MANOA, Hawaii – Team Canada National Team member and N.C. State junior Augusta James finished in a tie for third Wednesday at the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational.

The Bath, Ont., native carded a 2-over 218 (73-72-73) to finish two strokes back of medalist Ines Lescudier of Kennesaw State.

Brittany Marchand, a National Team and N.C. State teammate just missed the top 10. The 21-year-old Orangeville, Ont., native finished with an 8-over 224 to sit tied for 11th.

As a team, the N.C. State Wolfpack placed second on the leaderboard behind Mississippi State, who ran away with a 21-stroke victory. The Wolfpack will tee-it-up again at the Bryan National Collegiate from March 28-30.

For full results, click here.

MYRTLE BEACH, SC — It is half training camp, half competition for the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) Team Ontario as they hone their skills in Myrtle Beach, S.C. with five days of training before the 16th annual Can-Am Matches at Wachesaw Plantation Club in Murrells Inlet.

The Can-Am matches will see 16 of the top-ranked junior golfers in Ontario (comprised of Ontario-born National Development Team members, Team Ontario members and other qualifiers) take on the best from the South Carolina Junior Golf Foundation. The event will last two days (March 15-16) with team matches being held on the first day and singles matches on the second.

The Team Ontario roster includes six males from the current squad: Conner Watt, Sam McNulty, Brendan Seys, Chad Watts Denyes, Trevor Ranton and Max Sear. Two former members, and current National Development Team members, Tony Gill and Carter Simon, will join them. As for the girls’ side, all four Team Ontario members are present (Alyssa Getty, Grace St-Germain, Monet Chun and Annika Haynes). Rounding out the team, based on 2013 performances are: Kennedy Bodfield, Samantha Spencer, Claire Hernandez and Ana Peric.

The scoring format for the matches is slightly different than a traditional match play event. In each match, there are 18 points available, one for each hole, ensuring that all 18 are played. If a hole is halved, each player or team receives half a point. The format stresses the importance of each player focusing on one hole at a time. The teams will play team four-ball matches on the first day of the event before singles matches on day two.

In advance of the Matches, Team Ontario and their additional members ventured down to Myrtle Beach on March 9 to begin a five-day training camp to prepare for the event. The team has the opportunity to play and train at a few courses in the area.

The team will also take part in a fun event on March 12 at Wachesaw with a Member-Am team scramble. Team Ontario players will be grouped with three club members for a round, giving them a chance to meet their hosts from the club.

Murrels Inlet, S.C. – Team Canada’s Corey Conners has continued his torrid play of late, sharing medalist honours at the General Hackler Championship with Andrew Dorn of Coastal California.

Conners, a member of the Kent State Golden Flashes, finished at even par (75-69-72) and was the only player to score a round in the 60’s during the tournament. The 21-year-old is coming off a playoff win at the prestigious Jones Cup just last month.

The Listowel, Ont. native now sits at No. 25 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). He’s in the running for the Ben Hogan Award – given annually to the outstanding male collegiate golfer of the year in the U.S.

Taylor Pendrith, 22, shot 70 Tuesday to finish 1-over, in third place. His round was highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 2^nd which he double-bogeyed in his first round. This is the second consecutive top 5 finish for the Richmond Hill, Ont. native and Kent State senior.

Collectively, Kent State finished in second place, two strokes back of champion Middle Tennessee State. The Golden Flashes are currently ranked No. 25 in NCAA Men’s Div I Golf. They tee-it-up again March 26^th at the Floridian Collegiate.

Click here for full results from the 2014 General Hackler Championship.

The Nova Scotia Golf Association (NSGA) has announced Andrew Noseworthy as their new Director of Sport Development. This is a new position for the NSGA and is designed to help grow participation at all levels, from grassroots to high performance programs.

