Fort McMurray Golf Club set to host 34th playing of Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship
FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. – The top Canadian men’s amateur golfers over the age of 25 will head to Fort McMurray, Alta., for this year’s Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Fort McMurray Golf Club from Aug. 24 – 27.
The 122-player field includes two retired NHL players, Max Reinhart and Michael Cammalleri. Reinhart, brother of current Florida Panthers winger Sam Reinhart, played 23 games for the Calgary Flames between 2012 and 2015. He played in the 2019 B.C. Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master Championships at Ledgeview Golf and Country Club in Abbotsford, B.C., where he finished tied for fifth.
Cammalleri spent 17 seasons in the NHL between 2002 and 2018 where he played in 906 games, racking up 294 goals, 642 points and 425 penalty minutes. The 39-year-old most recently was in the field for the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at Ambassador Golf Club in Windsor, Ont.
Charles Fitzsimmons of London, Ont., is the highest ranked amateur in the field at No. 1247 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). Fitzsimmons finished third at the 2019 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship and has also finished in the top 5 at the previous three national championships.
Other notables in the field that finished in the top ten at the 2019 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship include Mike Aizawa (Richmond, B.C.) at 5th, David Lang (Toronto) at 6th, and Ryan Sevigny (Ottawa, Ont.) at 9th.
“We are thrilled to bring this talented field to Fort McMurray Golf Club,” said Adam Cinel, tournament director with Golf Canada. “The Mid-Amateur is a great opportunity for Canadian amateurs to find success and compete on a national stage. The club has worked tirelessly to have the course in pristine condition and the challenging layout will be sure to draw out some exciting competition.”
Nestled along the banks of the Athabasca river, the Fort McMurray Golf Club is ranked one of the must play golf courses in Alberta by The Edmonton Sun. The 27-hole facility features a variety of shots both over valleys and creek beds along with large greens of varying degrees of undulation.
The Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship is a 72-hole stroke play event, with a 36-hole cut to the low 70 players and ties. In the event of a tie at the end of four rounds, there will be a hole-by-hole playoff immediately following completion of 72-holes. The Mid-Amateur division will run concurrently with the Mid-Master division for players 40 and older. The Mid-Amateur champion will earn an exemption into the 2022 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.
Previous winners of the tournament include Canada’s top-ranked men’s amateur golfer and NHL referee Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., won the event three years in a row between 2014 and 2016; Graham Cooke who won it seven times between 1987 and 2002; and Stu Hamilton who won it on four separate occasions between 1990 and 1994.
Click here for the full field and tournament information.
NOTABLES
Charles Fitzsimmons (London, Ont.)
Fitzsimmons is currently ranked at No. 1247 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings, and once had a career high ranking of No. 301. He played on Western University’s Men’s Golf Team for 12 seasons between the 2006 and 2018 seasons. In 2019, he won the Ontario Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, and finished third at the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship.
Brandon Markiw (Calgary, Alta.)
Brandon Markiw is currently ranked No. 1530 on the WAGR. In early June of this year, Markiw won the Alberta Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship. His best finish at the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship came in 2016 when he finished tied for 12th.
Ryan Sevigny (Ottawa, Ont.)
In 2019, Ryan Sevigny finished ninth at the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship and finished tied for second at the 2016 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship.
Matt Williams (Calgary, Alta.)
Matt Williams is a former member of the Team Canada Junior Squad (2014). Williams finished tied for eight at the 2017 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, and runner-up at the Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship in 2016.
FAST FACTS
The Championship was first contested in 1987 and was originally known as the RCGA Pre-Seniors Championship before it was renamed to its current name in 1989.
Graham Cooke of Hudson, Que. and Stu Hamilton of Brampton, Ont. captured 11 of the first 20 championships played. Cooke was the inaugural champion in 1987 and has the most event wins with seven.
Three players have won the event three times in a row: Garrett Rank, Dave Bunker and Graham Cooke – no one has won it four straight years.
The format changed from match to stroke play in 2006, with the Mid-Master category introduced for golfers over the age of 40.
In 2019, Team Ontario won the inter-provincial R. Bruce Forbes Trophy for the fifth straight year.
Golf Canada Foundation Announces Bursaries for 2021-2022 Q-School
The Golf Canada Foundation has opened applications for bursaries to provide Canadian professional golfers with financial assistance for upcoming Q-school tournaments in support their journeys to the LPGA and PGA TOUR.
