Tiger Woods to return to PNC Championship with son, Charlie
ORLANDO, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 19: Tiger Woods and Charlie Woods look over a shot on the 15th hole during the final round of the PNC Championship at the Ritz Carlton Golf Club Grande Lakes on December 19, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
Golf New Brunswick
ORLANDO, Fla. – Tiger Woods and 13-year-old son Charlie are returning to the PNC Championship with hopes of doing one better than last year.
The 20-team field is for winners of majors or The Players Championship and a child or parent. This will be the third time Woods plays. A year ago, he and Charlie finished one shot behind John Daly and his son.
The 36-hole event, televised by NBC, is Dec. 17-18 at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando.
“We have been looking forward to this week all year,” Woods said. “This is such a special opportunity as a dad to get to compete with my son against so many golfing greats and their family members. It is going to be a very special week and I know that Charlie and I will have a blast.”
Woods has not competed since he missed the cut in the Open Championship at St. Andrews in July. He is playing next week in his Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, a 72-hole event against a 20-man field of the world’s top players.
He also has a made-for-TV exhibition on Dec. 10 with Rory McIlroy as his partner against Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth.
That will be seven rounds in 18 days.
Thomas and Spieth also will be at the PNC Championship with their fathers. Thomas and his father, longtime club professional Mike Thomas, won in 2020.
Annika Sorenstam is playing again, this time with her son, Will. The PNC field also includes Nelly Korda and her father, Petr, a former Australian Open tennis champion.
Sam Burns, Sahith Theegala and Cameron Young added to Team RBC
Golf New Brunswick
TORONTO – RBC is welcoming professional golfers Sam Burns, Sahith Theegala and Cameron Young as its newest Team RBC brand ambassadors.
Burns, Theegala and Young represent the strong field of talent on the PGA TOUR, with incredible 2021-2022 seasons. Burns, with 22 top-10 finishes to-date, had three PGA TOUR victories this past season, making him only the second player in PGA TOUR history to win three or more TOUR titles in one season.
“I am thrilled to join Team RBC and their roster of elite golfers,” says Sam Burns. “This season has been full of career-highs and becoming an RBC brand ambassador is definitely one of them. I’m grateful for their support and can’t wait to build upon the momentum of 2022.”
Since joining the TOUR in 2020, Theegala has quickly established himself with seven top-10 finishes, including finishing T2 at the Travelers Championship and T3 at the WM Phoenix Open.
“As a rookie on the TOUR, I’m proud to be joining Team RBC, a long-time supporter of golf with a roster of high calibre athletes,” says Theegala. “Visiting Canada for the RBC Canadian Open was a highlight for me last season and I can’t wait to return in 2023.”
Young holds seven top-10 finishes, including the 2022 RBC Heritage, and was named 2022 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year as voted by the TOUR’s membership for the 2021-2022 season.
“Joining a world-class group of golfers and working with a brand that shares my own values is a dream come true,” said Young. “RBC is doing great things for the sport, and I’m looking forward to joining them as an ambassador.”
Team RBC was established in 2009 and is comprised of elite touring professionals on the PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour. Along with wearing RBC branding on their apparel and golf bag, Burns, Theegala, and Young will support many of the bank’s marketing initiatives and client experiences.
“We are thrilled to welcome professional golfers Sam Burns, Sahith Theegala, and Cameron Young to Team RBC. It was a pleasure to watch them play at the 2022 RBC Canadian Open and RBC Heritage and to see their incredible success this season,” says Mary DePaoli, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer, RBC. “We are impressed by their dedication and passion both on and off the course and look forward to what’s next for these talented golfers.”
Denzil Palmer, who spent more than 40 years in club management, passed away from cancer on November 20 surrounded by family.
He was 70.
Palmer served as the General Manager and Secretary of Royal Montreal for nearly three decades helping the over 1,500 members enjoy all of the iconic facilities’ offerings including 45 holes of golf. Under Palmer’s leadership, Royal Montreal hosted several successful professional and amateur tournaments including three RBC Canadian Open events as well as the 2007 Presidents Cup.
Royal Montreal, of which Palmer was an Honorary Life Member, is set to host the Presidents Cup once again in 2024.
Palmer began his career in golf as the General Manager of Greenhills Country and City Clubs in London, Ont. Prior to that he worked at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier and Holiday Inn Tower in London. Over a decade-and-a-half with Greenhills, Palmer successfully developed both of the member-first clubs which featured 27 holes of golf, 22 tennis courts, swimming, two clubhouses, and a robust calendar of social programmes.
