MACAU, China—After opening rounds of 63-62, Canada’s Justin Shin kept the momentum going as he carded a 5-under 66 at the Macau Championship. Heading into the final 18 holes of the PGA TOUR Series-China season, Shin lies at 22-under and will be looking to close out a six-stroke lead over a tough opponent.

China’s Zecheng “Marty” Dou is no stranger to winning and moved into solo second, at 16-under,  after firing a 62 at Caesars Golf Macau. The 22-year-old won four-times on the Tour in 2016 en route to winning the Order of Merit and Player of the Year honors. Dou, who also has two victories on the Korn Ferry Tour, is in the field this week to get ready for the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in Shanghai at the end of the month. He will return to the Korn Ferry Tour for the 2020 season.

Canada’s Richard Jung shot a 66 to move into solo third, one shot ahead of France’s Cyril Bouniol, who is currently fifth on the Order of Merit. Max McGreevy is still virtually assured to lock up Player of the Year honors despite dropping into a tie for 19th after carding a Saturday 70.

Shin, who was born in Seoul, is chasing his first victory on the Tour since his triumph at the United Investment Real Estate Open in 2015. That year, Shin finished sixth on the Order of Merit and missed earning his Korn Ferry Tour card but went on to play a full season on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2017 via Q-School.

On Saturday, Shin was 5-under through 13 holes before two late bogeys on holes 15 and 18 slowed him. However an eagle on 17 and five birdies for the day gave him lots of positives heading into Sunday.

“I missed a two-footer on the last hole, and on hole 14 I lost a bit of concentration,” said Shin of his bogeys. “The greens are sometimes tricky, but I managed to recover and I’m still pretty happy with the round. Hopefully if I can keep doing what I’m doing, we should be OK.”

Shin is a surprise leader this week after he came into the event ranked 67th on the Order of Merit and in jeopardy of losing his card for 2020. However, after a putter change last month and two good events on the Korean Tour, Shin is playing well and projected to jump to 11th on the Order of Merit if he can secure the win.

Shin is looking forward to playing with Dou in the final group Sunday, which is expected to produce a lot of birdies.

“The last time I played with Marty was in 2016, and he’s played on the PGA TOUR and is playing the Korn Ferry Tour now, so it’s going to be fun,” said Shin. “He’s a great player, and he can go low. He shot 62 today, which is pretty good. I think there will be a lot of birdies. I need to keep making birdies; can’t make pars.”

Dou, who played a full year on the PGA TOUR (2017-18 season), started the day off with six straight pars before lighting up the course with seven birdies and an eagle in his next 10 holes.

“Today, from the beginning I found that everything came into place. I missed a short putt on the first hole, but the way I was striking it, I could feel that a low score was coming,” said Dou. “Then I got to hole 6 and then shot 8-under through eight holes and got on that streak. I made a lot of 20-foot putts and hit mostly every fairway. I didn’t really have to save par the whole day, which made things easier for me.”

Speaking on Shin, Dou was also full of praise.

“Justin is playing really solid. Even if he was playing on the PGA TOUR, he would be at the top [of the leaderboard] right now,” said Dou. “So, I won’t think about trying to catch him too much, I’ll just try to play like I did today and if I get a chance to get him, that’s good.”

(Oakville, Ontario)  – October 2019 marks the 20th anniversary of the Golf Management Institute of Canada (GMIC).

It was in October, 1999 when the GMIC launched its first online course in HR Management for 13 students from across Canada.  Since then the GMIC has delivered more than 200 online courses to hundreds of students from 20 countries around the world and has been recognized for its online training excellence by the Canadian Society for Training and Development.

“It’s hard to believe the GMIC is 20 years old,” says founder and president Grant Fraser. “From day one, the GMIC’s objective was to deliver excellence in online golf management education. I am proud of the work the GMIC has done in training the next generation of golf managers and leaders.”

Warren Crosbie, Chair of the GMIC board of directors, is one of many leaders in Canadian golf who helped shape the direction of the GMIC and its programs.

“On behalf of all GMIC board members, past and present, I would like to acknowledge the contributions the GMIC has made in education and professional development to the Canadian golf industry,” added Crosbie. I believe the GMIC has made a difference and improved the educational and professional development opportunities that now exist for anyone looking to pursue a career in the golf industry.”

In addition to Warren Crosbie, other golf and business leaders who have served as a GMIC board member include Dean Baker, Ian Chan, Vito Cirone, Ken Cousineau,  Anne Edgar, Chuck Fitzpatrick, Mac Frost, Dick Grimm, Susan Hodkinson, Steve Johnson, David Kaufman, Keith Keindel, Bob Lees, Keith McIntyre, Joe Murphy, Ian Scott, and Kevin Thistle.

