ANTIGONISH, N.S. – Albeit contrasting flight paths, Abbey Baker and Ethan Efford landed in the same destination on Thursday: in the winner’s circle at the NextGen Atlantic Championship, fueled by JOURNIE Rewards.

It was steady cruising for Baker, who turned it to autopilot and let the wind take her to the finish line at Antigonish Golf Club; and while Efford hit turbulence along the way, he, too, made it to ground safe and sound with a championship, to boot.

Baker opened the tournament with a nine-over par 81 but rebounded wonderfully in the second round with a one-under par 71 – the only round under par on the Junior Girls side all week.

“I’m really happy with how I recovered after a very rough first round. I came back after shooting 81 and worked on my putting for a while and I definitely saw a lot of improvements which is nice,” said Baker.

With breathing room to spare, the 17-year-old sailed to the stopping place, closing out the tournament with a five-over par 77 for a 13-stroke triumph – the largest margin of victory at any NextGen Championship this year.

“It wasn’t really in my head that much,” said Baker of the large lead. “I was just trying to make birdies out there and play good for myself.”

Though it was hardly ever in doubt, Baker’s win in Antigonish officially landed her a spot on Team Nova Scotia for the upcoming 2022 Canada Summer Games in Niagara, Ont., August 17-20 at Legends on the Niagara (Battlefield Course).

“I’m super excited; it’s definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I’m just happy it’s a go this year.”

The leaderboard on the Junior Boys side was as packed as sardines. On any given hole, the name atop the leaderboard changed, but when the final ball dropped on the 54^th hole, it was Ethan Efford who prevailed.

In good Canadian form, Efford completed the hattrick on Thursday, carding his third consecutive round of four-over par 76 to capture the title by one stroke over Dimitri Mihelakos, Gavin Ives and Owen Canavan.

“I told myself on the first tee that I wanted to get through this whole round and commit to every single shot,” said Efford. “I knew it was tight and I knew that if I go out there and commit to every shot and maintain the confidence that I have in myself, I know that at the end of the day, whatever my score is I’ll be content with it.”

Since he tee’d off this morning, it took, in his words, a lot of grit and grind to come out victorious but the hard work paid off.

 “I knew that no matter what, I just [had] to stay in it and never give up, and that’s just how I took it – one shot at a time and in the end I was happy with the result.”

Efford says the win proves his game is in a much better spot than he might feel it is and looks to build off the momentum as the season progresses. Though in a different uniform, he, like Baker, will represent his province (Newfoundland and Labrador) at the Canada Summer Games in August.

The pair have one more stop to make before that, however: Nationals.

Baker, a native of Halifax, N.S., will travel to the Canadian Junior Girls Championship at the Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa, Ont., July 26-29, while Efford, out of St. Johns, Nfld., will fly coast-to-coast to compete in the Canadian Junior Boys Championship, August 7-10, at Rivershore Estates & Golf Links in Kamloops, British Columbia.

Including Baker, the top six players (including ties) in the Junior Girls division have earned exemptions into the 2022 Canadian Junior Girls Championship:

From the Junior Boys division, the top six players have earned exemptions into the 2022 Canadian Junior Boys Championship, August 6-10, at Rivershore Estates & Golf Links in Kamloops, British Columbia.

About the NextGen Championships series, fueled by JOURNIE Rewards

The NextGen Championships, fueled by JOURNIE Rewards is a high-performance junior golf series which totals eight competitions. From May to July, six championships will take place across Canada where the region’s best junior golfers will compete to earn exemptions into their respective 2022 national championships. NextGen Championships provide junior players an opportunity to develop and showcase their skills at the highest level of tournament golf. 

Dwayne Tingley

Michel Landry is savoring the challenge to make New Brunswick golf history.

The 37-year-old member of the Fredericton Golf Club is looking to become the first player to win five New Brunswick Men’s Amateur Championships, when this year’s tournament is played July 15th-17th at the West Hills Golf Course in Fredericton.

The tournament, supported by official equipment supplier Taylormade Golf Canada, has attracted a capacity field of 156 players.

It will also be the first time the club has hosted the event.

“I’ve finished second before and that really hurts so I don’t dwell on those tournaments,” said Landry, a Tracadie-Sheila native who has lived in Fredericton for five years.

“Personally, I feel like I play better in the bigger tournaments like this,” he added. “There are a lot of stronger players and they bring out the best in my game.”

