R&A’s Women in Golf Charter showing success in Canada & worldwide
The R&A’s drive to increase the number of women and girls participating in golf and to encourage more opportunities for women to work within the sport has been reflected in early success for the new Women in Golf Charter.
Launched last May in London, the Charter set out to inspire an industry-wide commitment to developing a more inclusive culture within golf globally. It is designed to encourage actions that enable more women and girls to flourish and maximise their potential within the golf industry at all levels.
To date, 107 organisations have given their commitment to the Charter, pledging to build on current initiatives and develop new projects to increase the number of women, girls and families playing golf and becoming members of clubs, as well as giving women wider opportunities to enjoy careers and volunteering in the sport.
These include national federations such as Golf Canada – which held its inaugural Women’s Leadership Summit last year linked to the staging of the CP Women’s Open and enters its sixth year of hosting the World Junior Girls Championship, which welcomes athletes from 19 countries around the world.
Other organisations who have adopted the Charter include the PGA TOUR; the European Tour; the Ladies’ European Tour; the Professional Golfers’ Association; the Golf Foundation; the PGAs of Europe; the European Disabled Golf Association; the ANNIKA Foundation; IMG; VisitScotland and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Golf.
Mastercard, the official card of The Open, is also the first R&A Patron to sign up. Various other organisations offering their support include the Association of Golf Writers and GOLFNOW.
Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “We are encouraged by the number of organisations who have recognised the importance of the Charter for the sport and pledged their support.
“It is a positive start but we need an industry-wide commitment to the Charter and support for measures that will foster a more inclusive culture within the sport and enable women and girls to reach their full potential.”
While achieving the commitment of national federations and organisations was one of the first aims of the Charter, the process for clubs and regional bodies to sign up is also now gathering pace.
Conwy, which will stage the 2020 Curtis Cup in Wales, is the first golf club to sign up to the Charter.
Boldon, based in Tyne & Wear, is the first English club to sign, followed by commitments from Open venues Royal Portrush, St Andrews Links Trust and Carnoustie Golf Links.
Fulford, venue for the Girls Under 16 Amateur Championship, has also committed, along with The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, Blairgowrie, North Berwick and Royal Dornoch.
“Gaining the support of national associations and organisations was the first phase of our plan,” added Slumbers. “We have also worked closely with them to collectively agree a process to support individual clubs in adopting the Charter and gain real momentum.
“The national body is the point of contact and will directly liaise with clubs in determining commitments to the Charter should a club wish to become a signatory.
“We would like national associations, with the involvement of clubs, to set targets for participation and membership as we look to increase the number of women, girls and families playing the sport.”
Canada set to host its first U.S. Open Sectional Qualifier
The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced local qualifying sites for the 119th U.S. Open Championship. The U.S. Open will be contested at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links for the sixth time from June 13-16, 2019. Local qualifying, conducted over 18 holes at 110 sites in 43 states and Canada, will take place between April 29-May 13.
“We are grateful for the extensive support of Allied Golf Associations and Golf Canada, in collaboration with the USGA’s five regional offices, during this two-tiered U.S. Open qualifying process,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director of Championships. “Thousands of professional and amateur golfers from around the world will pursue an opportunity to compete in our national championship at scenic Pebble Beach Golf Links, which has produced some of the most memorable moments in American golf.”
Local Qualifying will take place in Canada on May 13 at Beacon Hall Golf Club in Aurora, Ont.
Those players who advance out of local qualifying will join a group of exempt players in sectional qualifying, which will be conducted over 36 holes at 12 sites, nine of them in the U.S., one in England, one in Canada and one in Japan. Eight U.S. sites and the Canada and England sites will host sectionals on Monday, June 3. The U.S. qualifier in Texas will be played on May 20, while Japan will host its qualifier on May 27. It will mark the 15th consecutive year that England and Japan have hosted international sectional qualifying.
Canada will host a sectional qualifier for the first time, taking place at RattleSnake Point Golf Club in Milton, Ont., on June 3 leading into the RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.
In 2018, the USGA accepted 9,049 entries for the championship at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, in Southampton, N.Y. The record of 10,127 was established for the 2014 championship at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 2, in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C.
