Michael Gligic top Canadian mid-way through Freedom 55 Financial Championship
London, ON, Canada — For the third time in four events, Corey Pereira has a hold of the lead on the Mackenzie Tour, this time drawing even with Jonathan Garrick after his second 65 in as many days at the Freedom 55 Financial Championship.
“It wasn’t really anything special until the last few holes,” said the University of Washington alum. “I felt like I left a few out there and made some mistakes, but that’s just how golf is sometimes, you make some mistakes, but stay in it, and I made birdie on the last two and turned a solid round into a really good round.”
Coming into the event, the season could be defined and split into two halves, each involving one of the top-2 players on the Mackenzie Tour Order of Merit. The first half was owned by Zach Wright, who became the first ever Mackenzie Tour player to open the season with six consecutive top-10 finishes.
The second half of the season seemed defined by Tyler McCumber, who became the only player in Mackenzie Tour history to win back-to-back events, quickly following up his victory at the Osprey Valley Open with a win at the Syncrude Oil Country Championship on Petroleum Golf Club, a course his father Mark designed. Adding the Players Cup a few weeks later to all but lock up Player of the Year honours, it appeared 2018’s storylines were set.
Not so fast. With a win at the ATB Financial Classic followed by a playoff loss at last week’s Mackenzie Investments Open, Corey Pereira has quickly become a name to recognize among professional golf circles.
With a win this week, Pereira would leapfrog George Cunningham and aforementioned Wright to finish the season at No. 2 on the year-end Order of Merit.
While the start of the season for Pereira allowed him to keep pace in the race for The Five, none of his finishes jumped off the page, but, beginning at the Syncrude Oil Country Championship, he has played his past 18 rounds on the Mackenzie Tour under par, earning $62,020 in that stretch.
“I can’t pinpoint anything special, I just stuck to the process and the pieces have come together, that’s just what golf is,” said Pereira. “Sometimes you’ll have a bad few months, but if you keep doing the right things I believe you can turn it around, I wasn’t far off at the start of the season, but I’ve put the pieces together.”
Pereira’s 65s at Highland Country Club have come in different ways, with the first a clean-carded five-birdie round. The second, an up-and-down day with seven birdies and a pair of bogeys.
“I’m handling everything well so far,” said the second-year pro. “The weekend will be a test for sure, but I’m looking forward to it.”
Joining Pereira at the top of the leaderboard is first-round co-leader Jonathan Garrick, who closed his second round with three birdies in his final four holes to sign for a 67.
The race for both Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week and Canadian Player of the Year are led by Michael Gligic, who “grinded” his way to a second-round 69 to put himself one-stroke ahead of Taylor Pendrith.
Italy hangs on in extra holes to win over USA at World Junior Girls Championship
OTTAWA, Ont. — It was a hotly contested finale at Camelot Golf & Country Club in Ottawa on Friday but when all was said and done, after a sudden death playoff on the 18th hole, it was Italy who prevailed over the USA to capture gold at the 2018 World Junior Girls Championship.
The Italian team, who led by as much as 10 strokes earlier in the week, needed to find an extra gear after regulation play concluded with both countries tied at 22 under. It found it in the form of team stalwart Alessia Nobilio, who sank a final birdie in the last playoff group to capture Italy’s first medal at the World Junior Girls Championship. Nobilio’s teammates Caterina Don and Emilie Paltrinieri, who were waiting anxiously greenside locking arms with coach Enrico Trentin, rushed the green to congratulate the young Italian golfer who led her team all week with her splendid play.
It was a bittersweet defeat for the USA, who managed to close a nine-stroke gap yesterday, only to come up short in the end. But for the Italian team, the relief was palpable.
“We had a one-shot lead going into the last round and, you know, in a team event, anything can happen, one shot lead is really nothing,” said Paltrinieri, who was accompanied by her teammates and served as a de facto spokesperson for the team, post-victory. “When we came up to 18, we were quite close, we were actually behind, but Alessia made that great birdie on the finishing hole to force overtime,” added the young golfer from Parigi, Italy.