Landry, a corporate financial advisor with Grant Thornton LLP, captured last year’s championship in a playoff with Danek Hadley of Gowan Brae, on his home course in Bathurst, while Stewart Earle of Westfield was just one shot back.

“It was a battle all day long and there wasn’t much breathing room,” said Landry, who also won the Golf New Brunswick player of the year title.

“My heart race was up all day, but I was able to bring it down with some good putting.”

The top three finishers in the overall competition will represent New Brunswick at the Canadian Amateur Championship, sponsored by BDO, Aug. 1-4 at the Seymour Golf & Country Club and Point Grey Golf and Country Club in Vancouver.

Landry also won New Brunswick championships in 2002, as a 17-year-old at Aroostook Valley, 2016 at Kingswood, and 2019 in Edmundston.

Andy Dickison of The Riverside Club won four straight New Brunswick titles between 1981-85.

Landry played at the University of Denver and the University of New Brunswick and was a member of the Canadian National Team for a few years.

Landry hasn’t played West Hills often, but he knows the par-72 layout on Fredericton’s north side knows it has some tight fairways and several undulating greens.

“There are going to be some two or three-iron shots that could make the difference on that course.

“I’ll get some practice rounds in and I still enjoy playing, but I don’t want to miss time with my family,” said the father of two young girls.

Landry, Brett Taylor of The Riverside, and Francois Hebert of Memramcook were the top three finishers in the mid-amateur division last year.

Taylor, who was also fourth in the amateur, will not be competing this year.

Hebert, who was fifth on the amateur leaderboard, has set his sights on both the amateur and mid-amateur crowns.

“I have never played at West Hills, but I hear it is tight and narrow,” said Hebert, a 29-year-old flight attendant.

“I don’t hit the ball as far as some of the main guys, but I can keep the ball in play and score well,” he added.

“I’ve been in contention in the past and I want to take the next step forward this year.”

Hebert, who won the midget title at the East Coast Junior Championships in 2007 in Bouctouche, is motivated by the memory of his grandfather, Edgar Landry, who died two years ago.

“He would take me the course after school so I could practice almost every day,” said the Memramcook native.

As an amateur, Hebert made the cut at a PGA Tour Canada event last year on Prince Edward Island.

“I know that I can compete if I can just be consistent and stick to my strengths,” he said.

This year’s Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship, presented by BDO, is scheduled for Aug. 23-26 at The Thornhill Club in Thornhill, Ont.

The champion of the 2022 NB Men’s Amateur will be granted an exemption into the PGA Tour Canada, 2023 Prince Edward Island Open.

 Golf New Brunswick Executive Director, Luke Lacey said under the direction of Superintendent Adam Fletcher and Director of Golf Brett Wilson, West Hills has “established itself as one of the province’s premier golf courses.”

For more information on the 2022 NB Men’s Amateur Championships, including results and tee times, please CLICK HERE.

For more information on West Hills please visit: CLICK HERE

Golf New Brunswick (Golf NB), a not-for-profit organization founded in 1934, is the official governing body for amateur golf in New Brunswick.  In January of 2006, the New Brunswick Golf Association (NBGA) officially merged with the New Brunswick Ladies Golf Association (NBLGA), resulting in one united governing body for amateur golf in the province.  Programs offered by Golf NB to its 50 partner facilities and 7,900 individual members include provincial championships, rules of golf education, course rating and handicap services, and junior golf development programs.

By: John Gordon

Who was the first person to be intimidated by golf? Hint: It wasn’t you.

Little-known fact: He was the second person to take up the game about, oh, 600 years ago in Scotland.

“Och, Geordie, I could never hit that stone as far as you can with your shepherd’s crook. Look, it’s almost in the rabbit hole in one stroke! Why are you walking so fast? I can’t find my stone! Who is that behind us?” Versions of those plaintive bleats have echoed down through history and continue to be heard today, in one fashion or another.

There is no denying that golf can be perceived as intimidating, especially for beginners who may whiff, foozle and shank their way around the course, unaware of the basic rules and etiquette.  Most likely, especially if they are adults, they are very conscious of two things: They are most definitely not having fun and they are holding up the group or groups behind them. And chances are that those groups are making their displeasure known at every opportunity.

Whose fault is that? There is enough blame to spread around when discussing the intimidation factor in golf, believe me.

