WINNIPEG — A new father as of nine-months ago, travelling to Comox, B.C. for Mackenzie Tour Q-School in April was the first time that Derek Barron was forced to be away from his son, Bennett.

Four months later, signing for an even-par 72 in a gusty wind that prevented any player in the final 18 groups from breaking 70 at Southwood Golf & Country Club, Barron was victorious at the 100th edition of the Players Cup, his first Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada win.

“This makes it worth it,” Barron said. “This just affirms that I am doing the right things in my life and in my career with what I do every day.

“The fact that I have a wife and a son and to have to leave regularly and be away from them, it’s really difficult,” said Barron. “This makes it a little easier, because it’s hard to leave them and I love them so much.”

Relatively new to professional golf, Barron says he was “remodelling apartments” when he was the same age as many of the players on the Mackenzie Tour and taught golf for a living from 2012-2016 before deciding to give Tour golf a shot.

“Having a child changes everything,” said the Tacoma, Washington native. “It’s not about whether or not I enjoy what I’m doing for a living, it’s about whether or not this is the right thing to do to provide for my family.”

Without the support from his family and friends in Washington, Barron recognizes his career path may not have been a possibility.

“My wife is amazing. She wants me to do it as long as I can and she supports me and takes care of Bennett and my extended family at home chips in, it’s a real team effort,” said Barron. “It makes me appreciate the opportunity others have given me and the work and the time and the guidance they have all given me to get to this point.”

With his wife, Madi, at home watching Bennett, Barron stepped onto the driving range Sunday morning in preparation of his 12:50 P.M. tee time, in the final pairing of the day alongside Brad Miller, who led by one.

“I told myself this morning when I felt the wind that the game plan was going to be to have as many birdie looks as possible,” said Barron. “It didn’t matter if it was 20, 35, 50 or eight feet. I’d take my chances with the putter. I just had to hit it solid.”

With Miller struggling throughout the day, Barron took advantage and found himself in a three-way battle for the championship, attempting to fight off Kyler Dunkle and Ryan Snouffer.

Dunkle, the first to finish, posted 13-under as Barron arrived at hole No. 14, also at 13-under.

Calm and composed, Barron made birdie on No. 14 and, after making par on No. 15, made a five-foot birdie putt on No. 16 to take a two-stroke lead into the final two holes.

“I just did what I did all week, kept it in play and stuck to the game plan,” said Barron, who navigated the final two holes without much stress. “I didn’t mind having seven, six, or five irons into greens because I was confident in hitting the middle of the greens and taking the 20 or 30-footers, so I was proud of how I hung in there and stuck to my plan.”

With two events left in the Mackenzie Tour schedule, the win moves Barron from 54th to 7th on the Order of Merit, a spot that would award him Korn Ferry Tour status and an exemption into the final stage of Q-School in December.

“Hopefully this is a launching pad for something bigger in the next year or two,” said Barron. “All I can do is try to do the same thing and see what happens.”

Myles Creighton, playing in his second-career Mackenzie Tour event, picked up Canada Life Canadian Player of the Week honours, firing a final-round 68 to finish T17.

Full scoring can be found here.

OSOYOOS, B.C. – Nonie Marler recently returned to competitive golf after a lengthy hiatus and it hasn’t taken the Vancouver resident long to shake off the rust.

Marler shot a two-under par 71 Sunday to take the first-round lead at the 49th playing of the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship at Osoyoos Golf Club.

Marler, a commercial real estate specialist, just returned from Mississippi after qualifying to play in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. She missed the cut, but called it one of the greatest experiences of her golfing life.

Her week in Osoyoos could be another one if she continues the fine play she displayed on Sunday.

“I hit the ball well today and tried to keep my wits about me,” Marler said of her round that included four birdies and two bogeys.

It also included a par on the par 5 18th hole that Marler wasn’t too happy about. After hitting the green in two, she three-putted from above the hole for par.

“I was a bit too aggressive on 18, but hey-ho, that’s how golf is, right?,” Marler said.

