OAKVILLE, Ont. – After any PGA TOUR round Kevin Tway calls his longest-serving coach: his dad Bob. That pipeline of advice will be especially handy as the Tways try to become the first father-son duo to win the Canadian Open.

Tway birdied the par-5 18th hole to take the clubhouse lead midway through the second round of the RBC Canadian Open on Friday. He fired a 7-under 65 to finish his day at 13-under overall at Glen Abbey Golf Club. No one caught him in the afternoon, putting him in a prime position to win this weekend.

After signing his scorecard and grabbing a meal in the clubhouse Tway expected he would phone his dad.

“I talk to dad every day, no matter if I’m home, here,” said Tway, who is from Edmond, Okla., but resides in Jupiter, Fla. “We talk about every round. He can probably tell you what kind of shots I’m hitting just by like watching on TV. He knows what the swing looks like. He’s been there throughout, so he’s a big key for me.”

Bob Tway won the Canadian Open in 2003 at Hamilton Golf and Country Club, which will host the national championship in 2019. The elder Tway won eight PGA TOUR events over his career with his best finish coming in 1986 when he won the PGA Championship, two years before Kevin was born.

“It would be great to match (Canadian Open titles),” said Kevin. “He’s given me insight on this course. Although he won (in Hamilton), he’s played here many times.”

Your leaders heading into the weekend at the #RBCCO

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Bob Tway twice finished in a tie for ninth at Glen Abbey, in 1986 and 1995.

Although no father-son duo has won the Canadian Open, brothers Charles and Albert Murray of Montreal both won the national title twice during their Canadian Golf Hall of Fame careers. Charles won his first in 1906, while Albert won the brothers’ final title in 1913.

Keegan Bradley was in Tway’s pairing on Friday morning and made birdie-eagle-birdie-eagle on the final four holes to launch himself into a tie with South Korea’s Whee Kim for second at 12 under.

After sinking a 21-foot, two-inch putt on No. 18 Bradley turned to Tway and excitedly said something along the lines of “I’m coming.” Neither could remember the specifics because they were so excited.

“That was crazy,” said Bradley, who also had an eagle on the second hole. “I’ve never had anything close to that happen in my career.”

South Korea’s Byeong Hun An (67) and Johnson Wagner (65) were tied for fourth at 11-under. World No. 1 Dustin Johnson shot a 6-under 66 to enter a four-way tie for sixth with fellow American Zac Blair, Chile’s Joaquin Niemann, and New Zealand’s Aaron Baddeley at 10 under.

Robert Garrigus, the leader after the first round, shot an even par on Friday but was in a tie for 10th on the strength of his 9-under performance to start the TOURnament.

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., was the low Canadian. He fired a 5-under 67 on Friday to move to 9 under at the US$6.2 million PGA TOUR event.

“I hit it great off the tee, which set me up for a lot of short irons, and I gave myself a lot of chances,” said Taylor. “I actually missed a couple chances that I had on the back, as well, so I had a lot of chances and it was nice to make a bunch of them.”

Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., was one stroke behind Taylor after a torrid second round of 9-under 63. Silverman had a chance to tie the course record, but missed a 39-foot putt for eagle on the 18th hole and sits in a tie for 15th.

Silverman didn’t know that he was close to the course record at Glen Abbey, which is shared by many golfers but was most recently matched by Garrigus last year.

“I had no idea, I didn’t know what the course record was,” said Silverman. “I was just trying to keep going lower.”

Amateur Chris Crisologo (69) of Richmond, B.C., and Roger Sloan (69) of Merritt, B.C., are tied for 23rd at 7 under. Mackenzie Hughes (69) of Dundas, Ont., was in a group at 35th sitting at 6 under. Calgary’s Ryan Yip and David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., shot identical 72s to tie for 61st.

The cut line was projected at 4 under.

OAKVILLE, Ont. – One sport involves hurdling off snow-covered jumps as music blares in front of rabid fans. The other is played on manicured grass.

Still, Canadian Olympic snowboarder Mark McMorris sees a lot of similarities between his craft and the golfers he’s been watching this week.