In addition to offering its own online proprietary program in golf operations management, the GMIC established a variety of unique academic partnerships with Georgian College, Niagara College, the University of Guelph, Wilfrid Laurier University and, most recently, McMaster University.  In all cases, GMIC curriculum and faculty were used as part of golf management programs offered at the post- secondary level.

Over the years, the GMIC also established corporate and golf industry partnerships with Burnside & Associates, the Canadian Junior Golf Association, ClubLink Corporation, Global Golf Advisors, Golf Ontario, Golf Town, the John Dobson Foundation, Ontrak, PGA of Canada, PING, Rainbird, The Rock Golf Club and RBC Financial, all of whom generously provided their support to the GMIC for online course development and the GMIC’s Student Excellence Student Scholarship Program, an annual award presented to a Niagara College professional golf management (PGM) student who excelled academically and best personified the merits of the game.

One of the GMIC’s most significant partnerships was with the PGA of Canada. In 2010, the GMIC was retained by the PGA of Canada to design and develop five modules as part of their new Candidate Training Program with a specific mandate to provide independent learning opportunities for aspiring golf professionals.

Today, there are numerous successful GMIC students working in various management positions across Canada and around the world. One such example is Scott MacLeod from Kingston, Ontario, a distinguished GMIC graduate, who works as the managing editor for Flagstick Magazine and Ontario Golf News.

“The GMIC program has been invaluable in my career. Not only in becoming a PGA of Canada Class A Professional, but in the growth  through connections within the faculty and fellow students. I grew my knowledge on different subjects, found ways to make areas of my career better, and developed skills that I use within and outside of work,” says MacLeod.

In April 2017, the GMIC entered its most recent phase in online golf management education. After a long and successful partnership with Wilfrid Laurier University, the GMIC’s 10-course online program was acquired by McMaster University’s Centre for Continuing Education.

“I am delighted that we are now able to offer this program,” says Lorraine Carter, Director of McMaster University’s Centre for Continuing Education (CCE). “It is an important complement to our existing business programs and a commitment by McMaster’s Centre for Continuing Education to offer new and diverse programs. Congratulations to the GMIC on its 20-year milestone. We are thrilled to continue working with Grant and the GMIC’s team of industry professionals.”

“What was always an excellent program is now even better given the resources McMaster has dedicated to it. I am pleased that all of the work that was started 20 years ago by the GMIC’s board members, industry partners and outstanding faculty will continue under McMaster University’s direction,” says Fraser.

Students who complete the new online program at McMaster CCE will receive a diploma in Golf & Resort Management from McMaster University and an industry certification from the GMIC.

For more information about the program, visit www.McMasterCCE.ca/golf-management

MACAU, China—Canada’s Justin Shin fired a 9-under 62 to move to 17-under and open up a five-stroke lead at the Macau Championship, the final event of the PGA TOUR Series-China season.

Shin managed to improve on an opening-round 63 by carding eight birdies, one eagle and a bogey on Friday at Caesars Golf Macau as he looks to win his first Tour title since winning the United Investment Real Estate Wuhan Open in 2015.

American Charlie Netzel carded a 63 to lie in second, at 12-under, two strokes ahead of Canadian Richard Jung (67) and France’s Cyril Bouniol (66), who is hoping to retain his fifth spot on the Order of Merit.

See how it stands heading into the final weekend of the 2019 season. ?
1) Justin Shin -17
2) Charlie Netzel -12
T3) Cyril Bouniol -10
T3) Richard Jung -10 pic.twitter.com/cbz6r1UE2R

— PGA TOUR Series-China (@PGATOURChina) October 11, 2019

Order of Merit leader Max McGreevy fired his second consecutive 67 to lie in a tie for eighth and is on the verge of locking up full Korn Ferry Tour status for 2020 after No. 2 on the Order of Merit Trevor Sluman missed the cut. McGreevy is virtually assured to earn Player of the Year honours as it would take a variety of unlikely scenarios over the weekend for either Luke Kwon or David Kocher to overtake McGreevy.

Shin, who was born in South Korea, has struggled with his game all season and is 67th on the Order of Merit after playing in eight events. However, a recent putter change last month followed by a pair of strong finishes on the Korean Tour has apparently given Shin back his confidence.

