The internet was abuzz in late December when an image of a neatly hand-addressed envelope made the rounds on social media – Mackenzie Hughes’ invitation to the Masters.

With a new year comes a fresh realm of possibilities and many of us use the month of January as a time to craft new goals or anticipate what the next twelve months have in store for us. For golf enthusiasts, the list of things to look forward to is, thankfully, a long one.

In addition to watching Hughes compete in his third Masters Tournament in April, the Canadian golf contingent returns to PGA TOUR golf after a holiday hiatus. The current standings for players with full PGA TOUR status are as follows:

If you’ve added ‘attend a PGA TOUR event’ to your 2022 bucket list, you can purchase tickets to the 2022 RBC Canadian Open, the only Canadian stop, HERE.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Mackenzie Hughes secured a second place finish after firing 19-under at the RSM Classic. The Hamilton, Ont. native won the tournament in 2016 and finished just three strokes back of Talor Gooch.

“It feels like a long time ago now, that first win here,” said Hughes of his previous victory. “I had a lot of those same feelings coming down the stretch that I did then today. So it was really fun to be in the mix, that’s what you practice for and play for – to have a chance on Sunday, and [I] gave my best shot.”

The strong performance will likely keep him inside the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking at the end of the year.

“I came into this week 50th in the world, so top-50 year-end was a big goal of mine – get in the majors and some of those WGC events,” said Hughes. “Accomplished that goal. Came up a bit short of winning, but planning my schedule the rest of the year will be a lot easier just knowing I can bank on those big tournaments.”

Five other Canadians made the cut: Corey Conners (T22), Taylor Pendrith (T26), Michael Gligic (T29), Adam Hadwin (T51) and Roger Sloan (T61).

The next PGA Tour event is set to commence January 6, 2022 in Hawaii.

Click here for the full leaderboard.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – In his third round at the RSM Classic, Mackenzie Hughes hit 8 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens in regulation, finishing at 11 under for the tournament.

Hughes finished his day tied for 5th at 11 under; Talor Gooch is in 1st at 16 under; Seamus Power and Sebastián Muñoz are tied for 2nd at 13 under; and Tom Hoge is in 4th at 12 under.

At the 415-yard par-4 second, Hughes got on in 2 and missed his par putt from 5 feet, finishing with a 3-putt bogey. This moved Hughes to 1 over for the round.

After hitting his tee shot into the native area, Hughes hit his next to the left side of the fairway. He hit his fifth shot to the green and had a one-putt for a bogey on the par-5 seventh. This moved Hughes to 1 over for the round.

On the 223-yard par-3 12th, Hughes hit the green off the tee but missed a birdie attempt from 7-feet taking a par. This left Hughes to 2 over for the round.

On the 565-yard par-5 15th hole, Hughes reached the green in 3 and sunk a 4-foot putt for birdie. This moved Hughes to 1 over for the round.

Corey Conners shot 2-over 72 to finish his day T20 while Taylor Pendrith and Michael Gligic both moved up the leaderboard to sit T26 heading into the final round.

Click here for the full leaderboard.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – The second round at Sea Island Golf Course saw a strong dose of red and white as three Canadians finished the day inside the top 15.

Defending champ Mackenzie Hughes hit 9 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens in regulation to finish his day tied for 4th at 11 under with American Taylor Moore.

Corey Conners finished the round at 9 under to secure a three-way tie for ninth place. Conners fired three birdies in his second day to bring his total up to 11 for the tournament so far.

Adam Hadwin had a great day on the green leaving no misses on putts within 10 feet. At the 192-yard par-3 17th, Hadwin hit a tee shot 171 yards at the green, setting himself up for the 26-foot putt for birdie. He finished his day tied for 15th at 7 under.

Canadians Taylor Pendrith (T39), Michael Gligic (T39) and Roger Sloan (T52) also made the cut and will join Hughes, Conners, and Hadwin in round 3 tomorrow as they chase American Taylor Gooch who leads the field at 13 under.

The full leaderboard can be found here.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – After round 1 of the RSM Classic past champions Mackenzie Hughes sits one off the pace at T2, with Corey Conners following closely at two shots back at T6.

Sebastian Munoz saw the tough weather conditions on the way to the RSM Classic and figured all he could do was keep his head down and make birdies. He wound up with a 10-under 60 to shatter his career round by six shots.

