BRAMPTON, ONT. – Brampton Golf Club will open its fairways to elite talent from across the globe when it plays host to the World Junior Girls Championship presented by Sargent Farms from October 2–7, 2023.

In addition to 72-hole team and individual golf competitions, the World Junior Girls Championship will be a celebration of the sport with a focus on developing the game. Prior to the tournament getting underway, the World Junior Girls Championship will host a coaching summit and a girl’s skill development clinic supported by Sargent Farms and their partnership of the event.

The opportunity to host the week-long event spurs a sense of pride for Brampton’s membership.

“We’re truly excited to be sharing our course with the top girls from around the world,” said Boris Uvakov, Brampton’s General Manager. “We’re invested in the growth of the game at all levels and our membership is proud to do our part in hosting world-class championships.”

The World Junior Girls Championship is conducted by Golf Canada in partnership with Golf Ontario and supported by the R&A and International Golf Federation. Recognized by the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), the World Junior Girls Championship will run for its 8^th time, with the individual champion earning an exemption into the 2024 CP Women’s Open.

Since its inception in 1921, the fairways at Brampton Golf Club have hosted many of Canada’s best. The venerable club has hosted the PGA of Canada Championship, the PGA of Canada Senior Championship, PGA TOUR Canada, the Ontario Men’s Amateur and Ontario Women’s Amateur.

The club will provide an opportunity to showcase its recently renovated golf course to the world’s top 78 junior golfers from 25 countries across the globe, an increase from 2022 and the largest field size of the tournament’s history.

“Being in the GTA there are a lot of opportunities for visiting girls to explore outside of the golf competition,” added Uvakov. “We’re very proud to welcome competitors, coaches and spectators to our course and the great city of Brampton.”

Many of the Canada’s top-ranked golfers have competed in the World Junior Girls Championship since its inception, including LPGA superstar Brooke Henderson who competed in the 2014 inaugural competition.

Other notable competitors who went on to become LPGA Tour winners include world Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand who won back-to-back World Junior titles in 2018 and 2019 as well as Yuka Saso of Philippines who won the 2016 World Junior title. Other former World Junior competitors who have gone on to win on the LPGA Tour include Hannah Green of Australia and Maja Stark of Sweden.

In 2022, Spaniard Cayetana Fernández saved her best for last at Angus Glen Club in Markham, Ont., as the 17-year-old shot a final-round 2-under 70 to lead Spain to victory. Sweden finished second, with Chinese Taipei picking up third.

Admission to the championship is complimentary.

ORLANDO, Fla. – New year, new gear. And everything in-between. 

Golf Canada is thrilled to be at the PGA Show this year to showcase some of the biggest brands in golf, speak with some of the biggest names in golf, and give Canadians a look at why 2023 is shaping up to be another amazing year in golf. 

From learning more about the new Titleist clubs to figuring out the best new additions to your closet from FootJoy, Puma, and Levelwear to getting the inside scoop on new courses to having one-on-one chats with some of golf’s most impressive figures, be sure to stay tuned to Golf Canada’s social media accounts all week long.

Canadian golf media personality Adam Stanley is set to be your guide throughout the week! If you’re in Orlando you’ll see him hanging at the Hilton Grand Vacations resort or rolling through town in style thanks to both Audi and Avis.

There’s plenty of great things to see and people to speak with this week – and Golf Canada has you covered. 

Following along below as we keep you up-to-date on everything you need to know from golf’s biggest forum.

MONDAY, JANUARY 23   

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Chatting with Cabot’s Ben Cowan-Dewar

Golf Canada host Adam Stanley sat down 1-on-1 with Ben Cowan-Dewar, the co-founder and CEO behind one of Canada’s most internationally known golf brands. Watch their convo below…

TUESDAY, JANUARY 24

We kicked off demo day with a visit to Titleist to learn all about the brand-new gear for 2023. 

First up was a deep dive into the new Titleist Vokey SM9 line of wedges with the addition of the low-bounce T Grind. The T Grind is designed mostly for players who are knocking it around in firm conditions. Vokey has also added lightweight steel and graphite shaft options so then players who have those kind of shafts in their irons will have wedges to match. 

There are now seven grinds available in the SM9 wedges – the newest line from Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Bob Vokey. 

