The putt that Adam Scott thinks about most wasn’t the one that won him the Masters. The best shot Justin Rose hit at the U.S. Open didn’t even stay on the green.

The majors were filled with great shots, even if they didn’t produce the obvious outcome.

Scott’s putt on the 18th at Augusta National ultimately got him into a playoff when Angel Cabrera answered with a great birdie of his own. Rose’s 4-iron into the 18th at Merion ran off the back of the green into a collar. It was a relatively simple up-and-down from there, though such a great shot deserved better.

Every major has a signature shot. Some are easier to define than others.

And with every major champion, there is another shot that is just as pleasing to them, even if it doesn’t get as much attention:

THE MASTERS

The putt that made Scott the first Australian in a green jacket was a 12-footer for birdie on the second playoff hole at No. 10. Scott, however, believes the defining moment of this Masters was the 20-foot birdie putt he made on the 18th in regulation.

Adding to the significance of the putt was his reaction. Scott, the image of GQ, transformed into WWF as he screamed with all his might, “C’mon, Aussie!”

“No matter what I do in my career from now on, I think it’s going to be the one I’m remembered for,” Scott said. “Even if I do happen to win other big tournaments or majors, it might not quite be everything that Augusta was.

“There’s no doubt, as I look back in my career, that’s going to be the one moment I’ll think of first as a far as a signature moment.”

He won’t forget the 6-iron, either, as good as any shot he struck all week.

On the second playoff hole, Scott had 191 yards from a hook lie in the 10th fairway. Cabrera already was on the green with a reasonable look at birdie.

“I didn’t want to sling a 7-iron in there,” Scott said. “It wasn’t the right shot. The atmosphere was heavy and I was jacked up, but I had to hold a 6-iron. Somehow, I managed to hit such a beautiful shot. If you asked me to do it right now, I couldn’t. But I had it at that moment. Absolutely, it’s the best shot of my life right now.”

U.S. OPEN

Rose had a one-shot lead on the 18th hole at Merion. He was 229 yards from the pin, and just 15 feet behind the plaque that commemorates Hogan’s 1-iron into the 18th during his 1950 U.S. Open victory. While it was not as historic as Hogan’s moment, it was the signature shot of his first major.

“It has to be the 4-iron into 18, given the poignancy of the hole, the iconic photograph we’ve all grown up with and the 18th hole of a major,” Rose said. “That was the one that put it away.”

Adding to the pressure was the wait. Luke Donald was taking a penalty drop, leaving more time for Rose to contemplate the consequences of the shot.

“I appreciated the situation I was in and relished it,” Rose said. “And luckily, the shot came off. I drilled it. It came off perfectly.”

He believes the 18th hole played a big role earlier in the week. Rain kept the second round from being completed on Friday, and Rose was in the last group that managed to finish without having to return Saturday morning. He watched Phil Mickelson ahead of him make birdie to share the 36-hole lead. Rose missed the fairway, hacked it out of rough and had 115 yards to a pin that was just over the false front, a shot that required close to perfection.

He delivered, hitting wedge to 7 feet.

“It was pretty dark by this time,” he said. “But I wanted to hit the putt. Even if I missed, the advantage was there to sleep in. It was a slippery, downhill, left-to-righter for a 69 to stay even par. From a momentum point of view, just finishing and giving myself time in bed for the rhythm of the week … that was big.”

BRITISH OPEN

Mickelson didn’t hesitate when asked for the signature shot of his British Open victory _ the 3-wood on the par-5 17th that set up a two-putt birdie.

“Very simply put, there was no margin for error,” he said. “If I miss it a little bit to the right, it goes in a bunker and I have a very difficult par. I have to go out sideways and try to get up-and-down for par. If I miss it left, it’s the worst rough on the golf course and I could lose my ball or have an unplayable lie. But if I hit it perfectly, there’s a good chance I could have a two-putt birdie. And that’s what happened.

“I hit it dead perfect at the time I needed it most,” he said. “If I made birdie, I felt like I would win.”

Mickelson’s closing 66 at Muirfield is considered the best round of the year, and one of the best final rounds in any major. He made birdie on four of the last six holes. As much attention as that 3-wood receives, Lefty was equally pleased with a 5-iron into 8 feet for birdie that started his big run.