Palmer ended his career as Vice-President, Clubs and Hospitality at Palmer & Associates, a boutique HR firm specializing in leadership coaching, career transition services, and executive search.
Palmer, who is a Canadian Society of Club Managers Honorary Life Member, was presented by the CSCM with its President’s Award – recognizing him as one of CSCM’s longest standing general managers. He also proudly received the Club Manager of the Year Award in 1997 and a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017, only the third recipient of this particular award in over 20 years.
Golf Canada sends its condolences to Palmer’s family as we mourn the passing of golf-industry veteran whose presence and leadership was felt for decades.
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You can read more about the impact of Denzil Palmer on his fellow club managers via this story in Club Management Association of Canada’s latest issue.
We are excited to share the new look of Golf New Brunswick (Golf NB).
Our brand rejuvenation accompanies the association’s NEW 2023-2025 Strategic Plan and our vision of golf as the most enjoyable and inclusive activity in the province.
With a new visual look and a new brand identity, Golf NB will steer focus towards exploring new growth opportunities while continuing to promote, support, and develop golf in New Brunswick.
To learn more about Golf NB and our programs and services, we encourage you to CLICK HERE.
Golf New Brunswick (Golf NB), a not-for-profit organization founded in 1934, is the official governing body for amateur golf in New Brunswick. In January of 2006, the New Brunswick Golf Association (NBGA) officially merged with the New Brunswick Ladies Golf Association (NBLGA), resulting in one united governing body for amateur golf in the province. Programs offered by Golf NB to its 50 partner facilities and over 8,600 individual members include provincial championships, rules of golf education, course rating and handicap services, and junior golf development programs.
Canadian Adam Svensson gets 1st PGA Tour title at Sea Island
ST SIMONS ISLAND, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 20: Adam Svensson of Canada poses with the trophy after putting in to win on the 18th green at Sea Island Resort Seaside Course on November 20, 2022 in St Simons Island, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
Golf New Brunswick
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Adam Svensson handled the cold air and the heat of contention as if he had been there before, closing with a 6-under 64 to win the RSM Classic on Sunday at Sea Island for his first PGA Tour victory.
Svensson, a 28-year-old from Surrey, B.C., was locked in a four-way tie for the lead on the closing stretch of the Seaside course when he poured in an 18-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole, and then hit a tee shot to 10 feet on the par-3 17th for a birdie that gave him a cushion.
Brian Harman (65) and Sahith Theegala (66) were in the group ahead of him and missed birdie chances from about 25 feet on the closing hole.
Callum Tarren of England (64) was the first to post at 17-under par and was hopeful of a playoff. Svensson capped off his bogey-free final round with a par for a two-shot win.
He finished at 19-under 263 and played the tougher Seaside course in 20 under the final three rounds. His tournament began with a 73 on the Plantation, which put him in a tie for 108th. His first job was to make the cut. He wound up winning the trophy.
Taylor Pendrith (69) of Richmond Hill, Ont., tied for 15th at 13 under.
Svensson is starting his third full year on the PGA Tour and gets a two-year exemption, along with a trip to the Masters and the PGA Championship. He has never played a major.
“To be honest, it’s not even real right now,” Svensson said when he finished. “I’m so happy. I put so much work in. To win on the PGA Tour means everything to be me. … I just kept believing in myself, and here I am.”
Theegala recovered from a double bogey on the par-5 seventh hole when he was in trouble left off the tee and then hit a chip that came back to him from behind the green. He made five birdies over the last 11 holes.
Harman got in the game late, hitting a fairway metal on the par-5 15th hole that was inches away from rolling in, setting up a short eagle. He birdied the 16th to share the lead, but had to settle for pars on the final two holes.
Patrick Rodgers and Ben Martin, who shared the 54-hole lead, couldn’t keep up. Rodgers didn’t make his first birdie until the 13th hole and closed with a 70 to tie for 10th, while Martin shot a 72.
Cole Hammer, who graduated from Texas in May was playing on a sponsor exemption, shot a 65 to tie for fifth, which gets him into the Sony Open.
The PGA Tour now takes a six-week break in the final wraparound season before resuming with the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua the first week of January.
By winning, Svensson was the last man to qualify for that field, the first elevated event that will have a $15 million purse.
Svensson won $1,458,000, more than he won in either of his two previous seasons on the PGA Tour. He is the second Canadian to win this season, joining Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., who won in Mississippi.
2022 CP Women’s Open named LPGA Tournament of the Year at season ending award ceremony
Golf New Brunswick
NAPLES, FLA. (Golf Canada) – The 2022 CP Women’s Open at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club has been named Tournament of the Year by the Tournament Partners of the LPGA.
