Golf fans will be able to enjoy a Copper Rose signature cocktail at both of
Canada’s National Open Championships this summer

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Golf Canada and Copper Rose Distillery are pleased to announce a renewed multi-year partnership agreement that sees the Canadian company continue as the Official Vodka of Golf Canada as well as the RBC Canadian Open and CPKC Women’s Open.

Through the renewed partnership, Copper Rose will offer fans attending Canada’s National Open Championships a signature cocktail and premium product sampling within their activation spaces located in The Fareway, along with a VIP sampling experience in select hospitality areas at both the RBC Canadian Open and CPKC Women’s Open.

“We are proud to continue our partnership with a proudly Canadian company, Copper Rose,” said Mark Palmer, Chief Commercial Officer, Golf Canada. “Their increased presence and premium offerings will provide an exceptional experience for our fans at both National Open Championships this summer.”

Founded in 2022 and proudly based in Amherstburg, Ont. Copper Rose produces premium vodka handcrafted with the finest Canadian rye grain and distilled 12 times for a silky, smooth finish. The velvety spirit delivers a premium pour perfect for sipping or mixing with cocktails. Copper Rose was proudly awarded a gold medal along with the Innovation award at the 2025 SIP Awards.

“We are thrilled to extend our partnership with Golf Canada as the official vodka,” said Melissa Roberts, CEO and Managing Director, Copper Rose Distillery. “As a distinctly Canadian brand rooted in craftsmanship and quality, this continued collaboration reflects our shared pursuit of excellence and exceptional experiences. We look forward to raising a glass with golf enthusiasts across the country.”

For more information on Copper Rose Distillery and its offerings, please visit copperrose.ca.

The 2026 RBC Canadian Open will take place June 10-14 at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ont. for more information or to purchase tickets, please click here. The 2026 CPKC Women’s Open will take place August 19-23 at Royal Mayfair Golf Club in Edmonton, Alta., for more information or to purchase tickets, please click here.

Record number of Canadians in the field for the seventh playing of the
prestigious amateur event set for April 1-4

Four Canadians set for Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals on April 5

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Seventy-two of the world’s best women’s amateur golfers are set to compete at the seventh playing of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA) in Augusta, Ga. later this week.

Three Canadians will be in the field with led by 16-year-old Aphrodite Deng of Calgary, Alta., 20-year-old Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C. and 19-year-old Vanessa Borovilos of Etobicoke, Ont., setting the record for number of Canadians playing in the prestigious annual championship.

Deng is currently Canada’s lowest ranked amateur golfer on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) at No. 11 and will be making her debut at the ANWA. Last season, Deng won the 76th U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship, becoming the first Canadian to do so and earned her exemption to Augusta. Deng added two additional wins last season including the 2025 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley and the 2025 Mizuho Americas Open. She was named the junior player of the year by the American Junior Golf Association. In addition, Deng won the Marlene Stewart Streit Medal as the Low Amateur at the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open, finishing T20 at 4-under. Earlier this month, Deng finished T4 at the Girls’ Junior Invitational in South Carolina.

Kim (No. 18 WAGR) will make her third appearance at the ANWA, setting the record for appearances by a Canadian. The 2023 Canadian Women’s Amateur champion is currently in her junior year at the University of Texas and has won two collegiate titles in her career – the first in her freshman year at the Jackson T Stephens Cup and last year at the Betsy Rawls Invitational. She also represented Canada at the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship last fall. This season, Kim has earned four top 10 finishes, including a runner-up finish last week at the Charles Schwab Women’s Collegiate Invitational and six top 25 finishes for Texas.

Borovilos (No. 25 WAGR) will also make her first appearance at the ANWA, but not in Augusta, having competed in four editions of the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals, winning the Girls 10-11 age division in 2018. She is currently in her sophomore year at Texas A&M University and won her second career collegiate title in February at the Moon Golf Invitational. Her first win came as a freshman at the Chevron Collegiate. In addition to her win last month, Borovilos has added two additional top fives this season and three top 10’s for Texas A&M.

The Field

The field of 72 athletes features the some of the top female amateurs in the world, including the top 23 players currently on WAGR, 48 of the top 50 and 67 players within the top 100.

