Katie Cranston also punches her ticket to CPKC Women’s Open through She Plays Golf Order of Merit. 

BURLINGTON, Ont. – Buoyed by a an eight-under 63 in her second round, Team Canada’s Tillie Claggett of Calgary, Alta. finished at 13-under to coast to a seven-stroke victory at the Burlington Golf and Country Club in Burlington, Ont. on Thursday to claim the 38th PGA Women’s Championship of Canada and the final event on the She Plays Golf Championship Series 

It was only a matter of time before Claggett – a junior at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. – secured her first victory of the 2025 season after competing for the top spot on the leaderboard numerous times over the last four weeks. Claggett entered this week’s championship with a runner-up finish at the Texas Women’s Amateur Championship in June as well as a semi-final appearance at The Women’s Amateur Championship in Nairn, Scotland that saw her go 4UP on her opponent through 14 holes of match play golf.  

Her play in the second round of the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada on Wednesday helped Claggett break through on home soil and book her spot in next month’s CPKC Women’s Open – awarded to each winner in the She Plays Golf Championship Series.  

Claggett stitched together five birdies and consecutive eagles on Wednesday to move ahead of her Team Canada teammate and first-round leader Vanessa Borovilos of Etobicoke, Ont. and manufacture a six-stroke lead for herself atop the leaderboard. Starting her second round one back, Claggett made her move early, playing the first seven holes at four-under par and setting the table for her most dominant stretch of the tournament that featured back-to-back eagles Nos. 11 and 12.  

The Albertan failed to take her foot off the gas on Thursday, finishing her final round with a two-under 69 that included birdies on holes three, 10 and 16 to secure her maiden win of the season. 

Meanwhile, as Claggett put the finishing touches on her final round, fellow Team Canada members, Nicole Gal of Oakville, Ont. and Katie Cranston of Oakville Ont. battled for the final available spot in the CPKC Women’s Open – awarded to the highest player on the Order of Merit following the conclusion of all three events on the She Plays Golf Championship Series.  

Cranston entered the tournament leading Gal on the Order of Merit after finishing T2 and T9 in the first two events on the She Plays Golf Championship Series. Cranston fell behind Gal after the latter opened her final round with birdies at the fifth and eighth holes to get to two-under par. Her ascension continued at the scorable par-5 11th hole, rolling in another birdie putt to move into a tie for fifth.  

Shifting to the back nine on Thursday, Cranston was able to regain momentum following the turn with birdies on Nos. 11, 12 and 14 to get within a shot of Gal and maintain her place atop the standings. Gal finished the tournament T5 at 2-under, while Cranston finished T9 at 1-under to earn the final exemption from the Championship Series following another top 10 finish. 

For the final standings, leaderboards and purse distribution from the 38th PGA Women’s Championship of Canada, please click here.  

With stops around the country, the She Plays Golf Championship Series  provides an enhanced national qualifying path for players to punch their ticket into the CPKC Women’s Open. Anchored In three regions by a $60,000 CAD purse, each championship field features 60 professional and elite amateurs vying for an exemption into Canadia’s National women’s Open.  

Team Canada NextGen members, Shauna Liu of Maple, Ont. and Clara Ding of White Rock, B.C. earned their exemptions into the CPKC Women’s Open through the She Plays Golf Championship Series, winning the Peloton Glencoe Invitational and GolfBC Group BC Women’s Open respectively.  

Joined by Claggett and Cranston, the four members of the Team Canada program will be part of a world-class field set to compete at Mississaugua Golf and Country Club in Mississauga, Ont. for the 51st playing of the CPKC Women’s Open August 20-24. 

To view more information on the CPKC Women’s Open, click here.  

Brigitte Thibault was practising for a mini-tour event outside Orlando, Fla., last December, when a recreational player on an adjacent hole shanked her hybrid off the fairway, firing the ball into the back of the young professional golfer’s head.

Thibault’s hands instinctively flew to the back of her head as she lost consciousness and sank to the ground.

“I remember the vibration because it was so loud in my head,” recalled Thibault on Tuesday. “I remember thinking, ‘what the hell just hit me?’

“Then I opened my eyes and I was on the ground. I remember looking at both of my hands and they were just full of red blood.”

The 26-year-old from Rosemere, Que., was rushed to hospital where she was diagnosed with a concussion. The doctors also told her that she was “lucky” that the blood was flowing outwards and that there was no serious internal bleeding. 

Indeed, she didn’t even need any stitches.

Thibault said she basically slept non-stop for the next two weeks and then returned to the gym to build her strength back up. But the damage the accident did to her nervous system and the lingering post-traumatic stress disorder have been harder to shake.

