Nike appears set to add another No. 1 golfer to its stable, this time strictly for the apparel.

ESPN is reporting that Jason Day will sign a deal with Nike to wear its clothes, hat and shoes starting next year. Nike announced last month it is getting out of the equipment business. ESPN cited sources as saying that Day would continue using TaylorMade equipment, but not the Adidas apparel or shoes.

Golfweek magazine said another Day sponsor, Concur, is expanding its deal in which the Australian would have the logo on his bag instead of the crest of his shirt. As noted by reporter Bob Weeks, Nike generally does not allow any other logos on its apparel.

What logos will remain on J-Day’s clothing? Nike usually sole one. RBC negotiating a new deal and hopes to stay on collar.

— Bob Weeks (@BobWeeksTSN) September 13, 2016

Nike previously had Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods when they were No. 1, both full-line deals involving apparel and golf clubs.

There’s nothing so beautiful as sisterly love.

In less than two weeks, Canadian siblings Brooke and Brittany Henderson are set to team up, on the fairways of Rio, as golf returns to the Olympics for the first time since 1904. The Henderson’s hope their passion for the sport — and their love for each other — gives them an edge as they go for gold in Brazil.

When he’s not on tour or crafting another chart-topping song, one of Chip Taylor’s favourite things to do is watch golf. “I especially love the women’s tour and rooting for the Henderson sisters,” says the recent Songwriter’s Hall of Fame inductee.

Taylor, best known for the hits “Wild Thing” and “Angel of the Morning,” has had his compositions covered by the likes of Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield and Frank Sinatra; he gets chills whenever he pens a song with staying power. The story of the Henderson sisters recently inspired the songwriter’s muse. About three years ago, he started to watch YouTube videos of the Canadian golfers. “I thought they were terrific together,” he recalls. “Brooke had this amazing powerful swing. I was rooting for her to make it. I’ve followed her career since and then I started to write some songs about them.”

Chip’s EP I’ll Carry for You released just two weeks ago on Train Wreck Records features a batch of songs that give him the chills. Brooke and Brittany’s deep-rooted love for one another inspired the title cut. In this song, Taylor sings:

“Sisters of the same blood/Same moon up above/Same air that I breathe/Same dreams that you see/Sisters hurt when they fall/ All you’ve got to do is call me/And I’ll carry for you/ I’ll carry for you.”

Born James Wesley Voight in Yonkers, New York, the songwriter says Brooke and Brittany’s journey to the LPGA captivated him from the start. “The story is just so amazing,” he says. “How kind they are together … you can just see their love for each other when they are going around the golf course.”

The 76-year-old songwriter feels a similar bond with his two siblings; his brothers are Academy Award winning actor Jon Voight and Barry — one of the foremost geologists in the world in the area of interpreting volcanic activity. While his brother Jon did not caddy for him, he always walked with him when Chip competed in junior tournaments and offered moral support and encouragement.

Taylor’s love for golf came naturally. Taylor’s dad was a golf professional. Chip played in many amateur tournaments during his formative years and he turned pro a while before he found success in the music business. His adopted name originated because he was so good around the greens.

“My dream was music, but I loved golf,” he concludes. “These days, whether I’m on the road, or making a new album, I’m always trying to catch up on golf … that is my relaxation.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO ON CHIP TAYLOR.

Brooke and Brittany Henderson (Bernard Brault/ Golf Canada)

The Rio Olympic Golf Course has been recognised for its commitment and contribution to the enhancement of the environment.

Following three years of extensive reporting, monitoring, evaluation and site visits from an independent auditor, spanning the design, construction and grow in phases of the project, The Rio Olympic Golf Course has achieved GEO Certified^® Development status.

“The IGF is delighted that more than three years of planning, design and construction of the Reserva de Marapendi Golf Course have culminated in the course being awarded GEO Certified^® Development status”, said Antony Scanlon, Executive Director of the International Golf Federation (IGF). “From the start, it was imperative that this once degraded site should emphasise the biodiversity of the location while maintaining its environmentally protected status and ensuring that the risks to the indigenous species and habitat would be minimised. We believe this has been achieved successfully, and we are very proud of the fact that once the athletes leave, Rio will have a sustainable, environmentally protected setting to play an important social, educational and sporting role in the years ahead.”

