The first-ever Americas Masters Games is taking place in the spectacular city of Vancouver.

Celebrating 'sport for all', participants from a variety of skill sets and ages come together in the name of healthy living to compete, socialize, and conquer personal goals. With 25 official sporting events, there is something for everybody, including you!

Jared du Toit of Kimberley, BC has been nominated for the Sport BC Senior Male Athlete of the Year Award for 2015. Winners of the various categories are announced at the awards dinner on Thursday, March 10, 2016 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Courtesy Golf Canada
by John Gordon

There is no doubt Golf Canada is proud of the many accomplishments by Canadian golfers in 2015. But the over-arching mandate of the association was succinctly summarized by Scott Simmons in his year-end message to members across the country.

“Golf Canada is committed to investing in the growth and overall health of the game,” said Simmons, the CEO of Golf Canada.

In 2015, perhaps more so than in any other previous year, Golf Canada demonstrated that long-term commitment through an initiative called “One Vision.”

Surrey's Michelle Kim Has Been Recognized By The CJGA For Her Outstanding 2015 Year On And Off The Golf Course - Image Credit Alfie Lau

courtesy CJGA

Richmond Hill, Ont. (December 18, 2015) - The Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA) is pleased to announce Michelle Kim as the recipient of the 2015 Helena Harbridge Sportsmanship Award.

Kim, an 18-year old CJGA member living in Surrey, B.C. is the first British Columbian to earn the honourable distinction for an award that recognizes sportsmanship, dedication, and commitment in the game of golf.

The award is named after Helena Harbridge, an outstanding junior golfer and CJGA alum that passed away in 2006 during her freshman year at West Georgia University.

Jaya Rampuri, A Two-Time Vancouver Golf Club (VGC) Player Of The Year, Has Signed National Letters Of Intent To Compete For The SFU Clan Women’s Golf Program - Image Courtesy SFU Athletics

by Steve Frost - Sports Information Director (sfrost@sfu.ca)

BURNABY, BC – Simon Fraser University golf coach John Buchanan announced today that Jaya Rampuri of Coquitlam has signed National Letters of Intent during the early signing period to compete for the Clan women's golf program.

"SFU has always been one of the top universities on my list," said Rampuri. "It has an excellent academic reputation, and I am interested in attending the Beedie School of Business."

courtesy Golf Canada
by John Gordon

While it is undeniable that golf in Canada, like any other business in these unpredictable economic times, continues to face challenges, there were encouraging indicators in 2015 for cautious optimism.

In July, the Golf Facilities in Canada 2015 report was published by Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada in cooperation with the U.S. National Golf Foundation. The bottom line was that the game remains popular and accessible, with almost six million people playing at least one round annually. In total, almost 60 million rounds are played in Canada each year.

Brooke Henderson Became An Instant Star When She Arrived In Vancouver For The CP Canadian Women's Open At The Vancouver Golf Club After Winning The Cambia Portland Classic On The LPGA Tour - Image Credit Jurgen Kaminski

Courtesy Golf Canada
by John Gordon

For Canadian golf, 2015 certainly was a year to celebrate

When David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., held the 54-hole lead at the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey, we held our breath in the hope that he might be the first Canadian since Pat Fletcher in 1954 to win our national Open. Alas, it was not to be, as Australian Jason Day birdied the last three holes on Sunday to claim the title on his way to becoming the top-ranked player in the world.

While kudos go to Hearn, it was a teenager from Smiths Falls, Ont., who was the undisputed player to be celebrated this year.

Golf Canada with files from the PGA TOUR

Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. – Canada's Adam Svensson cruised to a seven-shot victory on Sunday at PGA National Resort & Spa to earn medalist honors at the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament. The 21-year-old from Surrey, British Columbia, carded a 1-over 72 on the Champion Course for a 20-under-par 266 total.

“It’s huge,” said Svensson, who collected a check for $25,000 and earned fully-exempt status on the Web.com Tour in 2016. “It’s always tough to win at any level, so I just tried to have fun.”

