OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

Xander Schauffele overcame a two-stroke deficit with a bogey-free final round 65 to win the Open Championship by two shots over Justin Rose and Billy Horschel. It’s his ninth career PGA Tour win and his second major championship this year, becoming the first golfer in 10 years to win the British Open and PGA Championship in the same year. In the 90-year history of four majors, Schauffele became the first player to win two majors in one season with a final-round 65, joining Jack Nicklaus. Schauffele pulled away with three birdies in a four-hole stretch early on the back nine to go from two shots behind to leading by as many as three. It was the 11th straight year for a first-time British Open champion, tying a tournament record. Rose, who needed to go through 36-hole qualifying just to get into the field, finishes runner-up at a major for the fourth time in his career. Billy Horschel, the third-round leader, posted his best result in 43 career major starts. Schauffele’s win means players from the United States have won all four major titles for the first time since 1982. …Mackenzie Hughes, who got into the event after finishing tied for seventh at the RBC Canadian Open, posted his third-best career result in a major. It’s his fifth top-20 result of the season.  …Corey Conners‘ final round 68 equals his second-lowest score ever in five British Open starts. He has made the cut in all 20 events he has played this year.

PGA TOUR

Nick Dunlap overcame a nine-point deficit with a bogey-free final round worth 19 points to win the Barracuda Championship by two points. He becomes the first player in PGA Tour history to win as an amateur and a professional in the same calendar year. In January, Dunlap became the eighth amateur to win a Tour event – and the first in 33 years – at The American Express. He birdied six of his first 12 holes before making a 55-foot eagle putt on No. 15 to take the lead. The victory moved him up to 63rd on the FedEx Cup points list with two regular season events left to play. The top 70 advance to the playoffs. …Taylor Pendrith posted his fourth top-10 finish of the season and moved up to a season-high 29 in the FedEx Cup standings. …Ben Silverman was the leader after the first round, the first time in his career he has held the outright lead in a PGA Tour event.

NEXT EVENT: 3M Open (Jul 25)

CANADIANS ENTERED:  Adam Hadwin, Mackenzie Hughes, Taylor Pendrith, Ben Silverman, Roger Sloan, Adam Svensson

LPGA TOUR

Chanettee Wannasaen birdied the final two holes to win the Dana Open for Children by one stroke over Haeran Ryu. It’s the second career LPGA Tour title for the Thai player who won the Portland Classic last year, giving her victories in the two oldest non-major LPGA tournaments. At 20 years of age, Wannasaen is the youngest player to win on the tour this year. Ryu birdied four of the final five holes but a bogey at No. 16 ended her chances at victory. Her runner-up finish is her best result of the year. It’s also her seventh top-10 finish of the year – the most by any player without a win. Defending champion Linn Grant of Sweden finished in a tie for third. …Alena Sharp, who eagled or birdied the final hole in each of the four days, posted her best result of the season and first top-20 finish on the LPGA Tour since August 2022.

NEXT EVENT: CPKC Women’s Open (Jul 25)

CANADIANS ENTERED: Vanessa Borovilos (a), Monet Chun, Katie Cranston (a), Savannah Grewal,  Brooke Henderson, Anna Huang (a), Lauren Kim (a), Yeji Kwon, Maude-Aimee Leblanc, Mary Parsons, Brooke Rivers, Alena Sharp, Ellie Szeryk, Maddie Szeryk, Brigitte Thibault, Michelle Xing (a), Elizabeth Carr (reserve)

KORN FERRY TOUR

Matt McCarty birdied the opening two holes and four of the first nine on his way to a bogey-free final round 66 and a three-stroke win at the Price Cutter Charity Championship. It’s his first career victory and the result moves him up to seventh on the Korn Ferry Tour standings, securing his PGA Tour card for next season. McCarty is the 13th first-time winner on the Tour this season. Tommy Gainey, a winner on the PGA Tour, finished second for his first top-five and second top-10 result this season. Taylor Dickson finished in a four-way tie for third and also secured his PGA Tour card for next year.

