This week, Kanawaki Golf Club in Kahnawake, Que., just outside Montreal, is hosting the 2017 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship. Here’s a brief historical look at the venue designed by Charles & Albert Murray – pioneers of early golf in Canada.

THE CLUB’S EVOLUTION
The first golf club in North America was formed in 1873 when a course was laid out on Fletcher’s Field, under a permit from the City of Montreal. It was known as the Montreal Golf Club. With the growth and spread of the city over the ensuing two decades, it became apparent that encroachment would require the club to move. As a consequence in 1896, the club, which in the meantime had been granted permission to add «Royal» to its name, moved to Dixie in Lachine. A number of members, however, preferred to remain at the old location and formed a nine hole club called the Metropolitan Golf Club.

In September 1902, a group of some fifty of these members undertook to organize the Outremont Golf Club. They arranged for the lease of the farm area bounded by Rockland and Pratt Avenues, and proceeded to finance the initial cost of a nine hole course. The first President was His Honor Mr. Recorder Weir, and the membership role listed 212 names. The Club continued in existence until the year 1922, although each year saw its territory further reduced by the sale of building lots.

In 1910, anticipating that a new location would sooner or later have to be found, Mr. J. Harry Birks spent much time looking over prospective sites. At one time a firm offer was made for a property in the Ville LaSalle area, near the approach to the present Mercier Bridge, but it was sold to a higher bidder. About that time Mr. Meloche, from the Kahnawake Reserve, called on Mr. Birks to collect rent for an advertising sign on his property and offered the suggestion that a part of the Reserve could easily be adapted to the requirements of a golf course. Arrangements were made with him to row a delegation of members, including Mr. Birks, across the river from Lachine to inspect the proposed site. They found it to be mainly swamp and dense scrub. A survey was undertaken and although the engineer’s report contained some reservations with respect to drainage problems, the decision was made to proceed.

The Kanawaki Golf Club was incorporated March 14th, 1912. The act provided that all members of the Outremont Golf Club would be members of the Club. Nevertheless, the separate clubs continued to operate for the next ten years until the leases in Outremont expired. Following this, the clubs merged.

Even today, inside the clubhouse you’ll find a decorative painting on the south wall of the Dining Room. Acquired in 1915, this work by Maurice Cullen is a view of the old Outremont Golf Club.

THE TERRAIN
Work on the property commenced in 1910 when numerous ditches were dug extending well beyond the Club’s boundaries. The property was completely fenced off, and the task of blasting boulders and clearing land began. Many years previously, when the railway bridge across the St. Lawrence was built, much of the fill for the right of way embankment had been taken from the area which is now in front of the clubhouse. This accounts in part for the land feature extending from the 12th green to the 4th tee, and sweeping in a curve to the 4th green. The bowl of the 9th green was a large hole into which many tons of rock and fill were dumped to bring the bottom up to a suitable level.

The road along the west of the property is of interest as it was the old right of way of the first steam railway to connect Canada with the United States and ran from the wharf at Kahnawake to Moers Junction, N.Y.

Fieldwork progressed throughout 1911 and 1912 based on a plan drawn up by Charles Murray – a professional at Royal Montreal – and his brother Albert. It was not, however, until the late summer of 1913 that the course was opened for play when fifteen holes had been completed. By 1914 all eighteen holes were ready, although shortly thereafter the holes were lengthened as more and more ground was prepared.

The many trees admired today are the result of a carefully planned program initiated at the time the course was built and followed up through the years. It is interesting to examine old photographs of the course in which the younger versions of today’s stately maples and elms can readily be identified marking certain areas on the course. Off the fairway dense undergrowth in swampy ground was generally to be found, and the task of clearing and draining the rough continues to this day.

THE COURSE
The front nine holes of the present course are essentially the same as those initially laid out. There have been numerous modifications and improvements to each of the holes over the years, but the sequence and general plan remain unchanged. Originally one large green, the third was changed in 1933 to provide two small greens. Also, the seventh green was placed in the flat area to the right of its present location.

In 1970, substantial changes were made to the second green and the third green was remodeled again into one large green. The 5th hole was redesigned by placing a new green on the high ground to the left near the 6th tee.

It is interesting to note that the total yardage on a 1914 score card for the first nine holes was 3220 yards with a rated par of 37 compared with 3199 yards and a par of 35 today. On the back nine, however, some important and drastic changes have been made over the years. Each of these, when proposed, generated serious and sometimes bitter controversy. While there is no description available today to identify the first layout of the 1914 course, it is believed that the second nine holes did not use the area now taken up by the 11th, 14th and 15th holes.

Thus it seems that the then 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th holes were laid out in the area bounded on the east by a line from the present 13th tee to the 16th tee and encompassing the 16th, 17th and 18th holes. It is believed that the initial layout did not last long, for the areas of the present 11th and 15th holes were cleared and drained following which the holes on the second nine were rearranged, The revised layout provided for the short holes in the area of the present 11th, a long 14th, which was the present 13th extended to 545 yards, and a left angled dog’s leg to the present 15th green.

