RED DEER, Alta. – Andrea Lee (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) shot 3-under-par 69 at Red Deer Golf & Country Club on Thursday and heads into the final round of the 106th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship with a three-stroke lead.

Lee held a share of the lead after the opening round, but fell to second after 36 holes. The No. 2-ranked golfer on the World Amateur Golf Ranking sunk four birdies in the third round, moving herself to 10 under for the tournament.

“I played really solid today and had a good front nine,” said Lee. “On the back, I just stayed really patient. I made nine straight pars and played steady golf. It’s a really tough field and a lot of top amateurs are out here competing, so it’s always fun and exciting to be out here.”

After roaring into the lead with a first round of 6 under 66, Lee was quiet in round two, shooting 1 under. The USGA has committed to send at least two players to both the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championship since 2017, and Lee’s play at the 2019 edition of the competition is a direct result of that commitment.

Round two leader Jennifer Chang (Cary, N.C.) shot even-par, leaving her at 7 under for the tournament.

Brianna Navarrosa (San Diego, Calif.) remained in third place, four back of Lee, with a round of 2 under.

The low round of the day belonged to Therese Warner of Kennwick, Wash. Warner shot 4 under 68, moving into fourth position at 5 under for the tournament.

The low Canadian heading into the final round is 12-year-old Michelle Liu of Vancouver. Liu was bogey-free in round two, but carded 1 over on Thursday, sitting in a tie for sixth.

The final round of competition will see the first groups tee off at 7:30 a.m. from holes No. 1 and No. 10.

The 2019 Canadian Women’s Amateur individual champion will earn an exemption into the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship and the 2019 CP Women’s Open at Magna Golf Club from August 19-25. Should the winner be a non-Canadian, the low Canadian will also earn an exemption to the 2019 CP Women’s Open.

Full scoring can be found here.

Maddie Szeryk was having trouble with her ball striking during the fourth round of the Danielle Downey Credit Union Classic and it was starting to get to her. But then she remembered the advice of Dr. Adrienne Leslie-Toogood, a mental performance coach with Golf Canada.

“It was kind of frustrating because I had been hitting it really well all week,” said Szeryk on Tuesday. “It was just kind of like OK, what’s happening?’ But you just kind of have to focus. You don’t want to get frustrated and give shots away. You have to remember that it happens, it’s golf and you have to figure out how to get this up and down or save par or make birdie.”

Szeryk finished the tournament tied for 24th at 6-under 282, the latest in a string of solid performances on the Symetra Tour that includes three top-five finishes since May 23. That strong play has her at 11th on the second-tier circuit’s money list, in a great position to earn an LPGA Tour card for next season.

The 23-year-old Szeryk says that a strong foundation in mental conditioning has given her the consistency needed to become the highest-ranked Canadian on the Symetra Tour.

“I think it’s important to stay patient and stay in the moment and not get so frustrated,” Szeryk said. “Just really focus on what’s ahead. It takes a lot out of you and you have such a long year of golf that you really can’t waste that energy.

“You play so much that you have to keep high energy and you can’t waste it on something like hitting a bad shot and getting frustrated. It’s not worth it in the big picture, in the grand scheme of it all.”

Leslie-Toogood encourages golfers to not just have a healthy pre-shot ritual, but a constructive post-shot routine too. That means learning from the shot and then moving on without it weighing on the golfer.

“Rather than waiting until you’re in a tough spot to really try and figure it out, instead, what are the processes you can have in place,” said Leslie-Toogood, who currently works with Golf Canada’s men’s amateur and young pro teams. “Fuelling and hydration, those are really important things on the golf course, you do those really proactively. You don’t wait until you’re about to pass out to sip water, you do it along the way to stay in a good place.

“So if you’re a person who wants to be more patient, what can we do to help you stay patient rather than wait until you’re completely losing it to kind of get yourself back.”

