Oakville, Ont. (Golf Canada) –A pair of long-time contributors to the sport of golf – volunteer Richard Smith of Regina, Sask. and golf journalist Ian Hutchinson of Newmarket, Ont. – will be acknowledged for their tremendous contributions to the sport as the 2020 recipients of Golf Canada’s Distinguished Service Award.

The presentation of the 2020 Distinguished Service Awards to Smith and Hutchinson will take place during a dinner on Friday, February 28 as part of Golf Canada’s Annual Meeting (February 28-29) at the Hilton Toronto Airport Hotel in Mississauga, Ont.

A former president of Golf Saskatchewan, Smith has spent more than two decades volunteering provincially and at the national level with Golf Canada serving in a number of areas including championships, membership, course rating and golf programming. As a member and past Chair of Golf Canada’s Handicap and Course Rating Committee, he played an instrumental role in Canada’s preparation and education around the roll-out of the new World Handicap System which took effect in 2020.

Hutchinson is a respected sports journalist who has covered the sport of golf for more than 40 years. He is a former golf reporter and columnist for Sun Media and has contributed to a multitude of publications and outlets during his tenure including Golf Scene, Pro Shop, World of Women’s Golf, Ontario Golf Magazine, ScoreGolf and Golf Canada Magazine. In 2008, he launched Golf News Now, a digital platform devoted to coverage of the Canadian golf industry.

“Golf Canada is proud to recognize volunteer Richard Smith along with journalist Ian Hutchinson as the recipients of our 2020 Distinguished Service Award,” said Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum. “Each of their respective contributions to the sport of golf has left a meaningful impact on the Canadian golf landscape. It is with great respect and admiration that we honour these individuals for their passion and commitment to our sport.”

Golf Canada’s Distinguished Service Award has been presented annually since 1993 to recognize individuals who have had an outstanding impact on Canadian golf either nationally or within their community.

In addition to the presentation of the Distinguished Service Awards, Golf Canada will also recognize Bill MacMillan of East Passage, N.S. as the 2019 Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year.

On Saturday, February 29 during Golf Canada’s Annual General Meeting, Charlie Beaulieu of Lorraine, Qué., will be sworn in to serve a second term as President of Golf Canada.

Golf Canada 2020 Distinguished Service Award Honourees:

Richard Smith (Volunteer)

Richard Smith of Regina, Sask. has been volunteering with Golf Saskatchewan for nearly 20 years and almost a decade with Golf Canada. Since 2003, the Katepwa Beach Golf Club member has been a key contributor to Golf Saskatchewan through his involvement with course rating, golf programming and member services. He has served on the executive committee and led Golf Saskatchewan as president in 2014-15. As a volunteer with Golf Canada, Smith has served on numerous committees and has volunteered at numerous regional and national golf championships as a starter and scorer. He has also served on Golf Canada Governor’s Council and as past chair of the Provincial Council served as a member of Golf Canada’s Board of Directors.

Among his many contributions, it was during his time as Chair of Golf Canada’s Handicap and Course Rating Committee (2015-18) and a member of the Handicap and Course Rating Committee that he was most impactful, supporting the National Sport Federation in the research, development, education and roll-out of the new World Handicap System which launched in 2020.

His leadership and commitment to Handicap and Course Rating have also been felt across the country with Smith having led numerous education seminars in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia and Nova Scotia. In 2018, Smith was named the Sask Sport Inc. Volunteer of the Year and was also a recipient of the Golf Saskatchewan Long-term and Exemplary Volunteer Service Award. In 2019 he was a finalist for the Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year honour.

Ian Hutchinson (Media)

Long-time journalist Ian Hutchinson of Newmarket, Ont. has had a meaningful impact over four decades chronicling the game of golf for a variety of outlets and trade publications during his distinguished career as a reporter and columnist. His career began in 1978, covering a multitude of sports including golf for community newspapers including the Newmarket Era, Mississauga Times and Mississauga News before moving on to become an associate editor at MVP, Canada’s national sports magazine at the time.

‘Hutch’ also covered the NHL, CFL, NFL and MLB, before transitioning into full-time golf as an editor with ScoreGolf Magazine. He would go to become managing editor of World of Women’s Golf Magazine before beginning a 14-year run as golf columnist for the Toronto Sun and other Sun Media newspapers. He has contributed to various Canadian and US golf publications as an editor or writer including Pro Shop Magazine, Ontario Golf Magazine, Golf Scene Magazine and Golf Canada Magazine in addition to writing for Golf Channel’s website.