The naturalized Canadian, who teed off on hole 10, made a lot of birdies Friday including six on his back nine (Caesars Golf Macau’s front nine) but admits the highlight of the day was his hole-out for eagle on the par-4 11th, which put him at 3-under after his opening two holes.

“It was a little down-breeze, and I was 134 yards out so I hit a little 52 (-degree wedge), and it was actually going pretty far, and I was worried it might go over the green,” said Shin. “But it two-hop rolled in, and I got the yardage just right. That was probably the best part of the day.”

Then after four straight pars, Shin bounced back from a what he called a silly bogey on 16 with a birdie on 17 before turning up the heat on the final nine to card six birdies including closing with three in a row.

“That par-3 where I made bogey, I was a little off because I three-putted a one-and-a-half footer,” said Shin. “Luckily I got back right away and made birdie on 17, and that helped me keep it going and have a great finish.”

Despite holding a large advantage, Shin is determined to keep going for more birdies as he knows how quickly a lead can evaporate. At the Tour’s Cadillac Championship in 2016, Shin was in a similar position before two-year Korn Ferry Tour player Alex Kang came from behind to steal the win.

“I’ve been in this position before. Two years ago, when Alex Kang won, I was 18-under after the second round, and he shot a 10-under then a 5-under on the weekend to finish at 29-under to beat me,” said Shin. “So, I just want to be like that and try to finish 26- or 27-under. That’s my goal for this weekend.”

Netzel, who is 23rd on the Order of Merit, is projected to jump into 10th if the same scenario holds until Sunday. However, the tall lefty isn’t getting ahead of himself and is playing with a care-free mentality this week.

“I’m already into second stage (of the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament), so I’m just playing free this week and whatever happens happens. You play every event trying to win so that’s still the plan,” said Netzel. “If somehow I could win or finish strong and sneak into the top 10, that would be a huge bonus.”

Any time Adam Hadwin is asked about his professional goals, he mentions playing in the Presidents Cup.

The product of Abbotsford, B.C., debuted in the international team event two years ago and it was a seminal moment in his career. After two top-five finishes to start the 2020 PGA Tour season, Hadwin is in good position to make it back to the Dec. 9-15 Presidents Cup and the 31-year-old golfer relishes the opportunity to re-immerse himself in the prestigious tournament’s atmosphere.

“It’s been on my mind since the last one ended,” said Hadwin. “It was such an incredible experience. Being a part of a team is something you rarely get in golf. So being part of such a great group of individuals that are all trying to come together for the same goal is special.”

Although Hadwin’s international team lost 19-11 to the United States at Liberty National Golf Club in 2017, he was bitten by the bug.

“I know we got waxed by the Americans but it was still such an incredible experience being around the top guys in the world,” said Hadwin. “Once you’re a part of it once you never want to be left off of it again.

“I didn’t play well enough in the past year to get into that top eight and really felt like I needed to do some good work in these fall events before (Els) would pick his team.”

Els is expected to make four selections as captain’s picks the week of Nov. 4.

Hadwin has posted some strong results early in the 2020 season. He shot a 16-under overall to finish second at the Safeway Open and then fired a 20-under overall to tie for fourth at the Shriners Hospital for Children Open.

Those back-to-back top-five finishes have Hadwin ranked fifth in the FedExCup standings with 415 points headed into this week’s Houston Open.

Hadwin’s strong play has caught the eye of at least one other person: fellow Canadian Graham DeLaet, who played in the 2013 Presidents Cup.

“I would be surprised if Ernie (Els) didn’t give him a shot to play down there in Melbourne. I think he deserves it,” DeLaet told Golf Canada earlier this week. “He’s got some experience underneath him. There are some new faces on that team so I think some of that experience is going to be helpful. He’s playing great, which has been good to see.”

Hadwin’s fast start hasn’t just made a return to the Presidents Cup possible, it’s made the rest of the PGA Tour season significantly easier.

“It definitely helps. It takes a lot of pressure off the rest of the season,” said Hadwin. “Not that I’m going to relax and rest on some good early play but being in a nice position, earning a bunch of FedEx points early, it sets up a whole season.

“I know that I’m not going to be stressing at the end of the year about keeping a job. More than anything it validates all the work we’ve been putting in.”

Hadwin is spending a couple of weeks at his home in Phoenix before heading to Asia for the ZOZO Championship in Chiba, Japan and then the HSBC Champions, a World Golf Championship event, in Shanghai.

PGA TOUR:
Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., will be in the first group teeing off at No. 1 at the Houston Open on Thursday. DeLaet, from Weyburn, Sask., Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont., David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., will also be in the field at the Golf Club of Houston.

