April 27, 2018

Golf in New Brunswick has started as of today as I write this article. The Algonquin Resort, Petitcodiac Valley Golf Club and the Sussex Golf & Curling Club are open for play, with more course to follow in the near future.  This is the time of the year we all look forward to and I hope we get some great weather in the next 5 months (am I asking too much? I think not!!).  So how do you start your golf season?

Have you played all winter down south and are ready to head out to the 1st tee? Have you worked with your PGA of Canada Golf Professional this winter and ready to play? Do you dust off your clubs and head to the Driving Range to see if you can find a swing? Do you dust off your clubs, call your Pro and book a lesson first? Or do you dust off your clubs and head to the 1st tee?

There are a few options and they all sound great, but if you haven’t been down south or been working with a PGA of Canada Golf Professional this year, I would recommend booking a lesson and getting your season started off properly. Have some good mental thoughts and something to work on at the driving range, and then head out on the course. Make sure you stretch your muscles before hitting balls or playing the course and if you are tired after 9 holes, call it a day and try to go for 18 next time. You definitely do not want to hurt any muscles so soon in the season.

Remember, stretch, get a lesson, go to the driving range and then hit the course. Enjoy the season and may you have the best scores of your life this year.

Vancouver – The  Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) presented by Boston Pizza has announced former Golf Canada staff member Russell MacKay has been their Operations Manager.

MacKay, a graduate in Recreation and Sport Business from the University of Waterloo where he was a member of the University’s Men’s Golf Team, spent three co-op terms with Golf Canada after which he joined the Association full-time to work in Amateur and Professional Championships.

MacKay relocated to British Columbia in 2016 to undertake the role of Membership and Events Manager for the PGA of BC, and has now transitioned to a national role with Canada’s most-played Junior Golf Tour.

“I am excited to apply the knowledge and experiences gained in many different facets of the golf industry to help the MJT continue its growth,” said MacKay, who will be working with MJT National Operations Director, Trent Matson and MJT Director of Marketing and Administration, Elaine Denton.

The MJT aims to develop champions, in golf and in life, promoting the game from grassroots through to provincial, national, university and professional levels. Registration for tournaments is ongoing and the full MJT National schedule is available online at www.maplejt.com.

Wolfville, N.S. – More than 800 graduates from Acadia University will receive their diplomas at ceremonies taking place May 13-14, joining Acadia’s more than 30,000 alumni worldwide. In addition, Acadia will confer Honorary Degrees on individuals who have distinguished themselves in public service, education and professional sports. Among those Honorees will be Canadian LPGA Tour professional Lorie Kane.  Kane, an Honoured Member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame who graduated from Acadia in 1988, will receive a Doctor of Humanities.

“Our Honorary Degree recipients exemplify in every way how each of us can use our background and experience to make significant and meaningful contributions to our communities, our country and to the world,” said Acadia President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Peter Ricketts.

Kane has triumphed on the golf course and is recognized as a leader for the sport. Since her rookie year on the LPGA Tour in 1996, she has won nearly $7 million in career earnings. In that time, she recorded four LPGA Tour victories and 99 top-ten finishes, including eight in majors.

In 1998, she won the Heather Farr Player Award, given by the LPGA Tour to the golfer who demonstrates determination, perseverance and spirit through hard work, dedication and love of the game.  In 2000, she won the William and Mousie Powell Award given by the LPGA Tour to the golfer whose behavior and deeds best exemplifies the spirit, ideals and values of the LPGA. In 2006, she became a member of the Order of Canada.

Prior to turning pro in 1993, Kane represented Canada as a member of the Canadian International Team from 1989 to 1992. She was also a member of the 1991 Canadian Commonwealth Team and the 1992 Canadian World Amateur Team. As a CP Ambassador, she embodies ongoing support of women’s golf through the CP Women’s Open and helps advocate and elevate the CP Has Heart charitable campaign which raises money and awareness for heart health.