“For like a week and a half to two weeks, I was waking up because I would re-feel the vibration or see the hands (covered in blood),” said Thibault. “It’s strange to explain.”

Even as she physically recovered and the nightmares faded, PTSD episodes continued to surprise Thibault for weeks after the incident.

“A dog barks or a baby would cry, it would trigger a whole panic attack, as if I was getting attacked,” said Thibault, noting she hasn’t had any episodes since the first week of February. “I’ll feel like there’s going to be a panic attack, but then I don’t start crying or anything more. 

“When the accident happened, I was so caught off guard (…) that anything that would catch me off guard, post that event, would alarm my whole nervous system.”

Determined to return to her career, Thibault resumed playing competitive golf in March with her first event of 2025 sponsored by the same company as the fateful mini-tour event, also in the Orlando area.

“I was driving to the course, and I started crying, because I was just like, ‘this feels too much the same,” she said. “It’s strange to explain.

“I mean, I still don’t know if something’s gonna pop out, but for now, I feel pretty much back to my normal self.”

Thibault is now playing on the Epson Tour, the feeder circuit for the top-flight LPGA Tour, and has appeared in six events so far this year. Although she hasn’t gotten the results she’d like, missing the cut in her past five tournaments, she feels like her game is close.

“It’s been a bit of a bummer,” said Thibault. “I missed the last four cuts by one, so it’s been kind of hard on that end. 

“But again, my game is moving in the right direction, and my stats are moving where I want them to move to, so I’ve just got to stay the course.”

Thibault is one of eight Canadians in the field at this week’s Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship. 

She’ll be joined at Great River Golf Club in Milford, Conn., by Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., Vancouver’s Leah John, Monet Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont., Yeji Kwon of Port Coquitlam, B.C., Josee Doyon of Saint-Georges, Que., Brooke Rivers of Brampton, Ont., and Mary Parsons of Delta, B.C.

Thibault, who won bronze in the mixed team event with Parsons, Joey Savoie and Austin Connelly at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, said that it’s one of her favourite stops on the Epson Tour.

“It’s always really pure, I like the course set up,” she said. “It makes me think of an LPGA Tour event, and there’s always a lot of people that come out. 

“It feels like home in a sense.”

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A post shared by BRIGITTE THIBAULT (@bri.thib)

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Canadians on Tour:

LPGA TOUR — Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., returns to the Amundi Evian Championship, the fourth major on the women’s golf calendar. She won the tournament in 2022 but is currently ranked 49th in the Race to CME Globe standings. 

PGA TOUR — Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., is the top-ranked Canadian at the Genesis Scottish Open, an event co-hosted by the PGA Tour and the Europe-based DP World Tour. He’s ranked 13th in the FedEx Cup rankings. Conners will be joined by Nick Taylor (17th) of Abbotsford, B.C., Taylor Pendrith (35th) of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Mackenzie Hughes (53d) of Dundas, Ont. Aaron Cockerill of Stony Mountain, Man., the only Canadian on the DP World Tour, is also in the field. He’s 98th on that circuit’s points list.

CHAMPIONS TOUR — Calgary’s Stephen Ames is the lone Canadian in this week’s DICK’S Open. He’s ranked 39th on the Schwab Cup points list heading into play at En-Joie Golf Club in Endicott, N.Y.

KORN FERRY TOUR — Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S., leads the Canadian contingent into The Ascendant presented by Blue. He’s ranked 17th on the second-tier tour’s points list. Creighton will be joined at TPC Colorado in Berthoud by Sudarshan Yellamaraju (20th) of Mississauga, Ont., Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald (37th), Matthew Anderson (53rd) of Mississauga, Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., and Etienne Papineau (143rd) of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.

PGA TOUR AMERICAS — A.J. Ewart of Port Coquitlam, B.C., is the highest ranked Canadian on the third-tier Americas Tour heading into this week’s tournament. He’s 16th on the points list heading into the Bromont Open. There are 16 Canadians in the field at Golf Chateau-Bromont.

MISSISSAUGA – James Hutchison is as eager as ever for the spotlight to shine bright on the Mississaugua Golf and Country Club.

“We know it’s a great club,” Hutchison explains, “and this will cement us as one of the very top clubs in the country.

“Personally, I’m excited for the public in general to see the club the way that we see it every day.”

Hutchison has been at Mississaugua for nearly 10 years and currently acts as the Director of Instruction. With the CPKC Women’s Open just around the corner, there is a palpable buzz amongst both the staff and the membership – and with plenty of big reasons.

The biggest, perhaps, is that when the first ball is in the air in late August, Mississaugua will join an elite group of clubs that have hosted all of Canadian Men’s Amateur, Canadian Women’s Amateur, RBC Canadian Open, and CPKC Women’s Open. With Mississaugua’s inclusion, that number will be just eight.

