Two more Canadians punched their tickets to the U.S. Women’s Open on Tuesday at sectional qualifying events in the United States.

Sue Kim, a Young Pro Squad member, closed at 5-under par (66-69) to tie for first at the Twin Hills Country Club event in Longmeadow, Mass., earning one of five available spots. The Langley, B.C. product will look to build on her T59 finish at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open.

Fellow B.C. native Taylor Kim of Surrey topped the leaderboard to earn medalist honours with a 2-under par score (71-71) at the Green Valley Country Club event in Green Valley, Calif. The Team Canada graduate marks the third B.C. native to qualify for the event—Amateur Squad’s Naomi Ko qualified earlier this month. Quebec’s Maude-Aimée Leblanc is the fourth Canadian to secure a spot so far, winning medalist honours last week.

The Canadian quartet will tee-it-up at the U.S. Women’s Open from July 4–10 at CordeValle in San Martin, Calif.

Click here for all qualifier scoring.

Starting mid-July, Mississaugua Golf and Country Club in Mississauga, Ont., will have a new leadership as Jeff Germond has been appointed the club’s new Chief Operating Officer (COO).

Germond has more than 25 years of private club management experience including senior roles at Hamilton Golf & Country Club, the National Golf Club of Canada, and most recently, as COO of The St. Catharines Golf and Country Club where he has held the position since 2008.  Jeff is also the president of the Ontario Branch of the Canadian Society of Club Managers.

Jeff’s experience includes having been involved in all aspects of running a private club including administration, financial planning, marketing, capital projects and membership. Jeff also brings a strong food and beverage background, having spent some time as a chef early in his career.

TROON, Scotland – Royal Troon Golf Club, the host of this year’s British Open, is set to end its male-only membership policy after more than three quarters of members in a survey backed allowing in women.

Troon said in a statement on Wednesday that its committee will propose at a July 1 meeting that its membership grants approval for female members to join.

“Recently we spoke about the need for our club to reflect the modern society in which we exist and I am pleased that a large majority of members who responded to our survey agree and support opening the club to women,” Troon’s club captain Martin Cheyne said.

“Looking ahead to the Open Championship, we want Scotland to be proud of Royal Troon Golf Club and the Ladies’ Golf Club, Troon as we jointly host this most prestigious competition in front of a worldwide audience.”

Royal Troon, formed in 1878, is sharing the responsibility of hosting next year’s British Open with The Ladies Golf Club in Troon that uses its facilities.

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews decided in 2014 to open its membership to women after 260 years of male exclusivity.

But Muirfield was banned last month from hosting the Britsh Open after its membership didn’t approve female members joining.

The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, which owns Muirfield, announced its decision to retain the club’s male-only policy following a ballot of its members. A two-thirds majority was required for change. Out of 616 members who voted, 36 per cent were against allowing women.

Within minutes, the Royal and Ancient, which runs the British Open, said Muirfield was off the list of 10 courses that can host golf’s oldest major championship.

Golfers past and present backed the R&A’s stance.

PARKSVILLE, B.C. – Pristine conditions set the stage for the opening round of the 2016 edition of the Canadian University/College Championship at Morningstar Golf Club. Scott Secord opened with a 5-under 67 showing as the University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds seized the lead in the men’s division. Alexandra Pelletier shot 1-under to send the Université Laval Rouge et Or to the top of the day one leaderboard in the women’s division.

A dominant performance from defending champions UBC saw the school finish a combined 10-under to lead the men’s division by 20 strokes. Calgarian Scott Secord recorded four birdies and an eagle on the par-5 third hole en route to a 67 to lead the men’s individual standings. Fellow teammates Jack Wood (69) and Andrew Harrison (70) are T3 and 5th, respectively. Evan Holmes and Nate Ollis matched 72s to complete the UBC men’s contingent.

The 23-year-old Secord remained focused when asked to reflect on the effect of past success on this year’s competition. “It helps; it definitely does. But we’re trying to stay modest because there are lots of good players here and it can change every day. We’re just trying to go with our game plan and stick with it. If that works for four days, great.”

With team totals of 10-over 298, the Camosun College Chargers and the Queen’s University Gaels are knotted in second-place. Five shots separate second- to ninth-place in the men’s team standings.

