Jared du Toit (Photo/Golf Canada Archive)

Josh Whalen moves from No. 11 up to No. 9 in the Canadian rankings after picking up 28 spots in the world rankings. The junior from Napanee, Ont., finished tied for 20th at the Aggie Invitational that included an opening-round 69 which had him tied for first place after the first day. It was his second Top-20 result of the season.

The only other player in the Top-10 to move up in the world rankings this past week was Alastair Tidcombe, who finished tied for 16th at the Azalea Invitational.

Jared du Toit, who carries the No. 1 ranking in Canada for the second straight week, finished tied for 17th at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational. It was his seventh Top-20 finish of the season.

(Golf Canada/Claus Andersen)

Nick Taylor made the biggest move among the Top-10, gaining 52 spots in the world rankings with a tie for fifth at the PGA’s Puerto Rico Open – his second-best career result, behind only his first PGA Tour victory last year. It was his first Top-10 result of the season and was worth 4.96 world ranking points – his third points-paying finish in the last seven weeks.

No. 1 ranked Graham DeLaet climbed two spots after finishing in a tie for 11th at the PGA’s Puerto Rico Open. The result was worth 2.76 world ranking points for his third straight points-paying finish in as many tournaments. The Weyburn, Sask., native has climbed 40 spots in the world rankings over the last four weeks.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, and DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (Kelly Schultz/LPGA) — The PGA TOUR and the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) announced that they have formalized their longstanding cooperative relationship by entering into a long-term, written strategic alliance agreement designed to further promote the growth of golf. This partnership between the leading men’s and women’s professional golf tours will include areas such as schedule coordination, joint marketing programs, domestic television representation, digital media and exploring the potential development of joint events.

Adam Hadwin finished tied for 16th at PGA’s Northern Trust Open, his second straight Top-20 result of the season. His final-round 66 was the best score of the day and the finish marked his best career result at Riviera, which was good for a 15-spot gain in the world rankings for the No. 3 ranked golfer in Canada.

His gain of 4.95 world ranking points was his third points-paying finish in the last four tournaments. He has earned a total of almost 16 world ranking points over that span and if he can make up the 14-place gap between himself and No. 2 Graham DeLaet by the second week in July, he will qualify for one of two Olympic spots for Canada.

Fellow Abbotsford, B.C., native Nick Taylor made the biggest gain among the Top-10, picking up 28 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 26th at Riviera. That was good for 2.67 world ranking points – the second straight points-paying finish in as many weeks for the No. 4 ranked golfer in Canada.

Langley, B.C.'s Jessica Wallace Came Within One Shot Of Forcing A Playoff In The Season-Opening IOA Championship On The Symetra Tour - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

Tyler Costigan/ Golf Canada

BEAUMONT, Calif. – Canada’s Jessica Wallace finished runner-up at the Symetra Tour’s season-opening IOA Championship on Sunday at the Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon.

Wallace, a Langley, B.C., native, posted a final round 70 (-2), pushing a par-putt on 18 to just miss forcing a playoff with champion Erynne Lee of Los Angeles, Calif., who rallied with a final round 65 (-7) for the come-from-behind victory.

Kelowna's Megan Osland Is One Of Ten Canadians Including Four From British Columbia Teeing It Up In The Symetra Tour's Season Opener In California - Image Courtesy KelownaNow

Tyler Costigan/ Golf Canada

BEAUMONT, Calif. – Ten Canadians are set to kick-off the Symetra Tour’s 2016 season this Friday with the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort and Spa.

Courtesy Golf Canada

ADELAIDE, Australia – Canadian-based South Korean SooBin Kim shot a course-record 9-under 63 on Thursday to leave top-ranked Lydia Ko and Canadian sweetheart Brooke Henderson seven strokes behind at the Women’s Australian Open.

Kim’s bogey-free opening round came after starting on the 10th hole of The Grange’s West course. She had a three-stroke clubhouse lead over American Casey Grice with most of the afternoon groups, including five-time champion Karrie Webb, on the course.

The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s 2016 schedule will include 12 events from May to September, highlighted by two new tournaments and 10 returning events from 2015, as players look to make the next step on the path to the PGA TOUR.

The season will once again begin in May with the Freedom 55 Financial Open (May 23-29) at Point Grey Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, B.C., with purses of $175,000 (CA$) for the first 11 events and a $200,000 (CA$) purse for the season-ending Freedom 55 Financial Championship (Sept. 12-18) at Highland Country Club in London, Ont.

Gallagher's Canyon G&CC, Site Of Many British Columbia Golf Championships As Well As The 1988 Canadian Men's Amateur, Will Now Play Host To The Pros For The GolfBC Championship This June - Image Courtesy GolfBC

Gallagher’s Canyon Golf & Country Club To Host New Mackenzie Tour Event

(February 4, 2016) – The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada and GolfBC announced today a new official event for 2016, the GolfBC Championship, which will focus on making a positive charitable impact in the Kelowna area.

