Phil and the breach of Rule 13-2 

Prior to teeing off Sunday at the Military Tribute at Greenbrier Country Club Phil Mickelson walked to the front of the teeing ground and moved some grass with a kicking motion. He then went back to tee off and started a conversation with his fellow competitor and caddie. “I’m not sure if that was legal,” explained Mickelson. He then teed off.

Walking up the fairway, he asked a referee and a short time later, it was confirmed, Phil had incurred a two-stroke penalty for breach of Rule 13-2. As this breach occurred on the teeing ground, all he had to do was move a few feet away and tee off from the new position and he wouldn’t have incurred a penalty, because it would not have been on his line of play.

To watch the video, click here.

Although the rules may seem complex, this one makes sense. Remember, the rules matter!

13-2/14 – Breaking Branch Interfering with Backswing on Teeing Ground

 QUESTION: On the teeing ground, a player broke off a branch of a tree which was interfering with his swing. The player maintained that such action was not a breach of Rule 13-2 because his ball was not yet in play. Was the player correct?

ANSWER: No. The player was in breach of Rule 13-2 for improving the area of his intended swing. Although Rule 13-2 allows a player to eliminate irregularities of surface on the teeing ground, it does not allow him to break a branch interfering with his swing. The penalty would apply even if the player, before playing his next stroke, re-teed elsewhere on the teeing ground – see Decision 13-2/24.  In the Phil situation on the teeing ground, as he did not break off any grass, if he simply moved over a couple of feet in either direction (abandoned his teeing area) for the shot he would have been ok to proceed without penalty.

Josh Nagy has been to the National Junior Men’s Golf Championship before but now he’s attending as a provincial champion.

The 16-year-old Saskatoon product outlasted 53 other under-19 golfers over 54-holes to claim the 92^nd Saskatchewan Junior Men’s Championship Wednesday at the Moon Lake Golf and Country Club. The Saskatoon Riverside Country Club member said he’s had good luck at the host course winning back-to-back events.

“It feels great, I won here a couple weeks ago on the Maple Leaf Junior Tour (MJT) and I really wanted to get this,” Nagy told reporters after the win.

Nagy had to come from behind for the victory. He trailed Saskatoon’s Connor Scissons by five strokes after round one. Nagy improved on his first round 76 by carding 68 during round two which vaulted him into the lead. Weather conditions heavily deteriorated during the final round leading to shifting of the leaderboard behind Nagy but his 79 held up enough for the win. He said playing well over all three days was key.

“I was pretty consistent, I kept the ball in play most of the time. I had one bad hole today, but the week was good,” he said.

Nagy will lead Team Saskatchewan into the National Junior Championship later this month in Medicine Hat, Alta. Nagy qualified for the event last year through the MJT. He said attending the tournament as a provincial champion has a special feel.

“To be on Team Saskatchewan is a big honour, it feels awesome,” he said.

Saskatoon’s Bradley Moser, also a Riverside member finished in second place, just a shot back of Nagy, Deer Valley golfer Cole Obrigewitsch finished in third place.

The tournament format does feature divisions broken down by age, you can see the complete results here.

The Junior Women’s Championship wasn’t as close as the men’s side, Shell Lake teenager Brooklin Fry tore past the field Wednesday running away with an 11-stroke victory over Ella Kozak.

Fry had a one-shot lead over Carey Mclean after round one, Mclean jumped over Fry during the middle round, but Fry wouldn’t be denied in the third round. The 13-year-old shot her third straight round of 83 to secure the provincial title with a total of 249. Fry said she couldn’t take a shot off throughout the tournament.

“I just had to make sure I was playing my best because we don’t play with everybody, so you don’t know what they shoot. I just tried my best to get to the top,” she said.

Saskatoon’s Sarah Grieve placed third after beating Mclean in a one-hole playoff, both finished with scores of 261.

Fry will also lead Team Saskatchewan into the National Championships; the women’s event is slated for July 31 to Aug. 3 in British Columbia. She said her expectation was to be on the team at the start of the season.

“I kind of thought I had a shot, I was thinking about it,” she said.

Full results for the women’s championship can be found here.

