Largest field in tournament history will feature
23 countries and 72 competitors

Mississauga, Ont. – With less than a month to go until the start of the 2024 World Junior Girls Golf Championship, the field of participating countries is now set. The ninth playing of the world championship will feature a record, 23 counties and 72 players competing at Credit Valley Golf & Country Club in Mississauga, Ont. from September 30 – October 5.

In total, 24 teams will battle for the team championship while also competing for individual honours, with the individual champion earning an exemption into the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open being held at Mississaugua Golf and Country Club in Mississauga, Ont., August 18-24, 2025.

Team Canada 1 will be defending the championship after a thrilling final round in 2023 which saw them push ahead of the Republic of Korea to win the title for the first time in tournament history. Canada will be represented with two teams again this year and rosters for both teams will be announced at a later date.

Joining Canada are past champions, Italy (2018), Republic of Korea (2015, 2019), Spain (2017, 2022) and the United States (2014). In the eight-year history of the tournament, aside from the host nation, six other countries have participated in every tournament including: Denmark, England, Italy, Mexico, Spain and Sweden.

The Republic of Korea are the most successful team in tournament history. In addition to two championships, the team has also finished in second on three occasions (2016, 2017, 2023).

Sweden have finished on the podium on four occasions including two runner-up finishes (2014, 2022) and two third place finishes (2015, 2017). The United States have also earned a second-place finish (2018) and third place finish (2016) along with being the inaugural champions. In addition to tournament wins, Team Canada 1 and Italy have also earned a third-place finish in 2014 and 2019 respectively.

This year’s tournament will mark the debut of Hong Kong, China and Morocco who will both be competing for the first time. Last year’s tournament saw the first appearances from Iceland, Peru and Poland. All three countries are returning this year.

This year’s field for the World Junior Girls Golf Championship is highlighted by Soomin Oh from the Republic of Korea (Korea). Oh, was part of Korea’s runner-up finish last year in Brampton, Ont. and also finished in third in the individual competition. Oh, is currently ranked no. 14 on the World Amateur Rankings (WAGR). Teammate Seojin Park also returns this year and is currently ranked no. 68 on WAGR. The United States are represented by Gianna Clemente (no. 23), Nikki Oh (no. 128) and Scarlett Schremmer (no. 211). Alice Kong of France will also be competing in Mississauga and currently is ranked no. 150.

Team Canada will be represented by Shauna Liu, Aphrodite Deng, Clairey Lin, Lindsay McGrath, Nobelle Park and Eileen Park. Lin of Langley, B.C., McGrath of Oakville, Ont., Nobelle Park of Oakville, Ont. and Eileen Park of Red Deer, Alta. all earned their places through a qualifying tournament last month. Liu of Maple, Ont. and Deng of Calgary, Alta. secured their exemptions to Team Canada prior to the qualifying tournament. Liu earned her exemption following her win at the 2024 Canadian Junior Girls Championship while Deng earned her exemption as being the low eligible Canadian on the WAGR as of August 7. Deng was no. 175, she has since improved to no. 171 and is Canada’s lowest ranked player. The rosters for Team Canada will be announced at a later date.

A number of players who have competed in the World Junior Girls Championship have gone on great success on the LPGA Tour, led by Canadian Brooke Henderson, a 13-time LPGA winner and Canada’s winningest professional golfer, who finished fourth in the individual competition at the inaugural championship hosted in 2014.

Other notable competitors who went on to become LPGA Tour winners include Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand who won back-to-back World Junior titles in 2018 and 2019 as well as Yuka Saso of the Philippines who won the 2016 World Junior title. 2023 CPKC Women’s Open winner, Megan Khang of the United States competed in the inaugural tournament in 2014. Other former World Junior competitors who have gone on to win on the LPGA Tour include Hannah Green of Australia and Maja Stark and Linn Grant of Sweden. Hye-Jin Choi from the Republic of Korea won both the 2015 team and individual championship at the World Junior Girls Golf Championship and has earned a number of runner-up finishes on the LPGA Tour including the 2022 CPKC Women’s Open.

Credit Valley Golf and Country Club will play host for the world championship and boasts a challenging 18-hole Robbie Robinson designed parkland course. Nestled alongside the winding Credit River and the natural setting of the valley, it offers members a hidden golf and country club oasis within the bustling cityscape of Mississauga.

The following is a list of competing countries in the ninth annual World Junior Girls Championship:

Belgium

Canada (Team Canada 1 and Team Canada 2)

Chinese Taipei

Colombia

Czechia

Denmark

England

Finland

France

Germany

Hong Kong, China

Iceland

Ireland

Italy

Mexico

Morocco

Peru

Poland

Republic of Korea

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

United States of America

Practice rounds for the 72-hole competition will take place September 30 and October 1 with the first round of play set for Wednesday, October 2. The tournament’s closing ceremony will immediately follow the conclusion of play on Saturday, October 5.

Admission to 2024 World Junior Girls Championship is free for all spectators.

The Ottawa Senators have reached a multi-year partnership with Canadian LPGA star Brooke Henderson, the NHL team announced Wednesday.

