TOYOTA CITY, Japan – Canada sits tied for 9th after collectively recording a total of 2-under par during Tuesday’s opening round at the 2014 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup.

This year marks the 22^nd running of the international event, featuring an expanded field of 15 countries for 2014. The format remains the same, with the top-three scores from each team being recorded for the daily total.

The Canadian contingent is made up of four Team Canada Development Squad members, accompanied by Lead Coach Robert Ratcliffe.

Sixteen-year-old Tony Gil of Vaughan, Ont. led the Canadians, shooting a 3-under 68 to sit tied for 10th. He was followed by St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Qué. native, Etienne Papineau, who carded an even-par 71 to sit tied for 22nd. Carter Simon of Sutton, Ont., was the final score recorded by the Canadians – he shot a 1-over 72.

Calgary’s Matt Williams shot a 3-over 74 – which was discounted as the team’s highest score for the day.

Canada currently trails leading Chile by seven strokes. The United States and defending Venezuelan squad are tied for second, one-shot off the lead.

Simon, Papineau and Gil are all new to the Development Squad in 2014, making this an memorable experience for the team. You can catch a glimpse of the boys in the team introduction video below at the 43 second mark.

The boys also participated in the festivities leading up to play at the Chukyo Golf Club’s Ishino Course, with Carter Simon taking home third place honours at the long-drive contest.

For first round scores, click here.
For second round pairings, click here.

Carrying Place Golf Course in King, Ont., is the official hosting site for the 2014 Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru National Event.

On September 22^nd, over 120 participants are expected to play 18 holes of golf in celebration of another successful year of promoting women’s golf and raising funds for breast cancer.

This marks the 11^th annual National Event and signifies the growing success of the women’s participation initiative.

“It’s been a natural progression for us,” said Steve Elliot, General Manager at Carrying Place. “We’ve hosted several ‘pink-out’ nights in the past and we are very happy to be a part of the National Event and its cause.”

Site coordinators, Erika, Bernie and Chris hosted a Golf Fore the Cure event last Monday at Carrying Place, playing host to well over 100 ladies in a “pink-out” themed tournament full of prizes, giveaways and more. Building off that, the team at Carrying Place is looking forward to the National Event celebration in three months’ time.

“An event like this is great for introducing ladies to golf with the friendly atmosphere of the scramble format,” said Brian Jones, Head Golf Professional at Carrying Place. “It’s also a great social event for ladies to enjoy their entire night with dinner and festivities afterwards.”

The National Event celebrates the collective accomplishments of all program participants from across the country. Among those in attendance will be corporate teams, club members, guests and even first-time golfers. Foursomes from the top two fundraising events will be honoured at the event, with Golf Canada covering their transportation and hospitality costs.

Also attending will be Evanka Osmak of Sportsnet who has been a program ambassador for three years running.

“It is truly an honour to be named an ambassador for Golf Canada’s Golf Fore the Cure Program” said Osmak. “I am thrilled to be involved with a program that promotes women’s participation in the game of golf and raises money for such a worthy cause as breast cancer. I look forward to doing my part to make a difference and hopefully inspire others to do the same.”

In addition to fighting breast cancer, Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru aims to encourage women’s participation in the sport. The National Event highlights these goals with a day of care-free golf and friendly contests.

Golf Canada is also proud to announce that Nancy Lopez Golf has signed on this year as the official apparel sponsor for the National Event. The Nancy Lopez line will provide each participant with a gift while also displaying their fall apparel collection.

Registration is open to the public – get involved by clicking here

PINEHURST, N.C. – There’s no doubting Team Canada’s Brooke Henderson knows how to rise to the occasion.

She’s won major amateur events like the Porter Cup and the Spirit Invitational. She’s the youngest golfer ever to win a professional golf title. And now, in perhaps her biggest feat to date, the 16-year-old Smiths Falls, Ont. native captured low amateur honours at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst No. 2 – where she finished tied for 10th at 5-over 285 on the devious track.

