Creemore, Ont. – Judith Kyrinis took the lead on Tuesday and never looked back on her way to winning the 2023 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, presented by BDO on Thursday at The Mad River Golf Club.

Kyrinis finished the tournament at 6-over with rounds of 69, 73 and 80 for a three-day total of 222, ten shots clear in the Mid-Amateur division. The win gives Kyrinis of Thornhill, Ont. her third Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master Championships, having previously won both in 2019 and 2016.

“It’s awesome. To have it as a stand-alone, the inaugural, it’s very special…to win any national championship three times it’s humbling. I am very proud of that,” said Kyrinis after signing her scorecard following play on Thursday.

As difficult as it is to win any tournament, leading from start to finish is a special feat. For Kyrinis the golf course would not allow her to let up all week, “you just can’t take a shot off right, so it was my motivation right there and try to do the best I can every shot. Little bit of a struggle out there today but probably was for everybody, tough conditions.”

The players were thrown a little bit of everything weather wise this week at Mad River. Pleasant conditions for the opening round were forgotten with heat playing a factor during play on Wednesday. Thursday began with light showers before the skies turned blue but brought a challenging wind for players to contend with.

“Absolutely, all those conditions factored for sure. The heat when you’re going up the back, that’s hard, luckily, I walk a lot so I’m good with that, but the wind’s today, it was really hard pulling clubs and trusting them, and I just got off to a bit of a nervous start. Even with that lead, it’s still nervous,” Kyrinis said with a laugh.

Kyrinis sits second all-time in tournament history with three championships trailing only Christina Proteau of Port Alberni, B.C. who has won the Mid-Amateur title six times. In addition, Kyrinis will receive an exemption into the 2023 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, taking place from September 9-14 at Stonewall (North Course) in Elverson, Pa. and an exemption into the 2024 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.

In both the Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master divisions, Dawn Woodard of Greer, S.C. received silver medalist honours, finishing the tournament at 16-over. There was a four-way tie for third place with Augusta James (Marysville, Ont.), defending champion Shelly Stouffer (Nanoose Bay, B.C.), Julie Streng (Greensboro, N.C.) and Samantha Perrotta (Bordentown, N.J.) all finishing at 18-over in the Mid-Amateur division. Stouffer and Streng also finished tied for bronze medalist honours in the Mid-Master division.

On Wednesday the Margaret Todd Trophy was awarded to Team Quebec, who won the Mid-Amateur Inter-Provincial Team Championship. Quebec finished the team competition at 25-over to hold off the defending champions, Team British Columbia by three strokes with Team Ontario finishing third. Team Quebec consists of Natacha Brossard and Suzanne Ricard from Montreal and Marie-Thérèse Torti of Candiac, Que.

For the full results of the 2023 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship click here.

GOLF CANADA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Golf Canada annually conducts more than 30 golf competitions and qualifiers nation-wide – including nine National Amateur Championships – which play host to more than 3,000 domestic and international athletes from all corners of the world. In partnership with our host clubs, thousands of volunteers, provincial golf associations and our proud sponsors, Golf Canada is dedicated to supporting player development through world-class competition since our inception in 1895. Officiated by certified Canadian Rules of Golf officials, Golf Canada’s amateur competitions are fully compliant with golf’s international governing bodies and include marquee events such as the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships as well as the Canadian Junior Girls and Junior Boys Championships. Golf Canada’s amateur championships are proudly supported by BDO Canada, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Titleist, FootJoy, Sport Canada, Levelwear and JOURNIE Rewards. For more information and scheduling visit www.golfcanada.ca/championships.

Hampton, N.B. – Eileen Park of Red Deer, Alta., played an amazing and dominant final round to win the 68th playing of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship presented by BDO at Hampton Golf and Country Club in Hampton, N.B.

After heading into the third round tied for first with Luna Lu of Burnaby, B.C., Park carded a final round of 4-under 67 on Thursday, to finish ahead of Team Canada member and Lu who finished second with a 4-over 288 overall for the tournament.

After an opening round 74, the 14-year-old, carded rounds of 74, 71, 69 and 67 for a total score of 3-under 281, en route to the national title.

Coming into the final round Park carded three birdies overall during round three, two birdies back-to-back on the front, one on the par-5 first hole and the other on the par-4 second hole. Park also birdied the par-4 14th hole, for a total score of 2-under 69.

