GALLOWAY, N.J. – Inbee Park birdied three of her last five holes to match Jin Young Ko with a 6-under 65 and the leave two top South Koreans in the world tied for the lead Saturday in the ShopRite LPGA.

Ko, the No. 2 player in the world, played in the morning on the windy Bay Course at Seaview and ran off five birdies in a six-hole stretch on the front nine. She had to settle for only one bogey on the back nine and was the first to post at 11-under 131.

Park is the No. 3 player in the world and putted well all day, her hallmark. She holed a 30-foot birdie on No. 6 and had a 6-foot par save on the next hole.

They were two shots ahead of ANA Inspiration winner Patty Tavatanakit, who birdied the final hole to cap off a bogey-free 65.

Brittany Lincicome (67) and Nanna Koerstz Madsen of Denmark (68) were three shots behind going into the final round.

Brooke Henderson (70) of Smiths Falls, Ont., was the top Canadian. She dropped into a tie for 10th at 6 under. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (72) failed to make the cut.

Ko has a recent history of playing her best golf at the end of the year. She sat out most of the LPGA Tour season last year, staying home during the pandemic, and returned to capture the CME Group Tour Championship.

Now she sets her sights on a third victory in her last five starts on the LPGA Tour. That doesn’t include the Olympics, where Ko tied for ninth.

“I like it better than earlier in the year,” said Ko, who changed swing coaches late last year and feels all parts of her game are starting to come together.

Park won her first start of the year at the Kia Classic, but has been struggling of late by going six consecutive events outside the top 10.

“I remember putting good in Kia and then earlier in the season,” Park said. “And then middle of the season to the end of the season, not as good. I feel like this week is almost back to like where I was putting really good earlier in the season.”

Nelly Korda, the No. 1 player in women’s golf, has not played since the U.S. loss in the Solheim Cup a month ago. That leaves Ko and Park, both multiple major champions and former No. 1 players, to battle it out.

“Jin Young is really, really good player, too, so I think it’ll be really fun out there tomorrow playing with her,” Park said. “Obviously, you need some birdies out here to win tomorrow. Knowing that No. 2 player in the world is hunting for the same thing I am hunting for, definitely need to put some good performance. Good motivation to play for.”

Not to be overlooked is Tavatanakit, the first major champion of the year, who is well within range.

“I was thinking since I’m two back, I would say 4 or 5 under tomorrow would put myself in a really good position because I know how good they are,” Tavatanakit said. “No pressure, no expectations. I’m just going to go out there and play golf, and hopefully I get up to where I think I should be.”

GALLOWAY, N.J. (AP) – So Yeon Ryu finally quit thinking about her swing and thought only about scoring just in time to birdie the last three holes for a 6-under 65 and a share of the lead with Jodi Ewart Shadoff in the ShopRite LPGA on Friday.

Scoring was so low on the Bay Course of Seaview that 20 players shot 67 or better.

Ewart Shadoff, who has missed the cut in her last eight LPGA Tour events, birdied the par-5 18th to join Ryu in the lead.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., Jin Young Ko, the world’s No. 2 player, Inbee Park and Solheim Cup star Matilda Castren of Finland were among those one shot behind at 66.

U.S. Women’s Open champion Yuka Saso birdied four of her last seven holes to join the chase. She was among those at 67.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp opened with a 1-under 71.

The Bay Course at Seaview hasn’t been a comfortable course for Henderson, even though the 10-time LPGA winner made the cut in six previous appearances and tied for sixth in 2020.

The Canadian looked comfortable on Friday, however, with a 5-under 66.

“It goes against a lot of my natural instincts to hit 1/8fairway 3/8 woods off tees and to lay up in certain spots,” Henderson explained.

Henderson recorded six birdies in the first round, but it was a par save on No. 12 that the 24-year-old felt was the turning point in her round.

“I was 2-under and things were kind of at a tipping point, could go either way,” said Henderson. “I got a really bad lie, had to wait for a rules’ official and things were just getting a little bit more out of control than I would have liked.

