Team Canada’s Josée Doyon claims victory at Women’s Porter Cup
LEWISTON, N.Y. – National Team member Josée Doyon carded a final-round 66 to win the 4th annual Women’s Porter Cup at Niagara Falls Country Club. The 23-year-old finished 3-under 210 to earn a five-stroke victory over 19-year-old Princess Superal of Dasmariñas City in the Philippines.
“It feels great,” commented Doyon, when asked about the title of Women’s Porter Cup champion. “After finishing third last year and now coming off a really good week of practice with Team Canada. It feels awesome.”
Doyon finished third in the 2015 edition of the event behind fellow Canadian Christina Foster of Concord, Ont., and the winner Ana Paula Valdes of Merelia, Mexico. The resilient native of St-Georges-de-Beauce, Que., would not be denied this year, shooting a 66 – the tournament’s low round – to secure the victory.
“What really helped me today was my ball-striking,” she added. “I really hit my driver well. I just kept my game plan and I was not too aggressive. I stayed patient out there and I just made every birdie that I could when I had the opportunity. I didn’t make many long putts, except at the end on 18. It was great to finish with a birdie right in front of everybody.”
Doyon entered the final round T2 alongside fellow National Team member Jaclyn Lee of Calgary; the pair trailed Superal by two strokes. Lee would go on to finish in a tie for third with Haylee Harford of Leavittsburg, Ohio.
The Women’s National Team spent the past week training at Rattlesnake Point Golf Club in Milton, Ont., with Head Coach Tristan Mullally – an experience which Doyon says helped prepare her for the competition. “I feel like there were two or three things that I worked on with Tristan this week that really made a huge difference. I feel like because I worked really hard, I just felt ready for the Porter Cup and I could just trust everything I’ve been learning.”
The first-year National Team member reflected positively on the experience of representing Canada. “It felt great at the end,” she said of her teammates. “They hugged me and said congratulations. It’s just so nice – that feeling that we are Team Canada. Canada was really well-represented at this tournament and I feel like it just makes us all stronger to have that support of players from our home country.”
Team Canada Development Squad member Grace St-Germain of Orleans, Ont., and the National Team’s Naomi Ko of Victoria were T7 at 7-over 220. Former Development Squad member Valérie Tanguay from St-Hyancinthe, Que., finished T10.
Full results from the 2016 Women’s Porter Cup are available here.
Proud of @TheGolfCanada Team this week, so much progress at camp & through the @PorterCup @josee_doyon with the W pic.twitter.com/FtavGrhM8m
— Tristan Mullally (@tmullallygolf) June 11, 2016
Jobe leads Senior Players, Langer stroke back
FLOURTOWN, Pa. – Two-time defending champion Bernhard Langer pulled within a stroke of leader Brandt Jobe on Friday in the Constellation Senior Players Championship.
Langer shot a 2-under 68 at windy Philadelphia Cricket Club in the third of the PGA Tour Champions’ five major championships. Jobe topped the leaderboard at 2 under after his second straight 69.
Scott Dunlap had a 69 to match Langer at 1 under.
First-round leader Jay Don Blake (72) was even par with Wes Short Jr. (69) and Bart Bryant (71). Tom Byrum had a 67, the best score of the week, to join Woody Austin (70) at 1 over.
Vijay Singh followed his opening 69 with a 74 to drop to 3 over.
John Daly had his second straight 76. He’s playing his fifth event since turning 50 in late April.
Rod Spittle of St. Catharines, Ont., carded a 77 and sits T79.
Sam Diamond and Shirin Anjarwalla take early leads as CN Future Links Prairie Championship opens
NEEPAWA, Man. – The 2016 CN Future Links Prairie Championship opened at Neepawa Golf & Country Club amidst gusting winds reaching 50km/h. Sam Diamond and Shirin Anjarwalla claimed the 18-hole leads to top the Junior Boys and Junior Girls Divisions, respectively.
Diamond began the day with a bogey-free front nine which included two birdies and ended with an eagle on the par-5 ninth hole. The Winnipeg product would go on to card a 2-under 70 to seize the early lead. Peyton Callens of Langton, Ont., sits one shot back of the leader. The 16-year-old collected a trio of birdies on the day.