The latest to join the group was Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club in 2023.

Hutchison said it was a “fairly quick” timeline to lock in the LPGA Tour at Mississaugua, which was originally founded in 1906. This will be the first time since 2019 that the championship will be contested in the Greater Toronto Area.

“Hosting this wonderful tournament at our historic club gives us the opportunity to not only showcase our championship golf course but proudly share Mississaugua with the rest of Canada and the world,” said Rodger Leslie, Mississaugua Golf and Country Club President, at the time of the announcement that the club would play host.

“The Members of Mississaugua are thrilled to welcome the very best LPGA Tour players to the Club for the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open.”

The field is already set to be one of the finest of any event on the LPGA Tour schedule, and Hutchison said the key for a players’ success will be around the greens. Off the tee Mississaugua is fairly generous, he says, but it will come down to ball-striking and who can make putts. If they get the greens rolling fast, he explains, the greens and the green complexes are the challenge of the course.

While the course has hosted the RBC Canadian Open six times previous, the last was in 1974 (won by Bobby Nichols). Sam Snead and Walter Hagen are also past champions. Hutchison says days of hosting the PGA Tour are likely gone, as he knows the club isn’t long enough – nor would it be able to handle “the kind of crowds” the RBC Canadian Open now gets. Total attendance at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley this summer was, for example, upwards of 100,000.

But having the CPKC Women’s Open is “the” event for them to host, Hutchison says.

And he, along with the rest of the team at the iconic club, couldn’t be more excited.

“It’s the top of the top,” Hutchison says. “If we can continue to host this, and the other top amateur events, that would continue to keep us in the conversation as a top club.

“I think everyone is just excited to put the course on showcase.”

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – Golf Canada is excited to announce that The Toronto Golf Club in Mississauga, Ont. will host the 112th playing of the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO set to take place July 20-24, 2026.  

Amateur Championship golf returns to The Toronto Golf Club for the first time since 2017. That year, The Toronto Golf Club matched the record for hosting the most Canadian Men’s Amateur Championships, previously set by the Royal Ottawa Golf Club in Gatineau, Que. a year prior. 

“Golf Canada is very proud and grateful to be returning to the historic The Toronto Golf Club for the 112th playing of our Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship next summer,” said Mary Beth McKenna, Director, Amateur Championships and Rules, Golf Canada. “The Toronto Golf Club has hosted numerous professional and amateur championships over its storied history. We appreciate the club’s continued commitment to hosting amateur golf and we look forward to welcoming a field of elite amateur talent to one of the most prestigious golf courses in the country.” 

Notably, it will be the first time since 1947 that the course will host the nation’s Women’s Amateur Championship – formerly the Canadian Ladies’ Golf Association Championship – and the eighth in its illustrious history. The Toronto Golf Club has also opened its doors to 11 Canadian Women’s Senior Golf Association Championships, two Canadian Professional Golfers’ Association Championships and five RBC Canadian Open’s between 1905 and 1927.  

“As one of the natural homes of golf in Canada, we are delighted to have the Canadian Women’s Amateur at The Toronto Golf Club next July,” said Hugh Christie, President, The Toronto Golf Club. “Our commitment to golf in Canada is steadfast and longstanding. We look forward to the tournament.” 

Founded in 1876, The Toronto Golf Club is the third-oldest golf club in North America and currently located on the banks of the Etobicoke Creek. In 1911, the club commissioned renowned golf architect Harry Colt to design the current 18-hole course and in recent years, has brought back Colt’s heathland design to continue to cement itself as a Canadian masterpiece.  

Renowned for its demanding layout and natural surroundings, The Toronto Golf Club offers a historic, memorable and challenging experience for players to uphold its place as Canada’s first-ever championship course. The club will be celebrating its sesquicentennial anniversary in 2026 and 113th year in Mississauga, Ont. while adding another prestigious national championship to its acclaimed history.  

Having debuted in 1901 at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Que., the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship stands as one of the oldest amateur golf events in the world. Current LPGA Tour stars Ariya Jutanugarn (2012), Brooke Henderson (2013), Hye-Jin Choi (2016), Jennifer Kupcho (2017), and Yealimi Noh (2018) have all lifted the Duchess of Connaught Gold Cup – the trophy presented annually to the Women’s Amateur champion – though none have matched Marlene Stewart Streit’s 11 victories that helped her become the first-ever Canadian inducted in the World Golf Hall of Fame.  

The 111th playing of the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, will take place July 21 – 25 at The Riverside Country Club in Saint John, N.B. 

Ottawa, Ont. – The National Golf Course Owners Association Canada (NGCOA Canada) has announced that longtime CEO Jeff Calderwood will retire on December 31, 2025, after a remarkable 34-year career helping to shape the Canadian golf industry.