“I was able to get up and down, which was great and made a birdie on the next hole.”

Getting off to a quick start is important at the ShopRite LPGA because it’s a 54-hole event.

Ryu, a two-time major champion and former No. 1 player in women’s golf, didn’t get off to the fastest start. She began on No. 10 and was only 1 under through 12 holes when she made eagle on the par-5 third hole.

The South Korean player said she has been working on her downswing to keep it from coming too far inside. It seemed that’s all she could think about at times.

“Sometimes I’m too addicted to golf swing,” Ryu said. “I really try hard to just think about how I’m going to play instead of just how I’m swinging. So I think that’s the thing I really struggle on the golf course and that’s the focus on the golf course.

“I just only realize it just five holes to go,” she said. “So I just told myself, `So Yeon, let’s just focus on how I’m playing instead of swing.’ I think that one really help me out.”

Playing for Britain in the Olympics against a 60-player field, Ewart Shadoff tied for 40th.

“This year hasn’t been the greatest for me, and I’ve been working on a lot breathing just to settle me down,” she said. “Just staying in my routine today was really important.”

She’s put in extra time on the green, and saw that pay off. Ewart Shadoff decided to switch from cross-handed to what she described as a “Tommy Fleetwood claw pencil grip.” It seemed to work, at least for the opening round.

Lexi Thompson, who hasn’t won since the ShopRite LPGA two years ago, opened with a 68.

Brooke Henderson´s 10 LPGA Tour victories make her the winningest professional golfer in Canadian history. And with the first three wins coming in the Pacific Northwest, it’s no surprise that her three words to describe Portland are “amazing times three.”

Henderson’s professional career lifted off when she won the 2015 Cambia Portland Classic in an eight-stroke runaway romp, setting a 72-hole scoring record of -21 that still stands, and only matched once in the tournament’s history by 2019 champion Hannah Green. The following year, Henderson captured her first major title by winning the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship just 200 miles north of Portland at Seattle’s Sahalee Country Club. A second Portland victory just a month later cemented the Pacific Northwest as one of Henderson’s favorite locales.

Henderson comes to the 2021 tournament fresh off three weeks at home in Canada, one of the longest stretches she’s ever stayed away from competition in her professional career. Some hard work with her dad and coach Dave, combined with much-needed rest after what she called an “up-and-down year,” gives Henderson a good feeling as she takes to Oregon Golf Club.

“I feel like this golf course is definitely a shot makers’ golf course and a lot of strategy is involved,” she said. “Got to play smart. Feel like every hole you have to have an individual strategy for. Each hole is really different from the next.”

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (AP) Anna Nordqvist kept her ball out of trouble to make a routine par at the last and win the Women’s British Open for a third major title.

For playing partner Nanna Koerstz Madsen, her 72nd hole of the tournament could hardly have been more traumatic.

The Scandinavians were tied for the lead on 12-under par as they made their way down the famous No. 18 at Carnoustie on Sunday, with even their tee shots unable to really separate them.

After Nordqvist landed her approach from the middle of the fairway safely on the green and 25 feet from the pin, Koerstz Madsen turned away in disgust as she pushed her shot from the light rough on the left into a horseshoe-shaped greenside bunker on the right.

Facing a plugged ball and a downhill lie at the back of the bunker, Koerstz Madsen shanked a shot that flew sideways and almost out of bounds at the back of the green.

The Danish player’s chip from straggly rough fell short and left of the cup, leaving Nordqvist with two putts for the title. The second was a tap-in from a couple of inches, securing a one-shot victory on what proved to be a shootout in perfect conditions over the storied Scottish links.

“The only thing I could really control was myself,” said Nordqvist, who closed with a 3-under 69. “It was going to be my time.”

Three players Lizette Salas (69), 2018 champion Georgia Hall (67) and Madelene Sagstrom (68) tied for second place, with a double bogey at the last dropping Koerstz Madsen (71) into a tie for fifth with Minjee Lee (66).

