FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – Brooks Koepka should know as well as anyone that nothing in golf comes easily.

His well-documented journey to the PGA Tour took him to remote outposts like Kenya and Kazakhstan. Even after Koepka won a second straight U.S. Open last summer, which no one had done in 29 years, it didn’t seem enough to be the first name mentioned among the next generation of stars.

So he spent three days setting records at Bethpage Black in the PGA Championship – the first player to shoot 63 in consecutive years in the majors, the lowest 36-hole score in major championship history and a seven-shot lead, the largest ever for 54 holes in the PGA Championship.

And then he endured the toughest day of his career Sunday, which turned into the most rewarding.

“I’m glad I’ve got this thing sitting next to me,” Koepka said as he looked at the shiny Wanamaker Trophy. “It’s very satisfying, this one. This is definitely the most satisfying of all the ones I’ve won.”

Moments earlier, after he turned a potential meltdown into the kind of clutch play that has defined his career, Koepka draped his muscular arms around the top of the trophy and let out a deep sigh from stress and satisfaction, and then he smiled.

 

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Congrats to @bkoepka on his #pgachampionship title defence. ?? ⠀ ⠀ With the win today, Koepka joins Tiger Woods as the only back-to-back winners of the PGA Championship since it went to stroke play in 1958.⠀ ⠀ See you next month, Brooks. ??

A post shared by RBC Canadian Open (@rbccanadianopen) on May 19, 2019 at 6:17pm PDT

Koepka said at the start of the week that majors are sometimes the easiest to win.

This one should have been.

It wasn’t.

His seven-shot lead was down to one with four holes to play and the No. 1 player in the world – Dustin Johnson, his best friend in golf – was piecing together the best round of a final day in 25 mph gusts that made Bethpage Black as fearsome as ever.

Koepka answered with all the right shots. Johnson faded with two bogeys. Koepka closed with a 4-over 74, the highest final round by a PGA champion in 15 years, and he didn’t care how it looked.

His place in history was secure. He joined Tiger Woods as the only players to win back-to-back in the PGA Championship since it switched to stroke play in 1958. He became the only player to hold back-to-back titles in two majors at the same time.

Four years ago, he had one PGA Tour title in his first full season as a full member. Now he has four majors out of the last eight he has played, a stretch not seen since Woods won seven out of 11 after capturing the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black.

“I just don’t understand why he doesn’t do it more often,” said Rory McIlroy, who won his four majors in a span of 15. “He obviously gets into these mindsets of the majors, and he really goes and gets into a different state. You’d obviously have to ask him. But it’s awesome. It’s great to watch.”

Woods twice won back to back in the PGA Championship, with tight battles in 1999 and 2000, comfortable wins in 2006 and 2007. Koepka was starting to draw comparisons with Woods for the way he obliterated the competition at Bethpage Black, much like Woods used to do.

In the end, there were no style points, only the trophy.

But that trophy spoke volumes.

Even louder was the gallery, and it wasn’t always pretty. Koepka had a six-shot lead when he walked off the 11th fairway. When he walked up to the green on the par-3 14th, with his ball over the green and Koepka headed for a fourth straight birdie, the chants jarred him.

They weren’t for him.

“DJ! DJ! DJ!” the cheers rained down for Johnson, who was on his way to another birdie up ahead on the 15th hole to pull within one shot. Koepka says he was more shocked than he was nervous, but he heard them.

“It’s New York. What do you expect when you’re half-choking it away,” he said. “I think I kind of deserved it. I’ve been to sporting events in New York. I know how it goes. I think it actually helped. It was at a perfect time because I was just thinking: ‘OK, I’ve got everybody against me. Let’s go.”’

And off he went – a powerful drive down the 15th fairway that set up a par he desperately need, an even better drive down the 16th hole, the hardest at Bethpage Black during the final round because the wind was whipping into his face.

That’s where Johnson lost all momentum, without doing much wrong. He hit a 5-iron from 194 into the fan – he though about 4-iron because he wasn’t sure 5-iron would get to the green – and was stunned when it one-hopped into the rough. He chipped to 7 feet and missed the par putt, and then went long on the par-3 17th, caught another nasty lie and made another bogey.