Although she was born in Allen, Texas, Szeryk and her sister Ellie Szeryk – who has committed to play for Texas A&M next season – are dual Canadian-American citizens that regularly visit family in London, Ont. Both Szeryks are proud of their Canadian roots and Maddie says they wouldn’t be as successful without the support of Golf Canada, including its coaching staff like Leslie-Toogood.

“We both love playing for Canada. That’s who we want to play for,” said Maddie Szeryk. “They’ve helped so much, I’ve learned so much over the past few years. How to grow my game, mentally, physically, just the all-around golf game.”

Szeryk will be in the field at the CDPHP Open when it tees off on Friday at Capital Hills Golf Course in Albany, N.Y. She’ll be joined by Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., the second-highest ranked Canadian on tour at No. 29.

Other Canadians in the field include Caroline Ciot of Brossard, Que., Christina Foster of Concord, Ont., Hannah Hellyer of Stirling, Ont., Valerie Tanguay of St-hyacinthe, Que., Elizabeth Tong of Thornhill, Ont., as well as Megan Osland and Samantha Richdale, both from Kelowna, B.C.

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – Top junior golfers from across North America will head to Lethbridge Country Club from July 30-August 2 to compete in the 65th playing of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship.

The impressive field is led by the Team Canada National Junior Squad, with all five members set to chase the Brokenshire Trophy in Lethbridge; Céleste Dao (Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que.), Sarah Beqaj (Toronto), Emily Zhu (Richmond Hill, Ont.), Ellie Szeryk (London, Ont.) and Monet Chun (Richmond Hill, Ont.).

Dao is the defending champion, having won last year’s event by three strokes. She took the lead in the second round, but an impressive charge in the final round secured her the championship. Three birdies on her final five holes allowed her to separate from runner-up Emily Zhu.

In total, 16 of Canada’s top 50 golfers from the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) are included in the field.

“Lethbridge Country Club is the perfect host for our national Junior Girls Championship,” said Tournament Director Adam Cinel. “Its signature holes and fantastic layout will provide a great challenge for the best junior golfers across North America as they chase Canada’s national title.”

A practice round will be conducted Monday, July 29 prior to the championship’s opening round on Tuesday, July 30. Following the first two rounds of play, the field will be reduced to the low 70 players and ties with the top ten juvenile’s and ties included in the final round.

A tie for the championship will be decided by a hole-by-hole playoff immediately following the conclusion of play.

The 2019 Canadian Junior Girls champion will receive an exemption into the 2020 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.

Founded in 1909, Lethbridge Country Club has been on its current site since May 1932. Designed by renowned Canadian golf course architect Stanley Thompson, the course runs adjacent to the Old Man River. It was the site of the 2012 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, which was won by Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, who carded a course record 65 in the third round. A 14-year-old Brooke Henderson finished sixth.

“We are thrilled to be hosting this strong field at Lethbridge Country Club and welcoming this prestigious championship to our course,” said Brian Huculak, General Manager of Lethbridge Country Club. “The golf course is in tremendous shape and we look forward to showcasing its beauty as well as the great city of Lethbridge.”

The Canadian Junior Girls Championship has a long list of distinguished past champions, including Canadian Golf Hall of Famer and major champion Sandra Post, and current LPGA superstar and Canadian professional golf victory record-holder Brooke Henderson.

An inter-provincial team competition will take place over the first two rounds. The two best scores of the three golfers from each provincial team in rounds one and two count towards the team’s score. The lowest aggregate score over rounds one and two determines the champions, who will claim the Mary Pyke Trophy.

Quebec will look to defend their team competition title. The trio of Dao, Élizabeth Labbé (Lévis, Que.) and Emily Romancew (Pierrefonds, Que.) shot four over, four strokes ahead of British Columbia.

