Team Canada had history in their sights but it wasn’t meant to be as Australia, with a combined 131 from world no. 1 ranked Minjee Lee and Su Oh in the final round, came from seven strokes back to win the 2014 Women’s World Amateur Team Championship (WWATC) at 29-under-par 547 at Karuizawa 72 Golf East’s Iriyama Course.
Canada, which led on each of the first three days and was vying for its first Women’s World Amateur victory, finished second at 27-under 549 to capture the silver medal.
Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont. (66-69-66-68–269) and Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont. (71-70-69-72–282) combined for a final round 4-under 140 but it was not enough to hold off the surging Aussies. Teammate Augusta James of Bath, Ont. (69-76-72-75—292) shot a non-counting final round 75 to round out the trio.
“We did our absolute best out there today and it was just a little bit short,” said team captain, Liz Hoffman. “I look at that leaderboard and I think about what we’ve done the last four days and I am so proud of our girls. They’ve been fantastic and so wonderful to work with.”
Australia, which won the Espirito Santo Trophy for the third time, took the lead through six holes of the final round as Lee, No. 1 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking™, was 4 under through five holes on an eagle and two birdies and Oh was 3 under with three birdies. Lee, 18, finished with an eagle and five birdies for a 65 while Oh, who is No.6 in the WAGR™, tallied six birdies for a 66. Neither recorded a bogey in their respective final rounds.
The Australians broke the mark for a final-round comeback of three strokes, which was set by their countrymen in 2002 in Malaysia. Their 72-hole total of 547 was one stroke shy of Korea’s record-low in 2010 and their final-round 131 is second-best all-time.
With her tournament score of 19-under par, Henderson, 16, finished as the low individual at the championship. Ranked No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, Henderson finished three strokes ahead of reigning World No. 1 Minjee Lee of Australia and her tournament score of 269 for the championship breaks the Women’s World Amateur mark of 274 set by Lydia Ko in 2012.
“Australia had a great round today, I was really impressed,” said Henderson. “They have very skilled players, including two in the top 10 in the world rankings, which is unbelievable. It’s a little disappointing to finish second but overall we had a really great week and played really well as a team.”
Canada’s runner-up finish marks the fourth time the squad has finished in second place in the race for the Espirito Santo trophy (’04, ’78, ’66). With the win, Australia put an end to Korea’s bid to become the first team to win three consecutive World Amateur titles – Australia also won in 1978 and 2002.
The Republic of Korea finished third, one stroke back of Canada at 26-under par in Saturday’s final. Denmark finished fourth at 556, followed by Sweden and the USA tied for fifth at 557, Mexico in seventh at 560, England and host Japan tied for eighth at 562 and the Philippines in 10th at 563.
The Women’s World Amateur Team Championship is a biennial international amateur competition conducted by the International Golf Federation (IGF), which comprises 137 national governing bodies in 131 countries. The competition, which is being held for the 26th time, is rotated among three geographic zones: Asia-Pacific, Americas and Europe-Africa.
This year’s event is hosted by the Japan Golf Association. The teams play for the Espirito Santo Trophy. The IGF is the international federation for golf for the International Olympic Committee and will conduct the Olympic golf competition in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. In each round, the total of the two lowest scores from each team constitutes the team score for the round. The four-day (72-hole) total is the team’s score for the championship.
The 2016 Women’s World Amateur Team Championship will be played in Cancun, Mexico.
The men’s competition for the Eisenhower Trophy gets underway on Sept. 10. Canada will be represented by Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.), Taylor Pendrith (Richmond Hill, Ont.) and Adam Svensson (Surrey, B.C.).
CANADIAN INDIVIDUAL SCORES
1. Brooke Henderson, Smiths Falls, Ont. (69-66-69-68)
T20. Brittany Marchand, Orangeville, Ont. (71-70-69-72)
T51. Augusta James, Bath, Ont. (69-76-72-75)
Click here for team results.
Click here for individual results.
On Tuesday, the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) announced that Chris Hill, coach at University of Houston, has won the Jan Strickland award, given to the top assistant coach in Div I, II or III golf.
Hill has become the first Canadian to win the award in its 12-year history.
