• Video: Mickey Wright's Timeless Technique Tip For Hitting It Longer

    Mickey Wright At The Top Of Her Backswing - YouTube Image

    The golf world lost a legend recently with the passing of Mickey Wright, a 13-time major champion and winner of 82 LPGA Tour events. Wright passed away in Florida on Monday, February 17th at the the age of 85.

    Many, including the great Ben Hogan, have said that Mickey Wright may have had the best swing of any golfer - man or woman - the game has ever seen. Her powerful swing was especially impressive during the era she was so dominant.

    Here's a video from a televised match against Brigitte Varangot broadcast in 1964 that demonstrates a technique she used to develop the power in her wonderful golf swing. The tip is shared with us at the 3:36 mark of this video, in a chat with Gene Sarazen, a legendary player himself, immediately after Wright had hit a tee shot 310 yards. In 1964. With a persimmon wood. 

     

     

  • Canada’s Adam Hadwin Excited To Be A Father, Enjoying Return To PGA TOUR

    Adam Hadwin Is A New Dad And It's Helped Put Golf In Perspective For Him - Image Courtesy Inside Golf

    Courtesy Golf Canada

    To say it’s been a busy start to 2020 for Adam Hadwin is an understatement. Hadwin took a break from golf after his wife Jessica gave birth to their daughter Maddox on Jan. 8, insuring he could spend time with his young family before returning to the PGA TOUR. He was back in time for the Waste Management Open in Phoenix, near his Arizona residence, on Jan. 30.

    Hadwin then played in last week’s Pebble Beach Pro-Am in Southern California before joining the field for this week’s Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles. “This is only my third tournament back and we’re still trying to get used to being parents,” Hadwin said. “It’s still a bit chaotic at home. It’s definitely a change in our life, but it’s very exciting.”

    Fellow Canadian Nick Taylor joins Hadwin at the Genesis Invitational this week. They often played together as teenagers at Ledgeview Golf and Country Club in their hometown of Abbotsford, B.C., and remain friends on the PGA TOUR.

  • Nick Taylor Leads Phil Mickelson By One Heading Into Final Round At Pebble Beach

    Abbotsford's Nick Tayler, Seen Here Teeing Off In A Vancouver Golf Tour Event At His Home Course Ledgeview, Is Leading By One Going Into The Final Round Of The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am - VGT Photo

    By Alfie Lau

    Nick Taylor has never played a round of golf with Phil Mickelson. On Sunday, at Pebble Beach, that will change, as Taylor tries to hold off the defending champion who is trying to add a sixth title at Pebble Beach.
    “I’m sure I won’t be the crowd favourite,” said Taylor. “I just have to keep my head down, do my thing and keep playing, because I’ve been playing well.”

    Taylor will be trying to win his second PGA TOUR event, with his lone victory at Sanderson Farms six years ago a distant memory. He’ll also be trying to go wire-to-wire, which won’t be easy, because chasing him is the Prince of Pebble Beach, an overwhelming fan favourite who shot a (-5) round of 67 to get to (-16) to pull within a stroke of Taylor, who shot a (-3) round of 69 at Spyglass Hill to get to (-17).

  • Nick Taylor Leads AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am After Opening Round 63

    Abbotsford, BC's Nick Taylor Carded An 8-under 63 To Take The First Round Lead In The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am - File Image

    By Alfie Lau

    In a place where the pre-tournament storylines were all about Peyton and Eli Manning playing together and six possible NFL Hall of Fame quarterbacks playing (Eli, Peyton, Matt Ryan, Steve Young, Aaron Rodgers and Tony Romo), Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor went out, in relative anonymity on the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula Country Club, to shoot a (-8) round of 63 on the par-71 track to take a two-shot lead after round 1 of the 2020 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

    Taylor started the day in a dream fashion, making eagle on the par-5 18th hole. His perfect day would continue with birdies at 15, 16, 1, 2 and then his final two holes, at 8 and 9. Taylor leads Patrick Cantlay and Chase Seiffert by two strokes. (Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill each have a par of 72, so while Cantlay (Spy) and Seiffert (Pebble) both shot 66, they are at (-6).

