The Golf Journalists Association of Canada (GJAC) Virtual Summit presented by RBC: 2024 Presidents Cup took place August 13, 2024, as part of an ongoing GJAC series intended to help membership stay connected, as well as to generate discussion and opportunities around important issues in the game.

The format consists of a moderated question and answer period, followed by a brief opportunity for questions from attendees. 

Panelists for this Virtual Summit included:

• Mike Weir – Presidents Cup International Team Captain
• Ryan Hart – Executive Director – 2024 Presidents Cup
• Scott Dickson – GM & Secretary – Royal Montreal Golf Club Moderator: Jason Logan, Editor of SCOREGolf

MONTREAL – With exactly 50 days to go until the Presidents Cup returns to The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, U.S. and International Teams are starting to take shape with just three more events until the top six automatic qualifiers are locked up following the BMW Championship on Sunday, August 25.

Over the last two weeks, the only movement inside the top six for the U.S. Team has been Sahith Theegala and Patrick Cantlay switching spots, currently sitting at No. 5 and 6, respectively. The top four players have remained unchanged with Scottie Scheffler further cementing his spot at No. 1 following a final-round 62 in Paris to secure a gold medal in the Olympic men’s golf competition. 

“I think any time you can be part of the Olympics is really special and for golf to be on the Olympic stage is a tremendous amount of fun for us. I think after the first Olympics, I think it held pretty high place in our game and I think it still stands today,” said Scheffler. 

The 2024 U.S. Team will be comprised of six (6) automatic qualifiers and six (6) Captain’s picks, with a weighted system based on FedExCup Points from January 1, 2023, through August 25, 2024. The automatic qualifiers will be the top six eligible U.S. players in the OWGR after completion of the 2024 BMW Championship.

Top-6 U.S. Team standings:

1.         Scottie Scheffler

2.         Xander Schauffele

3.         Collin Morikawa

4.         Wyndham Clark

5.         Sahith Theegala

6.         Patrick Cantlay

For the International Team, Matsuyama remained atop the standings after earning the bronze medal in Paris, while Tom Kim moved up to No. 2 following an eighth-place finish. Outside of Kim and Sungjae Im switching spots between Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, the rest of the top six remains unchanged over the last two weeks with Jason Day, Byeong Hun An and Adam Scott rounding out the group.

With Canadian icon Mike Weir serving as captain of the International Team, much attention has been put on the top players from the host country for this year’s Presidents Cup. With three weeks to go, there are currently five Canadian players inside the top 15 in the International Team standings: Corey Conners (8), Nick Taylor (10), Adam Hadwin (12), Taylor Pendrith (13), and Mackenzie Hughes (15).

The 2024 International Team will be comprised of six (6) automatic qualifiers and (6) Captain’s picks, with the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) being used to determine the former. The automatic qualifiers will be the top six eligible international players in the OWGR after completion of the 2024 BMW Championship. 

Top-6 International Team standings:

1. Hideki Matsuyama
2. Tom Kim
3. Sungjae Im
4. Jason Day
5. Byeong Hun An
6. Adam Scott

To view the complete 2024 Presidents Cup standings for both teams, please click here.

BLAINE, Minn. — Taylor Pendrith shot a 7-under 64 on Friday to take a two-stroke lead over Matt NeSmith into the weekend in the 3M Open.

Playing in windier afternoon conditions, Pendrith made a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-4 16th and tapped in for another birdie on the par-5 18th. He had a 12-under 130 total at the TPC Twin Cities, playing the first 36 holes without a bogey.

The 33-year-old Canadian won the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in May in Texas for his first PGA Tour title. He tied for fifth last week in the Barracuda Championship in California.

NeSmith had a 64 in the morning before wind gusts topping 20 mph hit the course in the afternoon and early evening.

Seeking his first PGA Tour victory, NeSmith lost in a playoff two weeks ago at the ISCO Championship in Kentucky, his lone top-10 finish in 20 prior starts this season. He has missed 11 cuts.

