Dennis Bradley

GC: What prompted Birchbank Golf Course to host the CN Future Links
Western Championship?
DB: We were looking for an opportunity to help promote junior golf in our local area, B.C., and Canada. So when this opportunity arose, we couldn’t refuse.

GC: What preparations have went into hosting this championship?
DB: Meetings with the Junior Committee, as well as local businesses, radio, and newspaper have been a big part of the preparation. We’ve also had many members step up to volunteer in various capacities for the tournament.

GC: What can players expect when they arrive at your club?
DB: Friendly staff, a great practice area, a playable course… just a great week overall.

GC: What do you think will challenge competitors the most?
DB: Most players will find that keeping the ball in play right off the tee will be the most challenging aspect of the course.

GC: Are there any significant holes or sections of the golf course that should provide excitement for the tournament?
DB: Starting holes #1 – 4, as well as the 18th are certainly one’s to watch.

GC: What does your club do to encourage and engage your junior membership each season?
DB: Free lessons on Mondays, as well as a very reasonable rate for Junior Memberships.

GC: What is your club looking forward to the most in hosting this
 championship?
DB: Seeing talented junior golfers from across the country play our course.

GC: What does hosting an event like this do for your local community?
DB: We’re expecting this event to bring a lot of players, as well as their family, to the area. And hopefully they enjoy their stay and plan to return in the future.

BLUFFTON, South Carolina – For the first time since 2007, the Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA) team defeated the International Junior Golf Tour (IJGT) Team USA in a dramatic finishing, winning 15.5 – 12.5 at Oldfield Golf Club.

“I think we definitely had team spirit,” said CJGA Team Captain, Mitchell McPhail. “Last year we struggled as a team to bond. This year we were more of a team, which brought us better chemistry together in our matches. That was a huge key to our victory today.”

After holding a 10-4 lead in team matches through two days of competition, the final day came down to one-on-one singles competition. Team USA battled back winning 3 of the first four matches, but after a solid first two days, the Canadian squad only needed 4.5 points, in which they would slowly secure.

Andrew Russ (Oakville, Ont.) secured the 14th point of the tournament winning 3 & 2 against C.J Hughes (Indiana, Pennsylvania) in the 12th match. With Russ’ points secured, and John Burghardt (Oakville, Ont.) on the fairway of 18 with a 1 up lead, Team Canada had guaranteed themselves a victory reaching the 14.5 points needed to win the cup.

“This is hands down the best display of golf and competition I’ve ever seen,” said CJGA Team Canada non-playing Captain Stephen Nixon. “Team USA came back strong today and deserve a lot of credit. It means so much to be apart of the team that finally brought the cup home. In a sport that is supposed to be all about the individual, these kids were unbelievable in the way that they came together as a team so quick.”

If there is a silver lining to Billy Walsh’s second consecutive loss in the finals of the PGA Championship of Canada sponsored by Mr. Lube and presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf it is that he’s headed to the RBC Canadian Open at The Royal Montreal Golf Club.

Once again, Walsh, the No. 1 ranked player coming into the championship, had a stellar week as he finished the match play tournament at 5-1 at ClubLink’s awesome Wyndance Golf Club designed by the one-and-only Greg Norman.

No. 3 seed, Dave Levesque from Pure Golf Experience in Montreal rallied from 2-down after 10 holes to win 2-up. The 40-year-old, who worked for ClubLink at The Country Club and RattleSnake Point Golf Cclub from 2007 through 2010, takes home a first-place cheque for $15,000, but more importantly gets his name on the storied P. D. Ross Trophy alongside the likes of; Moe Norman, Bob Panasik, George Knudson, Lee Trevino, Al Balding, Arnold Palmer and many other golf legends.

“If you had told me on Tuesday morning before I teed it up that I would finish second and stay on top of the points race to get into the RBC Canadian Open I would have taken it right then and there,” said Walsh who was all-square with Levesque after 13 holes. Uncharacteristically, Walsh missed the fairway with his drives on Nos. 14, 15 and 16. He found himself trailing by two heading to the par-3, 17^th. Walsh won that hole with a par, as Levesque missed the green with his 210-yard tee shot and then two-putted to take the championship to No. 18.

