BEAUMONT, Calif. – Ten Canadians are set to kick-off the Symetra Tour’s 2016 season this Friday with the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort and Spa.

Headlining the Canucks is Young Pro Squad member Augusta James of Bath, Ont., who was the top-ranked Canadian on last year’s Volvik Race to the Card money list at No. 12 ($53,077). Fellow Young Pro Squad member Sue Kim of Langley, B.C. will be chasing her third Symetra Tour title—she won last year’s Florida’s Natural Charity Classic by three strokes.

The 54-hole event consists of 106 professionals and two amateurs competing for a purse of $100,000. At the end of the 23-event season, the Top-10 athletes on the final money list will earn LPGA Tour membership for 2017.

Many Team Canada graduates will look to make their mark on the new season, including: Sara-Maude Juneau (Fossambault, Que.), Jennifer Kirby (Paris, Ont.), Rebecca Lee-Bentham (Richmond Hill, Ont.), Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.), Anne-Catherine Tanguay (Québec, Que.) and Jessica Wallace (Langley, B.C.).

The action will begin at 7:15 a.m. (PST) on Friday and will return to the Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon. In the 2015 event, American Katie Kempter rallied with birdies on her final three holes to capture her first professional victory.

Friday’s tee-times of all Canadians in the field are listed below:

• 7:48 a.m (Tee #1). – Anne-Catherine Tanguay
• 7:59 a.m. (Tee #10) – Sue Kim
• 8:10 a.m. (Tee #10) – Sara-Maude Juneau
• 8:32 a.m. (Tee #1) – Jennifer Kirby
• 11:30 a.m. (Tee #10) – Megan Osland
• 11:52 a.m. (Tee #10) – Rebecca Lee-Bentham
• 12:14 p.m. (Tee #10) – Augusta James
• 12:36 p.m. (Tee #1) – Samantha Richdale
• 12:36 p.m. (Tee #10) – Jessica Wallace
• 12:58 p.m. (Tee #10) – Brittany Marchand

Click here for live scoring.

Golf Canada is pleased to announce its competition schedule including host clubs and dates for the 2016 championship season.

A total of 24 professional and amateur championships, as well as qualifying events into Canada’s two National Open Championships – the RBC Canadian Open and the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open – will be conducted in 2016.

“Each year, nearly 3,000 talented Canadian and international golfers come together at many of Canada’s premier golf facilities in the spirit of competition and camaraderie to challenge for a Canadian national golf championship,” said Golf Canada CEO Scott Simmons. “It is Golf Canada’s privilege to conduct these championships in partnership with our host venues, committed sponsors and thousands of dedicated volunteers from coast to coast. We are proud that these championships are providing athletes with an opportunity for meaningful competition and the chance to add their names to Canada’s storied golf history.”

Golf Canada’s complete 2016 championship schedule as well as registration information can be found here.

Championship Notes:

Golf Canada’s championship season kicks off with the CN Future Links Pacific Championship, May 13-15, at The Dunes at Kamloops Golf Club in Kamloops, B.C. The event is the first in a series of six regional junior competitions presented by CN that in 2016 will see tournament fields expanded to include 120 players – 87 boys and 33 girls.

The 14^th playing of the Canadian University/College Championship will be conducted from May 31 to June 3 at Morningstar Golf Club in Parksville, B.C. The championship will be the first of eight national amateur competitions being contested in 2016.

Beginning in late July, Atlantic Canada will host a trio of competitions: the 103^rd Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship (Ken-Wo Golf Club in New Minas, N.S.), as well as the 78^th Canadian Junior Boys (Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L.) and 62^nd Junior Girls Championships (The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S.).

The 2016 edition of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship will return to its roots for its 112^th playing. The Royal Ottawa Golf Club in Gatineau, Que. – which staged the competition’s first playing in 1895 – will host the world’s third oldest amateur championship from August 8-11 alongside co-host Eagle Creek Golf Club located in Dunrobin, Ont. This will mark the first occasion on which one of Canada’s national amateur championships will be played concurrently in two provinces.