Fifty-five courses return as U.S. Open local qualifying sites from last year and several have a significant history as hosts. Illini Country Club, in Springfield, Ill., will conduct a U.S. Open qualifier for the 41st consecutive year. Maketewah Country Club, in Cincinnati, Ohio, will be a local site for the 43rd time in the last 44 years. Chris Naegel, who tied for 56th in last year’s U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, and amateur Will Grimmer, who finished 66th, advanced through local qualifying at Illini C.C. and Maketewah C.C., respectively.
Additionally, Riverton (Wyo.) Country Club has hosted local qualifying since 1998, while Collindale Golf Course, in Fort Collins, Colo., has been a host site since 2003. Ironwood Country Club, in Palm Desert, Calif., will hold a local qualifier for the 21st time in the last 22 years.
Five clubs will host U.S. Open local qualifying for the 11th consecutive year. They are: The Club at Admirals Cove (North/West Courses), in Jupiter, Fla.; The Club at Ruby Hill, in Pleasanton, Calif.; Holston Hills Country Club, in Knoxville, Tenn.; La Purisima Golf Course, in Lompoc, Calif.; and Pinewild Country Club (Magnolia Course), in Pinehurst, N.C.
Last year, 21 players advanced through local and sectional qualifying to the 156-player U.S. Open Championship field at Shinnecock Hills. Of those 21, seven players made the 36-hole cut, including co-low amateur Luis Gagne, who started his journey at Orange Tree Golf Club, in Orlando, Fla., which will host a local qualifier for the eighth consecutive year. Ken Venturi (1964) and Orville Moody (1969) are the only players to win the U.S. Open after qualifying through both local and sectional play.
Several U.S. Open champions have advanced to the championship through both local and sectional qualifying at some point in their careers, including Lucas Glover, David Graham, Lou Graham, Hale Irwin, Tony Jacklin, Lee Janzen, Tom Kite, Johnny Miller, Corey Pavin, Curtis Strange, Lee Trevino and Fuzzy Zoeller.
To be eligible, a player must have a Handicap Index® not exceeding 1.4, or be a professional.
There are 14 local qualifying sites in both California and Florida, the most of any state. Texas will host seven local qualifiers, while New York and Pennsylvania each have five.
Golf Canada releases 2019 championship schedule
Golf Canada is pleased to announce its 2019 championship schedule, which includes a record setting 31 amateur and professional competitions in addition to various qualifiers hosted at golf facilities across Canada.
The 2019 schedule is headlined by Golf Canada’s premier professional championships — the RBC Canadian Open, June 3-9 at Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Hamilton, Ont., and the CP Women’s Open, to be conducted August 19-25 at Magna Golf Club in Aurora, Ont.
The 2019 competition calendar includes eight national amateur championships, eight Future Links, driven by Acura regional junior competitions and two international women’s championships.
As the National Sport Federation and governing body of golf in Canada, Golf Canada conducts the country’s premier amateur and professional golf championships as part of its mandate to support the development of the nation’s top talent through world-class competition.
“Golf Canada is incredibly proud to conduct our national championships for the more than 3,000 talented Canadian and international golfers who take part in our competitions,” said Golf Canada’s CEO, Laurence Applebaum. “Together with our host clubs, communities, volunteers and corporate partners, we are excited to be welcoming the next chapter of Canadian golf champions.”
Golf Canada’s championship season kicks off May 6 with the RBC Canadian Open British Columbia Qualifier and concludes in September with the Future Links, driven by Acura Fall Series Championship at Crown Isle Resort & Golf Community in Courtenay, B.C.
To view Golf Canada’s 2019 championship schedule including all host venues, registration requirements and volunteer opportunities please click here.
Championship Season at a Glance…
The 115th playing of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship will be contested at Glen Arbour Golf Course in Hammonds Plains, N.S. and The Links at Brunello in Timberlea, N.S., August 3-8. A field of 240 players will be cut to the low 70 players and ties after 36 holes, with the final two rounds contested at Glen Arbour. The champion will receive an exemption into the 2020 RBC Canadian Open, as well as an invitation to the 2019 U.S. Amateur Championship. Additionally, the winner will receive an exemption into local qualifying for the 2020 U.S. Open, and if applicable, the U.S. Junior, U.S. Mid-Amateur or USGA Senior Amateur Championships.
The 106th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship takes place July 22-26 at Red Deer Golf & Country Club in Red Deer, Alta. with the champion earning an exemption into the 2019 CP Women’s Open, as well as an exemption into the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. Additionally, the winner will receive exemptions into the U.S. Girls’ Junior, U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and USGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championships, if applicable.
