PINEHURST, N.C. – Canada’s Jaclyn Lee had two immediate feelings when a 10-foot birdie putt dropped on the 144th and final hole of the Q-Series LPGA qualifying tournament on Saturday.

“I feel great; relieved,” the 21-year-old amateur golfer from Calgary said after locking up her tour card for 2019 with an impressive showing at Pinehurst No. 7. “I’m just happy that this process is all over. It’s been a long three weeks.”

Lee and Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City both earned LPGA Tour status after easily finishing in the top 45 – the cutoff for a tour card – in the third and final stage of the Q-Series, which started way back on Oct. 24 at Pinehurst No. 6.

Lee shot 2-under 70 to finish the eight-round tournament in sixth place at 7 under at Pinehurst Course No. 6. The 27-year-old Tanguay wasn’t far off in a tie for eighth at 4 under.

Tanguay – who was on the LPGA Tour this year had to return to qualifying school after missing 10 of 17 cuts – shot 74 on Saturday.

Korea’s Jeongeun Lee won the event with a score of 18 under, one stroke ahead of American amateur Jennifer Kupcho.

Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., did not earn status, finishing in a tie for 51st.

Lee opened the qualifying tournament with a 68 on Oct. 24 to sit atop the leaderboard. The Canadian national amateur team member shot back-to-back 70s in the second and third rounds and again in the sixth.

“It’s definitely the longest tournament I’ve ever played in,” Lee said. “It’s just one round at a time. You can’t really get ahead of yourself, but it’s hard because so many people are cheering you on back home and at school (she attends Ohio State University) and wishing you good luck. For me, it’s just try to stay in present and not get too excited about what’s to come.”

Lee now has a decision to make. She can maintain her amateur status and finish off her NCAA career at Ohio State before joining the tour on July 1, or she can turn pro to open the 2019 LPGA campaign in January.

“I’m really torn between the two,” said Lee, who planned to fly back to Columbus, Ohio on Sunday after a celebration with friends and family in Raleigh, N.C., on Saturday night. “There’s pros and cons to both. I have to make my list.”

“I’ve been working towards this for a long time now and to know that I’ve got my card for next year, it’s really exciting to be able to live out my dream. With all the hard work and energy I’ve put into this sport, it’s really good to know I have this behind me now.”

Lee has had a strong year, reaching the semifinals of the British Amateur and the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur. She also made the cut at the Meijer LPGA Championship.

Lee made it through all three stages of the Q-Series, unlike many of her competitors who got to enter at a later stage.

“I’m proud of progress I’ve had in the past summer,” she said. “I definitely think it’s within my capabilities to compete on tour.”

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – The PGA TOUR announced today that Aaron Wise has been named the 2018 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year, as voted by the TOUR’s membership for the 2017-18 season.

PGA TOUR members who played in at least 15 FedExCup events during the 2017-18 season were eligible to vote. The balloting process ended on October 1.

The 22-year-old resident of Las Vegas earned his first PGA TOUR victory at the AT&T Byron Nelson, becoming the second player in history to win on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada (PGA TOUR-era), Web.com Tour and PGA TOUR, joining Mackenzie Hughes. His win also represented the 500th TOUR win by a Web.com Tour graduate.

“On behalf of the PGA TOUR, our congratulations to Aaron Wise on being voted PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “For Aaron to have won on the PGA TOUR, the Web.com Tour and Mackenzie Tour before the age of 22 is remarkable, and qualifying for the TOUR Championship as a rookie proved there is no stage too big for him.”

One of eight rookies to qualify for the 2018 FedExCup Playoffs, Wise was the only one to advance to the season-ending TOUR Championship, finishing No. 24 in the FedExCup. In the 12 seasons of the FedExCup, 12 rookies have advanced to the TOUR Championship, with 10 subsequently being named Rookie of the Year.

For the season, Wise collected four top-10s in 29 starts, highlighted by his win at the AT&T Byron Nelson and a runner-up at the Wells Fargo Championship. In the FedExCup Playoffs, Wise tied for fifth at THE NORTHERN TRUST and earned two additional top-20s.

The University of Oregon product is the first player from a Pac-12 Conference school to win the PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year award since Tiger Woods in 1996.

Wise was one of three rookie winners in 2017-18, including Austin Cook and Japan’s Satoshi Kodaira.

He was selected for the honour over Cook and Kodaira, as well as Keith Mitchell and Joaquin Niemann.

This week at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas marks the tour debut for the next generation Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls, available to players for the first time to play in competition. Over the next three days of practice rounds at TPC Summerlin, members of the Titleist Golf Ball R&D team will be busy testing these final Pro V1 and Pro V1x prototypes with players and fitting them into the model that helps them play their best.

