Sixty-nine of the best golf professionals from around the country descends upon the venerable Mississauga, Ont., venue all vying for the association’s most prestigious championship and historic P.D. Ross Trophy

[ACTON, ONT.]—The PGA of Canada’s best players tee it up next week at Credit Valley Golf & Country Club for the 97th playing of the PGA Championship of Canada presented by TaylorMade and adidas Golf.

Sixty-nine of the best golf professionals from around the country descends upon the venerable Mississauga, Ont., venue all vying for the association’s most prestigious championship and historic P.D. Ross Trophy.

“The field for this year’s PGA Championship of Canada presented by TaylorMade and adidas Golf is arguably the finest since the rebirth of the championship in 2011,” said PGA of Canada president Mark Patterson.

Teeing it up at Credit Valley includes 21 past PGA of Canada national championship winners and 42 total national championship titles.

“With nearly a third of the field having won a PGA of Canada national championship in the past, we’re definitely going to feature a winner at week’s end with a solid pedigree.”

Additionally, 44 of the top 50-ranked players from the RBC PGA of Canada Player Rankings are in the field, which includes all 10 from the top 10.

Past PGA Championship of Canada winners in the field at Credit Valley Golf & Country Club include:

• JP Cornellier, 2017
• Marc-Etienne Bussieres, 2016
• Danny King, 2015
• Dave Levesque, 2014
• Bryn Parry, 2013
• Eric Laporte, 2012
• Jim Rutledge, 1984

For first round tee times, CLICK HERE.

Cornellier looks to become the first back-to-back winner of the championship since George Knudson won in 1976 and 1977.

Ranked No. 80 on SCOREGolf’s Top 100 Courses in Canada for 2016, Credit Valley traces its golfing beginning back to 1930. Ontario’s then Lieutenant Governor, W.D. Ross, commissioned that a nine-hole course be built on the original property which was located where the driving range and parking lot now stand. Since its original design by Stanley Thompson in 1930, the club most recently underwent renovations to the course including changes to the first five holes, the 10th hole and a complete bunker renovation. In addition, in 2016, the Credit Valley redesigned its practice facility, which now includes 65,000 square feet of bent grass tee decks, eight target greens, a target fairway, two practice bunkers, a short game area, three putting greens and a dedicated teaching area, making it among the best practice facilities in Canada.

Credit Valley last hosted the PGA Championship of Canada 25-years ago in 1993, which was won by 12-time PGA TOUR winner Steve Stricker. The club has also recently hosted two PGA Women’s Championships (2010 and 2016) and a PGA Seniors’ Championship in 2015.

“Our members are very excited to host PGA of Canada top players from across the country in this year’s PGA of Canada Championship,” said Credit Valley’s chief operating officer and PGA of Canada executive professional Ian Webb. “Much has changed in the 25 years since Steve Stricker’s win, but with recent course and practice facility renovations, we have no doubt the players are in for a real treat.”

Credit Valley was also home to PGA of Canada Hall of Fame member Al Balding, a four-time winner of the PGA Championship of Canada, as well as recently deceased PGA of Canada member Jerry Anderson, who won the championship in 1987.

Re-launched in 2011, the PGA Championship of Canada was contested strictly as a match play event through 2014 with players from the four brackets—Stan Leonard, George Knudson, Al Balding and Moe Norman—looking to advance through the six rounds to capture the historic P.D. Ross trophy. However, the 2015 championship at Cabot Links saw a format change, with 69 top-ranked players from the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC playing two rounds of stroke play. The top-16 players from the 36-hole stroke play portion of the event filled out the four match-play brackets with the eventual champion winning four match play rounds.

This year’s championship at Credit Valley follows the same format.

In addition to Cornellier, past champions of the PGA Championship of Canada include Moe Norman, George Knudson, Marc-Etienne Bussieres, Danny King, Dave Levesque, Eric Laporte, Bryn Parry, Al Balding, Bob Panasik, Steve Stricker, Tim Clark, Lanny Wadkins, Jim Rutledge, Wilf Homenuik, Stan Leonard, Lee Trevino and Arnold Palmer.