Red Deer Golf & Country Club
At the junior level, the 81st playing of the Canadian Junior Boys Championship will be contested August 11-15 at Covered Bridge Golf & Country Club in Hartland, N.B., with the winner earning an exemption into the 2020 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship. The 65th Canadian Junior Girls Championship will be contested at Lethbridge Country Club in Lethbridge, Alta.
The 17th Canadian University/College Championship will be held May 27-31 at FireRock Golf Club in Komoka, Ont. The national championship includes both a team and individual component featuring Canada’s top university and college talent.
The Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur will be held Aug. 19-23 at Summit Golf Club in Thornhill, Ont.
The Future Links, driven by Acura regional junior series will round out the schedule with two Fall Series Championships in 2019, totalling eight competitions conducted in conjunction with the Provincial Golf Associations. The Fall Series will take place in September in British Columbia and Quebec, where the region’s best junior golfers will compete to earn exemptions into their respective 2020 national championships. The Future Links, driven by Acura Championships provide juniors an opportunity to develop and showcase their skills at the highest level of tournament golf.
The 2019 RBC Canadian Open on the PGA TOUR will be contested June 3-9 at Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Hamilton, Ont., and will mark the 110th playing of Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship.
The CP Women’s Open will return to the Greater Toronto Area as Magna Golf Club in Aurora, Ont., will host the stars of the LPGA Tour from August 19-25.
The Astor Trophy makes its return to Canadian soil after 20 years abroad. The 16th playing of the international women’s amateur event will run Aug. 28 to Sept. 1 at Royal Colwood Golf Club in Victoria, B.C. The five-team competition features both foursomes and stroke play and is contested once every four years between Australia, Canada, Great Britain and Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa.
Cedar Brae Golf Club in Scarborough, Ont., will host the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship from September 9-13, with the winner earning an exemption into the 2020 U.S. Senior Amateur. The Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship will be held Aug. 17-20 at Osoyoos Golf Club in Osoyoos, B.C., with the champion earning an exemption into the 2019 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship and 2020 U.S. Senior Women’s Open.
An accomplished field of international competitors will take to Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont., from Sept. 22–27, for the sixth annual World Junior Girls Championship. The event will welcome 20 countries playing as 3-member squads competing for both a team and individual title.
The Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru National Event will be held at Credit Valley Golf & Country Club on Sept. 23. The one-day event is a celebration of the success of all Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru events held nationwide during the 2019 season. To date, the fundraising efforts of thousands of golfers have totaled more than $6.7 million for breast cancer research since the program’s inception in 2003.
The program’s goal is to drive women’s participation in the game of golf through the use of fun, non-intimidating activities. Click here to learn more about Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru.
R&A and USGA release clarifications to Rule 10.2b
The R&A and the USGA have provided two clarifications to Rule 10.2b(4) regarding restrictions on caddies standing behind players which take immediate effect.
The purpose of Rule 10.2 is to reinforce the fundamental challenge of making a stroke and to limit the advice and other help a player may receive during a round.
Rule 10.2b(4) ensures that aiming at the intended target is a challenge that the player must overcome alone. It states:
“When a player begins taking a stance for the stroke and until the stroke is made, the player’s caddie must not deliberately stand in a location on or close to the player’s line of play behind the ball for any reason. If the player takes a stance in breach of this Rule, he or she cannot avoid penalty by backing away.
Exception – Ball on Putting Green: When the player’s ball is on the putting green, there is no penalty under this Rule if the player backs away from the stance and does not begin to take the stance again until after the caddie has moved out of that location.”
The two clarifications provided today can be summarized as follows:
- Meaning of “Begins Taking a Stance for the Stroke”: If a player backs away from a stance, the player is not considered to have begun a “stance for the stroke”. Therefore, a player can now back away from his or her stance anywhere on the course and avoid a breach of Rule 10.2b(4) if the caddie had been standing in a location behind the ball.
- Examples of When a Caddie is Not “Deliberately” Standing Behind the Ball When a Player Begins Taking Stance for Stroke: As written, the Rule does not apply if a caddie is not deliberately standing behind a player. It is clarified that the term “deliberately” requires a caddie to be aware that 1) the player is beginning to take a stance for the stroke to be played and 2) he or she (the caddie) is standing on or close to an extension of the line of play behind the ball. Several examples are given in the clarification to provide additional guidance.