These bursaries are being made available this year in recognition of the increased travel expenses that many players have incurred due to the impact of COVID-19. For example, host family housing has not been available at many events, thus creating increased expenses for players.
Canadian professional golfers who anticipate expenses attempting to qualify for the 2021-2022 season on any tour that is affiliated with the PGA TOUR, European Tour, or LPGA tour are welcomed to apply through this link.
The application will be open until Monday, September 20 at 5pm ET. Bursaries will be awarded by mid-October in amounts ranging from $2,000 to $7,000, depending on a player’s competitive results and projected expenses.
For more information, please contact Emily Phoenix (ephoenix@golfcanada.ca).
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Golf Canada saw over 1.7M scores posted in the month of July 2021—marking a record for the most ever in the organization’s history.
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Weir in Shaw Charity Classic field in Calgary for first time
Mike Weir will make his Shaw Charity Classic debut at Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club in Calgary on Friday.
The 51-year-old from Sarnia, Ont., is in his rookie season on the PGA TOUR Champions and has already notched one win and four runner-up finishes in 20 starts over the course of the 2020-21 season.
“I’m having a lot of fun,” Weir said on the season so far. “When you’ve been down and struggling for a long time and you’ve kind of clawed your way out of it, it’s very satisfying. Now my game’s in a really good place and I’m excited.”
Weir’s win at the Insperity Invitational in May was the former Masters winner’s first win since 2007 when he won the Fry’s Electronics Open on the PGA TOUR.
This will be the first time the PGA TOUR Champions is in Canada since the 2019 Shaw Charity Classic.
“It’s always great to get back up here,” said Weir on playing in Canada. “I had a chance to check out the golf course, first time around. It’s very good, really good condition.”
Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club has hosted the event since its inaugural year in 2013 and is a par 70, 7,086-yard course.
Weir will be playing in a field alongside fellow Canadians Stephen Ames, David Morland IV, and Dennis Hendershott.
This will be Ames’ seventh appearance at the tournament, his best finish being a tie for fifth in 2015. Ames also has a win on the PGA TOUR Champions this season at the Principal Charity Classic in June where he narrowly beat out Weir by one stroke for the win.
Weir, who’s currently ranked No. 8 on the Charles Schwab Cup, said he feels great being back in Canada.
“Whenever we play the Canadian Open or here and then back in the day at the Air Canada Championship, it was just the support that we got,” Weir said. “I think the fans have always been just so wonderful to me and rallied behind me and supported me, and the Presidents Cup in Montreal, they’re phenomenal memories.”
The event will allow 2,000 spectators each tournament day.
American Wes Short Jr. is the defending champion of the event. He won with a birdie on the final hole to win by one stroke over Scott McCarron, who won the event back-to-back in 2017 and 2018.
Weir will tee off at 10:58 a.m. in Calgary.
Jean-Philippe Parr hangs on to win 2021 Canadian Junior Boys Championship
SAINTE-JULIE, Qué. – Jean-Philippe Parr of St. Celestin, Que., shot a final-round 2-over-74 en route to winning the Canadian Junior Boys Championship title by one stroke on Thursday at Vallée du Richelieu – Le Club in Sainte-Julie, Que.
“It feels great,” said Parr, who held the opening-round lead after shooting a 7-under-65, the low score for the championship. “It’s for sure a tournament I always wanted to win, and it feels great to get it done.”
The 17-year-old Team Canada National Junior Squad member jumped into the lead by one stroke after Wednesday’s third round following a bogey-free 66 that included an eagle on the second hole.
The final pairing saw Parr chased by duo Cooper Humphreys (Vernon, B.C.) and fellow Junior Squad member Owen Mullen (Shortts Lake, N.S.), both who started the day one back. It came down to the wire with Mullen’s par attempt falling just short on the final hole—avoiding the need for a playoff.
Parr said the key to his final-round success was staying patient and bouncing back from bad shots.
“I really tried to stay patient and make sure I didn’t get too down on myself,” said Parr. “It’s important after a bad shot to move on and focus on what’s next.”
Humphreys, 16, won the Juvenile Boys division (ages 16 and under) by a convincing 13-strokes—the largest margin of victory since 2011 (Kevin Kwon).