“The littlest adjustments can make the biggest difference,” McMorris said Friday as he took in the second round of the RBC Canadian Open. “If you tuck a little bit too much in snowboarding, you might start spinning or flipping faster. I feel like we might have a little bit more room for error than the golfers.

“Our errors are a little bit more consequential to our well-being, but there can be some big financial errors for these guys.”

Speaking just off the 17th tee at Glen Abbey Golf Club, McMorris knows more than he cares to about consequential errors.

The 24-year-old from Regina was nearly killed in a March 2017 snowboarding accident in British Columbia’s backcountry when he crashed into a tree.

McMorris suffered breaks to his jaw and left arm, a ruptured spleen, a stable pelvic fracture, rib fractures and a collapsed left lung – 17 broken bones in all.

He had to be airlifted off the mountain before spending 10 days in a Vancouver hospital and was on a liquid diet for six weeks.

But McMorris somehow rebounded in time to capture bronze in men’s slopestyle at the Pyeongchang Winter Games for his second Olympic medal.

The echoes of those horrific injuries, however, continue to linger.

“I’m still not normal,” he said of the pain that remains nearly 16 months later. “I have plates in my face, plates in my arm, plates in my leg. My main focus is on mobility because it tightens up on me.

“It’s pretty impressive what the human body can do, given the circumstances.”

McMorris, who is sponsored by RBC, said he chatted with world No. 1 golfer Dustin Johnson and Canada’s Adam Hadwin at the US$6.2-million tournament, just the latest stop on what has already been a whirlwind summer.

He got to ride a horse as marshal of the Calgary Stampede Parade earlier this month and helped give away a car at a recent music festival.

“All these neat opportunities that you’d never think riding a piece of wood down a mountain would bring to me,” said McMorris, who plays about five or six rounds of a golf a summer. “I live a pretty strange life with the weird things I get to do because of snowboarding, but it is nice to be around an event like this and to see all the world’s best coming up to Canada.”

Stuck rehabbing injuries the last two summers, including from the accident that nearly took his life, McMorris is happy to let things come his way when he’s away from the mountain.

That might not have always been the case in the past.

“I don’t think I ever took anything for granted, but I definitely don’t now,” he said. “I wake up every day and go, ‘OK this is way better than when I was almost dead.’ I try to take things at a slower pace now. I don’t need to rush to get back to snowboarding. I really appreciate my time in it, but I love my time off.

“I’m very thankful for the life I lead, and I’m more thankful than I’ve ever been.”

TSAWWASSEN, B.C. – 142 of Canada’s premier junior golfers will be in Tsawwassen from July 30 – August 3 for the 2018 Canadian Junior Girls Championship at Beach Grove Golf Club.

Established in 1932, Beach Grove Golf Club is a championship golf course layout par 71 playing 6200 yards from the back tees. The course, situated in the heart of sunny Tsawwassen, B.C., is lined with mature trees and offers well-groomed fairways and the truest greens in the Lower Mainland.

“We’re thrilled to be hosting this strong field at Beach Grove and welcoming this prestigious championship to our course,” said Chris Hugill, General Manager at Beach Grove Golf Club. “The golf course is in tremendous shape and we look forward to showcasing its beauty as well as the great city of Tsawwassen.”

The impressive field is led by the Team Canada Development Squad, with 13 of Canada’s top-50 golfers in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) in the draw. At No. 360, Team Canada’s  Céleste Dao the highest ranked golfer in the field.

All four members of Team Canada’s Development Squad will be chasing the title in Tsawwassen: Céleste Dao (Notre-Dame Ile Perrot, Que.), Monet Chun (Richmond Hill, Ont.), Alyssa DiMarcantonio (Maple, Ont.) and Ellie Szeryk (London, Ont.). Szeryk finished last year’s event tied for second, the highest of the returning golfers from last year.

“Beach Grove Golf Club is the perfect host for our national Junior Girls Championship,” said Tournament Director Akash Patel. “Its signature holes and fantastic layout will provide a great challenge for the best junior golfers in Canada as they chase a national title.”

Susan Xiao was crowned champion at the event last year, finishing with a five-stroke victory. She would go on to place sixth at the 2017 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Cutten Fields in Guelph, Ont.