As part of the agreement, Henderson’s water bottles and golf towels will feature the Ottawa Senators logo.  

The 26-year-old Henderson is the most decorated Canadian golfer in major professional tour history. 

The Smiths Falls, Ont., native has 13 LPGA tour wins, including major titles at the 2016 Women’s PGA Championship and the 2022 Evian Championship.

“We are so happy to collaborate with Brooke on this partnership,” said Ottawa Senators owner Michael Andlauer. “Brooke’s spirit, values and determination embody what our Ottawa-Gatineau community is all about.”

“I’m super excited to team up and partner with the Senators. It’s such a cool opportunity,” Henderson said. “Growing up, I played hockey, I watched hockey and I always cheered for the Sens, so it feels like a perfect fit. 

“I’m very proud to do it and show everybody who I’m cheering for and where my love is.”

This year’s Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal Golf Club will be the most Canadian version of the international men’s golf event, ever.

Taylor Pendrith, Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes were named to the International Team on Tuesday for the upcoming best-on-best tournament that sees 12 players from around the world — excluding Europe — face 12 golfers from the United States in match-play competition. It’s the first time three Canadians have played in the prestigious international event at the same time.

Canadian golf legend Mike Weir used three of his six captain’s selections on Pendrith, Conners and Hughes. He also picked South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout, South Korea’s Si Woo Kim and Australia’s Min Woo Lee to be on his team.

Weir, who is from Brights Grove, Ont., said it was a nice bonus to have the most-ever Canadians on the International Team when Royal Montreal hosts the Presidents Cup from Sept. 24-29, but the decision was based purely on putting forward the most competitive team possible.

“You have to be fair to the whole international community. I think I was very justified on the three (Canadian) picks,” said Weir after practice with the captain’s picks at Royal Montreal. “I think it just shows the state of Canadian golf that we can pick three for five or six guys that were in the mix.

“You do want the Canadian fans. I think they’re going to be very engaged with all our International players but having some Canadians on there brings a little bit more juice, so to speak, to our team.”

Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, Korea’s Sungjae Im and Byeong Hun An, as well as Australia’s Adam Scott and Jason Day had already been automatically selected as the top six golfers on the International Team rankings following the completion of the BMW Championship on Aug. 25.

Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor, both from Abbotsford, B.C., had been vying to join the team but missed out. Weir said that it was tough to not include them on the team and have four or even five Canadians playing on home soil.

“Both those calls to those guys were extremely difficult,” said Weir. “The way they handled it just showed me a lot about their character, which I already knew, but even made me respect them even more.

“I just told them that they’re going to be on these Cups going forward, and stay engaged with this Presidents Cup team.”

Weir’s International side will face off against Jim Furyk’s U.S. squad in the match-play competition. 

Furyk named his six captain’s picks to the U.S. team shortly after Weir’s announcement. Keegan Bradley, Sam Burns, Tony Finau, Brian Harman, Russell Henley and Max Homa were all added to the squad.

They join world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, No. 2 Xander Schauffele, No. 4 Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Patrick Cantlay and Sahith Theegala.

Furyk said it was a long process to settle on his lineup after being appointed captain a year ago.

“It seems like the train is moving really slowly to get to this point but it picks up a lot of speed for the next three weeks getting us to Royal Montreal,” he said. “Good to have 12 guys on our team. 

“I know they’re bonding, gelling, talking a lot about the event, and now we’ll put some finishing touches on our pairings and getting these guys ready to go in three weeks.”

The U.S. beat the Internationals 17 1/2 to 12 1/2 at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte in 2022. It was the Americans’ ninth consecutive victory at the event. 

Indeed, the International team has only won the event once in 14 tries, emerging victorious at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in 1998 when captain Peter Thompson led them to a 20 1/2 – 11 1/2 triumph over Jack Nicklaus’s American squad. 

“I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about how many years it’s been, but I think the things we’ve done to increase our chances are a lot of the little things behind the scenes,” said Weir. “It’s no secret that we’ve struggled to form unity with all the cultural differences and things the International Team has had to deal with over the years.

“That’s why we’ve implemented a lot more engagement amongst the players playing practice rounds and us doing some dinners to get the guys together to get more familiar with one another.”

The three Canadians have that familiarity baked in. All three grew up playing against each other in Ontario junior competitions and then attended Kent State University together. 

Their playing styles are complementary as well. 

Pendrith, from Richmond Hill, Ont., has one of the biggest drivers on the PGA Tour. Conners, from Listowel, Ont., is arguably the best ball striker in the world. Hughes, from Dundas, Ont., is renowned for his accuracy with his putter.

___________________________________________

Corey Conners

• Country: Canada
• Age: 32
• PGA TOUR Wins: 2
• Presidents Cup: 1 (2022), 0-4-0

2024 Highlights: Has notched three top-10 finishes in 2024 including a season-best, solo-sixth-place effort at the RBC Canadian Open.

Captain Weir on Conners: “Corey is one of the best ball-strikers on the PGA TOUR and his ability to consistently put himself and his playing partner in a position to attack is invaluable in team competition. He has looked towards the 2024 Presidents Cup for two years now, and I know he’s eager to compete in front of his fellow Canadians.”

