine that had been in the bag since the OHL Classic in Mexico last November. Gay gave it to his wife, who was in the gallery.

Toronto – The Golf Journalists Association of Canada (GJAC) has announced Graham DeLaet, Rebecca Lee-Bentham, Corey Conners and Brooke Henderson have been voted 2013 GJAC Players of the Year by the organization.

DeLaet was voted as the Male Professional of the Year after his a breakout season on the PGA Tour. With seven top-10 finishes, DeLaet was 34th on the FedEx Cup standings and a career- high 32nd in the Official Golf World Ranking. He was the first Canadian since Mike Weir to represent Canada on the International Team at the biennial Presidents Cup competition.

Rebecca Lee-Bentham was named the Female Professional of the Year. She was the top- earning Canadian on the LPGA Tour with just over $118,000 in 19 events. Her best finish was a T-11 at the Evian Championship, now a Major on the LPGA Tour.

On the amateur side, Brooke Henderson and Corey Conners were named Female and Male Amateurs of the Year.

Brooke Henderson, at just 16 years old, is the No. 6 ranked female amateur in the world. She captured the Canadian Women’s Amateur – leading to an appearance at the Canadian Women’s Open on the LPGA Tour – and also the CN Future Links Pacific Championship. She made the cut at the U.S. Women’s Open and the LPGA Manulife Financial LPGA Classic. Henderson captured the prestigious Junior Orange Bowl in Florida December 30th to close out her year.

Conners, in his final year at Kent State University in Ohio, is a member of Team Canada’s National Amateur team. He finished the year 40th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking thanks to a slew of top-10 finishes at various amateur events in 2013 including a runner-up finish at the Canadian Men’s Amateur and a semi-final appearance at the U.S. Amateur.

KAPALUA, Hawaii – Amid the chatter of holidays and college football, Adam Scott already was hard at work on the far end of the range at Kapalua.

He finished up a jumbo-sized bucket of balls by hitting some 20 shots with a 5-iron, turning the green turf into a square patch of brown with each divot. Scott never seemed satisfied. His only conversation with Brad Malone, his swing coach and brother-in-law, was whether he was set properly at the top of his swing.

“No time for a break,” he said when he was done, his tanned face dripping with sweat.

It’s almost as though last year never ended, and Scott would love that to be the case.

His plan to play less and gear his game more toward the majors paid off in a big way when Scott became the first Australian to win the Masters. And he didn’t stop there. He had the outright lead on the back nine of the British Open until tying for third. He was on the fringe of Sunday contention at the PGA Championship and tied for fifth. And then he won the toughest FedEx Cup playoff event, twice more in Australia and captured the team portion of the World Cup with Jason Day.

Scott ended the year at No. 2 in the world, closer to the top than he has ever been. On Thursday, the Golf Writers Association of America announced he had won its male player of the year in a narrow race – five votes – against Tiger Woods.

Now for the encore.

“My goal is to win majors – and now I can say ‘majors’ and not just one,” Scott said with a smile. “I think I’m heading in the right direction. I don’t want to change too much from last year.”

The start of the new year is more like the end of a long stretch for Scott.

He is among the favourites when the Hyundai Tournament of Champions gets underway Friday on the Plantation Course at Kapalua, part of a 30-man field comprised only of players who won on the PGA Tour last year.

Dustin Johnson is the defending champion. Only nine players are back from last year at Kapalua, a testament to how much tougher it is getting to win on the PGA Tour, and the field features 13 players who won for the first time. It no longer is the season-opening event because the new PGA Tour schedule actually began in October, so this is the seventh tournament of the season.

But it still feels like Kapalua always did – a fresh start, loaded with some of the best scenery and no shortage of optimism.

“It’s like the first day of school,” Zach Johnson said.

Scott didn’t take much of a break after his runner-up finish to Rory McIlroy in the Australian Open. He put the clubs away for 10 days and went at it hard in practice last week. After two weeks in Hawaii, he’ll disappear for six weeks, not resurfacing until the Honda Classic that kicks off the Florida swing.

But there is a drive to keep pushing, to keep improving bit by bit. He proved that last year after winning the Masters and refusing to contemplate any kind of celebration until he returned home to Australia.

“I’m happy with how it all worked out between Brad, Steve (Williams) and myself,” he said. “It’s the kind of plans we worked on, that after such a big high in April to not live off winning the Masters for the rest of the year, or the rest of your life. To keep pushing and keep my golf advancing. By the end of the year, I took my game that tiny, half-step further from where I was when I won a major. It’s just getting a little bit better, which is important if I want to achieve everything I ever wanted.”

Next on the horizon is a shot at No. 1, even if that’s not part of the plan.

Woods has an average ranking of 11.69, while Scott is at 9.60. And because both play no more than 20 events a year, he’s not far off. There was a time when Woods was on one of his big runs that reaching the top of the world ranking looked impossible to Scott.

“I don’t think I can set a schedule to focus on being No. 1 in the world,” he said. “It can only be a byproduct of everything else I do. It’s no small feat. The guy who’s had a stronghold on it for a long time doesn’t like giving that spot up much. I mean, look, for 10 years it wasn’t even a consideration. He was just playing at another level. But it’s such a long career. He’s going to play at a level that no one ever has for that long.

“But he has different levels of being No. 1, and this is just slightly different,” Scott said. “And the game has changed a bit. He’s still No. 1. It’s a hard spot to get to. Maybe if I play like I have for another 12 months, I might sneak in there. But it’s not something I can focus on.”

PING is introducing a comprehensive new product line designed to deliver big distance gains while offering forgiveness and consistency for golfers of all abilities.

