2025 marks the first time the historic club will play host to the stars of the LPGA Tour; The 51^st playing of Canada’s National Open Championship returns to the Greater Toronto Area for the third time since 2001.

In hosting the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open, Mississaugua Golf and Country Club will become only the eighth club to host Golf Canada’s four premier events: CPKC Women’s Open, RBC Canadian Open, Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, and Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.

Through CPKC’s community investment program, CPKC Has Heart, the event will once again be making a significant contribution to pediatric cardiac care in the host community.

The stars of the LPGA Tour are headed back to southern Ontario as Golf Canada and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) have announced that the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open will be contested at the historic Mississaugua Golf and Country Club from August 18-24, 2025.

The 2025 CPKC Women’s Open will mark the 21^st time that the province of Ontario has hosted Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship and the first since 2022. The 2025 event will be the 51^st playing of Canada’s National Open Championship and the first time that Mississaugua Golf and Country Club will challenge the stars of the LPGA Tour. 

In hosting the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open, Mississaugua Golf and Country Club will become only the eighth club to host Golf Canada’s four premier events: CPKC Women’s Open, RBC Canadian Open, Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, and Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.

“Together, with our partners at CPKC and the LPGA Tour, we are very proud to bring the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open to the world-class city of Mississauga and the prestigious Mississaugua Golf and Country Club,” said CPKC Women’s Open Tournament Director Ryan Paul. “Mississaugua Golf and Country Club has been an incredible partner to Golf Canada, hosting countless Golf Canada Championships at both the professional and amateur level. We are excited to add our National Women’s Open to this impressive list in 2025.”

Through its CPKC Has Heart campaign, CPKC once again will be making a significant charitable contribution to the host community. Since 2014, the CPKC Women’s Open has helped raise over $19 million in support of children’s heart health in North America.

“CPKC is thrilled to bring the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open to the city of Mississauga and back to the province of Ontario, which is an integral part of our North American network,” said Keith Creel, CPKC President and CEO. “We look forward to seeing the positive impact the tournament will have in helping young hearts across Ontario.”

A host community beneficiary of the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open will be named by CPKC and Golf Canada at a later date.

Originally founded in 1906, Mississaugua has overlooked the Credit River in Mississauga for more than a century. The Club, which features an 18-hole championship golf course, has a storied history of hosting not only provincial championships but national championships as well, including the RBC Canadian Open, Men’s Canadian Amateur, and Canadian Women’s Amateur along with the World Junior Girls Golf Championship. Mississaugua is a full-service club offering along with golf: a four clay-court tennis facility, a six-sheet curling rink, state of the art fitness centre, and year-round dining options.

“The Members of Mississaugua are thrilled to welcome the very best LPGA Tour players to the Club for the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open,” said Rodger Leslie, Mississaugua Golf and Country Club President. “Hosting this wonderful tournament at our historic club gives us the opportunity to not only showcase our championship golf course but proudly share Mississaugua with the rest of Canada and the world. We are looking forward to partnering with Golf Canada and the surrounding community of Mississauga as we prepare for this world-class tournament in 2025. A highlight of the event for Mississaugua is the philanthropic dollars that will be generated for local charities through the CPKC Women’s Open, a cause near and dear to the heart our members.”

The Tournament Partners of the LPGA awarded the CPKC Women’s Open with Tournament of the Year honours in the previous two years (2022 and 2023). Golf Canada and CPKC also received Gold Driver Awards for Best Volunteer Engagement in 2023, Best Sponsor Activation in 2019, 2022, and 2023 as well as Best Community and Charity Engagement in three of the last five full season campaigns.

“Being selected to host the prestigious CPKC Women’s Open in 2025 is a huge honour and allows us another opportunity to highlight the sport of golf in the mix of events we are bringing to our vibrant city,” said Victoria Clarke, CEO of Visit Mississauga. “We look forward to welcoming the world’s best female golfers and witnessing their incredible talent here in Mississauga, and to showcase the “cultural canvas” that is our city on the world stage.”

Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship has traditionally featured one of the strongest fields on the LPGA Tour vying for a total purse of $2.6 million USD. The 2024 CPKC Women’s Open – the 50^th playing of the event – is being held at Earl Grey Golf Club in Calgary from July 23-28, 2024.

First conducted in 1973, Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship has allowed the brightest stars of the LPGA Tour to shine on Canadian soil to inspire the nation’s next generation of female golfers. Brooke Henderson’s historic victory in 2018 was the first time a Canadian had won the National Open since golf legend Jocelyne Bourassa 45 years earlier.

Information about volunteer opportunities and corporate hospitality for the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open at the Mississaugua Golf and Country Club will be available in the coming weeks.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The Grant Thornton Invitational began last year to strong reviews from the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour players who took part in the first mixed-team event since 1999.

Next on the horizon are the Olympics.

