PORTLAND, Ore. – Judith Kyrinis defeated Terrill Samuel, 4 and 3, Thursday morning at the 5,836-yard, par-72 Waverley Country Club to win the 56th U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship. In winning the first USGA championship match between two Canadian competitors, Kyrinis became the seventh USGA champion from Canada and the first since 2005.

Kyrinis, 53, was the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur runner-up three years ago at Hollywood Golf Club in Deal, N.J., losing 1 down to Joan Higgins.

“It’s very special, very surreal. I don’t really believe that I’ve won yet,” said Kyrinis. “You know, it was a tough match to lose [three years ago]. You take it to 18, and like I said, I was crying like a baby, and it’s not because I was mad I lost, it’s just because you’re so pent up with all these emotions for the whole week.”

It was another emotional week for Kyrinis, who like three years ago, was greeted before the final match by her brother, Dan Allan, who showed up without prior notice and slept the previous night in his car. The week was also a celebration of Canadian golf, as several of the nine Canadian players who competed in the championship stuck around to watch their countrywomen compete in the final. Of those nine Canadian players, four advanced to the quarterfinals.

“All the girls I think that you saw, we all played very well,” said Kyrinis. “We really kind of got far into the tournament, in our matches, and it was good because, you know, I’ve been looking at those leader boards, which were fabulous, and it really would spur you on. You’d see your friends doing well, and you’re like, OK, let’s go. You don’t want to be left in the back of the bus, right, so it was fun.”

One of those players following in the gallery was 2005 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion Mary Ann Hayward, the most recent USGA champion from Canada and a quarterfinalist this week. It seems a fitting ending for Kyrinis, who lists four-time USGA champion and three-time U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion Marlene Stewart Streit as a mother figure and golf idol.

“I’m just so happy for Judith,” said Hayward. “She’s worked so hard. We flew down and watched her when she made the final in New Jersey, and I’m just so happy for her.”

Three years after coming up just short, Kyrinis never trailed in this championship match. With her husband, Manny, on her bag, she won the first hole with a par.

After halving the next three holes, Samuel, a recently retired teacher from the Toronto area, played superb scrambling golf on holes 5 and 6. On the 451-yard, par-5 fifth, Samuel hit her second shot way left, behind a tree-lined area. With Kyrinis on in three, Samuel punched through the tree line, barely holding the back collar of the green. After Kyrinis rolled her birdie attempt 9 feet by the hole, Samuel two-putted from the collar and squared the match when Kyrinis three-putted.

On the ensuing 119-yard, par-3 ninth, Samuel, 56, hit into the right greenside bunker, plugged in the front lip. Kyrinis hit a beautiful shot to the front-right flag location, but her ball rolled off the right edge of the green, down a small valley. Forced to take an extremely awkward stance, Samuel popped the ball straight into the air and rolled it to 3 feet. Kyrinis then putted 8 feet past the hole, but earned a crucial half with a tricky par save to keep the match all square.

“You have to have a bit of luck with that shot, and so I was just trying to find a stance, and I was hoping that I could just pop it out,” said Samuel of her bunker shot. “It actually went perfectly because it went down, popped up and down. Got to have a little bit of luck. I knew if I could get it up over the lip, it will hit it hard enough that it would get out of the bunker because that’s pretty thick stuff in my stance.”

Kyrinis, a registered nurse who lives 20 minutes away from Samuel outside Toronto, immediately took advantage of her par save on 6 to win 7 with a birdie. Both players hit similar approach shots to about 10 feet. Going first, Samuel’s birdie attempt lipped out, and Kyrinis got a read on the line and converted hers to retake the lead.

After matching each other stroke for stroke on the next four holes, Kyrinis began her winning march on the par-4 12th hole. It all began with a fortuitous bounce for Kyrinis, as her tee shot hit the back facing of the right fairway bunker, but careened to the right rough instead of dropping in the bunker. Both players hit their second shots on the green, about 20 feet away. After Samuel posted a conceded par, Kyrinis rolled in her 20-footer to go 2 up.

“It was pretty flat, and as long as you keep the pace up on these greens, they’re not going to go one way or another way,” said Kyrinis. “It was probably a little more pace than I thought, or wanted, but happy to see it go down to the bottom of the hole for sure.”

On the par-5 13th, Samuel tried to play a delicate pitch over a bunker that protected the front-center flag location. Her shot was just a little short, however, and instead of a good birdie attempt, she was again playing out of a bunker. With Samuel unable to get up and down, Kyrinis made a routine par to go 3 up.

With Kyrinis still 3 up, the match ended on the 15th hole when Samuel again found bunker trouble. Samuel crushed her tee shot with a driver, but maybe hit it too well. She found herself in the front of a middle fairway bunker. Needing to be aggressive, Samuel took a full swing, trying to get on the green, but her shot hit the lip of the bunker and ricocheted backward. Once Kyrinis hit her second shot close, Samuel conceded the match before any putts were attempted.