The inaugural event will take place June 6-12, 2016 at Gallagher’s Canyon Golf and Country Club in Kelowna. GolfBC, which owns and operates a collection of world-class courses throughout British Columbia and in Hawaii, will be the title sponsor as part of a four-year agreement.

Langley, BC's Sue Kim Who Will Be Competing On The LPGA's Symetra Tour Is A Member Of Team Canada's Young Pro Squad For 2016 - Twitter Image 

Courtesy Golf Canada

Golf Canada is pleased to announce the six athletes – two female and four male – who have been selected to the 2016 Team Canada Young Pro Squad.

Comprising the team for 2016 is: Sue Kim (Langley, B.C.); Augusta James (Bath, Ont.); Albin Choi (Toronto); Mackenzie Hughes (Dundas, Ont.) Taylor Pendrith (Richmond Hill, Ont.); and Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.).

The focus of the Young Pro Squad – now in its third year – is to bridge the gap for top graduating amateurs transitioning into professional golf. The program was developed in partnership with the PGA of Canada and is generously funded by founding partners Canadian Pacific and RBC, as well as supporting partners Citi Canada and the Golf Canada Foundation Women’s Fund.

West Vancouver's David Rose Has Earned Full Status On PGA Tour Latinoamérica For 2016 As He Tries To Work His Way Toward The PGA TOUR Dream - Image Courtesy PGA Tour Latinoamérica

Courtesy Herb Fung/Golf Canada

MAZATLAN, Mexico — West Vancouver, B.C., native David Rose shot a final-round 70 to claim medallist honours and earn full status on the PGA Tour Latinoamérica in 2016.

The 26-year-old began the day with a two-stroke lead over American William Kropp. Rose finished at 15-under, posting under par scores all four days to claim a one-stroke victory over Mexico’s Gerardo Ruiz. Rose – a former Lynn University Fighting Knight and the 2011 B.C. Amateur champion – becomes the second Canadian in as many weeks to finish atop the leaderboard at PGA Tour Latinoamérica Q-School.

The Freedom 55 Financial Open will take place at the prestigious Point Grey Golf & Country Club the week of May 23 – 29, 2016.

They are looking for people that are interested in volunteering time to assist on implementing this great event. This year’s charity recipient is the Canucks for Kids Fund.

Surrey, BC's Adam Svensson Warmed Up For The Pending Web.com Tour Season With A Win On The Minor League Golf Mini-Tour In Florida - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

Courtesy Golf Canada

PALM CITY, Florida (Tyler Costigan/Golf Canada) — With the Web.com Tour season opener just two weeks away, Young Pro Squad member Adam Svensson added another trophy to the shelf with a win at the Palm City Classic—a Minor League Golf mini tour event.

SEBRING, Florida (Tyler Costigan/Golf Canada) — Young Pro Squad member Corey Conners fired a 2-under 70 to earn medalist honours in the rain-delayed final of PGA Tour Lationamérica Qualifying School at the Sun ‘N Lake Golf Course.

Jared du Toit (Photo/Alfie Lau, File)

Weekly Top-10 Rankings For Week of January 11, 2016

courtesy Golf Canada

Eric Banks lost ground in the world rankings this week, but the No. 4 ranked amateur player in Canada was the only Top-10 golfer to get his 2016 campaign underway. The Golf Canada National Team member from Truro, N.S., finished in a tie for 52nd at the Australian Master of the Amateurs Championship.

For the 10th straight week, Jared du Toit holds down the No. 1 amateur ranking in Canada.

Outside the Top-10, Tony Gil and Andrew Harrison slipped down the rankings by four and 54 spots, respectively. No new players entered the Top-20 this past week.

Weekly Top-10 Rankings Fo Week of January 4, 2016

courtesy Golf Canada

In the first week of the new 2016 world rankings, Justin Shin moved past Canadian Masters champion Mike Weir and into No. 11 in the Canadian rankings. That was the only significant change among the top 20 pros in Canada as the new golf season gets set to tee off.

Over the Christmas break, Lindsay Renolds climbed from No. 19 up to No. 15 in the Canadian rankings, gaining 80 places in the world after concluding the 2015 Asian Tour schedule with a 10th place finish in the Philippines.

The 2015 golf season was a very good year for David Hearn, as a final review of the world rankings show. The Brantford, Ont. golfer gained 64.81 world ranking points last year, by far the biggest gain among Canadian pros. However, the net gain for Canada’s No. 1 ranked golfer over the course of a year was just 2.14 points.

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.”

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.