A combination of intangibles and data-driven analysis has Corey Conners thinking the International team is due at this year’s Presidents Cup.

Conners, from Listowel, Ont., is one of three Canadians donning the black and gold of the International team for this week’s Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal Golf Club. The United States has historically dominated the best-on-best tournament that sees 12 Americans face 12 players from around the world — excluding Europe — in match play.

“I think everybody on our team knows we’ve been trending in the right direction. We’ve got a good plan in place,” said Conners after a practice round on Tuesday. “We can definitely do it.

“They’ve had our number in the Presidents Cup, but I think everyone on the team, the captains, are instilling a lot of belief in us.”

The 32-year-old Conners also played in 2022 when the Internationals lost to the Americans 17 1/2 to 12 1/2 at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C. It was the U.S.’s ninth straight win, and 10th out of 12 Presidents Cups. The Internationals earned a decisive victory in 1998 and the tournament ended in a draw in 2003.

Conners and Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., were two of eight rookies on the International team two years ago, but this year’s group only has Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., and Australia’s Min Woo Lee as first timers. Conners said that having one Presidents Cup under his belt has taught him what to expect.

“It’s a demanding week,” said Conners, who did not earn a single point in 2022. “The crowds in the last Presidents Cup were pretty crazy.

“I’m excited to feel the hometown support here this time, but definitely learned some things and excited to get another crack at it.”

But the Internationals won’t just be relying on momentum, a partisan crowd, and good clubhouse vibes to end their losing skid.

Instead, captain Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., relied heavily on advanced analytics in choosing his team and will use the same data to strategize in real-time when the four-day, five-round match-play competition begins on Thursday.

“I think through the whole process for me these last couple years is relying on those numbers, relying on having the ear of my five assistant captains and talking to them throughout this whole process helps with the pairings, helps with the picks,” said Weir.

“Once the guys get on the course, you start to maybe see some different things. As a captain, you’re kind of rolling around a little bit more so you have the guys out there to really keep a closer eye on maybe an individual match and give you that feedback. You can make the adjustments, if needed.”

American captain Jim Furyk estimates that his side really started to use analytics to help strategize in 2016, but now it’s become the standard across the PGA Tour.

“It’s just a process that we’ve built up over time,” said Furyk. “Our analytics team trusts us as captains now as far as what we see and the advice that we can give and vice versa.

“We’ve really kind of leaned on them and, I think, built a process that we’re comfortable with.”

Conners uses analytics but also relies on his previous experiences on a course.

“I try and simplify things as much as possible, but certainly looking through the yardage book and knowing my game, just trying to stick to my strengths as much as possible,” said Conners, noting he played Royal Montreal as an amateur at the 2014 RBC Canadian Open.

“I wouldn’t say I’m crunching too many numbers.”

Conners — who graduated Kent State University with a degree in actuarial mathematics — said it’s not about being intimidated by the numbers, just keeping his mind clear when he’s on the course.

“I’m not afraid of them,” said Conners with a laugh. “It’s been cool to be a part of this team again and learn from some of the captains and some of the analytical guys on how they get things done.

“I’m good with numbers, but I just try to simplify things as much as I can.”

Weir and Furyk will announce their first-round pairings on Wednesday. The opening round the following day will be foursomes. Heavy rain is expected on both days.

Golf Canada is now accepting nominations for its 2024 National Facility Awards for Junior Golf, presented by HUMI. 

This award program was created with the intention of celebrating and recognizing facilities across Canada who are making outstanding contributions to junior golf in their communities. Our hope is that these awards will shine a spotlight on the extraordinary support of junior golf by these facilities and set a positive example for others to follow. 

Please consider nominating your facility based on the six categories below: 

Junior Golf Opportunity Award 

Awarded to a facility that provides exceptional access and membership opportunities for junior golfers. Special consideration is given to facilities with strong non-family sponsored junior programs and facilities with fundraising programs to help athletes compete at provincial, national, and international competitions. 

2023 Winner: Sawmill Golf Club (Fenwick, Ontario) 

Competitive Junior Program of the Year 

Awarded to a facility or academy program with many junior athletes competing in provincial and national championships and earning strong results in those championships. 
 
2023 Winner: Royal Ottawa Golf Club (Gatineau, Quebec) 

Grassroots Junior Program of the Year 

Awarded to a facility or academy program that is excelling at creating new junior golfers through local programming. 
 
2023 Winner: Deep River Golf Club (Deep River, Ontario) 

Tournament Host of the Year 

Awarded to a facility that gives back to junior golf by embracing the opportunity to host junior competitions. The facility creates an excellent tournament experience for players and involves the local community through volunteers and fundraising support. 
 
2023 Winner: South Muskoka Curling & Golf Club (Bracebridge, Ontario) 

First Tee – Canada Program Location of the Year 

Awarded to a First Tee – Canada Program Location that demonstrates excellent enrolment in First Tee – Canada programming and makes a significant impact on growing participation among new juniors within its community. 
 
