Canada’s Ellie Szeryk had the golden touch over the weekend, winning four different ways at the Jim West Challenge. Szeryk won her first individual NCAA title on Monday, which in turn helped Southern Methodist University win its first team championship of the fall, just days after the Mustangs also won the tournament’s pro-am. 

Things were going so well for Szeryk and her teammates that they even won the tournament’s karaoke contest.

“It was pretty special. I honestly wasn’t really expecting it this week, so it was a nice surprise,” said Szeryk of her victories on the course. “It was really special that I got to win with my team as well. On our drive back to campus we were all super excited. “It was just really amazing.”

Szeryk, from London, Ont., won by a stroke, finishing at 16-under overall. She played bogey free in her final round including an eagle on No. 5 to finish the day at 9 under. That tied her for the second lowest round in Mustangs history and gave her eight top-10 finishes since she started at SMU in the fall of 2022.

“I think the biggest thing is my putting,” said Szeryk on how she finally came out on top. “This past year I did really well and I had been close a lot of times, but my putting just didn’t really come through.”

“It wasn’t really connecting at the right times or I would have it for the first couple rounds and then that final round, when I really needed it, I was just missing some crucial putts”

The Mustangs went into Monday’s final round tied for first with Houston and Texas State at 15 under. SMU quickly opened up a 10-stroke lead on the day, and eventually finished at 23-under par. The 18-hole score shattered the previous SMU record of -14 set back at The American Championship in April.

Szeryk and her SMU teammates started the Friday-through-Monday event on a winning note when their Shrek-themed routine set to Smash Mouth’s “All-Star,” complete with costumes, won the tournament’s karaoke challenge.

“You have to create this like dance routine, everything and so our team did Shrek and our team ended up winning,” said Szeryk, who dressed as the Gingerbread Man, laughing about the performance. “They have judges and the teams that win get more money toward their programs so we went all out for that.”

Szeryk gained professional experience competing as an amateur at the CPKC Women’s Open at Vancouver’s Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in August. She was paired with her older sister Maddie Szeryk, an LPGA Tour regular, at the event.

The younger Szeryk, who also played in the 2018 Canadian Open in Regina, said the exposure to the LPGA Tour helped set up the victory at the Jim West Challenge.

“I took a lot from the Canadian Open and what I’ve learned golf-wise was putting was the biggest thing that hurt me on that golf course,” said Szeryk, who is a political science major. “So just a lot of managing my time and a lot of time sacrifices. 

“Rather than going out with my friends, or staying up late, it’s a lot of like, ‘hey, I need to work on my putting, so I’m going to stay and practice a bit longer.”

LPGA TOUR — Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is the lone Canadian in the field at the Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur. She’s 14th on the Race to CME Globe standings heading into the event at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.

PRESIDENTS CUP — Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., the captain for the International Team at the 2024 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal Golf Club, has elected to have six captain’s picks as opposed to the traditional four. The 12-on-12 event sees the best male golfers from the United States take on the top players from around the world, minus Europe. Six captain’s selections may mean that Weir loads up on Canadian talent. Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., were on last year’s International team, the most Canadians to ever play in a Presidents Cup.

Monet Chun and Lauren Kim are T5 at 3-under and one-shot back of the leaders

Spain, bolstered by two of the top-5 ranked amateurs in the world, holds a one-stroke lead over Canada following Wednesday’s opening round of the 30th Women’s World Amateur Team Championship at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio, No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR®, posted a 4-under-par 68 and 2023 European Ladies’ Amateur champion Julia Lopez Ramirez (No. 5) added a 69 to position Spain at 7-under-par 137, one head of the Canadians and two in front of Ireland.

Fernandez Garcia-Poggio’s round included six birdies against two bogeys. Lopez Ramirez, who was one of two amateurs to make the 36-hole cut in the 2023 AIG Women’s Open, totaled four birdies and a bogey, while teammate Carla Bernat Escuder posted a non-counting 70.

Spain, which finished fifth last year in France after a heartbreaking double-bogey from Fernandez Garcia-Poggio on the 72nd hole to fall out of the lead, is seeking its first WWATC medal since claiming silver in 2008 in Australia.

Canada rode a pair of 3-under 68s in the afternoon from 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur runner-up Monet Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont. and 2023 Canadian Women’s Amateur champion Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C. to post a 6-under total of 138. Chun, who became the first Canadian to make the cut at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in April, tallied six birdies and three bogeys. Teammate Katie Cranston of Oakville, Ont. finished the day at 2-over 74.

“There’s a lot of golf to play but a good start is always helpful,” said Chun, a senior at the University of Michigan. “I’m hitting it pretty consistent. Some of the putts went in so that really helped with the birdies, but hopefully tomorrow I’ll make less bogeys and put in a good round.”

Ireland’s Sara Byrne, India’s Avani Prashanth and Japan’s Mamika Shinchi matched Fernandez Garcia-Poggio’s 4-under 68 for the low rounds of the day. Ireland used a combination of Byrne’s 68 and a 71 from Beth Coulter to post a 5-under 139 and hold solo third place.

Germany, India and the Republic of Korea share fourth place at 140, three strokes behind Spain.

Playing in its sixth WWATC, India had its best start in competition history on the strength of Prashanth’s 68 and an even-par 72 from Mannat Brar.

Germany was led by a bogey-free, 3-under 69 from Chiara Horder, the team’s playing captain who is a junior at Texas Tech University, and a 71 from Celina Sattelkau.

The host nation United Arab Emirates, which is competing in its first WWATC, is in 31st place (6-over 150) after the opening round.

Notable:

Defending champion Sweden posted a 2-under 142 and sits tied for 10th. All three Swedes recorded 71’s, including world No. 1 Ingrid Lindblad. Sweden is vying to win consecutive Espirito Santo trophies for the first time in team history.

The United States of America, which finished second a year ago in France, also posted an opening-round total of 142 including a 2-under 70 from Rachel Kuehn.  

Morocco’s Sofia Cherif Essakali, 14, is the youngest player in the field. She recorded a 2-under 70 to position Morocco in a tie for 17th. Last Feburary, she was the only amateur to make the 36-hole cut in the Lalla Meryem Cup, becoming one of the youngest players to achieve that feat in a Ladies European Tour event.

Avani Prashanth’s bogey-free 68 was the lowest round by a player from India in WWATC history.

Sixteen of the 36 teams finished under par on Day 1.

A total of 48 players in the field competed in the 2022 WWATC. Belgium, Chinese Taipei, England, Morocco and New Zealand are fielding the same three players as last year.

Temperatures at Abu Dhabi Golf Club reached 36 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit) with a heat index of 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) during Round 1.

What’s Next:

Round 2 begins Thursday at 6:30 a.m. with a two-tee start on the National Course.

Results from Wednesday’s first  round of the 2023 Women’s World Amateur Team Championships, played at par-72 Abu Dhabi Golf Club (National Course), in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. 

1      Spain – 137
        Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio – 68
        Julia Lopez Ramirez – 69
        Carla Bernat Escuder – 70

2      Canada – 138
        Monet Chun – 69
        Lauren Kim – 69
        Katie Cranston – 74

3      Ireland – 139
        Sara Byrne – 68
        Beth Coulter – 71
        Aine Donegan – 74

T4    India – 140
        Avani Prashanth – 68
        Mannat Brar – 72
        Nishna Patel – 75

T4    Republic of Korea – 140
        Kyorim Seo – 69
        Hyosong Lee – 71
        Minsol Kim – 73

T4    Germany – 140
        Chiara Horder – 69
        Celina Sattelkau – 71
        Helen Briem – 72

T7    Australia – 141
        Justice Bosio – 69
        Maddison Hinson-Tolchard – 72
        Caitlin Peirce – 77

T7    Scotland – 141
        Hannah Darling – 70
        Carmen Griffiths – 71
        Lorna McClymont – 73

T7    Thailand – 141
        Navaporn Soontreeyapas – 69
        Suvichaya Vinijchaitham – 72
        Eila Galitsky – 72

T10   Sweden – 142
        Kajsa Arwefjall – 71
        Meja Ortengren – 71
        Ingrid Lindblad – 71

T10   United States of America – 142
        Rachel Kuehn – 70
        Megan Schofill – 72
        Anna Davis – 73

T10   Colombia – 142
        Ana Sofía Murcia – 71
        Cristina Ochoa – 71
        María Hoyos – 71

T13   Italy – 143
        Natalia Aparicio – 70
        Francesca Fiorellini – 73
        Matilde Partele – 75

T13   Philippines – 143
        Junia Louise Gabasa – 69
        Rianne Malixi – 74
        Grace Pauline Quintanilla – 80

T13   Czechia – 143
        Patricie Mackova – 71
        Denisa Vodickova – 72
        Veronika Kedronova – 73

T13   Norway – 143
        Mia Lussand – 70
        Silje Torvund Ohma – 73
        Anna Krekling – 74

