Travale, Snyder and Sharpstene share lead at Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship
HAMMOND PLAINS, N.S. – Johnny Travale of Stoney Creek, Ont., David Snyder of McAllen, Tex., and Matt Sharpstene of Cornelius, N.C., each hold a share of the lead after the opening round of the 115th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship held at Glen Arbour Golf Course and co-hosted by The Links at Brunello.
Travale, Snyder and Sharpstene all carded rounds of 3-under-par 67 at Glen Arbour.
Travale, a former member of the Team Canada National Junior Squad, fired a bogey-free round that included back-to-back birdies on holes No. 5 and No. 6.
Snyder birdied three of his first five holes, playing even-par golf for the rest of his round. The 21-year-old won the 2019 NCAA Championship with Sandford University.
“The best part of my game today was my driving, I just kept it in good position all day,” said Snyder. “I didn’t have any tree trouble, which is possible out here, so it kept the round nice and smooth throughout all 18 holes. Tomorrow I’d like to get a little better with my wedges from 100 to about 130 yards. I feel like I had some opportunities today that I didn’t capitalize on.”
Sharpstene birdied all three par-5’s at Glen Arbour during his first career round in Canada, but a pair of bogeys brought him back to 3 under.
“I hit my tee ball really well,” said Sharpstene. “I didn’t put myself in any bad spots today. I made a couple of putts. The driver was key, so hopefully I can keep it going.”
Julien Sale, a Gatineau, Que., product representing France, is in fourth place at 2 under.
The players will switch courses for round two – any competitor who played round one at Glen Arbour will play at The Links at Brunello and vice versa.
Team Ontario consisting of Matthew Anderson (Mississauga, Ont.), Charles Fitzsimmons (London, Ont.) and Ty Celone (Long Sault, Ont.) jumped out to an early lead in the 36-hole inter-provincial competition for the Willingdon Cup. The trio combined for a score of 7 over par and a one-stroke lead.
Team Québec is in second place at 8 under par. The Willingdon Cup champion will be crowned on Tuesday at Glen Arbour.
In addition to claiming the title of 2019 Canadian Men’s Amateur champion, the winner will earn exemptions into the 2019 U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in Pinehurst, N.C. and the 2020 RBC Canadian Open at St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Toronto from June 8-14.
The champion will also be eligible to receive an exemption into the U.S. Junior Amateur, the U.S. Mid-Amateur or the U.S. Senior Amateur, if applicable.
Players from a record 15 countries are competing at the 2019 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship. This is the second Golf Canada championship conducted at Glen Arbour Golf Course, as the club hosted the 2005 CP Women’s Open, won by Meena Lee. Recent Golf Canada championships held in Nova Scotia have yielded some notable winners; Adam Svensson won the 2012 Canadian Junior Boys Championship, Garrett Rank won the 2015 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur and Hye-jin Choi was crowned the 2016 Canadian Women’s Amateur champion.
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Canadian Taylor Pendrith wins 1932byBateman Open
EDMONTON, ALTA — For the first time since 2016, a Canadian picked up a win on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada.
Entering the 1932byBateman open with a heap of momentum following a runner-up finish at the Osprey Valley Open and a T3 at the HFX Pro-Am, Taylor Pendrith set the Edmonton Country Club course record with a closing 62, the best round on Sunday by three strokes, to win on the Mackenzie Tour for the first time of his career.
“I don’t know if it’s sunk in yet, but it feels really good and I’ve been so close many times,” said Pendrith, who lost in three separate playoffs during his 2015 Mackenzie Tour campaign. “To know that I’m a winner on this Tour brings me a lot of confidence. It’s hard to win on any Tour, so it feels awesome to be the champion here.”
41 events have transpired on the Mackenzie Tour since Adam Cornelson won the 2016 Bayview Place DCBankOpen, the last time a red and white flag was at the top of a leaderboard at week’s end.
“I’m having a lot of fun this year, travelling around and trying to have more fun than I have in the past,” said the Golf Canada Young Pro Squad team member. “It’s so cool seeing the fans out cheering on the Canadians, I’m not sure if there’s ever been more Canadians on the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour and here, so it’s pretty awesome.”
Pendrith entered Sunday trailing leader Will Gordon by four strokes, but birdies on three of his final four holes on the front nine quickly shrunk the gap and put the Canadian within two of the lead.