First, it is an inescapable reality that many beginners who complain about being intimidated on the golf course must shoulder some of the blame. Expecting to do well the first few times they step onto a course is unrealistic. Hallucinogenic, actually. If they want to make golf a regular part of their lives, a few lessons should precede that first round, or at least several visits to the driving range with an experienced golfer. Once that first step has been taken, choose a course that is appropriate for your basic skill level and play the most forward tees.  Try to avoid peak times when the course is busy.

Many courses offer inexpensive beginner lesson packages and clinics. It is money well spent. If your spouse plays, find a couples’ “nine-and-dine” outing and make it a date night.  More and more courses have “family nights” where basic instruction is followed by a few holes on the course. Most of the time, these are scrambles where the onus is on fun, not competition. Don’t even think about score until you can hit the ball more consistently. Focus on fun, the beauty of the course, the company of friends, and the opportunity to enjoy a nice meal and a beverage after.

Second, more experienced golfers have to give their heads a collective shake. All of you were, at one time, beginners and no doubt intimidated. Although it is difficult, think back to how frustrated and, perhaps, embarrassed you felt then and how much you appreciated some understanding from other golfers.  As old hands now, it is your responsibility to welcome new players into the game that has brought you so much pleasure.

Intimidation is not unique to golf and it should not be a reason to give up or never take up the game.

For example, when you join a gym, you do so to get more fit or build muscle. Even though you may be “intimidated” by some bulked-up specimens working out there or by that annoyingly athletic person who runs the treadmill for hours, you stick with it, because you are focused on improving. And, eventually, with persistence, the results are obvious and well worth the effort.

Think of golf in the same way: As a process.

Believe me, it remains a lifelong process but one well worth pursuing.

(There are lots of options to ease your intimidation factor like The First Tee junior program, Golf Fore the Cure and many more. Check online or go to your local course to get into the game for a lifetime.)

By: John Gordon

The game of golf is booming like never before and, if you’re reading this, you likely are one of the thousands who are taking up the game for the first time.

The allure of golf is obvious: it’s fun exercise, it’s a chance to enjoy the outdoors and it’s very social. Like any sport or recreational pastime, it requires you to learn a bit about the fundamentals and to practise if you want to enjoy the game to its fullest.

Here are nine tips to help you enjoy the game. (Coincidentally, nine holes is just the right number for beginners.)

Let’s go!

1. Go online.

There are lots of websites that offer helpful tips for beginners of every age on every topic from the basic rules and etiquette to the fundamentals of the swing.

2. Go to a course.

Even before you head to the tee for the very first time, do a little online research about the courses in your area. You will want to find a public or “semi-private” course (one that has members but also welcomes the public golfer). Drop into the golf shop, introduce yourself as a new golfer and have a look around. Ask if they have a program to introduce new golfers to the game. If they do, sign up! Find a course near you here.

3. Go to a pro.

Just about every course has a PGA of Canada professional. They’re helpful and knowledgeable. Even a half-hour lesson with a pro will get you started on the right path.. Taking a lesson is the best investment you can make if you want to enjoy the game and improve your skills. Many courses offer group lessons that include playing a few holes at a very reasonable cost.

4. Go get some clubs.

Although most courses have clubs you can rent, you will want to have your own set. Visit your local pro shop or chain store to find a preferred set. As long as you follow the course’s dress code (often published on their website), you don’t even need golf shoes at this point. Running shoes will suffice.

5. Go to the driving range.

If you’re taking lessons at a course, you no doubt have taken advantage of the practice facility, also called the driving range. If not, head for a public driving range with a friend and hit some balls. Many facilities also have a practice putting green. As you will find out, putting is a very important part of the game!

6. Go to the first tee.

You’ve hooked up with some friends or new acquaintances from your introductory program. You’ve asked the folks in the golf shop from which tees you should play as a beginner (generally, the most forward set of tees is appropriate).

7. Go hit the ball.

Assuming you’ve followed these first few tips, you should be hitting the ball in the right general direction. Don’t be discouraged if you’re not as proficient as your more experienced companions. Just relax, swing, and don’t forget to breathe! From a safety perspective, make sure you are aware of where your friends are and when they are hitting. From a “pace of play” viewpoint, always be ready to hit your next shot when it’s your turn. Most importantly, don’t get frustrated if you’re not proficient immediately. You will improve the more you play and practise. Remember, the object of the game is to have fun!