Calderwood’s leadership helped grow NGCOA Canada from the ground up into a national network of nearly 1,500 golf courses and 170 industry partners. He introduced a wide range of impactful programs, including the Golfmax Purchasing Program, Take A Kid To The Course, and the Golf Business Canada Conference & Trade Show, while expanding the Association’s advocacy, research, and sustainability efforts.

Beyond NGCOA Canada, Calderwood has played a key national role in advancing golf through policy wins, economic impact studies, and industry collaborations. He also served multiple terms as Chair of the National Allied Golf Associations.

Though retiring from his CEO role, Calderwood will remain involved in an advisory capacity to ensure a smooth transition and ongoing industry support.

“Jeff’s vision and commitment have left a lasting legacy,” said NGCOA Canada Board President Richard Edmonds. “We thank him for everything he’s done for our association and for golf in Canada.”

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – Wearing a blueberry-coloured power suit, Claire Welsh confidently walks to the podium at the Mississaugua Golf and Country Club and addresses a room of dozens – her first official public appearance as the new tournament director of the CPKC Women’s Open.

There’s confidence and grace. And there’s joy and excitement. The event is set to be big – it’s returning to the Greater Toronto Area for the first time in more than a half a decade, and Welsh gets to announce that the game’s top player, Nelly Korda is returning to the field. The Rink is back, too, and Mississaugua will become one of just a small handful of clubs to host the Canadian Men’s Amateur, Canadian Women’s Amateur, RBC Canadian Open and CPKC Women’s Open.

It’s all happening. And Welsh is at the helm.

“What a privilege,” she says.

Welsh has made a big-time return to Canada after a decade with the Royal and Ancient, where she served as director of player relations for the R&A, with a focus primarily on the AIG Women’s Open and The Open Championship.

Prior to that, she spent six years working for Golf Ontario.

Golf Canada was, of course, looking for a new tournament director after Ryan Paul moved over to take the reins at the RBC Canadian Open, with Bryan Crawford moving on to become commissioner of the Ontario Hockey League.

Welsh had taken a year of and ended up getting a call from someone at Golf Canada encouraging her to apply for the role.

“My husband and I were travelling, and we weren’t really looking in Canada – we were just trying to figure out what we wanted to do next,” Welsh says. “When I saw the opportunity, I thought, ‘OK, this is something really interesting,’ and it was the catalyst for us moving home.

“That felt like all the cards had fallen into place.”

The CPKC Women’s Open is one of the most impressive sporting event properties in the entire country. It won back-to-back “Tournament of the Year” titles in both 2022 and 2023 at the LPGA Tour’s year-end awards.

At the 2025 Sport Tourism Canada PRESTIGE Awards, it was also named Sport Tourism Canada’s International Sport Event of the Year.

“Coming home to help shape the next chapter of our national women’s open feels incredibly special, especially at a time when women’s sports are experiencing remarkable growth and recognition,” Welsh said at the time of her hiring. “I know how important this historic event is for golf’s top players, and I’ve also seen its ability to inspire communities right across the country.”

Welsh is also aware of how important a north star the event has in Brooke Henderson. Henderson, who won the event in 2018, is also a CPKC ambassador, along with being a 13-time winner on the LPGA Tour.

Welsh had some history with Henderson after following her while she was at Golf Ontario. The native of Smiths Falls, Ont., was “tenny tiny” and just following in her sister Brittany Henderson’s footsteps.

“To be around to watch that journey and see her become this incredible woman that she is today – it just feels so amazing that she is the face of the event and being a CPKC ambassador and everything she does with them,” Welsh says. “There’s awe. There’s admiration. And how lucky are we to have such an amazing ambassador for women’s golf in Canada?”

Welsh was also quick to heap praise on Mississaugua. The course will have a modified routing for the tournament as golfers will go from Nos. 1 through 10, and then Nos. 11 through 18, for the split-tee starts, with No. 10 being The Rink hole for 2025.

Welsh had a front-row seat to the importance of venues when she was at the R&A, and how giving women priority for the best venues mattered as they reviewed the championship rota for The Open. When Welsh was at the R&A, the AIG Women’s Open was contested at Royal Troon (2020) and Muirfield (2022) for the first time, for example. The Open Championship also visited Royal Portush (2019) and Northern Ireland for the first time in more than half a century.

Welsh knows it’s different for the CPKC Women’s Open as it moves across the country, but golf has been her passport to the world, and now she says she’s thrilled with the opportunity to do it at home.

“For me personally, I’ve seen the world and seen amazing golf courses, but now I get to do it in Canada. I was out in Banff a few weeks ago, and I was like, ‘This is amazing.’ Seeing iconic courses – this is a privilege,” Welsh says. “How cool is this?”

