(AUGUST 31, 2022) – Golf Canada announced today format changes to the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship. Effective 2023, the national championship, currently held in conjunction with the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship, will act independently as a stand-alone event.

“The decision to proceed with format changes to our Women’s Mid-Amateur aligns with the growth of golf in Canada,” said Golf Canada’s Director of Amateur Championships and Rules, Mary Beth McKenna. “We feel that this championship deserves its own spotlight and we’re confident that the talent displayed in 2023 and beyond will reflect that.”

Since 2007, the Women’s Mid-Amateur has a provided women over the age of 25 a chance to compete on a national stage. From its inaugural year to 2014, the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship ran in conjunction with the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship. In 2015, the tournament shifted gears and joined forces with the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship, but Breezy Bend Country Club will serve as the final joint venture for the two events.

In 2023, the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship will take place at Mad River Golf Club in Creemore, Ont., July 24-27. The field size will cap at 90 players and an Interprovincial team competition will also be incorporated into the reformatted event. As in years past, the Mid-Master division – a division for players 40 years or older – will remain a part of the national championship.

The winner of the 2023 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship will earn an exemption into the 2024 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship. Past winners of the event include 2017 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Champion, Judith Kyrinis; six-time champion Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Champion, Christina Spence Proteau; and 2022 British Women’s Senior Amateur Champion, Terrill Samuel.

HEADINGLEY, Man. – Regardless of what happens on Thursday afternoon at Breezy Bend Country Club, Shelly Stouffer and Terrill Samuel can look back on this year’s golf season and be proud of what they’ve accomplished.

Nonetheless, the duo will have a chance to add to their impressive resumes at the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship, presented by BDO.

Stouffer, winner of the 2022 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, and Samuel, champion of this year’s British Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, are one-stroke back of Nonie Marler in the Mid-Amateur division and tied atop the leaderboard in the Senior division with just 18 holes left to play in Manitoba.

Samuel, 61, was born in England, but moved to Canada when she was three months old and though she already has multiple Canadian titles to her name, she isn’t taking this week’s championship for granted.

“The national amateur is always a big deal,” said Samuel. “Because you are Canadian, right, so, yes, it would be a very proud moment for sure.”

Now a member of Weston Golf Club, Samuel won’t soon forget the triumph at Royal Dornoch in Scotland.

“I said I could retire after that because that’s my best win ever,” Samuel laughed.

“I have played in some British [tournaments], so that’s helped, right; it’s not like it’s foreign to me, so I know how to keep the ball low,” said Samuel. “I only hit 3-wood off the tee all the time, but I hit it low, so it helps over there.”

Well, hitting it low will help over here tomorrow, too. Though the heat will once again descend on the golf course, the forecast calls for gusts of wind up to 50km/h, adding an extra variable to the challenging test of a final round at a national championship.

If Samuel sails to victory, she will join Canadian Golf Hall of Famer, Alison Murdoch, as the only Canadian golfer in history to win both the British Senior Women’s Amateur and the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship in the same year. Murdoch completed the feat in 2007.

Stouffer joked on Wednesday she “still might be in shock” about her victory in Alaska less than a month ago, but on Thursday, Breezy Bend will require all of the 52-year-old’s focus as she looks to recapture the Ada Mackenzie Trophy.

With a win on Thursday, Stouffer would join World Golf Hall of Famer, Marlene Streit, as the only Canadian to have won the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship and the Canadian Senior Women’s Championship in the same year. Streit did so in 1995.

Wednesday afternoon struck a moment of déja vu in the mind of Nonie Marler.

For the second consecutive year, the Vancouver, B.C. native will take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship, presented by BDO, only this time Marler will hope fate and fortune is on her side.

When the final putt dropped at Domaine Château Bromont in 2021, it was Christina Spence Proteau celebrating the national title – not Marler. On Thursday, however, the 38-year-old will have a shot at redemption, and she’ll count on last year’s experience to guide her to the winner’s circle.