It was on the 13th hole, 190 yards and dead into a strong wind to a narrow green.

“If you miss it at all, the ball gets blown off sideways, and you saw it with just about every player behind me,” Mickelson said. “I hit it so solid and perfect through the wind the ball just soared. It was the prettiest shot.”

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

Jason Dufner had a two-shot lead with three holes to play. Leads like that can disappear quickly at a major, especially with the tough, two closing holes at Oak Hill.

Jim Furyk hit his approach to 10 feet on the 16th, easily birdie range. Dufner followed with a sand wedge from 105 yards that spun back to a foot, which stands out as his signature moment at the PGA Championship (though a case could be made for the love tap he gave his wife when it was over).

“I was trying to take it a little bit past the pin on the right,” Dufner said. “Obviously, with a wedge in hand, I was thinking it could be a makeable birdie effort. Inside a foot is great for me because I struggle with the putter.”

Not so obvious – except to Dufner – was how he played the par-3 11th hole for the week. At 226 yards, it was the sixth-toughest hole at Oak Hill. Dufner never had a birdie putt outside 20 feet in all four rounds, and he played the hole in 1-under par for the week.

“It was one of the tougher holes, and I made it easy for me,” he said. “The 16th is the shot people are going to remember. The one people will forget about is to play that hole (No. 11) in 1 under and never sweat a bogey. That’s a pretty good deal.”

LA QUINTA, Calif. – Four Canadians secured their place on the Web.com Tour for the 2014 season after 108 holes of play at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif., on Tuesday.

Nick Taylor of Abbottsford, B.C., Albin Choi of Toronto, Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., and Cam Burke of New Hamburg, Ont., all finished inside the top 45 to ensure full playing status through to the second periodic re-order of the Web.com Tour’s 2014 season.

Former world amateur No. 1, Nick Taylor, finished as low Canadian in a tie for 11th after a 5-under 67 final round Tuesday. Taylor finished the 108 marathon at 19-under par and will be a rookie on the Web.com Tour in 2014 after finishing in seventh place on PGA TOUR Canada’s Order of Merit in 2013.

Roger Sloan will make a return back to the Tour after matching the low round of qualifying school with a 9-under 63. Sloan finished in a tie for 15th at 17-under par and will look to improve on last year’s rookie season.

Albin Choi and Cam Burke – both former Team Canada members – also punched their tickets to the Tour. Choi who started 2013 with no playing status on any professional circuit finished in a tie for 15th alongside Sloan after 2-under 70, while Burke carded an even-par 72 to finish in a tie for 22nd.

All four players will earn playing status as Category 4a members for the 2014 season. Each player will be exempt until the second periodic re-order of the 2014 season.

Justin Shin of Maple Ridge, B.C., Devin Carrey of Surrey, B.C, Derek Gillespie of Oshawa, Ont., and Montreal’s Yohann Benson will each receive conditional status as Category 18 members for finishing inside the top 100. Riley Wheeldon will also play on the Web.com Tour in 2014 after finishing No. 2 on PGA TOUR Canada’s Order of Merit.

Zack Fisher of Texas claimed medalist honours after firing a 8-under 64 to finish at 31-under for the tournament. Fisher will be fully exempt for the entire 2014 season.

Full scores for the 11 Canadians in the field this week are below. For more information on the qualifying breakdown, click here.

Final Canadian Scores at Web.com Final Qualifying

Category 4a: Players finishing after the tenth and ties position through forty-fifth and ties position – exempt until the second periodic re-order of the 2014 season.

T11. Nick Taylor, Abbottsford, B.C. (-19) 69-70–72-67-68-67–413
T15. Albin Choi, Toronto, Ont. (-17) 69-71–67-69-69-70–415
T15. Roger Sloan, Merritt, B.C. (-17) 68-70–72-70-72-63–415
T22. Cam Burke, New Hamburg, Ont. (-16) 67-72–67-69-69-72–416

Category 18: Players after the forty-fifth and ties position – conditional status for the 2014 season, alternating with seventy-sixth through one hundredth (76-100) positions from the Web.com Tour Regular Season.

