Sam Burns, Sahith Theegala and Cameron Young added to Team RBC
Golf Canada
TORONTO – RBC is welcoming professional golfers Sam Burns, Sahith Theegala and Cameron Young as its newest Team RBC brand ambassadors.
Burns, Theegala and Young represent the strong field of talent on the PGA TOUR, with incredible 2021-2022 seasons. Burns, with 22 top-10 finishes to-date, had three PGA TOUR victories this past season, making him only the second player in PGA TOUR history to win three or more TOUR titles in one season.
“I am thrilled to join Team RBC and their roster of elite golfers,” says Sam Burns. “This season has been full of career-highs and becoming an RBC brand ambassador is definitely one of them. I’m grateful for their support and can’t wait to build upon the momentum of 2022.”
Since joining the TOUR in 2020, Theegala has quickly established himself with seven top-10 finishes, including finishing T2 at the Travelers Championship and T3 at the WM Phoenix Open.
“As a rookie on the TOUR, I’m proud to be joining Team RBC, a long-time supporter of golf with a roster of high calibre athletes,” says Theegala. “Visiting Canada for the RBC Canadian Open was a highlight for me last season and I can’t wait to return in 2023.”
Young holds seven top-10 finishes, including the 2022 RBC Heritage, and was named 2022 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year as voted by the TOUR’s membership for the 2021-2022 season.
“Joining a world-class group of golfers and working with a brand that shares my own values is a dream come true,” said Young. “RBC is doing great things for the sport, and I’m looking forward to joining them as an ambassador.”
Team RBC was established in 2009 and is comprised of elite touring professionals on the PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour. Along with wearing RBC branding on their apparel and golf bag, Burns, Theegala, and Young will support many of the bank’s marketing initiatives and client experiences.
“We are thrilled to welcome professional golfers Sam Burns, Sahith Theegala, and Cameron Young to Team RBC. It was a pleasure to watch them play at the 2022 RBC Canadian Open and RBC Heritage and to see their incredible success this season,” says Mary DePaoli, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer, RBC. “We are impressed by their dedication and passion both on and off the course and look forward to what’s next for these talented golfers.”
Denzil Palmer, who spent more than 40 years in club management, passed away from cancer on November 20 surrounded by family.
He was 70.
Palmer served as the General Manager and Secretary of Royal Montreal for nearly three decades helping the over 1,500 members enjoy all of the iconic facilities’ offerings including 45 holes of golf. Under Palmer’s leadership, Royal Montreal hosted several successful professional and amateur tournaments including three RBC Canadian Open events as well as the 2007 Presidents Cup.
Royal Montreal, of which Palmer was an Honorary Life Member, is set to host the Presidents Cup once again in 2024.
Palmer began his career in golf as the General Manager of Greenhills Country and City Clubs in London, Ont. Prior to that he worked at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier and Holiday Inn Tower in London. Over a decade-and-a-half with Greenhills, Palmer successfully developed both of the member-first clubs which featured 27 holes of golf, 22 tennis courts, swimming, two clubhouses, and a robust calendar of social programmes.
Palmer ended his career as Vice-President, Clubs and Hospitality at Palmer & Associates, a boutique HR firm specializing in leadership coaching, career transition services, and executive search.
Palmer, who is a Canadian Society of Club Managers Honorary Life Member, was presented by the CSCM with its President’s Award – recognizing him as one of CSCM’s longest standing general managers. He also proudly received the Club Manager of the Year Award in 1997 and a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017, only the third recipient of this particular award in over 20 years.
Golf Canada sends its condolences to Palmer’s family as we mourn the passing of golf-industry veteran whose presence and leadership was felt for decades.
A celebration of Palmer’s life will be arranged in the new year. In lieu of flowers, a scholarship fund is being established in his name, one which will see his legacy of excellence carry forward to future generations. If you would like to make a donation in Denzil’s honour, please contact Alan Palmer at alanpalmergolf@gmail.com.
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You can read more about the impact of Denzil Palmer on his fellow club managers via this story in Club Management Association of Canada’s latest issue.
GJAC Virtual Summit presented by RBC: State of the Industry
Golf Canada
The Golf Journalists Association of Canada (GJAC) Virtual Summit presented by RBC on the State of the Industry took place November 21, 2022, as part of an ongoing GJAC series intended to help membership stay connected, as well as to generate discussion and opportunities around important issues in the game.
GJAC Virtual Summits presented by RBC are approximately one hour in length and are recorded for public viewing. You can watch this one below. The format consists of a moderated question and answer period, followed by a brief opportunity for questions from attendees.