A practice round will be conducted on July 30 prior to the championship’s opening round on July 31. 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 2018 Canadian Junior Girls’ champion will receive an exemption into the 2019 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.

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 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship winner Brooke Henderson.

The defending team champions from Ontario will look to make it two in a row in the inter-provincial team competition, which takes place over the first two rounds.

In rounds one and two the best two scores of the three golfers from each provincial team count towards the team’s score. The lowest aggregate score over rounds one and two determines the champion. British Columbia won the 2015 and 2016 titles.

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

NOTABLES
Céleste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-l’Île Perrot, Que.
The 17-year-old is in her first year on the Team Canada Development Squad and has top-ten finishes in 11 out of the 16 events she has played at in 2018, including three wins this year: Mexican Junior Girls Championship, U.S Women’s Open Qualifying – Cape Cod National and Girls’ Provincial Junior Championship. She is currently ranked No.1 on the Future Links driven by Acura National Order of Merit and is ranked No. 377 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

Ellie Szeryk of London, Ont.
The Team Canada Development Squad rookie finished T2 at this event last year, the highest of any returning player. The 18-year-old recently won the 2018 GO Investors Group Women’s Amateur Championship and finished in the top-ten in all nine of the 2018 stroke-play events she played in. She is currently No. 2 on the Future Links driven by Acura National Order of Merit.

Monet Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont.
The 17-year-old is in her second year on the Women’s Development Squad and has three wins in 2018 so far. Chun is currently rank No.3 on the Future Links driven by Acura National Order of Merit and has won three Future Links driven by Acura Championships in the past three years: Pacific (2018), Ontario (2017) and Québec (2016).

Emily Zhu of Richmond Hill, Ont.
The 14-year-old, who finished T4 at the event last year, is currently ranked No. 4 on the Future Links driven by Acura National Order of Merit. Zhu has five top-finishes in 2018 so far, including a win at the GO Investors Group Junior Spring Classic in May.

Annabelle Ackroyd of Calgary, Alta.
The 16-year-old has four wins in 2018: Alberta Junior & Juvenile Girls Championship, USGA – U.S Girls’ Junior Sectional Qualifier, CJGA Junior at RedTail Landing and MJT – Alberta Spring Classic 2018. Ackroyd is currently ranked No. 6 on the Future Links driven by Acura National Order of Merit.

FAST FACTS
A British Columbia golfer has won the individual event the last three years: Susan Xiao in 2017 (Surrey, B.C.) Naomi Ko in 2016 (Victoria, B.C.) and Michelle Kim in 2015 (Surrey B.C.).

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

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

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

Four Canadian Golf Hall of Fame members are past champions of this 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 2018 Canadian Junior Girls champion will receive an exemption into the 2019 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.

ABOUT THE COURSE
6, 036  yards, Par 72

Established in 1932.

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Michael Gligic has lined up hundreds of shots at Glen Abbey Golf Club.

He played the course at least 100 times as a teenager under the tutelage of Sean Foley, long before the latter became swing coach for Tiger Woods.

Rounds have been less frequent over the last decade – Gligic estimates six or eight in total – usually alongside a couple of friends with a beer or two not far from his golf bag.

Thursday was an entirely different experience.

Gligic fired a 3-under 69 in the first round of the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey before play was suspended due to inclement weather. He finished the day tied for 41st.

“I don’t know if when I was 13 outside the ropes getting autographs if I really thought it would be a reality that one day I’d be inside the ropes,” the 28-year-old said. “It was a pretty cool experience. I’ll cherish that moment walking down No. 18.”

Gligic, who was born in Kitchener, Ont., and grew up in Burlington, just west of Oakville, has played two previous Canadian Opens elsewhere, but competing at the course where he started to hone his skills is special.

“A little nervy on the first tee shot,” Gligic said. “Other than that, settled in really well.”

Much of his career has been spent on golf’s third-tier Mackenzie Tour, previously called PGA Tour Canada. Gligic earned a spot at this year’s Open after tying for first in Monday’s qualifier.

With a morning tee time, his opening round included a combination of searing heat, wind and rain.

