Golf Saskatchewan will close the books on the 2017 year at the organization’s annual general meeting (AGM) Saturday, April 28.

This year the provincial golf governing body will hold the meeting at the Willows Golf and Country Club in Saskatoon. Among the mandatory include the approval of the financial statements, bylaws adjustments if necessary and changes to the board of directors.

After two years as president, Kyle Mulligan’s (pictured above front-center) term will officially come to an end. Along with a new president, three three-year term positions on the board of directors will be filled. There is a single one-year term position as well. Six people are vying for the open spots, an election will be held during the meeting.

Susan MacKinnon, a member of the board of directors for Golf Canada will speak during the AGM.

The meeting, that begins at 10:30 a.m. is open to Golf Saskatchewan members, invited golf stakeholders, sponsors, staff, and board members.  Over 5o people are expected to attend.

Meeting Information:

• AGM Report including Financials for YE Dec 31, 2017

MEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Hugo Bernard climbed six places in the world rankings to break into the Top 50 for the first time in his amateur career, settling in at No. 48. The Golf Canada National Team member is coming off a recent tie for 12th at the Terra Cotta Invitational and a runner-up finish at the Azalea Invitational.

Fellow Golf Canada National Team member Chris Crisologo made the biggest gain among the Top 10, picking up 17 places. The senior was leading Simon Fraser to the GNAC Men’s Golf Championship, the results of which will be factored into the rankings next week.t

Honourable mention goes to Eric Shea of Brantford, Ont., who picked up 434 spots in the world rankings after taking medalist honours at the Conference Carolinas Men’s Golf Championship.

Brendan Macdougall, the No. 14 ranked amateur in Canada, captured medalist honours at the Big South Championship. The Calgary native became the first player at High Point University to take individual honours at the tournament while scoring the lowest round in the school and the tournament history.

Biggest move: Spencer Rhodes of Port Alberni, B.C. gained 451 spots in the world rankings after finishing 11th at the SWAC Championship. The sophomore at Alcorn State also captured All-Conference Second-Team honours.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

WOMEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Michelle Ruiz made the biggest gain among the Top 10, picking up 123 spots in the world rankings after going wire-to-wire and setting a 54-hole tournament record to claim medalist honours at the SSC Championship. The result enabled the senior from Nova Southeastern University to climb two places up to No. 5 in the Canadian rankings.

No. 2 Jaclyn Lee moved up 18 places in the world rankings, capping a record setting performance, going wire-to-wire to win medalist honours at the Big 10 Championship. It was the third NCAA title of the year for the Golf Canada National Team member, who was also named first team All-Big Ten and also received an exemption into the Symetra Tour event to be played at the end of June. The result also moved Lee up to a career-high No. 65 in the world rankings

Valerie Tanguay picked up 23 places in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for eighth at the Big 12 Women’s Golf Championship. The result also earned the Oklahoma senior Big 12 Tournament Team honours.

Jessica Ip jumped 25 places in the world rankings after ending her collegiate career at Iowa with a tie for 25th at the Big Ten Championship.

Honourable mention goes to Annie Lee, who jumped 122 spots in the world rankings after claiming medalist honours at the MAAC Championship for the second time in her collegiate career.

Biggest Move: Abbie Anghelescu of Wolfe Island, Ont., gained 444 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 17th at the C-USA Championship

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

MEN’S TOP 10

David Hearn climbed 34 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 16th at the PGA’s Valero Texas Open. The result was worth 3.30 world ranking points, his first points-paying finish of the year and his first world ranking points since November 2017. The result also ended a 15 week slide in the world rankings for the once former top ranked Canadian.

Former Golf Canada Young Pro team member Corey Conners picked up 17 places in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 26th at the PGA Valero Texas Open. The result was worth 1.96 world ranking points, his third points-paying finish in the last five tournaments he’s played.

Austin Connelly gained four places in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 13th at the Trophee Hassan II. It’s his best finish this season on the European Tour and the result was worth 2.24 world ranking points, his first points-paying result of the season. It also helped him reclaim the No. 5 ranking in Canada from Benjamin Silverman.