“Honestly, I didn’t look at the leaderboard all day today,” said Pendrith, who has played his last 16 Mackenzie Tour rounds in the 60s. “I’ve been playing really well the past few events and I knew a low one would potentially jump me up. I had a feeling on the first tee I was going to go post a low one.”
Three more birdies in his next six holes matched Pendrith with Gordon and Ryan Ruffels, who was also having himself a day with five birdies in his first 10 holes.
Eyeing down the 17th hole, where he had made eagle in two of his previous three rounds, Pendrith launched a mammoth drive 390-yards down the fairway and had a gap wedge into the 560-yard hole.
“I figured I was getting close to the lead, but I didn’t really know,” said the 28-year old. “I thought about hitting 3-wood, but I decided that I had been hitting driver great all week, so I stuck with it and hit a really good drive, the best of the week there for sure.”
The Richmond Hill, Ontario native stuck his shot 10-feet from the cup and watched anxiously as his eagle try caught the edge of the hole and dropped to give himself a two-stroke lead.
“It was a really difficult putt, but it caught the high side,” said the fourth-ranked player on the Order of Merit. “I thought it was going to lip out on the high side, and then it dropped and that really capped off the round.”
Pendrith made a stress-free two-putt on the par-3 finishing hole and then went to the driving range to prepare for what could have been the first playoff of the season.
“It’s nice to finally break through and get that win,” said Pendrith. “I’ve been so close before, especially this season. With four events left I really want to keep that momentum going and maybe even jump another spot up the Order of Merit.”
Along with the victory, Pendrith picked up his fourth Canada Life Canadian Player of the Week Award of the season and is in good position to secure the second Dan Halldorson trophy of his career, awarded to the Canada Life Canadian Player of the Year.
Making birdie on his final two holes of the tournament, Lorens Chan finished as the runner-up to Pendrith.
Full results can be found here.
Poston claims victory at Wyndham; Conners and Hughes tie for 22nd
GREENSBORO, N.C. – J.T. Poston kept racking up birdies and pars – but no bogeys – at the Wyndham Championship. They added up to his first PGA Tour victory – and a first-time-in-decades achievement.
Poston shot an 8-under 62 on Sunday for a one-stroke victory at the tour’s regular-season finale.
Canadians Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.) and Mackenzie Hughes (Dundas, Ont.) finished in a tie for 22nd at 13 under.
Poston tied Henrik Stenson’s 2-year-old tournament record at 22-under 258, and became the first player since Lee Trevino in 1974 to win a 72-hole stroke-play event on tour without any bogeys or worse.
“I probably haven’t had that many bogey-free rounds this year,” Poston said. “To be able to do four in a row is pretty special, and finish it off with a 62 on Sunday is pretty awesome.”
The native North Carolinian began his round three strokes back, took the lead for good with – what else? – a birdie on the par-5 15th hole, then finished with three straight pars to earn $1,116,000 and 500 FedEx Cup points.
Webb Simpson was at 21 under after a 65. Byeong Hun An, who held or shared the lead after each of the first three rounds, three-putted the 18th for a bogey and a 67 to finish two shots back. Trying to force a playoff with a birdie, he nearly holed a 60-footer but had it run well past.
“Nothing was really working at the end,” An said. “I just ran out of juice.”
Poston, a former Western Carolina golfer playing a 100-mile drive from his hometown of Hickory, became the third player in 11 years with strong local ties to win at Sedgefield Country Club. He joined 2008 winner Carl Petterson – a Swede who grew up in Greensboro – and Simpson, the 2011 champion who’s from Raleigh and played college golf at Wake Forest.
“To be able to do it here in North Carolina, with a lot of friends and family, I don’t think I could have drawn it up any better,” Poston said.
Poston closed the gap with An with three birdies and an eagle on the front nine.
Then came the key hole: No. 15. Poston took sole possession of the lead with a birdie on that hole after placing a bunker chip 6 feet from the flagstick.
An, playing two groups behind Poston, sent his tee shot on that hole into the weeds. He took a penalty stroke, then landed his third shot left of the green, left his chip 35 feet short and dropped to 20 under after two-putting for his first bogey of the tournament.
“The bogey was definitely the killer, I think, because I knew I needed to make a birdie there,” An said.
After a birdie on the next hole and a par on 17, An needed to finish with a birdie to force a playoff. He sent his tee shot into the trees and recovered by landing his second shot 60 feet from the pin.