“I went to pull out my umbrella and my caddie was like, ‘Yeah, that’s in the car,”’ said Gligic, adding with a grin: “He’ll get a word from me … I’m sure he’ll carry it (Friday) rain or shine.”

The six-foot-four, 180-pound Gligic has plenty of support following him around Glen Abbey, where he fired four birdies against one bogey.

“I didn’t really have a specific goal,” said Gligic, one of 21 Canadians in the field. “I’m just going to try and hit one shot at a time and do what I can do and put myself in contention.”

The 2018 event might be the tournament’s swan song at Glen Abbey – a Jack Nicklaus-designed course that could soon be redeveloped as a subdivision – but Gligic is hopeful the venue’s 30th Open isn’t its last.

“There’s so much history,” he said. “It would be a shame to see it go.”

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., were tied at 4-under 68 as low Canadians.

The 39-year-old Hearn has had a tricky season with more down time than he’s used to after losing his full-time PGA Tour status, but is also in decent position to make some noise on home soil.

“I realize out here it can be fleeting,” Hearn said. “I’ve been working my tail off to try to get better.”

Robert Garrigus tops the leaderboard at 9 under following a round that included five straight birdies on the front nine.

Adam Hadwin, also from Abbotsford, sat at 2 under after playing alongside world No. 1 Dustin Johnson (68) and No. 4 Bubba Watson (70) in the early marquee group at the US$6.2-million event.

“No one was paying attention to me,” Hadwin joked.

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., was at 3 under through 17 after play was suspended for the day due to inclement weather. Amateur Chris Crisologo of Richmond, B.C., was at 3 under through 14 holes, while Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., was also at 3 under but after 12 holes.

Joey Savoie, an amateur from La Prairie, Que., shot 71, while Jared du Toit of Kimberley, B.C., fired a 72.

Calgary’s Ryan Yip was at 1 under through 12 holes, and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., finished his round at even-par 72. Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., was also at par after 12 holes.

Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., the 2003 Masters champion, shot 75.

Gligic enjoyed Thursday’s moment in the spotlight, but was eager to put it behind him with even more pressure on the horizon.

“It’s just the first day,” he said. “So much can happen. I could shoot 64 or 84 (in the second round).

“It’s golf, and things can change overnight.”

VANCOUVER, B.C. – Dylan Kim shot a 5-under 66 at Marine Drive on Thursday to head into the final round of the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship with a one-shot lead.

For the second time in three rounds, Kim carded a 66 to move her to 12-under par for the tournament. She had a bogey free round and made some great putts.

“I had a few good par saves, I made a 15-footer on 15 that was really big. I’m proud of the way I played today,” said the 21-year-old from Sachse, Tex. “I’ve putted really well, and I’ve been smart.”

Kim played a very smart round, regardless of missing the fairway on a few holes.

“There are some tricky holes out here and it is narrow, so I think it is smart to know which side you can recover from and which side you can’t, so I’ve done that well,” said Dylan Kim. “I actually didn’t make that many fairways today. I don’t really know how many I hit, but I didn’t drive it that well, so I’m going to go work on that now.”

Dylan Kim started the round in a tie for the lead with Gina Kim and Yealimi Noh. Noh tried hard to catch up to Kim after she bogeyed her first hole and watched carefully at the end of the round as Dylan Kim made her final putt on hole 18.

“My round started off a little rough on the front nine with one birdie and one bogey,” said Noh. “The back nine I started putting a little better.”

When Noh made the turn, she tried her best to catch up to Dylan Kim. The 16-year-old from Concord, Calif. birdied hole 10, just as Dylan Kim did. Dylan Kim then continued to birdie hole 11 while Noh pared it.

But that didn’t stop Noh. She continued to birdie hole 12 and 13 but couldn’t quite catch Dylan Kim and they both carded one more birdie each.

“This course is very challenging and narrow with all the trees. All the courses I’ve played in California aren’t really like this, it’s a little different,” said Noh, who has never played on a Canadian course.

Yealimi Noh ended the day 4-under-par 67, 11-under for the tournament, just one stroke behind Dylan Kim.

