CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – Today, International Team Captain Trevor Immelman announced his four captain’s assistants for the 2022 Presidents Cup: Canada’s Mike Weir, Korea’s K.J. Choi, Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy, and Colombia’s Camilo Villegas. The foursome will join Immelman at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, Sept. 20-25.

Weir will make his third appearance as captain’s assistant after serving for Price at the 2017 Presidents Cup and in 2019 for Els. The Canadian has competed in five Presidents Cups (2000, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009) and was teammates with Immelman in 2005 and 2007. An eight-time PGA TOUR winner, Weir is 13-9-2 all-time at the Presidents Cup and one of five International Team members with 10 or more match wins in competition.

“In addition to being captain’s assistants together in 2019 at Royal Melbourne, I have had the pleasure of being teammates with Mike on two occasions, as well as playing together on TOUR for many years,” Immelman said.

“The history we share gives me complete confidence in stating that few people work harder than Mike. I can’t wait to see the impact he makes in those pivotal moments when leadership and tenacity are needed during the week.”

Trevor Immelman

In 2007, the Presidents Cup was staged in Canada for the first time, with Weir delivering a 3-1-1 record highlighted by a 1-up victory over Tiger Woods in Singles. Weir won eight times on the PGA TOUR, including the 2003 Masters – one of three victories collected that season. The 51-year-old currently competes on PGA TOUR Champions, where he notched his first victory at the 2021 Insperity Invitational.

“When I think of highlights in my career that really stand out to me, the Presidents Cup always makes the top of the list,” Weir said. “The comradery that continues to grow within this team is irreplaceable. We can all sense the momentum that is building, and it’s been exciting to see Trevor’s incredible dedication and focus on his role. I can’t wait to see what tournament week holds for us and to be a part of the 2022 team.”

The 2022 Presidents Cup will be held at Quail Hollow Club, September 20-25. For more information about the Presidents Cup, or to purchase tickets, please visit PresidentsCup.com. 

Following his victory at Augusta on Sunday, 2022 Masters Champion Scottie Scheffler said a few words that have hit a chord with many people around the world, including Canadian star Brooke Henderson.

“We talked about that God is in control and that the Lord is leading me. And if today is my time, then it’s my time,” said the 25 year old.

While Henderson couldn’t watch the final moments at Augusta National on Sunday, she was able to catch Scheffler’s post-win press conference and was taken with his eloquent words about how a big win will – or won’t – affect you as a human being.

“What an amazing champion and what a year he’s had so far,” said Henderson. “I just really loved a lot of the things he had to say and how he approached the Sunday after feeling not his best in the morning time. I really learned a lot actually, so that was pretty cool.”

Henderson certainly knows victory. The 24-year-old has 10 LPGA Tour wins, making her the winningest professional golfer, male or female, in Canadian history. Two of her victories came in Hawaii, with Henderson taking consecutive LOTTE titles in 2018 and 2019. Henderson has never finished worse than 27th at the LOTTE Championship and the mere mention of Hawaii brought a big smile to her face.

“I just really loved a lot of the things he had to say and how he approached the Sunday after feeling not his best in the morning time."@BrookeHenderson said she learned a lot from #themasters champion Scottie Scheffler ahead of the @LPGALOTTE.

READ ⬇️ https://t.co/XlsMSZfXvj

— LPGA (@LPGA) April 12, 2022

“I love coming back to Hawaii. It’s just beautiful everywhere. The surroundings, the ocean, the mountains, the flowers, people are so kind and nice,” said Henderson. “It’s just a great atmosphere and I just always enjoy spending time here. Obviously won here twice, so many great memories. I love that trophy.”

Henderson’s recent play certainly makes her a contender for a third LOTTE title this week. Since missing the cut at the Meijer LPGA Classic in June 2021, she has finished in the top 40 for 18 straight tournaments. Her 2022 schedule features six starts with six top-15 finishes, highlighted by a solo second at the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. 

Both Henderson and Scheffler are scheduled to play on Canadian soil this summer at Golf Canada’s National Open Championships. Henderson will compete in the CP Women’s Open taking place August 22-28, 2022 (tickets here), and Scheffler will participate in the RBC Canadian Open from June 6-12, 2022 (tickets here).

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) – That new No. 1 ranking for Scottie Scheffler looks even better in a Masters green jacket.