Canadian Brooke Henderson began the day in the chasing pack three shots behind the leaders, but she failed to gain any ground. Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., closed with an even-par 72 to finish in 13th place at 6 under. The Canadian bogeyed the ninth, 10th and 12th holes.

By adding the Women’s Open to her victories at the 2009 LPGA Championship and the 2017 Evian Championship, the 34-year-old Swede became just the third European woman after Annika Sorenstam and Laura Davies to have won three or more majors. She received a check of $870,000 from the $5.8 million purse, the largest in women’s golf.

When it was all over, Nordqvist was joined on the 18th green by her husband, Kevin McAlpine, a former Scottish Amateur champion who is from Dundee, a city barely 20 minutes from Carnoustie. On Christmas trips back to Scotland, the couple play the storied links course that can often bring players to their knees but was defenseless Sunday because of little wind and almost balmy temperatures.

A third round of 65 the lowest round of the week set up Nordqvist’s first win in four years, since the Evian Championship. But the title was up for grabs midway through the final round when, at one stage, there were six players in a share of the lead on 9 under, including the overnight leaders in the final group.

In the end, what transpired on the 18th hole over a stretch of couple of hours decided the championship. First, Lee, who started five shots back but briefly moved into outright first place, made bogey to drop to 10 under overall after nearly going into the Barry Burn that runs in front of the green.

Sagstrom, playing in the third-to-last group, also bogeyed the last to fall out of a three-way share of the lead.

Salas missed a 15-foot birdie putt in the next-to-last group and couldn’t get to 12 under, leaving Nordqvist and Koerstz Madsen to duel it out.

While Nordqvist played the 72nd hole perfectly, Koerstz Madsen lost her nerve as she sought to become the first Dane male or female to win a major.

“On 18, I tried to not make a mistake,” she said, “and that was the only thing I shouldn’t do.”

It was the first year since 2010 that a South Korean failed to win a major.

The last 13 LPGA majors have been won by 13 different players.

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (AP) Anna Nordqvist and Nanna Koerstz Madsen, Scandinavians with contrasting resumes in golf, share the lead heading into the final round of the Women’s British Open.

A bunched-up chasing pack, containing Nelly Korda and Lexi Thompson, promises to make it a Sunday to remember at Carnoustie.

In the toughest conditions of the week on the storied Scottish links, the 34-year-old Nordqvist a two-time major champion from Sweden shot her lowest round in one of women’s golf’s five elite events with a bogey-free, 7-under 65 on Saturday.

Koerstz Madsen, a 26-year-old Dane with just one top-10 finish in a major, joined Nordqvist on 9 under overall by rolling in a 15-foot eagle putt at No. 12 and parring her way home down Carnoustie’s tough closing stretch to shoot 68.

They were a stroke ahead of Lizette Salas of the United States, whose up-and-down at the last completed a round of 70 that didn’t include a bogey from the fifth hole.

Yealimi Noh wasn’t so lucky. The 20-year-old American held at least a share of the lead for much of a third round that lived up to the “Moving Day” tag, only to drop shots on her final three holes and finish at 6 under with a 71.

That left Noh tied for eighth place with a star-studded group containing Korda (70), the recently crowned Olympic champion and new superstar of women’s golf, and two players who have won the Women’s Open in the last five years 2018 champion Georgia Hall (73) and 2016 winner Ariya Jutanugarn (68).

The top 14 were separated by just three shots going into the final round. Thompson, whose only major win was in 2014, was in a four-way tie for fourth place after a 70.

Perhaps the most unlikely player alongside Thompson on 7 under was Louise Duncan, a 21-year-old Scottish amateur who goes to Stirling University in her home country.

She gave a fist pump after making birdie at No. 8 for a 68 to stay in contention for much more than the Smyth Salver that is awarded to the leading amateur.

“The crowd was absolutely loving it and so was I,” Duncan said, “and to hole that putt tops it off as well.”

