Tanguay and James advance to match play at Ladies British Amateur
SANDWICH, KENT, England – Team Canada’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay and Augusta James have advanced to match play at the Ladies British Amateur, earning one of the top 64 spots.
Tanguay, 23, of Québec City, posted rounds of 73-75 to finish tied for 9th thru two rounds at Royal St. Georges Golf Club. The recent University of Oklahoma graduate will look to continue her momentum when play resumes tomorrow.
Just sneaking past the cutline was Bath, Ont., native Augusta James, who came in at 8-over par (80-76) to finish tied for 60th.
Laetitia Beck of Israel, a former Monday qualifier at the Canadian Women’s Open, finished at 7-under par to take home medalist honours. The Duke University student posted rounds of 71-70 to win by a two-stroke margin.
Team Canada members Jennifer Ha (Calgary) and Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.) could not overcome the difficult conditions at St. Georges, missing the cut at 11 and 12 over par, respectively.
Click here for the full leaderboard.
Nike Golf Introduces new versatility footwear styles
TORONTO – Perfect for summer’s longer days, warmer weather and extra hours on the golf course, Nike Golf introduces two new footwear styles inspired by more than four decades of Nike’s deep roots in athletic shoe design.
Available July 1, Nike Golf’s new Lunar Waverly and Lunar Mont Royal join the Lunar Clayton.
Nike Golf designers drew inspiration from Nike’s footwear heritage to create innovative styles inspired by iconic running and court sport silhouettes designed for both on and off the golf course.
“The Lunar Waverly and Lunar Mont Royal were really inspired by classic Nike footwear styles, and we adapted those designs for athletes who want a golf shoe with versatile appeal,” says Carl Madore, Nike Golf Innovation Design Lead. “These are shoes with incredible performance technology that are great for playing 18 holes or wearing before or after the round, too. You can hit balls at the driving range on your lunch break without ever changing your shoes. These styles are modeled after some of Nike’s first shoes but modernized to perform specifically for our sport.”
The iconic Nike waffle sole featured on the Lunar Waverly and Lunar Mont Royal provides a more aggressive tread for superior grip and controlon course, while echoing Nike’s storied history in athletic footwear.
Lunar Waverly – Available July 1, 2014 – CDN: $150
Madore and team crafted the Lunar Waverly to be just as comfortable on the course as it is off.
Partnering with the Nike Sports Research Lab, Nike Golf designers used pressure-mapping analysis to zero in on how the foot moves during the swing and determine the size, height, hardness and overall configuration of the waffle lugs. The footwear team brought that pressure mapping to life through visible color patterns on a traditional Nike waffle outsole reminiscent of the company’s very first footwear styles, featuring superior grip and traction within an iconic tread pattern.
Nike Dynamic Flywire technology combines with a rubber cup-sole for lateral support, surrounded by a premium waterproof full-grain leather upper. For the first time ever, Nike Golf designers utilized cork for the sock liner — incredibly comfortable and extremely lightweight, the anti-microbial material helps prevent odor and provides a distinctive design detail, while full-length Nike Lunarlon foam delivers maximum responsive cushioning.
Lunar Mont Royal Available July 1, 2014 – CDN: $110
When the Nike Montreal was unveiled in 1975, it was the brand’s first signature shoe designed for running legend Steve Prefontaine. Nearly 40 years later, Nike Golf is bringing the Montreal’s iconic color blocking design and running-inspired silhouette to the golf course in the Lunar Mont Royal.
Featuring Lunarlon foam in the heel and modern no-sew technology in the midfoot, the Mont Royal also utilizes the traditional Nike waffle sole for incredible grip and control. Tapping into insights from performance testing, Nike Golf footwear designers constructed the outsole with waffle tread rolling up around the toe and inner side of the foot to maintain traction through the swing as the foot pushes off the ground.
Lunar Clayton – CDN: $250
Launched in early 2014, the Lunar Clayton celebrates the heritage and history of golf while providing athletes with superior comfort and a supportive fit in a premium, handcrafted shoe that is a versatile option for both on and off the course.
Donalda Club swings back into action with new bentgrass greens
TORONTO – When it comes to timing, Donalda Club appears to be perfectly in sync with Mother Nature’s clock.
On October 3, 2011, Donalda Club’s membership agreed it was time to breathe new life into its aging poa annua greens. They voted in favour of rebuilding the greens to modern USGA standards with a consistent new look and a weather-tolerant bentgrass turf. Looking back, and knowing what we know now, you might think they have a psychic on staff or a crystal ball hidden away in the clubhouse boardroom.