Two months after Scheffler finally broke through for his first PGA Tour victory, he capped off a most incredible 56-day stretch by making his fourth win the biggest of them all, the Masters by three shots over Rory McIlroy for his first major.

Even as a junior, he was wearing long pants in stifling Texas heat because he wanted to look the part of a tour pro he always wanted to be. Winning the Masters was beyond his hopes.

“I never made it this far. It was just a dream of being here and competing,” Scheffler said in Butler Cabin, moments before Hideki Matsuyama helped him into the green jacket. “I can’t put into words what it means that I’ll be able to come back here for a lifetime.”

Green looks good on you Scottie!

Congrats champ – see you in June ⛳️?? pic.twitter.com/rVsf4bUFX2

— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) April 10, 2022

The only stumble came at the end when Scheffler needed four putts from 40 feet before he could claim his first major, and that only mattered in the record book.

He closed with a 1-under 71 for a three-shot victory over McIlroy, who holed out from the bunker on the final hole for a record-tying final round of 64. McIlroy could only hope that Sunday pressure at Augusta National might get to Scheffler.

No chance. Not on Sunday. Not the last four days. Not the last two months.

“You get on those hot streaks, and you just got to ride them out because they, unfortunately, don’t last forever,” Justin Thomas said. “But he is doing it in the biggest tournaments. … It’s really, really impressive to see someone that young handle a moment this big so easily.”

The Sunday theater, thrilling and tragic, belonged to everyone else. Scheffler overcame a nervy moment early in the round by chipping in for birdie. He delivered key putts to keep Cameron Smith at bay and never looked rattled, even as he was swatting at short putts at the end.

We are thrilled to announce that 3-time @PGATOUR winner & new world no. 1 Scottie Scheffler will make his RBC Canadian Open debut June 6-12 @StGeorgesGCC #SummersOpen ⛳️??

➡️ https://t.co/87fgPXPFbB pic.twitter.com/TRHTZLzO1Y

— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) March 29, 2022

McIlroy was the runner-up. It was Smith who felt as though he let one get away. The Aussie was still in the game, three shots out of the lead, when he dumped his 9-iron in Rae’s Creek on the par-3 12th hole for triple bogey and ended his hopes.

“Just a really bad swing at the wrong time,” Smith said.

Smith closed with a 73 and tied for third with Shane Lowry, who birdied the 18th for a 69.

Scheffler joined Ian Woosnam in 1991 as the only players to win a major – the Masters in both cases – in their debut at No. 1 in the world.

Everyone should have seen this coming. He won the Phoenix Open in a playoff on Super Bowl Sunday. He followed that with a comeback win at Bay Hill to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He rose to No. 1 in the world by winning the Match Play two weeks ago in Texas.

And now this.

Scheffler, who finished at 10-under 278, won $2.7 million from the $15 million prize fund. That brings his total to $8,872,200 over his last six starts.

Scheffler’s big moment came early in the round, and it was no less significant.

Starting the final round with a three-shot lead, he watched Smith open with two straight birdies to the cut the deficit to one, and then Scheffler’s approach from the pine needles left of the third fairway came up short and rolled back down the slope.

His pitch was racing toward the hole when it banged into the pin and dropped for an unlikely birdie, and a two-shot swing when Smith from the same position made bogey.

No one got closer than three the rest of the way. Only the contenders changed.

The 12th hole remains the most riveting par 3 in golf, the scene of more collapses than comebacks. Smith became the latest victim.

Coming off birdie at No. 11, his shot was still in the air when he let his club slip through his hands and he slowly closed his eyes twice as it splashed into Rae’s Creek. The next shot wasn’t much better, but at least dry, and Smith’s hopes ended there with a triple bogey.

He was three behind standing on the 12th tee. Three holes later, he was eight back.

From there, any hope resided with McIlroy. All he needed to complete the career Grand Slam was to match the best final round in Masters history and get some help from Scheffler. He only got one of those and had to settle for his first silver medal from Augusta.

Not that he didn’t create some Sunday magic. McIlroy went bunker-to-bunker on the 18th hole, leaving himself right of the green and aiming some 25 feet right of the flag. It rode the slope all the way into the hole, setting off one of the loudest roars of the week.

