The inaugural World Masters Golf Championship has been launched with a call to all amateur golfers over 50 years of age to take up this unique opportunity to play on the iconic links of Scotland.

The World Masters Golf Championship provides the opportunity to play competitive golf on outstanding courses in a fun, social environment. The event is open to all golfers with an official handicap who are over 50 years of age as at 17 September, 2017 with Golf Canada members are entitled to a £30 discount off the entry fee.

The Championship will be staged over four days from September 18-21 on some of the best courses in the world. Follow in the footsteps of legends and take your opportunity to play some of the great courses of Scotland, included amongst them Royal Troon, Prestwick and Dundonald.

The World Masters Golf Championship is the brainchild of Hamish Grey (formerly CEO of Scottish Golf) and Andy Salmon (formerly CEO of the Ladies’ Golf Union and Deputy CEO of Scottish Golf), who have over 50 years of experience in sport and golf event management between them.

‘The idea is to stage an annual celebration of golf with a top quality championship for club-level amateur golfers here at the Home of Golf – playing competitive golf in a fun, social environment on some of the world’s leading golf courses,’ said Grey.

The format is individual stableford with prize categories based on handicap and age – along with the overall prize and title of World Masters Golf Champion.  Staged over four days there are two packages on offer –

Flight one:

Play Prestwick, laid out by Old Tom Morris, who was the Club’s Professional, the original home of the Open Championship which has been staged a total of 24 times on the links at Prestwick;

Western Gailes, a stunning links course that has hosted Open qualifying and major amateur events such as the European Team Championships featuring a young Rory McIlroy, amongst others; and

Glasgow Gailes, another classic links that hosts Open Qualifying and many major amateur events – where Colin Montgomerie qualified for the 2016 Open staged at nearby Royal Troon.

Flight two:

Play Dundonald, the links course of Loch Lomond Golf Club, Dundonald hosted the last two editions of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Ladies’ Open and two months prior to the World Masters Golf Championship will host the 2017 Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open Championship;

Kilmarnock (Barassie), boasting 27 holes of pure links fun, Kilmarnock (Barassie) has also hosted Open Qualifying as well as numerous Scottish amateur tournaments and the European Youths Team Championship; and

Ayr Belleisle, a James Braid designed gem that in the true traditions of Scottish golf is a public course owned by the local authority.

Limited to 240 entrants, the top 120 participants after three rounds will qualify to play the nine-time Open Championship venue, Royal Troon, and follow in the footsteps of legends such as 2016 Open Champion Henrik Stenson. The remaining 120 participants will have the opportunity to play the excellent Glasgow Gailes.

This celebration of golf will be started with a welcome reception on Sunday, September 17 and conclude with a gala dinner on the evening of September 21.

Email members@golfcanada.ca for information on discounts for Golf Canada members.

Canada’s top-ranked male amateur Jared du Toit continued his impressive streak on Monday, nabbing his fourth NCAA top-5 finish in his last five events at the Thunderbird Invitational.

The Kimberley, B.C., product opened an early lead in the 54-hole event with a tournament-low 64 (-7) on Sunday, highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 14^th. He went on to card two rounds of 70 (-1) to close the event at 9-under par, four strokes back of medallist Collin Morikawa.

du Toit, the captain of Arizona State, put forward one of many strong efforts by the host Sun Devils, with all five members finishing inside the top-10. The all-aronud team effort led the Sun Devils to a convincing 20-stroke margin—their second victory of the season.

du Toit will lead the Sun Devils into action again from April 8-9 at the Western Intercollegiate in Santa Cruz, Calif.

Click here for full scoring.

Canada’s top-ranked female amateur Maddie Szeryk was dialed in once again on Wednesday, closing a wire-to-wire run at the NCAA’s Dr. Donnis Invitational to post a convincing four-stroke victory in Hawaii.

Szeryk, a third-year member of Team Canada’s Amateur Squad, opened the 54-hole event with rounds of 67-71 over 36 holes on Tuesday, giving her the advantage heading into Wednesday’s final. The Texas A&M junior went on to card a 69 (-2), pulling away from the field to finish at 9-under par, recording her second NCAA victory to date—she won the Florida State Match-Up in 2016.

Szeryk’s efforts lifted the Aggies to the team victory at Kanohe Klipper course, finishing with a 15-stroke margin over runner-up Oklahoma State. Her impressive play of late has put her in the spotlight, winning her second consecutive SEC Golfer of the Week honour earlier in March.