During the final round, Park carded five birdies with three on the front nine, one on the par-5 first hole, on the par-5 sixth hole and the other on the par-4 eighth hole. Park also recorded two birdies on the back nine, the par-4 eleventh hole, par-4 fourteenth hole, for a total score of 4-under, 67.

“This win means a lot to me,” Park said with tears. “This tournament has showed me how much hard work I’ve put in and the results are very nice. I was very nervous on the first tee shot but after my birdie on number one I was able to keep my round going pretty well and kept it simple.”

Park also won the Juvenile division, which ran concurrently for girls aged 16 and under, ahead of Lu at two-over who placed second. The bronze medal was shared by three participants, Lindsay McGrath of Oakville Ont., and Swetha Sathish of Oakville, Ont. who both finished at seven-over.

In the Junior division the bronze medal was shared by three participants, Michelle P. Ding, McGrath and Sathish at seven-over.

Along with the hardware, for Park’s win comes with an exemption into the 2023 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Ashburn Golf Club in Halifax, as well as an entry into the 2024 U.S. Junior Girls Championship.

“This win is definitely going to motivate me for the future because its my biggest win so far,” Park added. “Going forward I will have more confidence for bigger tournaments.”

Park will also be awarded a cheque of $1,200. To align with the modernized Rules of Amateur Status, players at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship, competed for a purse of $8,000 CAD. Along with Park, top-10 finishers and ties earned prize money.

Park joins a list of notable Canadian golfers to have won the Canadian Junior Girls Championship including LPGA Tour players and Olympians Brooke Henderson (2012) and Alena Sharp (1999), as well as Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Sandra Post (1964-66).

Team Ontario – made up of Shauna Liu, Joline Truong and Aryn Matthews – took home the Interprovincial Team Trophy. The Ontarians edged the British Columbians by four strokes in the team event, which concluded earlier in the week.

Full results can be found here.

For more information on the 2023 Canadian Junior Girls Championship click here.

GOLF CANADA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Golf Canada annually conducts more than 30 golf competitions and qualifiers nation-wide – including nine National Amateur Championships – which play host to more than 3,000 domestic and international athletes from all corners of the world. In partnership with our host clubs, thousands of volunteers, provincial golf associations and our proud sponsors, Golf Canada is dedicated to supporting player development through world-class competition since our inception in 1895. Officiated by certified Canadian Rules of Golf officials, Golf Canada’s amateur competitions are fully compliant with golf’s international governing bodies and include marquee events such as the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships as well as the Canadian Junior Girls and Junior Boys Championships. Golf Canada’s amateur championships are proudly supported by BDO Canada, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Titleist, FootJoy, Sport Canada, Levelwear and JOURNIE Rewards. For more information and scheduling visit www.golfcanada.ca/championships.

Shelly Stouffer has prioritized her fitness to stay atop North America’s amateur golf world.

Stouffer, from Nanoose Bay, B.C., won five amateur golf championships in 2022, including the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship and the Canadian Women’s Mid-Master Championship.

She hopes to defend her crown at all five and add some more laurels, too. To do that, she’s worked hard at the gym in the off-season.

“I worked out a lot, like did a lot of golf exercises, and I worked hard to exercise, fitness wise,” said Stouffer, who also won the Inter-Provincial Team Championship with Team BC and was named the Pacific Northwest Golf Association’s 2022 Women’s Player of the Year. “I hit practice too, but mostly it was working more on my body.

“I wanted to have the endurance and the ability to swing.”

Stouffer shot a 5-over 77 on Tuesday in the first round of the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Mad River Golf Club in Creemore, Ont., to sit in a tie for fifth at the event. Judith Kyrinis of Thornhill, Ont., was the leader at 3-under 69, five shots ahead of the pack.

Although that eight-shot difference is large, Stouffer believes she can close the distance.

“If I can get somewhere around par the next couple of days and maybe go under one of the days, we’ll see what happens,” said Stouffer before going back out to practice. “You never know. Anything can happen out here on this course.

“It can sneak up you and you can get some big numbers here.”

Successfully defending her Canadian Mid-Am crown is just one of her many goals this year. On top of that, she wants to get into the match play of the U.S. Women’s Amateur, reach the Round of 64 at U.S. Mid-Am, and repeat as champion at the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur and Canadian Senior Women’s Amateur.

That frenetic schedule is partly why fitness was her focus in the off-season, especially with the U.S. and Canadian senior events on opposite sides of the continent.