No. 1 on WAGR, Kira Romero (San Jose, Calif.) leads the field and will be competing in her third ANWA after finishing T7 last year. Romero received the 2025 Mark H. McCormack Medal as the leading female on WAGR and made the cut at both the CPKC Women’s Open (T36) and U.S. Women’s Open (T45) last year. She is in her junior year at the University of Oregon and won her second tournament of the year last week at the Charles Schwab Women’s Collegiate Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas.

Several players in the field have competed in Canada recently including the 2025 Canadian Women’s Amateur and multiple World Junior Girls Golf Championships.

Three members of the Republic of Korea’s past two World Junior Girls Championship winning teams will be at ANWA including Soomin Oh (No. 9 WAGR) who won both team and individual honours in 2023, Seojin Park (No. 28 WAGR) who earned team honours in 2024 and 2025 and Yunseo Yang (No. 33 WAGR), 2025 team honours. Yang also recently won the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship in New Zealand in February.

In addition, all three members of Spain’s 2022 championship team will be in Augusta including Paula Martin Sampedro (No.2 WAGR), Andrea Revuelta (No.3 WAGR) and 2022 individual champion Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio (No.27 WAGR).

Two-time CPKC Women’s Open Low Amateur medalist and 2022 ANWA winner, Anna Davis of Spring Valley, Calif. will be competing in her fifth championship.

Other past World Junior Girls Championship participants include…

Meja Örtengren (No. 5 WAGR) – Sweden

Maria Jose Marin (No. 7 WAGR) – Colombia

Arianna Lau (No. 35 WAGR) – Hong Kong, China

Sara Brentcheneff (No. 38 WAGR) – France

Chloe Kovelsky (No. 42 WAGR) – United States

Louise Landgraf (No. 46 WAGR) – France

Rocio Tejedo (No. 47 WAGR) – Spain

Charlotte Back (No. 61 WAGR) – Germany

Nikki Oh (No. 69 WAGR) – United States

Scarlett Schremmer (No. 71 WAGR) – United States

2025 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship runners-up Macy Pate of Winston-Salem, N.C. (No. 30 WAGR) and Eunseo Choi of New Zealand (No. 55 WAGR) are also in the field.

Tournament Format

The 72-player field will compete over 54 holes of stroke play with a cut following the second round. The top 30 players and ties will advance to the final round. If there is a tie following 54 holes, the champion will be decided by a sudden death playoff.

The opening 36 holes will be contested on the Island and Bluff nines at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Augusta. On Friday, April 3 a practice round for all competitors will take place at Augusta National Golf Club, followed by the final round on Saturday, April 4 at Augusta National.

Past Champions

2019 – Jennifer Kupcho (USA) -10

2021 – Tsubasa Kajitani (Japan) +1 *defeated Emilia Migliaccio in playoff

2022 – Anna Davis (USA) -1

2023 – Rose Zhang (USA) -9 *defeated Jenny Bae in playoff

2024 – Lottie Woad (England) -8

2025 – Carla Bernat Escuder -12

Canadian Results at ANWA

Lauren Kim and Monet Chun are tied for the best finish by a Canadian at ANWA at T14, Chun in 2023 and Kim in 2024. Kim’s appearance in 2026 will give her the most by a Canadian with three.

Brigitte Thibault (Rosemère, Que.) – 2019 (MC), 2021 (MC)

Savannah Grewal (Mississauga, Ont.) – 2022 (MC)

Monet Chun (Richmond Hill, Ont.) – 2023 (T14 at +3)

Lauren Kim (Surrey, B.C.) – 2024 (T14 at +2), 2025 (MC)

Where to watch

Round 1 – Wednesday, April 1 – Golf Channel – 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Round 2 – Thursday, April 2 – Golf Channel – 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Round 3 – Saturday, April 4 – TSN & NBC – 12:00 – 3:00 p.m.

*All times are EDT

For the full field, historical information and more on the ANWA, please click here.

Canadians set to compete at 2026 Drive, Chip, and Putt National Finals

Four Canadians will be competing in the 12th annual Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals taking place on Sunday, April 5 at Augusta National.

Yien Li of Aurora, Ont. will be competing in the Boys 7-9 division, Evelyn He of Toronto, Ont. will be competing in the Girls 10-11 division, Nathan Khera of Oakville, Ont. in the Boys 10-11 division and Audrey Lu of Woodbridge, Ont. in the Girls 12-13 division.