NEXT EVENT: NV5 Invitational (Jul 25)

CANADIANS ENTERED: Wil Bateman, Myles Creighton, Jared du Toit, Étienne Papineau, Sudarshan Yellamaraju

PGA TOUR AMERICAS

Ryan Burnett rebounded from an opening hole bogey with four birdies in his next five holes en route to a course record-tying final round 62 and a two-shot win at the Bromont Open. It was the first career PGA Tour Americas title for Burnett who had to regain tour status at mid-season Q-school after finishing outside the top 60 following the Latin American Swing. He is also the 16th PGA Tour University alumni to win a professional event. Third-round leader David Pastore, who had two eagles in a front-nine 31, was one back and had a chance to tie with a birdie on the final hole but ended up making bogey to finish runner-up. …Matthew Anderson posted his fifth top-15 result of the season. …Brendan MacDougall notched his second top-15 result in his last three starts. …Drew Nesbitt recorded his best result of the season and second straight top-20 finish.

NEXT EVENT: Commissionaires Ottawa Open (Jul 25)

CANADIANS ENTERED: Matthew Anderson, Ty Celone, A.J. Ewart, Brad Fritsch, Claude Giroux, Thomas Giroux, Piercen Hunt, Jimmy Jones, Ki Taek Lee, Stuart Macdonald, Brendan MacDougall, Drew Nesbitt, Lawren Rowe, Joey Savoie, Jeevan Sihota, Noah Steele, Justin Towill, Chris Crisologo (alternate), Brady McKinlay (alternate), Brandon Lacasse (alternate), Xavier Marcoux (alternate)

EPSON TOUR

Lauren Stephenson, battling a cold all week, birdied the final hole for a wire-to-wire two-stroke victory at the Twin Bridges Championship. It was her first career win and moved her to No. 3 in the Race for The Card standings. Jessica Porvasnik started the final round five shots back and attempted to chase Stephenson down with a pair of birdies on the front nine but could only manage one more birdie over the final nine holes to finish runner-up. That result moved her to the top of the Race for the Card standings with just six tournaments remaining. …Leah John posted her best career result in her rookie season on the development tour as well as her first top-10 finish of the year.  …Brigitte Thibault notched her best career result and first top-20 finish on the tour.

NEXT EVENT: Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic (Aug 16)

CANADIANS ENTERED:  Selena Costabile, Leah John, Brigitte Thibault, Kate Johnston (reserve), Tiffany Kong (reserve)

Mississauga, Ont.  The Canadian Golf Superintendents Association (CGSA), in conjunction with other global superintendent groups, is recognizing those who are essential to golf’s success with an international “Thank a Golf Course Superintendent Day,” encouraging all golfers, those who are in the golf business or anyone who benefits from the game to thank superintendents for their hard work and dedication to the game. 

“Thank a Golf Course Superintendent Day” will be celebrated September 10, 2024.

In addition to CGSA, other groups taking part in the global event include the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA), the Australia Sports Turf Managers Association (ASTMA), and The Federation of European Golf Greenkeepers Associations (FEGGA). All together the groups represent more than 31,000 golf course management professionals in 78 countries around the world.

The celebration will include commercials that will appear on the Golf Channel, print advertisements and social media messages sharing the many ways that superintendents benefit the game and their communities.

Golfers and others are encouraged to join in the conversation on social media using the hashtags “#ThankASuper” or “#ThankAGreenkeeper” depending on their country’s nomenclature. In addition, golf courses and other groups are encouraged to provide special recognition for their superintendent and course maintenance staff on Sept. 10. A social media tool kit will be available on golfsupers.com with materials to aid in the celebration. 

During the 2023 Thank A Golf Course Superintendent Day, social media messages reached more than 14.7 million followers around the world while broadcast media reached an additional 18 million people.

Mark Darbon has been appointed Chief Executive of The R&A and Secretary of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.