“We’re going to go from Portland, Oregon to Prince Edward Island, so it’s going to be a tough transition,” said Stouffer, who is a kinesiologist that does the Titleist Performance Institute golf fitness program. “I’m playing a lot of golf. It might be too much, but you only live once.

“I just want to do as well as I can in all my events and see where it goes. Hopefully I don’t get too tired and burnt out.”

Hampton, N.B. – Round three got off to a late start due to a weather delay, but once play got started the sun came out to shine for the third day of the 2023 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, presented by BDO, making for another great day.

If there’s one word to describe round three, its competitive. The leaderboard fluctuated throughout the day, where the top players battled to take the lead. But at the end of the day Eileen Park of Red Deer, Alta. and Luna Lu of Burnaby B.C., sit atop the leaderboard heading into tomorrow’s final round at Hampton Golf Club, in Hampton, N.B.

Park carded three birdies overall during round three, with two birdies back-to-back on the front, one on the par-5 first hole and the other on the par-4 second hole. Park also birdied the par-4 14th, for a total score of 2-under, 69.

“Today I made sure to take more time on each shot. I am going to try and not get nervous for tomorrow, take my time for every shot and make it easy,” said Park.

Lu played an impressive bogey free round and carded two birdies on the front, one on the par-5 first hole and the other on the par-4 eighth hole.

“I’ve really tried to stay patient and calm this week, try not to force too many birdies, hit the fairways and the greens,” said Lu.

The group of Park, Lu and Shauna Liu all played an excellent third round. Both Park and Lu who were tied for second place after yesterday’s round, have made major come backs to sit atop the leaderboard. Liu who was tied for third remains in a four-way tie after shooting a 2-over 73 during the second round.

“I think playing with a group who’s playing really well helps, because I know that if I play really well like them it motivates my performance.” Park added.

“Having a good group out there definitely helps, pace of play today was pretty good, and it overall helped me play better,” said Lu

Going into the final round there is a four-way tie for third place, all five-shots back of the leaders sitting at 6-over. Ha Young Chang (Surrey, B.C.), Swetha Sathish (Oakville, Ont.), Liu (Maple, Ont.) and Chelsea Truong (Victoria, B.C.).

The 2023 Canadian Junior Girls champion will receive an exemption into the 2023 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship and 2024 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship, if age applicable.

Full results can be found here.

For more information on the 2023 Canadian Junior Girls Championship click here.

GOLF CANADA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Golf Canada annually conducts more than 30 golf competitions and qualifiers nation-wide – including nine National Amateur Championships – which play host to more than 3,000 domestic and international athletes from all corners of the world. In partnership with our host clubs, thousands of volunteers, provincial golf associations and our proud sponsors, Golf Canada is dedicated to supporting player development through world-class competition since our inception in 1895. Officiated by certified Canadian Rules of Golf officials, Golf Canada’s amateur competitions are fully compliant with golf’s international governing bodies and include marquee events such as the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships as well as the Canadian Junior Girls and Junior Boys Championships. Golf Canada’s amateur championships are proudly supported by BDO Canada, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Titleist, FootJoy, Sport Canada, Levelwear and JOURNIE Rewards. For more information and scheduling visit www.golfcanada.ca/championships.

Kyrinis maintains lead in both the Women’s Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master divisions

Creemore, Ont. – The Margaret Todd Trophy is headed to La Belle Province. Team Quebec was crowned as the Mid-Amateur Inter-Provincial Team champions on Wednesday at the 2023 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, presented by BDO.

Quebec finished the team competition at 25-over to hold off the defending champions, Team British Columbia by three strokes. Team Quebec consists of Natacha Brossard and Suzanne Ricard from Montreal and Marie-Thérèse Torti of Candiac, Que.

For Torti winning the first team championship in the first year as a stand-alone tournament was special and their team spirit helped them this week, “we encourage each other, we’ve played our mid-am long ago together, I’ve played with Natacha and Suzanne and we’re really good representatives of Quebec. I’m happy we’re here, it’s a tough course and I’m glad we prevailed,” she said.

Ricard and Torti’s scores counted in the second round, with Ricard shooting a 3-over, 75 and Torti an 11-over, 83. The two lowest scores from the team are counted towards the team score for the day.

Ricard credited her putting for a solid round on Wednesday, “I was not tentative, but I was not aggressive either on the putting side, so I was just trying to be on the greens in regulation and get away with two putts and if the putt falls that’s great and if not, I don’t want to be left with a six-footer,” said Ricard.