It is obvious that there is real chemistry between the three Italian girls, who recently competed as a unit at the World Amateur Team Championship in Ireland, placing 6th. That chemistry and mutual friendship serves them well. “When we came here, we celebrated Alessia’s birthday together, being friends is the key for our team, we support each other, when one of us shoots 6 under, we want the other one to shoot 7 under or 8 under,” chimed in Don.
The team spirit was key in acquiring the crown of World Junior Girls Champions for Italy. Joining them on the podium was USA with silver and Thailand with bronze. The Thai team were powered by the fantastic individual display put on by 15 year-old gold medalist Atthaya Thitikul, who shot the lights out at Camelot this week, setting the course record with a fantastic score of 60 (-12) on Friday. The round also contributed to a World Junior Girls Championship 72-hole tournament record of 20 under par. Nobilio took home silver, while American Zoe Campos captures the bronze medal. Brooke Seay of the USA finished fourth at 8 under for the week, while Canada’s Céleste Dao put up a solid score of 70 (-2) on Friday to finish in fifth place.
Team Canada One, comprised of Céleste Dao (Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Qué.), Ellie Szeryk (London, Ont.) and Tiffany Kong (Vancouver, B.C.) finished fourth in the team competition with a score of 10 under. Emily Zhu (Richmond Hill, Ont.), Sarah Beqaj (Toronto, Ont.) and Lauren Kim (Surrey, B.C.) who make up Canada Two, completed the week in 18th place.
The World Junior Girls Championship was conducted by Golf Canada in partnership with Golf Ontario and supported by the R&A and the International Golf Federation. Recognized as an ‘A’ ranked event by the World Amateur Golf Rankings, the World Junior Girls Championship was in its fifth edition. Canada will host again next year.
Full results and tournament information can be consulted here.
Additional information regarding the fifth annual World Junior Girls Championship can be found on the competition’s website.
Brooke Henderson 2 back at mid-way point of Evian
EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France _ Canada’s Brooke Henderson is two strokes back at the halfway mark of the Evian Championship, the final major of the LPGA Tour season.
The 21-year-old native of Smiths Falls, Ont., is tied for sixth at 6 under after a 2-under 69 on Friday. She’s two strokes behind Maria Torres of Puerto Rico, Mi Hyang Lee of South Korea and Americans Mo Martin and Amy Olson.
After two birdies in a row on Nos. 4 and 5, Henderson had a bogey at No. 6 and a double bogey at No. 7. But she bounced back on the back nine with four birdies and one bogey.
“I feel like my game is in a really good spot,” said Henderson. “To be able to rebound like that mentally I think is really key. On this golf course you got to stay patient, and I feel like we were able to do that even though it’s very difficult at times.
“I’m really excited for the next few days, so we’ll just see what happens.”
Tour rookie Torres, the first Puerto Rican to earn an LPGA card, shot a 2-under 69 before Olson (65), Martin (66) and Lee (66) matched her 8-under 134 total.
“It’s something new and it’s exciting (to lead),” said the 23-year-old Torres, who is ranked No. 184. She missed the cut at 10 over in her only previous major, the Women’s PGA Championship won in July by the South Korean world No. 1 Sung Hyun Park, who won’t play this weekend.
Park (71) started and finished play Friday at 6 over at the sun-soaked Evian Resort Golf Club and missed the cut by three shots.
Olson had seven birdies and secured a share of the lead with an 18-foot par-saving putt on the 18th.
“That was huge,” said the 26-year-old North Dakota native, whose career-best finish in a major is tied for ninth at the ANA Inspiration this season. “Seeing it drop, that’s a lot of confidence going into tomorrow.”
Olson’s working week in France meant she needed a replacement to bake cookies for the Indiana State linebackers coached by her husband, Grant. The Sycamores play Saturday at Eastern Illinois.
“The head coach’s wife made them for the linebackers this week,” Olson said. “She got me covered.”