In 2008, he reinvented himself in the digital space when he founded Golf News Now, a Canadian website and daily newsletter devoted to covering the golf industry. With GNN, he has become a trusted voice in the Canadian golf industry with daily insights and reporting on all facets of the game. He continues to make frequent radio and television guest appearances and in 2017, was honoured by the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame with the Lorne Rubenstein Media Award.

Oakville, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada is pleased to announce that Bill MacMillan of Eastern Passage, N.S. has been named the 2019 recipient of the Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year Award.

A golf tournament official and major contributor to Handicap and Course Rating for more than three decades, MacMillan will be acknowledged during a dinner on Friday, February 28 as part of Golf Canada’s 2020 Annual Meeting at the Hilton Toronto Airport Hotel in Mississauga, Ont.

“Volunteers are the driving force behind the success of golf in this country and we are proud to recognize Bill MacMillan for his deep contributions to support the game of golf in Nova Scotia and at the national level,” said Golf Canada President Charlie Beaulieu. “Bill’s contributions to the sport, especially in the important areas of Rules, Handicapping and Course Rating have had a major impact and it is fitting that his efforts through volunteerism are being recognized.”

Beginning in 2020, Golf Canada has renamed its annual volunteer citation the Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Award in recognition of Toronto native Bruce Mitchell who in 2017-18 was the first Canadian to serve as captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A). Born in Victoria and raised in Edmonton, the former president of the Toronto Golf Club and R&A member since 1988 became just the ninth internationally appointed captain of the R&A, one of the most prestigious volunteer positions in the world of golf. Duties as captain included representing the R&A as a global ambassador and aiding in the R&A’s effort to develop golf around the world.

Bill MacMillan and former Golf Canada president Roland Deveau

“Each year in Canada and around the world, thousands of committed volunteers are helping to support the game. Renaming our volunteer citation the Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year Award is a fitting way to celebrate the distinction of Bruce’s selection as R&A captain and pay tribute to a Canadian volunteer who impacted the game both in the community and at a global level,” added Beaulieu.

Now in its 14^th year, candidates for the Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year Award are put forth to Golf Canada for consideration by the respective provincial golf associations in acknowledgment of significant contributions to the game of golf in their community. 

 Bill MacMillan – 2019 Golf Canada Volunteer of the Year

For more than 30 years, Bill MacMillan has been a significant contributor to the Nova Scotia Golf Association (NSGA) working tirelessly as a Referee, Course Rater, and a board member at the Provincial and National levels.

Since 1985, he has served on the NSGA Executive Committee, working as an assistant on Rules, Handicap and as the Chair of the Course Rating committee, a position he holds to the day. In 1995 he became the first elected Vice-President of the NSGA and a year later was elected as President of the association.

During his tenure, he assisted in establishing the NSGA Player of the Year points system as well as the founding the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation Golf Tournament, an event for high school students to compete at the provincial level. From 2013 to 2018, he served as NSGA Tournament Director and in 2019, was named Chair of the NSGA Tournament Committee.

Bill’s contributions to the game have been especially impactful in the areas of Handicap and Course Rating. Over the span of more than 30 years, he has rated over 2400 holes in seven provinces and two US States. He has also been a Referee at more than 270 provincial and national championships over his lengthy career.

Bill’s involvement with golf was also felt at the national level as he has spent more than 15 years volunteering on numerous committees with Golf Canada. He was Chair of Golf Canada’s Handicap and Course Rating Committee from 2005-2009 and has continued to serve on the committee since 2009.

His contributions to the game also benefited his home club of Hartlen Point Forces Golf Club where he served on the club’s Executive Committee for the past 21 including 17 years as Rules and Handicap Chair. Away from the golf course, he worked nearly 40 years at the Geological Survey of Canada at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography before retiring in 2010. 

Congratulations to Bill MacMillan of Eastern Passage, N.S. on being named the 2019 Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year!

Before Mike Weir begins his time on PGA TOUR Champions in May, he threw back the clock on the Korn Ferry Tour. On a leaderboard chalk full of golf’s up-and-coming stars, many of whom are half of Weir’s age, the 2003 Masters champion was holding his own.

That never-give-up attitude has never left Weir, even when it seemed like his game had.

“My mindset was, ‘go as low as you can,’” says Weir of his T17 finish at the Korn Ferry Tour’s LECOM Suncoast Classic. It was Weir’s highest result at a PGA Tour-sanctioned tournament since 2014.