Prior to this year, 18 past Drive, Chip and Putt National Finalists have gone on to compete in ANWA including Canada’s own Savannah Grewal, who won the Girls 14-15 division in 2017 and went on to compete at ANWA in 2022. Vanessa Borovilos, the 2018 Girls 10-11 division champion will join the list this year.

To view all the 2026 finalists, please click here. The Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals will be broadcast on the Golf Channel beginning at 8:00 a.m. EDT. For more information, please visit drivechipandputt.com.

A strong Canadian contingent has begun to emerge from PGA TOUR Americas qualifying school with status secured for the 2026 season, as four of five March sites have now concluded.

Leading the way are Peyton Callens of Langton, Ont., and Blair McKinlay of Lacombe, Alta., both of whom earned full membership for the 2026 campaign. Securing full status guarantees them entry into all 15 events on the calendar and a clear runway to establish themselves on the circuit.

Five other Canadians also advanced through qualifying, earning conditional membership. Piercen Hunt of Calgary, Alta., William Holan of Edmonton, Alta., Carter Graf of Sylvan Lake, Alta., Cougar Collins of Mono, Ont., and Nicholas Marchese of Bolton, Ont., will each look to make the most of limited starts as they attempt to improve their standing throughout the season.

Callens, McKinlay and Hunt are all members of Team Canada’s 2026 roster.

While the final qualifying site remains, the early results mark a steady showing for Canada’s emerging professional class. This group of seven Canadians will join Hunter Thomson and Joey Savoie, who retain full status from their Top 80-finish on the 2025 PGA TOUR Americas points list, on the Americas tour in 2026 along with several other Canucks who possess some existing conditional status.

Click here to see the full results from PGA Tour Americas qualifying. There is still one final site remaining this week with the possibility of more Canadians to qualify.

PGA TOUR

Gary Woodland used four birdies over the first nine holes to turn a one-stroke lead into seven before cruising to a five-shot win at the Texas Children’s Houston Open. It is his fifth career PGA Tour win and first since the 2019 U.S. Open. The win comes 30 months after Woodland underwent brain surgery to remove a lesion. Since then, he has had three top 10 finishes in 56 starts. The victory also makes him eligible to play in the Masters next month. Nicolai Hojgaard finished second for the fourth time in his career, but also got an invite to Augusta as he further secured his spot inside the top 50 in the World Rankings. PGA Tour rookie and last year’s Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year Johnny Keefer finished tied for third for his best career result alongside defending champion Min Woo Lee. Michael Thorbjornsen looked poised to move into the top 50 as well and get into the Masters until he made three bogeys in a four-hole stretch on the back nine, which left him in a tie for 14th. …Sudarshan Yellamaraju notched his second straight top-10 finish. He extended his streak of rounds in the 60s to six, going back to his top-5 finish at THE PLAYERS Championship. He’s also eighth in the AON Next 10 standings, which sees the top 10 FedExCup points earners through the Masters earn a spot in the next signature event, the RBC Heritage.

NEXT EVENT: Valero Texas Open (Apr 2)

CANADIANS ENTERED: A.J. Ewart, Mackenzie Hughes, Adam Svensson, Nick Taylor, Sudarshan Yellamaraju

KORN FERRY TOUR

Davis Lamb made two birdies over the final five holes as his nearest challengers faltered on the back nine to win the Club Car Championship by two strokes. It is his first career Korn Ferry Tour title, and he is the fifth first-time winner this season. John Pak, the co-leader to start the final round, stumbled with bogeys on three of four holes at the turn. He missed a 12-foot birdie putt on the final hole to give him a shot at a possible tie. Teenager Blades Brown, who started the day tied with Pak, finished third. He was one shot back of Lamb until consecutive bogeys on Nos. 15 and 16 ended his chances of becoming the youngest winner in tour history. …Matthew Anderson recorded his second top-15 result of the season.