Notable actions and achievements highlighted in the independent GEO Certified^® Development report include:

Nature

• 80% of the existing site had zero vegetation cover
• Successful transplantation of more than 15,000 native plants with 95% success rate for establishment
• Establishment of on-site plant nursery to propagate more than 475,000 plants from native seeds and stock onto the golf course site
• Removal and control of existing exotic species
• Overall compensation for 1.4ha of loss of reduced quality restinga habitat, with net increase in conservation managed restinga of more than 33 ha
• Design of ‘naturalised’ golf course, creating opportunities for gradual re-colonisation by native species, and strong habitat connectivity across the site
• Long term ecological and environmental monitoring and management plan in place and approved by local authorities
• 167% increase in vegetation cover
• Net increase in biodiversity reported of 118 to 263 species found on the site
• Speedy recolonisation by rare and protected species including burrowing owl, caiman, capybara, lapwings, sandpipers and egrets
• Comprehensive pollution prevention measures carried out across the course throughout construction and management, and integrated into the design and construction of the modern maintenance facility

Resources

• Use of entirely on site construction materials – no extra sand or soil imported
• Use of Zeon Zoysia and SeaDwarf Seashore Paspalum grown locally – the most drought and pest tolerant species for the site, propagated in Brazil, which also allows for lower quality irrigation water, reducing need for water treatment
• Use of fuel efficient and hybrid maintenance machinery. All Jacobsen equipment uses GreensCare™, a 96% biodegradable hydraulic fluid made of renewable seed-oil based product
• Clubhouse designed using passive design principles
• Clubhouse utilisation of local, recycled and certified materials
• 100% recycled slate quarry waste for the pathways
• More than 90% of all construction materials were sourced from within 400Km of the site
• Cleared exotic plants were recycled as mulch to aid transplantation operations
• The Toro irrigation system is pressurised with the most up-to-date energy efficient pump system in order to optimise pressure and minimise energy use

Community

• Agreement between municipality and BGC to run the facility as the Brazilian golf centre of excellence for coaching and training – of local golfers, as well as national teams
• The agreement establishes that the golf facility will be free-access to the public and the development and implementation of four centres:
  • An environmental education centre to increase awareness about the environment and sustainable golf development at the local schools and communities
  • A knowledge and technical centre for youth ages 14-18, to promote social inclusion through sport, in partnership with technical schools and universities, offering caddie, coach and referee development programmes and specialised vocational training in greenkeeping and sports turf, Machine Operator and environmental management
  • A high performance Golf Academy – to improve the quantity and the quality of the Brazilian players at the world ranking

A development golf centre to grow the quantity of new golf practitioners through programmes like “Golfe para a Vida” (golf for life), in partnership with public and private schools and/or other communities.

Nike is getting out of the golf equipment business, a surprising development that likely sends Tiger Woods and other players searching for new clubs.

Nike announced Wednesday it will stop making clubs, golf balls and golf bags, instead focusing more on its shoes and apparel, long its strength in the golf marketplace.

“We’re committed to being the undisputed leader in golf footwear and apparel,” Nike Brand President Trevor Edwards said in a statement. “We will achieve this by investing in performance innovation for athletes and delivering sustainable profitable growth for Nike Golf.”

Woods has been with Nike since he turned pro in 1996 and remains the biggest ambassador of the Beaverton, Oregon-based company. Mark Steinberg, his agent at Excel Sports Management, said that won’t change. But he also said Woods likely will have different equipment in the bag whenever he returns.

Nike also signed Rory McIlroy to a big deal in 2013. It also has Brooks Koepka, who is in position to make his first Ryder Cup team.

In the foreword to a book celebrating the 150-year anniversary of the oldest championship in golf, Arnold Palmer refers to the event as “The Open Championship.” In his autobiography, Palmer refers to the major he won twice as the “British Open.”

So which is it?

That depends on the source. And it depends on the audience.

The Open Championship began in 1860 when Willie Park Sr. defeated seven other golfers at Prestwick. It was 35 years until another big championship came along at Newport Country Club in Rhode Island known as the U.S. Open. That was followed by the Canadian Open, the South African Open and the Australian Open.

When the “British Open” began is a little more unclear.

According to an Associated Press account in 1900, J.H. Taylor “won the open golf championship” at St. Andrews. Two paragraphs later, however, the story noted that Taylor scored “his third triumph in the English championships,” even though it was held in Scotland.