The player who sits atop the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC at the conclusion of the PGA Championship of Canada earns an exemption into the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

To follow the PGA Championship of Canada presented by Taylormade and adidas Golf online throughout tournament week, visit pgaofcanada.com, twitter.com/pgaofcanada, instagram.com/thepgaofcanada and facebook.com/pgaofcanada

Hailed as a hero to some and as golf royalty to others, Peter Thomson, a five-time winner of the British Open and the only player in the 20th century to win the tournament for three straight years, died Wednesday. He was 88.

Thomson had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease for more than four years and died at his Melbourne home surrounded by family members, Golf Australia said.

The first Australian to win the British Open, Thomson went on to secure the title five times between 1954 and 1965, a record equaled only by American Tom Watson.

The Australian’s wins came in 1954, ’55, ’56, again in 1958 and lastly in 1965 against a field that included Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.

Only Harry Vardon, with six titles between 1896 and 1914, won more.

Thomson also tied for fourth at the 1956 U.S. Open and placed fifth in the 1957 Masters. He never played the PGA Championship.

In 1998, he captained the International side to its only win over the United States at the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne.

Asked by The Associated Press in 2011 how he’d like to be remembered, Thomson replied: “A guy who always said what he thought.”

Veteran Australian golfer Karrie Webb was among the first to tweet her condolences, saying she was “saddened to hear of the passing of our Aussie legend and true gentleman of the game …. so honoured to have been able to call Peter my friend. RIP Peter.”

Former PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said Thomson was “a champion in every sense of the word, both on the course and in life.”

“Many know him as a five-time champion golfer of the year or as a three-time captain of the Presidents Cup International team.” Finchem added. “But he was also a great friend, father, grandfather and husband. He was golfing royalty, and our sport is a better one because of his presence.”

Former golfer and now broadcaster Ian Baker-Finch, the 1991 British Open champion, called Thomson his “hero” _ “Peter – my friend and mentor R.I.P. Australian golf thanks you for your iconic presence and valuable guidance over the years.”

From Britain, R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers praised Thomson’s plans for the game’s future.

“Peter gave me a number of very interesting and valuable thoughts on the game, how it has developed and where it is going, which demonstrated his genuine interest and love of golf,” Slumbers said. “He was one of the most decorated and celebrated champion golfers in the history of The Open.”

Born in the Melbourne inner-city suburb of Brunswick on Aug. 23, 1929, Thomson was a promising cricketer. He scored an unbeaten 150 runs for the Carlton club against a men’s side as a 15-year-old.

But golf became his passion, and he turned professional in 1947.

He won the national championships of 10 countries, including the New Zealand Open nine times and Australian Open three times. He first played on the PGA Tour in the U.S. in 1953 and 1954, finishing 44th and 25th on the money list, respectively. He won the Texas International in 1956.

Thomson won nine times on the Senior PGA tour in the U.S. in 1985, topping the money list. His last tournament victory came at the 1988 British PGA Seniors Championship, the same year he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Overall, he won 26 European Tour events, 34 times on the Australasian PGA tour and 11 on the seniors tour in the U.S, as well as once in Japan.

In later years, Thomson wrote articles for many publications and daily newspapers, was club professional at Royal Melbourne and designed more than 100 golf courses. In the 2011 Presidents Cup program, Thomson provided an insightful hole-by-hole analysis of the composite course at Royal Melbourne.

Thomson was always reluctant to compare his wins with anyone else’s.

“All records are qualified in that they were made at a certain time in history,” Thomson told golf historian and author Brendan Moloney for a story on his 80th birthday.

“The circumstances change so much, and so do the players’ attitudes. In golf, only in the last 30 years or so has there been a professional attitude to playing for money. The professionals in the USA and Britain and anywhere else all had club jobs as a backstop to their income.

“When they did play and make records, you have to understand that they were taking time off from the pro shop,” he said. “So the records that were set were pretty remarkable.”