Four individual trophies will be awarded following conclusion of the 54-hole event being played on Osoyoos Golf Club’s Park Meadows Course. The Mid-Amateur competition is open to players aged 25 and older. The Mid-Masters title is open to players aged 40 and older. The Senior competition is for players aged 50 and older and the Super Senior title is being contested by players aged 60 and older.

Marler, only eligible in the Mid-Amateur competition, has a one-shot lead on five-time champion Christina Proteau of Port Alberni, B.C., Amy Ellertson of Free Union, Va., and Judith Kyrinis of Thornhill, Ont. Proteau and Marler played in the same group Sunday and will again in Monday’s second round.

“Christina is a great golfer and competitor,” Marler said. “I learn so much every time I play with her.”

Marler played collegiate golf at the University of Guelph, but got away from competitive golf when she went to work in Great Britain for more than a decade. It wasn’t until she recently returned to Vancouver that she got serious about the game again.

“This is my first year back after a hiatus of 10-plus years,” she said.

Ellertson and Kyrinis are tied for the lead in the Mid-Master and Senior divisions.

Kyrinis, the 2016 Canadian Mid-Amateur and Senior champion, called her round boring.

“I kind of tend to play that way,” she said with a chuckle. “I am a pretty straight driver and I hit the irons well today. It was tough getting the ball to the hole today on the greens.”

Ellertson felt like she left some shots out on the course.

“I missed a four-footer and a six-footer for birdies,” she said. “I hit the ball great. I have no complaints about the way I hit the ball. Just a couple of putts that could have made it better.”

Holly Horwood of Vancouver was delighted with her one-over 74 that has her in the lead in the Super Senior Division.

“I am very happy because it started off extremely shaky with a drive that just bobbled off the tee blocks,” she said. “And it was like, oh dear.”

Horwood, who won the Super Senior Championship in 2016, shot 34 on her back nine.

“The front nine, which was my back nine, is something to be proud of,” she said.

Defending Super Senior champion Jackie Little of Procter, B.C. and Ivy Steinberg of Stouffville, Ont., are one back after opening with two-over 75s.

Australian Sue Wooster, who last year won the Mid-Amateur, Mid-Master and Senior titles, opened with a two-over 75 and did not make a birdie.

“It was a pretty uneventful round today,” Wooster said. “I hit a lot of greens, but I couldn’t hole any putts. I wasn’t hitting it close enough, I guess.”

An inter-provincial senior team competition is being held in conjunction with the tournament. The Ontario team of Kyrinis, Mary Ann Hayward and Andrea Blackwell leads at one-over par. Team British Columbia is second at seven-over.

After Monday’s second round, the field of 141 players will be reduced to the low 70 player and ties from the Senior division. Further to that, all Mid-Amateurs and Mid-Masters posting a 36-hole score which is equal to the player(s) to qualify for the final round, will make the cut. A minimum of 10 Mid-Amateurs (aged 25-39), five Mid-Masters (40-49) and five Super Seniors (age 60+) will make the cut.

Full scoring can be found here.

MEDINAH, Ill. – Justin Thomas had more stress than he wanted and answered with the shots he needed Sunday at Medinah to win the BMW Championship and claim the No. 1 seed going into the FedEx Cup finale.

Corey Conners (69) of Listowel, Ont., tied for seventh with Lucas Glover at 15 under overall. After starting the season with only a partial PGA Tour card, Conners has now earned a spot in all four majors next season, the World Golf Championships and, of course, a full tour card for 2020.

He was also well within the top 30 to advance to the Tour Championship.

Thomas watched a six-shot lead shrink to two in a span of three holes around the turn until he regained control with two great wedges, and two pivotal putts. One last birdie gave him a 4-under 68 and a three-shot victory over Patrick Cantlay, who gave him a battle to the end with a 65.

“I was really nervous today. It’s hard to play with a lead,” Thomas said. “You don’t know how often things like this will happen, and it feels great.”