While numerous established clubs across the GTA are scrambling to reseed or resod greens or trying to come up with a plan to deal with devastating winterkill, Donalda’s new bentgrass greens are set to reopen as planned Saturday, June 28th, with a weekend-long celebration highlighted by fireworks for its 800 family members.
“We were out there laying the last of the bentgrass sod on November 18th in the snow. The ground froze just as we were laying the final rolls on the last green, No. 7 and I was a little worried the new sod wouldn’t take,” says Scott White, Golf Course and Grounds Manager at Donalda Club. “Then the winter freeze hit and I got a little more nervous, but all the greens came through the winter in amazing shape. There wasn’t an inch of the new bentgrass that didn’t survive and we just let them mature throughout the spring.”
White’s crew aerified the greens four times this spring, removing 25 per cent of the original turf and filling it with sand to encourage new growth – one more aeration is planned for August. Root growth is now eight to 12 inches deep depending when the sod was laid.
Hole closures started last August at Donalda Club. The entire course shut down with no play whatsoever after Labour Day to allow for the greens rebuild. “I don’t think the golf course has ever been in better shape. A few members have been walking around watching the progress, but there hasn’t been a shot played out there in nearly 10 months,” White added, noting No. 11 was the first green sodded on September 11th.
Donalda Club opened in 1960 with 18 holes designed by golf professional Jimmie Johnstone ready for play in June 1962. The Club called upon noted golf course architect Tom McBroom to redesign the course in 1993-1994. He rebuilt 14 of the 20 putting surfaces including two practice greens, leaving six original greens in the mix. He also renovated the bunkers in 2005-2006.
“What you will find today is that we have created subtle internal contours through the use of soft crowns, muffins and subtle transition slopes within the green complexes, as well as adding some bold contours that will really capture your eye and make reading a putt more challenging,” McBroom says, noting bentgrass fall-a-ways were also added to Nos.4, 10, 11, 13 and 14. “Bottom line is that in my opinion, the new Donalda greens are amongst the best in the country for interest, detail and character.”
It took 15 months to grow four acres of Mackenzie/Declaration (50/50) bentgrass for the greens and four acres of Pencross was seeded for tees and fairways at a turf farm in Beeton, Ont. Overall, the green sizes have been enlarged 15 per cent to 124,455,000 square-feet.
“I think the timing was right to take a fresh look at the greens and do them all this time to modern day USGA standards,” White says, noting the original greens had a roly-poly feel to them, while the newer McBroom designs were more tiered and regionalized. “We needed to find a middle-ground between the two styles to give us some consistency throughout the entire layout. Our 1960’s greens had too much roll and slope and the 1990’s greens were too flat in spots.”
Now there’s more life and motion in every green as the severity is more subtle, but overall the greens should be more playable for members. There is less than a three per cent slope on all parts of all greens allowing for a significant increase in pin position options with many tucked more closely to the green side bunkers.
Aside from the new greens several other changes have been in the works including a larger practice area for chipping and putting near the first tee and an expanded putting green near the golf shop. Out on the course – there’s a new back tee deck on No. 6 that adds close to 70 yards to the par-5 to 560 yards; all of the smaller tee decks on No. 7 have been fused into one huge 7,000 square-foot deck and there’s significantly less fairway in front of the green; on No. 8 there’s a new fairway landing area and the green is nearly 40 yards further back on a new plateau, while on the par-3, 14th hole all tee decks have been completely redone with three expanded levels to give everyone an amazing view of the green, as well as some improvement along the Don Valley River, which comes into play on 14 of the 18 holes. That said, the Golf Association of Ontario increased the slope rating from the back tee decks to 141 from 139.
Despite the course closure, membership sales and development are at an all-time high at Donalda with a very active and engaged membership. Donalda Club is a family-focused, multi-activity facility with varied dining options, Har-Tru indoor and outdoor tennis courts, squash courts, curling, an outdoor pool, a new Fitness Center that opened in September 2013, a new Men’s Locker Room and Indoor Golf Academy with four high-definition golf simulators that opened in 2013 and a renovation to the Ladies’ Locker Room scheduled for this fall.
An infographic: Brooke Henderson’s week to remember
Statistics courtesy of the USGA
Fast facts
Nicole Vandermade, a Team Canada alumnus, won her first professional event. The Brantford, Ont., native won the Symetra Tour’s Four Winds Invitational by a one-stroke margin.