“As I approach the (PGA Tour Champions) I’ve felt a different energy and I think being around the guys at the Presidents Cup, playing with young guys on the Korn Ferry Tour, you feel like you can compete at that level. I feel good and it energizes you.”

Canada’s @MikeWeir has not recorded a top-20 finish since 2014.

He’s currently T3 at the LECOM Suncoast Classic, one off the lead.

Less than three months from joining @ChampionsTour. pic.twitter.com/Ik3Mb8AL08

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) February 16, 2020

Weir was one of Ernie Els’ captain’s assistants at Royal Melbourne in December, and this year he’s had an open schedule playing on the Korn Ferry Tour before he turns 50 in May.

The eight-time PGA Tour winner says he’s been working with a swing coach, Mark Blackburn, a trainer, Jason Glass, and a sports psychologist, Rich Gordon. It doesn’t sound like Weir, who is off on a ski trip before returning to action in a few weeks on the Korn Ferry Tour, is slowing down any time soon.

“Golf’s a game where you have to have everything working well. You have to have your mind in the right place. The balance in my life is good,” he says. “All those things I’ve been working hard on are paying off.”

Things were bleak for Weir just a few years ago as he battled a myriad of injuries and was in a bit of no man’s land with respect to his status on the PGA Tour.

The Korn Ferry Tour has special exemption category for golfers 48-49 before they turn 50. Since Weir has earned more than $28-million in his PGA Tour career, he was one of the highest-earners trying to play the Korn Ferry Tour out of that special category. He could pick and choose his schedule. But prior to getting to that magic number, Weir tried teeing it up wherever he could – including in Europe and Australia.

But at no point did he think of giving up.

“Even when I was really struggling I never thought that. I know what kind of player I am and I know that wasn’t what I was showing on the golf course,” he explains. “There were a number of things I had to iron out through injury and getting back through mobility and technique. I took it as a big challenge.”

Drew Weaver, who played with Weir for the first two rounds at the LECOM Suncoast Classic, says Weir had a great attitude and a renewed perspective since last year. The two met in 2007 when Weaver played The Open Championship as an amateur. At that point, Weir was 40th in the world.

“He still has a ton of game,” says Weaver. “His chipping has always been incredible and his ball-striking was great. It was nice to see him play as well as he did tee-to-green.”

Part of Weir’s inspiration – aside from the jolt he got from playing on the Korn Ferry Tour like Weaver or being in the Presidents Cup team room – is to see how well his fellow Canadians are doing on the PGA Tour.

He was travelling all day Sunday during Nick Taylor’s win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, but he got to his hotel in time to watch Taylor play No’s 17 and 18 and seal the deal. The tournament, where Weir finished runner-up twice – in 2005 and 2009 – is an important one, Weir says, and he was thrilled to see a Canadian lift the trophy.

JERSEY CITY, NJ – SEPTEMBER 28: (L-R) Mike Weir of Canada and Captainís Assistant of the International Team and Adam Hadwin look on during the Thursday foursomes matches of the first round of the Presidents Cup at Liberty National Golf Club on September 28, 2017, in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Scott Halleran/PGA TOUR)

Taylor’s win got him into the Masters. For just the second time ever, there will be a foursome of guys waving the red-and-white at Augusta National.

“For a number of years it’s just been myself and one other guy and sometimes two. You get more numbers there, you have more chances to win,” Weir says.

And, he’s not counting out the potential for another addition.

Weir points to the success Australian and South African golfers have had on the major championship stage.

“We have that kind of talent,” says Weir. “Someone is going to break through here and win a major championship sooner rather than later. It’s been a long time since I’ve won so we’re due for someone else to do it.”

While it’s unlikely Weir will be competing at other majors other than the Masters – never say never, though – he’s got a strong focus on where he will be moving forward.

He says he has no plans to play more Korn Ferry Tour events after he turns 50, but he’ll mix in a few before May. He’s also playing the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship on the PGA Tour before heading to Augusta. Canadian fans will see Weir at the RBC Canadian Open in June, too.

HAMILTON, ONTARIO – JUNE 06: Nick Taylor of Canada shakes hands with Mike Weir of Canada and David Hearn of Canada after their round in the first round of the RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf and Country Club on June 06, 2019 in Hamilton, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, he’ll celebrate the graduation of his eldest daughter from university in late-April. His youngest daughter has just begun university herself, so Weir is becoming an empty nester like most parents his age.

