West Vancouver, B.C. (Golf Canada) – Vancouver’s Doug Roxburgh continued his solid play at Capilano Golf and Country Club Wednesday, posting a 2-under 69 to build a four shot lead thru two rounds of the 2014 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship.

The Canadian Golf Hall of Fame honoured member had a less than ideal start Wednesday, bogeying the 1^st and 8^th holes en route to finishing his front 9 at 1-over par. However, the 13-time British Columbia Amateur Champion rallied to birdie holes 10, 11 and 14 to get below par and shoot his second consecutive 69 (69-69—138) at challenging Capilano.

The difference between the two nines proved to be Roxburgh’s flat stick.

“I needed to get my putting going and started to on the 9^th hole,” he explained. “I made a nice side-hiller from about 10 feet to save par. After that I really putted well. I didn’t miss too many (putts) coming in on the back nine. I left myself below the hole and took pars when I needed. I’m happy with my 69 and am looking forward to the next two days.”

Steven Hudson of Birmingham, Ala. sits second thru 36-holes at even-par 142 (71-71), while Nanaimo, B.C.’s Sandy Harper is third at 2-over 174 (71-73).

In the Inter-Provincial Team Championship, the British Columbia contingent of Roxburgh, Lance Lundy (Pemberton, B.C.) and Jim Shaw (Mission, B.C.) combined for a 2-under 140 to capture the Phil Farley trophy with a 1-over 285 total. The squad finished 13-strokes ahead of Alberta, who carded a final round 1-over 143.

In the battle for the Super Senior title (70+), Mickey Batten of Chateauguay, Que. claimed a two-shot victory over runner-up George Stokes of New Hamburg, Ont. Batten carded 77-80 for a two day total of 15-over 157 for the victory.

“This is my first national championship win,” said Batten, a former Quebec Amateur and Duke of Kent champion. “I’m really happy today. I played this course (Capilano) 30 and 40 years ago, but I hardly recognize it. It’s truly a special place.”

The Canadian Men’s Senior Inter-Provincial Team and Canadian Men’s Super Senior Championships are conducted concurrently with the opening two-rounds of the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship.

The Canadian Senior Men’s Championship continues Thursday with the third round beginning at 7:30 a.m. (PDT) off the 1st and 10th tees. Scoring, pairings and start times can be found online here.

For those who don’t know him, Austin James is an 18-year-old sophomore out of Charleston Southern, in Charleston, S.C. He won the 2014 Canadian Junior Boys Championship with a 15-under 273 for a four-stroke victory. How did he get here? Well, it seems as if the road to success was paved out for him at an early age – the foundation at least.

Austin comes from a family of golf. His immediate family lives on the grounds of Loyalist Golf and Country Club in Bath Ont., where his father, Geoff, is the head PGA of Canada professional. This past week, James played in PGA Tour Canada’s Great Waterway Classic, held on the very own grounds of Loyalist. Against the pros, James finished tied for 49th with an 8-under 280 (71-68-73-68). Home course or not, a very promising finish for the young sophomore.

James has enjoyed success in the past, winning a couple Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA) events in 2013 before winning a national championship. With age, he seems to be developing a greater understanding of the game, evident in his recent string of finishes.

While still young, James has directed his focus to the collegiate level by looking to get into the lineup at more NCAA events, before his ultimate plan of turning professional.

“I got to play about half of our team’s events – overall though, I really enjoyed my first year there,” said James. “I’d like to have a solid college career and see how good I can get while I’m still at school and hopefully go pro after that. It’s still a while away, so I am just more focused on getting my game better and better.”

Austin is the younger brother to sister Augusta James, three-year member of Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad. Just as you’d expect, the support for each other within the family is strong. A week after winning the Canadian Junior Boys title, Austin headed down south with Augusta to help her prepare for the U.S. Women’s Amateur in Glencove, N.Y.