“For my first Canadian Championship playing with Marie-Thérèse and Suzanne was a blessing, it was amazing. My first experience and we won it, proud to be from Quebec, proud to be Canadian as well,” added a jubilant Brossard.

Soaring temperatures made for tougher conditions during Wednesday’s second round at The Mad River Golf Club.

In the Women’s Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master divisions, two-time champion, Judith Kyrinis of Thornhill, Ont. holds the lead heading into Thursday’s final round. Kyrinis shot a 1-over, 73 on Wednesday to now sit a 2-under for the tournament and hold a 11-shot lead in the Mid-Amateur division and a 12-shot lead in the Mid-Master division.

Kyrinis had another strong finish with birdies on holes 14 and 18 but said the weather definitely played a factor today, “yeah, you know swirly winds out there, you’re walking up to you your ball and the wind’s into you and you pull a club then it turns around and its behind you and these greens are really hard right, so you really have to have the right club going in and be confident with it. It was a tough golf course out there for sure.”

For the second straight day, Kyrinis finished her round with a birdie on 18 after dropping a long putt from the back of the green, “missed a way shorter one on 17, very makable so you know sometimes it all just evens out when you make a long one,” Kyrinis said with a chuckle.

Those in attendance were treated to an appearance by Canadian Golf Hall of Famer and member of the Order of Canada, Sandra Post who visited The Mad River Golf Club during second round action.

Post is excited that the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship is now its own stand-alone event, “it’s a great beginning and a great golf course and I know you’re going to have a great champion.

“What a great kickoff, this is like history to me. I am witnessing history and that’s what I feel about this tournament. It will only go on and be bigger and better in the future,” added Post.

The individual winner of the Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship will receive an exemption into the 2023 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, taking place from September 9-14 at Stonewall (North Course) in Elverson, Pa. In addition, the champion will receive an exemption into the 2024 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.

For the full leaderboard click here.

GOLF CANADA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Golf Canada annually conducts more than 30 golf competitions and qualifiers nation-wide – including nine National Amateur Championships – which play host to more than 3,000 domestic and international athletes from all corners of the world. In partnership with our host clubs, thousands of volunteers, provincial golf associations and our proud sponsors, Golf Canada is dedicated to supporting player development through world-class competition since our inception in 1895. Officiated by certified Canadian Rules of Golf officials, Golf Canada’s amateur competitions are fully compliant with golf’s international governing bodies and include marquee events such as the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships as well as the Canadian Junior Girls and Junior Boys Championships. Golf Canada’s amateur championships are proudly supported by BDO Canada, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Titleist, FootJoy, Sport Canada, Levelwear and JOURNIE Rewards. For more information and scheduling visit www.golfcanada.ca/championships.

No one has won the Evian Championship in back-to-back years since it became a major, but Canada’s Brooke Henderson is in a position to do just that this week.

Henderson beat Sophia Schubert of the United States by a stroke to win the Evian last year for the second major title of her career.

Although women’s golfing greats like Helen Alfredsson, Laura Davies, Annika Sorenstam and Ai Miyazato have won the Evian multiple times, none of them won it after 2013 when the LPGA Tour named it a major.

“I love the opportunity to try to defend my title,” said Henderson at a news conference on Wednesday. “Holding the trophy yesterday when I had to give it back was very sad but, at the same time, it was very emotional.

“It was really cool for me to see my name engraved on the trophy and join a long list of past champions with an incredible history. It’s really cool for me to be a part of that.”

Only Davies won the Evian Championship in consecutive years, winning what was then a Ladies European Tour event in 1995 and 1996, more than a decade before it was elevated to major status. Alfredsson (1994, 1998, 2008), Sorenstam (2000, 2002), and Miyazato (2009, 2011) all won their titles with at least a year between them.

“That’s really exciting to have the opportunity to be the first one back-to-back,” said Henderson, who said it was her goal this week at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France. “But there’s so many talented players here this week, the best in the world, and just have the opportunity to do well and compete against them every week is really cool.

“Hopefully I just start out Thursday and Friday with some solid rounds, and see if I can put myself in contention to try to do it again.”

Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., is the other Canadian in the field at the Evian. Henderson is 17th on the LPGA Tour’s points list and Szeryk is 84th.

Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., has the most career wins of any Canadian professional golfer with 13. Her most recent was the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions on Jan. 22, the first event on the LPGA Tour schedule.

It’s an annual goal of Henderson’s to win at least twice every season – one of the reasons why she’s the most successful golfer in Canadian history – and with seven months since her last victory, she’s ready to complete this season’s set.