Tournament organizers from Golf Canada and Canadian Pacific were presented with a prestigious Gold Driver Award during a ceremony held in conjunction with this week’s LPGA Tour season-ending CME Group Tour Championship at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Fla.
Golf Canada and Canadian Pacific also received Gold Driver Awards for Best Community and Charity Engagement, as well as Best Sponsor Activation.
The Tournament Partners of the LPGA (formally Tournament Owners Association) have a long-standing tradition of recognizing best-in-class tournaments with Gold Driver Awards as part of the season-ending event.
“This award is a true reflection of the hard work and collaboration from all groups and stakeholders involved with the CP Women’s Open,” said Tournament Director Ryan Paul. “Thanks to tremendous support from fans, players, volunteers, corporate partners and our host club, the 2022 CP Women’s Open was a resounding success and it is rewarding to be recognized with these significant awards.”
The Best Community and Charity Engagement Award was earned for the CP Has Heart community investment program, which raised $2.5 million in support of the CHEO Foundation and $510,000 for Perth & Smiths Falls District Hospital Foundation – the largest charitable campaign in the history of the CP Women’s Open.
Since CP assumed title sponsorship of the CP Women’s Open in 2014, more than $16 million has been raised to support children’s heart health in Canada. This is the third time in the last four years the awards were handed out that the CP Women’s Open was awarded the Gold Driver for Best Community and Charity Engagement.
The CP Women’s Open earned Best Sponsor Activation for its Hilton on the Green experience – a first-of-its-kind opportunity for Canadian golf fans to stay in a unique, 1-bedroom pop-up hotel room on the 8th hole at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.
Hilton on the Green included a personal concierge, golf cart, gourmet meals including breakfast in bed, exclusive view of the action, as well as world-class service and hospitality from Hilton.
At the 2022 CP Women’s Open in August, South African Paula Reto set the Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club course record (62) en route to besting the LPGA Tour’s best players to capture her first career win on Tour. By doing so, she took home US$352,500 of the US$2.35 million purse.
The 2022 CP Women’s Open in Ottawa was the most attended tournament in event history.
The stars of the LPGA Tour are headed back to Vancouver as next year’s CP Women’s Open will be contested at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club August 28- September 3, 2023.
The championship will mark the sixth time the province of British Columbia has hosted Canada’s Women’s Open Championship, with the last time being 2015 at The Vancouver Golf Club, where Lydia Ko won her third CP Women’s Open title.
TORONTO (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada, in partnership with title sponsor RBC, are pleased to announce select tickets are now available for the 2023 RBC Canadian Open taking place June 5-11 at Oakdale Golf and Country – a Stanley Thompson classic in the heart of Toronto.
CLICK HERE to secure your tickets before they sell out.
Oakdale will challenge the stars of the PGA TOUR as a 7,460-yard composite championship routing that integrates elements from each of the course’s three nines (Thompson, Homenuik, Knudson).
One of Canada’s premier annual sporting events, the RBC Canadian Open features miles of front row seating for golf fans to experience the thrill of live professional golf.
Three ticketing options include:
Any Day Ticket: Access to the RBC Canadian Open on any one day, Monday through Sunday (on-sale for a limited time, while supplies last).
Weekly Grounds Ticket: Access to the full week of the tournament, Monday through Sunday.
1904 Club presented by RBC iShares Weekly Ticket: Access for all four days of Championship play from Thursday through Sunday.
Volunteer, sponsorship and corporate hospitality opportunities are also available. For more information on the 2023 RBC Canadian Open, visit us online at www.rbccanadianopen.com.
Golf New Brunswick (Golf NB) is excited to announce its 2022 Scholarship Recipients.
The annually awarded University Scholarships are provided to deserving members of Golf NB, to be used towards the cost of tuition at any recognized University or College. These awards include the “NBGA 50th Anniversary Scholarship” for male golfers, the “NBLGA 50th Anniversary Scholarship” for female golfers, and the “John Patrick Sears Golf Scholarship” which is open to both genders and is renewable annually.
Chaired by New Brunswick Golf Association (Golf NB) and Golf Canada (RCGA) Past President, Dr. Doug Brewer of the Fredericton Golf Club, the Golf NB Scholarship Committee evaluated applicants on three main awards criteria; Academic Performance, Competitive Golf Experience, and Extracurricular Involvement & Giving Back to the Game of Golf.
Golf NB is pleased to announce the 2022 Golf NB Scholarship Awards Recipients;
To learn more about the Golf NB Scholarship Program, we encourage you to CLICK HERE.