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

NOTABLES

Céleste Dao, Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que.
The 18-year-old played the 2019 US Women’s Open and is the highest-ranked Canadian in the field on the World Amateur Golf Ranking (No. 311). Dao also played the 2018 CP Women’s Open and placed fifth at the World Junior Girls Championship in September 2018. She currently leads the Future Links, driven by Acura Junior Girls Order of Merit and is sixth on the Golf Canada National Women’s Order of Merit.

Annabelle Ackroyd, Calgary
Ackroyd earned an exemption into the Canadian Junior Girls Championship in her home province by winning the Future Links, driven by Acura Western Championship in June. The 17-year-old defended her title as Alberta Junior champion earlier this summer.

Ellie Szeryk, London, Ont.
The sister of Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Maddie Szeryk, Ellie was in the hunt at last year’s Canadian Junior Girls Championship. She won the 2018 Golf Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship and played well at the 2018 World Junior Girls Championship. Szeryk also teed off at the South American Amateur Championship in January 2019.

Monet Chun, Richmond Hill, Ont.
Now in her third season on the Team Canada National Junior Squad, Chun won three tournaments in 2018. Although she missed the cut at the 2018 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, she finished in a tie for fourth at the tournament in 2017 and in the top ten in each of the previous three years. Chun also finished third at the AJGA C.T. Pan Junior Championship in April 2019.

Emily Zhu, Richmond Hill, Ont.
A runner-up performance at last year’s tournament was an incredible accomplishment for Zhu, who was only 14 years old at the time. She made the cut at the 2018 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, becoming one of the youngest players ever to do so. Zhu won the AJGA Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior and played well at the Women’s Porter Cup this season.

Sarah Bejaq, Toronto, Ont.
Bejaq placed fifth at last year’s Canadian Junior Girls Championship and joined the Team Canada National Junior Squad shortly thereafter. She posted top-10 finishes at both the 2018 Ontario Women’s Junior and Amateur Championships. Bejaq was one of six Canadians to play at the World Junior Girls Championship last year.

FAST FACTS

Dao’s win in 2018 broke a streak of three straight years in which a British Columbia golfer won the individual event: Susan Xiao in 2017 (Surrey, B.C.), Naomi Ko in 2016 (Victoria, B.C.) and Michelle Kim in 2015 (Surrey, B.C.).

Nine-time LPGA winner and major champion Brooke Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., won the event in 2012 at River Spirit Golf Club in Calgary, Alta.

The lowest single-round score in the tournament’s history is a 66 – Karen England (1997), Kristy Finlayson (1998), Elyse Archambault (2010) and Hannah Lee (2015).

Heather Kuzmich won four straight Canadian Junior Girls Championships from 1981-1984.

Four Canadian Golf Hall of Fame members are past champions of the event: Betty Stanhope-Cole (1956), Judy Darling Evans (1957), Gail Harvey (1958-60) and Sandra Post (1964-66).

Current LPGA golfer Alena Sharp was the 1999 Canadian Junior Girls Champion.

The 2019 Canadian Junior Girls champion will receive an exemption into the 2020 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.

RED DEER, Alta. – Jennifer Chang of Cary, N.C., vaulted herself into the lead in the second round of the 106th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship held at Red Deer Golf & Country Club in Red Deer, Alta.

Chang moved atop the leaderboard with a round of 5 under 67, the lowest score in the second round and her second consecutive round in the 60s. The No. 13-ranked player on the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Chang was bogey-free on Wednesday, leaving her at 8 under for the tournament.

“I thought I played pretty well [yesterday] at 3 under and today I really took it up a notch,” said Chang. “The wind blows pretty hard, so I’m just going to do the same thing each and every day and take it one shot at a time.”

.@jenniferchang99 taking it one shot at a time ⛳️?? pic.twitter.com/UgULT7gg91

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) July 24, 2019

Andrea Lee (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) sits in second place, one stroke behind Chang. The No. 2-ranked golfer on the World Amateur Golf Ranking made back-to-back birdies on the par-5 No. 4 and the par-3 No. 5, finishing the second round at 1 under.