Thomson always had stories to tell, and told them well. With a full head of hair and a lineless face that belied his age, the Australian wasn’t afraid to let everyone know his feelings on any subject.

That was true as far back as 1966. As president of the Australian PGA, Thomson was indignant that Arnold Palmer’s prize for winning the Australian Open was only $1,600, out of a total purse of $6,000, one of the smallest in golf.

“Golf Stars Play for Peanuts,” blared the headline of a story he wrote. “Never before has such a field of top golfers played for what $6,000 is worth today. Canada offers 19 times that. I know 19 other countries who give more.”

But he was always happy on the golf course.

“I’ve had a very joyful life, playing a game that I loved to play for the sheer pleasure of it,” Thomson said. “I don’t think I did a real day’s work in the whole of my life.”

Thomson served as president of the Australian PGA for 32 years and worked behind the scenes for the Odyssey House drug rehabilitation organization where he was chairman for five years.

In 1979, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his service to golf, and in 2001 became an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for his contributions as a player and administrator and for community service.

Thomson is survived by his wife Mary, son Andrew and daughters Deirdre Baker, Pan Prendergast and Fiona Stanway, their spouses, 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

REGINA – Brooke Henderson stood at the Wascana Country Club podium and looked over at the CP Women’s Open trophy, resisting the urge to pick it up.

She may not have earned the right to do that yet, but veteran Lorie Kane thinks it’s only a matter of time.

Henderson will aim to be the first Canadian since Jocelyne Bourassa in 1973 to capture the women’s national championship when Regina hosts the tournament from Aug. 20-26.

“This trophy right here has been kind of haunting me all day,” Henderson said Monday at the tournament’s media day. “I really just want to pick it up but I have to work really hard for that.”

Kane, from Charlottetown, will be competing in this year’s event for a record 28th consecutive time. She said that Henderson’s legacy is just beginning.

“I know, mark my words, that child will have that trophy in her hand at some point in her career,” Kane said.

The 20-year-old Henderson has six career victories that includes one major title at the 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Henderson won earlier this year at the Lotte Championship in Hawaii in April.

She dedicated that victory to the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team, which was involved in an April 6 bus crash that killed 16 people and left 13 others injured.

Henderson said that seeing the progress on Twitter of some of the survivors has been incredible. She added that she’s not sure whether she’ll wear a green and yellow ribbon once again in August like she did when she won the Lotte Championship.

“I’m glad I was able to win it for them and being here in Saskatchewan, to win another one and dedicate it to them would be truly special as well,” Henderson said.

The Smiths Falls, Ont., native nearly missed the cut at last year’s CP Women’s Open at her home course in Ottawa, but birdied on her final hole of the second round to qualify for the weekend.

The following day, she fired a course-record 8-under 63 to jump up the leaderboard and eventually finished the tournament tied for 12th.

Henderson said that it will be a little bit different this year playing in Regina.

“I knew almost everyone in the crowd it felt like,” she said of last year’s event.

“But it doesn’t really matter where you come from in Canada, you’re Canadian, you’re part of the family and that’s how I always feel at Canadian Women’s Opens.”

South Korea’s Sung Hyun Park won the 2017 tournament and is expected to participate once again this year. A total of 156 golfers will compete at the 2018 CP Women’s Open which has a tournament purse of US$2.25 million with the winner receiving $337,500.

Henderson is currently 18th in the world rankings and fifth on the LPGA’s money list this year with $602,142.

She had to withdraw from the U.S. Women’s Open earlier this month and head home to be with her family after her grandfather Robert Moir died from cancer on June 1. He was 81.

Henderson admits that it’s been a challenging time since his death.

“It has been pretty tough last few weeks for my whole family as well,” Henderson said Monday afternoon. “Having great family and friend support and my CP family as well and knowing that they’re always there for me has really helped with a lot of things.”

She said that her grandfather was a big part of her life and that it’s sad to see him go.