“When I started coaching, I only dreamed that someday I would be included in the ranks of coaches even considered for such an honour,” Hill told UHCougars.com.
The award focuses on the coach’s ability to excel in working with athletes both on the course and in the classroom. Hill, a Sarnia, Ont., native, modestly credited his University of Houston athletes.
“My most important thank you goes to all my players, past and present, because without them this award was never even a possibility,” he continued.
Coach Hill has extended his Canadian roots into the recruiting system at the University of Houston. In his four years, Hill has been involved in the recruiting and coaching of three Team Canada athletes – Blair Hamilton (Burlington, Ont.), Matthew Scobie (Ajax, Ont.) and current Development Squad member Matt Williams (Calgary).
In addition, Hill and the Houston Cougars have successfully added Tony Gil of Vaughan, Ont., to their recruitment class of 2016. Gil, 16, is new to Canada’s Development Squad this year and verbally committed to the University of Houston earlier this month.
Robert Ratcliffe, Team Canada’s Lead Development Squad Coach, credits Hill for building the strong relationship between the University of Houston and Team Canada’s High Performance programs.
“Chris has been instrumental in establishing the great connection that we have with the University of Houston,” said Ratcliffe. “A handful of Canadians have truly excelled under his direction and I really look forward to what the future holds under his leadership.”
Hill has helped the Cougars jump to their current spot of No. 9 in the NCAA Div I Men’s Golf rankings. Away from the golf course, the Cougars achieved their highest ever cumulative grade-point average (GPA).
Click here to view Chris Hill’s profile
DALY CITY, Calif. – Stacy Lewis overcame rain and hail Friday to take the second-round lead in the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic, shooting her second straight 3-under 69 at Lake Merced.
Winless since the Women’s British Open in August, the third-ranked Lewis had a one-stroke lead over 17-year-old playing partner Lydia Ko and first-round leader Karine Icher.
“We all went into the day knowing it would play hard,” said Lewis, who has five runner-up finishes since her victory at St. Andrews. “”It was a test of patience. I took it one shot at a time and wanted to get the ball into the hole as fast as I could. Fortunately, I was able to do that.”
Ko had a 71, and Icher followed her opening 66 with a 73.
Lewis and Ko played alongside Michelle Wie, dealing with heavy rain and hail that suspended play for just over an hour. Play resumed in steady drizzle that gave way to sunny afternoon conditions that helped several of the late starters.
Wie, the winner last week in Hawaii, was even par after her second 72.
The weather wavered between a slight mist and light shower before pounding the course just after noon, forcing the suspension at 12:36 p.m.
“I honestly thought we’d get it done,” Lewis said. “Then we got to seven and it just poured. We had to call off Lydia from her putt when it started to hail.”
Ko, who turned 17 on Thursday, thought she could get her putt in before being called off.
“I was crazy and out of my mind thinking about putting in the hail,” Ko said. “It started getting dark and I’m glad I was called off.”
After spending the delay eating chicken soup and playing cards, Ko returned to the course and sank the putt.
Icher was tied for the lead with Lewis at 5 under when the horn sounded.
“I ate a little and dried my clothes,” Icher said. “Rain delays are never fun but it happens. Being in the top five to start the tournament is pretty good, definitely my best start this year.”
Top-ranked Inbee Park, Mika Miyazato and Ilhee Lee were three strokes back at 3 under. Park had a 68 in the afternoon, Miyazato shot 69, and Lee had a 73.
“It was a very good putting day and I hit a lot of fairways,” Park said. “I got a little lucky with the weather. I only had to play in the rain for four holes.”
Miyazato finished before the delay.
“The golf course was more challenging,” Miyazato said. “I needed better course management.”
Second-ranked Suzann Pettersen, returning from a since back injury that sidelined her for three tournaments, was 2 under after a 72.
AVONDALE, La. – When Ben Martin played junior golf, his father, Jim, would tell him that his demeanor should be the same every time he walked off a green, whether he made birdie or double bogey.
That might explain why Martin seemed so calm when his game briefly unraveled Friday in the middle of the second round of the Zurich Classic, and why he righted himself quickly enough to post the best two-round score ever at TPC Louisiana.