Taking nothing away, Austin James is a talent in his own right – although he is still modest enough to admit his older sister holds the upper hand.

“She was always better than me, and she still is,” laughed James of a match with Augusta. “I think that has helped me be more competitive and it gives me someone to look up to and compare myself to.”

Augusta, 21, won the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship in July, giving younger brother Austin an extra boost of motivation leading up to his Canadian Junior Boys win.

“It was great to see her win that title, especially battling the world’s no. 2 (Canada’s Brooke Henderson) and no. 6 (Autralia’s Su-Hyun Oh) ranked amateurs in the world,” said Austin. “It gave me a lot of confidence to see all the work she has put in pay off.”

Looking to the future, Austin plans to improve on consistency and continue learning in college competitions at Charleston Southern. Meanwhile, sister Augusta will look to close out her career at N.C. State in memorable fashion.

The future is never a sure thing, but don’t be surprised if you see the name ‘James’ atop golf leaderboards for many years to come.

AMHERST, Nova Scotia – It was razor thin victory, but New Brunswick has back-to-back championships at the Atlantic Junior Match Play Championship after taking top honours Wednesday at the Amherst Golf Club.

Heading into the day with a half point lead over Nova Scotia and only a point lead over Prince Edward Island, the New Brunswick team was able to inch ahead in a championship that came right down to the wire.

This marks the second straight year New Brunswick has won the event, as it edged Nova Scotia last year as well. Prince Edward Island, making its first trip to the event in the last two years, was impressive and added to the championship format.

West Vancouver, B.C. (Golf Canada) – Vancouver’s Doug Roxburgh shot a 2-under 69 to take the opening-round lead Tuesday at the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship at Capilano Golf and Country Club.

“Overall, I think I played pretty good,” said the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame honoured member. “It’s a tough golf course – the pins were tricky and the greens firm. I made some good putts, par savers, to keep my momentum going.”

Roxburgh and his hot putter got off to a great start, eagling his first hole on the day – the par 5 10^th hole – to get into red numbers early. He’d add two birdies and two bogeys to his scorecard en route to becoming the lone player to finish their opening-round under par. He would have been a shot better if not for missing a short par attempt on the 9^th hole, his last of the day.

“Unfortunately I missed that short one for par on the last hole” he added. “Other than that, I was really happy with my score out there today.”

Roxburgh had reason to be content with his round. The scoring average for the field was nearly 10 shots above par (71) at 80.26 during the opening round. The 12^th hole played as the most difficult hole of the day, with the 156 player field averaging the 362 yard par-4 nearly a full stroke over par (4.94).

Roxburgh, a four-time Canadian Amateur champion, had high praises for host Capilano on Tuesday.

“I think Capilano is my No. 1 course anywhere that I’ve played,” he explained. “I’ve played a lot of great events here over the years and it’s always great to come back”

Roxburgh may have been the only competitor to tame Capilano Tuesday, but he still has a great deal of work left if he wants to capture his first Canadian Men’s Senior Championship.

Three players trail the 62-year-old in second. Pat Thompson of Asheville, N.C., Steven Hudson of Birmingham, Ala., and Sandy Harper of Nanaimo, B.C. all fired matching even-par 71s to sit two-shots off the lead.

The Inter-Provincial team championship is conducted concurrently over the first two rounds of stroke play each year at the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship. Team British Columbia leads by five-strokes heading into the final round. Roxburgh, Lance Lundy of Pemberton, B.C., and Jim Shaw of Mission, B.C., combined to card a 3-over 145 to sit ahead of Team Saskatchewan’s Colin Coben (Delisle), Paul Grimes (Arcola) and Percy Murray (Delisle) at 150, +8. Team Ontario, which is comprised of Brampton’s Rick Dodds-Hebron, as well as Larry Cooper and Lars Melander of Oakville, are third at 9-over 151.