First-round leader Jacob Bridgeman had a 70 to drop three strokes back at 9 under with Andrew Putnam (66). Doug Ghim (64), Lanto Griffin (66), Alex Smalley (65) and Jhonattan Vegas (66) were 8 under.

The event is the second-to-last tournament before the FedEx Cup playoffs begin, with some players near the 70-player cutoff failing to advance to the weekend. Nick Dunlap (64th in the standings), Luke List (71st) and defending champion Lee Hodges (73rd) missed the cut.

St Andrews, Scotland: The ticket ballot for The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush is now open. Fans can submit ticket applications from today until 3pm BST on Wednesday 31 July 2024, with the results being announced in stages during August and September.

Apply for tickets to TheOpen

The ballot approach ensures all fans will have a fair opportunity to attend the Championship, which is taking place in Northern Ireland from 13-20 July 2025.

The ticket ballot is available exclusively to members of One Club, the free-to-join digital membership platform, designed to bring golf fans closer to the game. Fans can also upgrade to One Club Advantage, presented by Mastercard, for an enhanced chance of success in the ticket ballot.

Ticket prices for The 153rd Open will start from £100 for an adult on Championship Days and from £25 on Practice Days. The R&A is fully committed to encouraging more children and young adults to attend The Open and free tickets will be available to children through the successful “Kids go Free” programme, while half-price youth tickets are available for 16-24-year-olds. These tickets must also be applied for using the ticket ballot.

A range of premium hospitality experiences are available to purchase now when fans can guarantee their place at the Championship in luxurious surroundings with a fully inclusive dining and drinks package. Premium Experiences are selling fast, with some already sold out. A Ticket Plus option is also available, offering fans an elevated experience in which they can enjoy The Open in a relaxed environment with access to a private bar and gourmet food trucks.

The Open is returning to Royal Portrush for the first time since 2019, when Irishman Shane Lowry lifted the famous Claret Jug to the delight of a jubilant home crowd. Tickets for the 2019 Championship sold out in record-breaking fashion and, at the time, set a record attendance for The Open outside of St Andrews with 237,750 fans attending throughout the week. It generated more than £100 million for the economy of Northern Ireland.

Visit TheOpen.com for further information or to enter the ticket ballot.

Corey Conners has been one of the most consistent Canadians on the PGA TOUR over the past couple of years. It’s that consistency that has earned him a spot on the Canadian Olympic team heading to the upcoming summer Olympics.

Golf Canada recently announced the two spots reserved for the men’s team will go to Conners and 2023 RBC Canadian Open champion, Nick Taylor. On the women’s side, Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp will be representing Canada at the upcoming summer Olympics in Paris, France.

When the decision on the men’s team was announced on June 17^th, Taylor was 35^th and Conners was 37^th on the official World Golf rankings – they were the top two ranked Canadians.

After winning the RBC Canadian Open last June, Taylor carried that momentum towards another victory earlier this year at the TPC Scottsdale in February.

“The opportunity to represent my country at the Olympics has been a huge goal of mine for many years,” Taylor pointed out after the official announcement on June 17^th.

“To see the news become official is quite humbling and surreal. I’m excited to get to Paris to compete, proudly wear the Maple Leaf, and soak in what I know will be an incredible experience.”

Joining Taylor at the Paris Olympics on the men’s golf team is Conners – who has been posting some strong results recently also.  At the RBC Canadian Open in early June, he finished as the top Canadian in sixth spot.

“Definitely something to be proud of,” said Conners at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club about earning the distinction as the top Canadian. “Obviously disappointing not to win the big trophy but yeah it’s a cool honour (to be top Canadian in the field).”

Conners was again the top Canadian on the leaderboard at the U.S. Open – where he finished in a tie for 9^th spot.

“It was a solid week overall. I was certainly motivated to improve on my record at the U.S. Open. I feel like the challenging golf courses set up well for me, and I was comfortable with the course, and I felt good about my game,” said the long-time Canadian National Team member from Listowel, Ont.

“It would have been nice to get a little higher up the leaderboard, but it was a really solid week.”