Four weeks after slipping out of the Top 10, Richard T. Lee returns to take over the No. 10 ranking in Canada.

Outside the Top 10, Beon Yeong Lee jumped 576 spots to debut at No. 20 ranking in Canada after finishing in a tie for fifth at the China Tour’s Colorful Yunnan Classic.

Other notable results: No. 3 Mackenzie Hughes and No. 4 Nick Taylor both missed the cut at PGA Valero Texas Open; No. 6 Benjamin Silverman finished tied for 45th at PGA Valero Texas Open; No. 7 Adam Svensson missed the cut at Web.com Tour North Mississippi Classic;

Click here for Men’s Official World Golf Rankings.

WOMEN’S TOP 10

Top ranked Brooke Henderson slipped a spot in the world rankings down to No. 14. A week after she picked up her sixth career LPGA title, Henderson missed the cut at the LPGA’s LA Open, only the third time this year she has failed to qualify for the weekend. However, her result had less to do with falling in the world rankings and everything to do with Moriya Jutanugarn, who won the event and climbed six places in the world rankings which included moving past Henderson.

Other Notable Results: No. 2 Alena Sharp and No. 3 Maude-Aimee Leblanc missed the cut at LPGA LA Open; No. 5 Anne-Catherine Tanguay finished 70th at the LPGA LA Open;

Click here for full Women’s Rolex World Rankings.

SAN ANTONIO – Grayson Murray fixed a flaw in his swing and hit the ball well enough that blustery conditions weren’t an issue for him Thursday in the Valero Texas Open.

Coming off a missed cut at Hilton Head last week, Murray made seven birdies for a 5-under 67 and a one-shot lead. His only mistake was a double bogey from a greenside bunker on the par-3 seventh hole.

“Just the fact I did give myself enough opportunities today for birdie, it took a lot of pressure off,” Murray said.

Of the five players at 68, only Chesson Hadley played in the morning side of the draw, and he called it among his best rounds of the year because of gusts. The wind died in the afternoon and scoring improved slightly on the AT&T Oaks Course at the TPC San Antonio. Keegan Bradley, Ryan Moore, Billy Horschel and Matt Atkins each posted 68. Horschel and Moore played bogey-free.

“Struck the ball really well, something that we’ve been working hard on,” Horschel said. “Could have been better, yeah. I didn’t really make anything out there today. But I’m happy with it.”

Sergio Garcia, who consulted Greg Norman on the design of the course, played the Texas Open for the first time since 2010 and shot a 74. Adam Scott failed to make a birdie in his round of 75. Scott is at No. 59 in the world and needs to stay in the top 60 by May 21 to be exempt for the U.S. Open.

Harris English was in the group at 69, while two-time Texas Open champion Zach Johnson, Nick Watney and Brandt Snedeker were among those at 70. Johnson saved his round by going 5 under over his final five holes, starting with a 12-foot eagle putt on the par-5 14th hole. He birdied the last three.

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., were tied for 12th at 2-under 70. Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., was tied for 21st at 1 under, Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., was at even par and Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., was 4-over 76.

Murray was coming off a pair of top 15s at Bay Hill and the Houston Open when his game got away from his last week in the RBC Heritage, and he shots 74-70 to miss the cut. He got that sorted out in the five days between teeing it up in San Antonio.

He said he was coming down too steep, which meant he would flip his hands and hit a sharp draw or pull out of it and hit it short and right.

“I was hitting each club 10 yards shorter than I normally do, and you can’t play like that because your caddie is trying to give you a number and a club, and you keep hitting these bad shots or keep coming up short,” Murray said. “I got back to the basics with the setup and the takeaway, got my club in a better position at the top, which kind of frees my downswing. Then I can start going at it.”

Even so, Murray thought he wasted his good start – three birdies in his six holes – when his bunker shot at No. 7 came out with no spin and rolled off the green into a deep swale. He hit his third short to about 7 feet, but missed the putt and took double bogey.

“I would have loved to limit that to a bogey because bogeys don’t really kill you – doubles are the ones that now you’ve got to have an eagle or two birdies to come back with, and out here it’s kind of tough to make birdies,” Murray said. “But I kept my head. My caddie keeps me very positive out there, that’s why I think we could finish 4 under the last nine holes.”