But most parents don’t have the opportunity to re-start their career at 50 with a renewed sense of optimism (or a Green Jacket).

“I’m not saying there wasn’t frustrating moments, but my brain doesn’t work that way,” says Weir of the last few years. “I always believed that I was going to find a way to get better and get it done and find a way back out of it.”

OAKVILLE, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada is pleased to announce the nine athletes who have been selected to the 2020 Team Canada Young Pro Squad.

Comprising the 2020 Men’s Young Pro Squad are returnees Hugo Bernard (Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que.), Jared du Toit (Kimberley, B.C.), Stuart Macdonald (Vancouver, B.C.) and Taylor Pendrith (Richmond Hill, Ont.) along with new additions Chris Crisologo (Richmond, B.C.) and Joey Savoie (La Prairie, Que.). Crisologo, 23, and Savoie, 25, will make their Young Pro Squad debuts after graduating from the Men’s Amateur Squad.

The Women’s Young Pro Squad will be represented by a trio of returning athletes in Jaclyn Lee (Calgary, Alta.), Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.), and Maddie Szeryk (London, Ont.).

Click here to read Team Canada Young Pro Squad player bios.

Now in its seventh year, the Team Canada Young Pro Squad helps to bridge the gap for top-performing amateurs transitioning into the professional ranks. Since the inception of the Young Pro Squad in 2014, current and former team members have accounted for 43 wins across various professional golf tours including PGA TOUR wins by Mackenzie Hughes and Corey Conners as well as a record nine LPGA Tour wins by Brooke Henderson.

 

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? YOUNG PRO SQUAD ? – Meet the 9 athletes selected to represent the 2020 #TeamCanada Young Pro Squad ?? – The Young Pro Squad helps to bridge the gap for top-performing amateurs transitioning into the professional ranks. Since 2014, current and former team members have accounted for 43 wins across various professional golf tours ?

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New for 2020 is the amount of coaching the Young Pro Squad will receive. After talking with past players, one of the areas Golf Canada was committed to improving on was the amount of contact time with coaches. That time will double in 2020.

Men’s and Women’s National Squad coaches Derek Ingram and Tristan Mullally will provide coaching to their respective Young Pro athletes. Both Ingram and Mullally are PGA of Canada members and Ben Kern Coach of the Year past recipients.

Golf Canada is also pleased to announce the addition of Team Canada assistant coaches Jennifer Greggain (Chilliwack, B.C.) on the women’s side and Andrew Parr (London, Ont.) on the men’s side who will provide coaching support to athletes on the Amateur Squads. Greggain, the 2018 PGA of Canada Jack McLaughlin Junior Leader of the Year, brings an accomplished competitive resume including two years as a member of the LPGA Tour while Parr, a PGA of Canada apprentice professional and Team Canada graduate played professionally on both the Mackenzie Tour and European Tour.

The athletes will also have access to Team Canada’s sport science staff, which includes physiotherapist Greg Redman and Psychologist Dr. Adrienne Leslie-Toogood supporting the men’s team. The women’s team will be supported by physiotherapist Andrea Kosa and mental performance consultant Christie Gialloreto.

Funding for this program, in large part, comes from the Golf Canada Foundation with generous contributions from founding partners RBC and Canadian Pacific, as well as supporting partners Citi Canada and Bear Mountain Resort – the Official Training Centre of Golf Canada’s National Team program.

Residence
Saskatoon

Club
Riverside Country Club

Handicap
26

Rounds per Year
30

Left/Right
Right

Years with Golf Saskatchewan
10

Service
Rules Official, Course Rating

How did you get involved with Golf Saskatchewan?

“One of the fellows at Riverside was talking about the Rules and Course Rating process so he suggested I should try that and see how it worked. I went to the course and just kept going at it.”

What do you like about volunteering?

“I find it very interesting, it’s a great exercise of judgement, your observation skills, once you see certain things. You work as a team so there is a teamwork aspect to it and then you need to negotiate your thoughts. You may have seen something or not seen something that someone else does so you work your way through those kinds of things to get as close as you can to the right answer. We get to see parts of our beautiful province that you otherwise wouldn’t get close to. I’ve discovered some real jewels and little places that make it all worthwhile. It’s just a great experience.”

What do you get out of volunteering?

