FERNIE, B.C. – Logan Carver shot a 5-under-par 65 and Angela Zhang shot a 1-over-par 73 to lead their respective divisions at the Future Links, driven by Acura Western Championship on Tuesday at Fernie Golf and Country Club.

Carver propelled himself to the top of the leaderboard after an incredible back nine where he carded five of his seven birdies, including the final three holes.

“It was just the last three holes when it all came together,” he said, after his opening round. “Standing on the 16th tee I was only 2 under and was coming off a hole where I three-putted from seven feet so I didn’t know how I was going to finish.

“But I hit some good iron shots those last three holes and they managed to go in, so it all worked out.”

The 18-year-old from Calgary, Alta., birdied four of his last five holes and carded just two bogeys during his impressive start to the tournament.

Sitting in solo-second behind Carver is Bradley McKeating, also from Calgary, Alta. He made the turn at even par after registering two birdies and two bogeys on the front nine before he managed to play bogey-free on the back and finish three strokes off the leader.

Jammed up in a four-way tie for third place at 1 under par are Jace Ouellette (Red Deer, Alta.), Dylan Henderson (Waterloo, Ont.), Hunter Thompson (Calgary, Alta.) and Brodie Shields-Tyler (Calgary, Alta.).

In the girls division, Zhang holds onto her spot at the top of the leaderboard by just one stroke. The 15-year-old from Vancouver, B.C., headed into the final eight holes at 3 under par but stumbled down the stretch with two bogeys and a double-bogey.

“The course was in really good condition today,” she said. “The chances were definitely there so if you could just hit it solid and be patient and you could get a really low score.”

Sydney Scraba, from Calgary, Alta., sits one stroke back of Zhang after she managed to card four birdies in her opening round, but four bogeys and a double-bogey found her settling into solo-second with a 2-over-par 74.

Taylor Stone (Calgary, Alta.), Claire Lovan (Surrey, B.C.) and Jennifer Gu (West Vancouver, B.C.) all shot 3 over par and sit in a three-way tie, two strokes behind Zhang after round one.

The top six finishers in the Boys Division will earn exemptions into the 2017 Canadian Junior Boys Championship on July 31-Aug. 3 at Cataraqui Golf and Country Club in Kingston, Ont. The top six in the Girls Division will earn exemptions into the 2017 Canadian Junior Girls Championship on Aug. 1-4 at Camelot Golf & Country Club in Cumberland, Ont.

Full results can be found here.

Development Squad’s Monet Chun carded a 1-under-par 71 in the opening round of the Investors Group Ontario Women’s Amateur to sit T2 at Galt Country Club in Cambridge, Ont.

Unionville, Ont., native Kelsey Sear is leading the way at 3 under par after opening-round 69 powered by five birdies.

Chun (Richmond Hill, Ont.) recorded five birdies, two bogeys, and a double-bogey in Tuesday’s first round to sit two shots back of Sear alongside Madeline Marck-Sherk (Ridgeway, Ont.).

The 16-year-old Chun is enjoying a successful season rookie year on the Team Canada Development Squad.

Chun won the 2017 Future Links driven by Acura Ontario Championship at Brockville Country Club in May, and the Summit Golf and Country Club member recorded an impressive ninth place finish at the Ladies Porter Cup in June.

Chun’s Development Squad teammate Chloe Currie is T4 at 1 over par. Currie, 17, carded a 73 in round one to sit four shots back of Sear alongside Sarah Beqaj (Toronto), Victoria Zheng (Markham, Ont.) Courtney Tolton (Mitchell, Ont.) and Danielle Sawyer (Grafton, Ont.).

Currie, from Mississauga, Ont., was T5 at the 2017 Future Links driven by Acura Ontario Championship and is the defending Ontario Junior Girls champion.

Click here for the full leaderboard.

Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee carded a 1-over-par 72 in Wednesday’s second round of the Women’s North and South Championship to finish T2 in stroke play, advancing to the match play portion of the tournament.

The famed Pinehurst No. 2 lived up to its reputation as one of the stiffest tests in golf on Tuesday with every golfer in the field—except medallist Kristen Gillman (Austin, Tex.)—finishing over par for the day.

Lee, a Team Canada Amateur Squad member, recorded two birdies and three bogeys to finish tied for second at 4 over par with Norman, Okla., native Yujeong Son—two shots back of Gillman who was 2 over par for the championship (73-71).

