BOCA RATON, Fla. – Madelene Sagstrom won the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio on Sunday for her first LPGA Tour title, birdieing the par-3 17th to tie for the lead and winning with a par when Nasa Hataoka missed a 3-footer on the last. Sagstrom finished with a 2-under 70 for a 17-under 271 total at rain-softened Boca Rio Golf Club. “I put something on the Instagram in the beginning of the week, saying I’m determined that 2020 is going to be the best season yet. I didn’t know it was going to be this good right away,” Sagstrom said. “But no, I have worked really hard over many years now, and I think that the biggest change or the biggest journey I have had is within myself and my mental game.” Hataoka shot 69. The Japanese player birdied Nos. 15 and 16 to take the lead, then fell into a tie when Sagstrom birdied the 17th and lost with the bogey on the par-4 18th. “It kind of helps me out with the beginning two tournaments, being there at the top, gives me a little strength to keep on going for the following many tournaments coming ahead,” Hataoka said. “Missing the win gives me more motivation to keep on going for the next many tournaments coming.” She also finished second last week in the season-opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions, losing to Gaby Lopez on the seventh extra hole in a Monday finish. Sagstrom bogeyed two of the first five holes, then rebounded with birdies on Nos. 8, 10 and 11 – chipping in on 10. “It doesn’t matter how you start,” Sagstrom said. “If you just continue fighting, things can go your way. And I just told myself, `Keep fighting, keep fighting.”’ Sagstrom made a 4-footer for birdie on 17, then saved par from 5 feet on 18, The 27-year-old Swede and former LSU star opened with a 72, shot a career-best 62 on Friday to take a one-stroke lead and doubled her advantage Saturday with a 67. “I have never been in a situation like this before, so obviously it was all new to me,” Sagstrom said about taking the lead into the final round. “I didn’t know how I was going to handle it or if it was going to go my way or not, so my whole goal today was just go out and stay patient and do what I have done the other days.” Sagstrom won in her 69th career LPGA Tour start. She’s the 12th Swede to win on the tour, and the first since Pernilla Lindberg in the 2018 ANA Inspiration. Sagstrom won three times on the Symetra Tour in 2016 and led the money list to graduate to the big tour. Brooke Henderson was the top Canadian. The Smiths Falls, Ont., native finished in a tie for 15th place at 7 under after shooting 73 in the final round. Danielle Kang was third at 15 under after a 69. She parred the final eight holes. “I kept hitting it to 30, 35 feet,” Kang said. “And they’re not easy to make. So, it’s hard to two-putt, to be honest.” Celine Boutier shot 70 to finish fourth at 13 under. Sei Young Kim was 11 under after a 73, The tournament was the first official event in Boca Raton since the 1989 Oldsmobile LPGA Classic.]]>

Brigitte Thibault of Rosemere, Que., is headed back to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. The 21-year-old National Team member was the only Canadian in the field at the inaugural event last year and was officially invited back on Saturday. Participating in the first-even women’s event at the prestigious course was the start of a career season for Thibault. She went on to win the Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship and the NCAA’s Mountain West Conference Championship.

“I didn’t want to set expectations because I didn’t know if they were keeping the same procedures, I didn’t know how they would select the people this year,” said Thibault. “So I didn’t want to set expectations, but I knew I had a great year. I did a lot of things right.”

Thibault, who is a member of Golf Canada’s national amateur squad, is entering her third season on Fresno State University’s golf team.

 

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?BACK to Augusta National! ?⁣ ⁣ We’re proud to have #TeamCanada’s @bri.thib represent Canada for a second straight year at the @anwagolf from April 1-4 ⛳️??‍♀️⁣ ⁣ ⁣ #golfstagram #anwagolf #golf #golfer #golflife #roadtoaugusta

A post shared by Golf Canada (@thegolfcanada) on Jan 25, 2020 at 7:19am PST

She was also part of Canada’s bronze-medal team at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, with Mary Parsons, Austin Connelly and Joey Savoie. After her productive 2019 Thibault was named the female amateur of the year by the Golf Journalists Association of Canada. Although Thibault missed the cut at last year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur she thinks the experience will set her up for greater success. “There were things I did right, things I did wrong,” said Thibault. “Last year there was so much excitement and we didn’t really know what to expect. None of the players had an advantage. None of them had played there before.