“In some ways it is a challenge, I’m an auditor and auditing is terribly boring but what it requires the exercise of professional judgement. If I knew then what I know now when I used to teach my students at the firm I’d have gotten them involved in something like this. It does require judgement; you must weigh the situation and find an appropriate outcome for the situation and level of difficulty. It’s a lot more than meets the eye.”

What would you say to others about volunteering, not only for Golf Saskatchewan but any organization?

“I have promoted it, one of my partners was retiring a couple years ago, I suggested to him he might want to get on this rating team. He was moving to B.C., so he was going to do it there. It is a great way to see the courses of the province. It’s not Mickey Mouse work, it’s meaningful and needs to be done right.”

Three Moose Jaw based golf fans who started a podcast termed Drive the Green recently celebrated their 100^th episode. The trio hit an ace landing Saskatchewan golf hero Graham DeLaet for the episode.

The Hillcrest members were able to chat with the Weyburn product for almost 30 minutes where DeLaet spoke about growing up in southern Saskatchewan, his college days at Boise State and his pro career that has allowed the two-time Saskatchewan amateur champion to collect over $11 million in career earnings.

Although the 38-year-old didn’t start practicing and taking the sport very seriously until college, he grew up loving the game and usually played a couple rounds a day growing up at the Weyburn Golf Club. DeLaet was a typical Saskatchewan kid, he grew up wanting to be a hockey player, golf was great to fall back on.

“I think I was always super excited to get back on the golf course every spring,” he told Drive the Green. “I had a couple good buddies in Weyburn, and we’d play golf everyday, 36 holes, sometimes 54. We weren’t really practisers; we would just go out and play.”

DeLaet continued to play golf and hockey until he was 18 and graduated from high school. A back injury put his hockey dreams aside and he began searching for a golf scholarship. Boise State, in Idaho came calling and the “rest is history” he explained on the podcast.

“I fell in love with the city, I met my wife (Ruby) here, I still live here. It worked out well. I see so many kids chasing the big schools, the big-time programs or they want to play in the warm weather which I totally get, but this worked out so well for me here. I was able to step in as a true freshman right out of the gate and never missed a tournament in my whole career. You really get to learn how to play golf playing in tournaments,” he said.

Building confidence through out his time at Boise, DeLaet realized the chance at a pro career was there. He then increased his practice time but enjoyed the team aspect making the long days more enjoyable. College golf took DeLaet to the PGA Tour but his time in Weyburn is still a huge part of him, and his game.

“No one likes to play in the wind,” he responded when asked about Saskatchewan weather. “We would all rather play in Palm Springs where it’s perfect everyday however on days when it’s pumping I always knew I had an advantage. You are a product of your environment for sure, not only the wind in southern Saskatchewan but at Weyburn Golf Club, our greens on the old nine were tiny, turtleback greens so it just took precision golf shots.”

DeLaet beamed about the state of Canadian golf including the wire-to-wire win for Nick Taylor at Pebble Beach last week. He praised Taylor, Corey Conners, and Adam Hadwin’s current play. When it comes to DeLaet’s own career, representing Canada at the Olympics was his career highlight. He admitted he didn’t play the best in Rio in 2016 but his greatest memory came away from the course during the opening ceremony.

“Just being there was a special thing. The thing I will always remember about that experience is how much it meant to all the other athletes. Not that it didn’t mean anything to me because it did, I was super proud to be there. If I didn’t play well that week I was going to Greensborough for a $7.5 million purse the next week, it wasn’t the end of the world. When you walk through the opening ceremonies and the tears that are pouring out people’s eyes and the emotions that are coming out because they worked so hard for four years to get to the pinnacle, that was by far the best part of the Olympics,’ he said.

He pointed to his President’s Cup appearance as a near second in career highlights.

DeLaet has been close to a PGA win in his career, but a victory still eludes him. He said he’s content and satisfied with his success to date, but collecting that trophy is his driving force.

“I know that I was always a good enough player and I am good enough now to get it and it just never happened for whatever reason. That’s one thing still driving me, going through injuries, rehab, training to get back out there, it’s that win man. That’s just what I need to feel real content about my career,” he explained.

The second reason he’s continuing to work hard at 38 is for his twin kids, Roscoe and Lyla. They are four years old now, DeLaet wants to provide memories for their children whether it’s in the clubhouse or on a PGA course.

DeLaet is currently ranked 220 in the FedEx Cup standings. He’s played five events this year making two cuts along the way.

You can hear the entire Drive the Green podcast here. (Warning-Contains strong language)

On the occasion of Valentine’s Day, let’s get all the bad, frequently offensive, jokes out of the way first.