Duncan won’t be the only player counting on local support on Sunday.

Brooke Henderson heated up in the third round, with 3 birdies in a row. Completing the round with 6 birdies and shooting her way 3 back from the lead. Henderson sits tied for the 8th spot moving into the final round.

Nordqvist, who won the LPGA Championship in 2009 and the Evian Championship in 2017 for her two majors, said her husband was from a place 20 minutes away from Carnoustie and that many of his friends and family had been at the course.

“I am definitely feeling their support,” she said.

She is also mindful of the 2011 Women’s Open at Carnoustie, when she tied for seventh for her joint-best finish at the tournament, and she climbed 22 places Saturday.

A 25-foot putt for birdie at No. 8 was her highlight, along with the 230-yard approach at the 17th that set up her seventh and final birdie of the round.

At one stage, Nordqvist was in a five-way tie for the lead at 7 under, with Hall who shared the overnight lead Noh, Madelene Sagstrom and 2019 champion Hinako Shibuno.

Noh was the last one of those players to fall away, although Sagstrom another Swede bounced back from a double-bogey 6 at No. 9 with two straight birdies and then seven pars to finish for a 69. She was with Thompson, Duncan and Sanna Nuutinen (68) on 7 under.

The Golf Canada Foundation has opened applications for bursaries to provide Canadian professional golfers with financial assistance for upcoming Q-school tournaments in support their journeys to the LPGA and PGA TOUR.

These bursaries are being made available this year in recognition of the increased travel expenses that many players have incurred due to the impact of COVID-19. For example, host family housing has not been available at many events, thus creating increased expenses for players. 

Canadian professional golfers who anticipate expenses attempting to qualify for the 2021-2022 season on any tour that is affiliated with the PGA TOUR, European Tour, or LPGA tour are welcomed to apply through this link.

The application will be open until Monday, September 20 at 5pm ET. Bursaries will be awarded by mid-October in amounts ranging from $2,000 to $7,000, depending on a player’s competitive results and projected expenses.

For more information, please contact Emily Phoenix (ephoenix@golfcanada.ca).

They were the Olympic rookies at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Five years later, Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp are Canadian Olympic veterans.

The Tokyo Olympics this summer will be Henderson and Sharp’s second Games together representing the red and white. With success in the LPGA apparent for both golfers in the five years since Rio 2016, both Henderson and Sharp revel in the opportunity to medal in Tokyo.

“I am honoured and proud to be a part of Team Canada this summer,” Henderson said. “I love representing my country and feeling all of the support of family, friends, and Canadian golf fans back home.”

Sharp turned pro in 2003 and is still going strong at age 40. With nine professional wins, Sharp continues to be a model of consistency for Canadian women’s golf on the LPGA Tour. Look no further than the 2021 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, where she started with two sub-70 rounds, before finishing a T-25.

As Sharp is on the backend of her career, Henderson is just beginning. She meteorically rose in the women’s game, winning the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in 2016. Since then, Henderson has 10 LPGA Tour victories, making her the winningest Canadian golfer in the sport’s history (male or female).

As Henderson experienced a soar in popularity and success, she had her Canadian compatriot Sharp to lean on for advice and mentorship.

“It means a lot to share this journey with Alena again,” Henderson said. “She’s been a huge mentor and a great friend to me.”

Since competing in the Rio Olympics, Henderson and Sharp continue to elevate Canadian women’s golf with class and excellence. At the 2018 CP Women’s Open in Saskatchewan, Sharp brought awareness and respect to the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team, evidenced by her green and yellow golf bag. Henderson went on to cement her legacy at Wascana Country Club with a CP Women’s Open title, becoming the first Canadian woman to win the national golf championship since Jocelyne Bourassa in 1973.

Henderson’s first embraces were with her sister/caddie, Brittany, and her Dad, Dave. Sharp was the first to congratulate Henderson, spraying the champagne in celebration on the 18th green.