“I’ve been there and done that now, right,” said Marler. “Last year, I hadn’t, so it was new to me and, it’s just you kind of have to feel the situation and now that I know, I know obviously the outcome and how to play through that and what happened from it, so, obviously, I just got to play within my own game tomorrow.”

“I’m happy that I’ve now had the experience because I can take that experience to tomorrow and it’s actually given me a lot of, like, a much cooler head… today too,” she said.

British Columbia claimed both the Katherine Holleur and Crockett trophies as champions of the Interprovincial Team competitions in both the Mid-Amateur and Senior divisions. The B.C. team composed of Marler, Stouffer and Proteau, won by 14 strokes over Ontario in the Mid-Amateur division, while Stouffer, Jackie Little and Sandrine Turbide were 15-stroke winners over Quebec in the Senior division.

The final round is set to begin at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday morning. The awards ceremony will follow the conclusion of play, around 3:00 p.m. Champions will be crowned in the Mid-Amateur, Mid-Master, Senior, and Super-Senior divisions.

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HEADINGLEY, Man. – Breezy Bend Country Club stayed true to its name in the opening round of the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Champonship, presented by BDO. Leanne Richardson withstood the gentle, but lively wind, to pace the field in Manitoba.

Richardson, the 2022 New Brunswick Women’s Senior champion, made birdies on holes No. 8 and 15, contributing to a round of even-par 72 and a one-stroke lead over a trio of players from B.C. tied for second place. The Indian Mountain, N.B., native holds the lead in the Mid-Amateur, Mid-Master and the Senior division through 18 holes.

In the Super Senior division – a subdivision for players 60 and above – Procter B.C.’s, Jackie Little is ahead by one stroke following a 1-over-par 73. A double bogey on No. 12 moved Little to 3-over-par on the day, but she responded with birdies on Nos. 13 and 15 to take control of the lead.

Defending champion, Christina Spence Proteau, is in the mix after round one, as she typically is in the Women’s Mid-Amateur division. The six-time winner opened her tournament with a 1-over-par 73 to position herself T2. Proteau was lights out through the opening bakers dozen at Breezy Bend, but ran out of steam finishing with two bogeys and a double bogey to surrender the lead.

“I started off very solid and committed, so I think overall I just struck the ball really well and was nice and tidy with [my] short game, and that carried through most of the back nine until 16,” said Proteau.

The Port Alberni, B.C., native says she’s dialed back the amount of which she plays the game for various reasons, but a few stops on her road trip through western Canada en route to the national championship allowed her to tighten some screws in the bag.

“This year, it’s been a bit of a different year for me. I haven’t played any major events until this event, and this will be my only major event this year, so I knew there would be some rust, I just didn’t know in what form it would show up,” said Proteau. “Overall, if someone would have told me, ‘Would you have taken 1-over today,” I’d probably take it; and I’ve always said, generally speaking, even-par, if you look at the history books over the years, that’s always done well for me.”

Joining Proteau and Little at 1-over-par for the tournament and T2, is Nonie Marler. The 2021 runner-up got as low as 2-under on the day with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 14 and 15, but, Malter was swallowed by the final three holes, as so many were on Tuesday. The Vancouver, B.C., native made three consecutive bogeys on the home stretch, which, statistically speaking, ranked the hardest three holes on the golf course in the first round.

Shelly Stouffer, the reigning champion in the Senior division, and Helen Chartrand carded rounds of 2-over-par 74 to round out the top-5 in the Mid-Amateur division. The 52-year-old Stouffer is coming off a T29 showing at the U.S. Senior Women’s Open in Kettering, Ohio last week and is looking to build off her solid play south of the border.

“I think it’s going to be great,” said Stouffer of this week’s tournament. “I got some good momentum from that because I made the cut and I played pretty well the last few days, so I was pretty happy with my game,” said Stouffer.  

British Columbia owns healthy advantages in both the Mid-Amateur and Senior Interprovincial Team competitions, leading by 12 strokes and nine shots, respectively. Champions will be crowned in each of the two divisions following Wednesday’s second round which is scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m.

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HEADINGLEY, Man. – Canada’s best female golfers 25 years or older will descend on Breezy Bend Country Club in Headingley, Man., August 30 – September 1, for the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship, presented by BDO.

