ANCASTER, Ont. – Now that Mackenzie Hughes is a two-time winner of the Rivermead Cup as low Canadian at the RBC Canadian Open, he’s looking for a bigger prize this week.

The Dundas, Ont., golfer, who will tee it up about 10 minutes away from where he grew up starting Thursday at the Hamilton Golf & Country Club, is one of 26 Canadians looking to end one of those most prominent droughts in sport in this country.

“Being the low Canadian has been nice the last couple of years, but I certainly come here hoping to get a different kind of trophy,” Hughes said at a news conference Tuesday. “I know it’s a big ask and we only get one crack at the Canadian Open every year, but I feel like I’ve been trending in the right direction. Especially at this tournament the last couple years, I’ve been playing well. It’s just a matter of putting it all together for four rounds.”

Pat Fletcher was the most recent Canadian to win the event in 1954 – and the pressure only intensifies for Canucks with each passing year.

But Brooke Henderson managed to end another lengthy golf drought last year, becoming the first Canadian since 1973 to win an LPGA Tour at home as she captured the CP Women’s Open in Regina.

With eight Canadians seeing fairly regular time on the PGA Tour this season and many more getting their shot on the top circuit this week, there are plenty of opportunities for the host country.

Hometown fan favourite @machughesgolf chats #golf ahead of this week’s #RBCCO ??⛳️ pic.twitter.com/4Drwvn3Lfz

— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) June 4, 2019

Hughes figures to have some of the most vocal support. He tied for eighth last year at Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ont., the best result for a Canadian since David Hearn was third in 2015. Hughes also was low Canadian in 2017 at Glen Abbey, tying for 32nd.

The 28-year-old is coming off a tie for eighth at the Charles Schwab Classic and just missed his second career PGA Tour win earlier this year in the Dominican Republic, settling for a tie for second.

“I think there’s an advantage for sure (playing close to home),” Hughes said. “I’ve got some comfort and familiarity walking around the property knowing certain holes and how they play in different winds. Granted, it’s been a long time, but I still have the rounds logged here to know this place pretty well.”

Hughes made his PGA Tour debut at the Hamilton course in 2012, shooting 1-over 71 in both rounds and missing the cut.

“I didn’t know what to expect back then,” he said. “It was my first PGA Tour event and it was a little more deer in the headlights than it is now. Now, I feel quite comfortable and ready to play golf rather than just get caught up in all the distractions.”

Hughes knows he’ll see many familiar faces at the course – he ran into his Grade 6 teacher this week. He’s embracing the attention.

“I’ve been through this now the last few years. definitely the last two,” Hughes said. “When I came here in 2017, I had won the (PGA Tour’s RSM Classic) the prior fall. I had a bit of experience dealing with extra requests. It’s all part of playing in you’re home country, especially when you’re playing close to home. I don’t think it really takes too much energy out of you. It’s just about managing your time and making sure you need to get what you need to get it done.”

After a pro-am event Wednesday, the first round of the 72-hole tournament is Thursday.

Marquee groupings for the first two rounds include a trio of Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., with Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald, a threesome featuring Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., with previousCanadian Open winners Dustin Johnson and Jim Furyk and an all-Canadian trio of Mike Weir, Nick Taylor and David Hearn.

Four of the top six golfers in the world rankings are in the event this year – No. 1 Brooks Koepka, No. 2 Johnson, No. 4 Rory McIlroy and No. 6 Justin Thomas.

Deadline for application is June 30

Apply now

Value & Availability 

• $7,500
• Two Scholarships Available

Peter Campbell from Baddeck Nova Scotia fired a 68 (-4) at the Mission Inn Golf Resort in Orlando to win a regional qualifier for the U.S. Open Championship on Thursday, May 2.

Peter will now advance to the sectional qualifier on June 3 at Old Oak Country Club & the Century Country Club in Westchester, New York.