The format already is set for the Summer Olympics at Le Golf National outside Paris. Just like in Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro, there will be 72-hole competitions for the men and the women. But Olympic officials are close to finalizing a team competition for the 2028 Games at Riviera in Los Angeles.

One person involved in the talks said an announcement could come as early as The Masters. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details are not completed.

Among the details are how many teams would play and the format for the competition. The current plan for 2028 is for the men to start on Wednesday (instead of Thursday) and finish on Saturday. The team competition could take place on Sunday and Monday. The women would have a practice round on Tuesday and start their competition on Wednesday.

The International Olympic Committee tends to frown on awarding two medals from one competition, such as combining scores from individuals into a team medal. That’s why golf officials are proposing a separate event.

Still to be determined is how many countries will be eligible to compete. One option currently being discussed is 36 holes of fourballs to decide the team medalists.

The IOC would do well to consider singles. To have a team format (foursomes or fourballs) on Sunday, followed by singles scores from each male and female players could produce 54-hole scores.

Such is the format used at the Summer Youth Olympics, where golf was played first in 2014. At the last such competition, Atthaya Thitikul was part of the Thai team that won the gold over Akshay Bhatia and Lucy Li of the United States.

A mixed team event would require only two more days for the players. It’s unlikely any of the top players would be playing the following week at a regular PGA Tour event.

Lydia Ko and Jason Day won the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational. Ko already has a silver and a bronze in her two Olympic appearances.

Brady McKinlay was introduced to the sport of golf by his parents during his early childhood and it’s become a life long passion. While he describes himself as a late bloomer, the 23-year-old has today emerged as one of Canada’s top amateur golfers and he has ambitions of carrying that success onto the professional ranks.

“I remember my parents getting me a set of plastic clubs when I was five, it was a lot of fun to hit the ball around. It’s always been part of the family and I always enjoy playing golf,” recalled McKinlay, who describes his parents, Perry and Patti, as avid golfers.

Growing up in Lacombe, Alberta young Brady treated golf more as a hobby, as hockey was his primary sport. However, at the age of 15, he decided to focus his efforts on golf.

“I wasn’t the biggest guy and moving towards hockey might have been difficult so I decided to go with golf,” said the five foot eight inch amateur standout.

After making the decision to focus his attention on the sport, McKinlay has seen an upward trajectory in his overall game and has enjoyed notable success on the golf course as an amateur.

McKinlay says the process of working on his game and practising and making improvements every day is one of the things he enjoys most about the journey as a golfer.

“I was 15 when I started to compete in tournaments around Alberta and some of the top guys were quite ahead of me at that age,” he noted.

“In terms of the grind of practising on your own I guess some people might consider it difficult but that’s the part I enjoy the most – that time by myself to figure things out. Sometimes it’s incredibly frustrating but when you do finally figure it out, it’s that much better,” McKinlay continued.

“The practise side and working to get better is the part I enjoy most whether it’s part of a team or by myself.”

He would see breakthrough results from his hard work and dedication in 2022. That summer McKinlay would win the Alberta Men’s Amateur tournament.

“That was the first time that I really felt some serious validation and it gave me the experience to be more confident and be more free when I got into those situations where I might have a chance to win a tournament,” said McKinlay about his breakthrough win as an amateur. “I just got into that good mental state and golf was really fun that week.”

McKinlay would carry the momentum to his NCAA season where he would win the Ram Masters Invitational, Mark Simpson Colorado Invite and the Shocker Invitational tournaments.

“Coming off the win in the summer, I just had a lot more confidence. Also, my game plan going into tournaments was a lot better. And that was a big reason that I won three in a row,” said the Utah Valley University senior.

“My mental state was great, my game plan was great and my course management was great. I didn’t bite off more than I could chew but I was still super aggressive. Making those big shots when you’re fighting for a win is just the best feeling.”

McKinlay – who recorded another tournament victory at the Campenato Nacional por Golpes last November – speaks about what his game is like when he’s playing his best.

“I like to be aggressive off the tee. And my putting is pretty solid. Definitely nothing flashy,” he noted. “When I’m playing great I think it’s pretty boring. When I’m playing my best there’s not a lot going on inside my head. Not too many surprises.”

He adds that playing with confidence goes a long way.

“If you can’t manage your expectations or keep yourself in check you don’t really have a chance. I think the best players in the world have the biggest edge on the mental side of the game.”

McKinlay will be graduating from Utah Valley University this year and hopes to translate his amateur success to the professional ranks.

“The biggest thing is not so much which tour I play on but moreso to get some exposure to the professional game this summer. It’s going to be different playing professionally compared to paying in college or as an amateur but I’m excited to get started.”

The National Team member says it gives him a lot of confidence to know that he’s part of a program that has developed so many successful pros that are playing the sport at the highest level such as Nick Taylor, Corey Conners, and Mackenzie Hughes to name a few.

