TSU, Japan – Canada Day is still a week away but there was reason to celebrate early for Team Canada’s National Junior Squad in Japan on Friday.

The Canadian Junior Boys team – made up of Félix Bouchard (Otterburn Park, Que.), Ethan Wilson (St. Albert, Alta.), Cooper Humphreys (Vernon, B.C.) and Eric Zhao (North York, Ont.) – captured the 2022 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup with a two-stroke victory over Japan in the seven-team competition.

Canada’s team victory at the World Cup is its first in the 28-year history of the event. Rob McMillan (1994) and Corey Conners (2009) have previously been crowned individual champions of the tournament representing the Maple Leaf.

Consistency was the key to success for the Boys team, who each recorded top-10 results or better in the individual competition. Bouchard and Humphreys spearheaded the Canadians, the pair finishing at eight-under par for T5, while Wilson closed the tournament at seven-under par for T8 and Zhao wrapped up his World Cup in T10 at six-under par.

None of the members of four-man squad carded a score higher than 73 over the course of the three-day event at the Hakusan Village Golf Club in Tsu City, Mie Prefecture, Japan. Bouchard earned the low score of the week amongst the Canucks, firing a six-under par 66 in the second round of the international competition.

Team Canada’s Junior Girls – made up of Nicole Gal (Oakville, Ont.), Michelle Liu (Vancouver, B.C.), and Yeji Kwon (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) – secured a well-deserved top-3 finish of their own. Gal’s T4 result in the individual competition charged the Canadians to a podium finish, totalling an eight-under par score as a team, just one stroke shy of the Japanese in second place.

Kwon’s opening round three-under par 69 was matched by her teammate Gal the following day, and stood as the low scores of the week for the Canadian girls.

Canada’s third place finish matches their best result (T3 in 2018) since the Girls division was added to the global golf tournament in 2014.

Spain ran away with the Junior Girls division, winning by seven strokes over Japan. The Spaniards were lead by Andrea Revuelta, Cayetana Goicoechea and Fernández Garcia-Poggio, who finished tied atop the individual female leaderboard at seven-under par.

Conners, Adam Hadwin, Adam Svensson and Nick Taylor are other names to have previously represented the red and white at the marquee international event. Master’s champions Scottie Scheffler (USA) and Hideki Matsuyama (Japan), along with John Rahm (Spain) and Cam Smith (Australia), have also sported their countries colours at the World Cup since it began 1992.

2022 marked the 28^th playing of the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup and the first since 2019. The event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Top-5 Junior Boys – Team

Top-5 Junior Girls – Team

For full results click here.

For photos of the 2022 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup click here.

Jackie Roberts-Amos remembers sharply the details of the day she learned about her daughter Aurora’s broken heart. She had been sent to CHEO for a fetal ultrasound 24 weeks into her pregnancy. Ultrasounds were nothing new to Jackie; she already had two young boys at home, a three-and-a-half-year-old and a two-year-old. But this one would be different. 

She and her husband, Rob, were seated in a stark room, waiting and wondering. And waiting.  

“Dr. Jane Lougheed came into the room, along with a nurse and a social worker,” Jackie recalls. “Nobody brings in a team to give you good news. I just remember looking around for something to brace myself physically. There weren’t any arms on the chair, so I remember grabbing the bottom of my chair to steady myself.” 

What followed was a blur. The cardiologist had two diagrams and began with, “This is a normal heart… and this, is your daughter’s heart.”  

“Until that moment, I didn’t know that something could be so fundamentally wrong with someone’s heart and that they could survive! We felt helpless. I did everything right during my pregnancy and could not protect my baby from this.”  

Aurora was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect called truncus arteriosus type 1. The baby has one large artery, instead of the usual two arteries, for blood flowing in and out of the heart. These babies also have a single truncal valve instead of two valves to control this blood flow. For Aurora, the wall separating the two ventricles never completely closed, leaving a large hole between the two chambers.  

The only option: open heart surgery.  

“But Aurora has always been feisty,” Jackie says with a smile, recalling when Aurora was in her belly. “After months of hearing the rumbling noises of Aurora moving around, her brothers Liam and Connor were disappointed to learn they were going to have a human sister, and not the baby dragon they had been hoping for,” she says with a laugh.  

So, the CHEO team got to work. “It was incredible,” Jackie recalls. “Dr. Lougheed laid out the path.” Aurora would be born at the Ottawa Hospital General Campus and be transported to CHEO, where Dr. Gyandeeo Maharajh would fix her tiny heart.  

At two weeks of age, Aurora had her first surgery. She would spend most of her first five months at CHEO, except for a short ten days at home, before being readmitted to CHEO for a life-threatening blood infection that required specialized IV antibiotics.  

Aurora bounced back and grew into an active kid who loves sports. Limitations weren’t in her playbook. Aurora has had a lot of cardiac catheterizations, a procedure in which a thin, flexible tube is guided through a blood vessel to the heart to diagnose or treat the heart. These tweaks allow more time for her between surgeries. The very nature of her heart condition is not something that is ever truly fixed. She outgrows her previous repairs and new ones need to happen.  

She would need another open-heart surgery in 2017. Jackie saw it coming as she noticed Aurora slowing down on the ice while playing hockey, becoming winded and short of breath. They would once again entrust their daughter to Dr. Maharajh, who is beloved by the family.  

“We love how he is a man of precision and science, but a spiritual person as well,” Jackie says. “We know there is someone protective in there. It is like he has his own special superpowers. You can tell he is not your average person, but he is so humble and unassuming. He cares and you can feel it.” 