In 1910, the AP reported from St. Andrews that “the open golf championship tournament” ended in victory for James Braid. Just four years later, however, an AP story in The Los Angeles Times said that Harry Vardon won for the sixth time “the British open golf championship.”

The R&A has never referred to it as anything but The Open Championship, and it recent years it has made a stronger case for the name of golf’s oldest major to go by one name – the proper name – in any country.

The USGA in its official U.S. Open entry form for years noted that players were exempt from qualifying if they had won the British Open in the last five years. This year, the language was changed to refer to a five-year exemption for winning “The Open conducted by the R&A.”

William McGirt, headed over to Scotland for the first time, said he received a packet in the mail reminding players that it’s called The Open Championship.

“I’m sure I’ll call it the British Open and get pounded for it,” McGirt said. “But hey, it’s in Britain.”

The R&A has never referred to its premier championship as anything but “The Open.” It just happens to be held on links courses in Britain, with an exception in 1951 at Portrush in Northern Ireland, where it will return in three years.

“The name of the championship hasn’t changed in 155 years,” said Malcolm Booth, communications director for the R&A. “The reason we think 155 years on there is legitimacy in calling it ‘The Open Championship’ is it really was the birthplace of open competition.”

It was the first. It was the original. It was the template. It is The Open.

But not to Jack Nicklaus.

Nicklaus was asked in late February about how he decided which sons would caddie for him in the majors. He recalled one year when Jackie, his oldest son, caddied in the Masters and “I think he had the Open.” And then he mentioned his second-oldest son, Steve, had “the British Open and the PGA.”

The British Open?

“That’s what it is,” Nicklaus said.

Has he ever referred to the major he won three times The Open?

“Sure, when I’m over there,” he said. “Over here, people don’t know what The Open Championship is. It’s ‘The Open Championship of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.’ If it’s The Open Championship, it could be the U.S. Open, the Australian Open, the Japanese Open.”

That’s where the R&A might beg to differ.

When championship golf began in 1860, the golfing world was defined by Scotland. The Open was not held anywhere else until it went to Royal St. George’s in England in 1894, one year before the U.S. Open began.

“We don’t consider ourselves a national championship,” Booth said. “The Open remit is to identify the champion golfer of the year.”

Three years ago, that champion golfer was Phil Mickelson, who grew up in San Diego referring to it as “the British.”

“Now that I’ve won it, and the R&A strongly prefers it to be called just ‘The Open’ or ‘The Open Championship,’ I try hard to call it that,” Mickelson said. “But it’s not comfortable to me because it’s not what I referred to it as growing up in the United States.”

He’s not alone. And it’s not just Americans.

Russell Knox of Scotland says he goes by British Open, though he has been in Florida the last 15 years. Branden Grace of South Africa grew up calling it the British Open. So did Jason Day of Australia.

Adam Scott, however, was adamant that it is The Open and nothing else. That national championship in his home country? The Australian Open.

“I understand that when you say the ‘British Open’ you mean ‘The Open Championship,'” Scott said. “When you call it the ‘Open’ and you mean the U.S. Open, then I’m confused. Because that’s called the United States Open.”

Jim Furyk simply goes by the calendar.

A runner-up at Oakmont last month, he said people came up to him at the Bridgestone Invitational and congratulated him for his performance at the “Open” and it stopped him. His mind already was on the next Open, the one at Royal Troon that starts next week.

“If I were ever lucky enough to win the claret jug, I would definitely call it ‘The Open’ to show respect,” he said. “But when I’m not thinking about it, then it comes out as ‘British Open’ because that’s the way I grew up hearing it.

“And,” he added with a smile, “I might have fun with some folks when I know it will rub them the wrong way, just to watch them cringe.”

Ask Diane Barabé and she’ll tell you she’s not the biggest people person. She’s reserved, more than happy to do her thing and speak when spoken to. But on the golf course, the longtime volunteer rules official busts out of her shell. A proud member of the “Rulies” fraternity, Barabé is sociable and confident when in her element.

It stems back to when she first got involved in the game in the mid-1990s. The Granby, Que., native was voted onto the Board of Directors at her local Club de golf Miner — the first woman ever to be elected — and was thrust into a role demanding constant conversation right off the bat.