T56. Justin Shin, Maple Ridge, B.C. (-10) 64-74–73-69-72-70–422
T56. Devin Carrey, Surrey, B.C. (-10) 68-71–71-73-70-69–422
T67. Derek Gillespie, Oshawa, Ont. (-9) 71-67–72-67-75-71–423
T95. Yohann Benson, Montreal, Que. (-4) 73-74–70-71-69-71–428

For complete scoring from Web.com Tour Final Qualifying, click here.

LONDON – Henrik Stenson has been selected European golfer of the year after winning the money title and the U.S. PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup.

The 37-year-old Stenson, who succeeded Rory McIlroy, is the first player from Sweden to win the award.

In addition to his six-shot victory in the season-ending World Tour Championship to clinch the Race to Dubai, Stenson also won the Deutsche Bank Championship and the Tour Championship in Atlanta to seal the FedEx Cup.

Another highlight was his third in the U.S. PGA Championship.

Stenson’s most consistent year started at the end of last season, when he won the South African championship.

He says the latest honor reflected “the stellar year I have had. You can call it a dream season, year of my life, whatever you want.”

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., have been recognized as Canada’s top male and female amateur golfers as Golf Canada announced the final standings on the 2013 National Order of Merit, presented by Under Armour.

On the men’s side, Conners, a member of Team Canada’s National Squad, is one of Canada’s top ranked amateur golfers at No. 41 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. Conners’ breakout season was highlighted by a second place finish at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship and semi-final appearance at the U.S. Amateur Championship. As a junior at Kent State University, he also notched a slew of top-10 finishes in NCAA action. In addition, the Listowel, Ont., native made an appearance at the PGA TOUR’s RBC Canadian Open and posted a third place finish at the prestigious Monroe Invitational.

Rounding out the next three spots on the Men’s Order of Merit were Team Canada National Squad member’s Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., while Charlie Hughes of Langley, B.C., finished the 2013 season in fifth place.

On the women’s side, Henderson, 16, sits as the No. 9 ranked female amateur in the world. In 2013, the Team Canada member captured three titles, including the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, the South American Amateur Championship and the CN Future Links Pacific Championship. On the professional stage, the Smiths Falls, Ont., native recorded two top-3 finishes on the CN Canadian Women’s Tour, a T35 finish at the LPGA’s Manulife Financial Classic and made an appearance at the CN Canadian Women’s Open. In addition, at only 15 years of age, Henderson finished T59 at the 2013 U.S. Women’s Open – an LPGA major and premier world event.

Rounding out the top-five in the women’s national rankings were the city of Québec’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay, Soobin Kim of Coquitlam, B.C., and Team Canada’s Augusta James of Bath, Ont., alongside her teammate Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont.

In the junior divisions, Kevin Kwon, 18, of Maple Ridge, B.C., and Henderson finished atop the CN Future Links Junior Boys and Junior Girls National Order of Merit respectively, to earn the distinction as Canada’s top junior golfers in 2013.

In 2013, Kwon captured the Canadian Junior Boys Championship by five strokes and won the season-opening CN Future Links Pacific event. Kwon also captured two gold medals at the Canada Summer Games – winning individually and also as a member of Team BC. His season was also highlighted by a T13 finish at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship and a fourth place finish at the B.C. Men’s Amateur Championship.

Hugo Bernard of Mont-St-Hilaire, Qué., finished in second on the CN Future Links Order of Merit, while Étienne Papineau of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., finished in third. Ontario native’s Joseph Kremer of Toronto and Tony Gil of Vaughan, Ont., rounded out the top-5.

Alongside Henderson’s amateur honours, she also captured the CN Future Links National Junior Girls Order of Merit. Maddie Szeryk of Allen, Texas, finished second in the standings after her 14-stroke victory over Henderson at the Royale Cup Canadian Junior Girls Championship. Team Canada Development Squad members, Valérie Tanguay of St-Hyacinthe, Que., Taylor Kim of Surrey, B.C. and Jaclyn Lee of Calgary rounded out the top-5.