Andrew is a PGA of Canada Class A Professional who will oversee Sport Development for the game of golf in Nova Scotia including:

• CN Future Links Mobile Clinics
• Learn to Play
• Skills Competitions
• Girls Clubs
• Junior Leagues
• The National Golf in Schools Program
• High Performance Programming
• Women’s Participation Development

“Participation development is a key component to the NSGA Long Term Player Development Plan,” said David Campbell, Executive Director of the NSGA. “Andrew brings the skills and technical abilities to help grow the sport of golf in Nova Scotia. He has a proven track record in managing and delivering grassroots and high performance programming.”

Andrew has been a PGA of Canada member since 2000. He completed his Class A designation with the PGA of Canada in 2006. He is a graduate of Dalhousie University (Economics) and completed the Professional Golf Management Diploma program (Honours) at Humber College.

Since joining the PGA of Canada, he has completed Levels 1 to 4 of the Teaching and Coaching Certification Program along with the redesigned Instructor Beginner and Intermediate certifications. Andrew continues to teach all levels of players in clinics and individual lessons.

Andrew spent 12 years at Oakfield Golf and Country Club, most recently, since 2008 as head professional. In 2012 he began, Golf Squared, a golf coaching company with a focus on junior development. He has conducted many indoor programs at elementary schools and recreation centres in the greater Halifax area, along with Kids Camps and clinics at various facilities during the summer months.

In 2009 Andrew was recognized by his fellow professionals as the PGA of Canada – Atlantic Junior Golf Leader.

Andrew lives in Halifax wife his wife Dale and two daughters Allie and Bridget.

The CN Field Trip program is a new initiative launched in 2013 that addresses the gap between local schools and their surrounding golf facilities.

In the past, a bridge between Golf in Schools sites and CN Future Links facilities was missing. The new CN Field Trip program tackles that problem by bringing students out of the classroom to give them a day of introductory golf lessons from welcoming PGA of Canada instructors.

The fun-filled activities will build on skills, fundamentals and etiquette in a traditional golf environment. Not only will juniors learn more about the sport, they will also become aware of facilities in their area to pursue the game further if they choose to do so.

CN has announced that in 2014, they will be offering 50 first-come, first-serve grants of $500 to PGA of Canada professionals to cover the costs of hosting a field trip event.

Online applications can be submitted here.

It’s been back to basics for Mike Martz over the past three years and he’s been loving every minute of it.

After nearly two decades as a head golf professional, Martz switched gears in 2011 as he left behind the daily grind of managing golf course operations to join the Golf Performance Center at Whistle Bear to work with kids.

Since that time Martz, 50, has found his stride coaching and teaching young golfers while committing himself to becoming a leader in the field by attending and completing several PGA of Canada conferences including Coach of Developing (CDC) training, Coach of New Competitors (CNC) training and certification among other learning opportunities.

As a 12-year-old, Martz started shining shoes at Conestoga Golf Club and over a 17-year period worked his way up to being the club’s head professional. From there he went on to spend three years as an associate at Westmount Golf and Country Club before spending 14 years as the Head Professional for the City of Kitchener’s two municipal layouts. Now his commitment to youth golf is paying off as he has been named The PGA of Ontario Junior Leader of the Year for 2013 and is looking forward to a super busy 2014. Mike will coach upwards of 250 young golfers this year – 80 per cent of his clients are junior golfers.

“With my degree in Kinesiology and a love for teaching youngsters, the transition to coaching has been smooth,” says Martz, a former US long drive champion who spent close to two decades doing clinics with legendary Canadian Golf hall of Fame member Moe Norman, including Norman’s last one in 2004 at Lionhead Golf and Country Club.

“So many kids are left on their own to try and figure this game out and it can be a challenging journey,” he says.  “I try to come in there and give them some guidance and create a pathway for them to follow. I have seen a lot of children in the 11 to 13 age group who go through a growth spurt or an awkward stage and we just try to work on other aspects of their games until their growth settles down.”

He’s entering his third season as coach for the “New Competitors” team at Whistle Bear Golf, which is composed of 12, 9 to 14 year old boys and just added the Girl’s High Performance Team to his duties.

“Mike is always committed to advancing his skills as a coach and is the first to register for educational opportunities,” says Dave Smallwood, Director of Instruction at The Golf Performance Center at Whistle Bear. “He has a thirst for all knowledge that will allow him to best progress his young students.”

