❤️❤️ https://t.co/x95UhbTsBD

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) April 1, 2020 Conners, from Listowel, Ont., and his wife considered returning home to Canada after the PGA Tour cancelled the rest of The Players Championship on March 12 but ultimately decided to stay at their home in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. That day the PGA Tour also cancelled the Valspar Championship, the Dell Match Play, and the Texas Open in San Antonio where Conners had hoped to defend his crown. As disappointing as that was for Conners, the postponement of some other dates he had circled on his calendar have hit harder.

He had qualified to play the Masters for the third time in his career but the major has been postponed to an unknown date, likely in October. He was also likely going to represent Canada at the Tokyo Olympics, but the Games have been pushed back to 2021.

“That was a big goal of mine the past couple of years, trying to give myself a chance to be on that team,” Conners said of playing at the Olympics. “I played well enough that I was in a good position to make the team but, you know, things happen out of my control, so it’s still motivating me.”

The RBC Canadian Open, currently scheduled to be played June 11 at Toronto’s St. George’s Golf and Country Club, is also in danger of being cancelled. Toronto Mayor John Tory announced on Tuesday that the city was cancelling its permits for all public gatherings up until June 30. Although the edict didn’t apply to sporting events held on private property – like the Canadian Open – it did bring an end to the planned concert series held on the Friday and Saturday night of the tournament when the Chainsmokers and Keith Urban were to play on the property of a nearby school. Golf Canada issued a release after Tory’s announcement saying it respected the city’s decision and would have an announcement on the fate of the Canadian Open within the week. “I’m really looking forward to getting there, if we can play, but we’ll have to see,” said Conners. “I’d be really disappointed if it gets delayed but obviously it’s not an easy decision and there’s very valid reasons for things getting cancelled or postponed.

“I’ve been looking forward to it all year really, and it’s so much fun to play in front of the Canadian fans. The support’s incredible at their RBC Canadian Open, so if it gets played, I’ll be very happy to get in the mix but if not, we’ll wait until next year.”

[video_embed id="88544"][/video_embed] In the mean time, Conners is content to putter around the house and keep reading books like “Pound The Stone” by Josh Medcalf and playing Forza Racing and “chell” (NHL 20) but he admits not yet ready to play online against other gamers. “But I’m going to get pretty antsy shortly, I think, and want to get back out there,” Conners said. “I’ll love to see what the PGA Tour decides, when we’re able to start playing tournaments again, then kind of make a plan from there.”]]>

Team Canada psychologist, Dr. Adrienne Leslie-Toogood, shares the below guidance and resources to help with our work from home activities.

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As you work from a different place in an ever-changing reality, below are a few reflections from high performance sport. Three aspects I will highlight: who do you want to be, how do humans work, and prioritize recovery.

Who do we want to be?

In working with golfers, we often start with helping them understand who they are and who they want to be in certain situations. This whole idea came from an experience I had when I first moved back to Canada. I had one athlete who was quite young and traveled a great deal internationally. At times, she was very good at what she did and at other times she really struggled. A more experienced competitor sat down with her to have a conversation. He asked her if she knew who she was. She said that she was not sure. And he said that she needed to figure it out, so that she knew if she was in that place each time she stepped to the line. As you work from home in a new reality, spend some time reflecting on who you want to be in this new context. What do you need to be well in this space? What do you need to stay motivated?

Below are suggestions and tips that other experts have developed for working-from-home (jasonthompson.ca)

1. Video calls are a great way to feel connected
2. It’s easy to get lost in texts, emails and social media. Set aside two times per day when you go through these. Focus on your to-dos the rest of the time.
3. Buy a plant for your workspace. It just feels good.
4. Go for a walk. It reboots your mind. Some of my best ideas have come on walks.
5. Set a start and end time each day.
6. Take advantage of the flexibility and extra work time without a commute.
7. Dress for work. This may not be the same as your in-office outfit, but if you wear your weekend sweats it will have an effect on your mindset.
8. Chat about life. Start every call with a few minutes about non-work things and non-COVID things if you can. Remember, we work with people not organizations.
9. Shared documents are awesome – try and pick one platform and stick with it.
10. Connect with your team once a day.
11. If you work from home, despite how wonderfully tempting they can be, don’t get distracted by laundry and tidying up. Do that when your workday is over.
12. Embrace the situation. If life has taught us anything, it’s that nothing stays the same for long.