A cool opportunity, and a wonderful return home.

Henry Dao recorded rounds of 68, 72 and 69 to win third-straight title while Alexis Card emerged from a tight battle to secure a playoff victory. 

MANOTICK, Ont. – Henry Dao of La Prairie, Que. fired the lowest round of the day to overcome a five-stroke deficit and defend his title for a second consecutive year, while Alexis Card of Cambridge, Ont. needed extra holes to claim a win of her own to cap off an entertaining finish to the 2025 NextGen Quebec Championship at Rideau View Golf Club in Manotick, Ont.  

Five different players held a share of the lead on Saturday to emphasize the tight battle for the Junior Boys division title, yet it was Dao – who started his final round in a three-way tie for third – that stormed back with a strong back nine and secure his third consecutive NextGen Quebec Championship.  

Mixing in a birdie with eight bogey-free holes to start his round, the reigning champion made his move on a packed field atop the leaderboard with an eagle at the par-5 10th to get to seven-under par. Dao continued his climb, adding crucial birdies at Nos. 14 and 16 as players ahead of him fell out of contention to open the door wide open to retain his title.  

Eddie Gu of Aurora, Ont. held the 36-hole lead at nine-under par but a pair of double bogeys at Nos. eight and 15 gave life to several chasers including Dao and Thomas Robert of Levis, Que. Both Dao and Robert sat atop the leaderboard on the final hole, but a double bogey left Robert in a tie with Thomas Grenier of Thetford Mines, Que. for second and Dao all alone in a familiar spot atop the rest of the field.  

“I was just trying to play some good golf and make some shots and that’s what I did,” said Dao. “I just proved to myself that when my game is good, I can beat anyone out here,” he added.  

Card, who started her final round Saturday leading Amelia McFarlane of Carleton Place, Ont. by three strokes, stalled on the front nine to allow her closest chaser to gain ground. Bogeys at the second and fifth holes trimmed her advantage to just a single stroke before a double bogey at the seventh propelled McFarlane into her first lead of the tournament.  

The two continued their fight on the back nine, where a double bogey at the par-4 13th briefly returned McFarlane into a deadlock with Card at four-over par. The 36-hole leader was able to capitalize however, wiping away a bogey at the par-5 16th with a clutch birdie on the final hole to claw her way into a playoff.  

It only took Card one extra hole to defeat McFarlane, who recorded a par while the former rolled in a four-foot putt for birdie to put the finishing touches on her maiden win on the NextGen Championship circuit and secure her place in this year’s Canadian Junior Girls Championship at Club de golf Sainte-Marie in Sainte Marie, Que.  

“It feels great and gives me a lot of confidence going into an event like that that I can compete against these girls and have a good chance to win,” commented Card following her round. 

NextGen Quebec Championship – Advancing to 2025 Canadian Junior Boys Championship  

*Top 6 qualify   

NextGen Quebec Championship – Advancing to 2025 Canadian Junior Girls Championship  

*Top 6 plus ties qualify   

*Won on 1st playoff hole 

The NextGen Championship circuit will embark on its final stop July 14-17 for the playing of the 2025 NextGen Atlantic Championship at Oakfield Golf & Country Club in Enfield, N.S. The 54-hole event will be the last opportunity for players to punch their tickets to each of the national championships for the Junior Boys and Junior Girls divisions.  

To view the final leaderboards from the 2025 NextGen Quebec Championship, please click here.   

About the NextGen Championships     
The NextGen Championships are a high-performance junior golf series which totals six competitions. From May to July, six championships will take place across Canada where the region’s best junior golfers will compete to earn exemptions into their respective 2024 national championships. NextGen Championships provide junior players an opportunity to develop and showcase their skills at the highest level of tournament golf.     

Each week we write to Golf Canada members who record a hole-in-one, congratulating them and asking if they’d tell us how it happened. These are their stories (edited for length and clarity).

Have you recently accomplished the feat of a hole-in-one? Tell us about it! Share your story, picture / video and course information with us at holeinone@golfcanada.ca.

Étienne Dumas, Kanawaki Golf Club, Hole #3 & Hole #9

Congratulations to Étienne Dumas, who pulled off something so rare and remarkable tonight (July 10, 2025), it’s almost beyond belief.

Playing a quick evening round with Tristan Vandette, Etienne kicked things off with a hole-in-one on #3 — his second ace of the year.

Word of the feat spread fast, and by the time he reached #9, a group of friends on the verandah, still buzzing from the earlier celebration, joked about staging a fake cheer just in case he hit another great shot. The plan? Light-hearted trolling.