The new products include the i25^™ driver, irons, fairway woods and hybrids; the long, high-flying Karsten^® hybrid/iron set, and the Karsten^® TR putters with fully machined variable-depth grooves. Also unveiled was the innovative PWR metal-wood shaft family that uses variable weight and balance points to ensure a proper fit.

The new products can now be pre-ordered at PING-authorized golf shops.

“Our constant push for innovation continues to inspire technologies that help every type of golfer play better,” said John A. Solheim, PING Chairman & CEO. “The new metal woods and irons carry a common theme of increased distance but are engineered with the improved consistency, forgiveness and feel that we design into all PING clubs. Together, with a proper fitting to determine the best combination of models, golfers can expect improved performance throughout their set. To help golfers make more putts, our patented variable-depth-groove technology is milled directly into the face of the new Karsten TR series, yielding unmatched distance control.”

A distinguishing characteristic of the i25 driver and fairway woods are subtle racing stripes on the crown, which improve the consistency of clubface orientation at impact. The same width as a golf ball, the stripes offer a visual cue (consciously or sub-consciously) that can lead to multiple benefits. They can help the player aim the clubface accurately, align one’s body to the target, and assist in taking the club back on the proper path. All of which helps facilitate delivering the clubface squarely at impact, Solheim added.

To optimize performance with the i25 driver, fairway woods and hybrids, PING engineered an industry-first shaft series that offers different weights and flex profiles without altering the club’s swingweight. Called PWR (Performance, Weighting, and Responsiveness), the shafts are matched to golfers by the weight and flex that fits the motion of their golf swing and their desired shot shape.

“With adjustable clubs, fitting for shaft weight has been limited because of its effect on swingweight,” Solheim noted. The PWR Series overcomes that by varying the centre of gravity location of the different weights so we can offer options that optimize ball flight while providing a better-feeling, more-responsive shaft.”

ClubLink has announced it has acquired TPC Eagle Trace in Coral Springs, Florida for (US)$3.4 million. It now owns a total of 12 18-hole equivalent championship and two 18-hole equivalent academy courses in the state of Florida.

In the Fort Lauderdale area, in addition to TPC Eagle Trace, ClubLink owns the 54-hole Palm Aire Country Club, the 36-hole Woodlands Country Club and Heron Bay Golf Club. ClubLink made its initial foray into Florida in 2010, when it acquired five 18-hole equivalent championship courses and two 18-hole equivalent academy courses in Sun City Center, south of Tampa.

In total, ClubLink now owns or operates 53.5 18-hole championship and six 18-hole equivalent academy courses in Florida, Ontario and Quebec.

“The acquisition of this prestigious golf club demonstrates our commitment to providing our more than 20,000 members in Florida, Ontario and Quebec the opportunity to truly experience ‘One Membership, More Golf,’” said ClubLink President and CEO Rai Sahi. “Since our founding in 1993, that has been our unique business model and one that continues to be very successful.”

Opened in 1983 as the first member club in the PGA TOUR’s Tournament Players Club network, TPC Eagle Trace is an Arthur Hills design. Home to the PGA TOUR’s Honda Classic for nine years, TPC Eagle Trace is the centrepiece of a luxury gated community of approximately 900 homes.

Graham DeLaet swings into 2014 with Puma Golf

Canada’s top PGA TOUR golfer has signed with Puma Golf.

Graham DeLaet garnered national and international notoriety in 2013 for his steady play and ascent in the world rankings. His top performances in 2013 included a second place finish at The Barclays, taking third at the Travelers and Deutsche Bank Championships, and 12 more Top 25 finishes. DeLaet ended the 2013 year ranked 36 in the world.

The Weyburn, Sask. native will kick off the 2014 season at the Farmers Insurance Open January 23, 2014. This will mark the first tournament during which he will hit the course fully suited in PUMA Golf apparel, accessories and headwear. Showing true patriotism, DeLaet will play in Canada’s national colors – red and white – every Sunday on Tour.

“PUMA Golf is a great fit for me and I couldn’t be more excited to be part of the team,” said DeLaet. “I have always been a fan of the brand and the innovative combination of function and fashion they bring to the game.”

“Graham DeLaet is a perfect fit for the PUMA Golf team,” said Bob Philion, president of COBRA PUMA GOLF. “He is a world class performer who brings a fresh look to the course, making him the perfect representation of the style and performance blend that PUMA Golf embraces. We
are excited to support Graham as he continues his success on Tour and embodies the PUMA Golf energy on and off the course.”

DeLaet’s caddie, Julien Trudeau – a native of Montreal and runner up at Big Break Ireland – will also be sporing PUMA apparel and footwear.

Adams Golf Signs Four-Time Major Champion Ernie Els

Adams Golf has signed four-time major champion Ernie Els to a multi-year agreement where he will use a range of the company’s products and showcase the brand’s logo on his bag and headwear.

Owner of two U.S. Open and two Open Championship titles, Els was enshrined in the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011. His 70 professional global victories include two World Golf Championships and a record seven World Match Play Championship crowns. The former world No.1 has triumphed in tournaments in South Africa, Europe, United States, Asia, Far East, Middle East and Australasia.

“’The Big Easy’ is one of the most prolific winners of his generation and a natural match for Adams, with our philosophy of creating the easiest to hit golf equipment,” said John Ward, Adams Golf President. “Ernie’s worldwide appeal and iconic status fit our international business growth as we extend our stronghold in hybrids to other categories.”

Adams recently re-introduced the legendary Tight Lies fairway wood with great fanfare. It features the classic revolutionary club design, combined with today’s technology, making it easy-to-hit from any lie. A tri-level sole design reduces the amount of turf interaction to create a larger impact area below the ball and promote crisper contact and more optimal launch.