The latest major change was initially proposed as long ago as 1930, but was not implemented until 1953. It involved giving up one of the two consecutive short holes at the 11th–12th, and opening the present 14th hole. Many members disagreed with the scheme each time it was suggested, and the depression years, followed by the Second World War, also contributed to delays.

Eventually, in 1953, it received the approval of the membership, but not before many views in opposition had been voiced. Today, the criticism has declined but it is still a subject for discussion among the older members.

In 1963 a major undertaking was completed with the installation of a course watering system leading from the St. Lawrence Seaway.

THE CLUBHOUSE
In 1913, when it was built, the clubhouse comprised the present dining room, kitchen, a locker room on the ground floor, and the dressing rooms on the second floor. It was a modest structure but served the purpose very well for the next fifteen years with only minor additions. As there was no source of electricity in the district, acetylene lamps were employed to light the premises. The supply of water came from open wells, and it was pumped into a large reservoir located under the first tee. Advance notice was required if members intended on staying for dinner. No alcoholic beverages were allowed on the premises, and to ensure observation of this rule frequent inspection of the lockers was made and any such supplies confiscated.

In 1925 the first major improvements were started when electric power was brought from Adirondack Junction, and an artesian well was bored, followed by the erection of the water tank. At this time the membership was at full strength and the clubhouse facilities were becoming increasingly inadequate. In 1928 approval was given to the Executive Committee to start a building program which would include adding a wing to the west of the clubhouse to accommodate the office, men’s lockers and a pro shop; an extension to the east to provide more facilities for the Ladies’ Club; and an enlargement of the kitchen and addition of a snack room.

A sprinkler system was installed in 1938, and the pro shop enlarged in 1949.

The most recent addition to the clubhouse was completed in 1956 and comprised the Club Room, conversion of the Snack Room to a Men’s Lounge or Trophy Room and modernization of the front verandah.

In spite of the several extensive modifications and changes over the years, the clubhouse still preserves something of its original charm and simplicity, and continues to serve the members well.

In 1929, Kanawaki hosted the Canadian Open, won by legend Leo Diegel.

In 2004 The Disney movie “The Greatest Game Ever Played”, starring Shia LaBeouf, and based on the true story of Francis Ouimet and the 1913 US Open, is filmed at Kanawaki, with some of its members having the privilege of being stand-ins in the filming of the movie. Our professional John Murray provided swing coaching for the actors and can be seen as a body double in the movie for certain golf swings.

For more information on Kanawaki Golf Club, please click here.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Four Canadian players won two matches each Tuesday to advance to the quarterfinals of the 56th U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at Waverley Country Club. Hosting its seventh USGA championship, Waverley is set up at 5,836 yards and a par of 72.

Jackie Little joins Judith Kyrinis, Mary Ann Hayward and Terrill Samuel to comprise half of the remaining field, which began with nine Canadians.

“We’re pretty proud Canadians. We play some really good golf up there, as you can see,” said Kyrinis, 53, the 2014 Senior Women’s Amateur runner-up. “PGA, LPGA, we’re all really coming on strong. It’s great to see everybody do well here. We all hang out pretty often when we’re here, and we keep in touch with each other through social media.”

The way the bracket played out, none of the Canadian players will face each other in Wednesday’s quarterfinals.

“We couldn’t have planned it much better,” said Little, 59, before the Canadian quartet left to go to dinner together at a local Italian restaurant.

Marlene Stewart Streit is the most recent Canadian to win the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, doing so in 2003. Gayle Borthwick is the only other Canadian to win the championship, winning in 1996 and 1998. Hayward, the 2005

U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, is the most recent USGA champion from Canada.

The U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, open to female amateurs age 50 and older with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 18.4, consists of 36 holes of stroke play, with the low 64 players advancing to match play. The championship, scheduled to conclude with an 18-hole final on Thursday, is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the USGA, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.

Kyrinis was one of two players to defeat two USGA champions on Tuesday. She first eliminated 2009 Women’s Mid-Amateur runner-up Martha Leach, 5 and 4, in the Round of 32, then won four of the final five holes to defeat 2009 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion Sherry Herman, 2 up.

“It was a really tight, back-and-forth match,” said Kyrinis of her win against Herman. “I played so well against Martha, and it’s really hard to play like that back to back, but I held my own. I’ve been driving the ball really well and putting it well. If you can do those two things on this course, you’ll be in good stead.”

Hayward, 57, needed 20 holes to defeat fellow Canadian Marie-Therese Torti in the Round of 32, then cruised to a 7-and-6 win in the Round of 16 against Sherry Smith. Little led 2010 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion Mina Hardin 3 up with four holes remaining, then held on to seal the match on No. 17 after Hardin won Nos. 15 and 16.

The winning Canadians then flocked to the 18th hole to watch the final match on the course, as Samuel sealed her victory with a conceded birdie against 2004 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion Carolyn Creekmore.

All quarterfinalists are exempt into the 2018 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur at Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club in Vero Beach, Fla. The quarterfinals begin at 8 a.m. PDT Wednesday with McGill facing Kyrinis. The semifinals are scheduled to begin at 12:45 p.m.