2023 Winner: Fraserview Golf Course (Vancouver, British Columbia) 

Youth on Course  Program Location of the Year 

Awarded to the facility that provides the largest number of Youth on Course green fee subsidies to junior golfers in the calendar year.  
 
2023 Winner: Shaganappi Point Golf Course (Calgary, Alberta) 

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Click the button below to nominate a facility for an award for 2024.

National Facility Awards for Junior Golf 

Nominations are set to close Friday, November 15, 2024  and we will announce the 2024 Awards Winners at the Golf Canada Annual General Meeting in early 2025. 

If you have any questions regarding the awards or nomination process, please feel free to email NFAJG@golfcanada.ca. 

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.

André Couet, Club de Golf Algonquin, Hole #2

Wow, this was my first-ever hole in one! It happened on a regular Tuesday skins day at our club while I was playing with my usual partners, Luc Laframboise, Steve Proulx and Dave Beresford.

We were on the second hole, a straight forward par 3 that measures 129 yards with a blue pin placement. The green is small and pretty narrow, and I very often pull the ball left into the sand. Interestingly, I witnessed my partner Steve make a hole-in-one on this same hole last year (on a red pin), and I do believe I was more excited than he was when it happened. Having done it myself, I completely understand his reaction.

Now for some reason on that day, I approached the hole differently. Instead of hitting a full wedge, I choked up on a 9 iron and aimed straight at the pin. I struck the ball well, and we all watched as it flew directly toward the pin, bounced once, and rolled so gently into the hole. I couldn’t believe my eyes, and my heart skipped a few beats before I was able to catch my breath! My partners were jumping for joy, and to my surprise, the previous owner of the club, who lives right by the hole, ran out in his robe, cheering and celebrating as he had witnessed this as well from his kitchen table overlooking this hole.

It was an unforgettable moment, and yes, I won a skin on that hole!

Arden Kidd, Musqueam Golf Course, Hole #17

It was a first for me after taking up the sport on retirement 22 years ago. Our club captain, Diane McNeely kindly put together a collage of the event.

On the day, it was quite a surprise to watch that yellow ball disappear over the rise in front of the 17th green, then reappear and roll right up the green and into the cup! From the blue tees it was about 135 yards and I used my trusty driver, a TaylorMade Burner.

I took up golf later in life after giving up skiing and later tennis and I find golf much easier on the body. For the first few years I took lessons and enjoyed learning about club choice and the satisfaction of achieving some success.

What I love about the game is being outdoors on the fairways with the good company of my ladies club members, and of course enjoying occasional success. I also enjoy being greeted by the friendly staff and volunteers of our club. I’d certainly recommend the game to anyone, to join a club and to get involved in its activities remains something to look forward to for many years. Though my scores reach new highs these days, I hope to keep golfing as long as I’m able.

Peter Bartus, St. Catharines Golf & Country Club, Hole #4

I was playing with two of my good friends John Vander Hoeven and Eric Woodland on a beautiful afternoon when I got my hole-in-one. The fourth hole at St. Catharines Golf and Country Club was playing 196 yards from the back tees that day. I hit a great 6 iron off the tee and watched it land on the green. Thinking I’d have a putt for birdie I picked up my tee and put my club away. My friends were saying they couldn’t see the ball and thought it went in. I wasn’t as optimistic but sure enough when we got up to the green the ball was in the hole!

Howard Herman, Silver Creek Golf Course, Hole #8

I played a round with three young men (who each had a caddy, due to a lost bet). I had a fantastic round and a great day with the boys. Hole #8 on the North course is a par 3, playing 116 yards. I chose my pitching wedge and hit a clean shot at the flag. The ball landed about 14 inches from the hole and slowly rolled in. This hole is an elevated tee, over a pond, so I was able to see the ball drop. My first after nearly 60 years of playing.

Richard Grimes, The Oaks of St. George Golf Club, Hole #5

It was on the fifth hole from 127 yards. Oddly, it was one year to the day since my last hole-in-one. Witnessed by Dan Demurak, Bob Hillstrom and Ian Lim.

I was competing in the Tri-County league which includes Guelph Country Club, Stratford Country Club, Elmira Golf Club and The Oaks of St. George. I am told that the league, which continues to be active today, remains the oldest regular interclub golf contest in the Western hemisphere and has previously include Westmount Golf & Country Club and The Galt Country Club.

Ben Hendsbee, Brightwood Golf & Country Club, Hole #15

Visiting the Halifax area on vacation, I played Brightwood Golf and Country Club for the first time on with my brother-in-law, Andy Arsenault, who is a member. We played with two other members, Bill McBurney and Noel. It’s a nice old Donald Ross course in Dartmouth N.S. On the 15th hole I hit a 9 iron from 145 yards that drew toward the flag. I thought it would be inside 10 feet. We saw it land, then disappear. Not having played there before, I thought it might have caught a hidden slope and drifted away. The other three guys, all members, were adamant it went in. Sure enough when we got to the green it was in the hole.