Mickey Batten of Chateauguay, Que. leads the Super Senior Division (70+) after a 6-over 77. Bob Masukawa of Aurora, Ont. is second at 7-over 78 and George Stokes of New Hamburg, Ont. rounds out the top 3 in third at 8-over 79.

The shot of the day went to Frank Morris of Guelph, Ont. who used a 4-hybrid to card an ace on the 201 yard par-3 16^th hole. The Guelph Lakes Golf Club member opened with a 5-over 76 and sits tied for 30^th.

Defending champion David Schultz of Calgary is tied for 9^th after a 3-over 74.

This week’s champion earns an exemption into the 2014 U.S. Senior Amateur Championship at Big Canyon Country Club in Newport Beach, Calif. September 13-18, 2014.

The Canadian Senior Men’s Championship continues on Wednesday with the second round beginning at 7:30 a.m. (PDT) off the 1st and 10th tees. Scoring, pairings and start times can be found online here.

Originating in the United States, PGA Junior League Golf brings the “little league” mentality to the sport of golf by introducing a team environment for juniors.

The PGA Jr. League starts with a golf professional fielding a junior team of either boys or girls under the age of 13 to participate in friendly competitions against other clubs in the area. Each team participates in three regular season competitions and takes a turn hosting visiting teams.

The Junior League competitions use the team scramble format to accommodate players of all skill levels and to reinforce participation – the main goal of the initiative. Following each match, all teams are provided with a complimentary lunch and a review of the day’s results. All the information is also made available through the website, which provides detailed standings leading up to regional and national championships.

Jeff Overholt, a PGA of Canada professional who piloted PGA Jr. League in 2013, shares his enthusiasm for what the program has to offer.

“The PGA Jr. League program allows participants to experience the ups and downs of competitive golf with the support of 7 – 10 other team members,” explained Overholt. “The players absolutely loved the team play as it made them feel like they belonged to something bigger and allowed for players of all skill levels to be a part of the team”.

Overholt, along with two other PGA of Canada professionals, hosted visiting teams during a four week period last September. The following leaders in junior golf experienced immediate success with recruiting players for their teams.

Laird White – National Golf Club,Woodbridge, Ont.

David Fritz – St. Andrew’s Valley & Westview Golf Course,Aurora, Ont.

Jeff Overholt – Golf Performance Coaches at Carrying Place Golf Course, Kettleby, Ont.

“It’s a perfect introduction to competitive golf for juniors,” said Overholt. “More skilled players were paired with beginners to ensure all players were able to experience success in their matches.”

PGA Jr. League Golf launched as a pilot program in the United States in 2011 with participating teams from four different states. Since then, they have partnered with the PGA of America to bring the program to nearly 9,000 participants in 2013.

Find a Junior League in your area by visiting the website.

Originating in the United States, PGA Junior League Golf brings the “little league” mentality to the sport of golf by introducing a team environment for juniors.

The PGA Jr. League starts with a golf professional fielding a junior team of either boys or girls under the age of 13 to participate in friendly competitions against other clubs in the area. Each team participates in three regular season competitions and takes a turn hosting visiting teams.

The Junior League competitions use the team scramble format to accommodate players of all skill levels and to reinforce participation – the main goal of the initiative. Following each match, all teams are provided with a complimentary lunch and a review of the day’s results. All the information is also made available through the website, which provides detailed standings leading up to regional and national championships.

Jeff Overholt, a PGA of Canada professional who piloted PGA Jr. League in 2013, shares his enthusiasm for what the program has to offer.

“The PGA Jr. League program allows participants to experience the ups and downs of competitive golf with the support of 7 – 10 other team members,” explained Overholt. “The players absolutely loved the team play as it made them feel like they belonged to something bigger and allowed for players of all skill levels to be a part of the team”.

Overholt, along with two other PGA of Canada professionals, hosted visiting teams during a four week period last September. The following leaders in junior golf experienced immediate success with recruiting players for their teams.

Laird White – National Golf Club,Woodbridge, Ont.