“It’s been a goal of mine since I’ve been on Tour to win twice a year,” said Henderson, who has won a pair of tournaments in five of her nine seasons since turning pro in December 2014. “I’ve done it most years, not all years.

“It was really great to start out the year with a win my first time out this season and then it’s been a little bit up and down since, but I’m looking forward to a lot of great events coming up, especially this week.”

EPSON TOUR – Hamilton’s Alena Sharp is the top-ranked Canadian on the Epson Tour’s money list this week. She sits 12th heading into the French Lick Charity Classic at the Pete Dye Course in French Lick, Ind. Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont., is 46th and Quebec City’s Sarah-Eve Rheaume is 142nd.

PGA TOUR – There are six Canadians in the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minn., this week. Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., leads the Canadian contingent into the tournament. The 36th ranked golfer on the FedEx Cup standings will be joined by Adam Hadwin (37th) of Abbotsford, B.C., Mackenzie Hughes (44th) of Dundas, Ont., Taylor Pendrith (108th) of Richmond Hill, Ont., Michael Gligic (207th) of Burlington, Ont., and David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., who is unranked.

KORN FERRY TOUR – Edmonton’s Wil Bateman and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., are the only Canadians in the NV5 Invitational at The Glen Club in Glenview, Ill. Bateman is 54th on the second-tier tour’s points list and Sloan is 111th. Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., clinched a full PGA Tour card next season with his runner-up finish at he HomeTown Lenders Championship on Sunday.

CHAMPIONS TOUR – Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., is the lone Canadian in The Senior Open Championship at Royal Porthcawl Glof Club in Bridgend, Wales. He’s 36th in the Schwab Cup rankings.

PGA TOUR CANADA – Etienne Papineau of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., is the top-ranked Canadian on the PGA Tour Canada, sitting third in the points list of the third-tier tour. He’s the top Canadian in the field at this week’s Osprey Valley Open at TPC Toronto (Heathlands) in Caledon, Ont.

Leading stars from men’s and women’s golf poised for Olympic glory next summer at Le Golf National’s Albatros Course

A year from now, 120 of the world’s best golfers – 60 men and 60 women – will gather at Le Golf National to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The course, which is just southwest of Paris and 15 minutes from the majestic Palace of Versailles, is no stranger to international competition after hosting the 2018 Ryder Cup as well as the Open de France on the DP World Tour 28 times.

PARIS, FRANCE – SEPTEMBER 29: A general view of the 16th green at the 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National on September 29, 2018 in Paris, France. (Photo by Paul Severn/Aberdeen Standard Investments via Getty Images)

Golf in the Olympics is in its relative infancy, though. The sport returned to the roster of events in 2016 after an absence of 112 years and the coveted gold, silver and bronze medals awarded in France will be just the fifth set for the men and the fourth for the women.

Even so, what unfolds during that two-week span in August 2024, could be historic.

No male or female golfer has ever medaled in three Olympics. But barring a precipitous drop in the Olympic Golf Ranking over the next 12 months, Lydia Ko of New Zealand will head to Paris with just that opportunity.

Ko won a silver medal in 2016 at the Rio Olympics, finishing five strokes behind South Korea’s Inbee Park despite making her first-ever ace during the third round. And in the 2020 Games in Tokyo, Ko lost a silver medal playoff to Japan’s Mone Inami after both players finished a shot behind Nelly Korda of the United States.

KAWAGOE, JAPAN – AUGUST 07: Lydia Ko of Team New Zealand celebrates with the silver medal at the victory ceremony after the final round of the Women’s Individual Stroke Play on day fifteen of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Kasumigaseki Country Club on August 07, 2021 in Kawagoe, Japan. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Ko, who is a 19-time winner on the LPGA Tour, recently told Olympics.com that getting to play in Paris is one of her biggest goals over the next year. And while earning a third straight medal — of any kind — is a top priority, she’d like nothing better than to complete her set with a gold. 

“Paris is probably going to be my last Olympics,” the 26-year-old said. “Obviously, it’d be another year on top of this year and then another four on top of that, and I don’t know whether I’d like to be competing by the time it comes to L.A. (and Riviera Country Club).

“(Paris is) definitely the biggest thing that’s lingering in my mind. … It’d be pretty surreal to say that you’ve medaled at all three of the Olympics since its return in over 100 years… it’d be really cool to say I have the trio of all three colors.”

