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.

Bernice Taylor, Aberdeen Glen Golf Club, Hole #14

I was playing with Steve and Lucy Martin. It was on hole #14 and was 122 yards. I used my 8 iron. It happened on August 22, 2022.

Thank you again,

Bernie Taylor

Bruce Bodden, South Muskoka Curling & Golf Club, Hole #17

Thank you for your kind message regarding my hole-in-one at South Muskoka.

From the greens, hole #17 plays about 124 yards. I hit a 7 iron which landed on the green, bounced once towards the pin and then disappeared (in the cup)! I was playing with fellow members, Dave Robinson, Dave Gray and Kim Allsop.

Nice celebration followed on the clubhouse patio.

Bryan Head, Cataraqui Golf & Country Club, Hole #2

Thank you for the email and the graphic! 

The hole was #2 and it was from 205 yards. It just happened to be on our Men’s night as well so an added bonus of winning the skin and closest to the pin. It was witnessed by my normal group, consisting of Scott Stevenson and Chris Richard. Our other buddy, Adam Stewart, was unfortunately on vacation, so he missed out on a few pops afterwards. 

Thank you again,

Bryan Head

Carl Bedford, Rustico Resort Golf & Tennis Club, Hole #5

Thank you! Was playing with Marie Janice Boudreau. I used an 8 iron. Hole measured 139 yards.

Chris Wheaton, Memramcook, Hole #8

Thanks. It was a really special moment because my two young sons (Liam and Xavier) were playing with me! It was an 8 iron into a 140-yard back pin with a decent headwind. It landed about 6-8 feet in front of the pin, bounced a couple times and rolled right in. My boys started screaming and sprinted to the green.

Chris Wheaton

Daniel Lam, Weston Golf & Country Club, Hole #4

Hey Golf Canada,

I was playing with my buddy, James Mcgrade. The back tees were playing 158 yards into the wind. I thinned my 8 iron and next thing you know it rolls out 4 feet into the hole. 

Cheers,

Daniel 

Denis Ladouceur, Greyhawk Golf Club, Hole #15

My playing partners were Pierre Lamontagne, Jean Boisvert and Mike Kelly; all Clublink members.

We were on the 15th hole at the Greyhawk Predator course, 197 yards on a perfect sunny day. I opted to use my Taylormade M2 5 iron and my preferred Taylormade TP5X ball.

An awesome experience. I certainly hope to make more.

Thanks.

Elaine McCall, Innerkip Highlands, Hole #2

Yesterday, after 25 years of golfing, I achieved my first hole-in-one. Before leaving my home, I thought to myself I wish it was raining, I feel like I have golfed too much lately and don’t really feel like golfing today. On the second hole, par 3 at Innerkip Highlands, measuring 126 yards from the tee, I pulled out my driver. I knew that in all likelihood it was too much club but for me that particular hole always seems to play long. I took my tee shot and the ball landed on the green five or six feet to the left of the pin. It then started to roll very slowly to the right and disappeared at the pin. One lady in my group said, “did that go in?”. I thought that it might have gone in but, I also thought that it was possibly tucked behind the pin and hidden from my line of vision by the ball lifter that was installed at the start of the pandemic. When we got to the green and there was no sign of the ball, the cameras came out and a video was filmed as I lifted the ball from the cup. At the end of the round, we all celebrated, and the club gifted us a bottle of champagne, and gifted me a commemorative certificate and a future round of golf. All-in-all a very satisfying day and I am so glad that I didn’t listen to my inner voice, and I went golfing.

Elaine McCall

Eric White, The Links at Penn Hills, Hole #8

Hole-in-one on #8 at Penn Hills.

My playing partners were Ryan Julian and Kelly Powell. I used a 7 iron which measured 144 yards.

Eric White

George Crocker, Terra Nova Golf Resort & Golf Community, Hole #12

After thirty years of golfing, I finally got a hole-in-one.

I was playing with my wife, Angela, and used a 6 iron for a 155-yard shot. With strong winds and heavy rainfall, the group of four in front of us, decided to let us play through and wouldn’t you know it, they witnessed the shot. Unfortunately, I didn’t get their names, but we did have a discussion on what happened to my ball.  It looked like it disappeared and someone in the group said it’s in the hole.

With all the rain coming down, it was hard to tell, so I proceeded on over to the green and walked to the hole and there it was, in the hole.

I looked back at the group, raised my arms and gave a yell to them. We also caught up with the next group and Angela told them that I had just made a hole-in-one.

Thanks for contacting me.

Greg Jackson, Rivershore Golf Links, Hole #7

Thanks for the email. I was playing with Kevin Brett and Gerry Illner on the second day of the Club Championship. The funny thing is I had a hole-in-one on the same hole a year earlier on the second day of our Club Championship. The yardage was 179 and I hit a ping 22-degree hybrid.

Thanks,

Greg Jackson

Harvey Brinkman, Royalwood Golf and RV Resort, Hole #8

I had a hole-in-one at Royalwood Golf and RV Resort on August 9, 2022. Hole #8 it was playing 130 yards from the white tees. I am a member at Royalwood Golf and RV Resort.

Janet Johnson, Glen Lea Golf Course, Hole #2

Was golfing with my friend, Ann Hlynsky, at Glen Lea Golf Course in Brandon, Manitoba on July 03, 2022. I had a terrible first hole (scored a 7)! When I got to the second hole, the course Marshall (Brent Mills) was there filling the box up with score cards. We talked a bit, then he stayed and watched us tee off. Ann went first, hit a nice ball which landed in the green. My turn now. Swing and finish felt perfect, and we watched it land near the hole, and roll right into the cup! At first, I was a little stunned, then realized what happened! Threw my club up in the air, hugged Ann and then the Marshall (whom I’d just met!) 

When we finished the front nine, the staff was waiting for me, and presented me with a ‘hole in one’ congratulations banner, and took a photo of me holding it, as well as my pitching wedge and Titleist golf ball, that I had used. 

As I found out later, I had two witnesses, but the whole golf course heard me. ?

To have witnessed a hole-in-one on TV, or have a friend tell you they had one is one thing, but when you get your own first one, there’s no feeling like it! Plus, I had just turned 75, five weeks earlier! ?

Jason Higson, Summerland Golf & Country Club, Hole #4

What a fun time in Summerland, B.C.! I was playing with my dad, Gary Higson, his friend, Tom Moran and one of Tom’s friends from Penticton. The yardage was 135 yards. I used a gap wedge and hit it 10 feet pass the pin and it slowly backed up to the flag and then disappeared! After some celebrating on the tee box, we snapped a picture with the three of us from Dawson Creek, B.C.! 

Jeff Morris, Clovelly Golf Course, Hole #15

I did get a hole-in-one on Saturday, and it was my first! I was playing with Jacob Losinski (another member at Clovelly), and it was on hole #15 at The Osprey. It was a front pin, 120 yards, playing about 130 with wind in the face. I hit a flighted pitching wedge that landed about a foot past the hole and rolled back in!

Jeff

Jeff Narraway, Mountain Creek Golf Club, Hole #14

Thank you for the congratulations.

– Whether: Sunny, high around 30 degrees Celsius.

– Location: Mountain Creek Golf Course is located just outside of Arnprior, Ontario. Hole #14 is a 135-yard par 3 from the whites and runs east to west with a small pond to the front right of the green. That day it was playing 129 yards from the whites.

– Club: I used my Mazuma pitching wedge.