With Levesque out-distancing Walsh 30 to 40 yards on every hole, both players hit the fairway, on the par-5 with their drives. Walsh’s second shot drifted left down into the sand pit. It took nearly the full five minutes before a spectator found Walsh’s ball amongst the dozens in the waste area. After taking an unplayable penalty and missing his next putt, Walsh conceded the loss.

“I focused a lot of my energy on this morning’s round because I knew if I won it I would get the exemption into the Canadian (Open) and that really has been my goal all season,” said Walsh, who earned $10,000 for finishing second. “When I won that one it felt like a big weight was lifted off my shoulders and I might have lost a bit of my edge.”

Walsh said when he was 2-up after 10 holes, he started to think about winning the championship and that might have thrown him off his game a bit, rather than just playing a hole at a time. Craig Smith, who caddied for Walsh throughout the week, will caddie for him when the PGA Tour goes to Royal Montreal.

“My goal for the RBC Canadian Open is to play really well. I want to focus on playing my game and see how I do. I want to play well on Thursday and Friday and see where that puts me. I might miss the cut by five or I might be in the top-10, but I just want to play well,” added Walsh who picked up 50 ranking points and remains as the No. 1-ranked player from the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC. In the third place match, Chris Barber, the No. 15 seed bested the No. 60 seed Christophe Belair.

When it came to the golf course, the two finalists heaped praise on the award-winning Greg Norman design and the course conditioning. “It’s a very unique design. You don’t see this style of design very often. Greg Norman did an awesome job,” Walsh said, noting the greens were some of the best he’s ever putted on.

“This is the first time I have played the course. It’s the only ClubLink course that I didn’t get to play when I was working here and I loved playing it. It’s one of the best ClubLink courses I have played,” said Levesque who moved into second place in the player rankings after picking up 60 points for the win. “I took so many photographs during my practice round to bring back with me to show everyone because it’s so beautiful.”

Craig Smith and Billy Walsh (Brent Long)

Trail, B.C. (Golf Canada) – Birchbank Golf Course in Trail, B.C. will play host to the fourth CN Future Links event of the season – CN Future Links Western – from July 1-4, 2014, with a practice round being staged on July 1.

The 54-hole stroke play championship will feature some of the West Coast’s top junior golfers aged 11-18. Players will vie for titles in a Junior Boys and Junior Girls division.

“Golf Canada is looking forward to hosting this exciting junior event in Trail, B.C.” said Golf Canada Tournament Director Mary Beth McKenna. “Many of B.C.’s junior golfers have had a great amount of success at CN Future Links Championships in the 2014 season thus far. It will be exciting to see who will claim the champion titles at this event.”

Located just 20 kilometers South of Castlegar, B.C., Birchbank Golf Course has previously played host to the 2011 British Columbia Junior Boys Championship.

“We’re really looking forward to seeing so many talented junior golfers from across the country play our course,” said Birchbank’s Director of Golf, Dennis Bradley. “We were looking for an opportunity to help promote junior golf in Canada, so when this opportunity arose, we couldn’t refuse.”

Present in the field this year are many of British Columbia’s most talented junior golfers, including Zach Anderson, 17, of Nanaimo. Anderson was the 2013 CN Future Links Prairie Champion, as well as the CN Future Links Pacific Champion in 2012. Anderson has yet to claim a CN Future Links Champion title in 2014, making him one to watch in Trail this year. Other B.C. natives in the Junior Boys division include Logan Yanick, 17, of Courtenay and Trevor Yu, 17, of Vancouver.

Representing B.C. in the Junior Girls division is 18-year old Annie Songeun- Lee of Surrey, who has already made strong 2014 appearances in both the CN Future Links Pacific Championship and the Canadian Women’s Tour event in Parksville. Joining Lee in the field is Ashley Cai, 15, and Marie Donicci, 18, both of Vancouver.

The top six competitors in the Junior Boys division of each CN Future Links Championship will earn exemptions into the 2014 Canadian Junior Boys Championship, which will be contested July 28 – August 1 at the Legends on the Niagara Battlefield Course in Niagara Falls, Ont.  The Champions of this year’s first three CN Future Links events include Alex Francois, 16, of Burnaby, B.C. (Pacific Championship) Sun Kim, 16, of L’Ile Perrot, Que. (Ontario Championship) and Andrew Brown, 17 of Calgary, Alta. (Prairie Championship).