Mackenzie Hughes

• Country: Canada
• Age: 33
• PGA TOUR Wins: 2
• Presidents Cup: First appearance

2024 Highlights: Has recorded three top-10 finishes including a season-best T3 at the Valspar Championship. Only missed four cuts in 22 starts, marking a career best.

Captain Weir on Hughes: “Canadian golf fans have followed Mackenzie’s career for nearly two decades and it’s incredible to know he’s going to make his Presidents Cup debut in his home country. He is steady and calm under pressure and is without doubt one of the best putters on the PGA TOUR, which is a great combination for our team.”

Taylor Pendrith

• Country: Canada
• Age: 33
• PGA TOUR Wins: 1
• Presidents Cup: 1 (2022), 0-4-0

2024 Highlights: Picked up the first win of his PGA TOUR career at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson. Recorded five additional top-10 finishes while advancing to the TOUR Championship for the first time.

Captain Weir on Pendrith: “Taylor is in the midst of his best year on the PGA TOUR, and it was great to see him breakthrough for his first win in Dallas and advancing to the TOUR Championship. He has built a reputation as one of the longest hitters in our game, and that length should be advantageous in match play competition at Royal Montreal.”

Weir’s International side will face off against Jim Furyk’s U.S. squad in the match-play competition, Sept. 24-29, at The Royal Montreal Golf Club.

Pendrith and Conners — close friends — also played for the International Team at the 2022 Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte.

That was the first time two Canadians had played at the elite event.

Ultimately, the Internationals lost 17 1/2 to 12 1/2 to the United States.

The International team has only won once in the event’s history, emerging victorious at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in 1998 when captain Peter Thompson led them to a 20 1/2 – 11 1/2 triumph over Jack Nicklaus’s American squad. 

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.

Steve Smith, Tarandowah Golfers Club, Hole #3

The hole was playing at 145 yards that day (according to Garmin). I used my 7 iron. I was playing with Bryan Gast, Barry Kennedy and Doug Campbell with Ron McLeod also witnessing. This was first hole-in-one!

Jadyn Lit, Chateau Whistler Golf Club, Hole #8

I was playing with Bill Lit who is also a Golf Canada member, along with Amar Paddam and Parb Rehal. The official yardage I got was 152 and I used a 9 iron (Ping i530) and Taylormade Project A ball.

Nancy Wynter, Greyhawk Golf Club, Hole #7

I was playing in the third and final round of our Senior Intersectional Qualifier event that also happened to coincide with our weekly women’s league.

It was a 91 yard shot and I used an 8 iron. It wasn’t pretty as I just barely got over the green side bunker and was so lucky that the rough slowed it up enough as it rolled on the green and went into the hole.

I was one of the earlier tee times so I took my time to come into the clubhouse to give the women a chance to partake in a hole-in-one drink. At our club, everyone will get a free drink for up to an hour after the person getting the hole-in-one enters the bar.

It sure helped that there was a thunderstorm in the area and they sounded the horn which forced everyone to come back to the clubhouse.

This is my third hole-in-one. All have been at GreyHawk. I’ve had a hole-in-one on hole’s #7 and #17 on Talon and hole #11 on Predator.

I was golfing with Sylvie Goulard and Elaine Willcock that day.

Bruce Liski, Murray Municipal, Hole #4

I was playing golf with Hal Wilkie, Joe Bladyko and Shawn Koroluk.

The fourth hole at the Murray Golf Course that day was playing 187 yards. I used a 4 hybrid.

It took 51 years of playing golf to finally get a hole-in-one!

Starting playing golf as a unattached junior at one of the local country clubs at age 13. I am now 64 years old and the wait is officially over.

Shawn Woolls, Forest Heights Golf Course, Hole #5

It’s been a good year of golf for me so far. Put in some solid work over the winter and it seems to be paying off. The women in my wife’s family have had the upper hand over the men in the hole-in-one department.

Wife has one, mother-in-law has one and sister-in-law has two! Two years ago my brother-in-law ended the drought with two of his own. I’ve been close a few times in the past. Inches away a few times and once I damaged the hole by hitting pin and cup at same time.

This year I was close twice. Just missing by inches, until I got to hole #5 at Forest Heights Golf Course in Sundre, Alta. The hole was 164 yards, back pin. I used my Titleist 8 iron and Pro-V1x combo. Hit a nice tight fade, landed about 10 feet from the pin, rolled up and disappeared! We weren’t sure until we got up to the green. The guys at the next tee box seen it and waited for us as they figured we didn’t know it went in because we weren’t hollering and cheering. Sent them four beers when the cart came by! 

Now the monkey is off my back and the women have been in a drought for a couple years now, although I suspect they won’t let that last long!

Kristin Lewis, Ponoka Community Golf Course, Hole #15

I got my hole-in-one on hole #15 at the Ponoka Community Golf Course on the last round of an eleven day golf trip with my husband (Gary Sandberg), my dad (Dale Lewis) and my dad’s significant other (Susan Johnston). This is our third annual golf trip, how lucky am I that I get to golf with both my dad and my husband! We often colour match our golf outfits (my dad started it), and we were all in our matching blue “hammer time” shirts for our last day, it’s lots of fun.