Inverness, N.S. – A year removed from finishing dead last in a local qualifying event in Manitoba, the team from The Carman Golf and Curling Club is now tops in the country, winning the 2019 RBC PGA Scramble National Final at Cabot Links.

“Honestly, we’re probably about as surprised as anyone,” said the team from Carman about the win Tuesday at Cabot Links. “We came here this week with literally zero expectations. Our goal was to embrace the Cabot Links experience and we just happened to play really well, too.

At 59.4-under-par through three rounds (two at Cabot Links and one at Cabot Cliffs), they certainly played well. The four amateurs—Jared Aubin, Josh McCharles, Brett Maloney and Bobby McNair—and PGA of Canada professional Dean North dominated the championship from start to finish, winning by an astounding 6.9 shots over the second place team from The Landings of Kingston, Ont.

Ottawa’s Rideau View Golf and Country Club rounded out the top three with a cumulative net-score of -51.4.

FULL LEADERBOARD

Taking place Oct 6-8 at the world-renowned Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs, the RBC PGA Scramble National Final sees 21 teams—comprised of four amateur golfers and one PGA of Canada professional—playing in a 54-hole national championship.

“Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs are without a doubt the most amazing two-golf course experience in Canada, if not the entire world,” Carman said about the week’s host venues. “And it’s not just the golf courses that are amazing this week, either,” they admitted, adding, “we’ve been treated like tour players from the second we got here.”

Cabot Cliffs ranked No. 1, while Cabot Links ranked No. 4 on SCOREGolf’s 2018 Best Golf Courses in Canada list. Cabot Cliffs also debuted 19th on the World’s Top 100 Courses list by Golf Digest.

“We here at Cabot were thrilled to host the RBC PGA Scramble,” said Cabot Links’ General Manager Andrew Alkenbrack. “I feel our team put on a fantastic show over the past number of days for all of the amateurs and PGA of Canada professionals from around the country. I know our team will have incredible memories of this experience and I do hope that our guests for this very special event will feel the same.”

Located in Inverness, N.S., Cabot Links is Canada’s first and only authentic links golf resort. Nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the picturesque town of Inverness, the Cabot Links course represents a dramatic departure from the typical golf excursion. With six holes playing directly alongside the water and every hole offers an ocean view, Cabot Links is where traditional links-land golf comes to life against the spectacular Nova Scotia landscape.

The Cabot Cliffs course, designed by the decorated team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, is the newest addition to Cabot. Exquisitely carved out of the breathtaking Cape Breton landscape, with postcard-worthy panoramas vying for your attention and every hole calling out to the sea, it is links-land golf at its best.

The RBC PGA Scramble National Final promises to be a golf trip of a lifetime and includes numerous receptions, an authentic east coast kitchen party, hole-in-one shootout, glow-in-dark golf, unique scotch tastings, prizing, meals, activations and much more.

Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member and golf media personality Bob Weeks will be on-site during championship week as an honorary starter for the final round at Cabot Links, as well as host emcee for the championship’s closing ceremonies. PGA TOUR player Ben Silverman will also be on hand at Cabot, adding to the overall atmosphere and experience of the event.

To learn more about the RBC PGA Scramble , click here.

Aaron Stewart was always around golf even when he wasn’t heavily invested. Now he’s involved in ways he never imagined.

Stewart, the son of late three-time major champion Payne Stewart, has been appointed tournament director of the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions in Orlando, Florida. The season opener on the LPGA Tour is Jan. 16-19 and features two events in one – 72 holes of stroke play for LPGA winners the last two seasons and celebrities competing in a Stableford format.

“I’m really excited to be with the tournament side of things, back in the golf industry,” Stewart said. “And I’m still with the company I grew up with.”

He is approaching the 20-year anniversary – Oct. 25, 1999 – of his father travelling to Texas when the jet lost cabin pressure and flew uncontrolled across the country until crashing in South Dakota. Stewart was the reigning U.S. Open champion. His son was 10.

“I didn’t play as much then. I was more into other sports,” Stewart said. “I’d always go out to the golf course, and I was around my dad when he was practicing. I was more into the golf cart, driving that around.”

He started playing seriously a few years later and decided if he was going to be good, he would have to put in the time. He went to SMU, his father’s alma mater, with every intention of trying to make it to the next level.

“I ended up going a different route,” Stewart said. “I didn’t have the desire to play professionally. I was a little burned out, to be honest.”

