If you’re looking for a poster child for Golf Canada’s “Future Links, driven by Acura” program, Stephanie Sherlock is just about the ideal candidate.

OK, so “child” isn’t appropriate any more as she will attain the ripe old age of 31 next month, but she remains my top nominee for a number of reasons.

Her first recollections of competitive golf include Future Links tournaments in her home province of Ontario and neighbouring Quebec. Those were stepping stones to a stellar junior and amateur career (she was a Team Canada member from 2006 to 2010 and twice was the country’s top-ranked female amateur) that included winning the 2007 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship and a spot on Canada’s 2008 World Amateur Team. After her all-American performance at the University of Denver, she spent three years on the LPGA Tour before deciding the pro life wasn’t for her.

So Sherlock returned to her home town of Barrie, Ont., to work at the course she grew up on. Simoro Golf Links is owned by her parents, Dave and Angela.

“I wasn’t here very long before I looked around and thought, ‘Man, there aren’t very many kids here,’” she recalls. So she picked the brains of some more established club owners and pros who had thriving junior programs to discover their secret.

While a common theme was their dedication to growing the game, there was another factor: the multi-tiered Future Links programming.

The scope and depth of the Future Links concept are impressive, starting with the very young novice golfer and extending right through high-level amateur competitions. Since launching in 1996, more than one million youngsters have participated in the various Future Links programs including Learn to Play, mobile clinics, Future Links Championships, Junior Skills Challenge, Girls Club, and an awesome grassroots initiative called Golf in Schools.

Golf in Schools is offered in more than 3000 elementary and almost 350 high schools across Canada. It provides a basic introduction to golf through the school physical education curriculum and is endorsed by Physical Health and Education Canada. Almost half of the participating schools are the result of a “school adoption,” whereby an individual, golf club or corporation donates to bring the program to the school.

(For more on the comprehensive programming offered by Future Links, click here.)

Integral to the ongoing success of Future Links is a concept called Get Linked which connects schools and green-grass facilities such as golf courses and ranges. In 2017, there were more than 190 Get Linked initiatives conducted by PGA of Canada professionals across the country,

Sherlock shares her knowledge with kids in Grades 1 through 5 at five area schools via the Golf in Schools program. As a result, she says, Simoro has seen an uptick in junior and family participation.

“We’ve got to be dedicated to getting more kids into golf, not just because we care about the future of the game itself, but we have to ensure the future of our business, too. We consider it a long-term investment and it’s awesome just how much support and materials we get from Future Links.”

Her message is echoed from coast to coast.

In Corner Brook, NL, PGA of Canada professional Wayne Allen looks after three junior programs, all within an hour’s drive of his home base at Blomidon Golf and Country Club. Like Sherlock, he introduces Golf in Schools programming to five local schools every winter and has seen a tremendous impact.

“Six years ago, the nine-hole Deer Lake course didn’t have a junior program,” says Allen, who has been involved with Golf in Schools for 10 years and whose club was named the 2014 Future Links Facility of the Year. “So we started one with six kids. The next year, there were 20. That winter, we visited the schools for the first time and the following summer, we had 60 juniors in the program.”

Ten-fold growth in a couple of years. Impressive, to say the least.

The impact extends beyond increasing the participation rate among youngsters. As a result of the exploding junior programs, Blomidon introduced two new membership categories: An intermediate category for older kids and a family category.

The latter became necessary, says Allen, “because the parents would drop off their kids for golf, then go to the patio for lunch, waiting for the kids to finish. Eventually, they’d say to themselves, ‘Why am I just sitting here when I could be playing golf?’

“The growth in membership has been huge thanks to our junior programs.”

For more on Future Links, driven by Acura, contact Adam Hunter (Manager, Grow the Game) by email (ahunter@golfcanada.ca) or through Twitter.

AVONDALE, La. – When Scott Piercy tried to deflect credit to Billy Horschel for their nerve-testing, one-shot victory in the Zurich Classic team event, Horschel grinned and went with it.