The following are the Top 10 on the Men’s and Women’s 2013 National Orders of Merit presented by Under Armour:

Men’s Amateur – Top 10

1. Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.) 5,935.00
2. Taylor Pendrith (Richmond Hill, Ont.) 4,912.50
3. Garrett Rank (Elmira, Ont.) 2,930.38
4. Adam Svensson (Surrey, B.C.) 2,295.80
5. Charlie Hughes (Langley, B.C.) 2,173.02
6. Chris Hemmerich (Kitchener, Ont.) 2,054.42
7. Riley Fleming (Airdrie, AB) 1,902.25
8. Kevin Carrigan (Victoria, B.C.) 1,850.00
9. Stephane Dubois (Victoria, B.C.) 1,850.00
10. Kevin Kwon (Maple Ridge, B.C.) 1,355.47

 Women’s Amateur – Top 10

1. Brooke Henderson (Smiths Falls, Ont.) 6,069.38
2. Anne-Catherine Tanguay (Québec, Que.) 4,257.25
3. Soobin Kim (Coquitlam, B.C.) 3,892.50
4. Augusta James (Bath, Ont.) 3,290.83
5. Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.) 3,196.44
6. Jennifer Ha (Calgary, Ont.) 2,699.44
7. Vivian Tsui (Markham, Ont.) 1,754.82
8. Taylor Kim (Surrey, B.C.) 1,619.32
9. Robyn Doig (Seaforth, Ont.) 1,539.87
10. Josée Doyon (Beauceville, Que.) 1,533.64

The National Men’s and Women’s Order of Merit presented by Under Armour recognize season-long achievements and were established to identify Canada’s top amateur golfers.

The following are the Top-10 on the CN Future Links Junior Boys and Junior Girls 2013 National Orders of Merit:

Junior Boys – Top 10

1. Kevin Kwon (Maple Ridge, B.C.) 3,185.00
2. Hugo Bernard (Mont-St-Hilaire, Que.) 3,022.50
3. Étienne Papineau (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.) 2,967.50
4. Joseph Kremer (Toronto, Ont.) 2,963.75
5. Tony Gil (Vaughan, Ont.) 2,927.50
6. Nicholas Ross (Dundas, Ont.) 2,908.00
7. Austin James (Bath, Ont.) 2,702.17
8. Matt Williams (Calgary, AB) 2,538.33
9. Josh Whalen (Napanee, Ont.) 2,360.50
10. Matthew Scobie (Ajax, Ont.) & Zach Anderson (Nanaimo, B.C.) 2,265.00

Junior Girls – Top 10

1. Brooke Henderson (Smiths Falls, Ont.)  8,035.83
2. Maddie Szeryk (Allen, Texas) 4,013.00
3. Valérie Tanguay (St-Hyacinthe, Que.) 3,998.00
4. Taylor Kim (Surrey, B.C.) 3,485.29
5. Jaclyn Lee (Calgary, AB) 3,372.50
6. Sabrine Garrison (Calgary, AB) 3,155.83
7. Michelle Kim (Surrey, B.C.) 3,103.33
8. Naomi Ko (Victoria, B.C.) 2,981.66
9. Alix Kong (West Vancouver, B.C.) 2,815.00
10. Annie Lacombe (Laval, Que.) 2,730.00

The CN Future Links Junior Boys and Girls National Order of Merit recognizes season-long achievements, and were established to identify Canada’s top junior golfers. For complete Order of Merit standings click here.

CJGA Year in Review

The Canadian Junior Golf Association has released a document recapping their 2013 Year in Review. You can check it out here.

Nevada man gets probation for shooting golfer who broke his window

RENO, Nev. – A Reno man has been placed on probation and fined $1,000 for shooting a golfer whose errant ball broke a bedroom window at his home.

Jeff Fleming, 53, was put on probation for up to five years in Washoe County District Court. He had faced as much as 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine after he earlier pleaded guilty to a felony charge of battery with a deadly weapon.

The unidentified golfer who struck Fleming’s house took a drop and was attempting to play his next shot on the Lakeridge Golf Course in September 2012 when Fleming fired a shotgun at him. The golfer, who was playing with a friend, was treated at a hospital for minor injuries to an arm and both legs.

Fleming’s attorney, Larry Dunn, said Friday his client was just waking up when the stray golf ball shattered his bedroom window and sprayed him with glass shards. Fleming shot at the golfer from some 50 yards away in an attempt to scare him, not injure him, Dunn said.