PHOTO BERNARD BRAULT, GOLF CANADA Ste-Julie, Québec: Canadian Championship Junior Boys Championnat Canadien Junior garçons Final Round Club de golf Vallée du Richelieu Cooper Humphreys Harvest Golf Club, Vernon, BC -Thursday, August 12th, 2021
“I just wanted to shoot as low as I could, stay patient, hit the middle of the greens, make some putts and try my best,” said Humphreys, who plays out of Harvest Golf Club in Kelowna, B.C.
With the victory, Parr receives exemptions into both the 2022 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at Point Grey Golf & Country Club in Vancouver (Aug. 1-4) and the 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Oregon (July 25-30).
PHOTO BERNARD BRAULT, GOLF CANADA Ste-Julie, Québec: Canadian Championship Junior Boys Championnat Canadien Junior garçons Final Round Club de golf Vallée du Richelieu Jean-Philippe Parr KI-8-EB (Club de golf), St. Celestin, QC -Thursday, August 12th, 2021
Parr adds his name to a list of notable previous Canadian Junior Boys Champions including PGA TOUR player Nick Taylor (2006) and Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member George Knudson (1955).
Parr’s resume includes victories at the Quebec Junior and Juvenile Boys Championship in 2020 and both the AJGA Junior at Southpointe and the Future Links Fall Series East in 2019.
Ben MacLean of Niagara Falls, Ont., and Jeevan Sihota of Victoria, B.C., rounded out the top five in a tie for fourth place at 1 under.
The 2022 Canadian Junior Boys Championship will be held at Rivershore Golf Links in Kamloops, B.C.
Click here for full results.
American Korda wins gold at women’s Olympic golf competition
American Nelly Korda won the women’s Olympic golf competition by one stroke over Japan’s Mone Inami and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko.
Korda had held the tournament lead since the second round when she carded a 9-under 62, and was able to stay ahead with consecutive rounds of 69 to finish the tournament at 17 under.
“It feels amazing,” said Korda. “After today Lydia was playing really well, so was Mone, they both played super well, so we were all bunched up there. It was very stressful, but I kept it together, I fought pretty hard.”
Inami and Ko both finished the tournament at 16 under, forcing the silver and bronze medals to be decided by a playoff.
Inami defeated Ko on the first hole of the playoff, the par 4 18th hole.
Ko also won a silver medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Canadian Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., finished tied for 29th at 4 under after putting in a final round 67, her lowest round of the tournament. Alena Sharp of Hamilton finished 49th at 5 over.
“Yeah, I’m really excited to be a two-time Olympian and to be able to compete here this week,” said Henderson. “I feel like playing in the Olympics for golf is huge, just such a big stage and feels like it reaches a lot more people which is really exciting and hopefully the future is bright for Canadian golf and all around the world.”
The 2021 Canadian Junior Boys Championship heads to Vallée du Richelieu
SAINTE-JULIE, Qué. – The Canadian Junior Boys Championship is set for Aug. 9-12 at Vallée du Richelieu – Le Club in Sainte-Julie, Que.
The 156-player field includes five of seven Team Canada National Junior Squad members; Félix Bouchard (Otterburn Park, Qué.), Jean-Philippe Parr (St-Célestin, Qué.), Malik Dao (Notre-Dame-Ile-Perrot, Qué.), Owen Mullen (Shortts Lake, N.S.), and Willy Bishop (Victoria, B.C.).
“We are delighted to have the Canadian Junior Boys Championship running again,” said tournament director Adam Lloyd. “The team at Vallée du Richelieu has worked incredibly hard in preparation for this week and it shows with the excellent course conditions.”
The winner of the championship will receive an exemption into both the 2022 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at Point Grey Golf & Country Club in Vancouver (Aug. 1-4) and the 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Oregon (July 25-30).
Christopher Vandette of Beaconsfield, Que. became the first back-to-back champion of the event since 2009, with his victory at the 2019 championship.
The championship will be contested on the par 72, 7,056 yard Rouville Course at Vallée du Richelieu. The club has played host to a number of PGA, LPGA, and PGA TOUR Champions Tour events.
“We are excited to be able to offer our young members the opportunity to experience a national tournament either as a spectator, volunteer or participant,” said Patrice Forcier, the club’s general manager.
The Canadian Junior Boys Championship is a 72-hole stroke play event, with a 36-hole cut to the low 70 players and ties. In the event of a tie at the end of four rounds, there will be a hole-by-hole playoff immediately following completion of 72-holes.