@mszeryk with the W & her second @ncaa title. Been trending after two 2nd place finishes #patience ?@TheGolfCanada pic.twitter.com/yj5tGWf57b

— Tristan Mullally (@tmullallygolf) March 15, 2017

The 20-year-old sits at No. 26 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR).

Fellow Team Canada teammate Naomi Ko of Victoria, B.C. was also in action, posting a 6-over score to finish T26.

Szeryk will look to lead the Aggies in action once again when they tee-it-up from March 31-April 2 at the Clemson Invitational in Sunset, S.C.

Click here for full scoring.

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Golf Canada and adidas Golf today announced an agreement that will see adidas Golf become the official apparel and headwear outfitter for Golf Canada’s National Team Program.

The adidas Golf performance products will be worn by Team Canada athletes, coaches and sport science staff in training as well as during competition at domestic and international golf championships.

“We are honoured to be a part of the Team Canada program—supporting the next generation of elite Canadian golfers,” said Lesley Hawkins, Brand Director for adidas Golf. “A key area of focus for adidas Golf is the growth of the game through the pyramid of influence, and Golf Canada has done a tremendous job connecting with these athletes. We’re very excited to kick off the 2017 season together.”

The partnership marks the second Golf Canada program to be supported by adidas Golf, who are also the official apparel partner of the Golf Fore the Cure program.

“The adidas mark is rooted in elite athlete performance and we are thrilled to have them align their brand with Team Canada as our official apparel outfitter,” said Golf Canada Interim Chief Executive Officer Jeff Thompson. “Performance is the foundation of our partnership and the athletes and coaches are excited to train and compete in adidas Golf’s leading edge competitive apparel.”

LAS VEGAS – National Amateur Squad member Jared du Toit continued his impressive run on Wednesday, finishing in a tie for third at the Southern Highlands Collegiate.

The 21-year-old senior (and captain) at Arizona State closed the event at 5-under par—one stroke off the lead. His final-round scorecard included a hole-in-one on the par-3 2^nd hole, lifting him into contention down the stretch.

du Toit, a Kimberley, B.C., product, is coming off a hot streak which includes a victory, a T1 (playoff loss), T11 and now T3 in his last four collegiate events with the Sun Devils. His efforts helped him earn Pac-12 Golfer of the Month for February; he’ll look to keep rolling when Arizona State plays host of the ASU Thunderbird Invitational from March 18-19.

Click here for full scoring.

LA QUINTA, Calif.  – Kimberley, B.C., product Jared du Toit has been knocking at the door for some time with the Arizona State Sun Devils, before finally breaking through on Wednesday with a victory at the Prestige at PGA WEST.

The Team Canada Amateur Squad member finished the 54-hole event at 9-under par (67-67-70), four strokes clear of runner-up Sam Burns of LSU. The 21-year-old posted 13 birdies en route to the victory—his first with the Sun Devils. The team’s captain came up just shy of earning medallist honours earlier this month, where he finished tied for first after falling in a playoff.

Prior to his time at Arizona State, du Toit collected a pair of first place finishes playing for the Idaho Vandals. He captured a T1 finish in his sophomore season at the Wyoming Southern Dunes before capping off his year in stellar fashion with a victory at the Big Sky Championship.

du Toit will lead the Sun Devils into action next on Feb. 27-28 at the NIT Invitational.

Click here for full scoring.

Got. That. Trophy. (and @Jareddutoit plans to get more)@MattThurmond@vanwilliamsgolf@ASUKarsten@TheGolfCanada @RBCCanadianOpen @AZ_GOLF pic.twitter.com/SLx47bPWdt

— ASUmensgolf (@asumensgolf) February 23, 2017

Finally a victory wearing the Maroon and gold. Thanks to all for the love! #ForksUp https://t.co/Lk2RdAYF85

— Jared du Toit (@Jareddutoit) February 23, 2017

Oakville, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada and Acura have announced a three-year extension and expansion of their partnership in which Acura will become the Presenting Sponsor and Official Vehicle of Future Links – Canada’s national junior golf program.

Future Links, driven by Acura, is a joint grassroots initiative of Golf Canada, the PGA of Canada and the provincial golf associations which offers a full suite of junior golf programs for boys and girls ages 6 to 18—from beginners to those with more experience or greater playing ability.