Simpson – who finished second for the second straight week – earned his seventh top-10 finish at this tournament since 2010 and climbed to No. 9 on the playoff points list, earning $550,000 in bonus money as part of the inaugural Wyndham Rewards Top 10 program.
“Honestly, it wasn’t even on the radar going into Memphis (last week),” Simpson said. “I was too far back, I thought, unless I did something crazy. So yeah, it was on my mind this week.”
Nine players started this tournament with a shot at some of that cash, but only Simpson and Paul Casey came away with some. Casey finished eighth on the points list and earned $600,000.
The other annual subplot at Sedgefield focused on the players on the playoff bubble. Two players who began the tournament outside the top 125 – No. 129 Patton Kizzire and No. 134 Andrew Landry – played their way into the field for The Northern Trust next week in New Jersey. An average of 2.7 players played their way into the top 125 in this tournament’s previous dozen years as the tour’s final pre-playoff event.
“I definitely knew what I was playing for,” Kizzire said.
Full results can be found here.
Shibuno wins Women’s British Open on debut, Henderson T41
MILTON KEYNES, England – Hinako Shibuno of Japan finished with a birdie to win the Women’s British Open by one shot over Lizette Salas as she wrapped up a stunning major championship debut on Sunday.
The 20-year-old Shibuno, a rookie on the Japan LPGA Tour who was making her LPGA Tour debut, birdied five of the final nine holes in a 4-under 68 and 18-under 270 overall.
Largely unknown before the championship, Shibuno – nicknamed “Smiling Cinderella” – started Sunday with a two-stroke lead but lost it with a double bogey on the par-4 3rd. She bounced back with birdies on Nos. 5 and 7 before a bogey on the 8th at Woburn Golf Club.
But in three of four rounds, Shibuno has shone on the back nine. She did it in 31 on Sunday – and just 30 on Thursday and Saturday.
“She just gets up and rips it. She did really great,” rival Ashleigh Buhai said about Shibuno.
Brooke Henderson (72) of Smiths Falls, Ont., tied for 41st.
Salas, who started the final round tied for fourth, quickly played herself into contention with three birdies in the first four holes, and she added five more in a 7-under 65.
But the American will regret not taking another birdie chance on the 18th when she shared the lead with Shibuno.
“I told myself, ‘You got this. You’re made for this.’ I put a good stroke on it. I’m not going to lie, I was nervous,” Salas said after her best finish at a major. “You know, I haven’t been in that position in a long time. Gave it a good stroke. I controlled all my thoughts. It just didn’t drop.”
Jin Young Ko, who was seeking her third major title of the year after winning the Evian Championship last week, was two shots back in third after a bogey-free 66.
“I had a little pressure, but I like that pressure,” Ko said.
Morgan Pressel (67) finished fourth at 15 under, just ahead of Buhai (70), whose hopes were dented Saturday when she let a five-shot lead slip. The 30-year-old South African finished fifth at 14 under.
“If you had given me a top five at the beginning of the week, I most certainly would have taken it,” Buhai said.
Also, Celine Boutier shot a 66 to finish the tournament at 12 under, followed by Carlota Ciganda (70) at 11 under and second-ranked Sung Hyun Park (73) at 10 under.
American Nelly Korda (68) tied for ninth with Jeongeun Lee (71) at 9 under, two shots ahead of Lexi Thompson (67).
Defending champion Georgia Hall (73) tied for 35th.
Full results can be found here.
Garrett Rank becomes first Canadian to win Western Amateur since 1977
Garrett Rank, of Ont., beat the odds to win the 117th Western Amateur at Point O’ Woods Golf & Country Club on Saturday.
The 31-year-old Rank, an NHL referee, earned the George R. Thorne Trophy with a 3 and 2 victory over Daniel Wetterich, of Cincinnati, Ohio. The last mid-amateur to win the Western Amateur was Danny Green in 1997 at The Point, which was hosting the tournament this week for the first time since 2008.
“This is the end of a dream week,” said the Team Canada alumnus.
Rank, who finished fifth at 6 under in stroke play on Thursday, trailed in all four of his matches. He was 1 down after five in the final, but took the lead with a birdie at No. 7. Rank went 2 up after making a birdie on the ninth.
Wetterich answered with a birdie at No. 10, but Rank took control with back-to-back birdies at Nos. 14-15 to go 3 up. He parred the 16th to end the match.
Rank carded six birdies and won seven holes. Wetterich made four birdies and won four holes. The two didn’t tie a hole until No. 8.