While his last PGA TOUR victory came back in April of 2023 at the Valero Texas Open, consistency has been a key factor to Conners’ success since then. An example of this remarkable consistency is the fact that he has not missed a cut in over a year – the last time Conners missed a cut was at the 2023 U.S. Open in Los Angeles.

Conners’ consistency combined with his recent top 10 results at the U.S. Open and the Canadian Open allowed him to edge out Adam Hadwin, who was ranked one spot behind at 38^th in the world golf rankings when the Olympic team announcement was made.

“Huge honor to represent Canada at the Olympics again. It was a big goal of mine, since playing in Tokyo three years ago, that I really wanted to represent Canada again. I feel for Adam Hadwin, he was playing some really good golf as well and I was able to just sneak by him,” said the 32-year-old Conners at the recent Travellers Championship.

“Really happy and excited to get to go to Paris and it will be a lot of fun playing alongside Nick.

This marks the second time Conners will be representing Canada at the summer Olympics. The long-time Canadian National Team member from Listowel, Ont., will look to build on his strong performance at the Toyko Olympics in 2020 where he finished in 13^th spot.

It is interesting to note that the last Canadian to win a medal in golf at the Olympics is George Lyon, who captured a gold medal way back in 1904.

Conners and Taylor – along with Henderson and Sharp – will look put their names into the history books later this summer in Paris, France. The men’s Olympic golf tournament will take place from August 1^st to August 4^th at Le Golf National.  The women’s golf tournament will take place at the same venue from August 7^th to August 10^th.

The Memorial was arguably the toughest challenge on the PGA Tour so far this season and Adam Hadwin rode its ups and downs to his best showing of the year.

Only 11 players finished under par at the Memorial, with only six shooting under par in the final round at Muirfield Village Golf Club. Hadwin, from Abbotsford, B.C., finished third at the signature event to rocket up the FedEx Cup standings to 24th, leapfrogging Taylor Pendrith, Nick Taylor and Corey Conners to become the highest-ranked Canadian on tour. 

But the U.S. Open, traditionally the most punishing course setup on the men’s golf calendar, now looms.

“It’s going to be a very similar test, let’s be honest,” said Hadwin after finishing his round at the Memorial on Sunday after a 2-over round put him at 4-under overall. “You’re going to hit some good shots that don’t get rewarded and you’re going to have to scramble and stay patient and do all the things that I tried to do today.

“I’ve got to keep grinding, just keep doing what I’m doing and it will come.”

Hadwin’s showing at the Memorial moved him 24 spots up the official world golf rankings into an Olympic berth with one week before the men’s qualifying deadline. He also moved up to seventh for the Presidents Cup international team rankings, one spot out of an automatic berth for the prestigious international tournament.

He said that the challenges of the Memorial are good preparation for the U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in Pinehurst, N.C., where the United States Golf Association typically prefers tight fairways and long rough to put an emphasis on accuracy.

“You could look at it one of two ways; either (the Memorial) is good prep for next week or we just got our butts kicked before going into next week,” said Hadwin. “I expect the USGA to do what the USGA does, make it very difficult on us, challenge us mentally more than anything. 

“I feel like I’m in a pretty good spot. I’m just going to have to rest up and, again, just keep doing what I’ve been doing.”

Seven Canadians are in the field at Pinehurst, tying the U.S. Open record set in 1912 and matched in 2023. 

Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Taylor of Abbotsford are the second and third highest-ranked Canadians on the PGA Tour, 35th and 36th on the FedEx Cup standings respectively. Conners (43rd) of Listowel, Ont., Mackenzie Hughes (46th) of Dundas, Ont., and Adam Svensson (87th) of Surrey, B.C., round out the pro contingent from Canada at the U.S. Open.

Svensson and amateur Ashton McCulloch of Kingston, Ont., qualified for the U.S. Open together at Cherry Hill Club in Ridgeway, Ont., on June 3, a day after the RBC Canadian Open was completed at Hamilton Golf and Country Club. Svensson finished in a tie for 51st at the Canadian Open while McCulloch missed the cut, giving him two days to rest before the U.S. Open qualifier.

