Corey Conners, Michael Gligic, Adam Hadwin, David Hearn, Mackenzie Hughes, Roger Sloan and Nick Taylor are the Canadians in the field at this week’s Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Fla. … Hadwin is the 2017 champion at the Valspar Championship … The Korn Ferry Tour resumes it schedule this week at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open, where Albin Choi and Stuart Macdonald will tee it up … PGA Tour Champions is off until the beginning of April, when the Rapiscan Systems Classic will be played … The LPGA Tour is off until next week’s JTBC Classic in Carlsbad, Ca. … The Epson Tour stops in Mesa, Az., this week for the Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic, where Maddie Szeryk, Selena Costabile, Alena Sharp, Jaclyn Lee and Maude-Aimee Leblanc will play … Golf Canada has named 12 players to its Young Pro Squad. The 2022 women’s Young Pro Squad will consist of Selena Costabile (Thornhill, Ont.), Leblanc (Sherbrooke, Que.), Jaclyn Lee (Calgary), Szeryk (London, Ont.). and Rebecca Lee-Bentham (Scarborough, Ont.). The 2022 men’s Young Pro Squad includes Chris Crisologo (Richmond, B.C.), Hugo Bernard (Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que.), Jared du Toit (Kimberley, B.C.), Stuart Macdonald (Vancouver), Joey Savoie (La Prairie, Que.). Blair Bursey (Gander, N.L), and Myles Creighton (Digby, N.S.) … Derek Ingram of Winnipeg will continue as head coach of the men’s Young Pro Squad. Golf Canada is undertaking a search for a new women’s head coach with gradual transition of Tristan Mullally of Dundas, Ont. to the newly created position of National Talent Identification Director … Leblanc and Macdonald as the recipients of the Emerging Professional Player of the Year Award from the Golf Canada Foundation in recognition of their results and improvement in 2021. Each received $10,000 towards their continued development in professional golf … Last week’s GNN Poll asked readers if, with inflation expected to continue over the coming months, they expect the price of food and beverage and pro shop items to rise significantly, very little or not at all as the season progresses where they work. The majority, or 62 per cent, said significantly, with 38 per cent saying slightly … This week’s poll asks readers how the golf course where they work come through winter. As of this writing, 62 per cent of respondents said it was too early to tell, 23 per cent said there was some damage, eight per cent said there was plenty of damage and seven per cent said the golf course was in great shape. If you haven’t done so yet, you can cast your vote on the GNN home page.