T17   Belgium – 144
        Sophie Bert – 71
        Savannah De Bock – 73
        Celine Manche – 73

T17   Mexico – 144
        Vania Alicia Simont – 71
        Cory Lopez – 73
        Lauren Olivares – 75

T17   Morocco – 144
        Sofia Cherif Essakali – 70
        Malak Bouraeda – 74
        Rim Imni – 80

T17   Chinese Taipei – 144
        Hsin Chun Liao – 72
        Huai-Chieu Hsu – 72
        Ting-Hsuan Huang – 76

T17   England – 144
        Lottie Woad – 72
        Charlotte Heath – 72
        Caley McGinty – 77

T17    Switzerland – 144
        Caroline Sturdza – 71
        Victoria Levy – 73
        Yana Beeli – 77

T23    Hong Kong, China – 145
        Arianna Lau – 71
        Sophie Han – 74
        Hoi Ki Lau – 79

T23    Japan – 145
        Mamika Shinchi – 68
        Mizuki Hashimoto – 77
        Miku Ueta – 78

T23    Singapore – 145
        Inez Ng – 72
        Aloysa Atienza – 73
        Xingtong Chen – 75

26     France – 146
        Adela Cernousek – 72
        Louise Uma Landgraf – 74
        Vairana Heck – 75

27     Netherlands – 147
        Anne den Dunnen – 72
        Rosanna Boere – 75
        Lynn van der Sluijs – 77

T28    Finland – 148
        Henni Mustonen – 73
        Katri Bakker – 75
        Emilia Vaisto – 75

T28    New Zealand – 148
        Vivian Lu – 74
        Eunseo Choi – 74
        Fiona Xu – 74

30     South Africa – 149
        Caitlyn Macnab – 73
        Megan Streicher – 76
        Kajal Mistry – 76

31     United Arab Emirates – 150
        Lara El Chaib – 74
        Intissar Rich – 76
        Jamie Camero – 78

T32    Pakistan – 151
        Humna Amjad – 73
        Parkha Ijaz – 78
        Rimsha Ijaz – 84

T32    Denmark – 151
        Cecilie Leth-Nissen – 75
        Olivia Grønborg – 76
        Natacha Host Husted – 78

34     People’s Republic of China – 152
        Xinyu Cao – 73
        Zixin Ni – 79
        Tong An – 80

35     Chile – 153
        Carolina Alcaino – 75
        Amelia Ruiz – 78
        Michelle Melandri – 78

36     Bolivia – 162
        Connie Quiroga – 80
        Victoria Suarez – 82
        Florencia Cuellar Gutierrez – 87

Building off a successful third round, Canada finished the World Amateur Team Championship strong on Saturday, climbing to a T17 finish with a combined team score of 13-under (146-142-136-139-563) in the 36-team field.

Two members of Team Canada earned top-30 finishes in the individual competition amongst a field of 108 golfers. Brady McKinlay of Lacombe, Alta. fired the low round of the day for Canada with a 3-under 69 to finish the tournament T24 at 7-under (72-72-68-69-281). Ashton McCulloch of Kingston, Ont. recorded a 2-under 70 on Saturday to finish T30 at 6-under (74-70-68-70-282). Piercen Hunt of Hartland, Wis. closed the tournament with a 5-over 77 to finish at 13-over (80-74-70-77-301).

The United States of America surged to its 16th Eisenhower Trophy win, and its first since 2014, on Saturday in the 33rd World Amateur Team Championship at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. David Ford, the No. 5 ranked amateur in the world, posted an 8-under 64, while 2023 U.S. Amateur champion Nick Dunlap contributed a 4-under 68.

On the strength of a red-hot Ford, who was 6-under through his opening six holes, the Americans quickly established an eight-shot cushion midway through the opening nine. Ford rattled off four consecutive birdies followed by an eagle hole-out from 140 yards on the par-4 sixth to kick-start his final round.

Ford’s 64 is the second-lowest individual final round score in World Amateur Team Championship history.

After struggling to get things going early on, Dunlap birdied six of his final 10 holes, leading to his 68, and Gordon Sargent, the low amateur in the 2023 U.S. Open, posted a non-counting 71 for the USA in the fourth round. Dunlap (2), Ford (T-5) and Sargent (T-5), who competed together on last month’s victorious USA Walker Cup team at St Andrews, all finished in the top 5 of the individual scoring.

The USA’s 72-hole hole score of 36-under-par 540 was 11 strokes better than the silver-medal winning Australia and Norway teams. The 11-shot victory was the largest championship margin since Australia’s 19-stroke win in 2016.

Australia used a strong finish by Jack Buchanan (4-under 68), who birdied four of his final five holes, and a counting score from Karl Vilips (2-under 70) to close at 25-under-par 551.

Norway’s silver is its first medal in the country’s 26 Eisenhower appearances. The Norwegians, whose previous best finish was fourth place in 2022, used a 3-under 69 from Herman Sekne and a 2-under 70 from Michael Mjaaseth for a team total of 551.

France finished in fourth place, one stroke behind Australia and Norway at 24-under 552. Italy, the 2022 champions, and New Zealand finished in a tie for fifth place at 553.

The USA receives custody of the Eisenhower Trophy until the next World Amateur Team Championship, which will be held in 2025 in Singapore. Members of the winning team receive gold medals and members of the two second-place teams receive silver medals.

Although there is no official recognition, New Zealand’s Kazuma Kobori, the 2023 Western Amateur champion, was the low individual scorer at 16-under 272.

Notable:

• The USA’s 12-under 132 is tied for the second-lowest final-round team score in championship history (since moving from three to two counting scores in 2002). Singapore also carded a 12-under-132 on Saturday.
• In 33 appearances, the Americans have won 28 total medals (16 gold, nine silver and three bronze).
• The USA is one of seven nations to participate in all 33 World Amateur Team Championships since 1958.
• David Ford’s 29 on the front nine tied the second lowest nine-hole score in championship history, which has occurred six other times.  Denny McCarthy shot a 28 on the front nine during the final round of the USA’s Eisenhower Trophy win in 2014.
• Australia now has 14 medals, which remains second all-time behind the United States.
• Norway’s Michael Mjaaseth finished in a tie for eighth place in the individual scoring after he tied for ninth in 2022. He is the only player to finish in the top 10 both years.
• Czechia (T-8th) registered its best finish in a WATC after placing 22nd in 2018. 
• South Africa finished in seventh place for its first top-10 showing since 1998.
• Kazuma Kobori’s 16-under bested Nick Dunlap by one in the individual scoring. Kobori was the 2023 Elite Amateur Series champion. In addition to his Western Amateur victory this summer, Kobori added top-10 finishes in the Southern Amateur and Trans-Mississippi Amateur.
   

What’s Next:

The 30th Women’s World Amateur Team Championship for the Espirito Santo Trophy will take place beginning Wednesday at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

The 2025 World Amateur Team Championship for the Eisenhower Trophy will be held at Tenah Merah Country Club in Singapore.
 

Results from Saturday’s final round of the 2023 World Amateur Team Championships, played at par-72 Abu Dhabi Golf Club (National Course), in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. 

1      United States of America 135-137-136-132–540
        Nick Dunlap 69-67-69-68–273
        David Ford 68-74-69-64–275
        Gordon Sargent 67-70-67-71—275

T2     Norway 144-134-134-139–551
        Herman Sekne 73-64-68-69–274
        Michael Mjaaseth 71-70-66-70–277
        Mats Ege 75-77-71-70–293
T2     Australia 137-137-139-138–551
        Jeff Guan 68-69-68-72–277
        Karl Vilips 69-68-73-70–280
        Jack Buchanan 76-72-71-68—287

4      France 135-138-139-140–552
        Bastien Amat 68-70-67-69–274
        Hugo Le Goff 67-68-72-71–278
        Paul Beauvy 68-73-74-73—288

T5     New Zealand 139-139-139-136–553
        Kazuma Kobori 70-70-67-65–272
        Sam Jones 69-72-72-71–284
        Jayden Ford 74-69-73-72—288

T5     Italy 142-138-136-137–553
        Pietro Bovari 69-67-69-70–275
        Flavio Michetti 73-73-67-67–280
        Riccardo Fantinelli 74-71-70-71—286

7      South Africa 139-138-138-139–554
        Christo Lamprecht 71-68-68-70–277
        Christiaan Maas 70-70-71-69–280
        Altin van der Merwe 69-71-70-71—281

T8     Czechia 139-135-140-142–556
        Filip Jakubcik 69-67-70-71–277
        Petr Hruby 72-68-70-73–283
        Louis Klein 70-72-73-71—286

T8     Ireland 145-139-138-134–556
        Matthew McClean 72-68-68-69–277
        Alex Maguire 73-73-72-65–283
        Liam Nolan 75-71-70-70—286