David Fritz – St. Andrew’s Valley & Westview Golf Course,Aurora, Ont.

Jeff Overholt – Golf Performance Coaches at Carrying Place Golf Course, Kettleby, Ont.

“It’s a perfect introduction to competitive golf for juniors,” said Overholt. “More skilled players were paired with beginners to ensure all players were able to experience success in their matches.”

PGA Jr. League Golf launched as a pilot program in the United States in 2011 with participating teams from four different states. Since then, they have partnered with the PGA of America to bring the program to nearly 9,000 participants in 2013.

Find a Junior League in your area by visiting the website.

NANJING, China – Canada’s duo of Maddie Szeryk and Tony Gil have placed 16^th in the mixed team event at the Summer Youth Olympics at the Zhongshan International Golf Club.

Gil, a 16-year-old Vaughan, Ont. native, had five birdies and five bogeys for an eventful final round in Nanjing. The Team Canada Development Squad member finished with an even par 72.

Szeryk, a dual-citizen of Canada and the U.S., came out firing with two early birdies on the opening holes but struggled after that, posting three consecutive bogeys. The soon-to-be Texas A&M freshman finished with a 2-over 74.

Together, the Canadian duo finished at 1-over par after three rounds of mixed team play. They opened with a 3-under 69 in better ball format, followed by a 2-over 74 in foursomes (alternate shot) and then a 2-over 146 (72-74) in combined score.

Team Coach, Robert Ratcliffe, is pleased overall with their results and the event.

“It was a very strong event, with a very strong field,” said Ratcliffe, also Team Canada’s Lead Development Squad coach. “We will be going back to the drawing board after this to see where we can improve.”

Team Sweden ended up winning the gold, posting an impressive 16-under (65-67-140) for the tournament. The Swedes were represented by Marcus Kinhult, the no.6 ranked male amateur in the world and Linnea Strom, the no. 8 ranked female amateur – a tough squad to catch. Korea ended up winning the silver, and Italy took home the bronze.

The individual male and female competitions that took place earlier in the Youth Olympics saw Szeryk place T15 and Gil T22.

Click here for scoring

LONDON, Ont. – For every Tiger Woods, there’s a Michelle Wie, a Lexi Thompson and a Lydia Ko. Much-hyped teenage stars are all over women’s golf.

Thompson won a major championship at the age of 19, and Ko was 15 and 16 when she won the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open in 2012 and 2013. Canada has a phenom of its own in Brooke Henderson, the 16-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., who recently finished second at the U.S. Amateur Championship.

Explaining why women find the spotlight in golf so much younger than men has a lot do with body mechanics and a little to do with advances in teaching and technology that have been refined over time.

“The simple fact is that girls develop earlier than boys,” Golf Canada’s women’s amateur coach Tristan Mullally said. “They reach their peak height faster, they develop in terms of their end body type faster.

“By the time they’re 15, 16, 17, they’re not going to change as much as a boy will, so they have an opportunity to be a little bit more consistent and to maybe reach some of those things earlier.”

Mullally added that a lot of teenage boys can’t keep up with full-grown men on the PGA Tour because it’s hard to drive the ball 300-plus yards consistently. Canadians Mike Weir, Graham DeLaet and David Hearn are in the majority of men who have taken longer to find their games.

Weir won the 2003 Masters at 32, while the 32-year-old DeLaet is only now enjoying his prime. Hearn took until just before his 34th birthday before he made the cut at a major tournament.

Younger women can match older peers easier, in part because they play on shorter courses.

“If you can hit out there 240, 250 (yards), you can really compete at a young age,” Mullally said.

But the physics of women developing earlier than men is no new phenomenon. What’s different is how girls with any golfing potential get extra attention to help refine those skills.

“They’re more prepared to play professional golf than I was when I came out,” said 36-year-old Cristie Kerr, who has two majors among her 16 career LPGA Tour victories. “I just had my dad. They have their swing coaches, their mental coaches, their trainers, everything. They have sponsorships when they come out and we didn’t. It’s a lot different world for them.”