Ko is used to making history, too. She won her first LPGA event at the age of 15 and her first major at 18 – in each case, she was the youngest to ever do so. And when she was ranked No. 1 in the world at the age of 17, she was the youngest male or female to reach that position.

The competition on the Albatros Course at Le Golf National, designed by Hubert Chesneau and Robert Von Hagge, will be challenging, though. The men’s stroke-play event will be held Aug. 1-4, 2024 while the women take center stage Aug. 7-10.

The players are selected from the Olympic Golf Rankings (which are based on the Official World Golf Ranking). The top 15 men and top 15 women are eligible to play in the Games — with a limit of four from a single country.

Once past No. 15 in the Olympic Golf Rankings, there will be a maximum of two eligible players from each country that doesn’t already have two or more in the top 15. Ko currently ranks third behind No. 1 Jin Young Ko of South Korea and Korda, the 2020 gold medalist, who is also looking to have another shot at a medal.

“I kind of had watery eyes,” Korda told Golf Channel after her victory. “I was like wow, this is surreal. You don’t understand it until you’re in the position. It’s such an incredible feeling at the end of the day.

“You’re not just playing for yourself, you’re playing for your country. There’s so much history in the Olympics and just to be a part of that is amazing.”

Based on the current ranking, the Canadian women’s golf team would consist of Brooke Henderson and Maude-Aimee Leblanc. Meanwhile, the men’s team would be comprised of Corey Conners and Nick Taylor.

Scottie Scheffler, who won the 2022 Masters Tournament and the 2023 PLAYERS Championship, leads the men’s Olympic Golf Rankings. A rookie on the PGA TOUR in 2020, he would be making his Olympic debut, as potentially would two other U.S. players currently ranked among the top six – Patrick Cantlay and Max Homa, if they can hold onto their spots.

Reigning gold medalist Xander Schauffele is also well positioned in the mix for the Americans with a little over a year – and four major championships, all four in 2024 – to go before the teams are finalized.

World No. 2 Jon Rahm, the reigning Masters champion, is looking to potentially begin his Olympic experience in Paris. He had to withdraw from the Tokyo Games – postponed until the summer of 2021 as the coronavirus continued to spread – due to a positive COVID test of his own.

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA – APRIL 09: Jon Rahm of Spain celebrates on the 18th green after winning the 2023 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 09, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, who currently is second in the Olympic Rankings, was part of an unusual seven-man playoff for the bronze medal in Tokyo that was won by C.T. Pan of Chinese Taipei. Entering the competition, McIlroy said he wasn’t sure of what to expect at the Olympics but playing for his country clearly impacted the 34-year-old. 

“It makes me even more determined to go to Paris and try to pick one up,” McIlroy said after missing out on the bronze medal. “It’s disappointing going away from here without any hardware, I’ve been saying all day I never tried so hard in my life to finish third.

“But it’s been a great experience. Today was a great day to be up there in contention for a medal. It certainly had a different feeling to it than I expected and yeah as I said I’m already looking forward to three years’ time and trying to go at least one better but hopefully three better.”

McIlroy acknowledged the Olympic spirit had “bitten him” in Tokyo, but he thinks he’ll have a better chance to come home with some hardware in Paris now that he’s been to an Olympics and knows what to expect.

“I would come in with a slightly different mindset of targeting a medal just instead of seeing how it goes and seeing what the experience is like,” the four-time major champion said. “But I would like to keep the sort of relaxed vibe and atmosphere that we have had within the team all week, because I think honestly, part of the reason I played well this week is because of that atmosphere that we have had.”

That’s the Olympic experience at its best.

Hampton, N.B. – Warm and sunny weather conditions continued into round two of the 2023 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, presented by BDO making for another excellent day. Team Ontario were victorious in defending their title and have been crowned this year’s winners of the Inter-Provincial Team Championship.

Heading into round two with a four-stroke lead, Team Ontario consisting of Shauna Liu (Maple, Ont.), Aryn Matthews (Little Britain, Ont.) and Joline Truong (Mississauga, Ont.) won by four-strokes with a final score of 10-over par.

Liu contributed to the team efforts with scores of an even-par 72 on Monday and 72 on Tuesday, along with Matthews who shot 83 on Monday and 81 on Tuesday and Truong’s 1-over par 72 on Monday and 77 on Tuesday. The team combined for a total score of 10-over par and a four-stroke triumph over the runner-up, Team British Columbia.