NEXT EVENT: LECOM Suncoast Classic (Apr 2)

CANADIANS ENTERED: Matthew Anderson, Wil Bateman, Myles Creighton, Adam Hadwin, Stuart Macdonald, Drew Nesbitt, Ben Silverman, Roger Sloan

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

Stewart Cink birdied three of his last five holes for a four-shot victory in the Hoag Classic. It is his second win this season and third in his last five starts on the Champions Tour. He has not finished lower than sixth in his last six starts, dating back to last season. Cink becomes the first multi-winner of the season in just the fifth event of the year. Two-time tournament winner Ernie Els finished in a tie for second with Zach Johnson. It is the 18th runner-up finish for Els and the third top-3 finish for Johnson, who made his tour debut earlier this year with a win. Bernhard Langer, who finished tied for seventh, carded a final round 66. It’s the third straight day the 68-year-old shot his age or better and the 42nd time overall that he’s done it. …Mike Weir notched his second top-20 result of the year and fourth in his last seven tour starts. That is his best start after three events since 2023.

NEXT EVENT: Senior PGA Championship (Apr 16)

LPGA TOUR

For the second straight week, the same two players were battling for the win on the LPGA Tour and for the second straight week, Hyo Joo Kim bested Nelly Korda to successfully defend her title at the Ford Championship. It is only the second time in LPGA history that the same two players finished 1-2 in back-to-back weeks, the last time being in 2001. It is Kim’s ninth LPGA victory and first win in back-to-back weeks. She is also the first player in tour history to shoot 61 or better twice in the same tournament. Her winning score of 28-under 260 was just three strokes shy of the LPGA scoring record. Korda got to within one shot of Kim, but back-to-back bogeys at the turn left her four strokes behind. It’s the first time in her career that she’s finished runner-up in back-to-back weeks. …This is the first time Brooke Henderson has finished outside the top-50 at an LPGA event since October 2024.

NEXT EVENT: Aramco Championship (Apr 2)

CANADIANS ENTERED:  Brooke Henderson, Anna Huang,  Maude-Aimee Leblanc (Reserve #49)

EUROPEAN TOUR

Alex Fitzpatrick overcame a six-stroke deficit with seven birdies over a 10-hole stretch to win the Hero Indian Open by two shots. It is the first career European Tour win for Fitzpatrick, whose brother, Matt, is a 10-time tour winner and captured last week’s PGA event in Florida. It marks the first time brothers have won in consecutive weeks on both tours. Eugenio Chacarra was still within striking distance of the lead with four holes to play before three straight bogeys knocked him out of contention. …Aaron Cockerill retired midway through the second round after carding seven bogeys over his first nine holes. It’s the fourth time in his career he has opened with a score of 80 or higher on the European Tour.

NEXT EVENT: Volvo China Open (Apr 23)

GUANGLAN, China — Canadian amateur Shauna Liu of Maple, Ont., finished runner-up in a playoff at the GolfJoy Women’s Open on Saturday, narrowly missing out on the title after a strong final-round performance.

Liu, 17, a member of Golf Canada’s Team Canada NextGen squad, carded a bogey-free, six-under 66 to climb into a tie for the lead at 11-under-par 205 alongside China’s Ren Yijia at the CLPG Tour event held on the Olazabal Course at Mission Hills Golf Club Dongguan.

Ren secured the victory on the first playoff hole, converting a birdie from inside eight feet on the par-4 18th after Liu’s birdie attempt from approximately 20 feet slid past.

Despite the playoff loss, Liu impressed in her CLPG Tour debut, staying in contention throughout the week and posting one of the lowest rounds of the day on Saturday.

“Overall, I think I played pretty decent this week,” said Liu. “There were some things I could have done better and some putts I probably could have made, but that’s just golf.”

Liu surged into contention on the back nine, making five birdies over a seven-hole stretch starting at No. 9. She briefly held the outright lead after a birdie at the par-5 15th before Ren matched her with a birdie of her own. Both players closed regulation with three consecutive pars to force a playoff.

“At the playoff hole we both had pretty decent birdie chances,” Liu said. “I was a little bit further away and she made hers and I didn’t.”

The result continues a strong stretch for Liu, the reigning Canadian Junior Girls champion, who is set to compete in next month’s Chevron Championship — the first major of the LPGA Tour season. She has also committed to play collegiate golf at UCLA.

Thailand’s Onkanok Soisuwan and China’s Sui Xiang finished tied for third at six-under, five shots back.

The GolfJoy Women’s Open marked the first full-field event of the 2026 CLPG Tour season.