Scoring was so low Thursday at Sea Island that all that got Munoz was a one-shot lead. The Colombian, who won his first PGA Tour event just over a year ago, birdied his final hole at Seaside.

Scoring was so ideal that 33 players shot 66 or lower on the two courses, located just off the Atlantic Ocean, and all but 21 players in the field of 156 broke par. The cumulative score in relation to par at the Seaside Course was 288 under, 42 shots lower than the previous record set in 2018.

The scoring average of 66.308 at the Seaside was a tournament record, and the second-lowest for any round on the PGA Tour since 1983, when the Tour began tracking hole-by-hole data. The record is 66.28 at Indian Wells in the 2003 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

Munoz matched Tommy Gainey’s 2012 record for low round at Seaside; Hughes, Stallings and Reavie tied for low round at the Plantation set last year by winner Robert Streb and Bronson Burgoon.

A warm, sunny day that began with just enough light rain to often the already pure greens is expected to morph into more common November weather on the Georgia coast Friday with a drop of about 10 degrees in the temperature and wind forecast to gust as high as 30 mph.

Munoz, however, was staying in the present for his best round as a professional. He hit 11 fairways and 16 greens, made six birdies on the front nine and punctuated the day with a 12-foot eagle putt at No. 15 and a 10-foot birdie putt at No. 18.

Other Canadians in the field include Adam Hadwin (T34), Michael Gligic (T34), David Hearn (T55), Taylor Pendrith (T55), Rogers Sloan (T83), and Adam Svensson (T123).

The full leaderboard can be found here.

 The 111th playing of Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship is set for June 6-12, 2022 in Toronto. 

TORONTO - (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada, in partnership with title sponsor RBC, is pleased to announce that select tickets for the 2022 RBC Canadian Open are now available.     

The RBC Canadian Open will be held June 6-12 at St. George’s Golf & Country Club in Toronto with nearby Islington Golf Club hosting the tournament’s official practice facility. The stars of the PGA TOUR will return to Toronto as St. George’s prepares to host for the first time since 2010. With a new premier June date on the PGA TOUR schedule, the RBC Canadian Open is a summer festival marking the unofficial start of Canada’s golf season. The week-long celebration, which sold out certain days in 2019, offers more than just world class golf… it has something for everybody. The RBC Canadian Open delivers affordable and fun entertainment, with excitement both on the fairway and beyond.   

GENERAL ADMISSION – WEEKLY TICKETS & ANYDAY TICKETS   

Take advantage of miles of front row seating! General admission tickets provide access to the golf course—get an up-close look at your favourite PGA TOUR stars, enjoy fan activations throughout the golf course and experience the thrill of major professional golf.  A fully transferable general admission Weekly Ticket costs $180* and an Anyday Ticket (on sale for a limited time and valid any day of tournament week) costs $90*.  

1904 CLUB PRESENTED BY RBC ISHARES   

The 1904 Club presented by RBC iShares delivers an elevated fan experience in the heart of the golf course. Located between the 1^st and 10^th greens, this premium destination is the perfect home base to sit, relax and map out your experience following the stars of the PGA TOUR. Enjoy relief and shelter from the elements, take in the broadcast on TV and treat yourself to upgraded food, beverages and hospitality.   

A 1904 Club presented by RBC iShares Weekly Ticket (valid Thursday to Sunday) costs $315*.   

*plus applicable taxes and fees 

Click HERE  to purchase select 2022 RBC Canadian Open tickets 

______________________________ 

Join us to witness world-class PGA TOUR golf, activities for all ages including The Rink, local food and patio experiences and more. Get your tickets today and be a part of one of Canada’s premier sporting events.

* Youth 13-17 years of age receive a 15% discount, while juniors aged 12-and-under gain FREE grounds admission all week long. Some conditions apply.  

MAZATLAN, Mexico – Twenty months ago, the last time PGA TOUR Latinoamérica held a Qualifying Tournament in Mexico, Jared du Toit walked away with medalist honors. Back at Estrella del Mar Golf & Beach Resort seeking to earn back his Tour card, the Canadian picked up right where he left off. A bogey-free 8-under par 63 in the opening round Tuesday morning
secured him a two-shot lead over American Jacob Loya, Mexico’s Emilio González and Sweden’s Tim Widing.