Steven Kodama, Remington Parkview Golf and Country Club, Hole #7

I was playing on the first day of the two day Toronto-based Senior Japanese Men’s League tournament. My friends, Tony, Ron and John joined me. It was a perfect morning for golf; it was slightly cool with no wind. I used my Adams 8 iron for the 167 yard, par 3. After looking for my ball for a couple of minutes past the green, my playing partner Ron, discovered my ball in the cup to our surprise. This was my first hole-in-one in 45 years. I want to thank our club organizers, Bob, Harold, Tony and Dennis for their wonderful support and the staff and Remington Parkview Golf and Country Club for their hospitality.

Canaan Marche, Lake St. George, West Course, Hole #2

First hole-in-one! Playing the second hole at Lake St. George West, hit a gap wedge that rode the cross wind perfectly back in front of the pin, took one big bounce then trickled in the front of the cup. Got to watch the whole thing from the tee block with a good friend and our wives.

Marty Mercieca, Rivendell Golf Club, Hole #12

Used a 6 iron from roughly 140 yards on hole #12 in the wind. I was playing with my wonderful wife Joanne who started golfing together with me. This was my first hole-in-one, the hole was playing downhill and I aimed it to the right. It bounced off the fringe while rolling to the left and into the pin.

Herb Page was going about his business on a Tuesday morning when Mackenzie Hughes, one of his former star players on Kent State University’s men’s golf team, reached out to him on FaceTime.

Hughes said he just wanted to say hi because he was killing time at the kind of corporate function PGA Tour players are often invited to speak at. But just as Page bit on his story, Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners leaned into the frame on Hughes’s phone.

All three were in the midst of a practice round at Royal Montreal Golf Club, scouting the course ahead of the Presidents Cup. The three Canadians, all Kent State grads, would be named captain’s selections to the International team a few hours later and they wanted to surprise their collegiate coach with the news.

“I just about cried,” said Page, adding that he had goosebumps from retelling the story. “They’re better people than they are golfers. I know that’s a kind of a catchphrase, but even after they graduated, they keep me in the loop. I’m still part of their little journey.”

Hughes was a year ahead of Pendrith and Conners on the Golden Flashes, but they all overlapped at the university in northeastern Ohio in the early 2010s. They all turned pro and are now three of the top Canadians on the PGA Tour.

Canadian golf legend Mike Weir made them three of his six captain’s picks on Sept. 3 for the Presidents Cup which starts this Thursday at Royal Montreal. Their inclusion on the International team’s roster is the first time three Canadians have played in the best-on-best match-play tournament, with Hughes from Dundas, Ont., Pendrith from Richmond Hill, Ont., and Conners from Listowel, Ont.

It was the morning of Weir’s announcement that Hughes played his small “prank” on Page.

“It just meant so much to me. I couldn’t have been happier,” said Page, who retired from coaching five years ago. “It’s just the way these three young men are, who they are and what they stand for. It was pretty cool.

“He got me so bad. I cannot believe how he did it. It was crazy.”

Hughes said that Page, who is from Markham, Ont., left an indelible mark on him, Pendrith and Conners and there was no way they wouldn’t tell him directly about being named to the Presidents Cup.

“My time at Kent State really helped shape the player I am,” said Hughes. ” (Page) was like a father figure to me at Kent State, someone that I really trusted and really respected his opinion.

“He’d be the first to tell you that there was lots of tough love, and some tough conversations that we had, and that’s what I think helps you grow and evolve as a person and a golfer.”

An argument could be made that the Kent State Golden Flashes of the early 2010s is one of the most well-rounded men’s golf teams in NCAA history.

Although other teams can claim more PGA Tour wins — the 1995 Stanford University team, for example, went on to win 86 titles on the PGA Tour, but 82 of them are thanks to Tiger Woods with Notah Begay III adding four — the Canadian trio at Kent State with American John Hahn has arguably been the most successful collectively with five wins between Hughes, Pendrith and Conners.

“It was a pretty stout team,” said Hughes, noting that Hahn went on to play on the European DP World Tour. “Now, at the time, I don’t think we quite had it all together and everyone clicking as a team.

“But you look back on it and individuals that were playing and what they’ve achieved it was a pretty awesome group.”

Page, who recruited and coached that team, is more effusive.

“That era was pretty darn good, Pretty darn good,” he said. “Of course, during that era, Alabama was making runs with Justin Thomas and Texas was making runs with Jordan Spieth.

“The thing about all three (Kent State golfers), they just got better and better and better. They weren’t superstars, nationally ranked, coming out of Ontario. I don’t want to say this in a bad way, but it’s not like I had to fend off tons of schools to get them to come to Kent State.”

Hughes has added Page to his VIP guest list at Royal Montreal Golf Club so that his old coach won’t miss a single swing by his former student-athletes when play begins on Thursday.