A two-stage qualifying procedure for the 2016 RBC Canadian Open will feature a trio of regional qualifying competitions in British Columbia (Bear Mountain Golf Resort in Victoria on May 30), Ontario (DiamondBack Golf Club in Richmond Hill on June 6) and Quebec (Club de golf de la Vallée du Richelieu in Sainte-Julie on June 6). The final qualifying event will be held at Heron Point Golf Links in Ancaster, Ont., on July 18.

For the 28^th time in the 107-year history of Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship, Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., will play host to the RBC Canadian Open from July 18-24. In 2015, Australian Jason Day was crowned champion, edging out Brantford, Ont., native David Hearn, who held the 54-hole head before finishing third.

On Saturday, July 16, prior to the start of the 2016 RBC Canadian Open, Glen Abbey will also open its fairways to junior competitors for the 8^th annual CN Future Links Junior Skills Challenge National Event.

Late August will see the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur and Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur & Senior Championships hosted at Golf Château-Bromont in Bromont, Que., and Wolf Creek Golf Resort in Ponoka, Alta., respectively.

The 2016 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, set for August 22-28 at Priddis Greens Golf and Country Club in Priddis, Alta., will be conducted the week following golf’s return to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Three-time winner and defending champion Lydia Ko will lead the stars of the LPGA Tour back to the Calgary area as Priddis Greens plays host to the championship for the third time (1999 and 2009). The tournament’s Monday Qualifier will take place at The Hamptons Golf Club in Calgary on August 22.

Golf Canada has also confirmed that the Canadian Women’s Tour events will not be played in 2016 and that the Tour has been put on an indeterminate hiatus due to a lack of title or presenting sponsor. The player exemptions into the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open that have traditionally been awarded via the Tour will be reallocated by Golf Canada at a later date. The champion of the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada will continue to earn an exemption into Canada’s premier LPGA event.

Grand Niagara Golf Club in Niagara Falls, Ont., will host the 54^th Canadian Men’s Senior Championship from September 6-9 with the addition of a Sunday Qualifier this season. The minimum age of eligibility for the Super Senior division has been lowered from 70 to 65.

The Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru National Event will take to Burlington Golf & Country Club in Burlington, Ont., on September 12.  The one day event is a celebration of the success of all Golf Fore the Cure events held nationwide during the 2016 season. To date, the program’s fundraising efforts have totaled more than $5.4 million towards breast cancer research.

Highland Country Club in London, Ont., will set the stage for the 2016 Freedom 55 Financial Championship from September 12-18. Golf Canada is proud to serve as the organizing body for the season-ending event on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada.

As the National Sports Federation and governing body of golf in Canada, Golf Canada conducts the country’s premier amateur and professional golf championships as part of its mandate to promote the sport and aid in the development of the nation’s world-class talent.

TALAHASSEE, Fla. – Team Canada Amateur Squad member Maddie Szeryk fired a final round 70 (-2) on Sunday to capture medalist honours at the Florida State Match-Up at the Don Veller Seminole Golf Course.

Szeryk, a 19-year-old dual citizen from Allen, Tex., posted six birdies on Sunday en route to a four-stroke victory over Florida State’s Kim Metraux and South Carolina’s Katelyn Dambaugh. The win marks Szeryk’s first collegiate victory and the fifth time she finished a 54-hole tournament at 5-under or better—the only Texas A&M golfer to accomplish that feat.

Collectively, the Aggies finished with a score of 898 (+34) to finish fifth. Florida State took home the title with a final score of 871 (+7).

Szeryk, last year’s Southeastern Conference (SEC) Freshman of the Year, will tee-it-up again with the Aggies on Mar. 11–13 at the Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., for the 3M Augusta Invitational.

Click here for full scoring.

Rémi Bouchard – one of the best known names in golf in Quebec – has accepted the head pro position at Pinegrove Country Club and will be leaving Golf Canada after five years of dedicated service. The Candiac, Que., native’s final day will be February 29 following Golf Canada’s Annual General Meeting in Halifax.

Since 2011, Bouchard has held the position of Regional Director, Membership with Golf Canada, servicing Quebec and New Brunswick.