Only 34 players in the 156-man field managed to break par.

Horschel missed four birdie chances inside 18 feet on the back nine. What pleased him the most was the way he struck the ball, particularly after his tie for fifth last week at the RBC Heritage. Horschel was one shot behind going into the last round and closed with a 72.

But he’s all about momentum, and he can only hope this is the start of one of his runs. Horschel won the FedEx Cup in 2014 when he finished second and won the final two playoff events.

“I’m a big momentum player. I’ve got to get the train moving forward,” he said. “I’ve always been a guy who gets on a little roll, get that train moving and jump in that winner’s circle.”

SAN ANTONIO – Andrew Landry won the Valero Texas Open on Sunday for his first PGA Tour victory, pulling away with early birdies and holding on with par saves.

The 30-year-old Texan, busy at home in Austin with the recent birth of the family’s first child, parred the final seven holes for a 4-under 68 and a two-stroke victory over Trey Mullinax and Sean O’Hair.

“It was obviously a tough week this week,” Landry said. “Going into the last few weeks with the childbirth and just really getting back out.”

Landry played at Arkansas after starring at Port Neches-Groves High School east of Houston. Many family members were at TPC San Antonio on Sunday.

“Everybody was out,” Landry said. “It was pretty special to be able to snag a victory with everybody being here to share it.”

Landry finished at 17-under 271. He earned $1,116,000 and a spot in the Masters next year. Canadian David Hearn finished in a tie for 16th, shooting a 7-under 281. His countrymen Corey Conners and Ben Silverman ended in ties for 26th and 45th, respectively.

“I didn’t even really think about it, to be honest with you,” Landry said. “There’s a lot of perks for a tour win and you’ve just got to continue to stay focused and not think about those kind of things.”

Landry took a two-stroke lead to the par-5 18th after Mullinax chunked a flop shot and bogeyed the short par-4 17th. Landry hit a 55-foot putt over a ridge to 3 feet for par on 17 and made an 8-footer on 18 after running a 50-foot downhill birdie try past.

Mullinax closed with a 69 a day after breaking the AT&T Oaks Course record with a 62.

“Just a lot of confidence. I know my game’s there, I’m playing really well,” Mullinax said. “Give all credit to Andrew. He played really well today, rock steady. He was putting great, hitting great shots.”

O’Hair shot 66.

“When I’m good, I’m really good, and when I’m not good, I’m not so good,” O’Hair said. “I’ve got to kind of get that a little bit better, but it’s always nice to compete and be in the hunt.”

Tied for the third-round lead with Zach Johnson, Landry birdied the first three holes and added two more on Nos. 6 and 10. He bogeyed the par-4 11th before the closing par run.

“Made a couple putts and, unfortunately, Zach and Trey kind of had some hiccups there on the front nine and they didn’t play it as well as I did,” Landry said. “I think that that was really, really key to getting to where I am right now.”

Landry won in his 32nd PGA Tour start. He earned his tour card last year on the Web.com Tour, and lost a playoff to Jon Rahm in January in the CareerBuilder Challenge.

“It helps because you get yourself in that situation and you continue to learn,” Landry said. “Losing in that playoff when I was continuing to hit good shot after good shot, just not making any putts. Normally that’s a strength of my game. Now here we are, a winner.”

Jimmy Walker was fourth at 14 under after his second 67.

“From where I’ve been, it’s nice to see a lot of red numbers, nice to see putts going in, nice to be in contention,” said Walker, the 2015 winner. “It felt good and I felt like I could get it done today and that’s been a while.”

Johnson had a 72 to finish fourth at 13 under. He won the event in 2008 and 2009, the last two times it was played at LaCantera. The 42-year-old Iowan is winless since the 2015 British Open.

“It’s fun to compete against the so-called younger generation,” Johnson said. “I still really do feel my best golf is in front of me. I know what I’ve got to clean up.”

Joaquin Niemann shot 67-67 on the weekend to finish sixth at 12 under in his pro debut. The 19-year-old from Chile was the top-ranked amateur in the world.