The top six competitors in the Junior Girls division will earn an exemption into the 2014 Canadian Junior Girls Championship which runs July 28 – August 1 at Thornhill Golf and Country Club in Thornhill, Ont. Additionally, the 2014 Junior Girls Champion will earn an exemption into a 2015 Canadian Women’s Tour event.  The Junior Girls Champions in 2014’s first three CN Future Links events include Valérie Tanguay, 18, of St-Hyacinthe, Que. (Pacific Championship), Naomi Ko, 16, of Victoria, B.C. (Ontario Championship), and Jaclyn Lee, 16, of Calgary, Alta. (Prairie Championship).

Starting times, post-round results and a full field list are available online here.

The CN Future Links Junior Golf Championships are part of CN’s ongoing partnership with Golf Canada and their commitment to junior golf. Focused on supporting safe and fun activities that have a positive impact on children’s health and well being, CN’s investment into CN Future Links is helping to increase grassroots junior golf participation in communities across Canada.

The CN Future Links tournament schedule also includes the CN Future Links Quebec Championship (July 7-10, 2014 at Club de golf Continental in Ste-Victoire de Sorel, Que.) and the CN Future Links Atlantic Championship (July 13-16, 2014 at Humber Valley Resort in Little Rapids, Newfoundland).

Manitoba’s Aaron Cockerill battled through tough conditions to capture the Elmhurst Invitational on Sunday in Winnipeg.

Cockerill, from Gunton, Man., held the opening round lead after carding a 6-under 66 during Friday’s opening-round and held on to win by six strokes after the tournament was shortened to 27 holes.

Josh Wytinck finished in solo second to claim the second exemption into the 2014 Canadian Men’s Amateur to be held in just over a month at Elmhurst Golf and Country Club along with co-host Southwood Golf and Country Club.

As part of Elmhurst’s 100-year celebration the invitational was created to fill a gap that was left behind when the Manitoba Amateur Golf Tour ceased to exist.

For more information on the 2014 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, click here.

ROGERS, Ark. – Stacy Lewis has worked tirelessly over her career to embrace the overwhelming support in her adopted state of Arkansas.

The recovering introvert finally found a way to do so while overcoming her self-imposed pressure Sunday – shooting a 6-under 65 and rallying for a much-sought after official win in the NW Arkansas Championship.

Lewis earned an unofficial rain-shortened win at the tournament as an amateur in 2007, but she had struggled to match that effort since as her popularity – and ranking – soared.

She earned $300,000 for her third LPGA Tour victory of the year, but more importantly the 11-time winner earned a welcomed sigh of relief in front of a college-like atmosphere full of fans cheering for the former four-time All-American at Arkansas.

“When I first came here to school, I was extremely shy, and I think I’ve definitely grown out of that over the years,” Lewis said. “… I’ve just found that the more I interact with fans, it makes me more relaxed, and enjoying it more is what I’m trying to do.”

The top-ranked and native Texan secured the one-stroke win with a 7-foot birdie putt on the final hole at Pinnacle Country Club. The putt capped a stretch of three birdies over her final four holes, helping the two-time major winner finish at 12-under 201 – one shot ahead of 17-year-old Lydia Ko, Cristie Kerr and Angela Stanford.

Kerr had a chance to match Lewis at 12 under with a 30-foot birdie putt on the 18th. However, her putt came up short.

Then, after So Yeon Ryu failed to make an eagle on the final hole, Lewis’ win was secured. Ryu ended up fifth at 10 under after a 69.

Lewis’ final putt resulted in a huge ovation from the pro-Arkansas gallery as well as a fist pump and sigh of relief from the local favorite. Her after-party inside Pinnacle Country Club included a hug from Arkansas women’s golf coach Shauna Estes-Taylor, among others, and chants of “Stacy’s No. 1.”

“This place just means so much to me,” Lewis said. “So, to win here, it’s just crazy how far I’ve come … It’s just really, really special to win here.”

Michelle Wie began the final round with a two-shot lead after back-to-back 5-under 66s, but she missed short birdie putts on the first two holes and struggled to a 1-over front nine – capped by a three-putt bogey on the ninth.