“There is a lot of anticipation around this year’s Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship, and we’re thrilled to get the competition started,” said Tournament Director, Daniel Suppa. “A competitive field of players are slated to tee it up this week, so we’re expecting a high calibre of talent at Breezy Bend.”

After a rainy start to the day, practice rounds resumed as scheduled on Monday ahead of the official start to the national championship on Tuesday. The 54-hole tournament is scheduled to wrap up on Thursday, with champions being crowned in four divisions: Mid-Amateur (25 and up); Mid-Master (40 and over); Senior (50 and above); and Super-Senior (60-plus).

Returning to the event is the Interprovincial Team competitions, for the first time since 2019. The Mid- Amateur and Senior teams will compete over the first 36 holes of the tournament.  

97 players will tee it up at Breezy Bend Country Club, located about 20 kilometres west of Winnipeg, Man. The Club is widely considered one of the premiere private golf courses in its region and has previously hosted the 2004 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship as well as the 1979 Canadian Junior Boys Championship.

“Over the last six months, our volunteers, staff and Board have worked tirelessly to prepare the course and our facilities to host this special event,” said Shannon O’Brien, President of Breezy Bend Country Club. “We are very excited to have this opportunity to showcase our Club to some of the best golfers from across the country.”

“When we were first approached to host this prestigious tournament some four years ago, we jumped at the opportunity; this would be our chance to recognize, support and celebrate women’s golf in Canada,” added Cory Johnson, General Manager and COO. “Our club members, staff and enthusiastic team of volunteers look forward to providing a world-class championship event for our competitors and spectators alike.”

CANADIAN WOMEN’S MID-AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Since 2007, the Women’s Mid-Amateur has a provided women over the age of 25 a chance to compete on a national stage. From its inaugural year to 2014, the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship ran in conjunction with the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship. In 2015, the tournament shifted gears and joined forces with the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship.
 
Defending champion Christina Proteau will look to protect her title as Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur champion after knocking off Nonie Marler in last year’s championship at Domaine Château Bromont in Bromont, Que. Proteau, of Port Alberni, B.C., has won the Mid-Amateur division a record six times, including four consecutive titles from 2011-2014. Marler, out of Marine Drive Golf Club in Vancouver, B.C., is back in the field again this year.
 
The winner of the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship will receive an exemption into the 2023 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Ashburn Golf Club in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
 
CANADIAN WOMEN’S SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
Conducted since 1971, the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship has featured many of the country’s top senior golfers. Canadian Golf Hall of Fame members Marlene Streit, Gayle Borthwick, Marilyn O’Connor and Margaret Todd all own senior championship titles. In the past, this competition has also featured a strong contingent of international players, particularly from the United States – most notably Nancy Fitzgerald. The Canadian Women’s Senior Championship has also been referred to as the CLGA National Senior Championship.
 
The 51^st playing of the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship will feature a star-studded field, headlined by none other than the defending champion, Shelly Stouffer. The 52-year-old is the fourth highest ranked woman on the World Amateur Golf Rankings and will look to successfully defend the Ada Mackenzie Challenge Trophy. The Nanoose Bay, B.C., native made headlines throughout Canada and the United States earlier this summer when she won the U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur Championship in Alaska, becoming the fourth Canadian to conquer the national title.
 
Judith Kyrinis, who is among the four Canucks to have completed the aforementioned feat, will challenge Stouffer in Manitoba. The Thornhill, Ont., native is no stranger to winning the championship, having previously done so twice before, with her most recent triumph in 2019.
 
2012 and 2015 champion, Terrill Samuel, is another name to lookout for this week in the Senior division. Samuel, a member of Weston Golf Club in Toronto, won the 2022 R&A Women’s Senior Amateur Championship in July, becoming the third Canadian behind Alison Murdoch and Diane Williams to win the coveted amateur event.
 
The winner of the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship will gain entry into the 2023 United States Golf Association Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at Troon Country Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
 
The Interprovincial Team championship will return this year following two years of cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Team Ontario are the reigning champions, having bested Alberta by 15 strokes in 2019 to claim the Katherine Helleur Trophy. The team competition, featuring eight of Canada’s provinces this year, has been won a record 28 times by Ontario, including six in a row dating back to 2015.