“I gave it a run,” Johnson said after his 69. “That’s all you can ask for.”

It’s more than Koepka would have wanted. But he has the trophy, the one that caused the most stress and brought the most satisfaction. No sooner was the PGA Championship over that Koepka was installed as a 5-1 favourite to win the U.S. Open.

No one has won three straight U.S. Open titles since Willie Anderson in 1905. That might be all the motivation Koepka needs.

TORONTO – There’s nothing like home cooking, and Michael Blair will get plenty of it during the 2019 RBC Canadian Open.

The Ancaster, Ont. native, who plays at Hidden Lake Golf Club in Burlington, Ont., was the low finisher at the second RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier at TPC Toronto, Thursday. The 27-year-old shot an 8-under-par 64, earning an exemption into the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, which is being held at Hamilton Golf and Country Club.

Blair put together a spectacular round, sinking two eagles on two par-fives on the back nine. Coupled with five front-nine birdies, Blair found himself two strokes ahead of the competition at the conclusion of play.

Trailing Blair was another Hamilton-area competitor in Christopher Ross. A Hamilton Golf and Country Club player, Ross birdied his final two holes to finish at 6 under.

Tied with Ross was Jae Kim of Toronto. Kim was bogey-free on the day, and an eagle on the eighth hole helped him to a T2 finish.

 

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Always been a dream of mine to play the @rbccanadianopen. Extremely excited to tee it up at @hamiltongolfandcountryclub in a few weeks!! Thanks to @thegolfcanada @tpc_toronto for all the help today

A post shared by Michael Blair (@mblair416) on May 16, 2019 at 5:00pm PDT

Ross, Kim and 20 other competitors, excluding Blair, advance to the RBC Canadian Open Final Qualifier taking place on June 3 at Heron Point Golf Links in Hamilton, Ont.

The first RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier at Kings Links by the Sea in Delta, B.C. saw James Allenby shoot 7-under par 65 to earn medallist honours and advance to the final qualifying event. There must be a minimum of 100 competitors in the field for there to be an exemption to the RBC Canadian Open at any of the regional qualifiers.

A third regional qualifier will take place on May 27 at Elm Ridge Country Club in L’Île Bizard, Que.

Full results can be found here.

Tickets to the RBC Canadian Open are available at https://rbccanadianopen.com/tickets2019/

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TORONTO – There’s no doubt that Corey Conners’s life has changed since winning the Valero Texas Open nearly six weeks ago.

Monday qualifiers and doubts about where he’ll play next have given way to guaranteed tournament berths for the rest of the season, a PGA Tour card for 2020 and a spot in this week’s PGA Championship.

That higher profile comes with some other perks too, including staying at prestigious hotels when coming to Toronto for meetings and getting recognized by golf fans.

“It’s a life-changing thing to win, but I still feel like the same person,” said Conners last Thursday in an interview with The Canadian Press. “Not going to be changing up my lifestyle very much. These bonuses are really awesome, a nice treat, but I’m not going to do a whole bunch of things differently.

“Probably won’t be staying at a lot of Ritz-Carltons, keep it pretty simple with a simple lifestyle.”

Conners went straight to the Masters after winning the Texas Open – the organizers flew him, his wife Malory and his agent directly from San Antonio to Augusta, Ga. – and then played in the RBC Heritage and the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He took the first week of May off, visiting Toronto for a breakfast meeting with sponsor RBC, getting in a couple of practice rounds in at Hamilton Golf and Country Club, and then going to his hometown of Listowel, Ont., to see his mom and mother-in-law ahead of Mother’s Day.

That busy schedule means he hasn’t had much of a chance to absorb what the Texas Open win means for him, but there are moments where it sinks in.

“I think when we got home, back to Florida, and we were able to just sit down on our couch and think ‘wow, we won a PGA Tour event,”’ said Conners, who said he’ll put the trophy into his living room when it arrives. “I know how it is to win and how many people are trying to win week in and week out.”