At the grass roots level, Mike runs eight one-week long summer camps for boys and girls aged 7-15 years at Guelph Lakes Golf and Country Club that has expanded to spring and fall sessions. He also leads an introductory program for mainly new to the game participants program for the Cambridge Junior Golf Association that includes 64 children from Cambridge. They receive two lessons from Martz and access to play Saginaw Golf Club.

Mike was named Team Waterloo Regional Under 17 Head Coach for the Golf Association of Ontario in November along with Angella Lee who acts as the team’s strength and conditioning consultant. He’s working twice a month with a team of 12 boys and girls ranging from 10 to 16 years of age. They travelled together for a team competition over March Break in Myrtle Beach against regional teams from York and Ottawa.

Adam Svensson continued his winning ways Tuesday, capturing his second straight tournament after firing a 7-under 65 at the St. Edward’s Invitational in Austin, Texas.

Svensson, a sophomore at Barry University, finished the tournament at 10-under 134. The event was shortened to 36 holes due to bad weather in the Austin area.

The Team Canada National Squad member carded 13 birdies over two days to finish eight-strokes clear of runner-up Carr Vernon from CSU-Monterey Bay.

The Surrey, B.C. native now has four victories in only six starts this season. He’s now tied with Daniel Stapff for all-time wins at Barry University.

During the fall season, Svensson, 20, captured the Brickyard Crossing and Guy Harvey Invitational. In addition, he recently set a single round school scoring record after carding a second round 64 en-route to his victory at the Matlock Collegiate Classic in February.

As a team, No. 1 ranked Barry finished 13 strokes ahead of CSU-Monterey Bay to claim their third team victory of the season.

For complete results from the St. Edward Invitational, click here.

STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford junior Patrick Rodgers, the No. 1 ranked amateur in the world, said Monday that he will forgo his final year of eligibility to pursue a professional career after this season.

The two-time All-American said he decided to make the announcement now because he didn’t want the growing speculation about his future to become a distraction for the team. The eighth-ranked Cardinals are hoping to make a deep run at the NCAA championships in May before Rodgers leaves.

“I think we have an amazing team – the best that we’ve had in my three years here – and we have an opportunity to do something special,” Rodgers said in a statement issued through the university. “I want to put all of the focus on trying to win a national championship for the team.”

Rodgers arrived at Stanford in 2011 as one of the nation’s top recruits from Avon, Ind., where he won two state championships. He has won seven tournaments in less than three full seasons at Stanford and also helped the U.S. team win last year’s Walker Cup, the amateur version of the Ryder Cup.

Rodgers’ 70.55 average strokes per round are the best in Stanford history, bettering Tiger Woods’ 70.96. His seven career wins are tied with Joel Kribel for the second most in school history. Only Woods, with 11, has more.

“The numbers speak for themselves,” said Stanford men’s golf coach Conrad Ray. “He’s one of the best college golfers we’ve ever had. It’s bittersweet for me, because as a coach and a guy that values his role on the team, we’re going to hate losing him. Even if it was next year after graduation, we’d love to take 10 guys like Patrick and see how we’d do. His work ethic is insatiable.

“He has characteristics of world-class players. It’s a credit to him that he has taken a lot of well-thought time to analyze the situation he has in front of him. To Patrick’s credit, he’s made all the right steps and moves to date. You have to trust in his instincts and direction he’s going with his game.”

Rodgers has some experience on the PGA Tour already.

He has played in four PGA Tour events, including taking the lead at the John Deere Classic last year before finishing 15th. He said he plans to return to Stanford at some point to finish his degree.

“Stanford has done so much more for me than golf,” Rodgers said. “The immense social network between alumni and students is just incredible. Both the golf program and academic environment have accelerated my progress beyond what I ever thought possible and prepared me really well for life on the PGA Tour. I couldn’t have done what I have done so far without the help of Stanford University.”

A day in the life of a member or guest at Bayview Golf and Country must be an extraordinary experience from start to finish.