Darbon will succeed Martin Slumbers in the role leading the governing body and the organisation, which runs The Open and AIG Women’s Open and invests in developing golf around the world in November. He will also become Secretary of the 270 year-old Club which has a global membership of more than 2,400.

A former senior member of the team leading the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in 2012, Mr Darbon is leaving his role as CEO of Northampton Saints, the Premiership Rugby club, to take up the St Andrews-based position.

Darbon (45) led Northampton Saints to their first Premiership title since 2014 last month and implemented a commercial strategy which enabled the rugby union club to bounce back from the pandemic to achieve record revenues in consecutive seasons.

“I am thrilled and honoured to be taking up these positions with The R&A and The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and to be moving into golf, a sport I have always loved,” he said. “The R&A is a globally renowned organisation and does so much to ensure that golf prospers from grassroots through to the professional game. I am looking forward to working with a hugely talented team of staff, the Club membership and such an impressive array of partner organisations to achieve even more success in the years to come.”

Darbon started his career as a management consultant at Marakon Associates, before joining Diageo plc where he held a number of strategic and commercial roles, living and working in markets all over the world, including the USA, Russia, China and Australia.

“Golf Canada proudly welcomes Mark Darbon as the new Chief Executive and Secretary of the R&A, said Laurence Applebaum, Golf Canada’s CEO. “We look forward to our continued great work between our organizations growing and developing the game of golf.”

Having transitioned into sport event organisation in 2009, Darbon held several senior roles with the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and was latterly Head of Olympic Park Operations, overseeing the Olympic Park which housed nine competition venues with 20,000 employees and welcomed 250,000 spectators a day throughout the 2012 games. He went on to serve as an Expert Adviser to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 2013 to 2018.

Following London 2012, Darbon was Senior Vice President of Tough Mudder Inc in New York and was involved in planning, promoting and staging mass participation events in North America, Latin America, Europe and Australasia.

Before joining Northampton Saints as CEO in 2017, Darbon served as CEO of Madison Sports Group, a sports events and content company which created an award-winning international series of professional track cycling events and, in doing so, brought a series of new sponsorship arrangements and media rights deals to the sport.

Darbon is a graduate of Worcester College, Oxford University, where he read geography.

As well as being a keen golfer, playing to a Handicap Index of 3.1 as a member of Northamptonshire County Golf Club and Saunton Golf Club, Darbon is a former Under-21 England hockey international and a Full Blue for hockey at Oxford University. He is a non-executive director of England Hockey and Women’s Premiership Rugby.

Darbon is married with two children and plans to move his family to St Andrews when he takes up his new role.

The Golf Journalists Association of Canada (GJAC) Virtual Summit presented by RBC: Economic Impact of Golf in Canada took place May 24, 2024, as part of an ongoing GJAC series intended to help membership stay connected, as well as to generate discussion and opportunities around important issues in the game.

GJAC Virtual Summits presented by RBC are recorded for public viewing. You can watch this recording below.

The format consists of a moderated question and answer period, followed by a brief opportunity for questions from attendees. 

Panelists for this Virtual Summit included:

• Tom McGuire, Principal/Co-founder, 21FSP Advisory Inc.
• Laurence Applebaum, Golf Canada
• Jeff Calderwood, National Golf Course Owners Association

Moderator: Dan Pino, Golf Canada

In an exciting development for the Mississaugua Golf and Country Club, Jeremey MacRae has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective July 8, 2024. This announcement comes with high anticipation from the Board of Directors and the Search Committee.

Jeremey J. MacRae, C.C.M., C.C.E., brings an impressive portfolio of over twenty years of leadership experience in the private club industry to his new role. His expertise spans across various domains of facility management, including golf, curling, tennis, wellness, aquatics, multi-unit operations, and food and beverage services. With a track record of elevating member experiences and operational efficiency, Jeremey is poised to lead the Mississaugua Golf and Country Club into a new era of success.