The 72-hole tournament returns for the first time since 2019, after the pandemic caused the cancellation of Golf Canada’s 2020 competitive season. The practice round will be conducted on Sunday, August 8th.
Previous winners of the Canadian Junior Boys Championship include PGA TOUR player Nick Taylor (2006), and Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member George Knudson (1955).
Click here for the full field and tournament information.
NOTABLES
Félix Bouchard
The 17-year-old from Otterburn Park, Que., is in his first year as a member of Team Canada. In 2020 he was a quarterfinalist at the Québec Junior Match Play and in 2019 he finished second at the Future Links Fall Series (East). In 2017, he won the Future Links Junior Skills Challenge National Final in the boys 12-14 division.
Jean-Philippe Parr
The 17-year-old from St-Célestin, Qué., is in his second year as a member of Team Canada. In 2020, he won the Quebec Junior and Juvenile Boys Championship, and finished in a tie for 12th at the AJGA Junior All-Star Invitational. In 2019, he won both the AJGA Junior at Southpointe and the Future Links Fall Series East.
Malik Dao
The 17-year-old from Notre-Dame-Ile-Perrot, Qué., is in his second year as a member of Team Canada. In 2020, he won the Québec Men’s Amateur Championship and in 2019 he won the Future Links Atlantic and the Québec Junior Boys Match Play. He also finished second at the 2019 Future Links Fall Series East.
Owen Mullen
The 17-year-old from Shortts Lake, N.S. is in his first year as a member of Team Canada. In 2020, he won the Nova Scotia Junior Boys Championship and finished fourth at the Nova Scotia Men’s Amateur. In 2018, he won the Future Links Atlantic Championship.
Willy Bishop
The 17-year-old from Victoria, B.C., is in his first year as a member of Team Canada. In 2020, he won the B.C. Junior and Juvenile Championship and finished seventh at the B.C. Men’s Amateur Championship. In 2019, he finished sixth at the Future Links Fall Series (West).
Ben MacLean
The Team Ontario member from Niagara Falls, Ont., finished second at the Alberta Golf 2020 Junior Boys Championship, and fifth at the Golf Ontario 2020 Juvenile Boys Championship. In 2019, MacLean finished tied for second at the Golf Ontario Juvenile Boys Championship and tied for thid at the Golf Canada Future Links Ontario.
Jeevan Sihota
In 2020, Sihota, of Victoria, B.C., finished sixth at the Billy Horschel Junior Championship and tied for fourth at the Vista Valley Junior, both AJGA events. In 2019, Sihota finished tied for third at the Future Links Pacific Championship, second at the AJGA’s Kyle Stanley Championship and tied for ninth at the Canadian Junior Boys Championship. In 2017, Sihota won the Future Links Pacific Championship.
FAST FACTS
The first championship was held in 1938, which was won by James Hogan.
The junior champion earns an exemption into the 2022 Canadian Men’s Amateur and U.S Junior Amateur Championships.
Canadian Golf Hall of Famers who have won the championship include Doug Silverberg, George Knudson, Gary Cowan and Doug Roxburgh.
In 1970, the 16-and-under Juvenile Championship was added to the event. It runs concurrently with the competition and the winner receives the Jack Bailey Trophy.
In 2018, Christopher Vandette won the Juvenile and Junior titles, thanks to a final round 6-under-par 65.
Ten golfers have won both the Juvenile and Junior titles: Jim Rutledge, Jeff Makahon, Rob McMillan, Jesse Collinson, Dustin Risdon, Gord Scutt, Rafael Lee, Mitch Sutton, Charles-Éric Bélanger and Vandette.
Current PGA TOUR player Nick Taylor captured the title in 2006.
The lowest single-round score in the tournament’s history is a 62, achieved in the third round in 2017 by Calvin Ross, a Fredericton, N.B. product. Ross went on to win the championship.
Christopher Vandette was the last competitor to win back-to-back titles, doing so in 2018 and 2019.
Korda has 3 shot lead, Sharp shoots 69 at Olympics
Nelly Korda is still in command of women’s golf. The 23-year-old American has a three-shot lead over India’s Aditi Ashok going into the final round. Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ontario, is tied for 40th while Hamilton’s Alena Sharp is 44th.