“I’m flying in Monday night because I’m going to be there the whole damn week,” said Page with a chuckle. “And I’m not flying out until Monday morning because when they raise that cup, I’m going to be there.”

PONTE VEDRE, FLA. – The PGA TOUR has released its nominees for their 2023-24 PGA TOUR Tournament Awards, with the 2024 RBC Canadian Open receiving three award nominations.

The 2024 RBC Canadian Open was won by Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre who finished at 16-under, to edge Ben Griffin by one at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Hamilton, Ont. in June. It was the Scotsman’s first PGA TOUR victory, having previously won twice on the DP World Tour, the 2020 Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Showdown and the 2022 Italian Open. One month later, McIntyre went on to win the 2024 Genesis Scottish Open for his fifth professional tournament win. The 28-year-old was also part of Europe’s 2023 Ryder Cup winning team. Equally as special as earning his first PGA TOUR victory, MacIntyre did so with his father Dougie on the bag, caddying his son in Hamilton.

“We are appreciative and honoured to be nominated for three prestigious PGA TOUR Tournament Awards following the 2024 RBC Canadian Open,” said Ryan Paul, Tournament Director, RBC Canadian Open. “These nominations reflect the hard work, dedication and passion of our team, RBC and all of our proud partners, our proud host club, our incredible volunteers and our fans. Together we are continually driven to deliver an exceptional experience for everyone involved in our National Open Championship. We are incredibly grateful to be nominated again this year.”

The 2024 RBC Canadian Open picked up nominations in the following three categories:

Best In Class Element: This award recognizes a ‘Best in Class’ element at the tournament or associated with the tournament. It is to highlight a service, an event, a venue, a campaign, a program, an activity, an operation procedure or anything would represent a ‘Best in Class’ element that others should consider following or incorporating into their own events.

Best Marketing Initiative: Criteria include the development and execution of a marketing campaign designed to increase ticket sales and attendance.

Best Volunteer Program: Conducts effective volunteer recruitment outreach, training and onboarding programs. Meets and/or exceeds the standard committee numbers required, promotes year-round engagement, communication and feedback. Showcases an outstanding element of their volunteer program, diverse and inclusive culture, embraces the Volunteer Excellent Program and implements appreciation programs leading to higher retention.

Winners will be announced at the 2024 PGA TOUR Tournament Awards Celebration, which take place Wednesday, December 11 in Orlando, Fla. 

The 2025 RBC Canadian Open will be held June 3 – 8 at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley (North Course) in Caledon, Ont.

Mackenzie Hughes might just be what the International team needs as this year’s Presidents Cup.

Hughes, from Dundas, Ont., is one of three Canadians on the squad competing in the match-play event at Royal Montreal Golf Club next week. 

His putting skills, cool demeanour under pressure, pre-existing connections with teammates and clubhouse leadership could help the team — made up of non-American players outside Europe — end a nine-tournament losing skid to the United States at the biennial event.

“I’ve had this one circled on the calendar for a few years now,” said Hughes on joining fellow Canadians Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners as captain’s picks on the 12-player International team. “I pretty much knew that when it was announced the tournament would be in Canada and that Mike Weir was going to be the captain, you pretty much knew where that was going to go.

“To get that call from (Weir) is really special because he’s the guy that I looked up to, we all looked up to, as Canadian golfers.”

Pendrith and Conners are returning to the team after a disappointing 17 1/2 to 12 1/2 loss to the United States at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C. in 2022.

Hughes was ranked 14th on the International team standings in 2022 and could have easily been included on that squad after Australia’s Cameron Smith and Chile’s Joaquin Niemann were ruled ineligible after jumping ship to the rival LIV Golf circuit.

However, captain Trevor Immelman of South Africa instead chose the lower ranked Christiaan Bezuidenhout (16th) of South Africa, Pendrith (18th), South Korea’s Kim Si-woo (20th) and Australia’s Cameron Davis (25th).

“I certainly wanted to be on that team but also I understood the picks,” said Hughes, who lives in Charlotte and plays at Quail Hollow regularly. “I think that like a lot of guys that don’t get picked you more so look back on your own play and I wish I had made that selection easier for them.

“I didn’t do myself any favours in the six weeks leading up to it and that’s a hard pill to swallow.”

It may have been a costly oversight on Immelman’s part, as finishing holes was an issue for the International team in 2022 and Hughes is one of the best putters on the PGA Tour. This season he’s third in shots gained around the green and fifth in shots gained from putting.

“It doesn’t mean that just because I was there it would have turned the tide, but I’d like to think maybe I could have helped,” said Hughes. “That’s why you play the matches. You have to get out there and do it.”

This year Hughes made it easier for Weir, the Canadian golf legend from Brights Grove, Ont., to choose him. Hughes is 51st in the FedEx Cup Fall standings and has made the cut seven tournaments in a row, including a tie for fourth at last week’s Procore Championship.