Instead, Etienne turned the tables on us all — his tee shot on #9 took one bounce and dropped straight into the cup. Another ace. Two holes-in-one. In a single 9-hole round.

Statistically? That’s a 1-in-156 million occurrence.

He wrapped up the round with a sizzling 32, then headed into the clubhouse, where the cheers were anything but fake.

– Written by Club de golf Kanawaki and shared by Jacques Nols, former president of Golf Canada.

Sawyer Morrow, Hampton Cove, Hole #6

My six year old son recorded his first hole in one on June 14, 2025 while competing in the CJGA BC Linkster Series at Hampton Cove (The Links) in Ladner, BC. Sawyer played a PW to the 60 yard par 3, hole #6. The course was very busy and fortunately there were many golfers, caddys, parents, and golf course personnel in the area to witness the hole in one! Sawyer proceeded to win the event carding a -1 (28).

With a significant false front and pond short of the green, Sawyer decided to hit a smooth PW to ensure he had enough club to land comfortably on the top shelf of the green. The ball never left the pin, landed just short of the pin and bounced once and disappeared in the cup!

• Written by Sawyer’s father

Gerry Kelly, Lowville Golf Club, Hole #13

It certainly was a very special day – memories for a lifetime as we like to say. It was hole #13 at Lowville Golf Club on a 135 yard, par 3. I used an eight iron.

My group that day was: Mike Ricotonne, Don Welham, John Hall and myself, Gerry Kelly.

The guys all signed the scorecard and then later the actual golf ball. I think I will get them framed as a very fond and special memory of a terrific day. 

I rarely drink on a golf course but the lads ordered a small shooter to commemorate this special achievement, so we all had one in celebration.

Ryan Carter, Woodington Lake Golf Club, Hole #16

I was playing with my buddy Brandon Koel and we were paired with two additional guys (Julian and Simon) at Woodington Lakes Legend track from the blue tees.

We were at hole #16. It was reading 161 yards on our range finder, slight cross wind coming from our back. Using my Taylormade P790 8 iron and TP5 ball, hit my iron pure, bounced once and rolled in for my first ever hole-in-one after 30+ years playing golf. It was a surreal moment!

Todd Stones, Ladies’ Golf Club of Toronto, Hole #16

My hole-in-one was made on Monday, June 16th on the GTA Am Tour at their event at Ladies Golf Club of Toronto (fourth hole).

I play in the B Fight. Link to the results of the day: https://gtaamtour.com/events/ladies-golf-club-of-toronto-1/results.

As for that day, I started off really well with par, par, then birdie on a par 5. Being in my 60’s that made me feel like my game from decades ago. Then on hole #4, I decided on a three-quarter swing 8 iron for the 139 yard par 3. I hit down on it nicely and it appeared to be tracking nicely towards the green.

One of my competitors said it was on line for the green perfectly. Not having the best eye sight I did not see my ball land or finish. As we approached the green we saw two of the three balls and tried to figure out which players’ ball was missing from the group. As I wandered back towards the bunker one of my playing competitors said, “check the hole.” That was so funny to hear as I have heard that many times in the past and it was never there. This time, it was. I let out a happy yell and the group following us playing the previous hole yelled out for us to confirm one of us made and hole-it-one, which we informed them I did.

They let out a cheer of congratulations. One of the things I love about playing on the GTA Am Tour, everyone is so friendly. The other two in my group were also happy for me with high-fives and congratulations.

We use live scoring on the Tour and in the fairway of the next hole, one of the committee members congratulated me on my accomplishment and took the photo of me holding up one finger. He also reminded me I should take that hole-in-one ball out of play and keep it for a keep sake. Which I did when I finished that hole.

Once our scorecards were signed, we went back to the prize area where many of the B Flight were waiting for the awards to be handed out and they all congratulated me on my first hole-in-one. It was an amazing day as I also got the win with my first hole-in-one.

Paul Parsons, Sleepy Hollow Golf Club, Hole #15

It was a beautiful Sunday morning, a little on the cool side and the winds a bit gusty. I was playing with Rob Turski, Jim Longman and Kyle Norton. We have a friendly competitive group that plays every Sunday of about 12 to 16 golfers and we draw for partners before the round.

Hole #15 at Sleepy Hollow is the shortest par 3 on the course, but the surrounding trees can hide the true effect of the swirling winds. I must have got the yardage and club selection right. The back tees were playing 125 yards but I thought it would play about 130. I hit an eight iron straight at the pin. It pitched about five yards short and rolled slowly straight to the cup. Pretty exciting. From the back tees, you can see the green so I got a great view.