Next in line are four players at 10-under: 2016 silver medalist Lydia Ko of New Zealand (66), Japan hopeful Mone Inami (68), Hannah Green of Australia (67) and Emily Kristine Pedersen of Denmark (70).
“Well, I think I just want to be better every day and have the best round that I can tomorrow. Like my best round of the tournament,” said Sharp. “I mean, I think it’s like what happened yesterday, Nelly close to 59, like shoot for something like that, why not, right? I just want to have, personally for my personally best day on the last round now because I’ve had over par, even, under, so now a little bit more under tomorrow would be a really good way to finish the tournament.”
Statistically speaking, it doesn’t seem like a fair fight between the two leaders. While world No. 1 Korda is bombing drives and hitting short irons throughout the East Course, Ashok is dinking drives and relying on hybrids to reach a number of holes, with at least five par-4s typically measuring over 400 yards. Korda is averaging a full 44 yards further than Ashok, who is second-to-last in the field with a 233-yard average.
And yet, she makes it work with a keen understanding of her limitations and strengths. She still hit 17 of 18 greens, four more than Korda in round three. And then there’s her putting, the very thing she practiced endlessly when first introduced to the game.
Max Sekulic rallies to win 116th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship
WINDSOR, Ont. – Max Sekulic of Rycroft, Alta., shot a final-round 5-under-66 to win the 116th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at Ambassador Golf Club in Windsor, Ont., at 17 under.
Sekulic, who went birdie-birdie on the final two holes to secure the win, finished two strokes ahead of A.J. Ewart of Coquitlam, B.C., who was at the top of the leaderboard throughout the opening two rounds. National team members Henry Lee (Coquitlam, B.C.) and Brendan MacDougall (Calgary) finished tied for third at 14 under.
“It means the world to me,” said Sekulic, who started the day three strokes back of the lead. “You get your name on a trophy with a bunch of good players and your name’s permanent on that thing. It means a lot for all the people back in Rycroft and The Glencoe Golf & Country Club, where I spend my time in Canada.”
With the win, Sekulic receives an exemption into both the 2022 RBC Canadian Open from June 6-12 at St George’s Golf & Country Club in Toronto, Ont., and the 2021 U.S. Amateur from Aug. 9-15 at Oakmont Country Club & Longue Vue Club in Oakmont & Verona, Pa.
“It’s honestly a little bit career changing. I get to have a PGA TOUR start,” said Sekulic, who also noted that it will be a great learning experience.
The 22-year-old also adds his name to a list of notable Canadian Men’s Amateur Champions to hoist the Earl Grey Cup. He joins PGA TOUR winner and Olympian Mackenzie Hughes (2011-12), PGA TOUR winner Nick Taylor (2007), and Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Moe Norman (1955-56).
Third-round leader Noah Steele of Kingston, Ont., finished tied for fifth alongside 2018-2019 Canadian Junior Boys Champion Christopher Vandette of Beaconsfield, Que. Top-ranked men’s amateur and NHL referee Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., finished alone in 13th at 9 under.
The 36-hole inter-provincial competition for the Willingdon Cup was deferred this year. Team Ontario is the reigning champion after collecting the title in 2019.
The 2022 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship will be held at Point Grey Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, B.C.
Click here for full results.
Henderson moves up leaderboard, Korda shoots 62 at Olympics
Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 3-under 68, while Alena Sharp of Hamilton shot an even-par 71 in the second round of the women’s golf competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
“It felt good to make some birdies out there. It’s more like my old self which feels good,” Henderson said. “Yeah, hopefully just kind of continue the momentum into tomorrow and Saturday and hopefully make a lot more birdies and climb up as much as possible.”
Nelly Korda of the U.S., shot a 9-under 62 at Kasumigaseki Country Club to give herself a comfortable four shot lead over Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Emily Kristine Pedersen, and India’s Aditi Ashok, who are all tied at 9-under.
Korda made nine birdies in the second round, and an eagle on the par 4 sixth hole. A late double bogey on the 18th closed out her round.
Henderson made five birdies in the second round, after only making one birdie in the first and currently sits tied for 34th.
Her teammate, Sharp, made one bogey on the front nine, and one birdie on the back nine that put her in a tie for 46th at 3-over.
“I got to be a little bit more aggressive and take advantage of those holes that are up and roll some putts in,” Sharp said. “I’m not going to really change too much what I normally do. Like I mean I would love to go out and shoot a really low round, but we’ll see. Those putts got to drop.”