SAINTE-JULIE, Qué. – Jean-Philippe Parr of St. Celestin, Que., shot a final-round 2-over-74 en route to winning the Canadian Junior Boys Championship title by one stroke on Thursday at Vallée du Richelieu – Le Club in Sainte-Julie, Que.

The 17-year-old Team Canada National Junior Squad member jumped into the lead by one stroke after Wednesday’s third round following a bogey-free 66 that included an eagle on the second hole.

The final pairing saw Parr chased by duo Cooper Humphreys (Vernon, B.C.) and fellow Junior Squad member Owen Mullen (Shortts Lake, N.S.), both who started the day one back. It came down to the wire with Mullen’s par attempt falling just short on the final hole—avoiding the need for a playoff.

Parr said the key to his final-round success was staying patient and bouncing back from bad shots.

Humphreys, 16, won the Juvenile Boys division (ages 16 and under) by a convincing 13-strokes—the largest margin of victory since 2011 (Kevin Kwon).

“I just wanted to shoot as low as I could, stay patient, hit the middle of the greens, make some putts and try my best,” said Humphreys, who plays out of Harvest Golf Club in Kelowna, B.C.

With the victory, Parr receives exemptions into both the 2022 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at Point Grey Golf & Country Club in Vancouver (Aug. 1-4) and the 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Oregon (July 25-30).

Parr adds his name to a list of notable previous Canadian Junior Boys Champions including PGA TOUR player Nick Taylor (2006) and Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member George Knudson (1955).

Parr’s resume includes victories at the Quebec Junior and Juvenile Boys Championship in 2020 and both the AJGA Junior at Southpointe and the Future Links Fall Series East in 2019.

Ben MacLean of Niagara Falls, Ont., and Jeevan Sihota of Victoria, B.C., rounded out the top five in a tie for fourth place at 1 under.

The 2022 Canadian Junior Boys Championship will be held at Rivershore Golf Links in Kamloops, B.C.

Click here for full results.

If my foursome gets the first time on Sunday mornings, we usually play 18 in about three hours. When I tell most people this, they say, “Wow! You play fast.” (At least in North America.)

My response is, “No, we play efficiently.” There’s lots of advice available online on how to play more quickly (efficiently) so I leave that to you to check out. Lord knows, I’ve written about myself ad infinitum.

To me, “efficient golf” means taking most, if not all, of that advice and combining it with some other vital components to make the complete “responsible golfer.”

What makes a responsible golfer? In the interest of gaining the widest possible perspective, I threw that question out on Twitter.

The responses didn’t surprise me for the most part but, like the advice on playing more efficiently, they are well worth taking to heart in the interests of the game and those of us who love the game. Some came from folks who make their living in the golf industry but most were from the same people you meet on the first tee.

Before I share those responses, I refer you to Rule 1 of the Rules of Golf.

In summary, they define what makes a responsible golfer.

• Act with integrity.
• Show consideration for others.
• Take good care of the course.

I guess I could end this column right here but I think we all can benefit from the reactions of our fellow golfers on social media.

Many harked back to what I define as efficient golf, elements that improve pace of play: playing the correct tees for your ability, ready golf, continuous putting, marking your score at the next tee, and so on.

@MarchbankAndrew summed it up pretty well, I thought, with one word: Respect.

Many of you may be new golfers and the second-last point above will resonate with you if you’re finding the game challenging. Don’t despair. All golfers were beginners at some point and the “responsible golfer” will recognize that and make allowances. But this street runs both ways. As a beginner, it is incumbent on you to keep an acceptable pace of play as well as knowing and abiding by the basic Rules and etiquette. Don’t be reticent to ask more experienced golfers for their advice on how to be an efficient and responsible golfer.

Often, this advice will include taking a couple of lessons and hitting the driving range. As someone pointed out, when you decide to take up the piano, you don’t just sit down and expect to play Brahms’ Lullaby. You take at least a lesson a week and practise frequently. Take it from someone who has mastered neither.

Once on the course, leave your ego in the parking lot and hit from the forward tees. If you hit double par, pick up your ball and watch your more experienced friends finish up and head to the next tee. Remember, the object of the game is to have fun.