For more information on the 2022 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur & Senior Championship click here.

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FRANCE – Canada’s trio of Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C., Nicole Gal of Oakville, Ont., and Brooke Rivers of Brampton, Ont., finished in tie for seventh place at the 2022 World Amateur Team Championship in France this week.

The Canadians combined for a total score of 2-under-par on the tournament and were lead by Rivers who finished T10 in the Espirito Santo individual competition. The 17-year-old Rivers fired rounds of 75-70-71-69 to close her championship at 1-under-par.

Kim was T33, while Gal finished T64 in 164-player field which included representatives from 56 countries.

The top-10 result matches Canada’s efforts from the 2018 World Amateur Team Championship where Maddie Szeryk, Jaclyn Lee and Naomi Ko teamed up for a seventh place finish.

Sweden won the Espirito Santo Trophy for the third time on a tiebreaker over the hard-charging USA at the 29th Women’s World Amateur Team Championship at Golf de Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche on Saturday.

The Swedes and Americans tied at 13-under par 559 but after comparing non-counting scores, a 1-over-par 73 from Sweden’s Louise Rydqvist was one stroke better than Rachel Kuehn’s 74 giving Sweden the gold medal and the USA the silver. One stroke behind at 560, Germany and Japan tied for the bronze-medal position.

Ingrid Lindblad, ranked No 2 in the world, fired a 3-under 69 and Meja Ortengren added a 2-under 70 as Sweden made up five strokes on Germany, who held the 54-hole.

“Yesterday we were on our way to good scores (at Le Golf National), and we lost everything in the end,” said Sweden’s head of delegation Fredrik Wetterstrand. “Today, everything went our way, our scores and the other team’s scores. I admit it was a little lucky today. Our team played really well. They were fighting hard on the course, and they did it together”

In winning its first medal since capturing bronze in Turkey in 2012, Sweden rebounded from a disappointing fourth-place position in Round 3 after holding the 36-hole lead.

“I knew pretty much all day that I had a counting score,” said Lindblad. “We knew that after yesterday at Le Golf National we would have to go for it whether we finished second or 14th. Meja made about a seven-footer for par on the 18th which was so important for us. That was great.”

The USA, which began the day four strokes behind Germany, battled its way to a one-stroke lead on the tee of the 72nd hole after a birdie on the 17th by No.1-ranked Rose Zhang.

Zhang, a member of Stanford University’s 2022 NCAA Women’s Division I Championship team, missed the green with her approach on 18 and could not convert a par-saving putt that brought on the tiebreaker. She finished with a 3-under 69 and Stanford and USA Curtis Cup teammate Rachel Heck shot 70.

“There is obviously that tinge of disappointment,” Zhang said. “On that last putt, I actually hit a really good putt exactly where I wanted but it just didn’t go in the hole. It was disappointing to end that way, but I am really proud of how we fought back on the last day.”

Germany could not find its form of Round 3 and posted a fourth-round 145 left them tied with Japan, who held a short-lived lead early in the round based on a 4-under 68 from Mizuki Hashimoto, the 2021 Asia Pacific Amateur champion. Teammates Saki Baba, the 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion, and Mika Ueta both shot 70.

Helen Briem led Germany with an even par 72 and Celina Rosa Sattelkau shot 73.

“It wasn’t our day, but the girls kept fighting,” said Germany captain Pia Gassner, who played in the WWATC in 2008 and 2010. “It was so close that we knew we needed to make birdies, but we just couldn’t make them. We didn’t lose the gold today; we won the bronze.”

Spain, who held a late lead, was fifth at 561, Chinese Taipei was sixth at 566, Canada and Scotland tied for seventh at 570 and the Czech Republic and the Republic of Korea tied for ninth at 572.

The winning team receives custody of the Espirito Santo Trophy until the next World Amateur Team Championship in Dubai, UAE, in October of 2023. Members of the winning team receive gold medals; members of the second-place team receive silver medals; and members of the third-place teams receive bronze medals.