KAHNAWAKE, Que. – The second round of the 2017 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship concluded Thursday at Kanawaki Golf Club with Team Alberta emerging as provincial team champions.

The trio of Frank Van Dornick (Camrose, Alta.), Brian Laubman (Edmonton) and Ken Griffith (Red Deer, Alta.) posted a combined second-round score of 1-over 141 to capture the Phil Farley Trophy with a total of 283 (+3).

The squad finished 12-strokes ahead of runner-up Team British Columbia, which was comprised of Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Doug Roxburgh (Vancouver), John Gallacher (Burnaby, BC) and Greg Bismeyer (Mission, B.C.) The team had a two-day total of 295 (+15).

Team Quebec and Team Manitoba finished at 299 (+19) to share third. Quebec’s team was comprised of François Bissonnette (Mirabel, Que.), Danny Turbide (Québec City) and Peter Harrison (Ottawa). Mike Walker (Winnipeg), Garth Collings (Matlock, Man.) and Brent Clague (Winnipeg) represented Manitoba.

In the 65-and-over Super Senior Division, Paul Simson of Raleigh, NC., claimed a one-shot victory over Lance Lundy of Pemberton, B.C. Simpson carded matching rounds of 71 to finish at 2-over 142 for the victory. With the Super Senior title under his belt, the 65-year-old will now set his sights on another trophy.

“The conditions were a little more difficult today and the wind was blowing, which caused some problems,” said Simson, who in 2010 made history by becoming the first person to win the British, U.S. and Canadian senior titles in the same year. “But I’ll take the win. It’s always nice to win something. I’m going to focus over the next two rounds and hopefully I can take home the Senior title, too.”

Lance Lundy of Pemberton, B.C., was leading the Super Senior category after the first round at even-par, but a 3-over 73 dropped him into second at 3-over 143.

Frank Van Dornick of Camrose, Alta., finished third at 4-over 144.

Doug Hanzel of Savannah, GA, took the overall lead in the Senior Division. He’s even for the championship at 140.

“I was very steady all the way around,” said Hanzel, who is the lone player not over par. “I hit 16 greens in regulation today. The greens are tough, you need to nail the speed and the line. But I’ve been putting the ball in good spots. If you don’t, you have some work left to make par.”

Simson and Brian Laubman of Edmonton share second at 2-over 142.

A total of 71 players finished 155-or-better to advance past the 36-hole cut. The third round will begin Wednesday at 8 a.m. EDT.

The winner of this year’s championship will earn an exemption into the 2018 U.S. Men’s Senior Amateur Championship at Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore., from August 25^th to 30^th.

Additional information, including tee times, for the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship can be found here.

My grandparents lived in a duplex on a quiet street in Montreal, which I loved to visit any time the opportunity presented itself. In the hallway were photos of my grandfather, Albert, who was a professional golfer but never talked about his career in the game.

Not until I excused myself to head to their musty, unfinished basement did his involvement with golf become obvious. Along one of the walls, perched upright on a long narrow shelf were wooden golf clubs of every type and style you could imagine. One of the clubs looked like it was fashioned from a tree branch. Hanging beside his clubs, in a large wooden display case, were his antique golf balls and dozens of tees made of wood, paper and metal. In another room were his putty clay models of golf greens and what Granny called his “maps,” some rolled up on his desk, others hanging from the walls.

Amidst the hardware of trophies, metals and golf keepsakes that stuffed the china cabinet upstairs were four brimming scrapbooks of photos and clippings documenting a lifetime in golf. Not until decades later did a scrapbook of his brother, Charlie — revealed by a granddaughter who allowed the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame & Museum to scan it — confirm a stellar and pioneering career in professional golf for the brothers Murray.

Their father, Charles Joseph Murray, a carvers mason, had led them to Canada from England in 1888. In tow with he and his wife were three children: five-year-old Charles, eight-month-old Albert and a daughter in between, Frances. The patriarch wasted no time putting his skills to work, building a large family home replete with Corinthian columns while also taking mason jobs in the city. But finances were tight.

A few years later teenage son Charlie set out looking for part-time work. A tall, solidly framed youngster, he had heard about being a caddie at a nearby golf club where he could be outdoors, make a bit of money and learn a new sport on the side. Younger brother Albert, who respected Charlie a great deal and was never far from big brother’s footsteps, tagged along. He was nine.

In time, Albert picked up the rudiments of the game and in 1899 won his first caddies tournament; his prize was a plum pudding with a $5 gold piece inserted in the cake. He successfully defended his title the following year.

Competing for young Albert’s interest was the private racetrack behind their house owned by Joseph Seagram, founder of the distillery of the same name. Hanging around the stalls, Albert’s love of horses took root. With the permission of Mr. Seagram but not his father, along with Charlie’s promise not to say anything, Albert would get up at five in the morning to exercise and train the horses.

“In time, I gained confidence and would exercise any horse in the field,” Albert wrote in his diary. “The horses knew I liked them so it became easy to handle them.”

Almost immediately he had the desire to become a jockey, until his father found out.

“It was my first ambition and I liked it even more than golf,” he told a journalist years later.

