CALGARY – Jennifer Ha wins the 2015 Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur after a rainy round at Lynx Ridge Golf Club, finishing -8, 205. It was a close finish between Ha and Garrison, with the two going head-to-head in the championship round. A strong front nine game, which included three birdies, put Ha ahead by four strokes to take the title. 

“It feels incredible,” Ha reflects on her win. “This is definitely something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”

After recently graduating from Kent State University, Ha hopes to turn pro in the near future. “This is a big stepping stone. A lot of great players have won this event and I’m really looking for a chance to be following their foot steps.”

Sabrine Garrison from Country Hills G&CC came close to Ha, finishing 4 under 209. The defending champion, Jaclyn Lee, placed third gaining a spot to compete in the 2015 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship alongside Ha and Garrison.

After ending the final round with a tie for lead, Meaghan LeBlanc and Jocelyn Alford were forced into a playoff for the Mid Amateur title. “I wasn’t really expecting to go out again,” says LeBlanc, from Bearspaw Country Club. She took the win with +9 for the tournament. “I was kind of surprised … I think I did well despite the weather.”

Meg Nicholson, also from Bearspaw Country Club, battled to first place for the Mid Master Championship win despite the poor weather conditions. “Thanks to all the competitors. Without everybody playing we wouldn’t have this,” Nicholson said of the tournament.

Photos from the championship can be found on Alberta Golf’s Facebook page, here. 

Click here for full scoring.

OPELIKA, Ala. — Sam Saunders, Arnold Palmer’s grandson, shot a 7-under 64 in warm conditions Thursday to take the first-round lead in the inaugural Barbasol Championship.

“It’s hot. When it’s hot like this, you’ve got to conserve energy,” Saunders said. “So, getting excited about a birdie or getting mad about a bogey just burns energy that you need to try to hit good shots. I try to walk like I’m in a daze out there all day and just stay very level.”

Saunders saved par with a 15-foot putt on the par-3 eighth hole and closed with a birdie on the par-4 ninth to cap his bogey-free round on Grand National’s Lake Course.

“I just putted a lot better,” Saunders said. “I’ve been playing really well lately, been hitting the ball as well as I’ve ever hit it in my career in the past few weeks, really last month. I just had been putting terribly. I finally just had a few putts go in today and that always turns over into a little bit of confidence and it was really just that.”

The 27-year-old former Clemson player is winless in 45 career starts on the PGA Tour, with a career best tie for second this year in the Puerto Rico Open.

“It is just the first round, yes, but it’s always nice to get off to a good start,” Saunders said. “You have to hit the ball well here and I did that today. I drove it well and I hit a lot of good iron shots. You don’t have to putt great here, I think, to shoot a good, solid score, but to shoot 7 under, I had a lot of putts go in for me today, which is nice. I haven’t seen that happen in a long time, so it was great.”

Jason Gore was a stroke back at 65. He birdied four of his last five holes.

“The golf course is just there for the taking,” Gore said. “It’s a great golf course. If these are the scoring conditions, not a breath of wind, greens were holding, you just kind of had to go out and take advantage of it.”

Stanford junior Maverick McNealy, the Jack Nicklaus Award winner as the Division I player of the year, was tied for third at 66 along with Martin Flores, Will Wilcox, Carlos Ortiz and Carlos Sainz Jr.

McNealy, playing alongside Saunders, had an eagle, five birdies and two bogeys.

“I love to play and I love to compete,” McNealy said. “To compete against the best in the world and on a golf course like this that’s in perfect condition and do all that, that’s what every kid dreams of, playing on the PGA Tour. So, I’ve just had a blast. It’s all fun for me.”

Two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton topped the group at 67.

Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 98, opened with a 68.

Web.com Tour money leader Patton Kizzire had a 71. He’s from Montgomery and played at nearby Auburn.