“It’s difficult to know he’s not here any longer, but he’s in a better place now.”

REGINA – Golf Canada, in partnership with title sponsor Canadian Pacific (CP), has announced that many of the world’s top players have committed to compete in the 2018 CP Women’s Open from August 20-26 at Wascana Country Club in Regina.

The early player commitments to challenge for the $2.25 million USD purse—one of the largest prizes on the LPGA Tour—will include golf’s brightest stars along with rising talents in Canadian golf. Among player commitments are nine of the top 10 players from the 2018 LPGA Official Money list, including 14 of 15 in-year LPGA Tour event winners and 10 past CP Women’s Open champions.

No player will generate more excitement this August in Saskatchewan than Canadian sensation and CP ambassador Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., who will compete in her eighth career National Women’s Open. The six-time LPGA Tour winner and major champion has amassed 27 top-10s since joining the LPGA Tour in late 2015. The graduate of Golf Canada’s National Team program is a former world No. 1 amateur who represented Canada at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she finished T7.

“This is a really exciting time to be a Canadian golf fan and a fan of the LPGA Tour,” said Ryan Paul, Tournament Director for the CP Women’s Open.

“There is tremendous momentum in Canadian women’s golf with a depth of talent at all levels of the game. Combine that with arguably the strongest field on the LPGA Tour and we can guarantee that golf fans in Saskatchewan will be treated to a spectacular world-class event at the CP Women’s Open this August in Regina.”

Canadian Golf Hall of Fame honoured member and CP ambassador Lorie Kane, a four-time winner on the LPGA Tour, will be competing in Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship for a record 28^th consecutive time.

Joining Henderson and Kane in competing on home soil will be LPGA Tour members Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Maude-Aimée LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que., Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., and Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City. The six Canucks will be joined by several more Canadian professional and amateur golfers to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn leads a stellar list of early LPGA Tour player commitments confirmed for Wascana. Jutanugarn is a nine-time winner on the LPGA Tour, with her most recent victory coming at the U.S. Women’s Open earlier this month. The 22-year-old, who won the 2016 CP Women’s Open, currently ranks No. 2 in the Rolex World Rankings and is No. 1 on the LPGA Tour Official Money List.

Three-time Canadian Women’s Open champion Lydia Ko will be looking for a record-setting fourth title. The New Zealand native’s wins in 2012, 2013 and 2015 tie her with Americans Meg Mallon and Pat Bradley for most victories at Canada’s National Women’s Open. The 21-year-old has 15 LPGA Tour victories in total.

Defending CP Women’s Open champion Sung Hyun Park will be looking to capture her fourth LPGA victory this August in Regina. The native of South Korea currently holds the No. 6 spot on the Rolex Women’s Golf Ranking.

Lexi Thompson, who occupies the No. 3 spot on the Rolex Women’s World Rankings, will look to add her first victory in Canada to an already impressive golf resume that includes nine career wins on the LPGA Tour.

So Yeong Ryu, who won the inaugural CP Women’s Open in 2014, will also be competing at Wascana. Ryu, Jutanugarn, Park and Ko are among 10 past champions competing this year along with Brittany Lincicome (2011), Michelle Wie (2010), Katherine Kirk (2008), Cristie Kerr (2006), Laura Davies (1996) and Juli Inkster (1984).

Jutanugarn (No. 1) and Henderson (No. 5) join seven other top-10 players on the LPGA Tour Official Money List who are confirmed to compete in Regina later this summer. Other top-10 commitments include Moriya Jutanugarn (No. 3), Minjee Lee (No. 4), Hyo Joo Kim (No. 6), Jessica Korda (No. 8), Pernilla Lindberg (No. 9) and Eun-Hee Ji (No. 10).

Other exciting early commitments include in-year LPGA Tour winners Annie Park, who recently earned her first LPGA victory at the ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer and Jun Young Ko, who won this year’s ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open. International stars Shanshan Feng, ranked No. 4 on the Rolex World Ranking along with world No. 14 Anna Nordqvist are also committed to compete.