Several respondents were current or former turf employees who, obviously focused on some pet peeves. You can guess the usual suspects: Replacing divots, fixing ball marks on greens and raking bunkers (post-COVID restrictions).

There were some comments about technology, starting with the distractions of ringing cell phones and portable speakers.

While some abhorred any music at all on the course, most were happy if the volume level was kept at a reasonable level. (Although one fellow vowed to leave the course if he heard country music. As a country music guy, I immediately blocked him. I’m kidding.)

@andypdmd offered a pretty complete check list: “Throws trash away. Mindful of golfer(s) behind them. Not loud. Rakes bunkers. Keeps cart away from green. Replaces pin. Doesn’t practice swing while others are hitting. Doesn’t offer unsolicited swing advice.”

There was also a unanimous call for the death penalty for those who spit sunflower shells on the green, drop cigar and cigarette butts randomly and toss beverage cans and other trash indiscriminately around the course.

Without dislocating my shoulder patting myself on the back, I leave it to @Wallajay to sum this up: “I looked through all these responses and can’t think of anything that hasn’t been mentioned already. Great job, folks. Proud of Twitter golf.”

Let me know @gordongolf if you have more advice on how to be an efficient and responsible golfer.

A panel of judges has examined close to 100 stories, photos, videos and podcasts to identify the finest content created by members of the Golf Journalists Association of Canada (GJAC) in 2020. There was an astonishing variety of content produced across many platforms in 2020 in the world of Canadian golf journalism. The judges faced a difficult task but managed to identify the cream of the crop in five categories: Column, Profile, Feature, Photography and Multimedia. Due primarily to the pandemic there were fewer entries in certain categories, which resulted in the merging of the Action and Landscape categories to a single Photography category and the merging of the Travel category into the Features category.  

There were some notable highlights from this year’s award, including sweeps in two of the categories. Bernard Brault swept the Photography category with his exceptional work from 2020 and Kody McWilliams and Casey McWilliams swept the Multimedia category for their set of Mackenzie Tour videos on PGA TOUR Canada. 

Other highlights included a focus on golfers with disabilities, resulting in Tim Baines winning First place in Features and Second place in Profiles for his story, “Breaking Down Barriers: Golf has healing powers for people with disabilities.” A different kind of barrier breaking was written about in Rick Young’s winning profile of golf architect Christine Fraser. David McPherson picked up top spot for columns with his timely and lively mix of music and pandemic precautions. 

The full list of GJAC Award winners is below:

Column

First Place: David McPherson, Golf from a Distance, snowbirds.org
Second Place: Robert Thompson, Nick Taylor, Global Golf Post
Third Place: Jon McCarthy, Take a magical ride to the Masters from your couch, Toronto Sun

Photo

First Place: Bernard Brault, An aerial view of  the 14th hole , par  3, of the south course of the Elmridge Country Club in Île Bizard, Québec
Second Place: Bernard Brault, A view of the 6th hole , par 5, at the Château Bromont golf course
Third Place: Bernard Brault, Richard Boudreau gets out of the bunker of the 15 th hole during a nice autumn day at the Château Bromont golf course

Profile

First Place: Rick Young, Christine Fraser Breaking All Kinds of New Ground, Score Magazine
Second Place: Tim Baines, Breaking Down Barriers: Golf has healing powers for people with disabilities, Postmedia
Third Place: Adam Stanley, Taylor Pendrith’s dream of playing on the PGA TOUR is close, PGATOUR.com

Multimedia

First Place: Kody McWilliams and Casey McWilliams, Laurent Desmarchais is on the rise, Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada
Second Place: Kody McWilliams and Casey McWilliams, Blair Bursey’s journey from Newfoundland towards the PGA TOUR, Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada
Third Place: Kody McWilliams and Casey McWilliams, Eric Hawerchuk competes with a heavy heart at Canada Life Series, Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada

Features

First Place: Tim Baines, Breaking Down Barriers: Golf has healing powers for people with disabilities, Postmedia
Second Place: Curtis Gillespie, The Long Game, enRoute magazine
Third Place: Brad Zeimer, Golf, Played Well…Or Not So Well, Has Immense Health Benefits, British Columbia Golf

The GJAC Media Awards are often presented at the annual GJAC golf day event, which has usually been held in southern Ontario during the early summer. However, the pandemic affected planning for this event, which will go ahead in early October 2021. Given that time frame, the awards this year were presented via a social media release in early August and will also be posted on the GJAC website.