At the Women’s Western Amateur Championship in June, Lee was the No. 3 seed after 36 holes of stroke play but lost in the first round of match play to Maddie Rayner (Southlake, Tex.) in 23 holes.

Amateur Squad’s Naomi Ko (Victoria, B.C.) and teammate Grace St-Germain (Ottawa) failed to qualify for the match play, finishing T56 (+19) and T70 (+22), respectively.

Valerie Tangauy from Saint-Hyacinthe, Que., finished T33 at 13 over par (71-84) missing a spot in match play by one stroke.

Development Squad rookie and Delta, B.C., product Mary Parsons will also be heading home after two rounds with a T75 finish at 24 over par.

The fourth member of Team Canada’s Amateur Squad, Maddie Szeryk (London, Ont.), withdrew from the tournament after being notified she had gained entry into the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open as an alternate.

For the full leaderboard click here.

As Canada comes together to celebrate 150 years since the birth of our nation, it is a time of reflection on all the things that have made our country what it is today—including the golf landscape, which holds the second-largest amount of courses per capita in the world.

Canada’s rich golf history dates back to the first golf club in 1873 and spans from to coast-to-coast, playing an important role in the early development of many communities.

Golf clubs are also a source of many stories and memories that bring us together as family and friends, as highlighted in Golf Canada’s latest family-themed magazine issue.

In honour of Canada’s 150th birthday, we are celebrating the 150 oldest active golf courses in the nation—Click here to view the full list.

Clubs are listed by their open year, so in some cases there are several courses which opened during the same year. If you are interested in learning more about a facility or sharing a story with the golf community, click on the name of the course and you can use the Golf Canada Course History map to do so. The map in its entirety can be found at golfcanada.ca/coursehistory

Jared du Toit’s exceptional play at Glen Abbey proved he’s got the game to battle with the big boys. Now he wants another crack.

Cliché as it might sound, Jared du Toit’s gameplan was to treat the 2016 RBC Canadian Open — his first tee time at a PGA Tour showdown — like any other event.

Except that he wasn’t banking on this.

“At normal tournaments for me on the road, I would turn on the TV in my hotel room at night and I’d watch SportsCentre,” du Toit said of his usual unwind. “But I couldn’t really turn on the TV because it seemed like every sports channel had a big headline on it that I’d see and then, ‘Wow, flip the channel.’

“I didn’t want to get too caught up in it, especially not seeing that before.”

On Sportsnet, on TSN, on Golf Channel . . . du Toit was the hot topic. He was the talk of the tee, too, at courses across the country.

Rightly so.

Representing Golf Canada’s National Amateur Squad on an exemption, the 21-year-old from Kimberley, B.C., sizzled into contention that week at Glen Abbey, a fairy-tale rise from relative unknown to realistic contender.

He opened with a lap of five-under 67, just one shot off the pace. With spins of 71 and 70, his name was never far from the top of the leaderboard during the middle rounds.

And by draining a 40-footer for eagle on Saturday’s concluding hole, he earned a spot in Sunday’s final group with a serious shot to become the first homegrown golfer to win the Canada’s National Open Championship since Pat Fletcher in 1954.

Du Toit closed with another 71, finishing three strokes behind eventual champion Jhonattan Vegas in a tie for ninth. He was tops among Canadians and an unfathomable 17 strokes better than the next-best amateur.

Jason Day, who arrived at Glen Abbey as the top-ranked player on the planet, was a couple shots back in his rearview mirror.

“We knew Jared had the game,” said Derek Ingram, Golf Canada’s national men’s coach. “But to have the moxie and the confidence to be in that position all week and to really thrive and enjoy it and to eat that up and really not let it faze him at all, I think that’s probably what impressed me the most.

“Other guys have the game to do that. But there’s a difference between having the game and doing it with all those people around and doing it under the pressure and under the heat. That’s what really stands out for me.”

What really stands out for du Toit? Oooooh boy, take a seat.

A polite and polished young man, du Toit bubbles with enthusiasm when you mention that muggy and memorable week last July, almost as if it happened yesterday.

The support of a patriotic crowd was, as he repeated again and again, “unbelievable.” There was encouragement from inside the ropes too, from the likely sources — Graham DeLaet, Adam Hadwin, Nick Taylor and the rest of the Canadian contingent.

“Honestly, just 10-out-of-10 guys, falling right into that stereotype,” du Toit added.

And unlikely sources, such as his playing partner on that special Sunday, an established star who won the FedEx Cup in 2012 and owns eight PGA Tour trophies.