Michelle Kim of Surrey has been nominated for the Sport BC Junior Female Athlete of The Year Award.

Kim, who had a summer to remember with 4 significant victories and is the number one ranked junior female golfer in Canada, will find out on March 10, 2016 whether she will be adding another honour to her name.

The Newest Member Of The BC Sports Hall Of Fame From The Sport Of Golf Is Kelowna Native Dave Barr - Image Courtesy PGA of Canada

via British Columbia Golf Communications

(December 10, 2015) - At the annual announcement of the newest inductees to the BC Sports Hall of Fame today, it was golfer and Kelowna, BC native Dave Barr who had his name called first by now retired broadcaster Tom Larscheid. 

Larscheid along with fellow BC Sports Hall of Fame Honoured Members Charmaine Crooks and Sean Millington acted as presenting emcees for the occasion along with Vice Chair Tom Mayenknecht and Executive Director Allison Mailer. 

An overflow crowd of local sports officials, media and athletes which included many current members of the Hall witnessed an outstanding class of individuals being acknowledged for entry into the provincial sports shrine.

In all, 11 individuals and 1 team were inducted in the different categories ranging from Athlete to Builder/Coach to Team, Pioneer, Media and the W.A.C. Bennett Award.

Barr himself was unable to attend the proceedings but Larscheid read out a note from the 2-time PGA TOUR winner thanking the Hall for the honour and specifically British Columbia Golf Executive Director Kris Jonasson for writing a letter on Barr's behalf.

Surrey's Adam Svensson Is One Of 5 British Columbians In The Group Of 15 Canadians Vying For Status Or Improved Positioning On The Web.com Tour For 2016 - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

by Terry Lenyk/ Golf Canada

Final Qualifying for the 2016 Web.Com Tour begins Thursday, December 10th at the Champion and Fazio courses at Palm Beach Gardens in Florida, where 15 Canadians will attempt to gain or improve their playing rights for the PGA TOUR’s developmental circuit.

The 'Real Wongster' As Eugene Wong's Twitter Handle Reads,  Is Looking To Improve His Status On The Web.com Tour In Final Stage Q-School Starting Dec. 10th - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

Courtesy Golf Canada

Eugene Wong is off to the Web.com Tour in 2016. The No. 7 ranked professional golfer in Canada from North Vancouver finished tied for 27th at the season-ending PGA Tour China Series event in Dongguan. The result was good enough to keep him inside the Top-5 on the Tour’s Order of Merit, giving him status on the Web.com Tour next year. The result also saw Wong pick up two places in the world rankings.

Justin Shin, the No. 12 ranked Canadian pro, was sitting fifth on the PGA Tour China Order of Merit at the start of the tournament. Despite shooting back-to-back 69s on the final two days, his 27th place finish wasn’t enough to retain his position. Shin slipped to No. 6 on the money list, but the native of Maple Ridge, B.C., will have a chance to earn status on the Web.com Tour through the qualifying tournament from December 10-13.

Kelowna's Samantha Richdale Earned Conditional Status On The LPGA Tour For 2016 - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

courtesy Golf Canada

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Quebec’s Maude-Aimée LeBlanc won with panache, earning her LPGA Tour card for 2016 at the end of the five qualifying rounds in Daytona Beach, Florida.

The Sherbrooke, Que., native recorded a score of 71, 1-under par in the final round Sunday. Her cumulative record of 350 (-10) saw her finish tied for fourth, a single-stroke be enjoying her second year with full status on the LPGA Tour, having previous qualified in 2011.

The 2015 UBC T'Birds Women's Golf Team, Shown Above After Winning The University Of Victoria Vikes Shootout At Cordova Bay GC In October, Are Ranked Number One In The CGCA Fall 2015 Poll - Image Courtesy UBC Women’s Golf

Golf Coaches Association Of Canada Releases University-College Fall Rankings

The Western Canadian Golf Champion University of British Columbia Thunderbirds Women’s golf team (47 points) are ranked No. 1 in the Golf Coaches Association of Canada (GCAC)-Golf Canada Annual Fall Top-10 Coaches Poll.