– Ball: Orange Titleist Velocity

– Background: Playing a threesome (Wendy MacNaughton, Dan Turcotte and I), teed off at 08:00. We were shooting into the sun, and it was difficult to watch/see the ball. But we could hear the plop when the ball landed. Dan shot first, then me and Wendy. When we arrived at the green, Dan’s ball was sitting on the front of the green. But I could not see my ball on the green. We looked all over and off the green in case I overshot. Then we saw the ball mark about 30” in front of the hole and when I looked in the hole and to my surprise there it was, and I had my first hole-in-one.

Take care and stay safe.

Jeff

Jim Cronin, Crimson Ridge, Hole #7

I scored my ace on #7 at Crimson Ridge golf course in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario on August 22, 2022. Playing partners were Gino Cavallo and Val and Jean Suriano. The pin was at the back which made it a 180 yard shot. I used my two hybrid club and initially thought I had overshot the green. One of my playing partners helped me look in the rough behind the green. I was preparing to take my penalty shot when another member of our foursome yelled “There’s a ball in the hole!” Sure enough my Titlest with a distinctive red stripe was nestled in the bottom of the hole.This is my second hole-in-one, the first one being scored nine years ago on a Michigan course. Kudos to PGA of Canada instructor Travis Spiess at Crimson who has helped improve my swing.  

Jim Cronin

Jon Andrews, St. Andrews By-The-Lake, Hole #5

Given my surname, it is rather ironic that my first hole-in-one occurred at St. “Andrews” by the lake.  

It occurred on August 9, 2022, during a family reunion trip in Summerland (I live in Ladner and normally play at Surrey Golf). I was golfing with my wife, Karen, and my cousin, Ray, who was visiting from England. I had last played the course about 25 years ago when I had just taken up golfing. 

There is a walk up to the tee box. As the card said 191 yards, I went up with 5 hybrid. However, once at the tee box, my GPS read 204. There was a wait before I could tee off and someone in the following group arrived and confirmed the distance as 204 yards.

Given the GPS reading, it was a good thing I was too lazy to go back and get my 4 hybrid as the 5 hybrid did the trick. I saw it land before the green and bend on the green towards the hole, but I thought the ball had rolled past the hole. My wife thought it might have gone in the hole.  

When I didn’t see the ball on the green, I didn’t dare look in the hole until I checked behind the green. As the ball wasn’t there, I peeked into the hole and was ecstatic to see the ball and that I finally had my first hole in one at age 58.

As it happens, on the previous hole I was 2” from getting an eagle on a par 4 for the first time. That’ll have to wait for another day. 

Judi Richard, Eaglequest Grandview Golf & Country Club, Hole #7

Thank you for your kind letter, I was thrilled to receive it!

I played from the red tees. Yardage was 140 yards, and I used my 4 hybrid. It’s an elevated tee with the flag was at the front of the green. I watched it go straight for the flag. I couldn’t see the hole, so we had to wait until we reached the green. When I didn’t see my ball anywhere, I presumed it was in the hole and it was. Lots of screaming started happening when we all took a look at it sitting pretty in the hole! It was Ladies Day, so we had ladies coming up #6 and ladies in front on #8, lots of excitement. It was my first hole-in-one at Grandview and a day I’ll not likely forget. 

The names of the ladies I was playing with when I got my hole-in-one are Sheila MacDougall, Sandra Attersley and Pam Ellis.

Thank you once again, I’m grateful for Golf Canada’s interest.

Judi Richard

Kristy Fearn, Sandpiper Golf Club, Hole #12

It was a very fun day. I was playing with Jenifer Jones. Yardage on hole 12 that day was about 89 yards. I used my approach wedge, hit the fringe, took one hop, and rolled in the hole. Nicest hole for it as the view is spectacular. 

Louise Lee, Campbell River Golf & Country Club, Hole #18

I made my hole-in-one on hole #18. It was a back pin that day so it lasered at about 120 yards. Wind was against us, so I clubbed up to a 7 wood. Landed in front and rolled about 30 feet to the pin.

I knew to club up as I had participated with my Mayfair Lakes GC (Richmond, B.C.) members two days earlier in the Howie Meeker golf tournament (in support of Special Olympics for the Campbell River chapter) held at the Campbell River GC and my 9 wood fell short and the ball ended in the lake fronting the green. Lesson learned!

The assistant pro, Tony Rommel, at Mayfair grew up in the Campbell River/Comox area and he brings a contingent of members to support the Howie Meeker tournament every year. We only missed 2020 tournament due to COVID-19. It is always great fun!

Regards,

Louise

Mark Hougen, Silver Springs Golf & Country Club, Hole #17

My first hole-in-one was Friday August 26 at Silver Springs Golf Club is sunny Calgary. I was playing with my amazing wife, Traci Meades, (who had her first hole-in-one earlier this season as well) and our friends Randy and Corrine Chappell.

Hole #17. par 3. 142 yards. Used a pitching wedge.

Randy and I jokingly talked about not having seen a hole-in-one as we walked up to the 17^th tee box. I went first. While my well struck ball, with a baby draw, is in the air, I jokingly say “get in the hole so Randy can see a hole-in-one.” 

As the ball approaches the green, I lose sight of it in the shadows. Randy says he heard my ball hit the flagstick. But none of us know where my ball ended up.

As we walked up to the green, we discover that my ball went directly into the cup…never hit the putting surface.

I don’t normally take my cell phone on the golf course, but I did that day as I was expecting a call from a client. Glad I did…so I have great photos (and memories) from that day!

Thanks Golf Canada!

Matthew Watson, Brightwood Golf & Country Club, Hole #15

I was golfing with my mom and dad (Stehpanie and John Watson). I hit an 8 iron 144 yards. We watched it hit the front of the green and roll in. It was my first ever hole-in-one. Thank you for the image.

Nathan Keller, Greenbryre Golf & Country Club, Hole #3

Thank you so much for reaching out! As if getting my first hole-in-one wasn’t already exciting enough.

I’ve been playing golf a long time, but it wasn’t until the last three years that I started putting more effort into improving my game. I’ve always been a long hitter, coming from a baseball and hockey background, so my short game is where I have been spending the most practise. With more time spent golfing, my wife and son started joining me and golfing more as well. Sunday was the first time we took on the challenge of taking my daughter (2 years old) along with my son, (5 years old) out for a round. Amongst the chaos of two restless kids, I somehow managed to pull off the best shot of my life so far.

The hole was a 126-yard par 3, slightly uphill and playing a bit downwind. 126 yards is between a gap wedge and a pitching wedge for me, but I opted to go for a choked up three-quarter swing pitching wedge. The ball was struck perfectly, and it was precisely on the line I had picked. I knew it was a good shot instantly. Upon landing, I immediately froze trying to focus my eyes on just how close it really was, and that’s when the ball disappeared. My wife and I quickly turn to each other, and both simultaneously say, “I think it went in!”

I took a video of the walk with my son up to the green to verify that it had indeed dropped in the hole. Below is the hole in one picture, and a day on the course with my family I’ll never forget.

Roberto Erana, Fort Langley Golf Course, Hole #15

It was on hole #15. 158 yards. I used a Callaway Razr 4 rescue club.

We are part of a golf club called Parbreakers Vancouver.

The other 3 golfers in my flight were Binky Cruz, Vic Legazpi and Chole Cebrero.

Thanks.

Trish Santo, Legends in Warman, Hole #7

I was very amazed to learn that you knew about my hole-in-one on Tuesday, August 16 at the Legends in Warman. Thank you for your recognition of my special day.