“There’s a lot of great amateurs here that qualified this week,” said Henderson following her round Sunday in North Carolina. “It’s very exciting, that’s for sure. The best players in the world are here and to know that I’m right up there, it’s really awesome. I still have a long way to go to where I want to be in the next couple years, but it’s really exciting to know that I have the potential and it was a great finish here this week.”

Henderson, who had her sister Brittany as her caddie this week, improved on the tie for 59th she recorded in her first Women’s U.S. Open last year at Southampton, N.Y. She credited her ball striking in the final round for part of the improvement.

“Ball striking was really big for me today,” she added. “I made two mistakes off the tee which cost me a double and a bogey, but other than that, I was hitting it really well and had a couple tap-in birdies, which is really nice.”

She had five birdies, two bogeys and a double on Sunday to be exact for a 69, her lowest round of the week. A round she likely didn’t see coming a week ago.

“When I first got here I was like, wow, this is an extremely tough course and it’s going to take four really solid rounds to even make the cut and then to climb up the leaderboard like I did,” Henderson admitted. “But I was almost intimidated the first couple days and then as I got playing and I started to hit the ball really well, I knew where to hit it on the fairways and where to hit it on the greens and I became much more confident. And today, right now, I sort of wish there was another round to go back out there, but I’ll have to wait until next year.”

Thanks to her finish at Pinehurst, Henderson automatically qualifies for the 2015 U.S Women’s Open being contested at Lancaster Country Club in Lancaster, Pa.

Henderson outlasted the world’s top women’s amateur golfer in Australia’s Minjee Lee, who finished 3-shots back of Henderson at 8-over 288, to claim the low amateur title.

“Well, Minjee is an amazing player,” explained Henderson. “She’s ranked No. 1 in the world as amateurs and she’s been at a lot of pro events and she always plays really well. Coming in that (winning low amateur) wasn’t necessarily my goal, but it’s nice that it happened.”

Brooke and Brittany will have little time to relish in the moment. The pair headed north Sunday evening as they will face off against each other, and others, at the Canadian Women’s Tour event at Legends on the Niagara’s Battlefield Course in Niagara Falls, Ont. which gets underway Tuesday. For more details on that event – which offers an exemption into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open – and the Canadian Women’s Tour, click here.

And, click here to watch an interview with Brooke following her final round at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open.

ROYAL PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland – Scotland’s Bradley Neil won the Amateur Championship at Royal Portrush after a closely fought final with South African Zander Lombard.

Neil clinched the match with a half on the par 5 35th hole for a 2&1 victory in the 36-hole final. The 18-year-old becames the first Scot to win the Amateur Championship since Stuart Wilson at St Andrews in 2004.

Neil’s form on the back nine and coolness under pressure helped him clinch the title and earned him a place in next month’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, the 2015 US Open at Chambers Bay and a traditional invitation to the Masters.

“To play in front of big crowds like this is incredible,” he said. “I would like to thank my caddie Michael Stewart. This win is not just for me it is for everyone that has helped me. I am so proud that my name will be added to the list of past winners.

“It means a lot to me to have the chance to compete with Major champions in The Open.  It will be fantastic it will be a strong test and it will be good to see how my game copes.

“Zander is a brilliant guy and we have been good friends for the last six months. He is a very strong, determined player. He didn’t make it easy for me. He’s got a lot of game and he is a really good talent.”

Despite his disappointment, the 19-year-old Lombard, who was hoping to become only the second South African winner after Bobby Cole in 1966, was delighted to have reached the final and has earned a place in Final Qualifying for The Open Championship.

“I’m very pleased with my achievement,” he said. “My golf’s been good all week. We both played really solid today and I have to say thumbs up to Bradley, he’s an awesome golfer with a lot of talent. We are pretty good friends and it is always nice having really good company on the golf course.

“We both just made a lot of pars and played really solid golf without making any mistakes. I had a few errant shots around the turn of the afternoon round but all in all I am really happy with my performance and my golf and am really looking forward to the rest of my career.”

The final was all square after a closely fought 18 holes in the morning in which both players recorded level par rounds of 70, with Lombard playing the steadier golf. The South African hit 16 of 18 greens in the morning round and had six birdie putts he failed to convert. Neil only managed to find eight greens in regulation but his short game kept him hard on Lombard’s heels.