The ball “came crashing through the bedroom window and it startled him, and he thought he was being shot at,” Dunn told The Associated Press. “He anticipated the ball coming through might have been intentional, and thought there was potential harm.

“There’s no question the single shot he fired was a warning or to scare him. There was no intention to hit him,” he added.

Police said the golfer and his partner ran away after the shot was fired, and it wasn’t until they were safe that the golfer realized he had been hit. One or two shotgun pellets had to be removed from his body at the hospital.

Fleming expressed remorse, telling the judge Thursday he was shocked at his own behaviour.

While his house is located along the golf course, Dunn said, it was the first time it had been hit by a golf ball in the 10 years he has lived there. The house is positioned away from the flight path of golf balls, he said.

The area around the 16th hole was evacuated after the shooting. Fleming drove to Dunn’s office, where he surrendered without incident.

Fleming had no previous criminal record.

“He’s an outstanding citizen and it (shooting) is just an aberration,” Dunn said.

London excited for LPGA’s return

Morris Dalla Costa of the London Free Press compiled a list of the Top 10 most exciting things that happened in London Sports for 2013. Included on the list, coming in at No. 8, is the return of the LPGA Tour to the London area – the London Hunt and Country Club will host the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open in 2014. You can check out Dalla Costa’s full list here.

FootJoy has introduced a new performance spikeless golf shoe category: DryJoys Casual.

An extension of the DryJoys footwear line, DryJoys Casual shoes feature soft, premium full grain waterproof leather and lightweight traction elements that provide great on-course traction and the versatility of off-course wear.

A new proprietary polymer outsole material called Fine-Tuned Foam (FTF) was developed for the DryJoys Casual outsole unit. The foam is 10% lighter than conventional foams providing enhanced cushioning and shock absorption for added comfort.

DryJoys Casual’s innovative design features two distinct layers of varying densities of FTF, each with specific characteristics. The top layer of FTF is softer to provide the golfer with all day comfort. The lower/outer portion of FTF is firmer and ensures the player perimeter stability around the foot for maximum support. Finally, skeletal traction strips are embedded within the FTF outsole material to provide the golfer with enhanced traction and lateral stability during the golf swing.  These layers are fused together to deliver maximum comfort and create the most performance-driven spikeless midsole/outsole component offered from FootJoy.

“Years of research have gone into the development of the FTF material,” says Mike Foley, Director of Product Management, FJ Footwear. “The result is a category of shoes that are luxuriously soft and comfortable, but perform like nimble, high-end athletic footwear.  It was this combination of comfort and performance that attracted Hunter Mahan who was the first player to wear DryJoys Casual shoes on Tour, unveiling an early prototype at the Open Championship.”

DryJoys Casual shoes feature Extreme Comfort Leather, developed in conjunction with Pittards of England.  This super-soft premium leather contains a proprietary membrane-free waterproofing system and is 30% softer than previous generations of FJ performance leather.

DryJoys Casual will be initially available in three different color options: white, black and dark brown. They retail for approximately $170 CDN are are now available for pre-order at retailers.

AUGUSTA, Ga – Augusta National added 14 players to the field for the Masters when the final world ranking of the year was published Monday.

That brings the field to 90 players who are expected to compete April 10-13, and again raises the possibility of the Masters exceeding 100 players for the first time in nearly 50 years. Augusta National has the smallest field of the four majors and prefers to keep it under 100 to enhance the overall experience at its tournament.

This is the third time in the last four years the field was at least 90 players going into a new calendar year. There were 99 players for the 2011 Masters, the most since 103 players competed in 1966.

Those who qualified by being in the top 50 of the final ranking were Hideki Matsuyama, Thomas Bjorn, Jamie Donaldson, Victor Dubuisson, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Francesco Molinari, Rickie Fowler, Matteo Manassero, David Lynn, Thongchai Jaidee, Peter Hanson, Joost Luiten and Branden Grace.

Players can still qualify by winning a PGA Tour event (except for the Puerto Rico Open) or being in the top 50 on March 30, a full week before the Masters.