The victory, the first for Thomas since the World Golf Championship at Firestone last year, gives him a two-shot lead starting the Tour Championship next week as the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup chase the $15 million prize.

The field will have a staggered start based on their position in the FedEx Cup, meaning Thomas starts at 10-under par.

The top 30 who advanced includes Lucas Glover, who went bogey-double bogey late in his round until finishing with a par to wrap up his first trip to East Lake in 10 years.

It will not include Masters champion Tiger Woods, the defending champion.

Woods was a long shot going into the final round to crack the top 30, and he closed with a 72. East Lake was his first victory in five years, capping his return from four back surgeries, a special moment replaced some six months later by his Masters victory.

“It’s disappointing,” Woods said. “Last year culminated in a pretty special moment for me and would have been nice to go back there.”

Hideki Matsuyama took the 36-hole lead with a 63 until falling back with a 73. He responded with another 63 to finish alone in third, making him one of three players who moved into the top 30 to reach East Lake. The other was Jason Kokrak, but only after J.T. Poston made bogey on his final hole.

The U.S. team for the Presidents Cup didn’t change, with Bryson DeChambeau holding down the final spot. Tony Finau would have needed to finish alone in third. He closed with a 69 to finish fourth, unable to keep up with Matsuyama.

Nothing changed for the International team either, as Jason Day failed to earn one of the eight automatic spots.

Both captains, Woods and Ernie Els, will have four picks on Nov. 5.

Adam Hadwin (76) of Abbotsford, B.C., tied for 43rd at 6 under.

With so much at stake, the one certainty going into the final round would have seemed to be the winner. Thomas had a six-shot lead, and only seven players dating to 1928 had ever lost a lead that big on the PGA Tour.

Thomas didn’t hit a fairway until the fifth hole. He still had a six-shot lead when his chip from across the green on the par-5 seventh nearly went for eagle.

And then it turned quickly.

Cantlay made an 8-foot birdie on No. 7, followed with a 12-foot birdie on No. 8 and a 6-foot birdie on No. 9. Thomas then helped out by hitting his second to the par-5 10th under a tree, hitting left-handed to get it out and making bogey. Cantlay made his fourth straight birdie, and the lead was down to two with eight holes remaining.

That’s when Thomas came to life with a wedge to 2 feet for birdie.

“The birdie on 11 was huge,” Thomas said. “That propelled me for the rest of the round.”

He followed with two key putts, and the most important might have been for par. He drove into the right rough and had to play some 65 yards short of the green, hitting wedge up to about 12 feet. Cantlay had a 15-foot birdie putt, and a two-shot swing would have cut the lead to one.

Cantlay missed. Thomas made his par putt, stepping forward with a fist pump.

On the par-3 13th, Cantlay rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt, only for Thomas to match him with a birdie from 12 feet to stay three ahead. Cantlay drove the green on the short par-4 15th, but missed his 15-foot eagle putt as Thomas got up-and-down from 45 yards for birdie.

Thomas finished at 25-under 263 – seven shots lower than what Woods shot at Medinah when he won the 2006 PGA Championship – and earned $1,665,000. Even more money is at stake next week, though this was a burden lifted. All he cared about was winning.

Full scoring can be found here.

AURORA, Ont. – The final four spots into the 2019 CP Women’s Open field will be determined in Monday’s final qualifying event at Scarboro Golf and Country Club.

A total of 36 competitors will challenge for one of four spots into the field for Canada’s Women’s Open Golf Championship. The Final Qualifier features 18 holes of stroke play with the low four competitors receiving an exemption into the 2019 CP Women’s Open field. If necessary, a hole-by-hole playoff will be conducted immediately following the conclusion of play.

Click here for pairings, start times and results from Final Qualifying on Monday, August 19. Results will be available as players complete their rounds.

Tournament week for the 2019 CP Women’s Open kicks off at Magna Golf Club as the stars of the LPGA Tour return to the Greater Toronto Area for the first time in 17 years.