Morikawa followed him in from the same bunker, different angle, and McIlroy could only laugh.

“This tournament never ceases to amaze,” McIlroy said. “That’s as happy as I’ve ever been on a golf course right there. Just having a chance – and then with Collin, we both played so well all day – and for both of us to finish like this, I was just so happy for him, too.

“I’ve never heard roars like on the 18th green.”

The best ones were saved for Scheffler.

Scheffler still had five holes in front of him, with no evidence he was going to be anything but the smooth, smart operator who seized control on Friday in the toughest conditions to build a five-shot lead and never lost it–

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Tiger Woods still held out a faint ray of hope as he peered into the future after his second round and reminded everyone that the old adage is true – the Masters really doesn’t start until the back nine on Sunday.

Unfortunately for Woods, his Masters chances ended on a Saturday when his putter went cold and he shot his worst score ever in a tournament he’s won five times. Woods will tee off in the final round with no shot of winning, though just making an appearance this week might have been his biggest win of all.

With Scottie Scheffler, the hottest player in golf, carrying a three-shot lead into the final round, the question now becomes this: Will the back nine even matter on Sunday?

History suggests it will, largely because the ghosts of Masters past tend to always show up at the wrong time. The tournament is littered with guys who have failed on the final nine, with collapses so great some never really recovered.

If Scheffler needed any reminder, he found it about the same time he found his Titleist buried deep under a tree on the 18th hole Saturday.

What was a comfortable four-shot lead became three, just like that. It could have been even worse – should have been even worse – but Scheffler somehow found a way to make a bogey for a 1-under 71 that still left him in command.

It’s a lead that could hold. It’s a lead that should hold.

At least until the back nine on Sunday, of course. Then all bets are off.

Just ask Cameron Smith, the young Australian he’ll be playing alongside who can’t wait to get the match going.

“I think the back nine tomorrow is obviously where the tournament will be decided,” Smith said. “Typically, there’s plenty of pins in bowls, and, yeah, you can give yourself plenty of looks if you’re hitting it good.”

On the flip side, you can find plenty of trouble if you’re not. Rory McIlroy kicked away a Masters he was leading in 2011 when he yanked his tee shot on No. 10 into the cabins left of the trees and made triple bogey. He went on to four-putt the 12th hole and shoot an 80 that still seems to haunt him after all these years.

Jordan Spieth had a five-shot lead entering the back nine in 2016 and seemed on his way to a second straight green jacket before opening with consecutive bogeys and then hitting two balls into Rae’s creek on his way to a quadruple bogey on No. 12 that opened the way for little known Englishman Danny Willett to win.

Even Arnold Palmer wasn’t exempt from back nine misery, making double bogey on the 18th hole to lose the lead and the tournament to Gary Player in 1961.

And it doesn’t take a golf historian to remember Greg Norman’s epic meltdown in 1996 that was so bad he refused to talk about it for years.

“I am a winner at life, I’m not a loser,” Norman said afterward. “And I’ll wake up tomorrow. Still breathing I hope.”

The magnitude of the Masters sometimes overwhelms even the best. Thoughts wander to how winning the green jacket will feel, before the green jacket is won.

And while Scheffler seems unflappable, he’s never slept Saturday night with a Masters lead.

“Probably the most nervous nights I’ve had and the most nervous rounds I’ve had are on leads,” Justin Thomas said.

What looked like a runaway for the world’s No. 1 player most of the day Saturday became more of a two-man race when Smith shot the best round of the day, a 4-under 68, then waited to see how high of a mountain he still needed to climb. Scheffler responded with a good score of his own on a cold and windy day, but he won’t go into Sunday with the same five-shot lead he began the weekend with.

His plan for the evening at home before the biggest day of his 25-year-old life? Watching some old episodes of “The Office” with his wife, laughing a bit and having a good dinner.

Nothing complicated, but so far it’s worked. Scheffler won for the first time in Phoenix this year and has won twice since, giving him a three wins in just his last five starts.

“Being in contention is what’s fun, so being in the lead is fun,” he said. “When I’m in the lead, I’m trying to stay in the lead and not really overthink things; just go out there and play golf.”

That might be good enough to give Scheffler the green jacket and cap a remarkable streak that golf hasn’t seen in a long time. It might be enough to make things easier as he stands on the tenth tee with all the history that surrounds it.