Learn more
Garrett Rank, a Men’s National Team member from Elmira, Ont., shot 64-65 on Monday to win a U.S. Public Links Qualifier. A week earlier, the 26-year-old played in the Men’s Northeast Amateur, finishing T20 at 2-over par in the highly competitive event.
Notheast Amateur Leaderboard
Men’s National Team members Adam Svensson (Surrey B.C.) and Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.) teed-it-up last week at The Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON – a PGA Tour Canada event. They finished T25 and T42, respectively.
Leaderboard
Four of Team Canada’s Development Squad boys are taking on the world’s best amateurs this week at the Toyota Junior World Golf Championship.
Learn more
After winning the Low Amateur honours at the U.S. Women’s Open, Team Canada’s Brooke Henderson drove 11 hours to Niagara to play in the Canadian Women’s Tour Ontario event this week.
Leaderboard
Four members of the National Women’s Amateur Team are playing in the Ladies British Open Amateur Championship this week at the Royal St. Georges Golf Club.
Leaderboard
Former Men’s National Team member, Eugene Wong (North Vancouver, B.C.), currently sits 5th on the PGA Tour Canada money list. At the end of the year, the top 5 earn their Web.com tour cards.
Money List
Five Canadians advance to 2nd round of match play Women’s Western
LANCASTER, Pa. – Five Canadians defeated their opponents on Wednesday to advance to the second round of match play at the Women’s Western National Amateur Championship at Lancaster Country Club.
Among the Canadians to advance were three Team Canada Development Squad members – Naomi Ko of Victoria, Sabrine Garrison of Calgary and Taylor Kim of Surrey, B.C.
Ko, 16, defeated Aurora Kan of Boothwyn, Pa. in 19 holes.
Kim, a sophomore at Kent State University, overcame American Lindsay McGetrick of Spartanburg, S.C., 6&4.
Garrison, who is committed to the University of Minnesota, took down Jennifer Elsholz of Grand Rapids, Mich., 4&2.
Delaney Howson, a Newmarket, Ont. native, defeated Erica Herr of New Pope, Pa., 1up. The senior at Murray State carded a 9-over 153 (73-80) through the two qualifying stroke-play rounds.
Canadian Josée Doyon marks the final Canadian to advance in the championship flight, beating Evelyn Dole of Raleigh, N.C., 5 and 4. Doyon, also a sophomore at Kent State, finished at 3-over par (73-74) to sit in a tie for fourth. She was joined by Development Squad member Valérie Tanguay of St-Hyacinthe, Qué., who later fell in the first round of match play.
In total, there were 17 Canadians in the field at the Women’s Western National Amateur Championship.
Click here to view match play results.
Click here to view stroke play results.
Dave Bunker wins third Investors Group Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship
GRAVENHURST, Ont. — Make it a hat trick for Woodbridge’s Dave Bunker at the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) Investors Group Mid-Amateur Championship. The Brampton Golf Club member was able to hang on to his lead from round two to claim the 2014 title at 2-over for the tournament (70-70-75), June 25 at Taboo Resort in Gravenhurst.
The 49-year-old school teacher came into the final round 2-under for the tournament, a shot ahead of North York’s Charles Fitzsimmons and two better than Peterborough’s Michael Farrugia. However, Bunker got out to a tough start as he bogeyed the first hole and then doubled the second. He would end up three-over at the turn. He was able to settle down on the back nine and only bogeyed the 17th hole. He tapped in on 18 for par and a three-shot win. Bunker also took home the Mid-Masters Championship (40-years and older division).
“It feels good to win three times. To win the match play earlier this season and now here is pretty special,” said Bunker.
Bunker knew that he didn’t begin the way he would have liked ,but explained how he overcame that to end the day on top. “It didn’t start the way I wanted it to. I struggled on the green on one and then hit a poor tee shot on two and it snowballed. But I settled down after that and played ok.”
Luckily for Bunker, the others around him also had their troubles. First round leader, Fitzsimmons (67-74-80), finished the front nine at eight-over and while he did regain his earlier form on the back nine, he still ended the day nine-over and eight-over for the tournament in a tie for eighth.
“I was really surprised when I bogeyed 17 and asked what the leaderboard looked like to find out I had a three-shot lead,” said Bunker. “I didn’t know that everybody else was doing the same thing as our group. It gave me a little relaxation on 18 that I didn’t have to worry too much about somebody being right there with me.
One member of the final group, Farrugia (72-70-76), had his difficulties as well but finished the day five-over and was able to hang on for a share of second place at five-over for the tournament.
