SAN DIEGO – Three of golf’s prominent golf organizations have created the Latin America Amateur Championship, giving amateurs from 27 countries a shot at playing in the Masters and qualifying for golf’s two oldest championship.

The inaugural Latin America Amateur will start next January in Argentina.

It follows the model of the Asia-Pacific Amateur, which began in 2009 with the backing of Augusta National Golf Club and the Royal & Ancient Golf Club. The U.S. Golf Association joined the latest effort in Latin America, with all three groups offering some major perks.

The winner will receive a spot in the 2015 Masters and will be exempt into the final stage of qualifying for the British Open and U.S. Open, along with an exemption to any other USGA championship for which the amateur is eligible.

And just like the Asia-Pacific Amateur, the idea is to accelerate the development of golf in a region that doesn’t get a lot of attention.

“We believe this event will be motivating to current and future generations of golfers, and one day create heroes that will inspire others to give the game a try,” Augusta National chairman Billy Payne said Wednesday. “This belief has guided us well through the early successes of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, and with the collective expertise in guiding the game of golf provided by the R&A and the USGA, we are hopeful in achieving equally exciting results.”

Hideki Matsuyama, a two-time winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur, is now No. 24 in the world. The most recent winner was Guan Tianlang, who at 14 last year became the youngest player to make a cut in a major.

The first Latin America Amateur will be Jan. 15-18, 2015, at Pilar Golf in Argentina.

The PGA Tour recently began a Latin American satellite tour, and the new amateur event could provide an even bigger boost with golf returning to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 games.

The 120-man field will be determined largely by the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

At least two players will come from each of 27 countries recognized by the International Olympic Committee, which also are part of the International Golf Federation. Along with South America, they include countries in the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico.

The two players will be decided by the world ranking. If there are no players in the ranking, the national golf association will nominate the players. The remainder of the field will be filled by the ranking, with no country allowed more than six players. The exception is the host country, which can have as many as 10 players.

It will be 72 holes of stroke play, same as the Asia-Pacific Amateur.

“Supporting the game’s continuous growth has been a responsibility taken very seriously throughout the 260-year history of the R&A,” chief executive Peter Dawson said. “Having been involved in this region of the world for many years, we understand the potential impact a championship of this stature can have on golfers with dreams of competing at the highest level.”

BARRANQUILLA, ATLANTICO, Colombia – Team Canada will be represented by nine athletes at the upcoming South American Amateur Championship, a 72-hole stroke play event from January 22-25, which features 117 players from across the globe.

The Canadian contingent features National Amateur Team players Garrett Rank (Elmira, Ont.) and Chris Hemmerich (Kitchener, Ont.) along with seven athletes from the Development Squad (four boys and three girls).

Matt Williams (Calgary), Carter Simon (Sutton, Ont.), Étienne Papineau (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Qué.) and Tony Gil (Vaughan, Ont.) will be accompanied by Head Coach Robert Ratcliffe to make up the boys side of the Development Squad.

The girls side consists of Development Squad members Valérie Tanguay (St-Hyacinthe, Qué.), Naomi Ko (Victoria, B.C.) and Jaclyn Lee (Calgary). They will be led by newly assigned Head Coach Ann Carroll.

The countries competing against Canada are: Argentina, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Uruguay, Scotland, Wales, Finland, India, U.S.A., Ireland, Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, England and Mexico.

Canadian National Team member Brooke Henderson won the 2013 women’s event at El Rincon in Bogota. The men’s event was won by Callum Shinkwin of England.

For a list of all 2014 participants, click here.

Ormond Beach, Fla. – National Amateur Team member Brooke Henderson fired a final round 72 to pull ahead of the pack with a 4-stroke victory at the Women’s South Atlantic Amateur Championship – also known as The Sally – in Ormond Beach, Fla.

With the win the Smiths Falls, Ont. native racks up her third consecutive victory. She took home medalist honours at the Spirit International in November, won the Junior Orange Bowl Championship in December and has now won The Sally.