Martin, who shot a course-record 62 on Thursday, shook off his first bogey and double bogey of the tournament to finish with a 67 on Friday, putting him at 15 under – three shots ahead of closest pursuer Andrew Svoboda.
If the 26-year-old Martin can continue to show that type of composure, he might capture his first PGA Tour victory.
“That’s my personality in general. Sometimes my wife gets mad at me because I don’t get excited about anything,” Martin said. “And then I don’t get down too much, either. That’s golf. You can’t expect to shoot 62 every day.”
Svoboda followed his opening 64 with a 68.
Robert Streb (66) and Sueng-Yul Noh (68) were tied for third at 11 under. Erik Compton also shot a 68 and was at 10 under, a score that keeps the two-time heart transplant recipient in contention for his maiden PGA Tour triumph. Tied with Compton for fifth was Peter Hanson, who shot 69, four shots off the pace of his strong opening round.
Keegan Bradley (66), Jeff Overton (68) and Charley Hoffman (67) were 9 under.
The tournament record score at TPC Louisiana- which is hosting New Orleans’ PGA Tour event for the ninth time – is 20 under, set last year by Billy Horschel.
For a while, it looked as if Martin might match that in the second round. Starting the day on the 10th hole, Martin hit an 8-iron 160 yards to a foot to set up his first birdie. On the par-5 11th, he used a 54-degree sand wedge to chip in from nearly 58 feet, one day after he chipped in with the same club from 55 feet on 17. He then sank a 7-foot putt for birdie on 13.
Martin said his hot start was cooled off, almost poetically, by the sound of ice being poured into a cooler in one of the VIP suites overlooking the par-3 17th hole. It forced him to back away from a putt attempt, and he wound up three-putting.
Then he proceeded to hit his drive into water to the right of the 18th fairway, and three-putted for a double bogey.
Yet, as he walked off the green, he smiled slightly and proceeded calmly and purposefully to the first tee, where he made the first of four birdies on his second nine.
That’s the kind of composure Martin’s wife, Kelly, has come to know well.
“When he comes off the course, you wouldn’t know if he shot 10 under or 10 over,” she said.
Svoboda, who will tee off with the final group for the first time in a PGA Tour event, continued to be pleased with his putting, which he credited in part to a new putter with a shaft bent to 71 degrees and grooves on the face.
“I’m hitting the ball great and I’m putting really well,” said Svoboda, whose highlights included a 40-yard bunker shot to set up a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-5 second hole.
He didn’t have a single bogey in the tournament until his final hole of the day, when he three-putted the par-3 ninth.
“I hit a bad second putt there,” he said of his miss from 6 feet. “But I dug pretty hard today. I played really well, so I’m pretty happy.”
Graham DeLeat of Weyburn, Sask., fired a 4-under 68 on Friday and currently sits in a tie for 12th at 7-under par.
Douglas Alexander of London, Ont. was inducted as Golf Canada’s 111th President during the National Sport Organization’s (NSO) Annual General Meeting held this weekend in London, Ont.
Alexander succeeds 2013 President, Michael Carroll of Vancouver, while Paul MacLean of Richmond Hill, Ont. becomes First Vice-President and Roland Deveau of Bedford, N.S. assumes the role of Second Vice-President.
“I am privileged and deeply honoured to be appointed the 111th president of this storied Association,” said Alexander. “As a golf enthusiast and long time volunteer, I believe that our organization, working in partnership with our members and industry stakeholders will continue to do great things to grow participation and excellence in our sport. I want to thank the Board of Directors for the trust and confidence they have shown in my leadership and I look forward to helping Golf Canada accomplish great things in 2014.”
Alexander, MacLean and Deveau will lead Golf Canada’s 2014 Board of Directors which also includes Charlie Beaulieu of Lorraine, Que., Leslie Dunning of Calgary, Liz Hoffman of Thornhill, Ont., Nick Marrone of Toronto and Don MacKay of Bracebridge, Ont. as well as immediate past President Michael Carroll. New Board members joining in 2014 include Rob MacDonald of Winnipeg, Man. and Pat Thompson of Kelowna, B.C.
A word from our President
Click here to read the acceptance speech given by incoming Golf Canada President, Douglas Alexander at our 2014 Annual General Meeting.