8. Go to the clubhouse.

Much of the appeal of golf is the social aspect following a round. Reliving the game, good shots and not-so-good, with friends and family is an integral part of the game.

9. Go back.

Golf has been called “the game for a lifetime.” You can play this game at whatever level you wish, from recreational to competitive, for years and years. It’s healthy, fun and a great way to meet new friends.

So there you go! Nine tips, just like the nine holes you will likely play the first few times you’re at the course.

But there is so much more!

Although you can learn the fundamentals of the swing, course etiquette and rules online, golfcanada.ca is the best resource for anyone who enjoys the game at any level.

As you play more golf, you’ll want an official handicap index and the other benefits that come with a Golf Canada membership.

And remember: The object of the game is to have fun!

ANTIGONISH, N.S. – The NextGen Atlantic Championship, fueled by JOURNIE Rewards is set to begin at Antigonish Golf Club, July 12-14 in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. 

Practice rounds are scheduled for July 11, before the official 54-hole tournament gets underway on July 12. Play is scheduled to wrap up on July 14. 

The top six (6) male competitors (not including ties) will earn a spot in the upcoming Canadian Junior Boys Championship, presented by BDO, August 7-10, at Rivershore Estates & Golf Links in Kamloops, B.C. The top six (6) female golfers (including ties) will also earn exemptions into this year’s Canadian Junior Girls Championship, July 25-29, at The Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa, Ont.  

The starting field will feature 63 players – 42 Junior Boys and 21 Junior Girls – vying for a spot in their respective Canadian Junior Championship later this summer. 

The NextGen Atlantic Championship is the last of six regional junior championships presented in partnership with JOURNIE Rewards. Most recently, Yasmine Qureshi and Cameron Pero were crowned champions at the NextGen Quebec Championship at Club de Golf Hemmingford in Hemmingford, Que. For the full schedule of 2022 NextGen Championships, click here. 

There are two additional NextGen Championships scheduled for the fall – the NextGen Fall Series East Championship in Hampton, N.B. and the NextGen Fall Series West Championship in Golden, B.C. 

For past results of the 2022 NextGen Championships, fueled by JOURNIE Rewards: Pacific | Ontario | Western | Prairie | Quebec 

The Antigonish Golf Club opened in the mid 1920’s as a six-hole golf course and was originally laid out by its founding members. Soon later, an additional three holes were added to complete the nine-hole design in 1926. As the popularity of the sport grew, so did the golf course. In 1990, the 18-hole layout was achieved and this week it will test some of the best junior golfers in the Maritimes.  

Additional information about the 2022 NextGen Atlantic Championship can be found here.  

About the NextGen Championships series, fueled by JOURNIE Rewards 

The NextGen Championships, fueled by JOURNIE Rewards is a high-performance junior golf series which totals eight competitions. From May to July, six championships will take place across Canada where the region’s best junior golfers will compete to earn exemptions into their respective 2022 national championships. NextGen Championships provide junior players an opportunity to develop and showcase their skills at the highest level of tournament golf. 

For Immediate Release:

EDMUNDSTON, NB– After 54 holes, four championship titles would come down to the wire on Sunday. The Club de Golf Fraser Edmunston proved to be gracious hosts with a number of their dedicated members and staff volunteering their time to contribute to the success of this provincial championship. Players were greeted with hospitality and friendliness, along with an immaculately conditioned golf course that was set up to showcase championship golf in its truest form.

Under-19 Boy leaders took to the field at 9:20 AM, featuring a powerhouse group of Hampton’s Jacob Rockwood, Fox Creek’s Julien Babineau, and Gage’s, Noah Riggs. One shot divided Riggs from his competitors as they put a peg in the ground for Sunday’s final round.

Fox Creek’s Julien Babineau hit the ground running during Sunday’s final with an incredible 5-under par, 67 to close out the 54-hole event. His solid play moved him to a tournament total of even-par and a three-shot lead as he secured the 2022 NB Under-19 Boys title. Hampton’s Jacob Rockwood secured second place in the Under-19 Championship following his three-round total of 3-over, 222 (73,72,74). In place and capturing the final team spot was Gage’s Noah Riggs who finished at four-over-par for the event with (71,73,76).