As a member of Golf Canada’s national team, Henderson has two coaches in Mullally and Ann Carroll, a fitness trainer, a physiotherapist, a nutritionist and a psychologist.

“It’s an amazing support system,” Henderson said. “I think the stronger your support system, you don’t have to focus on things outside of golf. You can just focus on your golf game itself.”

When Karrie Webb was getting into golf, her first clubs were an adult set cut down to fit in her hands. Webb, 39, went on to win seven majors on the LPGA Tour.

The first of those didn’t come until the age of 24, and Webb sees the future faces of the sport and knows they’re much more ready to compete at 16 or 17 than she was.

The average age of 2014 major champions on the LPGA Tour is 25, compared to 28.5 on the PGA Tour. Beyond just those winners, the average LPGA rookie age is 23.6 and the average PGA rookie is 28.8.

“I always joke around like, ‘Is it 12?’ Because I’m way past 12,” said American Danielle Kang, who at 21 wasn’t close to being one of the oldest players at last week’s Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

“I think the guys our age are still very, very talented, it’s just there’s more competition that are in their 30s to 40s for men,” Kang said. “I mean, they’re still shooting 10-under par. But I think this game is growing, so there are much younger players that are coming up faster.”

Wie had a big role in sparking this trend, qualifying for the U.S. Amateur at the age of 10 and becoming the youngest player to make an LPGA cut at 13. She validated a lot of the hype by winning the U.S. Open this year at 24 and is currently ranked fifth in the world.

Even if Wie took some time to go from prodigy to major champion, her success story is an attractive one for young female golfers.

“You can see it on TV, it’s become almost a celebrity to be an athlete now, where maybe in the past it wasn’t like that,” Mullally said. “There’s definitely a bigger interest in the amount of players who see that as being a goal for their career has definitely increased.”

While LPGA purses are well below those on the men’s tour, there’s still plenty of money to be won. So Yeon Ryu earned more than US$300,000 for winning the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open on Sunday, and 20-year-old rookie Jaye Marie Green – 100th on the LPGA Tour money list – has made $62,346 so far this year.

Before making a living on tour, most women have successful amateur careers. Five-time major winner Inbee Park said the expansion of quality junior and amateur tournaments has helped speed up the learning curve.

Of course not every teenage golf star finds success like Wie, Thompson and Ko. Park, who was on the LPGA Tour at the age of 18, said the key is for young players not to lose interest in what they’re doing.

Four-time LPGA Tour winner Lorie Kane is trying to help the next generation of Canadian golfers not just keep interest but blossom into stars. The Charlottetown native’s advice to Henderson – “Don’t read your own press” – goes for others, as well.

“I think it’s just stay out of their own way, and that comes from encouragement from the adults in their lives and not to make a big deal out of what they’re doing,” Kane said.

LONDON, Ont. – While those close to Jennifer Ha are well aware of her talents and potential on the golf course, the 20-year-old amateur brought it to the attention of a much larger audience this weekend at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

With a world-class 156 player field – including 15 of this country’s finest golfers – competing at the London Hunt and Country Club, Ha impressed golf fans in attendance and those watching across the country by being one of the four Canadians to make the cut.

According to her Kent State head coach, Greg Robertson, it was her display of determination and mental toughness that was most impressive.

“What sticks out in my mind was that she had a double bogey on the first hole of the tournament, and then played the next 17 holes 2-under,” he said about the talented amateur from Calgary.

“And coming down the stretch in the second round, she was right on the cutline at 1-under and birdied the last two holes to make the cut by a couple of shots. I was very impressed by the way she handled those situations, added Robertson, who caddied for Ha over the weekend.

Ha’s head coach from the Canadian national team, Tristan Mullally, was also impressed by her strong showing against the LPGA Tour’s finest.