We also learned all about Titleist’s latest line of drivers, the TSR. Those drivers are set to build off the incredible success of the TSi and TS series before it. The TSR line boasts four models that are all set to help increase stability, speed, and distance for golfers in 2023. The face material of the new drivers is ATI-425 titanium, and of note, there are just three customers of that material in the world: NASA, the U.S. government, and… Titleist! 

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After hitting a few balls at Titleist we headed over to Cobra-Puma, the national partner of Golf Canada’s Junior Skills Challenge, to have a couple of great chats with LPGA Tour superstar Lexi Thompson and golfer-turned-media personality (and new mom!) Blair O’Neal. O’Neal, who just had a baby eight weeks ago, talked to us all about getting juniors more into golf, and how excited she is to see more women pick up the game these days. Thompson, meanwhile, shared that her fellow LPGA Tour golfers feel as if the CP Women’s Open should be a major championship. She loves seeing all the young girls dressed like her outside the ropes in Canada and spoke so very highly about our women’s national championship. Thompson, an 11-time winner on the LPGA Tour, is hopeful for a huge year in 2023!

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25

First up on Wednesday – our first day on the PGA Show floor – we visited Levelwear to learn all about its new line for 2023. From fabrics to function, the fresh gear worn by some of the best golfers in the world (including Adam Hadwin, Corey Conners, and Taylor Pendrith on the PGA Tour – plus its newest signee, Aaron Cockerill on the DP World Tour) is set to look great in anyone’s closet. The latest colour drop from Levelwear is called ‘Bordeaux’ – a rich purple that will most certainly get you noticed. 

Whether its polos, sweaters, pants, or more – there’s something for everyone from Levelwear in 2023! 

Not only that, but Levelwear is going to have a great presence once again at the CP Women’s Open and RBC Canadian Open with the return of the Levelwear Caddie Lounge and plenty of great merchandise offerings in Toronto and Vancouver.

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Brooke Henderson was on site at the PGA Show Wednesday and we were lucky enough to chat with her all about her big win Sunday at the LPGA Tour’s season opener, the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. 

Henderson, who finished at 16 under at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club, topped Maja Stark and Charley Hull by four shots. 

She won for the 13th time on the LPGA Tour and the third time wire-to-wire in her career. 

“Honestly, it was a dream start,” Henderson told us. “I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Just to go out and get the lead right on Thursday and then carry it on through throughout the weekend and hoist the trophy on Sunday afternoon is always an amazing feeling. But having it be the first tournament of the year, it made it a little extra special.”

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We got to check out some amazing new gear from PUMA Golf, the official apparel partner for Team Canada.

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And we capped off opening day on on the show floor learning how accurate golf simulators have become, chatting with Foresight Sports Canada.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 26

FootJoy has brought the fire once again in 2023 with some great shoes, gloves, and outerwear. 

This is the 100th anniversary for FootJoy making, well, footwear, and it shows no signs of slowing down with its newly updated Premiere series, FJ Flex, and HyperFlex. 

It’s the 42nd year for gloves for FootJoy, and its made plenty of improvements to its best-selling StaSoft glove (the No.1 on Tour!). 

Finally, its outerwear continues to help Canadians make every day playable, highlighted in 2023 by the DryJoy Select jacket. 

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After banging a few TSR drivers and nipping a few of the new SM9 wedges on Demo Day, we hit the show floor with Titleist to learn more about some of its other gear for 2023. Somehow, someway, they’ve improved upon the No.1 ball in golf as the Pro V1 and Pro V1x has a new core that’s set to help golfers hit it further and straighter. Titleist’s new Scotty Cameron putters take the most well-known name in putting and improved again on the feel and tighten the alignment to help you make more putts. 

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After a couple of years away, Canada Night – a very special annual evening put on by the PGA of Canada – returned with a buzz. The room was packed with Canadians eager to connect and celebrate some very deserving winners of the organization’s national awards from the previous 12 months. A great evening – and a wonderful way to wrap up the 2023 PGA Show.  