Lee made an eagle at her final hole, the par-5 ninth, to be the highest ranked co-leader, at No. 59. The South Korean’s two career LPGA wins are more than the other three combined, though Martin won the 2014 Women’s British Open.
One shot back, Carlota Ciganda of Spain carded 70 to follow a 65 that only Torres equaled Thursday.
A seven-woman group on 6 under included Georgia Hall (68), last month’s Women’s British Open champion, plus former major winners Henderson (69) and So Yeon Ryu (69).
Austin Ernst (70) is also two shots back, completing her round minutes before Hurricane Florence made landfall close to her home state South Carolina.
“I’ve checked the weather app every day and talked to my family back home,” said the Seneca native. “It’s more flooding (risk) where I am. Let’s see what happens.”
American amateur Rachel Heck, who is only 16 years old, safely made the cut at her second major. A 73 got her to 1 over.
The top-ranked American, world No. 5 Lexi Thompson, was in tears on the 18th green and missed the cut by one stroke. She swiped her club in frustration after a scuffed chip that led to a bogey-5 and a round of 75. The 2014 ANA Inspiration winner had also dropped a shot at the 17th.
Owl’s Head Golf Club set for Future Links, driven by Acura Fall Series
MANSONVILLE, Que. – Golf Canada’s seventh regional junior golf championship of 2018 is set to take begin on Friday as the Future Links, driven by Acura Fall Series gets underway at Owl’s Head Golf Club.
The tournament marks the beginning of the Future Links, driven by Acura Fall Series — a two-championship extension taking place for the first time in the fall of 2018. With the addition, the Future Links championship series now features eight tournaments through the course of the season, each hosted in conjunction with the respective provincial association.
The 54-hole stroke play tournament will begin with a practice round on Sept. 13 before the tournament gets underway with round one on Sept. 14.
Designed by renowned architect Graham Cooke, Owl’s Head Golf Club will challenge the field through its strategically placed white silica bunkers and water hazards on six of its fairways.
“Golf Quebec is pleased to host the inaugural Fall Series event with Golf Canada at one of our province’s many remarkable facilities,” said Éric Couture, tournament director with Golf Quebec. “Hosting another Future Links regional championship provides additional opportunity for Canada’s premier junior golfers to showcase their skills and continue their development. We look forward to hosting this strong field of juniors attempting to navigate the challenging course at Owl’s Head.”
The field will consist of 81 junior golfers with the top six earning exemptions into their respective Canadian Junior National Championship.
Sixty-one boys will vie for one of three spots into the 2019 Canadian Junior Boys Championship from Aug. 11-15, at Covered Bridge Golf & Country Club in Hartland, N.B.,
The Junior Girls Division will see 20 girls battle to earn an exemption into the 2019 Canadian Junior Girls Championship from July 29 – Aug. 2, at Lethbridge Country Club in Lethbridge, Alta.
A tie for the third position will be decided by a playoff following the conclusion of play.
The second Fall Series event and final Future Links championship of the season will take place at Sunshine Coast Golf & Country Club in Roberts Creek, B.C., from Sept. 28-30.
Results for previous 2018 Future Links, driven by Acura Championship can be found here: Pacific, Ontario, Western, Quebec, Prairie, Atlantic.
Click here for scoring, pairings and additional information.
Jared du Toit tied for 3rd at Freedom 55 Financial Championship
LONDON, Ont. — There’s just something about Thursdays at Highland Country Club that gets Jonathan Garrick going. In both 2016 and 2017, the American managed 6-under 64s, and this year he improved his stellar resume, throwing a co-leading 63 on the board at the Freedom 55 Financial Championship.
“I was hitting my irons well and gave myself a lot of chances,” said Garrick, who finished in a tie for 41st in 2017 and a tie for 28th in 2016. “I just have to keep it going for three more days.”
Garrick comes into the event playing his best golf of the season, a huge bounce back after missing four cuts in the year’s opening seven events.