Matsuyama qualified at No. 23. It will be his third appearance at the Masters, and his first as a pro. Matsuyama was a two-time winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur, which awards an exemption to the Masters. He made the cut both times as an amateur.

“I’m ecstatic I qualified for the Masters through my play for this year,” Matsuyama said through an interpreter in October, when it was clear he would be in the top 50.

He won four times this year on the Japan Golf Tour and had a pair of top 10s in the majors.

Fowler was the only American of the 14 from the world ranking, though two other players (Peter Hanson, David Lynn) were PGA Tour members, who have more options available to them during the year.

The Masters changed the criteria for the 2014 tournament, though that appears to have little bearing on the number of qualified players. Because the PGA Tour went to a wraparound season (October through September), the Masters awarded spots to the winners of tournaments held in the fall. Jimmy Walker, Ryan Moore and Chris Kirk qualified by winning those events. The other winners of fall events – Webb Simpson, Dustin Johnson and Harris English – previously were eligible for the Masters.

Augusta National eliminated the category for top 30 on the money list, though that didn’t keep out any player who qualified.

The club now takes the top 12 and ties from the previous Masters (instead of the top 16) and the top four and ties from the U.S. Open (instead of the top eight). That eliminated only one player – David Toms – who would have been eligible under the previous category. The others would have made it through other criteria.

When the FedEx Cup was created in 2007, Augusta National returned to its practice of inviting PGA Tour winners (at events that offered full FedEx Cup points). Since then, the largest increase in the field from January until the Masters was the addition of 11 players for this year’s tournament.

Players who have qualified for The Masters are below, listed in only the first category for which they are eligible.

MASTERS CHAMPIONS:
Adam Scott, Bubba Watson, Charl Schwartzel, Phil Mickelson, Angel Cabrera, Trevor Immelman, Zach Johnson, Tiger Woods, Mike Weir, Vijay Singh, Jose Maria Olazabal, Mark O’Meara, Ben Crenshaw, Bernhard Langer, Fred Couples, Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle, Larry Mize, Craig Stadler, Tom Watson.

U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONS (five years):
Justin Rose, Webb Simpson, Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Lucas Glover.

BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONS (five years):
Ernie Els, Darren Clarke, Louis Oosthuizen, Stewart Cink.

PGA CHAMPIONS (five years):
Jason Dufner, Keegan Bradley, Martin Kaymer, Y.E. Yang.

PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIPS CHAMPIONS (three years):
Matt Kuchar, K.J. Choi.

U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPION AND RUNNER-UP:
a-Matt Fitzpatrick, a-Oliver Goss.

BRITISH AMATEUR CHAMPION:
a-Garrick Porteous.

U.S. AMATEUR PUBLIC LINKS CHAMPION:
a-Jordan Niebrugge.

U.S. MID-AMATEUR CHAMPION:
a-Michael McCoy.

ASIAN AMATEUR CHAMPION:
a-Lee Chang-woo.

TOP 12 AND TIES-2013 MASTERS:
Jason Day, Marc Leishman, Thorbjorn Olesen, Brandt Snedeker, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Tim Clark, John Huh.

TOP FOUR AND TIES-2013 U.S. OPEN:
Billy Horschel, Hunter Mahan.

TOP FOUR AND TIES-2013 BRITISH OPEN:
Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter.

TOP FOUR AND TIES-2013 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP:
Jim Furyk, Jonas Blixt.

PGA TOUR EVENT WINNERS SINCE 2013 MASTERS (FULL FEDEX CUP POINTS AWARDED):
Derek Ernst, Sang-Moon Bae, Boo Weekley, Harris English, Ken Duke, Bill Haas, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, Jimmy Walker, Ryan Moore, Chris Kirk.

FIELD FROM THE 2013 TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP:
Steve Stricker, Dustin Johnson, Roberto Castro, Nick Watney, Brendon de Jonge, Luke Donald, Gary Woodland, Kevin Streelman, D.A. Points, Graham DeLaet.

TOP 50 FROM FINAL WORLD RANKING IN 2013:
Hideki Matsuyama, Thomas Bjorn, Jamie Donaldson, Victor Dubuisson, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Francesco Molinari, Rickie Fowler, Matteo Manassero, David Lynn, Thongchai Jaidee, Peter Hanson, Joost Luiten, Branden Grace.