This trip, in particular, was a special one, as it was the start of my recovery and my return to golf as I tried to get my game back and just enjoyed every day loving life on the course. I received the all clear in May of this year after spending the last year in treatment (surgery, chemo and radiation) after being diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2023.

The hole-in-one is my first, and likely only! I’ve been golfing pretty regularly for over 30 years! When I stepped up to the 102 yard hole from the forward tee boxes, I certainly didn’t have any big expectations, to the point where when I hit the ball with my pitching wedge, I was very excited just to see it clear the front sand trap (it wasn’t my best shot). And then it bounced and started rolling toward the pin and disappeared! I didn’t really believe it. I looked over to my husband and he nodded and threw his arms up, and then I lost my mind! I started cheering and screaming, threw my club down, ran a lap around the tee box like I’d just won the World Series and proceeded to give hugs all around! Everyone within a three hole radius had a pretty good idea what happened.

Some of my friends and family have speculated that this is my consolation prize for the last year of what I’ve been through. I’ll take it! So many reasons to keep smiling!

Claire Chanyi, Priddis Greens Golf & Country Club, Hole #8

The day I got my hole-in-one I was playing with my two friends, it was our second round of the day. The yardage was 108 and I used my 54 degree wedge.

Kate Pascal, Greystone Golf Club, Hole #11

That day was absolutely amazing! I am still processing what happened. I was in a disbelief at first, then shock and finally, a crazy state of happiness. Getting the hole-in-one is such an incredible feeling! From the red tees and I’m not sure what the exact distance was but for me to use 6 hybrid must’ve been 112-115 yards. Kirkland ball used. I was playing with my boss Craig H., Jeremy R. and Steve B. It was our team golf day.

Lindsey Hermer-Bell, Georgian Bay Club, Hole #3

I was playing with my friends Sue and John Chippendale. Approaching hole #3, I selected a 7 wood to hit the ball 138 yards into the wind. I walked up to the hole and just hit the ball. It bounced about two times in front of the hole and disappeared. I thought it may have gone past the hole but we didn’t see the ball. It was in direct line to the hole so my playing friends were convinced it dropped in the hole. Sure enough, there it was. I guess I was in a state of shock! It was my first!

Norm Piche, Osprey Links Golf Club, Hole #15

The funny thing is that I detest this hole because for years golfing this hole I have a terrible time hitting the green from my tee shot. While I had a pretty good front nine, I had struggled on holes #12, #13, and had a triple bogey on #14. I was walking up the hill to the 15th tee and told my buddy, Darryl, that we should have quit playing after nine holes. Anyways, as we prepared to tee off on #15, my nemesis hole, I finally hit a shot that was actually going to stay on the green. Little did I know it would fall two inches past the hole and back spin into the hole. I was in disbelief at first then realized what had happened.

Elmira, Ont. – Nobelle Park and Carter Lavigne won the inaugural Canadian U15 Championship at Elmira Golf Club in Elmira, Ont on Thursday, presented by BDO. 

In the Junior Girls Division, Nobelle Park of Oakville, Ont. fired a 3-under 67 on Thursday to finish the tournament at 4-under to secure the championship. Park was three shots back heading into the final round and finished one shot clear of Jenny Guo of West Vancouver, B.C. 

“It feels great. Obviously going into today I was three strokes back from the lead, so I was just trying to play my best and at a steady pace,” said Park. “I was kind of just focusing on myself and minimizing mistakes, just trying to make birdie wherever I can, and I had a lot of good opportunities, so it was also just a matter of making putts and playing with confidence.” 

Park recorded rounds of 69-67 to win the tournament and claim her spot in the 2025 Canadian Junior Championship along with exemptions into two 2025 NextGen Championships. In addition, joining Park with exemptions into two 2025 NextGen Championships will be Guo who finished as runner at 3-under and Evelyn Li of Mississauga, Ont. who placed third at 2-under.  

Earlier this week, Park secured her spot on one of Team Canada’s squads at the 2024 World Junior Girls Golf Championship after finishing third at the Team Canada NextGen Selection Camp qualifier at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley (North Course) in Caledon, Ont.  

In the Junior Boys Division, Lavigne of Moncton, N.B. finished the tournament strong, with a 2-under 68 on Thursday to secure the victory and finished one shot clear of Justin Chu of North York, Ont. With the win, Lavigne has booked his place in the 2025 Canadian Junior Championship along with 2024 Boys NextGen Selection Camp and exemptions into two 2025 NextGen Championships. Lavigne was four shots behind heading into the final round, finishing 2-under par for the tournament after firing rounds of 70-68.  

“It feels great, I really wasn’t expecting it coming into this tournament, maybe looking for a top 10 or top five finish so I just played some great golf and came out with the win,” said Lavigne. “I had a friend in the U19 championship and he said better play is to just hit driver every hole and to play aggressive so that was my moto, so I was just going for it and attacking ever pin. I have been thinking of drinking out of this, but it looks a little dirty so maybe play some night golf later and have a few drinks or something.” 