Carey Mclean was a stroke off the pace at the Saskatchewan Junior Women’s Championship on Monday, the Deer Valley golfer has swapped positions and leads the pack into Wednesday’s final round.

Mclean, 16, shot 84 during the opening round of the tournament at the Moon Lake Golf and Country Club, one more than Brooklin Fry of Shell Lake. On Tuesday during the second round, Mclean improved with an 81, Fry, 13, carded an 83 for the second straight day. Mclean’s card was tidy, four bogeys scatted the front nine, another four bogeys littered the back. She managed a birdie washing out a lone double-bogey on hole 11. Squeezed in the middle of the two is 12-year-old Ella Kozak, the Yorkton product posted the day’s low round at 78, ten strokes better than her opening round of 88.

Sarah Grieve of Saskatoon sits at 171 (87, 84) for the tournament, six strokes back of Mclean and four behind both Kozak and Fry.

Lauren Fox rounds out the top-five at plus-28, with back-to-back rounds of 86.

The complete championship results can be seen here.

The championship’s final round will begin at 7:30 a.m.

Saskatoon’s Josh Nagy started red-hot during round two of the Saskatchewan Junior Men’s Championship and never looked back taking over the top of the leaderboard through 36-holes at the Moon Lake Golf and Country Club.

Nagy, 16, improved heavily on his opening round of 76 with a stellar 68 during the second of three rounds in the championship. He birdied his first three holes and another trio of holes on the back nine before finishing with a double-bogey on hole 18. Nagy posted the lowest round of the day, Bradley Moser, also of Saskatoon carded the only other under-par round at 71. Moser jumps into second place, three strokes back of Nagy heading into Wednesday’s final round.

Edmonton’s Braden O’Grady, 14, used a hole-in-one on the 17^th hole (Moors #8) to his advantage shooting an even 72 to climb into a tie for third with round one leader Connor Scissons. Scissons followed his opening round of 71 with a six-over, 77.

Battleford’s Colby Friedrich rounds out the top five, the 16-year-old posted a one-over, 73, he sits five strokes back of Nagy.

Complete results can be seen here.

The championship round will get underway at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday.

The Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame has announced their induction class for 2018.

Later this year, Regina professional Dean Brown, blind golf phenom Otto Huber, Royal Regina Golf Club member Kirk McGregor, and the 1985 Saskatchewan senior women’s team will be enshrined at a gala event. The group of four women including Barbara (Turnbull) Danaher, Pat Lawson, Joanne Goulet, and Vivian Holizki were the first national champion senior women’s team from the province.

The induction ceremony will take place at the Royal Regina on Sept. 22. Tickets will be available through the Golf Saskatchewan website beginning Aug. 1.

Golf Saskatchewan will have full features on all the inductees throughout the season leading up to the marquee event.

The Hall of Fame currently has 46 inductees and a pair of teams from 1964. The first ceremony was in 2010.

Saskatoon’s Connor Scissons carved his way to the top of the leaderboard Monday during the first round of the Saskatchewan Junior Men’s Championship at the Moon Lake Golf and Country Club.

Scissons is the only player in the 54-golfer field to shoot under par during the first of three 18-hole rounds. He fired a pair of bogeys on the front nine along with one birdie to sit at one-over at the turn. Scissons ran into trouble on hole 11 carding a triple-bogey on the par five before rattling off five straight birdies to end the round at one-under par.

Adam Husli of Regina is two strokes back at 73; Kindersley’s Connor Tate sits in third position at plus-3, with a 75. Five golfers are logjammed in fourth place tied at 76.

Complete results can be seen here.

The second round begins at 8 a.m. Tuesday at Moon Lake.

Shell Lake’s Brooklin Fry seared her way through round one of the 68^th Saskatchewan Junior Women’s Championship Monday posting an 83, one stroke better than Deer Valley’s Carey McLean.

Fry double-bogeyed hole three at the Moon Lake Golf and Country Club but still carded a six-over par 42 on the front nine. She was sitting at just one-over par on the back nine heading into hole 18 but got into trouble, eventually hitting 9 to finish the day at plus-11.