In the Under-17 Boys Championship, Sunday’s round was the setting for an on-course shootout, as Riverside’s Tristan Frenette and Fox Creek’s Jacob LeBlanc entered the day separated by two strokes. Jacob LeBlanc would pull ahead during the final round after recording a stellar 5-under, 67 to end the event at 6-over, 222 total. Clubmate Miguel Babineau moved into second place after a final round of even-par, 72. Rounding out the top three in the Under-17 Championship was The Riverside’s Tristan Frenette, who finished at +16 for the championship (77,76,79).

The final round of the Under-19 and Under-17 Girls Championship would be a close-fought battle between Riverside clubmates Callie Taylor and Addison McClune. Joining the two in the final trio was Fox Creek’s Neve Miller.

Taylor would continue her fine run of form with a final round 77. Complimenting her first two rounds of 74 and 76, Taylor’s play would be enough to edge out the field by 8 strokes and capture both the Under-19 and Under-17 titles. McClune with a tournament total of 19-over, 235 secured second place after three steady rounds of (79,78,78). Joining the top 3 would be 2022 Under-15 Champion, Neve Miller of Fox Creek who recorded a final round 85, bringing her tournament total to 29 over-par, 245.

The 2022 Under-19 Championship marks the end of the qualification process for the New Brunswick Canada Summer Games Teams. After three qualifying events, the 2021 NB Under-19 Championship, the 2022 East Coast Junior, and the 2022 NB Under-19 Championship, Team NB has finally been named.

Joining Coach Bari Gourley and Manager Ryan Kingston in Niagra, Ontario in August will be Julien Babineau and Jacob Rockwood on the Junior Boys Team and Callie Taylor and Addison McClune on the Junior GirlsTeam.

2022 marks the return of Inter-Provincial Teams at National Golf Canada Events. The top three finishers and alternate in the Under-19 Girls and Under-19 Boys Tournaments have secured the opportunity to represent New Brunswick this summer.

The Junior Girls team consisting of Callie Taylor, Addison McClune, Neve Miller, and alternate Rachel Steeves will be joined by Coach, Bari Gourley at the 2022 Canadian Junior Girls Championship at The Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa, Ontario from July 26th-29th.

The Junior Boys team made up of Julien Babineau, Jacob Rockwood, Noah Riggs, and alternate Jacob LeBlanc will travel to Kamloops, British Columbia on August 8th-11th to compete at the Rivershore Golf Links with Coach, Louis Melanson.

For more information on the 2022 NB Under-19 Championships, including results and tee times, please CLICK HERE.

For more information on the club de golf Fraser Edmundston Golf Club please visit: CLICK HERE

Golf New Brunswick (Golf NB), a not-for-profit organization founded in 1934, is the official governing body for amateur golf in New Brunswick.  In January of 2006, the New Brunswick Golf Association (NBGA) officially merged with the New Brunswick Ladies Golf Association (NBLGA), resulting in one united governing body for amateur golf in the province.  Programs offered by Golf NB to its 50 partner facilities and 7,900 individual members include provincial championships, rules of golf education, course rating and handicap services, and junior golf development programs.

The R&A

Mike McCoy and Terrill Samuel were crowned winners of the R&A Senior Amateur and Women’s Senior Amateur championships at Royal Dornoch.

With both championships played concurrently for the first time, McCoy was almost able to enjoy a lap of honour in the final round of the Senior Amateur.

Samuel, a member at Weston Golf Club in Toronto, handled the tough conditions at the renowned venue in the Scottish Highlands better than her competitors to join McCoy as Senior Women’s Amateur champion.

Samuel is just the third Canadian winner after Alison Murdoch in 2007 and Diane Williams in 1994. McCoy is the second consecutive Iowa golfer to lift the trophy, following close friend and fellow Des Moines native Gene Elliott. The 2021 champion was on hand to spray his next door neighbour with champagne when McCoy holed out on the 18^th green.

McCoy began the final round with a nine-shot lead, the only player in red figures on five-under-par. He extended his lead to 12 shots after just four holes and was never in any danger of being overtaken. He had the luxury of an eight-over 78 in strong cross winds to post a three-over 283 total and win by seven shots over fellow American Lee Porter.

“Up until the end I played some of the best golf of my life in this wind,” said McCoy. “My round yesterday (one-under 69) was one of the best of my life.

“I knew I had a big lead and I was maybe protecting it a bit today. I was patient all week, which was key. I probably lost a little bit on the back nine today but I just kept my chin up. I grinded hard at the start and when I made the turn after nine I knew I had a lot (of shots) to work with.”