“I love the team aspect of golf, I always have. It’s a big part of our history and a big part of the championship so I think its really neat when the athletes get to come together and play as a team and to do it at an event like this just makes it all that much more meaningful,” said Reggie Millage, coach of the Ontario team.

For the individual component of the competition Michelle P. Ding holds the lead after the second round of the 2023 Canadian Juniors Girls Championship. Ding went into the second round with a score of 1-under and finished the second round with a score of 2-over 73 to maintain the lead.

“I tried to not think any differently today, my mindset was to still make par, par is your best friend on this course as its very challenging,” said Ding. “I feel like I never broke my concentration and kept pushing through.”

In second place, Chelsea Truong is a single stroke behind Ding after shooting an 1-over par 72 score during the second round. Truong has played two very consistent rounds, shooting 72 in both the first and second round of the championship.

Alexa Ouellet (Toronto, ON.), who shot a 2-under 69 which was the low round on Tuesday, Shelby Hardwick (Aurora, ON.), Luna Lu (Burnaby, B.C.), Eileen Park (Red Deer, A.B) and Lui are in a four-way tie for third  after the second round.

The 2023 Canadian Junior Girls champion will receive an exemption into the 2023 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship and 2024 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship, if age applicable.

Full results can be found here.

For more information on the 2023 Canadian Junior Girls Championship click here.

GOLF CANADA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Golf Canada annually conducts more than 30 golf competitions and qualifiers nation-wide – including nine National Amateur Championships – which play host to more than 3,000 domestic and international athletes from all corners of the world. In partnership with our host clubs, thousands of volunteers, provincial golf associations and our proud sponsors, Golf Canada is dedicated to supporting player development through world-class competition since our inception in 1895. Officiated by certified Canadian Rules of Golf officials, Golf Canada’s amateur competitions are fully compliant with golf’s international governing bodies and include marquee events such as the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships as well as the Canadian Junior Girls and Junior Boys Championships. Golf Canada’s amateur championships are proudly supported by BDO Canada, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Titleist, FootJoy, Sport Canada, Levelwear and JOURNIE Rewards. For more information and scheduling visit www.golfcanada.ca/championships.

Creemore, Ont. – There is a familiar name atop the leaderboard after round one of the 2023 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur, presented by BDO.

Two-time champion, Judith Kyrinis of Thornhill, Ont. shot an opening round of 3-under, 69 to lead both the Women’s Mid-Amateur division and Women’s Mid-Master division at The Mad River Golf Club in Creemore, Ont. on Tuesday.

Kyrinis started her round with four consecutive pars and was 2-under through seven. She headed to No.15 at even par and closed with birdies on 15, 17 and 18, a stretch of holes known as “The Mad Mile” to finish her round with six birdies.

“Putter was solid, made some pretty long ones. Got it around the hole, no three putts. It’s a tough golf course, you got to grind your way around out there and you cannot take one shot off or you could make a big number,” said Kyrinis. “I certainly had some misses, but they were decent misses, made a lot of nice up and downs so it was solid.”

Kyrinis who won the 2019 and 2016 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championships has consistently been around the top of the leaderboard every year of the tournament and said getting off to a good start is key in a national championship.

“When you don’t, it makes it really tough to kind of get back in the game, so at least I’ll be in the game but there’s still a lot of golf out there left with two days on this golf course, it’s tough.”

Kyrinis leads the Mid-Amateur division by five shots over Isabella DiLisio of Hatfield, Pa. and Samantha Perrotta of Bordentown, N.J. who both shot 74 and sit at 2-over. In the Mid-Master division, Kyrinis holds an eight-stroke lead over defending champion, Shelly Stouffer who shot a 5-over, 77 on Tuesday.

In the Mid-Amateur Inter-Provincial Team Championship, Team Quebec sits at 11-over and leads by one-shot over Team Manitoba after the opening round. Team Quebec consists of Natacha Brossard and Suzanne Ricard from Montreal and Marie-Thérèse Torti of Candiac, Que. Defending champions, Team British Columbia sit five shots back at 16-over. Seven provinces with three players per team are competing for the team championship over the first 36-holes of the tournament.

This year’s championship marks the first time that the Women’s Mid-Amateur division is being held as a stand-alone competition. The 54-hole stroke play championship was previously held in conjunction with the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship, as well as the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship. In addition, the Women’s Mid-Master Championship (players aged 40-and-over as of July 25, 2023) is being contested over three championship rounds this week.