“It’s guys that were in our shoes and they’ve taken similar steps. It gives us confidence to know the coaches that we are working with have worked with these same guys to get them to where they are,” said the 23-year-old.

“Not everyone’s journey is the same but it gives me a lot of confidence knowing we are on the right path.”

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.

Vicki Lacasse, Kanata Golf & Country Club, Hole #16

I was with two of my girlfriends and the two of them had gone ahead of me. I proceeded to ask my girlfriend what club they used and one of the girls said she had used a 5 hybrid. Even though I’ve never really been that successful on hitting the green, I decided to use my 5 hybrid anyway. I got up to the tee and hit my ball and one of my friends watched and said you hit the flag I’m like “yeah okay, whatever” but we weren’t sure if in fact the ball went in the hole so as we proceeded to get up to the hole, we all looked in and sure enough the ball was in the hole. I screamed at the top of my lungs. It’s something that is just amazing to think that I actually got a hole-in-one, so it was very exciting. After that we had a one hour social in the clubhouse for anyone that wanted to join us in celebration of me getting my hole-in-one with free drinks for the hour, so it was a very exciting day.

Darian Ducharme, Kawartha Golf Club, Hole #12

Hole #12, 104 yards (into the wind), 8 iron, I clubbed up, light swing, good loft and directly went into the cup. I was playing with my friend and we both heard it all the way at the white tees blocks.

Steven Webber, Tangle Creek, Hole #8

On September 18, 2023 I got a hole-in-one on hole #8 at Tangle Creek Golf Course in Barrie, Ontario. I used a 7 iron on the 147 yard hole. I was golfing with my brother-in-law Jerry Lukowski.

David Gurr, Victoria Park East Golf Club, Hole #6

Hi, my name is David Gurr and I got my first hole-in-one in 54 years of golfing! Yep, it finally happened for me! It happened at Victoria Park East Golf Club in Guelph, Ontario on April 12, 2023 during our first round of the year on the par 3 hole #6. The pin was front right 136 yards and I hit an 8 iron right at it, 2 bounces and in the hole it went. I was playing with my brother and two other long-time members. Seeing it was the opening day of the new 2023 season the course was packed with eager golfers, luckily, I had hole-in-one insurance and the bar tab was insured!

 

Gerry Tresierra, Big Horn Golf & Country Club, Hole #17

Almost scored a hole-in-one on hole #15 but on hole #17, it happened. 110 yards using my 9 iron! I was playing with John Silano, Les and Kirk! My first in 40 years and glad it happened on men’s night! I was awarded a medal from the Big Horn golf and country club along with some cash!

Donna Yost, Bear Mountain, Hole #14

The hole-in-one was at hole #14 on the mountain course. I used my TaylorMade 54 degree wedge to pop my lucky ball over the gully and master a one hop exciting hole-in-one. The distance to pin was approximately 64 yards. I took this photo above right before I hit the ball as it was so beautiful at that moment. The day had been a mixture of weather that could have sidelined the opportunity! Pouring sleet/rain and wind on hole #11 and 12. Cold and windy on the front nine. Crazy spring weather but us die hards hung in there and thankfully so! The ladies I was with for the momentous occasion were Danya Carter, Carla Anderson and Liz Stafford.

Mike Ebner, McCleery Public, Hole #3

Hole was playing 128 yards that day (into the wind), club was a pitching wedge. Played with fellow McCleery Club member Ron Wootton.

Growing up Ellie Szeryk played a number of sports, but ultimately found her passion on the golf course. Today, with her sights set on playing golf at the highest level, the Canadian National Team member is confident she has the support and resources to reach that goal.

“Golf was something I was always around. My dad played it a lot and Maddie played a lot. So I was just born into,” said Szeryk, whose older sister Maddie Szeryk is currently in her third year on the LPGA Tour.

Szeryk – whose parents Neil and Karen relocated from London, Ont., shortly after being married – also played competitive soccer and basketball growing up.

“My mom played soccer and coached my soccer team. I played both soccer and basketball until the age of 13 but then I started to focus on golf,” said the five foot ten inch high performance athlete.

“I really enjoyed playing in golf tournaments and I remember in one small tournament I was competing against boys and I chipped in for my first eagle ever. My dad was caddying for me and I remember we were both pretty excited about that.”

She adds that some of her fondest memories growing up was through a healthy sibling rivalry with her older sister.

“My dad would go out with us when we were quite young and he would say ‘whoever won this competition could pick what we had for lunch’ and Maddie and I would get so competitive about it. Some of my fondest childhood memories were from playing golf with Maddie,”

She reminisced.

“I got to see Maddie go through high school and university and now playing professionally and seeing her overcome all these challenges.  She’s always been my biggest inspiration,” added the amateur squad member.

Similar to her older sister, she is dedicated to reaching her full potential on the golf course.