Despite the defeat, Samuel was in good spirits and happy for her close friend.

Terrill Samuel and Judith Kyrinis, right, bump knuckles after splitting the sixth hole during final round of match play of the 2017 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur at Waverley Country Club in Portland, Ore. on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017. (Copyright USGA/Steven Gibbons)

“It’s easy, because I always root for her at every tournament because that’s the type of person she is, bar none,” said Samuel of Kyrinis. “We’re just such great friends. That was the bonus of playing today is whoever won, we’d be happy for each other.”

The U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, open to female amateurs age 50 and older with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 18.4, consists of two 18-hole rounds of stroke play and six rounds of match play. It is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the USGA, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.

As the champion, Kyrinis receives a 10-year exemption into the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, as well as two-year exemptions into the U.S. Women’s Amateur and U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur championships. Kyrinis also receives a two-year exemption into the inaugural U.S. Senior Women’s Open Championship next year at Chicago Golf Club, as well as the ensuing year at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club. Samuel is also exempt into the 2018 Senior Women’s Open and receives a three-year Senior Women’s Amateur exemption, a two-year Women’s Mid-Amateur exemption and one-year Women’s Amateur exemption.

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France – Rain and strong winds have forced Thursday’s play to be scrapped at the final women’s golf major of the season, which will start afresh on Friday as a 54-hole event.

LPGA Tour Commissioner Michael Whan said what the little play was achieved Thursday morning at the Evian Championship is wiped from the record.

Whan announced the abandonment at 2:30 p.m. (1230 GMT) almost 4 1/2 hours after players had been called off the wind-swept course overlooking Lake Geneva.

“Nobody even played half a round,” Whan said, adding that a 54-hole championship finishing Sunday offered the “cleanest, fairest, most competitive” option.

“We know that if we said 72 holes and we start again tomorrow (Friday), we’re probably looking at Monday and Tuesday, and that’s not great for anyone,” Whan said.

Forecast weather is for “pretty good” playing conditions for the next two days and some more rain Sunday, Whan said, noting that 45 mph (72 kph) gusts were experienced Thursday.

The leaderboard had been headed by top-ranked So Yeon Ryu of South Korea and Jessica Korda of the United States on 2 under. Ryu finished five holes while Korda had gone through eight.

A re-start was good news for Ai Miyazato, the former No. 1 from Japan playing her final event before retiring. The 2009 and 2011 Evian champion was 3 over through six holes.

PORTLAND, Ore.  – For the first time in USGA championship history, two Canadian players – Judith Kyrinis and Terrill Samuel – will meet in a final match. The two will face off in the 18-hole final of the 56th U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at seven-time USGA championship host site Waverley Country Club, which is set up at 5,836 yards and a par of 72, at 8:30 a.m. PDT Thursday.

Kyrinis, who was 3 down through four holes in Wednesday’s semifinal match against former LPGA Tour professional Tara Fleming, of Jersey City, N.J., started to chip away at her opponent’s lead starting on the par-4 7th hole when Fleming bogeyed.

“I thought, ‘There’s lots of golf still in front of me, so be resilient and keep battling,’” said Kyrinis, who made it to the finals of the 2014 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, losing to Joan Higgins. “I’ve been playing well, so there’s no reason that I wouldn’t – that I couldn’t climb my way back. But, Tara is obviously a very accomplished golfer.”

A registered nurse and mother of three in suburban Toronto, Kyrinis birdied the par-3 16th hole with a 35-foot birdie from the fringe to take the lead from Fleming – a member of New Jersey’s winning team in the 2013 USGA Women’s State Team Championship – for the first time in the match.

“I can’t remember who said it, but a bad putt is way better than a bad chip,” said Kyrinis of her decision to go for the difficult putt on the 16th hole. “I try to stay calm in ups, and I try to stay calm in the downs. Just try to stay even keel, and I think I do that pretty well. I don’t get too high, and I don’t get too low.”

Kyrinis clinched the 2-and-1 semifinal win on the 17th hole. After Kyrinis missed a short birdie putt to pick up a conceded par, Fleming missed a 6-foot downhill putt that would have extended the match.

“I’m going to stick to the same game plan of driving it well, putting it well, and the goal will be to hit the irons a little bit better tomorrow,” said Kyrinis of her strategy for the final against Samuel, who also lives in suburban Toronto, approximately 25 minutes from Kyrinis.

Kyrinis, 53, also notched a 2-and-1 win in the morning’s quarterfinals against Lisa McGill, of Philadelphia, Pa. She made a 35-foot birdie putt on the par-4 15th hole to regain a 1-up lead over McGill, who never led. Kyrinis’ path to the final also included second- and third-round wins against USGA champions Martha Leach (2009 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur) and Sherry Herman (2009 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur), respectively.