Monica Cosgrove, OslerBrook Golf & Country Club Inc., Hole #7

I was golfing with my regular ladies: Jayne, Susie and Karen. We were all complaining on how slow the men were in front of us. I was teeing up and was using my 5 hybrid, the hole was 119 yards and I saw it go over the water and roll, then saw it drop in the hole. I didn’t say anything until Jayne said, “Monica I think you got a hole-in-one. As we were leaving the tee box Susie says, “I’m going to look.” She confirmed that it was in the hole. It was my first and I have only been golfing for 8 years so I was very excited.

Cody Yaremovich, Eagle Rock Golf Course, Hole #8

Pretty crazy to get a second hole-in-one in less than two years, especially when two individuals who witnessed the first one were playing with me this time around.

Playing partners were Jon, Jamie, Chris and Herc. Yardage was 184, and I used a 6 iron.

Well, if you want the full story, my play this season hasn’t been up to snuff and I’ve really struggled with my tempo. On this given day, I decided to take a ladies rental set out in hopes the softer flex would help me sort the issues I was having. What are the odds, that I got a hole-in-one with them. Crazy!

Dean Prentice, Surrey Golf Club, Hole #3

I was playing with three buddies of mine, John Markic, Ken Baker and Phil Kotyk. The hole was playing 169 yards and I hit my 5 hybrid. It had a baby fade on it and it was turning right towards the pin. The ball bounced twice and rolled about five to eight feet and then the ball just disappeared. I couldn’t believe it, it was my first ever hole-in-one.

Iain Gardiner, Ladies’ Golf Club Of Toronto, Hole #2

I had a distance of 142 yards on the second hole at the Ladies’ Golf Club Of Toronto. I used my PING 8 iron, saw two bounces and a short trickle before I saw it drop into the hole, it was a joy to watch.

That day I played with David MacLachlan and Pete Chan, both of them saw it drop much to my very pleasant surprise.

Greg Pesic, Oakville Executive, Hole #13

My friend Michael and I met for one of our usual rounds and we were paired with two others, Joe and Tony. The foursome clicked from the beginning!

Hole #13 at Mystic Ridge had a front pin placement at 120 yards guarded by a bunker. The plan was to carry an 8 iron to the front of the green and let it roll to the back. Instead, it hit the flag stick and dropped in. The sound of the flagstick and rattle of the hole out is unforgettable. We called my wife over the phone and all celebrated together on the green!

My main swing feel is Moe Norman’s favourite line, “I shake hands with the flagstick, I shake hands with the flagstick.” Moe always wanted to move at the target. I’ve also been playing golf for only one year, starting in late May 2024. If I could give one takeaway that will help anyone’s game, I’d say the same thing as Moe, study mental game. The second thing I’d say is study mental game.

Mac Turnbull, Barcovan Golf Club, Hole #2

Barcovan Golf Club is family owned who treat their members as family. It is eight kilometres east of my home in Brighton, Ontario. On Friday, May 30th, we were playing our regular team game. Hole #2 was uphill with the pin at the back and was playing about 170 yards. Initially I chose a 4 iron but my playing partner Randy Clark, talked me into a 3 hybrid. Thank you Randy.  As it rolled up the hill i was thinking birdie, until it dropped in.

MANOTICK, Ont. – The NextGen Championship season returns to eastern Ontario July 2-5 for the playing of the 2025 NextGen Quebec Championship at Rideau View Golf Club in Manotick, Ont.  

The 54-hole event is the second last stop on the 2025 NextGen circuit and features 156 of the nation’s best junior players – 114 Junior Boys and 42 Junior Girls – battle for a limited number of spots in their respective national championships later this summer.  

The field will be trimmed to the top 51 Junior Boys and top 19 Junior Girls on Friday before the final round gets underway on Saturday and a champion is crowned.   

The top eight finishers – including the low medalist – in the Junior Boys division will punch their ticket to the Canadian Junior Boys Championship set for August 11-15 at Gowan Brae Golf & Country Club in Bathurst, N.B. As for the Junior Girls division, the top eight players – including ties – following Saturday’s final round will earn exemption into this year’s Canadian Junior Girls Championship taking place August 12 – 16 at Club de golf Sainte-Marie in Sainte Marie, Que. 

Henry Dao of Laprairie, Que. will look to keep the NextGen Quebec Championship title in his possession for a third-straight year after winning the tournament in 2022 and 2023. Bode Stephen of Kingston, Ont. will look to rival Dao’s bid at broadening his tournament dominance and use his winning experience at last year’s NextGen Atlantic Championship to do so as another notable name competing this week in the Junior Boys division.  

Kate Guo of Knowlton, Que. and Amelia McFarlane of Carleton Place, Ont. will headline the field competing in the Junior Girls Division this week, with both players coming off T6 performances at last season’s event in Joly, Que. 