“I never thought I was going to finish how I played this week, but I can’t be more happy than this,” Niemann said. “Just try to keep it up and hope to play well for the next weeks.”

This fourth of five official 2018 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournaments takes place this week at The Club at Eaglebrooke in Lakeland, Florida, as 132 players compete for various levels of status on the PGA TOUR’s development circuit.

Eight Canadians are among the field competing for membership on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada, where this week’s medalist receives an exemption for the entire 2018 season. Those finishing 2nd through 5th (no ties) are exempt for first eight events and subject to second re-shuffle, while those finishing 6th through 16th (no ties) are exempt for first four events and subject to the first re-shuffle. Golfers finishing 17th through 40th (plus ties) receive conditional status.

Leading the Canadian contingent is Sebastian Szirmak of Toronto. The Mackenzie Tour veteran played in 10 of the 12 tournaments last year – a tie for 19th at the National Capital Open to Support Our Troops in Ottawa was his top finish. He opened the tournament in Ottawa with a 68-68-66 start and was only four strokes off the lead entering the final round before a Sunday 72 derailed his chances. He enjoyed two top-10s in 2016—both ties for 10th (at the Staal Foundation Open and the Cape Breton Open).

Here’s a full list of Canadians among the field:

• Pierre-Alexander Bédard (Chibougamau, Quebec)
• Bradford Curren (Hammond Plains, Nova Scotia)
• Sonny Michaud (Neuville, Quebec)
• Cory Racioppo (Vaughan, Ontario)
• Gajan Sivabalasingham (Stouffville, Ontario)
• Turner Southey-Gordon (Toronto, Ontario)
• Sebastian Szirmak (Toronto, Ontario)
• Christopher Wilson (Timmons, Ontario)

The Mackenzie Tour provides players with the opportunity to make the first step on the path to the PGA TOUR by rewarding high finishers on the Order of Merit with steps toward and status on the Web.com Tour. The Order of Merit winner following the 2018 season will be fully exempt on the 2019 Web.com Tour, while finishers 2-5 earn conditional status and an exemption into the Final Stage of Q-School. Finishers 6-10 also earn an exemption directly into Final Stage, while players in the 11th through 20th spots earn exemptions through Second Stage.

The path has already been utilized by 20 players who have gone on to earn PGA TOUR cards since 2013, highlighted by PGA TOUR winners Nick Taylor, Tony Finau and Mackenzie Hughes. Since the Tour’s inception, 166 alumni have earned Web.com Tour status, including 72 competing there for the 2018 season.

MAINEVILLE, Ohio – Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee etched her name in the history on books on Sunday, tying a 54-hole scoring record at the Big 10 Championship en route to a four-stroke victory.

Lee, a three-time National Amateur Squad member, went wire-to-wire at TPC River’s Bend, kickstarted by an opening-round 66—the lowest score of the tournament. The Ohio State junior followed with a second-round 68 and battled through a tense final round which saw her lead shrink to as little as one.

“This means a lot to me,” Lee said, greenside at the 18th. “It was a goal that I set at the beginning of the year and I’m so happy to achieve it. After coming in to the final round with a five-stroke lead, things got a little nerve-wracking today but I’m glad to walk away with the title. To tie the record and have my name in the history books is pretty cool, too.”

The win marks the third NCAA title of the year for the 20-year-old—she collected victories at both the Westbrook Spring Invite and the East & West Match Play.

Your @bigten champion, @JaclynLee57!! ??? pic.twitter.com/RPzkSgKwHH

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) April 22, 2018

Collectively, the Buckeyes finished fourth at 1 over par. Lee will lead the Buckeyes into the NCAA Regionals, getting under way on May 7.

Click here for full scoring.

SAN ANTONIO – Zach Johnson birdied the par-5 18th Saturday at the Valero Texas Open for a share of the third-round lead with Andrew Landry, a stroke ahead of record-setting Trey Mullinax.

Johnson shot a 4-under 68, holing a 10-footer on 18 to match Landry at 13-under 203 at TPC San Antonio’s AT&T Oaks. Landry birdied the 16th and 17th in a 67.