McLean shot an 84, Alexandra Schmidt sits in third place after shooting 85 on her 18^th birthday.

Lauren Fox is in fourth place at 14-over par; Sarah Grieve carded an 87; Ray-Lyn Schmidt is tied for fifth with Grieve at 87. Ella Kozak sits in seventh place at plus-16; Veronika Duchscherer shot 94; Autumn Neiszner sits in ninth at plus-28.

Tenesha Pompu withdrew during the opening round.

The junior women tee off for the second round of the 54-hole championship at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Detailed results can be found here.

Canadian Pacific (CP), Golf Canada and the LPGA Tour officially announced today that CP has extended its title sponsorship of the CP Women’s Open for five years, beginning in 2019 through 2023. Terms of the partnership were not disclosed.

Since becoming title sponsor of the CP Women’s Open in November of 2013, CP has worked closely with Golf Canada to enhance Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship including the overall experience for players and fans. CP has also established a meaningful charitable legacy through CP Has Heart, which has raised nearly $6.5M for heart health initiatives in the event’s host communities.

“Extending our partnership with Golf Canada as title sponsor of the CP Women’s Open will enable CP to continue to make a significant difference in communities across Canada through our community investment program, CP Has Heart,” said Keith Creel, CP President and Chief Executive Officer. “Partnering with these world-class athletes and this wonderful tournament enhances pride across our company, while building deeper, stronger relationships within the host communities. Since our first CP Women’s Open in 2014 we have raised close to 6.5 million dollars for children’s hospitals and pediatric cardiac care systems across the country, and we look forward to supporting even more young hearts and families in the years to come.”

FIVE. MORE. YEARS. – @CanadianPacific , @TheGolfCanada and the @LPGA Tour officially announced today that CP has extended its title sponsorship of the #CPWO for five years, beginning in 2019 through 2023.

A post shared by CP Women’s Open (@cpwomensopen) on Jul 9, 2018 at 6:00am PDT

In addition to being title sponsor of the CP Women’s Open, CP is extending its role as a premier partner of Golf Canada’s National Team Program (Team Canada) and the Young Pro Squad which supports emerging Canadian professionals in their transition to the LPGA Tour and PGA TOUR. CP also proudly supports Canadian golf legend Lorie Kane and major champion Brooke Henderson as CP Ambassadors.

CP will also continue its investment as title sponsor of the CP Women’s Leadership Summit which will make its debut on August 21 during tournament week of the 2018 CP Women’s Open at Wascana Country Club in Regina, Sask.

For Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum, CP’s extended relationship with the CP Women’s Open further solidifies CP’s standing as a champion supporter of golf in Canada.

“Canadian Pacific has been an incredible partner supporting excellence in Canadian golf for the past five years and we are honoured to have them continue their title sponsorship of the CP Women’s Open,” said Applebaum. “CP is among Canada’s most respected corporations and as a deeply invested golf partner under the leadership of Keith Creel, their commitment to delivering a world-class experience for players, caddies, fans and charitable beneficiaries, has elevated the status of Canada’s National Women’s Open to one of the premier events on the LPGA Tour.”

As part of CP’s title sponsorship renewal, the purse for the 2019 CP Women’s Open will be $2.25M US beginning in 2019 with a commitment to be among the top-tier purses on the LPGA Tour for the term of the agreement.

“For our players, this championship is a must-play event with great hospitality as well as great history,” said LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan.  “The LPGA’s success is made possible through partnerships like the ones we enjoy with CP and Golf Canada. I’d like to congratulate both CP and Golf Canada on this five-year sponsorship extension.  With CP’s help, we’re proud to continue showcasing the LPGA Tour to millions of golf fans in Canada, across North America and around the world.”

MAGNA GOLF CLUB TO HOST 2019 CP WOMEN’S OPEN

In addition to announcing the title sponsorship renewal, Golf Canada and CP also confirmed today that the 2019 CP Women’s Open will be conducted at the prestigious Magna Golf Club in Aurora, Ontario.

The naming of Magna Golf Club as host of the 2019 CP Women’s Open kicks off an east-west venue rotation over the five-year term to bring the event to world-class facilities in host communities in which CP employees live and work across its network. The 2019 event marks the first time since 2001 that Canada’s National Women’s Open has been contested in the greater Toronto area.