The complete language to the two major clarifications can be found by clicking here.
These clarifications confirm the recent rulings given in relation to Rule 10.2b(4).
Clarifications provide additional guidance on a Rule based on the circumstances that may arise in applying it. They are part of an ongoing list provided to players and referees.
“These clarifications are designed to improve the operation of the Rule and give the players more opportunity to avoid a breach while remaining true to the purpose of the Rule,” said David Rickman, Executive Director – Governance at The R&A. “We appreciate that this requires some players and caddies to make an adjustment but we believe there is widespread acceptance that it is for the player alone to line up a shot.”
“Experience has taught us that introducing a new Rule requires us to balance patience with a willingness to act quickly when necessary,” said Thomas Pagel, USGA senior managing director of governance. “With so many pivotal changes to the Rules this year, we’ve committed to offering any assistance needed in making the Rules easier to understand and apply, without taking away the inherent challenge of playing the game. We appreciate that everyone involved in drafting these clarifications worked together with this same goal in mind.”
A spirit of collaboration has been central to the initiative to modernise golf’s Rules since it began in 2012 and The R&A and the USGA consulted with various entities in the game, including the LPGA Tour, the European Tour and the PGA TOUR, to ensure an appropriate level of guidance has been given through these clarifications.
A full list of clarifications to golf’s new Rules can be found on www.randa.org and will be incorporated into The R&A’s and USGA’s respective Rules of Golf apps later this year.
Golf’s new Rules were finalized in March 2018, following a worldwide comment period and testing. Educational materials can be found at www.randa.org.
Alex Baldwin becomes first female President in PGA TOUR history
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – The PGA TOUR announced today that current Vice President of Marketing Partnerships, Alexandra “Alex” Baldwin, has been named President of the Web.com Tour. With the announcement, Baldwin becomes the first female in history to lead one of the PGA TOUR’s six global Tours as President.
Dan Glod, who has served as President of the Web.com Tour since January of 2017, has been elevated to Senior Vice President, Global Sponsorship Strategy and Development in a corresponding announcement.
“We are excited to announce Alex as the new President of the Web.com Tour in what is a watershed moment for our organization,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “In her role as Vice President of Marketing Partnerships, Alex has spearheaded our efforts to provide increased value to our PGA TOUR partners and I know she will have that same level of success on the Web.com Tour. We thank Dan Glod for his tremendous leadership with our partners, tournaments and membership over these last two years and know the Web.com Tour has a great foundation which Alex can continue to build upon.”
Baldwin joined the PGA TOUR in 2017 as Vice President of Corporate Partnerships, where she was responsible for co-leading the Marketing Partnership team and overseeing key partner account teams including Morgan Stanley, Dell, Omni Hotel and Resorts and United Airlines, among others. In addition to spearheading partner oversight, she negotiated extensions and new programs with partners including Avis, MD Anderson, Rolex and Citi.
“I am thrilled for this opportunity to lead the Web.com Tour while drawing on years of experience in golf, sports and business,” said Baldwin. “The Web.com Tour is a tremendous avenue through which we’re able to develop the next generation of PGA TOUR stars, and I’m eager to learn as much as possible about our partners, tournaments and communities as we look to build on the Tour’s incredible 30-year foundation.”
We’ve announced the first female Tour President in @PGATOUR history.
Welcome aboard, Alex Baldwin! https://t.co/FMtA5x3mUl
— Web.com Tour (@WebDotComTour) January 30, 2019
Prior to joining the PGA TOUR, Baldwin was a Corporate Consulting Executive at CAA Sports in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, working with major brands on their strategy and activation plans in sports and entertainment. During that time, she worked strategically with Waste Management and the Waste Management Phoenix Open as well as Synchrony Financial, CVS Health and Concur among others.
For 10 years prior to joining CAA, Baldwin was with Boston-based Fenway Sports Management, consulting clients and driving sales efforts around premier golf properties, including the Deutsche Bank Championship.
Baldwin’s career began in 1992 as an intern with International Management Group (IMG), where she eventually rose to agent, representing the likes of LPGA stars Karrie Webb and Suzann Pettersen, as well as PGA TOUR winners Brad Faxon and Carlos Franco.