She carded 4 birdies on Saturday’s final round to seal her place atop the leaderboard at 3-under par (67-76-70-72). Coming in second with a 1-over 289 (70-75-71-73) was Annabel Dimmock of Virginia Water, England.

Wales’ Chloe Williams was neck-and-neck with Henderson heading into Saturday’s round, but struggled on during the final round to an 11-over 83. She ended in a tie for third with Brazil’s Clara Teixera at 9-over par.

Canadians Meredith Fairbairn (Orangeville, Ont.) and Kimberly Risulmi (Lloydminster, Alta.) finished T23 and T56, respectively.

For full results, click here.

Ormond Beach, Fla. – Team Canada’s Brooke Henderson fired a 2-under 70 to hold onto a 1-stroke advantage over Wales’ Chloe Williams at the Women’s South Atlantic Amateur Championship.

Williams bogeyed the 18^th to match Henderson’s third round score of 70 heading into the fourth and final round Saturday.

Henderson, 16, has not given up her lead since Wednesday’s opening round of 67. The Smiths Falls, Ont., native will look to win her second straight tournament when play resumes tomorrow – she won the Junior Orange Bowl Championship back in December.

Fellow Canadian Meredith Fairbairn of Orangeville, Ont., sits tied for 24th after a 7-over 79. Kimberly Risulmi of Lloydminster, Alta. slipped to 58^th after carding an 86.

Team Canada’s Brooke Henderson struggled with the windy conditions on Thursday, carding a 4-over 76 at the Women’s South Atlantic Amateur Championship in Ormond Beach, Fla.

The Smiths Falls, Ont., native maintains the lead by one stroke over Chloe Williams of Wales, who shot a 3-under 69 – the lowest score of the day and the only player to break par.

Fellow Canadian Meredith Fairbairn also struggled with the conditions on Thursday, slipping to T24 on the leaderboard after a 10-over 82. Kimberly Risulmi of Llyodminster, Alta. sits at T55 with a 174 (87-87) through two rounds.

If you’re a Canadian who loves golf, history and philanthropy then the Beaches and Bunkers Tour is undeniably for you.

Golfers signing on for this once-in-a-lifetime tour will be treated to an escorted nine day tour of France, Belgium and Holland, where they’ll learn about the locations and battles of the Second World War. Participants of the unique tour – slated for June 8-17, 2014 – will also have the opportunity to test their golf skills during four rounds of golf.

“My father was a gunner in the 6^th Field Regiment, 2nd Canadian Division,” said Robb Lucy, the tour’s organizer. “I never learned about his experiences when I was a kid except that, as a scratch golfer, he carried his good luck three iron throughout the war.”

Lucy went decades without fully understanding the heroic adventures of his father and other Canadian troops. A trip he took with his father 20 years ago would change that.

“On the 50^th anniversary of D-Day we went back to the beach and followed his footsteps of 1944-45 through France, Belgium, Holland and Germany,” Lucy added. “We visited many of the spots where experiences scared him, shaped his character, and confirmed his philosophy on life.”

Lucy’s father passed away four years ago, however, the experience of visiting Europe with his father is one he won’t soon forget – and it’s one he wants to pass on to others.

“So few really know what happened 70 years ago,” Lucy explained. “This tour is an admonition for us to not let the stories of those who shaped our lives and our country disappear forever.”

Beaches and Bunkers will be led by Terry Copp, Canada’s most accomplished military historian. Copp is a long-serving and charismatic professor at Wilfrid Laurier University. Among many accolades, he’s also the founder of the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies.

Included in the tour are; 3 and 4 star accommodations; luxury bus transport; 8 breakfasts; 6 group dinners; 4 greens fees; rental clubs; tours led by military historian Terry Copp; and an evening with Paris-based Keith Spicer –  Canadian journalist, diplomat, raconteur and author.

A portion of the tour’s proceeds will benefit McDermott House Canada, a charity dedicated to serving those who serve.

For more details, including costing and a detailed itinerary of the tour, please visit the Beaches and Bunkers website.