Back to back ? #blessed pic.twitter.com/B4FT25dF5L

— brigitte thibault (@bri_thib) January 25, 2020

“So to know what we’re expecting to play, what shot you’re supposed to hit, and all these things are definitely good to have learned.”]]>

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ABOUT THE WORLD HANDICAP SYSTEM

The vision to unify the six different handicap systems in use around the world into a single World Handicap System required the commitment of, and collaboration between, many organizations. All of the following organizations have provided their support to this important initiative and played their part in establishing the key principles, which shaped the proposals and drove forward the initiative to the point where a new World Handicap System can be introduced to the golfing world in 2020.   The new Rules of Handicapping have been introduced in Canada and will be ready for play, as off January 2020.     #1. If you are a new player, it is easier to establish an Index Only three 18-hole scores (or the equivalent combination of nine-hole scores) are needed to establish a Handicap Index. Previously, the minimum was five. What golfer doesn’t play more than 54 holes in a season? Also, your Handicap Index is updated automatically once the score is submitted (although not new for Canada, it is for the rest of the world.) Learn more 1a. >> | Learn More 1b. >>   #2. Handicap Index calculation is changing Your number will be based on your eight best scores out of the past 20. For most golfers, the change will be minor, but you may see your Handicap Index is different in January, despite not having played! Learn more 2. >>   #3. You have a Playing Handicap Slope Rating and now Course Rating and Par will be used to determine your Course Handicap, allowing you to play from different sets of tees without any adjustment. Learn more 3. >>   #4. Net Double Bogey replaces Equitable Stroke Control (ESC) The maximum hole score for handicap purposes will be limited to Net Double Bogey (Par + 2 + any handicap strokes you receive). Learn more 4.>>   #5. Safeguards have been added to protect your Handicap Index The system accounts for abnormal playing conditions, limiting the extreme upward movement of a Handicap Index, and reduce a Handicap Index when an exceptional score is posted.   #6. Maximum Handicap Index The maximum Handicap Index that can be issued to a player is 54.0 (currently it is 36.4 for men and 40.4 for women). But the Committee in charge of competition may set a maximum limit for entry into a competition. Learn more 6.>>   #7. You need to know your Course Handicap  Course Handicap will be the number of strokes needed to play to par. This will result in greater variance in that number and presents a change, as historically it has represented the number of strokes needed to play to the Course Rating. It is important that an accurate par is established for each hole on a golf course for both men and women. Golf New Brunswick, in consultation with Golf Canada, will be the final adjudicator of par.   To ensure your golf club’s handicap committee and members are ready to enter your scores under the new World Handicap System, Golf Canada/New Brunswick will be providing several educational tools and resources. Please stay tuned to our website, newsletters and social media platforms for more information on the new World Handicap System for 2020.   For more information on the World Handicap System, please visit https://golfcanada.ca/handicapping To download a PDF copy of the Rules of Handicapping effective January 2020, please CLICK HERE]]>

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Golf Canada’s national amateur squad, coach Tristan Mullally is excited for the future of the women’s game in this country. Mullally worked with Quebec City’s Sarah-Eve Rheaume, Noemie Pare of Victoriaville, Que., Brigitte Thibault of Rosemere, Que., and Mary Parsons of Delta, B.C. last week at The Legacy Golf Club in Phoenix. The camp focused on the ongoing development of all four players, preparing them to make the leap to the professional ranks.

“We’ve got a young, dynamic group that are a little bit light on experience but have some of the best attitudes that I’ve ever seen in terms of our national team,” said Mullally on Wednesday. “It’s very easy to improve their golf when their attitude is the way it is.

“I’m expecting over the next couple of years to start to see some of these players starting to be those next discussion points.” Of course, right now the biggest discussion point in Canadian golf is Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont. She became the winningest golfer in Canadian history last season and is ranked eighth in the world. Henderson and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp represent the Canadian contingent on the LPGA Tour this season.

It’s a reversal of fortunes from last year when five Canadians were LPGA regulars with Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay and Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee joining Henderson and Sharp. The injury bug bit, however, with Tanguay having to take a one-year sabbatical to heal an ailing back and focus on personal projects. Lee’s season was derailed by ongoing issues with her wrist. She’ll have partial LPGA status this season as she plays under a medical exemption. Longtime Symetra Tour player Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., retired in the off-season after finishing 30th on the second-tier tour’s money list, further depleting Canada’s presence in the pro ranks. But Mullally is optimistic about the next wave of young Canadian golfers playing in the NCAA.

“All of these athletes are on the national team for a reason, they know how to work hard to be efficient with their time,” said Mullally, who collaborates with the players’ university coaches to design individual development plans. “They’ve all done that, they’ve all come back a little bit better than when they left the last national camp and we want to continue that.” Thibault is coming off of a career season where she competed in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur, won the Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship and the NCAA’s Mountain West Conference Championship. That led to her being named the female amateur of the year by the Golf Journalists Association of Canada. She and Parsons were also part of Canada’s bronze-medal team at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, with Austin Connelly and Joey Savoie.]]>

Click here for more information on the World Handicap System.]]>

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