Piercen Hunt took fine-tuning his golf game to a new level this past off-season, getting as granular as possible.

Hunt spent two and a half months at Golf Canada’s house outside Phoenix, Ariz., working on his game through December and January. The 24-year-old Calgary native even bought himself a launch monitor so he could dial in his distances on the PGA Tour Americas, where the elevation of different courses week to week drastically changes how far the ball travels.

“You go from soft to firm golf courses quite a bit. It’s really important to know exactly where you’re at with distance control and how spin affects everything when you change elevation,” Hunt said. “It’s ridiculous to see an eight iron fly 200 yards some weeks, and then the next week you go to sea level, and it’s only 165 yards. 

“So for me, I think that’s been a tool that I’ve been able to use really effectively in the off-season to just sharpen up a little bit here with the season coming up.”

Hunt also spent much of his winter working on his putting, consulting with several coaches to see if there was commonality in their assessment of his issues on the green.

“I just wanted to gather some information, see how it worked, really try it out myself,” he said. “Maybe some people would dive all into a singular first idea that they come across, but I am a bit more into data collection and sorting through it. 

“I was very pleased this off-season with my putting, I just found out a few things about myself and how I read greens, my stroke, my tendencies, from the different people that I worked with and I really enjoyed setting about improving those and becoming a better green reader.”

Hunt’s hard work paid off on Friday when he earned conditional status on the third-tier Americas Tour with a tie for 14th at a qualifying event in Dothan, Alabama, at RTJ Highland Oaks.

“I think I’ll be on the outside looking in for the first couple events in South America, but my intention is still to go there, and if needed playing the Monday qualifiers,” said Hunt, referring to the first swing of the Americas Tour that begins April 16 at the 71st ECP Brazil Open in Rio de Janeiro. “These early season events are so important for conditional status guys like myself, heading into this year, where the earlier you can get into events and earn points, the better.

“Then you can reshuffle up once the reshuffles do happen.”

How one operator is helping players transform their game — indoors

Throughout Canada, where shoulder seasons seem to linger and winters can feel never-ending, simulator golf has quietly evolved from a temporary fix into a powerful, year-round training tool. Beginners, time‑pressed adults, and ambitious juniors now turn to indoor environments not simply to maintain their skills sharp, but to accelerate improvement at a pace that outdoor practice often can’t match. While many golfers wait for the snow to melt, those training on simulators head into spring looking as though they never left mid-season form.

Driving this change is a new wave of performance‑oriented facilities equipped with state-of-the-art launch monitors, tailored coaching, and athlete-centered programs. In Montreal, Nakhjavani Golf has emerged as a leading example: an indoor studio demonstrating that technology, community, and expert instruction can make golf both more accessible and more effective.

Meet the operator: Branden of Nakhjavani Golf

Nakhjavani Golf was established in 2018 by PGA TOUR coach Shauheen Nakhjavani and his brother Branden, who turned Shauheen’s expanding online instruction platform into a physical performance studio. From the start, the focus was clear: it wouldn’t be an entertainment venue, it would be a home for golfers serious about learning.

The facility grew from a single-bay proof of concept into a multi-bay performance studio with a private gym and a growing, tight‑knit membership. Its community is intentionally diverse: complete beginners, adults returning to the game, juniors refining fundamentals, long‑drive athletes, college teams, and professional players who travel to Montreal for coaching. All of them with one thing in common: a desire to better understand their game.

As Branden puts it, “Golf is for everybody. Golf instruction can be and should be for everybody.”

What indoor data can teach you that the range cannot

Many first‑time visitors arrive with the same hesitation: How can I improve if I can’t see my ball flight? Branden hears it often and he loves watching the “aha” moments that follow.

Thanks to modern launch‑monitor technology, players receive detailed metrics on distance, spin, launch angle, face angle, club path, and even exact impact location on the clubface. “You’re getting such an insane amount of data that it’s almost a disadvantage not to be practicing indoors,” Branden explains.

One of the earliest revelations for new students is the classic feel versus real disconnect. “A lot of times players say, ‘Yeah, that felt good,’ and then we open the screen and show them they hit it off the toe. Those feelings can be deceiving,” he says. Technology removes the guesswork. “You’re not guessing whether you’re doing something right or wrong. The data is all in front of you.”