Secord – the 2014 individual champion – liked what he saw of the course and appreciates the opportunity to once again represent the Thunderbirds. “Chris and the boys graciously invited me back to play. It’s nice that all the members are allowing us to take the golf course from them for five days. The course is awesome. The greens are rolling great; they’re nice and smooth – a little fast, which is nice to see. The fairways and everything are just awesome, as well. You’ve just got to be careful out there.”

Chris Crisologo of the Simon Fraser University Clan is in second-place at 4-under. The Richmond, B.C., native notched five birdies and made an eagle on the third hole. Vernon, B.C., product Brady Stead of the Camosun College Chargers is T3 after collecting four birdies.

The Université Laval Rouge et Or finished the first day of competition at 18-over 234 to lead the women’s division by two strokes. The host University of Victoria Vikes are in second, while the UBC women hold third – one stroke behind their fellow British Columbians.

Alexandra Pelletier was the lone player in the women’s field to finish below-par. The native of Montréal tallied four birdies in a 1-under 71 performance. Caroline Ciot of the defending champion Université de Montréal Carabins opened with a 75. The native of Québec City is hoping to improve upon last year’s runner-up result in the women’s individual standings. Calgary’s Quinn Fitzgerald from the University of Victoria completes the Top-3 after carding a 76.

The 2016 competition features 20 men’s teams and 12 women’s teams from across the country vying for team and individual honours. Following the third round, the field will be reduced to the top 10 men’s teams and the top six women’s teams, in addition to any individuals within 15 shots of the lead.

The second day of competition begins with the women’s division at 7:30 a.m., while the men tee off at 8:10 a.m. Additional information regarding the championship, including pairings and up-to-date scoring can be found here.

Edmonton – The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada and Linx Marketing announced today the cancellation of the 2016 Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON due to effects on the Fort McMurray community following wildfires this spring.

“Having consulted with community leaders and sponsors, we felt it would be inappropriate to play the event this year as the Fort McMurray community embarks on recovering from this spring’s wildfires,” said Mackenzie Tour President Jeff Monday. “We wish the very best to everyone in Fort McMurray as the community makes its recovery.”

“Though we were hopeful for the possibility of the conducting the event in Fort McMurray, we did not feel it would be the right thing to do to hold the golf tournament while the city is focusing on recovery efforts,” said Tim Garbutt, Executive Director of the Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON and the ATB Financial Classic.

The ATB Financial Classic, which takes place at Calgary’s Country Hills Golf Club, will move up a week on the schedule to take place August 1-7, immediately following the inaugural Oil Country Championship July 25-31 at Glendale Golf and Country Club in Edmonton.

“Moving up the ATB Financial Classic a week to immediately follow our event in Edmonton allows us to provide the best possible schedule for our players,” said Monday. “Our gratitude goes out to Linx Marketing, ATB Financial and Country Hills Golf Club for accommodating the change in schedule.”

Earlier this spring, the Mackenzie Tour and Web.com Tour announced a joint donation of $20,000 towards Fort McMurray wildfire relief, along with per-birdie pledges from Mackenzie Tour and Web.com Tour players that fans can match at the PGA TOUR’s charity website, Together, Anything’s Possible. For more information on relief efforts or to make a donation, visit www.together.PGATOUR.com.

Eighteen years after winning an Olympic Games gold medal in golf for Canada George S. Lyon took part in the grand opening of Thornhill Golf and Country Club.

As one of the country’s most notable amateur golfers, Lyon had signed on as a member of the Board of Directors, shareholder and Vice-President of Thornhill G&CC when the club opened in 1922 and had worked alongside President F. L. Ratcliff and architect Stanley Thompson to build and establish a parkland gem with an 18-hole for men and a nine-hole ladies course that have stood the test of time for nearly a century.

It would be amazing to turn back the clock and have a conversation with Lyon about his thoughts on the course, but on the official Opening Day, June 15^th, 1922, newspaper reports tell us that he shared some glowing remarks with several hundred members who showed up to watch a nine-hole exhibition match played between Lyon and Frank Thompson alongside Club Secretary Bob Gray and Head Professional Norman Bell.

“Lyon was an Olympic gold medalist in golf, the greatest Canadian amateur golfer of his time and a sporting legend who played a key role in the initial development and success of Thornhill G&CC,” says Club President, Adrian Hartog. “Lost in time is how long Lyon remained at Thornhill, but having him as part of our original founders is noteworthy in Canadian golf history and a fact that members should know and appreciate.”