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA – APRIL 14: Corey Conners of Canada walks on the second hole during the final round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on April 14, 2019 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Another immediate benefit is a berth in the PGA Championship, the second major of the season. It’s his first time playing in the tournament, having played in the Masters as an amateur in 2015 and the U.S. Open in 2017.

This year’s PGA Championship is the first to be played in May since 1949, and the cooler temperatures at Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale, N.Y. had players bundling up in toques, thick gloves and raingear during practice on Monday.

Conners is one of two Canadians in the field. The other is Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C.

“I grew up playing in the cold and I’ve embraced the challenge the additional challenge that brings,” Conners said. “It’s funny, whenever there’s bad weather on tour everyone I walk by they always joke ‘Oh, you must love this!’ and I’m like ‘No, it doesn’t mean we like the cold and the rain.’

“But I’m used to it. My dad used to play golf with me in miserable conditions back in Listowel. It would be pouring rain and we’d be the only people out there getting soaked in our rain suits.”

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TORONTO – The second RBC Canadian Open regional qualifier tees off Thursday, May 16 at TPC Toronto. One-hundred and forty-four players are vying for 22 spots in the RBC Canadian Open Final Qualifier at Heron Point Golf Links in Alberton, Ont. on Monday, June 3.

The 18-hole qualifier at TPC Toronto is the second of three regional qualifiers taking place across the country. The first qualifier was on May 6 at Kings Links by the Sea in Delta, B.C., while the third regional qualifier is at Elm Ridge Country Club in L’Île Bizard, Que. on Monday, May 27.

The top 15% of finishers at each regional qualifier are eligible to complete at Final Qualifying on June 3. As there are more than 100 competitors in the field at TPC Toronto, the low qualifier will receive an exemption directly into the RBC Canadian Open field.

The regional qualification process allows amateurs and professionals from across Canada and the world a chance to qualify for the RBC Canadian Open.

The qualifying competitions are open to members in good standing with the PGA of Canada or other PGA affiliates, amateur golfers with a current Handicap Factor not exceeding 2.0 who are members of Golf Canada or in good standing with their respective associations, as well as other golf professionals.

Pairings are available online here.

Follow scoring online as players complete their rounds by clicking here.

Tickets to the RBC Canadian Open are available at: https://rbccanadianopen.com/tickets2019/

The regional tournaments for the NCAA Division I men’s golf championships got underway on Monday May 13 and will conclude on Wednesday, May 15, at six different sites.

Each regional tournament will conduct play across 54 holes through May 15. Each regional site will have 13 to 14 teams and five to 10 individuals. In all, the regional stages will feature 81 teams and 45 individuals. The low five teams and the low individual not on those teams from each regional will advance to the finals.

A total of 8 Canadian golfers are taking part in the competition.

Pullman Regional

Myrtle Beach Regional

Louisville Regional

Athens Regional

Austin Regional

Team and individual medalist titles will be decided May 24-29 at Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The University of Arkansas is the host institution for the 2019 championships.

Click on the event site above to access the tournament leaderboard and follow our Canadian golfers throughout the competition.

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BEIJING—Richard Jung kept the Beijing Championship in Canada. A year after Peter Campbell won the event in China’s capital city, Jung, a former Team Canada member, pulled away in wet, rainy conditions, shooting 4-under 68—good for a two-shot victory over American Ryann Ree. The win is Jung’s second career PGA TOUR Series-China title.

Jung, 26, entered the day tied for the lead with American Max McGreevy. He took the lead for good when he birdied No. 4 and never let up, picking up four more birdies and one bogey to finish with a 19-under total of 272 at Topwin Golf and Country Club.

McGreevy earned his third top-five in four Tour events after carding a 71 to finish third at 16-under along with Chinese Taipei’s Chiehpo Lee (66).

The former Canadian Boys Golf Championship winner (2010) was steady all day, starting with three straight pars before finding his rhythm. In addition to his birdie at the fourth, he picked up birdies on holes 6, 10, 12 and a birdie on 15, a hole where he initially thought he had lost his ball.

“Hole 15 was crucial. I hit it way left, and if I hadn’t found that ball it would have been a different story,” said the Korean-born Jung. “I was just under a tree and somehow made birdie. I had 30 yards to the pin and was able to hit a really good shot and roll the putt in.”