Six players concluded the opening round tied for third at 1-over. Keith Ng of Richmond, B.C., Victoria’s Keaton Gudz (Victoria) and Yorkton, Sask., native Kade Johnson each collected three birdies for their shares of third. The trio are tied alongside Ryan McMillan (Winnipeg) and a pair of Calgarians in Owen Murray and Max Murchison, who led all competitors with five birdies on the day.
Shirin Anjarwalla carded a 6-over 78 to claim a two-stroke lead in the Junior Girls Division. The Nanaimo, B.C., native opened with a steady 1-over 37 on the front nine. Tied for second at 8-over are Camryn Roadley ofWinnipeg and Julie (Younsoo) Ju of West Vancouver, B.C.
Surrey, B.C., native Kate (Dahye) Choi currently sits fourth at 9-over 81, while Winnipeg’s Rebecca Kuik completes the Top-5 at 11-over.
The top six players in the Junior Boys Division will earn entry into the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L., from August 1-4. Exemptions will be decided via a hole-by-hole playoff in the case of ties. All competitors within the Top-6, including ties, in the Junior Girls Division will gain exemptions into the Canadian Junior Girls Championship. The tournament will be conducted from August 2-5 at The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S.
The second day of competition will see the Junior Girls Division tee-off at 7:30 a.m. before the Junior Boys take to the course at 8:20 a.m. Additional information, including pairings and up-to-date scoring can be found here.
Glen Abbey Golf Club to host 2017 RBC Canadian Open
OAKVILLE, Ont. – Golf Canada and RBC are pleased to announce that Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., has been selected to host the 2017 edition of the RBC Canadian Open.
The Jack Nicklaus-designed layout in Oakville, Ont., will host Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship for a record 29th time. The 2017 event will mark a consecutive run of three years at the venerable Glen Abbey Golf Club which began in 2015 when Jason Day was crowned the RBC Canadian Open champion. The world no. 1 ranked Australian narrowly edged out Bubba Watson along with 54-hole leader David Hearn of Brantford, Ont. who finished alone in third.
The 2016 RBC Canadian Open will run July 18-24 while the 2017 edition will welcome the stars of the PGA Tour next year from July 24-30.
“Together with our partners at RBC, we are proud to announce the return of the RBC Canadian Open to Glen Abbey in 2017,” said Golf Canada CEO Scott Simmons. “Golf fans from Oakville, Halton Region and the Greater Toronto Area have traditionally shown tremendous support for the event. Glen Abbey is one of the world’s premiere stadium courses for fans and spectators and this three-year consecutive run will allow us to build momentum and community excitement both for this year and leading into next year’s 108th playing of the Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship.”
Designed by golf legend Jack Nicklaus, a seven-time runner-up at the event, Glen Abbey will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2016.
“RBC is proud to be the title sponsor of this important event for the 9th year,” said Mary DePaoli, chief brand and communications officer, RBC. “Glen Abbey is a world class venue to showcase our National Open Championship, and to have the tournament return again next year creates enthusiasm and anticipation with golf fans and the local community.”
The return to Glen Abbey through 2017 marks the first time since 1998, 1999 and 2000 that the renowned club has hosted three consecutive RBC Canadian Opens. The golf club also hosted back-to-back championships in 2008 and 2009.
The 2016 RBC Canadian Open will once again raise funds in support of the competition’s national charity partner – Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada – along with the Golf Canada Foundation in support of junior golf initiatives.
Golf Canada owned and operated Glen Abbey Golf Club from 1982 until the fall of 1998 when the property was sold to ClubLink. Considered by many to be the home of Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship, ‘The Abbey’ hosted 22 Canadian Opens between 1977 and 2000. The tournament returned in 2004, 2008, 2009, 2013 and 2015 in addition to this year’s event in July. Golf Canada’s head office and the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum are located on the grounds of Glen Abbey Golf Club.