10     Netherlands 136-140-139-142–557
        Jack Ingham 70-70-69-73–282
        Benjamin Reuter 66-71-76-71–284
        Lars van der Vight 77-70-70-71—288

T11    Denmark 137-138-143-142–560
        Jacob Olesen 68-71-71-71–281
        Frederik Kjettrup 75-67-72-71–285
        Gustav Frimodt 69-75-72-71—287

T11    Spain 138-140-142-140–560
        José Luis Ballester 69-72-68-69–278
        Luis Masaveu Roncal 69-70-74-71–284
        Angel Ayora 71-70-76-78—295

T11    Mexico 143-133-142-142–560
        Santiago De La Fuente del Valle 71-66-72-71–280
        Omar Morales 72-68-70-71–281
        José Islas Valdespino 75-67-74-75—291

14     Argentina 137-138-146-140–561
        Joaquín Ludueña 70-70-74-67–281
        Vicente Marzilio 69-68-72-75–284
        Segundo Oliva Pinto 68-72-76-73—289

T15    England 137-143-142-140–562
        Tyler Weaver 68-71-70-71–280
        Jack Bigham 72-72-72-69–285
        Barclay Brown 69-73-72-75—289

T15    Germany 141-141-145-135–562
        Jonas Baumgartner 71-70-70-69–280
        Tim Wiedemeyer 70-72-75-68–285
        Tiger Christensen 73-71-76-67—287

T17    Canada 146-142-136-139–563
        Brady McKinlay 72-72-68-69–281
        Ashton McCulloch 74-70-68-70–282
        Piercen Hunt 80-74-70-77—301

T17    Chinese Taipei 143-136-141-143–563
        Chuan-Tai Lin 72-66-72-72–282
        Ching Hung Su 71-70-72-75–288
        Chi Chun Chen 74-77-69-71—291

T17    Wales 142-139-141-141–563
        Tomi Bowen 70-71-70-71–282
        Matt Roberts 75-71-75-70–291
        James Ashfield 72-68-71-80—291

T17    Japan 142-140-141-140–563
        Yuta Sugiura 72-70-71-69–282
        Riura Matsui 75-70-73-71–289
        Minato Oshima 70-70-70-80—290

T21    Scotland 141-140-140-145–566
        Connor Graham 70-71-68-69–278
        Calum Scott 71-69-72-76–288
        Gregor Tait 78-79-72-76—305

T21    Switzerland 142-142-143-139–566
        Max Sturdza 70-68-71-73–282
        Nicola Gerhardsen 74-74-72-70–290
        Marc Keller 72-80-75-69—296

T21    People’s Republic of China 138-135-144-149–566
        Justin Bai 69-68-73-76–286
        Zihang Qiu 69-67-71-83–290
        Ziqin Zhou 76-69-79-73—297

24     Morocco 141-142-143-141–567
        Soufiane Dahmane 69-69-72-75–285
        Hugo Mazen Trometter 72-74-71-70–287
        El Mehdi Fakori 75-73-73-71—292

T25    Colombia 142-139-138-149–568
        Nicolas Quintero 69-69-67-76–281
        Carlos Conde 73-72-71-75–291
        Manuel Merizalde 76-70-73-74—293

T25    Republic of Korea 144-142-135-147–568
        Seonghyeon An 73-70-65-75–283
        Donghyun Moon 71-72-70-72–285
        Sungho Lee 74-72-74-85—305

T27    Sweden 145-141-140-143–569
        Daniel Svard 70-71-73-71–285
        Tobias Jonsson 75-71-69-72–287
        Albert Hansson 79-70-71-73—293

T27    Guatemala 146-143-139-141–569
        Gabriel Palacios 72-70-73-70–285
        Juan Ricardo Davila 74-74-66-73–287
        Alejandro Villavicencio 82-73-73-71—299

T29    Austria 147-144-138-142–571
        Christoph Bleier 73-71-66-67–277
        Fabian Lang 78-73-72-75–298
        Florian Schweighofer 74-77-79-77—307

T29    Singapore 154-142-143-132–571
        Hiroshi Hirahara Tai 79-71-72-65–287
        Ryan Ang 78-71-71-67–287
        Troy Storm 76-78-75-74—303

T31    Finland 149-139-144-141–573
        Elias Haavisto 77-67-71-71–286
        Jesse Saareks 74-72-76-70–292
        Markus Luoma 75-75-73-79—302

T31    Thailand 149-145-141-138–573
        Ashita Piamkulvanich 74-70-70-66–280
        Parin Sarasmut 75-75-71-72–293
        Jiradech Chaowarat 75-77-73-77—302

33     India 150-142-148-142–582
        Yuvraj Singh 74-70-72-71–287
        Shaurya Bhattacharya 76-73-76-71–296
        Rohit Narwal 79-72-76-74—301

34     Zimbabwe 143-147-151-144–585
        Tafadzwa Nyamukondiwa 70-72-74-78–294
        David Amm 73-76-77-69–295
        Keegan James Shutt 82-75-78-75—310

35     United Arab Emirates 155-153-153-154–615
        Rayan Ahmed 79-79-75-77–310
        Ahmad Skaik 80-74-80-77–311
        Thomas Nesbitt 76-80-78-79—313

36     Guam 169-158-157-161–645
        Markus Nanpei 86-80-74-74–314
        Nalapon Vongjalorn 84-78-83-87–332
        Eugene Park 85-86-85-89–345

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.

Amos Robinson, Oaks Golf & Country Club, Hole #6

It was 194 yards and I hit a 4 iron. I was golfing with my wife.

Andy Brown, Homestead at Wolf Ridge, Hole #11

I am still buzzing after that day. I’ve been golfing for 30 years and that was my first! My partners that day were Elton Neuman and Lloyd Peters, it was a cool Fall day and the 11th was playing 159 yards into the wind. I took a 7 iron and have to admit, I flushed it. The green is tiered so unfortunately, I didn’t see it go in, I thought it had run through the green but Elton said to look in the hole, and there it was! I’m not sure what was more exciting, the hole-in-one or the fact that I was with these two great friends when it happened.

Andrew Bouchat, Belleview Golf Club, Hole #11

September 24, 2023 was a mild fall day with blustery winds. I was playing with two friends and having a decent round. The shot on the 11th hole was slightly left of the pin and based on the ball mark, landed three yards from the hole – bounced once and ran towards the cup and disappeared. The three of us thought it was behind the cup. As I walked off the tee, I could see that there was no ball on the green; raised my arms and said, “It went in.” loud enough, that my wife Claire, who also has two holes-in-one, and was putting on the 10th green, heard the excitement. I shot 76 and told the Golf Course Manager (Josh) who sent a notification to the Membership via Facebook. After 50 years with no aces, I now have two this year!

Arjun Punthambekar, Don Valley Golf Club, Hole #7

I headed to the course as a single and was joined by a twosome and another single. It was an ordinary round until hole #7, a 165 yard par 3, and the pin was placed in the front.

It was an 8 iron that I made good contact and saw it shaping towards the hole and bounce on the green. It looked like it popped into the hole but I couldn’t believe it, and told one of my playing partners that it might be behind the flag.

But he was certain, and sure enough when we went to the green it was in the hole, can’t quite describe the feeling.

Cecil Chung, The Quarry Golf Course, Hole #6

That day, Wednesday, October 11, 2023, my playing partners were Don Descotes and Lewis Murray, who are also members at The Quarry and with whom I golf regularly. It was hole #6 on Slate. It measured 138 yards into a slight breeze and I used a 7 iron.

Cory Reierson, Mount Paul Golf, Hole #5

It was my second-ever ace on a 94-yard hole. I used a 60-degree wedge.

Dennis Small, Peninsula Lakes Golf Club, Hole #8

We were playing the final round of our Men’s League season at Peninsula Lakes Golf Club. The format for the day was a shotgun start with a five-man best ball. My playing partners were David Drosky, Kevin Shaw, Fred Ciszek and Brad Splawinski. We were on the 130 yard par three 8th hole on the Orchard 9. It was late in the afternoon, and we were playing into the sun which made it difficult to see the balls land. When we got to the green the other guys all found their balls but mine was nowhere to be seen. Kevin suggested that maybe it was in the hole. Surprise! That’s where we found it. My very first hole-in-one.

Ernie Lascelles, Smuggler’s Glen Golf Course, Hole #16

My first was 10 years ago in Florida. That time the hole was on the backside of a mound, so we didn’t see it go in. This time was extra special because I was playing with my two sons and a very good friend, and we saw the ball actually go in the hole. According to my son’s rangefinder the flag was 124 yards from the tee, and I used an 8 iron.