In addition to practice rounds in the morning, also taking place is the Canada Day All-Star Clinic and Pro-Am benefiting Golf Canada Foundation.

The All-Star Clinic will feature TSN’s Rod Black conducting live interviews with LPGA Tour stars including Cheyenne Woods, Brittany Lang, Katherine Kirk, Alena Sharp, and members of Team Canada’s Young Pro program followed by a shotgun start at 12:30 pm. For a complete list of golfers taking part in the Pro-Am, click here.

AURORA, Ont. – Golf Canada is pleased to announce the eight champions of Sunday’s Future Links, driven by Acura Junior Skills Challenge National Event at Magna Golf Club in Aurora, Ont.

The National Event, running for the 11th consecutive year, crowned female and male champions from four age groups (8 under, 9-11, 12-14 and 15-18). Among the 31 participants from across the country, the following eight individuals emerged as champions:

– Liam McLaren, Pheasant Run Golf Club, Georgina, ON | Boys 8 and under
– Ari Tur, Seymour Golf & Country Club, North Vancouver, B.C. | Girls 8 and under
– Noah Turner, Essex Golf & Country Club, LaSalle, ON | Boys 9-11
– Claira Frizzell, The Links at Montague, Halifax, NS | Girls 9-11
– Gabe Bugden, Blomidon Golf Club, Corner Brook, NL | Boys 12-14
– Alissa Xu, Station Creek Golf Club, Richmond Hill, ON | Girls 12-14
– Émile Journault, Cap-Rouge Golf Club, Québec City, QC | Boys 15-18
– Keighan Decoff, Glen Lovat Golf Club, Fraser’s Mountain, NS | Girls 15-18

The winners of each age group received a champion’s package from Titleist Footjoy. In addition, Émile Journault and Keighan Decoff – winners of the 15-18 age groups – have earned exemptions into their local 2020 Future Links, driven by Acura Championship.

In Sunday’s National Event, juniors competed in a three-part skills challenge which tested putting, chipping, and driving.

Sunday’s participants had the highest scores on the National Leaderboard after participating in a Skills Challenge qualifying event at their local club. Throughout the year, over 140 clubs hosted a Future Links, driven by Acura Junior Skills Challenge with over 3000 junior golfers participating.

“The Future Links, driven by Acura Junior Skills experience is a celebration of skill development facilitated by coaches at over 140 facilities across Canada,” said Adam Hunter, senior manager of junior programs at Golf Canada. “We are extremely happy with another excellent National Event and want to thank our sponsors for helping make this dream a reality.”

On Saturday, the National Event participants received an apparel prize pack from Cobra Golf handed out in the Magna locker room and played the back nine as part of the Golf Canada Junior Open.

Participants are provided weekly grounds passes and have an opportunity to be involved in Monday’s Canada Day All-Star Pro-Am and Wednesday’s Walk with a Pro event.

For more information on the Future Links, driven by Acura Junior Skills National Event click here.

MEDINAH, Ill. – Winless over the last 12 months, Justin Thomas knew he was playing well and he was due for a low round.

Saturday at the BMW Championship was more than he might have imagined.

Thomas smashed the course record at Medinah with an 11-under 61 that gave him a six-shot lead over Patrick Cantlay and Tony Finau.

Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., is the top Canadian. He shot 69 and sits sixth at 12 under. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., had a 71 and is 10 under.

Thomas opened with five birdies, and none was worthy of a highlight reel because of what followed. He hit a 5-wood from 260 yards on the par-5 10th that was so pure he twirled his club and watched it roll out to 2 feet.

That wasn’t among the top three memories Saturday.

“I’m very lucky that I had a couple to choose from today,” Thomas said.

In fluffy grass behind the 14th green, he chipped in for birdie. From 180 yards in the 16th fairway, he holed out for eagle.

His felt his best shot was the next hole, a 9-iron from forward tees to a front pin over the water to 6 feet for his eighth birdie of a remarkable round.

“It was easy to get pretty wrapped up in the emotions and get the adrenaline going and I had to take a little bit off that 9-iron,” Thomas said. “If I’m trying to be perfect there and I don’t hit it right, that very easily could go in the water.”