“The front was back and forth, and it was fun,” said Wetterich, who graduated from Ohio State in the spring. “He just made a lot of putts, and he wouldn’t give me any wiggle room.”
A native of Elmira, Ontario, Rank played golf and hockey growing up and earned scholarships in both sports to University of Waterloo in Ontario. After being diagnosed with testicular cancer in his second year of college, he quit hockey and focused on golf.
In 2012, Rank was the runner-up to Nathan Smith at the U.S. Mid-Amateur at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, Illinois.
“I’ve had a lot of close calls in big events,” Rank said. “To finally break through is huge. I’m a big believer in the more you put yourself under pressure you learn something every time. I relied on that.”
The win gives Rank an exemption into next year’s Evans Scholars Invitational at The Glen Club in Glenview, Illinois. Wetterich also received an invitation into the Korn Ferry Tour event.
“I’m really excited about how I played,” Wetterich said. “Overall, I’m really content with the week, and I will build on what I did [Saturday] going forward.”
Rank is the second Canadian champion – Jim Nelford won the tournament in 1977 at The Point. He’s the first international winner since Danny Lee in 2008.
“I know how important and cool this is in amateur golf,” Rank said. “It hasn’t sunk in yet, and I’m sure I’ll be even more proud when it does.”
After playing in the Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship on Aug. 20-23, Rank reports to NHL training camp Sept. 9. Even following a win at the Western Amateur, among the most prestigious tournaments in the world, Rank isn’t compelled to turn golf into a full-time job.
“I have no regrets about not being professional,” he said. “I have no doubt I could be a great pro and could do well in the game of golf. But I love my job. I have one of the coolest jobs in the world. I know how the ups and downs of golf work and have seen a lot of great players not make it.
“When you get to play in tournaments like this and have success, I don’t know why you would want to chase being a professional golfer.”
Canadians Hughes, Svensson inside top 20 at Wyndham
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Byeong Hun An shot a 4-under 66 on Saturday for a one-stroke lead after three rounds at the Wyndham Championship.
An was at 17-under 193 entering the final round of the PGA Tour’s final event before the playoffs.
Former Wyndham winner Webb Simpson and Brice Garnett were tied for second, with Simpson shooting a 65 and Garnett a 66. Ryan Armour was 15 under following a 65.
An has held or shared the lead after each of the first three rounds, and has yet to play a hole worse than par. The 27-year-old South Korean with three international victories has put himself in position to claim his first win on tour.
Canadian Mackenzie of Dundas, Ont., is in a tie for 10th at 12 under par. Fellow countryman Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., is tied for 16th at 11 under.
Overall, it was yet another low-scoring day at Sedgefield Country Club. For a while midway through An’s round, six players were tied for the lead at 13 under.
An started to get some separation from the crowd with three birdies in the four-hole span from Nos. 5-8, moving to 16 under.
Then came his best shot of the day, a 50-foot birdie putt on the par-4 14th. He then closed with four straight pars.
Simpson – a native North Carolinian who named his daughter Wyndham after his first career victory came here in 2011 – strung together three birdies around a bogey midway through his back nine to move to 16 under. If nothing else, he’s in good position to claim his fifth top-10 finish in six years at this tournament.
Garnett made the turn at 15 under following back-to-back birdies, then rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt on the 17th to pull even with Simpson and saved par on the 18th after rolling his third shot from a greenside bunker to within 3 feet from the flagstick.
Armour climbed into contention with six birdies in a 10-hole stretch midway through his round that put him two strokes back.
And Viktor Hovland finished his season-best round with a birdie on the 18th after landing his 150-yard approach shot some 3 feet from the flagstick. He was tied for fifth with J.T. Poston and Paul Casey at 14 under.
After winning the U.S. Amateur last year, Hovland turned pro two months ago after tying for 12th at the U.S. Open.
“I just try to tell myself that I don’t have anything to lose,” Hovland said. “I’ll be on the Korn Ferry Tour no matter what happens kind of unless I play really well tomorrow, and to be in the spot where I am right now after college, that’s a pretty good spot to be in.”
It wasn’t a low-scoring day for everyone, though: Jordan Spieth had three double-bogeys and a bogey during a birdie-free 77 that left him at 2 under for the tournament. It came two days after he flirted with a career-best round, putting just 23 times during his first-round 64.