The 156 golfers teeing-it-up at Wascana Country Club will represent one of the strongest fields on the LPGA Tour with more than 92 of the 100 players on the LPGA Tour Official Money List expected to compete.

CP Has Heart Charity Campaign to benefit the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation

Canadian Pacific will continue its history of making a substantial donation to the host community through its CP Has Heart community investment program. In the four years of CP’s title sponsorship of the CP Women’s Open, $6.5 million has been raised to support children’s heart health in communities across Canada.

This year, the campaign will be supporting pediatric cardiology at Saskatchewan’s new Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon. Funds raised through the CP Women’s Open will help assist a dedicated cardiology space and specialized equipment in the new hospital, currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2019.

With a nature theme running throughout the hospital, the “Frog Pod” will be specifically used to treat pediatric cardiology patients and will include three echocardiography exam rooms, a pulmonary function technology lab, an exercise challenge room, and a regular exam room. Directly across the hall, included in the pod, is a staff echo cardiology reading room.

“CP is extremely proud to partner with Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital, and to bring the 2018 CP Women’s Open to the great city of Regina,” said CP President and CEO, Keith Creel. “Saskatchewan is a vital region to our company, and we are honoured to support the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital, as they help to strengthen the youngest hearts across the province.”

The funds raised through CP Has Heart will undoubtedly go a long way in helping children’s healthcare in Saskatchewan.

“We are sincerely thankful to CP, Golf Canada and the CP Women’s Open for supporting our efforts to help Saskatchewan’s little hearts through further development of the provincial pediatric cardiology program at our new children’s hospital,” said Brynn Boback-Lane, President and CEO of Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundations. “This heartwarming gift will have a tremendous impact on Saskatchewan’s young patients, their families and our entire pediatric cardiac team.”

In addition to being a world-class sports property, the CP Women’s Open leaves a lasting legacy in the event’s home community.

“Golf Canada is proud to work alongside incredible partners at CP and the LPGA Tour in bringing world-class golf to Wascana Country Club, the city of Regina and the province of Saskatchewan for the first time ever,” said Golf Canada’s CEO Laurence Applebaum. “We are honoured to work alongside our partners in supporting the CP Has Heart Campaign which will make a difference in the lives of so many through the support of pediatric cardiac care at Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital.”

CP Inaugural Women’s Leadership Summit to take place during tournament week

As part of the weeklong excitement of the CP Women’s Open, Golf Canada is proud to announce that the inaugural Women’s Leadership Summit will take place Tuesday, August 21 at Hotel Saskatchewan. Keynote speaker Hayley Wickenheiser, five-time Olympic medalist, will be joined by the likes of LPGA Champion Lorie Kane; CP Vice-President of Grain and Fertilizer, Joan Hardy; and many more like-minded businesswomen from across the province for a day of networking, empowerment and philanthropy.

KIDS 17-AND-UNDER GET IN FREE

Golf Canada and CP are committed to offering a fan friendly, family event with the CP Women’s Open. To introduce more juniors to the sport, children aged 17-and-under get FREE admission to the CP Women’s Open for the entire week.

Tickets for this year’s CP Women’s Open are available here.

Inaugural event focused on networking, empowerment and philanthropy to be held Tuesday, August 21^st at Hotel Saskatchewan

 Tickets and corporate partnership opportunities are now available

REGINA – Golf Canada in partnership with Canadian Pacific (CP), is proud to announce that the inaugural CP Women’s Leadership Summit will take place Tuesday, August 21 at Hotel Saskatchewan in Regina as part of the weeklong excitement of the 2018 CP Women’s Open.

The CP Women’s Leadership Summit will bring together like-minded businesswomen from across the country for a day of networking, empowerment and philanthropy. The Summit will also raise awareness for the CP Women’s Open, with attendees receiving access to the tournament during the week as a thank-you for their participation.