Golf New Brunswick (Golf NB), a not-for-profit organization founded in 1934, is the official governing body for amateur golf in New Brunswick. In January of 2006, the New Brunswick Golf Association (NBGA) officially merged with the New Brunswick Ladies Golf Association (NBLGA), resulting in one united governing body for amateur golf in the province. Programs offered by Golf NB to its 50 partner facilities and over 8,000 individual members include provincial championships, rules of golf education, course rating and handicap services, and junior golf development programs
First Tee celebrates 25 years of empowering youth through golf
Golf New Brunswick
Twenty-five years ago, on November 13, 1997, then-PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem was joined in New York City’s Central Park by representatives from the leading golf organizations – the LPGA, the Masters Tournament, the PGA of America, the PGA TOUR, and the USGA – public officials, including President George H. W. Bush, and golf dignitaries to announce the launch of First Tee.
Since that time, First Tee has grown into a preeminent youth development organization boasting a network of nearly 150 chapters with programs delivered at 1,400 golf courses, 10,000 schools and 1,700 youth centers in all 50 states and in Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, Mexico and Morocco. In 2021, First Tee impacted more than 2.2 million kids and teens. Additionally, more than 10,000 adults are involved each year in support of First Tee’s mission, many of whom have participated in First Tee’s signature positive youth development training.
Under the leadership of Finchem, First Tee was launched as an industrywide initiative to make golf affordable and accessible for all kids. As the first programs were being developed, First Tee began an intentional effort to seamlessly integrate the game of golf with a life skills curriculum, creating a program that empowers youth to build inner strength, self-confidence, and resilience that they can carry to everything they do.
First Tee has been undergoing a modernization effort to stay relevant and connected to kids and teens now and in the future. It refreshed its brand for the first time in 2020 and recently released a robust age-based curriculum update to better position the organization to reach teens and keep kids engaged in the program longer. Technology efforts are also underway to centralize and better support program registration, adult training and onboarding, and tools for coaches. In
2023, the first participant-facing app will launch, providing supplemental digital experiences and gamification for young people in the program. In recent years, the organization also reinvested in its College Scholarship Program, and it touches hundreds of kids each year through national participant events, spanning from the PURE Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach to a five-day DEI-focused academy in Philadelphia.
“Since day one, First Tee has been intentional about reaching young people from diverse backgrounds, and that commitment continues today,” said Greg McLaughlin, First Tee CEO. “Most years, between 40 and 50 percent of participants at chapters are non-Caucasian, and approximately 38% are female. Our network of chapter leaders, coaches, volunteers, board members and donors remain committed to breaking down barriers. And they continue to inspire me as we prepare for the future.”
Throughout this anniversary year, First Tee has highlighted its alumni who’ve gone on to careers in the golf industry and beyond. First Tee’s final alumni feature showcases Ariana Saenz, a former participant at First Tee – Greater Houston, who went on to play collegiate golf at the University of Houston and Texas A&M. Saenz is set to graduate with a master’s degree in human resources later this year and hopes to pursue a career in the golf industry.
“From age seven to 18, I was exposed to a set of morals and life skills at First Tee that poured the foundation for the woman I am today,” said Saenz. “Along the way, I earned a college golf scholarship and went from being a participant to a volunteer who learned the value of giving back to the community and serving others.”
Nov. 16-18, representatives from First Tee’s network of 150 chapters will convene in Dallas for its Network Summit – the first in five years – to celebrate the anniversary and continue building momentum for the future with robust workshops, training and peer-to-peer networking. The Summit is presented by Century Golf Partners and made possible by other corporate partners who stand behind First Tee’s mission.
Canada’s Brooke Henderson plans to play in LPGA season finale despite injured back
CINCINNATI, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 11: Brooke Henderson of Canada looks on from the fifth tee during the final round of the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G at Kenwood Country Club on September 11, 2022 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Golf New Brunswick
NAPLES, Fla. – Canada’s Brooke Henderson is planning to tough it out for the final event of the LPGA Tour season.
Henderson offered no explanation when she withdrew from the Pelican Women’s Championship on Saturday.
But the native of Smiths Falls, Ont., said on Tuesday that it was an upper-back injury.
She issued a statement explaining the withdrawal and saying she planned to rest as much as possible but still compete in the CME Group Tour Championship.
The CME Group Tour Championship starts Thursday at the Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Fla.
Henderson is fourth among money earners on the LPGA Tour and sixth on the world rankings.
The 25-year-old Henderson won twice this season, winning at the ShopRite LPGA Classic on June 12 and then her second career major victory at the Evian Championship on July 24.
Her 12 professional victories are the most by any Canadian golfer.