Johnson won the event in 2008 and 2009, the last two times it was played at LaCantera. The 42-year-old Iowan is trying to win for the first time since the 2015 British Open.

“I’ve got 18 holes to get to that point,” Johnson said. “I’ve got to do exactly what I did on the back side and that was give myself opportunities on every hole. I’m putting great, I’m seeing the lines well, my caddie’s reading the greens well, so it’s just a matter of committing and executing down the stretch.”

The 30-year-old Landry is winless on the tour.

“I’m a good putter and I just need to give myself a lot of opportunities tomorrow like I did today,” Landry said. “I’ll be looking forward to tomorrow.”

Mullinax had a course-record 62. He played the back nine in 7-under 29, going 6 under on the last five with eagles on the par-5 14th and 18th and birdies on 16 and 17. He also birdied Nos. 10 and 12 and bogeyed 11.

“It’s probably one of the best rounds I’ve ever had,” Mullinax said. “To go out there and shoot 62 on a hard golf course is really good.”

Johnson played the front nine in even par with two birdies and two bogeys. He birdied Nos. 11, 14, 15 and 18 on the back nine.

“Different wind today early on, misjudged some numbers, misjudged some wind, made some bad swings, all of the above,” Johnson said. “But truthfully, my short game was actually pretty good, my putting was great. I missed some putts, but I hit some really good ones, hit some lines and I gave myself opportunities especially on the back side.”

Landry had a bogey-free round.

“I just did everything really good,” Landry said. “I was staying patient and just trying to make a bunch of pars. This golf course can come up and bite you in a heartbeat.”

Ryan Moore was two strokes back at 11 under after a 70. Sean O’Hair had a 65 to join 2015 champion Jimmy Walker (67), Chris Kirk (68) and 2013 winner Martin Laird (69) at 9 under.

“I just feel like I’m getting closer and closer to playing better and better golf, more solid golf, putting rounds together,” Walker said. “I’m excited for the opportunity tomorrow.”

Mullinax has made 42 of 44 putts from inside 10 feet this week.

“They just kind of remind me of greens from home,” Mullinax said. “My caddie, David (Flynn), has been reading them really well. We trusted each other on our reads and I’ve been hitting good putts. Been working hard on putting on the weeks off that I’ve had so it’s good to see some results.”

The 25-year-old former Alabama player chipped in for the eagle on 14 and the birdie on the par-3 16th.

“It was just a little bit down the hill,” he said about the 16th. “All you had to do was just land it just past that little light grass spot. My caddie told me just read it like a putt, so I tried to just read it like a putt and it went in.”

On 18, he hit a 3-iron from 255 yards to 15 feet to set up his eagle putt. He broke the course record of 63 set by Matt Every in 201 and matched by Laird in 2013. The tournament record is 60 at LaCantera, by Bart Bryant in 2004 and Johnson in 2009.

Canadian Olympian David Hearn struggled with a 1-over 73 on Saturday to fall from a tie for 5th into a share of 20th heading into Sunday’s final round.

SAN ANTONIO – Zach Johnson was going nowhere in the Valero Texas Open when it all changed with one putt.

He made an 8-foot par putt on the 13th hole of the opening round to stay at 2 under. He followed with a big drive, a hybrid into 12 feet and an eagle. Johnson was on his way, and he kept right on going Friday to a 7-under 65 and a share of the 36-hole lead with Ryan Moore.

“You just never know. That’s the beauty of this game,” Johnson said. “I felt like I was hitting some solid shots and wasn’t getting rewarded, and you’ve just got to stay in it. You’ve got to persevere, grind it out, fight for pars. You just never know.”

Moore had three birdies over his last five holes for a 67 and joined Johnson at 9-under 135.

They had a one-shot lead over Grayson Murray (69) and Andrew Landry (67).

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., (68), Ben Crane (66) and Martin Laird (65) were three shots behind. Billy Horschel and Keegan Bradley shot 71 and were four shots behind at 5-under 139.

Canadians Corey Conners (74) and Ben Silverman (73) sit even while Nick Taylor (70) and Mackenzie Hughes (75) missed the cut.