Although there is no official recognition, Sweden’s Ortengren, Germany’s Briem and the USA’s Zhang tied for the low individual score at 7-under-par 279.

THORNHILL, Ont – Charles Fitzsimmons could not have scripted a better homecoming if he tried.

The North York, Ont. product carded an even-par 70 to win the 2022 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship at his home course, The Thornhill Club in Thornhill, Ont.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Fitzsimmons.

With the win, the 35-year-old defends his title from 2021 at Fort McMurray Golf Club in Fort McMurray, Alta., and once again etches his name in the President’s Cup.

“[This one] feels even better,” said Fitzsimmons. “To do it here, to defend… it’s hard to put into words right now, it’s still kind of sinking in but it’s pretty special. This place has meant so much to me, to my family and to be able to win here is just awesome.”

Fitzsimmons grabbed a share of the lead in Tuesday’s opening round and didn’t falter. A steady diet of birdies and pars outweighed the few bogeys he made en route to the national championship. Rounds of 68, 67, 70 and 70 – all even par or better – totalled for a score of 5-under-par 275 and a five-stroke triumph.

On Friday, the lead slipped down to no less than three strokes, but even at that, Fitzsimmons says he was feeling the nerves.

“There were moments where I felt really calm and in control and good, and then moments where I felt nervous and a little more uncertain about how things were going to go,” said Fitzsimmons. “It was definitely a bit of a mental grind at times but, again, I just always felt the warmth and the support from the Club and there’s so many great members here, it was able to bring me back.”

With the win, Fitzsimmons ears an exemption into the 2023 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.

Curtis Markusson was crowned champion of the Men’s Mid-Master division – a subdivision for players 40 and over – and with it, was awarded the Canadian Men’s Mid-Master Trophy.

“Well, I feel old, but also it feels great because like I said earlier, it takes a thousand swings to get here, and it’s on the bucket list so it’s quite emotional,” said Markusson.

Admittedly, it wasn’t the 41-year-old’s best round of golf, but he held on to win by one stroke over Rob Couture (Dallas, Texas) and Mike Dinner (Burlington, Ont.). Markusson says he knew exactly where he stood in crunch time.

“We’re leaderboard watchers whenever you’re in the thick [of things],” said the Gimli, Man. native. “We figured we have to grind in, and we saw some mistakes and knew that we’d just have to bring it in, but the stressful three pars coming in isn’t easy.”

Markusson got up-and-down for par out of the greenside bunker on No. 17 and rolled in a two-foot par putt on No. 18 to clinch the title.

Warren Sellors, of Hudson, Que., finished as this year’s runner-up at even-par on the tournament. Sellors’ 4-under-par 66 in Wednesday’s second round matched the low score of the week and propelled him up the leaderboard. He closed the competition with a 1-under 69 to vault into second place.

Brett Nymeyer (+2), Ryan Tsang (+3) and Barrett Jarosch (+4) round out the top five. The top-10 finishers and ties will earn a direct exemption into the 2023 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship at a location to be determined. 

Earlier in the week, On Wednesday, Team Ontario claimed the R. Bruce Forbes Trophy as champions of the Interprovincial Team competition. The victory marked the sixth consecutive provincial title for Ontario and 16^th in the 29-year history of the team event.

For full results click here.

THORNHILL, Ont. – The rain came and went on Thursday at The Thornhill Club, but, as it has all week, Charles Fitzsimmons’ lead remained through three rounds of the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, presented by BDO.

Fitzsimmons didn’t even make it to the fairway on No. 1 before the rain started coming down. It was relentless, but so was he. Through the downpour, Fitzsimmons made a pair of birdies in his opening three holes to increase his lead to six shots in that moment. Bogeys on Nos. 6 and 7 offset the early birdies to re-establish the four-stroke lead that the defending champion will hold going into tomorrow’s final round.

“It brought me back to being a kid out there. No one would want to play, so I had the course to myself,” said Fitzsimmons of the heavy rain in the early stages of his round.