Jackie remembers sitting in the cardiology family room while Aurora underwent an 11-hour surgery. “The thing about that room is,” Jackie begins, “The walls are covered with photos of families who have been through it. Those pictures are so reassuring when you’re waiting for that update, waiting for it to be over; they give you hope that it’s going to be OK for you, too.” 

Aurora will need at least one more surgery. Jackie and Rob will sit in that room again. 

But for now, at age 12 Aurora is thriving. She is a self-described ‘sporty’ kid. Raven haired, with clear blue eyes, she knows what she wants. She stretches herself between school, sports, drawing and being whisked away through the magic of her Harry Potter books. She is a natural athlete and is excited to be the ambassador for the CP Has Heart campaign. She figures it is the perfect segue into learning how to play golf from the absolute best! “I’ve only ever played mini golf,” she says, laughing. “But I want to learn!” 

“She’s got this quiet strength and determination,” her mother says. “She focuses on what she needs to do and just goes for it!” All of this happens under the watchful eyes of big brothers Liam and Konnor, now 16 and 14. “Most of the time they treat her like one of the guys,” Jackie laughs. “But then suddenly they become protective of her. They are being cautious with masks and things like that to keep her safe from COVID-19.” 

That protection extends to the CHEO family, too. “Dr. Lougheed, the technicians, nurses, the people who book the appointments. Everyone,” Jackie says. “Aurora was never ‘just a patient’ or ‘some procedure’ that you do and move on. We are eternally grateful for that.” 

What does CHEO mean to Aurora? “For me, my team takes such good care of me, and I appreciate them all so much. But for our community, CHEO means help for kids. No matter what, we get the specialized care we need, in a place that’s meant just for us.” 

Myles Creighton has always wanted to wear the Maple Leaf on his golf gear. Now that he can as a member of Golf Canada’s young pro squad, he’s having a career season.

The product of Digby, N.S., was named to the national sports organization’s roster in mid-March and has proudly represented Canada on the PGA Tour _ Latinoamerica since. He’s the highest ranked Canadian heading into the third-tier tour’s championship tour this week and the highest ranked golfer from the Maritimes on any tour.

“I take huge pride in representing that part of the country and Canada in general,” said the 26-year-old Creighton. “I’ve always wanted to be on Team Canada’s growing up and I was just shy in junior golf and just left off the team in amateur golf.

Creighton is 32nd in the TotalPlay Cup rankings, dropping two spots after taking two weeks off Latinoamerica for the RBC Canadian Open in Toronto and a week of vacation. That ranking makes him the only Canadian in the field this week at the Bupa Tour Championship at PGA Riviera Maya in Tulum, Mexico.

“I love this golf course. I’ve been looking forward to playing it all year,” said Creighton, who noted that the fairway. “I’m just going to try and play my best but I feel like this is a great course for me.”

He’s had two top-10 finishes on tour this season, tying for ninth at the JHSF Aberto do Brasil on May 24 and then tying for third at the Jalisco Open on May 29. He also tied for 19th twice this season.

“I know that I can win on this tour,” said Creighton, who is targeting a card on the Korn Ferry Tour. “I would love to win this event it would do a lot for me because it’s an increased amount of points and 600 points. It could get me in the top 10.”

Creighton’s season won’t end at the Bupa Tour Championship, as he intends to return to the Maritimes and compete in the Prince Edward Island Open on the PGA Tour Canada. That event begins on June 30 at Dundarave Golf Club in Cardigan, P.E.I.

“I was really looking forward to it because my family is going to come up and I was going to get the chance to see them,” said Creighton. “I was able to see them at the Canadian Open, which was great, but they’re still going to come out so it’ll be a great week.’

Whether it was Adam Hadwin earning his best-career major championship result or Roger Sloan and Ben Silverman playing in their first-ever majors, the 2022 U.S. Open was quite the week for the Canadian crew on the PGA Tour.  

And it was extra special in 2022, as it followed the return of the RBC Canadian Open.  

Hadwin led the way – his tie for 7th came after he held the first-round lead, and he ended up just five back of Matt Fitzpatrick’s 6-under 274 winning effort – but the six-pack of Canadians at The Country Club all took plenty away from the major stage.  

Six Canadians in the field at the U.S. Open was the second-most of all time. Seven teed it up at Torrey Pines in 2008, while five were in the field at Merion in 2013. Hadwin and Mackenzie Hughes found the weekend, with Hughes hanging tough and finishing tied for 24th.  

While Conners, Silverman, Sloan, and Nick Taylor had early exits, there was still much to take away from the week.  

“There is a lot going on around here,” said Silverman with a big smile on Thursday. “This is a massive venue. I’ve never seen crowds like I did on Tuesday and Wednesday… you’re getting applause for shots on those days. It’s just a ton of people, all the top players in the world are here.”  

Silverman, who is working his way back to the PGA Tour via the Korn Ferry Tour this season, earned a spot into the U.S. Open via a qualifier (in fact, all the Canadians got through the same Dallas qualifier save Conners, who had already locked up a spot). But just because he isn’t teeing it up alongside the best in the world every week that doesn’t mean he felt out of place.  

“This is where I feel like I belong,” said Silverman. “Aside from just a couple of nerves I feel like I can compete out here and should be on a regular basis. I was more nervous qualifying to get here because I knew I could do it and playing around here I know I can play this golf course and I know I can compete.”  