Samuel also made a comeback on the inward nine against a former LPGA Tour player – Patricia Schremmer, 51, of Honolulu, Hawaii, to win her semifinal match. A teacher in the Toronto District School Board, Samuel, 56, won the match in 19 holes.

“It was going along OK, and then I made a couple of bad bogeys with wedges, and then she made two birdies, then I’m 4 down in four holes just like that,” said Samuel of Schremmer winning four consecutive holes starting with a 6-footer for birdie on No. 4. “And then it just turned around. You just hang in.”

With her 80-year-old mother and best friend, Cam Samuel, serving as her caddie, Samuel won three holes in a row starting with a 3-foot par on the 13th to cut Schremmer’s lead to 2 up. Samuel then posted a conceded birdie on the par-3 14th. To square the match on No. 15, Samuel hit a tee shot 30 yards past the mid-fairway bunkers, sticking her approach to 10 feet with a sand wedge before draining her birdie putt.

“It was pretty good,” said Samuel of the approach shot. “[After squaring a match], your adrenaline starts going.

Before, you’re just trying to stay relaxed and you’re fine, and just going along with whatever happens. Then, all of a sudden, you’re all square, and it becomes nerve-racking.”

The next three holes, 16-18, were halved, sending the match to the first extra hole, the par-3 ninth. On the 19th hole, Samuel’s par putt was conceded, and Schremmer missed her opportunity to extend the match by pulling her putt just left.

Samuel, the 2012 and 2015 Canadian Senior Women’s Amateur champion, never trailed in defeating two-time USA Curtis Cup competitor Patricia Cornett, of Mill Valley, Calif., 5 and 3, in the morning quarterfinal. Playing in her sixth U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, Samuel’s previous best finish was in 2014 when she made it to the Round of 32.

Marlene Stewart Streit is the most recent Canadian to win the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, doing so in 2003. Gayle Borthwick is the only other Canadian to win the championship, winning in 1996 and 1998. Mary Ann Hayward, the 2005 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion who lost her morning quarterfinal match, 3 and 2, to Fleming, is the most recent USGA champion from Canada.

The U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, open to female amateurs age 50 and older with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 18.4, consists of two 18-hole rounds of stroke play and six rounds of match play. It is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the USGA, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.

Both finalists receive an exemption from qualifying into the inaugural 2018 U.S. Senior Women’s Open Championship at the historic Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Ill., with the winner receiving a two-year exemption into the championship. Both finalists also receive a two-year exemption into the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur (2017 and 2018) and exemptions for future U.S. Senior Women’s Amateurs – 10 years for the winner and three for the runner-up. All of the semifinalists are exempt into the next two U.S. Senior Women’s Amateurs, currently scheduled to be conducted at Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club in Vero Beach, Fla., in 2018, and Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Country Club in 2019.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Jason Day says his longtime coach will no longer be his caddie.

In a surprising move, Day says he has parted ways with Colin Swatton, but that he wants to keep him as his coach. Day was 12 when he went to a golf academy in Australia where Swatton coached. Day credits Swatton with taking him to the top of the game.

Day is having a tough year, however. He has fallen to No. 9 in the world and needs a good week at the BMW Championship just to reach the FedEx Cup finale next week.

He is using a friend from Australia at Conway Farms and next week at East Lake if he qualifies. Day is using a former player to caddie for him at the Presidents Cup.

KAHNAWAKE, Que. – Doug Hanzel edged closer to winning his first Canadian Men’s Senior title on Wednesday, firing his third straight even par 70 at Kanawaki Golf Cub to take a 3-shot lead heading into tomorrow’s final round.

Following his round today, the Savannah, GA, native gave credit to dialed-in approach shots and club selection off the tee for the lead.

“I could have gone really low on the front nine today; I hit it close to a few pins and made a couple of short putts for birdie to get a couple under early,” said Hanzel, who won the U.S. Senior Amateur title in 2013. “The back was pretty uneventful; I hit it decent. Game plan for tomorrow is to keep doing the same – only hit a couple drivers. You don’t need to hit drivers much here. I went with a lot of rescues and 3-woods and plan on doing the same again.”

Hanzel, who is sitting at even par (210), was the low amateur at the U.S. Senior Open in 2011 and 2012.

Trailing Hanzel by three-shots is Gene Elliott of West Des Moines, IA. The American carded the low round of the tournament Wednesday, a 4-under 66, to climb 14 spots into second at 3 over. (213).

Two additional Americans round out to the top 3. Buzz Fly of Memphis and Paul Simson of Raleigh, N.C., hold a share of third at 4-over (214).

The winner of this year’s championship will earn an exemption into the 2018 U.S. Men’s Senior Amateur Championship at Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore., from August 25^th to 30^th.

The Canadian Senior Men’s Championship continues Thursday with the final round beginning at 8 a.m. EDT.

Additional information, including tee times, for the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship can be found here.