Working in high performance sport, we also spend a great deal of time helping a golfer unpack their why. Their reason for doing this and putting in all the hours. In your current context, I think we can extend your why to another level. As we work in these new conditions, what is your why for doing it? Who is your why? Grab a few pictures that remind you of this and keep it close to you. [caption id="attachment_96869" align="alignnone" width="2000"]

Adrienne Leslie-Toogood, Derek Ingram[/caption] Finally, understanding when we are and are not in a good place from a mental wellness perspective can be beneficial. Below is a mental health continuum that I modified for Team Canada men’s golf team (based on a more elaborate version from the Canadian Mental Health Association). It helps all of us start to learn about when we are mentally well. We should all know the things that keep us well, the signs we are not well, triggers and what we can do to get back to being well.

How do humans work?

We help athletes understand how humans being work. Stress and anxiety are a part of being human. Humans have a brain that is meant to help us survive and as such, we respond to stress and anxiety in a certain manner. We thrive with control, and in times like this, it is very important that we spend time coming back to what we have control over. Click here to watch a TedTalk by Lisa Feldman Barrett that helps us learn more about the brain and how it operates. Click here to read an article that talks about anxiety as it related to the situation. There is also a colouring book you can use to speak with coronavirus for those of you who have young children.

Prioritize recovery

And finally, we try to prioritize recovery. Our sport science team speak about being physically and also mentally recovered with Team Canada golf. Meditation and mindfulness can be very helpful tools for keeping us in a positive mental space. Some things to consider as we work to prioritize emotional recovery: Be self-compassionate. Even people who don’t usually struggle with anxiety are experiencing more worry and anxiety now. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you’re experiencing more anxiety than usual. Additional information regarding self-compassion can be found here as well as several free tools and activities to aid in practicing kindness to ourselves.

Limit the news and unplug from social media. Understandably coronavirus is the lead story for most news outlets. People on social media are likewise sharing information and stories, some of which are accurate, but others may have little to do with reality. The general public is interested and wants to know the latest details. Yet when our attention is drawn to something, we are more likely to focus on it and continue thinking about it. As we think about and focus more on coronavirus, the PERCEPTION of threat increases (not the actual risk but our perception of it). If you do watch or read the news, try to limit how often you:

• Commit to only checking in a couple of times a day and limit the total time to 30 minutes a day.
• Set a regular time when you check the news every day (standardizing the times you check will help to both think less about it and to reduce fighting with yourself to check).
• Disable news alerts on your phone so that you get updates when you want them. It can also be helpful to rely on family and friends to provide major updates thereby making it unnecessary to check the media.
• Make sure that your information only comes from reputable sources, such as: Government of Canada and the World Health Organization.

Strengthen Self-Care. During these anxiety-provoking times, it’s important to remember the tried-and-true anxiety prevention and reduction strategies: (Get adequate sleep; Exercise regularly; Practice mindfulness; Eat well-balanced meals; Make time for activities you enjoy and take time to unwind; Spend time in nature; Employ relaxation techniques when stressed; Connect with people you trust; and talk about your concerns and how you are feeling). Focus on What You Can Control. Sometimes we fixate on events out of our control. But rather than blaming others or trying to change them, resilient people set their sights on what they can control. Ask yourself, “What can I control in this situation?” Be in the Present. What do you notice about your breath right now? Our breath is an excellent anchor in the present, but sometimes we get stuck in the past or worry about the future. Practice STOP (Stop. Take a few deep breaths. Observe. Proceed). So as you work from home and continue to do your job, keep figuring out who you are and who you want to be, honour the fact that you are human and prioritize recovery – knowing that right now the conditions are such that it may be difficult to let go and allow your mind to be at rest.]]>

TOKYO – The Tokyo Olympics will open next year in the same time slot scheduled for this year’s games. Tokyo organizers said Monday the opening ceremony will take place on July 23, 2021 – almost exactly one year after the games were due to start this year. “The schedule for the games is key to preparing for the games,” Tokyo organizing committee president Yoshiro Mori said. “This will only accelerate our progress.” Last week, the IOC and Japanese organizers postponed the Olympics until 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. This year’s games were scheduled to open on July 24 and close on Aug. 9. But the near exact one-year delay will see the rescheduled closing ceremony on Aug. 8. “Nice that they were able to do to it so quickly as now all the (international federations) can work towards fixing their calendars for the summer,” Canadian race walker Evan Dunfee said. There had been talk of switching the Olympics to spring, a move that would coincide with the blooming of Japan’s famous cherry blossoms. But it would also clash with European soccer and North American sports leagues. Mori said a spring Olympics was considered but holding the games later gives more space to complete the many qualifying events that have been postponed by the virus outbreak. “Seems like the obvious choice to me,” said Canadian marathoner Reid Coolsaet, a two-time Olympian. “For athletes, like me, who don’t have a qualifying mark, it gives us the opportunity in 2021 to post a result.” After holding out for weeks, local organizers and the IOC last week postponed the Tokyo Games under pressure from athletes, national Olympic bodies and sports federations. It’s the first postponement in Olympic history, though there were several cancellations during wartime. “The IOC has had close discussions with the relevant international federations,” organizing committee CEO Toshiro Muto said. “I believe the IFs have accepted the games being held in the summer.”