“I hit the ball really well,” Kizzire said. “My putting was pretty suspect. That was about as bad as I’ve putted in a long time. Feel like I turned a 64 or 67 to 71, which is not a whole lot of fun. But I’m encouraged by the way I’m hitting the ball and just looking forward to tomorrow.”

Canadian Roger Sloan posted an even-par 71 opening round today.

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – The two main characters from Chambers Bay brought their games across eight time zones and an ocean Thursday and set the tone at St. Andrews for what could be another riveting battle at the British Open.

Spieth quickly seized on his opportunity for a third straight major with six birdies in his first 11 holes, fought through a chilly wind on the inward nine and closed with a birdie for a 5-under 67 that put him two shots out of the lead.

Johnson, whose three-putt from 12 feet on the final hole cost him a shot at the U.S. Open, looked as daunting as ever. He simply overpowered the Old Course with such force that he hit wedge into 10 of the par 4s and had an eagle putt on another. With a pair of big par saves on the tough closing holes, he played bogey-free for a 65 and for at least a day made good on a warning he made earlier in the week.

Asked about Spieth’s chances to sweep the four majors, Johnson said, “Well, I’m playing the next two so we’ll have to see.”

This was hardly a two-man show.

The six players who were one shot behind at 66 included former British Open champion Paul Lawrie and two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen. Jason Day, coming off his scary bout with vertigo symptoms at the U.S. Open, was back on his feet and back in the hunt. Most impressive from that group were Zach Johnson and Danny Willett, who posted their scores as the temperature dropped and wind stiffened late in the afternoon.

Spieth was joined at 67 by Louis Oosthuizen, the last Open champion at St. Andrews.

“If D.J. keeps driving it the way he is, then I’m going to have to play my best golf to have a chance,” Spieth said.

The real test might come from the weather.

Spieth and Johnson got a break by playing in the morning when St. Andrews was ripe for scoring – 10 of the top 12 scores came from that side of the draw. That didn’t help Tiger Woods, who hit into the Swilcan Burn on the opening hole, made only one birdie and shot 76.

“Guys have been shooting good numbers,” said Woods, a two-time Open champion at St. Andrews. “Unfortunately I did not do that.” Instead, he was headed for a missed cut for the third time in his last four majors.

The afternoon wave suffered in chill and wind so strong that Phil Mickelson hit driver and 3-wood and didn’t reach the 465-yard 13th hole. He said he had to hit 5-iron for his third shot on the par-5 14th. Johnson was pin-high with a 3-wood in the morning. Mickelson made only one bogey on the back nine and shot 70. He called the conditions “fun,” though his smile might not last if the morning group doesn’t face the same conditions.

“We were at a significant disadvantage today,” Mickelson said. “And hopefully, if we’re able to play an entire day tomorrow, it will even itself out.”

The first 26 groups had an average score of 71.46. The last 26 groups averaged 72.62.

Rickie Fowler, coming off a victory in the Scottish Open, said the final seven holes was “hanging on for dear life.” He made two bogeys, one eagle and 15 pars for a 72.

The forecast was for rain early Friday and wind calming as it clears, followed by stronger gusts in the afternoon. Saturday could have gusts approaching 40 mph.

Any duel between Spieth and Johnson is void of animosity. They played in the same group, and during one long wait on the 17th tee, they laughed and chatted as if this were an opening round at a regular PGA Tour event.

“No chat about the U.S. Open at all, as I wouldn’t imagine there would be, other than talking about the differences in the course,” Spieth said. “But I enjoy playing with Dustin. I’ve played a lot of golf with him.”

And he knows what to expect from golf’s most athletic figure. Johnson hit driver on all but three holes, leaving him wedges into the par 4s (except for three longer holes into a hurting wind on the back nine) and a 7-iron that Johnson stuck to 10 feet for eagle on the par-5 fifth hole.

“I’m going to hit driver on every hole if I can,” Johnson said.

Spieth already has shown at the Masters and U.S. Open that power isn’t everything. And while he laid back on several holes – Johnson’s tee shots were on average 36 yards longer – Spieth can score.