Panelists for this Summit include:
Panelists:
Garrett Ball, COO, Golf Canada Scott Pritchard, President, PGA TOUR Canada Kathryn Wood, COO, Canadian Golf Superintendents Association
2022 CP Women’s Open named LPGA Tournament of the Year at season ending award ceremony
Golf Canada
NAPLES, FLA. (Golf Canada) – The 2022 CP Women’s Open at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club has been named Tournament of the Year by the Tournament Partners of the LPGA.
Tournament organizers from Golf Canada and Canadian Pacific were presented with a prestigious Gold Driver Award during a ceremony held in conjunction with this week’s LPGA Tour season-ending CME Group Tour Championship at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Fla.
Golf Canada and Canadian Pacific also received Gold Driver Awards for Best Community and Charity Engagement, as well as Best Sponsor Activation.
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 as part of the season-ending event.
“This award is a true reflection of the hard work and collaboration from all groups and stakeholders involved with the CP Women’s Open,” said Tournament Director Ryan Paul. “Thanks to tremendous support from fans, players, volunteers, corporate partners and our host club, the 2022 CP Women’s Open was a resounding success and it is rewarding to be recognized with these significant awards.”
The Best Community and Charity Engagement Award was earned for the CP Has Heart community investment program, which raised $2.5 million in support of the CHEO Foundation and $510,000 for Perth & Smiths Falls District Hospital Foundation – the largest charitable campaign in the history of the CP Women’s Open.
Since CP assumed title sponsorship of the CP Women’s Open in 2014, more than $16 million has been raised to support children’s heart health in Canada. This is the third time in the last four years the awards were handed out that the CP Women’s Open was awarded the Gold Driver for Best Community and Charity Engagement.
The CP Women’s Open earned Best Sponsor Activation for its Hilton on the Green experience – a first-of-its-kind opportunity for Canadian golf fans to stay in a unique, 1-bedroom pop-up hotel room on the 8th hole at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.
Hilton on the Green included a personal concierge, golf cart, gourmet meals including breakfast in bed, exclusive view of the action, as well as world-class service and hospitality from Hilton.
At the 2022 CP Women’s Open in August, South African Paula Reto set the Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club course record (62) en route to besting the LPGA Tour’s best players to capture her first career win on Tour. By doing so, she took home US$352,500 of the US$2.35 million purse.
The 2022 CP Women’s Open in Ottawa was the most attended tournament in event history.
The stars of the LPGA Tour are headed back to Vancouver as next year’s CP Women’s Open will be contested at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club August 21-27, 2023.
The championship will mark the sixth time the province of British Columbia has hosted Canada’s Women’s Open Championship, with the last time being 2015 at The Vancouver Golf Club, where Lydia Ko won her third CP Women’s Open title.
TORONTO (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada, in partnership with title sponsor RBC, are pleased to announce select tickets are now available for the 2023 RBC Canadian Open taking place June 5-11 at Oakdale Golf and Country – a Stanley Thompson classic in the heart of Toronto.
CLICK HERE to secure your tickets before they sell out.
Oakdale will challenge the stars of the PGA TOUR as a 7,460-yard composite championship routing that integrates elements from each of the course’s three nines (Thompson, Homenuik, Knudson).
One of Canada’s premier annual sporting events, the RBC Canadian Open features miles of front row seating for golf fans to experience the thrill of live professional golf.
Three ticketing options include:
Any Day Ticket: Access to the RBC Canadian Open on any one day, Monday through Sunday (on-sale for a limited time, while supplies last).
Weekly Grounds Ticket: Access to the full week of the tournament, Monday through Sunday.
1904 Club presented by RBC iShares Weekly Ticket: Access for all four days of Championship play from Thursday through Sunday.
Volunteer, sponsorship and corporate hospitality opportunities are also available. For more information on the 2023 RBC Canadian Open, visit us online at www.rbccanadianopen.com.
First Tee celebrates 25 years of empowering youth through golf
Golf Canada
Twenty-five years ago, on November 13, 1997, then-PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem was joined in New York City’s Central Park by representatives from the leading golf organizations – the LPGA, the Masters Tournament, the PGA of America, the PGA TOUR, and the USGA – public officials, including President George H. W. Bush, and golf dignitaries to announce the launch of First Tee.
Since that time, First Tee has grown into a preeminent youth development organization boasting a network of nearly 150 chapters with programs delivered at 1,400 golf courses, 10,000 schools and 1,700 youth centers in all 50 states and in Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, Mexico and Morocco. In 2021, First Tee impacted more than 2.2 million kids and teens. Additionally, more than 10,000 adults are involved each year in support of First Tee’s mission, many of whom have participated in First Tee’s signature positive youth development training.