Over the years, Titleist’s tour seeding and validation process for new Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls has become a holiday of sorts held biennially at the PGA TOUR’s Las Vegas stop, with players arriving to their lockers to find the prototypes in their signature white boxes and sleeves. It was at TPC Summerlin in 2000 that the original Pro V1 prototype was first introduced with 47 players immediately making the switch, including eventual winner Billy Andrade, a historic shift in equipment usage for a single tour event.

This process, which also signals the near conclusion of Titleist’s rigorous two-year golf ball development cycle, continues to be critical step in providing golfers with the best performing golf balls in the game. Earning final validation from the best players in the world ensures that new products are faithful to the Titleist brand promise of innovation, performance, consistency and quality excellence.

PINEHURST, N.C. – It was the start the Canadian LPGA hopefuls were looking for in the newly revamped LPGA Q-Series segment.

Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee leads the way with sole possession of second place through the opening four rounds of play at 9 under par (68-70-70-71). The Team Canada National Amateur Squad athlete is one of 11 amateurs in the field—four of which are inside the top 10. Among them is top-ranked female and 2017 Canadian Women’s Amateur Champion Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster, Colo.

Fellow Canadian Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City also holds strong positioning at Pinehurst Resort, sitting in solo 10th at 4 under par.

Maude-Aimée LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que., is tied for 60th at 9 over.

The 102-player field is in pursuit of the leading Klara Spilkova of Czech Republic. Approximately 45 spots are up for grabs for the 2019 LPGA Tour campaign.

Great first week at #QSeries for @JaclynLee57 and @ACTanguay ! Proud !?? Rest up ????

— Alena Sharp (@AlenaSharp) October 28, 2018

The second week of action will resume from Oct. 31 – Nov. 3 at Pinehurst No. 7.

I haven’t seen No. 7 yet, but I heard that it’s a good course as well. It’s not that we’re starting over next week, but I’m going to kind of view it as starting from day one again,” said Lee, a senior at Ohio State. “I’m excited to go play that course tomorrow and have a good week.”

The field will be 102 players and there will be approximately 45 spots up for grabs for the 2019 season.

Click here for scoring.

PINEHURST, N.C. – Three Canadians are competing at the LPGA’s revamped Qualifying Tournament, which gets underway Oct. 24 at Pinehurst Resort and concludes Nov. 3, where 45 players earning LPGA Tour status for the 2019 season.

What Canadians are competing?

Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que., Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City and Team Canada National Amateur Squad member Jaclyn Lee of Calgary.

What is Q-Series?

One of the biggest changes coming to the LPGA in 2018 is the revamping of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament, the process whereby players from Canada and and all over the world compete to earn membership onto the LPGA.

Formerly, qualifying was a three-step process, where non-members generally start at Stage I in California. The top 80 and ties advanced from Stage II to Final Stage, where the top 20 earned what is considered “full” LPGA membership, while finishers 21 through 45 earn “partial” or “conditional” LPGA membership.

What’s Staying the Same?

Stage I and Stage II of LPGA Qualifying Tournament remain unchanged. Recent college graduates, those testing the waters early and the influx of players around the world hoping to reach the LPGA will still have to grind through the five-round gauntlet that is Stage I, which some consider the hardest because of the pressure and the 115–degree summer temps in the desert.

What’s Changing?

Instead of Stage II feeding into Final Stage, it feed into the Symetra Tour, for the most part. There will be some exceptions where top finishers at Stage II will qualify for the Q-Series.

Final Stage in Daytona Beach will be replaced by this new concept called the Q-Series, which begins this week. It consists of two weeks of golf, with eight days of tournament play on two separate golf courses at Pinehurst Resort, and scores will be cumulative over the eight rounds of competition.

Who Qualifies for the Q-Series?

The major goal of the Q-Series is to identify the most LPGA-ready talent. In the past, Final Stage was at one golf club, played over five rounds. Someone could have a bad week or catch the flu or experience the yips on the greens. It’s a roll of the dice. One tournament over five rounds doesn’t adequately provide the best glimpse at who should be on the LPGA.

That’s where Q-Series helps identify the top performers. Players that finish No. 101 to 150 on the LPGA money list during the current season will qualify, along with those that finish No. 11 through 30 on the Symetra Tour money list. Players in the top 75 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings will also qualify for Q-Series.

Additionally, the top five players according to Golfweek’s Collegiate Rankings will also skip Stages I and II and right into the Q-Series.

Finally, the top finishers from Stage II will round out the field.

The field will be 102 players and there will be approximately 45 spots up for grabs for the 2019 season. Click here for scoring.

MEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Laurent Desmarchais gained 186 spots in the world rankings after taking individual honours at the PING CCAA National Championship. It was the second consecutive victory in as many tournaments for the Quebec golfer who also earned tournament all-star honours. The result also moved him up to No. 7 in the Canadian rankings.

Myles Creighton  and Golf Canada National Team member Joey Savoie were the only other Top 10 golfers to make any positive gains this past week, picking up 19 and six places respectively in the world rankings.

Biggest move: Michael Harrison of Camrose, AB, gained 856 spots in the world rankings following a sixth place finish at the PING CCAA National Championship.

WOMEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Jaclyn Lee begins her second week atop the amateur rankings by picking up two places in the world rankings as she continues her quest at LPGA Q-School. The Golf Canada National Team member from Calgary has advanced through to the final stage, where the top 45 players will earn LPGA status for 2019.

After relinquishing the top amateur ranking in Canada last week, Golf Canada National Team member Maddie Szeryk falls off the amateur world rankings table following completion of the second stage of LPGA Q-School. While Szeryk failed to advance to the final stage, she has earned status on the Symetra Tour for 2019.

Szeryk’s departure means Tiffany Kong makes her Top 10 debut, taking over the No. 10 amateur ranking in Canada.

Biggest Move: Emily Romancew of Pierrefonds, QC., gained 363 spots in the world rankings after taking the individual title at the PING CCAA National Championship.

Click here for the full World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR)

MEN’S TOP 10

Adam Hadwin picked up three places in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 10th at The CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges. The result was his first points-paying finish of the new season and was worth 6.75 world ranking points, leaving him at No. 60 in the world which is where he ended the year last year.

Other notable results: No. 6 Austin Connelly missed the cut at the European Tour Andalucia Valderrama Masters;

Click here for the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR)

WOMEN’S TOP 10

No. 5 ranked Maude-Aimee Leblanc was the only player inside the Top 10 to make a positive gain in the world rankings, picking up three places.

Top ranked Brooke Henderson finished in a tie for 26th at the Buick LPGA Shanghai. That result was worth 2.31 world ranking points and enabled her to maintain her No. 8 world ranking. Henderson has now picked up world ranking points in each of her last 12 tournaments.

Click here for the Rolex Women’s Golf Rankings.

VENICE, Fla. – Canada’s top-ranked amateur golfer is making waves alongside this year’s LPGA hopefuls at Qualifying School.

Jacyln Lee, a five-year member of Team Canada’s National Squad program, advanced through the second stage of qualifying on Thursday at the Plantation Golf & Country Club. The 21-year-old Ohio State senior closed the 72-hole event at 3 under par (70-73-70-72) in a tie for 13th place.

With the finish, Lee is one of 25 to advance to Q-series stage from Oct. 22 – Nov. 3 at Pinehurst. Approximately 45 players will earn LPGA status.

Fellow Team Canada member Maddie Szeryk fell just short of the even-par cut line, finishing at 2 over par (75-73-72-70).

Excited to share that I’ve made it through to LPGA Q-Series!

Thanks to everyone who’s has been following along this past week. It means a lot to have your support! I’m ready for a fun week in Pinehurst ?

— Jaclyn Lee (@JaclynLee57) October 18, 2018

Click here for full scoring.

VENICE, Fla. — With the Symetra Tour season in the books and the LPGA Tour on its Asian swing, the remainder of eyes in the women’s golf world shift to the Sunshine State for Stage II of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament from Oct. 15-18.

A field of 193 players is set to compete in southwest Florida on the Panther Course and Bobcat Course at Plantation Golf & Country Club.

“The journey continues for those hoping to secure a LPGA card through Q-School,” said Mike Nichols, the Chief Business Officer of the Symetra Tour. “After graduating the top-10 players in the Volvik Race for the Card, it is an exciting time to not only usher the next wave to the big stage, but see who will join them in the relentless pursuit of their dreams.”

Individuals will battle in a 72-hole stroke play format featuring no cut.

Furthermore, a minimum of the top-25 players and ties will advance to Q-Series, contested from Oct. 22 through Nov. 3 in Pinehurst, N.C. at Pinehurst Resort. Those at the next score, or scores, will also advance provided that the total number of players in Q-Series does not exceed 108, which currently has 62 exempt and entered competitors.

Action begins at 8 a.m. ET all four days with the rotation of Bobcat Course-Panther Course to be used for the first two rounds. Meanwhile, the entire field will be re-paired by score and divided in half for round three, with lower scores playing the Panther Course and higher scores playing the Bobcat Course. Ties will be broken by the lowest, most recent round to determine which course an individual will play for the third round.

In the fourth round, players will alternate the course played in round three and be re-paired by score. For example, if a player starts the third round on the Bobcat Course, she will be re-paired by score and play the Panther Course for the fourth round.