“I learned that if you want to get to the next level you have to put in more work than anyone else. Thankfully Maddie and I come from a really hardworking family.  My mentality has always been that I’m going to work as hard as my mom and dad do, but put in that work on the golf course,” she said.

The hard work started to pay off for Szeryk in 2017 when the then 15-year-old won the Ontario Junior Girls’ title and the following year she won the Ontario Women’s Amateur championship.

Szeryk would go on to attend Texas A&M university and in 2022 transferred to Southern Methodist University.

She has struggled a bit with her consistency while playing collegiate golf but managed to win her maiden NCAA tournament last year. In October of 2023, Szeryk won the Jim West Challenge by going 16 under for the tournament, winning by one stroke.

“It was my first win since winning the Ontario Amateur so it was a bit emotional. I cried, my family cried,” said the SMU senior. “It was a good feeling knowing I could handle the pressure and be able to pull it off to win by one stroke.”

Szeryk says the recent win has given her a bit more confidence; and in a sport like golf where a lot of it is played between the ears, that confidence goes a long way.

“People say golf is 75 percent mental but I think it’s even more than that.  It’s something I’ve been working on – just in terms of being aware of my tendencies, acknowledging my fears and learning to let them go. I feel I’m more in control mentally now,” she said.

“Being in the right mental state and having that self-confidence is so important to finding success on the golf course.”

The talented amateur golfer says being part of the National Team Program also gives her confidence that she’s on the right track.

“Being part of the National Team Program has given me the opportunity to play in so many big tournaments that I would not have a chance to play in otherwise.  Golf Canada is really supportive of their athletes and doing everything they can to get to them that next level,” she said.

Szeryk has had the chance to experience what the next level is like as she competed in a few LPGA tournaments already including the 2018 and 2023 CPKC Women’s Open and also the Ascendant LPGA tournament in October of 2023.

“The experience playing in LPGA tournaments.was so cool.  Overall, it was just a massive learning experience,” she said.

“You get to see these players are human and they also hit bad shots but they are just good at cleaning a few things up. It just gave me reassurance that I don’t need to be perfect and gave me a first-hand look at what I want to do next in my golf journey.”

According to Maddie Szeryk, being on Golf Canada’s National Team Program provides it’s athletes with the necessary resources and support to reach their full potential on the golf course.

“During my time with the National Team Program, I got to play in high level events and had a chance to test my game against the best amateurs in the world. I also got to play in a number of LPGA events,” said the third year LPGA pro. “The coaching and support has played a big role in getting me to where I am. Golf Canada has been awesome in support of my journey.”

The younger Szeryk sibling will graduate from SMU this spring and with the support of Golf Canada’s National Team Program, she is eager to follow in her sister’s footsteps and play the sport at the highest level.

“I would love to be able to compete in the Olympics and also play on the LPGA Tour one day but right now I’m just working on the process to get there; and I’m grateful to have Golf Canada supporting me on this journey,” she said.

“I think it’s good to have really big goals because it pushes you to work hard to achieve them.”

Inaugural BDO National Golf League champions will gain an exemption into The R&A 9 Hole Challenge at Royal Troon

Imagine walking the historic fairways of Royal Troon Golf Club; the same course where legends and global stars of the game have completed in pursuit of glory.

For one lucky Canadian pairing, that dream will become a reality as The R&A 9 Hole Challenge is set to take place on Friday, July 12, just days before the 152nd playing of The Open in Troon, Scotland.

The R&A 9 Hole Challenge is a 9-hole net Stableford scoring competition that features teams that have qualified in their home country and hold a registered handicap index. Players from England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Argentina, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand have previously competed. Canada along with Germany have been added for 2024. The full field competing in The R&A 9 Hole Challenge will be finalized in June.

Kevin Barker, Director – Golf Development: GB&I and Africa at The R&A, said, “Every year we are seeing more people compete in The R&A 9 Hole Challenge with its popularity spreading all over the world. We are pleased to welcome golfers from Canada into the Challenge this year for the first time.

“For people looking for an alternative option to 18-hole golf, it showcases that nine-hole golf can be played competitively by people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.

“For all golfers taking part, there is the incredible opportunity to compete on golf’s biggest stage ahead of The Open and I would encourage players to enter a qualifying competition at your local club to give you the chance to play at Royal Troon.”

As part of the BDO National Golf League Championship, the winning team will earn an exemption into The R&A 9 Hole Challenge and with it, become the first pairing from Canada to compete since the Challenge inception in 2016.

Fifty-two teams of two (104 golfers total) are 18-holes away from claiming the inaugural championship and with it a spot in The R&A 9 Hole Challenge. The BDO National Golf League Championship will be taking place on Saturday, May 25, just days before the start of the 2024 RBC Canadian Open at the historic Hamilton Golf and Country Club.