“I remember they put me in charge of disciplinary action,” recalls Barabé. “I said, ‘Great, I’ll have nothing to do’ but it was quite the opposite. I think I learned how to approach people and how to interact with different people. I like to be involved. If I’m going to be involved in something I don’t just want to sit back. You’re a volunteer because you’re a bit selfish, you like it.”

Barabé talks joyfully when describing how rewarding her volunteer experiences have been. Through stops at the Canadian Ladies Golf Association to Golf Québec to Golf Canada, she’s spent more than 20 years giving her time to golf and making countless friends along the way. Her commitment and service were honoured in 2014 when she was awarded Golf Canada’s Volunteer of the Year.

“There’s so many deserving people in the field, there’s so many rules officials that deserve the same honour and are so knowledgeable and give so much of their time,” she says. “I was just humbled by the honour and to be chosen from across Canada was unspeakable. I can’t explain how I felt.”

Annually committing two to three months of her summer to work tournaments, the Level 4-certified official has presided over every class of competition, including five PGA and LPGA Tour events. But for the retired college administrator, it’s the more active role at junior events that she enjoys most.

“You’re helping them out with the rules and you’re making them better golfers,” explains Barabé, who guesses she’s read the Rules of Golf at least 60 times. “You’re educating them and that’s the part that I like. It’s the helping part that I love the most.”

Barabé’s affinity for students, both in the fairways and the hallways, has been an impressive balancing act. For several years she was away for the first two weeks of the school year in order to volunteer for Golf Québec. Her absence was approved — actually encouraged — for its selflessness and dedication.

Adam Helmer, Golf Canada’s director of rules, competition and amateur status, calls her a “team player” and has witnessed her passion firsthand for the past nine years.

“She’s so involved and always all-in,” describes Helmer. “I don’t think she’s ever missed a rules seminar or working eight to 10 events a year since I’ve known her. She’s always studying, always in the book. She’s got a great rapport with not only Canadian officials but internationally from the events she’s worked. They always have great, positive things to say about her.”

The accolades don’t end there for Barabé. Already a member of Golf Canada’s Rules and Amateur Status Committee, she will become the first female chairperson of that committee in 2017. Attendng the R&A Tournament Administration and Referee School and receiving a mark of distinction on the exam three years ago made her more than qualified for the role and resides as a career highlight.

“I get goosebumps just talking about it still,” she explains of the trip to Scotland. “All the stress of preparing to go there and do the referee school and stepping foot on the Old Course and getting to play it. To me, that was a cherry on the sundae.”

The visit to St. Andrews came as a pleasant surprise though. Golf Canada originally selected her for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in 2012 but Barabé had to decline since she had previously promised to babysit her grandson that same week. Luckily, she admits, another offer came around the following year.

It’s just one of many gifts the avid volunteer, despite all the time and energy she’s given to the game, is grateful for receiving. And the people she’s met throughout the years, and the relationships she’s developed, have been payment enough.

“This has made me a bit more outgoing and helped me communicate with other people. I’ve learned so much through the years and met so many wonderful people and made so many friends. So when I’m out there and doing this I’m just having a good time.”

VOLUNTEERING

CLUB DE GOLF MINER

• Ladies Captain – 1992-95
• Board of Directors Member – 1992-95

CANADIAN LADIES GOLF ASSOCIATION – QUÉBEC BRANCH

• Ladies Captain & Rules – 1992-99
• Rules Committee Member – 1992-99
• Executive Committee – 1992-99
• Board of Directors Member – 1992-99
• Rules Chair – 2002-04

GOLF QUÉBEC

• Rules Committee Member – 2004-15
• Rules Chair – 2007-11

GOLF CANADA

• Rules Committee Member – 2011-PRESENT
• Governor’s Council Member – 2015-PRESENT

CERTIFICATIONS

GOLF CANADA

• LEVEL 4 Certification – 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014
• Tournament Administration & Referee’s School – 2015