She finished with a 73 on Sunday to tie for eighth at 8 under.

The whirlwind media tour following last week’s win at the U.S. Women’s Open appeared to finally catch up with Wie, who followed her bogey on No. 9 with bogeys on Nos. 10 and 11 to effectively end her contention. She finished with 35 putts after needing 28 the first round and 29 in the second.

With Wie coming back to the field, several players climbed up the leaderboard and into contention on the back nine – with Lewis, Ko, Kerr and Stanford part of a four-way tie atop the leaderboard at one point.

Kerr was a group behind Lewis and had chances to take the lead, but she left birdie putts short on the par-3 17th and final hole. She and Stanford finished with final-round 67s, while Ko shot 65 to be a part of the threesome that earned $141,128 for second place.

“It didn’t go wrong, it just didn’t go right enough,” Kerr said.

Lewis won the Shoprite Classic this month as well as the North Texas Shootout in May.

Lewis was tied for the lead entering the final round last year before finishing in a tie for fourth, but her final birdie spree finally secured her sought-after win Sunday.

“(Lewis) is playing some awesome golf,” Ko said. “…She’s having consistent top 10s like Michelle, and I think it’s great that we’re playing in her hometown, and the best thing is she’s world No. 1 and they’re proud to say it.”

Lewis began the tournament 2 over after her first four holes Friday, but she closed by shooting 14 under over her final 68 holes.

She took advantage of the opening with Wie’s stumble and vaulted into the solo lead at 11 under with a birdie on the par-4 16th.

Ko and Kerr answered with birdies to climb back to part of a three-way tie at 11 under, but Lewis had the last answer – a 7-foot left-to-right birdie putt on No. 18. It was one of only 25 putts on Sunday for Lewis, who needed only 24 in the second round.

It was just the start of the celebration for Lewis and her legion of Arkansas fans.

“That’s why I play,” Lewis said.

Opening-round leader Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont. finished tied for 31st at 4-under 209.

BETHESDA, Md. – The U.S. Open marked the wrong kind of anniversary for Justin Rose.

When he left Pinehurst No. 2 two weeks ago, that marked one year and 25 tournaments around the world that Rose had failed to win. He had won during each of the previous four years, on some of the best courses, and while the 33-year-old from England knows better than most not to take winning for granted, it was on his mind.

That’s what made winning the Quicken Loans National on Sunday so important.

It’s a big boost,” Rose said. “And it has not been lost on me that I have not won for over a year. Obviously, the clock passed a year at the U.S. Open, so it was nice to get on the right side of that very quickly.”

It took another U.S. Open to change his fortunes. Or at least a tournament that felt line one.

Congressional has hosted the U.S. Open three times – most recently on a soggy course in 2011 that produced a record score by Rory McIlroy – and one PGA Championship. The course played as tough as those majors, certainly tougher than 2011.

Rose and Shawn Stefani finished at 4-under 280 – 12 shots higher than when McIlroy won. Only six players broke par in the final round, none better than a 68. Seven players had at least a share of the lead at one point Sunday, and most of them went the other direction.

“Congressional got its reputation back after the U.S. Open,” Rose said. “I really enjoy this type of golf and this type of test. I think it tested all of us. I’m delighted.”

It wasn’t easy.

Patrick Reed, who had a two-shot lead at the start of the final round and a two-shot lead at the turn, crumbled with back-to-back double bogeys and shot 41 on the back nine for a 77 that knocked him out of the top 10 (on the leaderboard, not the world ranking).

That gave Rose a chance, and he took advantage with a 5-iron into 5 feet on No. 11 for one of only four birdies Sunday on the toughest hole at Congressional. In trouble on the 14th, he was thinking about laying up with a 7-iron until boldly playing 3-wood to gouge it out of thick grass and thread the bunkers onto the green for a simple par.

It was all falling into his lap – until he nearly threw it all away.

Tied for the lead at 5-under par with Stefani, who was a hole behind him and playing like he had been in this position on a regular basis, Rose tried to hit a 4-iron through a tiny gap in the trees. But he turned it over too quickly, and while he got out of the trees, the ball bounded left down the fairway and into the water.

Rose figured he had blown it.

“I kind of made a hash of it,” he said.