He returned home to Orlando and worked for the Tavistock Group and then was hired by Diamond Resorts through an intensive training program. This job was more about marketing, taking him to Las Vegas and California. He married and took a year off to travel, returned to Diamond Resorts in March as part of the sports marketing team involved in the Tournament of Champions and was elevated last month to executive director.

It was a different path, much like the LPGA Tour event he now runs.

The tournament began as a one-day charity event for Brian Gay, geared toward raising money toward health causes. It became an unofficial event for the PGA Tour Champions, and now it offers a unique blend of LPGA winners and celebrities, along with giving the LPGA Tour a winners-only event it had been lacking.

Eun-Hee Ji won the inaugural event, with former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz winning the celebrity side.

Stewart always remained connected to tour golf in some capacity. The Payne Stewart Award has become one of the most significant honours on the PGA Tour, and Stewart goes to Atlanta every year for the televised ceremony during the Tour Championship.

He was in Las Vegas last week and got together with Jim Furyk, who played in the 1999 Ryder Cup with his father and won the Payne Stewart Award.

Now it’s about running a season opener for the LPGA Tour.

“It makes each week really exciting for us to see if we’ll have a new person on the roster,” Stewart said Monday, one day after Cheyenne Knight won her first LPGA Tour event to qualify for the season opener. “It’s a great transition into the season. We’re thrilled to be in that position.”

PRESIDENTS CUP

Four tournaments into the PGA Tour season are enough to raise questions about captain’s picks for the Presidents Cup – Joaquin Niemann of Chile winning big at the Greenbrier, and Kevin Na winning at Las Vegas for his second victory in five months.

Na said he was hopeful of a text from U.S. captain Tiger Woods about his Vegas win in a playoff.

“If not, I’m going to be texting him.” Na said.

He still is somewhat of a long shot. Na was No. 22 in the standings. Woods has four picks, and among those well ahead of Na were Match Play winner Kevin Kisner, U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland, Northern Trust winner Patrick Reed, along with Rickie Fowler and yes, Masters champion Woods.

Na says injuries limited him to only 19 starts – he has played at least 26 times each of the last five years – and he missed the second FedEx Cup playoff event to be home for the birth of his son.

“I was a little behind on the points, but I got two wins in this calendar year,” Na said. “So hopefully, he’s keeping an eye on me. I could make some putts. I’m a good match play player. I keep trying to sell myself. Hopefully, he considers me.”

Woods and International captain Ernie Els make their selections after the HSBC Champions ends on Nov. 3.

LPGA CARDS

The LPGA Tour takes a week off before heading to Asia for a month of limited field, no-cut events in which only players who earn spots in the fields – no sponsor exemptions – can earn points toward trying to be among the top 60 reaching the season-ending CME Globe Tour Championship.

The final full-field event in Texas proved plenty big. Cheyenne Knight won for the first time and moved to No. 65 on the money list, which will get her into Asia events. For others, it was a matter of keeping their cards. Stephanie Meadow made an 18-foot birdie on the last hole that was just enough to finish No. 99 on the money list.

The top 80 effectively have full cards and top 100 have status secured without having to go the Q-Series, consecutive 72-hole events at the end of October for players from Nos. 101-150, and for Nos. 11-35 on the Symetra Tour money list.

Among those who avoided a return to the Q-Series was Maria Fassi of Mexico, largely based on her pro debut.

She tied for 12th at the U.S. Women’s Open, which has the largest purse among the majors. Fassi made 80% of her money from one event with $103,065. She made $26,099 from three other tournaments and had a stretch of seven straight missed cuts.

Fassi, along with Jennifer Kupcho, went through the Q-Series last year, earned cards, deferred their memberships so they could finish college and didn’t start until June. Kupcho had two big weeks. While she missed five of her last six cuts, she tied for second in a major at the Evian Championship and tied for fifth at the Marathon Classic. She is eligible for the Asia swing but goes into them at No. 64 in the Race to CME Globe.

FITNESS FREAK

It would be simple enough for Bryson DeChambeau to say he’s going to spend time in the gym over the next month.

Only it’s never that simple with DeChambeau.

The objective is to get stronger, and he says that means he will probably look bigger. And he says he’s going to have fun doing it through muscle activation techniques.

“We make sure the neurological threshold is just as high as the mechanical threshold,” DeChambeau said. “In layman’s terms, pretty much whatever muscle potentially you have, how big and the muscle spindles you have, making you recruit every single one of them to their full potential throughout the whole range, and training the whole range of motion.”

DeChambeau calls it “revolutionary in the physical therapy world.”