He birdied four of the first six holes with putts inside 12 feet and took a share of the lead with a 10-foot putt on the par-3 11th. His lone mistake came in bunkers – a pot bunker in the 13th fairway he had to play out sideways, and the Road Hole bunker on the 17th. He blasted out to 6 feet and missed.

“I’ve played enough golf with him to where I believe in my skill set, that I can still trump that crazy ability that he has,” Spieth said. “I expect when he stands on the tee it’s going to up there miles and down the fairway. I also expect that I can birdie each hole when I stand on the tee – it just happens to be a different route.”

Not many can appreciate the route Spieth is taking. Only five other players since 1934 have won the first two majors of the year. Only Ben Hogan has won the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open in the same year. No one has won all four.

The key for Spieth in the first round was to stay close, and that’s what he did – not in driving distance, but by score, which ultimately is all that matters.

Canadian Graham DeLaet signed for an opening round 1-under 71 while David Hearn was 2-over on the day with a score of 74.

SYLVANIA, Ohio — South Korea’s Ha Na Jang birdied the par-5 18th for a 5-under 66 and a one-stroke lead Thursday after the first round of the LPGA Tour’s Marathon Classic.

She chipped to 6 feet to set up the final birdie after hitting a 3-wood approach to the front edge.

“Just really good shot,” Jang said about the chip with a 52-degree wedge.

“I feel happy today because in the morning … I was very tired in my bed, so no practice today. I don’t think about the score, so really good play today.”

Winless in 23 career tour events, Jang birdied four of the first five holes on the back nine at Highland Meadows, dropped a stroke on the par-4 15th and rallied with the closing birdie.

“I like the course,” Jang said. “Very narrow fairways and small greens. Very close to Korean golf course, so I think it’s very easy for my feel. … Really good golf course.”

She took a simple approach on the course softened by a rainy month.

“Just always thinking about fairway and greens,” Jang said. “Very easy thinking.”

Sarah Kemp, Nannette Hill, Wei-Ling Hsu and Lee-Anne Pace were tied for second.

Kemp bogeyed her final hole, the par-4 ninth. The Australian has missed the cuts in seven of the 12 tournaments this season.

“My caddie and I were actually talking before I teed off that I had not had a 4 or 5 under in a while,” Kemp said. “That was the plan today, so it was nice to pull it off. It’s confidence. I’ve had an inconsistent year, some good and some bad. Hopefully, for the rest of the three days I can keep it up.”

Kemp’s approach on No. 9 landed in the rough to the left of the green. She hit to the fringe, but came back with a chip that hit the flagstick and she was able to make her putt for bogey.

“It was a funny lie,” Kemp said. “I had a bad lie for the first chip, where I shouldn’t have been in the first place.”

Hill had three straight birdies on Nos. 6-8 to reach 4 under and parred the final 10 holes.

“I feel really good,” Hill said. “All season I feel like I’ve been very consistent and building off good stuff. So, came to this course on Sunday and felt like it fit my eye really well.”

Top-ranked Inbee Park, a three-time winner this season, birdied her final hole for a 70.

“I hit a lot of greens, but not really close,” Park said. “Irons just weren’t as pure as I thought it would be. Missed couple putts here and there. Only two birdies and one bogey. Not a bad start.”

Defending champion Lydia Ko, ranked No. 2 in the world, opened with a 71.

Third-ranked Stacy Lewis also had a 71.

Canadian Alena Sharp is T6 after an opening round of 68. Jennifer Kirby posted a score of 74, while Rebecca Lee-Bentham had a round of 80.

THUNDER BAY, Ont. — Two weeks ago, Matt Marshall was on the verge of quitting professional golf. After Thursday’s opening round in Thunder Bay, he finds himself in a completely different place: co-leading the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel.