Sloan, who missed the cut at the RBC Canadian Open and ended up arriving in Boston a few days early (his family decided to follow him around the U.S. Open versus the Canadian Open and they did plenty of fun Boston things, like going to Fenway Park and seeing the Boston Red Sox from seats atop the ‘Green Monster’) and then got down to business on Wednesday. 

“Playing your first U.S. Open and seeing the magnitude of this… it’s been real neat,” said Sloan. “It’s been so much fun. I have family here and we’ve just been soaking it in.”  

Sloan rallied after a tough opening 6-over 76 to shoot an even-par 70 on Friday. He said he’s drawn inspiration from Conners, Hughes, and Hadwin and the success his countrymen have had recently on some big platforms in the game.  

“That’s what we’re working towards. I’ve been five years on the PGA Tour and that next step is following Mac and Adam and Corey and the guys who are playing 3-4 majors in a year and The Players Championship… that’s the next step for us,” said Sloan. “We’ll just kind of build on our game and get there.”  

Conners was a pre-tournament favourite as he made the semi-finals of the U.S. Amateur when it was contested in 2013 at The Country Club (he joked during a practice round that he didn’t remember much of 17, and certainly 18, because he never saw those holes during his matches). He missed the cut by a shot but still moved up to 29th in the world – his highest-ever ranking.  

“I feel like my game was much better than a 3-over-par round,” he said Friday. “You can do a lot of things well, but the course can still beat you up a little bit.”  

Hadwin, however, held on tight over the weekend.  

His top-10 was his fifth of the season. His previous best result at a major was a tie for 24th, which came at the Masters in 2018. Hadwin played with Scottie Scheffler, the world’s top-ranked male golfer, on Sunday in the third-to-last group.  

He rose to the moment and knocked in back-to-back birdies on No’s 16 and 17 late Sunday. He was disappointed to close with a bogey and finish at 1 under for the week, but on a tough course and on a big stage, he’ll happily take that.  

“Just based on the way I was playing I just wasn’t ready to go attack and start moving up the leaderboard so I just stayed patient and do the best I could. It was nice to get a couple there on 16 and 17,” said Hadwin. “Eighteen stings a little bit, but I’m under par at a U.S. Open for four days and that’s not too bad.”  

The 2022 U.S. Open was a Major week after a major week for the Canadians, but between Hadwin’s fabulous finish and the confidence-building debuts of Silverman and Sloan there was plenty of positives to take away from The Country Club.

TORONTO, Canada (June 20, 2022) – As the calendar nears the first of July — Canada Day — PUMA Golf is excited to unveil a special collection designed specifically for Canadian golfers. The Maple Leaf Collection features 12 new styles across categories – polos, t-shirts, sweaters, caps and shoes – giving inline PUMA product a unique true north vibe.

With a pop of customary national colours, the Maple Leaf Collection delivers ultra-soft comfort across all tops through PUMA’s patented CLOUDSPUN technology. A series of stylish P Caps complement the looks allowing players to rep the red and white as loud or as subtle as they
like. Each piece is fabricated to perform on the course yet deliver the comfort and style for everyday life.

PUMA Golf is the Official Apparel and Headwear Partner of Golf Canada’s National Team Program. Athletes and coaches named to Team Canada for the 2024 Olympic Golf Competition in Paris will wear apparel and headwear from PUMA as part of the field-of-play uniform kit.

The collection will be available beginning today at select retailers and online. Visit pumagolf.cobragolf.ca/maple-leaf for more information.

BROOKLINE, MA. – Adam Hadwin achieved his best Major result on Sunday, coming in at T7 – just five shots back of champion Matt Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick of England is a champion again at The Country Club – A U.S. Amateur champion in 2013. The U.S. Open champion Sunday.

In a three-way battle at Brookline that came down to the wire, Fitzpatrick seized control with a great break and an even better shot on the 15th hole for a two-shot swing. He was just as clutch from a fairway bunker on the 18th that set up par for a 2-under 68.

Victory was not secure until Will Zalatoris, who showed amazing fight back from every mistake, dropped to his knees when his 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th just slid by the left side of the cup. Zalatoris, who closed with a 69, was a runner-up in the second straight major.

Masters champion Scottie Scheffler never recovered from back-to-back bogeys to start the back nine that cost him the lead. He had a 25-foot birdie chance on the 18th that just missed and left him one behind with a 67.

Along with the $3.15 million in prize money, Fitzpatrick had that gold Jack Nicklaus medal draped around his neck, which was only fitting.

Fitzpatrick is the second man to win a U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open on the same course, joining Nicklaus, who turned the trick at Pebble Beach. Juli Inkster won the U.S. Women’s Amateur and U.S. Women’s Open at Prairie Dunes.

Fitzpatrick, who briefly played at Northwestern before turning pro, won for the eighth time worldwide, and this was his first in America – at least a tournament everyone knows about. He won the member-member at The Bear’s Club in Florida at the start of the year, the course Nicklaus built.

Fitzpatrick and Zalatoris were tied going to the 15th when the Englishman hit his tee shot so far right that it went into the gallery and found a decent lie on grass that was dead and trampled. Zalatoris missed by only a few yards and was buried in deep grass.

He hit 5-iron from 220 yards to 18 feet below the hole. Zalatoris went into the front bunker, blasted out to 25 feet and made bogey. Fitzpatrick took a two-shot lead when his birdie putt went into the cup with such perfect pace it didn’t even touch the pin he leaves in the cup.