“Mac played very solidly all year. Really like his short game, an all-around short game,” said Weir on Sept. 3 after announcing his captain’s picks. “He’s one of the elite and best short game guys on the PGA Tour 

“I also love Mac’s grit. So that was the reason I picked him.”

Hughes’s intangible qualities go beyond grit. 

He, Pendrith and Conners will arrive at Royal Montreal as a unit within the International squad, having become close friends while playing on Kent State University’s men’s golf team before turning pro. They’re also part of a group of Canadians, including Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., that regularly practice together before PGA Tour events.

“To have those guys with me is really icing on the cake, it’s very special,” said Hughes. “Opportunities like this don’t come around very often: to play this kind of team competition, which is already hard to do, but to play with some of your best friends, it almost seems scripted.”

An 11-year professional, Hughes has also been a member of the PGA Tour’s player advisory council the past two years and has been an outspoken advocate for making professional golf more accessible to fans.

Although Weir relied heavily on analytics to make his captain’s selections, Hughes’s character came up again and again when asked why he was named to the team.

“I just have a gut feeling with Mac that he has what it takes in these big moments,” said Weir. “They’re big pressure moments, and I have a feeling he’s going to do great in those moments.”

DP WORLD TOUR — Aaron Cockerill of Stony Mountain, Man., continues his chase for a spot in the Europe-based DP World Tour’s playoffs. The top 50 players on the Race to Dubai standings make the DP World Tour Championship and Cockerill moved eight spots up to 39th in the rankings after tying for ninth at last week’s Irish Open. He’ll be back at it on Thursday at the BMW PGA Championship at the Wentworth Club in Surrey, England.

KORN FERRY TOUR — Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S., is ranked 38th on the second-tier Korn Ferry Tour’s points list. He leads the Canadian contingent into this week’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship. He’ll be joined at Ohio State University Golf Club — Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio by Edmonton’s Wil Bateman (53rd), Etienne Papineau (65th) of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., and Sudarshan Yellamaraju (99th) of Mississauga, Ont.

CHAMPIONS TOUR — Calgary’s Stephen Ames is the lone Canadian at this week’s Pure Insurance Championship. He’s No. 2 on the senior circuit’s points list. The event will start Friday and be played at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Course in Monterey, Calif.

LPGA TOUR — There are four Canadians in this week’s Kroger City Championship. Savannah Grewal (97th in the Race to CME Globe Rankings) of Mississauga, Ont., Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (115th), and Maude-Aimee Leblanc (142nd) of Sherbrooke, Que., will all tee it up at TPC River’s Bend in Maineville, Ohio.

EPSON TOUR — Vancouver’s Leah John is the low Canadian heading into the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout. She’s 54th in the second-tier tour’s points list. She’ll be joined by Maddie Szeryk (118th) of London, Ont., and Brigitte Thibault (119th) of Rosemere, Que., at Mystic Creek Golf Club in El Dorado, Ark.

Team Canada NextGen member Hunter Thomson wins
individual competition

MacTier, Ont. – The Fighting Irish came from 11 shots back to win the inaugural Canadian Collegiate Invitational at Öviinbyrd Golf Club in MacTier, Ont. on Tuesday.

Notre Dame shot a collective 6-under in the final round to finish the tournament at 17-under to beat the University of Michigan and University of Missouri by five shots to claim the championship. Kent State University finished fourth at 11-under and Michigan State University rounded out the top five, finishing 6-under.

Following play yesterday, Notre Dame head coach, John Handrigan said the team had a great meeting where they talked about what they needed to do in the final round. They focused on the par fives and their inability to score during the first two rounds. That brought about their plan of attack, “let’s treat every par five like it’s a par four and be aggressive mentally,” said Handrigan.

“If you think of it as a par four, you’re going to have some threes and a lot of fours and we did that today, the amount of eagles and birdies we had on the par fives were outstanding, so we just wanted a more aggressive mind set rather than being conservative and cautious and our guys came out firing.

“I think that’s what obviously when another team sees you come out firing, they’re on defence a little bit so really proud of how our team handled it, they didn’t hold back and we’ve been working on that aggressive mindset all year so it’s nice to see them pull through and do that,” added Handrigan.

Notre Dame was led by Nate Stevens of Northfield, Minn. And Rocco Salvitti of Canonsburg, Pa. who both shot 2-under 70’s on Tuesday. Jacob Modleski of Noblesville, Ind. and Mike Qiu of Dalian, China also had their scores count to the team total following rounds of 1-under 71. Christopher Bagnall of Pretoria, South Africa was also a member of the team and both his scores on Monday contributed to the team total.

“We do a lot of work as coaches to find the right chemistry within our team, the right players and we have such an amazing culture and I think that’s part of our success for sure, the guys get along and there’s never any fighting, there’s some needling here and there because they’re guys and they’re competitive but they get along so well and they truly love one another and when you have a team like that I think you can do some amazing things,” said Handrigan on his team.

Heading into the tournament, Handrigan, who is from Muskoka, Ont. had a simple message for his team and that was to enjoy it.