Brianna Navarrosa of San Diego, Calif., sits in third at 4 under, having shot even-par in the second round.

After sharing the first-round lead with Lee, Zoe Campos (Valencia, Calif.) carded a round of three over, falling into a tie for fourth with Min A Yoon (Republic of Korea) and Emilee Hoffman (Folsom, Calif.), five shots back of Chang.

Michelle Liu is the low Canadian after 36 holes. The 12-year-old Vancouver product fired a bogey-free round, sinking two birdies to bring her score to 2 under, good for a tie for seventh position.

Seventy-two players have advanced to the final two rounds of the championship. The first groups will tee off Thursday at 7:30 a.m. from holes No. 1 and No. 10.

Team Ontario won the Inter-Provincial team competition, with Emily Zhu (Richmond Hill, Ont.), Sarah Dunning (Waterloo, Ont.) and Tiana Cruz (Richmond Hill, Ont.) combining for a score of 18 over. Team British Columbia finished in second, two shots back.

Congrats to @thegolfontario squad for winning the inter-provincial title at the Canadian Women’s Amateur #CDNWAm ???? pic.twitter.com/AuVXGhM1pt

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) July 25, 2019

This is Ontario’s first time winning the Inter-Provincial competition since 2014 and their 39^th time claiming the team championship since it was inaugurated in 1947.

Play was suspended for 71 minutes, resuming at 4:30 p.m., due to inclement weather.

The 2019 Canadian Women’s Amateur individual champion will earn an exemption into the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship and the 2019 CP Women’s Open at Magna Golf Club from August 19-25. Should the winner be a non-Canadian, the low Canadian will also earn an exemption to the 2019 CP Women’s Open.

Full scoring can be found here.

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France – Restored to July on the calendar, the Evian Championship begins back-to-back weeks of major championships in women’s golf for the first time in six decades on Thursday.

It shapes up as a tough test starting in a French heat wave for players who aim to play eight rounds of major golf in 11 days here and at the Women’s British Open.

“There’s so much emotion that is going to go into this,” defending champion Angela Stanford said Wednesday, pointing to a challenge for players unfamiliar with either Evian Resort Golf Club or next week’s venue at Woburn, England.

According to the LPGA Tour, playing majors in successive weeks has not been tried since 1960. This year’s schedule also condenses the five majors into exactly four months – from the April 4 start of the ANA Inspiration to the final round of the British Open on Aug. 4.

To become the fifth women’s major in 2013, the $4.1 million Evian Championship gave up its place in the July sun for typically rainy September. Entire rounds were twice swept from the record books before winners of 54-hole tournaments were crowned in 2013 and 2017.

“I do hate the cold. I was complaining a little when it used to be in September and colder,” said top-ranked Sung Hyun Park. In a Thursday storm two years ago, Park’s 6-over score after five holes was abandoned for a fresh Friday start. She missed the cut last year.

The 25-year-old South Korean never played at Evian when it was a regular LPGA Tour-sanctioned event in July from 2003 to 2012.

The hot, dry summer in eastern France is forecast to continue for the first two rounds with mid-30s Celsius (mid-90s F) temperatures.

Still, the par-71, 6,527-yard (5,968-meter) course is not set up quite as expected.

The greens are predictably harder and faster than in September – “runs more and bounces a lot more,” Park said – though the course is playing long off the tee.

“I’m a little bit disappointed in the fairways right now. A lot of players expected firm and fast, and it’s not,” Stanford said, adding the conditions could force players to “play more on defence.”

On undulating hills overlooking Lake Geneva, the course can be a demanding walk in the heat before the expected weekend arrival of thunderstorms. The forecast for Sunday’s final round is an autumnal 20 C (68 F) in the rain.

“I need to conserve energy,” 15th-ranked Jessica Korda said of playing back-to-back big events. “I know what I feel like after majors and how much time I like to take off.”