Last season, over 10,000 participants from 107 leagues from coast-to-cost began their journey of competing for Canada’s first league golf national championship.

“We are excited to have a Canadian team take part in The R&A’s 9 Hole Challenge for the first time and we extend a big thank you to our partners at The R&A for this incredible opportunity,” said Tim McLaughlin, chief marketing officer, Golf Canada. “The inaugural season of the BDO National League has been a success highlighted by the growing numbers of women and men playing, with the goal of competing for not only a national championship but a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that The R&A’s 9 Hole Challenge offers.”

The 146-year-old Royal Troon Golf Club will host its tenth Open Championship from July 14-21, 2024, and its first since 2016. The club also hosted the AIG Women’s Open on one occasion in 2020.

For more information on The R&A 9 Hole Challenge, please visit randa.org/en/nine-hole-challenge.

Want a chance to compete in The R&A 9 Hole Challenge? Registration is now open for the 2024 BDO National Golf League, and to sign-up or get more information, please visit nationalgolfleague.ca.

Sebastian Szirmak won’t be coming home to Toronto this summer for the best possible reason — he’ll be playing golf in Europe.

Szirmak won the Wipa’s Open in a three-way playoff on Sunday for his first victory on the Gira de Golf Professional Mexicana. That victory helps set him up on the Challenge Tour, the second-tier circuit for the European-based DP World Tour, by earning him valuable points on the Official World Golf Ranking and gaining experience at the professional level.

“This is likely going to be the first summer I don’t come back to play in Canada,” said Szirmak between practice rounds in Mexico. “It’s kind of exciting and kind of sad. 

“But to me, it really feels like I’m progressing in my career to not be playing mini tour stuff during the summer and be on a bigger tour with world rankings.”

Szirmak was tied with Venezuela’s Manuel Torres and Mexico’s Jose de Jesus Rodriguez at 15-under par after Sunday’s third round. He was the only one who parred the playoff on the 18th hole at the Los Tabachines Golf Club in Cuernavaca, Mexico to earn 300,000 Mexican pesos, the equivalent of about $24,000.

The 33-year-old said that he felt more confident heading into the playoff.

“My mentality kind of relaxes in the playoffs, because you don’t have to think about the results as much, it’s gonna be something good,” said Szirmak. “You just put your head down and put all your heart and soul into getting that best result possible.

“It’s sometimes easier in a head-to-head scenario, when you just have to beat the other guy, just hit a better shot than him all the way into the hole and hope that you’re one stroke lower than him at the end.”

Szirmak moved to Mexico to lower the financial overhead of playing that tour and immerse himself in the country’s culture.

“As a smaller tour, it’s really great for world ranking,” said Szirmak, who is already working with brands like Foresight Sports Canada, Primo Golf Apparel, G/FORE, and TaylorMade. “It’s really great for practising travelling and for me, when I had my PGA Tour Latinoamerica status, I really wanted to feel more comfortable in the Latin American culture so moving down to Mexico made sense.”

Playing on the Mexican Tour has also given Szirmak a second chance at reaching the DP World Tour. He missed out on earning a card on the top circuit in Europe by just one stroke at its Q School this past November.

“It was absolutely heartbreaking and it definitely took a while to get over since I was inside the number going through the back nine and it just slipped away for me,” said Szirmak, who missed the fourth-round cut at the DP World Tour’s final stage of qualifying on Nov. 13. “Unfortunately, missing that I did get Challenge Tour status, but I don’t get starts until their schedule returns to Europe, which is at the end of May. 

“So really, I’m using these Mexican Tour events to just see where my game is at, (…) really just trying to gear my game up for the Challenge Tour season for me to start and hopefully hit the ground running and take really good advantage of the starts I get.”

The Challenge Tour begins its European swing on May 9 with the Challenge de Espana at Real Club Sevilla Golf in Seville, Spain.

PGA TOUR — Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., is the highest-ranked of seven Canadians entering the field at The Players Championship this week. He’s No. 11 on the FedEx Cup standings heading into play at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. He’ll be joined by Adam Hadwin (25th) of Abbotsford, Corey Conners (52nd) of Listowel, Ont., Adam Svensson (62nd) of Surrey, B.C., Ben Silverman (79th) of Thornhill, Ont., Mackenzie Hughes (84th) of Dundas, Ont., and Taylor Pendrith (90th) of Richmond Hill, Ont.

EPSON TOUR — Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont., Kate Johnston of Ayr, Ont., and Brigitte Thibault of Rosemere, Que., are all in the field at this week’s IOA Golf Classic presented by LPT Realty at Alaqua Country Club in Longwood, Fla.

There’s a famous saying in golf that the journey to success is not a sprint but rather it’s a marathon. Having first dedicated herself to the sport at the age of eight those words of wisdom resonate with 22-year-old LPGA rookie Savannah Grewal.