Information regarding tickets, free 17-and-under junior passes, volunteer opportunities and corporate hospitality for the 2016 RBC Canadian Open can be found at www.rbccanadianopen.com.
Cory Renfrew sits T2; Caleb Sturgeon takes first round lead in Kelowna
KELOWNA, B.C. – Laurens, South Carolina’s Caleb Sturgeon shot a 7 under 64 on Thursday at Gallagher’s Canyon Golf and Country Club to take the first round lead at the inaugural GolfBC Championship, the third event of the 2016 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.
The 23-year old University of South Carolina graduate holed a 30-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to reach 7-under, one shot ahead of Victoria, B.C.’s Cory Renfrew, French Polynesia’s Vaita Guillaume and Cosa Mesa, California’s Jake Knapp.
“It was a good feeling,” said Sturgeon of the long birdie putt at the final hole. “I hadn’t made too many long putts today. Just to see that one go in to close out the day gave me some good momentum going into tomorrow.”
Sturgeon’s other notable highlight from the day came on the par-4 2nd hole, where he holed out from 121 yards. Beyond a few fireworks, however, the second-year pro said it was mostly consistency that led him to his solid opening round.
“I felt good over the golf ball. I just did everything solid. I did hole out, but other than that I felt like I had a good attitude, and kept it moving forward,” said Sturgeon.
Renfrew, a fifth-year Mackenzie Tour member, shot his first sub-70 round of the season to hold solo second place and credited a different approach than his first two events of the season (T50-CUT) for his round.
“I worked hard over the weekend and came into this week with a different attitude, trying to go get it instead of letting it come to me. I think I was just relaxed from the get-go, even though I started with a bogey on my second hole. I just stayed patient and had fun out there,” said Renfrew.
Guillaume, meanwhile, leveraged a stellar short game for his round 65, including a hole out for eagle from about 60 yards on the 18th (his ninth hole of the day) and a difficult up-and-down for birdie on the ninth.
“When you know that your short game can save you from bad situations, it takes a little bit of pressure off. Fortunately, I found a little swing though this morning that seems to have helped,” said Guillaume.
Knapp, who Monday qualified for the event, said he was appreciative of the opportunity to compete this week and took advantage with a solid opening round.
“I felt like this was all I really needed, to get through those Mondays,” said Knapp. “Those are really the hard part for me, and if I played well enough in those, I knew I had the game to play well in the actual tournament.”
Henderson cards ace, takes early lead at Women’s PGA at Sahalee
SAMMAMISH, Wash. – Just three holes into her round, Brooke Henderson could tell she needed a spark.
Her fourth career hole-in-one and a new car – to be donated to her caddie sister – did more than enough.
Made good on my promise to Brit…she gets the hole-in-one car!! Thanks for the right yardage, sis @Titleist pic.twitter.com/TY71epKALA
— Brooke Henderson (@BrookeHenderson) June 9, 2016
Buoyed by the early ace and birdies on her final two holes, Henderson took the early lead Thursday in the Women’s PGA Championship, the second of the LPGA Tour’s five major championships.
The 18-year-old Canadian, ranked fourth in the world, had a 4-under 67 on a cool day at Sahalee Country Club. Henderson aced the 13th hole – her fourth hole of the day – hitting a 7-iron from 155 yards to the left side of the green. The shot caught the apron and funneled directly to the cup.
“It really helped out a lot and gave me momentum for the rest of the day,” Henderson said.
Henderson, form Smiths Falls, Ont., was at 3 under after making a birdie at the difficult par-4 18th – her ninth hole of the day – which yielded just five birdies among the early players. But she began to struggle with her driver, hitting the ball left off the tee on three straight holes to start her back nine and dropped two shots.
Henderson rebounded with birdies on three of her final four holes. She capped the run with a short putt on the par-3 ninth to take a two-shot lead.
“Making the turn I was a little shaky,” Henderson said. “Hit a couple of bad drives. But I was able to scramble, get up-and-down a couple of times that really saved my round and then finished really strong.”
Henderson won in Portland last year and has nine top-10 finishes this season.