  • Phil Mickelson Dropping Bombs At AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

    Prior To The Start Of The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Phil Mickelson's Comments About The U.S. Open Caused Some Intrigue. Lefty Is Seen Here At The 2015 U.S. Open Held At Chambers Bay In WA. - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

    By Alfie Lau

    This was supposed to begin with some notes on how 5 Canadian golfers are making a big impact at the 2020 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. From being paired with celebrity chefs to a famous entertainer to the editor-in-chief of one of golf’s most important publications, this was going to be a Canadian-centric article.

    And then Phil Mickelson walked into the media centre early Wednesday morning and dropped some bombs.

  • BC Children’s Hospital Foundation Named Official Charity Partner For 2020 CP Women’s Open

    BC Children's Hospital In Vancouver Has Been Chosen As The Primary Charity For The 2020 CP Women's Open - Image Courtesy Golf Canada 

    Courtesy Golf Canada

    Vancouver, January 31, 2020 – Canadian Pacific (CP) and Golf Canada announced today that BC Children’s Hospital Foundation has been chosen as the primary charity partner for the 2020 CP Women’s Open. Fundraising initiatives will occur leading up to the tournament and a month-long public match campaign starts February 1st, in recognition of Congenital Heart Defects Awareness Month.

    “The CP Women’s Open is an amazing opportunity to draw attention to the important work being done by doctors to mend the hearts of the future,” said Keith Creel, President and CEO of CP. “Partnering with BC Children’s Hospital Foundation again is a natural fit and progression from our first partnership in 2015. I look forward to seeing the lasting legacy this brings to the hospital, children and families who need it.”

  • The Greatest Saturday In Golf: 2020 Waste Management Open In Phoenix

    The Famous 16th Hole Stadium At TPC Scottsdale Is A Show Unto Itself At The Waste Management Phoenix Open - Image Courtesy YouTube

    By Alfie Lau

    Security officials said the line-up started at 1 a.m. Saturday. And since the gates to the TPC Scottsdale for the third round of the 2020 Waste Management Open wouldn’t open until 7 a.m., that meant six hours of hearty celebration, anticipation and planning for when the Running of the Phoenicians to the coveted seats at the 16th hole would commence.

    Veterans know the best route is through the underpass, behind the 18th green and then a quick left so you go down the right side of the 10th fairway. Just past the 10th green, another 50 yards away, is the first entrance into the backside of 16. Run another 150 yards and you get to the entrance for seats closer to the tee box.

  • A Hockey Game Almost Broke Out At 2020 Phoenix Open Pro-Am

    Japan's Hideki Matsuyama Is Flanked To His Right By Former NHLer's (L-R) Brad May, Curtis Joseph, Dary Hordichuk And Greg Adams - Image Credit Alfie Lau

    By Alfie Lau

    Shane Doan made history Wednesday as the first NHLer to play in the Annexus Pro-Am at the 2020 Waste Management Phoenix Open. And he brought a few of his hockey playing friends.

    Doan’s caddy is arguably even more popular, as Paul “Biz Nasty” Bissonnette, best known for his Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, was Doan’s caddy for the first part of the day before his popularity with the fans had Doan “replace” Bissonnette with a friend with fewer fans for the final 9 holes. 

    And also inside the ropes were former Phoenix Coyotes alumni, including goalie Curtis Joseph and wingers Darcy Hordichuk, Greg Adams and Brad May.

  • BC's Jared du Toit Exceeds His Own Expectations At Latinoamerica Qualifier

    Jared du Toit Has Earned Himself A Fully Exempt Spot On The PGA Tour Latinoamerica Circuit For 2020 Thanks To His Medallist Performance At Their Qualifying Event - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

    Courtesy Golf Canada - Written by John Chidley-Hill/ Canadian Press

    A month ago, Jared du Toit wasn’t even sure he’d be playing in the Latinoamerica Qualifying Tournament in Mexico. He’d been frustrated with the state of his game for all of the 2019 season and drilled hard for most of November and December trying to get things back on track. By the time the holidays rolled around, he was fed up.

    But fast forward to last Sunday and he’d won the event at the Estrella del Mar Golf & Beach Resort, earning a full exemption for the PGA Tour Latinoamerica season.