Barbara Allan and the late Norm Woods Honoured as Co-Recipients of Distinguished Service Award
Created in 1993, Golf Canada’s Distinguished Service award has been awarded annually to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the game of golf in Canada. This year’s recipients are long time golf volunteer Barbara Allan of Kingston, Ont. and the late Norm Woods of Kitchener, Ont. – founder of both GolfScene magazine and the Golfscene Junior Tour.
Click here for more information on Barbara Allan and the late Norm Woods.
Sandra Craig named Volunteer of the Year
Sandra Craig of Calgary was recognized as Golf Canada’s Volunteer of the Year for 2013. It marked the seventh year for this initiative which recognizes individuals in the golf community whose tireless efforts and dedication help to grow the game in Canada.
Click here for more information on Sandra Craig.
Diane Dunlop-Hébert appointed as Honorary Life Governor
Congratulations to Diane Dunlop-Hebert of Montreal on being named an Honorary Life Governor with Golf Canada. Dunlop-Hébert served as Golf Canada’s 109th president in 2012.
Annual Report & Strategic Plan
Click here for a link to Golf Canada’s 2013 Annual Report including a recap of the past season as well as the association’s 2013 Financial Statements.
Click here for link to Golf Canada’s One Vision Strategic Plan, outlining the key activities that Golf Canada is focused on as the National Sport Organization and Governing Body.
Golf Canada’s Annual General Meeting has historically been an important week for Canada’s National Sport Organization and governing body for golf. In addition to appointing its new president and members to the Board of Directors, the association presents details of its strategic plan and gathers with key stakeholders from the provincial golf associations as well as a number of national association partners. The AGM also celebrates key accomplishments from the previous year and provides the association a forum to discuss issues and opportunities facing the Canadian golf industry.
JOHANNESBURG — Home town players Thomas Aiken and Justin Walters moved into a tie for the lead at 17 under at the Joburg Open on Saturday as overnight pace-setters Edoardo Molinari and David Horsey lost ground.
Aiken carded a 9-under 63 on the East Course at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington, while Walters shot an 8-under 64 to open a two-shot lead on the chasers.
The Johannesburg-born pair were clear of South Korea’s Jin Jeong (66) on 15 under heading to the final round of the European Tour event. Finland’s Roope Kakko is 14 under and another stroke back.
Aiken had five birdies on the front nine and five on the back, while Walters opened with five birdies on the front and finished with an eagle to draw level with Aiken after putting his second to within two feet on No. 18 and tapping in. Walters has never won on the European Tour.
“I’ve got one more round tomorrow and I’m so happy that I’ve put myself into a strong position,” Walters said. “I’m super excited for tomorrow because it’s what we play for.”
South Africans have won five of the seven previous Joburg Opens.
Molinari and Horsey appeared to be the strongest challengers to that strong home record after leading on Friday, but both slipped up as the action moved to the longer, tougher East Course at Royal Joburg for the last two rounds.
Italian Molinari struggled to a level-par 72 to slip six shots behind the leaders and Horsey, following a blistering 63 on Friday, finished with 10 straight pars to be five shots behind on 12 under.
Aiken, a two-time winner on the tour, was impressive after dropping his only shot of the day on No. 2. His good friend Walters also had just one drop, on No. 16, before finishing with a flourish with his three on the par-5 last hole.
Jeong also collected an eagle on the way to his 6-under 66 and Kakko eagled No. 18 to claw back the two shots he lost with a double bogey on No. 4. Scotland’s Alastair Forsyth and South Africa’s George Coetzee were 13 under and tied for fifth.
Players are also chasing three places at the British Open in July after the Joburg Open was announced as a qualifying event for July’s championship at Royal Liverpool. The three highest-placed finishers in the top 10 not already qualified will win a place at the Open.
Former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel continued a mediocre tournament with a 72 on Saturday to go with his 69 and 70 for a tie for 65th on 4 under.
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — The wind and the rain arrived Friday, perhaps a prelude to a nasty weekend. Leave it to a pair of Texans – Jimmy Walker and Jordan Spieth – to thrive in Crosby Clambake conditions at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Walker made some tough par saves and wound up bogey-free at Spyglass Hill with a 3-under 69. Spieth was down the coast at Monterey Peninsula, where he called the birdie on his final hole the best of his life. He’s only 20, but it was a proud moment.