Whenever Henderson wins, it’s not long after she receives a congratulatory message from Sharp. Henderson also returns the favour, being there for her teammate during important moments of her life. For example, when Sharp got married last November to her caddie and partner, Sarah Bowman, Henderson included herself in the festivities.

It’s evident that the bond between Henderson and Sharp runs deep beyond the tee box, fairway, and putting green.

“We’re there to cheer each other on in the golf competition, but when you go to an Olympic Games, you become part of a bigger team,” Sharp said.

Competing in the Olympics will look different in 2021 than in 2016. For Henderson and Sharp, they will practice together at Kasumigaseki Country Club, scouting the course before the women’s golf competition commencing. Both Canadians will lean on their male counterparts, Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes, for advice, as the men’s tournament occurs a week before. The women’s competition takes place from August 4-7, 2021.

“Anything can happen over four days,” Henderson said. “You have to work hard, focus, get a good plan together and I’m just excited to have the opportunity to go and compete.”

Life beyond the course won’t possess the jubilation that exists in the Olympic Village. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no fans will be permitted on the course, as well as no friends and family. Instead, golfers must rely on their own energy to get motivated.

Henderson and Sharp are used to playing tournaments without spectators over the past year. Away from the course, they will keep themselves busy, whether that’s playing cards or watching Netflix.

The Tokyo Olympics are five years in the making for Henderson and Sharp. After a T-7 finish for Henderson and 30th for Sharp, they are looking to build on their performances to get on the podium.

Most of all, in an Olympics unlike any other, Henderson and Sharp will have their partnership and friendship, that will extend far beyond the outcome at the Games.

(Note: To purchase Team Canada fan gear, please click the link here)

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. (AP) – Nelly Korda realized there were low scores available Friday at Atlanta Athletic Club. For the longest time, she couldn’t find them in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

And then the birdies came in bushels, one after another, six straight to close her second round that put her in the record book with a 9-under 63 and gave her a one-shot lead over Lizette Salas going into the weekend.

“Golf is easy when you have days like this,” Korda said. “But it’s not always like this.”

It sure seems that way of late. Korda shot 62 in the third round last week on her way to winning the Meijer LPGA Classic, making the 22-year-old American the first multiple winner on the LPGA Tour this year.

This round might have been even better.

Over her final six holes on the front nine, Korda made birdie on both par 3s guarded in front by water. She had eagle putts on consecutive holes – one of them on the par-4 sixth, with the tee moved up to make it play 229 yards – and narrowly missed them both.

On the hardest hole on the course, she had to deal with a tree root in front of her ball to get to the green and then made a 45-foot birdie putt. Korda closed out her round with a pitching wedge into 8 feet.

She was at 11-under 133, one shot ahead of Salas, who hit all 18 greens in regulation, shot another 67 and has yet to make a bogey through 36 holes.

Korda tied the championship record, last set a year ago when Sei Young Kim closed with a 63 to win at Aronimink. She had the third round of 63 at Atlanta Athletic Club in a major, joining Steve Stricker in 2011 and Mark O’Meara in 2001 at the PGA Championship.

And Korda still has work left in front of her if she wants to win her first major.

Salas didn’t come close to a mistake with her steady diet of fairways and greens. That was her plan coming in, and the 31-year-old American has executed it brilliantly.

“I’m definitely satisfied,” Salas said. “We came in with some goals, and we’re reaching them. I think overall my attitude has been pretty solid. It’s a major. It’s supposed to be tough. It’s supposed to test you in several different ways, and I think I’m handling it quite well. And back-to-back 67s, I’m not going to complain.”

Celine Boutier of France drove the sixth green to 8 feet for an eagle on her way to a 64 that left her four shots back at 7-under 137 with Cydney Clanton (67) and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (68).

Still lurking was seven-time major champion Inbee Park, rounding into form as she goes for another gold in the Olympics, who holed a chip for eagle and shot 68. She was six behind.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., – the 2016 winner – is even following a 2-under 70.

Korda, with five LPGA Tour victories, has never won back-to-back and spoke about how draining it was earlier in the year after she won at Lake Nona.