“Brandt Snedeker, that final day, he was kind of rooting me on all day just making me feel great,” du Toit described. “I kind of got off to a slow start and the whole time he was like, ‘OK, keep plucking away, keep plucking away.’ I finally made a birdie on my eighth hole and he was clapping and he fist-bumped me and said, ‘OK, let’s go.’ That was very cool.”

Du Toit, naturally, learned a ton at Glen Abbey, but another important lesson came in the weeks that followed.

“Just playing other amateur events and college events after, I put a lot of stress on myself to play well, to kind of live up to what I had done, because I didn’t want to be that guy that just played well one week,” he admitted. “I did put a lot of pressure on myself, and I performed poorly because I was too high-strung on the golf course.

“Yeah, it was a good week and if that was an amateur event, I probably would have won that amateur event. But it was one week, and just understanding that has been really good for me — realizing my process and what I did to prepare and where my swing was that week. It’s just that kind of understanding of what put me in that position to succeed rather than trying hard to succeed every week.

“Continuing to do all the little things right will eventually work out long term. In a shorter scale, I guess, that kind of worked out and taught me a lesson.”

He must be a quick study because du Toit enjoyed a stellar senior campaign with the Arizona State Sun Devils, including a triumph at The Prestige at PGA West in mid-February.

He’ll graduate with a degree in marketing, but his preference is to earn his pay on the fairways and greens. He certainly hasn’t been slacking on his homework.

“I think one of the things that has made the biggest difference for him is just having tremendous habits and routines,” said Ingram. “It doesn’t sound very sexy, but it just works really well. He’s a guy who works extremely hard. He’s very smart. He’s a good athlete, from a multi-sport background. I think those things are really starting to translate to a guy who can be a very, very good professional golfer.

“If you plop him down on the PGA Tour, we like his chances.”

Du Toit would love to be plopped down on the PGA Tour. He would have told you that years ago. His remarkable run at the 2016 RBC Canadian Open only provided reassurance.

“It was definitely everything I dreamed it would be, and even more,” du Toit said. “Just seeing that my game, playing my best, that I can compete and I can make a living on tour . . . I mean, that’s the goal. It just validated my dreams and what I’ve been working on and how I’ve been working on it.”

This article was originally published in the Family Issue edition of Golf Canada Magazine. Click here to view the full magazine

The university atmosphere and A-plus amenities at Cutten Fields will deliver a memorable experience for amateur players this summer.

There are a few hundred golf courses in the world — from Canada to the U.S. to Brazil to Jamaica — that can boast Stanley Thompson as their designer, but only one facility can rightfully call itself Thompson’s home.

That would be Cutten Fields in Guelph, Ont., host of this year’s Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.

“We take a lot of pride in our history with him because we might not even be here if it wasn’t for him,” explained Steve Bryant, director of golf at Cutten Fields. “He was from this area, and he took a lot of pride in this place himself.”

Thompson stepped up during a tumultuous time for the club in 1936. Following the death of founder Arthur Cutten, five years after the Thompson-designed course opened, the club had to be sold in order to settle Cutten’s estate. With financial trouble looming and a desire to protect his baby, Thompson agreed to purchase the club with a partner and manage the operations himself.

He took up residence in a large stone house just off the course. Known as Dormie House, it still exists today, as does Arthur Cutten’s grand vision of a golf course and recreation facility in the heart of his hometown.

The torch has now been passed to the University of Guelph, which fully acquired the club in 1991 and immediately integrated it into its campus, securing its long-term future right across the street from its football stadium.

The atmosphere should make the mostly young competitors of the Women’s Amateur, who typically compete in collegiate-level events, feel right at home. The unique link has already inspired plenty of discussion between Golf Canada and the club on providing access to the university’s amenities during tournament week, such as its state-of-the-art fitness centre, to sweeten the experience.

Logistical resources will also be shared. The university’s athletic director, Scott McRoberts, is the host club’s chairman for the event while a member of the athletic department’s media team is serving as communications chair. Furthermore, the community of student-athletes has already responded well for volunteer roles.

“It’s just a neat tie-in, especially for that demographic,” said Mary Beth McKenna, Golf Canada’s manager of rules and competitions and the championship’s tournament director. “There’s already been some crossover there so the event’s receiving plenty of support from not only the community but the university.”