To answer your questions: Tuesday is Ladies’ Day for our Tuesday Morning Ladies Golf League at the Legends. This year, we have 37 members from all walks of life and a very sociable group. I was playing with Maureen, Sylvia and Cindy. The par 3, hole #7 from the forward red blocks is 92 yards. In the past, I have tried using a 9 iron and was never satisfied with the results. So, recently I have started using my 6 iron (I don’t have a 7 or 8 iron in my bag) with better results. On the 16^th, I teed up and had also changed my ball from a Callaway to a Pinnacle Lady with my lucky number 4 on it. My shot was the sweetest, lovely in the air, straight at the flag and dropped almost immediately into the hole. Our cheers echoed across to the group behind us. Since our fun day game was closest to the pin on the par 3’s. I had my name on the proximity marker for the prize.
 

The next sweetest thing is my name and date goes on a small, engraved plate mounted on the hole #7 board in the upper hall of the clubhouse. Four boards are there for each of the par 3 holes and above, the title Legends Hole in One Club. My name plate is the first one on the hole #14 board for my hole-in-one on September 28, 2011, during the first game I played at the newly opened Legends course. I didn’t see that one go into the hole because I was picking up my tee and looked up to see my playing partners cheering wildly. This wall display is a special to all the people whose names are on it and an excellent tribute by the Legends course management.

Thank you for the extra special celebration you have added to my achievement.

HEADINGLEY, Man. – The summer of Shelly Stouffer rolled on at the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur & Senior Championship, presented by BDO, at Breezy Bend Country Club in Headingley, Man.

After winning the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship in early August, the Nanoose, B.C., native added a Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur title and a second consecutive Canadian Women’s Senior Championship to her trophy case. The hardware didn’t end there, though. Stouffer was crowned champion of the Mid-Master division, to boot.

“That’s the first time I won the Mid-Am, so [I’m] pretty excited about that,” said Stouffer. “Last year I won just the Mid-Master and the Senior, so, yeah, it was exciting.”

Stouffer says this win is “right up there” with the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship and so is the Ada Mackenzie Trophy.

“This gives Big Bertha a run,” Stouffer laughed as she hoisted one of three trophies she was awarded on Thursday, bringing her week total to five after winning both the Katherine Holleur and Crockett trophies as part of Team British Columbia in the Interprovincial Team competitions.

Opposite to the 52-year-old’s triumph in Anchorage, AK., the odds were against Stouffer coming down the stretch in Thursday’s final round. Terrill Samuel and Christina Spence Proteau lead by one over the former professional golfer with just five holes to play, but in came the wind that blew Stouffer into the lead.

With a one-stroke advantage on No. 18, Stouffer guided an iron onto the green and two-putted for par to secure the one stroke victory over Samuel.

“I’m just kind of going with the flow here,” admitted Stouffer. “I was hitting the ball well down in, well, everywhere, but the last place I was at was Dayton at the U.S. Open, so I just kind of kept that going and my ball striking was actually really, really good this week. I can’t even express how awesome it is.”

Stouffer becomes only the second Canadian in history to win both the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship and the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship in the same year, joining World Golf Hall of Famer, Marlene Streit, who accomplished the feat in 1995.

“It’s amazing; it’s so great,” said Stouffer on being in the same company as Streit. “She sent me messages when I was over in Anchorage, being encouraging and everything like that and, you know, it’s phenomenal – it’s awesome.”

With the win, Stouffer earns an exemption into the 2023 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Ashburn Golf Club in Halifax, N.S. The B.C. native’s win in the Senior division earns her direct entry into the 2023 U.S. Senior Women’s Open and 2023 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, where she will look to defend her title.

Samuel, the 2022 British Senior Women’s Amateur Champion, carded a final round 73 to win the Super Senior division. The Etobocoke, Ont., native also finished as the runner-up in the Mid-Amateur, Mid-Master and Senior divisions.

In the Mid-Amateur section, six-time champion, Christina Spence Proteau, earned the bronze medal, finishing just two strokes back of Stouffer. Helene Chartrand of Sallabery-de-Valleyfield, Que.; 2017 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Champion, Judith Kyrinis; and Canadian Golf Hall of Famer, Mary-Ann Hayward all posted T4 results at 8-over-par for the tournament.

On Thursday, Golf Canada announced the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship would act as a stand-alone event in 2023 and beyond. The national championship will be held at Mad River Golf Club in Creemore, Ont., July 24-27.

The 2023 Canadian Senior Women’s Championship is moving to the Maritimes. It will take place at Mill River Golf Course in O’Leary, P.E.I.

For full results of the 2022 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship click here.

(AUGUST 31, 2022) – Golf Canada announced today format changes to the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship. Effective 2023, the national championship, currently held in conjunction with the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship, will act independently as a stand-alone event.

“The decision to proceed with format changes to our Women’s Mid-Amateur aligns with the growth of golf in Canada,” said Golf Canada’s Director of Amateur Championships and Rules, Mary Beth McKenna. “We feel that this championship deserves its own spotlight and we’re confident that the talent displayed in 2023 and beyond will reflect that.”

Since 2007, the Women’s Mid-Amateur has a provided women over the age of 25 a chance to compete on a national stage. From its inaugural year to 2014, the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship ran in conjunction with the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship. In 2015, the tournament shifted gears and joined forces with the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship, but Breezy Bend Country Club will serve as the final joint venture for the two events.

In 2023, the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship will take place at Mad River Golf Club in Creemore, Ont., July 24-27. The field size will cap at 90 players and an Interprovincial team competition will also be incorporated into the reformatted event. As in years past, the Mid-Master division – a division for players 40 years or older – will remain a part of the national championship.

The winner of the 2023 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship will earn an exemption into the 2024 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship. Past winners of the event include 2017 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Champion, Judith Kyrinis; six-time champion Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Champion, Christina Spence Proteau; and 2022 British Women’s Senior Amateur Champion, Terrill Samuel.

(September 1, 2022) – Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada are committed to providing opportunities for people with disabilities to experience the physical, psychological, and social benefits golf can offer.

As part of this commitment, the national golf organizations have launched the EDGA 359 Pilot Project, presented by Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada, partnering with EDGA (formerly the European Disabled Golf Association) on coach training designed to demystify adaptive golf and give coaches the confidence needed to launch and develop programs for golfers with disabilities across Canada.

“Through this coach training, we are eager to increase support for golfers of all abilities and make our sport inclusive of more Canadians,”  said Laura Wilson, Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Safe Sport for Golf Canada.

Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada have invited Mark Taylor, PGA Fellow Professional, Head of Development/Coach Education, and Instruction for EDGA to educate coaches in Canada who will be involved in the future recruitment and support of golfers with disabilities. PGA of Canada Technical Director Glenn Cundari will co-facilitate the sessions. 

The EDGA curriculum is a three-step curriculum that identifies a participation pathway for golfers with disabilities. The training will provide coaches with the knowledge and skills to support golfers at each stage of the pathway from Sample – Participant – Compete. The first two stages of training will be piloted to provide coaches (PGA of Canada professionals, Physical Therapists, trainers, etc.) in Canada with the training, confidence and resources needed to develop and expand programs for golfers with disabilities.

The PGA of Canada is committed to supporting a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive sporting and workplace experience in Canadian golf. The launch of this inclusive coaching context is one of our priorities to the 88 recommendations we have committed to as an organization from our EDI task force report – said PGA of Canada Chief Innovation Officer Matt Allen.

EDGA has been providing training and resources to sport federations for more that 20 years.  

Through the EDGA 359 project, two coach training clinics will be piloted this year—one in Nova Scotia at Glen Arbour Golf Course, just outside of Halifax and one in Ontario at Lionhead Golf and Conference Centre in Brampton. Once the pilot workshops are completed this fall, Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada will look to roll out EDGA workshops nationally beginning in 2023.