Gina Kim carded three birdies and three bogeys to finish even par, her first time in three rounds finishing with a score in the 70s. She remains at 7-under for the tournament in third.

Gina Kim, Dylan Kim and Yealimi will play together again tomorrow and make up the final grouping while Lilia Kha-Tu V (-6), Allisen Corpuz (-5) and Jennifer Chang (-5) will tee off in front of them.

The Vancouver B.C. native, Tiffany Kong, still remains the top Canadian on the leaderboard after the third round. She carded a 3-over 74 today to push her into a share of ninth with Kaitlyn Papp from Austin Tex at 2-under for the tournament.

The final round of competition will see the first groups tee off at 7:30 a.m. and 7:35 a.m. from holes 1 and 10, respectively.

The 2018 Canadian Women’s Amateur title, the individual champion will earn an exemption into the 2018 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship and – along with the low Canadian – the CP Women’s Open at Wascana Country Club on August 20-26, 2018.

For full results click here.

OAKVILLE, Ont. – As good as Robert Garrigus has been at the RBC Canadian Open, he thinks he could have been even better in Thursday’s first round.

The American shot a 9-under 63 to take the clubhouse lead. A rainstorm suspended play for over two hours in the late afternoon before the PGA TOUR tournament resumed for a little over an hour. By the end of the day, Garrigus was still one shot ahead of fellow American Adam Schenk at Glen Abbey Golf Club.

“Could have been 59 there if a couple putts didn’t lip out,” said Garrigus, who had birdie putts lip out on Nos. 10 and 17. “Got lucky on the par-5, on 13, hit it right in the middle of the water, and it hit a rock and bounced over the thing and I made birdie.

“I think 20-something-under is going to win, so we’ll forget about it when I get home. This was a good day, get to enjoy it for a minute, but I’ve got to close my mind off.”

Keeping focused has been an issue for Garrigus of late.

He shot an impressive 6-under 66 in the third round of the Barbasol Championship last Saturday, before coughing up an ugly 7-over 79 in the final round. The low point for Garrigus was when he quadruple bogeyed the 567-yard par-5 No. 17, finishing the tournament tied for 66th at 4 under.

“I prayed a lot this week, I’ll tell you that much,” said Garrigus. “There was a lot of prayers for my family, just to give me peace and calm, just to come out and not worry about it, not worry about where I am.”

Last year at Glen Abbey, Garrigus shot a 10-under 62 in the third round to match the course record. If not for those two missed putts on Thursday, he could have tied or surpassed that mark.

“I love this place. I’ve always played well in Canada. There’s a lot of good vibes here. And the golf course is absolutely pure,” said Garrigus. “I mean, I was walking on the fairway on No. 8, and it just felt like you were walking on carpet, and you get up on the green, and it’s like grass. The conditions are absolutely perfect.”

Although Garrigus played in ideal conditions, they turned a few hours after he got off the course. Play was suspended for over two hours in the late afternoon, with high winds and potential lightning strikes making it unsafe to keep golfing. Play resumed for another hour after the rain cleared, but over a dozen players were unable to finish their round.

Rain on Monday and briefly on Wednesday had kept the greens and fairways soft.

Schenk made the most of the conditions, closing out his round in the rain with three straight birdies as the morning group finished its day at the US$6.2-million PGA Tour event.

“If you were in the fairway, it was much easier to attack, but you could still play from the rough, so I did that too often today but was fortunate to get away with it,” said Schenk, a PGA Tour rookie who is fighting to keep his card with a handful of tournaments left on the schedule. “But if you can get within 20 feet of the hole, you’re going to make some putts, especially in the morning. The greens are very smooth.”

Chris Stroud was third after shooting a 7-under 65.

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., shot 4-under 68 for the top score among Canadians. After play resumed Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., drained a six-foot putt on No. 18 to tie Hearn.

“I thought I was hitting a little better before the delay, felt a little off on the last few holes,” said Taylor, who was on the 16th hole before the delay. “Made a couple putts on the last two holes so that was nice to finish the round off.”

Adam Hadwin, also from Abbotsford, the top-ranked Canadian on the PGA Tour, fired a 2-under 70.