The year 1900 saw the arrival of George Cumming, a Scotsman who started his career caddying at 14, to the original Toronto Golf Club, not far from the Murray home. There, Cumming met Charlie and enticed him to look at golf as a career given what he saw in Charlie’s natural abilities but, more importantly, his even temperament, a necessary skill to have in relation to the club members he would serve. Not to be outdone, Albert showed Cumming a golf club he had formed from a tree limb at 12 years old and soon the brothers were the first graduates of Cumming’s pro shop, having learned the art of club making and teaching the fundamentals of golf.

The Murray brothers applied their skills and expertise together, first at the Toronto Hunt Club with Charlie as head professional and Albert as designated teaching professional; then at Westmount Golf Club in Montreal; and next at Royal Montreal Golf Club.

In 1906, Albert left Montreal for the (Royal) Quebec Golf Club at the Plains of Abraham, specifically Cove Fields in Quebec City. Just 18, Albert was hired to revamp the course and be its head professional. His tenure lasted a year when he returned to Montreal but members of the Quebec club had not forgotten him and in 1915 commissioned Albert to lay out their new 18-hole course at Montmorency Falls.

This was a couple years after the inaugural Canadian Open at Royal Montreal. There were just 10 pros, along with some amateurs, competing for the win in 1904 but 16-year-old Albert came in 12th and Charlie finished fourth. Albert (1908 and ’13) and Charles (1906 and ’11) each won the event twice.

As the years passed, Charlie cemented his reputation with members of Royal Montreal and the larger golfing public with his competitive prowess. By the 1920s he was often scoring in the 60s, quite unusual in the dead ball era and poorly groomed courses. His charismatic, dependable and terse personality won the deep affection of his members. A decade later, Charlie was bestowed an honorary lifetime membership at Royal Montreal in recognition of his 25 years of service.

In addition to capturing the inaugural PGA Championship of Canada and two Open championships, Charlie took the Quebec Open crown nine times. Albert’s second victory in the Quebec Open in 1930 by a record score remained unbroken for almost 50 years.

In the meantime, Albert was looking for a classy venue to launch Canada’s first indoor golf school so he leased the basement of Montreal’s Ritz Carlton Hotel in 1916. He had already invented several golf aids to go along with his lessons and he would operate his winter golf schools in various locations around Montreal for the next 25 years.

Albert’s interest in golf course architecture developed early on and by 1915 the younger Murray had already laid out 10 courses, some with Charlie, including the Kanawaki and Whitlock golf clubs. He would go on to design or remodel more than 60 courses, spanning a professional career of the same length.

With the outbreak of the First World War, patriotic golf matches for the Red Cross Relief Fund were established. This was the first time spectators paid to watch professionals play golf in North America. The Murray brothers, teamed up against the best pros of the day, were undefeated in their matches. Undeterred, in 1918, the Toronto Mail and Empire reported that multiple Canadian Amateur champion, George Lyon and professional Percy Barrett had challenged the Murray brothers for a match at Weston Golf & Country Club in Toronto, “with a side bet of $500.00 or $1000.00.”

The pro game was becoming lucrative, and in May of 1922, the Vancouver Sun reported that Charles and Albert Murray were the highest paid professional golfers in Canada. Charles had just turned down an offer from E.B. Mclean, publisher of the Washington Post, to be his personal coach and head pro at a private course he was building in Florida. In turning down the offer, Charlie was firm in his loyalty to the members of Royal Montreal where he had been head professional since 1905.

Instead Charlie became the first head professional of the newly designed Donald Ross course, Gulf Stream, in Delray Beach, Fla., beating out a number of outstanding U.S. professionals for the coveted position at this uber-exclusive club.

A devoted father to his three sons, Charlie’s routine for nine years was to head with his family to Florida in late fall to take up residence for the high season at the Gulf Stream club, returning in time to open the season at Royal Montreal. It was at Gulf Stream that Charlie established a North American reputation, breaking course records in matches at area clubs and hosting the golfing stars of the day.

Meanwhile, younger brother Albert was head pro at the Country Club of Montreal where he had designed their first course in 1910. Two years earlier Albert had captured his first Canadian Open at 20, establishing a record as the youngest winner that still stands 109 year later. Charlie maintains the most top 10 finishes in the Open, two better than Jack Nicklaus.

Murrays Reigned Supreme In Early Era read the headline in the Montreal Star in 1967 when they interviewed Albert. The “Yellow Course,” the first municipal course in Quebec designed by the brothers was the first time a public course was chosen to host an Open championship in North America. Now in his 70s, Albert shook his head at the modern stars of Nicklaus, Palmer and Player, saying the game had completely changed since their days of golfing, then paused and with a wink said “but the hole is still the same size.”

Ian Murray, a grandson of Albert, is currently writing a book on the Murray Brothers in Golf’s ‘Golden Age.’

Judging from the tattoo on her left wrist which reads “I believe in the good things coming” it’s safe to say that Ottawa native Grace St-Germain is an optimist – and has the right mindset to succeed.

“It’s a reminder that no matter what you are going through, whether if it’s a bad hole or anything else, that good things are coming if you stay patient and committed to your goal,” explained the 19-year-old.