EDGA 359 – Pilot Workshops:

Nova Scotia Clinic:

Glen Arbour Golf Course
September 9-10

Level 1   

Combined Level 1 & 2

Ontario Clinic:

Lionhead Golf Course
September 13-14

Level 1

Combined Level 1 & 2

The training will take place at a similar time as the 2^nd annual Canadian All Abilities Championship, which is being contested this year September 13-14 at Essex Golf & Country Club in Lasalle, Ont. The EDGA 359 Pilot Project is legacy component to the event with up to 50 new coaches trained to support golfers with disabilities.

The EDGA 359 pilot clinics will be supported respectively by the Nova Scotia Golf Association and Golf Ontario.

HEADINGLEY, Man. – Regardless of what happens on Thursday afternoon at Breezy Bend Country Club, Shelly Stouffer and Terrill Samuel can look back on this year’s golf season and be proud of what they’ve accomplished.

Nonetheless, the duo will have a chance to add to their impressive resumes at the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship, presented by BDO.

Stouffer, winner of the 2022 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, and Samuel, champion of this year’s British Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, are one-stroke back of Nonie Marler in the Mid-Amateur division and tied atop the leaderboard in the Senior division with just 18 holes left to play in Manitoba.

Samuel, 61, was born in England, but moved to Canada when she was three months old and though she already has multiple Canadian titles to her name, she isn’t taking this week’s championship for granted.

“The national amateur is always a big deal,” said Samuel. “Because you are Canadian, right, so, yes, it would be a very proud moment for sure.”

Now a member of Weston Golf Club, Samuel won’t soon forget the triumph at Royal Dornoch in Scotland.

“I said I could retire after that because that’s my best win ever,” Samuel laughed.

“I have played in some British [tournaments], so that’s helped, right; it’s not like it’s foreign to me, so I know how to keep the ball low,” said Samuel. “I only hit 3-wood off the tee all the time, but I hit it low, so it helps over there.”

Well, hitting it low will help over here tomorrow, too. Though the heat will once again descend on the golf course, the forecast calls for gusts of wind up to 50km/h, adding an extra variable to the challenging test of a final round at a national championship.

If Samuel sails to victory, she will join Canadian Golf Hall of Famer, Alison Murdoch, as the only Canadian golfer in history to win both the British Senior Women’s Amateur and the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship in the same year. Murdoch completed the feat in 2007.

Stouffer joked on Wednesday she “still might be in shock” about her victory in Alaska less than a month ago, but on Thursday, Breezy Bend will require all of the 52-year-old’s focus as she looks to recapture the Ada Mackenzie Trophy.

With a win on Thursday, Stouffer would join World Golf Hall of Famer, Marlene Streit, as the only Canadian to have won the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship and the Canadian Senior Women’s Championship in the same year. Streit did so in 1995.

Wednesday afternoon struck a moment of déja vu in the mind of Nonie Marler.

For the second consecutive year, the Vancouver, B.C. native will take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship, presented by BDO, only this time Marler will hope fate and fortune is on her side.

When the final putt dropped at Domaine Château Bromont in 2021, it was Christina Spence Proteau celebrating the national title – not Marler. On Thursday, however, the 38-year-old will have a shot at redemption, and she’ll count on last year’s experience to guide her to the winner’s circle.

“I’ve been there and done that now, right,” said Marler. “Last year, I hadn’t, so it was new to me and, it’s just you kind of have to feel the situation and now that I know, I know obviously the outcome and how to play through that and what happened from it, so, obviously, I just got to play within my own game tomorrow.”

“I’m happy that I’ve now had the experience because I can take that experience to tomorrow and it’s actually given me a lot of, like, a much cooler head… today too,” she said.

British Columbia claimed both the Katherine Holleur and Crockett trophies as champions of the Interprovincial Team competitions in both the Mid-Amateur and Senior divisions. The B.C. team composed of Marler, Stouffer and Proteau, won by 14 strokes over Ontario in the Mid-Amateur division, while Stouffer, Jackie Little and Sandrine Turbide were 15-stroke winners over Quebec in the Senior division.

The final round is set to begin at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday morning. The awards ceremony will follow the conclusion of play, around 3:00 p.m. Champions will be crowned in the Mid-Amateur, Mid-Master, Senior, and Super-Senior divisions.

Quick Links:
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Championship history

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.

Bernice Taylor, Aberdeen Glen Golf Club, Hole #14

I was playing with Steve and Lucy Martin. It was on hole #14 and was 122 yards. I used my 8 iron. It happened on August 22, 2022.

Thank you again,

Bernie Taylor

Bruce Bodden, South Muskoka Curling & Golf Club, Hole #17

Thank you for your kind message regarding my hole-in-one at South Muskoka.

From the greens, hole #17 plays about 124 yards. I hit a 7 iron which landed on the green, bounced once towards the pin and then disappeared (in the cup)! I was playing with fellow members, Dave Robinson, Dave Gray and Kim Allsop.

Nice celebration followed on the clubhouse patio.

Bryan Head, Cataraqui Golf & Country Club, Hole #2

Thank you for the email and the graphic! 

The hole was #2 and it was from 205 yards. It just happened to be on our Men’s night as well so an added bonus of winning the skin and closest to the pin. It was witnessed by my normal group, consisting of Scott Stevenson and Chris Richard. Our other buddy, Adam Stewart, was unfortunately on vacation, so he missed out on a few pops afterwards. 

Thank you again,

Bryan Head

Carl Bedford, Rustico Resort Golf & Tennis Club, Hole #5

Thank you! Was playing with Marie Janice Boudreau. I used an 8 iron. Hole measured 139 yards.

Chris Wheaton, Memramcook, Hole #8

Thanks. It was a really special moment because my two young sons (Liam and Xavier) were playing with me! It was an 8 iron into a 140-yard back pin with a decent headwind. It landed about 6-8 feet in front of the pin, bounced a couple times and rolled right in. My boys started screaming and sprinted to the green.

Chris Wheaton

Daniel Lam, Weston Golf & Country Club, Hole #4

Hey Golf Canada,

I was playing with my buddy, James Mcgrade. The back tees were playing 158 yards into the wind. I thinned my 8 iron and next thing you know it rolls out 4 feet into the hole. 

Cheers,

Daniel 

Denis Ladouceur, Greyhawk Golf Club, Hole #15

My playing partners were Pierre Lamontagne, Jean Boisvert and Mike Kelly; all Clublink members.

We were on the 15th hole at the Greyhawk Predator course, 197 yards on a perfect sunny day. I opted to use my Taylormade M2 5 iron and my preferred Taylormade TP5X ball.

An awesome experience. I certainly hope to make more.

Thanks.

Elaine McCall, Innerkip Highlands, Hole #2

Yesterday, after 25 years of golfing, I achieved my first hole-in-one. Before leaving my home, I thought to myself I wish it was raining, I feel like I have golfed too much lately and don’t really feel like golfing today. On the second hole, par 3 at Innerkip Highlands, measuring 126 yards from the tee, I pulled out my driver. I knew that in all likelihood it was too much club but for me that particular hole always seems to play long. I took my tee shot and the ball landed on the green five or six feet to the left of the pin. It then started to roll very slowly to the right and disappeared at the pin. One lady in my group said, “did that go in?”. I thought that it might have gone in but, I also thought that it was possibly tucked behind the pin and hidden from my line of vision by the ball lifter that was installed at the start of the pandemic. When we got to the green and there was no sign of the ball, the cameras came out and a video was filmed as I lifted the ball from the cup. At the end of the round, we all celebrated, and the club gifted us a bottle of champagne, and gifted me a commemorative certificate and a future round of golf. All-in-all a very satisfying day and I am so glad that I didn’t listen to my inner voice, and I went golfing.