Franklin Lee, Wildstone Golf Course, Hole #12

This was my very first hole-in-one. I couldn’t have picked a better time for it to happen. It was during an annual trip with a number of buddies which is named the Fanatic’s Tour. This trip has been going on for 37 years in one form or another and this was the first ace in its history. For the past number of years, the tour has been played for five days in the Kimberley/Cranbrook area and the group has grown in size to 20 to 24 guys from Edmonton, A.B. and Victoria, B.C. This year we had one buddy come in from Ireland to play for the first time. He couldn’t stop talking about the amazing scenery and courses here he’s never experienced anything like it back home.

My hole-in-one was on Thursday. Sept 14^th which was day one of the Ryder Cup. It was on hole #12 at Wildstone in Cranbrook. It’s kind of an island green playing about 120 yards and I used my 9 iron. I hit it clean and saw it hit the green and then it disappeared. I didn’t see it go in, but my buddies Jim, Bill and Boyd all yelled, “It’s in the hole!” It wasn’t until I walked over the bridge onto the green and looked into the hole that I believed it. I can’t describe my feeling as I picked it out. I don’t think my smile left my face for the rest of the trip. All 24 of us plus a few more new friends we met in the clubhouse celebrated with a toast afterwards. It was a good bar tab but well worth it! The group at Wildstone was kind enough to present me with a flag in recognition of the accomplishment and it’s something I’ll treasure forever.

George Stokes, Deerridge Golf, Hole #16

As a member at Deerridge Golf in Kitchener, I aced the 16th hole on Friday and five days later I aced the 4th hole. I finally aced all four par threes at Deerridge which has been done by only one other member. By the way, my ace on Wednesday was my 14th. I am 81 years of age.

Gregg Fabris, Idylwylde Golf & Country Club, Hole #7

Definitively a special moment that I was fortunate enough to share with my Dad, old high school friend and his father. The hole was playing 185 into the wind with a middle pin placement. Hit a 6 iron about four feet short, hopped once and rolled straight in. Great way to end the golf season here in Northern Ontario.

Jeff Derbyshire, Moncton Golf & Country Club, Hole #17

Sunday’s hole-in-one was my single greatest achievement. Hole #17 at Moncton golf course is uphill so we couldn’t see it go in from the tee. I was playing with my friends and colleagues Andrew Jones and Jason Crane. It was 140 yards, cold, breezy, back pin with an 8 iron. Perfection.

Jeff Diduck, Country Hills Golf Club, Hole #10

I had my first career hole-in-one on Thanksgiving; Monday, October 9th, 2023. My group of Scott Secord, Ian Secord and Tyler Foster of Country Hills Golf Club in Calgary had the first tee time on our Ridge course. No frost delay today and it got hot in a hurry. The round didn’t start off very well as I had a double bogey followed by a bogey, so my expectations for the rest of the round were pretty low at that point.

We made our way around the front nine and I was able to keep it somewhat respectable. We had a little game going with Tyler and myself getting beat up pretty good by Ian and Scott. So, Tyler and I had a little pep talk at the halfway house. We knew we needed to get some birdies going if we were going to have any chance. We headed down to the 10^th hole. A par 3 playing 184 yards that day. However, just as we made our way to the tee, the wind started to pick up. I was a little behind getting to the tee as I watched from a distance, Scott and Ian hit their shots onto the green. When I finally pulled my bag up to the tee Tyler was just getting ready to hit. I asked the guys about distance and started doing some quick calculations to figure out what club I was going to hit. 184 yards is a stock 7 iron for me but as I mentioned, the wind was starting to blow. The gusts were pretty strong and I wasn’t confident in a 6 iron being enough club. I grabbed my 5 iron and decided to choke down on it, take some off and keep it down under the wind.

I hit it perfectly! The ball came off the club just as I had hoped and never left the flagstick! As I held my finish, we all watched that ball take one bounce short of the hole and then disappear.

The guys behind me went crazy and it took me a second to actually let myself believe that it went in, as I’ve had years of close calls and disappointments.

It took me about two holes after that ball went in to get my heart rate back to normal. But I was able to follow up the ace with a birdie on the par 5 11th, so that was sweet!

Kathy Foster, Picton Golf & Country Club, Hole #2

It was 116 yards with a 7 wood.

Marva Opperman, Glacier Greens Golf Club, Hole #17

On Thursday, I was playing with my friends, Yvonne Higgs and June Fraser and we were on the 17th hole. My goal was to hit high and hope to place it well on the green. I was using my 5 hybrid. My ball flew high and I watched it land on the green, then roll into the hole, 135 yards, and I couldn’t believe it. I think we were all in disbelief. We had to walk up and check for sure and let it sink in. I think Yvonne was more excited than I, until it sunk in.

Mike Cameron, Avondale Golf Course, Hole #8

I was playing with my brother, John Cameron. Hole #8, from the senior tees is 110 yards, uphill and I used a 9 iron. Besides my brother John, the shot was witnessed by two gentlemen I did not know, who were getting ready to tee off from the white tees on hole #8.

Piercen Hunt, Colombia’s Esteban Restrepo, Hole #4

Piercen Hunt made his first career hole-in-one. Pitching wedge from 134 yards/123 meters on the par 3 fourth hole. It was the first WATC ace since the final round of the 2018 championship (Colombia’s Esteban Restrepo, 7th hole).

Rick Ferguson, Willow Valley Golf Course, Hole #15

This is my fifth hole-in-one. It was 115 yards and I used a pitching wedge.

Ron Kulperger, Oaks of St. George Golf Club, Hole #17

I was playing with my brother Len Kulperger, and fellow members Dan Demurak and Dwayne McDonald. The hole was set up short that day at about 70 yards. I used my sand wedge. My fifth ace, but my first at my home club. A truly tremendous feeling.

Sandra Culp, Nanton Golf Club, Hole #3

I was with two ladies from my ladies’ league, Lee and Charlene. It’s a par 3 and 145 yards. The pin was back and to the left of the center. I used my 5 wood and I hit it long and to the right of the pin, hit the green and it curved down about six feet into the hole.

Scott Warren, Cottonwood Coulee Golf Course, Hole #16

This is my third career hole-in-one. Ironically my first came in June of ’94 also at Cottonwood Coulee in Medicine Hat, Alberta on the 16^th hole. But since that time the 9’s have been reversed and that is now the 7^th hole. On Sunday I aced the 16^th while playing with Dan Pede and Kevin Conrad. It was the first time I played the course in six years and the 16^th usually gives me a lot of problems. On this day things would be different. I struck a 6 hybrid perfectly, the ball hit before the ridge, then trickled over and filtered down to the pin which was in a tough back right location. Right away I thought it had a chance but we couldn’t see it go in because the pin was tucked in behind that ridge. As we walked toward the green the group on the 17^th tee offered congratulations as at least one of them saw it go in from their vantage point. Dan walked toward the hole pointed down then gave me a thumbs up.

My three aces have all been on the 16^th hole. The first was in ’94 as previously mentioned, the second was in August of ’14 on the 16^th at Riverview Golf Club and then the one on Sunday.

Sheldon Kitzul, Prairie Lake Lodge, Hole #6

It was my first ace and was 150 yards with a 9 iron.

Sheldon Warner, King’s Riding Golf Club, Hole #12

It was 147 yards to the flag and I used an 8 iron. I met the three other guys in my group for the first time that day.

Tony Lye, Bally Haly Country Club – North, Hole #2

I was playing with my wife Cindy and two friends, Scott and Bob. I hit a nine iron to 131 yards on hole #2 on the Bally Haly North Course to record my hole-in-one. The wind was blowing a little to the right that day and Bob just hit a nice shot left of the hole. I said to Bob I was going to use his ball as a target. My ball went right over Bob’s and just found its way to nestle in the hole. It was a fantastic experience made that much better to have my wife, Cindy, with me. I believe Scott was more excited when I got mine then he was when he recorded his own a couple years earlier.

Troy Yuzik, Willow Park Golf and Country Club, Hole #6

It was 168 yards with a 7 iron.

Val Mieras, Gorge Vale Golf Club, Hole #10

I was playing with friends and we all saw the ball fly over the pond and roll into the hole. Since we started on the back, this 8 iron was the first shot of the day.

William Sparks, Savannah Golf Links, Hole #3

On September 19, 2023, I enjoyed scoring my very first, hole-in-one at Savannah Golf Links, in Cambridge, Ontario. On the par 3 hole #3, playing 104 yards, I scored the ace with an 8 iron.

On October 3rd (14 days later), playing at Savannah Golf Links, I scored my second ever on the very same hole. On this date the hole was playing 106 yards. 8 iron again.

I have witnesses for both dates. I have trophies now, marking these awesome dates.