The story of the day turned out to be Wasaga Beach resident Dean Henry (73-72-73). Henry entered play at three-over for the tournament, but after shooting one of the lower rounds during the final day, two-over, he ended in the tie for second with Farrugia at five-over for the championship.
Throughout the championship, weather was another story with delays and even minor suspensions in play occurring on day two. Bunker talked about how he battled through that. “I played really well in round one and two just staying out of trouble, hitting fairways and greens in regulation and putting really well. The weather was frustrating but everyone had to deal with it.”
Bunker, Farrugia and Henry will now move on to the Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship as the Team Ontario representatives for the inter-provincial team competition. The event is scheduled for Sept. 16-19 at the Barrie Country Club.
“I am really looking forward to the Canadian Mid-Am at Barrie,” added Bunker. “Mike and Dean are really good players so we should have a very competitive team.”
As for his preparation for his upcoming events, Bunker isn’t going for anything out of the norm. “I’m just going to keep playing and practicing. I plan to play Barrie this weekend to just check out the course and will probably play it a few times during the summer. I’m also looking forward to the Amateur at North Halton, I played well there last year and I’ll hopefully have a good week.”
The Investors Group Ontario Men’s Mid-Amateur championship is a 54-hole competition featuring Ontario’s best golfers age 25 and older that have gained entry into the event through one of eight qualifying tournaments or through an exemption. Competitors age 40 and over also compete for the Ontario Men’s Mid-Master division trophy. Contested annually since 1993, past champions of the event include Ontario Golf Hall of Fame member Stu Hamilton and Kelly Roberts, Graham Hill and Drew Symons.
Canada slips to 10th after second round of Toyota World Junior
TOYOTA CITY, Japan – Team Canada dropped one spot on the leaderboard after collectively shooting even par during Tuesday’s second round at Chukyo Golf Club.
Carter Simon, a Sutton, Ont., native, led the Canadians in the second round with a 2-under 69. He was followed by teammate Etienne Papineau of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., who recorded a 1-under 70 on the day. Together, the two Canadians sit tied for 18th on the leaderboard at 1-under thru two rounds.
Calgary’s Matt Williams was the third score to be recorded in the second round for the Canadians – he posted a 3-over 74. Tony Gil, a Vaughan Ont., native, struggled after his opening round 68, carding a 5-over 76. Gil’s score was not counted as the team’s highest tally for the second round.
Collectively, the United States overtook Chile for the sole lead of the boys division. Overall, the Americans sit at 11-under par – nine strokes ahead of Canada.
Team Italy shot up the leaderboard with the low round of the day (208) – they currently sit in second place, two strokes back of the United States.
The third round of action begins Thursday at 8am, UTC.
For complete scoring, click here.
Thunderous start at PGA Championship of Canada
UXBRIDGE, Ont. – It was a thunderous start to the PGA Championship of Canada sponsored by Mr. Lube and presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf Tuesday at Wyndance Golf Club.
With 27 of the 32 first-round matches completed late Monday afternoon, thunderstorms rolled through much of southern Ontario suspending play for nearly two hours.
Once the weather cleared, the remaining five matches were finished before darkness set in.
As has been the case since the championship was re-launched in 2011, this year’s championship is contested as a match play event with players from the four brackets-Stan Leonard, George Knudson, Al Balding and Moe Norman-looking to advance through the five rounds to the final championship match.
Of the 32 first round matches, the lower-seeded player prevailed 17 times, including wins by the No.-1 seeded Billy Walsh, No. 3 Dave Levesque, sixth-seeded Eric Laporte, No. 7 Brian McCann and the 10th-seeded Reggie Millage.
However, there were a number of early upsets as well including the second-seeded and last year’s winner Bryn Parry lost 1-down to No. 63 Maxime Barre; No. 4 Mike Belbin losing 1-down to No. 61 Jim Zwolak; the fifth-seeded Danny King losing 3 and 1 to No. 60 Christophe Belair; No. 8 Lindsay Bernakevitch losing on the 19th hole to No. 57 Billy Houle and the ninth-seeded Brad Clapp losing 2-down to No. 56 Ed Maunder.
Other first round winners include George Lacko, Dean North, Louis-Pierre Godin, Matt Peavoy, Paul Schweyer, Walter Keating, Vincent Cacchione, Chris Learmonth, Jeff Gross, Alf Callowhill, Ian Doig, Chris Barber, Marc Hurtubise, Roger Beale, Jerome Blais, Eric Landreville, Keir Smith, Tyler LeBouthillier, Dave Wettlaufer, Brian Hutton and Kevin Senecal.