They were tied for the lead going into the third round, one shot to par ahead of Hunter Mahan.
The slight advantage would go to Walker, who was at 9-under 135. Already a two-time winner this season, Walker next goes over to Monterey Peninsula, the easiest of the three courses in the rotation. Spieth was at 9-under 134 and headed to Pebble Beach, which can be brutal in nasty weather.
And the forecast for Saturday was not particularly pleasant.
Along with a three-club wind on the exposed sections of all three courses, steady rain began coming down sideways toward the end of the second round. There was about a 75 percent chance for more rain Saturday.
More than looking ahead, Spieth was looking behind. He was happy to at least get Spyglass out of the way already, having opened with a 67 on Thursday. That didn’t make the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula a picnic.
“Today was very difficult,” Spieth said. “We started out in the rain and wind, and we finished in rainier and windier,” he said.
Spieth caught Walker for a share of the lead on the 187-yard ninth hole, which typically requires a 6-iron. He watched Kevin Chappell hit first with a 3-iron, and the ball rolled back down off the front of the green. Spieth doesn’t carry a 3-iron.
“I went to a hybrid,” he said. “And I just kind of hit a little stinger cut about 20 feet away. And then it was normally a straight putt and Michael (Greller) and I, my caddie, are looking at each other saying, `Well, we’ve got to play this about a foot out to the right with the wind.’ And so I hit it a foot out. With about 3 feet to go, the wind just blew it right, just broke perfectly right into the hole.”
Walker’s best holes were his pars, particularly the par-5 14th. His 8-iron came back down into a bunker, leaving him such an awkward lie that he had to plant his feet outside the sand. With a shallow swing, he did well to blast out 12 feet away, and he made the par putt.
“That was pretty big to keep it feeling like things were still in my favor,” Walker said.
He made two long birdie putts, and then hit a drive of nearly 390 yards on the seventh hole – with the aid of a cart path. It left him only an 8-iron to the green, and he had an easy up-and-down for his final birdie.
Mahan had a 68 at Spyglass Hill, with half of his six birdies on the par 5s. He was at 8-under 136.
“Coming up these last few holes are tough,” Mahan said. “They’re uphill, they got the wind, it’s getting cold, raining. You just don’t want to throw away shots. Because this can be a long week, and it could be mentally more grinding than anything.”
Andrew Loupe, who has missed every cut in his rookie season so far, followed his 63 at Monterey Peninsula with a 73 at Pebble Beach. That wasn’t too bad, for Pebble Beach was playing to an average of 74.1, about 2 1/2 strokes more difficult than Thursday. He was at 7-under 136 and plays Spyglass on Saturday.
Phil Mickelson finished off his 66 at Monterey on Friday morning, and then got an early indication at Pebble Beach that this might be a long day. He three-putted from 5 feet above the hole on the par-5 second for a double bogey. Mickelson holed some good birdies, but missed plenty of short ones. He switched from a conventional grip to the claw during his round, searching for answers. A three-putt bogey on the 18th at Pebble gave him a 73. He was at 4-under 139, still very much in the game.
“Tee to green, I’m playing very well, but I haven’t putted this poorly in a year,” he said. “For the way I’m hitting it, it’s a little disappointing because I should have a really good opportunity. And I’ll have to turn it around. It’s not too late, but I’ve got to get it turned around here.”
This is his last tournament until the Florida swing.
David Duval showed some promise in his first PGA Tour event of the year with a 68 at Spyglass, a course that traditionally gives him fits. He was at 4-under 140.
“What’s the forecast tomorrow? More of this? Cool,” Mickelson said with a deadpan delivery. “We’ve had a great run of weather … so we certainly can’t complain. It’s sometimes a fun challenge to play out here as the reigning Scottish and British Open champion. I don’t really mind the elements, but I do have to get this putter worked out.”
It already was a challenge for so many others. John Daly shot 79 at Monterey Peninsula. Four players failed to break 80. Two-time champion Dustin Johnson fell back with a 73 at Monterey. Jason Day of Australia shot 77 at Pebble Beach with one birdie.