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 27

After a few years of pandemic-impacted PGA Show experiences, Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum was thrilled to feel the buzz and energy from plenty of Canadians in Orlando. With more golf being played by more Canadians than ever before, there’s no denying there is some real excitement for golf for all. We chatted with Applebaum about that very thing, how excited he was for 2023, the CP Women’s Open and RBC Canadian Open, plus the momentum behind the launch of The First Tee in Canada

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And that’s it! After tens of thousands of steps over four days, we loved giving Canadian golfers an inside look at the biggest brands in the game, some of the biggest names in the game, and hopefully some things that got you pumped for a wonderful 2023 golf season. 

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – The PGA TOUR has announced the 16-member Player Advisory Council (PAC) for 2023, which will include Canada’s Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes.

The PAC advises and consults with the PGA TOUR Policy Board (Board of Directors) and Commissioner Jay Monahan on issues affecting the TOUR.

Member of the 2023 Player Advisory Council include:

• Ryan Armour
• Sam Burns
• Corey Conners ??
• Rickie Fowler
• Brice Garnett
• Brian Harman
• Max Homa
• Mackenzie Hughes ??
• Shane Lowry
• Maverick McNealy
• Keith Mitchell
• Henrik Norlander
• Scottie Scheffler
• Adam Scott
• Kevin Streelman
• Will Zalatoris

Maverick McNealy, Adam Scott and Kevin Streelman have been selected by the Player Directors to run for PAC Chairman via election which ends February 13. The leading vote-getter will replace Charley Hoffman on January 1, 2024 as a Player Director on the PGA TOUR Policy Board, serving a three-year term (2024-26). The other Player Directors are Peter Malnati (2023-25), Rory McIlroy (2022-24), Webb Simpson (2023-25) and Patrick Cantlay, who is serving a one-year term (2023).

When deciding on the itinerary for a vacation, planning where to go and what to do can be daunting. Plans need to appeal to more than one person’s travel preference to make a memorable trip for all.

Where should you visit? Are the accommodations and food first-class? Will there be a variety of activities or experiences to keep you entertained? And, for golfers, is there quality golf courses to play. These are just some of the questions to consider when trying to select a vacation.

Enter Celebrity Cruises, a proud partner with Golf Canada, inviting you onboard a golf cruise as your next vacation experience.

I’m no stranger to cruising. My first experience with Celebrity Cruises was my 2009 honeymoon – a 10-night Eastern Mediterranean adventure with stunning ports in Italy, Greece and Turkey. It was an unforgettable experience for my wife and I, and a prelude to future Celebrity Cruises to the Caribbean and Alaska. Truth be told, I’ve cruised just about every major cruise line and visited too many ports to recall. Like many travellers with an affinity for cruises, I’m looking forward to my next adventure after the past few years of pandemic disruption to the travel industry.

I can say that playing golf while cruising is a tremendous option, one that is chalk full of advantages that you simply just don’t get from a standard golf trip.

Its more than just golf—a fabulous opportunity to see incredible destinations all in one memorable journey. Add in delectable dining experiences, award-winning theatre shows, and complete relaxation and there’s no travel golf experience quite like it.

Celebrity makes booking your cruise vacation simple—pick your ship, itinerary and cabin, and away you go. Celebrity Cruises visit more than 250 destinations in 70 countries, with a fleet of 16 relaxed luxury ships. The options are endless, including some of the golf courses and destinations listed at the end of the article.

Before the official captain’s welcome on Embarkation Day, here are 10 tips for golfing on your next cruise.

Tip #1 – The Suite Life

Standard cruise staterooms are typically tighter than home living, unless you book into a Celebrity Cruises suite. I prefer rental clubs on vacation, but if you plan on bringing your own clubs, reserve one of these luxurious spaces with plenty of room for your gear.

Tip #2 – Pack Smart

Packing lists for a cruise vacation is your friend, even when you aren’t planning a day on the course! Plan and pack smart, there is nothing worse than scrambling to find appropriate golf wear or paying for overpriced gear away from home.

Tip #3 – Arrive Early – Not Just for Your Round, But for Your Entire Trip!

Give yourself a day before and/or after the cruise to take in the local sights and get out to a local course without the restrictions of port schedule. Book with Flights by Celebrity to guarantee you make it to the ship!

Tip #4 – Plan Your Meals

Eat a hearty breakfast on board to maximize your time and energy on the course; then skip the post-round clubhouse visit – there is Michelin-star dining back on board your ship.

Tip #5 – Take Time to Recover

Celebrity Cruises on-board spas are the perfect place to get a massage, relax and unwind after a full day on the golf course.