Recently at the CP Women’s Open, the national team member took some time to talk about her journey on the golf course.

“My grandparents ran the junior program at Hylands Golf and Country club – right behind the airport – where they were members; and they brought all the grandchildren out to play,” said the talented young Ottawa golfer.

And young Grace took a liking to the sport right away.

“I was seven years old at the time and really liked it. It was more fun than watching it on television. I thought it was fun being outside all day and playing with the other kids,” she noted about her humble beginnings.

While St-Germain enjoyed the sport, it wasn’t something that she took too seriously at first.

But that changed when she was 11 years old; and exceeded expectations at a provincial level tournament in Quebec.

“I remembered my parents didn’t expect me to make the cut, so they booked the hotel for only two days,” she reminisced with a smile. “But I made the cut; and that’s when I started to take it more seriously.”

Since making that commitment, her game has taken off.

One of St-Germain’s most notable achievements in her young amateur career came in 2014 when she captured the Canadian Junior Girls Championship at the Thornhill Golf and Country Club.

“Going into the week, I felt really confident; and then, I put together a few good rounds and by the last day I was in the lead by a few shots,” she said.

St-Germain says it was some simple but effective advice offered by her coach that helped calm her nerves prior to the final round.

“I was super nervous and I didn’t know how to handle the pressure of being in the lead; and I remembered my coach just told me to breathe and smile.”

The advice worked wonders as she held on to capture her first national title.

“It was surreal. My mom was crying and my dad gave me a huge hug. It was such an amazing experience and I just gained so much confidence from that,” recalled St-Germain, who also captured the Ontario Women’s Amateur in 2016.

Having worked closely with St-Germain over the previous three years, Canadian women’s national team head coach, Tristan Mullally, has nothing but praise for her commitment and dedication to success.

“She has very positive attitude – which is really important in the sport of golf – and has a really good work ethic.  It’s easy to see that she’s committed to success and is willing to do what it takes to get better each day,” he noted.

“Grace is still young and she’s still developing so as she gets stronger we’re going to see her hit the ball further and when you combine that with the fact that she’s got a very solid short game, it’s safe to say she has a bright future ahead,” added Mullally.

Having spent two years with the development squad before joining the amateur team this year, St-Germain says she’s grateful to be part of the program.

“It has allowed us to play in so many prestigious tournaments all over the world and we’ve benefitted from having great coaching and support in all aspects of our game,” she said.

“It’s definitely helped a lot in my development of as a player.”

The national team member points out that one of her favourite memories came in 2015 when she competed in the World Junior Girls Championships at the Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa.

“I played in the tournament two years ago and it was a lot of fun.  I learned a lot from the experience and made a lot of new friends from around the world,” she said.

“It was cool being the home town hero and having a lot of family and friends there supporting me.”

While the 19-year-old will not be competing in this year’s tournament – which will be returning to the Marshes Golf Club September 26-29 – she has a number of friends who are taking part.

“I have a few of my friends who are playing in the tournament this year ask me what the course is like and I just try to give them the best advice on that; and also what it’s like to complete in the tournament representing your country as a part of a team.”

St-Germain was also quick to point out how much she enjoyed being one of the hometown favourites at the CP Women’s Open.

“I grew up about 25 minutes from the Ottawa Hunt Club, so it’s really cool to hear people in the crowd cheering my name.  It was a great learning experience and very motivating to be out there playing with the best in the world.”

Since the completion of the CP Women’s Open, the 19-year-old has returned to Daytona State where she is finishing off her second and final year of junior college.

After she graduates, St-Germain will be headed off to Arkansas as she has already committed to the University of Arkansas for the fall of 2018.

“Over the next few years, I would like to win a few more tournaments and be one of the top amateurs in the world.  And after I finish college, my goal is to turn pro and go from there.”

While many are predicting a bright future ahead for her, the 2014 Canadian Junior Girls champ understands that it’s important not to look too far ahead.

“It’s important just to take it one day at a time and continue to work hard every day to improve all aspects of my game,” said the mature 19-year-old.

“I believe if I do the right things and continue to make improvements, then I definitely will see good things coming my way in the future.”

PORTLAND, Ore. – Helene Chartrand of Pincourt, Qué., who finished as a co-medalist, will lead six Canadians on to the Round of 32 at the 56th U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship.

Chartrand won the first four holes and never trailed in her 6-and-5 win over American Nanette Seman.

“Nannette had a rough time starting, so it’s tough to come back from there,” said Chartrand, 61, who won the 2014 Canadian Women’s Senior Championship and finished runner-up in 2016. “If I’ve learned one thing in golf, it’s that you can never sit on a lead. You never want to let your competitor come back. That’s what I tried to do with some good shots where I forced her to make pars, and unfortunately for her, she missed putts.”

Chartrand has played in six consecutive U.S. Senior Women’s Amateurs and made a quarterfinals appearance in 2014, losing 1 down to champion Joan Higgins. She will be joined by five other Canadian players in the Round of 32, including Mary Ann Hayward, the 2005 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, and Judith Kyrinis, the 2014 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur runner-up. Hayward defeated M.K. Thanos-Zordani, 4 and 2, and Kyrinis ousted Jen Holland, 6 and 4, in the first round.