Zalatoris again bounced back, taking on a tough pin at the par-3 16th to 7 feet for birdie to cut the lead to one shot. Both missed 12-foot birdie chances on the 17th, and then Fitzpatrick missed a fairway at the wrong time, pulling it left into a bunker with a steep patch of rough right in front of him.

It looked like a playoff was eminent – the previous three U.S. Opens at Brookline were all decided by a playoff _ and then Fitzpatrick fearless hit a fade with a 9-iron that carried the gaping bunker in front of the green and settled 18 feet away.

He narrowly missed and could only watch as Zalatoris missed his last chance.

Fitzpatrick finished at 6-under 134.

The 27-year-old Fitzpatrick, the first Englishman since Justin Rose in 2013 to win the U.S. Open, felt his time was coming. He is meticulous in charting his shots and keeps a record of all of them to identify what needs work. And he emphasized speed in his swing over the last two years, giving him the length and the belief to compete with anyone.

That didn’t make Sunday any easier, a three-man race from the start when Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy fell back and never rejoined the mix.

Fitzpatrick and Zalatoris, who shared the 54-hole lead, each had a two-shot lead at one point.

Zalatoris, who lost in a playoff to Justin Thomas in the PGA Championship last month, recovered from two early bogeys. They were tied when Zalatoris made an 18-foot birdie putt on the short par-3 11th, and Fitzpatrick three-putted for bogey from the same range.

The 25-year-old from Dallas suddenly had a two-shot lead. He also couldn’t keep the ball in the fairway, and it cost him with a dropped shot on No. 12. And then came another big turning point, with Fitzpatrick holing a 50-foot birdie putt across the 13th green. Zalatoris did well to make his 15-footer for par and they headed for the tense conclusion.

Scheffler was still hanging around in his bid for a second major this year, but everyone else became a distant memory. Hideki Matsuyama had the low round of the week at 65, but he finished at 3-under 277, and that was never going to be good enough.

In the end, it was Fitzpatrick sharing hugs with his family on the green, including younger brother Alex, who caddied for him in the U.S. Amateur and recently turned pro.

And there was his caddie, Billy Foster, one of the most popular, long-serving loopers in Europe who had never been on the bag for a major until Sunday.

Mackenzie Hughes of Hamilton, Ont., finished tied for 24th at 4-over.

Full leaderboard here.

Belmont, MI. – The LPGA Tour returned to Blythefield Country Club this week for the eighth playing of the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give.

Coming off her victory last week at the ShopRite LPGA Classic, Brooke Henderson fired a 72 to finish at 15-under.

In addition to her win in NJ, Henderson now has five additional top-10s this season, including a solo second at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and a tie for fourth at the Honda LPGA Thailand. Though she struggled with her game after the Asian swing, a change in her putting grip seems to have made a major difference, which will be critical as she looks to add a third Meijer LPGA Classic to her resume.

“I started off the year really hot and I had a lot of great finishes, and kind of cooled off and I wasn’t feeling so well and things kind of went a little bit cold there for a little while,” said Henderson. “Definitely having the putting back in my corner and feeling a little bit more comfortable all the time is really key. I feel like left-hand low has made a big difference and so I’m excited moving forward.”

Henderson is the only player to win the Meijer LPGA Classic multiple times; she was victorious in 2017 and 2019, on Father’s Day both years.

After missing a two-foot eagle putt on the first hole of a playoff, Jennifer Kupcho won the LPGA Meijer Classic when Leona Maguire’s three-foot birdie try lipped out on the second extra hole.

Fellow Canadian Maude-Aimee LeBlanc finished the weekend 8-under (T40), with Alena Sharp coming in at minus 6 (T56).

Full leaderboard here.

BROOKLINE, Mass. (AP) – Adam Hadwin wasn’t officially in the U.S. Open until eight days ago. He walked off The Country Club on Thursday with his best score ever in a major for a one-shot lead.

With the focus finally shifting away from Saudi-backed rival league, who’s going and who’s staying on the PGA Tour, the Canadian opened with a 4-under 66 on a breezy but not overly punishing day at Brookline.

The lingering thoughts of the rival league came from Rory McIlroy, not from anything he said but with the golf he played.

It was another bold statement as McIlroy didn’t make a bogey until his final hole – his brief fit of anger revealed as much desire as frustration – for a 67. That left him in the large chasing pack with four players who had to go through 36-hole qualifying.

Callum Tarren of England, David Lingmerth of Sweden, MJ Daffue of South Africa and Joel Dahmen also were at 67.

At the opposite end was Phil Mickelson, who celebrated his 52nd birthday – on the golf course, anyway – with a four-putt double bogey on his way to a 78.

Hadwin, from Abbotsford, B.C., ran off three straight birdies to finish the front nine in 31, and he only dropped one shot on the back nine for his 66. His previous low score in a major was 68 on three occasions, most recently the first round of the 2020 PGA Championship at Harding Park.

McIlroy has become a leading voice on the PGA Tour over the last few years, particularly with his rebuke of the Saudi-funded series that is disrupting golf. Thursday was a reminder he’s pretty good at his day job, too.

McIlroy made two straight birdies late in his round to become the first player to reach 4 under, only to miss the ninth green and make his only bogey.

At the moment, McIlroy isn’t concerned with his strong stance against LIV Golf.

Even with a good start, and coming off a victory last week in the Canadian Open, it doesn’t figure to be easy for McIlroy or anyone else. The Country Club might be as accommodating as it gets all week, with moderate wind and cloud cover keeping the sun from making greens crispy and firm.