Thanks to some support from friends and family and a timely dream, the 30-year old from Portland, Oregon finds himself tied for the lead after shooting an 8-under 64 to share the first round lead with Burlington, Ontario’s Michael Gligic at the sixth event of the 2015 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

“After Saskatoon, I almost quit. I almost left the game. So, to be here right now is kind of a big 180 for me,” said Marshall, who found himself questioning his role in the game following a missed cut at the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel. After friends and family convinced him over the phone to stick it out for a while longer, the seven-year Mackenzie Tour veteran had a dream that appears to have changed his fortunes.

“I literally had a dream that I needed to switch to a Scotty Cameron putter, so I bought one the next day, and since then I’ve been making a lot of putts,” said Marshall, who made his first cut of the season last week at The Players Cup and finished T25. “I’ve been grinding out here for a while, and it all just kind of hit me in Saskatoon. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep playing. I called everyone in my family and everyone I’m close to for advice and stuff, and they told me to stick it out for a couple more weeks, and here I am.”

Marshall’s 64, which included nine birdies to offset just a single bogey, tied him with the 25-year old Gligic, who defeated Marshall in a playoff at the 2012 ATB Financial Classic, the only Mackenzie Tour win between the two players.

“I got off to a good start. The irons were great, and what’s been kind of holding me back lately is the putter, and it was nice to see everything going in today,” said Gligic. “There’s still 54 holes left with a heck of a lot of good players behind me, so I can’t let off the gas at all by any means. I need to keep going and keep making birdies tomorrow.”

One shot behind Marshall and Gligic was Ostego, Minnesota native Clayton Rask, who rebounded from an early triple bogey with 10 birdies for a 7-under 65. The start of round one was delayed for an hour due to lightning in the area.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Dottie Ardina (Laguna, Philippines) remembers watching videos in the early 2000’s of Jim McLean golf tips to learn how to play. Fast forward 14 years and Ardina has the lead at the Toyota Danielle Downey Classic after carding a 6-under 66 in the first-round at Brook-Lea Country Club on Thursday. Ardina would become just the second player from the Philippines to win on the Symetra Tour. The only player to win was Lynda Jensen, who won once in 1985 and twice in 1988.

A total of 49 players finished at even-par or better and the cut line stands at 2-over heading into second-round play.

The 21-year-old, who ranks 23rd on the Volvik Race for the Card money list, was on fire with the putter. She needed just 24 putts.

“It was a good start today, I made a 35-foot birdie putt on the first hole,” said Ardina. “I made a bogey on five and then I ran off five straight birdies from the sixth through the tenth holes. My goal was 2-under on the front and 2-under on the back, I definitely wasn’t expecting a six-under.”

Ardina was 4-under at the turn and then made her fifth straight birdie on 10 and then made birdie on the 13th hole. Ardina closed with five straight pars including a save on 18.

“I did some adjustments with my putting, my stroke and I’m trying to get my speed better,” said Ardina. “Before, my putting was everywhere – push, pull – so I watched some tips on the Golf Channel and searched putting drills and it worked.”

Ardina said she watches School of Golf with former Symetra Tour and LPGA Tour player Sara Brown and Martin Hall.

Her first round shouldn’t come as a surprise. She has finished inside the top 25 in three consecutive events including her career best finish, a tie for second at the Four Winds Invitational.

“I think I am more relaxed and since I changed my putting, I started playing really well,” said Ardina. “My mom is now my caddie and that really helps keep me calm and keep the pressure away.”

Ardina said part of the reason she played well today was the insider information she received from her pro-am partners on Wednesday, who are members of Brook-Lea Country Club.

“I only played once on the front side and twice on the back side so they told me where to hit the ball and where the good angles are,” said Ardina. “They really helped me a lot.”

MARKHAM, Ont. — The first day of golf at the Pan Am Games felt like any other tournament to Lorie Kane. That is, until she crossed paths with Austin Connelly between the first green and the second tee and the Canadian teammates shared a high-five.