Piercen Hunt recorded first career hole-in-one on par-3 fourth hole

Team Canada had a day to remember on Friday, highlighted by Piercen Hunt’s first career hole-in-one on the par-3 fourth hole at the World Amateur Team Championship. Hunt, from Hartland, Wis. hit a pitching wedge from 136 yards to record the ace. It was the first WATC ace since the final round of the 2018 championship, which was recorded by Esteban Restrepo of Colombia. “That’s my first ever hole-in-one. It landed a bit short [of the hole], took a couple hops and went in. It was crazy,” said Hunt. He finished the day with a 2-under 70 to sit at 8-over for the tournament.

Teammates Ashton McCulloch of Kingston, Ont. and Brady McKinlay of Lacombe, Alta. both fired rounds of 4-under 68 to move Canada up to 23rd place and combined score of 8-under for the tournament. Both McCulloch and McKinlay are T38 in the individual standings at 4-under for the tournament.

The United States of America, propelled by a 5-under 67 from world No. 2 Gordon Sargent, tallied 14 birdies amongst its three players and strengthened its lead to four stokes after Round 3 of the World Amateur Team Championship at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. Sargent, who leads the individual leaderboard at 12-under par, rattled off four birdies in his opening eight holes, highlighted by a 35-foot putt on the par-4 sixth.

The Americans, who are seeking their first Eisenhower Trophy win since 2014, stand at 24-under par at 408 with France and Norway sharing a tie for second at 412. The USA’s Nick Dunlap and David Ford each finished with 3-under 69s, bringing the team’s third round tally to an 8-under 136. Only two of each team’s best three scores count toward the total.

France, with a 5-under 67 from Bastien Amat and a 72 from Hugo Le Goff, lost ground to the Americans while remaining in second place alongside Norway.

Norway, which is eyeing its first medal in team history, climbed nine places on the strength of a 6-under 66 showing from Michael Mjaaseth and a 4-under 68 from Herman Sekne, who is No. 24 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking®. The 10-under team total led the field in the third round.

Australia remains in solo fourth place with a three-day total of 413 after a 4-under 68 from Jeffrey Guan and a 71 from Jack Buchanon. 

Czechia holds fifth place at 414, followed by the Netherlands and South Africa tied for sixth. The defending champion Italians are eight strokes off the lead in solo eighth place.

Notable:

• USA is attempting to become the fifth wire-to-wire champion in Eisenhower Trophy history, and the first since 2012. The Americans have done so twice before in 2004 and 2012.
• France is seeking its first Eisenhower medal since winning gold in 2010.
• Gordon Sargent has posted rounds of 67-70-67 to lead the individual scoring by one over six players.
• Canada’s Piercen Hunt made a hole-in-one on the par-3 4th hole (136 yards/124 meters) with a pitching wedge. It was the first hole-in-one in Eisenhower Trophy competition since Colombia’s Esteban Restrepo aced the 7th hole at Carton House Golf Club in Ireland in 2018.
• The Republic of Korea tied Norway for the largest leaderboard move on Friday, climbing nine spots into a tie for 16th place based on a 9-under 135 team score led by Seonghyeon An‘s 7-under 65.
• Czechia is in position for its best-ever Eisenhower finish. The Czech’s current best (22nd place) came in 2018.
• South Africa, which jumped four spots into a tie for sixth after Round 3, is seeking its first top-10 finish since 1998.
• Temperatures at Abu Dhabi Golf Club peaked at 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) with a heat index of 42 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit) during the third round.
   

What’s Next:

The final round begins Saturday at 6:30 a.m. local time with a two-tee start on the National Course at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. The leading teams of USA, France and Norway will occupy the final tee times of 12:06, 12:17 and 12:28 p.m. off the 1st tee.

Results from Friday’s third round of the 2023 World Amateur Team Championships, played at par-72 Abu Dhabi Golf Club (National Course), in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. 

1      United States of America, USA 135-137-136–408
          Nick Dunlap 69-67-69–205
          Gordon Sargent 67-70-67–204
          David Ford 68-74-69—211

T2     France, FRA 135-138-139–412
          Hugo Le Goff 67-68-72–207
          Bastien Amat 68-70-67–205
          Paul Beauvy 68-73-74—215

T2     Norway, NOR 144-134-134–412
          Herman Sekne 73-64-68–205
          Michael Mjaaseth 71-70-66–207
          Mats Ege 75-77-71–223

4      Australia, AUS 137-137-139–413
          Karl Vilips 69-68-73–210
          Jeff Guan 68-69-68–205
          Jack Buchanan 76-72-71—219

5      Czechia, CZE 139-135-140–414
          Filip Jakubcik 69-67-70–206
          Petr Hruby 72-68-70–210
          Louis Klein 70-72-73—215

T6     Netherlands, NED 136-140-139–415
          Jack Ingham 70-70-69–209
          Lars van der Vight 77-70-70–217
          Benjamin Reuter 66-71-76—213

T6     South Africa, RSA 139-138-138–415
          Christo Lamprecht 71-68-68–207
          Christiaan Maas 70-70-71–211
          Altin van der Merwe 69-71-70—210

8      Italy, ITA 142-138-136–416
          Pietro Bovari 69-67-69–205
          Riccardo Fantinelli 74-71-70–215
          Flavio Michetti 73-73-67—213

T9     New Zealand, NZL 139-139-139–417
          Jayden Ford 74-69-73–216
          Kazuma Kobori 70-70-67–207
          Sam Jones 69-72-72—213

T9     People’s Republic of China, CHN 138-135-144–417
          Zihang Qiu 69-67-71–207
          Justin Bai 69-68-73–210
          Ziqin Zhou 76-69-79—224

T11    Denmark, DEN 137-138-143–418
          Frederik Kjettrup 75-67-72–214
          Jacob Olesen 68-71-71–210
          Gustav Frimodt 69-75-72—216

T11    Mexico, MEX 143-133-142–418
          Santiago De La Fuente del Valle 71-66-72–209
          José Islas Valdespino 75-67-74–216
          Omar Morales 72-68-70—210

13     Colombia, COL 142-139-138–419
          Nicolas Quintero 69-69-67–205
          Manuel Merizalde 76-70-73–219
          Carlos Conde 73-72-71—216

T14    Chinese Taipei, TPE 143-136-141–420
          Chuan-Tai Lin 72-66-72–210
          Ching Hung Su 71-70-72–213
          Chi Chun Chen 74-77-69—220

T14    Spain, ESP 138-140-142–420
          Luis Masaveu Roncal 69-70-74–213
          Angel Ayora 71-70-76–217
          José Luis Ballester 69-72-68—209

T16    Republic of Korea, KOR 144-142-135–421
          Seonghyeon An 73-70-65–208
          Donghyun Moon 71-72-70–213
          Sungho Lee 74-72-74—220

T16    Argentina, ARG 137-138-146–421
          Vicente Marzilio 69-68-72–209
          Joaquín Ludueña 70-70-74–214
          Segundo Oliva Pinto 68-72-76—216

T16    Scotland, SCO 141-140-140–421
          Calum Scott 71-69-72–212
          Connor Graham 70-71-68–209
          Gregor Tait 78-79-72—229

T19    Wales, WAL 142-139-141–422
          James Ashfield 72-68-71–211
          Tomi Bowen 70-71-70–211
          Matt Roberts 75-71-75—221

T19    Ireland, IRL 145-139-138–422
          Matthew McClean 72-68-68–208
          Liam Nolan 75-71-70–216
          Alex Maguire 73-73-72—218

T19    England, ENG 137-143-142–422
          Tyler Weaver 68-71-70–209
          Jack Bigham 72-72-72–216
          Barclay Brown 69-73-72—214

22     Japan, JPN 142-140-141–423
          Minato Oshima 70-70-70–210
          Yuta Sugiura 72-70-71–213
          Riura Matsui 75-70-73—218

23     Canada, CAN 146-142-136–424
          Ashton McCulloch 74-70-68–212
          Brady McKinlay 72-72-68–212
          Piercen Hunt 80-74-70—224

T24    Morocco, MAR 141-142-143–426
          Soufiane Dahmane 69-69-72–210
          El Mehdi Fakori 75-73-73–221
          Hugo Mazen Trometter 72-74-71—217

T24    Sweden, SWE 145-141-140–426
          Albert Hansson 79-70-71–220
          Daniel Svard 70-71-73–214
          Tobias Jonsson 75-71-69—215

T26    Germany, GER 141-141-145–427
          Jonas Baumgartner 71-70-70–211
          Tiger Christensen 73-71-76–220
          Tim Wiedemeyer 70-72-75—217

T26    Switzerland, SUI 142-142-143–427
          Max Sturdza 70-68-71–209
          Nicola Gerhardsen 74-74-72–220
          Marc Keller 72-80-75—227

28     Guatemala, GUA 146-143-139–428
          Gabriel Palacios 72-70-73–215
          Alejandro Villavicencio 82-73-73–228
          Juan Ricardo Davila 74-74-66—214

29     Austria, AUT 147-144-138–429
          Christoph Bleier 73-71-66–210
          Fabian Lang 78-73-72–223
          Florian Schweighofer 74-77-79—230