To speed up the process, I will provide just the punch lines to a couple of the hoariest groaners.

“No way! The last time I tried that shot, I made double bogey!”

“But you don’t understand. It’s my wife’s funeral.”

On a related note this February 14, let’s officially bury the term “golf widow.”

With that out of the way, let’s move on.

Golf, and I speak from personal experience, can strengthen romantic relationships.

Even the dating web site eHarmony recognizes that, listing “15 reasons to date a golfer.” Among them, “golfers strive for emotional balance,” “they know how to make conversation,” “golfers understand they must forget mistakes and move on,” and “committed golfers are in it for the long haul.” Finally, these relationship experts point out, “you’ll be spending countless hours together in pristine park-like settings. Not a bad way to nurture romance.”

They might have mentioned etiquette, balance, equity and all those other fundamental values in the game. As well, the rules would be worth mentioning.

Not the new Modernized Rules of Golf, although those certainly have their place in the actual playing of the game.

If you want golf to help forge and strengthen a romantic bond, you would be well advised to follow these guidelines which I have learned (often the hard way, particularly No. 1) over three decades of golfing with my beloved.

1. If you’re not asked, then shut the hell up. If your partner is having an off day, fight the misguided impulse to offer your well-intentioned but worthless opinion. First, you most likely don’t have the foggiest idea of how to rectify the situation. Second, even though they love you, they now are so frustrated that you are only exacerbating the eventual meltdown. And they have easy access to a selection of deadly metal implements. If you are going to follow only one rule, make it this one.
2. Take a golf vacation together. Sitting on the beach is all fine and good, but getting out on the course and sharing some conversation and laughs is far better.
3. Nine and dine. Whether it’s an organized weekly couples’ league or just an impromptu outing for just the two of you, nine holes followed by a leisurely dinner and drinks is a wonderful way to unwind and catch up.
4. Don’t take it too seriously. Sure, you want to play your best but the object of the exercise is to enjoy each other’s company.
5. Include family. If you’re lucky enough to have kids or grandkids, invite them to play a few holes with you. Or maybe it’s your brother and sister-in-law or other relatives you love but don’t get to see often enough. Golf is a great excuse to reinforce those family ties.

I speak from experience, as I mentioned earlier. My wife took up golf after I did and fell for it as hard, or maybe harder, than she fell for me. We’ve done all things listed above, from golf vacations to couples’ nights to including family.

And while the pure meaning of Valentine’s Day is focussed on your one and only, and my wife and I have spent many delightful hours golfing together, I can tell you that one of my everlasting memories is the sight of our son and his grandfather golfing together.

That’s something else I truly love.

OAKVILLE, ONT. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada is pleased to announce its 2020 championship schedule which includes 29 amateur and professional competitions hosted at member clubs across Canada.

The 2020 schedule is headlined by Golf Canada’s premier professional championships – the RBC Canadian Open from June 8-14 at St. George’s Golf & Country Club in Toronto, Ont. (in partnership with Islington Golf Club), and the CP Women’s Open at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, B.C., from Aug. 31 – Sept 6.

The competition calendar includes eight National Amateur Championships, eight NextGen junior competitions and the World Junior Girls Championship.

Golf Canada conducts the country’s premier amateur and professional golf championships as part of its mandate to promote the sport and support the development of the nation’s top talent through world-class competition. In 2020, Golf Canada will celebrate its 125^th anniversary with activities and celebrations planned throughout the championship season.

 

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?2020 CHAMPIONSHIPS ? We’re proud to announce our 29 amateur and professional #golf competitions held in 2020 at some of #Canada’s top member clubs across #Canada ??⛳️

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“Competing in a national championship is an incredible accomplishment for each of the more than 3,000 talented Canadian and international golfers who take part in our competitions,” said Golf Canada’s CEO, Laurence Applebaum. “The depth of talent, engagement among thousands of volunteers, the quality of our host venues and the committed support of corporate partners who have aligned their respected brands with our properties have been core to 125 years of excellence in conducting golf competitions. We are excited to welcome the next wave of Canadian golf champions.”

Golf Canada’s championship season kicks off May 12 with the U.S. Open Local Qualifier at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ont. and concludes in October with the 7^th edition of the World Junior Girls Championship at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont.

To view Golf Canada’s 2020 championship schedule including all host venues, registration requirements and volunteer opportunities please click here.

The Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship will be celebrating its 125th anniversary at The Glencoe Golf & Country Club in Calgary, Alta., from Aug. 3-6. A field of 264 players will be cut to the low 70 players and ties after 36 holes. The champion will receive an exemption into the 2021 RBC Canadian Open, as well as an exemption into the 2020 U.S. Amateur Championship. Additionally, the winner will receive an exemption into local qualifying for the 2021 U.S. Open, and if applicable, the U.S. Junior, U.S. Mid-Amateur or U.S. Senior Amateur Championships. The 2020 event marks the first time the championship will host the 264-player field on the same property (Forest & Meadows courses) since the field expanded in 2010. The inaugural Canadian Men’s Amateur was held in 1895 – the year of Golf Canada’s founding – and has been conducted every year since (excluding times of war between 1915-1918 and 1940-1945).

The 107th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship takes place July 21-24 at one of Golf Canada’s founding clubs, The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Île Brizard, Qué. The  champion will earn an exemption into the 2020 CP Women’s Open, as well as an exemption into the 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. Additionally, the winner will receive exemptions into the U.S. Girls’ Junior, U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championships, if applicable.

Rivershore Estates & Golf Links will host the 82nd Canadian Junior Boys Championship from Aug. 10-13 in Kamloops, B.C. The winner will earn an exemption into the 2021 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.

The 66th Canadian Junior Girls Championship will take place July 28-31 at Club de golf de Lorette in Loretteville, Qué. with the winner earning an exemption into the 2021 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.

The 18th Canadian University/College Championship will be held May 25-28 at Club de Golf Les Quatre Domaines in Mirabel, Qué. The national championship features both a team and individual component featuring Canada’s top university and college talent.

The Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur will be held Aug. 18-21 at Riverside Country Club in Rothesay, N.B., with the champion earning entry into the 2021 RBC Canadian Open.

The Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship will be held Aug. 25-27 at the Golf Château-Bromont in Bromont, Que. The winner will earn an exemption into the 2020 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship and 2021 U.S Senior Women’s Open.

Pheasant Glen Golf Resort located in Qualicum Beach, B.C., will host the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship from Sept. 15-18, with the winner earning an exemption into the 2021 U.S. Senior Amateur.

The NextGen Championships round out Golf Canada’s schedule with eight regional junior competitions. The series will run from May through September in conjunction with the respective Provincial Golf Associations.

The Future Links Junior Skills Challenge National Event will be held on Aug. 29 at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver. Twenty-four of the nation’s top-scoring juniors compete for the title of their respective age group (8 and under, 9-11, 12-14, 15-18).

An accomplished field of international competitors will take to Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont., from Sept 28 – Oct. 3, for the seventh annual World Junior Girls Championship.  The event will welcome 26 countries playing as three-member squads competing for both a team and individual title. New for 2020, the individual champion will earn an exemption into the 2021 CP Women’s Open.

The Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru National Event will be held at Islington Golf Club in Toronto on Sept. 21. The one-day event is a celebration of the success of all Golf Fore the Cure events held nationwide during the 2020 season. To date, the fundraising efforts of thousands of golfers have totaled more than $6.8 million for breast cancer research since the program’s inception in 2003.

A handful of Saskatchewan college students opened their spring seasons this week with good results.

The Southern Arkansas University (SAU) duo of Kade Johnson and Roman Timmerman started where they left off in the fall season. The Yorkton and Saskatoon products tied for fourth place at the Houston Open on Monday and Tuesday. The pairs’ three round score of 219 helped the Muleriders finish second in the team competition at the Golf Club of Houston.

SAU is back in action on March 9 and 10 when they host the Arkansas Classic.

In Brunswick, Georgia Saskatoon’s Marc Sweeney should have crossed paths with Kindersley golfer Brody Istace. Sweeney show a two-round score of 149 (76, 73) at the 10^th annual Winter Invite over the last couple days. Sweeney placed tied for 19^th. Sweeney and his University of South Carolina Beaufort teammates placed third out of 16 teams.

Istace is in his second year at Columbia International University (CIU), the Rams also competed in the Invite. Istace shot rounds of 83 and 87 leaving him in 74^th position. The Rams placed ninth as a team.

The Sand Sharks will meet SCAD Savannah in a match-play event on Feb. 14. CIU will host their first-ever regular season tournament on Feb. 24 and 25.

Connor Scissons and the Arizona Christian University Firestorm were competing in Phoenix, Arizona this week. The Saskatoon born player placed in a tie for 22^nd at the ACU Spring Invitational. Scissons carded rounds of 71 and 76 at the Moon Valley Country Club.