Corey Conners leads the way for the Canadians in a tie for sixth at 1 under par, eight strokes back of Scheffler.

Tune in Sunday to find out on the back nine, where the Masters really begins.

Corey Conners has been in contention at the Masters for the past three years now.

Conners, from Listowel, Ont., was one of three Canadians competing at Augusta National Golf Club starting on Thursday. He tied for 10th at the event in 2020 and then tied for eighth last year.

In 2022, Conners closed in a tie for sixth at 3 under par overall. He finished seven strokes behind champion Scottie Scheffler, who has committed to play in this year’s RBC Canadian Open in June.

What a week! Shoutout to Corey, Mac and Mike ????#themasters pic.twitter.com/9x5URfEfiL

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) April 10, 2022

Conners finished in a tie for 46th in 2019, his first time playing at the Masters as a professional, his rookie season on the PGA Tour.

He’s come a long way since then.

A 5-under 67 on Sunday helped Conners tie for 35th the Valero Texas Open and hold on to the 32nd spot on the world golf rankings for a second straight week, matching a career best.

It was the latest in a month of solid play on the PGA Tour, including a tie for 11th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on March 6, a tie for 26th at the Players’ Championship on March 13 and a third-place finish at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play on March 27.

Lock it in ?

Another top 10 at #themasters for Corey Conners ?? pic.twitter.com/y0jDVDBeKX

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) April 10, 2022

His “worst” performance this season was a tie for 40th at the Shriners Children’s Open on Oct. 10, when he was 10-under par overall.

“I am just a regular guy from a small town in Canada,” said Conners. “I have had some good results, but I feel like there’s still a lot more that I’m able to achieve or that I can achieve.

“So I’m going to keep working hard and see where it takes me but never get too far ahead of myself and try not to let my head swell up too big.”

Conners played a practice round with Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., and Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., at Augusta on Tuesday.

The 30-year-old Conners said that watching Weir’s win nearly two decades ago is one of his favourite memories as a fan of the sport.

“I was so nervous watching, (Weir) probably felt more comfortable than I did,” said Conners. “I always remember back to that moment, seeing him win, and watching every single year from then on.

“When the Masters is on it also kind of signalled that Canadian golf season was about to get started pretty soon.”

Some of the most anticipated videos that emerge from Augusta National Golf Club each year are those from the par-3 16th. While there have been plenty of hole-in-one efforts during the tournament itself, as many know, it’s the pre-tournament skips across the water that really make people smile. 

But did you know that skipping a ball across the pond on 16 was started by a Canadian? 

Gary Cowan, the reigning U.S. Amateur champion at the 1972 Masters Tournament, did it for the first time. It happened in front of Ben Crenshaw, who would go on to win two Green Jackets. 

“Ben couldn’t believe what I was doing,” Cowan told the Augusta Chronicle in a recent interview.

“Gary used a 3-iron, put the ball back in his stance, and bam, skipped it straight across the water,” Crenshaw told the newspaper this week. 

There has been a little bit of debate who started the skipping situation, with Ken Green and Mark Calcavecchia claiming to have started it in 1987. Lee Trevino and Seve Ballesteros said they did it before that, though, in the early 1980s. People thought that was the start until photos of Tom Kite doing it in 1979 emerged. 

But that was a good seven years after the Canadian. 

Cowan, who played eight Masters Tournaments in his career (his best result was a T25 in 1964), didn’t even give a thought about what potential repercussions would be for his fun shot. 

“You know, that never crossed my mind,” Cowan told the Chronicle about whether he thought he might get in trouble by the Green Jacketed members. 

Green, meanwhile, told GolfWeek in 2016 he was quickly scolded. He had a letter from then-Chairman Hord Hardin waiting for him in his locker when he got back inside. 

“I think the words were, ‘Here at Augusta, we refrain from that sort of behavior,’” Green told GolfWeek, although that didn’t stop he and Calcavecchia from doing it again the following year. 

And now skipping the ball across the water on 16 is as traditional as pimento cheese. 

Jace Walker, Mackenzie Hughes’ caddie (and fellow Canadian) was part of one of the most-shared videos of the week from the Masters in 2022. He, along with three other caddies, all skipped shots using their players’ clubs in sync earlier this week. 