“These greens remind me of home – a lot of undulations and up-and-down reads,” said Kyrinis. “So, I get them and feel really comfortable on them. I sunk some fairly lengthy putts today. Anytime you birdie No. 3, that’s a real bonus.”

Rounding out the list of six Canadians advancing are Marie-Therese Torti, Terrill Samuel and Jackie Little.

The U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, open to female amateurs age 50 and older with a Handicap Index not exceeding 18.4, consists of 36 holes of stroke play, with the low 64 players advancing to match play. The championship, scheduled to conclude with an 18-hole final on Thursday, is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the USGA, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.

KAHNAWAKE, Que. – Allen Barber of Yorktown, Va., fired a blazing 3-under-par 67 Monday to take the opening-round lead at the 2017 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship at Kanawaki Golf Club.

Barber was the lone competitor to break par (70) at Kanawaki on Monday. Following his round, he credited his strategy for tackling Kanawaki’s treacherous greens and some solid putting for the stellar start.

“The golf course is really, really good. One of the best I’ve played and it’s in pristine shape,” said Barber. “But those greens are really tough. My plan for the day was to hit fairways and leave it below the hole. I did that and thankfully I putted well on those greens, too.”

Barber has been enjoying a great summer of competitive amateur golf. He’s amassed four top-5 finishes including a T4 at the prestigious Senior Porter Cup.

Four players trail Barber after carding even-par 70s. Buzz Fly of Memphis, Brady Exber of Las Vegas, Doug Hanzel of Savannah, GA and Lance Lundy of Pemberton, B.C., all share second heading into Tuesday’s round.

Lundy leads the Super Senior (65 years +) Division by a single-shot over 2010 Canadian Senior Champion Paul Simson of Raleigh, N.C., after a 71. Another shot back is Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Graham Cooke. The Hudson, Que., native, who celebrated his 71st birthday Monday, shot a 2-over 72. Cooke is a four-time winner of the senior title (2001, 2002, 2008 & 2009).

Following the opening two rounds, the field will be reduced to the low 70 players and ties. Also contested over the tournament’s first two rounds is an inter-provincial team competition.

Team Alberta, comprised of Frank Van Dornick of Camrose, Brian Laubman of Edmonton and Ken Griffith of Red Deer hold the lead after combining for a score of 142 (+2). Team Quebec and Team British Columbia are tied for second five shots back at 147 (+7).

Additional information, including full scores from the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship can be here.

GARDEN CITY, Kansas, September 10, 2017 – When Anne-Catherine Tanguay (Quebec, Canada) woke up Sunday morning, she was so nervous she cried. The nerves didn’t show down the stretch as she made critical birdies on holes 14, 16 and 17 to win the Garden City Charity Classic at Buffalo Dunes by three-strokes. Tanguay carded a 1-under, 71 on Sunday to earn her first career victory. She finished with a three-day total of 5-under, 211. She was one of only two players that finished under-par for the tournament. Katelyn Dambaugh (North Charleston, S.C.) finished second at 2-under, 214 while Emma Talley (Princeton, Ky.) finished third at even-par, 216.

Wind was a major factor again on Sunday with gusts exceeding 35 miles-an-hour and sustained winds over 20 miles-an-hour.

Tanguay, 26, pockets the $22,500 first-place check to jump from eighth to fifth on the Volvik Race for the Card money list with four events remaining in the season. She has now earned $70,995 in 16 starts this season. While Tanguay is not a lock to earn her LPGA Tour card yet, she is in great position. For perspective, No. 10 on the money list in 2016 earned $67,577.

Tanguay entered the day one shot off the lead and was one shot back after the front nine.

“It is just really incredible,” said Tanguay, who gave a lot of credit to her former Oklahoma head coach Veronique Drouin-Luttrell for learning to play in the wind. “Honestly, I feel like this win is a bit out of the blue because last week my confidence wasn’t very high. These past few months have been hard because I don’t feel like I was getting the results. This week, everything clicked. I had really good process goals. I tried to boost my confidence all week and my fiancé (Jean-Hubert Trahan) was doing that for me too.”

Katelyn Dambaugh (North Charleston, S.C.), who slept on the lead, made bogeys on holes 9, 10 and 13 and Tanguay made her run. She made a 6-foot par putt on 13 to take the outright lead at 2-under. Then, she stuck her approach on hole 14 to 12-feet and made a critical birdie to go up two shots with four left. She let out two emphatic fist pumps.

“I’m not sure how it happened because I was extremely nervous today,” said Tanguay, who wrote down goals in her yardage book and referred to them on the back nine. “One of my biggest goals was to pick a target and take an aggressive and fearless swing and that is really what got me through.”

Tanguay made par on 15 and then reached the par-5 16th in two and two-putted for birdie. She kept the momentum going with a 15-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole to build a three-shot lead. Tanguay nearly finished with another birdie on 18, but tapped in from a foot for par to win.