After the opening exchanges Lombard remained one hole up until the 12th when he missed his first green of the day and failed to get up and down to take the match back to all square. Neil went ahead at the 16th when Lombard bunkered his tee shot and couldn’t advance the ball to the green. Neil meanwhile holed a 10 foot birdie putt. The match went back all square on the par-5, 17th when Neil recorded a bogey after finding the left rough off the tee and Lombard managed a fine birdie.

The afternoon round began the way the morning session ended for Lombard, with the South African failing to take advantage of birdie chances. He watched with dismay as a 15 foot putt at the 19th just curled away from the hole. He missed another birdie putt at the par-3 21st hole, when his 18 foot attempt just shaved the left edge of the hole.

In between, the Pretoria native hit a poor drive at the par-5, 20th hole to find the left rough. His second shot didn’t clear the rough and he lost the hole when Neil made a birdie. Neil was much more composed at the beginning of the afternoon session and he hit seven of the first nine greens.

Lombard got the match back to all square with a birdie three at the 25th when he holed a 20 foot birdie putt. The pair traded holes at the 26th and 27th holes. A wild tee shot into the left rough on the 26th meant a bogey and back to one down for Lombard. He quickly got that back, though, when he holed a six foot putt for birdie to take the match to the 28th all-square.

Neil moved ahead on the back nine, however, when Lombard bogeyed the par 4 28th and the par 3 29th. When Neil won the 31st hole with a bogey five, after Lombard lost his ball with his drive, and the next with a par three, the situation looked ominous for Lombard as he fell four behind. The South African showed his resilience to win the next two holes with birdie threes, including holing from off the green from 20 feet on the 34th hole, but when both players halved in par at the penultimate hole the match was over. Neil had two putts from ten feet to seal his win.

“When he bogeyed 10 and 11, I think that really swung things in my favour,” added Neil. “I went two up and it was going to be tough for him to get back from that. When he lost a ball down 13, I went three up with five to go so it is going to be tough for anyone, especially when I then went four up with four to go. I really wanted it to be over but I’m just glad it is done now.”

Neil, who is currently ranked 38th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking^TM, has followed in the footsteps of players such as Matteo Manassero, Sergio Garcia and Mikko Ilonen in winning the Amateur Championship and can now look forward to playing in The Open at Hoylake next month.

For the full scoring details from the Final visit, click here.

Eric Locke and Myles Creighton won the Nova Scotia Golf Association (NSGA) Four Ball Championship by a comfortable four strokes after playing a confident and consistent game through 2 rounds of golf at Osprey Ridge this past weekend.

Leading after the first round by a stroke over Marc Lombard of Saulnierville, NS and Stephane Leblanc of Meteghan, NS, Locke and Creighton continued with another impressive performance Sunday, both tying for the lowest round of the day at 66 (-5).

When asked what lead to the strong performance both golfers said it was a combination of staying out of trouble and hitting greens in regulation.

“Today we only really got in trouble on hole No. 4,” said Locke. “Myles hit a stray tee shot and I made a tough par – otherwise we played very well, lots of on in two shots.”

Despite their eventual four-stroke victory, things were close. River Hill’s Ryan Dixon and Jody Swim of Shelburne, NS had moved within one shot of Locke and Creighton through 9 holes.

“At the turn we heard we were one stroke up,” said Creighton. “Fortunately we birdied #11 and #12, then there was a delay on #13 and we saw Dixon and Swim had a tough hole, so we knew we had a bit of breathing room then.”

The win is particularly special for childhood friends Locke and Creighton.

“It’s really special,” explained Locke.  “We played together at a young age, and Myles is my best friend. To able to win with him is special.”

Having played together so long has turned the duo into virtual caddies for one another.

“Eric was the one who got me into golf,” Creighton added. “We know each other so well, how far we hit each club. Eric pretty much told me every club I should hit today. He’s very familiar with my game”.

Both have had success at the provincial level before. Locke with provincial junior titles in 2008, 2009 and Creighton with Midget and Juvenile titles, and this latest win has undoubtedly added to their confidence.