Paired with a coach who can break it down, that data becomes a roadmap for improvement, accelerating learning far more efficiently than outdoor range sessions alone.

Breaking down barriers: making golf accessible year‑round

For many beginners, outdoor golf can feel intimidating. Branden understands the pressure: crowded ranges, unpredictable pace, limited warm‑up space, and the constant feeling of being watched. Indoors, he says, “those barriers fall away.”

He shares the story of a newcomer who arrived with no experience and a lot of nerves. Inspired by a family member, he committed to lessons every few weeks—indoors and outdoors—and progressed so quickly that he broke 90 in less than a year. “It’s so fun to take someone with so much enthusiasm and help push them in the right direction, right from the beginning,” Branden adds.

Inside the studio, first‑timers discover a controlled, welcoming environment where feedback is clear and improvement feels attainable. Low‑pressure guided practice, structured entry points, and supportive coaches help new golfers build confidence… especially through Quebec’s long winter.

And in a province where golfers only get a handful of months on real grass, simulator golf becomes more than a training tool. It becomes an on‑ramp: a way to bring more people into the sport, from various backgrounds, more frequently.

From fun to fundamentals: programs that actually build skills

Once players feel comfortable, Nakhjavani Golf provides pathways for deeper development. Offerings include beginner‑friendly group lessons, weekly leagues, semi‑private sessions, parent‑child programs, and a junior curriculum designed to establish proper habits early.

These formats succeed because they blend fun with purpose. “Golf becomes frustrating when you’re not improving,” Branden notes. Structured programming solves that by giving players clarity, reinforcement, and measurable progress.

That commitment to creating meaningful early experiences is also why the team was so keen to see the studio become an official First Tee – Premier départ Québec site—another way to give young people access to a sport they might not otherwise have the chance to discover.

Asked which programs have been most impactful, Branden emphasizes anything that helps players start strong: “Getting newbies is one of the things we love most. When you guide someone properly from the beginning, everything becomes easier.”

A tool for serious players too, of course

While accessibility is central to the studio’s mission, performance remains at its core. A significant share of players training indoors are competitive golfers: varsity athletes (the studio is the official practice facility of the Concordia University Stingers), long‑drive competitors, and pros working with his brother Shauheen on tour. Others are amateurs preparing for Quebec championships or national qualifiers.

These players rely on off‑season training plans, data‑driven club fitting, shot‑shaping drills, and simulated course play to sharpen their decision‑making. For them, indoor practice acts as a diagnostic tool. “Working indoors is kind of like getting a blood test,” Branden says. “It gives you the data that supports what the coach is already seeing.”

The result? Players enter the season with more awareness, better habits, and a clearer understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.

Try it yourself

If you’ve ever wondered whether simulator golf could improve your game, Branden offers simple advice: “Take the leap. Try it once. I promise you, you will be surprised.”

Visit a local indoor facility, join a beginner session, track your numbers, and give yourself a head start before the season begins. Just swing!

Better golf isn’t reserved for summer—and your best coach might be waiting for you indoors.

Find a Simulator Near You

Each week we write to Golf Canada members who record a hole-in-one, congratulating them and asking if they’d tell us how it happened. These are their stories (edited for length and clarity).

Have you recently accomplished the feat of a hole-in-one? Tell us about it! Share your story, picture / video and course information with us at holeinone@golfcanada.ca.

Mike Steiner, Osprey Point Golf Course, Hole #8

I started golfing at 20 years old. Worked at a par 3 course and a two tier driving range called Pleasure Park. Got the golf bug from that day forward. I even met Moe Norman on many occasions and have a driver he gave me. I was playing with my best friend of 48 years, Larry Bermarn. I have played golf around the world and whenever I go on holidays I play a course: Iceland, Zanzibar, Africa, Sentosa, Singapore, and Dubai to name a few!

Have what I feel is one of the best golf man caves in my basement, a chipping and putting green in my backyard and I still was waiting for my first hole-in-one. I have hit the flag or an inch away five or six times.

Larry Berman got his hole-in-one at Thornhill on his 60th birthday. My birthday was on the 24th of January and we went on a golf cruise through the Caribbean. I was waiting for my birthday wish as well! I played eight courses in the Caribbean on a sail boat schooner from Kallos golf. Started in Dominican, Punta Espada, Corales, tooth of the dog. Finished at Point Hardy, St. Lucia Cabot.