Female golfers (aged 25-and-over as of July 25, 2023), with a handicap index of 12.0 or less are eligible to compete in the Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship. The individual winner of the Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship will receive an exemption into the 2023 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, taking place from September 9-14 at Stonewall (North Course) in Elverson, Pa. In addition, the champion will receive an exemption into the 2024 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.

For the full leaderboard click here.

GOLF CANADA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Golf Canada annually conducts more than 30 golf competitions and qualifiers nation-wide – including nine National Amateur Championships – which play host to more than 3,000 domestic and international athletes from all corners of the world. In partnership with our host clubs, thousands of volunteers, provincial golf associations and our proud sponsors, Golf Canada is dedicated to supporting player development through world-class competition since our inception in 1895. Officiated by certified Canadian Rules of Golf officials, Golf Canada’s amateur competitions are fully compliant with golf’s international governing bodies and include marquee events such as the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships as well as the Canadian Junior Girls and Junior Boys Championships. Golf Canada’s amateur championships are proudly supported by BDO Canada, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Titleist, FootJoy, Sport Canada, Levelwear and JOURNIE Rewards. For more information and scheduling visit www.golfcanada.ca/championships.

Hampton, N.B. – Sunny weather conditions made for a great start at Hampton Golf Club as the opening round of the 2023 Canadian Junior Girls Championship presented by BDO kicked off on Monday. The leaderboard fluctuated throughout the day, but 17-year-old Michelle P. Ding persevered through the heat to sit atop the lead after firing a 1-under 70 after a competitive day.

The Toronto native tallied three birdies in a row on the par-5 sixth hole, par-3 seventh hole and par-4 eighth hole. Ding also fired one birdie on the back, on the par-4 11th, to come back and finish off the round.

“My mindset today was about hitting par, I thought that if I made par, I would do amazing, so I tried to just keep that in mind,” said Ding. “The course was in pretty good shape and my highlights were my up and downs, I barely hit any greens but if I missed them, I made it work. Going forward I plan to just keep hitting par.”

Ding’s best finish at this competition was in last year’s tournament finishing T25 at The Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa, Ont.

Abbey Baker (Halifax, N.S.), Rebecca Kim (Surrey, B.C.), Joline Truong (Mississauga, Ont.), Shauna Liu (Maple, Ont.), Cadence Ko (Richmond, B.C.), Chelsea Truong (Victoria, B.C.) and Luna Lu (Burnaby, B.C.) are all heading into the second round tied for second place, all a single stroke back of Ding.

Last week’s winner of the NextGen Atlantic Championship Abbey Baker said, “I’ve just been focusing on hitting the fairways and greens and knowing that the birdie putts will come. The course was great today, it wasn’t too windy out there for us, but the greens can be tough if you’re out there in the rough.”

Two other players, Bridget Wilkie (Toronto, Ont.) and YanLing (Elaine) Liu (Vancouver, B.C.) are 2-over, and both are within one shot of the leaders, tied for ninth going into the second round.

Team Ontario, consisting of Truong, Liu and Aryn Matthews (Little Britain, Ont.) lead the inter-provincial team competition at 2-over and are looking to defend their title. The defending champions of last year hold the lead by four strokes, over team British Columbia who sit 6-over after the first round.

“Today started off a little rough but I just tried to hang in there. We had some ups and downs with pars and took the birdies as they came,” said Truong. “The course is in good shape, the balls were rolling well, overall went pretty well.”

The Inter-Provincial Team Championship for the Mary Pyke trophy will wrap up tomorrow at the conclusion of the second round.

The 2023 Canadian Junior Girls champion will receive an exemption into the 2023 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship and 2024 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship, if age applicable.

Full results can be found here.

For more information on the 2023 Canadian Junior Girls Championship click here.

GOLF CANADA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Golf Canada annually conducts more than 30 golf competitions and qualifiers nation-wide – including nine National Amateur Championships – which play host to more than 3,000 domestic and international athletes from all corners of the world. In partnership with our host clubs, thousands of volunteers, provincial golf associations and our proud sponsors, Golf Canada is dedicated to supporting player development through world-class competition since our inception in 1895. Officiated by certified Canadian Rules of Golf officials, Golf Canada’s amateur competitions are fully compliant with golf’s international governing bodies and include marquee events such as the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships as well as the Canadian Junior Girls and Junior Boys Championships. Golf Canada’s amateur championships are proudly supported by BDO Canada, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Titleist, FootJoy, Sport Canada, Levelwear and JOURNIE Rewards. For more information and scheduling visit www.golfcanada.ca/championships.