HILLS ALIVE

WITH THE SOUND OF BACKSLAPPING CHINA?S MISSION HILLS, the venue for golf?s World Cup through to 2018, was recently honoured with multiple awards by Asian Golf Monthly, one of the continent?s most authoritative golf publications. ? The world?s largest golf club was named Asia?s best golf resort for the third consecutive year while its founder, Dr. David Chu, was presented with the publication?s inaugural lifetime achievement award for his devotion to promoting golf across the world?s most populous continent. ? Offering 12 top-draw courses designed by many of the game?s greatest golfers and architects, Mission Hills began hosting the World Cup in 2007. The competition was originally known as the Canada Cup, founded by famed Canadian Industrialist John Jay Hopkins in 1953. ?

HOLING OUT WITH A HOCKEY STICK

IF YOU?RE AS MAD about hockey as you are about golf, there?s now the chance to combine the two. The Vancouver Canucks Hockey Stick Putter recently made its debut at Golf Town ? the exclusive retailer of the product ? and there are also versions available for fans of the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames. Designed to resemble an actual hockey stick, the 35-inch graphite-shafted putter sports the Vancouver Canucks logo and colours (or those for any of the other 29 NHL franchises). It is also precision-weighted with an aluminum alloy blade and can be used both right-and left-handed. The putter retails at $119.99. ?

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Team Canada

B.C. fi ve get the call

A quintet of the province?s fi nest will tee it up as part of a more streamlined National Amateur Team in 2009 Richmond?s Kira Meixner and Sue Kim of Langley ? both members of last year?s squad ? return to take two of the four women?s spots, while Abbotsford?s Nick Taylor is joined in the men?s quartet by fellow returnee Eugene Wong (North Vancouver) and rookie Lindsay Renolds (Christina Lake). Meixner had a solid 2008 claiming the 2008 B.C. Women?s Amateur Championship and earning her Duramed FUTURES Tour card, while Kim won a pair of CN Canadian Women?s Tour events en route to capturing the Jocelyne Bourassa Player of the Year Award and also topped the 2008 CN Future Links Junior Girls Order of Merit. Taylor returns for his third Team Canada (TC) spell on the back of a memorable year, which included reaching the round of 32 at the U.S. Men?s Amateur, tying for second (as an individual) at the World Amateur Team Championships, tying for second at the NCAA Division 1 fi nals and missing the cut by only three strokes at the U.S. Open. Wong, a TC member in 2007, returns to the fold buoyed by a blistering 2008 which saw him win the Callaway Junior World Golf Championships, lift both the B.C. Junior Boys and Men?s Amateur Championship trophies and fi nish second at the 2008 Canadian Men?s Amateur Championship. Wong also topped the 2008 CN Future Links Junior Boys Order of Merit. The total number of athletes in the 2009 National Amateur Team (NAT) program ? which also includes a 22-and-under Development Team ? was reduced from 26 to 17 in order to bring a more comprehensive and inclusive program with increased coaching and support. The NAT program offers state-ofthe-art coaching and sport science expertise to help the country?s leading amateurs reach their potential ? and hopefully follow in the footsteps of Mike Weir. ?R (Tiger) John Biever/Sports Illustrated MARCH. APRIL 2009 | REAL GOLF 7

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