You will find him included in a magnificent framed black and white photo that was taken on Opening Day that now hangs in its full glory in the Stanley Thompson Lounge and there’s a story from the Toronto Telegram that has also been framed and hangs in the family washroom near the fitness center that is a good read!

Lyon and Thompson were also involved in the development of the first public course in Toronto in 1920 – Humber Valley Golf Club – designed by Stanley Thompson – that closed in 1954 to make way for a sewage treatment plant. They would also go on to work together at St. George’s G&CC in similar roles.

“Although he should be considered one of Canada’s greatest sporting heroes, I think that until golf returned to the Olympic stage you could argue that the legacy of George S. Lyon was little known in this country. I think this has certainly changed leading up to the Summer Games in Rio as he is recognized as the defending champion. It’s getting a lot of press around the world,” says Scott Simmons, CEO of Golf Canada.

Lyon is once again in the headlines as golf is welcomed back to the Summer Olympic Games for the first time since 1904. That’s when Lyon, who was 46 years of age at the time, travelled to St. Louis, Missouri with two other members from Lambton G&CC and triumphed at the Glen Echo Club over the reigning U.S. Amateur champ, 20-year-old Chandler Egan.

Lyon was born in 1858 in the village of Richmond, near Ottawa. He relocated to Toronto, where he raised a family of five children with his wife Annette and sold insurance for Sun Insurance Office for 37 years before retiring in 1931. He also joined the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada in 1881, as a reservist, and served through the North-West Rebellion of 1885. He played football, hockey and tennis growing up and even held the Canadian pole vault record at the age of 18. He was also a well-known cricket player and curler, who has his name on the Canada Life Trophy and was an Ontario Tankard winner. He got his start in golf at Rosedale Golf Club, but left there to be a long-time member at Lambton Golf and Country Club, as well as The Toronto Golf Club for a few years. He’d win the Canadian Amateur title eight times, among other titles, before winning gold at the Olympics. He said he played the best golf of his life finishing runner-up in the 1906 U.S Amateur. Lyon died in May of 1938 after suffering a stroke.

The very first George S. Lyon Team Championship was played in 1931 and a team from Royal York Golf Club consisting of William J. Thompson, D.W. Palmer, Hugh S. Reid and Lyon himself finished in a tie with a team from Lambton G&CC with a score of 335. It was last won by a team from Thornhill back in 1954 including; R.E. Dale, T. Hogarth, E.A. Nerlich and J Wagstaff.

In his book, Golf in Canada – A History, Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member, James Barclay wrote, “His colourful excursions in such events (the Olympics) caused pages to be written in the Canadian sporting sheets, helping to bring golf to the attention of thousands who had never heard of the game. George Lyon caught the interest and imagination of all. He is remembered as a man who played golf for the sheer enjoyment of it, as one who lived to win with deep and untrammeled sincerity, but who knew how to win graciously, how to lose gracefully. Above all, he was a man who hewed to the written and unwritten rules of the game.”

So when you turn on the television in August to watch golf’s return to the Olympics don’t forget that George S. Lyon played both a large role in the Olympic movement, as well as the creation of what is now The Thornhill Club.

VICTORIA – Bear Mountain Resort played host to the first of three RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifiers, as local and international talent competed for the chance to move on to the RBC Canadian Open Final Qualifier at Heron Point Golf Links in Ancaster, Ont., on July 18. Riley Wheeldon of Comox, B.C., shot 64 to establish a new course record and register a one-stroke victory.

“I had two lackadaisical bogeys in the middle of the round, but other than that I played very well,” said the 25-year-old. “I do know four or five of the guys from today whom I’ve been playing with around B.C., so with so few spots available, there wasn’t much margin for error.”

Wheeldon recorded eight birdies, including five on the back nine to secure the win. “It was fairly calm out and the course was in great condition. It’s just nice to know I’m one round away in a couple months from being in our biggest tournament of the year.”

Seann Harlingten of West Vancouver, B.C., and Dillon Rust of Edmond, Okla., finished T2 after matching 65s; Rust went bogey-free and collected five birdies. Ian (Jae Hoon) Kim of Surrey, B.C., was the lone amateur to make the cut with a 4-under 66 showing.