“I’d like to thank myself for playing well this week,” Horschel began with a laugh. “No, it was great to play with Scott. Our games match up well. We are really good ball-strikers. We think the same way. … I don’t have to worry about him making a bad decision.”

Playing in the same group as Jason Dufner and Pat Perez – who trailed by a mere stroke for the final seven holes – Horschel and Piercy calmly executed one pressure-packed shot after another Sunday, closing with a bogey-free 5-under 67 in alternate shot play that was just good enough.

“All four of us are really great friends. We were chatting it up the entire day– toward the end of the round, a little less,” Horschel said. “You’re going to be anxious, nervous. You’re heart’s going to be racing a little bit, but that says you’re alive. It says you’re alive and in the spot you want to be.”

Horschel became a two-time winner at TPC Louisiana. He captured his maiden PGA TOUR triumph at the 2013 Zurich Classic when it was a traditional every-man-for-himself event. His popularity with the crowd was evident with the ovation he receiving approaching the 18th green. He said he loves New Orleans and has close friends in the city.

“I just feel at home here,” Horschel said. “Maybe I should look into buying a house here, but what are the state income taxes? That’s the issue.”

Especially if he keeps playing the way he has lately, having finished tied for fifth at the RBC Heritage two weeks earlier.

Horschel and Piercy surged into the lead with birdies on the 10th and 11th holes. They followed that with seven straight pars. After Horschel narrowly missed a 23-foot birdie putt on 18 that was reminiscent of the one he sank to win on the same green five years ago, Dufner stood over a 14-foot putt for the tie. He left it a foot short.

“Last putt, I didn’t get aggressive with it. Just didn’t quite get speed matched up like I wanted to,” Dufner said before complimenting Horschel on Piercy on how hard they were to chase down. “They didn’t lose a tee all day – and that’s pretty tough in alternate shot.”

Canadian David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and Irish partner Seamus Power shot a 68 to tie for 10th. For Hearn, the finish comes one week after earning a T16 result at the Valero Texas Open. The strong back-to-back performances bode well for Hearn’s FedEx Cup standings and PGA TOUR status for 2019 – he currently sits at No. 139.

This was the second year of the Zurich’s switch to a two-player team format.

The victory was Horschel’s fifth and Piercy’s fourth. They each earned $1.04 million and 400 FedExCup points.

The result did not count toward the world ranking.

A year ago, the Zurich format called for best-ball play in the second and final rounds, with alternate-shot on the first and third. But organizers decided this year to flip that so the final round would have the alternate-shot format, with one player hitting the tee shots on even-numbered holes and the other on odd numbers. That set the stage for substantial moves up or down the leaderboard; players had less margin for error and no choice but the play the lies their teammates left them on the previous shot.

Horschel liked the change because “the better players, the better teams obviously are going to rise on Sunday. It’s a lot more volatility. … I felt the way we played – how good of ball-strikers we are – I felt like we could really make up a lot of ground.”

Horschel and Piercy began the day three shots back, but immediately surged into contention with birdies on the first two holes.

Piercy’s 146-yard approach set up Horschel’s 5-foot birdie putt on the opening hole. On the par-5 second hole, Piercy chipped to 4 feet to set up Horschel for birdie again.

Horschel returned the favour on the par-5 seventh with a chip to 3 feet and did even better on the 10th, dropping a 148-yard approach shot a foot from the hole.

Horschel’s 88-foot wedge out of a greenside bunker stopped less than 2 feet from the hole on the par-5 11th to set up his team’s final birdie.

“With Billy’s course knowledge and comfort level here, I just had to do a little bit and he could kind of take over,” Piercy said.

Heading into the final round, Kevin Kisner and Scott Brown, the 2017 runners-up in a playoff, topped a crowded leaderboard that featured 13 teams within four shots of the lead. By the time the top five teams had all reached the back nine, they were all within two shots of one another.

This time, Kisner and Brown faded on the back nine with three bogeys and one double-bogey, and tied for 15th at 15 under.

The team of Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel finished third at 20 under. Tied for fourth at 19 under were the teams of Tommy Fleetwood and Chris Paisley, and Brice Garnett and Chesson Hadley.