And the best anyone could do was a 66.

The group at 68 included two-time major winner Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick, who won the U.S. Amateur at Brookline in 2013.

For McIlroy, it was his second straight major – and third time in his last four U.S. Opens – he opened with a score under par. There is confidence in his game for winning last week in Toronto, and there is passion rare for a Thursday unless the game is going badly.

He tried to drive the reachable par-4 fifth hole and caught an awkward lie in the thick collar above a bunker, forcing him to stand in the sand. He hit that into another bunker, and then twice slammed the club into the sand out of frustration. But he managed to save par.

You’re going to encounter things at a U.S. Open, whether they be lies or stuff like that, that you just don’t really encounter any other week,” he said.

It’s hard not to get frustrated because I’m walking up there going, `Just come back into the bunker.’ The thickest rough on the course is around the edges of the bunker. So I was sort of cursing the USGA whenever I was going up to the ball.”

And then from the ninth fairway, his approach sailed to the right and he flung his club. He couldn’t save par on that one and had to accept a 67 – not a bad start, and no apologies for his few outbursts of emotion.

“Almost to remind yourself sometimes how much it means to you,” he said.

There’s a lot on the table outside of golf, too, with 13 players at the U.S. Open who took part in the Saudi-backed LIV Golf last week, leading the PGA Tour to suspend those members.

McIlroy, the first to shut down talk of rival leagues in 2020, spoke passionately this week about building on the legacy handed down by Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. For those taking the guaranteed money for 54-hole events, he said it felt like “the easy way out.”

But now it’s time for golf, and there a vibe of relief that focus could turn to a U.S. Open that first came to Brookline more than a century ago. Thursday was more about birdies and bogeys – mostly the latter in a U.S. Open – and a place in history.

No other major is more open – roughly half the 156-man field has to qualify – and it showed. Seven of the top 13 came through qualifiers, including Hadwin. He was first alternate out of the Dallas section and got in when Paul Casey withdrew because of an ailing back.

Dahmen debated whether to go a 36-hole qualifier 10 days ago in Ohio. The U.S. Open is hard and he had been beat up from travel and pedestrian results. Plus, it was supposed to rain. But he went anyway, and he qualified with one shot to spare.

Lingmerth was in the same qualifier and had to play 36 holes and then some because of a 5-for-1 playoff for the final spot. That went to Hayden Buckley – he was among those at 68 on Thursday – and Lingmerth was first alternate. He got in when Martin Kaymer withdrew.

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).

Adam Poapst, Cornwall, Hole #8

Thank you for the congratulations! It was a very exciting day on the course that I’ll never forget!

I hit the hole in one with an 8 iron with the hole playing approximately 160 yards and was playing with Logan Kennedy and Troy Brownell.

Thanks,

Adam

Bill Dickout, Edmonton Country Club, Hole #13

Many thanks for the recognition. The setting was Men’s Day at the ECC. A blustery day with the breeze into us. My foursome included Harold Schmaltz, Trevor Theman and Dave Reich. I was last to hit (says something about the game I was having) and noticed my partners had come up short on the 172-yard hole. I clubbed up to a 4 iron and hit a baby draw to the left front hole position. My mates could see the ball disappear, I thought it had slipped into the swale at the left side of the green. Harold was first to arrive at the green and when no ball was found on the green, he confirmed the surprise, “in the hole”. Unfortunately, as a bunch of old guys we never considered capturing the moment on camera. Club policy has free beverages for all and as it was Men’s Day there were many happy members to share the event!  

Once again thanks for the recognition.

Regards,

Bill

Bill Whiteford, Brockville Country Club, Hole #15

Thank you. Yardage was 170 I hit a 3 hybrid and was playing with Rick Moran and Gord Porter.

Chris Northfield, TPC Toronto, Hole #5

Thanks. The hole was playing about 155 yards uphill slightly into the wind. I used a 6 iron and hit a great shot just short and left of the pin. It rolled about 2 yards turned right then in. I was playing with my good friend Ralph Geronimo. This was my 3rd hole-in-one.

Chris Rooney, Bally Haly Country Club, Hole #13

Thank you for the lovely note.

It was a chilly and windy day. Hit a decent 5 iron shot into the wind, landed short of the hole then rolled in with some pace. Couldn’t quite tell if it dropped from the tee, but a passerby witnessed it and confirmed that it dropped as we approached the green. My playing partners were Andrew Marshall, Blair Evans and Mark Summers.

Warm regards,

Chris

Colin Varley, The Lakes Golf Club, Hole #17

Hey.

Thanks for your kind letter.

Playing partners that day, left to right – myself, Kevin Black in the back, Bernie Gouthro and Laurie Murchison far right. The hole can be windy and with that in mind, I punched a 6 iron to the hole – approximately 120 yards away. Someone told me afterwards ‘it doesn’t matter what the yardage is, say you hit a pitching wedge’. It was what it was. As you suggest, a special moment shared with special friends. Thanks again for your letter. 

Colin Varley

Dale Preston, Storey Creek Golf Club, Hole #5

Thanks for the congrats on my hoke in one.

I was playing with Dan Betinson, Grant Desmet, and Nick Boyd.  Wednesday is men’s night at storey creek. The 4 of us play together pretty much every Wednesday.  That night the yardage was 180 yards. I used a hybrid 4 iron. No of us were sure the ball went in just because of where the pin was. Couple of the guys thought it was in but weren’t sure. I had to go look in the hole to be sure. It was my second hole-in-one on hole 5 at storey creek and third overall. All three happened on men’s night. It was a pretty special moment last week for sure.  