The keynote speaker for the inaugural CP Women’s Leadership Summit will be Canadian Olympic hockey legend Hayley Wickenheiser. The five-time Olympic hockey medalist and Saskatchewan native will join a confirmed list of participating panelists that includes Joan Hardy, CP’s Vice-President of Grain and Fertilizer; LPGA Tour professional and CP ambassador Lorie Kane; Lesley Hawkins, General Manager with adidas Golf, Canada; and Shannon Cole, Senior Director of Brand Marketing with RBC. Rogers Sportsnet Central Co-Anchor Evanka Osmak will act as the emcee for the event.

“I am thrilled at the opportunity to promote diversity in both business and sport by participating in the first ever CP Women’s Leadership Summit,” said Joan Hardy, CP Vice-President, Grain and Fertilizer. “I engage with a variety of customers across Saskatchewan every day, and I look forward to bringing together a group of women who are leaders in what they do, and discuss what motivates, challenges, and inspires us to work hard and enhance our careers.”

For Golf Canada, introducing the Women’s Leadership Summit as part of Canada’s National Women’s Open Golf Championship aligns with the organization’s commitment to developing a more inclusive culture in Canadian golf.

“Launching the CP Women’s Leadership Summit is an extension of our efforts to encourage more women and girls to engage with golf and use the CP Women’s Open as a platform to bring together like-minded businesswomen in the spirit of networking, idea-sharing and empowerment,” said Mary-Beth McKenna, a member of Golf Canada’s championship management team who is leading the event. “All of our speakers are leaders in their respective industry who will provide participants with an inspiring experience and wide array of perspectives.”

The CP Women’s Leadership Summit begins at 10:00 am on August 21 at Hotel Saskatchewan and will feature networking opportunities, a question-and-answer session with panelists along with a three-course lunch.

For more information about the CP Women’s Leadership Summit, including tickets and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.cpwomensopen.com/wls.

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. – Brooks Koepka has the game to win a U.S. Open on any course.

One year after Koepka overpowered the wide fairways of Erin Hills in a U.S. Open remembered for low scoring, he navigated his way through the brutal conditions of Shinnecock Hills and closed with a 2-under 68 to become the first repeat champion in 29 years.

Curtis Strange, the last player to go back-to-back in this major, watched the entire final round Sunday as the Fox Sports reporter on the ground, and they shared a brief hug off the 18th green after Koepkatapped in for bogey and a one-shot victory.

“Man, it feels good to hold this thing again,” Koepka said with the silver trophy in his arms.

His victory Sunday might not have been possible if not for grinding out a 72 on Saturday in conditions so severe the last 45 players to tee off in the third round didn’t break par. The USGA conceded the course was over the top and pledged to give it more water and slow it down.

Bogeys gave way to birdies, and no one took advantage like Tommy Fleetwood of England. He made eight birdies – none on the two par 5s – and missed an 8-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 63, only the sixth player in U.S. Open history to go that low.

“Yeah, but I wanted a 62,” said Fleetwood, who finished one shot back and had to settle for the silver medal.

Fleetwood was one shot behind when he finished, and Koepka still had 11 holes to play as Shinnecock Hills began to get crisp under another sunny sky.

Koepka never lost the lead.

With a putting performance and calm demeanour reminiscent of Retief Goosen when he won the previous U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, in 2004, the 28-year-old Koepka began the back nine with three pivotal putts – one for birdie, one for bogey, one for par.

The biggest might have been his bogey on the nasty little par-3 11th.

Koepka pulled it to the left, down the slope and into thick grass. He chopped that up the slope with so much speed that it raced across the green and into the bunker. He blasted that out to 8 feet and made the putt to keep his lead at one shot.

“I think that was like making a birdie, maybe even making an eagle,” he said. “Because it could have been a big momentum shift there, and we could have been playing tennis just going back and forth. To make bogey there was pretty incredible and I think kind of the reason why we won.”

He wasn’t through. He hacked out of the hay over the green at No. 12, pitched beautifully to 7 feet and made the par. Two holes later, after another drive into grass so thick he wasn’t sure he could get it out, Koepka rolled in an 8-foot for another par save.