Christina Kim and I.K. Kim followed at 69, with the afternoon wave still on the course.
Top-ranked Lydia Ko had an even-par 71 in a round that featured 14 pars, two birdies and two bogeys. Both of Ko’s bogeys came after she missed the fairway and had to pitch out from the trees.
Christina Kim was at 2 over after three holes before rallying on her second nine.
“This place has absolutely drained me. I’m very, very thankful I was able to play early today,” said Kim, fourth last week in New Jersey after finishing second the previous week in Michigan.
After seeing above average temperatures earlier in the week that dried out the fairways and greens, players were treated to much cooler conditions on Thursday with rain showers popping up in the afternoon. The cooler, wet conditions are expected to last through the weekend.
Three-time defending champion Inbee Park was in the featured group in the afternoon. The 27-year-old Park will become eligible for the LPGA Hall of Fame at the completion of the round, making her the youngest player in tour history to reach the eligibility threshold and the first since Se Ri Pak in 2007.
Pak withdrew after seven holes Thursday afternoon due to an arm injury.
No one caught Henderson’s ace on camera, but there is footage of the after scene.
Thx to our Japan TV Partner WOWOW, they captured @BrookeHenderson on the green after her hole-in-one @KPMGWomensPGAhttps://t.co/Y9MKl6mKle
— LPGA (@LPGA) June 9, 2016
Jay Don Blake leads Senior Players Championship
FLOURTOWN, Pa. – Jay Don Blake birdied three of the last five holes Thursday at windy Philadelphia Cricket Club for a 2-under 70 and the first-round lead in the Constellation Senior Players Championship.
The 57-year-old Blake had five birdies and three bogeys on the A.W. Tillinghast-designed Wissahickon Course. He won the last of his three senior titles in 2012, and won at Torrey Pines in 1991 for his lone PGA Tour victory.
“Tough golf course out there and I’m just happy to get done with a couple under par,” Blake said. “Hit it pretty decent all day. … Hit it well, played well and just kind of executed some good shots out there today.”
Blake birdied the first two holes, then bogeyed the par-4 sixth, par-3 eighth and par-4 11th. He rebounded with birdies on par-3 14th, par-5 15th and par-4 17th in third of the PGA Tour Champions’ five majors.
“It was chilly early, still had some wind,” Blake said. “Luckily, the first couple holes were downwind so that was kind of a little help off to start. The first two holes, made birdie, so got off to a good start. Then we started about three, four holes right in a row just dead into the wind and it was cold, ball was going nowhere. It was just kind of survival.”
Vijay Singh bogeyed the par-4 18th to fall a stroke back along with Jeff Sluman, Brandt Jobe and Bart Bryant.
“It’s a tough day,” said the 53-year-old Singh, winless in seven career starts on the 50-and-over tour. “Regardless of what club you’ve got in the hand, wedge or 9-iron or 3-wood, it’s still long, gusty crosswinds. I played pretty good. I kept the ball in play most of the day, and unfortunately, had two three-putts, but that was pretty easy to do out here.”
The 34-time PGA Tour winner has made 15 starts this year on the regular tour.
“I think the last three or four events when I came over here, I kind of put too much pressure on myself that I have to win,” Singh said. “I just came this week just to have a good time and enjoy it and play good golf.”
Colin Montgomerie topped the group at 70.
“You get out of position off the tee and then you’re struggling,” Montgomerie said. “But I think it’s terrific, I really do. I think this is marvelous. This is a real major. This has a major feel to it. You could put these greens on any course worldwide and everyone would be thrilled with them.”
Two-time defending champion Bernhard Langer bogeyed three of his last four holes for a 71.
“It was really windy. That was tough,” Langer said. “Gusty winds, so it’s difficult to control. And the greens are lightning fast. On 18, I was in the right bunker and it was downwind, down grain, downhill, hard to stop the ball, it just keeps rolling and rolling and ended up making bogey. You’ve got to be aware of trying to keep the ball below the hole, which is tough to do when it’s windy like this.”
The German star won in 2014 at Fox Chapel in Pittsburgh and last year at Belmont in Massachusetts.