“It was more mentally exhausting than anything,” said McCulloch, a junior at Michigan State University, about making his Canadian Open debut. “Playing in my first PGA Tour event, I didn’t know everything that came with it. There’s a lot of pressure when you do play for your first time. 

“That Saturday I was exhausted. I didn’t do a whole lot that day. It all worked out, and I ended up qualifying for the U.S. Open, so not a bad way to spend your weekend recovering before a U.S. Open qualifier.”

The 21-year-old McCulloch is the first Canadian amateur to qualify for the major since NHL referee Garrett Rank did it in 2018.

Canadians across major professional golf tours:

LPGA TOUR — Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is sixth in the Race to CME Globe standings heading into the Meijer LPGA Classic. She’s one of five Canadians in the field at Blythefield Country Club of Belmont, Mich. Savannah Grewal (81st) of Mississauga, Ont., Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (140th), Maude-Aimee Leblanc (143rd) of Sherbrooke, Que., and Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., will also tee it up.

KORN FERRY TOUR — Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S., is the highest ranked Canadian heading into this week’s Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open. He’s ranked 20th on the second-tier tour’s points list. He’ll be joined at Crestview Country Club by Etienne Papineau (45th) of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., Sudarshan Yellamaraju (94th) of Mississauga, Ont., and Jared du Toit (115th) of Kimberley, Ont.

EPSON TOUR — Brigitte Thibault of Rosemere, Que., is 107th in the Race for the Card, the points list for the second-tier Epson Tour. She’ll play on Friday when the Otter Creek Championship tees off in Columbus, Ind. Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont., Vancouver’s Leah John and Kate Johnston of Ayr, Ont., are also in the field but unranked.

Dublin, Ohio, USA – Adam Hadwin has qualified for The 152 Open at Royal Troon through the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday.
 
The Memorial Tournament was the seventh event in the Open Qualifying Series and took place at Muirfield Village.
 
The Canadian was the leading player in the field not already exempt, finishing in third place at 4-under.
 
The next events in the Open Qualifying Series are the KOLON Korea Open and the KLM Open taking place from 20-23 June.

During a challenging Sunday at Muirfield Village, where only a few players managed to score below par, Hadwin quickly climbed the leaderboard with three birdies in his first seven holes. This brought him within striking distance of the 54-hole leader, Scottie Scheffler. However, Scheffler ultimately edged out Collin Morikawa by one stroke to claim his fifth win in eight starts.

In addition to punching his ticket to The Open, Hadwin’s chances of representing Team Canada at the Olympic Men’s Golf Competition in Paris this summer improved significantly. He jumped 24 spots in the Official World Golf Ranking, from No. 59 to No. 35, positioning himself as Canada’s second available spot with one week of qualification remaining.

At the last Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes represented Canada in men’s golf. In 2016, it was David Hearn and Graham DeLaet. Becoming an Olympian is a notable achievement missing from Hadwin’s impressive resume.

Olympic golf qualification depends on the Official World Golf Ranking, which will be finalized after the U.S. Open next week. Nick Taylor is likely to secure the first spot, leaving Conners, Hadwin, Taylor Pendrith, and Hughes in contention for the second spot.

All five Canadians will compete next week at Pinehurst No. 2.

Caledon, Ont., is preparing to welcome the world — through the RBC Canadian Open — to its rolling green hills.

TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley was announced as the host for the 2025 edition of the RBC Canadian Open, the men’s national golf championship and the only PGA Tour event north of the border, two weeks ago. 

Mayor Annette Grove said the success of this year’s event at Hamilton Golf and Country Club shows what it can do for a municipality’s international profile.

“It’s an opportunity to really put Caledon on the map globally,” said Grove on Tuesday. “I understand that over one million households across the United States, people from 140 different countries, viewed the tournament over the weekend in Hamilton, so this is an exciting opportunity for Caledon.”