Koepka seized control with a wedge to 3 1/2 feet for birdie on the par-5 16th for a two-shot lead, and he never flinched until it no longer mattered. Koepka pulled his approach to the 18th off the grandstand, pitched on to about 12 feet and two-putted for a bogey.

He finished at 1-over 281, 13 shots higher than his winning score at Erin Hills last year. It was the first time since 2013 at Merion that no one broke par in the U.S. Open.

“I enjoy the test,” Koepka said. “I enjoy being pushed to the limit. Sometimes you feel like you are about to break mentally, but that’s what I enjoy. I enjoy hard golf courses. I enjoy playing about the toughest in golf you are ever going to play.”

That it was, starting on Thursday, and especially on Saturday.

Koepka opened with a 75, the highest first-round score by a U.S. Open champion since Raymond Floyd at Shinnecock Hills in 1986. He was 7 over for the championship through seven holes of the second round when he ran off six birdies for a 66 to get back in the game.

Dustin Johnson, part of the four-way tie for the lead to start the final round, couldn’t keep up with one of his best friends. Johnson was one shot behind at the turn until a trio of three-putt bogeys on the back nine. A birdie on the final home gave him an even-par 70 to finish alone in third and remain No. 1 in the world.

Koepka moved to a career-best No. 4 in the world ranking.

A year ago, Johnson called him on the eve of the final round to offer advice. On Sunday, they were playing side-by-side without exchanging words, each trying to play a course that was considerably softer than the previous day.

“We didn’t really speak too much,” Koepka said. “He was busy grinding his tail off and I was busy grinding mine. We’re extremely close. I love the guy to death. It would have been fun to dual it out with him coming down the end, having to make some putts.”

Only one of them did, which is why Koepka is the U.S. Open champion.

Americans have won the last five majors – all of them in their 20s – and Koepka joined an elite group as only the seventh player to go back-to-back in what is regarded as golf’s toughest test. Next up is Pebble Beach, and a chance to join Willie Anderson as the only player to win three in a row. Anderson won his third straight in 1905. Ben Hogan won three straight that he played, missing in 1949 after nearly getting killed when his car struck a bus.

Masters champion Patrick Reed flirted with the second leg of the Grand Slam. He was tied for the lead when he ran off five birdies in his opening seven holes. Reed spent too much time in the high grass on the back nine and closed with a 68 to finish fourth.

Golf Canada is proud to celebrate the 70 adoptions that occurred during Adopt a School Week thanks to the efforts of golf enthusiasts and industry partners across the country.

In total, the figure translates to an additional 8,400 elementary, intermediate and high school students being introduced to the sport through the Future Links, driven by Acura Golf in Schools program.

The coast-to-coast campaign was elevated by support from Canadian industry partners—the Provincial Associations, PGA of Canada and the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA).

A matching program for the first 30 adoptions was made possible by the Canadian Seniors Golf Association (CSGA), who continue to be a leader in supporting Adopt a School Week. In the campaign’s three years of running, the CSGA has helped to adopt over 78 schools in Canadian communities from coast-to-coast.

Golf Town, the official retailer of Future Links, driven by Acura, will continue to collect funds until June 30 as part of a fundraising initiative at retail locations across the country.

Since the program’s inception in 2009, adoptions have accounted for close to 50% of over 3,500 registered schools delivering the curriculum. For Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s chief sport officer, that number presents a great opportunity to build community relationships.

“With Golf in Schools adoptions, our hope is to help establish a connection between facilities and schools in respective communities across Canada,” said Thompson. “Establishing that link can enhance the school’s delivery of the program, while also contributing towards future membership numbers at the corresponding facility.”

Click here to learn more about Golf in Schools.

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — The U.S. Open wants to be the ultimate test in golf, and sometimes that leads to a series of trick questions.

One of them was 14 years ago at Shinnecock Hills.