30     Finland, FIN 149-139-144–432
          Elias Haavisto 77-67-71–215
          Jesse Saareks 74-72-76–222
          Markus Luoma 75-75-73—223

31     Thailand, THA 149-145-141–435
          Ashita Piamkulvanich 74-70-70–214
          Parin Sarasmut 75-75-71–221
          Jiradech Chaowarat 75-77-73—225

32     Singapore, SIN 154-142-143–439
          Ryan Ang 78-71-71–220
          Hiroshi Hirahara Tai 79-71-72–222
          Troy Storm 76-78-75—229

33     India, IND 150-142-148–440
          Yuvraj Singh 74-70-72–216
          Rohit Narwal 79-72-76–227
          Shaurya Bhattacharya 76-73-76—225

34     Zimbabwe, ZIM 143-147-151–441
          Tafadzwa Nyamukondiwa 70-72-74–216
          Keegan James Shutt 82-75-78–235
          David Amm 73-76-77—226

35     United Arab Emirates, UAE 155-153-153–461
          Ahmad Skaik 80-74-80–234
          Rayan Ahmed 79-79-75–233
          Thomas Nesbitt 76-80-78—234

36     Guam, GUM 169-158-157–484
          Nalapon Vongjalorn 84-78-83–245
          Markus Nanpei 86-80-74–240
          Eugene Park 85-86-85–256

The United States of America’s Nick Dunlap, who is No. 4 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR®, tallied seven birdies en route to a 5-under 67 at Abu Dhabi Golf Club to position the Americans one stroke clear of France and the People’s Republic of China through the second round of the 33rd World Amateur Team Championship.

Team Canada currently sits tied for 27th at even par 288. Ashton McCulloch of Kingston, Ont. lead the way for Canada on Thursday by firing a 2-under 70 to sit at even par for the tournament. Brady McKinlay of Lacombe, Alta. recorded an even par 72 for the second straight day. Their scores counted towards the combined team score to help move Canada from 2-over to even par after two rounds. Teammate Piercen Hunt of Hartland, Wis. finished with a 2-over 74 and is now at 10-over for the tournament.

USA also used a 2-under 70 from world No. 2 Gordon Sargent, who officially earned PGA Tour membership on Wednesday via PGA Tour University Accelerated, for a two-day total of 16-under 272. After a slow team start, Dunlap and Sargent combined for five birdies during a four-hole stretch at the conclusion of their first nine.

France, which held a share of the lead at the start of the day, was led by 15-year-old Hugo Le Goff’s 4-under 68 and a 2-under 70 from 2023 U.S. Open qualifier Bastien Amat. Hugo, a 2023 R&A Boys’ Amateur semifinalist, had an eagle and three birdies through his first seven holes.

The People’s Republic of China, which finished in a tie for 31st last year in France, moved up six places on the leader board on the strength of a 5-under 67 from Zihang Qiu and a 4-under 68 from Justin Bai, who has committed to play at the University of Washington in 2024.

Australia remains two strokes behind the USA in a tie for fourth place with Czechia on the strength of another steady day from two-time Australian Junior Amateur champion Jeffrey Guan and Stanford University senior Karl Vilips. Guan and Vilips, who qualified for the 2023 U.S. Open, traded a pair of 67s and 68s during the first two rounds to lead the Aussies to a 14-under total of 270.

Frederik Kjettrup rebounded from an opening-round 75 with a 5-under 67 on Thursday to position Demark in a tie for sixth alongside Argentina at 275. Jacob Skov Olesen added a 71 for Denmark.

Completing the top 10 are Mexico and The Netherlands with team totals of 12-under 276. 

Notable: 

France’s Le Goff (9-under 135) leads the individual leaderboard by one stroke over Czechia’s Filip Jakubcik, Italy’s Pietro Bovari, the People’s Republic of China’s Zihang Qiu and the USA’s Nick Dunlap.

Bovari made two eagles during his second-round 5-under 67 for the defending champion Italian team, which sits in a tie for 15th place. Italy is attempting to become the first team to win consecutive WATC titles since the USA did so in 2012 and 2014.

Mexico and Norway made the largest moves of the day, both climbing 13 places. Mexico jumped into a tie for eighth, while Norway moved into a tie for 11th thanks to an 8-under 64 from Herman Sekne that included nine birdies. Sekne’s 64 is the lowest round of the championship thus far.

Australia, the People’s Republic of China and the USA are the only countries with two players in the top 10 of the individual leader board.

With his U.S. Amateur win in August, Nick Dunlap joined Tiger Woods as the only players to win the U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Amateur. 

What’s Next: 

Round 3 begins Friday at 6:30 a.m. local time with a two-tee start on the National Course at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

Results from Thursday’s second round of the 2023 World Amateur Team Championships, played at par-72 Abu Dhabi Golf Club (National Course), in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

1      United States of America 135-137–272
        Nick Dunlap 69-67–136
        Gordon Sargent 67-70–137
        David Ford 68-74—142

T2    People’s Republic of China 138-135–273
        Zihang Qiu 69-67–136
        Justin Bai 69-68–137
        Ziqin Zhou 76-69—145

T2    France 135-138–273
        Hugo Le Goff 67-68–135
        Bastien Amat 68-70–138
        Paul Beauvy 68-73—141

T4    Czechia 139-135–274
        Filip Jakubcik 69-67–136
        Petr Hruby 72-68–140
        Louis Klein 70-72—142

T4    Australia 137-137–274
        Karl Vilips 69-68–137
        Jeff Guan 68-69–137
        Jack Buchanan 76-72—148

T6    Argentina 137-138–275
        Vicente Marzilio 69-68–137
        Joaquín Ludueña 70-70–140
        Segundo Oliva Pinto 68-72—140

T6    Denmark 137-138–275
        Frederik Kjettrup 75-67–142
        Jacob Olesen 68-71–139
        Gustav Frimodt 69-75—144

T8    Mexico 143-133–276
        Santiago De La Fuente del Valle 71-66–137
        José Islas Valdespino 75-67–142
        Omar Morales 72-68—140

T8    Netherlands 136-140–276
        Jack Ingham 70-70–140
        Lars van der Vight 77-70–147
        Benjamin Reuter 66-71—137

10    South Africa 139-138–277
        Christo Lamprecht 71-68–139
        Christiaan Maas 70-70–140
        Altin van der Merwe 69-71—140

T11  New Zealand 139-139–278
        Jayden Ford 74-69–143
        Kazuma Kobori 70-70–140
        Sam Jones 69-72—141

T11  Spain 138-140–278
        Luis Masaveu Roncal 69-70–139
        Angel Ayora 71-70–141
        José Luis Ballester 69-72—141

T11  Norway 144-134–278
        Herman Sekne 73-64–137
        Michael Mjaaseth 71-70–141
        Mats Ege 75-77—152

14    Chinese Taipei 143-136–279
        Chuan-Tai Lin 72-66–138
        Ching Hung Su 71-70–141
        Chi Chun Chen 74-77—151

T15  England 137-143–280
        Tyler Weaver 68-71–139
        Jack Bigham 72-72–144
        Barclay Brown 69-73—142

T15  Italy 142-138–280
        Pietro Bovari 69-67–136
        Riccardo Fantinelli 74-71–145
        Flavio Michetti 73-73—146

T17  Colombia 142-139–281
        Nicolas Quintero 69-69–138
        Manuel Merizalde 76-70–146
        Carlos Conde 73-72—145

T17  Scotland 141-140–281
        Calum Scott 71-69–140
        Connor Graham 70-71–141
        Gregor Tait 78-79—157

T17  Wales 142-139–281
        James Ashfield 72-68–140
        Tomi Bowen 70-71–141
        Matt Roberts 75-71—146

T20  Japan 142-140–282
        Minato Oshima 70-70–140
        Yuta Sugiura 72-70–142
        Riura Matsui 75-70—145

T20  Germany 141-141–282
        Jonas Baumgartner 71-70–141
        Tiger Christensen 73-71–144
        Tim Wiedemeyer 70-72—142

22    Morocco 141-142–283
        Soufiane Dahmane 69-69–138
        El Mehdi Fakori 75-73–148
        Hugo Mazen Trometter 72-74—146

T23  Ireland 145-139–284
        Matthew McClean 72-68–140
        Liam Nolan 75-71–146
        Alex Maguire 73-73—146

T23  Switzerland 142-142–284
        Max Sturdza 70-68–138
        Nicola Gerhardsen 74-74–148
        Marc Keller 72-80—152

T25  Sweden 145-141–286
        Albert Hansson 79-70–149
        Daniel Svard 70-71–141
        Tobias Jonsson 75-71—146

T25  Republic of Korea 144-142–286
        Seonghyeon An 73-70–143
        Donghyun Moon 71-72–143
        Sungho Lee 74-72—146