This week, Kanawaki Golf Club in Kahnawake, Que., just outside Montreal, is hosting the 2017 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship. Here’s a brief historical look at the venue designed by Charles & Albert Murray – pioneers of early golf in Canada.

THE CLUB’S EVOLUTION
The first golf club in North America was formed in 1873 when a course was laid out on Fletcher’s Field, under a permit from the City of Montreal. It was known as the Montreal Golf Club. With the growth and spread of the city over the ensuing two decades, it became apparent that encroachment would require the club to move. As a consequence in 1896, the club, which in the meantime had been granted permission to add «Royal» to its name, moved to Dixie in Lachine. A number of members, however, preferred to remain at the old location and formed a nine hole club called the Metropolitan Golf Club.

In September 1902, a group of some fifty of these members undertook to organize the Outremont Golf Club. They arranged for the lease of the farm area bounded by Rockland and Pratt Avenues, and proceeded to finance the initial cost of a nine hole course. The first President was His Honor Mr. Recorder Weir, and the membership role listed 212 names. The Club continued in existence until the year 1922, although each year saw its territory further reduced by the sale of building lots.

In 1910, anticipating that a new location would sooner or later have to be found, Mr. J. Harry Birks spent much time looking over prospective sites. At one time a firm offer was made for a property in the Ville LaSalle area, near the approach to the present Mercier Bridge, but it was sold to a higher bidder. About that time Mr. Meloche, from the Kahnawake Reserve, called on Mr. Birks to collect rent for an advertising sign on his property and offered the suggestion that a part of the Reserve could easily be adapted to the requirements of a golf course. Arrangements were made with him to row a delegation of members, including Mr. Birks, across the river from Lachine to inspect the proposed site. They found it to be mainly swamp and dense scrub. A survey was undertaken and although the engineer’s report contained some reservations with respect to drainage problems, the decision was made to proceed.

The Kanawaki Golf Club was incorporated March 14th, 1912. The act provided that all members of the Outremont Golf Club would be members of the Club. Nevertheless, the separate clubs continued to operate for the next ten years until the leases in Outremont expired. Following this, the clubs merged.

Even today, inside the clubhouse you’ll find a decorative painting on the south wall of the Dining Room. Acquired in 1915, this work by Maurice Cullen is a view of the old Outremont Golf Club.

THE TERRAIN
Work on the property commenced in 1910 when numerous ditches were dug extending well beyond the Club’s boundaries. The property was completely fenced off, and the task of blasting boulders and clearing land began. Many years previously, when the railway bridge across the St. Lawrence was built, much of the fill for the right of way embankment had been taken from the area which is now in front of the clubhouse. This accounts in part for the land feature extending from the 12th green to the 4th tee, and sweeping in a curve to the 4th green. The bowl of the 9th green was a large hole into which many tons of rock and fill were dumped to bring the bottom up to a suitable level.

The road along the west of the property is of interest as it was the old right of way of the first steam railway to connect Canada with the United States and ran from the wharf at Kahnawake to Moers Junction, N.Y.

Fieldwork progressed throughout 1911 and 1912 based on a plan drawn up by Charles Murray – a professional at Royal Montreal – and his brother Albert. It was not, however, until the late summer of 1913 that the course was opened for play when fifteen holes had been completed. By 1914 all eighteen holes were ready, although shortly thereafter the holes were lengthened as more and more ground was prepared.

The many trees admired today are the result of a carefully planned program initiated at the time the course was built and followed up through the years. It is interesting to examine old photographs of the course in which the younger versions of today’s stately maples and elms can readily be identified marking certain areas on the course. Off the fairway dense undergrowth in swampy ground was generally to be found, and the task of clearing and draining the rough continues to this day.

THE COURSE
The front nine holes of the present course are essentially the same as those initially laid out. There have been numerous modifications and improvements to each of the holes over the years, but the sequence and general plan remain unchanged. Originally one large green, the third was changed in 1933 to provide two small greens. Also, the seventh green was placed in the flat area to the right of its present location.

In 1970, substantial changes were made to the second green and the third green was remodeled again into one large green. The 5th hole was redesigned by placing a new green on the high ground to the left near the 6th tee.

It is interesting to note that the total yardage on a 1914 score card for the first nine holes was 3220 yards with a rated par of 37 compared with 3199 yards and a par of 35 today. On the back nine, however, some important and drastic changes have been made over the years. Each of these, when proposed, generated serious and sometimes bitter controversy. While there is no description available today to identify the first layout of the 1914 course, it is believed that the second nine holes did not use the area now taken up by the 11th, 14th and 15th holes.

Thus it seems that the then 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th holes were laid out in the area bounded on the east by a line from the present 13th tee to the 16th tee and encompassing the 16th, 17th and 18th holes. It is believed that the initial layout did not last long, for the areas of the present 11th and 15th holes were cleared and drained following which the holes on the second nine were rearranged, The revised layout provided for the short holes in the area of the present 11th, a long 14th, which was the present 13th extended to 545 yards, and a left angled dog’s leg to the present 15th green.