Growing up in Mississauga, Ontario, young Savannah was first introduced to the sport by her mother Katarina at the age of six. She recalls her humble beginnings from her first golf lesson.

“I have a video from that lesson where I swung and missed on my first shot,” she said with a laugh. “But I remember it was a lot of fun.”

Grewal was also introduced to soccer, tennis, gymnastics, and ballet but she found her passion in the sport of golf.  So much so that at the age of eight she declared to her parents that her goal was to make it onto the LPGA one day.

Her parents were supportive of those ambitions but emphasized that achieving a goal like that wouldn’t happen overnight and would require a long-term dedication to continuous improvement.

The Canadian National Team Member remembers going to the golf course with her dad, Ashoak, and practising for hours upon hours.

“My goal use to be to hit 500 to a 1000 golf balls a day. So there were just countless hours on the golf course trying to get better,” she recalled.

“I loved the fact that golf wasn’t like any other sport. There are so many different aspects to work on.  You could work on your driving, pitching, your iron game, bunker game, putting, etc.”

Grewal recalls a strong result at a prestigious junior tournament that reaffirmed her belief that she was on the right path to success.

“I remember going to the U.S. Kids World Championship which was a big deal back then and not doing too good the first time and going back the following year and finishing top 15.  I think I was nine or 10 around that time and it was motivation that I was on the right track.”

Former LPGA Tour pro and National Team member Rebecca Lee-Bentham recalls her favourable first impression of Grewal.

“I think I was in my second year on (LPGA) Tour at the time and she must have been around 12 and her coached asked me to play a few holes with her. My first impression was that she and her dad had a similar drive to what my dad and I had growing up.”

That drive and dedication for success on the golf course required Grewal to make some sacrifices.

“The winters are cold in Canada so I used to go to Florida from January to April to train there,” recalled Grewal, who also missed her high school graduation because she was competing in a tournament.

She adds that it was difficult to see her friends on social media doing fun things while she was in a different country working on her game. But Grewal took comfort in having the full support of her family; and having clarity on why she was making that sacrifice.

“I was fortunate to have my grandparents with me and I always knew what my end goal was and knew it was just a stepping stone on that journey,” she said.

Her success as a junior would see her win the Drive, Chip and Putt tournament for the girls 14-15 category in 2017 at Augusta National. The following year in 2018 she won the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior tournament.

Grewal would go on to play collegiate golf for the Clemson Tigers.

“Playing at Clemson has been amazing. It has a family-oriented environment and it was great to win the ACC team championship last year,” she said.

“My teammates are some of my best friends and I have nice memories of hanging out post round as we would always go get dinner and then ice cream after.”

The Mississauga, Ont., native is also grateful to be part of the Canadian National Team Program.

“It’s great because we get the opportunity to compete in some of the biggest tournaments against the best in the world. And it’s always special to represent your country on a big stage.”

A special moment for Grewal and her family came last December when she realized her childhood dream and earned her LPGA Tour card after finishing in a tie for 10^th spot at the LPGA Q-Series.

The five foot four inch Grewal was playing her A game which saw her utilize her strong ball striking along with a consistent iron game; and that allowed her to hit a lot of greens.

“Overall, I felt I was really steady.  I hit some good shots, made some putts when I needed and didn’t get into any real trouble,” she noted.

While the six rounds of the LPGA Q-Series last December were very much like a marathon of sorts, Grewal paced herself perfectly and spoke about her emotions as she was about to cross the finish line in a tie for 10^th spot.

“I tried not to think about it, but walking onto 18 after hitting the green, I knew this was it I was going to get my LPGA Tour card and it kind of felt surreal,” she recalled.

“I blacked out a bit, it didn’t feel like I was living in reality.  It felt all the hard work put in was paying off.”

Grewal says achieving her childhood dream was that much sweeter knowing she is able to share that success with those closest to her.

“My grandma called me afterwards and cried. It was a special day and proud achievement for our entire family,” she said.

“My grandparents on my dad’s side immigrated to Canada from India and worked very hard to give their kids the best opportunities. Hearing their stories inspired me to work just as hard as a way to give respect back and be someone that they would be proud of,” Grewal added.

Having followed Grewal’s journey since their original meeting many years ago, Lee-Bentham is optimistic about the LPGA Tour rookie’s future.

“I’ve seen Savannah do some amazing things during her collegiate career and I’m excited for her new journey on the LPGA Tour,” Lee-Bentham said.

“Golf Canada has put a lot of effort over the years to help players like myself and the new generation of golfers. It just goes to show that success isn’t made overnight and it takes a whole team for one player to make it,” she added.

“Savannah has her whole family and country supporting her and I believe she is capable of greater things to come.”

Besides setting her sights on getting into the winner’s circle on the LPGA, the 22-year-old has ambitions of representing Canada one day at the Olympics.