“I had a good first round in Calgary and since then I’ve played pretty solid,” said the 24-year-old. “I’ve been near the top of the leaderboard at some point during every event and I’m gaining more confidence. I’ve really just stopped overthinking what I’ve been doing.”
Garrick’s first round in Calgary, a 9-under 63, set the UCLA alum up for his best finish of the season, a T5 that put him well inside the top-60 and all but secured his spot at the year’s final event for the third consecutive year.
Next to Garrick on the leaderboard is 22-year-old Danny Walker. The recent University of Virginia grad made five birdies as well as the only eagle of the day on No. 3 to sign for his lowest score since a 62 at the Lethbridge Paradise Canyon Open helped him to a T9 finish, his best as a professional.
Last season, Jared du Toit claimed Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Year honours after finishing T17 at the event, highlighted by a first-round 61. This time around, Du Toit sits just one off the lead after a first-round 64 matches him with fellow Canadian Michael Gligic in a tie for third.
Canada top scoring team on moving day at World Junior Girls Championship
If the second round was an all-Italian affair yesterday, it is Canada that led the charge on moving day at Camelot Golf & Country Club in Ottawa, where the third round of play for the World Junior Girls Championship took place.
Vancouver product Tiffany Kong led the way for Team Canada One, who registered an aggregate score of 10-under 134, halving their deficit to 10 strokes back of tourney leaders Italy. The Italian trio of Caterina Don, Alessia Nobilio and Emilie Paltrinieri cooled off after their torrid opening rounds to notch a team score of one over par (145). They saw their comfortable 10-stroke lead dwindle to a single shot over the USA, who sit at 15 under thanks to a stellar third round of 9 under par (135).
Team Thailand also had a solid outing with a 139 and sit third in the team standings. Canada One is only three strokes back of the Thai team and within reach of their first World Junior Girls medal since 2014.
In the individual competition, Italy’s Nobilio scored a team-best 69 (-3) today to maintain her seven-stroke lead over American Zoe Campos, who shot a tournament-low 65 to grab a share of second with Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand, at 8 under for the championship.
“I did really well, yeah… my irons were pretty good, and I was making a lot of putts today,” said the soft-spoken California native Campos.
“Eighteen was my favourite hole today… I pushed my drive into the last right bunker, had about 130 in, and I hit 8-iron within 15 feet of the pin and made that put. Always nice to finish with a birdie,” concluded Campos.
Kong had the low round of the day going for a large portion of the contest, a superb score of 66 which featured five consecutive birdies to kick off her round.
“I started off really well, five birdies in a row and I kept the good play going, hit my pars. On the back nine, I thought it’s a new nine holes, so I just wanted to keep it steady since the back nine is very hard,” said the 17 year-old Kong, who moves into a tie for 8th.
Céleste Dao of Notre-Dame Ile Perrot, Que., leads the way for the Canadians through 54 holes in a tie for 5th at 4 under par. American Brooke Seay is 4th at 7 under.
Canada’s Emily Zhu (Richmond Hill, Ont.), Sarah Beqaj (Toronto, Ont.) and Lauren Kim (Surrey, B.C.) who make up Canada Two, are in 18th place, shooting a team score of 12 over in round three.
Team Canada is looking for its first medal since the team that featured recent CP Women’s Open champion Brooke Henderson capture bronze at the first ever World Junior Girls Championship in 2014.
The World Junior Girls Championship is conducted by Golf Canada in partnership with Golf Ontario and supported by the R&A and the International Golf Federation. Recognized as an ‘A’ ranked event by the World Amateur Golf Rankings, the World Junior Girls Championship is in its fifth edition.
Full results and tournament information can be consulted here.
Admission to the competition is free. Additional information regarding the fifth annual World Junior Girls Championship can be found on the competition’s website.
Brooke Henderson tied for 4th at Evian Championship
EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France – Aiming to stylishly cap a rookie season that Hurricane Maria almost denied her, Maria Torres shared the first-round lead on 6 under at the final women’s golf major Thursday.