Chu finished 1-under to finish in second place and secure his spot into two 2025 NextGen Championships. Joining Lavigne and Chu is Tyson Valk of North Vancouver, B.C., Karson Hurlbert of Ottawa, Ont. and Zach Bourgeois of Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Que. who all finished tied for third at even par for the tournament.  

The top five golfers in the Junior Girls division have also earned exemptions into two 2025 NextGen Championships.  

Canadian U15 Championship Junior Girls Final Results  

The top five golfers in the Junior Boys division have also earned exemptions into two 2025 NextGen Championships.  

Canadian U15 Championship Junior Boys Final Results  

The 36-hole stroke play competition featured a starting field of 78 players aged 15 and under (39 boys, 39 girls). As this tournament was only a 36-hole limited field event, there was no cut for the championship. The event concludes tomorrow with a half-day player educational summit for all Canadian U15 championship participants.  

For the final standings from the inaugural Canadian U15 Championship, click here. 

Samuel wins both the Senior and Super Senior titles; Team British Columbia won the Katherine Helleur Trophy as inter-provincial team champions
on Wednesday

Georgetown, Ont. – Terrill Samuel held off late charges from both Ellen Port and Shelly Stouffer to win the 2024 Canadian Women’s Senior Championship, presented by BDO on Thursday at The Club at North Halton in Georgetown, Ont.

Samuel, of Etobicoke, Ont. shot a final round 1-under 71 to finish at 2-under and beat Ellen Port by one. Samuel finished with rounds of 72-71-71-214 to win the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship for a third time. With her previous wins coming in 2012 and 2015.

“It’s pretty exciting actually, I’m surprised how emotional you get when the final putt goes in,” said Samuel after signing her scorecard on Thursday.

Samuel entered the day with a four-shot lead over first round leader Port, of Sunset Hills, Mo. Samuel dropped a shot on the second while Port birdied no. 2 to cut the lead to two shots. Port gave one back with a bogey on six, before closing the front nine with back-to-back birdies on eight and nine to sit one behind Samuel.

“She’s an awesome player, she was putting and hitting it really well and I was trying to hang in and I said I’m still in the lead, I remember Tiger (Woods) saying that and I said ok I’m still in the lead and she’s got to still come at me and I was able to make some putts on the back side,” said Samuel on her thoughts through nine holes.

Ahead of the final group, was two-time Canadian Women’s Senior champion, Shelly Stouffer of Nanoose Bay, B.C. who was making a run with six birdies on the front to also pull herself to within one of Samuel at the turn.

“You kind of need to know a little bit, but generally no, I’d rather just play my own game until the last hole,” Samuel said on whether or not she likes to know what’s happening around her.

When asked if she knew what was happening with Shelly on the front nine, “no, I had no idea, probably a good thing,” she said with a laugh.

All three women went on to record consecutive pars to begin their back nine from holes 10 through 13. It was on the 14th where Samuel would gain a stroke and go ahead of Port and Stouffer by two with a birdie.

“It was the first putt I made all day, so I was happy that finally one went in,” said Samuel. All three went on to par no. 15, Stouffer bogeyed no. 16 and closed with two pars to finish with a 4-under 68 and jump into third at 2-over.

On the 17th Port birdied and Samuel responded with one of her own to maintain a two-shot lead.

“I made a really good putt on 17 because she (Ellen) poured one in again and I was thinking she has to make two birdies on the last two holes to tie me and she did so thank goodness I made that birdie. Mine was pretty slippery coming down and she had an uphill putt, I was closer, but it was very treacherous, so I was glad it went in.”

On the 18th hole, both had birdie putts with Samuel leaving hers just short while Port drained her putt to finish with a 4-under 68 to get to 1-under for the tournament.

Samuel walked up to her short par putt, her neon yellow shirt piercing through the grey overcast skies as the crowd watch silently as her putt dropped to secure the national championship for a third time.

“It changed it, I don’t care, I missed a short putt this week and it wasn’t straight in, so it made it feel longer for sure,” said a relieved Samuel after tapping in on 18 for the win.

The win highlights a strong run for Samuel, having finished T19 and earning low amateur honours at the U.S. Senior Women’s Open at Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh, Pa. earlier this month.

“I’ve been playing well all season and even before that in Florida I played really well too. Usually, my swing can go off a little bit, but it hasn’t, I found something and it’s really working so I’m really happy. My ball striking is not an issue at all, the putting is, I didn’t putt well this week, but I hit the ball really well,” said a reflective Samuel.

In addition to the win, Samuel has earned an exemption into the 2024 U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur Championship taking place September 21-26 at the Broadmoor Golf Club in Seattle, Wash. Along with exemptions into the 2025 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, 2025 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship and the 2025 U.S. Women’s Senior Open.

Samuel also won the Super Senior title, with Port finishing second and Judith Kyrinis of Thornhill, Ont. finishing third.

On Wednesday, Team British Columbia battled to the final hole to claim the Inter-Provincial Team title for the second time in three years.

The team of Shelly Stouffer of Nanoose Bay, B.C., Jackie Little of Procter, B.C. and Sandra Turbide of Maple Ridge, B.C. won together in 2022 at Breezy Bend Country Club in Headingley, Man. and did it again this year at The Club at North Halton finishing with a combined score of 16-over to win the Katherine Helleur Trophy by two.