Congrats to CP ambassador @LorieKaneLPGA on @AcadiaU’s announcement that she will receive an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree! With her dedication to @CPHasHeart, we couldn’t think of anyone more deserving. ❤️?? https://t.co/Tr8I3jiFOx pic.twitter.com/A9p5fWWS3x

— Canadian Pacific (@CanadianPacific) May 2, 2018

Golf fans in Saskatchewan will be able to watch Kane compete live at the 2018 CP Women’s Open, taking place August 20-26 at Wascana Country Club in Regina.

MEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Josh Whalen made the biggest move among the Top 10, picking up 39 spots in the world rankings. The Golf Canada National Team member has gained a total of 68 places in the rankings over the course of the last four weeks.

A couple of Top-10 players will be taking part in the NCAA Regional Golf Championships. No. 6 Charles Corner has been selected to compete as an individual at the Stockton, California regional while Chris Crisologo will lead Simon Fraser University in the Division II West Region.

Honourable mention goes to Craig Titterington, who makes his world amateur rankings debut after finishing runner-up at the GNAC Championship. The senior at Simon Fraser University may have lost out on individual honours in a sudden-death playoff but he, along with teammate Chris Crisologo, helped the Clan to its second conference title.

Biggest move: Marc Sweeney of Saskatoon, Sask., jumped 692 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 17th while helping the University of South Carolina Beaufort to the title at the Sun Conference Championship.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

WOMEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Several Top-10 players – including three members of the Golf Canada National Squad –  will be taking part in the upcoming NCAA Division I golf championships.

Top ranked Maddie Szeryk, who picked up a single spot in the world rankings this week to No. 26, will lead Texas A&M into the Austin Regionals, which will also feature No. 8 Valerie Tanguay and Oklahoma.

Jaclyn Lee, fresh off her Big 10 title win, takes Ohio State into the Madison Regional while Naomi Ko and NC State will take part in the San Francisco Regional.

Six teams and three individuals will all advance from each regional to the championships finals to be held at Oklahoma State University.

Biggest Move: Gloria Choi of Langley, B.C. gained 332 spots in the world rankings after finishing runner-up at the GAC Women’s Golf Championship. It was her fifth top-5 result this season.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

MEN’S TOP 10

Richard T. Lee made the biggest move as most of the Top 10 took the week off from competition. Lee climbed 27 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 37 at the Asian Tour-European Tour co-sanctioned Volvo China Open. The result marked his best finish on the Asian Tour this year and was worth 1.20 world ranking points for the No. 10 ranked Canadian.

One change in the rankings saw Benjamin Silverman move past Austin Connelly to take over the No. 5 ranking in Canada.

Outside the Top 10, Steven Lecuyer becomes the latest Canadian pro to join the Canadian rankings. The Edmonton native who currently calls Victoria, B.C. home, picked up his first career world ranking points after finishing in a tie for 13th at the Zambia Open on the South African Sunshine Tour. It marks his best career result on any professional men’s tour. Lecuyer takes over the No. 20 spot in the Canadian rankings.

Other notable results: No. 6 Austin Connelly missed the cut at the Asian Tour-European Tour Volvo China Open; No. 7 Adam Svensson missed the cut at the Web.com Tour United Leasing & Finance Championship;

Click here for Men’s Official World Golf Rankings.

WOMEN’S TOP 10

Brooke Henderson slid down to the No. 16 spot in the world ranking as both tournament winner Lydia Ko and runner-up Minjee Lee moved past the top ranked Canadian following their performance on the LPGA Tour this past week. Henderson finished in a tie for 43rd at the MEDIHEAL Championship. Since winning in Hawaii, Henderson has played four of the her last eight rounds over par.

No. 2 Alena Sharp was the only player in the Top 10 to not lose any ground in the world rankings, finishing in a tie for 50th at the MEDIHEAL Championship.