Garnett and Hadley began the day two shots back but briefly led after four birdies on the front nine. However, they bogeyed the par-4 13th when they struggled with a massive fairway bunker on the Pete Dye-designed course, and also bogeyed the par-3 14th and par-3 17th.

Due to extenuating circumstances, the U.S. Open Local Qualifier previously scheduled at Beacon Hall Golf Club will be changing courses. The US Open Local Qualifier will now take place at Weston Golf & Country Club in Toronto, Ontario, on Monday, May 7.

Beacon Hall has experienced winter damage to several of their greens. The cold and windy conditions over the winter, coupled with the extended snow and ice that accumulated in recent weeks, has jeopardized the world-class playing conditions we are accustomed to at Beacon Hall.

This decision was not taken lightly as Beacon Hall has been a great partner to Golf Canada and we look forward to the club hosting another competition in the future.  We feel that this is the right decision to alleviate any pressure on Beacon Hall and maintain the integrity of the Local Qualifier for the U.S. Open.

We are fortunate to have the storied Weston Golf & Country Club accommodate this year’s U.S. Open Local Qualifier on short notice. Weston is consistently recognized as one of the premier courses in Canada and has hosted many prominent events including the RBC Canadian Open in 1955 which was Arnold Palmer’s first career PGA Tour victory. Recently they hosted the 111th Canadian Men’s Amateur and later this summer they will be hosting a U.S. Women’s Amateur Qualifier.

We hope that competitors can appreciate this decision and we apologize for any related inconvenience. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Adam Helmer at ahelmer@golfcanada.ca or by phone at (416) 450-6374.

Please contact the Weston Golf & Country Club Pro Shop at (416) 241-8538 to book a practice round between Wednesday, May 2 and Sunday, May 6.

Yorkton’s Kade Johnson is being honoured for a solid second season of college golf in the United States.

Johnson took up the game as a nine-year-old encouraged by his grandfather, after playing numerous seasons at York Lake and Deer Park in Yorkton the 19-year-old is now playing at Southern Arkansas University in the NCAA Division II. Recently Johnson received an honourable mention among the All-GAC men’s golf awards. Johnson was the lone Canadian among the list of 15 players. He said the recognition was nice to receive following his second year.

“Yes exactly, we had our awards banquet the other night and it was great to receive that,” he said.

Johnson was the top finisher for his school in 10 of 21 team rounds this year. On the season he averaged 74.5. Johnson shot over 70 just once this year and carded in the 60’s three times. Overall, he said the season was memorable.

“It was awesome, we play at a beautiful golf course, another one is nice, the coach has been great. This past season was really good,” Johnson said.

The 2016 provincial junior champion in Saskatchewan is currently preparing for finals and will return to the province this summer. Johnson said he will play the men’s amateur championship and the annual Lobstick in Waskesui among other tournaments. He said playing the IMG Academy Junior World Championship last July was an unforgettable experience.

“You go to a tournament that Tiger Woods won and others on the tour have won that was great. To finish off my junior career at the Canada Games was a nice touch too,” Johnson said.

Johnson will return to Arkansas in the fall and continue his collegiate career. He appreciates the education he’s receiving but when his schooling is complete he hopes to turn professional.

“If my game is where I want to be I will give it a shot. It’s what I’ve been dreaming about for a long time,” he said.

Golf Saskatchewan has a new president among the organization’s board of executives.

Delbert Betnar is taking over for Kyle Mulligan after the Regina resident was voted into the position on Saturday at Golf Saskatchewan’s annual general meeting. Betnar was serving as vice-president of the association. Betnar has been involved with Golf Saskatchewan for 15 years, the member of the Joanne Goulet Golf Course in Regina said taking the board’s top position is exciting.

“Originally when I got on the board I had no inklings of ever being president,” Betnar said. “After some arm twisting by Kyle (Mulligan) I thought yeah, this is something I’m looking forward to,” he said.

Betnar’s ideology is on par with Golf Saskatchewan’s goals. Focusing on women’s golf is a large concentration heading into the 2018 season. Betnar said he’s optimistic about the year ahead.