Team Ontario consisting of, Mary Ann Hayward of St. Thomas, Ont., Judith Kyrinis of Thornhill, Ont. and Debbie Court of Huntsville, Ont. tied for second with Team Quebec at 18-over. Quebec was represented by, Suzanne Ricard of Montreal, Que., Marie-Thérèse Torti of Candiac, Que., and Helen Chartrand of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Que.

The Senior and Super Senior championship rounds were played concurrently over 54 holes. The cut line was set at 32-over with 72 players advancing to Thursday’s final round. Players over 50 were eligible to compete in the Senior championship and those 60 and over were eligible to compete for the Super Senior title.

For the final leaderboard from the 2024 Canadian Women’s Senior Championship, presented by BDO, please click here.

Two-time champion Terrill Samuel grabs lead in both the Senior and Super Senior divisions following a 71 on Wednesday

Georgetown, Ont. – Team British Columbia battled to the end to claim the Inter-Provincial Team title for the second time in three years at the 2024 Canadian Women’s Senior Championship, presented by BDO on Wednesday.

The team of Shelly Stouffer of Nanoose Bay, B.C., Jackie Little of Procter, B.C. and Sandra Turbide of Maple Ridge, B.C. won together in 2022 at Breezy Bend Country Club in Headingley, Man. and have done it again this year at The Club at North Halton in Georgetown, Ont. finishing with a combined score of 16-over to win the Katherine Helleur Trophy by two.

Two-time Canadian Women’s Senior champion, Jackie Little has now won the inter-provincial title for a third time and this one is special, “it means a lot to us. Ontario is pretty strong so when we can beat them it’s pretty special for B.C.”

“In Ontario too!” added Turbide.

Stouffer, also a two-time Canadian Women’s Senior champion added, “it’s very special to win this trophy again, the team event is fun because we don’t get to play a lot of team stuff anymore so it’s cool that we had the team trophy and the way we had the opening ceremonies.” Teams were paraded and piped in by province as part of the opening ceremonies on Monday evening.

This is the second inter-provincial team title for Stouffer this season after winning the title at the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur in July, where she also claimed the Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master titles.

“It’s cool, it’s good. I did this a couple years ago and did it again so it’s pretty exciting to happen again,” said Stouffer.

“We’re really proud of her,” added Little.

Ontario and British Columbia have enjoyed much of the success recently in the inter-provincial team competition at the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship. In the past 23 tournaments, Ontario has won 12 team titles, British Columbia is now at nine, with Alberta and Quebec grabbing one each since 2000 (there were no team events in 2020 or 2021).

Team Ontario consisting of, Mary Ann Hayward of St. Thomas, Ont., Judith Kyrinis of Thornhill, Ont. and Debbie Court of Huntsville, Ont. tied for second with Team Quebec at 18-over. Quebec was represented by, Suzanne Ricard of Montreal, Que., Marie-Thérèse Torti of Candiac, Que., and Helen Chartrand of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Que.

Two-time Canadian Women’s Senior champion, Terrill Samuel has grabbed the solo lead in both the Senior and Super Senior divisions following a 1-under 71 on Wednesday. Samuel now sits at 1-under for the tournament and takes a four-shot lead into the final round.

“I played awesome today except for one really bad drive and my putting, nothing would go in, but I putted tentatively and that was my fault. I just didn’t have confidence for some reason today on some of them, I was leaving them just there. I had so many birdie putts today it was too bad,” said Samuel.

Samuel credited her iron play, which is the strength of her game for her round today. The two-time champion says nerves will always be there, but she intends to stick to her plan.

“My mindset is just one shot at a time, and I know that’s a cliché but whatever your game plan is on every hole you do that, and you continue to do that, you can’t worry about what anybody else is doing, you just worry about taking care of your own business and hopefully you have a chance on 18.”

Trailing Samuel in the Senior division are Lara Tennant of Portland, Ore. and first round leader, Ellen Port of Sunset Hills, Mo. both at 3-over. Port sits alone in second in the Super Senior division behind Samuel.

The 118-player field faced a change in temperature on Wednesday as the hot and sunny conditions from yesterday changed to overcast skies and cooler temperatures for the second round at The Club at North Halton.

The Senior and Super Senior championship rounds are played concurrently over 54 holes. The cut line was set at 32-over with 72 players advancing to Thursday’s final round. Players over 50 are eligible to compete in the Senior championship and those 60 and over are eligible to compete for the Super Senior title.

The winner of the 2024 Canadian Women’s Senior Championship will earn an exemption into the 2024 U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur Championship taking place September 21-26 at the Broadmoor Golf Club in Seattle, Wash. Along with exemptions into the 2025 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, 2025 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship and the 2025 U.S. Women’s Senior Open.

The final group of Samuel, Tennant and Port will tee off at 9:50 a.m. ET on Thursday. The tee times for Thursday’s final round can be found here.

For the leaderboard following the second round of the 2024 Canadian Women’s Senior Championship, presented by BDO, please click here.