Campbell made history last summer when he became the first Nova Scotian to win on a PGA Tour in China. He won the Beijing Open in July 2018 and is currently a member of the PGA Tour China. He is currently 47th on the Order of Merit with ￥28160 in earnings this year. He has made three cuts in three starts in 2019.

To follow Peter on the PGA Tour China please CLICK HERE

On Saturday afternoons this past winter, while many Nova Scotians were just dreaming of golf, a group of dedicated young players were hard at work on their games.

There was stretching, weight work and, of course, hitting lots and lots of balls.

Such was the so-called “off-season” for the Nova Scotia Golf Association’s provincial junior team.

“The players put in a lot of effort during the off-season to prepare for the upcoming season,” says Jeff MacDonald, the NSGA’s head provincial coach.

“They work hard with the TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) exercises, the mental skills and the technical aspects of their game. Their competitive season begins in May and is over by mid-August so we do everything possible to have them game ready for the start of the tournament season.”

MacDonald, who also serves as head teaching professional at Ashburn Golf Club, was named head provincial coach in 2013. The team targets the top junior players in the province for specialized training and instruction throughout the year.

The team is selected each fall for the next year’s season based on the previous year’s play. MacDonald uses Golf Canada’s order of merit, as well as scoring average and head-to-head results to select the top eight to 12 young players.

“I try to look at each year and figure out the number based on an elite group – how many are going to fit into that elite group,” MacDonald says.

That means the size of the team could change each year. This year there are three girls on the team while in 2018 there were five. “It’s not an exact science.”

MacDonald is proud of the success of the program to date.

“Since 2013, the majority of players who have graduated through the program – have gone right through – have gone on to play college golf in either the U.S. or Canada,” he says.

He’s especially proud of the girls who have gone through the program, like Chester’s Allison Chandler, as well as sisters Megan and Heather McLean.

“What impresses me most about them is that they are all playing (NCAA) Division 1 college golf and they are all No. 1 or No. 2 players on their team.”

“They’re really contributing, they’re not just there,” he says.

“We have such a small number of girls who play in Nova Scotia, but the ones that do and compete tend to do quite well.”

Golf fans need not look far to see the program is succeeding and producing champions. Last season Heather McLean and former team member Shaun Margeson of Oakfield won both their junior and amateur championships. It’s the first time the same junior girl and boy won both events in the same year.

This team success on the course is the result of a strong team off the course. While MacDonald handles the instruction, Dr. Lori Dithurbide works with the players on the mental side of the game and Dr. Emily Wiggin handles the physical preparation through the TPI program.

Dithurbide is a faculty member at Dalhousie University’s School of Health and Human Performance (Kinesiology) and was a mental performance consultant to Team Canada and the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Wiggin works with the junior team as chiropractor and sport science consultant, and trained under elite medical, fitness and golf professionals in Carlsbad, Calif., to obtain her TPI certification.

Golf Canada is proud to celebrate the 66 adoptions that occurred during Adopt a School Week thanks to the efforts of golf enthusiasts and industry partners across the country.

In total, the figure translates to an additional 7,920 students being introduced to the sport through the Future Links, driven by Acura Golf in Schools program. The coast-to-coast campaign was elevated by support from Canadian industry partners—the Provincial Associations, PGA of Canada, the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA), Canadian Society of Club Managers and Canadian Golf Superintendents Association.

A matching program for the first 30 adoptions was made possible by the Canadian Seniors Golf Association, who continue to be a leader in supporting Adopt a School Week. In the campaign’s four years of running, the CSGA has helped to adopt over 100 schools in Canadian communities from coast-to-coast.

Since the program’s inception in 2009, adoptions have accounted for close to 50% of over 3,800 registered schools delivering the curriculum. For Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s chief sport officer, that number presents a great opportunity to build community relationships.

“The vision is to help establish a connection between golf facilities and schools in respective communities across Canada through the Golf in Schools program,” said Thompson. “Nurturing these relationships will enhance the delivery of the program and build a connection that will last for many years to come.”

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT GOLF IN SCHOOLS.