“I’m looking forward to an incredible off-season of getting really strong and really stable,” he said.

DISTANCE CHASER

Pat Perez is the latest on the list of players who went chasing power only to find their games got weaker. He also is the latest to figure out that what he had was good enough to win on the PGA Tour and reach as high as No. 16 in the world.

Perez returned from shoulder surgery to win twice in 26 starts, finally reaping the rewards of being among the top players in the world ranking – the Masters, no U.S. Open qualifying for the first time and more than $7 million over two seasons.

And then he wanted to get better, which meant trying to get longer.

“I played for three years one way and I made a lot of money, won twice, do all these things,” Perez said. “And then I went away from it to try to get longer. It just hurt my game, so I went back to the drawing board.”

He finished third in Las Vegas, his best finish since he won in Malaysia two years ago. It moved his world ranking from No. 183 to No. 120.

DIVOTS

Dustin Johnson plans to defend his title in the Saudi International next January. The tournament also confirmed that world No. 1 Brooks Koepka will return. … Phil Mickelson now has gone 18 consecutive starts without a top-10 finish since winning at Pebble Beach in February. … The 2022 Ryder Cup in Italy will end on Oct. 2, the third time since 2010 the matches end in October. The others were Wales in 2010 and Hazeltine in 2016. … Ian Baker-Finch will captain the Australians in the Olympics for the second time. Three Aussies currently are in the top 25 in the world – Adam Scott, Marc Leishman and Jason Day, none of whom was in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

STAT OF THE WEEK

Jon Rahm has finished in the top five in 10 of his 14 regular European Tour events, including five victories.

FINAL WORD

“Putter got hot this week – tends to do that sometimes. And when it does, if I’m hitting it halfway decent, I feel like I can win.” – Kevin Na, after making 559 feet of putts over four rounds in his victory at Las Vegas.

Graham DeLaet is back to work. Now it’s time to get into a routine on the PGA Tour once again.

DeLaet, who returned to action after more than two years at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open last week, is playing again this week at the Houston Open as he tries to earn enough FedEx Cup points to regain his PGA Tour card.

The native of Weyburn, Sask. needs to earn 267 FedEx Cup points to get off his Major Medical Exemption, but after that he’ll need to earn enough points to be within the top 125 to keep his card for next season.

It’s a lot to think about for someone who is just getting his feet wet in competitive golf again after so long away.

The 37-year-old received a series of stem-cell treatments in 2017, which were deemed unsuccessful, and he opted to have a second microdiscectomy surgery (the first he had in 2011).

He was on the shelf for the full 2018-19 PGA Tour season, but as of last Thursday, DeLaet is back – albeit a little older and a little more prepared for what’s to come.

The actual swinging of a golf club doesn’t cause him soreness, DeLaet said, but the pain comes from being on his feet for so long and getting stiff. Although he missed the cut last week (75-72) he said there were some good signs.

“I hit some really, really good shots last week. I was pretty happy with how I played for the most part. I was pretty tight with the putter but I think it was extra pressure, feeling those nerves again. I had two bad holes but other than that I feel like I played pretty decent,” DeLaet said by phone in Houston.

“I know the course wasn’t playing all that difficult but it’s still good to get some birdies under your belt. All in all I was pretty happy with how things went despite shooting 5-over on a pretty easy golf course.”

Another thing that’s changed is the time DeLaet will have to spend away from his twins, Roscoe and Lyla.

While DeLaet was busy rehabbing and preparing for a return to professional golf, he said the best part of the last two years was how much quality time he got to spend with his kids, who turn four in November.

Last week was the first time DeLaet was away from them for a lengthy amount of time but the whole family, including wife Ruby, will be joining him this week in Houston.

DeLaet says it’s been an adjustment for his kids to know their dad is back at work.

“If I say I’m going to the golf course, Roscoe is always like, ‘I want to go, I want to go’ but if I’m going out there to practice or play he times out pretty quickly. So I’ve started to say ‘I’m going to work’ and I don’t know if they quite understand how I make a living, but they are kind of starting to get the grasp I play a golf a lot,” said DeLaet with a laugh.

Besides watching his kids start to grow up, there have been plenty of reasons to smile at home.

DeLaet’s friends from Arizona Chez Reavie and Max Homa both won on the PGA Tour this summer, and Kevin Chappell – another longtime pal who just returned from the same back surgery as DeLaet – shot a 59 at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier in his first tournament back on Tour in September.