So, This is one of the coolest things I’ve done in my career. I couldn’t feel my hands and I had saggy butt, however I almost holed the skipper today. I would’ve gone swimming & been banned from @TheMasters forever. Good commentary @bubbawatson @ videography @webbsimpson1 pic.twitter.com/aTSJi11CmZ

— Paul Tesori (@PaulTesori) April 5, 2022

Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood, meanwhile, came oh-so-close to dunking their skipped shots on back-to-back attempts. 

What are the chances? #themasters pic.twitter.com/1gmk4uDIRk

— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 6, 2022

While making it across the pond, and coming ‘close’ is fun enough, there have been a few times when just getting it on the green wasn’t going to cut it. 

Vijay Singh, Martin Kaymer, and Jon Rahm have all skipped their ball across the water… and into the hole. 

Singh did it in 2010 with a punched 4-iron. The ball skipped three times and caught that familiar slope before rolling into the hole. Kaymer did it in 2012, while Rahm has been the most recent to do it. 

Just one day after he made an ace (the usual way!) in a Monday practice round in 2020 on the 4th hole, he skipped a ball three times (like Singh) and caught the same slope before dropping. A video of the shot, now on YouTube, has racked up nearly 3-million views. 

It’s more likely to take an average golfer 3-million tries to make it across, but every year when you see the best in the world skip a ball on the pond of the 16th hole at the most iconic golf course in the world, remember that it was a Canadian who started it all ?? ??

Tuesday at the Masters marks the day for an iconic tradition at a place that is all about traditions. 

Social media has been abuzz since last year’s win to see what kind of fine Japanese fare Hideki Matsuyama would serve up in 2022, and with his menu now revealed, he certainly didn’t disappoint. Green Jacket winners will be treated to a meal of assorted sushi, miso black cod, Japanese strawberry shortcake, and a ribeye steak of A5 Wagyu – for those non-foodies, an argument could be made it’s the finest cut of beef on the planet. 

To honor Japan's first champion, Hideki Matsuyama's 2022 Champions Dinner menu. #themasters pic.twitter.com/2N42mU0Zja

— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 5, 2022

When Mike Weir won the Masters in 2003 he made sure his Champions Dinner the following year was Canadian all the way. 

A friend of his from Brights Grove, Ont. is a chef, and he helped with the curation and cooking of the meal at Augusta National. It consisted of Canadian game meats like elk, wild boar, and Artic char. Canadian beer was served (of course!) and some of Canada’s award-winning ice wine was included with dessert. Some of those bottles remain in Augusta National’s wine cellar as an ode to Weir. 

Next year marks the 20th anniversary of Weir’s Masters triumph, and how fitting would it be if the Champions Dinner in 2023 was served by a fellow Canadian? 

Corey Conners (who has finished inside the top 10 at the last two Masters) along with Mackenzie Hughes (who made his first cut at Augusta National last year and was in the final group on Sunday at the U.S. Open) join Weir this year at the first men’s major of the year. 

The trio enjoyed a nine-hole practice game Monday afternoon as poor weather is supposed to descend upon Augusta National Tuesday. 

“We don’t get to play together much, us Canadian guys, so it’s good when our worlds collide and we can get together here and play a practice round and have a good time,” said Weir, who is hoping to see one of his countrymen join him in the Champions Locker Room, and at the Champions Dinner, sooner rather than later. 

With all this talk about food, here are a foursome of favourites of past Champions Dinners. 

Be sure to sound off on social media: What would you serve if you won the Masters? 

What would you serve up at the Masters Champions Dinner? ?‍?

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) April 5, 2022

Vijay Singh – 2001

Singh’s Champions Dinner has long been considered as one of the best ever. In a break from tradition, Singh was able to bring in chefs from outside of Augusta National to help cook up a terrific Thai feast. The husband-and-wife pair (they own a Thai restaurant in Atlanta) flew in every ingredient from Thailand and received a standing ovation from the attendees after the meal concluded, according to Golf.com.

The menu included a seafood coconut soup, chicken curry, baked sea scallops with garlic sauce, rack of lamb, baked Chilean sea bass with chili sauce, and a lychee sorbet for dessert. 