That’s the vision Head Golf Professional Dustin Kerr-Taylor brings to the Toronto club as his golf shop team works to instill and preserve the spirit of the game in each golfer by providing quality golf programs and service that resonate excellence.

It’s also the type of dedication to the sport that has earned Kerr-Taylor the PGA of Ontario Retailer of the Year for 2013 after only his second year as Head Professional at Bayview.

“I have always been passionate about merchandising. It was instilled in me by the head professionals I worked for previously, Warren Crosbie at Bayview, John Porter at Rosedale Golf & Country Club and Brad Johnston at The Briars Golf & Country Club,” Kerr-Taylor says of the club owned shop. “We aim for perfection when it comes to the golf shop experience. There is always a wow factor when members walk into the golf shop. We want them to feel that this is a special place for them, where they can be comfortable and also know they’re getting the best pricing possible.”

No one person is in charge of maintaining the look of the shop and changing the displays. All staff members are involved with merchandising and creating an inviting golf shop experience. The nesting tables are located right at the front of the golf shop and changed every two-to-three weeks to showcase new product and reflect the time of year or holidays. The main sales counter has been relocated to the center of the shop allowing staff to greet everyone that walks by or comes in. “This is totally a team award; there are so many people at the club, from the back shop to accounting, who help create an atmosphere where members enjoy coming into the golf shops simply to chat or to make their purchases.”

Kerr-Taylor estimates that he spends half of his time on golf shop merchandising, but the key to success has been connecting with members.

“I am the starter on the weekend and this is a great way to promote new items in the shop and for me to see what everybody is wearing and the equipment they’re using,” says Kerr-Taylor who also produces a personal weekly video posted to the club’s web site with upcoming events, congratulating winners from the week and promoting the golf shop.

The father of two, Hudson and Addison, who has been married to his wife Monique for 16 years, is also quick to note that printed posters, member newsletters, men’s and ladies’ locker rooms, bathrooms and the first tee message boards is where golf shop sales are promoted to the 700 members.

Kerr-Taylor started playing golf with his father as a youngster at the nine-holer in Dryden, Ont. A few years later he saw an advertisement in Golf Digest magazine for the Golf Academy of America Professional Golf Management Program and enrolled in 1992. Since graduating, he’s been having a ball, playing and selling the game he loves.

Another key to delivering a profitable golf shop at Bayview has been offering member pricing for members and their guests. Every item is priced in the shop with a retail price from a local golf store and a lower member price.

“We are always lower than their pricing. We don’t have a formula, it all depends on each product. Weekly internet checks on websites are needed to make sure we are always competitive,” Kerr-Taylor says. “At first members were skeptical on member pricing. I think they thought we were just making up retail pricing but it only took a few months for them to realize that Bayview is there one stop shop for shopping. “I really notice more and more new members shopping here than maybe they did in the past which is great to see”.

Three of Ontario’s top coaches are joining forces Sunday, March 2 from noon to 1pm (EST) at the Toronto Golf & Travel Show to host a junior golf summit.

Team Canada’s National Women’s Head Coach, Tristan Mullally, alongside the GAO’s Head Provincial Coach, Reggie Millage and Sean Casey, Director of Instruction at the ClubLink Academy at Glen Abbey, will come together at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre to provide parents with advice on how to best develop their child’s golf game.

The summit will focus on how to get children started in the sport and how to encourage them into competitive golf.  This info session is ideal for parents looking for information on collegiate golf in Canada or the USA as well as information on Team Canada’s National Amateur Team program.

During the junior golf summit, Sam Young of the PGA of Ontario and founder of one of Canada’s leading junior golf programs at Shelburne Golf Club, will be teaching the kids while parents attend the seminar.

On Sunday at the Toronto Golf and Travel Show, junior golfers under the age of 18 will receive complimentary admission courtesy of Georgian College. Parents who bring their children can purchase a “Family Pass” – two adult admissions for $25 which are valid only at the door.

Please note: Parents must have children present to receive the ‘Family Pass Discount’

For more information on the Toronto Golf Show’s schedule of events click here.