A win for Korda, or her 10th-ranked sister Nelly, would extend a streak of five straight first-time winners of majors.

In a period lacking a dominant player, 10 different players won the past 10 women’s majors, starting with In-Kyung Kim’s 2017 British Women’s Open title. All 10 are in the 120-player Evian field.

Stanford may be the biggest outsider among them, having gone without a top-20 finish since her victory here.

“Honestly, it’s been a very bad year,” said the forthright Texan, who could take inspiration from Americans who retained their title in France this month.

Stanford said she was in a Chicago park on July 7 watching a public screening of the United States soccer team’s victory in the Women’s World Cup final.

“It was so cool. I loved it,” Stanford said. “Sometimes you have to be bold, and they were bold.”

RED DEER, Alta. – World No. 2 Andrea Lee (Hermosa Beach, Calf.) and Zoe Campos (Valencia, Calf.) share the lead after the first round of the 106th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship held at Red Deer Golf & Country Club in Red Deer, Alta.

Both Campos and Lee fired opening rounds of 6 under 66.

Campos played nearly flawless golf in the opening round, making seven birdies. Her lone bogey came on her very last hole – the par-4 No. 9 (she started on the back nine). Campos is no stranger to competing in Canada, as she finished third at the 2018 World Junior Girls Championship at Camelot Golf & Country Club in Cumerland, Ont.

“I thought I played well, everything was pretty much on point,” said Campos. “The course is really tough. The greens are really hard, and you have to manage where you land them. The fairways are really narrow, so you have to be accurate on everything.”

American @zoecamposs co-leads the Canadian Women’s Amateur at 6 under par @rdgcc1922 #CDNWAm pic.twitter.com/de8QDbZpoO

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) July 23, 2019

Lee, currently the No. 2-ranked player on the World Amateur Golf Ranking, finished her round strong with three birdies on her final four holes.

Sarah-Ève Rheaume is the low Canadian after the first round at 4 under. The Quebec City product made three birdies on both the front nine and the back nine, and sits in a tie for third heading into the second round.

Ty Akabane (Danville, Calif.) and Brianna Navarrosa (San Diego, Calif.) are tied with Rheaume at 4 under.

Team Québec, consisting of Brigitte Thibault (Rosemère, Que.), Annie Lacombe (Laval, Que.) and Sasha Laoun (Montreal), leads the inter-provincial team competition at 4 over. British Columbia, the two-time defending champions, sit a stroke back.

The 2019 Canadian Women’s Amateur individual champion will earn an exemption into the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship and the 2019 CP Women’s Open at Magna Golf Club from August 19-25. Should the winner be a non-Canadian, the low Canadian will also earn an exemption to the 2019 CP Women’s Open.

Welcome to the 106th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship @rdgcc1922 ???? pic.twitter.com/XnfRmgaBwj

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) July 23, 2019

2019 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship first round leaders

1. Zoe Campos, Valencia, CA, *34-32-66 -6
2. Andrea Lee, Hermosa Beach, CA, *32-34-66 -6
3. Ty Akabane, Danville, CA, *36-32-68 -4
4. Brianna Navarrosa, San Diego, CA, *31-37-68 -4
5. Sarah-Eve Rheaume, Quebec, QC, *34-34-68 -4

First round Inter-Provincial Results

1. Québec +4
2. British Columbia +5
3. Alberta +8
4. Ontario +10
5. Nova Scotia +13
6. Manitoba +16
7. Saskatchewan +27

Full scoring can be found here.

After close to 43 years of commitment and dedication to Golf Canada, the organization shared today that Bill Paul will be stepping down from his role as Chief Championship Officer.

Paul, who will continue as an advisor to Golf Canada beyond the end of July, has done a great job during his tenure helping to shape and drive both the RBC Canadian Open and CP Women’s Open, with both events well positioned for success. Through his leadership, Golf Canada has brought the focus of a dedicated operational team for each of Canada’s National Open Championships and has helped make both national championships incredibly successful.