Finishing in second was Yarmouth’s Morgan Penney and Derek Boudreau who carded a stellar 9-under. Lombard and Leblanc came in third at 7-under.

For full results of the 2014 NSGA Men’s Four Ball Championship please, click here.

NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. – The Canadian Women’s Tour makes its second stop of the season in Niagara Falls, Ont. at the Battlefield Course at Legends on the Niagara, June 23-25.

Team Canada’s Brooke Henderson, No. 3 ranked amateur in the world, headlines the field of 90 players. Joining Henderson will be recent Canadian Women’s Tour B.C. champion, Michelle Piyapattra of Corona, Calif., 2013 Canadian Women’s Tour Ontario champion, Emily Childs of Alameda, Calif. and Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., the 2013 Jocelyne Bourassa Player of the Year.

In Niagara Falls, Henderson of Smith Falls, Ont. will aim to continue a stellar 2014 campaign that has seen her capture the South Atlantic Amateur Championship. On the professional stage, the 16-year-old recently finished T26 at the LPGA’s Kraft Nabisco Championship and tied for 45th at the LPGA Manulife Financial Classic.

“It’s a very strong field at the Tour’s second stop of the season, ” said Tournament Director Cam Crawford. “With another Canadian Pacific Women’s Open exemption on the line it should be an exciting two days of play and the course will definitely test the players in Niagara Falls.”

The event marks the second of three Canadian Women’s Tour events conducted annually across the country, featuring top amateur and professional players – from Canada and abroad – competing in a two-day 36-hole stroke play competition for a $60,000 purse.

A number of notable players will also join the field including Canadians Natalie Gleadall of Stratford, Ont., Danielle Mills of Pointe-Claire, Que., Erica Rivard of Tecumseh, Ont. and Ashley Sholer of Hamilton, Ont. Lauren Mielbrecht of Gulf Stream, Fla., who finished runner-up at the season’s first Tour stop is also in the field.

The par-72 Battlefield course at Legends on the Niagara played host to the 2004 Canadian Women’s Open. Designed by golf architect Douglas Carrick it should prove to be a challenge for the strong field.

“As the site of the successful 2004 Canadian Women’s Open, as well as a 2012 Canadian Women’s tour event, The Niagara Parks Commission (NPC) is proud to be building a rich tradition of hosting some of this world’s finest golfers here at our Legends on the Niagara Golf Complex,” stated NPC Chair Janice Thomson. “We look forward to working with Golf Canada to ensure our competitors and guests will have the most memorable of experiences, when they visit Niagara and Niagara Parks this summer.”

Four exemptions into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, an LPGA Tour event held August 18-24 at London Hunt and Country Club in London, Ont. are currently available to competitors. Exemptions are given to the winners of each of the three Canadian Women’s Tour events with two additional exemptions reserved for the top two competitors (not otherwise exempt) on the season-ending Canadian Women’s Tour Order of Merit. Michelle Piyapattra claimed the season’s first exemption with her win at Canadian Women’s Tour B.C.

In addition, the top five (previously the top 3) players on the Canadian Women’s Tour season-ending Order of Merit will be awarded direct entry into LPGA Stage-2 Qualifying.

The Tour’s final stop is scheduled July 29-31 at Firerock Golf Club in Komoka, Ont. for the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada presented by Nike Golf. It will count as the third and final stop on the Canadian Women’s Tour. Points will also be awarded toward the Jocelyne Bourassa Player of the Year at the conclusion of the championship.

Total season prize money for the 2014 season is $180,000 (CDN) for three events, which includes the PGA of Canada’s PGA Women’s Championship presented by Nike Golf. Each 36-hole championship purse will be $60,000 with the champion being awarded a $10,000 winners’ cheque.

Conducted since 2002, many of Canada’s elite female golfers have used the Canadian Women’s Tour to hone their skills and develop as athletes both on and off the course. Canadian Women’s Tour alumnae Lorie Kane, Alena Sharp, Jessica Shepley, Isabelle Beisiegel, Stephanie Sherlock, Rebecca Lee-Bentham, Sue Kim, Jennifer Kirby, Sara Maude-Juneau and Maude-Aimée LeBlanc have all used their experiences as Canadians on the Canadian development circuit as a catalyst to future successes. Other Canadian Women’s Tour graduates include LPGA notables Yani Tseng, Ryann O’Toole, Candace Schepperle, Sara Brown and Katy Harris.