“I putted my (butt) off for two days to be able to be where I was at, and you can’t exactly fix your ball striking in a day,” Spieth said. “It’s just too much to try and force it. So this extra day could serve me really well through the playoffs.”
Shibuno grabs lead at Women’s British Open on dream debut; Henderson T37
MILTON KEYNES, England – Hinako Shibuno’s dream debut continued Saturday as she fired a 5-under 67 to seize a two-shot lead going into the final round at the Women’s British Open.
The 20-year-old Shibuno, a rookie on the Japan LPGA Tour who is making her LPGA Tour and major championship debut, hit six birdies in the final nine holes of the third round for a 14-under 202.
Overnight leader Ashleigh Buhai (72) started with a three-shot lead at Woburn Golf Club and stretched it to five as Shibuno had bogeys on Nos. 5 and 9. But with Sung Hyun Park also closing in, Buhai stumbled with three bogeys in five holes. The 30-year-old South African, who has never won on the LPGA Tour, dropped to second at 12 under.
Second-ranked Park was a shot further back in third after a bogey-free 68.
Americans Morgan Pressel and Lizette Salas, and top-ranked Jin Young Ko, were tied for fourth on 10 under. Ko (68) is seeking her third major title of the year after winning last week’s Evian Championship in France.
Pressel birdied eight holes on her way to a 66, while Salas (70) had two bogeys in her opening nine.
Defending champion Georgia Hall was 10 shots back after a 74.
Canada’s Brooke Henderson (74) was tied for 37th.
Brooke Henderson T19 mid way through Women’s British Open
MILTON KEYNES, England – Ashleigh Buhai stretched her surprise lead at the Women’s British Open to three shots, shooting a bogey-free 5-under 67 in Friday’s second round.
Buhai, a 30-year-old South African who has never won on the LPGA Tour, birdied four of the final eight holes to post 12-under 132.
“I’m trying not to keep thinking it’s a major. It’s just another tournament,” said Buhai, whose best previous British Open finish was a tie for 30th in 2017. “I just keep trying to do what I’ve done the last few weeks. I’ve kept the mistakes off the card the last two days.”
Alone in second at 9 under was 20-year-old Hinako Shibuno, a rookie on the Japan LPGA Tour who is making her LPGA Tour and major championship debut.
“I just wanted to make the cut. That’s all,” Shibuno said.
Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is tied for 18th at 4 under after shooting a 1-under 71 on Friday. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp missed the cut at 4 over.
Shibuno, who shot 66 on Thursday, had a 69 on Friday and wowed spectators at Woburn Golf Club with her fearless play. She led for much of the afternoon before Buhai overtook her. Shibuno has two victories in Japan this year and is ranked 46th in the world.
American Lizette Salas was third at 8 under. She birdied the first four holes en route to a bogey-free 67.
“Awesome day,” Salas said.
Bronte Law, the top-ranked English player at No. 19, also shot 67 and was four shots back alongside Celine Boutier, second-ranked Sung Hyun Park, Caroline Masson and local favourite Charley Hull, who is playing on her home course. Boutier had the day’s lowest round at 66.
Danielle Kang had a disappointing 72 and was six shots back.
“I don’t know, nothing really felt like yesterday,” Kang said. “I guess today was one of those off-days and yesterday was the day that everything comes together. But I know what I’m capable of. Even if I’m playing bad, I know I can give myself opportunities.”
Defending champion Georgia Hall was also 6 under after a 69, along with Ariya Jutanugarn (70), Carlota Ciganda (69) and top-ranked Jin Young Ko, who was frustrated after a 70. Ko is seeking her third major title of the year after winning last week’s Evian Championship in France.
Canada’s Adam Svensson shoot 61 after making bid for rare 59 at Wyndham
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Canada’s Adam Svensson made a run at golf’s magic number before settling for a 9-under 61 on Friday at the Wyndham Championship.
The 59 watch was on after the 25-year-old golfer from Surrey, B.C., made seven birdies for a 28 on the front nine at a soft and wet Sedgefield Country Club. But Svensson cooled down with two birdies on the back nine, preventing him from becoming just the 10th player in PGA Tour history to shoot 59.
“I was kind of like, all right, I’m 9 under par (after No. 13) and there’s still four or five holes and a par 5,” Svensson said. “I was actually pretty calm. I thought I would be a little more nervous than I was.”
Svensson was tied with Canadian Mackenzie Hughes and four others in third place heading into the weekend at 11 under – two strokes behind leader Byeong Hun An.