The Paralympics were rescheduled to Aug. 24-Sept. 5. “On behalf of the Canadian Paralympic Committee, thank you to the IOC, IPC and Tokyo 2020 for rapidly making a decision on the new dates for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2021,” Canadian Paralympic Committee president Marc-Andre Fabien said in a statement. “We recognize the vast amount of work that lays ahead to bring a postponed Games to life and greatly appreciate all of their efforts. We commit to doing our part to make the Games a success. “This now gives our entire sport community a true sense of clarity and a way to move forward. Now we, alongside our national sport organizations, partners, and athletes, can start preparations knowing we all will unite in Tokyo next summer, one year on from planned, and be able to celebrate how sport brings people together.” Muto said the decision was made Monday and the IOC said it was supported by all the international sports federations and was based on three main considerations: to protect the health of athletes, to safeguard the interests of the athletes and Olympic sport, and the international sports calendar. “These new dates give the health authorities and all involved in the organization of the Games the maximum time to deal with the constantly changing landscape and the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” the IOC said. “The new dates … also have the added benefit that any disruption that the postponement will cause to the international sports calendar can be kept to a minimum, in the interests of the athletes and the IFs.” Both Mori and Muto have said the cost of rescheduling the Olympics will be “massive” – local reports estimate billions of dollars – with most of the expenses borne by Japanese taxpayers. Muto promised transparency in calculating the costs, and testing times deciding how they are divided up. “Since it (the Olympics) were scheduled for this summer, all the venues had given up hosting any other events during this time, so how do we approach that?” Muto asked. “In addition, there will need to be guarantees when we book the new dates, and there is a possibility this will incur rent payments. So there will be costs incurred and we will need to consider them one by one. I think that will be the tougher process.” Katsuhiro Miyamoto, an emeritus professor of sports economics at Kansai University, puts the costs as high as $4 billion. That would cover the price of maintaining stadiums, refitting them, paying rentals, penalties and other expenses. Japan is officially spending $12.6 billion to organize the Olympics. However, an audit bureau of the Japanese government says the costs are twice that much. All of the spending is public money except $5.6 billion from a privately funded operating budget. The Switzerland-based International Olympic Committee is contributing $1.3 billion, according to organizing committee documents. The IOC’s contribution goes into the operating budget. IOC President Thomas Bach has repeatedly called the Tokyo Olympics the best prepared in history. However, Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso also termed them “cursed.” Aso competed in shooting in the 1976 Olympics, and was born in 1940. The Olympics planned for 1940 in Tokyo were cancelled because of Japan’s war with China. The run-up to the Olympics also saw IOC member Tsunekazu Takeda, who also headed the Japanese Olympic Committee, forced to resign last year amid a bribery scandal.]]>

Golf Canada has cancelled the following 2020 NextGen Championships: 

• NextGen Pacific | May 14-17 | Pheasant Glen Golf Resort, Qualicum Beach, B.C.
• NextGen Ontario | May 21-24 | Listowel Golf Club, Listowel, Ont.
• NextGen Western | May 27-30 | River Spirit Golf Club, Calgary, Alta.
• NextGen Québec | June 4-7 | Owl’s Head Golf Club, Mansonville, Qué.

Golf Canada has postponed the following 2020 RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifiers: 

• Ontario Qualifier | May 14 | TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley, Caledon, Ont.
• British Columbia Qualifier | May 19 | Meadow Gardens Golf Club, Pitt Meadows, B.C.
• Québec Qualifier | May 21 | Club de golf Pinegrove, St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Qué.

Golf Canada has also decided to postpone the 2020 Canadian University/College Championship: Canadian University/College Championship | May 24-28 | Club de golf Les Quatre Domaines, Mirabel, Qué. Golf Canada has cancelled all National Rules and Course Ratings Seminars:

• National Rules Seminar (BC) | March 27-29 | Marine Drive Golf Club, Vancouver, B.C.
• National Rules Seminar (NB) | March 27-29 | Royal Oaks Golf Club, Moncton, N.B.
• National Rules Seminar (ON) | April 3-5 | St. George’s Golf & Country Club, Toronto, Ont.
• National Rules Seminar (QC) | April 24-26 | Elm Ridge Country Club, Montreal, Qué.
• National Rules Seminar (SK) | April 24-26 | Riverside Country Club, Saskatoon, Sask.
• National Course Rating Seminar April 26-27