Bob Lucy

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont. established a 3-stroke lead Wednesday after shooting an opening round 67 at the Women’s South Atlantic Amateur Championship in Ormond Beach, Fla.

Henderson, a Team Canada member, didn’t get off to the greatest start at Oceanside Country Club as she carded a bogey on the 4th hole. But the 16-year-old turned things around not long after, closing out her front nine with birdie to make the turn at 1-under (35).

Henderson heated up on the back 9, birdying five of the next six holes. She finished the day three strokes ahead of England’s Annabel Dimmock and Harin Lee of Bayside, N.Y., who scored matching 2-under 70’s.

Fellow Canadian Meredith Fairbairn (Orangeville, Ont.,) sits tied for 16th at 4-over after shooting an opening-round 76. Kimberly Risulmi of Lloydminster, Alta. is tied for 59th at +15.

Team Canada’s Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., will be one of three Canadians teeing-it-up at the Women’s South Atlantic Amateur (a.k.a The Sally) in Ormond Beach, Fla., from Jan. 15-18 at the Oceanside Country Club.

Henderson, 16, is a Team Canada member. She has kept up her strong play in the new year, winning the Junior Orange Bowl Championship by five strokes only 2 weeks ago. She returns to Florida riding that momentum into action Wednesday along with two other Canadians.

Henderson will be joined by Meredith Fairbairn of Orangeville, Ont., and Kimberly Risulmi of Lloydminster, Alta., in the deep international field of 74.

The 2013 champion was Kelly Shon, a Princeton student hailing from Port Washington, N.Y.

For opening round tee-times, click here. For live scoring of the 88^th annual Sally tournament, click here

The world’s top-ranked amateur golfer, Matthew Fitzpatrick, widely regarded as British golf’s hottest prospect, has quit university in the United States to pursue his career back in his native England.

The 19-year-old Fitzpatrick followed the path taken by compatriot Luke Donald by joining Northwestern University in Chicago last year, after a successful summer in which he won the U.S. Amateur and the silver medal in the British Open for being the top amateur.

In a statement released by Northwestern, Fitzpatrick says he has opted to “dedicate 100 per cent of my time to the game and have decided to withdraw from university in the U.S.”

England Golf said on Tuesday that Fitzpatrick’s plans “are to remain as an amateur golfer for the foreseeable future,” rather than turn professional.

Fitzpatrick has qualified to play in this year’s Masters, U.S. Open and the British Open.

Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru is celebrating 10 years of increasing ladies participation in golf while raising funds for breast cancer research and support programs in Canada.  With the completion of the 2013 season, Golf Canada is proud to announce that Golf Fore the Cure has raised over $5.1 million towards ending the fight against breast cancer.

“It is extremely satisfying to see the success of this program considering in year one we had under 30 sites participating” explained Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “The growth has been outstanding and all the women who have participated and contributed to the success should feel very proud”.

Throughout the program’s 10 years, Golf Fore the Cure has donated its fundraising sum to the Canadian Cancer Society as well as the Québec Breast Cancer Foundation.

“We are absolutely delighted to partner with Golf Canada on Golf Fore the Cure. This wonderful event brings together so many passionate women to relax playing golf while at the same time raising significant funds which have such a tremendous impact against breast cancer” says Pamela Fralick, President and CEO of the Canadian Cancer Society. “We are extremely grateful to everyone who takes part in Golf Fore the Cure”.

The support from partners continues to fuel the program towards its goal of growing participation and fighting breast cancer. Subaru Canada, presenting partner for the past seven years, has been a primary reason for the success of Golf Fore the Cure by providing the backing and support needed to grow the program.

Over 100,000 individuals have participated in a Golf Fore the Cure event across the country in the past 10 years. Their efforts, along with the contributions from each donor are also to thank for the continued success and growth of the program.

Lastly, the commitment of Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru ambassadors Celine Dion, Stephanie Sherlock, Alena Sharp, Trish Stratus and Evanka Osmak has been a major source of support and recognition for the program and its cause.

Registration opens to the public, free of charge, on Feb. 1^st.

To become involved with Golf Fore the Cure, visit the website