Lawren Rowe (Golf Canada/Chuck Russell)

MEN’S AMATEUR TOP-10

Lawren Rowe made the biggest gain among the Top-10, picking up 40 places in the world rankings after posting a wire-to-wire victory at the CSUSM Fall Classic. Rowe opened with a 67 for the low round of the day and followed it up with back-to-back rounds of par to win by eight strokes. It was his second collegiate victory of the season and the third team title for the Vikes. The No. 4 ranked amateur in Canada has also recorded Top-10 results in his other two events this fall.

Victoria's Naomi Ko, Who Plays Out Of Royal Colwood GC, Has Qualified For This Summer's U.S. Women's Open - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Naomi Ko called it the round of her life and it could not have come at a better time for the 18-year-old Victoria native. A clutch five-under 67 in the second round of a 36-hole sectional qualifier at The Home Course in Dupont, Wash., earned Ko a spot in this summer’s U.S. Women’s Open.

Ko, a member of Canada’s national amateur team and former B.C. Junior Girls champion, topped a field of 48 players to earn the one spot available at the Monday qualifier.

European Tour Originals presents the 'Chase The Ace Hole-In-One Challenge', episode 3. How many balls would it take a professional golfer to make a hole-in-one?

The odds of an average golfer making an ace are roughly one in 100,000, while stats suggest a European Tour pro's chances are closer to one in 2,500. Introducing Andy Sullivan...

With the Masters tournament having rescheduled from its traditional 'rite of spring' date in April to November this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, a 77 second promo marvelously narrated by NBC Sports’ Jimmy Roberts was released recently.

And like almost all things Masters...it is sure to give golf fans goosebumps.

Watch the video below: 

Courtesy Bob Vokey & Golf Canada

Canadian Bob Vokey was born in Verdun, Quebec in 1939. His father, Walter, was a precision tool and die maker, an avid golfer and constant tinkerer of golf equipment. Bob did not necessarily share his father's passion for golf as a child, but he observed and assisted in his father's club creations.

Bob, at 25 left Montreal for the United States and settled in Carlsbad, California. Despite his earlier feelings toward golf, he became smitten with the game and wanted to become involved in some way. He lived near a golf course, and started to play competitively, eventually developing his father's passion for "tinkering" with golf clubs.

By now most golf fans have heard about Spaniard Jon Rahm's amazing ace on the 16th hole at Augusta during a practice round for the Masters on Tuesday. 

But it is still more than worth watching again...

Phil Mickelson is a 5-time Major winner and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. And that's just for what he does when he keeps his ball in the same time zone as the golf course he's playing.

Actually, he's a lot more fun when he's trying to get his ball back into the vicinity from whence he started.

His recovery shots easily match and often outdistance - both literally and figuratively - his regular highlights. For our most recent exhibit we present Phil hitting his ball from out of a bush... somewhere off to the side of the 9th hole it appears (see Shot Tracker screenshot below) in the recent Shriners Open.

Suffice to say there were no TV cameras set up to capture this shot. Probably not too many hit from this particular area. But thanks to today's social media there was of course a fan with a phone handy. 

Oh, and Lefty will hit this shot for you using his driver. Over trees. Approximately 200 yards.

And make par

You're welcome. 

Mickey Wright At The Top Of Her Backswing - YouTube Image

The golf world lost a legend recently with the passing of Mickey Wright, a 13-time major champion and winner of 82 LPGA Tour events. Wright passed away in Florida on Monday, February 17th at the the age of 85.

Many, including the great Ben Hogan, have said that Mickey Wright may have had the best swing of any golfer - man or woman - the game has ever seen. Her powerful swing was especially impressive during the era she was so dominant.

Here's a video from a televised match against Brigitte Varangot broadcast in 1964 that demonstrates a technique she used to develop the power in her wonderful golf swing. The tip is shared with us at the 3:36 mark of this video, in a chat with Gene Sarazen, a legendary player himself, immediately after Wright had hit a tee shot 310 yards. In 1964. With a persimmon wood. 

Some of the new Rules of Golf appear to have confused people.

This may help, a video highlighting the main changes with the new 2019 Rules of Golf.

If you are Canadian, it is definitely a bona fide 'Where were you when' moment. Depending on one's age you may recall Paul Henderson's winning goal for Canada against Russia in the final minute of the final game in what became known as the 'Summit Series' hockey tournament back in September of 1972.

Or Sidney Crosby's Golden Goal against the Americans in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Of course, there's Mike Weir's playoff victory over Len Mattiace to capture the 2003 Masters title, the only major ever won by a Canadian. And now this...Nick Taylor's improbable 72-foot bomb of a putt on the 4th playoff hole of the RBC Canadian Open to defeat England's Tommy Fleetwood and become the first Canadian in 69 years to win our National Professional Men's Golf Championship. 