Elaine McCall

Eric White, The Links at Penn Hills, Hole #8

Hole-in-one on #8 at Penn Hills.

My playing partners were Ryan Julian and Kelly Powell. I used a 7 iron which measured 144 yards.

Eric White

George Crocker, Terra Nova Golf Resort & Golf Community, Hole #12

After thirty years of golfing, I finally got a hole-in-one.

I was playing with my wife, Angela, and used a 6 iron for a 155-yard shot. With strong winds and heavy rainfall, the group of four in front of us, decided to let us play through and wouldn’t you know it, they witnessed the shot. Unfortunately, I didn’t get their names, but we did have a discussion on what happened to my ball.  It looked like it disappeared and someone in the group said it’s in the hole.

With all the rain coming down, it was hard to tell, so I proceeded on over to the green and walked to the hole and there it was, in the hole.

I looked back at the group, raised my arms and gave a yell to them. We also caught up with the next group and Angela told them that I had just made a hole-in-one.

Thanks for contacting me.

Greg Jackson, Rivershore Golf Links, Hole #7

Thanks for the email. I was playing with Kevin Brett and Gerry Illner on the second day of the Club Championship. The funny thing is I had a hole-in-one on the same hole a year earlier on the second day of our Club Championship. The yardage was 179 and I hit a ping 22-degree hybrid.

Thanks,

Greg Jackson

Harvey Brinkman, Royalwood Golf and RV Resort, Hole #8

I had a hole-in-one at Royalwood Golf and RV Resort on August 9, 2022. Hole #8 it was playing 130 yards from the white tees. I am a member at Royalwood Golf and RV Resort.

Janet Johnson, Glen Lea Golf Course, Hole #2

Was golfing with my friend, Ann Hlynsky, at Glen Lea Golf Course in Brandon, Manitoba on July 03, 2022. I had a terrible first hole (scored a 7)! When I got to the second hole, the course Marshall (Brent Mills) was there filling the box up with score cards. We talked a bit, then he stayed and watched us tee off. Ann went first, hit a nice ball which landed in the green. My turn now. Swing and finish felt perfect, and we watched it land near the hole, and roll right into the cup! At first, I was a little stunned, then realized what happened! Threw my club up in the air, hugged Ann and then the Marshall (whom I’d just met!) 

When we finished the front nine, the staff was waiting for me, and presented me with a ‘hole in one’ congratulations banner, and took a photo of me holding it, as well as my pitching wedge and Titleist golf ball, that I had used. 

As I found out later, I had two witnesses, but the whole golf course heard me. ?

To have witnessed a hole-in-one on TV, or have a friend tell you they had one is one thing, but when you get your own first one, there’s no feeling like it! Plus, I had just turned 75, five weeks earlier! ?

Jeff Morris, Clovelly Golf Course, Hole #15

I did get a hole-in-one on Saturday, and it was my first! I was playing with Jacob Losinski (another member at Clovelly), and it was on hole #15 at The Osprey. It was a front pin, 120 yards, playing about 130 with wind in the face. I hit a flighted pitching wedge that landed about a foot past the hole and rolled back in!

Jeff

Jeff Narraway, Mountain Creek Golf Club, Hole #14

Thank you for the congratulations.

– Whether: Sunny, high around 30 degrees Celsius.

– Location: Mountain Creek Golf Course is located just outside of Arnprior, Ontario. Hole #14 is a 135-yard par 3 from the whites and runs east to west with a small pond to the front right of the green. That day it was playing 129 yards from the whites.

– Club: I used my Mazuma pitching wedge.

– Ball: Orange Titleist Velocity

– Background: Playing a threesome (Wendy MacNaughton, Dan Turcotte and I), teed off at 08:00. We were shooting into the sun, and it was difficult to watch/see the ball. But we could hear the plop when the ball landed. Dan shot first, then me and Wendy. When we arrived at the green, Dan’s ball was sitting on the front of the green. But I could not see my ball on the green. We looked all over and off the green in case I overshot. Then we saw the ball mark about 30” in front of the hole and when I looked in the hole and to my surprise there it was, and I had my first hole-in-one.

Take care and stay safe.

Jeff

Jim Cronin, Crimson Ridge, Hole #7

I scored my ace on #7 at Crimson Ridge golf course in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario on August 22, 2022. Playing partners were Gino Cavallo and Val and Jean Suriano. The pin was at the back which made it a 180 yard shot. I used my two hybrid club and initially thought I had overshot the green. One of my playing partners helped me look in the rough behind the green. I was preparing to take my penalty shot when another member of our foursome yelled “There’s a ball in the hole!” Sure enough my Titlest with a distinctive red stripe was nestled in the bottom of the hole.This is my second hole-in-one, the first one being scored nine years ago on a Michigan course. Kudos to PGA of Canada instructor Travis Spiess at Crimson who has helped improve my swing.  

Jim Cronin

Jon Andrews, St. Andrews By-The-Lake, Hole #5

Given my surname, it is rather ironic that my first hole-in-one occurred at St. “Andrews” by the lake.  

It occurred on August 9, 2022, during a family reunion trip in Summerland (I live in Ladner and normally play at Surrey Golf). I was golfing with my wife, Karen, and my cousin, Ray, who was visiting from England. I had last played the course about 25 years ago when I had just taken up golfing. 

There is a walk up to the tee box. As the card said 191 yards, I went up with 5 hybrid. However, once at the tee box, my GPS read 204. There was a wait before I could tee off and someone in the following group arrived and confirmed the distance as 204 yards.

Given the GPS reading, it was a good thing I was too lazy to go back and get my 4 hybrid as the 5 hybrid did the trick. I saw it land before the green and bend on the green towards the hole, but I thought the ball had rolled past the hole. My wife thought it might have gone in the hole.  

When I didn’t see the ball on the green, I didn’t dare look in the hole until I checked behind the green. As the ball wasn’t there, I peeked into the hole and was ecstatic to see the ball and that I finally had my first hole in one at age 58.

As it happens, on the previous hole I was 2” from getting an eagle on a par 4 for the first time. That’ll have to wait for another day. 

Kim Somers, Glencairn Golf Club, Hole #7

Thank you so much for your email!

Last Thursday was a day I won’t soon forget. It was a special Ladies’ Day at our club as member, Wendy Hanson, arranged for a Golf Fore the Cure day. She reached out to Michael Murillo, the General Manager of Subaru of Mississauga, and a “win the car” hole was organized.

I was playing with great friends: Margaret Green, Lisa Trudell and Darlene Monkman all members at Glencairn.

Darlene hit first and I was next to go. It was hole #7, Scotch Block, the car was on the tee box and the Director of Golf, Mike Grierson, was also there.

The hole was a downhill par 3 and the pin measured at 155 yards. I used my 27 degree hybrid. The ball landed a few inches short of the green, hopped on and seemed to roll in slow motion towards the pin. We were watching it and getting more excited by the moment when all of a sudden it disappeared and that’s when the hugs, high fives and cheering drew notice from the other golfers. 

I was shaking. I couldn’t believe what had just happened! We got down to the hole to retrieve my ball, took some photos and tried to carry on with the remaining 11 holes the best I could.

I phoned my husband, who was golfing at Rattlesnake, to share the news with him and he was just as excited as I was.  It was our 15th wedding anniversary that day and it’s an anniversary to remember! We celebrated with a glass of wine that evening.

Funny story…we have a hole-in-one trophy in our house, and it travels in the family, by blood or marriage, to the person with the most recent hole-in-one. The first hole in engraved on it is from 1930. Most recently, my husband has had the trophy with three consecutive hole-in-ones beginning in July 2020 and I’ve finally been able to take it away from him. ?