Leah John knows that the standard answer for on what her goals are as an up-and-coming golfer should be something like “top 15 on the Epson Tour” or “get my LPGA card.” 

But, if she’s being honest, she’d rather just refine her process.

“I am just really focused on getting me and my game the best it can be, and then seeing where that takes it,” John said on Wednesday. “I have always believed that things will work out the way they want to if you put in the work and make a plan and just stick to it.

“I know it’s kind of a lame answer. I know the proper answer is ‘be the best golfer in the world,’ but really it’s to be the best I am right now.”

The 24-year-old from Vancouver turned pro this spring after graduating from the University of Nevada and has seven Epson Tour events under her belt since late April. She’s made the cut three times, including a tie for eighth at the Twin Bridges Championship on July 19.

“I think the thing that I’m still trying to figure out is the difference between playing to win versus playing not to lose, and kind of how you work around that and using pressure to fuel you,” she said.

The top 10 at Twin Bridges in Guilderland, N.Y., is the perfect example. 

John needed a good showing or she’d have to go to the LPGA and Epson Tour’s Qualifying Tournament Stage 1. She started the final round with back-to-back bogeys and briefly got down on herself but, by sticking with her process, she bounced back with four birdies on the final seven holes to earn her first professional top 10.

“You can’t think about it at all but you want it to happen, right?” said John on the difficult balance of staying present while trying to achieve goals. “You have to dial into the process more and more. 

“So learning that, there’s so much your mind kind of can help you get away with. This is the thing my coach (Jennifer Greggain) and I talk about all the time: trusting your mind, trusting your brain, to create what you want, and not getting in its way.”

John will be back in action on Friday at the Four Winds Invitational in South Bend, Ind. She’ll be joined by Brigitte Thibault of Rosemere, Que., Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., and Yeji Kwon of Port Coquitlam, B.C. 

Thibault is 114th on the Race for the Card points list, Szeryk is 117th, John is 120th and Kwon is unranked.

LPGA TOUR — Rookie Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., leads the Canadian contingent into this week’s FM Championship. She’s 93rd on the Race to CME Globe rankings heading into play at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (113th) and Maude-Aimee Leblanc (141st) of Sherbrooke, Que., are also in the field.

PGA TOUR — Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., is the lone Canadian in the Tour Championship at East Lake golf Club in Atlanta. The final event of the season has the top 30 players on the PGA Tour start with a score based on their rankings. Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler will tee off on Thursday at 10 under, No. 2 Xander Schauffele begins at 8 under, and so on. Pendrith, who starts tied for 21st, will start the tournament at 1 under.

PGA TOUR AMERICAS — Matthew Anderson of Mississauga is second in the Fortinet Cup standings, heading into the second last event of the PGA Tour Americas season. He can gain some ground on John Keefer of the United States at this week’s CRMC Championship in Brainerd, Minn. There are 13 Canadians in the field at Craguns Legacy Course.

Port leads both the Senior and Super Senior divisions following an opening round 69. Team Ontario leads Inter-Provincial Team Championship

Georgetown, Ont. – Ellen Port fired an opening round 3-under 69 to lead the 2024 Canadian Women’s Senior Championship, presented by BDO at The Club at North Halton in Georgetown, Ont. on Tuesday.

Port, of Sunset Hills, Mo. recorded three birdies and 15 pars in a solid opening round to take a three-shot lead in both the Senior and Super Senior divisions into Wednesday. Port hit every green while only missing one fairway along with having several looks for birdie during her opening round.

“My lag putting when I was a little further away, these greens can certainly see a lot of three putts and I avoided three putts, I had a few longer putts and I managed those well and let the round unfold,” she said.

In addition to her work on the greens, Port credited something specific for today’s strong round, “my space between my ears,” she said with a smile. “I turned it off and played a little bit more feel and not so much static in my brain. I tend to get a little mechanical and I made a big change in feel right before I came.”

The change for Port involved her shoulder turn in her take away, “any change for a golfer is strange and number one that helped me because it took me off results a little bit and I just focused on this new feel and every golfer knows when you have the right thing that helps get everything in sync that’s good and that took me off thinking about results.”

The 62-year-old is a decorated champion having won seven USGA events in her career. This season, Port hasn’t played as many tournaments but did earn a runner-up finish at the AGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championship in May.

She said the experience of winning can have its pros and cons, “I think sometimes it actually hurts you because your expectations get very high and my friends know I can be pretty hard on myself and they keep saying give yourself some slack, give yourself some grace. So yes and no, I think we all know when we don’t have good rounds in us or where were winding down and I don’t feel that yet, but I haven’t had a lot of reasons to believe that I can shoot these numbers the last few years so mentally overcome that and stick with it is a big victory.”

Port is playing in her first ever Canadian Women’s Senior Championship and only her second Canadian National Championship, “I love being in Canada, I love all the Canadians that have come and stolen victories away from us Americans. Maybe one of the Americans can get them this time on their home soil,” she said with a laugh.

“There are so many wonderful players here and the hospitality and how much you love golf, I really felt like I might be inspired and remember why I love this game coming here,” she added.