Tip #6 – Manage Your Time Ashore

Trying to squeeze 18 into a tight window? Maybe opting for 9 holes is a better option. The Celebrity Cruises Concierge team can help secure your perfect tee-time!

Tip #7 – Keep the Family Happy

Family members bring different interests and the cruise ship is a perfect environment for guests to do their own thing. Plan to meet your family or travel partners at an agreed upon time and place to enjoy some company, if for some reason their interest isn’t golf.

Tip #8 – Confirm the Local Currency

While everything on board may be cashless, your time on the golf course won’t be. Make sure you have the appropriate currency for beverages, extra balls, caddie tips or anything else you may need while ashore.

Tip #9 – Protect Yourself from the Sun

When visiting warmer locations – especially in the Caribbean – the climate can get much hotter than what you are used to back home. Make sure to take appropriate precautions to shield from the sun and stay hydrated! Celebrity Cruises is a relaxed luxury resort at sea with many shaded venues on board!

Tip #10 – Grassy Green

Looking to spend time on the green stuff while sailing at sea? Visit the lawn club aboard many Celebrity Cruises ships. The Lawn Club is the perfect place to play outdoor games, catch a live jazz concert, or just soak up the sun.

From my experience, the most important tip for golfers is No. 6 – carefully plan out your golf experience so you can tee it up without feeling rushed back to the ship. Talk to the concierge and snag some local knowledge onboard before hitting your golf course excursion!

Visit www.celebritycruises.com or contact your travel agent to learn more

Courses Near Celebrity Ports of Call

Canadian Brooke Henderson joins American star Lexi Thompson and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko as the franchise-first female pros in the PGA TOUR 2K23 video game.

Other pros available in the game include cover athlete Tiger Woods, Will Zalatoris, Jon Rahm, Tony Finau, Collin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler, Justin Rose, Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas, who graced the 2K21 cover.

Henderson, a 24-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., has won US$10.4 million in career earnings and currently ranks fifth in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. Ko is No. 4 and Thompson No. 7.

Also featured in the game is St. George’s Golf and Country Club, host of the 2022 RBC Canadian Open.

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The video game is developed by HB Studios in Lunenburg N.S., for 2K Sports.

The deluxe version of the game is scheduled for release on Oct. 11 with the standard edition to follow Oct. 14.

A panel of judges examined close to 120 stories, photos, videos and podcasts to identify the finest content created by members of the Golf Journalists Association of Canada (GJAC) in 2021.

There was an astonishing variety of content produced across many platforms in 2021 in the world of Canadian golf journalism. The judges faced a difficult task but managed to identify the cream of the crop in seven categories: Column, Profile, Feature, Travel, Photography (Action), Photography (Landscape) and Multimedia.

There were some notable highlights from this year’s award, including multiple stories focussing on the ways in which golf is growing and impacting a wide variety of communities (and vice versa), stories such as Adam Stanley’s first place column on the growing influence of women in the game, Curtis Gillespie’s story on golf and First Nations communities and Rick Drennan’s story on all-abilities golfer Kevin Pritchard. Other highlights included Bernard Brault’s sweep of the Photo Action category. Adam Stanley and Lorne Rubenstein were the biggest winners in the writing categories, winning three awards each.

The full list of 2021 GJAC Award winners is below:

Column

• First Place: Adam Stanley – “Power Drive: How Women are Growing golf,” Toronto Star
• Second Place: Lorne Rubenstein – “My Home of Golf,” Score Golf
• Third Place: Lorne Rubenstein – “Are We Defining Sporting Success Correctly?” Score Golf

Travel

• First Place: Cabot Cliffs and Links – Anita Draycott                                                       
• Second Place: Algonquin Diary Pt 1- Lorne Rubenstein                                                     
• Third Place: Hitting the High Life – Anita Draycott                                                           

Photo – Action

• First Place: Bernard Brault – “Players Practicing at Elm Ridge”                
• Second Place: Bernard Brault – “Hitting out of the bunker at the Island Course.”
• Third Place: Bernard Brault – “Canadian Juniors Final Round”

(All three photos were published by Golf Canada)