But that’s when his caddie, Mark Fulcher, informed him that Stefani had failed to save par on the 17th hole. A bogey would keep Rose in a tie for the lead.

“Everything else was forgotten at that point,” Rose said. “I wiped the slate clean and just focused on my putt on 18. An amazing feeling in any sort of championship when you make a putt like that. That means something. That’s special.

“And then the playoff, it was just up to me to not do what I did the first time around.”

He left that to Stefani, who had drilled his tee shot in regulation and narrowly missed a 20-foot birdie putt for his first PGA Tour victory. In the playoff, Stefani pulled his tee shot in the trees and got relief from grandstands blocking his view of the green. He chose a 6-iron to punch it around the trees.

“The grass closed the club down,” Stefani said, “and it went left into the water. I was trying to play it down the right side and have a chance at a putt, two putts for a par. That’s the way it goes. It was great to have a chance to win.”

Both closed with a 1-under 70.

The consolation for Stefani was a spot in the British Open – his second major. The leading four players not already exempt from the top 12 at Congressional earned a place at Royal Liverpool next month. The other three were Ben Martin and Charley Hoffman – both made two birdies on the last three holes – and Brendan Steele, who got in despite a double bogey in the water on the last hole. Steele earned it ahead of Andres Romero, who shot 68, because of a higher world ranking.

Rose was already in, though he has never been to Royal Liverpool. He was playing poorly in 2006 when the Open last was held there. Now he goes in with confidence.

He’s a winner again, moving up to No. 7 in the world, and he has proven to win on the best courses. His six PGA Tour wins have been at Aronimink, Cog Hill, Muirfield Village, Merion, Doral and now Congressional.

He won this event at Aronimink in 2010 and received a trophy the shape of a Liberty Bell. This trophy was in the shape of the Capitol.

The way Congressional play, it might have felt like that U.S. Open trophy he won last year.

NEWBURGH, Ind. – England’s Greg Owen won the United Leasing Championship on Sunday for his first Web.com Tour title, overcoming a seven-stroke deficit with a 5-under 67 for a one-stroke victory.

The 43-year-old Owen, the winner of the European Tour’s 2003 British Masters, had a 9-under 279 total at Victoria National and earned $108,000.

“It’s just a crazy game,” Owen said. “I’m delighted. This was unexpected. … It’s been a long time. I’ve had back surgery and changed continents. You always wonder where you are and how to compete these days. The game kicks you in the teeth so many times. If I could do anything else I wouldn’t be playing this game. It’s a tough sport but only one of 156 can do this each week so it feels very special to be holding this trophy.”

Playing more than an hour ahead of the final groups, Owen opened with a triple bogey, birdied Nos. 6 and 7, and played the first eight holes on the back nine in 7 under – making five birdies and an eagle – before closing with a bogey.

“I got off to the worst start I’ve ever had on a golf course and I was thinking it was going to be a very long day at that point,” Owen. “I was pretty low and thought that if I could get back to even par for the day I’d be doing pretty good. I could have easily given up and shot 80, but that’s not me and that’s not how I was brought up. I was proud of myself for hanging in there.”

Ryan Armour and third-round leader Mark Hubbard tied for second. Armour finished with a 68, and Hubbard had a 75.

PITTSBURGH – Bernhard Langer made a short birdie putt on the second hole of a playoff with Jeff Sluman to win the Senior Players Championship on Sunday.

Langer appeared to be in trouble when his second shot on the par-5 18th ended up in the rough short of the green. He hit a brilliant pitch to 5 feet and made the putt after Sluman’s birdie attempt rolled just wide.

The victory was the 56-year-old Langer’s third of the year and his third major title on the Champions Tour. The two-time Masters champion shot an even-par 70 to finish at 15-under 265 at Fox Chapel.

Sluman had a bogey-free 65 to match Langer, but narrowly missed a birdie putt on the first playoff hole that would have won it.

Russ Cochran, who trailed by seven shots early in the final round, had a 67 to finish third at 14 under.

Defending champion Kenny Perry tied Langer for the lead heading into the back nine, but faded badly over the closing holes. Perry’s 69 left him two shots out of the playoff.

