Judith Kyrinis co-leads Senior division with Tina Papatolis
and holds solo lead in Super Senior division
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE, Alta. – For the twelfth time since 2006, Team Ontario are the Inter-Provincial Team champions at the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship, presented by BDO. Team Ontario finished with a collective score of 8-over at Pine Hills Golf Club in Rocky Mountain House, Alta. to earn team honours.
Judith Kyrinis of Thornhill, Ont. led the way for Ontario, firing a 2-under 71, while Terrill Samuel of Etobicoke, Ont. added a 3-over 76 to count for the team on Thursday. Canadian Golf Hall of Famer, Mary Ann Hayward’s 2-over 75 and Kyrinis’ 5-over 78 counted for Ontario in the opening round.
The win marks Hayward’s tenth inter-provincial team title, Kyrinis’ seventh and Samuel’s third at the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship. It also marks the third time the trio have won together, previously winning in 2018 and 2023, and the seventh time Hayward and Kyrinis have done it together.
“It’s nice to beat B.C.,” said the four-time Senior champion and hall of famer, Hayward.
Ontario and B.C. had won 11 titles each since 2002, the win at Pine Hills now gives Ontario the edge with 12 in that time frame, and its first since 2023.
“We have quite the rivalry with B.C. so it’s good and Terrill doesn’t always play on the team so when we can get her to play on the team, we have a great shot so it’s a lot of fun,” added Hayward.
“I was just happy to be there to make it easier for them to play,” said Samuel who added it’s great to play along side friends and fellow competitors.
“These are two of the best in Ontario so it’s wonderful to play alongside them and its way better to play with them as a team then trying to go at them in our own events. It’s very special and I was just so happy that Terrill agreed to get on the team because it’s great that we can all do it together,” said Kyrinis.
Hayward echoed Kyrinis’ compliments of her teammates.
“These two are two of the best in the world, senior golfers now and I’m at the tail end of that, but no seriously, to have three of us from the same province that are dominating at the international level is pretty special so whenever we can get the three of us on a team, we have a great shot at it.
Ontario topped the hosts from Team Alberta by 11 shots (Alberta 19-over) with the two-time defending champions, Team British Columbia finished third at 26-over.
Kyrinis’ 2-under round put her into familiar territory as she will enter Friday’s final round as the co-leader in the Senior division with Tina Papatolis of Issaquah, Wash. at 3-over, holding a one-shot lead over first round leader, Andrea Kosa of Calgary, Alta. who recorded a 3-over 76 to move to 4-over for the championship. Diane Irvin of Pacific Palisades, Calif. and Hayward are tied for fourth at 5-over, providing a crowded leaderboard heading into Friday.
Kyrinis closed her round with three birdies, 15 pars and only one bogey, to jump into the co-lead citing being “steady eddy” out there on Thursday.
“Nothing was spectacular, just trying to keep it in the fairway and hit some more greens, get it a little closer to the hole today and had some looks at birdie which was good and made a couple putts there which was good and I think it was just staying very present and staying fairways and greens as best you can,” added Kyrinis.
Kyrinis credited a better driver on Thursday to avoid the rough which can be troublesome to get out of in order to set up scoring opportunities at Pine Hills. Additionally, Kyrinis had no three putts during her second round.
While she has been in this position many times throughout her accomplished career, Kyrinis plans to attack Friday as she did today in search of her third Canadian Women’s Senior title and seventh Canadian national championship.
“A lot of fairways, a lot of greens, a lot of pars and I think there are a lot of people that are close to where I am and just need to play my own game, stay where my feet are.”
Kyrinis holds the lead in the Super Senior division with Irvin and Hayward within two shots of her.
Following Thursday’s second round the field has now been cut to the low 70 players and ties, with 74 players advancing to the final round following a cut line of 36-over based off the Senior division.
The Canadian Women’s Senior Championship features a pair of competitive divisions, the Senior division and the Super Senior division that run concurrently throughout the competition’s 54 holes.
Conducted since 1971, the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship has featured many of the country’s top senior golfers. Canadian Golf Hall of Fame members Marlene Streit, Gayle Borthwick, Marilyn O’Connor, Margaret Todd and Mary Ann Hayward all own senior championship titles.
The winner of the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship will earn an exemption into the field at the 2026 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, set for September 26 – October 1 at the Portland Golf Club in Portland, Ore. Additionally, spots in the 2027 U.S. Senior Women’s Open, 113th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, 2027 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship and a 10-year exemption into the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship.
For the leaderboard following the second round of the 2026 Canadian Women’s Senior Championship, presented by BDO, please click here.