The Web.com Tour’s Country Club de Bogotá Championship begins tomorrow in Bogotá, Colombia. The event is the third of 27 tournaments on the Tour’s 2019 schedule, which will conclude with the sixth-annual Web.com Tour Finals in August and September.
Louis Melanson Golf Academy Set for Grand Opening
Written by Dwayne Tingley
Louis Melanson has been coaching junior golfers in New Brunswick to unprecedented success during the past couple of decades and he believes the best days are yet to come.
Much of his optimism is based on the impact that will be made by the Louis Melanson Golf Academy’s indoor training facility, which holds it grand opening at 211 Mill Rd. in Moncton this Saturday from 1-3 p.m.
“If we look ahead two or three years, we are going to see a lot of junior golfers playing at a very high level,” said Melanson, general manager of the Fox Creek Golf Club and head coach of the New Brunswick junior men’s team.
“These kids are going to benefit from getting year-round instructions and the ability to practice and have gym training all year long,” he added. “These kids love to come to the facility and we’re seeing them make big improvements in their golf game.”
The 7,000 square-foot facility is housed in the former Ecole Champlain and features a driving range designed for six players at a time, a putting green, two Trackman simulators and a well-equipped fitness gym. It is the largest indoor golf training facility in Atlantic Canada.
Melanson, who captured the Atlantic PGA teacher of the year award for the eighth time in 2018, is the head instructor. He is assisted by Marc Bourgeois and Jean-Francois Richard.
“I have a lot of great help and we are all focused on the juniors and others who use the facility,” Melanson said. “We are able to give a lot of one-on-one instruction time.”
The facility is home to high school students from the Sport Etude program at Ecole Odyssee and other athletes from Riverview High and Bernice MacNaughton High School. Melanson is anticipating more schools will participate in the near future.
The high school players train for 12-15 hours a week at the facility. Middle schoolers can take advantage of a four-hour a week program.
“We cover every aspect of the training – from overall fitness to golf techniques,” Melanson said, adding that some students from Bathurst and Miramichi have also come to Moncton to work out at the facility.
The facility is not solely for juniors. It is open for lessons and practice for all players during the evenings and on weekends.
Melanson, a national facilitator for Golf Canada, said the complex has been open for about a year, but the official opening was delayed until it was fully-stocked.
“We want to see as many people as possible at the official opening,” he said. “Come see what we are all about and you will see why we are so excited about the future.”
Rickie Fowler holds four shot lead at Phoenix Open; Canada’s David Hearn 26th
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Rickie Fowler had the lead heading into the final round last year at the Phoenix Open, only to see the title slip through his grip for a second time.
He will have a big cushion in his third bid to win the championship following a stellar display of golf.
Fowler had eight birdies in a 7-under 64 on Saturday at TPC Scottsdale to take a four-shot lead over Matt Kuchar into the final round.
Fowler opened with four birdies in six holes and navigated a difficult two-putt on the par-4 18th hole to reach 20-under 193.
Now it’s time to finish it off.
“This one is definitely high on the list, another being Torrey Pines,” Fowler said. “I would say between here and there, those would be the two highest on the list other than a major.”
Kuchar shot a bogey-free 65 to put himself in position for his third victory of the wraparound PGA season. He has been par or better in all 19 rounds this season, winning the Mayakoba Classic and Sony Open.
Justin Thomas, who started one behind Fowler, shot 65 and was five back of his friend and desert roommate.
Branden Grace and Byeong Hun An were at 13 under on a day golf said goodbye to one of its most distinctive voices.
David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., shot an even-par 71 to finish the round in a tie for 26th at 7 under.
Saturday’s third round was the broadcasting finale of NBC lead golf analyst Johnny Miller’s career.
Miller followed a Hall of Fame playing career with three decades of calling it the way he saw it, regardless of what the players thought of him. Wanting to spend more time with his family, the 71-year-old Miller decided to call it quits after the Phoenix Open, where he won twice to help earn the nickname “Desert Fox.”
NBC played multiple tributes to Miller during Saturday’s coverage and on-course announcer Roger Maltbie’s voice cracked as he talked about his friend.
“I appreciate the people out there. I do my commentating for you,” Miller said. “I’m glad you accepted my form of commentating, which was not normal. It was a little rough at first, but it’s just been a pleasure, the friendships I’ve made.”