The 59-year-old, who will lead next year’s Walker Cup team for the United States of America at St Andrews, credited Elliott for inspiring him to victory. 

He added, “After Gene won, I definitely made it a goal this year to win this championship. I thought if I worked hard maybe it would become my turn. I worked hard over the winter, played well this Spring and was in decent form before I got here. It’s a big honour to have won this championship on such a great course, in tough conditions against such a strong field.”

Samuel won the battle of attrition that was the women’s championship in the first year in which The R&A staged both the senior men’s and women’s championships together on the same course.

Joint 36-hole leader with Peru’s Anna Morales, Samuel struggled to a third round 85 in the strong winds that sent scores sky rocketing. However, the 61-year-old English-born Canadian never gave up. She returned a closing three-over 75 for a 22-over 309 total to defeat 2019 champion Lara Tennant by two shots. Emma Brown from England was third.

Samuel said, “It’s unbelievable to do win on this course, in such tough conditions. I played poorly on the front nine yesterday, but today I made a great start and that helped me mentally. It made me hang in there and I just battled hard over the back nine.

“This is my biggest win in golf because I was born in the UK. I was born in Twickenham and moved to Canada with my parents when I was two months old. I used to come over every year and spend time with my grandparents in Cornwall and play amateur events over here so it feels like a home win.

“I know Diane Williams, so to get my name on the trophy with hers and become the third Canadian winner is a huge honour.”

John Gordon

English philosopher Thomas Hobbes famously wrote that, without rules, the game of golf would be “nasty, brutish and short.”

(Or maybe he was referring to society without laws. Whatever. I spent more time on the golf course than in my philosophy class in university.)

One thing I am very clear about is that Mary Beth McKenna is Golf Canada’s Director of Amateur Championships and Rules. With so many new and returning golfers hitting the links these days, she wants to remind everyone that, without rules, the game would be … well, you know.

This doesn’t mean you have to commit the 200 or so pages of the Rules of Golf book to memory or familiarize yourself with the almost 600-page Official Guide to the Rules of Golf (formerly called “Decisions on the Rules of Golf”). We will leave that to the dedicated Rules referees who incessantly study both volumes to ensure that Rules situations in competitions are adjudicated correctly.

For the most part, all we as recreational golfers need to know are the basics. In fact, Rule 1 sums up a lot of what we must understand if we are to respect the game, our fellow golfers and the course.

It is titled “The Game, Player Conduct and the Rules.” The first two sentences go to the core of the sport: “Play the course as you find it and play the ball as it lies. Play by the Rules and in the spirit of the game.” A little later, players are advised to “play in the spirit of the game by acting with integrity …, showing consideration of others …, and taking good care of the course.”

And if you just want to bat the ball around with some friends, that may be all you need. But if you’re playing more competitively, then your knowledge of the Rules must expand proportionately.

McKenna says, at minimum, you must understand at least these three seminal Rules:

Rule 6 (Playing a Hole)

This Rule covers how to play a hole—such as the specific Rules for teeing off to start a hole, the requirement to use the same ball for an entire hole except when substitution is allowed, the order of play (which matters more in match play than stroke play) and completing a hole.

Rule 8 (Course Played as It is Found)

This Rule covers a central principle of the game: “play the course as you find it.” When the player’s ball comes to rest, he or she normally has to accept the conditions affecting the stroke and not improve them before playing the ball.

Rule 9 (Ball Played as It Lies; Ball at Rest Lifted or Moved)

This Rule covers a central principle of the game: “play the ball as it lies.” Even if you land in a fairway divot.

“In addition to these three Rules, understanding the definitions is critical to fully understanding the Rules,” says McKenna. The standard Rules book ($5), written in the third person, is available for purchase on the Golf Canada website as is the “Player’s Edition” ($4) which is an abridged, user-friendly set of the Rules with shorter sentences, commonly used phrases and diagrams. Written in the second person, this is intended to the primary publication for golfers.

No doubt the Player’s Edition would help us better comprehend what McKenna suggests are the three most misunderstood Rules of golf: 16, 17 and 18.

Rule 16: Relief from Abnormal Course Conditions

(Including Immovable Obstructions), Dangerous Animal Conditions, Embedded Ball. “Most golfers don’t grasp the concept of nearest point of complete relief and relief area,” McKenna says.