Under the leadership of Finchem, First Tee was launched as an industrywide initiative to make golf affordable and accessible for all kids. As the first programs were being developed, First Tee began an intentional effort to seamlessly integrate the game of golf with a life skills curriculum, creating a program that empowers youth to build inner strength, self-confidence, and resilience that they can carry to everything they do.
First Tee has been undergoing a modernization effort to stay relevant and connected to kids and teens now and in the future. It refreshed its brand for the first time in 2020 and recently released a robust age-based curriculum update to better position the organization to reach teens and keep kids engaged in the program longer. Technology efforts are also underway to centralize and better support program registration, adult training and onboarding, and tools for coaches. In
2023, the first participant-facing app will launch, providing supplemental digital experiences and gamification for young people in the program. In recent years, the organization also reinvested in its College Scholarship Program, and it touches hundreds of kids each year through national participant events, spanning from the PURE Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach to a five-day DEI-focused academy in Philadelphia.
“Since day one, First Tee has been intentional about reaching young people from diverse backgrounds, and that commitment continues today,” said Greg McLaughlin, First Tee CEO. “Most years, between 40 and 50 percent of participants at chapters are non-Caucasian, and approximately 38% are female. Our network of chapter leaders, coaches, volunteers, board members and donors remain committed to breaking down barriers. And they continue to inspire me as we prepare for the future.”
Throughout this anniversary year, First Tee has highlighted its alumni who’ve gone on to careers in the golf industry and beyond. First Tee’s final alumni feature showcases Ariana Saenz, a former participant at First Tee – Greater Houston, who went on to play collegiate golf at the University of Houston and Texas A&M. Saenz is set to graduate with a master’s degree in human resources later this year and hopes to pursue a career in the golf industry.
“From age seven to 18, I was exposed to a set of morals and life skills at First Tee that poured the foundation for the woman I am today,” said Saenz. “Along the way, I earned a college golf scholarship and went from being a participant to a volunteer who learned the value of giving back to the community and serving others.”
Nov. 16-18, representatives from First Tee’s network of 150 chapters will convene in Dallas for its Network Summit – the first in five years – to celebrate the anniversary and continue building momentum for the future with robust workshops, training and peer-to-peer networking. The Summit is presented by Century Golf Partners and made possible by other corporate partners who stand behind First Tee’s mission.
The R&A and USGA announce 2023 Rules of Golf update
Getty Images
Golf Canada
The R&A and the USGA have unveiled a regular update to the Rules of Golf as they continue to make the Rules easier to understand and apply. The new Rules will go into effect on January 1, 2023.
The 2023 edition continues the modernisation process, with an emphasis on both inclusion and sustainability. For the first time, the modified Rules for players with disabilities have been fully incorporated into the playing rules without the need to adopt a local rule. The governing bodies, supported by longstanding partner Rolex, will also promote digital and mobile app access to the Rules while significantly reducing the production and distribution of more than four million printed books.
Several penalties have been relaxed and language has been clarified to help golfers at all levels of play.
Key changes include:
Modifications for Players with Disabilities: The modifications to the Rules for players with disabilities have been made part of the Rules and are in effect for all players who are classified in the categories covered in Rule 25.
Handicap Usage in Stroke Play: With the continued growth of score-posting technology following the adoption of the World Handicap System™, players are no longer penalised for failing to put their handicap on their scorecard in stroke play. The committee will be responsible for ensuring the accuracy of each player’s handicap.
Club Damaged During Round: The Rule has been amended to allow a player to replace a club that is damaged during a round, provided the player did not damage it through abuse.
Ball Moved by Natural Forces: A new exception provides that a ball at rest must be replaced if it moves to another area of the course or comes to rest out of bounds after being dropped, placed or replaced.
Back-on-the-Line Relief Procedure: The back-on-the-line relief procedure, often used for penalty area and unplayable ball relief, has been simplified so that the player now drops their ball on the line, and the ball must come to rest within one club-length of where it is dropped.
Golfers will be able to learn more about the major changes and review the official 2023 Rules of Golf by visiting randa.org and usga.org/rules. Full updates to the official Rules of Golf digital applications will be available starting on 1 January.
Grant Moir, Director of Rules at The R&A, said, “We are continuing to improve and adapt the Rules of Golf to ensure they are in line with the way the modern game is played. That means making the Rules easier to understand and access for all golfers and making the sport more inclusive and welcoming for golfers with disabilities. We are also working to ensure golf has a sustainable long-term future and making more resources available digitally is key to achieving that goal.”