For Golf Canada Chief Sport Officer and interim CEO Jeff Thompson, Acura’s enhanced support of Canada’s national junior golf program will help to deliver quality golf experiences to youth from coast to coast.

“Acura has been a tremendous partner since aligning their respected brand with Canada’s national junior golf program in 2014 and we are thrilled with their deepened commitment to Future Links, driven by Acura,” said Thompson. “With world-class junior golf curriculum that is internationally revered by golf federations around the world, we are proud that Acura will continue to drive the program’s success moving forward.”

Future Links, driven by Acura includes a comprehensive suite of junior golf activities for children of all ages and skill level. The program has been restructured under three core areas of focus—in-school programming, facility programming and community outreach.

Elements under the Future Links junior golf umbrella include Learn to Play, Junior League, Girl’s Club, Mobile Clinics, Junior Skills Competition, and Community Golf Coach, along with six regional Future Links Junior Championships.

Beginning in 2017, Golf Canada has also integrated the popular Golf in Schools program under the Future Links suite of junior golf activities. With more than 400,000 children currently learning golf at nearly 3,400 schools (elementary, intermediate and high schools) as part of the Canadian Physical Education curriculum, Future Links, driven by Acura is supporting quality junior golf experiences from in-schools to on-course at clubs across Canada.

“Acura is committed to supporting various youth initiatives across Canada and we are delighted to expand our commitment to Golf Canada and their respected programs, as this partnership is a natural alignment of the two brands,” said Dave Gardner, Senior Vice President of Operations, Acura, a division of Honda Canada Inc. “With luxury comfort, dynamic performance and a versatile passenger and cargo cabin, the Acura MDX luxury SUV will help drive the future success of the Mobile Clinics across Canada.”

As the official vehicle of Canada’s national junior golf program, Acura will also provide each of the 10 provincial golf associations with the current model year MDX vehicle—decaled in Future Links, driven by Acura branding—to deliver Mobile Clinics across Canada.

Each fully equipped vehicle will be staffed with a PGA of Canada professional travelling to locations across each province to teach juniors golf introductory lessons. Future Links, driven by Acura Mobile Clinics will bring golf to children at almost any location including parks, recreation centres, schools and golf facilities.

Under the leadership of PGA of Canada golf professionals, Future Links driven by Acura programs help young golfers develop the technical skills, appropriate attitude and self-confidence to succeed on the golf course, while instilling positive life lessons to succeed off the course.

“This is an exciting extension and expansion for the Future Links brand,” said PGA of Canada CEO Gary Bernard. “Since the program’s inception in 1996 the PGA of Canada and Golf Canada have seen more than 1-million kids go through Future Links and I feel this terrific initiative will only enhance the world-class junior golf program.”

In 2016, 85,000 junior golfers participated in one or more elements of Future Links, including 60,000 juniors who took part in more than 750 Future Links Mobile Clinics across the country.

Acura’s enhanced support for Future Links returns the junior golf program to solid footing after long-time partner Canadian National Railway (CN) stepped away following 11 years of sponsorship.

“Thanks to Acura, Canadian junior golf is well positioned for success moving forward for 2017 and beyond,” added Thompson. “Future Links has had the good fortune of strong supporting partners since its inception and that will surely continue going forward with Acura’s shared vision to support junior golf activities across Canada.”

Future Links, driven by Acura junior golf programming is fully aligned with the Canadian Golf Long-Term Player Development Guide. Developed by Golf Canada in partnership with the PGA of Canada, LTPD provides an age- and stage-based blueprint for golfer development rooted on research, statistics and expert insight.

Since launching in 1996, Canada’s national junior golf program has introduced golf to more than 1.3 million children, providing junior golfers across Canada with affordable and accessible golf activities in their community. More information is available at golfcanada.ca/futurelinks

Golf Canada is pleased to announce its competition schedule including host clubs and dates for the 2017 championship season.

A total of 25 professional and amateur championships, as well as qualifying events into Canada’s two National Open Championships—the RBC Canadian Open and the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open—will be conducted in 2017.

“We are proud to announce our 2017 championship schedule and anxiously await the spirited competition shared by nearly 3,000 athletes at many of Canada’s premier golf facilities,” said Golf Canada interim CEO and Chief Sport Officer Jeff Thompson. “As the governing body, it is our privilege to conduct these great competitions in partnership with our host venues, sponsors, and thousands of dedicated volunteers from coast to coast. These championships provide high levels of competition and development opportunities while also offering the chance for competitors to stamp their names in Canada’s storied golf history.”