Having spectators on the Highlands course has helped, and she gave them plenty to cheer with her 10 birdies, which followed her lone bogey at the start of her round at No. 10.

She found them, including two reachable par 5s and the drivable par 4.

Korda’s big finish began with a 7-iron to 20 feet. She followed that we a 7-wood onto the green at the par-5 fifth – her caddie told her not to go at the pin, but she couldn’t resist – and then the 7-wood to the green at the reachable sixth and her best shot of the day, a 5-iron to 5 feet on the par-3 seventh.

The surprise was the big putt on No. 8, and the final birdie was the ideal way to close out a round like that one.

Korda isn’t one to linger on the previous week, even if it resulted in a trophy.

“They’re two completely different golf courses and two different strategies. It’s just good golf that I’ve been playing, and hopefully I can continue on with that.”

Maria Fassi lost two strokes to a penalty for slow play, turning a birdie into a bogey on the 18th as she made the turn. The former NCAA champion from Mexico had a 77 and she missed the cut by one shot.

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. (AP) – Lizette Salas was in her happy place Thursday, and not just because she kept bogeys off her card at tough Atlanta Athletic Club and posted a 5-under 67 for a one-shot lead in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

Her game is rounding into form as the Solheim Cup approaches. That’s a big deal to her, too.

But the broad smile went well beyond golf.

The COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on the 31-year-old Californian, dulling her usual spark and creating anxiety that she initially mistook for nerves.

She had never talked about it publicly until Thursday, confident that the worst is behind her. She never spoke about it to her parents or coaches or support team. A Mexican-American with a hardscrabble road to the LPGA Tour, she attributes her stubbornness to talk about such matters to her Hispanic background.

“It was hard for me to even speak about it just because I felt like other people are going through the same thing. Why do I need to feel sorry for myself?” she said. “Over time, it accumulated and got worse, and when I finally got out here, it was just … so bad that the golf couldn’t help.”

One round wasn’t going to solve everything, and Salas saw enough of the Atlanta Athletic Club to realize it won’t be smooth sailing all week.

She led by one shot over Charley Hull of England, who had a 68 for the best score in the afternoon. What makes Hull happy is she’s going home on Monday after a month on the road, which preceded a seven-week stretch playing the LPGA Tour schedule.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was in a tie for third following a 3-under 69, while 2016 winner Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., opened with a 2-over 74.

Jessica Korda and former U.S. Women’s Open champion Jeongeun Lee6 were in a group at 69, among nine players who managed to post scores in the 60s.

Nelly Korda, who last week became the first two-time winner on this LPGA Tour season of parity, was at 70 along with a trio of major champions, including ANA Inspiration winner Patty Tavatanakit, who started with three birdies in five holes and closed with a pair of birdies.

Inbee Park, the seven-time major champion and Olympic gold medalist, played better than her score of 71, all because of one hole.

She had mud on her ball from rain earlier in the week, and it hooked some 50 yards left on the par-4 eighth hole, down an embankment and into the water. After a drop in deep rough to a short-sided pin, she conservatively went long to keep it rolling back down the hill, and she three-putted for triple bogey from some 70 feet.

Park atoned for that with a 75-foot birdie putt on the 18th for a 71.

U.S. Women’s Open champion Yuka Saso and Lexi Thompson, whose back-nine collapse at Olympic Club three weeks ago cost her the Women’s Open, played with Park. Each shot 73.

Defending champion Sei Young Kim had a 76, while Michelle Wie West was at 77.

Salas had no such issues. She finished with a tough par putt, had no complaints with any part of her game and make a nervy par putt at the end to keep a clean card.

Salas spoke on days getting darker before it got light, and turning point was a month ago at the Pure Silk Championship at Kingsmill, site of her lone LPGA Tour victory in 2014. Her caddie from that win, John Killeen, is back on the bag. There were positive memories, good vibes.

“That just lit a spark in me,” Salas said.