The latest major change was initially proposed as long ago as 1930, but was not implemented until 1953. It involved giving up one of the two consecutive short holes at the 11th–12th, and opening the present 14th hole. Many members disagreed with the scheme each time it was suggested, and the depression years, followed by the Second World War, also contributed to delays.

Eventually, in 1953, it received the approval of the membership, but not before many views in opposition had been voiced. Today, the criticism has declined but it is still a subject for discussion among the older members.

In 1963 a major undertaking was completed with the installation of a course watering system leading from the St. Lawrence Seaway.

THE CLUBHOUSE
In 1913, when it was built, the clubhouse comprised the present dining room, kitchen, a locker room on the ground floor, and the dressing rooms on the second floor. It was a modest structure but served the purpose very well for the next fifteen years with only minor additions. As there was no source of electricity in the district, acetylene lamps were employed to light the premises. The supply of water came from open wells, and it was pumped into a large reservoir located under the first tee. Advance notice was required if members intended on staying for dinner. No alcoholic beverages were allowed on the premises, and to ensure observation of this rule frequent inspection of the lockers was made and any such supplies confiscated.

In 1925 the first major improvements were started when electric power was brought from Adirondack Junction, and an artesian well was bored, followed by the erection of the water tank. At this time the membership was at full strength and the clubhouse facilities were becoming increasingly inadequate. In 1928 approval was given to the Executive Committee to start a building program which would include adding a wing to the west of the clubhouse to accommodate the office, men’s lockers and a pro shop; an extension to the east to provide more facilities for the Ladies’ Club; and an enlargement of the kitchen and addition of a snack room.

A sprinkler system was installed in 1938, and the pro shop enlarged in 1949.

The most recent addition to the clubhouse was completed in 1956 and comprised the Club Room, conversion of the Snack Room to a Men’s Lounge or Trophy Room and modernization of the front verandah.

In spite of the several extensive modifications and changes over the years, the clubhouse still preserves something of its original charm and simplicity, and continues to serve the members well.

In 1929, Kanawaki hosted the Canadian Open, won by legend Leo Diegel.

In 2004 The Disney movie “The Greatest Game Ever Played”, starring Shia LaBeouf, and based on the true story of Francis Ouimet and the 1913 US Open, is filmed at Kanawaki, with some of its members having the privilege of being stand-ins in the filming of the movie. Our professional John Murray provided swing coaching for the actors and can be seen as a body double in the movie for certain golf swings.

For more information on Kanawaki Golf Club, please click here.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Four Canadian players won two matches each Tuesday to advance to the quarterfinals of the 56th U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at Waverley Country Club. Hosting its seventh USGA championship, Waverley is set up at 5,836 yards and a par of 72.

Jackie Little joins Judith Kyrinis, Mary Ann Hayward and Terrill Samuel to comprise half of the remaining field, which began with nine Canadians.

“We’re pretty proud Canadians. We play some really good golf up there, as you can see,” said Kyrinis, 53, the 2014 Senior Women’s Amateur runner-up. “PGA, LPGA, we’re all really coming on strong. It’s great to see everybody do well here. We all hang out pretty often when we’re here, and we keep in touch with each other through social media.”

The way the bracket played out, none of the Canadian players will face each other in Wednesday’s quarterfinals.

“We couldn’t have planned it much better,” said Little, 59, before the Canadian quartet left to go to dinner together at a local Italian restaurant.

Marlene Stewart Streit is the most recent Canadian to win the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, doing so in 2003. Gayle Borthwick is the only other Canadian to win the championship, winning in 1996 and 1998. Hayward, the 2005

U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, is the most recent USGA champion from Canada.

The U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, open to female amateurs age 50 and older with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 18.4, consists of 36 holes of stroke play, with the low 64 players advancing to match play. The championship, scheduled to conclude with an 18-hole final on Thursday, is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the USGA, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.

Kyrinis was one of two players to defeat two USGA champions on Tuesday. She first eliminated 2009 Women’s Mid-Amateur runner-up Martha Leach, 5 and 4, in the Round of 32, then won four of the final five holes to defeat 2009 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion Sherry Herman, 2 up.

“It was a really tight, back-and-forth match,” said Kyrinis of her win against Herman. “I played so well against Martha, and it’s really hard to play like that back to back, but I held my own. I’ve been driving the ball really well and putting it well. If you can do those two things on this course, you’ll be in good stead.”

Hayward, 57, needed 20 holes to defeat fellow Canadian Marie-Therese Torti in the Round of 32, then cruised to a 7-and-6 win in the Round of 16 against Sherry Smith. Little led 2010 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion Mina Hardin 3 up with four holes remaining, then held on to seal the match on No. 17 after Hardin won Nos. 15 and 16.

The winning Canadians then flocked to the 18th hole to watch the final match on the course, as Samuel sealed her victory with a conceded birdie against 2004 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion Carolyn Creekmore.