The trio of Ben Taylor (Baton Rouge, La.), Ryan Burgess (Dallas, Texas), and Brad Clapp (Chilliwack, B.C.) finished with shares of fifth at 2-under and will join Wheeldon, Harlingten, Rust, and Kim at Final Qualifying.

In total, there are three regional qualifying events, each consisting of 18 holes of stroke play. Provided that there are 100 or more players in the field, the low qualifier receives an exemption directly into the 2016 RBC Canadian Open. Otherwise, the top 15 per cent of finishers at each qualifier become eligible to compete at the final qualifying event.

A minimum of four players from the 18-hole stroke play final qualifier will gain entry into the RBC Canadian Open field.

There are two more RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifiers to be played:

• June 6 – Club de golf de la Vallée du Richelieu, Sainte-Julie, Que.
• June 20 – King’s Forest Golf Club, Hamilton, Ont.

Additional information regarding the RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier in British Columbia, can be found here.

Get tickets to the RBC Canadian Open online at www.rbccanadianopen.com/tickets.

Vancouver – New York’s Dan McCarthy came up clutch with a birdie at the 72^nd hole to win the Freedom 55 Financial Open on Sunday, giving him his first Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada victory.

The 30-year old veteran in his fifth Mackenzie Tour season managed a tricky two-putt from more than 80 feet away at the par-5 18^th hole for birdie to finish at 15-under for the week at Point Grey Golf and Country Club, one stroke ahead of Florida’s Tyler McCumber.

“I’m extremely happy with the way I played this week,” said McCarthy. “I guess I can attribute this to knowing myself better and what happens to me under pressure. I’ve been in the hunt enough times to learn how to close it out, and things went my way today.”

Finishing up the rain-delayed third round on Sunday morning, the 30-year old capped off round three with a birdie-eagle finish to share the 54-hole lead with McCumber.

McCarthy trailed McCumber by two through 10 holes, but drew even after McCumber, a two-time PGA TOUR Latinoamérica winner and the son of 10-time PGA TOUR winner Mark McCumber, bogeyed the par-4 16^th.

Both players split the fairway at the reachable 18^th, but while McCumber was unable to convert a greenside up-and-down for birdie, McCarthy left his approach below the hole and lagged an approach putt from the fringe to tap-in range.

“I couldn’t have left it in a better spot. I was caught between putting it and chipping it with a 7-iron, and I left it in a perfect spot there. I was very fortunate,” said McCarthy.

The win puts McCarthy in the No. 1 spot on the Order of Merit, in position to earn Web.com Tour status for 2017. The Le Moyne college graduate said the win gives him momentum in his quest to leverage a good season on the Mackenzie Tour into a promotion for next year.

“This is a huge confidence builder for me going forward,” said McCarthy. “I’d love to finish number one and be exempt out there, but the goal is to stay in the top five or even the top 10 and advance to the next level.”

McCumber, who has conditional status on the Web.com Tour after finishing 90^th on the Money List last year and was in the field through a category for Web.com Tour members, said the second-place finish represents a stepping stone as he looks to get back up to the next level again.

“It’s definitely not the result that I was looking for, but I did everything that I could and I’ll try to look back and see where I could have saved a few shots,” said McCumber.

Two shots behind the winning score in a tie for third were Atlanta’s Wade Binfield and Oklahoma’s Talor Gooch.

Surrey, B.C.’s Ryan Williams finished at 10-under and was 7th, while former Golf Canada National Amateur team member Austin Connelly finished T8 at 8-under in his debut as a Mackenzie Tour member.

MIDLAND, Ont. – A hot and humid day, punctuated by a booming thunder clap, closed out the 2016 edition of the CN Future Links Ontario Championship at Midland Golf & Country Club. Brandon Lacasse and Isabella Portokalis emerged from tight groups of competitors to claim the Junior Girls and Junior Boys titles.

The Junior Boys leaderboard was crowded throughout the final day of competition. Lacasse separated himself from the group and the Châteauguay, Que., product matched his second-round 70 to finish 212 overall. The 18-year-old, who entered the day with a share of the lead, finished with two birdies for a two-stroke victory.

“I just tried to play as if it was a fun round,” said Lacasse. “I always finish second or third, so I’m happy to finally win a big tournament.”