    “I talked to the people close to me, my coaches and family and everyone was kind of like, ‘Nah, just go do it,”’ said du Toit, who had consulted with Golf Canada coach Derek Ingram and Dr. Adrienne Leslie-Toogood, a mental performance coach with the national program, among others.

    “So then I really committed to doing it and really good practices and whatnot and I felt really good for tee off and then obviously played well in the event so it was a big relief getting it done.”

  • One-Armed Canadian Golfer Bags A Hole-In-One At PGA TOUR AmEx

    Quebec's Laurent Hurtubise Celebrates His Hole-In-One At The PGA TOUR's American Express

    BY  

    A one-armed Canadian amateur golfer left many pros impressed after he shot (sic) a hole-in-one during a PGA Tour event on Thursday.

    Laurent Hurtubise of Quebec was playing as an amateur and made the 151-yard shot on the par-3 fourth hole in the Tour’s American Express 2020, during the tournament’s opening round.

    Hurtubise was born with one arm, which ends just below the elbow, and started playing golf at age 11.

    He told the Desert Sun in 2018 that he got into sports as a way to fit in with other kids in his small town outside of Montreal.

    “As a kid, sports was a way for me to prove that even though I had a difference, that I could perform as well as normal people — as they call them,” he said. “People have differences and handicaps and whatever, but it was my way to prove that I could be as good as everybody else.”

    Click HERE to see the rest of the article and see video...

  • Shots That Defined The Year In Golf

    20129 U.S. Open Champion Gary Woodland - Share Alike 4.0 International

    By DOUG FERGUSON, Associated Press

    Every club in the bag had a story to tell this year.

    Some of them were breathtaking, such as Gary Woodland boldly going for the green on the 14th hole at Pebble Beach in the U.S. Open. Some of them were devastating, such as Francesco Molinari going into Rae’s Creek at the Masters.

    What follows are 14 shots from every club in the bag of those who won majors, those who didn’t and some who didn’t win at all.

  • 2019 CP Women’s Open Earns Gold Driver Awards At Season Ending Award Ceremony

    As Part Of The Best Community, Charity Engagement And Best Sponsor Activation Program, $2.2 million Was Presented From The CP Women's Open Fundraising To The SickKids Foundation - Golf Canada Image

    By Terry Lenyk/Golf Canada

    NAPLES, FLA. (Golf Canada) – ​The success of the 2019 CP Women’s Open at Magna Golf Club in Aurora, Ont., was recently recognized as the Tournament Partners of the LPGA presented Golf Canada and Canadian Pacific (CP) with two Gold Driver Awards for delivering best-in-class elements among all LPGA Tour events.

    The annual Gold Driver Awards were hosted in conjunction with the LPGA Tour’s season-ending CME Group Tour Championship at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Fla. The Tournament Partners of the LPGA (formally Tournament Owners Association) have a long standing tradition of recognizing best in class tournaments with Gold Driver Awards at the season ending event on the LPGA Tour calendar.

    At the formal ceremony, the CP Women’s Open received Gold Driver Awards for Best Community and Charity Engagement and Best Sponsor Activation.

  • 2020 CP Women’s Open At Vancouver's Shaughnessy - Tickets Now On Sale

    VANCOUVER (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada, in partnership with title sponsor Canadian Pacific (CP), are pleased to announce that tickets are now available for the 2020 CP Women’s Open, taking place August 31 to September 6 at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver.

    One of Canada’s premier annual sporting events, the CP Women’s Open features miles of front row seating for golf fans to experience Canada’s lone stop on the LPGA Tour.

    Cheer on Canadian sensation and CP Ambassador Brooke Henderson as she leads the stars of the LPGA Tour back to Vancouver alongside defending champion and world No. 1 Jin Young Ko, past champions Ariya Jutanugarn, Sung Hyun Park and So Yeon Ryu and rising stars Lexi Thompson, Nelly Korda, Jessica Korda, Danielle Kang and Minjee Lee.

  • Victoria's Uplands GC Home To Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Players’ Choice for Tournament of the Year

    TORONTO, Ontario / PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida (November 21)—The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada announced today that Mackenzie Tour players voted the Bayview Place DCBank Open as the 2019 Tournament of the Year.