His career at Golf Canada includes more than 23 years as Tournament Director of the RBC Canadian Open. He also served as Tournament Director of the Canadian Senior Open Championship as well as the 1992 World Amateur Team Championships and played a significant role in securing an LPGA Tour event (now the CP Women’s Open) for Golf Canada.

As Golf Canada’s Chief Championship Officer since 2015 and a member of Golf Canada’s Executive Team, he was a lead conduit for key relationships including the PGA TOUR and LPGA TOUR as well as directly with players, agents, corporate partners, host clubs, volunteer committees, government officials and other golf industry stakeholders. Prior to joining the organization full-time, Paul spent five years as a summer student prior to becoming a full-time employee working as the Assistant Tournament Director.

STATEMENT FROM BILL PAUL

“It has been an honour and a privilege to be a part of and represent Golf Canada for 43 years and I believe that the organization is well positioned for success going forward. I am extremely proud of the many milestones that our team have accomplished together. I value the deep friendships developed with so many staff, volunteers, players, agents, sponsors, media and industry colleagues across the Canadian and international golf landscape and it is humbling to know that I’ve helped to advance our National Open Championships and the sport golf in Canada”

STATEMENT FROM GOLF CANADA CEO LAURENCE APPLEBAUM

“Bill Paul has played an incredibly meaningful role with Golf Canada and he has represented Golf Canada with the highest measure of integrity and played a major part in so many successes during his tenure. He has had a tremendous effect within our organization, and we are extremely appreciative of his contributions, professionalism, mentorship, and commitment to so many facets of our business.”

“Together with Golf Canada’s staff, volunteers, partners and many golf industry stakeholders, please join us in thanking Bill Paul for his outstanding career contributions to Golf Canada.”

THORNHILL, Ont. – Cougar Collins of Toronto and Jackson Bowery of London, Ont., earned exemptions into the 2019 U.S. Amateur Championship at the Qualifier held at The Thornhill Club in Thornhill, Ont., on Monday.

Collins earned medallist honours by carding rounds of 69 and 67 during the 36-hole competition. The 20-year-old clinched the exemption with an eagle on the par-5 No. 17 during his second round.

“I had my dad on the bag today and it means a lot to both of us that we’ll be able to go back to the U.S. Am,” said Collins. “I came into the day wanting to be committed to every shot I hit. When it came to the back nine today, the two par-5s were really the turning points.”

Collins is entering his junior season at Eastern Michigan University and advanced to sectional qualifying for the 2019 U.S. Open. He played the U.S. Amateur in 2018, failing to make the cut.

A playoff was needed to determine the second automatic exemption, with Bowery and Team Canada National Amateur Squad member Josh Whalen (Napanee, Ont.) finishing at 5 under. Bowery won with a par on the second playoff hole (the par-4 No. 18) after Whalen lipped out his putt to save par.

Bowery will be playing the U.S. Amateur Championship for the first time. He finished runner-up at the 2019 Canadian University/College Championship.

It was a breathtaking turnaround for Whalen, who looked out of contention at 2 over following the first round. A 7-under-par-64 in his second round – the lowest round of the day – earned him the playoff with Bowery.

Whalen earns the first alternate spot from the Qualifier. Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., earned the second alternate spot. Rank and Zack Mason (Toronto) finished at 4 under and Rank clinched the spot with a par on the sixth playoff hole (the 18th).

Monday’s qualifier was one of 96 being held across North America from July 1-24 and the only such qualifier in Canada.

Nine Canadians have now qualified for the 2019 U.S. Amateur Championship; Julien Sale (Reunion Island), Colwyn Abgrall (Niverville, Man.), Étienne Brault (Mercier, Que.), Calvin Ross (Fredericton, N.B.), Joey Savoie (La Prairie, Que.), Tristan Mandur (Mill Bay, B.C.), Chris Crisologo (Richmond, B.C.), Collins and Bowery.