GJAC wishes to offer its thanks to the judges for their effort and insight. This year’s judges were Jeff Brooke, Patty Condon, Harvey Freedenberg, Craig Gardner, Bernie Kollman, Norm MacDonald, Brian McPherson, Scot Morison and Shana Wilson.

(Bromont, QC) – Saturday at Parcours du Vieux Village in Bromont, Quebec belonged to Riley Fleming.

From the time he made a 15-foot eagle putt on the fifth hole to break the deadlock between himself and Kevin Stinson to take the lead at the BetRegal PGA Championship of Canada presented by TaylorMade Golf and adidas Golf to the time he narrowly fought off water works on the 18th green with the P.D. Ross trophy in hand, the day was his, and the game is seldomly played as beautifully as Fleming played it this week.

The full leaderboard can be viewed here.

While the 63 the pro from Lynx Ridge Golf Club in Calgary, Alberta managed on Thursday may have been his lowest number, Saturday’s 66 was arguably his most impressive.

With a one-stroke lead on the par-5 7th hole, Fleming made one of his only major mistakes of the week – hitting his tee shot right, where it landed out-of-bounds. After striking his provisional perfectly down the center, a long-way down the center, I may add, his demeanour was unflustered, and he only sacrificed a single shot.

The 8th hole at Parcours du Vieux Village presents an interesting option for players. At only 330-yards and slightly downhill, it is certainly drivable, but with a pond guarding the right side, Fleming, who “is almost always against laying up,” as he told us after his round, took iron off the tee early in the week.

This was not the case on Saturday. Fleming, with thoughts of his wayward drive on seven nonexistent, made a winning decision and drove the green. Birdie for Fleming and bogey for Stinson, erasing the blemish from the seventh and adding even more cushion between himself and the PGA of BC pro. He never looked back and didn’t relinquish his lead for the remainder of the tournament.

By the time Fleming strolled down the 18th fairway, he had given himself a three-shot cushion. The scene could have been from a movie, (and the scene of Fleming walking towards the green with the Bromont faithful encircling him was like a tamed-down version of Tiger Woods at the 2018 FedEx Cup Finals) as Fleming buried a 35-footer for birdie and put his hands in the air.

His caddie, Chad Thompson, who booked his own ticket to Montreal to be there for his friend (and, little did he know, a moment of Canadian golf history), gave him a big bear hug.

When asked how it felt to have his name alongside Lee Trevino, Moe Norman and Arnold Palmer on the P.D. Ross trophy, Fleming fought back tears.

Kevin Stinson, who made only one bogey all tournament, finished in second place at 22-under, while Sang Hwa Lee rounded out the top three at 20-under. The full leaderboard can be viewed here.

The NoSweat Hardest Hole of the Day on Thursday was the 435-yard 16th hole. In total, 16 players made birdie on the par-4. After a random draw between those players, Phillip Jonas is the fourth round’s NoSweat Hardest Hole of the Day champion and will be awarded $250 for his feat.

Players continued to rave on Saturday about the LivRelief product they have been given throughout the week. For more information about LivRelief, click here.

This year’s championship comes on the heels of a historic announcement, as it was announced on Tuesday that the PGA of Canada has inked a three-year agreement with Canadian sports betting company BetRegal which gives them title sponsorship over the championship through 2023.

“We have a lot of great people that run events, but you can’t do it without sponsors,” said Fleming. “We’re all really appreciative that they jumped on board and we can’t say enough about how great it is to have their support.”

TRUCKEE, Calif. (AP) – Erik van Rooyen won the Barracuda Championship on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title, finishing with 50 points in the modified Stableford scoring system.

Canadian Roger Sloan climbed 10 points on Sunday after finishing the third round tied for 16th. Sloan completed the fourth round with an eagle and 6 birdies to rocket him up to the 6th spot. Richmond Hill, Ont.’s Taylor Pendrith joined fellow Canadian inside the top 15, completing the fourth round with 34 points.