Thanks,

Dale Preston 

Darcy Walushka, The Rise Golf Course, Hole #18

Appreciate the congratulations on my first ever hole-in-one! Was quite a rush for sure.

Date: Wednesday June 8, 2022

Hole: #18 at The Rise, in Vernon, BC

Yardage: 198

Club: 7 Iron

Playing Partners: Jeremy Yarwood, Tony Walsh, and Kyle Greening. 

Thanks again for the congratulations! Look forward to seeing what you guys do with the rest of my information.

Dave Hathway, Acton Golf Club, Hole #16

Thanks for taking an interest in my hole-in-one!

It’s only the 3rd time my wife (Kathye) and I have played the course starting last year. As mentioned, I played with my wife and we were paired with a father and son, John and Jeff (we have no details about them) and Jeff graciously acted as a witness when I reported to the clubhouse (and he signed the card). The hole normally plays 160 yards from the Whites, as per the scorecard but the tee box was under repair and as per GPS, it showed as 122 yds to the middle. We were hitting from the fairway and the hole is slightly uphill so we could not see the cup. I used a 9 iron and saw it was right at the pin but as the greens weren’t holding that day, I fully expected the ball to bounce off the back of the green into the rough. Jokingly, before going to look in the rough, I said I’d just take a quick look in the cup and there it was! I was so shocked it was in.

This is my 2nd hole-in-one in my life. My first was last year, June 19 at Nottawasaga Hill course, hole #9. I waited 56 years for my first one and less than a year for the 2nd. Can’t wait for June 2023!

Thanks again for your interest.

Dave Hathway

Diane Paterson, Kelowna, Hole #13

Hi, 

Thank you so much! It was so fun.

I was golfing with Colleen Simpson, Sherry Bradley and Valerie Bitner. Val saw it hit the pin, but I walked fine with my 9 iron and putter thinking it rolled off the green. 

I used a Callaway 7 wood, and it was a front pin. I believe the front was 128 on my Garmin but it was over water.

I actually had another one almost 6 years ago on hole #7 at Black Mountain. Needless to say, my husband who has never had one is less than impressed. Ha ha!

Regards,

Diane 

Dylan Kearley, Raven Crest Golf & Country Club, Hole #3

On 06/10/2022, I was golfing with my dad and another partner who we had just met that day. It was early in our round, 3rd hole to be exact, when we approached a Par 3 from about 135 yards out. I used my 8 iron and hit a clean shot but just to the right of the green. There was a mound over there, and having previously played there, was hoping for a kick left. Sure enough, it catches the mound, kicks left and rolls towards the hole. It disappears as it got close to the hole and I was pretty sure it was one, along with one of my partners. They let me approach the green and sure enough, the ball was in. The whole day was a blur after!  

Thanks! 

Dylan Kearley

Irene Clarkson, Carnoustie Golf Club, Hole #14

What a pleasant surprise.

Indeed, I got a hole-in-one on the #14 par 3 at the Carnoustie Golf Course on Monday June 6, 2022. I used my Taylormade M4, 6 hybrid to hit 131 yards. I landed the green and watched the ball roll to the pin. I wasn’t certain of it falling in the hole, as that is beyond belief. I actually thought it rimmed the hole and rolled behind the pin. As I approached the green, I finally suspected that I had actually achieved a hole-in-one since the ball did not have enough momentum to roll to the back of the green. It’s an exciting moment of golf!

I played my round with Annie Lucas and Gail Limmert who are both members of the Carnoustie Ladies Club.

Unfortunately, we did not take a picture of me on the green as this is my second hole-in-one on the #14 par 3. The first occurred October 4, 2015, when I was playing with Jan Hull, Trena Cole and Vivian Dawson from our Carnoustie Ladies Club. 

My second hole-in-one July 30, 2019, on the #8 par 3 at Carnoustie while playing with Barb Boivin and Denise Pineau who are members of the Carnoustie Ladies Club.

I have golfed all over Canada and I think it is amazing to get a hole-in-one, however I can’t believe that I have had three of them and all on the same course with ladies from my club.

I can share a picture of the ball. When getting a hole-in-one, I immediately pull out my Sharpie and write the date, hole number, and have the ladies I am golfing with sign my ball.

Thank you so much for the wonderful graphic.  What a surprising acknowledgement!

Kindest regards,

Irene Clarkson

Jeff Pearce, Collicutt Siding, Hole #14

Thank you very much. The distance was 165 yards. Used a 8 iron and was playing with fellow members Ken Sharrun, Brad Kaminski and Masayaki Tsuzuki. Once again thank you for the email!

John Gustavson, Capilano, Hole #4

Thank you for the email and the certificate for my hole-in-one. Further to your email, I would like to share the details of my experience.

The day started off with my wife Monica, son Hans and his girlfriend Sarah teeing off in the rain at Capilano. After three holes of rain, the rain stopped, and we all teed off #4 the par 3 at Capilano Golf and Country Club. My son teed of first, then I hit my tee shot… Hans watched the shot and said “I think that went in ?” … Monica and Sarah then hit their tee shots. We all walked up to the green, there were 3 balls on the green … as I walked by the hole I saw my ball in the hole! What a great feeling!

The distance was 148 yards and the club I used was a 6 iron … (I don’t hit my irons as far anymore, but I guess far enough!)