Kristy Fearn, Sandpiper Golf Club, Hole #12

It was a very fun day. I was playing with Jenifer Jones. Yardage on hole 12 that day was about 89 yards. I used my approach wedge, hit the fringe, took one hop, and rolled in the hole. Nicest hole for it as the view is spectacular. 

Louise Lee, Campbell River Golf & Country Club, Hole #18

I made my hole-in-one on hole #18. It was a back pin that day so it lasered at about 120 yards. Wind was against us, so I clubbed up to a 7 wood. Landed in front and rolled about 30 feet to the pin.

I knew to club up as I had participated with my Mayfair Lakes GC (Richmond, B.C.) members two days earlier in the Howie Meeker golf tournament (in support of Special Olympics for the Campbell River chapter) held at the Campbell River GC and my 9 wood fell short and the ball ended in the lake fronting the green. Lesson learned!

The assistant pro, Tony Rommel, at Mayfair grew up in the Campbell River/Comox area and he brings a contingent of members to support the Howie Meeker tournament every year. We only missed 2020 tournament due to COVID-19. It is always great fun!

Regards,

Louise

Mark Hougen, Silver Springs Golf & Country Club, Hole #17

My first hole-in-one was Friday August 26 at Silver Springs Golf Club is sunny Calgary. I was playing with my amazing wife, Traci Meades, (who had her first hole-in-one earlier this season as well) and our friends Randy and Corrine Chappell.

Hole #17. par 3. 142 yards. Used a pitching wedge.

Randy and I jokingly talked about not having seen a hole-in-one as we walked up to the 17^th tee box. I went first. While my well struck ball, with a baby draw, is in the air, I jokingly say “get in the hole so Randy can see a hole-in-one.” 

As the ball approaches the green, I lose sight of it in the shadows. Randy says he heard my ball hit the flagstick. But none of us know where my ball ended up.

As we walked up to the green, we discover that my ball went directly into the cup…never hit the putting surface.

I don’t normally take my cell phone on the golf course, but I did that day as I was expecting a call from a client. Glad I did…so I have great photos (and memories) from that day!

Thanks Golf Canada!

Matthew Watson, Brightwood Golf & Country Club, Hole #15

I was golfing with my mom and dad (Stehpanie and John Watson). I hit an 8 iron 144 yards. We watched it hit the front of the green and roll in. It was my first ever hole-in-one. Thank you for the image.

Nathan Keller, Greenbryre Golf & Country Club, Hole #3

Thank you so much for reaching out! As if getting my first hole-in-one wasn’t already exciting enough.

I’ve been playing golf a long time, but it wasn’t until the last three years that I started putting more effort into improving my game. I’ve always been a long hitter, coming from a baseball and hockey background, so my short game is where I have been spending the most practise. With more time spent golfing, my wife and son started joining me and golfing more as well. Sunday was the first time we took on the challenge of taking my daughter (2 years old) along with my son, (5 years old) out for a round. Amongst the chaos of two restless kids, I somehow managed to pull off the best shot of my life so far.

The hole was a 126-yard par 3, slightly uphill and playing a bit downwind. 126 yards is between a gap wedge and a pitching wedge for me, but I opted to go for a choked up three-quarter swing pitching wedge. The ball was struck perfectly, and it was precisely on the line I had picked. I knew it was a good shot instantly. Upon landing, I immediately froze trying to focus my eyes on just how close it really was, and that’s when the ball disappeared. My wife and I quickly turn to each other, and both simultaneously say, “I think it went in!”

I took a video of the walk with my son up to the green to verify that it had indeed dropped in the hole. Below is the hole in one picture, and a day on the course with my family I’ll never forget.

Roberto Erana, Fort Langley Golf Course, Hole #15

It was on hole #15. 158 yards. I used a Callaway Razr 4 rescue club.

We are part of a golf club called Parbreakers Vancouver.

The other 3 golfers in my flight were Binky Cruz, Vic Legazpi and Chole Cebrero.

Thanks.

Trish Santo, Legends in Warman, Hole #7

I was very amazed to learn that you knew about my hole-in-one on Tuesday, August 16 at the Legends in Warman. Thank you for your recognition of my special day.

To answer your questions: Tuesday is Ladies’ Day for our Tuesday Morning Ladies Golf League at the Legends. This year, we have 37 members from all walks of life and a very sociable group. I was playing with Maureen, Sylvia and Cindy. The par 3, hole #7 from the forward red blocks is 92 yards. In the past, I have tried using a 9 iron and was never satisfied with the results. So, recently I have started using my 6 iron (I don’t have a 7 or 8 iron in my bag) with better results. On the 16^th, I teed up and had also changed my ball from a Callaway to a Pinnacle Lady with my lucky number 4 on it. My shot was the sweetest, lovely in the air, straight at the flag and dropped almost immediately into the hole. Our cheers echoed across to the group behind us. Since our fun day game was closest to the pin on the par 3’s. I had my name on the proximity marker for the prize.
 

The next sweetest thing is my name and date goes on a small, engraved plate mounted on the hole #7 board in the upper hall of the clubhouse. Four boards are there for each of the par 3 holes and above, the title Legends Hole in One Club. My name plate is the first one on the hole #14 board for my hole-in-one on September 28, 2011, during the first game I played at the newly opened Legends course. I didn’t see that one go into the hole because I was picking up my tee and looked up to see my playing partners cheering wildly. This wall display is a special to all the people whose names are on it and an excellent tribute by the Legends course management.

Thank you for the extra special celebration you have added to my achievement.

Randy Miller, Cooke Municipal Golf Course, Hole #12

Thanks for the interest. 

The tournament was the Prince Albert Senior Northern, second day of a two event. Threesome; Glen Erickson from Medicine Hat and Barry M. from Saskatoon. His wife was caddying. 

The day before, on the same hole, it was the $10,000 hole-in- one hole. I played pretty well the same shot and lipped out. We thought it had gone in because it was behind the pin and hard to see. The spotter told us it lipped out. Of course, no money the next day when I did ace it.

About 138 yards, into a wind, used a TaylorMade 6 hybrid.  I got a hole-in-one in the same tournament in 2021 on a different hole. 

Take care. 

Rob Brown, Coloniale Golf Club, Hole #8

I was playing with a father and son (Blaine and Blaine Jr.) on a sunny Friday afternoon after work.

The 8th hole was playing 191 yards downwind with the flag at the front of the green just over a hump. I hit 6 iron and it was in line with the hole, but we couldn’t see it. I was expecting to see the ball roll up the hill past the hole, but it never appeared. One of my playing partners said, “I think that might be in” but I had my doubts. 

As we approached the green, the ball was still nowhere to be seen. I walked to the hole and sure enough it was there. I’m not sure who was more excited – me or my playing partners – but it was a special moment. The rest of the round was a great time for all of us.

Rob Couch, Wildwinds Golf Links, Hole #3

In regard to the details of my hole-in-one, I was playing with my friend I play with almost every round and one other person we were matched up with. The yardage was 175 with the wind at my back. I used an 8 iron and dunked it straight in the hole.

Thomas Considine, Landings Golf Course, Hole #5

Thank you for your email.

I was playing with Chris Hall and Dan Wiles. My golf watch said the distance was about 135 yards. I was using my 7 iron.

Thomas Considine 

Tom MacLeod, Priddis Greens Golf and Country Club, Hole #9

On August 1, 2022, I was playing on the final day of our Club Championships at my home course of Priddis Greens (Hawk course). Hole #9 was playing 195 yards downhill into a bit of a fan. Hit a good 6 iron into a back right pin and my playing partner, Boyd Hall, also hit a decent shot, but neither of us saw either ball land due to the glare of the sun off the surface of the green.