“This week Jennifer had 18 birdies and proved that she has that ability to compete with the best,” said Mullally.

“She also had quite a few mistakes,” he acknowledged of Ha’s 16 bogeys and 1 double bogey. “But if all you have to do is tidy up some mistakes and make a couple of small adjustments, those are easy things to take care of.

“Golf Canada and Kent state we’ve worked well together and we work for the best thing for Jennifer,” Mullally noted about the importance of both programs to Ha’s development. “She works really hard and takes input really well; and we are fortunate to have a player like her who does that.

“She’s got a really bright future; she’s just got to push on and work hard and continue to improve,”Mullally added about the young golfer.

When asked about her impressive showing at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, Ha credits the recent success of her teammates, Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners, for inspiring her to step up her game.

“We all go to Kent State and we’re all on Team Canada; so Taylor and Corey are like brothers to me,” she noted with a smile.

“Seeing them play so well, it made me feel proud and more confident in my abilities; and it has motivated me to do better,” Ha added.

Ha also credits the support and resources provided through Golf Canada and the Kent State golf program for allowing her to develop her potential on the golf course; and putting her on the right path to success.

Greg Robertson, Jennifer Ha, Tristan Mullally (David Li)

Looking towards the future, the Kent State senior has ambitions of competing full-time on the LPGA tour.

“I’m 20 years old and I’m about to graduate, so I’m definitely thinking about going to Q-school next year or the year after; and try to be back here as a professional,” said Ha after her final round of the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

However, the talented young amateur understands there is still a lot of hard work required to realize her goal.

“I think ball striking is the best part of my game and I love working on it,” Ha pointed out. “Definitely, think I need to work more on my putting and on the mental stuff; and gain a lot more experience by playing in professional events like these.”

While Ha’s potential and talents may have been known to her coaches and a select number of keen golf insiders, her recent performance in London, Ont. has many more observers of the game singings her praises – including one of the LPGA’s biggest stars.

After seeing Ha compete up close and personal, Lexi Thompson believes the young Canadian has what it takes to make it on the LPGA tour one day.

“She’s got a great personality and you can tell she has a really good attitude on the golf course which is important out here,” said Thompson, who was grouped with Ha in the final round of the CP Women’s Open.

“She hits it pretty far and she putts it well too,” added the American superstar about Ha. “She’s going to keep on improving with hard work I’m sure; and I think she’s going to be a great player someday.”

NANJING, China – The Canadian duo of Maddie Szeryk and Tony Gil combined for a 2-over 74 in Monday’s alternate shot round at the Zhongshan International Golf Club to remain tied for 17^th at the Youth Olympic Games.

Szeryk, an 18-year-old dual-citizen of Canada and the U.S., and Gil, a 16-year-old Vaughan, Ont. native, struggled to move up the leaderboard with the difficulty of foursomes (also known as alternate shot) format. The pair found trouble early, carding a double-bogey on the par-5 2^nd hole. They had a tough time climbing back after that, managing just one birdie that came on the par-5 11^th.

This was the first official alternate shot event that Gil and Szeryk have participated in. Team Coach, Robert Ratcliffe, remains optimistic for the team to recover in tomorrow’s combined score event and to continue learning.

“I’m helping them focus on learning from the experience no matter what the result,” said Ratcliffe, also Team Canada’s Development Squad Lead Coach. “Tomorrow’s rounds are aggregate, so there will be a lot of moving on the leaderboard and we are looking forward to it.”

Having already played better-ball (69) and alternate shot (74), the team sits at 1-under par overall and are looking ahead to the final round of combined score.

The lead is currently held by Denmark’s Pinnerup Axe Pultz and Emily Kristine Pedersen, who carded matching 65s to sit at 14-under par.

Szeryk and Gil are set to tee-off in the early time slot once more, this time off the 10^th tee. They are scheduled to start at 8:30 am (CST).

Click here for scoring.