Although there won’t be any classes scheduled during the late July tournament, players will certainly have to do their homework to pass Thompson’s test on the golf course. It’s a tremendous track that rolls with the natural topography and features his trademark undulating greens to thwart scoring chances.

“The big onus is placing your approach shots in the right position,” added Bryant of the 6,500-yard layout. “That’s one of the things I think the girls will focus on most is where they can leave their ball so they’re not left with a tough up-and-down or a downhill putt or something like that. In their practice rounds, I think they’ll examine the greens quite a bit.”

The 14th hole at Cutten Fields, aptly named Thompson’s Revenge, is usually one that requires extra studying. It’s a tough par 4 with a creek crossing the fairway at 250 yards, forcing golfers to decide on the tee whether to muscle it over or land it short.

“The green is kind of diabolical,” described Bryant, “so placing your shots in the right place below the hole is really important. The big thing here is staying below the hole. (Hole) 14 will be pivotal.”

With a national championship and exemptions into the CP Women’s Open and U.S. Women’s Amateur up for grabs, it’s the beginning of what should be a wild five-hole finish. It certainly was the last time Cutten Fields played host to a national tournament, the 2015 Canadian University/College Championship.

The course was well-received by all the men’s and women’s teams in action and the club’s members really rallied behind the event, which was booked in conjunction with this summer’s Women’s Amateur. It is part of an ongoing effort to entertain an event every two to three years.

Having previously welcomed the Ontario Women’s Amateur and a Canadian Women’s Tour stop, the club continues to forge ahead towards its ultimate goal of hosting an LPGA Tour event.

Each occasion has enhanced its exposure, the staff’s experience and the course’s credibility. But, as Bryant admits, there has been a learning curve as well.

“We knew that this event was quite a bit different, in the sense that it’s more of a global event,” he explained. “We’re going to have girls from all over the world coming to us whereas the University/College was a little less responsibility with regards to caddies, billeting, etc. So that’s one of the biggest differences I find is the prep for girls coming from all over.”

When they do, the fruits of Cutten and Thompson’s labour will be on full display.

Arthur’s Gift, presents a memorable climb to a narrow green.

CANADIANS TO WATCH

Winning the Canadian Women’s Amateur was a huge stepping-stone in the burgeoning careers of Brooke Henderson, Augusta James and Ariya Jutanugarn. These are some young ladies looking to follow in their footsteps.

Maddie Szeryk
Our nation’s top-ranked women’s amateur has been red-hot at the NCAA level this season. She’s due to find the winner’s circle north of the border.

Naomi Ko
The Team Canada standout from Victoria compiled a string of strong results in 2016, highlighted by a win at the Canadian Junior Girls.

Jaclyn Lee
A year ago the Calgary native captured her provincial amateur and then low amateur at the CP Women’s Open. Another national accolade wouldn’t be surprising.

Chloe Currie
The Development Squad talent has won back-to-back Ontario Junior Girls titles and will be teeing it up less than an hour from home.

Rachel Pollock
A wealth of course knowledge should give the East Tennessee State senior and former Cutten Fields member an advantage.

RECENT CHAMPIONS
2012 Ariya Jutanugarn
2013 Brooke Henderson
2014 Augusta James
2015 Mariel Galdiano
2016 Hye-jin Choi (South Korea)

This article was originally published in the Family Issue edition of Golf Canada Magazine. Click here to view the full magazine

Team Canada Amateur Squad member Maddie Szeryk has made it into the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., from July 13-16 after being named an alternate for her performance at the Fort Worth, Tex., qualifier in May.

As a result, the London, Ont., resident has withdrawn from the prestigious North and South Women’s Amateur Championship in Pinehurst, N.C., where she was playing alongside Team Canada teammates Jaclyn Lee, Naomi Ko, and Grace St-Germain.

“This is a very exciting opportunity for Maddie, who has been playing some of her best golf of late—collecting two wins in June,” said Team Canada Women’s Head Coach, Tristan Mullally. “Taking on the world’s best in her first LPGA major will be a memorable test for Maddie, and we’re looking forward to an exciting week.”

Szeryk won the 117th Women’s Western Amateur Championship from June 12-17 becoming the first Canadian to win the highly regarded event and took home the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship from June 27-30.

Heading into her senior year at Texas A&M Szeryk already has her name all over the Aggies record books. She poured in a school record 128 birdies in her junior year and holds the Texas A&M record for under par rounds with 63.

Szeryk joins Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont. and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp as the third Canadian in the field at the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open.

For more information on the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open click here.