“He’s on my team,” Kane said with some amazement. “I was like, ‘That’s different.'”

A year away from golf returning to the Olympics for the first time since 1904, the sport made its Pan Am debut Thursday at Angus Glen Golf Club. It was a rough start for two of the three Canadians in the field but a picture-perfect day to celebrate golf in international play.

“It was a cool experience and something I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” said Canadian Garrett Rank, who shot a 7-over 79. “I still can play really well the next three days. It’s just a matter of soaking in the experience.”

Connelly, an 18-year-old dual citizen from Dallas with parental roots in Nova Scotia, shot a 2-under 70, while the 50-year-old Kane matched Rank’s 7-over 79.

Those scores notwithstanding, Canadians playing on home soil could appreciate the history they were a part of.

“I’m excited to be here, I’m proud to be here,” said Kane, the only Canadian woman in the Games after teenage phenom Brooke Henderson withdrew to focus on her professional career. “This is a new thing for golf. I think we’re going to learn some things, and I think it’s going to just get better.”

The sun-soaked day with temperatures in the 20s and light wind made for almost ideal golfing conditions.

“The weather is perfect,” said Alejandro Tosti of Argentina, the first-round men’s leader with a 7-under 65. “It’s a little windy, but the temperature is perfect and it’s perfect to play golf.”

The team element involved, taking the best men’s and women’s score in each round, took some getting used to. Players have much more on their shoulders than just their own expectations and results, more to play for than themselves and sponsors, even if medals replace prize money.

“It’s completely different, but you just have to roll with the punches and kind of adjust on the go,” said Paraguay’s Julieta Granada, the women’s leader at 4-under 68. “It’s going back to junior golf where we get to represent our countries a little bit more then. It makes carrying your country’s flag a little bit more special than every other LPGA event.”

Because Henderson withdrew without an injury after the June 15 deadline, Canada was unable to replace her and lost a spot. It means Kane’s score counts in every round, and her first-round 79 essentially eliminated Canada from team medal contention.

Rank, an NHL referee from Elmira, Ont., cost himself in the men’s individual competition with two triple bogies, including one on the eighth hole when he lost his ball in the woods. Connelly wasn’t necessarily pleased with his showing but goes into Friday’s second round tied for fourth, five shots off the lead.

It’s too early to say Connelly is in medal contention, but he has a chance.

“They say you can’t win on the first day, but you can certainly lose it,” Connelly said. “I don’t feel like I lost it.”

Kane and Rank lost it with their struggles, but they were encouraged because they still get to play three more days of Pan Am golf.

“I’ve been preparing too hard to let this bother me,” said Kane, a Charlottetown native. “If we had a cut here, I’d be probably gnawing my arm off.”

Gnawing isn’t necessary, but Kane is champing at the bit to play one more international tournament: the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. As of now, Henderson and Alena Sharp would represent Canada on the women’s side and PGA professionals Graham DeLaet and David Hearn on the men’s side.

Kane would love to improve her world ranking enough to qualify for the Olympics, especially after getting a taste of this kind of competition at the Pan Am Games.

“It only makes me want to get to Rio even more because if this is the Pan American Games, I can only imagine the feeling when it’s the Olympics,” she said. “I need to stop shooting 7-over par.”

There is absolutely no doubt that RBC Canadian Open Tournament Director Brent McLaughlin has a sense of humour. (For an up-close and personal view of McLaughlin, click here.)

But when he says, “This is not your parents’ RBC Canadian Open,” he is most definitely not kidding.

Just as golf in general is figuring out how to reach a younger audience, the RBC Canadian Open has tried to hit all the hot buttons when it takes place next week at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

The key buzzwords when speaking to McLaughlin about the Open include “family, innovation, engagement, interaction.” In summary, he says this year’s championship will be “a festival, a party, a celebration.”