Torres, the first Puerto Rican player to get an LPGA Tour card, went birdie-birdie-eagle from the 13th to 15th holes in a 65 that tied her atop the Evian Championship leaderboard with Carlota Ciganda of Spain.
“I just want to come here and play, and whatever happens, happens,” Torres said.
Carefree laughs flowed from the 184th-ranked Torres, who last September was on her home island when the hurricane struck.
In the aftermath, the University of Florida graduate struggled to register for the second part of tour qualifying school. Finally, at Daytona Beach in December, Torres won a three-way playoff to claim the last tour card on offer.
Nine months later, the 2016 Southeastern Conference college player of the year is relishing her first competition in France.
“It’s awesome to be here,” Torres said. “I love it, I’m like almost rolling down the par-3s with all I’ve been eating here.”
Torres matched a target set by the 21st-ranked Ciganda, who had six birdies and no bogeys on the 6,523-yard Evian Resort Golf Club course.
Both excelled on the par-5s. Torres played the four long holes in 5 under, including her eagle at No. 15, against three birdies for the 28-year-old Ciganda, who previously helped Arizona State win a college title.
One shot back, Austin Ernst of the United States made eagle-3 at the 13th in a 5-under 66 to stand alone in third place.
A three-player group on 67 included Brooke Henderson of Canada, winner of the 2018 CP Women’s Open and 2016 PGA Championship; Nasa Hataoka of Japan, who won the qualifying school tournament, and two-time major winner So Yeon Ryu of South Korea.
Highlights from @BrookeHenderson’s opening-round 67 ???? pic.twitter.com/yfrTd1G1jf
— CP Women's Open (@cpwomensopen) September 13, 2018
Canadian Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont., opened with a 2-over 73 to share 56th place. Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., sits right on the projected cut line of 3 over par.
Georgia Hall, a homegrown British Open champion last month, had a bogey-free 68 to stand in a big group on 3 under which included seven-time major winner Inbee Park of South Korea.
Top-ranked Sung Hyun Park had a tough day, shooting a 6-over 77 playing in the same afternoon group as Hall. The South Korean player, who won the PGA Championship in July, dropped shots at four of the first five holes.
“Nothing went well,” Park said through a translator. “It was a very disappointing day.”
Defending champion Anna Nordqvist of Sweden and fifth-ranked Lexi Thompson of the U.S. shot even-par 71s among the early starters, who enjoyed the best of 27 degrees Celsius (80 degrees F) heat.
Forecast stormy rain held off just until the last groups completed play, including 16-year-old American Rachel Heck who had a 1-under 70 in her second major.
“I was looking around thinking I can’t believe I am actually here,” said Heck, a native of Memphis, Tennessee who got a wild-card entry.
Canadian Adam Svensson fulfills ‘life long dream’ of earning PGA TOUR card
VANCOUVER – There’s one thing you won’t see Canadian Adam Svensson do on the PGA Tour next year – hit a ball marked with the number four.
The Surrey, B.C.-native doesn’t know how the superstition started but he simply won’t jinx his game by playing a four, especially on the tour he’s been dreaming of playing his entire life.
While some pros use specially designed balls painted with a lucky numeral, others stick to the factory-produced version, marked with the numbers one through four to help golfers keep track of their shot on the course.
Svensson said he’s never had a bad experience with a four, but he’s not about to risk that changing at this crucial point in his career.
Last month the 24-year-old earned his card for next season’s PGA Tour when he finished the Web.com Tour’s regular season in 14th place on the money list with earnings of US $190,825.
A PGA Tour card has been a “life-long dream” for Svensson.
“Being able to play out there with the guys I grew up watching on TV is pretty special,” he said from Jupiter, Fla., where he now lives and trains. “It’s just an exciting time for me.”
But Svensson has work to finish on the Web.com Tour first. He goes in to this week’s Albertsons Boise Open in 15th place on the tour’s earnings board after posting four top-10 finishes this season and winning The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic in January.