Other Notable Results: No. 3 Maude-Aimee Leblanc and No. 5 Anne-Catherine Tanguay both missed the cut at LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship.

Click here for full Women’s Rolex World Rankings.

OTTAWA – Today, Canada’s national golf industry associations announced the first annual National Golf Day, May 29, an event aimed at raising awareness to the public and government decision makers on the many positive impacts of the golf industry.

“More Canadians play golf than any other participation sport and our industry is #1 in driving economic impact, employment and charity fundraising,” said Jeff Calderwood, National Allied Golf Associations (NAGA) and We Are Golf Chair. “Combined with golf’s diversity, healthy fitness benefits and environmental stewardship, we really do have such a positive message to communicate.”

National Golf Day provides the opportunity for Canada’s golf industry leaders to discuss these wide-reaching benefits of the sport directly with MPs, Senators and policy advisors at Parliament Hill. A May 28 evening reception will also be held in Centre Block, and NAGA will be hosting a day of interactive golf activities on the front lawn where MPs and visitors will be able to participate. This day of outdoor golf activities will include a focus on junior golf.

“We are really looking forward to our time in Ottawa and expect that government officials from all parties will be impressed to learn about all the ways golf contributes in virtually every riding throughout Canada,” added Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum. “There are so many meaningful benefits that golf delivers in communities from coast to coast and it will be great to share all those insights on National Golf Day.”

Golf courses and all related stakeholders throughout Canada are encouraged to promote the same positive messages. NAGA will provide shareable social content.

NAGA is also announcing a rebranding of its public facing name to We Are Golf. This aligns with the same brand name used by the American golf industry for allied association activities such as National Golf Day. NAGA does carry on as the administrative body but will use the We Are Golf brand for all public communications.

Please watch for additional We Are Golf and National Golf Day communications over the coming weeks as we lead up to the May 29 event itself.

For more information on We Are Golf, visit wearegolf.ca  

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, driven by Acura, 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.

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, 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.

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.

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

Blunt is one of those admirable qualities.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But Dunning is determined that this will be the exception.

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

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

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

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

MEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Charles Corner made the biggest move of the week among the Top 10, climbing 51 places. After finishing with four top-10 results this season, Corner and the University of Texas El Paso are now preparing for the Conference USA Championship.

Myles Creighton made the second-biggest move of the week, picking up 23 spots to move up to No. 7 in the Canadian rankings.

No. 3 ranked Joey Savoie moved up two places after finishing in a tie for fourth at the Terra Cotta Invitational. It was the fourth top 10 result for the Golf Canada National Team member since he joined the squad in 2017. Fellow team member and top ranked Hugo Bernard finished the event in a tie for 12th.

Josh Whalen picked up another 15 spots in the world rankings. The Golf Canada National Squad member has gained 32 places over the course of the last two weeks.

Biggest move: Marc Sweeney of Saskatoon, Sask., jumped 770 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 23rd at the Roadrunner Classic while playing as an individual.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

WOMEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Factoring into this week’s rankings is Maddie Szeryk’s second straight collegiate title, winning the Dale McNamara Invitational to close out the Texas A & M season. It was the fourth career individual title for the Golf Canada National Team member who also picked up SEC Golfer of the Week honours for the second straight week. At No. 25 in the world rankings, Szeryk is just one place shy of equaling her all-time highest ranking as she leads the Aggies into the SEC Championship.

Brigitte Thibault not only made the biggest move of the week but her 293 spot climb in the world rankings also vaulted her into the Top 10 for the first time in her collegiate career. The Quebec golfer finished in a tie for 14th at the Dale McNamara Invitational. It was the fifth top 20 result of the season for the freshman at Fresno State, who as a 17-year-old qualified for the Canadian Open.

Golf Canada National Development Squad member Celeste Dao climbed nine places in the world rankings after leading Team Canada to top honours at the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup Qualifier.