Victoria’s Pat Fletcher, who was born in England, was the last Canadian to win the country’s national championship, claiming the event all the way back in 1954. Carl Keffer is the only Canadian-born champion, winning in 1909 and 1914.

British Columbia has a little streak going at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship; one its players hope to extend at Beach Grove Golf Club.

The last three Canadian Junior Girls Championships have been won by B.C. players. Susan Xiao of Surrey won it last year, Naomi Ko of Victoria was the 2016 champion and Michelle Kim of Surrey captured the title in 2015.

“This is home turf and the B.C. girls have to represent and do well and have some fun out here,” says Vancouver’s Tiffany Kong, one of a large number of strong B.C. players who will compete in this year’s championship, which goes July 31-Aug. 3 at Beach Grove.

Hannah Lee of Surrey is another one of those British Columbians especially motivated to play well at Beach Grove. This will be Lee’s final junior tournament and she has come close the last three years, finishing no worse than tied for 11th. She was runner-up in 2015.

“Considering this is my last one and it is at home, I obviously want to do well,” says Lee, who is heading into her sophomore year at the University of Oklahoma. “It would definitely mean a lot if I could do well.”

Doing well at Beach Grove starts with keeping the ball in play off the tee. The course is tight in spots and missing fairways makes it difficult to hit the course’s small greens in regulation.

“What the players will have to do especially well is position the ball off the tee,” says longtime Beach Grove head professional Brent Derrheim. “You can’t be overly aggressive, you need to be patient. And also putting. If you make the putts, you are going to score well.”

Beach Grove is a private club located in Tsawwassen, a suburban community located about a half-hour south of Vancouver. It opened as a nine-hole course in 1929 and a second nine was completed in 1965.

Tsawwassen, home to the B.C. Ferries terminal that takes passengers to the Victoria port of Swartz Bay, is renowned as the sunniest spot in the Metro Vancouver area. Beach Grove certainly benefits from all that sunshine and this year is no different. The course is in immaculate shape and figures to play firm and fast for the junior girls.

“The course has been in fantastic shape all summer and our superintendent Ian Murray and his crew have been doing a great job,” Derrheim says. “The course will play firm and fast. I feel it is a great golf course for women and it will be a great test for the girls, too.”

The course figures to be set up at about 6,000 yards for the junior girls.

None of the competitors know the course better than Amanda Minni, who has been playing it regularly as a junior member for the last several years.

“Actually my first tournament ever was at my home course,” Minni says. “It was one of the club championships and I shot like 112 and 112 to win when I was nine years old. Playing another huge championship there is going to be different from a little club championship, but it’s going to have the same sort of feeling. Hopefully the members come out and watch. I think it is going to be a great event.”

Minni, who is heading into her sophomore year at Oregon State University, finished 10th at the 2016 Canadian Junior Girls Championship in Shubenacadie, N.S., and was third at the B.C. Junior Girls Championship earlier this month at Kimberley Golf Club. She will be joined on the B.C. team at Beach Grove by B.C. Junior Girls Champion Phoebe Yue of West Vancouver and Vancouver’s Leah John.

“The course is definitely going to play really tough over the week,” Minni says of Beach Grove. “The grounds crew has been out here every day making it look sharp so I am really excited about the conditions.

“Definitely hitting greens there is big because the greens are so tiny and they are so firm that chipping around them is tough. If you short-side yourself, you are in trouble.”

Of course, there a number of strong competitors from the rest of the country in what will be a very deep field at Beach Grove.

Ellie Szeryk of London, Ont., fresh off her win at the Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship, must be considered one of the favourites. Szeryk, a member of Golf Canada’s national developmental team now based at Bear Mountain in Victoria, tied for second at last year’s Canadian Junior Girls Championship.

Other national developmental team players in the Beach Grove field include Monet Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont., Celeste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-I’lle-Perrot, Que., and Alyssa DiMarcantonio of Maple, Ont. Chun and Szeryk finished 1-2 at the Future Links, driven by Acura Pacific Championship at Bear Mountain this past May.

Three other Future Links champions from this year are in the field, including: Taylor Stone of Calgary (Western Championship), Emily Romanceow (Quebec Championship) and Sydney Scraba of Calgary (Prairie Championship).