“Rideau View Golf Club has a long history of supporting junior golf and is proud to host the 2025 NextGen Quebec Championship from July 2 to July 5.  Since its opening in 1957, our golf club has fostered an inclusive and relaxed atmosphere while also embracing the challenge of competitive golf.  We are excited to welcome these elite junior golfers,” said Tournament Chair, Dan Warren.  

What originated as nine holes in 1957 before its completion with a back nine in 1962, the Rideau View Golf Club has since become a prominent escape for those who descend the 180-plus acres of its undulating property. Burrowed away from neighborhoods and rowdy traffic, the private course cements its communal value by being a leader in its field for equality as well as social and environmental responsibility.  

Featuring six sets of tee boxes and a yardage playing more than 6,500 yards, Rideau View Golf Club presents a fair yet challenging experience for players of all abilities. The course plays its best defence by physically challenging players’ endurance and length off the tee, most notably on two of the final three holes on its back nine. Both the 16th and 18th offer the greatest length on the property and combine for a 1,137-yard test for players looking to finish their rounds in red figures.  

“It is a parkland style course with generous fairways,” continued Warren. “It challenges players with its extensive bunkering, small greens and length of its par four holes.  A well-played approach shot is often required to carry green side bunkers.” 

The club also boasts a newly renovated practice facility which includes a 10,000 square foot putting green, as well as a short-range area featuring a trio of greens along with two bunkers.  

To follow the live leaderboard of the NextGen Quebec Championship throughout the week, as well as find tee times and additional tournament information, please click here.  

About the NextGen Championships 

The NextGen Championships are a high-performance junior golf series which totals six competitions. From May to July, six championships will take place across Canada where the region’s best junior golfers will compete to earn exemptions into their respective 2025 national junior championships. NextGen Championships provide junior players an opportunity to develop and showcase their skills at the highest level of tournament golf. 

MISSISSAUGA, ONT. – Two-time LPGA major champion Brooke Henderson has some advice for fellow Canadian Savannah Grewal as she prepares for a hometown start at the CPKC Women’s Open: Have fun with it.

The 23-year-old Mississauga native will tee it up at Mississaugua Golf and Country Club when the national women’s championship comes to town next month.

Henderson knows the pressure of playing close to home, having twice competed in the national women’s championship at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club, about an hour from her hometown of Smiths Falls, Ont.

“She’s a great player and she has been playing well on tour,” Henderson said Monday at a press conference to promote the 51st edition of the CPKC Women’s Open, Aug. 21-24. “It will be fun for her.

“But it is really different playing at this tournament so close to home. I was about an hour away, and Savannah will be even closer. But it’s such an amazing opportunity to have your friends and family out there, to feel the crowd and the energy as the hometown person. It’s really, really special.”

The 27-year-old Henderson claimed the 2018 CPKC Women’s Open, the first Canadian to accomplish the feat since Jocelyne Bourassa won in 1973. 

Henderson’s results at Ottawa Hunt were mixed, with a tie for 12th in 2017 and a tie for 49th in 2022.

“(Playing at home) definitely comes with you wanting to perform well, there’s a little bit extra pressure and things like that. But if (Grewal) can really soak it in, really enjoy the moment, and focus on what she’s really trying to accomplish, I think that’ll help.”

Grewal, 23, is in her second season on the LPGA Tour. She’s currently ranked 289th in the world, while Henderson has slipped to No. 44 after years as a perennial top-10 performer.

Henderson has made the cut in 10 of 14 events this season, with just one top-10 finish — back in early April — and hasn’t won since January 2023.

She’s also still adjusting to life after eye surgery last fall. Henderson now wears contact lenses instead of glasses on the course.

The 13-time LPGA Tour winner has 83 career top-10 finishes but has slipped to 57th on the LPGA money list.

She hopes to save her season with significant results at the final two majors of the season in the next five weeks at the Evian Championship in Switzerland and AIG Women’s Open in Wales.

Henderson also has her past experiences in Canada to look forward to next month.

“That trophy is special to hold, and I’d like to do it again,” the three-time Canadian Olympian said.

Golf Canada also announced that world No. 1 Nelly Korda will be part of the tournament field, as will three-time champion Lydia Ko.

Ko and Henderson performed and won this event as teenagers. There will be two Canadian teenagers making their LPGA debuts in Clara Ding, 14, of White Rock, B.C., and Shauna Liu, 16, of Maple Ont.

The two youngsters won She Plays Golf Championship series events to qualify.

Mississaugua will become the 17th course to host both the men’s and women’s Canadian Opens, having staged the men’s championship six times.

Like the RBC Canadian Open, there will be a hockey-themed rink-hole. Will Henderson dare to wear an Ottawa Senators jersey to show her colours?

“I might sneak it in,” she said.