Thomas was at 21-under 195, with Finau (68) and Cantlay (67) chasing him. He has a clear path to his first victory since the Bridgestone Invitational last August, along with the lead going into the Tour Championship next week and the chase for a $15 million prize.

Only seven players in PGA Tour history have lost a six-shot lead in the final round, most recently Dustin Johnson at the 2017 HSBC Champions.

The goal for Tiger Woods is simply to get to the Tour Championship, where last year he ended five years without winning. Woods had a bogey-free 67, his lowest score since the final round of the Memorial.

When Medinah is this much of a pushover, it didn’t help all that much. He was tied for 31st, with some 18 players ahead of where he needs to be to move into the top 30 in the FedEx Cup and advance to East Lake.

“I shoot 60, it should be all right,” Woods said, a tongue-in-cheek comment made about the time Thomas was teeing off.

Thomas, who shot 59 at the Sony Open in 2017, opened with a pair of 12-foot birdie putts, hit to 2 feet on No. 3, holed a 15-footer on No. 4 and was out of position only briefly before a fifth straight birdie on the par-5 fifth. But it was the back nine where Thomas seized control.

“I’ve been around enough. That was really impressive,” said Finau, who played with Thomas. “It’s fun to watch. Whenever you see a guy playing that well in a zone, really cool. He was already playing well and that shot on 16 put him over the top from well to … really well.”

Finau holed out from the fourth fairway for eagle. Cantlay had five birdies. Brandt Snedeker chipped in on both par 3s on the back nine in his round of 67.

Low scores were everywhere.

Medinah never looked more vulnerable.

“It doesn’t matter what golf course it is,” Thomas said. “You give us soft, good greens and soft fairways, we’re going to tear it apart. It’s just how it is.”

All but two players in the 69-man field – Harold Varner III and Cameron Champ – were at par or better.

In five majors held at Medinah, the lowest score was a 65. That was matched twice Thursday by Thomas and Jason Kokrak. Hideki Matsuyama set the standard with a 63 on Friday. Thomas beat that by two.

“I hope the trend doesn’t continue unless it’s me,” Thomas said with a grin.

For others, plenty is at stake.

Rory Sabbatini shot 30 on the back nine – four birdies over his last five holes – and was alone in fourth. That would be enough to get him into the Tour Championship for the first time since 2007, the first year of the FedEx Cup.

“I kind of had a target in mind and I’m a couple shots shy of getting there, and so tomorrow I have to go grind it out and really put my foot down,” Sabbatini said.

Finau could lock up a spot on the Presidents Cup team if he were to keep his position, even better if he were to finish alone in second. Lucas Glover was nine shots behind, but still projected to be among the top 30.

The perks of the Tour Championship include a chase for a $15 million top prize, along with a spot in all the majors next year. For Thomas, winning means a return to Maui to start the year with the rest of the PGA Tour winners. That’s what he’s thinking about Sunday.

Starting times have been moved up because of more rain in the forecast. Without wind, that has meant lower scoring that Medinah has ever seen.

Full scoring can be found here.

MEDINAH, Ill. – Hideki Matsuyama has never missed the Tour Championship since his first full year on the PGA Tour. He played Friday like he doesn’t want the streak to end.

Outside the top 30 in the FedEx Cup for the first time at the BMW Championship, Matsuyama made five birdie putts from 15 feet or longer and broke the course record at Medinah with a 9-under 63 for a one-shot lead going into the weekend.

He started his second round with a 30-foot birdie putt. He ended the round with a 30-foot birdie putt.

The explanation for what went right wasn’t that long.

“I did make a lot of long putts today, and that was the difference,” Matsuyama said through his interpreter.

That was a big difference for Tiger Woods, too. He made only two putts longer than 6 feet, made a pair of bogeys from the bunkers late in the round and had to settle for another 71. Woods, who needs a top 10 to advance to the Tour Championship, was tied for 49th.