She ended 18 straight tournaments of pedestrian play with a tie for fifth, added another top 10 last week in Michigan and is trending.

“I had to take care of my mental health, and that’s something that a lot of people don’t really take into consideration,” she said. “I think for me coming from a Hispanic background, it’s very hard to talk about that, but I’m very fortunate to have a team that was willing to bend over backwards to help me and to get me to where I am right now.

“I just understand myself more, and I’m at a point where I like myself again, even when days aren’t as good as others. It’s been a quite a roller coaster of emotions,” she added. “Here I am, and I’m playing much better. Just happy to be here.”

Salas spent her time during the pandemic staying off her phone and reading more books, which helped her to slow down life, decompress and get more sleep.

One of them was titled, “I’m Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter,” which she felt like an autobiography. She also read a book about Mexican painter Frida Kalo.

“And when you look back at her history, she did things her way and enjoyed her own process,” Salas said. “So I’ve just been highlighting a few things here and there. It really … it puts me to sleep. It’s a win-win.”

And then she burst into a big smile, which had been missing for too long.

If you were to create your perfect golfer from tee to green using only Canadian golfers, whose driving abilities would you take? Whose putting skills? Whose silky-smooth swing? Let’s break down what the ultimate golfer might look like when comprised of some of Canada’s very best.

Driving

When it comes to hitting off the tee, it’s not hard to find a few names. One that comes to mind is Taylor Pendrith. Pendrith is currently one of the heaviest hitters on the Korn Ferry Tour circuit. For the 2020-2021 season, his average driving distance is 319.9 yards. Currently ranked fourth in driving distance on the Korn Ferry Tour, he is just over 4 yards off the first-place number. Back in September of 2020, Pendrith made his major debut at the U.S. Open where he finished third in average driving distance among some of the best in the world.

A decade ago, Graham DeLaet was making similar impact on the PGA Tour. In his first season back in 2010, DeLaet ranked sixth in driving distance with a 305.7-yard average. Between 2012 and 2017, DeLaet routinely ranked inside the top 40 in the same statistic. In 2013, DeLaet had the fourth longest drive on the PGA Tour that season, hitting one drive 420 yards.

If we’re talking about driving excellence, Brooke Henderson’s name must be there. For the past five seasons, Henderson has ranked inside the top 25 on the LPGA Tour for driving distance. Last season, she matched her career high ranking of eighth, with an average driving distance of 266.784 yards. However, she doesn’t just bomb the ball – there’s something to be said about her accuracy as well – Henderson ranked 35th for driving accuracy last season. Currently, Henderson is ranked sixth for average driving distance at 278.654 yards.

One of the best Canadians to ever play the game, Stan Leonard won three times on the PGA Tour and eight PGA of Canada Championships.  At one point in the 1940’s, Leonard’s tee shots were already averaging 275-280 yards, according to a 1948 Maclean’s article.

Irons

On the LPGA Tour, Dawn Coe-Jones had enviable irons. Between 1992 and 2000, she almost routinely finished inside of the top 25 for greens in regulation percentage, and for the two seasons where she was outside, she was still in the top 60 on the LPGA Tour.

Over on the PGA Tour, Stephen Ames’s approach shots were also enviable. Between 2004 and 2008, Ames consistently finished inside the top 50 on the PGA Tour when it came to strokes gained: approaching the green. In 2004, he also finished 24th for greens in regulation.While on the PGA Tour Champions, between 2015 and 2019, Ames consistently finished inside the top 35 in greens in regulation. At his most recent win at the Principal Charity Classic on the Champions Tour on June 6, Ames led the field in greens in regulation with 87.04 per cent – nearly four per cent clear of Fred Couples in second.

Before Ames, there was Dave Barr. Between 1987 and 1994, Barr was consistently in the top 15 for greens in regulation percentage on the PGA Tour. In 1988, he ranked second with a 73.63 per cent average, and in both 1989 and 1992 he finished third.