Dallas, Texas’ Kramer Hickok shot a 5-under 66 on Sunday at Pine Ridge Golf Club to win the Players Cup, earning his first Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada win.

The 25-year old converted a one-shot overnight lead into victory, using a flurry of three birdies and an eagle on the back nine to win by three over Wilmer, Alabama’s Robby Shelton.

“This is why I came to this tour, to try and win and play against honestly some of the best players in the world,” said Hickok, who moves to third on the Order of Merit. “To be able to play in front of the fans, this is getting us ready for the PGA TOUR, and there’s nothing like it.”

After re-emerging as the leader through 11 holes – Shelton briefly held the lead at the turn but made a double bogey at 10 – Hickok found a spark on the par-5 12th, carving a 3-iron from 227 yards to within a foot of the hole for an eagle to extend the lead to three over the charging Shelton, who made birdies on 14 and 15.

“That was kind of a defining moment for me,” said Hickok. “Robby was the one guy that I knew was going to play well. I knew he was going to shoot 4- or 5-under, because he’s just that type of player. That’s what he does.”

Following a Hickok bogey at 15, the lead shrank to one shot, but the University of Texas alum responded like a champion, extending his lead to two after hitting a 127-yard pitching wedge to a foot at 17 and closing with a 25-footer for birdie at 18, leading to a triumphant fist pump.

“The last three holes I decided to play it was a whole separate tournament,” said Hickok. “I tried my best just to play it in one under. The make birdie at the last was a nice little gift, but it was unbelievable to be able to go birdie-birdie when I was the most nervous I’ve ever been in my life.”

The win comes thanks in part to advice Hickok has received from his roommate, two-time major champion Jordan Spieth, as well as frequent off-season playing partner Fred Couples, who plays at the Madison Club in La Quinta, California with Hickok.

“Whenever I talk to Jordan about the putts that he’s made, whether it was junior golf for him or college golf, he’s looked back on putts that he’s made, and for me going forward this is going to be one of those putts that I can look back on and say I played my best golf when I needed it most,” said Hickok, adding that Couples sent him a text this morning and told him to “grind, grind, grind and do your thing and just have fun.”

The win moves Hickok into third place on the Order of Merit, in position to earn a spot in the RBC Canadian Open in two weeks. Shelton, meanwhile, extended his Order of Merit lead to $19,223.

Six shots behind Hickok in a tie for third at 9-under were Lake Mary, Florida’s Jhared Hack, The Dalles, Oregon’s Damian Telles and Bakersfield, California’s Matt Picanso.

Non-members inside the top-60 on the Order of Merit after the Players Cup (to a limit of three) were eligible to earn conditional status for the remainder of the year. In 39th place on the Order of Merit with three made cuts in three starts, Team Canada Amateur Squad member, Kimberley, B.C.’s Jared du Toit was the only non-member to fit the criteria and is eligible to join the Mackenzie Tour with conditional status for the remainder of 2017.

Click here for the full leaderboard.

A strong finish in the U.S. Open late month helped prepare Xander Schauffele for the nerve-racking grind of chasing a title on the PGA Tour.

The rookie made a 3-foot birdie putt on the final hole Sunday to win The Greenbrier Classic by a stroke over Robert Streb for his first tour victory.

Schauffele closed with a 3-under 67 and finished at 14-under 266 to cap a daylong duel with Streb and third-round leader Sebastian Munoz.

Streb shot 69. Munoz had a 72 to tie for third with Jamie Lovemark at 12 under. Lovemark shot 69.

The 23-year-old Schauffele, who took up golf after giving up soccer because his coaches wanted him to switch from offence to defence, tied for fifth in his first U.S. Open at Erin Hills.

“The U.S. Open was a huge moment in my career,” Schauffele said. “It was one of the biggest stages, and for me to be calm and collected throughout the week and just kind of hang on and tie for fifth was huge for me mentally. It kind of gave me the confidence and allowed me to play to win this week.”

Watching fellow youngster Jon Rahm of Spain win the Irish Open earlier Sunday also served as motivation for Schauffele, who shot from 94th to 27th in the FedEx Cup standings.

“Everybody knows I’m a late bloomer,” Schauffele said. “To jump into the top 30 is something special for me.”

Schauffele, Streb, Munoz and Lovemark earned spots in the British Open in two weeks. The leading four players not already exempt from the top-12 finishers qualified. Russell Henley was the only player among the top 10 finishers who already was in.