“It’s a great venue,” Langer said. “It’s any bit as good as the ones we played the last couple years. They always pick great golf courses and this is no exception.”
Sluman bogeyed 16 and 18 after reaching 3 under with a birdie on 15. Jobe also bogeyed the 18th.
“Overall, pretty happy with the day,” Sluman said. “Played solid golf in very trying conditions and this golf course is very challenging. It’s a great test of golf.”
Billy Andrade, Scott Dunlap and Doug Garwood matched Montgomerie at 70.
Tom Watson, at age 66, was in the group at 71.
“It’s a Tillinghast golf course. I’ve played a lot of Tillinghast golf courses and they are difficult,” Watson said. “You really have to hit a lot of quality shots. The greens are very quick and, with this northwest wind, it played very tough today. … This golf course is all you want.”
John Daly and Rod Spittle of St. Catharines, Ont., are T53 after matching 76s. Playing his fifth event on the tour since turning 50 in late April, Daly had a double bogey on the par-5 fifth, five bogeys and one birdie.
Shawn Stefani, Tom Hoge, Seung-Yul Noh share Memphis lead
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Shawn Stefani, Tom Hoge and Seung-yul Noh shared the FedEx St. Jude Classic lead at 5-under 65 on Thursday.
Little wind and perfect though fast greens created near perfect scoring conditions at the TPC Southwind. Some extra rough requiring tight shots also provided a good test for players preparing for the U.S. Open next week at Oakmont in Pennsylvania.
Hoge had a bogey-free round with five birdies in the morning group. This is only the second time Hoge has played the event, but he has qualified for the U.S. Open twice in Memphis and tied for 12th at Southwind last year.
“I don’t know if it’s the food or the water or what it is, but Memphis has been good to me,” Hoge said. “Hopefully, I can keep it going.”
Stefani was the lone player teeing off in the afternoon to work his way into a tie for the lead and stay there. The Texan was 5 under between Nos. 7 and 10 with an eagle at No. 9 where Stefani was just trying to avoid the water with the hole tucked left.
“It was nice to see one go in for a change,” said Stefani, who has made only eight of 20 cuts this season. “Most of them have been hitting and spinning back going in the water this year. It is nice to kind of see some balls going my way and shots going my way for the day.”
Dustin Johnson, the 2012 champ here, was in the group at 66 with Steve Stricker, Jamie Donaldson, Colt Knost, Brian Gay and Miguel Angel Carballo. Retief Goosen, Scott Stallings and Justin Leonard – a two-time champ here – all shot 67s. Henrik Norlander of Sweden had a share of the lead with two holes to play among the final players on the course. But he three-putted from 4 feet on the par-3 eighth and finished with a 67.
Phil Mickelson matched defending champion Fabian Gomez of Argentina at 70.
Johnson had a share of the lead too with three holes left after going 6 under between Nos. 16 and No. 2 with an eagle and four birdies. He might have had the top of the leaderboard to himself if not for what happened during the rest of a roller-coaster round that also featured a double bogey, three bogeys and three other birdies.
He said he feels as if he’s playing well with the exception a few lapses in concentration. The last came on his final hole at the par-4 ninth when he came up well short of the hole, resulting in his third bogey and dropping him a shot back of the leaders.
“Obviously, I hit a lot of great shots and, you know, just a little disappointed I made a bogey on the last hole being in the middle of the fairway,” Johnson said. “I pulled my wedge shot a little bit, but it’s right there. I mean, 15 feet from the hole you got to get that up and down. Have to hit a great chip shot. All in all, it’s a good day. 4-under out here is not a bad score but I feel like I’m playing a lot better than that.”
That Johnson is. He finished third at Memorial last week for his seventh top 10 this season, and a tie for 28th at The Players Championship in May is his worst week since tying for 41st at Pebble Beach in February.
But Johnson has a streak of winning at least once a year the past eight years, and he also is prepping for the U.S. Open after his agonizing three-putt on the final hole of that major a year ago to miss out on a playoff.