“This year was almost go big or go home,” admitted Tanguay, who made ten starts on the LPGA last year with conditional status. “Last year, I had the taste of playing there (LPGA) and I knew I belonged and I really wanted to accomplish getting back. That has been a huge goal of mine. We will see how it plays out, but I think I’m in a really good position now. I have a lot of trust and confidence now.”

Tanguay will head to the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout in El Dorado, Arkansas next week.

Before the trophy ceremony started, Tanguay made a special call to her mom and dad, Luice and Yvan, in Quebec. Her parents travel to several events throughout the season, but weren’t in Garden City this week.

“I just thought I was going to burst into tears, but the only emotion I feel right now is happiness,” said Tanguay. “I want to share that with them and I’ve been sharing that with JH this week. They just told me that they are really, really proud of me because now they want to come to the rest of the tournaments. They have always been so supportive of me.”

Tanguay now has six top 10 finishes this season, but this is her first since May. While she hasn’t had the results on the course lately, Tanguay had a life-changing moment occur in late July. She got engaged.

She made a bet with her fiancé, who also serves as her full-time caddy, on Sunday that if she won, he would have to shave his beard. The beard will be gone next week.

“He didn’t want to shave this week so I said we’re playing for the beard,” joked Tanguay. “The beard is going.”

(September 10, 2017 – Innisfil, Ont.) – Dallas, Texas’ Kramer Hickok closed with an 8-under 64 on Sunday at National Pines Golf Club, then defeated Camarillo, California’s Johnny Ruiz in a playoff to win the Ontario Championship hosted by National Pines Golf Club, his second Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada win of the season.

The 25-year old posted his second straight round of 64, going 16-under on the weekend to post the lead at 19-under in the clubhouse, then drained a five-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole (the fourth hole of a playoff) to defeat Ruiz and solidify his position atop the Order of Merit and guarantee a spot in The Five along with Web.com Tour status for 2018.

“Being able to shoot 16-under on the weekend when you set that goal is pretty awesome. I’ve never done that before, not even close,” said Hickok, who had finished second in his two previous starts at the National Capital Open to Support Our Troops and Cape Breton Open. “It’s a step in the right direction and it’s not another second place, so I’m happy about that.”

Starting the day eight strokes off the 54-hole lead held by Ruiz, Hickok started quickly with three straight birdies out of the gate, then made four straight birdies on holes 8-11 to get within two of Ruiz’s lead. Ruiz, who defeated Hickok by one shot earlier this year at the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel, saw his lead evaporate with a triple bogey at No. 12, however, quickly turning what looked like a safe lead into anyone’s game.

That’s when Hickok produced two more birdies at the 14th and 15th holes, and after three closing pars, he posted the clubhouse lead at 19-under par and headed to the range to wait and see if he’d be the winner.

Ruiz refused to go down without a fight, however, coming up with birdies on 14 and 15 to bounce back. Down to his last chance at the 72nd hole, the 23-year old poured in a 25-footer from the fringe to send the tournament into extra holes.

The first three bonus stanzas settled nothing, as both players posted pars on the 18th, 18th and ninth holes. It was on the fourth hole, however, that Hickok drew upon a shot he had hit in regulation and then on the range afterward to try and close out the tournament.

“It was a shot I had been hitting on the range after I had finished, and I was just striping it,” said Hickok of a 9-iron from 143 yards, which he hit to five feet from the pin. “I told my caddie, Craig, who did an awesome job this week, that it’s just another shot and I was able to stick it in there close.”

Hickok emerges from the win with the Order of Merit lead firmly in his grasp, as only a Robby Shelton win next week at the Freedom 55 Financial Championship and a finish of worse than 19th by Hickok can create a change atop the season-long money list. Still, it was no easy task to come out on top this week, as all five members of The Five finished T4 or better at National Pines.

“It’s unbelievable. This course yielded some of the best players all year. Heading into today, I was in seventh place but looking in front of me, there were four guys that could jump me in The Five. I think that’s what good courses do – they bring out the best players,” said Hickok, reflecting on what has been an incredible year that still has one goal left to be achieved: the Order of Merit title next week.

“I’ve had three seconds and two wins, and it’s not even guaranteed. These guys are just that good. If you’re not playing well, someone else is, and they’re going to jump you. I know the purse is bigger next week, so I’ve gotta go out there and do it again,” said Hickok.

Ruiz’s runner-up finish represents his second of the year to go with his victory in Thunder Bay and moves him to No. 3 on the Order of Merit, while Robby Shelton maintains his spot at No. 2 with a T4 finish. No. 4 Patrick Newcomb and No. 5 Lee McCoy also finished in a tie for fourth with Shelton.

NOTES

25-year old Kramer Hickok is in his first season on the Mackenzie Tour and ranks No. 1 on the Order of Merit thanks to wins at the Ontario Championship hosted by National Pines Golf Club and Players Cup, plus runner-up finishes at the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel, National Capital Open to Support Our Troops and Cape Breton Open.

With the win, Hickok becomes the second player during the PGA TOUR era on the Mackenzie Tour (2013-present) to surpass $100,000 in earnings.

With only the Freedom 55 Financial Championship left this season, the only scenario keeping Hickok from finishing No. 1 on the Order of Merit would be a win by Robby Shelton next week in London and a finish of worse than 19th by Hickok.