Rule 17: Penalty Areas.

This is a specific Rule for penalty areas which are bodies of water or other areas … where the ball is often lost or unable to be played. For one penalty stroke, players may use specific relief options to play a ball from outside the penalty area. “It is important to know the difference between what red and yellow markings mean as they provide different relief options,” she says.

Rule 18: Stroke-And-Distance Relief; Ball Lost or Out of Bounds; Provisional Ball.

This Rule covers taking relief under penalty of stroke and distance. When a ball is lost outside a penalty area or comes to rest out of bounds, the required progression of playing from the teeing area is broken; the player must resume that progression by playing again from where the previous stroke was made. It also covers how and when a provisional ball may be played to save time when the ball in play might have gone out of bounds or be lost outside a penalty area. McKenna points out that a local Rule may provide an alternative whereby, with a two-stroke penalty, the player may drop a ball “in a large area between the point where the ball is estimated to have come to rest or gone out of bounds and the edge of the fairway of the hole being played that is not nearer the hole.” But, she cautions, this local Rule must be implemented by the course to be in effect.

While most of us only hear about the Rules when there is a controversial situation on the PGA or LPGA tours, they exist for all golfers. Knowing them, even the basics, can save you strokes and help you better understand and appreciate the game and how it is to be properly played. Visit the Golf Canada website today to order your copy of the Player’s Edition of the Rules or view the Rules online. You can even sign up to take the free Online Rules Academy. If you have any questions about the Rules of Golf, you can Ask An Expert at www.golfcanada.ca/ask-an-expert/.

Want to learn more? Here are 20 Rules you should know.

Knowing the Rules can save you strokes, even for the best players in the world.

NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (AP) – Adam Svensson had two eagles in a 10-under 62 to take a two-stroke lead Thursday in the PGA Tour’s Barbasol Championship.

Playing through temperatures in the 90s at Keene Trace, the Canadian eagled the par-5 15th and eighth holes. The first eagle came after his lone bogey on No. 14, and the second – on a 31-foot putt – gave him the lead.

“I had a couple of top 25s the last few events and I’ve always had, not issues, but just kind of struggled a little with the putter,” said Svennson, whose best finish this season was a tie for seventh at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

“I’ve been working more on putting than I have ball-striking, usually it’s the other way around for me. The extra work and extra time spending with putting has helped my game even more than just hitting balls.”

Ricardo Gouveia of Portugal and Robin Roussel of France each shot 64.

The Barbasol Championship is the European tour’s first co-sanctioned event in the U.S. and features 50 players from the European tour among 156 competitors. The winner will get the final spot next week in the British Open at St. Andrews.

Gouveia is making his second PGA Tour start.

“It was a great round, really solid off the tee, hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens, holed some good putts,” said Gouveia, who overcame a back issue that forced him to withdraw from the pro-am Wednesday. “Just a very solid round.

Roussel eagled the par-5 11th in a bogey-free round that included six birdies.

Trey Mullinax was at 65 with Matti Schmid, Camilo Villegas, Max McGreevy, Michael Kim, David Skinns, Mark Hubbard and Bo Van Pelt.

By: John Chidley-Hill

Two back-to-back wins has Sarah-Eve Rheaume’s confidence at an all-time high.

The amateur golfer from Quebec City won the Glencoe Invitational in Calgary on June 18 with a tournament-best 65 in the third and final round. Rheaume then almost duplicated the feat on July 1, firing a tournament-best 66 on the final day of the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada.

That victory earned Rheaume a berth into the CP Women’s Open, Canada’s national women’s golf championship. It will be her first-ever LPGA Tour event.

“I just had a lot of confidence heading into the final day (of the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada),” said the 22-year-old Rheaume. “I’ve been confident over most of the shots, I’m chipping well around the greens.

“Last round of the Glencoe I played really well to get that going, just seeing the putts rolling in.”

Rheaume finished the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada at 12-under 207, three shots ahead of Min-G Kim and eight shots better than Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Markham, Ont., who finished third.

The 22-year-old Rheaume said Wednesday that she wasn’t intimidated by some of the big names at the event.

“There’s a bunch of good players everywhere, so I just kind of stay focused on my game plan and do my thing and then see how it goes at the end,” said Rheaume.

She intends to play in the North & South Women’s Amateur Championship on July 12 and then the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship the week after that.