One of Canada’s best current golfers, Alena Sharp has been playing on the LPGA Tour since the mid-2000’s and was a member of Team Canada at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Over the course of her career, Sharp’s greens in regulation percentage have been impressive. Between 2007 and 2011, Sharp finished inside the top 50 on the LPGA in greens in regulation, and between 2007 and last season, she’s only ranked outside of the top 65 at the end of the season three times. She’s currently ranked 48th in the category this season.

Short Game

It wouldn’t be a list comprising of some of Canada’s best golfers if Mike Weir weren’t on it. Currently on the PGA Tour Champions, Weir has the best sand save percentage out of anyone with 67.44 and is ranked at 15th in scrambling at 61.70 per cent. Between 2005 and 2014, while playing on the PGA Tour, Weir was ranked in the top five of sand save percentage four times. Twice, Weir had the best strokes gained: around the green number on the PGA Tour – in 2005 with .521 average strokes gained, and again five years later with .559 average strokes gained.

With two wins on the PGA Tour, Nick Taylor is one of Canada’s best current male golfers. In 2017, Taylor was ranked 58th in strokes gained: around the green, 33rd in scrambling, and 16th in scrambling from the rough. In 2018, Taylor was ranked inside the top 30 in scrambling and sand save percentage, and just last season, he ranked 21st in scrambling from the fringe.

With four wins on the LPGA Tour, Lorie Kane is one of the best Canadians to play the game. Between 1997 and 2005, Kane had some of the best greens in regulation statistics on the LPGA Tour – never failing to fall outside of the top 25, including sixth in 2001. Accompanying that, between 1997 and 2011, Kane also had some incredible sand saves statistics, finishing inside the top 25 six times and in 2011 she was ranked second with a 63.33 percentage.

Putting

Sandra Post is one of the most legendary golfers to come from Canada. Post was the first Canadian to play on the LPGA Tour, and won eight times. In an article from Maclean’s from 1968, Post herself says that putting is the best part of her game.

On the PGA Tour, Mackenzie Hughes’s putting is top-notch. In 2020, Hughes finished eighth in strokes gained: putting with a .681 average and had the ninth best overall putting average at 1.566. In 2019, Hughes sunk the longest putt of the season when his putt from 85’8” out found the hole. The year before that, he had the 16th longest successful putt, and in 2020 he held the 20th spot. He’s currently ranked third in avoiding three-putts with only 19 occurrences in 70 rounds of golf.

Adam Hadwin is another name that comes to mind when talking about putting. Back in 2016, Hadwin had one of the hottest putters on the PGA Tour. He ranked 11th in strokes gained: putting, fifth in putting average, 25th in one-putt percentage, and 12th in three-putt avoidance. In 2017, he ranked 26th in strokes gained: putting, and 11th in one-putt percentage.

Accuracy

Moe Norman is a legend in the golf universe. Known for his incredible golf swing, Norman had enviable accuracy that is still talked about today – nearly 70 years after playing in his first PGA Tour event.

George Knudson is another golf legend, and he achieved an incredible eight wins on the PGA Tour. And, like Norman, Knudson was known for having an incredible swing – playing a huge role in his accuracy.

Currently, Corey Conners is one of the best Canadian golfers on the PGA Tour and a big part of his success is due to is his accuracy. In 2020, Conners placed 20th in driving accuracy percentage and sixth in greens in regulation percentage. In 2019, he ranked 42nd in driving accuracy percentage and first for greens in regulation percentage. That season, when he did miss, it wasn’t by much – he ranked fourth in distance from the edge of the fairway with an average of 19’8”. Currently, he’s ranked 10th in greens in regulation, with 69.71 per cent.

With two wins on the LPGA Tour, Gail Graham is one of Canada’s best. Winning in 1995 and 1997 – Graham’s driving accuracy was consistently enviable. Between 1992 and 1997, Graham routinely ranked inside the top 60 on the LPGA Tour in driving accuracy. In 1996, she even ranked 21st.

So, who would you choose to create your ultimate Canadian golfer?