Eight Canadians are in the field, including Aram Choi of Surrey, B.C., Krista Fenniak of For McMurray, Alta., Hannah Hellyer of Stirling, Ont., Jaclyn Lee of Team Canada who hails from Calgary, Megan Osland and Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., Team Canada Maddie Szyeryk of London, Ont., as well as Elizabeth Tong of Thornhill, Ont.

Click here for scoring.

SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France – Payback belongs to Europe, and so does the Ryder Cup.

Two years after the Americans thought they had their Ryder Cup problems figured out, Europe reminded them Sunday why it practically has owned this shiny gold trophy for the last quarter-century.

British Open champion Francesco Molinari was just as good on his own as he was with Tommy Fleetwood. The best year of the Italian’s golfing life got even better at Le Golf National when he became the first European – and only second player since the current format began in 1979 – to win all five of his matches.

The last one set off a wild, champagne-soaked celebration.

Europe already was assured the 14 1/2 points it needed because they were guaranteed halves in two matches. Molinari made it official. He was 2 up and safely on the green at the par-3 16th green when Phil Mickelson hit into the water, removed his cap and conceded the match.

The finish was most appropriate.

The celebration and singing had already begun. The Europeans were treated like rock stars before more than 50,000 fans. All that remained was Alex Noren in the anchor match. He was 1 up on the 18th hole when DeChambeau stuffed his approach to 2 feet for a conceded birdie. Noren hit the final shot in this Ryder Cup, a 40-foot birdie putt to win the match, and the stoic Swede hurled his cap.

Europe won, 17 1/2-10 1/2, the most lopsided victory since consecutive 18 1/2-9 1/2 victories by Europe more than a decade ago when the Americans looked utterly lost. They formed a Ryder Cup Task Force, spearheaded by Mickelson, after the 2014 loss. The idea was to build continuity and momentum, and it seemed to work when they won at Hazeltine in 2016.

Now, maybe it’s back to the drawing board.

Mickelson was desperate to make this team because the 48-year-old saw it as his last chance to win a Ryder Cup on European soil. He wound up losing both his matches. He started the week by setting a record with his 12th Ryder Cup appearance. He ended it by setting a more dubious Ryder Cup record with 22 losses.

He wasn’t alone. Tiger Woods went 0-4, the first time in his eight Ryder Cups that he failed to contribute a single point.

But this was more about the Europeans as a team, and they were tougher than ever on a course they know well.

“This team has been incredible from the start,” Molinari said. “We were determined to do the job. Nothing was going to stop us. And you saw it on the course.”

Trailing 10-6 going into the final day of singles, the Americans needed to put red points on the board early to build momentum. It never happened. Justin Thomas won the leadoff match over Rory McIlroy, but not until the 18th hole.

Webb Simpson and Tony Finau, the lone bright spot among the wild-card picks for U.S. captain Jim Furyk, won easily. Behind them, Woods was hanging tough against Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson started to pull ahead of Ian Poulter.

“There’s always a moment where it looks like a spark of light,” Furyk said. “When it was there for us, Europe played really well.”

It wasn’t there long.

Rahm won two straight holes with pars to seize control. Johnson went from 1 up to 2 down in a four-hole stretch that ended his chances.

Rahm dropped his putter after making a 5-foot birdie on the 17th hole as Woods stood to the side of the green, arms crossed. One week ago, he overcame four back surgeries to win for the 80th time on the Tour Championship, a signal that he was all the way back.

And then at the Ryder Cup, it was another result with which he is far too familiar. Woods has played on only one winning team in 1999.

“It’s disappointing because I went 0-4, and that’s four points to the European team,” he said. “And I’m one of the contributing factors to why we lost the cup, and it’s not a lot of fun. It’s frustrating because I thought we were all playing pretty well, and I just didn’t perform at the level that I had been playing, and just got behind early in the matches and never got back.”

Thorbjorn Olesen, who had played only one match the previous two days, went 5 up at the turn over Jordan Spieth and won in 14 holes. Spieth is now 0-6 in singles matches in the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup.

Sergio Garcia was in tears.

He played so poorly this year that he failed to qualify for the PGA Tour’s post-season. Thomas Bjorn picked him anyway, saying he was like the captain of a football team. Garcia showed why by going 3-1. That final victory over Rickie Fowler made Garcia the biggest contributor in Ryder Cup history with 25 1/2 points.

But this was more about team, and about redemption, even for a team that now has won nine of the last 12 times.

“We took a really tough loss at Hazeltine a couple of years ago and that stung,” McIlroy said. “That was my first experience of what it feels like to be on the other side, so coming in here, obviously none of us want to feel like Sunday afternoon.”