A Canadian Juvenile Girls Champion will also be crowned at Beach Grove. That competition is open to players 16 and younger. An inter-provincial team competition will be held over the first 36 holes of the tournament. Ontario won that competition last year by three shots over British Columbia.

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – Medicine Hat Golf and Country Club will welcome the nation’s premier young golfers for the 2018 Canadian Junior Boy Championship. The 80th playing of the tournament will take place between July 30-Aug. 2 and will consist of 156 junior golfers, including all five members of Team Canada’s Development Squad.

Founded in 1913, Medicine Hat Golf and Country Club is a par-72 championship golf course located on the cliffs of the South Saskatchewan River.

“Our tremendous staff has worked very hard and the course is in fantastic shape. The community of Medicine Hat is extremely excited to host an event of this calibre,” said Cam Jacques, General Manager at Medicine Hat Golf & Country Club. “We look forward to hosting this strong field through what is sure to be a great week of golf.”

The Canadian Junior Boys Championship has served as a significant milestone in a number of professional and amateur careers. Before playing on the PGA TOUR, Abbotsford, B.C., native Nick Taylor captured the 2006 Canadian Junior Boys title. Other champions include Canadian Golf Hall of Fame members Doug Silverberg, George Knudson, Gary Cowan and Doug Roxburgh.

“Golf Canada is pleased to head to Medicine Hat to hold our annual Canadian Junior Boys Championship,” said Tournament Director Adam Cinel. “We have received a very warm welcome here and truly appreciate the support and commitment of the staff, volunteers and community. Medicine Hat Golf & Country Club will be a great platform to showcase the talents of Canada’s best junior golfers.”

In 2017, Calvin Ross became the first New Brunswick golfer to win the Canadian Junior Boys Championship after the Fredericton native set an amateur course-record 62 during the third round, eventually securing a seven-stroke victory. Team Canada’s Christopher Vandette won the under-16 Juvenile title.

In order to be eligible to participate in the championship, all entrants must be under 19 years of age as of August 1^st, 2018. This year’s field will consist of the defending Canadian Juvenile Junior Champion, Team Canada Development Squad members, the current Junior Club Champion, the top six finishers in all Future Links, driven by Acura regional championships and those players earning a spot through their respective provincial championship.

NOTABLES
Christopher Vandette of Beaconsfield, Que.
The 16-year-old Team Canada Development Squad member finished third at the event last year, the highest of any returning player. Vandette, who was ranked No.1 on the 2017 Future Links, driven by Acura Order of Merit, is coming into the tournament with two top-ten finishes, including a solo second at the 2018 Future Links, driven by Acura Pacific Championship. 

Cam Kellett of London, Ont.
The 18-year-old, who will be competing in his first ever Canadian Junior Boys Championship, is currently ranked No.1 on the Future Links, driven by Acura Order of Merit. Kellett finished in the top-10 in six of the seven events he has competed in this year so far, including a win at Golf Ontario Men’s Match Play Championship and second place finishes at Future Links, driven by Acura Ontario Championship and Golf Ontario Investors Group Junior Spring Classic.

Matthew Anderson of Mississauga, Ont.
The 18-year-old member of Team Ontario is currently ranked No.3 on the Future Links, driven by Acura Order of Merit and is coming into the tournament with a win at Golf Ontario Investors Group Junior Spring Classic and four top-ten finishes.

Ethan Choi of Pincher Creek, Alta.
The 16-year-old is currently ranked No.4 on the Future Links, driven by Acura Order of Merit and finished T5 at this event last year. Choi has four top-five finishes in 2018 so far, including a win at PGA of Alberta Junior Masters.

Nolan Thoroughgood of Victoria, B.C.
The 17-year-old rookie member of the Team Canada Development Squad finished in fourth at the event last year T3 at the Future Links, driven by Acura Pacific Championship at Bear Mountain Resort – Valley Course in May and has finished in the top-ten in nine out of the 10 tournaments he competed in during 2017.