Photo – Landscape

• First Place: Alex Forbes – “Morning Light” The Preferred Lie      
• Second Place: Brendan Stasiewich – “Oh What a Feeling,” PGA of Canada
• Third Place: Bernard Brault – “Autumn golf at the Chateau Bromont Club,” Golf Canada

Profile

• First Place: Rick Drennan – “My Most Memorable 9,” Pro Shop Magazine
• Second Place: Adam Stanley – “Corey Conners,” Toronto Star
• Third Place: Adam Stanley – “Albin Choi,” Toronto Star

Multimedia

• First Place: The Preferred Lie – “The Comeback”
• Second Place: Explore Canada – “Charting the Course: Niagara”
• Third Place: Explore Canada – “Charting the Course: Saskatoon”

Features

• First Place: Curtis Gillespie – “A Nation of Golfers,” Score Golf
• Second Place: Jason Logan – “All in the Family,” Score Golf
• Third Place: David McPherson – “Turf Management at Altitude,” Golf Course Management

GJAC wishes to offer its thanks to the judges for their effort and insight.

This year’s judges were Jeff Brooke, Harvey Freedenberg, Craig Gardner, Tim O’Connor, Terry Lenyk, Robert Thompson, Scott MacLeod, Mike Johnny, Norm MacDonald, Pierre Michaud, Scot Morison and Sandra Thompson.

GJAC’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee introduces new Media category for 2022 Awards

As the association continues to look at new ways to become more inclusive in all areas of operations, GJAC announced the introduction of a new category in the Media awards for 2022. This new award will recognize and honor work from 2022 that features and focuses on any aspect of equity, diversity and/or inclusion. Eligibility for this new award is for any work (writing or multi-media) that raises awareness about the challenges and opportunities related to DEI with a focus on women, people of colour, the Indigenous Community, LGBTQ+ community, and/or individuals with disabilities.

The 2021 edition of 12 Days of Golf in support of First Tee – Ontario will run until December 13^th.

This online auction, in support of growth of the First Tee’s Ontario chapter in 2022, will see funds helping to expand program locations, coach training, and equipment.  

We believe all kids deserve to be excited to grow, feel safe to fail, and be better equipped for whatever comes at them next. Using golf to teach life lessons and leadership skills, First Tee helps youth develop their swing, but more importantly, their inner strength; self confidence, and resilience to become good golfers and even better people.

Last year’s auction raised over $17,000 and we are hoping to surpass this total for 2021.

The auction features a mix of high-profile special items, one-of-a-kind experiences, and foursome certificates to clubs around Ontario. Click the link below to check out the auction and support this worthy cause.

12 Days of Golf in support of First Tee – Ontario AUCTION

The Golf Journalists Association of Canada (GJAC) Virtual Summit presented by RBC on the State of Canadian Golf took place November 11, 2021, which was 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:

*Laurence Applebaum, Golf Canada
* Kris Jonasson, BC Golf
*Kevin Thistle, PGA of Canada
*Jason Logan, SCOREGolf Magazine – Moderator

Click below to watch…

A panel of judges has examined close to 100 stories, photos, videos and podcasts to identify the finest content created by members of the Golf Journalists Association of Canada (GJAC) in 2020. There was an astonishing variety of content produced across many platforms in 2020 in the world of Canadian golf journalism. The judges faced a difficult task but managed to identify the cream of the crop in five categories: Column, Profile, Feature, Photography and Multimedia. Due primarily to the pandemic there were fewer entries in certain categories, which resulted in the merging of the Action and Landscape categories to a single Photography category and the merging of the Travel category into the Features category.  

There were some notable highlights from this year’s award, including sweeps in two of the categories. Bernard Brault swept the Photography category with his exceptional work from 2020 and Kody McWilliams and Casey McWilliams swept the Multimedia category for their set of Mackenzie Tour videos on PGA TOUR Canada. 

Other highlights included a focus on golfers with disabilities, resulting in Tim Baines winning First place in Features and Second place in Profiles for his story, “Breaking Down Barriers: Golf has healing powers for people with disabilities.” A different kind of barrier breaking was written about in Rick Young’s winning profile of golf architect Christine Fraser. David McPherson picked up top spot for columns with his timely and lively mix of music and pandemic precautions. 