    Officials handed out the inaugural award on November 20 during the PGA TOUR’s annual Tournament Meetings in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

    The Players Choice award was voted on exclusively by Mackenzie Tour - PGA TOUR Canada members and included a number of criteria, including personal experience, tournament volunteers, hospitality, community support and attendance and the golf course among other considerations.

  • World Handicap System To Roll Out In 2020

    For Immediate Release

    (4 November 2019, St Andrews, Scotland and Liberty Corner, N.J., USA): The World Handicap System (WHS) is ready to be launched from January 2020 and will provide golfers with a unified and more inclusive handicapping system for the first time.

    Though many countries are planning to adopt the new system in January, the system will go live in other parts of the world throughout the year to accommodate different implementation plans and variations in the golfing calendar.

  • Harold Varner III Makes Big Donation To First All-Black Golf Team To Win State Championships

    By KEVIN CUNNINGHAM, Golf.com

    Back in the spring, the Drew Charter men’s golf team from Atlanta won the Class A Public State Championship in golf, lapping their competition to take home the trophy.

    Their win was especially notable for two reasons. First, they are the first Atlanta Public School to capture the state title. Second, they’re the first all-black team and coaching staff to earn top honors in the state of Georgia.

    Now, a PGA Tour veteran who took notice of their triumph is jumping in to support their continued success. Harold Varner III tweeted to congratulate the team and call attention to their accomplishment. In addition, Varner announced a donation of US$5,000 to the school’s golf program.

    Click here for the full story...

  • Video: Lefty The 'Bushwhacker'

    Phil Mickelson is a 5-time Major winner and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. And that's just for what he does when he keeps his ball in the same time zone as the golf course he's playing.

    Actually, he's a lot more fun when he's trying to get his ball back into the vicinity from whence he started.

    His recovery shots easily match and often outdistance - both literally and figuratively - his regular highlights. For our most recent exhibit we present Phil hitting his ball from out of a bush... somewhere off to the side of the 9th hole it appears (see Shot Tracker screenshot below) in the recent Shriners Open.

    Suffice to say there were no TV cameras set up to capture this shot. Probably not too many hit from this particular area. But thanks to today's social media there was of course a fan with a phone handy. 

    Oh, and Lefty will hit this shot for you using his driver. Over trees. Approximately 200 yards.

    And make par

    You're welcome. 

     

  • Team Canada’s Pendrith Wins Mackenzie Tour Canadian Player Of The Year

    Taylor Pendrith Was A Two-Time Winner On The Mackenzie Tour - PGA Tour Canada This Year - Image Credit Claus Andersen (Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada)

    Written by Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada/Courtesy Golf Canada

    LONDON, Ont. – For the second time in four years, Taylor Pendrith earned Canada Life Canadian Player of the Year honours on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada.

    The native of Richmond Hill, Ont., came the final round at the Canada Life Championship with a chance to top the Order of the Merit, but after 1-under-par 69 Pendrith ended second, just $2,700 behind Paul Barjon

    Pendrith won twice in 2019 – at the 1932byBateman Open and the Mackenzie Investments Open – and had seven top-10 finishes, including a tie for 10th at the Canada Life Championship en route to winning his second Dan Halldorson Trophy (he won the award in 2015, as well).

  • PGA TOUR Developmental Tours Moving To Point System For 2020

    Courtesy Golf Canada

    PONTE VEDRA, Fla. – The PGA TOUR’s three international tours—PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR Series-China—will use a points-based system for its Orders of Merit, starting in 2020, the three Tours announced September 11.

    This will align these three Tours with the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour, which are both using points to measure players’ success.

  • Volunteers Needed For 2020 CP Women’s Open At Shaughnessy

    The stars of the LPGA are heading back West to Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in 2020 for the CP Women’s OpenAugust 31st through September 6th.

    Each year over 1,200 people contribute their time and energy to volunteer at the CP Women’s Open. We are so thankful and fortunate to work with such a hardworking group of people each and every year. Registration fills up quickly, so be sure to get your volunteer registration in early.