“The growing popularity of golf continues to guide our decision-making and modernising the Rules to promote inclusivity and accessibility is clearly a great step in the right direction,” said Thomas Pagel, USGA Chief Governance Officer. “This latest evolution is especially important to the community of golfers with disabilities, and we hope it will encourage more people to play and enjoy the game.”
Players are reminded that the current edition of the Rules of Golf (2019) still applies when playing or posting scores for the remainder of 2022.
As an extension of its support of the Rules of Golf worldwide, Rolex has made a commitment to support The R&A and the USGA’s efforts to modernise golf’s Rules. The Swiss watchmaker’s contribution to excellence in golf is based on a rich heritage stretching back more than 50 years, forged through pivotal partnerships at every level of the game, from the sport’s leading professional and amateur competitions and organisations, to players at the pinnacle of their sport worldwide.
Canadian Golf Superintendents Association names Jim Flett 2022 Superintendent of the Year Award Recipient
Golf Canada
MISSISSAUGA, ONT. – The Canadian Golf Superintendents Association (CGSA) and Bayer Environmental Science Canada have announced Jim Flett of Muskoka Lakes Golf & Country Club in Port Carling, Ont. as their Superintendent of the Year for 2022.
The award recognizes a member of the CGSA who has held the position of golf course superintendent for a minimum of five years and who has distinguished her or himself through dedication to the profession, performance as a golf course superintendent and contributions to their profession and their community.
“Jim has made an impression on the Golf Industry. Through his dedication, tremendous support of the association and humble leadership; he helped lead CGSA through very challenging times in the association’s history. What a great ambassador for our industry. It was my distinct pleasure to personally notify Jim and congratulate him on being selected as the CGSA / Bayer Superintendent of the Year.”
Pierre Vezeau, AGS, CGSA President
Flett has been a CGSA member since 1990 and has held the Accredited Golf Superintendent (AGS) designation since 2007. He was CGSA President in 2017 and is a Past President of the Ontario Golf Superintendent’s Association (OGSA). He has been the Superintendent at Muskoka Lakes Golf & Country Club since 1992.
He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M in 1988 after completing the University of Guelph’s Turf Associate Diploma program in 1985. Jim apprenticed under two Canadian superintendent mentors Gordon Witteveen and David Gourlay, both CGSA Superintendent of the Year past winners.
Flett will be recognized during The Canadian Golf Course Management Conference and presented with his award during the Award Luncheon in 2023.
“My involvement in the CGSA has tremendously elevated my career through the professional development opportunities and Canada-wide networking over the years,” said Flett, “I was lucky enough to serve as President of the CGSA in 2017 when Canada celebrated its 150th Birthday. I always thought it was important to instil the sense of Canadian pride in our association. Most of all golf has been a part of my life since I was a child and over the years, I’ve met so many amazing people I would not have met otherwise.”
NextGen Fall Series East Championship heads to Hampton Golf Club
Golf Canada
HAMPTON, N.B. – The NextGen Fall Series East Championship, fueled by JOURNIE Rewards, tees off this week with 65 amateur golfers taking the stage in Hampton, N.B.
Practice rounds are scheduled for Thursday, September 15, before the official 54-hole tournament gets underway on September 16. Play is scheduled to conclude September 18th with an awards ceremony scheduled immediately following play at Hampton Golf Club.
The starting field will feature 65 players –50 Junior Boys and 16 Junior Girls – vying for a spot in their respective Canadian Junior Championship later this summer. Thirteen players in the field hail from host province, New Brunswick, and 12 boys and eight girls are competing from the Bantam Division (Under 15 years of age).
The top 3 male competitors will earn a spot in the 2023 Canadian Jr Boys Championship, presented by BDO. The top 3 and female golfers (including ties) will also earn exemptions into next year’s Canadian Junior Girls Championship, presented by BDO, August 1-4, 2023, also at Hampton Golf Club.
“Hampton Golf Club is in excellent shape and will serve as a challenging test to this talented field of junior competitors,” said tournament director Melany Chong. “We look forward to what is sure to be an exciting competition and are grateful for the support from the community and our hard-working volunteers”.
The NextGen Fall Series East Championship is one of Golf Canada’s regional junior championships presented in partnership with JOURNIE Rewards. Ella Weber and Cameron Pero took home the honours in their respective divisions in 2021.
For the full schedule of 2022 competitions, click here.