The success follows an off-season full of tough workouts, Svensson said.
“Pretty much grinding it out,” he said. “It pretty much just comes down to working harder than I ever have before.”
Working hard at golf has been a major part of Svensson’s life since childhood. He remembers being at the range with his dad when he was about three, and begging to hit balls.
“I would just sit there for hours and watch him hit golf balls,” Svensson said.
At five, he was out playing with his dad and got to drive the power cart. He steered it directly into a pond, sinking his dad’s clubs. A tow truck was needed to pull the cart from the water.
Svensson was banned from driving for years, but golf continued to play a pivotal role in his life.
By eight he was entering tournaments and at 16, he joined Golf Canada’s development team.
The program offered “the whole package,” from a workout coach to a swing coach to a mental coach, Svensson said, and he credits the experience with helping to turn him into a successful pro.
Svensson noted that he isn’t alone in reaping the benefits. He came up with Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes, who have succeeded on the PGA Tour in recent years.
“There are a bunch of Canadians that have been extremely successful the last few years that I’ve played with on the Canadian national team,” he said.
“You play with these guys your whole life, your whole amateur career and you get to see how they work their butt off and how they’re successful now. It’s pretty cool.”
Svensson also spent two years playing at Barry University in Miami, where he helped the team win two NCAA national championships. He took home freshman golfer of the year honours in 2013 and the collegiate golfer of the year award in 2014.
By 2015, Svensson was ready to turn pro.
“I just felt that my game was ready and I wanted to challenge myself,” he said. “I had a great time (at Barry). I learned a lot and I was kind of ready to set sail.”
He won Web.com’s 2015 qualifying tournament by a record seven shots and earned himself full status for the next year. Since then, he’s continued to work on what he describes as his “aggressive” style of golf.
“I’m a great ball striker,” he said. “I do play the golf course and try not to play other people. My game pretty much comes down to the greens. If I feel like I’m putting well that week and make a decent amount of putts, I’m going to play well.”
To get more consistency with his putting, Svensson hired Ralph Bauer, a coach who’s worked with a number of PGA Tour players, including Canadian Adam Hadwin. They’ve been working together for a few months, practising drills and working on mental strength, Svensson said.
The ultimate goal, he added, is to maintain that consistency when he hits the PGA Tour.
“Golf is so up and down,” Svensson said. “For me, success is playing well week in and week out, making the cut, finishing top 20, top 25. Obviously I want to win on the tour and hopefully I will one day. But just playing consistent golf is success.”
Italy distances itself from the pack at World Junior Girls Championship
It was a foggy morning at Camelot Golf & Country Club in Ottawa, but when the skies cleared up and second round play got underway, there was nothing nebulous about Italy’s performance as Alessia Nobilio and Caterina Don both fired rounds of 6-under 66 to give Italy an 11-stroke advantage atop the team leaderboard at the 2018 World Junior Girls Championship.
Italy is now at 17 under for the championship, followed by Team USA in second place at 6 under and Thailand in third at 4 under. Rounding out the top five are France and Sweden, who share fourth place at 1 under par. France was the second-lowest scoring team today, with an aggregate second round score of 5 under par (139).
Nobilio, a 17 year-old Milan native, carded a second-straight 66 on Wednesday to take a comfortable seven-shot lead at 12 under par. A trio of golfers trail in second place with a tournament score of 132 (-5). American Brooke Seay and Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul both shot 1 under 71, while Italy’s Don, also 17, fired a sizzling 6 under score to match her teammate’s low round of the day.
Italian coach Enrico Trentin could not have been more pleased with his players’ efforts today.
“It was really a great day, with Alessia and Caterina both shooting minus six. We were really solid from tee to green,” said the caretaker of the Italian squad, who is just coming off a terrific performance at the World Amateur Team Championships in Ireland, finishing in 6th place.
“We had a great practice this morning and we really tried to understand the greens. Because they are so fast, it’s important to understand where to hit the second or third shots and be in a good position to putt for birdie,” reported Trentin.