All quarterfinalists are exempt into the 2018 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur at Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club in Vero Beach, Fla. The quarterfinals begin at 8 a.m. PDT Wednesday with McGill facing Kyrinis. The semifinals are scheduled to begin at 12:45 p.m.

KAHNAWAKE, Que. – The second round of the 2017 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship concluded Thursday at Kanawaki Golf Club with Team Alberta emerging as provincial team champions.

The trio of Frank Van Dornick (Camrose, Alta.), Brian Laubman (Edmonton) and Ken Griffith (Red Deer, Alta.) posted a combined second-round score of 1-over 141 to capture the Phil Farley Trophy with a total of 283 (+3).

The squad finished 12-strokes ahead of runner-up Team British Columbia, which was comprised of Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Doug Roxburgh (Vancouver), John Gallacher (Burnaby, BC) and Greg Bismeyer (Mission, B.C.) The team had a two-day total of 295 (+15).

Team Quebec and Team Manitoba finished at 299 (+19) to share third. Quebec’s team was comprised of François Bissonnette (Mirabel, Que.), Danny Turbide (Québec City) and Peter Harrison (Ottawa). Mike Walker (Winnipeg), Garth Collings (Matlock, Man.) and Brent Clague (Winnipeg) represented Manitoba.

In the 65-and-over Super Senior Division, Paul Simson of Raleigh, NC., claimed a one-shot victory over Lance Lundy of Pemberton, B.C. Simpson carded matching rounds of 71 to finish at 2-over 142 for the victory. With the Super Senior title under his belt, the 65-year-old will now set his sights on another trophy.

“The conditions were a little more difficult today and the wind was blowing, which caused some problems,” said Simson, who in 2010 made history by becoming the first person to win the British, U.S. and Canadian senior titles in the same year. “But I’ll take the win. It’s always nice to win something. I’m going to focus over the next two rounds and hopefully I can take home the Senior title, too.”

Lance Lundy of Pemberton, B.C., was leading the Super Senior category after the first round at even-par, but a 3-over 73 dropped him into second at 3-over 143.

Frank Van Dornick of Camrose, Alta., finished third at 4-over 144.

Doug Hanzel of Savannah, GA, took the overall lead in the Senior Division. He’s even for the championship at 140.

“I was very steady all the way around,” said Hanzel, who is the lone player not over par. “I hit 16 greens in regulation today. The greens are tough, you need to nail the speed and the line. But I’ve been putting the ball in good spots. If you don’t, you have some work left to make par.”

Simson and Brian Laubman of Edmonton share second at 2-over 142.

A total of 71 players finished 155-or-better to advance past the 36-hole cut. The third round will begin Wednesday at 8 a.m. EDT.

The winner of this year’s championship will earn an exemption into the 2018 U.S. Men’s Senior Amateur Championship at Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore., from August 25^th to 30^th.

Additional information, including tee times, for the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship can be found here.

My grandparents lived in a duplex on a quiet street in Montreal, which I loved to visit any time the opportunity presented itself. In the hallway were photos of my grandfather, Albert, who was a professional golfer but never talked about his career in the game.

Not until I excused myself to head to their musty, unfinished basement did his involvement with golf become obvious. Along one of the walls, perched upright on a long narrow shelf were wooden golf clubs of every type and style you could imagine. One of the clubs looked like it was fashioned from a tree branch. Hanging beside his clubs, in a large wooden display case, were his antique golf balls and dozens of tees made of wood, paper and metal. In another room were his putty clay models of golf greens and what Granny called his “maps,” some rolled up on his desk, others hanging from the walls.

Amidst the hardware of trophies, metals and golf keepsakes that stuffed the china cabinet upstairs were four brimming scrapbooks of photos and clippings documenting a lifetime in golf. Not until decades later did a scrapbook of his brother, Charlie — revealed by a granddaughter who allowed the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame & Museum to scan it — confirm a stellar and pioneering career in professional golf for the brothers Murray.

Their father, Charles Joseph Murray, a carvers mason, had led them to Canada from England in 1888. In tow with he and his wife were three children: five-year-old Charles, eight-month-old Albert and a daughter in between, Frances. The patriarch wasted no time putting his skills to work, building a large family home replete with Corinthian columns while also taking mason jobs in the city. But finances were tight.

A few years later teenage son Charlie set out looking for part-time work. A tall, solidly framed youngster, he had heard about being a caddie at a nearby golf club where he could be outdoors, make a bit of money and learn a new sport on the side. Younger brother Albert, who respected Charlie a great deal and was never far from big brother’s footsteps, tagged along. He was nine.

In time, Albert picked up the rudiments of the game and in 1899 won his first caddies tournament; his prize was a plum pudding with a $5 gold piece inserted in the cake. He successfully defended his title the following year.