“That was pretty cool,” said DeLaet. “I have a soft spot for stories like that because I’ve been through it twice and it’s hard when you come back, but he made it look pretty easy.”

DeLaet is quick to point out the success of his countrymen as well, including Adam Hadwin (who has notched two top-5 finishes in a row to start his 2019-20 PGA Tour campaign and moved well inside the top-50 in the world ranking), who DeLaet feels should be on Ernie Els’ Presidents Cup radar.

“I would be surprised if Ernie (Els) didn’t give him a shot to play down there in Melbourne. I think he deserves it,” said DeLaet. “He’s got some experience underneath him. There are some new faces on that team so I think some of that experience is going to be helpful. He’s playing great, which has been good to see.”

And while DeLaet has been preparing himself for a big return on the golf course, he’s kept fairly busy off the golf course with his ongoing charitable efforts.

DeLaet has just been named a National Ambassador for Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada, his ‘Graham Slam’ event had its sixth edition in September (it’s raised more than $1.5 million for various charities), and he’s been nominated for the Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame People’s Choice Award – recognizing those who are a champion of their sport and a champion for their community.

“The game of golf has given me so much and I have the platform where we can try to make a difference,” said DeLaet. “It’s kind of a no-brainer for myself and Ruby.”

But DeLaet, who at one time was inside the top-35 in the Official World Golf Ranking, knows that despite all the support from friends and family and the impact he’s had away from golf over the last few years, it’s time to get back down to business.

He admits it would have been nice to dip his toes into playing a Korn Ferry Tour event – he was scheduled to in the summertime but tweaked his back just enough early in the week that he did not tee it up Thursday – but he’s feeling happy and as healthy as possible right now.

DeLaet saw Canadian physiotherapist Dr. Craig Davies in Las Vegas last week – Davies works with a handful of PGA Tour players – and DeLaet said Davies was “pleasantly surprised” with where he was physically.

A good sign, DeLaet said, as he will likely tee it up twice more this fall.

“Just hearing that from a guy who knows my body really well, it gives you a little bit of extra confidence with what you’re doing,” said DeLaet. “I feel like I’m on a pretty good path.”

LAS VEGAS – Kevin Na finally won a sudden-death playoff on the PGA Tour when he least expected it.

Staked to a three-shot lead to start the back nine at the TPC Summerlin, Na never imagined it would come down to that.

But he made triple bogey without hitting into a hazard on No. 10. He went at the flag and found the water on the par-5 16th for a bogey to lose the lead for the first time all day.

Right when he looked to be out of chances, Na saved himself with a 25-foot par putt on the 17th, a 10-foot birdie to extend the playoff, and he won the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open when Patrick Cantlay made the worst -mistake – the last one.

“Came down way too close,” Na said.

Cantlay, who gave up a one-shot lead by hitting 9-iron into the water on the par-3 17th, three-putted from 45 feet on No. 18 on the second extra hole for bogey. Na rolled in his 4-foot par putt to win in Las Vegas for the second time.

“I’ve been in this situation before where I lost the lead and I failed many times,” said Na, who closed with a 1-under 70. “I’ve lost three playoffs. This is my first playoff win. I kept telling myself, ‘This is the playoff I’m going to win.’ It felt great to win.”

It was a bitter finish for Cantlay, who won his first PGA Tour event in Las Vegas in 2017 in a playoff, but had to settle for a runner-up finish the second straight year.

“It leaves a sour taste in my mouth,” he said. “That’s two years in a row here. I played well. I’ll take that momentum the rest of the year.”

Cantlay took his first lead with a two-putt birdie on the 16th, only for his 9-iron to come up short and just far enough to the left that rolled down into the water. He still looked as though he would head to the final hole until Na made his 25-foot par putt.

“I’m a fighter,” Na said. “The putt on 17, I was doing everything I could to make that putt.”

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., finished in a tie for fourth place. Nick Taylor, also from Abbotsford, tied for 29th.

Na won for the third time in the last 15 months, and third in as many seasons on the PGA Tour. He joined Jim Furyk as the only multiple winners in Las Vegas.

Even after his bogey on the 17th, Cantlay was poised to win in regulation when he hit the longest drive of the final round – 345 yards – and had only 113 yards left. But he could get no closer than 25 feet, and his putt hung on the right edge of the putt.

Cantlay, trying to win for the third time when facing a deficit of at least three shots, closed with a 68.

They finished at 23-under 261.

On the first extra hole, Na hit wedge to just inside 10 feet. Cantlay was just outside 10 feet – on the same line as his 25-foot birdie chance in regulation – and made it. Na poured his in, walking toward the hole before the ball dropped.