As part of Golf Canada’s Annual General Meeting in London, Ont., the association’s Rules & Amateur Status Committee has approved the use of Distance Measuring Devices (DMD’s) for all amateur championships beginning in 2014.
This Local Rule will be introduced at CN Future Links junior championships as well as Canada’s national amateur competitions. Competitors will not be allowed to use DMD’s at Golf Canada’s professional championships including Canadian Women’s Tour events, the TOUR Championship of Canada presented by Freedom 55 Financial, the RBC Canadian Open and the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, including their respective qualifiers.
This Local Rule allows competitors to use Distance Measuring Devices that measure distance only – not those devices that can measure other conditions such as wind speed or direction, temperature or elevation.
“With recent technological advances designed to enhance the golfer experience, our Rules Committee felt that this decision to allow DMD’s was a step in the right direction without jeopardizing the spirit and challenge of the game,” said Dale Jackson, Chair of Golf Canada’s Rules & Amateur Status Committee. “We have received a tremendous amount of feedback from golfers and this decision allows us to align with all of our provincial and international partners that have moved to allow DMD’s at their respective amateur competitions.”
Since 2006, committees have had the option of adopting a Local Rule under the Rules of Golf to allow players to use Distance Measuring Devices that measure or gauge distance only. See note to Rule 14-3 of the Rules of Golf.
Recently, the R&A and the USGA Championship Committee’s decided it will allow the use of distance measuring devices (DMDs) in R&A amateur events in 2014.
For more information on the Rules of Golf, please click here.
To ask a Rules of Golf question, please click here.
For more information on how to proceed in various Rules of Golf situations, guidance on the Golf Canada Handicap System and more, please consult our Rules of Golf publications – for purchase in Golf Canada’s eStore, or at your local book retailer.
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Edoardo Molinari and Craig Lee share the halfway lead at the Joburg Open on 11 under par, while David Horsey charged into contention with a 63 to sit a shot off the pace on Friday.
England’s Horsey went 8 under through his second round with eight birdies and no dropped shots on the par-71 West Course at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington to be in contention for a first European Tour title in three years.
Ahead of him, Molinari and Lee held onto their overnight advantage. Molinari had a 4-under 68 on the longer, tougher East Course and Lee a 67 on the West after a run of four birdies on the front nine.
South African George Coetzee (68) is alongside Horsey a shot back.
Finland’s Roope Kakko matched Horsey for best round of the day with his 8-under 64 on the East to move to 9 under after racing through the front nine with seven birdies. Kakko slowed on the back nine, and dropped shots at Nos. 10 and 16, but had done enough by then to be within striking distance of the top.
Charl Schwartzel made an inconsistent 70, with seven birdies and six bogeys, to sit in a tie for 55th on 4 under – flirting with the cut.
Players at the Joburg Open aren’t only chasing the $280,000 winner’s check. Three places in the British Open are available for the highest-placed finishers in the top 10 who have not already qualified.
The highest player in Johannesburg already with a place at the Open was Frenchman Gregory Bourdy in a tie for 12th, leaving a bunch of players to battle it out for the qualifying spots.
While Italy’s Molinari and Scotland’s Lee hold the edge ahead of the two final rounds on the East Course, Horsey’s performance on Friday started with six birdies in his first nine and was capped by a 30-foot putt for his eighth birdie on No. 16 to put him in sight of the title, and also a place at his home major.
“It’s (the British Open) at the back of my mind at the moment, but it’s certainly a bonus to consider near the end of the week,” Horsey said.
Molinari has looked like the player of 2010 – when he won both the Ryder Cup and his last tour title – over the opening two days in South Africa with his 64 and then a 68.
“I’m very happy with pretty much everything. I am very happy with my position and my game right now,” he said.
Lee is hanging in there to share the lead with Molinari. Kakko’s impressive 64 put him in a seven-way tie for fifth, two shots off the leaders.
He may be Queen’s Counsel, but that doesn’t mean Mike Carroll can recognize a Prince.
Carroll, a Vancouver lawyer, has a long list of highlights from his recently completed one-year term as Golf Canada president. But he calls meeting Prince Andrew in rather unusual circumstances at last year’s Open Championship at Muirfield Golf Club in Scotland his “most amusing highlight.”