Pat Fletcher was the last Canadian to win the event back in 1954 at Vancouver's Point Grey Golf & Country Club and Canadian golf fans had been reminded of that...every...year...since. No disrespect to Mr. Fletcher or his family, but Canada is definitely ready to talk about the newest 'last Canadian to win' our national open. Thank you, Nick Taylor.

There's so much to be said and enjoyed about that moment and indeed the entire tournament. But watching the PGA TOUR video of the broadcasting moment on CBS does a fine job of capturing the joy, celebration and relief of an entire country.

Oh...and a viral social media moment accidentally produced by Taylor's friend and fellow Canadian on Tour, Adam Hadwin, now eternally linked with Taylor's spectacular winning moment.

...Sometimes life just needs to get in they way. Like when Henrik Stenson's young daughter ran out to give her Dad a hug during the Valspar Championship. Perfect.

In the Good, Bad & Unusual, Teryn Gregson recaps the 2019 PLAYERS Championship, where Irishman Rory McIlroy won on St. Patrick’s Day, the luck extended to Jhonny Vegas who recorded the longest putt in Island Green history and Tiger Woods’ funny moment with Kevin Na at 17.

In this first 2019 version of The PGA TOUR's The Good, Bad & Unusual, Teryn Gregson recaps the Sentry Tournament of Champions, where Xander Schauffele’s clutch final round performance made him the first multiple-winner of the season.

Golfers shared their New Year’s Resolutions and tried to navigate the new rules changes with some pretty unusual moments.

Relief from the cart path wasn’t the answer for these players who make amazing shots hitting off the concrete.

And is there any surprise at all that four of the shots are courtesy of Phil Mickelson? Probably not. 

Long a fan favourite on the PGA TOUR, Phil Mickelson, playing in the Dell Technologies Championship at TPC Boston, asked a young fan what he would do in this situation after 'Lefty' had found the left rough off the tee.

The young man, whose name is Riley, offered a quick no-nonsense reply, "If I could hit my 3-wood 260 I would probably go for it." It seems the gallery along with Mickelson, who said, "I like the way you think," felt that was the best strategy and the 3-time Masters Champion loaded up his 3-wood from the rough and let fly.

Following the shot, which appeared to turn out quite well, Mickelson turned to the youngster, smiled and said, "Riley, you can caddy for me anytime."

Watch the interaction below. 

In the Best of The Good, Bad & Unusual of 2018, PGA TOUR golf host Teryn Gregson recaps the most memorable, funny and weird moments of the year.

 Highlights include Tiger Woods’ comeback season, his mob of fans, Phil Mickelson’s dance phase, gators on the course and Ian Poulter’s hilarious audible.

Okay, most golfers have heard the phrase, "It's not how...it's how many," or "There's no pictures on the scorecard," when it comes to getting a result in a game of golf despite what may be less than exemplary methods. 

South Korean golf professional Ho-Sung Choi has created a new standard. His incredibly unique 'golf swing' has just enabled him to capture the Casio World Open on the Japan Golf Tour. It's actually his 2nd win on the tour but now people are starting to notice. Choi needs to be in a major...soon.

Just watch.

Courtesy Golf Focus and YouTube

Over the years, The Masters has become a tradition unlike any other, taking place every April. This year however, it has been postponed to November. In lieu of an April 2020 Masters, we present this video of some of the greatest shots and moments from The Masters over the years.

The Masters was started by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts, and was first played at Augusta National (designed by Jones and Alister MacKenzie) in 1934. In 1949, the tournament began giving out a Green Jacket to the champion.

Enjoy.

Check out the top 10 shots of the week from THE PLAYERS Championship 2019, featuring Tiger Woods, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler, and Ryan Moore.

A favourite of ours is the Jhonattan Vegas 70-footer on 17. Be sure to note the expression on the face of Kevin Kisner's caddy at the end of the clip....

The 2016 Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship Organizers Have Announced Commitments From (L-R): Mark O'Meara, Vijay Singh, Miguel Angel Jimenez And Colin Montgomerie

Jay Haas, Fred Funk, Craig Stadler And John Cook Round Out The Latest Legends Commitments

VICTORIA, B.C. (September 7, 2016) – Tournament Organizers announced today that World Golf Hall of Fame members Vijay Singh and Colin Montgomerie, as well as four-time European Ryder Cup team member Miguel Angel Jimenez, have committed to play the 2016 Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship.

The PGA TOUR Champions event will be contested at Bear Mountain Golf Resort’s Mountain Course in Victoria, British Columbia the week of September 19-25, 2016. The tournament will feature a US$2.5 million purse, with 81 players competing for a winner’s share of $375,000.