An was at 13-under 127 halfway through the PGA Tour’s final event before the FedEx Cup playoffs. Brice Garnett was a stroke back after a 64.
Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., was the lone Canadian to shoot 59 on the PGA Tour, doing so in 2017 at the CareerBuilder Challenge.
Svensson missed a five-foot putt for birdie at No. 15 and a 15-footer for birdie at No. 17, pretty much ending his shot at a 59. He made an 11-foot par putt on No. 18 to complete a bogey-free round.
“I was happy with the way I played. I had a couple missed putts coming down the stretch,” he said.
59 watch for Canadian @adamsvensson59 ??
He needs to go 2 under in his final 4 holes @WyndhamChamp pic.twitter.com/HSYPd0n8EZ
— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) August 2, 2019
Hughes, from Dundas, Ont., shot 66 after opening with a 63 to stay in contention entering the third round.
Three other Canadians made the cut. Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., (66) and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., (66) are 5 under, while Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., (69) is 4 under.
The 61 came at a great time for Svensson, a PGA Tour rookie. He sat 171st in the FedEx Cup standings entering the Wyndham Championship, the final event before the playoffs.
The top 125 qualify for the playoffs and guarantee themselves PGA Tour cards for next season. If Svensson does not reach the top 125, he’ll have to go to the Korn Ferry Tour Finals to try to maintain his status on the top tour.
“I was talking to Danny (Sahl), my caddie, who said, ‘You know what? Go out and just no pressure, just go out there and play and see what we can do,”’ Svensson said.
Svensson also shot a 61 in January in the first round of the Sony Open in Hawaii. He is the only player this season to shoot multiple rounds of 61 or better.
An made his move up the leaderboard with three straight birdies late in his round.
Finishing on the back nine, the 27-year-old South Korean who’s winless on tour had birdies on Nos. 3-5 and closed his second consecutive bogey-free round with four straight pars.
“I came close last couple years and, you know, maybe this week might do it,” An said about that long-awaited first victory. “But still have two more days and there are a lot of players behind me. … Just do what I’ve been doing the last couple days and just hit a lot of fairways and greens and make some putts. If someone plays better than me, then he deserves to win it, but as long as I keep these bogey-free rounds going.”
Emily Zhu wins Canadian Junior Girls Championship
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – Emily Zhu of Richmond Hill, Ont., carded a final round of 4 under 68, overcoming a two-stroke deficit to win the 65th Canadian Junior Girls Championship held at Lethbridge Country Club in Lethbridge, Alta.
Zhu finished the tournament at 13 under, having posted her first career bogey-free round on Thursday. She finished five strokes ahead of YanJun (Victoria) Liu (Vancouver) and Céleste Dao (Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que.).
“I’m still kind of in shock,” said Zhu. “Going into this tournament I really wanted to win, so this win makes me feel really, really good. I tried to play it like yesterday – focus on my shot and focus on hitting each one as good as I can.”
It was an eerily similar situation to last year for Zhu. In 2018, she was in the final group and only one stroke back of the leader, eventually finishing in second. This year was different however, with the Team Canada National Development Squad member surpassing 54-hole leader YanJun (Victoria) Liu.
“I focused on each shot – don’t overthink anything,” said Zhu. “Make sure that the shot at hand is going to be as good as I can.”
A pivotal moment came on the par-4 No. 11, where Zhu birdied and Liu double-bogeyed. The three strokes gained on the hole were more than enough for Zhu.
The 15-year-old also won the Juvenile Girls Championship (for 16-year-olds and under) for the second consecutive year, with Liu finishing runner-up and Brooke Rivers (Brampton, Ont.) coming in third. As the Canadian Junior Champion, Zhu earns an exemption into the 2020 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.
Liu and Dao finished runner-up at 8 under. Liu carried a two-shot lead into the final round, but shot 3 over.
Dao, the defending champion, carded 3 under 69 on Friday. She made three birdies in the final round of her career as a junior competitor. The 18-year-old made the cut at all six the Canadian Junior Girls Championships she played.
Brooke Rivers (Brampton, Ont.) finished fourth at 5 under for the tournament, eight back of Zhu.
Hsin Chiao Chang of Chinese Taipei and Hailey McLaughlin (Markham, Ont.) finished tied for fifth at 3 under.
Play was resumed at 2:00 p.m. local time following a 56-minute weather delay.
Full results can be found here.