Port leads both divisions over two-time Canadian Women’s Senior champion Terrill Samuel of Etobicoke, Ont. who shot an opening round even par 72. Lara Tennant of Portland, Ore. also sits tied for second in the Senior division with Samuel.

Samuel was pleased with her opening round, “my ball striking was excellent, I had a few sloppy ones on the back nine. I thought I had good speed on the greens today and hopefully tomorrow a few more go in otherwise it was a pretty solid round.”

Defending champion, Mary Ann Hayward of St. Thomas, Ont. is currently tied for fourth with Carolyn Janidlo of Moncton, N.B. at 3-over.

Team Ontario leads the Inter-Provincial Team Championship following the opening round with a combined score of 9-over to lead Team British Columbia by two shots. Team Alberta and Team New Brunswick are tied for third and are both four back of Ontario. Team Ontario has won 10 of the past 12 inter-provincial titles at the Canada Women’s Senior Championship. This year, Ontario is represented by Mary Ann Hayward, Judith Kyrinis of Thornhill, Ont. and Debbie Court of Huntsville, Ont. Hayward’s 3-over 75 and Kyrinis’ 6-over 78 counted towards the team score for Tuesday. The Katherine Heller Trophy, awarded to the Inter-Provincial Team champions will be handed following Wednesday’s second round.

The 118-player field battled hot and humid temperatures from start to finish at The Club at North Halton on Tuesday, with temperatures hitting 32 C which felt more like 40 C during the afternoon tee times.

The Senior and Super Senior championship rounds are played concurrently over 54 holes, with the low 70 players plus ties in the Senior division and a minimum of five players in the Super Senior division advancing to Thursday’s final round. Players over 50 are eligible to compete in the Senior championship and those 60 and over are eligible to compete for the Super Senior title.

The winner of the 2024 Canadian Women’s Senior Championship will earn an exemption into the 2024 U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur Championship taking place September 21-26 at the Broadmoor Golf Club in Seattle, Wash. Along with exemptions into the 2025 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, 2025 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship and the 2025 U.S. Women’s Senior Open.

For the leaderboard following the opening round of the 2024 Canadian Women’s Senior Championship, presented by BDO, please click here.

Elmira, Ont. – The inaugural Canadian U15 Championship, presented by BDO, is set to take place at Elmira Golf Club this week in Elmira, Ont. 

The 36-hole stroke play competition gets underway with a practice round on Tuesday, August 27 followed with the championship rounds beginning on Wednesday. As this tournament is only a 36-hole limited field event, there will be no cut for the championship. The final round will wrap up on Thursday, followed by a half-day player development educational summit on Friday.  

The Canadian U15 Championship will bring together a starting field of 39 Junior boys and 39 Junior girls, aged 15 and under vying to win the first Canadian U15 individual championship. 

Following the U15 championship, all competitors will have the opportunity to attend an interactive education summit, where they will learn about navigating the modern pathway in high-performance golf. The Education Summit features four topics including, sport psychology, physical training for young golfers, parenting high-performance athletes, and talent development research. As part of their development process, players will also have the opportunity to participate in select skills assessments with Team Canada and gain insight into the organization and operations of the national team program.  

“We have a tremendous field ready to compete for the Inaugural Canadian U15 Championship at Elmira Golf Club. We would like to extend our gratitude to the wonderful staff and volunteers at Elmira Golf Club for all of the work that they have put in to prepare the golf course that will provide an excellent setting for the championship,” said Rogan Doyle, Tournament Director, Golf Canada. “I am excited to see the impact that hosting a junior national championship will have on Elmira Golf Club and the surrounding Waterloo Region as a whole, when players from across Canada to display their skills in competition, showcasing the level of play other junior golfers can reach following similar dedication and hard work. We are looking forward to getting play underway in what is shaping to be an amazing championship.” 

The boys and girls individual champions will earn exemptions into their respective 2025 Canadian Junior Championship, presented by BDO. The boys winner will also receive an exemption into the 2024 Team Canada NextGen Selection Camp. The top five golfers in both the Junior Boys division and the Junior Girls division will also earn exemptions into two 2025 NextGen Championships.  

Elmira Golf Club will play host to the inaugural championship. Founded in 1963, the picturesque 18-hole, par 70 course is situated in a country setting just west of Elmira. The clubhouse sits perched above the 18th green and provides panoramic views of the golf course below as it flows through the “Eldale Valley” below. Gently winding through the valley and rolling hills is Larches Creek, offering players interesting shots through the unique mixture of finishing holes. Elmira Golf Club celebrated it’s 60th anniversary in 2023 and recently underwent renovations that saw the addition of 20 new tee decks along with a complete white sand bunker restoration. 

“To host a national championship at the club and showcase some of the top junior golfers in the country, is super exciting. It’s an incredible opportunity, not only for the club and members, but the entire community. Our team, along with our membership, is looking forward to seeing the competition this week with the up-and-coming young talent,” said Adam Ferraro, Head Golf Professional at Elmira Golf Club.  

For more information on the 2024 Canadian U15 Championship, please click here.  

To follow the First Annual Canadian U15 Championship leaderboard and full tee-off times, click here.