It was a dominant performance across the board today for Italy, as both individual and team leaderboards are paced by the tricoloured flag on the eve of third round.
Canada One, featuring Céleste Dao of Notre-Dame Ile Perrot, Qué., Ellie Szeryk of London, Ont., and Tiffany Kong from Vancouver, B.C., dropped one spot to 7th place with a performance of 2 over today. Emily Zhu (Richmond Hill, Ont.), Sarah Beqaj (Toronto, Ont.) and Lauren Kim (Surrey, B.C.) who make up Canada Two, trail behind at 22 over par in 17th place. Dao is the top Canadian in the individual competition with an overall score of even par, good for T8.
Team Canada is looking for its first medal since capturing bronze at the first ever World Junior Girls in 2014.
The World Junior Girls Championship is conducted by Golf Canada in partnership with Golf Ontario and supported by the R&A and the International Golf Federation. Recognized as an ‘A’ ranked event by the World Amateur Golf Rankings, the World Junior Girls Championship is in its fifth edition.
Full results and tournament information can be consulted here.
Admission to the competition is free. Additional information regarding the fifth annual World Junior Girls Championship can be found on the competition’s website.
Alessia Nobilio off to torrid start for Italy at World Junior Girls Championship
OTTAWA, Ont. — Under misty skies at Camelot Golf & Country Club in Ottawa, Italy’s Alessia Nobilio was off to the races in the first round, rifling a 6-under 66 to seize the lead in the 2018 World Junior Girls Championship.
Nobilio, who currently sits No. 22 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, took advantage of the windless conditions and went bogey free on Tuesday, notching six birdies along the way. She led the charge for Italy as they registered an aggregate score of 139, to sit one back of first round co-leaders Thailand and the United States.
“This is my third World Juniors, I’ve been here (Canada) three times now. I shot minus 6 today, so it was a very good round. My best ever was minus seven at the European Junior Championships this year,” said the 17-year-old from Milan.
“The greens were really fast here (at Camelot), really challenging. For tomorrow, I’ll just do my regular practice routine. I’m feeling happy, really good about my round, I played a solid game. I’m just going to play my game and do my best.”
In the team competition, the United States, propelled by solid outings from Brooke Seay (-4) and Zoe Campos (-2), sit in the lead at 6 under in a tie with Thailand. The Thai team followed their leader Atthaya Thitikul, who fired a 68 in the opening round to sit T2 with Seay in the individual competition. Campos is tied for 4th with Cecilie Nielsen from Denmark and another Thai, Kultida Pramphun, who are all at 2 under.
United States Team Captain Delia Nava was thrilled by her team’s performance in the first round. “We are very pleased with our result today. The girls stayed calm when they got in trouble and they all played well. Eighteen is a very tough finishing hole, it’s very tricky.”
Team USA do not intend to change anything heading into Wednesday’s second round. “We just have to play like we did today and we’ll have a good result.”
Canada One, featuring Céleste Dao of Notre-Dame Ile Perrot, Qué., Ellie Szeryk of London, Ont. and Tiffany Kong from Vancouver, B.C., share 6th place with Sweden at 2 over par. Emily Zhu (Richmond Hill, Ont.), Sarah Beqaj (Toronto, Ont.) and Lauren Kim (Surrey, B.C.) who make up Canada Two, trail behind at 15 over par in 18th place. Kong and Dao were the low scorers for Canada at 1 over par.
Team Canada is looking for its first medal since capturing bronze at the first ever World Junior Girls in 2014.
The World Junior Girls Championship is conducted by Golf Canada in partnership with Golf Ontario and supported by the R&A and the International Golf Federation. Recognized as an ‘A’ ranked event by the World Amateur Golf Rankings, the World Junior Girls Championship is in its fifth edition.
Full results and tournament information can be consulted here.
Admission to the competition is free. Additional information regarding the fifth annual World Junior Girls Championship can be found on the competition’s website