Seven additional Canadians are alternates for the event; Jacob Presutti (Brampton, Ont.), Etienne Papineau (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.), Tyson Turchanski (Calgary), Kade Johnson (Yorkton, Sask.), Jeevan Sihota (Victoria), Whalen and Rank.

The 119th U.S. Amateur Championship is being held at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in Pinehurst, N.C., from August 12-18.

Full results can be found here.

Fifteen years ago, golfers didn’t have to worry about making the Olympics. The sport hadn’t been featured at a Games since 1904 when Canada’s George Lyon won gold.

But since golf returned to the fold for the 2016 Rio Olympics, it’s been a priority for Derek Ingram and the rest of Golf Canada’s high performance team. In fact, Ingram has been preparing for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics since the last Summer Games ended.

“Canadians are super patriotic and they love sport. Our athletes on the PGA Tour and the LPGA Tour are no different. They love it. You think they don’t want to be like Sidney Crosby?” Ingram, the head coach of Canada’s men’s team, said on Thursday from Winnipeg. “In that respect, the Olympics have gone from not on the radar at all to probably one of their top four or five events and as time goes along it may become No. 1 or 2.”

Qualifying players for the Olympics – the men’s tournament is July 30-Aug. 2 and the women’s event is Aug. 5-8 – can be tricky but the format will benefit Canada.

A total of 60 players will play in each gender’s 72-hole, stroke-play tournament, with qualification based on world rankings. The top 15 players of each gender can play, with a limit of four golfers per country. The remaining spots will go to the highest-ranked players from countries that do not already have two golfers qualified, with a limit of two per country.

The International Golf Federation also guarantees that at least one golfer from the host nation – in this case, Japan – and each geographical region (Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania) will qualify. The fields will be set based on the world rankings on June 22, 2020 (men) and June 29, 2020 (women).

In practice, that will make for a relatively weak field that Canada’s golfers can take advantage of.

If this week’s rankings were used, the United States men’s golf team would consist of world No. 1 Brooks Koepka, No. 2 Dustin Johnson, fifth-ranked Tiger Woods and sixth-ranked Bryson DeChambeau. No other Americans would be able to play, eliminating 24 of the top 60 players in the world. Similarly, Great Britain would be represented by world No. 3 Rory McIlroy, No. 4 Justin Rose and Paul Casey would squeak in as the 15th-ranked golfer in the world. All other Britons would miss out.

That means the Canadian’s men’s team, based on current rankings, would be Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C. (No. 64) and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont. (No. 87). Although both are out of the top 60, they would get “pulled up” by all the Americans, Brits, and other players who are ineligible because their country’s allotments are full.

“It’s a softer field and, all of a sudden, our players go into the tournament as the 15th- or 20th-ranked player in the field,” said Ingram. “In four rounds, in golf, they’ve already beaten all those guys that are in front of them. They don’t beat them every day but they’ve beaten them in tournaments and they’ve beaten them in rounds.”

On the women’s side, Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., would represent Canada as the ninth-ranked golfer in the world. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp is the next highest ranked Canadian at 125th but with 44 players from South Korea ineligible to play after that nation’s top four have qualified, she rockets up the qualification charts. That’s before eliminating golfers from other powerhouse countries like the U.S., Thailand, or China.

A challenge that all teams will face is preparing for the Olympic course at Kasumigaseki Country Club., a private course in Saitama, Japan, that most golfers haven’t seen. Ingram and Tristan Mullally, the head coach for Canada’s women’s team, plan on travelling to Japan in the fall to scout it out for their players.

“It’s not down the street, they can’t take a trip down there on a Monday of a PGA TOUR event and play 18 holes and get to know it. It’s a bit of a hike,” said Ingram with a laugh. “We have to be prepared as we can be. That’s doesn’t mean the player and the caddy and their coaches won’t do their due diligence when they get to the event and have lots of time but it’s nice to have a little bit of background information or a lot of background information. It just makes it a little bit easier when they get there.”

NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. – From President Donald Trump’s putting advice to playing partner Kelly Kraft’s two late bogeys, Jim Herman got the help he needed to win the Barbasol Championship on Sunday for his second PGA Tour title.

He executed when he had to, too.

“Really proud of how I can step up on that 18th tee when everything’s on the line and hit the fairway and hit the green and get out of there,” Herman said.

Trump’s regular golf partner while working as an assistant professional at Trump National Bedminster in New Jersey, Herman changed to a conventional putting grip and clubhead at the president’s suggestion following a recent round.

Encouraged by Trump more than a decade ago to pursue a playing career, Herman won the 2016 Shell Houston Open for his lone tour title – a victory that also followed a friendly round with Trump.

“I think I need to see him again soon,” the 41-year-old Herman said on the 18th green after his winning tap-in par. “He motivates me and puts me in a good spot.”

Herman finished with a 2-under 70 at Keene Trace in the round interrupted for over three hours because of a thunderstorm with the leaders on the seventh pole. Herman’s putting cooled off after sizzling in opening rounds of 65, 65 and 62.

“Today was just hanging on,” Herman said. “Kelly and I couldn’t find what we had on Saturday…. I was just able to hang on. Kelly played great obviously all week, but I came out on top.”

A shot ahead with three to play, Kraft bogeyed the par-3 16th and par-4 17th. He followed a third-round 61 with a 70 to finish a shot back and squander a chance for his first tour victory.

“I just didn’t have my best stuff today, but I had it going there – made a couple birdies, 14, 15,” Kraft said. “I just gave it to him coming down the stretch, that’s basically all there is to it.”

Herman parred the last three holes to finish at a tournament-record 26-under 262.

“Obviously, with one hole (left) and a one-shot lead, I’ve been in that scenario before, just had to hit a good drive,” Herman said. “You have to step up and give yourself a look at birdie just in case Kelly was going to have a look as well.”

Herman earned a two-year tour exemption and a spot in the PGA Championship, but not in the Masters. He played the last two weeks on past champion status and thought he was headed down to the Korn Ferry Tour.

“My future on tour was not looking too bright coming off a lot of cuts,” Herman said. “I didn’t feel like I was playing poorly, but just putting, short game was not there. Driving, irons has always been there for me, but this week found the touch and here we are.”

The former University of Cincinnati won close to home, giving many family members and friends a chance to watch.

“I’ve never really had a problem with Kentucky, but they beat us in basketball a bunch,” Herman said. “It’s great to win here so close to home. Winning in Houston, didn’t have many people around.”

He was surprised to see wife Caroline and children Abigail and Andrew during the rain delay.

“I’m sitting there with the rain delay and my wife shows up,” Herman said. “We spend most of the summer with her mom and dad in Philadelphia and they drove over this morning. They left at, I don’t know, 4 this morning, so they were confident on what I was doing. …. Didn’t want to waste the opportunity for them.”

He was looking forward to hearing from his golf buddy in the White House.

“I’m sure I’ll be receiving some kind of message,” Herman said. “That was very unexpected to hear from him directly on Friday night. I got a phone call from him wishing me on for the weekend and congratulating me on my first two rounds. It’s pretty amazing I’ve had this relationship with him. I’m very fortunate I get to play a little golf with him.”

Sepp Straka of Austria was a career-best third at 23 under after a 66.

Matt Jones (63) and Austin Cook (70) followed at 22 under. Cook had a tour-record five birdies in the week. There were 114 eagles during the event, the most in a single-course tournament since the tour began tracking the statistic in 1990.

Lexington native Josh Teater tied for sixth – his best finish since 2013 – at 21 under after a 68.

Full scoring can be found here.