T27  Finland 149-139–288
        Elias Haavisto 77-67–144
        Jesse Saareks 74-72–146
        Markus Luoma 75-75—150

T27  Canada 146-142–288
        Ashton McCulloch 74-70–144
        Brady McKinlay 72-72–144
        Piercen Hunt 80-74—154

29    Guatemala 146-143–289
        Gabriel Palacios 72-70–142
        Alejandro Villavicencio 82-73–155
        Juan Ricardo Davila 74-74—148

30    Zimbabwe 143-147–290
        Tafadzwa Nyamukondiwa 70-72–142
        Keegan James Shutt 82-75–157
        David Amm 73-76—149

31    Austria 147-144–291
        Christoph Bleier 73-71–144
        Fabian Lang 78-73–151
        Florian Schweighofer 74-77—151

32    India 150-142–292
        Yuvraj Singh 74-70–144
        Rohit Narwal 79-72–151
        Shaurya Bhattacharya 76-73—149

33    Thailand 149-145–294
        Ashita Piamkulvanich 74-70–144
        Parin Sarasmut 75-75–150
        Jiradech Chaowarat 75-77—152

34    Singapore 154-142–296
        Ryan Ang 78-71–149
        Hiroshi Hirahara Tai 79-71–150
        Troy Storm 76-78—154

35    United Arab Emirates 155-153–308
        Ahmad Skaik 80-74–154
        Rayan Ahmed 79-79–158
        Thomas Nesbitt 76-80—156

36    Guam 169-158–327
        Nalapon Vongjalorn 84-78–162
        Markus Nanpei 86-80–166
        Eugene Park 85-86–171

Canadians Adam Hadwin and Taylor Pendrith both finished near the top of the leaderboard at the Shriners Children’s Open and are resting this week as they consider what to do next.

Hadwin finished second at TPC Summerlin on Sunday, one shot behind eventual winner Tom Kim of South Korea. Pendrith was in a group tied for third, a shot back of his fellow Canadian. 

“It was a good week. I didn’t know what to expect coming in,” said Hadwin, who had last played in a PGA Tour event on Aug. 20 at the BMW Championship. “I hadn’t played since the playoff event in Chicago, about seven weeks ago, so it was nice to play. 

“I was really ready to compete. I was missing the competition of things.”

Pendrith hadn’t played for a month, missing the cut at the Fortinet Championship in mid-September. The native of Richmond Hill, Ont., returned to Canada to see family before heading to Las Vegas for the Shriners Children’s Open.

“Kind of a blur, but I took the red eye home Sunday night from Vegas and got here about noon on Monday,” said Pendrith from his residence in Florida. “It’s nice to be home. We haven’t been here in probably five weeks.”

Hadwin and Pendrith’s stop-and-start schedule is partly thanks to the PGA Tour’s new calendar, as the top men’s golf tour in the world transitions to a regular season that starts in January instead of straddling two years.

Hadwin, who is from Abbotsford, B.C., said that because he’s 45th in the FedEx Cup Fall standings, he might not play again in 2023.

“I’m going to probably speak with some of those statisticians and analysts and see whether or not I may be able to maintain my top 50 ranking without playing,” said Hadwin, who wants to finish the year within the top 50 to qualify for the 2024 Masters. “I know that sometimes, depending on how the points shake out, you’re better off not playing than playing.”

Hadwin said that he would consider his options and possibly play in one of November’s tournaments. Pendrith, on the other hand, said he intends to keep playing, likely at the World Wide Technology Championship in Los Cabos, Mexico, on Nov. 2, Butterfield Bermuda Championship on Nov. 9, and the RSM Classic in St. Simons Island, Ga., on Nov. 16.

“A win now has the same perks as a win in the regular season. I can still play my way into the elevated events at the start of the year with some good finishes in the next three weeks,” said Pendrith, who earned a PGA Tour card for next season with his tie for third on Sunday. “There’s still lots to play for. 

“I feel like my game’s good right now and my body feels good. Why not play is kind of what I’m thinking.”

Regardless of whether or not they play in November, both Canadians are looking forward to a six-week break through December and into January. They said they want to spend time with their young families.

“I do like the idea of having three, four months to work on a few things, maybe add a few pounds, work on getting faster and stronger and all those sorts of things without having golf matter,” said Hadwin, who will also participate in some fundraising events for the Hadwin Family Foundation during his break. “It’s nice to be able to work without chasing FedEx points or wanting to get the year off started on a good note.”

Pendrith said he’s eager to spend time in his new house in Florida. He has also got into the wine business, launching the Taylor Pendrith Wine Collection through Pillitteri Estates in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.

“I’ve liked wine for a number of years and we thought it’d be a cool thing to get this going,” said Pendrith. “I was there two weeks ago to taste it for the first time, which was really cool. Got a tour of the whole place and saw where the wine was made and it’s pretty neat.

“I think it’s great that it’s a Canadian winery, and they’ve won tons of awards for their wines.”

France and the United States of America stand atop a crowded leader board after the first round of the 33rd World Amateur Team Championship at Abu Dhabi Golf Club on Wednesday. Fueled by a pair of 5-under 67’s from 15-year-old Hugo Le Goff and world No. 2 Gordon Sargent, France and the USA hold a one-stroke lead over The Netherlands.

Team Canada currently sits tied for 28th at 2-over 146. Brady McKinlay of Lacombe, Alta. shot the low round of the day for Canada with an even par 72. 2023 Canadian Men’s Amateur champion, Ashton McCulloch of Kingston, Ont. shot a 2-over 74 and Piercen Hunt of Hartland, Wis. finished with an 8-over 80.

All three of France’s players carded rounds of 68 or better in the early wave of the morning. Teammates Bastien Amat (counting) and Paul Beauvy (non-counting) shot a pair of 68’s behind Le Goff’s 67 leading France to a 9-under total of 135 to match the Americans. Only two of each team’s best three scores count toward the total.

The Netherlands’ Benjamin Reuter had the individual low round of the day, a 6-under 66, and teammate Jack Ingham added a 70 to position the Dutch in solo third place. Reuter, who plays at Georgia Tech University, registered three birdies and an eagle in his final seven holes. 

Gustav Frimodt (3-under 69) and Jacob Olesen (4-under 68) led an afternoon charge for Denmark, who shares fourth with Argentina, Australia and England, two strokes behind the leaders. 

Notable: 

Through his WATC start on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi, Gordon Sargent became the first player to earn PGA TOUR membership via PGA TOUR University Accelerated after achieving the 20-point threshold. Sargent is a junior at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.

France’s Bastien Amat, and the USA’s Sargent and Nick Dunlap, are three of seven players in the field who competed in the 2023 U.S. Open Championship at The Los Angeles (Calif.) Country Club.

No. 1-ranked amateur Christo Lamprecht, of South Africa, shot a 71 with three birdies and two bogeys. Altin van der Merwe (69) and Christiaan Maas (70) positioned South Africa in a tie for 10th at 5-under 139.

Temperatures reached 36 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit) with a heat index of 41 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit) during Round 1.

Twenty-five of the 36 teams finished under par on Day 1.

A total of 46 players in the field competed in the 2022 WATC in France. Colombia, Netherlands and Norway are fielding the same three players as last year.

Ahmad Skaik, of the United Arab Emirates, hit the opening tee shot of the championship on Wednesday morning. Skaik is competing in his fourth WATC. 

Zimbabwe’s Tafadzwa Nyamukondiwa carded a bogey-free 2-under 70. Nyamukondiwa, a senior at Drexel University, has an elephant named Cookie back home in Zimbabwe that he used to ride to school.

Guatemala’s Alejandro Villavicencio is playing for the seventh time, most of any player in the field.