FAST FACTS

• The first championship was held in 1938, which was won by James Hogan.
• Current Canadian Golf Hall of Famers who won the championship include: Doug Silverberg, George Knudson, Gary Cowan and Doug Roxburgh.
• In 1970, the 16-and-under Juvenile Championship was added to the Championship, which runs concurrently with the competition, with the winner receiving the Jack Bailey Trophy.
• Nine golfers have won both the Juvenile and Junior titles: Jim Rutledge, Jeff Makahon, Rob McMillan, Jesse Collinson, Dustin Risdon, Gord Scutt, Rafael Lee, Mitch Sutton and Charles-Eric Belanger.
• There is a Junior Inter-Provincial Team championship that is held in conjunction with the first 36 holes of the tournament, which has been held since 1959.
• The Junior champion earns an exemption into the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.
• 2017 Junior Champion: Calvin Ross.
• 2017 Juvenile Champion: Christopher Vandette.
• 2017 Inter-Provincial champion: Alberta
• Current PGA TOUR player Nick Taylor captured the title in 2006.
• London, Ont., product Mitch Sutton was the last player to win the event in back-to-back years in 2008 and 2009.
• More information on the event including tee times can be found here.

ABOUT THE COURSE

• Established in 1913.
• Course was redesigned during 1984-1986
• The 9^th & 10^th holes were just recently redesigned and rebuilt during the fall of 2017. These two greens will open for play in May of 2018.
• Hosted the Alberta Ladies Amateur, Alberta Men’s Amateur and 2016 CN Future Links Western Championship
• Assistant Professional Jesse Florkowski is the reigning 3-time One Arm World Champion Golfer
• Course tournament record: 65 by Kelly Risling in 2016
• More information can be found here.

VANCOUVER, B.C. – Gina Kim, Yealimi Noh and Dylan Kim all sit 7-under after the second round of the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Marine Drive on Wednesday.

Gina Kim started the day at 4-under then carded three birdies and a bogey on her front nine. She made the turn and fired three more birdies and a bogey to finish with a 3-under 68, one stroke lower than her score on Tuesday.

“I thought it was a fairly solid round. My shots were really consistent, and I managed to play all the smart shots today and the putts were dropping. I’d say overall I was pretty happy with what I came out with,” said the 18-year-old from Chapel Hill N.C.

“This course is narrow and tricky in its own way. Considering yesterday went pretty well I thought why not just continue to go with what I’ve been doing, and I think it worked out again today and I think I’m going to keep going with that for the rest of the week,” she said.

Dylan Kim came in at 2-under today after starting with two birdies and a bogey on her front nine. The 21-year-old from Sachse, Tex. ended strong with a beautiful birdie on hole 18.

“I got off to a good start and then I went a little rough in the middle there, but I’m proud of the way I finished. I finished with a birdie and that was really nice. I also had a nice par on hole 17, which is a hard hole, so I’m really glad I got through that one,” she said.

Dylan Kim recorded a 66 on Tuesday, to tie Yealimi No’s new course record before Jennifer Kupcho carded a 7-under 64.

“I thought the pins were tougher today, when I was looking at them before my round I was thinking ‘Ok today is going to be a little tougher, I need to be a little bit smarter today,’” said Dylan Kim.

Yealimi Noh from Concord, Calif. also came in at 2-under and had a strong round. She recorded 5 pars in a row on her front nine before adding a birdie to her scorecard. Right before she made the turn she recorded another birdie on hole 9. She finished her back nine with a bogey and a third birdie.

Tiffany Kong, a former Team Canada Development Squad member, recorded a 3-under 68 to land herself in fourth and as the low Canadian. She sits 5-under par for the tournament, just two strokes behind the lead trio.

73 players have advanced to the final two rounds of the national championship. The first groups will tee off Thursday at 7:30 a.m. from holes 1 and 10.

Team British Columbia won the inter-provincial competition after the team consisting of Naomi Ko, Mary Parsons and Christina Proteau shot a combined 8 over par through the two-round event. Team Ontario came in second at 13 over par and Quebec finished 9 back in third.

The 2018 Canadian Women’s Amateur title, the individual champion will earn an exemption into the 2018 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship and – along with the low Canadian – the CP Women’s Open at Wascana Country Club on August 20-26, 2018.

For full results click here.