Competing for young Albert’s interest was the private racetrack behind their house owned by Joseph Seagram, founder of the distillery of the same name. Hanging around the stalls, Albert’s love of horses took root. With the permission of Mr. Seagram but not his father, along with Charlie’s promise not to say anything, Albert would get up at five in the morning to exercise and train the horses.

“In time, I gained confidence and would exercise any horse in the field,” Albert wrote in his diary. “The horses knew I liked them so it became easy to handle them.”

Almost immediately he had the desire to become a jockey, until his father found out.

“It was my first ambition and I liked it even more than golf,” he told a journalist years later.

The year 1900 saw the arrival of George Cumming, a Scotsman who started his career caddying at 14, to the original Toronto Golf Club, not far from the Murray home. There, Cumming met Charlie and enticed him to look at golf as a career given what he saw in Charlie’s natural abilities but, more importantly, his even temperament, a necessary skill to have in relation to the club members he would serve. Not to be outdone, Albert showed Cumming a golf club he had formed from a tree limb at 12 years old and soon the brothers were the first graduates of Cumming’s pro shop, having learned the art of club making and teaching the fundamentals of golf.

The Murray brothers applied their skills and expertise together, first at the Toronto Hunt Club with Charlie as head professional and Albert as designated teaching professional; then at Westmount Golf Club in Montreal; and next at Royal Montreal Golf Club.

In 1906, Albert left Montreal for the (Royal) Quebec Golf Club at the Plains of Abraham, specifically Cove Fields in Quebec City. Just 18, Albert was hired to revamp the course and be its head professional. His tenure lasted a year when he returned to Montreal but members of the Quebec club had not forgotten him and in 1915 commissioned Albert to lay out their new 18-hole course at Montmorency Falls.

This was a couple years after the inaugural Canadian Open at Royal Montreal. There were just 10 pros, along with some amateurs, competing for the win in 1904 but 16-year-old Albert came in 12th and Charlie finished fourth. Albert (1908 and ’13) and Charles (1906 and ’11) each won the event twice.

As the years passed, Charlie cemented his reputation with members of Royal Montreal and the larger golfing public with his competitive prowess. By the 1920s he was often scoring in the 60s, quite unusual in the dead ball era and poorly groomed courses. His charismatic, dependable and terse personality won the deep affection of his members. A decade later, Charlie was bestowed an honorary lifetime membership at Royal Montreal in recognition of his 25 years of service.

In addition to capturing the inaugural PGA Championship of Canada and two Open championships, Charlie took the Quebec Open crown nine times. Albert’s second victory in the Quebec Open in 1930 by a record score remained unbroken for almost 50 years.

In the meantime, Albert was looking for a classy venue to launch Canada’s first indoor golf school so he leased the basement of Montreal’s Ritz Carlton Hotel in 1916. He had already invented several golf aids to go along with his lessons and he would operate his winter golf schools in various locations around Montreal for the next 25 years.

Albert’s interest in golf course architecture developed early on and by 1915 the younger Murray had already laid out 10 courses, some with Charlie, including the Kanawaki and Whitlock golf clubs. He would go on to design or remodel more than 60 courses, spanning a professional career of the same length.

With the outbreak of the First World War, patriotic golf matches for the Red Cross Relief Fund were established. This was the first time spectators paid to watch professionals play golf in North America. The Murray brothers, teamed up against the best pros of the day, were undefeated in their matches. Undeterred, in 1918, the Toronto Mail and Empire reported that multiple Canadian Amateur champion, George Lyon and professional Percy Barrett had challenged the Murray brothers for a match at Weston Golf & Country Club in Toronto, “with a side bet of $500.00 or $1000.00.”

The pro game was becoming lucrative, and in May of 1922, the Vancouver Sun reported that Charles and Albert Murray were the highest paid professional golfers in Canada. Charles had just turned down an offer from E.B. Mclean, publisher of the Washington Post, to be his personal coach and head pro at a private course he was building in Florida. In turning down the offer, Charlie was firm in his loyalty to the members of Royal Montreal where he had been head professional since 1905.

Instead Charlie became the first head professional of the newly designed Donald Ross course, Gulf Stream, in Delray Beach, Fla., beating out a number of outstanding U.S. professionals for the coveted position at this uber-exclusive club.

A devoted father to his three sons, Charlie’s routine for nine years was to head with his family to Florida in late fall to take up residence for the high season at the Gulf Stream club, returning in time to open the season at Royal Montreal. It was at Gulf Stream that Charlie established a North American reputation, breaking course records in matches at area clubs and hosting the golfing stars of the day.

Meanwhile, younger brother Albert was head pro at the Country Club of Montreal where he had designed their first course in 1910. Two years earlier Albert had captured his first Canadian Open at 20, establishing a record as the youngest winner that still stands 109 year later. Charlie maintains the most top 10 finishes in the Open, two better than Jack Nicklaus.