Sergio Garcia, who consulted Greg Norman on the design of the AT&T Oaks Course at the TPC San Antonio, had a short stay in his first time at the Texas Open since 2010. Garcia shot an even-par 72, and at one point became so frustrated he threw his driver into the shrubs.

Garcia finished at 2-over 146 and missed the cut.

It was the first time since 2010 that Garcia missed the cut in successive starts. That was the PGA Championship and, 10 weeks later, the Castello Masters in Spain. This time, he missed the cut in the Masters and Texas Open three weeks apart.

Johnson, a two-time winner of the Texas Open, appeared to be headed to a short week until the key par save on the 13th hole, followed by his eagle, par and three straight birdies. He began the second round Friday with five birdies in a six-hole stretch on the back nine, a sixth birdie on the par-4 first hole, and then an eagle on the short par-4 fifth when he holed out from a greenside bunker.

The only sour taste to his second round was a three-putt bogey from about 30 feet on his final hole. Even so, the view was much better than it was Thursday afternoon.

Moore thought he had wasted a good birdie opportunity on the par-5 14th hole when he left his 50-foot eagle putt about 6 feet short. But he made that, and then holed a similar putt from 8 feet for birdie on the next hole and capped his good finish with a 15-foot putt on the 17th.

“That was a huge momentum putt there,” Moore said of the 14th. “It was a tough putt from down there with a lot of wind. That green is pretty exposed and … yeah, really short and committed to that second putt really well and knocked it right in the middle.”

The birdies on the 14th and 15th were important to Moore because he missed a pair of 10-foot birdie tries to start the back nine.

“So it was nice to get those and get going in the right direction on the back,” he said.

The cut was at 1-over 145, and because 80 players made the cut, there will be a 54-hole cut on Saturday.

INDEX: SPORTS

LOS ANGELES – Inbee Park’s flirtation with retirement is in the rear-view mirror.

Backed by a large contingent of South Korean fans, Park shot a 5-under 66 for a one-shot lead Thursday in the opening round of the HUGEL-JTBC LA Open in the LPGA Tour’s return to Los Angeles after a 13-year absence.

Showers ended shortly before Park’s threesome, including second-ranked Lexi Thompson, teed off at windy Wilshire Country Club just south of Hollywood.

Using a new putter, Park birdied four consecutive holes on the back nine before a bogey on the par-4 17th. She quickly recovered and rolled in birdie putts on the second and fifth holes to finish off her round.

“I never played a tournament outside Korea having this much Korean supporters out,” Park said. “I almost feel like I’m playing back home. It’s almost like a little Korea.”

That applies to the food, too, with nearby Koreatown’s restaurants beckoning.

“Too many,” Park said.

The third-ranked Park banished the blade-style putter she used in her Founders Cup victory last month in Phoenix, a playoff loss in the ANA Inspiration and a tie for third last week in Hawaii. She went back to one that feels more comfortable and has brought her success in the past.

“Last week was just an awkward week where I missed a lot of short ones and I just wasn’t really comfortable with the putter,” Park said, “so I just wanted to have a different look.”

The 29-year-old Hall of Famer recently said she was 50-50 about retiring before returning to the tour in early March after a six-month break. Momentum has been going her way ever since.

Marina Alex was second. Thompson was one of seven players at 68 in partly sunny and unseasonable temperatures in the low 60s.

Alex tied Park with a birdie on No. 11. The American dropped a stroke with a bogey on the par-5 13th before rallying with a birdie on No. 14 to share the lead.

Alex found trouble on the par-4 17th. Her ball crossed over a winding creek, bounced and then rolled into the water, leaving Alex looking for it. Eventually, she salvaged a bogey to drop a shot behind Park. After a bad tee shot on 18, Alex managed a par to close at 67.

“I made a lot of the putts that I shouldn’t, I wouldn’t have expected to make,” she said. “I made two great saves on 17 and 18. Kind of got away with some not-so-solid golf shots in the beginning, and I capitalized on some great putts.”

Thompson returned from a two-week break after finishing tied for 20th at the ANA Inspiration, the year’s first major.

She bogeyed her second hole, the par-4, 401-yard 11th, before settling down and birdieing four of the next eight holes, including the 14th, 15th and 16th.