A year after Jim Furyk tied the U.S. Open scoring record at Olympia Fields, the 2004 U.S. Open was so bone dry and lightning fast that only three players broke par on the weekend, none on Sunday. Fans having to move to the side because of a golf ball rolling toward them is not unusual, except when the player hit the shot with his putter from the green. Tee shots that landed on the seventh green rolled off the putting surface and into a bunker.

One year after Rory McIlroy broke the U.S. Open scoring record at Congressional, no one broke par at Olympic Club in 2012 when Webb Simpson won.

Moments like this lead to criticism that the USGA overreacts. Justin Rose sees it another way.

“When everything is in balance, it’s kind of boring,” he said. “And I think in life, the closer you get to the edges, that’s where the excitement is. So I would say the USGA is not reactionary. It’s counterbalancing. So if you go too far one way, you’ve got to come back the other way. You don’t want to fall off the edge.”

That’s the question going into the 118th U.S. Open that starts Thursday.

Might the USGA lean toward going easy on players because of what happened the last time at Shinnecock Hills? Or will it make it tougher on them because of the record scoring last year at Erin Hills? Brooks Koepka tied the record to par at 16 under, and six other players finished at 10 under or lower.

“We’re confident this should be a marvelous test,” said Mike Davis, the chief executive of the USGA who has been in charge of setting up the courses for the U.S. Open since 2006 at Winged Foot, when the winning score was 5 over.

Davis believes Shinnecock Hills is right where the USGA wants it, even with a light, steady rain on the final day of practice.

Wednesday is never the measure of how a golf course presents itself.

McIlroy is among those who likes what he sees. It’s not a U.S. Open if players are not complaining, but it’s been a quiet three days ahead of competition. The biggest question is whether the fairways are narrow enough.

They are tighter than last year at Erin Hills, for sure, and an average of 15 yards wider than in 2004.

“Honestly, I think they’ve got it right,” McIlroy said. “It presents guys with options off the tee. You have to make a decision basically on every tee box what you’re going to do. I’m obviously not that old, but when I watched U.S. Opens on TV and saw these long, narrow corridors of fairways and thick rough, that’s what I was used to at a U.S. Open. … If you look at the venues that are coming up, they’re very traditional venues like Oakmont, Winged Foot, Pebble Beach.

“Maybe you’ll see more of what we perceive as a traditional U.S. Open setup.”

Rain was expected to yield to plenty of sun over the next four days, with the strongest wind on Thursday. Davis said he already has called several audibles on the original plan of where to put the pins on the greens, an example of the USGA not wanting the course to get on the wild side.

Davis also said the winning score is not an issue at a major where par tends to be at a premium.

“Never since I’ve been at the USGA — and it’s been almost 30 years — I’ve never heard anybody at the USGA say we’re shooting for even par,” Davis said. “But we talk incessantly, ‘How do we get the course to be really a great test of golf?’ As we say, get all 14 clubs dirty to make sure that these players are tested to the nth degree.”

And what makes a good championship inside the ropes?

The quality of the winner? Different players have won the last 15 U.S. Opens, the longest stretch of the four majors. The margin? The last playoff was 10 years ago when Tiger Woods won at Torrey Pines. Three of the last four U.S. Opens have been decided by three shots or more.

“You need some great players in the mix,” Rose said. “You need some great story lines.”

This U.S. Open is not lacking for either. Five players have a chance to replace Dustin Johnson at No. 1 in the world this week. Woods is hitting the ball well enough to win any week if he ever gets all parts of his game working together. To win a record-tying fourth U.S. Open would cap off an unlikely comeback following four back surgeries. Phil Mickelson, in the USGA record book with his six runner-up finishes, needs only this trophy to complete the career Grand Slam.

“And then just a good test of golf where people think, ‘Wow, they’ve really stepped up and played great golf under pressure,”’ Rose added. “I think that’s what people would like to see in this tournament is that guys are tested to the ends of the ability, to whether they can cope or not. And I think that’s part of the charm … not charm, but part of the allure of this tournament.”

The ultimate test starts Thursday. Results won’t be available until the end of the week.