Abbotsford, B.C., native Nick Taylor was the top Canadian finishing at 9 under par in a tie for ninth. Brantford’s David Hearn was T14 at 8 under. Mackenzie Hughes (Dundas, Ont.) and Graham DeLaet (Weyburn, Sask.) were T20 at 6 under par.

Schauffele also punched a ticket to this year’s PGA Championship and next year’s Masters. He already had a spot in the 2018 U.S. Open for last month’s performance.

He’s the third rookie to earn their first tour victory in West Virginia and the fourth overall. The others were former U.S. Amateur champion Danny Lee in 2015 and Scott Stallings in 2011, along with Ted Potter Jr. in 2013.

It was another close finish in a tournament that narrowly avoided its fourth playoff since debuting in 2010.

Munoz, Streb and Schauffele traded the lead all day with each having their share of troubles.

As Schauffele reached the 161-yard 18th with a pitching wedge, Munoz and Streb heard the crowd’s roar from the par-5 17th green and both missed birdie putts.

Streb then found the left rough on 18 and his chip that would have forced a playoff came up short. Munoz needed to ace the 18th to tie it, but settled for par.

Munoz couldn’t become the first-to-wire winner of the tournament, which no third-round leader has ever won. The rookie also led the St. Jude Classic at the halfway point last month, but tied for 60th. Sunday marked his first top-10 finish.

“I’ll take it as a positive,” he said. “It’s my best finish ever. It’s not like I can be mad about it.”

Munoz’s putter was his strength in the first three rounds and his downfall Sunday. The 24-year-old Colombian made four bogeys on the front nine, including a pair of three-putts.

Streb had his second straight narrow miss in the tournament. He lost in a four-man playoff in 2015.

Streb retook a share of the lead with Munoz with a 32-foot birdie putt at No. 14, only to witness Schauffele pull it out in the end.

“I heard the racket. You could see it,” Streb said. “I had my chances and just didn’t do very well with them.”

Lovemark doubled-bogeyed the first hole to fall five shots back and made three birdies over his next 12 holes but never held the lead. He had his fourth top-10 finish this season.

At age 53, Davis Love III fell short in his bid to become the oldest-ever winner on tour. Love started his round four strokes back, bogeyed the first two holes and was never a threat. He shot 75 and tied for 29th at 5 under.

Click here for the full leaderboard.

Katherine Kirk won the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic on Sunday, matching Ashleigh Buhai with a birdie on the final hole for a one-stroke victory.

Four strokes ahead of Buhai entering the round, Kirk made a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th for a 2-under 70. She finished at 22-under 266 in the first year event at Thornberry Creek – the Oneida Nation-owned resort near Green Bay.

“Ashleigh played great all day,” Kirk said. “I put the pressure on her. Pretty fun finish there. I knew I had to make it. She played great, so all credit to her.”

The 35-year-old Australian won her third LPGA Tour title and first in 152 starts since the 2010 Navistar LPGA Classic. She also won the 2008 Canadian Women’s Open.

“So much hard work and patience,” Kirk said. “I had a rough couple years like 2015 and 2016, and just an amazing team behind me. My husband has been 100 per cent supportive the whole time. I can’t put it into words. It’s just a great feeling.”

Kirk earned $300,000 and secured a spot next week in the U.S. Women’s Open. She had six birdies and four bogeys Sunday after opening with rounds of 68, 63 and 65.

Buhai, from South Africa, shot a 67.

“We both played great this week,” Buhai said about Kirk. “Today, 5 under, no bogeys. I had three lip-outs on the back nine, but I hit the putts and the shots that I had to just keep hitting. Finally on 18, it was just a little close, and enough to think maybe I could hole the putt, but the two shots Katherine hit on 16 and 18 to work it around trees were fantastic, so all good to her.”

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (68) was the low Canadian at 13 under. Brooke Henderson (69) of Smiths Falls, Ont., and Augusta James (68) of Bath, Ont., were at 11 under while Samantha Richdale (78) of Kelowna, B.C., fell to an even par.

South Korea’s Sei Young Kim was third at 20 under after a 63.

“I have good momentum,” Kim said. “I’m very looking forward to next week, so exciting. I can’t wait for next week.”

Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum shot a career-best 62 – also the best round of the week – to finish fourth at 19 under.

“Tee shot pretty good and also putting very good,” Phatlum said. “Like no three-putt, and then can make eight birdies and one eagle. Really fantastic.”

Click here for the full leaderboard.