TOP 50 FROM WORLD RANKING ON MARCH 30:
TBD.

SPECIAL FOREIGN INVITATIONS:
TBD.

LA QUINTA, Calif. – The Canadian contingent continues to impress at Web.com Final Qualifying with three players sitting inside the top 15 with one round left to play in the 108 hole marathon at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif.

Cam Burke continued his strong play Monday, firing his fourth consecutive under-par round with a 3-under 69. The New Hamburg, Ont., native currently sits as the low Canadian in 11th place at 16-under par, a single stroke ahead of Toronto’s Albin Choi.

Choi soared up the leaderboard early in the day after turning the front-nine in 4-under 32, but suffered a double-bogey on par-3 13th to finish the fifth round in a tie for 12th after a 3-under 69.

Former World Amateur No. 1, Nick Taylor of Abbottsford, B.C., made another strong move in standings after carding a 4-under 68. Taylor currently sits in a tie for 14th at 14-under.

Justin Shin of Maple Ridge, B.C., Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., and Derek Gillespie of Oshawa, Ont. all sit narrowly outside the top-45 heading into the final round in a tie for 52nd. Devin Carrey of Surrey, B.C., carded a 2-under 70 and is in a tie for 62nd after 90 holes.

Scott Pinckney of Utah regained the overall lead at 25-under-par after a 4-under 68 on Monday. Pinckney leads by two over Zack Fischer.

Full scores for the 11 Canadians in the field this week are below. The Canucks will look to finish inside the top-45 after 108 holes of play, which will give them exempt status until the Web.Com Tour’s second periodic re-order of the 2014 season. To see more on the qualifying breakdown, click here.

Canadian Scores after Round 5 of Web.com Final Qualifying

11. Cam Burke, New Hamburg, Ont. (-16) 67-72–67-69-69–344
T12. Albin Choi, Toronto, Ont. (-15) 69-71–67-69-69–345
T14. Nick Taylor, Abbottsford, B.C. (-14) 69-70–72-67-68–346
T52. Justin Shin, Maple Ridge, B.C. (-8) 64-74–73-69-72–352
T52. Roger Sloan, Merritt, B.C. (-8) 68-70–72-70-72–352
T52. Derek Gillespie, Oshawa, Ont. (-8) 71-67–72-67-75–352
T62. Devin Carrey, Surrey, B.C. (-7) 68-71–71-73-70–353
T98. Yohann Benson, Montreal, Que. (-3) 73-74–70-71-69–357
T127. Riley Wheeldon, Comox, B.C. (+3) 74-71–71-75-72–363
T127. Max Gilbert, St-Georges, Que. (+3) 73-74–74-72-70–363
T132. Eugene Wong, North Vancouver, B.C. (+4) 73-70-75-73-73–364

For complete scoring from Web.com Tour Final Qualifying, click here.

CORAL SPRINGS, FL – Men and women from across the globe are set to tee-off in the opening rounds of the Dixie Amateur this week in southern Florida.

The women’s championship runs December 17-20 at Heron Bay Golf Club in Coral Springs, Fla. Three Canadians are entered into the field including, Jenna Hague of Burlington, Ont., Claire Hernandez of Palgrave, Ont., and Kate Alty of Edmonton, Alta. The women’s championship will include a cut after 54 holes. Past champions of this prestigious title include LPGA stars Lexi Thompson (2007) and Vicky Hurst (2006).

Scoring and pairings for the Women’s Dixie Amateur can be found here.

On the men’s side, nine Canadians will contend for the amateur title December 19-22, 2013. The competition will be played over 72 holes at the Woodlands Golf Club in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Heron Bay Golf Club in Coral Springs, Fla.

Headlining the list of the Canadians entered in the field is Team Canada’s Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., the 2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur stroke-play medalist and Nicholas Ross of Dundas, Ont., who finished tied for the eighth at the Canadian Junior Boys Championship.

The men’s championship will be cut to the low 72 players and ties after 36 holes, with the final two rounds being contested at Heron Bay Golf Club. Past winners of the Men’s Dixie Amateur include, Brandt Snedeker (2003), Peter Uihlein (2010 & 2009), David Lingmerth (2007), and Hal Sutton (1979 & 1978).