For the complete bracket, CLICK HERE
With 60 PGA of Canada Player Ranking points awarded to the winner of this year’s championship, Walsh, Levesque and Laporte have an opportunity to jump to the top of the rankings pile. However, with a combination of loses by the aforementioned players, Parry still has chance at securing the No. 1 spot.
The player who sits atop the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC at the conclusion of the PGA Championship of Canada earns an exemption into this year’s RBC Canadian Open at Royal Montreal Golf Club in L’Île-Bizard, Que.
Past champions of the PGA Championship of Canada include Moe Norman, George Knudson, Al Balding, Bob Panasik, Wilf Homenuik, Stan Leonard, Lee Trevino and Arnold Palmer.
The first PGA Championship of Canada was contested in 1912 at Mississaugua Golf & Country Club.
Brooke Henderson and Stephanie Connelly share lead at Legends on the Niagara
Niagara Falls, Ont. – On a windy day at Legends on the Niagara’s Battlefield Course Team Canada’s Brooke Henderson and Stephanie Connelly of Fleming Island, Fla. overcame tough conditions by firing 3-under 69’s to sit atop the leaderboard at the Canadian Women’s Tour Ontario stop.
Henderson, 16, of Smiths Falls, Ont. arrived in Niagara Falls fresh off of a T10 finish at the U.S. Women’s Open where she took home Low Amateur honours. On Tuesday, she continued her strong play by carding a bogey-free 3-under 69 that was highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 11th and an opening 3-under 33 front-nine.
“I started my second hole with an eagle on the par-5 so that sort of got things going,” Henderson said. “The back nine was a little bit rough, I didn’t make any birdies, just all pars.”
Sharing first place alongside Henderson is Connelly, who carded four birdies to close out her back nine.
“I started out really consistent, I was making a lot of pars,” Connelly said. “I haven’t played in a Canadian LPGA event in a couple of years, but I would love to play in the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.”
Behind Henderson and Connelly, amateur Simin Feng, 19, of Windermere, Fla. and Emma de Groot of Sydney, Australia are tied for third after 1-under 71’s. Defending champion Emily Childs of Alameda, Calif., sits tied for fifth alongside Montreal’s Sabrina Sapone, Mari Chun of Pearl City, Hawaii and Natalie Gleadall of Stratford, Ont., at 1-over par.
The final round will begin on split tees (Nos. 1 and 10) at 8:00 a.m. EST on Wednesday, June 25th. For more information click here.
The Vancouver Golf Club selected host venue for 2015 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open
VANCOUVER, B.C. (Golf Canada) – Canadian Pacific (CP) and Golf Canada are pleased to announce The Vancouver Golf Club has been selected as the host venue for the 2015 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.
The 2015 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open will be contested August 17-23, 2015 with a prize purse of $2.25 million USD.
In 2012, Lydia Ko, the two-time reigning Canadian Women’s Open champion, captured her first LPGA Tour victory at The Vancouver Golf Club. The championship’s return marks the fourth time that the club will host the LPGA Tour including the (former) du Maurier Ltd Classic in 1988 and 1991.
“In partnership with CP, we are proud to announce that The Vancouver Golf Club has been selected to host the 2015 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open,” said Scott Simmons, Golf Canada’s Executive Director and CEO. “Vancouver is a world class city with passionate and knowledgeable golf fans which made for a hugely successful event when the club played host to our National Women’s Open Championship in 2012.”
The Vancouver Golf Club has a history of hosting premier provincial and national golf championships. Located in Coquitlam, B.C., 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver, the club is widely recognized as one of the finest venues in the Pacific Northwest and one of the most respected and historic private clubs in North America.
“Our membership it extremely excited and honoured to once again host the LPGA Tour’s finest players at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open,” said Paul Batchelor, Host Club Volunteer Chair with The Vancouver Golf Club. “Our Club truly enjoyed hosting the 2012 Canadian Women’s Open, and we are thrilled to once again showcase our club and our classic golf course to the LPGA players and Canadian golf fans.”
As part of the announcement, Golf Canada and The Vancouver Golf Club announced a recruitment push to fill approximately 1,200 volunteer positions. Interested individuals can find out more by clicking here.
The 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open will be August 18 – 24, 2014 at the London Hunt & Country Club in London, Ont.
The 18th green at The Vancouver Golf Club. (Bob Huxtable)