Prior to joining Mississaugua, Jeremey served as the Chief Operating Officer at Weston Golf and Country Club, a renowned establishment with a legacy dating back to 1915. During his tenure, he played a pivotal role in transforming Weston into one of Ontario’s premier golf courses. Under his leadership, member services, facilities, and overall operational efficiency witnessed significant enhancements.

Jeremey’s expertise in food and beverage operations is particularly noteworthy, honed through key roles at esteemed establishments. His journey includes successful stints as Food and Beverage/Clubhouse Manager at Brampton Golf Club and Beach Grove Golf and Country Club, where he focused on delivering exceptional dining experiences. Additionally, Jeremey served as Assistant Director of Food and Beverage at Inn at St. John’s Hotel Golf & Conference Centre in Plymouth, Michigan, where he contributed to substantial revenue growth and successfully hosted events for large gatherings.

Adept at leading and motivating teams, Jeremey currently manages a diverse range of amenities at Bayview, including an acclaimed 18-hole golf course, six year-round tennis courts, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and a bustling social and events calendar.

His commitment to excellence extends to industry education and professional development, evident through his certifications as a Certified Club Manager (C.C.M.) and Certified Chief Executive (C.C.E.), along with active participation in industry associations and prestigious conferences.

In his role as CEO, Jeremey will oversee all aspects of Mississaugua Golf and Country Club’s day-to-day operations, fostering relationships with staff, members, guests, and the community. His collaborative leadership style and member-centric focus are set to usher in a new era of success and growth for the club, solidifying its reputation as a premier destination for recreation and camaraderie.

Jeremey, who resides in Oakville with his family, brings not only professional expertise but also a passion for sports and family. When he’s not on the golf course or tennis court, he can be found coaching his children’s baseball teams or spending quality time with his wife, Amy, and their two children, Avery and Clarke.

Mississaugua Golf and Country Club was recently announced as host of the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open.

An NCAA conference title was riding on Brooke Rivers’s putter, but she kept her mind clear.

Rivers, a Team Canada member from Brampton, Ont., sank a 12-foot putt on the 18th green to break a tie in her match and lift the Wake Forest Demon Deacons to the ACC conference final with a 3-1 win over North Carolina on Sunday. 

The championship match against the Clemson Tigers was called that night due to darkness. With Wake Forest ahead in three matches and the top seed in the tournament, the Demon Deacons won the title, a scenario that was set up by Rivers’s cool demeanour earlier in the day.

“I just thought of the putt at hand and no external factors,” said the 19-year-old Rivers. “So I tried to clear my mind of anything consequential and focus more on what I was doing in that moment.”

“The only thing running through my head was the putt that I had to hit and how I was going to actually hit that putt.”

Wake Forest won the eighth conference title in program history after the two rain delays, advancing the Demon Deacons to the regional finals as they look to defend their 2023 U.S. collegiate national title.

Rivers said that she likes how match play — the format used in the medal rounds of varsity golf — boils the sport down to its essence.

“You just control what you’re doing and what you can do instead of putting your focus and emphasis on another person,” said Rivers. “You just control what you’re able to control.”

Wake Forest women’s golf coach Kim Lewellen said that Rivers has shown in her freshman year that she knows how to rise to the occasion.

“Brooke is a competitor and when she’s out there, the tougher the situation, the better that she does,” said Lewellen. “She had to make a putt on the hole before that that was a left-to-right slider that was probably five, six feet, and she made that.

“When we really needed her to clinch that point she had that competitiveness come out and there was no doubt in her mind.”

Wake Forest will be one of six host sites for the 2024 NCAA Regionals in two weeks at Bermuda Run Country Club in North Carolina. In each regional, 12 teams and six individuals not on those teams will compete. 

The low five teams and the low individual not on those teams will advance to the finals. 

NCAA — Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C., tied for third on the individual leaderboard to help the University of Texas women’s golf team win Big 12 Championship with a commanding 12 stroke victory on Saturday at the Clubs at Houston Oaks. The Canadian freshman earned a Big 12 All-Tournament Team honours.