The CPKC Women’s Open, Canada’s national women’s championship and the only LPGA Tour event in the country, travels across the country. It was at Vancouver’s Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club last year and will be at Calgary’s Earl Grey Golf Club at the end of July.

The men’s championship, however, stays in southern Ontario. St. George’s Golf and Country Club and Oakdale Golf and Country Club, both in Toronto, hosted in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Along with Hamilton and Toronto TPC, the four courses — and possibly a fifth to be announced at a later date — will comprise a rotation of locations in and around Toronto, Canada’s largest city.

Golf Canada’s chief operating officer Garrett Ball outlined the two tournaments’ economic impact at a news conference on Wednesday at the Canadian Open. He said the national sport organization had an $84-million economic impact on Canada as a whole, with $66 million of that in Ontario.

Although the final ticket sales data wasn’t yet released on Tuesday, Golf Canada estimated last week that 137,000 fans attended the RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf and Country Club between Wednesday and Sunday. The organization also estimated that more than 60,000 of them came from more than 40 kilometres away.

Neil Lumsden, Ontario’s minister of tourism, culture and sport, announced at the same news conference that the province would contribute $1 million to Golf Canada to support the event.

“The impact won’t just be for three or four days, it will be significant and it will be long lasting,” said Lumsden. “This touches all bases on what we are trying to do across Ontario. 

“So far, when we partner up (with Golf Canada), the expectations have been met and exceeded, and this will be no different at the RBC Canadian Open.”

Groves is excited to bring that kind of economic activity to Caledon, a regional municipality northwest of Toronto, that is stretched out over 700 square kilometres. That includes the unincorporated town of Bolton, the region’s largest community, as well as seven villages and 10 hamlets.

“I believe that this is a wonderful opportunity for our local businesses right across the town,” said Groves, who pointed to the villages of Alton and Cheltenham as well as the hamlet of Terra Cotta as communities that will benefit. 

“Right across the town, businesses will certainly benefit from this economically.”

Hosting a RBC Canadian Open is not without its challenges. Staff and fans arriving account for thousands of extra cars on roads and in parking lots in the area. The township also has a limited number of accommodations for visitors.

“One of the things that we we’re working on, certainly, is shuttling people. We’ve got other areas in Caledon and Caledon is a very big place,” said Groves. “We are working with our communities right across Caledon and with our partners to make sure that we can shuttle people safely to the Osprey Valley golf course.”

Groves also said that her town would be working with the neighbouring municipalities of Brampton, Ont., and Orangeville, Ont., for infrastructure support like hotels and shuttle points.

She also pointed to Caledon’s previous success hosting the equestrian competitions at the 2015 Pan American Games, which were held at the Caledon Equestrian Park in Palgrave, Ont.

Stewart Cink, Justin Leonard and Kevin Kisner to join Furyk in Montreal

MONTREAL, Quebec, Canada – U.S. Team Captain Jim Furyk announced Stewart Cink, Justin Leonard and Kevin Kisner as captain’s assistants for the 2024 Presidents Cup, which will be played at The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Canada, Sept. 24-29. Furyk has the option to name up to two additional assistants prior to the competition.

“I am excited to announce Stewart, Justin and Kevin as my captain’s assistants for the 2024 Presidents Cup in Montreal,” said Furyk. “The three of them have a tremendous history with this event, but more importantly, they will be trusted voices in the team room and on the course for our guys. I look forward to working with them closely as we build a 12-man U.S. Team that is ready to compete at Royal Montreal this fall.”

Cink, an eight-time PGA TOUR winner, has appeared in four Presidents Cups (2000, 2005, 2007, 2009), compiling a 9-7-2 record in four U.S. Team victories, including a 4-0-0 performance in his debut in 2000. The only time Cink and Furyk were paired together in Presidents Cup competition was in 2007 at Royal Montreal, where they notched a 2-up victory over Angel Cabrera and K.J. Choi during Saturday’s fourball matches. The 51-year-old will be making his first appearance as a captain’s assistant in 2024.