Michelle Ruiz picked up seven places after a runner-up finish at the Lady Panther Invitational. The effort earned the senior at Nova Southeastern the Sunshine State Conference Women’s Golfer of the Week honour.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

MEN’S TOP 10

Benjamin Silverman made the biggest move among the Top 10, climbing six places in the world rankings and moving past Austin Connelly and into the No. 6 ranking in Canada. The first year PGA Tour regular has earned world ranking points in two of his first nine tournaments this season.

Outside the Top 10, former Golf Canada National Team member Blair Hamilton makes his world ranking debut, climbing 511 spots to take over the No. 21 spot in Canada. Hamilton finished in a tie for sixth at the 87 Abierto OSDE del Centro event on the LatinoAmerica Tour, which was worth 1.20 world ranking points. It marked the first career world ranking points for Hamilton, who recently earned conditional status for the upcoming Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada season. 

Other notable results: No. 3 Mackenzie Hughes, No. 4 Nick Taylor, No. 8 David Hearn and No. 9 Corey Conners all missed the cut at RBC Heritage; No. 6 Austin Connelly finished tied for 63rd at European Tour Open de Espana;

Click here for Men’s Official World Golf Rankings.

WOMEN’S TOP 10

Brooke Henderson picked up her sixth career LPGA Tour victory, a four stroke win at the Lotte Championship in Hawaii. The victory saw her pick up 40.81 world ranking points, moving her up to No. 13 in the world. The soon-to-be 21-year-old is now just two wins shy of equaling Sandra Post’s total by a Canadian on Tour.

No. 2 Alena Sharp picked up two places in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 44th in Hawaii, which saw her pick up 0.04 world ranking points.

No. 3 Maude-Aimee Leblanc finished tied for 50th at the LPGA event in Hawaii, picking up nine spots in the world ranking. The result saw her pick up 0.57 world ranking point.

No .4 Brittany Marchand made the biggest move among the Top 10, picking up 19 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 50th in Hawaii in her first LPGA Tour start of the season. That saw her pick up 0.81 world ranking points.

Other Notable Results: No. 5 Anne-Catherine Tanguay missed the cut at LPGA Lotte Championship;

Click here for full Women’s Rolex World Rankings.

If you’re writing off the World Scientific Congress of Golf (WSCG) as a biennial conclave of pointy-headed boffins, don’t be too hasty.

While the “trickle-down theory” may be controversial in economics, it is incontrovertible when it comes to the impact of high-level research on all aspects of the sport as we now know it.

“Much of what we do as golfers, from how we swing to the equipment we use to the training and practice habits we employ and so on, has been born from great research,” says Glenn Cundari.

Cundari, the PGA of Canada’s Technical Director, is the chair of this year’s World Scientific Congress of Golf to be held July 11-13 at the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford, B.C. He attended his first WSCG in Australia in 2014 and two years later at St Andrews, Scotland, he got approval to bring the prestigious gathering to Canada for the first time.

The first WSGC was held at St Andrews in 1990 with the goal of bringing together “researchers, professionals and interested golfers in the areas of The Golfer, The Golf Course, and Equipment and Technology,” according to the organization’s website www.golfscience.org.

“The research, keynote and invited presentations, workshops and distinguished speakers’ forum are designed to represent innovative and diverse topics in the game of golf… Presenters come from all over the world to share their expertise and provide a platform for discussion to further our knowledge in the game of golf.”

While acknowledging that research into all aspects of golf is widespread, Cundari speaks of the WSCG as the Super Bowl of golf research. The committee reviewing prospective presenters received scores of research abstracts to winnow through. The successful applicants will be announced shortly as will the event’s agenda.

Cundari is optimistic that the result will be a tremendous learning opportunity not just for those involved in golf research but for PGA and LPGA professionals, especially those involved in teaching and coaching. “Much of the emphasis is on teaching and learning so we hope that this Congress will have a wide appeal to the overall golf community.”

For more information or to register, visit the website or contact Cundari at 705-492-2152 or email wscg2018@gmail.com.