LPGA TOUR — Rookie Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., is 62nd in the Race to CME Globe standings and is the top-ranked Canadian in the field at this week’s JM Eagle L.A. Championship. Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., is 137th and will also tee it up at Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles.

EPSON TOUR — Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont., leads a group of four Canadians into the IOA Championship. Although she has yet to earn points on the second-tier Epson Tour this season, she is No. 773 on the Rolex women’s golf world rankings heading into play at Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon in Beaumont, Calif. She will be joined by amateur Leah John of Vancouver, Kate Johnston of Ayr, Ont., and Vancouver’s Tiffany Kong.

PGA TOUR — Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin, who grew up together in Abbotsford, B.C., will team up at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in Avondale, La. They are the highest ranked Canadians in the FedEx Cup standings at 21st and 33rd respectively. Best friends Corey Conners (55th) of Listowel, Ont., and Taylor Pendrith (99th) of Richmond Hill, Ont., will also be a team. Ben Silverman (103rd) of Thornhill, Ont., and Roger Sloan (189th) of Merritt, B.C., will be in different pairings at TPC Louisiana.

KORN FERRY TOUR — Edmonton’s Wil Bateman leads the Canadian contingent into the Veritex Bank Championship. He’s 18th on the second-tier tour’s points list. He’ll be joined at Texas Rangers Golf Club in Arlington, Texas, by Myles Creighton (27th) of Digby, N.S., Etienne Papineau (35th) of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., Jared du Toit (76th) of Kimberley, B.C., and Sudarshan Yellamaraju (120th) of Mississauga, Ont.

CHAMPIONS TOUR — Calgary’s Stephen Ames is the lone Canadian in the field at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic. He’s fourth in the Schwab Cup standings heading into the three-day event at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Ga., which tees off on Friday.

PGA TOUR AMERICAS — Matthew Anderson of Mississauga, Ont., sits atop the Fortinet Cup points list after winning last week’s 69th ECP Brazil Open in a 54-hole, wire-to-wire victory. He’ll be back in action at the Diners Club Peru Open in Lima on Thursday. Anderson is one of 13 Canadians in the field.

If Lauren Kim is intimidated by storied Augusta National Golf Club, it doesn’t show.

The 19-year-old collegiate golfer from Surrey, B.C., is the lone Canadian in the field at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur this week. She said that her strategy at the elite amateur event is to take the tournament one shot at a time, a strategy that paid off as she had an even-par 72 in Wednesday’s opening round.

Kim was in an 11-way tie for 29th, six shots behind leader Hannah Darling of Scotland.

“The biggest thing is to try and get up in the top 30 and make it to the weekend,” said Kim after her practice round on Tuesday. “But that’s not really going to be on my mind, I’m just going to focus on the shot ahead of me and try and stay present. That’s the most important thing.”

Kim won the 2023 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship on Aug. 4 to play at last year’s CPKC Women’s Open at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club in Vancouver. She also won the women’s individual stroke play championship at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup in the fourth playoff on Oct. 11.

Now a freshman on the University of Texas’s women’s golf team, Kim had a practice trip with her teammates where she got to play at Champions Retreat Golf Club, which hosts the first 36 holes of the event on Wednesday and Thursday. She also got to practice at Augusta National, which will host the final round on Saturday.

Kim said that visit helped her determine what she had to work on ahead of the event.

“I’d say a lot of shots around the greens, like short game, and it’s quite important to obviously try and hit the green but when you don’t hit the greens out here, you’ve got to make sure that you try and make the up and downs,” said Kim. “So still a lot of short game practice and putting as well.
“And some shots around the trees and some of the fairways here are a little narrow with the trees and the branches.”

Salimah Mussani, Golf Canada’s women’s head coach, is in Georgia with Kim and helped her through her official practice round on Tuesday. Mussani said that as good as Kim’s ball striking is, it’s her intellect that will see her through to the weekend.