“Magna Golf Club is a truly magnificent facility which will prove to be a world-class experience for the stars of the LPGA Tour,” added Applebaum. “The CP Women’s Open is one of Canada’s premier sporting events and we are thrilled to return to the Toronto area for the first time in nearly 20 years so that golf fans and partners can experience the incredible Magna Golf Club as well as the global excitement of the LPGA Tour.”

In 2019, the #CPWO will be heading to the beautiful @MagnaGolfClub in Aurora, Ont. ??⛳️

Read ➡️ https://t.co/zxE71wEFxw pic.twitter.com/GXL9ZW17WB

— CP Women’s Open (@cpwomensopen) July 9, 2018

“When presented with the opportunity to host the 2019 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open Championship, we were immediately excited,” said Magna Golf Club General Manager and Director of Golf, Stuart Brindle. “The event will allow some of the world’s greatest golfers to experience Magna Golf Club, while making a tremendous impact on our local community.”

The 2019 charitable beneficiary for the CP Has Heart campaign is support of pediatric heart health initiatives will be announced in the coming months.

First conducted in 1973, Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship has allowed the brightest stars of the LPGA Tour to shine on Canadian soil and inspire the nation’s next generation of female golfers.

The 2018 CP Women’s Open will be held August 20-26 at Wascana Country Club in Regina. Additional information regarding tickets, sponsorship or volunteer opportunities can be found at www.cpwomensopen.com.

RBC, Golf Canada and the PGA TOUR have announced that the 2019 RBC Canadian Open will be moving to a premier spot on the PGA TOUR schedule starting in 2019, one week before the U.S. Open. The 110th RBC Canadian Open, to be played at the historic Hamilton Golf and Country Club with new dates, June 3-9, 2019, is expected to attract an even better field for Canada’s National Championship.

The 2018 RBC Canadian Open will be played as scheduled, July 23-29, at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario.

“The RBC Canadian Open is one of the oldest and most-prestigious golf events in the world and we’re thrilled to start a new chapter in 2019,” said Mary DePaoli, executive vice-president and chief marketing officer, RBC. “As the only Canadian stop on the Tour, the June tournament date will help enrich the experience for fans, players and all Canadians.”

In addition to the new spot on the PGA TOUR schedule, the 2019 RBC Canadian Open will also feature an increased purse, set at USD $7.6-million.

“The PGA TOUR, RBC and Golf Canada have collaborated to ensure this new date is the right fit for players and fans of the RBC Canadian Open,” said Andy Pazder, chief tournaments & competitions officer, PGA TOUR. “As title sponsor of both the RBC Canadian Open and the RBC Heritage, RBC has been a tremendous partner of the PGA TOUR, and we’re thrilled to have this opportunity to move one of golf’s most important and historic tournaments to a new date for the event starting in 2019.”

With even stronger fields and competition anticipated with the new date, the RBC Canadian Open is expected to increase global awareness for golf in Canada and the RBC Canadian Open tournament; drive deeper interest and participation in golf in Canada; and positively impact the regional economy with increased ticket sales, hospitality and tourism.

“Golf Canada is beyond thrilled by RBC’s overall support for the Canadian Open. Together with the PGA TOUR, the new 2019 date change is a clear demonstration of our combined commitment to the game and Canada’s National Open Championship,” said Laurence Applebaum, chief executive officer, Golf Canada. “This exciting change will inject tremendous energy into the RBC Canadian Open and make Canadian golf better.”

For ticket, volunteering, sponsorship and corporate hospitality information on the 2018 RBC Canadian Open, details are available online at www.rbccanadianopen.com.

Saskatchewan golf fans are going to have a local favourite to cheer for at the CP Women’s Open in Regina.

The tournament selection committee has ruled Saskatoon’s Anna Young will be among the LPGA field at the Wascana Country Club on Aug. 20 to 26. Young, 24, is currently playing on the Symetra Tour in the United States and recently picked up her second professional victory.

Young is a five-time Saskatchewan Amateur Women’s Champion.