“I have played here too many times. Honestly, more than I’d like to admit, for sure,” said du Toit, who played his 19th tournament round at this venue. “I’ve always kind of felt good out here, and the course suits my eye. I didn’t grow up on greens like this, but I always seem to putt pretty well out here. Hopefully I can continue what I did today and lock up some status this
year,” said the 26-year old who has made 15 career PGA TOUR Latinoamérica starts.

Opening the day birdie-birdie in the fifth of 31 groups starting off No. 1, du Toit added birdies on Nos. 7, 8, 9, 12, 14 and 18 to secure the top of the leaderboard early. “Just real solid; never really in trouble, made a couple of putts, hit a couple close, just a good combo for a good opener,” du Toit added.

The winner of the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s ATB Financial Classic in September in his hometown of Calgary, du Toit is coming off a busy year that also saw him play on the PGA TOUR, the Korn Ferry Tour, the Forme Tour and PGA TOUR Latinoamérica.

“I played a ton, honestly, including a lot of Monday qualifiers,” he said of his hectic schedule. “Before today I was just tired, even today and in prep, I felt tired and didn’t go out there with any expectations and played really solid. I’m going to try to keep the expectations down the next couple of days, because it seemed to work today.”

Click here for the full leaderboard.

Canada’s lone PGA TOUR Champions event has raised more than $76 million since 2013

CALGARY, Alta. – The Shaw Charity Classic returned in record fashion in 2021 with Canadians chipping in to raise $14,797,827 for 233 children’s charities across Alberta.

After receiving the green light to safely bring the stars of the PGA TOUR Champions back to Calgary this summer, tournament officials and their generous partners vowed the event would play a key role in building our community back stronger from the pandemic.

Thanks to the generosity of Canadians from across the country, the Shaw Charity Classic has now raised more than $76 million for youth-based charities in Alberta since 2013 through its Shaw Birdies for Kids presented by AltaLink charitable program.

“When the tournament started, we knew we had something special, but never could we have dreamed it would have grown into so much more than just a golf tournament. It is now a massive community support event that exceeds our expectations each year, and is something I am so proud to be a part of,” said Jim Riddell, Chair, Shaw Charity Classic.

Even in 2020, when golf’s greats weren’t able to play due to the pandemic, the community came together to raise more than $12 million to support the charities that need support now more than ever.

“With charitable giving being the heartbeat of the Shaw Charity Classic, the tournament simply has the power to rally the community like no other event I have seen. I truly believe that community support in Alberta is the reason this event continuously breaks charitable giving records each year,” added Riddell.

Shaw Communications donated $1.15 million to continue supporting charities participating in the Shaw Birdies For Kids program while the Shaw Family Foundation announced its donation of $1.5 million over three years.

“The ultimate goal of the Shaw Charity Classic has been, and always will be to better support as many youth and families in Alberta as possible,” said Brad Shaw, Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Shaw Communications. “The growth and impact of the Shaw Charity Classic is undeniable – both in the amount of money raised and in the number of charities supported. None of this would have been possible without the enthusiastic and unwavering support of the Alberta community that gets behind the event year after year.”

Ultimately, it’s hundreds of thousands of Alberta children and their families who are once again the true winners.

Funds raised are helping deliver a positive impact for children in the areas of health, food support, family support, development and counselling, sports, arts, and youth programming.

The life-changing impacts of the tournament on Alberta’s youth this year include helping to provide: 

• More than 12,000 lunches for kids in need through Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids
• 8,900 kids in Edmonton with sports equipment through Sport Central Association
• 36,000 kids with literacy programming through the Educational Partnership Foundation
• 60,000 books to kids participating in Calgary Reads, and
• 7,000 backpacks to the Stephen’s Backpacks School program.

The ninth edition of the Shaw Charity Classic kicked off with amateur golfers from across Canada taking divots on the Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club layout over three days – first, during Blakes Women’s Day and then the sold-out RBC Championship Pro-Am. When three days of tournament play got underway, Canadians Stephen Ames and Mike Weir charged to the top of the leaderboard, but at the end it was a jubilant Doug Barron who donned the white Smithbilt cowboy hat as the 2021 champion.

Bringing world-class golf to Calgary to create a significant platform for charitable giving has always been core to the Shaw Charity Classic.

The introduction of the Shaw Birdies for Kids presented by AltaLink program ramped up the tournament’s charitable giving arm when it was created in 2015. The program was designed to be integrated into charities’ existing fundraising efforts to help generate new funds in communities across the country. Each of the participating charities connected to the Shaw Charity Classic receive 100 per cent of all donations collected on their behalf, plus up to 50 per cent in matched funding provided by the Shaw Charity Classic.