Fowler had the 54-hole lead at last year and fell flat in the final round, shooting 73 to finish six shots behind champion Gary Woodland. He also lost in a playoff in 2016.
Fowler put himself in position for a third run at the title with a superb round of golf.
He had a one-shot lead over Thomas after closing with four birdies for a 6-under 65 in Friday’s second round. Fowler made an eight-foot birdie putt on 18 to reach 13 under and quickly added to it on Saturday, dropping in an 18-foot birdie putt on the par-4 first hole.
Fowler, who shot 64 in the opening round, added birdies on Nos. 3, 5 and 6 to reach 17 under, but had a par putt lip out after he hit into the greenside bunker at the par-3 seventh. He hit his approach to two feet for birdie at No. 9, turning in 4-under 31, and followed a birdie at the difficult 11th with a two-putt birdie on No. 13.
Fowler reached 20 under with a birdie on the short par-4 17th for a nice cushion heading into what’s expected to be a rainy final round.
“I’ve done a good job of kind of everything this week,” he said. “Nothing’s standing out as super special, just playing solid golf and when I’ve gotten into trouble, being able to get up and down most of the time.”
Playing in the group ahead of Fowler, Thomas and Grace, Kuchar had three birdies for a 3-under 32 on the front nine and rolled in a nine-foot birdie putt on the 167-yard 12th hole. He two-putted for birdie on the par-5 13th and made a five-foot birdie on 15 to reach 16 under.
Kuchar missed a good opportunity on No. 17, sliding a six-foot birdie putt past the hole, but finished with a nice save from the greenside bunker on No. 18.
“It would be amazing to get three wins this early,” Kuchar said. “It had been a number of years since I found the winner’s circle, so to have gotten two in this year has been amazing.”
It may take an amazing round of golf to catch Fowler.
RBC and PGA Scramble renew partnership
Following a record turnout in 2018, RBC has renewed its partnership with the PGA of Canada as title sponsor of the PGA Scramble.
The three-year agreement sees the financial institution remain as title sponsor of the RBC PGA Scramble alongside presenting sponsor, The Lincoln Motor Company.
“We couldn’t ask for a better partner than RBC for this amazing, expanding national event series,” said PGA of Canada CEO Kevin Thistle. “RBC’s commitment to the game of golf in this country is fantastic and we look forward to growing the RBC PGA Scramble of Canada in communities across Canada for years to come.”
The RBC PGA Scramble of Canada saw nearly 9,000 golfers from across the country participate in 2018 – an increase of over 60 per cent from the previous year. The 21 teams who participated in the 2018 PGA Scramble National Final at Cabot Links—which are comprised of four amateurs and a PGA of Canada professional—all made it through local and regional qualifying events.
As one of the largest amateur golf competitions in Canada, the 2019 edition of the RBC PGA Scramble of Canada looks to see continued growth, with estimates that more than 10,000 golfers from across the country will participate in the series of local and regional events next summer.
“We‘re thrilled to renew our partnership with the PGA of Canada and support the RBC PGA Scramble in providing amateur golfers with an experience of a lifetime,” said Shannon Cole, Senior Director, Brand Marketing, RBC. “This tournament is a real opportunity to bring together golf enthusiasts from across the country and enable them to have a shared experience at some of Canada’s best in class golf courses.”
For those golfers who qualify, the RBC PGA Scramble of Canada National Final promises to be the golf trip of a lifetime. The 54-hole championship at one of Canada’s premier golf venues will be part of a larger festival of special events, which includes prizing, activations and a chance to interact with celebrities.
For more information about the RBC PGA Scramble of Canada presented by The Lincoln Motor Company, please visit rbcpgascramble.com.
Tiger leaves impression on Canadians Ben Silverman and Mackenzie Hughes
Ben Silverman didn’t have to look up his pairings for the fourth round of the Farmers Insurance Open last Sunday. His phone began vibrating as soon as they were announced.
Silverman was paired with golfing great Tiger Woods for the final round of the PGA Tour event in a trio with Scott Stallings. Silverman, from Thornhill, Ont., was inundated with texts from friends and family thrilled that he would be playing alongside the legendary Woods for the first time in his career.
“I had about 20 or 30 messages within about two hours of the tee times being released,” said Silverman. “Everybody already knew. My wife gets the text messages directly from the PGA Tour so she knew right away.”