“Jim is a longtime friend and it’s an honor to be named as a captain’s assistant for the 2024 Presidents Cup. This event has meant so much to my career and it’s a thrill to get to return to Montreal, where I have such great memories from 2007,” said Cink.

Leonard, 51, has competed in the Presidents Cup five times (1996, 1998, 2003, 2005, 2009), compiling an 8-11-4 all-time record. The 12-time PGA TOUR winner, who currently plays on PGA TOUR Champions, was paired with Furyk four times between the 2003 and 2009 Presidents Cups, where the pair combined for a 2-1-1 record.

“It has been incredible to watch this U.S. Team grow and develop in team competition over the years, and I can’t think of anyone better than Jim to lead this talented group into Montreal in a few months,” said Leonard, who will be making his debut as a captain’s assistant. “My history with this event goes back nearly three decades, so I was honored to receive the call and I’m excited for a great week of golf in September.”

Kisner will also be making his debut as a captain’s assistant in 2024 after competing for the U.S. Team in 2017 and 2022. The four-time PGA TOUR winner, who owns a 2-2-3 career record in Presidents Cup competition, built a reputation as a tenacious match play competitor, winning the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in 2019 and finishing runner-up in 2018 and 2022.

“Match play is my favorite format in golf and I’m looking forward to adding some expertise and insight to our team room as we lead an incredible contingent of players into Montreal,” said Kisner, 40. “Jim is someone I’ve looked up to throughout my career and is naturally just a great leader, so it was a thrill when he called and asked me to serve as a captain’s assistant this fall.”

For more information about the Presidents Cup, or to purchase tickets, please visit PresidentsCup.com. 

HAMILTON, Ontario — Robert MacIntyre, with father Dougie at his side as his caddie, held on to win the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title.

Four strokes ahead entering the final round at Hamilton Golf and Country Club, MacIntyre shot a 2-under 68 to beat playing partner Ben Griffin by a stroke. On the par-4 18th, the 27-year-old Scottish left-hander two-putted for par from 12 feet, holing out from 1 1/2 feet.

“Goose bumps. It’s incredible,” MacIntyre said. “It’s a dream of mine to play golf for a living. It’s been a dream of mine to win on the PGA Tour. … I just can’t believe I done it with my dad on the bag. The guy’s taught me the way I play golf.”

MacIntyre finished at 16-under 264 for the breakthrough victory in his 45th career PGA Tour start. The former McNeese State player was a member of Europe’s winning 2023 Ryder Cup team and has two European tour victories, the 2020 Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Showdown and 2022 Italian Open.

“I was in a dog fight there,” MacIntyre said. “Obviously, Ben made it difficult coming in the stretch. He played well. It’s just incredible to do this with my dad on the bag and have my girlfriend here and I’m sure there’s a party going on back home in Oban.”

Griffin had a 65. He parred the 18th after birdieing the previous three holes.

“I fought hard,” Griffin said. “It felt like there was a lid on the cup for most of the day for me. I hit so many pretty good putts, I wouldn’t say like striped putts, but pretty good putts and just kept burning edges. A couple bad putts, but stayed patient.”

Victor Perez of France was third at 14 under after his second straight 64.

Two-time Canadian Open champion Rory McIlroy also shot 64 to tie for fourth with Tom Kim (64) at 13 under. McIlroy won in 2019 the last time the tournament was in Hamilton and again in 2022 at St. George’s in Toronto.

“Three really good rounds of golf, one not so good one,” McIlroy said. “Felt a little out of sorts on Friday. Did a good range session and sort of rectified it.”

Corey Conners was the top Canadian, shooting a 65 to reach 12 under.

“Definitely something to be proud of,” Conners said. “Yeah, obviously disappointing to not win the big trophy, but, yeah, it’s a cool honor.

Fellow Canadian Mackenzie Hughes, tied for second entering the day, was another shot back after a 70.

Last year at Oakdale in Toronto, Nick Taylor made a 72-foot eagle putt on the fourth hole of a playoff against Tommy Fleetwood to become the first Canadian to win the event since 1954.