“Bill Paul [previously the RBC Canadian Open’s Tournament Director for 22 years and now Golf Canada’s Chief Championships Officer] was at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and was impressed with the fan-friendly atmosphere,” says McLaughlin. “When he came back, we worked to create a similar atmosphere. We are proud that our Open is already considered among the PGA TOUR’s most fan-friendly events but we knew we could do much more to enhance that, to make it a must-see event for families and golf fans of all ages.”

The result of that determination is impressive.

As it hosts its record 27^th RBC Canadian Open, Glen Abbey remains among the best spectator golf courses in the world. Justifiably, this year’s field will feature some of the most exciting professionals in the world, including Bubba Watson, Jason Day, Matt Kuchar, Jim Furyk, Graeme McDowell and Brandt Snedeker, who won the 2013 RBC Canadian Open when last played at Glen Abbey. A Canadian contingent of 15 is headlined by Graham DeLaet, Mike Weir, David Hearn and Adam Hadwin.

And now, thanks to some remarkable innovations, the experience outside the ropes will equal that reputation.

While the competition gets serious when the first tee shot of the championship is hit on the morning of Thursday, July 23, much more festivity precedes that.

On Saturday, July 18, the top-performing juniors from the nationwide CN Future Links Junior Skills Challenge will compete in the national championship. The next day, they will play in a Ryder Cup-style event on the tournament course. On the Monday of tournament week, they will have a chance to caddie in the Golf Canada Foundation Pro-Am and, on Wednesday, they can walk with a pro inside the ropes. (All kids under the age of 17 receive free admission to the RBC Canadian Open all week long.)

“Recognizing some of the best junior golfers in Canada is a great start to Open week,” says McLaughlin. “Then some players start arriving and the excitement builds from there.”

Giant HDTV screens make it easy for spectators to follow the TV broadcast. Fans in the Molson Canadian 67 19^th Hole can almost reach out and touch players. Getting spectators as close as possible to their golf icons is just one indication of the new innovations.Boston Pizza has come on board to provide food services as well as one of three food trucks on the premises.

“We want to entertain everyone who comes out,” says McLaughlin. “We also want to underline the historic importance of the Open and Glen Abbey. As well, we want them to know that Glen Abbey is the home of Golf Canada and the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum.”

To emphasize that, the Canadian Golf Museum and Hall of Fame is hosting a beer garden, speaker series and phone-charging stations.

“We hope there is something for everyone at this year’s RBC Canadian Open. We’ve tried to accomplish that,” says McLaughlin. “And if we haven’t, we want to hear about it. Our goal is to make the RBC Canadian Open the best and most entertaining tournament on the PGA Tour.”

For a complete list of all the exciting activities at the 2015 RBC Canadian Open, click here.

To order tickets, click here.

The sun shone bright over Gowan Brae Golf & Country Club in Bathurst, N.B., as Calvin Ross and Allison Chandler secured the CN Future Links Atlantic titles to conclude the championship’s 2015 series.

Calvin Ross was locked in a four-way tie for the lead following the first day of competition before breaking through with a three stroke lead after day two. The Fredericton, N.B., product maintained momentum into the final round, posting a 1-under par 71 for a 215 total.

“Today started out well, I got off to a great start with a birdie and from there, I was just playing conservative and trying for a few more birdies. I was really just trying to hit greens and make some pars and continue on,” said Ross. He went on to string together eight pars to follow up his opening birdie for a 1-under on the front nine.

Ross claims the Atlantic title after having recently recorded runner-up finishes at the 2015 New Brunswick Junior Boys Championship and at the 2015 Kent Ford Motors Bouctouche East Coast Junior Championship. “It feels great to finally break through. I’ve been playing well all year, but I have just been coming up a little bit short, so it’s great to finally win one.”

Challenging Ross was Ryan Legault who opened the day with an impressive 6-under front nine before finishing with at 67 for the low round of the tournament. The early push from the Charlottetown, P.E.I., native earned him second place at 218. Finishing in third at 221 with a final round of 74 was five-time Newfoundland and Labrador Junior Boys Champion Blair Bursey of Gander, Nfld.