What’s Next: 
Round 2 begins Thursday at 6:30 a.m. with a two-tee start on the National Course at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

Results from Wednesday’s first round of the 2023 World Amateur Team Championships, played at par-72 Abu Dhabi Golf Club (National Course), in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

T1     France – 135
        Hugo Le Goff – 67
        Bastien Amat – 68
        Paul Beauvy – 68

T1     United States of America – 135
        Gordon Sargent – 67
        David Ford – 68
        Nick Dunlap – 69
        
3      Netherlands – 136
        Benjamin Reuter – 66
        Jack Ingham – 70
        Lars van der Vight – 77
        
T4     Argentina – 137
        Segundo Oliva Pinto – 68
        Vicente Marzilio – 69
        Joaquin Ludueña – 70
       
T4     Australia – 137
        Jeff Guan – 68
        Karl Vilips – 69
        Jack Buchanan – 76
        
T4     Denmark – 137
        Jacob Olesen – 68
        Gustav Frimodt – 69
        Frederik Kjettrup – 75
        
T4     England – 137
        Tyler Weaver – 68
        Barclay Brown – 69
        Jack Bigham – 72
        
T8     People’s Republic of China – 138
        Justin Bai – 69
        Zihang Qiu – 69
        Ziqin Zhou – 76
        
T8     Spain – 138
        Jose Luis Ballester – 69
        Luis Masaveu Roncal – 69
        Angel Ayora – 71
        
T10    Czechia – 139
        Filip Jakubcik – 69
        Louis Klein – 70
        Petr Hruby – 72
        
T10    New Zealand – 139
        Sam Jones – 69
        Kazuma Kobori – 70
        Jayden Ford – 74
        
T10    South Africa – 139
        Altin van der Merwe – 69
        Christiaan Maas – 70
        Christo Lamprecht – 71
        
T13    Germany – 141
        Tim Wiedemeyer – 70
        Jonas Baumgartner – 71
        Tiger Christensen – 73
        
T13    Morocco – 141
        Soufiane Dahmane – 69
        Hugo Mazen Trometter – 72
        El Mehdi Fakori – 75
        
T13    Scotland – 141
        Connor Graham – 70
        Calum Scott – 71
        Gregor Tait – 78
        
T16    Colombia – 142
        Nicolas Quintero – 69
        Carlos Ardila Conde – 73
        Manuel Merizalde – 76
        
T16    Italy – 142
        Pietro Bovari – 69
        Flavio Michetti – 73
        Riccardo Fantinelli – 74
        
T16    Japan – 142
        Minato Oshima – 70
        Yuta Sugiura – 72
        Riura Matsui – 75
        
T16    Switzerland – 142
        Max Sturdza – 70
        Marc Keller – 72
        Nicola Gerhardsen – 74
        
T16    Wales – 142
        Tomi Bowen – 70
        James Ashfield – 72
        Matt Roberts – 75
        
T21    Chinese Taipei – 143
        Ching Hung Su – 71
        Chuan-Tai Lin – 72
        Chichun Chen – 74
        
T21    Mexico – 143
        Santiago De La Fuente del Valle – 71
        Omar Morales Nacif – 72
        Jose Cristobal Islas Valdespino – 75
        
T21    Zimbabwe – 143
        Tafadzwa Nyamukondiwa – 70
        David Amm – 73
        Keegan James Shutt – 82
        
T24    Norway – 144
        Michael Mjaaseth – 71
        Herman Sekne – 73
        Mats Ege – 75
        
T24    Republic of Korea – 144
        Donghyun Moon – 71
        Seonghyeon An – 73
        Sungho Lee – 74
        
T26    Ireland – 145
        Matthew McClean – 72
        Alex Maguire – 73
        Liam Nolan – 75
        
T26    Sweden – 145
        Daniel Svard – 70
        Tobias Jonsson – 75
        
T28    Canada – 146
        Brady McKinlay – 72
        Ashton McCulloch – 74
        Piercen Hunt – 80
        
T28    Guatemala – 146
        Gabriel Palacios – 72
        Juan Ricardo Davila – 74
        Alejandro Villavicencio – 82
        
30     Austria – 147
        Christoph Bleier – 73
        Florian Schweighofer – 74
        Fabian Lang – 78
        
T31    Finland – 149
        Jesse Saareks – 74
        Markus Luoma – 75
        Elias Haavisto – 77
        
T31    Thailand – 149
        Ashita Piamkulvanich – 74
        Jiradech Chaowarat – 75
        Parin Sarasmut – 75
        
33     India – 150
        Yuvraj Singh – 74
        Shaurya Bhattacharya – 76
        Rohit Narwal – 79
        
34     Singapore – 154
        Troy Tian Storm – 76
        Ryan John Ang – 78
        Hiroshi Hirahara Tai – 79
        
35     United Arab Emirates – 155
        Thomas Nesbitt – 76
        Rayan Ahmed – 79
        
36     Guam – 169
        Nalapon Vongjalorn – 84
        Eugene Park – 85
        Markus Nanpei – 86

LAS VEGAS — Tom Kim now has something in common with Byron Nelson as the only players to have won the same PGA Tour event twice in the same season.

Kim successfully defended his title Sunday in the Shriners Children’s Open when he closed with a 5-under 66 to emerge from a pack of a dozen players who had a chance in the final hour. Kim wound up winning by one shot over runner-up Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., who birdied the final hole for a 67.

A $404,200 putt ?@AHadwinGolf’s 25-foot birdie on No. 18 earned him solo second place @ShrinersOpen.

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 16, 2023

Kim now has three PGA Tour titles in the last 15 months, at 21 the youngest player since Tiger Woods in 1997 to have three tour wins.

He won in Las Vegas a year ago, beating Patrick Cantlay in a playoff at the TPC Summerlin, when the Shiners Children’s Open was early in the season. Now, the Las Vegas event is still part of the same season because the PGA Tour goes to a calendar season starting in 2024.

Nelson won the San Francisco Open in January 1944, and the same tournament in December of 1994, both times at Harding Park.

This one was up for grabs until Kim seized control on the par-5 16th.

With an hour left in the tournament, there was a six-way tie for the lead and 12 players were separated by a single shot. The key stretch at the TPC Summerlin was holes No. 13 through No. 16, which ranked as four of the five easiest holes in the final round.

Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., was tied for the lead with a birdie on the 13th, but had to settle for pars the rest of that stretch. He ended up T3 at -18.

Then, it became a two-man race between Kim and Hadwin, playing in the final group with Kim holding a one-shot advantage.

Both birdied the 13th, Hadwin with a 35-foot birdie putt that rimmed all the way around the cup before dropping. Both birdied the reachable par-4 15th, Kim with a tough up-and-down and birdie putt from 12 feet, Hadwin narrowly missing a 25-foot eagle attempt.

It turned on the par-5 16th. Kim hit to the fat of the green in two, 50 feet away for eagle. Hadwin knew he missed his shot right after contact and it came up well short and into the water. Hadwin missed a six-foot par putt after his penalty drop, and Kim three-putted — he had to make a five-footer on his third one — for par.

“I completely whiffed it, up and out of it, and unfortunately one of my worst swings of the day at the least opportune time,” Hadwin said.

“I feel like you dump it in the water there on 16, and I certainly by no means gave the tournament away, but I would have liked to have hit a more quality golf shot and put a little bit more pressure on Tom coming down the stretch.”

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C.finished T13 at -16, while Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., tied for 18th at -12.

LAS VEGAS — Defending champion Tom Kim felt the vibes and found his groove Saturday in Las Vegas with a 9-under 62 that gave him a three-way share of the lead in the Shriners Children’s Open and a chance to win the same tournament twice in one season.

It was the second straight year Kim had a 62 in the third round at the TPC Summerlin. It led to a playoff victory over Patrick Cantlay last year in what was the early part of the season. Now it’s technically the same season before the PGA Tour goes back to a calendar year.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., played bogey-free — he had more birdies on the par 3s than the par 5s — for a 63 to catch Kim. Joining them was a late arrival in so many ways — Lanto Griffin, who was tied for the 36-hole lead and didn’t make a birdie until the 13th hole.

That was the start of three birdies in a four-hole stretch that led to a 68 and allowed Griffin to share the lead at 15-under 198.

This was hardly a three-man race going into the final round. K.H. Lee (66) was among three players on shot back. It all, 14 players were within three shots of the lead. That includes J.T. Poston and RBC Canadian Open champion Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, small consolation to both of them.

Poston hit a superb bunker shot on the 15th to five feet for birdie that allowed him to tie for the lead. He was 209 yards away on the par-5 16th, poised for birdie at worst. And then it all fell apart with one swing and one decision.

His shot landed on the bank of the green and hopped back into the water. Instead of going to the drop zone some 95 yards away in the fairway, Poston chose to drop in the right rough for a better angle at the bank left pin. But then his wedge came out heavy, caromed twice off the rocks framing the green and back into the water.

This time, he went to the drop zone and hit it to 15 feet. 

“Should have done that the first (expletive) time,” Poston could be heard saying. He missed the putt, giving it a sarcastic thumbs-up as it was drifting right of the hole, and took triple bogey.

He closed with a birdie for a 68 and was in the large group at 13-under.

Taylor was within one shot of the lead when he failed to birdie the par-5 16th. On the par-3 17th, he hung his head when his tee shot was in the air, knowing anything too far left would catch a slope and roll into the water, and that’s what it did. He took double bogey, had to settle for a 69 and was among those at 12-under 201.

Other Canadians in the hunt include Taylor Pendrith of Thornhill, Ont., who is one shot back of the leaders and Surrey’s Adam Svensson, who is two back.

Hadwin had one of only seven birdies on the 17th, holing a 30-footer that capped off a 63. The Canadian is playing for the first time since the BMW Championship in August, and said he felt more rejuvenated than rusty. He finished among the top 50 in the FedEx Cup and is already in all the $20 million events next year.

But he is No. 56 in the world ranking. The top 50 at the end of the year get into the Masters.