I have played golf for a long time and always wanted to get a hole-in-one. To be able to achieve this with your wife and son was very memorable and special experience for my first hole-in-one! As well, Sarah the fourth in our group has had 2 hole-in-one’s! So there more work to be done to catch her!

Thanks again for your email.

Regards,

John Gustavson

Jonathan Griffith, Marine Drive Golf Club, Hole #14

Thank you, it definitely is pretty exciting! The people I played with are Nailin Esmail and Khairun Vellani. I didn’t previously know them and joined up on their tee time. The yardage was 138 yards and I use my Taylor made p7mc 9 iron.

Thanks,

Jonathan Griffith

Josh Sone, King’s Riding Golf Club, Hole #2

Thank you so much! It was a very exciting feeling!

I was playing with my dad, Evan, and one of his friends, Mark. 

The yardage was 131 Yards to the blue flag placement, and I hit a pitching wedge. 

Thanks,

Josh

Luka Brtan, Carlisle, Hole #16

Thank you for reaching out and your kinds words in regards to my hole-in-one! It’s definitely a moment I will never forget!

I was playing with my two friends, Robby Randhawa and Brent Teunissen, who are both Golf Canada members as well. We were about 125 yards out and I used my Pitching Wedge to hit the shot!

Thanks again for reaching out! Have a great day!

Sincerely,

Luka Brtan

Mark Caplan, Point Grey, Hole #13

Thank you. 13^th hole, 160 yards into the wind. 6 iron.

Mark Taciuk, Century Pines Golf Club, Hole #13

Thanks for the note.

It was my second round of the day, so I was playing with a single and a mom and son twosome. The two men signed the card

It was hole #13 and I was playing the white tees, it was 148 to the pin and I hit a 7 iron. The ball was a ChromeSoft Canada ball. 

Thanks again for the note.

Neil Ringwood, Royal Ontario Golf Club, Hole #8

Wow…my legend precedes me. Big thanks for the high five and you’re right: I’ll be talking about that one for a while. 

Probably like most distinctly average golfers, I spent too much time looking for my ball over the back of the green. 

Neil

Oliver McEvoy, Shannon Lake Golf Club, Hole #16

Thanks for the kudos.

It was on hole 16 which 147 yards with a 9 iron.

Witnessed by Dana Bennett and Sean Wall.

Cheers,

Ollie McEvoy

Patricia Allyne Hayes, Cedar Green Golf Course, Hole #16

Thank you for the recognition. Happy to share.

• Cobra F7 Driver
• Callaway ECO ball
• Yardage 131
• Playing with Ken Ellis of Garson 

Patricia Hayes

Peter Theocharis, Stratford Country Club, Hole #10

Hello!

I had to rush to the course to make my 4:28pm tee time because of a busy day at work. Once I got there, I felt flustered because I wasn’t able to warm up on the range or putting green. I didn’t end up shooting very well on the front 9 so I had to grab myself a beer at the halfway house to reset for the back 9.

Hole 10 was playing 168 yards that day with the front pin. My friend Andrew Barton stuck his shot 8 feet near the pin, and my other friend Brad McClure stuck his shot 10 feet near the pin. When it was my turn to hit, I took out my 8 iron and made a subtle comment “want to see a third?” When I hit my shot, it felt so pure as it headed directly for the hole. The ball landed 5 feet short, and we were all watching to see if it would roll in, and once it did the group erupted. Our 4th group member Reilly McCann grabbed me to start celebrating and I felt like I blacked out because I couldn’t believe what happened. I’m sure the whole course heard us celebrating!

Thank you!

Peter Theocharis

Peter Lavergne, Maple Ridge Golf Club, Hole #6

Thank you for the recognition.

I was playing with some of my regular Tuesday night guys; Greg Nanton, Tim Clark and Geoff Wheaton. 

It was 130 yards to the pin. I hit my 8 iron left of the pin by about 30 feet but it came down off the side hill and across the green and into the cup. 

Ironically, none of us saw it go in from the tee box as the pin was behind a sand trap. When we got to the green, we could not find my ball until I looked in the cup and there it was!

P.S. This was my first ever HIO! I am 67 and I have been playing golf for about 45 years. 

Sam Forgione, The Pulpit Club, Hole #7

Thank you for reaching out.

Friday was a perfect day at The Pulpit, one of the most beautiful courses in Canada.  

I was playing with two other Members that day, Greg Blackstock and Buddy Pitt as well as our new Director of Golf – Donovan Fraser.

The hole-in-one happened on hole #7, blue tees, the pin placement was back center, wind right to left and the distance was 134 yards. I hit an 8 iron and it one hopped into the hole. A very exciting moment.

This was my second hole in one.  The other one was also on hole #7 at the Paintbrush.

It was a fun moment to share with our foursome and the other groups that we were with that day.

Thank you,

Sam

Scott Cherrey, Whistle Bear Golf Club, Hole #8

It certainly was an exciting evening on June 10 for my first hole-in-one!

We were sitting eating dinner and thought…let’s go get 9 holes in at the Bear, so we quickly finished up and got ready for golf. It was my wife Christa, daughter Katelynne and youngest son Kaese (our oldest son Tyson was at work).

It was a beautiful sunny evening for golf. Once we got around to the par 3 #8 hole, I pulled my 8 iron for the 155 yd shot. When I hit the ball, I knew it was tracking towards the hole, but there was a ridge just over the bunker, so I didn’t know the ball went in the hole (I knew it had to be close to the hole). My family proceeded to hit from the red tees. When we got up to the green, we couldn’t see the ball, Kaese was the first to the hole…and confirmed the ball was in! There was obviously a big celebration (shock)…and hugs all around! It was a fantastic moment shared with the family.