Hickok’s final round 8-under 64 matches Patrick Newcomb at last week’s Cape Breton Open for the lowest final round by a winner this season.

The University of Texas alum is a roommate of two-time major champion Jordan Spieth.

SEANN HARLINGTEN TAKES FREEDOM 55 FINANCIAL TOP CANADIAN

With a total score of 13-under par in a tie for ninth, Vancouver, British Columbia’s Seann Harlingten finished as the top Canadian on the leaderboard, earning Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week honours and a $2,500 prize.

The top Canadian on the leaderboard each week takes home the award, with the top Canadian on the Order of Merit at season’s end earning the Dan Halldorson Trophy, Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Year honours and a $25,000 prize.

ONE WEEK LEFT IN RACE FOR THE FIVE

With his win on Sunday, Kramer Hickok assured himself a spot in The Five and status on the Web.com Tour next season. Below are the top five through 11 of 12 events this season:

1. Kramer Hickok $117,702
2. Robby Shelton $84,493
3. Johnny Ruiz $81,631
4. Patrick Newcomb $81,298
5. Lee McCoy $55,551

Miscellaneous notes:

• Weather: 17 degrees Celsius, partly cloudy, winds at 5 km/h gusting to 8 km/h.
• Hickok received seven free daily rental vouchers for a rental car from AVIS for the win.
• Click here for scores.

CHIBA, Japan _ Colin Montgomerie made all the putts he needed Sunday on Narita Golf Club’s massive greens to win the Japan Airlines Championship _ the first PGA Tour Champions event in Japan.

The 54-year-old Scot two-putted for par from 50 feet on the par-4 18th, hitting his first to 1 1/2 feet, for a 5-under 67 and a one-stroke victory over Billy Mayfair and second-round leader Scott McCarron.

“The greens were as good as any, and I mean this, as good as any as we have ever putted on, ever,” Montgomerie said. “And we’ve putted on some great, great surfaces. In the 30 years as a pro, these are as good as any we have putted on as a putting surface. Superb putting surfaces. And the way the course was manicured was exceptional.”

Montgomerie finished at 14-under 202 for his fifth victory on the 50-and-over tour and first in nearly a year. He won 31 times on the European Tour and topped the tour’s money list a record eight times _ seven in a row from 1993-99 and the last in 2005.

“It’s a big deal, a very big deal,” Montgomerie said about tour’s first visit to Japan. “And let’s hope that the success of this event goes forward and not only allows the PGA Tour Champions to come back and compete but also allows the PGA Tour to come and play here. It will be fantastic if that time ever comes.”

Montgomerie ran in a 60-footer on the par-4 13th in the middle of a three-hole birdie spree, and made two key 6-foot putts _ the first for par on the par-3 16th and the second for birdie on the par-5 17th to break a tie for the lead with Mayfair.

“I think when I holed the putt on the 14th hole for my third birdie in a row, I felt that I had a chance then,” Montgomerie said. “I’m a big scoreboard watcher and knew I was leading. I just had to make sure I birdied 17 and par in, which I did.”

Mayfair, playing two groups ahead of Montgomerie, settled for a 66 after missing a 6-foot birdie try on 18.

“I hit a good putt and I knew it wasn’t going to go in the centre, but I thought it would catch the left edge and it just came out,” Mayfair said. “But I made so many putts today and the whole week.”

McCarron, tied with Bernhard Langer for the tour victory lead with four after winning three of the previous six events, birdied the final two holes for a 71. He opened with a double bogey.

“I’ve had kind of a cold that just got worse,” McCarron said. “My head’s a little foggy and just didn’t make a very good swing and I missed the first fairway, put myself in a really bad position. … But no excuses. If I shoot 3 under, I win this thing. Just wasn’t able to do it today. Unfortunately, just didn’t put myself in position off the tee.”

Montgomerie birdied four of the first five holes on the back nine _ also holing putts of 20 feet on No. 10, 15 feet on No. 12, and 14 feet on No. 14 _ after playing the first nine in even par with a bogey and a birdie.

“It wasn’t easy,” Montgomerie said. “The wind was swirling in the trees, the pins were located in some very difficult positions, very difficult, right on the edges of the greens on slopes.”

Sidelined 2 1/2 months in the spring by torn ligaments in his left ankle, Montgomerie won for the first time since beating McCarron late last September in a playoff in Canada in the Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship _ a title he will try to defend this coming week in Victoria, British Columbia. The Hall of Famer’s first three Champions victories came in majors _ the 2014 and 2015 Senior PGA Championship and 2014 U.S. Senior Open.

“I’m just beginning to play the way that I have the last three years,” Montgomerie said.

Glen Day was fourth at 12 under after a 67. Kevin Sutherland, a stroke back entering the round, had a 72 to drop into a tie for fifth with Jesper Parnevik (67) at 11 under.

Stephen Ames made an early charge in his final round but struggled on the back nine, finishing even on the day and 8 under for the championship in a share of 15th position while fellow Canadian Jim Rutledge was also even on the day to finish tied for 24th.

Massy Kuramoto topped the six Japanese players in the field at 10 under after a 67.