“I changed a little thing that slipped my mind that I was working on earlier in the year,” said Thompson, declining to share the change in her putting technique. “I don’t want to jinx it.”

ANA winner Pernilla Lundberg was among those in the logjam after a 68.

Natalie Gulbis was among five players tied for 10th at 69. Playing sparingly the last two years, Gulbis put together a round that included four birdies and two bogeys.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., was the low Canadian at 1-under 70 to tie for 15th. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (74) was tied at 75th, Maude-Aimee Leblanc (75) of Sherbrooke, Que., was in a group tied for 96th and Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay was 5-over 76 to tie for 115th.

Top-ranked Shanshan Feng struggled to a 74 with five bogeys and two birdies.

The venerable course with views of the Hollywood sign and Griffith Observatory wasn’t any kinder to eighth-ranked Cristie Kerr and Michelle Wie.

Both had up-and-down rounds that included three bogeys and a double-bogey on No. 10 for Kerr and five bogeys, including three in a row, for Wie. Wie, ranked 14th, had a few putts that lipped out.

Kris Jonasson is many things. All of them good, although I can’t speak to his golf game.

Blunt is one of those admirable qualities.

When asked about the push for inclusivity in golf, he summarized it thusly:

“Golf has bucked a bad reputation forever. Some of it is justified. We need to be a game for all of the people, not just rich white men.”

Since 1996, Jonasson has run British Columbia Golf, that province’s amateur association. In 2004, he led the successful movement to meld the separate men’s and women’s amateur associations into one entity.

Men and women were one thing. But the new reality of cultural diversity is another altogether.

“A few years ago, we looked at who was playing in our provincial competitions. There were Asians, South Asians, Aboriginals, athletes from all different backgrounds,” Jonasson recalled.

“And then we looked at our Board of Directors. No way did that reflect that diversity.”

After a period of adjustment, the executive of British Columbia Golf embraced that cultural diversity, most recently exemplified by the election of President Patrick Kelly, an Aboriginal. Other current Board members include a golf professional of Korean heritage and a Chinese golf facility operator.

“The continued future of the game depends on how we share it with every community,” said Jonasson.

Eventually, he hopes, “it would be great if through this outreach we see young people of all backgrounds fall in love with the game, play it forever, and maybe even make it their career, and then pass it on to the next generation.”

Echoing that reality, Leslie Dunning, named Golf Canada president last month, headed an industry-wide working group that established a ground-breaking initiative, the “Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Policy.”

Revealed in December, the preamble to the document says the association “embraces an environment where equity, diversity and inclusion are cultural norms and where all individuals, regardless of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, record of offences, marital status, family status, or disability, are respected and valued.

“Golf Canada seeks to create welcoming environments that encourage and support engagement in the sport of golf so that Golf Canada better reflects the rich diversity of Canada in all aspects of our organization.”

The 12-person group that Dunning headed included men and women, volunteers and staff, Golf Canada and provincial association representatives, PGA of Canada professionals and golf course owners.

“The members worked in duos, each researching one of the priority groups that we wanted to learn about with regards to existing golf initiatives with women, visible minorities, Indigenous peoples, LGTBQ2+, golfers with a disability, socio-economic and juniors,” said Dunning.

In addition to this research, three of the group’s members, Dunning, Liz Hoffman and Sue Vail, focussed on the development of Golf Canada’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Policy. The rigorous process involved researching what golf, sport and other organizations had in place.

Oftentimes, a policy is no more than a piece of paper, a wish list, at worst politically correct pap.

But Dunning is determined that this will be the exception.

“We’ve asked the provincial associations to adopt, adapt or develop a similar policy. We will be monitoring this in the months ahead.”

When accepting the Golf Canada presidency last month, Dunning voiced her commitment.

“There is tremendous diversity among golfers and there are numerous diverse groups that have organized themselves to play golf. We want to engage with these groups, learn what they are doing, how we might support them and what we might do together.”

“As we identify these groups, we will reach out to build relationships with them, helping us to understand their needs and interests.  It is our aim to create greater relevancy to more golfers and ensure welcoming environments for all.”