“We’re celebrating 100 years of the women’s amateur championship and the CP Ladies Open is in my back yard, so this is going to be a lot of fun,” Betnar said.

The board consists of nine members, two are new, seven are returning. Betnar is looking forward to working with the group.

“I think getting people who run golf courses to help us understand how golf courses are run helps us do things better,” Betnar said.

Members and stakeholders within Golf Saskatchewan travelled to the Willows in Saskatoon Saturday for the organization’s annual general meeting.

The almost 50 attendees heard from outgoing president Kyle Mulligan, Golf Canada’s Susan MacMillon and Laura Small spoke and CEO Laurence Applebaum provided a video message praising the work of Saskatchewan’s golf body. Golf Saskatchewan executive Director Brian Lee also spoke to the crowd, that likely would have been larger except for 18 people attending a coach’s seminar in the same building. Lee said 2017 was an above par year for the association.

“Our board passed a deficit budget in the beginning of 2017, but we actually came under that particular number with some year end adjustments,” he said after the new board briefly met. “I know from the amount of people that played our championships and attendance on courses province wide, overall we had a very successful year.”

Grassroot programs such as the CN Future Links initiative up to the professional competitor’s experiences last year were among the highlights for Lee in 2017. With a full slate of events in store this season including Golf Fore a Cure tournaments across Saskatchewan raising money for breast cancer research women’s golf is going to be a focus. Lee said an LPGA event in Regina will lead the way.

“We’re definitely looking forward to the event from Aug. 20 to 26 when the Wascana Golf and Country Club hosts the LPGA event. The 100^th playing of our amateur women’s championship is a major highlight along with a celebration of women’s golf that is going to take place on June 29^,” Lee said.

More details will be released shortly regarding that event. The financial details were provided via treasurer Todd Bergstresser. The upcoming budget year shows a deficit of roughly $84,000. Lee said a larger staff and planning for the CP Women’s Open and the group’s role in the tournament is the reason.

“We have a very strong reserve fund just in case,” Lee explained. “This is a one-time expenditure, it’s not something we will do year over year, the board is aware of that. It also doesn’t include any sponsorship deals unless the invoice has been signed,” Lee said.

An election occurred as well filling four seats on the executive board. Kyle Mullligan concluded his two-years as president but will remain on the board in the past president role. Former vice-president Delbert Betnar is the new Golf Saskatchewan president. Bergstresser remains on the board as well and keeps his title of treasurer. Don Kunkel is the new vice-president. Kevin Duchscherer, Judy Sefton, Ben Findlay will continue to serve on the board. Jasmine Jackman and Larry Wagman join the group. Mark Galambos and Dave Forster’s terms on the board came to an end. Golf Saskatchewan is pleased with the work the outgoing, returning and new members are providing.

The 100^th women’s amateur women’s event is next up for Golf Saskatchewan at the end of June at the Harbor Golf Club and Resort. Courses across Saskatchewan are starting to open this weekend. Lee said the season is here and excitement for a busy summer is building.

“Get out and play, find someone that has never tried it and encourage them to try this great game,” he said.

“Ah, our members don’t need it.”

“Nobody uses it at our course.”

“Our members don’t play competitively!”

Well, these are the top 3 responses our office has received over the last 10 years.  The surprising thing is anyone who is a member of a Saskatchewan golf course or a recreational player could use the benefits of the Golf Canada membership. Who wouldn’t like to tee it up knowing they were protected up to $6,000.

A review of the protection items are shown below:

For more information, please contact Candace Dunham at 306-975-0850 or by email.

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to visit our website. We are excited to showcase our new website. If you visit other golf association websites such as Golf Canada, Alberta Golf, Golf New Brunswick, Golf Manitoba, PEI Golf Association or Nova Scotia Golf Association you will see a similar look and feel.

One of the strategies we have is to work together more instead of separately.  One digital platform is a move in the right direction.

As we work things out to familiarize the new technology, if you notice anything not working properly or don’t know where to look, please contact our office.

We hope you have enjoyed the spring so far and we welcome you to the 2018 golf season which official kicked off on April 15th, even though you were not able to tee it up.

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.