The USGA previously announced the cancellation of local (first stage) qualifying for the 2020 U.S. Open in its current form. They are working with their Allied Golf Association (AGA) partners and International Federations to redesign qualifying going forward. The decision to cancel or postpone these events was not taken lightly, but given unprecedented times, we believe it is the best course of action. The safety and well-being of our championship competitors, tournament staff and volunteers along with our host site members and staff are paramount to Golf Canada. We also appreciate that all Canadians are dealing with health and travel concerns along with more pressing matters of uncertainty. We share in the disappointment of those affected and thank all for their understanding during this extraordinary time. A complete list of Golf Canada’s competitions is available here.]]>

We Are Golf (The National Allied Golf Associations/NAGA) are committed to ensuring the health and safety of our members, golfers, staff, volunteers and industry stakeholders as well as every Canadian in the communities where we live, work and play. The COVID-19 crisis is an unprecedented and difficult time for Canadians. We Are Golf fully supports the recommendations and guidelines of Health Canada, the World Health Organization and regional public health experts to stop the community spread of the virus. As leaders in an industry that employs more than 300,000 Canadians and includes nearly six million golfers from coast to coast, our priority above all else is the health and safety of our people and our communities. Where governments have not mandated the temporary closure of golf courses, operators of those facilities should take every health and safety precaution. We Are Golf also advocates for the essential need for golf course property maintenance during any of the temporary closures to be ready for operation while taking every health and safety precaution. We look forward to better and healthier days and when the time is right for Canadians to return to recreational normalcy, clubs and courses will be ready to welcome golfers back to the tee.]]>

TOKYO – The Tokyo Olympics were postponed until 2021 on Tuesday, ending weeks of speculation that the games could not go ahead as scheduled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The International Olympic Committee made the decision after speaking with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and local organizers. The IOC said the games will be held “not later than summer 2021” but they will still be called the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. “In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community,” the IOC said in a statement. Before the official announcement, Abe said Bach had agreed with his proposal for a one-year postponement. “President Bach said he will agree `100%,’ and we agreed to hold the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in the summer of 2021 at the latest,” Abe said, saying holding the games next year would be “proof of a victory by human beings against the coronavirus infections.” On Sunday, Bach said a decision on postponing the games would be made in the next four weeks. But pressure grew as national federations, sports governing bodies and athletes spoke out against having the opening ceremony as planned on July 24. Four-time Olympic hockey champion Hayley Wickenheiser was the first IOC member to break ranks with Bach’s stance that the games would go ahead as planned when she publicly criticized the body’s unwavering strategy. After the announcement to postpone the game, she wrote on Twitter that the decision was the “message athletes deserved to hear.” “To all the athletes: take a breath, regroup, take care of yourself and your families. Your time will come,” she wrote. The decision came only a few hours after local organizers said the torch relay would start as planned on Thursday. It was expected to start in northeastern Fukushima prefecture, but with no torch, no torchbearers and no public. Those plans also changed. “For the time being, the flame will be stored and displayed in Fukushima,” organizing committee president Yoshiro Mori said. The Olympics have never before been postponed, and have only ever previously been cancelled in wartime. Organizers will now have to figure out how to keep things running for another year, while making sure venues are up to date for possible another 12 months. “A lot can happen in one year, so we have to think about what we have to do,” said Toshiro Muto, the CEO of the organizing committee. “The decision came upon us all of a sudden.” The IOC and Tokyo organizers said they hope the decision to postpone will help the world heal from the pandemic. “The leaders agreed that the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times and that the Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present,” the IOC statement said. “Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan. It was also agreed that the Games will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.”]]>

Click here for the full statement from the Canadian Olympic Committee]]>

TORONTO – The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC), backed by their Athletes’ Commissions, National Sports Organizations and the Government of Canada, have made the difficult decision to not send Canadian teams to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2020. The COC and CPC urgently call on the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to postpone the Games for one year and we offer them our full support in helping navigate all the complexities that rescheduling the Games will bring. While we recognize the inherent complexities around a postponement, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our athletes and the world community. This is not solely about athlete health – it is about public health. With COVID-19 and the associated risks, it is not safe for our athletes, and the health and safety of their families and the broader Canadian community for athletes to continue training towards these Games. In fact, it runs counter to the public health advice which we urge all Canadians to follow. The COC and CPC reviewed the letter and news release sent Sunday by the IOC. We are thankful to the IOC for its assurance that it will not be cancelling the Tokyo 2020 Games and appreciative that it understands the importance of accelerating its decision-making regarding a possible postponement. We also applaud the IOC for acknowledging that safeguarding the health and wellness of nations and containing the virus must be our paramount concern. We are in the midst of a global health crisis that is far more significant than sport. The COC and CPC would like to thank our athletes, partners and the Canadian sport community for their patience and for lending us their voices during these unprecedented times. We remain hopeful that the IOC and IPC will agree with the decision to postpone the Games as a part of our collective responsibility to protect our communities and work to contain the spread of the virus.]]>