“I’m very excited. The game is in good shape all around,” Johnson said. “Everything is working pretty well. Just a few poor swings today but other than that, I made most of the putts.”
Goosen is playing after a three-week break to prepare for Oakmont, and he needs to work on his putting to finish off more birdie chances. Hitting the fairways is a must this week.
“Generally there’s not much rough, and this year we have rough,” Goosen said. “Hitting fairways this year is a premium, and in the past you could miss a few fairways and get away with it. But you get punished this time.”
Brantford, Ont., native David Hearn shot 71 for a share of 68th.
Victoria Golf Club set to host PGA Championship of Canada
ACTON, ONT. — The PGA Championship of Canada sponsored by Mr. Lube and presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf begins next week at one of the country’s most beautiful golf settings.
Sixty-four of the PGA of Canada’s best players tee it up June 13-16 at Victoria Golf Club in Victoria, B.C., all vying for the association’s most prestigious championship and historic P.D. Ross trophy.
“As head PGA golf professional at Victoria Golf Club, I am extremely excited to showcase our club and our course for this year’s PGA Championship of Canada,” said Lindsay Bernakevitch. “We have a great history here at Victoria Golf Club and the P.D. Ross is one of the most iconic trophy’s in all of golf, so the marriage between the course and the championship is outstanding.”
Founded in 1893, the Victoria Golf Club is the oldest course in Canada on its original site. The seaside links venue boasts craggy shorelines, lush fairways, challenging ocean breezes and undulating greens, which conjure up images of historic links venues in Scotland.
“Victoria Golf Club is a very strategic golf course,” Bernakevitch said. “The course simply can’t be overpowered, watch out for the player who is tactical, understands the angles of approach shots and can putt on tricky greens to be the champion at week’s end.”
Re-launched in 2011, the PGA Championship of Canada was contested strictly as a match play event thru 2014 with players from the four brackets—Stan Leonard, George Knudson, Al Balding and Moe Norman—looking to advance through the six rounds to capture the historic P.D. Ross trophy. However, this year’s championship at Victoria Golf Club sees the 64 top-ranked players from the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC playing two rounds of stroke play. The top-16 players from the 36-hole stroke play portion of the event fill out the four match play brackets with the eventual champion winning four match play rounds.
Danny King looks to become the first back-to-back winner of the championship since Knudson won in 1976 and 1977. In 2015, King bested Oliver Tubb 1-up in the final match at Cabot Links in Inverness, N.S.
“To have my name etched on this trophy among the legends of golf is really surreal,” King said after winning last year. “Guys like George Knudson who mentored me when I was growing up and Bob Panasik, a man I absolutely admire, have won the PGA Championship and now I can say I have too.”
In addition to King, past champions of the PGA Championship of Canada include Moe Norman, George Knudson, Dave Levesque, Eric Laporte, Bryn Parry, Al Balding, Bob Panasik, Tim Clark, Lanny Wadkins, Jim Rutledge, Wilf Homenuik, Stan Leonard, Lee Trevino and Arnold Palmer.
King, Rutledge, Levesque, and Parry are all in the field at Victoria Golf Club.
The player who sits atop the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC at the conclusion of the PGA Championship of Canada earns an exemption into this year’s RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.
Currently, Walsh sits No. 1 on the player rankings with 286 points, ahead of ‘14 PGA Championship of Canada winner Levesque and ‘13 winner Parry of North Vancouver.
In addition to Walsh, Levesque and Parry, eight of the top 10 players from the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC will be in the field at Victoria.
For the full field and first round tee times, click here.
McLaughlin wins Ontario Women’s Mid-Amateur title
SUTTON WEST— Conditions were finally better for the remaining field at the Investors Group Ontario Women’s Senior and Mid-Amateur Championships, on June 9, as the final round concluded at The Briars Golf Club in Sutton West.
After the cut, following the second day, 62 players remained for the final round. For the championship, all senior aged players were eligible for both titles, while a field of 13 were exclusively competing for the Mid-Amateur.