R&A

• Tournament Administration & Referee’s School – 2013

USGA

• Workshop – 2014

INSTRUCTOR

LEVEL 4 RULES SEMINARS

• French – 2010-12, 2014-15
• English – 2016

AWARDS

GOLF QUÉBEC

• Volunteer of the Year – 2011

GOLF CANADA

• Volunteer of the Year – 2014

ÉGALE ACTION

• Recognition Award, Gala Femmes d’Influence – 2015

TOURNAMENTS

GOLF QUÉBEC

• Spring Open
• Men’s/Women’s Amateurs
• Junior/Senior Championships

GOLF CANADA

• CN Future Links – 2005-PRESENT
• Canadian Men’s Amateur/ Women’s Amateur – 2005-PRESENT
• Canadian Jr. Boys/Jr. Girls – 2005-PRESENT
• Canadian Senior Men’s/ Senior Women’s – 2005-PRESENT
• Canadian Women’s Tour – 2005-2015
• RBC Canadian Open – 2014-PRESENT
• Pan Am Games – 2015

USGA

• U.S. Women’s Open – 2013-PRESENT

Time well spent This article was originally published in the May 2016 edition of Golf Canada Magazine. To view the full magazine, click the image to the left.

NEW YORK – Tiger Woods is getting back to work – as an author.

Woods is writing his second book, which will look back on his historic victory in the 1997 Masters, when he broke 20 records and became the first player of black heritage to win a major championship.

The book, which does not yet have a title, will be co-written with Canadian golf writer Lorne Rubenstein and be released in hardcover, as an e-book and in audio editions in March, a month before the 20th anniversary of his first Masters title.

“The 1997 Masters was one of the most important tournaments in my life for many reasons,” Woods said in a news release issued Monday by Grand Central Publishing, which acquired the rights to the book. “I think about the hug with my dad and all the events that went on that week. A lot of people know generally about that tournament, but this gives me a chance to tell in detail what happened on and off the golf course.”

The book will describe his history of the game and how golf has changed over the last 20 years. Woods also will open up about his relationship with his father, Earl Woods, dispel misconceptions and reveal stories that have never been told.

His first book came out in 2001 and was called “How I Play Golf,” which was written with the editors of Golf Digest magazine.

The announcement of his second book promotes Woods as the first player of African and Asian heritage to win a major. Woods’ mother, Kultida, is from Thailand.

The 1997 Masters was the first of his 14 majors. Beyond his record score of 270 (which Jordan Spieth tied last year), it was significant because of Augusta National’s history with blacks. The club did not have its first participant until Lee Elder in 1975, and its first member until Ron Townsend in 1990.

Woods has won the Masters three other times.

He has not played since August because of two surgeries on his back, and there has been no indication when Woods might return to competition. He is likely to announce this week his plans for the U.S. Open.

Brooke Henderson is used to pitching around the green, not pitching on the mound.

But last night in Philadelphia, that changed for the 18-year-old, as the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball asked her to throw out the first pitch before their game against the Washington Nationals.

The squad, who has one two World Series titles, most recently in 2008, even made custom ‘Henderson’ jerseys for both Brooke and her sister Brittany.

Her father, Dave, was behind the plate as his youngest daughter threw a strike over the middle of the plate.

The ump called it a strike Thank you @Phillies!! pic.twitter.com/uAyjAORYoM

— Brooke Henderson (@BrookeHenderson) June 1, 2016

Henderson is in nearby Atlantic City, N.J. for the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer Henderson, Philadelphia cheesesteak in hand, called it a “really fun night” on Twitter.

Such a fun night in Philly thanks to @ShopRiteLPGA. Looking forward to a great week in Atlantic City! pic.twitter.com/fk5M71zes0

— Brooke Henderson (@BrookeHenderson) June 2, 2016

She also took to Twitter to answer some fan questions as the game went on, admitting she “can’t wait” for the Olympics (and hopes to watch Track & Field if she has time), is looking forward to playing Pebble Beach one day, and says while she has more golf shoes than Brittany, her elder sister has way more “dressy” shoes.

After a week at home in early May, where Brooke and Brittany made appearances in Ottawa and enjoyed some downtime at their cottage, Henderson was right back to it. She finished tied for 3rd last week at the LPGA Volvik Championship, pushing her to fourth in the world.

It is the highest Henderson has ever been in the Rolex Rankings. She is now only behind Lydia Ko, Inbee Park, and Lexi Thompson.

Henderson has earned $538,344 for the season.

Next week is the second major championship of the year on the LPGA Tour at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship where Henderson is a betting favourite. June 30th also marks the start of the Cambia Portland Classic, where Henderson will be the defending champion.