Boyd was driving a cart and I was walking, so he got down to the green well before I did. On my walk to the green, I could see Boyd’s about 20 feet left of the hole, but still couldn’t see mine. My ball mark was about six feet in front of the hole, and Boyd told me to look in the hole to find my ball. Whoot! Ace!

Fun fact, my last ace prior to this one was also during our Club Championships and was on the very same day, August 1st, 2021, exactly one year earlier.

Tom MacLeod

Warren Higginson, Dakota Dunes Golf Links, Hole #6

Got my hole-in-one on August 16 at Dakota Dunes Golf Links while playing with my regular weekly senior golf group. It happened on the par 3, 6th hole, approximately 155 yards with a 9 iron. There was a small  bush in our line of site so we didn’t see it go in.

Wayne Allen, Inglewood Golf & Curling Club, Hole #15

It was on hole #15 at Inglewood in Calgary. It was a beauty of a 5 iron at 177 yards. I was golfing with a couple members and a teacher who taught in Morley. I’m the one with the glove on and it was my second one at this course!

Zac Austin, Kamplooks Golf & Country Club, Hole #4

So, on Saturday I was playing in an amateur tournament in Kamloops, B.C., hole number 4, literally 4th hole of my tournament. I was playing with three others named Wyatt, Taylor and Aaron. Yardage was about 149 so I hit a comfortable pitching wedge. It landed one foot behind the pin and spun in. I ended up finding out that it was on the money hole, and I won monetary prize on my first ever ace!

HEADINGLEY, Man. – Breezy Bend Country Club stayed true to its name in the opening round of the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Champonship, presented by BDO. Leanne Richardson withstood the gentle, but lively wind, to pace the field in Manitoba.

Richardson, the 2022 New Brunswick Women’s Senior champion, made birdies on holes No. 8 and 15, contributing to a round of even-par 72 and a one-stroke lead over a trio of players from B.C. tied for second place. The Indian Mountain, N.B., native holds the lead in the Mid-Amateur, Mid-Master and the Senior division through 18 holes.

In the Super Senior division – a subdivision for players 60 and above – Procter B.C.’s, Jackie Little is ahead by one stroke following a 1-over-par 73. A double bogey on No. 12 moved Little to 3-over-par on the day, but she responded with birdies on Nos. 13 and 15 to take control of the lead.

Defending champion, Christina Spence Proteau, is in the mix after round one, as she typically is in the Women’s Mid-Amateur division. The six-time winner opened her tournament with a 1-over-par 73 to position herself T2. Proteau was lights out through the opening bakers dozen at Breezy Bend, but ran out of steam finishing with two bogeys and a double bogey to surrender the lead.

“I started off very solid and committed, so I think overall I just struck the ball really well and was nice and tidy with [my] short game, and that carried through most of the back nine until 16,” said Proteau.

The Port Alberni, B.C., native says she’s dialed back the amount of which she plays the game for various reasons, but a few stops on her road trip through western Canada en route to the national championship allowed her to tighten some screws in the bag.

“This year, it’s been a bit of a different year for me. I haven’t played any major events until this event, and this will be my only major event this year, so I knew there would be some rust, I just didn’t know in what form it would show up,” said Proteau. “Overall, if someone would have told me, ‘Would you have taken 1-over today,” I’d probably take it; and I’ve always said, generally speaking, even-par, if you look at the history books over the years, that’s always done well for me.”

Joining Proteau and Little at 1-over-par for the tournament and T2, is Nonie Marler. The 2021 runner-up got as low as 2-under on the day with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 14 and 15, but, Malter was swallowed by the final three holes, as so many were on Tuesday. The Vancouver, B.C., native made three consecutive bogeys on the home stretch, which, statistically speaking, ranked the hardest three holes on the golf course in the first round.

Shelly Stouffer, the reigning champion in the Senior division, and Helen Chartrand carded rounds of 2-over-par 74 to round out the top-5 in the Mid-Amateur division. The 52-year-old Stouffer is coming off a T29 showing at the U.S. Senior Women’s Open in Kettering, Ohio last week and is looking to build off her solid play south of the border.

“I think it’s going to be great,” said Stouffer of this week’s tournament. “I got some good momentum from that because I made the cut and I played pretty well the last few days, so I was pretty happy with my game,” said Stouffer.  

British Columbia owns healthy advantages in both the Mid-Amateur and Senior Interprovincial Team competitions, leading by 12 strokes and nine shots, respectively. Champions will be crowned in each of the two divisions following Wednesday’s second round which is scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m.

Quick Links:
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HEADINGLEY, Man. – Canada’s best female golfers 25 years or older will descend on Breezy Bend Country Club in Headingley, Man., August 30 – September 1, for the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship, presented by BDO.

“There is a lot of anticipation around this year’s Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship, and we’re thrilled to get the competition started,” said Tournament Director, Daniel Suppa. “A competitive field of players are slated to tee it up this week, so we’re expecting a high calibre of talent at Breezy Bend.”

After a rainy start to the day, practice rounds resumed as scheduled on Monday ahead of the official start to the national championship on Tuesday. The 54-hole tournament is scheduled to wrap up on Thursday, with champions being crowned in four divisions: Mid-Amateur (25 and up); Mid-Master (40 and over); Senior (50 and above); and Super-Senior (60-plus).

Returning to the event is the Interprovincial Team competitions, for the first time since 2019. The Mid- Amateur and Senior teams will compete over the first 36 holes of the tournament.  

97 players will tee it up at Breezy Bend Country Club, located about 20 kilometres west of Winnipeg, Man. The Club is widely considered one of the premiere private golf courses in its region and has previously hosted the 2004 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship as well as the 1979 Canadian Junior Boys Championship.

“Over the last six months, our volunteers, staff and Board have worked tirelessly to prepare the course and our facilities to host this special event,” said Shannon O’Brien, President of Breezy Bend Country Club. “We are very excited to have this opportunity to showcase our Club to some of the best golfers from across the country.”

“When we were first approached to host this prestigious tournament some four years ago, we jumped at the opportunity; this would be our chance to recognize, support and celebrate women’s golf in Canada,” added Cory Johnson, General Manager and COO. “Our club members, staff and enthusiastic team of volunteers look forward to providing a world-class championship event for our competitors and spectators alike.”

CANADIAN WOMEN’S MID-AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Since 2007, the Women’s Mid-Amateur has a provided women over the age of 25 a chance to compete on a national stage. From its inaugural year to 2014, the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship ran in conjunction with the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship. In 2015, the tournament shifted gears and joined forces with the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship.
 
Defending champion Christina Proteau will look to protect her title as Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur champion after knocking off Nonie Marler in last year’s championship at Domaine Château Bromont in Bromont, Que. Proteau, of Port Alberni, B.C., has won the Mid-Amateur division a record six times, including four consecutive titles from 2011-2014. Marler, out of Marine Drive Golf Club in Vancouver, B.C., is back in the field again this year.
 
The winner of the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship will receive an exemption into the 2023 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Ashburn Golf Club in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
 
CANADIAN WOMEN’S SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
Conducted since 1971, the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship has featured many of the country’s top senior golfers. Canadian Golf Hall of Fame members Marlene Streit, Gayle Borthwick, Marilyn O’Connor and Margaret Todd all own senior championship titles. In the past, this competition has also featured a strong contingent of international players, particularly from the United States – most notably Nancy Fitzgerald. The Canadian Women’s Senior Championship has also been referred to as the CLGA National Senior Championship.
 