Carroll was representing Golf Canada at the Open Championship and he and his wife Anne were invited to one of the daily lunches the Royal & Ancient Golf Club puts on during the tournament.
The Carrolls were escorted to a table where there were already a few people seated, including a gentleman on Mike Carroll’s right. When Carroll introduced himself as Golf Canada president and a Vancouver resident, that person began to pepper him with questions about James Island, a privately owned island off Victoria where an exclusive Jack Nicklaus-designed course has been built.
“I was embarrassed because I had forgotten that the McCaw family owns the Nicklaus-built golf course on James Island,” Carroll says. “I told this guy that I wasn’t familiar with the course and in his British accent he said, ‘oh, you mean to tell me that you are the president of Golf Canada and you have no idea whether there is a golf course on James Island?. That is quite incredible.’”
Carroll let that rather rude remark slide and fortunately the conversation turned. At one point, Carroll’s seat-mate told him he had to “go back to Balmoral because my mother is having a function.”
Suddenly, it all clicked for Carroll, who chuckles as he recalls the conversation.
“I realized that Balmoral is Balmoral Castle in Scotland, which is the home of the Royal Family. Then it dawned on me. This was Prince Andrew, who by the way was a former captain of the R&A. We had a very nice chat for the next half-hour, Prince Andrew and I.”
The past year has been an exhilarating one for Golf Canada’s 110th president. Slow play may be one of the big issues facing the golf industry, but there has been nothing slow about the past 12 months for Carroll.
“My expectations were that it would be a busy year and my expectations were more than met,” he says. “It was very busy.”
As Golf Canada president, Carroll attended the four majors and watched Brandt Snedeker and Lydia Ko win the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Opens. He also attended a number of amateur championships throughout the country.
Jim Nelford’s induction into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame at last summer’s RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club was a particularly memorable night for Carroll.
“That was a personal highlight for me because I have been friendly with Jim and have known him for a long time.”
The presidency was a lot more than glad-handing at tournaments for Carroll, who practises law at the Vancouver firm of Davis & Co. and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1996. There was plenty of work to do and Carroll likes to think he helped move the needle in a couple of areas.
Under his guidance, the Golf Canada board continued its transition from an operational body to a policy board. Its job now is to set policy and then let Golf Canada staff follow up on its recommendations.
“In our board meetings this year we have continued to make really good progress, so that we are looking at what I would call the bigger picture items in golf, not the small stuff,” Carroll says. “An example of that would be what can we really do to get more kids playing golf?”
When he assumed the presidency at Golf Canada’s Annual General Meeting last February in Vancouver, Carroll talked about the need to get more children playing the game. He made that goal a priority over the past year.
He stressed the need for Golf Canada, in cooperation with the PGA of Canada and the National Golf Course Owners Association of Canada, to tackle this issue. Carroll strongly believes developing Canadian golf icons — “the next generation of Mike Weirs,” he calls them — is one of the ways to attract more young people to the game.
“The emergence of Graham DeLaet on the PGA TOUR is big and he is a very good ambassador for us and in particular for our young kids. He is really communicating with our national amateur teams. He tweets them and is sort of one of the guys. He takes a very active interest in how our young players are doing which is invaluable for us.”
At the amateur level, Carroll was encouraged by the fact four Canadians advanced to the Round of 32 at last summer’s U.S. Amateur Championship, with Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., making it all the way to the semi-finals.
On the women’s side, Carroll notes the splendid play of 16-year-old Brooke Henderson of Smith Falls, Ont. Henderson, who has recently won several high-profile amateur events, is now ranked sixth in the world.
As for his own game, Carroll says it has suffered. The combination of his busy schedule and a fairly recent interest — some would say obsession — with cycling, has resulted in Carroll’s Handicap Factor rising to double digits.
He says his friends at Point Grey Golf Club, the Vancouver course where he is a long-time member, will be seeing much more of him this year.
“My golf has suffered as a result of my cycling,” Carroll says. “But I am absolutely determined that I am going to get back to playing more golf now that my stint with Golf Canada is coming to a close. And I have a goal which is basically to get back to a high single-digit handicap. It is a goal that is going to be difficult to accomplish given the current state of my game.”