The 16-year-old Ross has earned an exemption into the 2015 Canadian Junior Boys Championship to gauge his skills against a field of top juniors. The five runner-up finishers in the Junior Boys division at the CN Future Links Atlantic Championship have also earned exemptions to compete in the national championship from August 2-6 at Summerlea Golf & Country Club in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que.

Allison Chandler opened the third round with a three-stroke lead over Claire Konning of Indian Mountain, N.B., but it was Laura Jones of Moncton, N.B., who would challenge Chandler down the stretch. After hole 13, Jones had climbed within two of the lead, but Chandler maintained her focus to secure the win.

“I was more nervous than I thought I would be,” said Chandler on playing with the lead. “I tried not to think about it and instead tried to think of it as any other round.”

Chandler signed for a 3-over 75, matching her opening round for the lowest score in the Junior Girls division. The Chester, N.S., native concluded the competition with four birdies to finish at 227. The 17-year-old credits her tee shots for the victory. “I drove the ball really well and very consistently.”

Runner-up Laura Jones posted a round of 4-over 76 with three birdies to finish at 232. Third-place finisher Felixe Jacques of St-Gabriel de Valcartier, Que., shot a final round 79.

With the victory, Chandler has earned her place in the 2015 Canadian Junior Girls Championship at Deer Park Golf Course in Yorkton, Sask., from August 3-7. Chandler looks to improve upon a T15 finish at the 2014 edition of the national championship hosted at Thornhill Golf & Country Club in Thornhill, Ont. She has also earned an exemption into a 2016 Canadian Women’s Tour event of her choice.

The five runners-up in the Junior Girls division of the CN Future Links Atlantic Championship have also earned their way into the field at the 2015 Canadian Junior Girls Championship.

The CN Future Links Atlantic Championship marks the final stop in a series of six tournaments presented by Golf Canada in partnership with CN. The 2015 series opened at Pheasant Glen Golf Resort in Qualicum Beach, B.C., where Team Canada Development Squad members Trevor Ranton (Waterloo, Ont.) and Grace St-Germain (Ottawa, Ont.) found the podium at the championship’s Pacific edition. Ontarians Jack Simpson (Aurora, Ont.) and Alyssa Getty (Ruthven, Ont.) captured the titles in their home province at Pine Knot Golf & Country Club in Dorchester, Ont.

Joining the winners circle at the Prairie Championship were Alexander Smith (Calgary, Alta.) and Development Squad member Alisha Lau (Richmond, B.C.) at Cooke Municipal Golf Course in Prince Albert, Sask. At Golf Château-Bromont in Bromont, Que., Alyssa Getty claimed her second CN Future Links title of the season while Jason Chung (Thornhill, Ont.) took the Quebec Junior Boys title. Jason Martens (Edmonton, Alta.,) and Kenna Hughes (Calgary, Alta.,) captured the Western Championship at the Goose Hummock Golf Course in Gibbons, Alta.

For full results from the 2015 CN Future Links Atlantic Championship, please visit the tournament website here.

In just its second year, Team Canada’s Young Pro program is showing strong signs of progress in supporting Canada’s bright young professionals in their long journey to success in the professional golf ranks.

Brooke Henderson and Sue Kim both notched Symetra Tour victories in 2015, Adam Svensson won three of his first four professional events, Albin Choi won on the Mackenzie Tour in 2015—to name a few.

Launched in 2014, the Young Pro program was added to Golf Canada’s high performance program to fill the gap of support available for amateurs transitioning to professional golf. In just its second year, the program expanded from five to eight athletes to accommodate for the growing pool of elite Canadian talent.

Three of Canada’s Young Pro Squad men (Svensson, Pendrith, Conners) will look to make their mark on the PGA TOUR in the upcoming RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., from July 20–26.

Click here to learn more about the athletes and Team Canada

Click here to donate to the program through the Golf Canada Foundation