The National Sport Federation has been very fortunate to have had the affable and knowledgeable Bouchard serve as an ambassador for the sport. As one of Quebec’s most outstanding golf professionals, his commitment to the sport and his well-respected reputation within the golf community have been tremendous assets in building membership for Golf Canada, Golf Quebec and New Brunswick Golf.

Bouchard has been a strong proponent of junior golf programming and in improving the working relationships between Canada’s provincial golf associations, the national organizations and member clubs.

His selection as head pro was made official in recent days at a meeting of the executive office of Pinegrove.

The 52-year-old insists he will keep fond memories of his time at Golf Canada. A graduate of Indiana State, Bouchard is also President of the PGA of Quebec.

Bouchard has found success on every level of competition in his home province and is looking forward to employing those lessons learned in his new position.

“I want to get involved in club activities and the formation of an academy is in the cards. It will be busy and there are staff to hire,” added Bouchard.

Several Quebec amateur standouts call Pinegrove home, including Raoul Ménard, Joey Savoie and Étienne Papineau.

The Board of Directors of Alberta Golf is pleased to announce the appointment of Phil Berube as its Executive Director/CEO effective February 16, 2016.

Berube comes to Alberta Golf with over 20 years of experience in the golf industry having led the PGA of Alberta as Executive Director for 12 years from 2002 to 2013. Most recently Phil was Vice President, Corporate Partnerships for Junior Achievement Canada where he was responsible for ensuring necessary funding for all aspects of its strategic plan.

Berube holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree (double major in Finance and MIS) from McGill University and is a member of the Canadian Society of Association Executives. His extensive experience in leadership, human resources, fundraising, finance, communications and sponsorship will bring additional depth to the Alberta Golf management team.

The enthusiasm and passion that Berube has shown for the game of golf will be invaluable as he fulfills Alberta Golf’s commitment to realizing the positive impacts of golf on individuals and communities across Alberta.

ACTON, Ont. — The PGA of Canada is proud to announce the launch of its newest national event, the Hyundai PGA Scramble of Canada.

The Hyundai PGA Scramble of Canada is a new national series of events taking place at more than 200 golf facilities around the country in 2016, culminating with regional finals and a national final later this year.

The series of events expects to draw nearly 20,000 amateur golfers—who will form their own team of four players—from across the country. Teams will look to make it through local and regional qualifying with the ultimate goal of playing in the national final later this year with a PGA of Canada professional playing on their team at some of Canada’s finest golf courses.

“The PGA of Canada and its 3,700 members from across the country are extremely thrilled with the launch of our newest national event, the Hyundai PGA Scramble of Canada,” said PGA of Canada CEO Gary Bernard. “We look forward to working alongside the team at Hyundai Canada for many years to come and showcasing their fantastic vehicles through our events.”

Each golfer who plays in a Hyundai PGA Scramble of Canada local event will receive impressive gifting and prizing from supporting partners.

“Hyundai is proud to help bring the PGA Scramble to Canadian golfers,” said Don Romano, President and CEO for Hyundai Auto Canada Corp. “This grassroots, amateur-level tournament gives golfers everywhere the opportunity to compete, play with professionals, and challenge themselves to raise their game like no other series in the country.”

Individuals and teams may attempt to qualify in as many local events as they want with the carrot of reaching the regional and national finals. For many, the series of events will provide an opportunity to tee it up at golf courses they wouldn’t normally have an opportunity to play.

For those qualifying to play out of their regional qualifier, the Hyundai PGA Scramble of Canada national final promises to be a golf trip of a lifetime. The 36-hole championship scramble at one of Canada’s premier venues will be part of a festival of special events, prizing, activations and a chance to interact with the latest Hyundai vehicles.

As the Official Vehicle of the PGA of Canada, Hyundai Auto Canada will also offer a fleet program to the 3,700 PGA Professionals in Canada during the partnership.

The Canadian three-peat did not come to be at the Jones Cup Invitational, but Blair Hamilton emerged in a share of the runner-up spot. Hamilton’s 71-73-76 showing at Ocean Forest Golf Club was six short of Beau Hossler’s winning total, and the Canadian’s performance didn’t match that of fellow countrymen Corey Conners and Austin Connelly, the 2014 and 2015 Jones Cup winners, respectively. But the second-place finish was still quite an accomplishment after a hectic month…

Read the full story on Golfweek here.