“Her strength is her golf IQ,” said Mussani. “I think on this golf course, it’s very challenging, it’s a tough golf course, but her level of thinking her way around the golf course and managing her golf ball is going to be a real asset, especially in these first two rounds before the cut.”

That cerebral approach is why it’s so important for Kim to remain unfazed by one of golf’s most famous courses.

“She loves the big stage,” said Mussani. “She thrives in these types of situations, the Canadian Am and earlier this season the college event.
“She’s cut out for these types of things and thrives in them and really looks forward to them and looks at them as opportunities. It’s the right mindset, for sure.”

LPGA TOUR — Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., was sixth on the Race to CME Globe standings heading into the first round of the T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards on Wednesday. Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., was 130th on the LPGA Tour’s points list before play began at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas.

PGA TOUR — Two-time Valero Texas Open champion Corey Conners returns to TPC San Antonio this week going for his third title at the event. Conners is the highest ranked Canadian in the field, sitting 47th on the FedEx Cup standings and the official world golf rankings. The product of Listowel, Ont., will be joined by Adam Svensson (78th) of Surrey, Ben Silverman (96th) of Thornhill, Ont., Taylor Pendrith (103rd) of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Roger Sloan (179th) of Merritt, B.C.

KORN FERRY TOUR — Edmonton’s Wil Bateman is ranked 15th on the second-tier Korn Ferry Tour’s points list heading into this week’s Club Car Championship. He will be joined at the Landings Golf & Athletic Club by Etienne Papineau (30) of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., Myles Creighton (37th) of Digby, N.S., Jared du Toit (68) of Kimberley, B.C., and Sudarshan Yellamaraju (122nd) of Mississauga, Ont.

Nick Taylor’s putter flip after winning the RBC Canadian Open was the exclamation point on arguably the best year in Canadian golf history.

Taylor drained a 72-foot eagle putt to end a four-hole playoff with England’s Tommy Fleetwood at the Canadian national men’s championship on June 11, the first time a Canadian had won the title in 69 years. But Canada’s success on the course went beyond that, with Canadians winning at every level of the professional game including four wins on the PGA Tour and one on the LPGA Tour.

“I think the state of Canadian pro golf, especially on the PGA Tour, has never been better,” said Taylor, the first Canadian to win the RBC Canadian Open since Pat Fletcher did it in 1954. “Our goal, as players, with Golf Canada is to keep that number growing of Tour members.

“The more players that we can get out here, obviously, it gives us a greater chance of winning more and more.”

Taylor, from Abbotsford, B.C., joined Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., as winners on the PGA Tour in the 2022-23 season. It was the most wins by Canadians in a single PGA Tour campaign to date.

“The camaraderie is great,” said Taylor, whose victory at Toronto’s Oakdale Golf and Country Club was the fourth win by a Canadian in the season. “I feel like we play a lot of practice rounds together, houses often have dinners together, so we all rally together.

“I think we push each other to be better and I think that’s why we’ve continued to get better and reach new heights.”

Conners, who won the Valero Texas Open for a second time on April 2, said that winning is the best feeling you can have in professional golf.

“That was definitely a highlight for me,” said Conners. “I think another highlight, and something that I’m always very proud of, was making it to Eastlake — the Tour Championship — and being in the top 30 of the FedEx Cup rankings and having a chance to win the FedEx Cup. 

“Looking back on the year as a whole I would have liked to improve on some things, but making it there is a nice bonus because it means you had a great year.”

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., won the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions on Jan. 22 for her 13th victory on the LPGA Tour, the most of any professional player in Canadian golf history regardless of gender.

“It was a little bit up and down year for me,” said Henderson, assessing her 2023. “But it was nice to try to defend my title at the Evian Championship with a runner-up finish this year, it was really fun to be back in contention. 