There are pros and cons to playing a round of golf with Woods. It was exciting to watch the 14-time major winner up close, but the massive gallery that trails Woods from hole to hole can be a distraction.
Silverman shot a 3-over 75 on Sunday to finish the tournament tied for 62nd at 2 under. Woods (67) moved 28 spots up the leaderboard in the final round to tie for 20th at 10 under and Stallings (72) tied for 43rd at 5 under. Justin Rose won the event by two strokes, firing a 21-under par overall.
The key thing Silverman took away from the experience was the way Woods exudes confidence.
“He expects to hit a good shot every time, he expects to have a chance to make birdie, and he expects to make the putt,” said Silverman. “That attitude, the way he’s approaching everything, he doesn’t care whether he’s on the easiest hole of the course or the hardest hole of the course.
“That changed my perspective a little bit because he’s trying to win every single shot he’s playing. I thought it was pretty cool to see and witness first hand and that’s the kind of attitude that helps you win 80 golf tournaments.”
Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., played with Woods in Saturday’s third round. It was Hughes’s second time playing with Woods, as they had been paired with each other for the 2018 Players Championship.
That previous experience helped Hughes feel more comfortable playing alongside Woods, but he agrees with Silverman that there’s nothing quite like it.
“You definitely can feel that energy and that confidence,” said Hughes, who finished the Farmers Insurance Open tied for 29th at 8 under. “He carries himself like a guy who’s won a lot and knows how to do it.
“You just feel like you’re in the middle of an arena, like there’s only you two out there. It’s the wildest thing ever. You feel like you’re in a tournament within a tournament.”
Tiger Woods & Mackenzie Hughes (Getty Images)
An unexpected perk for Silverman was the handful of security guards that keep a watchful eye over Woods. Although protecting Woods was their duty, they would also help clear out crowds if Stallings’ or Silverman’s shots went off line. At one point Silverman needed a bathroom break and the security detail was right there to guide him through the massive crowd.
As beneficial as that personal entourage was, it’s Woods’s strong psychology that’s going to stick with Silverman.
“I think I’m just going to remember those mental lessons I took away from playing with Tiger and take that attitude into the tournament,” said Silverman. “I played the Monday qualifier for the Phoenix Open with that attitude and it was definitely a much different way to approach shots and the course and I liked it a lot.”
Silverman did not quality for the Waste Management Phoenix Open and will next play at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California.
Hughes will be joined at the event in Phoenix by fellow Canadians David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., Blair Hamilton of Burlington, Ont., as well as Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C.
“If I can just drive it a little bit better, I mean I’m driving it pretty well, but if I can find just a few more fairways, that’s going to add up better scores,” said Hughes. “I’m feeling good about my prep and how my game is progressing. It should be a pretty good week, I like the course a lot.”
The USGA And The R&A release 2018 Driving Distance Report
LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. and ST ANDREWS, Scotland – The USGA and The R&A have released the 2018 Annual Driving Distance Report, containing driving-distance data from seven men’s and women’s professional golf tours around the world. This is the fourth annual distance report issued by the game’s governing bodies, completed in an effort to monitor current trends in driving distance.
The 2018 data show that driving distances on these seven tours increased by an average of 1.7 yards, beyond the previous year’s gain of more than 3 yards.
The full report, which can be found via this link, summarizes data provided by the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour, PGA European Tour, Ladies European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, Web.com Tour and PGA TOUR Champions Tour based on available data at the time of publication. Introduced in 2015, the report includes data starting with the 1968 PGA TOUR season.
The average driving distance is typically measured on two holes at each tournament and usually results in nearly 40,000 shots being measured over the course of a season on some tours.
The USGA and The R&A continue to be diligent in studying the long-term effect of distance on the game of golf, a global focus first expressed in their Joint Statement of Principles delivered in 2002.
In that document, the organizations reinforced their commitment to ensure that skill is the dominant element of success throughout the game, and that all factors contributing to distance would be considered on a regular basis.
The 2018 report represents one set of data among the already substantial collection of information currently being studied within the context of the ongoing Distance Insights project, which was launched last May to provide a comprehensive and definitive study of the past, present and future impacts of distance at all levels of the game globally.
A progress update on work conducted to date on the Distance Insights project will be delivered by the end of the first quarter of 2019. The USGA and The R&A remain on target to distribute the comprehensive Distance Insights report in the latter half of 2019.