One interesting fact is her brother, Jordan, plays table tennis for the Canadian National Table Tennis team, so her dream would be to both compete for Canada at the same Olympics. He was also her caddy recently at the Blue Bay tournament in China where she finished in a tie for fourth place.

The LPGA rookie knows the journey in this next chapter will require that same discipline and focus to pace herself to achieve long term success.

“Now is a whole new chapter in my career,” said Grewal.

“This rookie season, I just want to work hard and be as competitive as I can.  I want to stay steady, never get ahead of myself, just compete; and hopefully, I will be in contention.”

For Marlene Stewart Streit, golf, she says, is all about the friends you make along the way. 

Streit, Canada’s first lady of golf, turns 90 on March 9. Her list of golfing accomplishments is long and celebrated. But even as she reflects back on a career well played, she’s more excited about the life well lived. 

“Golf, to me, is the friends you make along the way and if you miss that you’ve really missed the boat. All the trophies are fine. But they just sit there and tarnish,” Streit says. “You talk about tournaments and it’s really the friends you make along the way.”

Streit began her golf career as a caddy when she was 12 at Lookout Point Golf Club in Fonthill, Ont. and played her first tournament when she was 15. It didn’t take her long to find plenty of success at the highest level in the amateur game. She won her first of 11 Canadian Women’s Amateur titles when she was just 17. 

“In those days we had a great field. That was a pretty big deal at 17. I didn’t even know what I was doing but I could chip and putt,” she says with a laugh. 

A few years later Streit would head across the pond to compete in the British Ladies Amateur. She was part of a Canadian squad that boarded a Douglas DC-3 airplane (“Heck, she says, “I’d never been further than Winnipeg!”) and flew to Newfoundland, Iceland, Ireland, and then onwards to London. 

Streit would win the British Ladies that year, in 1953. Ten years later she traveled to Australia and won the Australian Women’s Amateur. In 1956, she won the U.S. Women’s Amateur. To this day she is the only golfer in history to have won the Canadian, Australian, British, and U.S. Women’s Amateurs. 

In both 1951 and 1956 she won the Northern Star Award as Canada’s athlete of the year – to date the only golfer to win the award more than once. 

That was a “great honour,” she says, given that the race for Canada’s athlete of the year is between both men and women. But when she’d come home from tournaments – often victorious – her long-time coach Gordon McInnis would often say that, yes, she did great. But it was time to grab a shag bag and get ready for the next one. 

With a laugh, she remembers playing in the British Ladies in 1954 trying to defend her title. She thought at first 1953 would be her only opportunity to get there so she figured she better go out and “just win this tournament.” She did and returned the following year. Streit remembers getting to the semi-finals but (yes, 70 years later) recalls missing a short putt and missing out on the finals. That is “just about the only thing” she thinks about still from her tournament days, she says with a laugh.  

These days, Streit still plays often. She and JoAnne Carner (aka, “Big Momma”) are long-time pals and will tee it up in Florida together. Streit topped Carner at the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 1956 and still doesn’t let her live it down, although Carner says it was “just a warm-up” as she would go on to win five U.S. Women’s Amateurs herself. Streit loves watching the Canadians on the PGA Tour and Nick Taylor winning the RBC Canadian Open last summer “was amazing.” She loves Brooke Henderson too, of course. 

She has no regrets, either. 

Plenty of folks would wonder why she never turned professional and the simple answer, she says, is because she didn’t want to. Streit attended Rollins College, got married, and had two daughters – Darlene and Lynn. Her remarkable life included surviving a plane crash while at university. In an interview with the USGA in 2011, Streit recalled being thrown from an aisle seat to a window and spying a hole in the fuselage to scramble for a makeshift exit before she walked, shoeless and through snow, to a nearby farmhouse where the passengers received help. 

Streit ended up winning national titles for more than 50 years from the 1951 Canadian Women’s Amateur to the 2003 USGA Senior Women’s Amateur. It was a special run that cumulated in her being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004 – the only Canadian player to receive such an honor. It means a lot to her, she says, when you look at who else has been inducted. 

“I’ve had a great life. And I don’t have any regrets,” Streit says. “I did all the fun things you do in life. I had a great husband, I had a wonderful family, two beautiful daughters […] I don’t have any regrets. Why would I want to turn pro?

“My greatest joy as an amateur has been representing Canada.”

And it’s been special for Canada to have such a great representative like Marlene Stewart Streit.  

Happy 90th Birthday!

It’s not that Mike Weir wants the fans at Royal Montreal Golf Club to be hostile toward the United States team when the Presidents Cup comes to Canada, but he definitely doesn’t want the Americans to be comfortable. Weir, from Brights Grove, Ont., is the first Canadian to captain the International Team at the best-on-best men’s tournament. Beyond selecting the squad’s players he is responsible for the tournament’s design aesthetic and, maybe most important, he has to set the tone with fans.