The 51^st playing of the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship will feature a star-studded field, headlined by none other than the defending champion, Shelly Stouffer. The 52-year-old is the fourth highest ranked woman on the World Amateur Golf Rankings and will look to successfully defend the Ada Mackenzie Challenge Trophy. The Nanoose Bay, B.C., native made headlines throughout Canada and the United States earlier this summer when she won the U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur Championship in Alaska, becoming the fourth Canadian to conquer the national title.
 
Judith Kyrinis, who is among the four Canucks to have completed the aforementioned feat, will challenge Stouffer in Manitoba. The Thornhill, Ont., native is no stranger to winning the championship, having previously done so twice before, with her most recent triumph in 2019.
 
2012 and 2015 champion, Terrill Samuel, is another name to lookout for this week in the Senior division. Samuel, a member of Weston Golf Club in Toronto, won the 2022 R&A Women’s Senior Amateur Championship in July, becoming the third Canadian behind Alison Murdoch and Diane Williams to win the coveted amateur event.
 
The winner of the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship will gain entry into the 2023 United States Golf Association Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at Troon Country Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
 
The Interprovincial Team championship will return this year following two years of cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Team Ontario are the reigning champions, having bested Alberta by 15 strokes in 2019 to claim the Katherine Helleur Trophy. The team competition, featuring eight of Canada’s provinces this year, has been won a record 28 times by Ontario, including six in a row dating back to 2015.

For more information on the 2022 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur & Senior Championship click here.

Quick Links:
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OTTAWA – Judged purely on number of fans and the volume of their cheers, Brooke Henderson appeared to be the runaway winner of the CP Women’s Open.

But the all-time winningest professional golfer in Canadian history finished 14 shots back of South Africa’s Paula Reto to tie for 49th at the national championship on Sunday. Reto shot a final round of 4-under 67 to win her first-ever LPGA Tour title by one stroke at 19-under overall.

“It was amazing,” said Henderson of the hundreds of fans that followed her around Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. “I didn’t necessarily expect that because I was thinking, you know, they should go and see some really good golf happening.

“It’s amazing that they were out there the whole time, just so many people. I felt the love all week.”

Reto’s 4-under round was enough to lift her over third round co-leaders Narin An (72) and Hye-Jin Choi (69) of South Korea. It was also just enough to fend off a late charge from Nelly Korda (67) of the United States.

“I was trying not to watch the leaderboard,” said Reto, who played in the day’s final group with An and Choi. “I sort of knew where the girls in my group were, so I was just trying to make sure I stayed with them or maybe one or two ahead.

“That was the only thing I could control. You can’t do too much.”

A win would have lifted Korda back into the top spot on the women’s world golf rankings. She dropped down the standings after having to take time off due to a blood clot in her arm.

“I think I had a decent shot at it,” said Korda. “I played good golf, and honestly, I’m just grateful that I am playing golf and I’m out here, and I’m enjoying every second of it.”

Reto fired a course-record 9-under 62 at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club in Thursday’s first round, besting Henderson’s former mark of 63 set at the 2017 CP Women’s Open. American Lindy Duncan matched Reto’s record in the second round, split over Friday and Saturday due to a rain delay.

Despite Reto’s consistently strong performance, Henderson remained the star of the show.

Growing up in nearby Smiths Falls, Ont., the 24-year-old Henderson’s image was used extensively in promotional materials, from decals on hotel windows, to wraps on the grandstands, and even hand-held signs of her face for children to hold.

Even as Henderson made par on her final hole of the day fans chanted her name, whistled, and cheered.

“It’s hard to put into words how much that means to me,” said Henderson. “I’m a Canadian and everyone out here is proud to be Canadian too, so it was just a great week.”

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (67) finished tied for 17th at 10 under. It’s the third time that Sharp has earned the Sandra Post Award given to the low Canadian at the tournament.

Maddie Szeryk (71) of London, Ont., tied for 26th at 9 under for her best-ever finish on the LPGA Tour.

Amateur Lauren Zaretsky (73) of Thornhill, Ont., was 75th at 1 over and Toronto’s Rebecca Lee-Bentham (72) tied for 76th at 2 over.

Golf Canada said that more than 75,000 fans attended Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club over the week, an all-time record for the women’s championship and an impressive rebound after it had to be cancelled in 2020 and 2021. Those ticket sales are a 55-per-cent increase over 2017 when the tournament was last at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club, which was the previous benchmark for the event.

“From fans, from commercials, from amateurs, from our field, it has just been a dream scenario being here for the 2022 CP Women’s Open,” said Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum, who added that the only way it could have been better was if a Canadian had won the national open.

It was also a boon for Ottawa’s beleaguered tourism industry that has not yet recovered from the damage done by the COVID-19 pandemic or the anti-government convoy that occupied Canada’s capital in February and March. Tourism Ottawa projected that the golf tournament would have an economic impact of $13.4 million in the region.

Tournament director Ryan Paul said that Ottawa’s unique geographic position on the border between two of Canada’s most populous provinces was also a benefit.

“Anywhere we can host and bring in from multiple markets is big for us,” said Paul. “Bringing this event across the country and bringing it to new markets, whether they be Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, even Montreal, Regina, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, everywhere we’ve been has their benefits.”

Vancouver’s Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club is set to host the CP Women’s Open in 2023 after it was set to host cancelled events in 2020 and 2021. No host venue has been named for 2024.

OTTAWA – Canada’s Maddie Szeryk has proven to herself that she can compete on the LPGA Tour.

Szeryk, from London, Ont., had her best-ever performance on the world’s top women’s golf circuit this past week, finishing in a tie for 26th at the CP Women’s Open. She closed out the national championship with an even-par 71 at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club on Sunday to finish at 9 under overall.

“It’s really special. I definitely got a little choked up on No. 18, just the crowd and everyone coming out and being so supportive,” said Szeryk, steps away from the grandstand surrounding the course’s final hole. “It was really special.”

The 26-year-old Szeryk missed the cut at six consecutive tournaments to start her first full season on the LPGA Tour. She and partner Kristy McPherson of the United States tied for 36th at Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational on July 13, earning her US$$4,841 in winnings.

She earned more than quadruple that at the CP Women’s Open, taking home $19,701.

“I was hoping for a few more birdies, but overall it was a great week,” said Szeryk. “I’m really, really happy with the result.

“It was just awesome to have such a good week at the CP Women’s Open.”

Szeryk turned professional in 2018 and tied for 35th in the LPGA Q-Series to earn a tour card this season. Her showing at the CP Women’s Open will lift her from 184th to 158th in the Race to the CME Globe standings and opens up new opportunities to maintain her tour status.

She’ll be in the field at next week’s Dana Open at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio, and will play in the rest of September’s events as well.

“It’s very nice because it’s a been a lot of last-minute trips this year,” said Szeryk. “At least I know the next few and I can go from there.”

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (67) earned the third Sandra Post Award of her career as the low Canadian at the national championship, tying for 17th at 10 under. Like Szeryk, the 41-year-old Sharp said it will be a benefit to her and may help her avoid having to re-qualify for the LPGA Tour.

“When I do make the cut at the Canadian Open I usually do pretty well, so it was nice to have a good finish here,” said Sharp. “That’ll definitely get me into Q-Series, the last stage, so I don’t have to do Q-II, so that’s a huge thing, too.

“Hopefully I can keep this momentum going and I don’t have to even do that.”

World No. 5 Brooke Henderson (69) of Smiths Falls, Ont., tied for 49th at 5 under. Amateur Lauren Zarestky (73) of Thornhill, Ont., who starts at Texas Tech on Monday, finished 75th at 1 over. Toronto’s Rebecca Lee-Bentham (72) tied for 76th at 2 over.