Van Rooyen, the 31-year-old former University of Minnesota player from South Africa, eagled the par-4 eighth and closed with a birdie on the par-4 18th for a five-point victory over Andrew Putnam at Tahoe Mountain Club’s Old Greenwood Course.

Players receive eight points for an albatross, five for eagle, two for birdie and zero for par. A point is subtracted for a bogey, and three points are taken away for a double bogey or worse.

Van Rooyen had a 16-point final round, making the eagle, six birdies and a bogey.

Putnam scored 11 points on the first four holes with an eagle on the par-5 second and three birdies, then had two birdies and a bogey on the final 14 holes. He won the 2018 event for his lone PGA Tour title.

Scott Piercy was third with 44 points after an 11-point day. Third-round leader Adam Schenk had a five-point round to finish with 43.

Van Rooyen jumped from 139th to 78th in the FedEx Cup standings, with the top 125 after the Wyndham Championship next week earning spots in the playoff opener at Liberty National. He earned a spot in the PGA Championship next year but not the Masters because the event is being played opposite a World Golf Championship the FedEx St. Jude Invitational in Memphis, Tennessee.

Putnam went from 104th to 75th, Piercy 144th to 126th and Schenk 113 to 95th.

TRUCKEE, Calif. (AP) Adam Schenk birdied the par-4 18th in smoky conditions from wildfires Saturday for an 11-point round and a four-point lead in the Barracuda Championship, the only PGA Tour event that uses the modified Stableford scoring system.

Players receive eight points for an albatross, five for eagle, two for birdie and zero for par. A point is subtracted for a bogey, and three points are taken away for a double bogey or worse.

“I like the course,” Schenk said. “It’s just weird, I drove it really well last year, so I guess I just like the way the course sets up, suits my eye.”

Schenk, the 29-year-old former Purdue player seeking his first PGA Tour title, had seven birdies and a bogey in the third round to reach 38 points on Tahoe Mountain Club’s Old Greenwood Course.

“The course firmed up a little bit,” Schenk said. “Just driving it so nice so far this week, so the putter has not been as good as it’s been the first day, but I’m still rolling it nice. And if the driver continues tomorrow, it should be a fun day.”

Taylor Pendrith and fellow Canadian, Roger Sloan are in the hunt after the third round. Sloan sits tied for the 16th spot, locking in 11 points on Saturday.

Andrew Putnam, the 2018 winner for his lone PGA Tour title, was tied for second with Erik van Rooyen.

Putnam had a nine-point day, dropping three points with a double bogey on the par-4 16th.

Van Rooyen scored 10 points.

“I think at the end of the day the player that plays the best is going to win,” van Rooyen said. “I don’t see why I have to be more risky.”

Scott Piercy (8) and first-round leader Joel Dahmen (7) had 33 points. Second-round leader Emiliano Grillo (2) was at 31, and Taylor Pendrith (14) at 30.

Because of concerns about the smoke, the tee times Saturday were pushed back.

The top 125 in the FedEx Cup standings after the Wyndham Championship next week will earn spots in the playoff opener at Liberty National. Schenk entered the week 113th, Putnam 104th, van Rooyen 139th, Piercy 144th and Dahmen 78th.

The winner will earn a spot in the PGA Championship next year but not the Masters because the event is being played opposite a World Golf Championship the FedEx St. Jude Invitational in Memphis, Tennessee.

American Nelly Korda won the women’s Olympic golf competition by one stroke over Japan’s Mone Inami and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko.

Korda had held the tournament lead since the second round when she carded a 9-under 62, and was able to stay ahead with consecutive rounds of 69 to finish the tournament at 17 under.

Inami and Ko both finished the tournament at 16 under, forcing the silver and bronze medals to be decided by a playoff.

Inami defeated Ko on the first hole of the playoff, the par 4 18th hole.

Ko also won a silver medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Canadian Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., finished tied for 29th at 4 under after putting in a final round 67, her lowest round of the tournament. Alena Sharp of Hamilton finished 49th at 5 over.