Scott Cherrey

Sebastian Gonzalez, Deerfield Golf Club, Hole #9

Thank you so much for this note!

Details are:
Hole 9
138 yards
9 iron
SWISH! Not even a roll and dunks right in the cup. Perfect shot!

Best part is it was on my last day in my 30’s! Turned 40 the next day.

Spencer Noakes, TPC Toronto, Hole #7

Thank you! First one ever. It was on hole #7 north course at Osprey valley golf tees yardage was 201 yards.

Susan Holm, Canmore Golf Club, Hole #8

Thank you for this nice congratulations note from Golf Canada.  

I was golfing my second round of the day (after a morning women’s open tournament at our club) with my husband David Holm on his  65th birthday, our son Marcus Holm age 24 and who was playing golf as if he’s played all his life (he hasn’t – he’s a skier and a climber) and our best man and friend Allan Zivot who has taught me a lot about golf over 30 years especially when we were members at the Hamptons Golf course when it initially opened. I used to play 36 holes there, as I’m a school teacher with summers off, and was very close to a hole-in-one. I remember that one because I was playing alone and was thankful it didn’t go in as I didn’t have any witnesses.  Well, I sure had the best witnesses today. 

Right after the three men had tee’d off from the blue tee box my husband said matter of factly as they unnecessarily do, “hurry up Susan, the group is right behind us”. So, I grabbed my 9 iron after reading 130 yards on my Garmin. I hit it high and it dropped in front of the pin on the green and rolled right in!  

Sincerely,

Susan Holm

Thomas White, Riverside Country Club, Hole #8

Wow, thank you. My playing partners were Bob Haines, Mike Tilley, and Chris Gulliver. I used a pitching wedge and the yardage that day was 132 yards. This was my first hole-in-one, so we are pretty pumped.

Thank you again, 

Tom White

Tom White, Cordova Bay Golf Course, Hole #17

Playing with Rob Russell and Robert Reese. 150 yards. 4 hybrid.

Mike Vercillo, Paradise Canyon, Hole #17

Thank you for your email. It’s as a pleasant surprise as the actual hole-in-one.

The details are:

• I was playing with Brian Thiessen and Mike Tkachuk who are also members at Paradise Canyon.
• I was using the championship (blue) tees so approximate yardage was 190 yards and I used a 5 iron.
• I saw the ball land just before the green, bounce and then roll on the green. It was deep middle (white) flag positioned on the right side of the green. Because of our vantage point we could see most of the pin (flag) but could not see the cup. Therefore, we did not see it roll in. When we got there, we did not see my ball anywhere on the green, so Mike Tkachuk was the first to assume it went in and sure enough found my ball in the cup.
• Strangely, although I was happy as it was my very first hole-in-one, I took it all in stride and did not get overly excited. I probably would have gotten more excited if I could have watched it roll in.

Thank you for your congratulations. I use the Golf Canada app every time I golf and keep my score and a few statistics on a hole-by-hole basis. It’s an awesome app. Keep the good work.

Regards,

Mike Vercillo

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.

Challenging rough, large crowds, and constant media attention made the RBC Canadian Open a perfect test run for this week’s U.S. Open. Especially for Canadian golfers playing in their national championship who had extra responsibilities like more interviews, pro-am events, and sponsor appearances.

Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., won the Rivermead Cup on Sunday as the lowest Canadian at the Canadian Open. He fired an 8-under 62 in the PGA Tour event’s fourth round to place sixth and earn the honour. He’s the top-ranked Canadian heading into the U.S. Open, the third major of the men’s golf season.

This year’s U.S. Open will be held at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., a historic course outside of Boston. The USGA, which organizes the event, likes having deep rough, undulating greens, and pinched fairways at the major.

“I feel like a lot of the things that I did here will serve me well next week at The Country Club,” said Conners on Sunday after finishing his final round at St. George’s Golf and Country Club. “The course was set up great this week and sort of major championship rough and needed to hit different types of shots to make sure you kept the ball in the short stuff.

“It was a great week this week and try and have some more fun next week.”

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His result at the RBC Canadian Open moved Conners up to 30th in the world golf rankings, a career high for the 30-year-old. It was his fourth top-10 finish this season, following a tie for fifth at the QBE Shootout (Dec. 12), third at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play (March 27), and a tie for sixth at the Masters (April 10).

Conners said he feels like he can carry his momentum from the Canadian Open into the major and get another positive result.

“I’ve learned over the last few years how to manage the energy, how to be ready to play and how to prepare for big championships,” said Conners, who has missed the cut in three other U.S. Open appearances.

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., as well as Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin, both from Abbotsford, B.C., also played in the Canadian Open and will tee off at the major on Thursday.

Hadwin drew into the field last Wednesday as he was preparing to play in the Canadian Open.

“I’ve been playing some good golf, so I just have to keep doing the things that I’m doing and stay positive and just keep working hard,” said Hadwin, who finished at St. George’s with a 1-under 69 to tie for 35th.

Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., is also playing in the U.S. Open after competing in the Korn Ferry Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am last week. The 34-year-old Silverman will be making his major debut on Thursday.

“I’m not putting all my eggs in one basket for one tournament,” said Silverman. “But this is my first major championship. It’s an opportunity to play in a tournament I haven’t played before. All the top players in the world are going to be there, and I’m super excited for it.”