The Firestorm played great over 36 holes and picked up a second-place finish in the team competition. The men’s golf team will be back on the course March 4 against Otterbein.

For more information on Saskatchewan players at college click here.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Canada’s Nick Taylor faced increasingly windy conditions, a hard-charging Phil Mickelson, and his own struggles in the back nine to come out on top at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Taylor led by as many as five strokes heading into the back nine before bogeys on holes 11 and 12 followed by a double bogey on No. 14 seemed to give Mickleson a window on Sunday. But Taylor, from Abbotsford, B.C., remained unperturbed for birdies on Nos. 15 and 17 for a 2-under 70 round and a four-stroke win over Kevin Streelman, with Mickleson fading to five shots back with three bogeys on his back nine.

Was Taylor really as steely as he seemed, though?

“On the inside? Probably not,” said Taylor with a laugh. “I did feel calm all week and today, but I definitely started feeling some nerves middle of the back nine with really difficult holes and making some bogeys.

“Phil was making bogeys alongside me so it’s not like I was making bad bogeys, it didn’t feel like. It was just playing so difficult.”

That winning putt to become the first Canadian champion at the @attproam ???? pic.twitter.com/TRX0ZlCtFe

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) February 10, 2020

Playing as the final pairing of the day, Taylor had Mickleson and his legion of fans in lockstep with him through the storied course. A partisan crowd was clearly hoping that Mickleson would win a record sixth tournament at Pebble Beach, his home course.

Both players had a disastrous No. 14 – Taylor double bogeyed and Mickleson bogeyed – but Taylor recovered with his two late birdies and Mickleson didn’t shoot below par again.

“It’s disappointing certainly to have not won, but I got outplayed,” Mickelson said. “I mean, Nick played better than I did. He holed a couple of great shots. That eagle on 6, the putts he made on 4, 5 and 7 … he just really played some great golf.”

Never count out Nick ???? pic.twitter.com/pDd7wBHSgA

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) February 9, 2020

Instead, Taylor won a PGA Tour event for the second time of his career and set himself up for an exciting 2020 season.

He’ll now join Adam Hadwin, Corey Conners and Mike Weir at the Masters, the most Canadians to ever play at Augusta. He also joins Hadwin and Conners as a potential member of Canada’s Olympic team at this summer’s Tokyo Games. Canada’s two highest-ranked male players in the world golf rankings will compete in the Olympics.

Winning at Pebble Beach guarantees Taylor a full exemption for the 2021 PGA Tour season.

 

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#Canada is proud of you, champ ?

A post shared by Golf Canada (@thegolfcanada) on Feb 9, 2020 at 4:21pm PST

Taylor also made a little bit of history.

Having won the Sanderson Farms Championship in November 2014, Taylor joined Mike Weir and Stephen Ames as the only Canadians in the modern era to win twice on the top men’s tour.

He’s also the first player to lead all four rounds at Pebble Beach since Mickleson accomplished the feat in 2005.

“It’s a unique week with having three different golf courses to play on,” said Taylor. “Each day is a new challenge, totally different. I think that helped a little bit. I won the Canadian junior championship before I went to college, pretty sure I went wire-to-wire there but it doesn’t happen very often to have a great start and back it up with another good round.

“It’s very rare and makes for a tiring week. Now I know 0.1 per cent of what Tiger Woods does every single day, having to talk to media and stuff like that.”

Taylor and Mickleson – who finished the day 2-over 74 – weren’t the only players to struggle with the wind.

 

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Signed Sealed Delivered! ???? ⁣ ⁣ #TeamRBC’s @nicktaylorgolf completes the wire-to-wire victory for his second career win on the #PGATOUR

A post shared by RBC Canadian Open (@rbccanadianopen) on Feb 9, 2020 at 3:27pm PST

Dustin Johnson shot a 78. Matt Every, in the third-to-last group, shot 80. Jason Day closed with a 75.

The best round and best finish belonged to Jordan Spieth, who chipped in to save par on his final hole for a 67. It was the low round of the day and enabled Spieth to finish in a tie for ninth. That narrowly moves him back into the top 50 and makes him eligible for a World Golf Championship in Mexico City in two weeks.

Streelman also left with a trophy. He teamed with Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald to easily win the pro-am for the second time in three years.

Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont., shot a 3-over 75 to finish tied for 55th at even par.