Murrays Reigned Supreme In Early Era read the headline in the Montreal Star in 1967 when they interviewed Albert. The “Yellow Course,” the first municipal course in Quebec designed by the brothers was the first time a public course was chosen to host an Open championship in North America. Now in his 70s, Albert shook his head at the modern stars of Nicklaus, Palmer and Player, saying the game had completely changed since their days of golfing, then paused and with a wink said “but the hole is still the same size.”

Ian Murray, a grandson of Albert, is currently writing a book on the Murray Brothers in Golf’s ‘Golden Age.’

Judging from the tattoo on her left wrist which reads “I believe in the good things coming” it’s safe to say that Ottawa native Grace St-Germain is an optimist – and has the right mindset to succeed.

“It’s a reminder that no matter what you are going through, whether if it’s a bad hole or anything else, that good things are coming if you stay patient and committed to your goal,” explained the 19-year-old.

Recently at the CP Women’s Open, the national team member took some time to talk about her journey on the golf course.

“My grandparents ran the junior program at Hylands Golf and Country club – right behind the airport – where they were members; and they brought all the grandchildren out to play,” said the talented young Ottawa golfer.

And young Grace took a liking to the sport right away.

“I was seven years old at the time and really liked it. It was more fun than watching it on television. I thought it was fun being outside all day and playing with the other kids,” she noted about her humble beginnings.

While St-Germain enjoyed the sport, it wasn’t something that she took too seriously at first.

But that changed when she was 11 years old; and exceeded expectations at a provincial level tournament in Quebec.

“I remembered my parents didn’t expect me to make the cut, so they booked the hotel for only two days,” she reminisced with a smile. “But I made the cut; and that’s when I started to take it more seriously.”

Since making that commitment, her game has taken off.

One of St-Germain’s most notable achievements in her young amateur career came in 2014 when she captured the Canadian Junior Girls Championship at the Thornhill Golf and Country Club.

“Going into the week, I felt really confident; and then, I put together a few good rounds and by the last day I was in the lead by a few shots,” she said.

St-Germain says it was some simple but effective advice offered by her coach that helped calm her nerves prior to the final round.

“I was super nervous and I didn’t know how to handle the pressure of being in the lead; and I remembered my coach just told me to breathe and smile.”

The advice worked wonders as she held on to capture her first national title.

“It was surreal. My mom was crying and my dad gave me a huge hug. It was such an amazing experience and I just gained so much confidence from that,” recalled St-Germain, who also captured the Ontario Women’s Amateur in 2016.

Having worked closely with St-Germain over the previous three years, Canadian women’s national team head coach, Tristan Mullally, has nothing but praise for her commitment and dedication to success.

“She has very positive attitude – which is really important in the sport of golf – and has a really good work ethic.  It’s easy to see that she’s committed to success and is willing to do what it takes to get better each day,” he noted.

“Grace is still young and she’s still developing so as she gets stronger we’re going to see her hit the ball further and when you combine that with the fact that she’s got a very solid short game, it’s safe to say she has a bright future ahead,” added Mullally.

Having spent two years with the development squad before joining the amateur team this year, St-Germain says she’s grateful to be part of the program.

“It has allowed us to play in so many prestigious tournaments all over the world and we’ve benefitted from having great coaching and support in all aspects of our game,” she said.

“It’s definitely helped a lot in my development of as a player.”

The national team member points out that one of her favourite memories came in 2015 when she competed in the World Junior Girls Championships at the Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa.

“I played in the tournament two years ago and it was a lot of fun.  I learned a lot from the experience and made a lot of new friends from around the world,” she said.

“It was cool being the home town hero and having a lot of family and friends there supporting me.”

While the 19-year-old will not be competing in this year’s tournament – which will be returning to the Marshes Golf Club September 26-29 – she has a number of friends who are taking part.

“I have a few of my friends who are playing in the tournament this year ask me what the course is like and I just try to give them the best advice on that; and also what it’s like to complete in the tournament representing your country as a part of a team.”

St-Germain was also quick to point out how much she enjoyed being one of the hometown favourites at the CP Women’s Open.

“I grew up about 25 minutes from the Ottawa Hunt Club, so it’s really cool to hear people in the crowd cheering my name.  It was a great learning experience and very motivating to be out there playing with the best in the world.”

Since the completion of the CP Women’s Open, the 19-year-old has returned to Daytona State where she is finishing off her second and final year of junior college.

After she graduates, St-Germain will be headed off to Arkansas as she has already committed to the University of Arkansas for the fall of 2018.

“Over the next few years, I would like to win a few more tournaments and be one of the top amateurs in the world.  And after I finish college, my goal is to turn pro and go from there.”

While many are predicting a bright future ahead for her, the 2014 Canadian Junior Girls champ understands that it’s important not to look too far ahead.

“It’s important just to take it one day at a time and continue to work hard every day to improve all aspects of my game,” said the mature 19-year-old.

“I believe if I do the right things and continue to make improvements, then I definitely will see good things coming my way in the future.”