Scoring and pairings for the Men’s Dixie Amateur can be found here.

Curtis Thompson and Isabelle Lendl are both set to defend their titles from the 2012 championship this week in Florida.

Canadians in the field at the Dixie Amateur

Men:
Garrett Rank, Elmira, Ont.
Nicholas Ross, Dundas, Ont.
Paolo Addona, Montreal, Que.
Jordan Bakhsh, New Market, Ont.
Alexis Gemme-Piacente, Montreal, Que.
Mario Vachon, Ste-Claire, Que.
Carl Pelletier, Pont-Rouge, Que.
Claude Pelletier, Donnacona, Que.
Tyler Pope-Ferguson, Amherstbury, Ont.
Nicholas Powell, Toronto, Ont.

Women:
Jenna Hague, Burlington, Ont.
Claire Hernandez, Palgrave, Ont.
Kate Alty, Edmonton, Alta.

Robert Ratcliffe, Team Canada’s Development Squad Coach, has come home with yet another award for his coaching efforts in the 2013 season. The announcement was made by the PGA of Canada on Thursday along with eight other distinct award recipients.

Ratcliffe was recognized with the ‘Ben Kern Coach of the Year’ award, and will be honoured on “Canada Night” in January at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla. Each year, a national selection committee reviews application submissions for each award before deciding the year’s winners. The 2012 winner of the award was Jon Roy of Uxbridge, Ont.

Ratcliffe operates out of the Crown Isle Resort & Golf Community in Courtenay, B.C. and the Duncan Meadows Golf Club in Duncan, B.C. He also earned his third straight PGA of B.C. “Coach of the Year” award earlier this year. His 2013 season was highlighted by leading Team B.C. to all four gold medals at the Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke, Que. as well as a gold medal at the Copas de las America’s tournament in Miami, Fla.

To learn about the other PGA of Canada award recipients, click here.

Team Canada alumni in the hunt at Web.com Q School

Many former members of Team Canada are chasing their coveted Web.com Tour Cards this week at the PGA West in La Quinta, Calif. There are six alumni vying for one of top-45 spots that earn exempt status until the Tour’s periodic re-order of the 2014 season. There are two of six rounds still remaining, with the final taking place on Tuesday.

T13. Cam Burke, New Hamburg, Ont. (-13) 67-72–67-69–275
T16. Albin Choi, Toronto, Ont. (-12) 69-71–67-69–276
T23. Nick Taylor, Abbottsford, B.C. (-10) 69-70–72-67–278
T38. Justin Shin, Maple Ridge, B.C. (-8) 64-74–73-69–280
T128. Riley Wheeldon, Comox, B.C. (+3) 74-71–71-75–291
T128. Eugene Wong, North Vancouver, B.C. (+3) 73-70-75-73–291

17th hole at Stadium. #finalstage #qschool http://t.co/TvKbjzEuHE

— Eugene Wong (@TheRealWongster) December 8, 2013

To see all Canadians in the field, click here.

To view the full leaderboard, click here.

Meet Naomi Ko of the Development Squad

Hometown: Victoria, B.C.
Age: 16

Q: What are some of your nicknames?
A: Nao, “Nuk-Nuk”

Q: What is your best golfing moment? (i.e. Tournament finishes, first eagle, hole in one etc..)
A: Hole-in-one at the AJGA Girl’s Championship in South Carolina (8^th hole)

Q: What is your worst golfing moment, and the lesson you learned from it?
A: Missing the cut by just one stroke. I need to always play it one shot at a time

Q: Who is in your dream foursome?
A: Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, Inbee Park

Q: What is something most people don’t know about you?
A: I am obsessed with Korean drama!

Q: Do you have a favourite athlete?
A: Yuna Kim (figure skater)

Q: What is the best thing about your hometown?
A: The Inner Harbour and the Butchart Garden

Q: Favourite type of shot to hit?
A: Fade with my 7 iron

Q: What is the most surprising thing in your golf bag?
A: My White Teddy Bear (pocket sized)!

Q: If you could have a walk-up song on the first tee box, what would it be?
A: “Emotions” – Mariah Carey