Three weeks late but great belated birthday present! I also started a golf company four years ago and now distribute Vice golf in Canada and got my hole-in-one with a Vice lime green ball that I have been using for two years now.

185 yards into a very strong wind. We all were pretty sure it went in the hole but no one knew for sure. We walked up to the hole and the celebration began!

Maureen Yamashita, The Duke At Rancho El Dorado, Hole #16

It was a blind shot to a front pin about 143 yards away and I used a 7 wood. It was a good shot to the left of the pin and I did see it hop towards it but that’s all you can see as there is a low hill in front of the green. It was a ladies league game and I was playing with Ans Kirwin, Brenda Heibein and Jane Bjornstad. When we got to the green, we couldn’t see my ball but we all knew it was a good shot so Jane said, “let’s look in the hole,” and there it was! This is my fifth hole-in-one. Not bad for a 71-year-old!

Collin Wilson, Highland Pacific Golf, Hole #12

I was golfing with my friends Eric Druet and Jake Dogterom. The third hole on the highland side was playing 167 yards pin in the back right corner. I hit a full 8 iron. Landed about 16 inches long and right, then spun back into the hole.

Janice Scott, Campeche Country Club, Hole #6

Hole #6 at Campeche Country Club, El Delphin Golf Course was playing 131 yards on February 17, 2026. It is a challenging par 3 over a large gully with large sand traps on both sides of the green. I used a 5 wood. It was tracking nicely but I couldn’t see it go in, hence why I’m holding clubs in my hand. The first place I looked was in the hole. Lo and behold, there it was! My playing partners that day were Vivian, Norah and another Janice. We had a fun celebration after the round.

Shane Giddens, Rosedale Golf Club, Hole #16

This was my second hole-in-one in as many seasons, and the first I actually had the joy of watching disappear into the cup. What had been an otherwise mediocre late-season round with my good friend and Rosedale Golf Club host, Jon Moses and my brother, Mark Giddens, suddenly became a lot more memorable on the 16th tee.

I lasered 103 yards to a front pin just as Jon and my brother were reminiscing about their past aces, my brother noting that his only one had been witnessed by me when we were teenagers. Just like my first, I had a feeling something good was about to unfold as I teed up a Rosedale-crested Callaway “1893” ball I’d found in the rough a few holes earlier.

With attack wedge in hand, I flushed a shot that held its line perfectly into a light wind. It landed about a foot beyond the cup, checked, and began to trickle back. The three of us collectively willed it in, and then watched it drop.

If you asked me to design my perfect day, it might have looked a lot like this. With the hole-in-one ball tucked safely in my pocket for good luck, it later joined my family and me as we watched the Jay’s clinch the ALCS against Seattle, the perfect ending to an unforgettable day!

Lorraine Swanson, Hideaway Country Club, Hole #9

I started golfing at 25 years old at Teachers’ Goofy Golf Tournaments in Thompson, Manitoba and I got my first ever hole-in-one February 18th, 2026 at Hideaway Country Club, Fort Myers, Florida on the 9th hole, front center flag. It rolled off a slight knoll left to right as my husband and I drove up to the green via the cart path on the left commenting, “is it going in?” At the green, I couldn’t see it and I’m still not believing it! At the hole, I looked in and there it was. From 108 yards, I used my Taylormade 6 hybrid with a Srixon ball! Even now after the congratulations and letting Srixon know sending me dozen golf balls, I’m still surpised! I am telling everyone I had to keep up with my husband as he got his first ever hole-in-one September 1, 2025 at our home course, Kingsville Golf and Country Club, Kingsville, Ontario. (Titleist sent him a great bag tag!)

It only took two rounds of golf for Vancouver’s Leah John to have her “welcome to the LPGA Tour” moment.

John had just finished playing in Blue Bay LPGA, the first tournament of her rookie season on the top-flight women’s golf circuit, when she got approached for an autograph. And another. And another.

Although John had missed the cut on March 6 at Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course on Hainan Island, China, there was a crowd waiting to meet her and get her signature. There were so many people that security actually had to move the large group to one side so as to not block other golfers from getting to the clubhouse.