The 10th anniversary of the Shaw Charity Classic is scheduled to take place, August 1-7, at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club in Calgary.

Click here for more information on the event.

SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda – Taylor Pendrith has plenty to be proud of after competing in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship this past weekend. The Richmond Hill, Ont. recorded his best finish on the PGA TOUR at T5 and broke a tournament record earlier in the week.

A rookie for the 2020-2021 season, Pendrith graduated from the Korn Ferry Tour last year. Prior to this tournament his best finish was at the Barbasol Championship where he placed T11.

Support for Pendrith flooded in from every corner of the country this weekend with supporters taking to social media to wish the rookie good luck. One of those supporters was fellow Team Canada member Corey Conners who recently attended Pendrith’s wedding.

Pendrith is keen to learn from the experience as he heads to Mexico for the Mayakoba World Wide Technology Championship next week.

“Lots of positives. Obviously it’s my best finish out here,” said Pendrith. “It was a tough Sunday, which I guess I’ll learn a lot from that, but to have a good week was great. I really hadn’t played much golf in the last two weeks, I think maybe twice, and I didn’t see the golf course until Thursday, so pretty pleased overall.”

Other Canadians in the field included Adam Svensson (-7), David Hearn (-4), Adam Hadwin (-3), Matt Hill (+3) and Nick Taylor (+5).

The full leaderboard can be found here.

SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda – Taylor Pendrith’s big game is working just fine on the PGA Tour’s shortest course, giving the Canadian a three-shot lead going into the final round of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

Pendrith ran off four straight birdies around the turn at Port Royal, and then picked up two more birdies late in his round Saturday for a 6-under 65. He is going after his first PGA Tour title just four starts into his rookie season, and two weeks after he got married.

“I knew I was going to get on a run at some point during the round,” Pendrith said. “Was able to get four in a row and kind of really jump start the round.”

Pendrith was at 17-under 194.

Danny Lee holed a tough 6-foot par putt on the 18th cap off a 65 and stay in range, just three shots behind. Lee is the only player among the top five on the leaderboard who has won on the PGA Tour, though that was six years and 173 tournaments ago at the Greenbrier Classic.

Lucas Herbert of Australia, a two-time winner on the European Tour, had his second straight round of 65 and was four shots behind.

The first two years of the Bermuda Championship on the 6,828-yard Port Royal course were won by Brian Gay and Brendon Todd, two of the shorter hitters in today’s power era.

Pendrith is anything but that, and it was an example that length never hurts on any course.

Pendrith, who won twice on the Mackenzie Tour in Canada in 2019 as he made his way up the ranks to the PGA Tour, got off to a slow start until he began his run of four straight birdies starting on No. 7 and finishing at No. 10, where a big drive left him only a flip wedge.

The most impressive play was his tee shot on the 235-yard 16th hole, among the toughest at Port Royal. He found the right side of the green and then holed a 45-foot birdie putt to extend his lead to two shots.

He then took on the water with ease at the par-5 17th, leaving a two-putt birdie from 15 feet to widen his lead even more.

“It was nice to pick up a couple coming in, late” Pendrith said. “To see that 40-plus-footer go in was a bonus.”

He nearly picked up another birdie at the end. With the wind at his back, he smashed driver well over the bunker and off a cement cart path with the ball landing near a corporate tent not far from the green. He pitched beautifully up the slope, but missed an 8-foot birdie.

Trying to win for the first time in any conditions is never easy, and the forecast could only add to the drama for Pendrith. With wind and rain in the forecast, the PGA Tour has moved up the starting times as early as possible with hopes of finishing and avoiding a Monday finish.

The tour goes from the middle of the Atlantic Coach to the Gulf Coast of Mexico next week.

The Bermuda Championship began Thursday in gusts approaching 40 mph and spells of rain that forced play to be halted briefly. Pendrith was in the middle of that and shot 70, which felt almost as good as his 61 the following day in calm weather.

“I don’t think I’d ever want those conditions on Thursday again,” he said. “It’s nice to be a couple shots ahead. It’s going to probably be a crazy day. I’ll grind it out and see what happens.”

At stake is a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour and a spot in the Masters.

Click here for the full leaderboard.