Langer nearly missed out on the playoff himself. He fought a balky putter much of the day only to hole a 35-foot birdie putt on the 17th that lifted him into a tie with Sluman. The normally reserved German pumped his fist in disbelief after the ball dropped into the cup. He parred 18 to match Sluman at 15 under and escaped one more time when Sluman’s birdie attempt on the first playoff hole burned the right edge.

Sluman, the 1988 PGA champion, covered his hands in disbelief after the putt stayed out. Langer didn’t let the reprieve go to waste, birdieing the 18th on his third try to earn his first major title on the 50-and-over circuit since the 2010 Senior British Open.

It didn’t come easy for a player who started the day with a comfortable three-shot advantage over Perry.

The steady play that kept Langer atop the leaderboard for the better part of 54 holes abandoned him early in the round, opening the door for the rest of the field. Langer missed a short par putt at the par-4 fourth, and he turned the 295-yard par-4 seventh into an adventure when his pitch sailed over the green and his 5-foot comebacker for par popped off the back edge of the cup.

Perry, who promised to go into “attack mode” to chase down his good friend, had little trouble tracking Langer down. He pulled even with a birdie at the seventh and did it again at the ninth, when he bounced back from a bogey at the eighth by holing out from a greenside bunker for birdie.

A back-nine duel, however, never materialized. Both players started spraying shots – including an ugly double bogey for Langer at the par-4 12th – while Sluman quietly went about his business in the group ahead.

Sluman slowly reeled in the front-runners, taking the lead with a birdie on the par-4 14th and adding another at the par-4 16th while Perry and Langer faltered behind him.

The streaky Perry, trying to join Arnold Palmer as the only player to win consecutive Senior Players titles, cooled as the pressure mounted. He shot 3-over 38 on the back, failing to make a single birdie down the stretch as the crisp iron game that vaulted him into contention vanished.

Canada’s Jim Rutledge (72-70-74) and Rod Spittle (69-73-71) finished at 3-over 283 and tied for 54th.

COLOGNE, Germany – Fabrizio Zanotti won a four-way playoff to take the BMW International Open title Sunday and become the first player from Paraguay to win on the European Tour.

“This is huge. I think everybody in Paraguay is going to be so happy,” Zanotti said after winning his first playoff. “Everybody in Paraguay was awaiting this moment, like me.”

Zanotti won when No. 2-ranked Henrik Stenson conceded after failing to make a bunker shot on the fifth playoff hole. Gregory Havret of France and Rafa Cabrera-Bello of Spain went out on the second and fourth holes, respectively.

“I’ve been working a lot for this and thank God the moment came,” said the 305th-ranked Zanotti. “I’ve been working on my game and made some big changes and now I can see (the result).”

The 31-year-old Zanotti earlier made seven birdies for a 7-under 65 final round to finish on 19-under 269 on the Gut Laerchenhof course. It was his second successive 65 after rounds of 72 and then 67.

“I was just trying to enjoy the moment, shot by shot,” Zanotti said. “Then when I got to the playoff, it was very up and down for the first one. Then in the second I got a good birdie after Henrik. Then I started thinking, maybe today is my day.”

Stenson came close to snatching victory before the playoff but settled for par on the last hole. The Swede made up for two bogeys with five birdies and an eagle. He came agonizingly close to ending the playoff at the first hole.

Cabrera-Bello earned his playoff place with a birdie-eagle-birdie finish. He almost made an eagle to end the playoff at the third hole as rain began falling.

Overnight leader Pablo Larrazabal, who held a three-stroke advantage, could only finish joint-eighth on 17 under after two bogeys – the Spaniard’s first missed shots of the week – and two birdies gave him a final round of 72.

Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand, Simon Dyson of England and Welshman Jamie Donaldson finished tied for fifth on 18 under, ahead of former champions Larrazabal (2011), Danny Willett (2012), Thomas Bjorn (2000 and 2002) as well as Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo.

Spain’s Sergio Garcia, Ireland’s Shane Lowry, England’s Paul Waring and Alex Cejka – the highest placed German – were in a group of 10 players in joint-12th.

James Heath scored a hole in one on the 16th to win a sports car. The Englishman finished 11-under 277 overall.

“I still can’t quite believe it,” the 21-year-old said. “It more than triples the highest check I’ve ever made.”