Entering the day, Wasaga Beach’s Kristy McLaughlin, held a two-shot lead in the Mid-Amateur. The 30-year-old Mad River Golf Club member had put together a strong tournament finishing with rounds of two-over (74) and one-over (73). She would continue her steady play during the final round and went on to capture the title following a two-over (74) final round.
McLaughlin (74-73-74-221) started well with a birdie on the first hole before back-to-back bogeys on two and three. She got back to even with a birdie on the fourth and finished the front nine one-over due to a bogey on six. After a pair of bogeys on the back nine, McLaughlin’s lead was down to just one after 15. However a clutch birdie on the 17th hole helped put it out of reach as she went on to win the championship.
McLaughlin summed up her win after the round. “It feels great to win this. I have the Ontario Ladies Match Play Championship under my belt, but never had a win like this. I had a great day, I was striking the ball well, so it feels good.”
“I came into the day focused on playing steady. I just wanted to make pars. If a few birdies fell then great and if I made a bogey I would just make it up. I knew it was getting close at one point, so I knew I had to grind it out. I birdied 17 and that allowed me to get to 18 with a little more confidence,” added McLaughlin.
Finishing in second in the Mid-Amateur and winning the Investors Group Women’s Senior Amateur Championship was Thornhill’s Judith Kyrinis. Kyrinis, 52-years-old and a member of the Thornhill Golf & Country Club, came into the final round sitting third overall and second in the Senior Championship at seven-over.
Kyrinis was able to battle though some tough spots early and managed to get to the turn at just two-over. She continued to be steady on the back nine and then hit back-to-back birdies on the 14th and 15th holes. That ended up being the clincher as she ended the day two-over (74), for a tournament total of nine-over (75-76-74-225).
The win was a long time coming for Kyrinis who talked about what it meant to her. “It feels fantastic, I am a little lost for words. I had a little trouble early with my drives, just not getting my legs going, and had a little bit of nerves. I knew what I was doing wrong, so I just tried to be patient and I got things going on the back nine.”
Kyrinis pointed to her back-to-back birdies on 14 and 15 as a real turning point for her during the round. “It really calmed me down. I made some good shots in there and when you feel like you are swinging well and the putts drop, it’s nice.”
Rounding out the top three in the Mid-Amateur Championship was a tie between Picton’s Casey Ward (Picton Golf & Country Club) and Newmarket’s Christine Ryckman. Ward (78-78-74-230) and Ryckman (80-74-76-230) each finished the tournament at 14-over.
There was a tie for silver in the Senior Championship between St. Thomas’ Mary Ann Hayward (71-78-83-232) and Uxbridge’s Gail Pimm (78-77-77-232). Thanks to their 16-over tournament total, Hayward (St. Thomas Golf & Country Club) and Pimm (Whitevale Golf Club) will join Kyrinis as the representatives for Ontario in the team competition at the Canadian Senior Women’s Championship, Aug. 24-26, at Wolf Creek Golf Resort in Ponoka, Alberta.
In addition to the overall champions, there were two other division champions crowned within the Senior Championship. Capturing the 60 and over division was Brockville’s Theresa deLuis, from the Brockville Country Club. She finished at 19-over (83-79-73-235) for the tournament to win the title. In the 70 and over division, it was Blue Mountain’s Maureen Burns who took the gold medal. Burns, from the Blue Mountain Golf & Country Club finished with a two-round total of 42-over (93-93-186).
District teams also competed during the championships. Winning the Senior Gross Championship was York District at a total of 474. The team consisted of Kyrinis, Marion Reid (Islington Golf Club), Joanne Noble (Weston Golf & Country Club) and Debbie Court (Toronto Golf Club).
The Senior Net Championship was won by London District at a total of 454. The team was made up of Hayward, Sue Postian (Sunningdale Golf Club), Jayne Hedges-McKinnon (Bear Creek Golf & Country Club) and Irini Perivolaris (London Hunt & Country Club).
The team from Scarboro District won both the Mid-Amateur Gross and Net division titles. The team, made up of Kathy Pilkey (Sleepy Hollow Golf Club) and Helen Williams (Station Creek Golf Club), finished with a 331 gross score and 305 net score.