“Then same kind of thing to be in our Tour Championship in November, it’s always a big goal when you start the season is to be in contention to try to win that, that big money and the race, the CME Globe in November.”

Canadian success wasn’t limited to the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour, however.
Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., both won on the second-tier Korn Ferry Tour to earn full-time PGA Tour status in 2024. That means there will be eight Canadians on tour with Silverman and Sloan joining Taylor, Conners, Hughes, Svensson, Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp won an Epson Tour event and had five top-10 results on the second-tier tour, not missing a cut in 14 tournaments played. She also won Canada’s second-ever golf medal at the Pan American Games, winning bronze in Santiago, Chile. 

Sharp once again earned LPGA Tour status through final qualifying, as did Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., and Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont. They’ll join Henderson and Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., on the LPGA Tour in the new year.

Two more Canadians won on the PGA Tour Canada, a feeder circuit for the Korn Ferry Tour, with Etienne Papineau of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., and Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald each claiming a victory. Papineau finished fourth on the season-long points list to earn conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S., won on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica, another third-tier circuit in the PGA Tour system. Calgary’s Stephen Ames won a remarkable four times on the Champions Tour.

On the amateur side, Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C. earned the 109th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship and Ashton McCulloch of Kingston, Ont. won the 118th Canadian Men’s Amateur, marking only the third time both tournaments were won by Canadians in the same year since 2011. Monet Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont., became the first Canadian to make the cut at the Augusta Women’s National Amateur.

With the Paris Olympics coming in July and the Presidents Cup returning to Royal Montreal Golf Club in September, Taylor expects 2024 to be an even bigger year for Canadian golf.

“Those two are at the top of the list of things I want to be involved in, participate in, this coming year,” he said.

The National Golf Course Owners Association Canada (NGCOA Canada) and the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association (CGSA) have announced an important new program which will extend further support and recognition to facilities for sustainability and climate action.

This long-term project is being delivered by the two Canadian associations in collaboration with the GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation, which is the international not-for-profit entirely dedicated to establishing golf as a leader in this field.

Core components of the initiative include:

• Free provision of GEO’s OnCourse Program for sustainable golf facilities and course management
• Access to annual Sustainable Golf Scorecards and Carbon Footprints
• Communications strategies that spotlight golf’s positive environmental stewardship
• Creation of a valuable industry data bank to support golf’s positive story
• Annual awards and internationally accredited certification
• Aligned strategies, goals and member support from both NGCOA Canada and CGSA 

“The rapid movement in sustainability is fundamentally critical to the future of golf, and in particular the ability to successfully operate golf courses”, stated Jeff Calderwood, CEO of the NGCOA Canada. “This initiative delivers new solutions supporting management efficiency, the popularity of our game throughout Canada, golf’s positive brand, and the long-term profitability of our golf businesses.”

“Climate change and loss of biodiversity are concerns across society and, as land managers, we have an important role to play,” added Dustin Zdan, President of the CGSA. “This program provides recognition for the stewardship work that our superintendents deliver, while our industry demonstrates to society and governments that golf is an effective environmental leader.” 

The GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation has been supporting golf in more and more countries around the world each year. Jonathan Smith, executive director of GEO, was very supportive of expanding their support in Canada. 

“Congratulations to the NGCOA Canada and CGSA for stepping forward and demonstrating this sustainability commitment,” said Smith. “The programs, tools and recognition are purely designed to help facility and association leaders to better review and quantify what they are already doing; to identify areas for further focus; to build more effective communication plans; and to accelerate their profile as a climate conscious community of golf businesses.”

In parallel to this golf course operations initiative, it should be noted that Golf Canada is also demonstrating leadership by working with partners such as GEO for sustainability programs at the RBC Canadian Open and the CPKC Women’s Open, as well as their own Amateur events. Collectively, the Canadian golf industry is positioning the sport and industry very effectively for the future of sustainability.

Golf course operators and superintendents are advised to watch for further details and participation opportunities being released by both the NGCOA Canada and CGSA.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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