“I left quite a few shots out there,” Woods said.

Matsuyama was at 12-under 132, one shot ahead of Patrick Cantlay (67) and Tony Finau (66). Justin Thomas made six birdies to offset three bogeys in his round of 69, leaving him two shots behind.

The Canadian duo of Adam Hadwin (Abbotsford, B.C.) and Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.) both put up stellar rounds of 68 and 66, respectively, to share fifth place heading into the weekend.

.@coreconn chips in to move inside the top 30 in the #FedExCup playoffs ???? pic.twitter.com/WcaJ4pdOxM

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) August 16, 2019

Cantlay, Finau and Thomas are all assured of being among the top 30 who advance to the Tour Championship next week, where everyone in the field will have a shot at winning the FedEx Cup and the $15 million prize.

Matsuyama won four times on the Japan Golf Tour as a rookie after he graduated college, and then won the Memorial in 2014 and narrowly got into the FedEx Cup finale at East Lake. He was as high as No. 2 in the world just two years ago after the U.S. Open.

But he has gone two years without winning, and Friday was the first time he has led after any round since his most recent victory at Firestone in the Bridgestone Invitational.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in contention,” Matsuyama said. “Hopefully, I can play well. I’ve been struggling for a while this year. Hopefully, that can turn around and I’ll have a good weekend.”

Cantlay has gone 36 holes at Medinah with only one bogey, and key to his round was avoid one late. His tee shot on the 320-yard 15th caught enough of the wind that bounded right into the water. He took his penalty dropped, chipped to 8 feet and saved par, got up-and-down on the next hole and then finished with two more good putts, one for birdie and another for par.

“Any time you make a par after hitting the ball in the water it’s good,” he said. “It gave me some nice momentum to close out the round.”

Lucas Glover (69) and Rory Sabbatini (68) were among the group at 9-under 135, both suddenly in range of the top 30.

Woods won the Tour Championship last year, capping a remarkable return from four back surgeries with his first victory in five years. It was an extraordinary afternoon considering where he had been, a moment topped in Georgia some six months later when he won the Masters.

But after he pulled out at Liberty National last week citing a mild oblique strain, he slipped 10 spots to No. 38. And while it was a mild surprise when he showed up at Medinah, he’s going the wrong direction in the FedEx Cup.

He isn’t ruling out a return to the Tour Championship to defend his title, but he’s running out of time and not making enough birdies.

Woods hit it to tap-in range on the 11th, and then ran off birdies on the 14th and 15th hole to slowly get back into the picture at Medinah. And then he made consecutive bogeys from the bunker, had to settle for another 71 and was right back where he started.

“I’m going to have to have a great weekend and make a lot of birdies and post some rounds in the mid-60s to give myself a chance at it,” Woods said. “Putt well and I’ll shoot good scores. I haven’t done that.”

Jordan Spieth also is on the verge of ending a second straight season without a victory, and without a trip to East Lake. He made progress at Liberty National with a tie for sixth, and he needs another finish like that to crack the top 30.

He did not need to chop his way to a double bogey on the par-3 eighth that left him at the bottom of the back. Spieth rallied with five birdies on the back nine, and he believes he has the “firepower” to post two low scores and hope it’s enough.

There was a realistic side to him Friday, especially after the double bogey, that his season was over because of how he felt over the ball. Yes, he still has an outside chance. But he sure didn’t sound consumed by it.

“I’m far enough out that I’m going to sleep at night not expecting to be there,” Spieth said about East Lake. “It’s not where I want to live, but it’s where I am.”

Joining Team Canada for her rookie campaign is Brigitte Thibault of Rosemère, Que. Thibault enters her first year with the national squad after collecting three top-10 finishes as a member of the Fresno State Bulldogs, including a runner-up finish at the UNLV Collegiate Showdown. She added top-10 results at the Women’s Western, North & South and Quebec Amateur. She finished runner-up at the Quebec Junior Girls in 2017.