Eugene Wong Has Played His Way Onto The Web.com Tour For 2016 After A Top Five OOM Finish On The PGA TOUR China In 2015 - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

DONGGUAN, China (December 6)—North Vancouver’s Eugene Wong finished fifth on the 2015 Ping An Bank China Tour – PGA TOUR China Series’ Order of Merit, a position that earned him membership on the 2016 Web.com Tour. Wong's fellow British Columbian, Justin Shin from Maple Ride, slipped to 6th spot on the OOM, narrowly missing his ticket to the next level. 

Besides Wong other players moving to the Web.com Tour are Australia’s Bryden Macpherson, New Zealand’s Josh Geary and China’s Xinjun Zhang and Zecheng Dou. The players received their membership cards during a ceremony following the final event of the season, the Capital Airlines – HNA Real Estate Championship.

Surrey's Sy Lovan Has His Eyes Set On Competing For The Clansmen Of Simon Fraser University Men's Golf Team After Signing A Letter Of Intent With The Burnaby Campus - Image Courtesy SFU Athletics

by Steve Frost - Sports Information Director (sfrost@sfu.ca)

BURNABY, BC – Simon Fraser University golf coach John Buchanan has announced that Sy Lovan of Surrey has signed National Letters of Intent during the early signing period to compete for the Clan men’s golf program.

An Honour Roll student at Johnston Heights Secondary, Lovan represents Capilano Golf & Country Club.

Lovan won double gold medals at the 2014 BC Summer Games, capturing individual medalist honours, and winning gold as team champion. Lovan also won the 2015 Beach Grove Invitational, finished second at the 2015 Zone Junior Order of Merit and tied for 15th at the 2015 BC Junior Boys tournament.

Maple Ridge, BC's Justin Shin Was The 2015 Medallist And Currently Sits 5th On The OOM And In Position To Earn Membership On The 2016 Web.com Tour - Image Courtesy Golf Canada/Graig Abel

BEIJING, China – The Ping An Bank China Tour – PGA TOUR China Series announced that OCT Kunming Wind Valley Club in Yunnan Province will host both of the Tour’s Global Qualifying Tournaments in 2016, events open to players from every country but China.

The application deadline for the first Qualifying Tournament is January 4, 2016, the deadline for the Second Qualifying Tournament January 11, 2016. The first 2016 Qualifying Tournament will be January 12-15, with the second Qualifying Tournament the following week (January 19-22).

Kelowna's Samantha Richdale Is One Of Three BC Women Who Will Be Teeing Up At The Final Stage Of LPGA Qualifying This Week - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

Golf Canada with files from the LPGA

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Final Stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament begins Wednesday, December 2 and concludes on Sunday, December 6 at LPGA International, Jones and Hills Courses.

There are 157 players in the field – including 10 Canadians – competing for LPGA Tour membership on the 2016 LPGA priority list.

North Vancouver's Eugene Wong Is One Of Five British Columbians Who Will Tee It Up In The Final Stage Of Web.com Tour Qualifying On Dec. 10th - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

Tyler Costigan/ Golf Canada

Four more Canucks advanced to the final stage of Web.com Tour Q-School on Nov. 20th, playing at two locations in the U.S.

Lucas Kim was the low scorer for the Canadians, carding 11-under thru 72 holes to finish alone in third place at the Plantation Preserve Golf Course & Club in Plantation, Fla. Just sneaking inside the cut line was Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., who posted a 3-under score to finish T20.

In California, Calgary’s Ryan Yip finished at 8-under (69-69-70-72) to finish in a tie for fifth. Not far behind was Matt McQuillan of Kingston, Ont., who carded a total score of 5-under (69-71-70-73) to finish T15.