SEA ISLAND, Ga. – Blair Hamilton’s best efforts to become the third consecutive Amateur Squad member to win the Jones Cup came up short on Sunday, carding a final round 76 to finish runner-up at the Ocean Forest Golf Club.

The Burlington, Ont., native held a share of the lead heading into Sunday’s final but could not hold off the surging world No. 5 ranked Beau Hossler of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., who fired a 2-under 70 to leapfrog Hamilton for the victory. With the win, Hossler earned the largest margin of victory for any champion in Jones Cup history (six strokes).

Hamilton, a senior at the University of Houston, finished at 4-over par (71-73-76) to share runner-up honours with Matthew NeSmith of North Augusta, S.C.

Fellow Team Canada members Stuart Macdonald (Vancouver) and Hugo Bernard (Mont-St-Hilaire, Que.) were also in action, finishing T35 and 77^th, respectively.

Former Amateur Squad member and dual citizen Austin Connelly of Irving, Tex., and Young Pro Squad member Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., were past champions in 2015 and 2014.

Click here for full scoring.

SEA ISLAND, Ga. – Four of Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad members are set to tee-it-up on Friday at the Jones Cup Invitational at the Ocean Forest Golf Club.

Blair Hamilton (Burlington, Ont.), Eric Banks (Truro, N.S.), Hugo Bernard (Mont-St-Hilaire, Que.) and Stuart Macdonald (Vancouver) will each look to become the third consecutive Canadian to win the event. Former Amateur Squad member and dual citizen Austin Connelly of Austin, Tex., took home the honours in 2015, with current Young Pro Squad member Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., winning the hardware the year before.

The Canadian foursome will tee-it-up against a strong international field when the 54-hole stroke-play event kicks off Friday morning. Jared du Toit (Kimberley, B.C.), the fifth member of the Amateur Squad, is competing in Hawaii for Arizona State’s first event back after the break.

First contested in 2001, the Jones Cup boasts an impressive list of past participants including PGA TOUR stars Luke Donald, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Brandt Snedeker and Bubba Watson.

Click here for live scoring.

The United States Golf Association hosted 125 industry experts Jan. 19-20 at Brookside Golf Club in Pasadena, Calif., for the Association’s Pace and Innovation Symposium.

The two-day symposium marked the third time that the USGA has brought together experts and leaders from throughout the industry to discuss the issues that often serve as barriers to participation and enjoyment of the game.

Golf Canada continues to work with the USGA and R&A in the administration of golf and the rules of golf, and pace of play is certainly one area that has been under the microscope.  A lot of research and studies have been conducted to help all of us gain a clear understanding of all the variables that affect pace of play. Ultimately, everyone has a role to play in ensuring that pace of play does not have a negative impact on a golfer’s experience.

Golf Canada will continue to work with our national and provincial partners, including course owners/operators, manager, superintendents and PGA of Canada professionals to communicate best practices and address factors that contribute to pace of play.

Here are a few aspects to consider that could improve pace of play:

• Minimize time on the tee and between shots – encourage your group to play “ready golf”, keep your pre-shot routine to a minimum and place your clubs in a convenient location in relation to the path to your next shot (i.e. close to the next tee when you’re near the green).
• Keep up with the group in front – your goal should be to keep up with the group in front, not immediately in front of the group behind.  A good rule is to arrive at the location of your next shot as the group in front is leaving your landing area.
• Tee it Forward – this initiative encourages all golfers to play the course at a length that is aligned with their average driving distance. For more information, click here.
• Other forms of play – match play, stableford, best-ball and foursomes are a few examples that take less time to play while still offering a fun and competitive environment
• Course set-up – courses should set up the course to encourage a good pace by having a reasonable height for rough, appropriate green speed for the contour of your greens, clearly identified yardage markers and fair hole locations.
• Play 9 – if you don’t have time to play a full 18-hole round, we encourage everyone to get out and play nine holes.  This is in accordance with the rules of golf and Golf Canada’s Handicap System.

If you have any suggestions, please feel free to email them to me at ahelmer@golfcanada.ca.