“This is my home area, so bringing our players to where I am from was special in itself and obviously to get the win was amazing. To bring them here, nobody knows Muskoka really in the U.S. so the players don’t know the beauty of this place and the beauty of Öviinbyrd, so we just wanted to get here and enjoy it and really have a good time. They absolutely loved it. The hospitality is one but the quality of the golf course this week was phenomenal,” he said.

In the individual competition, Team Canada NextGen member, Hunter Thomson (Michigan) of Calgary, Alta. finished 14-under to hold off fellow Team Canada NextGen member, Isaiah Ibit (Kent State) of Orleans, Ont. by two. Thomson fired rounds of 66-66-70-202 and has earned an exemption into the 2025 RBC Canadian Open and 2025 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.

Thomson said something just clicked for him this week in MacTier after working on his game the previous two weeks and that winning the individual competition was special having never been to Muskoka, Ont. before.

“When I heard there was a college event in Canada, I was excited, being part of Team Canada for the last three-four years it’s pretty special.

“Last week leading up to this I felt like I got back to myself, got a little hungrier for sure and worked on my game and I felt amazing this week, something just clicked to be honest,” said Thomson.

In addition to Thomson and Ibit, four others have also earned exemptions into the 2025 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, including: Team Canada member and 2023 Canadian Men’s Amateur champion, Ashton McCulloch (Michigan State) of Kingston, Ont., Bryce Reed (Kent State) of Delaware, Ohio, Veikka Viskari of Espoo, Finland and Ben Borgida (Washington State) of Shoreline, Wash.

As a Canadian, Handrigan was also proud to see three Canadians finish atop the individual standings.

“Shows you how strong Canadian golf is and people don’t understand that. Look at the Presidents Cup, three of our Canadians in the Presidents Cup. This week one, two and three…Canadian golf is strong and to bring a college tournament to Canada is really special and for me being from this area, being from Muskoka and having all my family and friends here this week it was just so special,” he added.

Austin Krahn of Christina Lake, B.C. survived an eight-hole playoff over Charlie Gillespie of Calgary, Alta. and Jager Pain of Woodbridge, Ont. to earn his spot on the 2025 Team Canada NextGen squad. Krahn entered the day one shot back of the lead and recorded rounds of 73-69-74-216. The Team Canada NextGen Selection Camp tournament was being played concurrently with the Canadian Collegiate Invitational.

The inaugural invitational tournament was conducted by Golf Canada and co-hosted by Kent State University and Penn State University who are both led by Canadian head coaches, Jon Mills (Kent State) and Mark Leon (Penn State). The tournament featured nine NCAA Division I men’s golf teams with prominent Canadian ties along with the University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds. UBC qualified after winning the 2024 Canadian University/College Championship in June at Idylwylde Golf and Country Club in Sudbury, Ont. The invitational marked the first NCAA Division I men’s golf event played in Canada.

The championship was contested over 54 holes in two days, with 36 holes played on Monday and 18 holes on Tuesday. All three rounds were played in a shotgun format. The team component featured five members per team with the top four scores for the day counting to the overall team score.

For the final leaderboard following the Canadian Collegiate Invitational, click here. For the final leaderboard following the Team Canada NextGen selection camp, click here.

Golf Canada has set an impressive stretch goal of having 30 professional golfers at the highest levels of the sport by 2032.

The World Junior Girls Golf Championship is a huge part of that target.

Credit Valley Golf and Country Club will host the international tournament from Sept. 30 to Oct. 5, with 24 teams representing 23 nations — Canada gets two squads — competing. Lindsay McGrath, a 17-year-old golfer from Oakville, Ont., said she’s excited to be representing Canada and continue to develop her game.

“I’m really grateful to be here,” said McGrath on Monday after a news conference in Credit Valley’s clubhouse in Mississauga, Ont. “It’s just such an awesome feeling being here and representing our country, wearing all the logos and being on Team Canada.

“I’ve always wanted to play in this tournament, so it’s really special to me.”

McGrath will be joined by Nobelle Park of Oakville, Ont., and Eileen Park of Red Deer, Alta., on Team Canada 2. All three earned their places through a qualifying tournament last month.

“I love my teammates so much,” said McGrath. “I know Nobelle and Eileen very well. I’m just so excited to be with them. We have such a great relationship.”

Shauna Liu of Maple, Ont., Calgary’s Aphrodite Deng and Clairey Lin make up Team Canada 1. Liu earned her exemption following her win at the 2024 Canadian Junior Girls Championship while Deng earned her exemption as being the low eligible Canadian on the world amateur golf ranking as of Aug. 7.

Deng was No. 175 at the time, she has since improved to No. 171 and is Canada’s lowest-ranked player.

“I think it’s a really great opportunity,” said Liu. “We don’t really get that many opportunities to play with people from across the world, so it’s really great to meet new people and play with them.

“It’s great to see maybe how they play and take parts from their game that we might also implement our own games.”