Cantlay came up well short on his approach to the 18th on the second playoff hole – his third time playing it in less than an hour – and his birdie putt came up well short.

Na set a record by making 559 feet of putts over four rounds, the most since the PGA Tour developed its ShotLink system of measuring every shot of every player. And he won with a 4-foot par.

Pat Perez closed with a 68 to finish alone in third, his best finish since he won in Malaysia two years ago.

Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau shot 63 and tied for fourth with Hadwin (63) and Brian Stuard (67).

THE COLONY, Texas – Cheyenne Knight struggled so much her rookie season that she made the cut in only half of her tournaments and figured she was headed back to the LPGA Tour qualifying series. One week changed everything.

In the only LPGA event in her home state of Texas, in what she thought would be her last tournament of the year, Knight played bogey-free Sunday and closed with a 5-under 66 for a two-shot victory in the Volunteers of America Classic.

Her first victory on the LPGA Tour comes with a two-year exemption and makes her eligible for the Asia swing. At No. 49 in the Race to CME Globe standings, she is virtually assured of getting to the Tour Championship next month.

“It’s so incredible. I can’t put it into words,” Knight said.

The 22-year-old was in tears even before players rushed onto the 18th green at Old American Golf Club and sprayed her with champagne and water. Knight had pointed to his tournament, which she played as an amateur, all season. She grew up about an hour away in Aledo. And she never plays without thinking of her brother, Brandon, who died in a car accident when Knight was 12.

She dropped her putter and pointed to the sky when her 2-foot par putt dropped to finish at 18-under 266, two shots ahead of Brittany Altomare (67) and Jaye Marie Green (69), both trying for their first LPGA title.

“I think I had a second caddie. I know he’s watching in heaven, and he’s so proud of me,” Knight said. “This is for Brandon.”

Altomare, who played in her first Solheim Cup last month, got up-and-down from just short of the 17th green for birdie to briefly tie for the lead. Knight, playing in the group behind, holed a 15-foot birdie putt to regain the lead.

Needing birdie to have any chance, Altomare gunned her putt about 6 feet and missed the next one, taking bogey to clear the way for Knight.

“I keep saying this, but I think the more I put myself in those situations, eventually, statistically, I feel like it has to happen,” Altomare said.

Green began the final round with the lead and still was one shot ahead through 10 holes until she bogeyed the 11th and 12th and never caught up. With a runner-up finish, Green moved to No. 48 in the Race to CME Globe and will be eligible for Asia event, which do not have cuts.

Georgia Hall (66) and Jane Park (68) tied for fourth.

Knight had not finished better than a tie for 29th in the 54-hole event in Arkansas going into the Texas event, the final full field of the year.

“I said when I got my card this was the event I was most looking forward to,” said Knight, who tied for 29th three years ago when she played as an amateur. “Who would have thought this would help me secure my card. I thought I was going back to Q-school. To win this means everything, knowing I can persevere.”

Stephanie Meadow of Northern Ireland, who was No. 112 on the money list, made an 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole to keep her card by moving into the top 100 and avoid returning to the LPGA Q-Series at the end of the year.

Meadow closed with a 67 and tied for sixth with Katherine Perry, who also needed a birdie on the final hole to keep her card. Perry missed from 15 feet and will finish outside the top 100 on the money list.

Alena Sharp (72) of Hamilton was 7 under to finish it a tie for 14th place. Brooke Henderson (69) of Smits Falls, Ont., was 5 under in a tie for 16th.

THE COLONY, Texas – Canada’s Alena Sharp shot a 6-under 65 on Friday for a share of the second-round lead with Brittany Altomare and Cheyenne Knight in the LPGA Tour’s Volunteers of America Classic.

Sharp closed with a bogey on the par-4 18th to drop into the tie for the lead at 9-under 133 at Old American Golf Club. Altomare had a 66, and Knight shot 67. The three leaders are winless on the LPGA Tour.

Knight was a two-time state high school champion at Aledo, just west of Fort Worth.

First-round leader Stephanie Meadow was 8 under, following her opening 63 with a 71.

Jaye Marie Green and Katherine Perry each shot 68 to reach 7 under.

Ariya Jutanugarn was 6 under after her second straight 68. The 10-time tour winner missed the cut last week in Indianapolis, ending her streak of 56 starts on the tour without missing a cut.

Georgia Hall (68) also was 6 under with Caroline Hedwall (67), Jane Park (67) and Wei-Ling Hsu (68).