She competed in the inaugural Augusta Women’s Amateur in 2019 and went on to win a bronze medal for Canada at the Pan Am Games through the mixed team event.

OSOYOOS, B.C. – One hundred and fourty-two golfers ranging from 25-73 years of age will descend on Osoyoos Golf Club in Osoyoos, B.C., from Aug. 17-20 for the 49th playing of the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship.

Four individual trophies are up for grabs at the 54-hole tournament in southern British Columbia.

Competitors over 25 will vie for the Mid-Amateur title, players over 40 will be eligible to compete in the Mid-Master competition and those over 50 will play for the Senior Championship. Finally, those 60-and-over will compete for the Super Senior title.

“The Mid-Am and Senior is a great opportunity for Canadian amateurs to find success and compete on a national stage,” added tournament director Adam Cinel. “We are very excited to bring this talented field to a spectacular host club in Osoyoos. The course’s beautiful layout will provide a tough, yet fair test for all the golfers here this week.”

In 2018, Australian Sue Wooster defended both her Senior and Mid-Masters titles, while also winning the Mid-Amateur Championship. Wooster won the Mid-Amateur in a playoff with Christina Proteau (Port Alberni, B.C.), while Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Mary Ann Hayward (St. Thomas, Ont.) came third.

Hayward finished one stroke behind Wooster in both the Mid-Masters and Senior competitions. The Super Senior competition was won by Procter, B.C., native Jackie Little, who finished one stroke ahead of Penny Baziuk (North Saanich, B.C.).

Wooster is returning in 2019 to defend her titles, as are Proteau, Hayward, Little and Baziuk.

In addition to the four individual competitions, an inter-provincial team competition will take place during the first two rounds.

Team Ontario, consisting of Hayward, Judith Kyrinis (Thornhill, Ont.) and Terrill Samuel (Etobicoke, Ont.) won the team competition in 2018 with a two-day score of 11-over-par 299.

After 36 holes, the field will be reduced to the low 70 players and ties from the senior division. Further to that, all Mid-Amateurs and Mid-Masters posting a 36-hole score which is equal to the last player(s) to qualify for the final round, will make the cut. A minimum of ten Mid-Amateurs (age 25-39), five Mid-Masters (age 40-49) and five Super-Seniors (age 60+) will make the cut.

The winner receives an exemption into the 2019 U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur being contested at Cedar Rapids Country Club in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, from Aug. 24-29.

Established in 1973, Osoyoos Golf Club expanded to a 36-hole layout in 2006. Located in a picturesque setting adjacent to Osoyoos Lake overlooking the town with the mountains in the distance, the 2019 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship is the first Golf Canada championship conducted at the course.

“Our course is renowned for its spectacular views and very consistent turf conditions,” said Doug Robb, general manager of Osoyoos Golf Club. “It’s in great condition and we’re thrilled to share our course with these talented women.”

Additional information about the tournament, including the full field and tee times is available here.

NOTABLES

Sue Wooster, Australia
Wooster enters the tournament as the defending champion, currently holding the Mid-Amateur, Mid-Master and Senior titles. The 57-year-old rode the exemption she earned at last year’s tournament all the way to the final of the U.S. Senior Amateur, finishing runner-up to Lara Tennant.

Mary Ann Hayward, St. Thomas, Ont.
A four-time Canadian Women’s Amateur champion and member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, Hayward won the Canadian Women’s Mid-Senior in 2013 and came in third last year. The 59-year-old has represented Canada internationally on numerous occasions, including eight times at the World Amateur Championship.

Alison Murdoch, Victoria
The 69-year-old Canadian Golf Hall of Famer has won the Canadian Women’s Mid-Senior four times, most recently in 2007. She had a pair of good results in 2018, finishing third at the British Columbia Mid-Amateur and fourth at the 2018 Alberta Senior Ladies Championship.

Jackie Little, Procter, B.C.
The reigning Canadian Super Senior champion won this event in 2008 and 2009. In 2018, Little won her sixth B.C. Senior Women’s Championship. She was inducted into the Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Fame in 2017 and played the U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur Championship for the third time in 2018.