The full list of GJAC Award winners is below:

Column

First Place: David McPherson, Golf from a Distance, snowbirds.org
Second Place: Robert Thompson, Nick Taylor, Global Golf Post
Third Place: Jon McCarthy, Take a magical ride to the Masters from your couch, Toronto Sun

Photo

First Place: Bernard Brault, An aerial view of  the 14th hole , par  3, of the south course of the Elmridge Country Club in Île Bizard, Québec
Second Place: Bernard Brault, A view of the 6th hole , par 5, at the Château Bromont golf course
Third Place: Bernard Brault, Richard Boudreau gets out of the bunker of the 15 th hole during a nice autumn day at the Château Bromont golf course

Profile

First Place: Rick Young, Christine Fraser Breaking All Kinds of New Ground, Score Magazine
Second Place: Tim Baines, Breaking Down Barriers: Golf has healing powers for people with disabilities, Postmedia
Third Place: Adam Stanley, Taylor Pendrith’s dream of playing on the PGA TOUR is close, PGATOUR.com

Multimedia

First Place: Kody McWilliams and Casey McWilliams, Laurent Desmarchais is on the rise, Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada
Second Place: Kody McWilliams and Casey McWilliams, Blair Bursey’s journey from Newfoundland towards the PGA TOUR, Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada
Third Place: Kody McWilliams and Casey McWilliams, Eric Hawerchuk competes with a heavy heart at Canada Life Series, Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada

Features

First Place: Tim Baines, Breaking Down Barriers: Golf has healing powers for people with disabilities, Postmedia
Second Place: Curtis Gillespie, The Long Game, enRoute magazine
Third Place: Brad Zeimer, Golf, Played Well…Or Not So Well, Has Immense Health Benefits, British Columbia Golf

The GJAC Media Awards are often presented at the annual GJAC golf day event, which has usually been held in southern Ontario during the early summer. However, the pandemic affected planning for this event, which will go ahead in early October 2021. Given that time frame, the awards this year were presented via a social media release in early August and will also be posted on the GJAC website.

GJAC wishes to offer its thanks to the judges for their effort and insight. This year’s judges were Jeff Brooke, Patty Condon, Harvey Freedenberg, Craig Gardner, Bernie Kollman, Norm MacDonald, Brian McPherson, Scot Morison and Shana Wilson.

Xander Schauffele won the Olympic gold medal in golf in a tense finish.

Schauffele was tied for the lead with Rory Sabbatini of Slovakia with two holes to play. The American made birdie from 6 feet on the 17th hole to regain the lead. Then after a bad tee shot that forced him to play short of the water, he hit wedge to 4 feet and made the par to win.

“I felt like for the most part of the day I stayed very calm,” Schauffele said. “I usually look very calm but there’s something terrible happening inside at times. So I was able to learn on those moments where I’ve lost coming down the stretch, where I hit a bad shot or a bad wedge or a bad putt and sort of lose my cool. But I felt like today I really, I thought I had a one-shot lead going into 16 or 17 and I looked at the board and I saw Rory shot 61, so that was a nice wake up call for me; thank goodness there was a board there or I wouldn’t have known. Yeah, it was a roller coaster day for me especially on that back nine coming in and just happy I could fall back on parts of my game to sort of pull me through.”

Sabbatini set an Olympic record with a 61 and won the silver.

“I was out there today and I kept just trying to remind myself, okay, don’t think ahead, don’t think ahead, just enjoy the moment that you’re in because you don’t know what it’s going to end, just enjoy every hole as it comes,” Sabbatini said. “It just seemed like every time I kind of had a hiccup out there I was like, oh, maybe this is the end of the run, but okay. And then all of a sudden, I kicked back into gear. So it was a lot of fun and it was just one of those rare days that you have on the golf course.”

The bronze medal was determined by playoff which included a star-packed field that also included Matsuyama (who shot 67), Paul Casey of Great Britain (68), Rory McIlroy of Ireland (67), Mito Pereira of Chile (67) and Sebastián Muñoz of Colombia (67). It was so large, it required splitting into two groups.

Matsuyama and Casey were eliminated first, followed by Muñoz, then Pereira and McIlroy.

Morikawa bogeyed the final hole after his approach to the 18^th green plugged in the steep upslope of the fronting bunker. Pan sank a par-saving putt for the medal. 

Canada’s Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., finished 13th (65) at 13-under and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., (75) was 50th at 3-under.