Golf Canada founded the World Junior Girls Golf Championship in 2014 to fill a void in women’s international competition and help grow its own homegrown talent. The hosts won for the first time last year when Vancouver’s Anna Huang, Toronto’s Vanessa Borovilos and Vancouver’s Vanessa Zhang won team gold and Huang earned individual silver.

Medallists who have gone on to win on the LPGA Tour include Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., who was fourth in the individual competition at the inaugural tournament. She was on Canada’s bronze-medal team in 2014 with Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont., and Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee.

Other notable competitors who went on to become LPGA Tour winners include Angel Yin and Megan Khang of the United States, as well as Yuka Saso of the Philippines, Sweden’s Linn Grant and Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand.

“It’s not if, it’s when they’re going to be on the LPGA Tour,” said Garrett Ball, Golf Canada’s chief operating officer, of how Canada’s golfers in the World Junior Girls Championship can be part of the organization’s goal to have 30 pros in the LPGA and PGA Tours by 2032.

“Events like this, like the She Plays Golf festival that we launched two years ago, and then the CPKC Women’s Open exemptions that we utilize to bring in our national team athletes and get the experience has been important in that pathway.”

The individual winner of the World Junior Girls Golf Championship will earn a berth in next year’s CPKC Women’s Open at nearby Mississaugua Golf and Country Club.

Both clubs, as well as former RBC Canadian Open host site Glen Abbey Golf Club, were devastated by heavy rains through June and July as the Greater Toronto Area had its wettest summer in recorded history.

Jason Hanna, the chief operating officer of Credit Valley Golf and Country Club, said that he has seen the Credit River flood so badly that it affected the course’s playability a handful of times over his nearly two decades with the club.

Staff and members alike came together to clean up the course after the flooding was over, with hundreds of people coming together to make the club playable again.

“You had to show up, bring your own rake, bring your own shovel, bring your own gloves, and then we’d take them down to the golf course, assign them to areas where they would work, and then we would do a big barbecue down at the halfway house,” said Hanna. “We got guys, like, 80 years old, putting in eight-hour days down there, working away.”

For more info, worldjuniorgirls.com

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.

Tirath Bains, Hazlemere Golf Club, Hole #13

I participated in the SABA (South Asian Business Association) tournament at Hazlemere Golf Club, playing alongside fellow golfers Pyara Dadwal, Jag Hundal and Davinder Dhesi. During the round, on hole #13, a 184 yard, par 3, I hit a six iron that landed just short of the green and rolled perfectly into the hole for a hole-in-one. It was an unforgettable moment, made even more special by sharing it with such great company.

John Annear, Brudenell Golf Course, Hole #7

I was playing with Rick Sutherland and Bob Nicholson who are life long friends and my first cousins son Neil Rutherford. I was using a 6-iron from 180 yards. Incidentally this is my fourth hole-in-one and third in the last four years. I got one on August 16, 2021 on the iconic #17 at The Links at Crowbush Cove with a gap wedge from 97 yards and captured a great sunset picture of that one. On September 16, 2022 I aced hole #16 on Brudenell with the same 6 iron from 180 yards.

John Ryder, Wildfire Golf Club, Hole #11

Playing in the regular Friday men’s league at Wildfire Golf Club with Gary Carr and Larry Turnbull. A 146 yard shot with a 7 iron for my second hole-in-one, beating a friend’s closest to the hole great shot.

Brian Graziotto, Parry Sound Golf & Country Club, Hole #10

I was playing with Barry Briggs and Jim Sims, part of the local men’s league. The yardage was 124. The club used was a 7 iron. 

Elliana Buhagiar, TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley , Hole #8

This was my second ever ace and my first in competition and first in a professional event as an amateur. Plus, it was cool to do it in a national championship. It was the second round at the ORORO PGA Women’s Championship of Canada at TPC Toronto Heathlands course. It was hole #8 and the flag was 128 yards towards the middle of the green. Wind was helping a little and I hit my pitching wedge two yards past and spun it back into the cup.

Devin Leblanc, Clare Golf & Country Club, Hole #17

There was my self, Paul Foote and Richard Wright. We were standing on the hole #17 tee box just after talking about some hole in we seen and us not having any. Well in that moment my world changed I used my pitching wedge, once it landed about ten feet passed the hole it looked stopped, thinking to my self I have a nice chance for birdie. As I was thinking about this I noticed the ball rolling back towards the hole. I was thinking to my self, this is even closer and then all of a sudden it disappeared into the cup. I hollered and jumped for joy. Couldn’t believe it, that my first one would of been spinning the ball back least ten feet. Will be one to remember that’s for sure. Took me 31 years to get my first.