“When the U.S. goes overseas to play, it’s a totally different atmosphere than when they’re playing at home and traditionally, in the Presidents Cup, there hasn’t been that much of a contrast and that is our challenge,” Weir said. “Letting them know that you need to get behind our guys and make them feel supported and through that is making the other side feel a little bit uncomfortable.”

Weir said Presidents Cup organizers are teaming up with the Montreal Canadiens and their owner Jeff Molson to promote a hockey-like atmosphere. 

“We don’t want it to be that over the top, but we want it to feel like the crowd is really, really with us,” he said.

The International Team’s only victory over the U.S. came at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia in 1998. It also earned a tie in 2003 at Fancourt Hotel and Country Club in George, South Africa, in 2003.

Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., hosted the biannual event in 2022, with the U.S. winning 17 1/2-12 1/2. Although thousands of American fans are expected to stream across the border in September when the 12-on-12 tournament is in Montreal, Weir hopes to make it truly feel like an away game and get a result like Australia 26 years ago.

“We’ve put a lot of thought into it and we continue amongst our team to talk about that home course, home country advantage,” said Weir. “We’re trying to engage a lot of the fans around the country with a lot of stuff that will be upcoming that we’re doing.

“We want the whole country to be involved and engaged. … We do want it to feel like it’s a home advantage for us.”

Royal Montreal hosted the Presidents Cup in 2007, when the United States beat the Internationals 19 1/2-14 1/2. Weir battled Tiger Woods in a climactic matchup that captured the imagination of many Canadian golf fans.

Weir said that, in its way, that experience was instructive in his current role as a non-playing captain.

“Tiger was playing and I think fans were excited to see him,” said Weir. “I felt like the fans were fantastic, but they were very cordial to the U.S. side.
“We want them to be a little bit louder and a little bit more raucous than the past.”

The 2022 edition of the Presidents Cup was the first time that more than one Canadian played in the event, with Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., earning his way on to the team as an automatic selection and Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., picked by captain Trevor Immelman of South Africa.

Weir, and the Canadians on the PGA Tour, are hoping to have even more of a maple flavour at Royal Montreal. The top six players on the U.S. and International rankings are automatically chosen, and then Weir and U.S. captain Jim Furyk get to pick their next six players.

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., is currently fourth in the International Team rankings. Adam Hadwin, also from Abbotsford, is ninth and Conners in 12th, meaning they could be easy choices for Weir to add.

Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., are 16th and 17th respectively, making them possible reaches. Pendrith is 22nd.

“You’ve got to give credit to Golf Canada and their development program that they’ve put together,” Weir said of the number of eligible Canadians. “A lot of those guys grew up together, were in that junior program together, and the development program.

“They’ve continued to elevate their games and elevate their careers.”
There are no Canadians currently playing LIV Golf, the team-based circuit backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Weir confirmed that LIV Golf players like Chile’s Joaquin Niemann will not be eligible to play in the Presidents Cup.

Weir held a dinner with approximately 15 of the possible players who could play for the International Team ahead of this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational. 

Taylor, Hadwin, Svensson, Conners and Hughes are all in the field at Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Fla., this week.

KORN FERRY TOUR — Edmonton’s Wil Bateman is the top-ranked Canadian on the second-tier Korn Ferry Tour. He’s ranked 12th heading into this week’s Astara Chile Classic at Prince of Wales Country Club in Santiago. There are six other Canadians in the field, including Etienne Papineau (28th) of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., Myles Creighton (54th) of Digby, N.S., and Sudarshan Yellamaraju (105th) of Mississauga, Ont. Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald, Jared du Toit of Kimberley, B.C., and Thomas Giroux of Georgetown, Ont., enter the tournament unranked.

CHAMPIONS TOUR — Calgary’s Stephen Ames, currently ranked second in the Schwab Cup standings, will be in the field at the Cologuard Classic at La Paloma Country Club in Tucson, Ariz. Weir, when he’s done with his responsibilities at Bay Hill, will also play at the Cologuard Classic when it tees off on Friday. Weir is 38th on the Schwab Cup list.
DP WORLD TOUR — Aaron Cockerill of Stony Mountain, Man., is in the opening group at the Jonsson Workwear Open 2024 at Glendower Golf Club in Dowerglen, Edenbale, South Africa. He’s 13th in the Race to Dubai Rankings.

LPGA TOUR — Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., and Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., are in the field at Blue Bay LPGA at Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course in China. Both are currently unranked on the Race to CME Globe standings.

EPSON TOUR — Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., leads the Canadian contingent into the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic on Friday at the Country Club of Winter Haven in Winter Haven. She’ll be joined by Hamilton’s Alena Sharp, Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont., Kate Johnston of Ayr, Ont., and Brigitte Thibault of Rosemere, Que., in the first event on the 2024 tour’s calendar.