Judith Kyrinis, Thornhill, Ont.
The 2016 Canadian Mid-Senior champion finished in fourth place at last year’s event. Kyrinis played both the Ontario Women’s Match Play and the Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship in 2019, finishing in a tie for fifth and a tie for 19th, respectively.

FAST FACTS

Six Canadian Golf Hall of Fame members have won the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship; Marlene Streit, Gayle Borthwick, Alison Murdoch, Marilyn O’Connor, Margaret Todd and Mary Ann Hayward.

Streit (1985, 1987-88, 1993), Borthwick (1994-1995, 1999-2000) and Murdoch (2002, 2004-05, 2007) are tied for the most Canadian Women’s Senior Championship victories with four each.

Nancy Fitzgerald has the most consecutive Canadian Women’s Senior Championship victories – winning three straight titles from 1996-1998.

To date, Australian Sue Wooster is the only non-North American winner of the event.

The champion receives an exemption into the 2019 U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur at Cedar Rapids Country Club in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, from Aug. 24-29.

HARTLAND, N.B. – Christopher Vandette of Beaconsfield, Que., withstood a strong push from the field, going wire-to-wire to defend his title and win the 81st Canadian Junior Boys Championship held at Covered Bridge Golf & Country Club in Hartland, N.B.

Vandette carded a final round of 1-under-par 71 to finish the championship at 14 under, winning by a single stroke over Brady McKinlay of Lacombe, Alta. The 18-year-old tied the lowest round ever at the Canadian Junior Boys Championship when he shot 62 in the opening round. Although the field closed the gap as the week wore on, the Team Canada National Junior Squad member emerged victorious.

“It was a long week, especially after such a good first round,” said Vandette. “I ran out of gas a bit at the end, but managed to get it done. I’m really excited and proud of myself for holding on to the lead there.”

Vandette birdied the par-5 18th to clinch the championship. His second shot from the fairway landed within 15 feet of the pin, where Vandette then two-putted to secure the title.

“You can’t see the green at all [from the fairway], so I was just aiming at someone in the crowd there,” added Vandette. “I let it drift toward the left part of the green. I overdrew it a bit, but it held on and stayed on the fringe.”

Vandette briefly trailed McKinlay on the back nine, but retook the lead with a birdie on the par-4 16th hole. McKinlay bogeyed the hole, giving Vandette a one-stroke lead he would not relinquish.

“I wasn’t putting well all day – I actually three-putted No. 15,” said Vandette. “On No. 16, I managed to hit it close enough to not have to worry about my putt. I wasn’t focusing on what Brady was doing, but he just ended up with a bad break.”

With the victory, Vandette becomes the first back-to-back champion since Mitch Sutton won in 2008 and 2009.

As the 2019 Canadian Junior Boys individual champion, Vandette earns an exemption into the 2020 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, held at The Glencoe Golf & Country Club in Calgary from August 3-6, 2020.

Despite trailing by ten shots after the first round, McKinlay made a charge in the final round by carding a 4-under-par 68. The 18-year-old shot even-par in the opening round, but rebounded with rounds of 70 and 65 in rounds two and three to finish runner-up.

“I was a little bit disappointed with the first two days,” said McKinlay. “The last two days were picture-perfect almost, I just needed a couple of more shots. To keep going lower and lower up until the last day and then to do 4 under today was really good.”

The second-place finish caps a series of strong performances for McKinlay, who finished tied for second at the Future Links, driven by Acura Western Championship, third at the Alberta Junior Championship and made the cut at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.

Carter Graf of Sylvan Lake, Alta., finished third at 11 under by posting a final round of 2 under 70.

The 16-and-under Juvenile division was decided in a playoff. Both Tommy McKenzie (Calgary) and Luke DelGobbo (Fonthill, Ont.) finished 72 holes at 8 under. DelGobbo, 16, won the title with a par on the second playoff hole.

Full scoring can be found here.