“Yeah, I’m really excited to be a two-time Olympian and to be able to compete here this week,” said Henderson. “I feel like playing in the Olympics for golf is huge, just such a big stage and feels like it reaches a lot more people which is really exciting and hopefully the future is bright for Canadian golf and all around the world.”

SAINTE-JULIE, Qué. – The Canadian Junior Boys Championship is set for Aug. 9-12 at Vallée du Richelieu – Le Club in Sainte-Julie, Que.

The 156-player field includes five of seven Team Canada National Junior Squad members; Félix Bouchard (Otterburn Park, Qué.), Jean-Philippe Parr (St-Célestin, Qué.), Malik Dao (Notre-Dame-Ile-Perrot, Qué.), Owen Mullen (Shortts Lake, N.S.), and Willy Bishop (Victoria, B.C.).

The winner of the championship will receive an exemption into both the 2022 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at Point Grey Golf & Country Club in Vancouver (Aug. 1-4) and the 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Oregon (July 25-30).

Christopher Vandette of Beaconsfield, Que. became the first back-to-back champion of the event since 2009, with his victory at the 2019 championship.

The championship will be contested on the par 72, 7,056 yard Rouville Course at Vallée du Richelieu.  The club has played host to a number of PGA, LPGA, and PGA TOUR Champions Tour events.

The Canadian Junior Boys Championship is a 72-hole stroke play event, with a 36-hole cut to the low 70 players and ties. In the event of a tie at the end of four rounds, there will be a hole-by-hole playoff immediately following completion of 72-holes.

The 72-hole tournament returns for the first time since 2019, after the pandemic caused the cancellation of Golf Canada’s 2020 competitive season. The practice round will be conducted on Sunday, August 8^th.

Previous winners of the Canadian Junior Boys Championship include PGA TOUR player Nick Taylor (2006), and Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member George Knudson (1955).

Click here for the full field and tournament information.

NOTABLES

Félix Bouchard

The 17-year-old from Otterburn Park, Que., is in his first year as a member of Team Canada. In 2020 he was a quarterfinalist at the Québec Junior Match Play and in 2019 he finished second at the Future Links Fall Series (East). In 2017, he won the Future Links Junior Skills Challenge National Final in the boys 12-14 division.

Jean-Philippe Parr

The 17-year-old from St-Célestin, Qué., is in his second year as a member of Team Canada. In 2020, he won the Quebec Junior and Juvenile Boys Championship, and finished in a tie for 12th at the AJGA Junior All-Star Invitational. In 2019, he won both the AJGA Junior at Southpointe and the Future Links Fall Series East.

Malik Dao

The 17-year-old from Notre-Dame-Ile-Perrot, Qué., is in his second year as a member of Team Canada. In 2020, he won the Québec Men’s Amateur Championship and in 2019 he won the Future Links Atlantic and the Québec Junior Boys Match Play. He also finished second at the 2019 Future Links Fall Series East.

Owen Mullen

The 17-year-old from Shortts Lake, N.S. is in his first year as a member of Team Canada. In 2020, he won the Nova Scotia Junior Boys Championship and finished fourth at the Nova Scotia Men’s Amateur. In 2018, he won the Future Links Atlantic Championship.

Willy Bishop

The 17-year-old from Victoria, B.C., is in his first year as a member of Team Canada. In 2020, he won the B.C. Junior and Juvenile Championship and finished seventh at the B.C. Men’s Amateur Championship. In 2019, he finished sixth at the Future Links Fall Series (West).

Ben MacLean

The Team Ontario member from Niagara Falls, Ont., finished second at the Alberta Golf 2020 Junior Boys Championship, and fifth at the Golf Ontario 2020 Juvenile Boys Championship. In 2019, MacLean finished tied for second at the Golf Ontario Juvenile Boys Championship and tied for thid at the Golf Canada Future Links Ontario.

Jeevan Sihota

In 2020, Sihota, of Victoria, B.C., finished sixth at the Billy Horschel Junior Championship and tied for fourth at the Vista Valley Junior, both AJGA events. In 2019, Sihota finished tied for third at the Future Links Pacific Championship, second at the AJGA’s Kyle Stanley Championship and tied for ninth at the Canadian Junior Boys Championship. In 2017, Sihota won the Future Links Pacific Championship.