For more information on Niagara Parks golf click here.

The final round of the Men’s Mid Amateur Championship at Athabasca Golf & Country Club started off rainy and remained dreary throughout the day, however, Frank Van Dornick of Camrose, Alta. was able to battle the elements and win his 4th Alberta Men’s Mid Amateur Championship shooting an impressive 2-under 70 to clinch the title.

Van Dornick knew he had his work cut out for him, holding off some of the provinces best golfers aged 25 plus.

“The course played tight and demanding off the tee, you could double bogey in a heartbeat, ” Van Dornick said. “Harry played well, if there was anyone I was looking at, it was him. The intensity increases and you focus a little harder, playing with that lead group, you become more aware of what you need to do.”

Van Dornick put together a round that only had two bogeys and he was able to recreate his 2nd round performance by birdieing the 18th. Harry Aime of St. Albert, Alta., and Kevin Temple of Calgary both matched Van Dornick’s 2-under 70, but could not gain any ground because of Van Dornick’s consistency. They finished second and third respectively.

Frank Van Dornick and Harry Aime were scheduled to represent Alberta this fall at the Canadian Men’s Mid Amateur Championship at Barrie Country Club in Barrie, Ont. However, Van Dornick declined, so his spot will be filled by Kevin Temple.  The Canadian Men’s Mid Amateur Championship will take place September 16th-19th.  Temple and Aime will be joined by the top 25+ Mid Amateur’s at the Sun Life Financial Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship.

Click here for full scoring from the 2014 Alberta Men’s Mid Amateur Championship.

VERNON, British Columbia – Jackie Little won her fourth British Columbia Golf Senior Women’s Championship in addition to placing first in the Mid-Master Championship Thursday at Vernon Golf and Country Club; while Holly Horwood took home top honours in the Super-Senior Championship.

Little closed out the championships shooting 78-73-78 for a final of +7 on the 5919-yard par-74 course with a comfortable six-stroke lead.

“The golf course was in fabulous shape, the greens were beautiful. And tricky,” said Little. “I haven’t been here for 10 years, and I forgot how subtly tricky these greens are.”

Four bogeys on the back nine and tricky greens made less of an impact after the Port Alberni resident shot a championship-best 73 on the second day of competition and entered the final round five strokes ahead of Horwood in second.

In addition to taking the titles in individual competition, Little won the Zone Team Competition on Wednesday as part of the Zone Six team with Karen Kloske.

Horwood struggled on the back nine for the second day in a row, carding a total of seven bogeys out, but had cultivated a strong enough lead during the first two days of competition to hold second place in the Mid-Master and Senior Championships and first in the Super-Senior event shooting +13 (75-78-82).

“It’s so nice that they do honour the over-60’s, I think that’s very important for the longevity of the game,” said Horwood.

The 2006 & 2007 Champion’s performance was highlighted by two eagles both on number six on the first and second days of competition.

Penny Baziuk, representing Ardmore Golf Course, finished at +15 (78-79-80) to round out the top three in the Mid-Master and Senior Women’s Championships. Baziuk played consistently over the three days of competition earning her bronze medal finish and the final spot on the provincial team that will compete at nationals in August.

In the Super-Senior Championship, Alison Murdoch of Victoria, pulled off a spectacular come-from-behind performance, finishing second at +16 after her best round of the championship. Murdoch recorded three birdies on the final day of play; Murdoch improved her scores each day shooting 83-79-76.

Defending Senior Women’s champion, Lynda Palahniuk placed third in the Super-Senior Championship despite struggling on the final day of competition shooting an 84 to finish the Championship 17-over par (76-79-84).

Little, Horwood and Baziuk have earned spots to represent British Columbia Golf at the Canadian Senior Women’s Championship at Milby Golf Club in Sherbrooke, Que on August 19-21.