Jeff Enquist, Southwood Golf & Country Club, Hole #8

I was golfing with friends on Sunday as a guest at Southwood Golf & Country Club in Winnipeg. We were playing high low game and the loser two some had to buy lunch. It was a close match. On hole #8, a 130 yard, par 3 over water, I hit a 9 iron straight at the flag. It landed on the green, bounced twice, hit the flagstick, and then disappeared. The group thought it went in. They wanted me to be the first to walk to the cup and check. There it was, in the hole! My first hole-in-one. So exciting. The match didn’t matter after that as I was buying anyway!

Brad Hewitt, Whitevale Golf Club, Hole #12

With gusting winds Brad Hewitt, guest of brother Steve Hewitt, holed a perfect 8 iron on hole #12 at Whitevale Golf Club. Playing partners Darryl Brown and John Fleming.

Tony Marshall, Sunstone Golf Club, Hole #17

Sadly, I was playing alone. It was 154 yards and I hit a 7 iron. It bounced high on the apron at the front of the green, (front pin about 15 or 20 feet in) and disappeared. I wasn’t excited as I thought it went long but when I got up there, it was in the hole! I lost a Pro V1 on hole #16 so I was playing a Nitro and it was the Nitro in the hole. I was buzzing for days, still seems surreal. I started playing in my 40’s about 20 years ago. I’ve had many close calls (edge of the cup a few times), but this is the only one that dropped. Golf is great!

Hunter Thomson leads individual standings after 36 holes
of inaugural championship

MacTier, Ont. – The Tigers shot a collective 22-under to lead after the opening 36 holes of the 2024 Canadian Collegiate Invitational at Öviinbyrd Golf Club in MacTier, Ont. on Monday.

The Tigers have a fairly young group this season, having lost a couple senior players to graduation allowing for new players to enter the line-up this year that features two sophomores and a freshman. Two of those sophomores were big contributors on Monday as Veikka Viskari of Espoo, Finland shot rounds of 69-67 and Brock Snyder of Ames, Iowa shot 69-68 to help lead the Tigers. Senior Dagbjartur Sigurbrandsson of Reykjavik, Iceland also shot rounds of 69-68 to have his scores count as did Matthias Varjun of Tallinn, Estonia (74-70).

“You could be going, or you could be struggling and for 36 holes, five guys that’s a lot of golf today. There’s going to be bad shots and bad stretches and really, we just wanted them to focus on the things they could control and just go from there for 36 holes and see what happens,” said Missouri Tigers Coach, Glen Millican.

Millican added that a little fatigue began to creep in as the day progressed, but he was proud of how his team battled through the day, “they did a great job, handled it really well.”

The Tigers taken an 11-shot lead into the final 18 holes on Tuesday. Behind the Tigers are the Michigan Wolverines and Notre Dame Fighting Irish, both collectively at 11-under. Tournament co-host, Kent State Golden Flashes are fourth at 6-under.

Millican said getting the ball in play off the tee is priority number one at Öviinbyrd, “once you do that, you really got to pay attention to what you’re doing into the greens because if you fall asleep a bit and hit a good shot you can be penalized, so we want to make sure we don’t penalize ourselves after hitting a good shot.”

In the individual competition, Team Canada NextGen member, Hunter Thomson (Michigan) of Calgary, Alta. leads at 12-under following consecutive rounds of 66 on Monday. Fellow Team Canada NextGen member, Isaiah Ibit (Kent State) of Orleans, Ont. is in a three-way tie for second at 8-under with Viskari (Missouri) and Weston Jones (Rutgers) of Sudbury, Mass. Team Canada member, Ashton McCulloch (Michigan State) of Kingston, Ont. is tied for fifth with Snyder and Sigurbrandsson (Missouri) at 7-under.

In addition to the Invitational tournament, Team Canada is running its selection camp for the 2025 NextGen team. After 36 holes, Jager Pain of Woodbridge, Ont. leads after posting rounds of 71-70 to sit at 3-under, one shot ahead of Austin Krahn of Christina Lake, B.C. Current Team Canada NextGen member Luke Smith of Toronto, Ont. is in third at 1-under. The 19-player field is competing for one guaranteed spot on the 2025 Team Canada NextGen squad.

The inaugural invitational tournament is being conducted by Golf Canada and co-hosted by Kent State University and Penn State University who are both led by Canadian head coaches, Jon Mills (Kent State) and Mark Leon (Penn State). The tournament features nine NCAA Division I men’s golf teams with prominent Canadian ties along with the University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds. UBC qualified after winning the 2024 Canadian University/College Championship in June at Idylwylde Golf and Country Club in Sudbury, Ont.

The championship is being contested over 54 holes in two days, with 36 holes played in today’s opening rounds followed by 18 holes in the final round on Tuesday. All three rounds will be played in a shotgun format. The team component features five members per team with the top four scores for the day counting to the overall team score. The individual competition will be stroke-play with the winner receiving an exemption into the 2025 RBC Canadian Open and the top five receiving exemptions into the 2025 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO.

For the leaderboard following the first two rounds of the Canadian Collegiate Invitational, click here. For the leaderboard from the Team Canada NextGen selection camp, click here.