“I had this mob of people wanting my signature, which was so much fun, like it was so nice to feel like I could have an impact on people and just make them happy,” said John. “I am very much living my dream.

“I loved it.”

John qualified for the LPGA Tour through the qualifying stage of the circuit in December. Blue Bay LPGA wasn’t just her first tournament as a full-fledged member of the tour, it was her first time to Asia.

“That’s the farthest I’ve ever travelled for a tournament, so it was really exciting to go to Asia and see what the lay of the land is like there,” said John. “The golf course was amazing. It’s so pristine and beautiful and I didn’t play my best per se, but it really was an awesome first week to start just getting into the groove, getting yourself familiar with your surroundings.

“Simple things (like) what does practice usually look like and what’s the vibe of the tour.”

The 25-year-old John will tee it up again this week at the Fortinet Founders Cup at Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club in Menlo Park, Calif. Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., is the other Canadian in the field.

John said it will take a while to realize that she belongs on the LPGA Tour.

“Just getting used to seeing your idols out here, and having to realize that you are amongst them, and feeling comfortable with that,” she said. “That’s still something that’s taken some time.

“That’s one of the biggest adjustments I’ve had to make is still believing in myself, even though I’m up against some really good competition, and embracing the challenge of that, rather than feeling defeated by it.”

John is not the only Canadian making memories in their rookie seasons.

Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Mississauga, Ont., tied for fifth at the prestigious Players Championship on Sunday. He finished four shots back of eventual winner Cameron Young of the United States.

“I never thought I was going to have a chance to win, to be honest,” Yellamaraju told reporters after his final round at TPC Sawgrass. “I would have to do something miraculous, and I almost did.

“I just wanted to play one shot at a time and play the best golf I could because this course is so tough and you’ve just got to stay patient and just keep grinding.”

The performance rocketed Yellamaraju up the FedEx Cup standings from 67th to 30th. He’s now the highest ranked Canadian on the PGA Tour in just the seventh start of his first full season on the circuit.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Sudarshan Yellamaraju’s unconventional journey to the PGA Tour reached another milestone Sunday as the Canadian rookie delivered a breakthrough performance at THE PLAYERS Championship.

Yellamaraju carded a final-round 4-under 68 at TPC Sawgrass to finish tied for fifth at 9 under par, four shots behind winner Cam Young.

The 24-year-old’s finish marked his first career top-10 result on the PGA Tour and the best showing by a rookie at the tournament in more than a decade. It was also the strongest result by a Canadian at The Players since Stephen Ames won the event in 2006.

Yellamaraju said the result reinforced his belief that he can compete at the highest level.

“I know I can compete and contend, and I have a lot of belief in myself, but that results-based confidence is something you can’t match,” he said. “Once you do something, you know you can do that or better.”

Making his tournament debut, Yellamaraju approached the week with modest expectations while still aiming to contend.

“As a rookie you just go out and see what you can do,” he said. “I always want to win every tournament, but that’s not realistically possible.”

Yellamaraju’s final round started quickly. The Canadian made three birdies in his opening four holes and added another at the par-5 ninth to reach the turn in 4-under 32.

A bogey on the short par-4 12th slowed his momentum, but he rebounded with birdies at Nos. 15 and 16 before finishing with a bogey at the difficult closing hole.

Playing in front of the large Sunday crowds at TPC Sawgrass was another new experience for the rookie.

“It was awesome,” Yellamaraju said of the fan support. “Yesterday when I had that run of birdies the crowd started cheering me on and it kept me motivated even when I was getting a little tired.”

The strong finish also reflected a mindset that has helped define his rise through the professional ranks.

“I’m not someone who packs it in,” he said. “I never give up. I’m very resilient.”

Yellamaraju credited that approach for helping him handle the challenge of one of the PGA Tour’s most demanding courses.

“Everything has to be really good on this course,” he said. “You’ve got to drive it well, hit good approach shots, chip it well and putt it well.”

The Canadian earned US$925,000 for the result, the largest payday of his young PGA Tour career.

Corey Conners was the next-best Canadian in the field, finishing tied for 13th after a final-round 74, his third straight top-15 result at The Players Championship.

Nick Taylor shot a 1-over 73 on Sunday to finish tied for 42nd, while Taylor Pendrith also closed with a 73 to tie for 46th.