Jordan Spieth – 2016

In an ode to fellow Masters winner – and Texan – Ben Crenshaw, Spieth, who won the Green Jacket in 2015, served up a bounty of Texas BBQ. His menu included brisket, smoked chicken, and pork ribs plus a full set of authentic fixings like corn muffins, baked beans, potato salad, and sauteed green beans. A warmed chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream was served for dessert. 

Tiger Woods – 1998

All eyes were on Woods who, as a 21-year-old, re-wrote the record books at Augusta National in 1997 when he won the Masters by 12 shots. And then all eyes were on him again in 1998, because what does a 22-year-old serve at the Champions Dinner?

Turns out, it’s exactly what you expect it to be: Cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, fries, and milkshakes. 

Woods went on to win four more Green Jackets after that initial triumph and his tastes have evolved, so to speak. In 2002 and 2003 he served the same menu (porterhouse steak and sushi as an appetizer). In 2006 he went Mexican (steak and chicken fajitas) and in 2020 he combined some of his favourites and served sushi as an appetizer with steak and chicken fajitas as the main. 

Sergio Garcia – 2018

While there have been plenty of home-grown menus served in the past (Adam Scott, Charl Schwartzel, Danny Willet, and Angel Cabrera have all served up dishes from their home countries of Australia, South Africa, England, and Argentina, respectively), a special nod should go to Sergio Garcia after his breakthrough major win in 2017. 

Garcia, of Spain, started with an international salad as inspired by the countries of each Masters Champion. From there, the Champions dined on traditional Spanish lobster rice and finished with Tres Leches cake (it’s a sponge cake soaked in three kinds of milk) made by his wife, Angela. 

The boxes weren’t flying off the shelves. They weren’t even making it onto the shelves. The Masters has gone gnome-mad.

Yes. Gnomes. The must-have item at the Masters this year isn’t any of the shirts or pullovers or caps with the tournament’s logo that can only be bought by those who are lucky enough to have secured a way onto the grounds of Augusta National.

Instead, the gnome is all the rage. Just ask Tom Frettoloso, who left his house at 4 a.m. on Tuesday to get to Augusta National and was headed back to his vehicle by 8 a.m. – without having seen a single golfer take a single swing.

He had a bunch of souvenirs, including two gnomes. He wouldn’t say how he got two; signage in the store said the Masters was limiting them to one per person.

“I’m self-employed and need to get to work,” said Frettoloso, a house painter, who was weaving his way toward the gates while thousands of people were walking the other way onto the Augusta National grounds. “But I’ve gotten the gnomes just about every year. I got a ticket for the practice round and here I am and now I’m done.”

Gnomes made their Masters debut in 2016 and were a quick hit, though nobody seems to remember them being as much of a phenomenon as they are this week.

There’s a couple different versions of gnomes this year; the one that hundreds of people were lined up to get Tuesday morning was this year’s version of a caddy, standing about a foot high, dressed in a green-and-white striped Masters shirt, khakis, green-and-white shoes, a yellow cap and with a bag of clubs slung over his right shoulder.

Asking price at the Masters: $49.50 USD.

Asking price online: Most were going for somewhere between $150 and $500 on Tuesday, depending on where you looked. The smaller version -a mini-gnome in the traditional white Masters caddie attire – could be had for considerably less.

On Tuesday, a worker at the store tried to reload the shelf with more product. The mission was futile: Shoppers were grabbing them as soon as they went on the shelf, and sometimes right from the worker himself.

“People will buy anything,” someone mused in the checkout line.

That they will, whether it’s gnomes, shirts, belts, hats and anything else they can get with the Masters logo. There’s countless reasons why: not everyone can get to the Masters since the ticket is among the toughest in sports, and the Masters also doesn’t sell merchandise online – except for some images, the Masters Journal and the Masters Annual that recaps tournament week.

And for the record, many on-site shoppers got bad news once they got into the Masters store Tuesday.

The gnomes were gone.

Tiger Woods is wearing Nike apparel this week, as always.

Except the shoes.

Such is the power of Woods: Not only is his mere presence at Augusta National this week a huge story—whether he decides to play in the Masters—but he’s also created a huge side story by showing up for practice rounds Sunday and Monday wearing FootJoy shoes.

Woods hasn’t explained the change yet; he’s scheduled to address reporters Tuesday. It would make sense if the change was related to what are likely different physical needs now that he’s trying to play on a right leg that was badly damaged in a car crash last year.