In just his second Tour event of the season, Jung was thrilled with the way he handled himself to hold onto the lead and earn his first Tour title since winning the Suzhou Open in June of 2018.

“I tried to not think about what the other players were doing. If they play great, it’s not my day. But I really didn’t want to make mistakes and give away the W,” said Jung. “So I’m just really happy with how I played, especially down the stretch. I had some clutch putts and was able to roll the rock, which was great”

Now Jung is excited to have a chance to improve on a solid 2018 where he missed out by one spot on a trip to Final Stage of the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament when he finished 11th on the Order of Merit.

“I feel amazing, 19-under par on any golf course is always a great score so I’m just really happy with that,” said Jung. “Now I don’t have to think about finishing top 10 [on the Order of Merit] as much, so hopefully I can just keep doing what I’m doing now and just play some good golf.”

 

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CHAMP! #TeamCanada alum Richard Jung collects his second @pgatourchinaofficial career win with a 2-stroke victory in #Beijing ??? – The win marks the second straight for #Canada in this event (Peter Campbell won it in 2018)

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Ree, who finished 26th on the 2018 Order of Merit, was disappointed not to get the win but the San Diego State University graduate is already optimistic and looking forward to the upcoming events.

“I didn’t play as well today as the last three days, but in the end I’m pretty happy with how I finished. I birdied three in a row coming in so can’t be too disappointed,” said Ree, who like Jung, also has Korean parents. “There are a few more events before we take a break, so hopefully I can get the job done soon.”

The Beijing Championship was the first event of a three-week swing. The next two tournaments are the Qinhuangdao (May 13-19) and Nantong Championships (May 20-26). Following two weeks off, the Tour will resume with the Suzhou Open (June 10-16) and Huangshan Championship (June 17-23).

PITT MEADOWS, B.C. – Lauren Kim fended off competitors five years her senior and held on to a second-round lead, while Michael Crisologo won in a playoff to earn medalist honours in their respective divisions at the Future Links, driven by Acura Pacific Championship at Pitt Meadows Golf Club.

Kim, 13, rocketed to the lead by knocking in six birdies in round two. The Surrey, B.C. native shot a bogey-free round on Sunday, finishing at 6 under during the 54-hole event, one shot ahead of Euna Han in second place.

“I feel really good about myself,” said Kim. “My best hole out of the entire round was the sixth hole. I thought I was going to make a bogey because I went into the trees. I made the putt for a [par] save and I was really shocked, but I feel that really helped me stay calm.”

As the top five finishers, Kim, Han, YanJun (Victoria) Liu, Tiffany Kong and Angel (Mu Chen) Lin each earned exemptions into the 2019 Canadian Junior Girls Championship on July 29-Aug. 2 at Lethbridge Country Club in Lethbridge, Alta.

Narrowly missing the top five was Céleste Dao. The Team Canada Junior Development Squad member led after 18 holes, but ultimately finished in sixth place at 2 over. Dao’s Team Canada teammate Ellie Szeryk joined her in the top ten by carding a 6-over 74.

It was a stunning finish in the boys’ division, as Crisologo and Laurent Desmarchais both put together impressive final rounds and finished tied at 5 under on the tournament. A playoff was needed to decide the winner, and Crisologo birdied the first playoff hole to earn medalist honours.

“I’m super excited, I can’t really put it into words right now,” said Crisologo of Richmond, B.C. “[My family] watched me through all 18 holes, and it was good to have that support.”

It was a strong showing for the Team Canada Junior Boys Development Squad, as three of the five lowest scores were carded by team members. In addition to Desmarchais, Christopher Vandette and Jeevan Sihota finished tied for third place.

Crisologo, Desmarchais, Vandette and Sihota each earned exemptions into the 2019 Canadian Junior Boys Championship, head at Covered Bridge Golf & Country Club in Hartland, N.B. from Aug. 11-15.

Along with the four lowest finishers, Ethan Choi of Pincher Creek, Alta. also earned an exemption into the Canadian Junior Boys Championship by shooting even par to round out the top five.

Full scoring can be found here.