Best-ball competition

Dee Horie and Sheila van Gisbergen finished first in the best-ball competition. Scoring for this event was taken from the teams combined best score for each hole over the three days of competition; it differs from a four-ball competition in that teammates were not paired together.

The pair finished at an impressive 36-under (60-63-63) with a total of seven eagles and only two bogeys blemishing their scorecard.

Darleen Michell and Susan Ovans finished second in the best-ball competition 28-under par (65-64-65) followed two stroked behind by Nina Henriksen and Susan Russell (71-63-62).

PITTSFORD, N.Y. — In a back-and-forth affair, Taylor Pendrith defeated Team Canada teammates Garrett Rank and Adam Svensson to capture the 74th annual Monroe Invitational Championship (MIC).

 Pendrith, 23, traded birdies with Rank (26) all the way until the final 72nd hole. The Richmond Hill, Ont., native pulled ahead late in Saturday’s final round thanks in part to his eagle on the par-5 12^th. He finished at 11-under par, having finished each round in the 60s (67-67-66-69).

This could very well be the biggest win of Pendrith’s amateur career – he also won the prestigious Porter Cup in 2013. With the win, the recent Kent State graduate continues a very successful season that saw him earn Co-Mid-American Conference Golfer of the Year honours in addition to shooting up the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), where he currently sits at No. 46.

Svensson, a Surrey B.C. native, made his move up the leaderboard with a 66 on Saturday to climb into second place, sneaking past Team Canada teammate Rank. Svensson continues to impress after winning this year’s Jack Nickalus award for the most outstanding golfer in NCAA Div II golf for his remarkable seven-win season at Barry University.

Hailing from Elmira, Ont., Rank carded rounds of 66-66-68-72 to finish at 8-under for the tournament, dropping slightly to a tie for third after Saturday’s final round. The University of Waterloo graduate is playing great golf as of late – he won the National Golf Club Invitational one week earlier.

Chris Hemmerich of Kitchener, Ont., also cracked the top 10. The Guelph University graduate demonstrated strong consistency with rounds of 70-68-66-69 to come in at 7-under in a tie for fifth. The 21-year-old showed great poise after experiencing the tough competition at PGA Tour Canada’s PC Financial Open two weeks ago – his first professional event.

Listowel, Ont. native Corey Conners rounded out the National Amateur team, finishing at a very respectable T17 in the strong field at the MIC, one of the more prestigious amateur golf events. The 22-year-old finished at 2-under – he also shares Co-Mid-American Golfer of the Year honours with Pendrith.

Canadians Josh Whalen (Napanee, Ont.) and Kevin Kwon (Maple Ridge, B.C.) also teed-it-up at the MIC, finishing T33 and 75, respectively.

For the full leaderboard, click here

—

Team Canada is officially on fire after coming out of last week’s training camps on home soil. The women’s squad mirrored the success of the men in New York at the Porter Cup, where Brooke Henderson took the field by storm to win with a final round 62. All members of the women’s squad landed inside the top 20 at the event, as well.

Brooke Henderson rallied back from a nine-stroke deficit firing a 9-under 62 on Friday afternoon to win the Porter Cup at Niagara Falls Country Club in Niagara Falls, N.Y.

Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont. carded two eagles and five birdies during her final round to win by three strokes over Calgary’s Jennifer Ha. The Team Canada member finished at 205 for the championship after rounds of 75-68-62 and was the only player to post a sub-70 round on the final day.

Brooke Henderson – 2014 Porter Cup Champion

The 16-year-old has been on an impressive run in 2014 having already won the Spirit Invitational and the South Atlantic Amateur. She also finished tied for 26^th at the LPGA’s Kraft Nabisco Championship and T45 at the LPGA Manulife Financial Classic. She will play in the U.S. Women’s Open next week at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina after making it through qualifying in May. Henderson finished tied for 59^th at the 2013 U.S. Women’s Open.

Team Canada’s Jennifer Ha of Calgary finished in a tie for second with Princess Superal of the Philippines after a final round 74, while Augusta James of Bath, Ont. and Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont. ended the tournament in fourth place with a 211 total.

For final results click here.