Golf Canada’s amateur championships are proudly supported by RBC, CP, Sport Canada, Titleist and FootJoy.

The complete 2017 championship schedule as well as registration information can be found here.

Championship notes:

Golf Canada’s championship season kicks off with the Future Links Pacific Championship, May 12-14, at Chilliwack Golf Club in Chilliwack, B.C. The event is the first in a series of six regional junior competitions in association with Future Links, Canada’s national junior golf program.

The 15^th playing of the Canadian University/College Championship will be hosted by Georgian College from May 29 to June 1 at Tangle Creek Golf & Country Club in Barrie, Ont. The championship will be the first of eight national amateur competitions contested in 2017.

Beginning in late July, Ontario will host a number of competitions including the 104^th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship (Cutten Fields in Guelph, Ont.).

Eastern Ontario will be the hub of Canadian junior golf activity in 2017 as the 79^th Canadian Junior Boys Championship (Cataraqui Golf & Country Club in Kingston, Ont.) and the 63^rd Canadian Junior Girls Championship (Camelot Golf & Country Club in Cumberland, Ont.) will be contested in the region between July 31 – August 4.

The 2017 edition of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship returns to the Greater Toronto Area for its 113^th playing. The Toronto Golf Club—a five-time host of the Canadian Open and the third oldest golf club in North America—will host the world’s third oldest amateur championship from August 7-10 alongside co-host Islington Golf Club.

A two-stage qualifying procedure for the 2017 RBC Canadian Open will feature a trio of regional qualifying competitions in British Columbia (Bear Mountain Golf Resort in Victoria on May 9), Ontario (Blue Springs Golf Club in Acton on May 15), and Quebec (Club de golf de la Vallée du Richelieu in Sainte-Julie on June 5). The final qualifying event will be held at Heron Point Golf Links in Ancaster, Ont., on July 24.

On Saturday, July 22, as a kick-off event to the 2017 RBC Canadian Open, Glen Abbey will also open its fairways to junior competitors from across Canada for the ninth annual Future Links Junior Skills Challenge National Event.

For the 29^th time in the 108-year history of Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship, Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., will play host to the RBC Canadian Open from July 24-30. In 2016, Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas was crowned champion, finishing one stroke ahead of John Rahm, Dustin Johnson and Martin Laird. The Canadian storyline of the week was the memorable performance of Kimberley, B.C. product and Team Canada member Jared du Toit, who entered the final round with a share of second alongside U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson.

Late August will see the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur and Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur & Senior Championships hosted at Wascana Country Club in Regina, Sask., and Humber Valley Golf Club in Little Rapids, N.L., respectively.

To coincide with the “Canada 150” celebrations, Golf Canada is proud to bring a number of golf championships to the Ottawa region in 2017. The 2017 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open will return to the nation’s capital and Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club from August 21-27. Ariya Jutanugarn captured last year’s Canadian Pacific Women’s Open by four strokes, securing her fifth LPGA victory of the 2016 season. The tournament’s Monday Qualifier will take place at Camelot Golf & Country Club in Cumberland, Ont., on August 21.

Other events coming to the Ottawa region in 2017 include the Canadian Junior Girls Championship (Camelot Golf & Country Club in Cumberland, Ont.) as well as the fourth annual World Junior Girls Championship, which brings together teams from 15 countries September 24-29 at The Marshes Golf Club.

Golf Canada’s final national championship of the 2017 season, the 55^th Canadian Men’s Senior Championship, will be hosted at The Kanawaki Golf Club in Kahnawake (Montreal), Que., from September 10-14.

The Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru National Event will be held at Brantford Golf & Country Club on September 26.  The one-day event is a celebration of the success of all Golf Fore the Cure events held nationwide during the 2017 season. To date, the program’s fundraising efforts have totaled more than $5.9 million for breast cancer research.

As the National Sports Federation and governing body of golf in Canada, Golf Canada conducts the country’s premier amateur and professional golf championships as part of its mandate to promote the sport and aid in the development of the nation’s world-class talent. The organization is also a proud participant in the Canada Summer Games, to be held this year in Winnipeg from July 28 – August 13.