Hampton Golf Club is a 18-hole located in the Town of Hampton, a 25-minute drive from Saint John, N.B. Hampton offers scenic views and sits high up on a hill overlooking Darlings Lake and the rolling hills of Kings County.
Additional information about the 2022 NextGen Fall Series East Championship can be found here.
NOTABLES
Andreas Diogenous: Whistle Bear GC
3 year member of Team Ontario
2021 Ontario (U17) Juvenile Boys Championship
T3 at the 2021 Ontario Junior Tour Championship
Semi-finalist in the 2021 Ontario Junior Boys Match Play Championship
Qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship
Isaiah Ibit: Greyhawk GC
Top 3 finishes at 2021 Ontario Junior Boys Championship, Ontario Juvenile Boys Championship and winner of the Ottawa Valley Association Junior and City District Championship
Jacob LeBlanc: Fox Creek Golf Club
2020 Junior Boys U-15 Champion
Lindsay McGrath : Rattlesnake Point Golf Club
Youngest female member of Team Ontario
2021 Ontario Bantam Girls Champion
Emily McKee: Rattlesnake Pointe Golf Club
Qualified for the 2021 U.S Junior Girls Championship
Carlee Meilleur: Loyalist Golf and Country Club
2022 Ontario Women’s Am & Mid-Am Champion
3rd Place in 2022 Canada Summer Games
Kelly Zhao: Station Creek Golf Club
2022 top 10 finish at AJGA Junior at Southpointe
2022 top 10 finish at Canadian Women’s Am Championship
3rd place finish at 2022 Golf Ontario Junior Girls’ (U19) Championship
The NextGen Championships, fueled by JOURNIE Rewards is a high-performance junior golf series which totals eight competitions. From May to July, six championships will take place across Canada where the region’s best junior golfers will compete to earn exemptions into their respective 2022 national championships, with two Fall Series events taking place in September. NextGen Championships provide junior players an opportunity to develop and showcase their skills at the highest level of tournament golf.
Rusty Strawn captures 2022 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship title
[Red Deer, AB] - 2022-09-09 - Final round of Canadian Men's Senior Championship at Red Deer Golf & Country Club.
(Photo: Rob Wallator / Golf Canada)
Golf Canada
RED DEER, Alta. – As the saying goes, there’s power in momentum. It’s a saying that Rusty Strawn knows all too well after securing back-to-back victories this September at the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship in Marion, Mass., and the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship, presented by BDO in Red Deer, Alta. Nine days separated the two wins. Needless to say, the McDonough, Ga. resident is going to need a bigger trophy case.
Heading into the final round at Red Deer Golf and Country Club, the 59-year-old shared the lead with fellow American, Mike Lohner of Southlake, Tex. The pair went back and forth throughout the day, both beginning their round at 5-under-par. It wasn’t until the back nine when Strawn hit a groove, birdieing three of his last eight holes to pull away from the pack to secure the 60th Canadian Men’s Senior Championship title.
“I was very fortunate last week to win the United States Senior Amateur,” said Strawn. “And of course, by doing it I got the exemption to the United States Mid-Amateur, and I told the people at the USGA, I said, there is no way I’m going to miss the Canadian Men’s Senior. I absolutely love it here.”
To celebrate, Strawn popped a bottle of champagne and toasted the volunteers, Red Deer Golf and Country Club staff, and fellow competitors “To my new Canadian friends!”. He also commented, “having my picture taken with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is the coolest picture I’ve ever taken.”
Strawn was also highly complimentary of the host club.
“It’s just been a wonderful week here in Red Deer,” said Strawn. “When I arrived here for my practice round on Sunday – probably the strength of my game is my putting – and when I rolled those first few putts on the practice green, I was like, I have nobody but myself to blame because they were absolutely awesome.”
Low Canadian Ken Griffith, who is a member at Red Deer Golf and Country Club, placed third on the leaderboard, carding a total score of 288, his best finish ever at the national championship. Fellow members, Grant Lee and Peter Innes also competed in the tournament and finished T7 and T15, respectively.
Frank Van Dornick ran away with the Super Senior division securing the title and the Governor’s Cup by 10 strokes.
Earlier in the week, host club Team Alberta won the 36-hole inter-provincial team competition in an impressive 11-stroke victory over runner-up Team British Columbia. Ken Griffith (Red Deer Golf & Country Club), Senan Foley (Public Player – Alberta), and Kelly Risling (Medicine Hat Golf & Country Club) shot a collective one-under to give Team Alberta the back-to-back victory as they defended their 2019 title and claimed the Phil Farley Memorial Trophy.