A statement released by Nike seemed to indicate that was the case: “Like golf fans around the world, we are delighted to see Tiger back on the course. He is an incredible athlete, and it is phenomenal to see him returning to the game at this level. His story continues to transcend sport and inspire us all. As he continues his return, we will work with him to meet his new needs.”

Everything else about Woods’ on-course ensembles has been as expected: His cap still bears the distinctive “TW” logo that has been his personal Nike branding for years, his short-sleeve shirts had the iconic Nike swoosh on the left side of the chest. Technically, Nike was on his feet, too—when counting the socks.

Woods wore Nike shoes when the world most recently saw him play, back in December at the PNC Challenge, a 36-hole scramble on a flat Florida course where he and his son Charlie finished second to John Daly and his son. Woods was allowed to use a cart in that event. The demands of playing the Masters simply wouldn’t even compare, with the steep slopes and length of Augusta National serving as one of the tougher walks in golf.

Woods has been an endorser of Nike since 1996.

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TORONTO, April 4, 2022 — RBC is pleased to announce the return of the RBCxMusic Concert Series at the 2022 RBC Canadian Open, featuring headlining performances by three-time Grammy Award-winning pop rock band Maroon 5 and hip-hop icon Flo Rida.

RBC, along with its partners Live Nation Canada and Golf Canada, looks forward to the return of the RBCxMusic Concert Series. Building on the success of the inaugural event held in 2019, which saw sold out performances from headliners Florida Georgia Line and The Glorious Sons, this year’s tournament once again promises an unforgettable experience for golf and music fans alike. The concert series, which was first introduced to attract new, younger fans to the sport of golf, is a celebration of the return of live music in Canada.

The concerts will take place near the iconic St. George’s Golf and Country Club on the athletic field of Toronto’s Richview Collegiate Institute and will feature performances on both the Friday and Saturday evenings of tournament week.

Canadians will have the opportunity to see Flo Rida live in concert at the RBC Canadian Open on Friday, June 10, 2022.

“I can’t wait to return to Toronto this year,” said Flo Rida. “I love performing for my Canadian fans and I’m excited to kick off the summer with them.”

In addition, Maroon 5 will close the Concert Series with a headlining performance on Saturday, June 11, 2022.

“We are excited to announce the return of the RBCxMusic Concert Series, and we look forward to welcoming world-renowned artists Maroon 5 and Flo Rida to Canada,” said Mary DePaoli, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, RBC. “We introduced the concert series in 2019, with the idea to create an unforgettable fan experience for golf and music fans alike. The result was our most successful RBC Canadian Open to date and we are eager to build on that early momentum with the return of the tournament this year.”

“We are thrilled to be bringing even more live music back to Canadians in 2022,” said Wayne Zronik, President Live Nation Canada. “RBC has been a committed partner to us, and it’s great to work together again on the Concert Series while supporting the growth of music in Canada through its program First Up with RBCxMusic, dedicated to helping emerging artists with performance, mentorship and networking opportunities.”

“Golf Canada is thrilled that RBC will continue to integrate the RBCxMusic platform within the RBC Canadian Open, offering fans the unique opportunity to see both world class golf and world class music at Canada’s National Championship,” said Golf Canada Chief Commercial Officer John Sibley. “The Concert Series was an overwhelming success in 2019 and will once again attract new fans to experience the energy and excitement of the RBC Canadian Open.”

In addition to must-see music performances, fans can expect exciting spectator experiences, including a dedicated food and beverage area—the Recipe Unlimited Fare Way, and the return of The Rink on the 16^th hole, awarded 2018 best-in-class element by the PGA TOUR.

Exclusively for RBC clients and new for 2022, an allotment of RBCxMusic Tickets are now available for purchase on Ticketmaster. With the purchase of every RBCxMusic Ticket, RBC clients will receive a $10 Concert Cash^® code, redeemable towards a future concert ticket purchase.

RBCxMusic Tickets are only available for Friday, June 10 and Saturday, June 11 of the RBC Canadian Open. Tickets are available to the general public for purchase on RBCCanadianOpen.com. Tickets for Friday and Saturday are $90 (plus tax and service charges). The event is General Admission / All Ages. Tickets are all-inclusive: your tournament day pass is your concert ticket.