Lacasse noted the bittersweet nature of the victory with this being his final year of eligibility on the junior circuit. “It’s fun to finish with a win,” he said. “Last year, I finished sixth at the Canadian Juniors, so maybe a win this year will help me perform better.”

Toronto’s Tyler Nagano remained competitive throughout the round, tallying four birdies, but could not catch the leader. The 17-year-old finished 4-over 214, while Beaconsfield, Que., native Remi Chartier earned third-place with a 69 – his lowest round of the weekend.

As the Top-5 in the Junior Boys division, Lacasse, Nagano, Chartier, Ty Celone (Long Sault, Ont.) and Jake Bryson (Dunrobin, Ont.) earned spots into the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship, which will be contested at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L. from August 1-4. Kelvin Young Woong Lim claimed the sixth available spot following a playoff-victory over Charles-David Trépanier of Québec City and Anthony Occhiuto from Guelph, Ont.

A clap of thunder forced the brief suspension of play with players being evacuated from the field due to safety concerns. After players returned to the course, Vancouver’s Tiffany Kong and Surrey, B.C., native Hannah Lee began play before the championship committee had allowed the resumption of play. After careful review of the situation, the committee decided to waive the penalty of disqualification as per Rule 6-8: Discontinuance of Play; Resumption of Play, and to issue each with a two-stroke penalty.

Isabella Portokalis tallied a pair of birdies en route to a 2-over 72 on the day. The London, Ont., native made par on hole 18 to sit 6-over 216 alongside Kong. When the two-stroke penalty was applied following the round, Portokalis claimed the win by two strokes.

“I just tried to keep calm and keep making pars, and if a putt went in then that was great,” said the 14-year-old when asked to reflect on the day. “I got into the scoring tent and everybody said that I won and I didn’t even realize it.”

Portokalis sees this victory as a building block towards future success, including the 2016 Canadian Junior Girls Championship in August. “Now I know that I can win any tournament,” she said. “I was three back on the first tee, but I bounced back on the back nine.”

Kong and Lee – members of Team Canada’s Women’s Development Squad – claimed second- and third-place in the tournament. Kong collected four birdies and an eagle on hole 15, but finished with a 2-over 72 showing. Lee finished third following a 75.

All players within the Top-6 in the Junior Girls division earned entries into the 2016 Canadian Junior Girls Championship from August 2-5 at The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S. Ellie Szeryk (London, Ont,), Monet Chun (Richmond Hill, Ont.), and Grace St-Germain (Orleans, Ont.) will compete alongside Portokalis, Kong, and Lee.

Four additional CN Future Links Championships will cross the country this summer:

• June 3-5 – CN Future Links Quebec – Beauceville, Que. – Club de golf Beauceville
• June 10-12 – CN Future Links Prairie – Neepawa, Man. – Neepawa Golf & Country Club
• July 4-6 – CN Future Links Western – Medicine Hat, Alta. – Medicine Hat Golf & Country Club
• July 12-14 – CN Future Links Atlantic – Fairview, P.E.I. – Countryview Golf Club

Additional information regarding the 2016 CN Future Links Ontario Championship can be found here.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Ariya Jutanugarn became the first player to win three straight LPGA Tour events in three years, closing with a 5-under 67 for a five-stroke victory Sunday in the Volvik Championship.

The 20-year-old Jutanugarn is the first player since Inbee Park in 2013 to win three consecutive tournaments and the first ever to make their first three career victories consecutive.

Jutanugarn finished at 15-under 273 at Travis Pointe after starting the day with a one-shot edge thanks to a closing eagle in the third-round.

Jutanugarn became the first Thai winner in tour history three weeks ago in Alabama and followed that up last week with a victory in Virginia. Jutanugarn doesn’t plan to play the next event in New Jersey, where she would have had a shot to become the first since Lorena Ochoa in 2008 to win four tournaments in a row.

Christina Kim was second after a 71.

Canada’s Brooke Henderson, of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot an impressive final round 68 to finish the tournament tied for third at 9 under.

“I missed some opportunities, but I also made up for a couple here on the back nine, so overall I’m happy,” said Henderson. “There’s definitely things I have to work on going into next week, some silly mistakes early in the week and even today a couple, but overall, I’m very happy with how things are going and hopefully, just be able to finish it off in the near future.”