FAST FACTS

The first championship was held in 1938, which was won by James Hogan.

The junior champion earns an exemption into the 2022 Canadian Men’s Amateur and U.S Junior Amateur Championships.

Canadian Golf Hall of Famers who have won the championship include Doug Silverberg, George Knudson, Gary Cowan and Doug Roxburgh.

In 1970, the 16-and-under Juvenile Championship was added to the event. It runs concurrently with the competition and the winner receives the Jack Bailey Trophy.

In 2018, Christopher Vandette won the Juvenile and Junior titles, thanks to a final round 6-under-par 65.

Ten golfers have won both the Juvenile and Junior titles: Jim Rutledge, Jeff Makahon, Rob McMillan, Jesse Collinson, Dustin Risdon, Gord Scutt, Rafael Lee, Mitch Sutton, Charles-Éric Bélanger and Vandette.

Current PGA TOUR player Nick Taylor captured the title in 2006.

The lowest single-round score in the tournament’s history is a 62, achieved in the third round in 2017 by Calvin Ross, a Fredericton, N.B. product. Ross went on to win the championship.

Christopher Vandette was the last competitor to win back-to-back titles, doing so in 2018 and 2019.

Nelly Korda is still in command of women’s golf. The 23-year-old American has a three-shot lead over India’s Aditi Ashok going into the final round. Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ontario, is tied for 40th while Hamilton’s Alena Sharp is 44th.

Next in line are four players at 10-under: 2016 silver medalist Lydia Ko of New Zealand (66), Japan hopeful Mone Inami (68), Hannah Green of Australia (67) and Emily Kristine Pedersen of Denmark (70).

Statistically speaking, it doesn’t seem like a fair fight between the two leaders. While world No. 1 Korda is bombing drives and hitting short irons throughout the East Course, Ashok is dinking drives and relying on hybrids to reach a number of holes, with at least five par-4s typically measuring over 400 yards. Korda is averaging a full 44 yards further than Ashok, who is second-to-last in the field with a 233-yard average.  

And yet, she makes it work with a keen understanding of her limitations and strengths. She still hit 17 of 18 greens, four more than Korda in round three. And then there’s her putting, the very thing she practiced endlessly when first introduced to the game.

WINDSOR, Ont. – Max Sekulic of Rycroft, Alta., shot a final-round 5-under-66 to win the 116th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at Ambassador Golf Club in Windsor, Ont., at 17 under.

Sekulic, who went birdie-birdie on the final two holes to secure the win, finished two strokes ahead of A.J. Ewart of Coquitlam, B.C., who was at the top of the leaderboard throughout the opening two rounds. National team members Henry Lee (Coquitlam, B.C.) and Brendan MacDougall (Calgary) finished tied for third at 14 under.

“It means the world to me,” said Sekulic, who started the day three strokes back of the lead. “You get your name on a trophy with a bunch of good players and your name’s permanent on that thing. It means a lot for all the people back in Rycroft and The Glencoe Golf & Country Club, where I spend my time in Canada.”

With the win, Sekulic receives an exemption into both the 2022 RBC Canadian Open from June 6-12 at St George’s Golf & Country Club in Toronto, Ont., and the 2021 U.S. Amateur from Aug. 9-15 at Oakmont Country Club & Longue Vue Club in Oakmont & Verona, Pa.

The 22-year-old also adds his name to a list of notable Canadian Men’s Amateur Champions to hoist the Earl Grey Cup. He joins PGA TOUR winner and Olympian Mackenzie Hughes (2011-12), PGA TOUR winner Nick Taylor (2007), and Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Moe Norman (1955-56).

Third-round leader Noah Steele of Kingston, Ont., finished tied for fifth alongside 2018-2019 Canadian Junior Boys Champion Christopher Vandette of Beaconsfield, Que. Top-ranked men’s amateur and NHL referee Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., finished alone in 13th at 9 under.

The 36-hole inter-provincial competition for the Willingdon Cup was deferred this year. Team Ontario is the reigning champion after collecting the title in 2019.

The 2022 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship will be held at Point Grey Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, B.C.

Click here for full results.