“I really just tried to hit a golf shot, then try to hit another and was fortunate enough to hit a couple of good ones and make some putts. Honestly, kind of a little surprised that it got off to such a good start in such tough conditions but that was nice.”

Fitzsimmons, who was born in North York but has since relocated to London, Ont., not only has an advantage on the golf course going into the final 18 holes, but off the playing surface as well. The Western University alumnus graduated with a PhD in Sports Psychology and now works as a Mental Performance Coach. If there’s anyone that can block out tomorrow’s noise, Fitzsimmons is as safe a bet as they come.

“It’s been a huge part of my development as a player and what’s helped me to get better over time and to be bale to stay calm and focused under pressure so that I can get some wins and play well in these bigger events,” said the 2021 Men’s Mid-Am champion. “There’s nothing that makes me happier than be able to coach somebody and help them to play better, but obviously it helps my own game too so it’s kind of nice that way.”

Fitzsimmons shot an even-par 70 on the day and will vie for his second consecutive Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship on Friday.

Ryan Tsang and Curtis Markusson are the men chasing him. Tsang also carded an even-par 70 to remain four strokes back of the lead. The Thornhill, Ont., native got out to a bumpy start, making bogeys on holes 1 and 6, but Tsang found his mojo with birdies on 8 and 9.

“Early in the day was lots of rain, so I tried to keep it together [and] not get too wet,” said Tsang. “Overall, played pretty good; parred every single hole on the back nine, really big par on 15 and really big par on 18.”

As for his game plan tomorrow: “Just go out there and have fun.”

Markusson is five off the lead following a one-over par 71. The Gimli, Man., native posted two bogeys, one birdie and 15 pars in the third round. He, too, is just looking to have fun on the golf course tomorrow.
“I just prefer playing golf and the competition. It’s such a good atmosphere and there’s so many great players across the country […] If you can’t get excited for this in the game of golf at any time of day, you shouldn’t be golfing,” Markusson laughed.

The 40-year-old holds a four-stroke advantage in the Men’s Mid-Master division – a subdivision for players 40 and over. Mike Dinner is in second place, four strokes shy of Markusson’s lead.

On Wednesday, Team Ontario claimed the R. Bruce Forbes Trophy as champions of the Interprovincial Team competition. The victory marked the sixth consecutive provincial title for Ontario and 16^th in the 29-year history of the team event.

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THORNHILL, Ont. – Team Ontario captured the R. Bruce Forbes Trophy as interprovincial champions at the 2022 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, presented by BDO. In its 29-year history, Ontario has now captured the title a record 16 times.

The trio of Cam Burke, David Lang and Brett Nymeyer combined for a total score of 3-over-par to edge Alberta by a single stroke on Wednesday at The Thornhill Club in Thornhill. Ont. It is the fifth time since the beginning of the event in 1992 that the province has won the trophy on home soil.

Charles Fitzsimmons continued to pace the field in round two as he seeks to defend his national title. For the second consecutive day, the 35-year-old handled his own through difficult conditions and challenging pins at The Thornhill Club, firing a 3-under-par 67 to extend his lead to four at the midway mark of the championship.

A pair of birdies on the front nine kickstarted Fitzsimmons’ round and an encore was delivered on No. 15 by way of an eagle to get the hometown favourite to 3-under on the day.

Curtis Markusson, Ryan Tsang and Warren Sellors made the biggest splashes on Wednesday, each carding rounds of 4-under par 66 to jet up the leaderboard and back into contention. Markusson and Tsang are T2 at 1-under par on the tournament, while Sellors creeped 37 spots up the standings into a tie for fifth.

A bogey to start the day set Markusson back to 4-over-par on the tournament, but that was as far back as the Gimli, Man., native would fall. The 40-year-old converted on seven birdie putts thereafter – including six in an 11-hole stretch – to reposition himself in the thick of the action.

“Just keep going, and kind of forget about the good things as soon as they happen and just think you’re still grinding to try to make the cut,” said Markusson about his hot stretch. “You know, there’s a lot of good players out here and you never know what can happen; a couple of bad swings or a couple of good swings, either way, so you just stayed focused, one shot at a time. You versus you is the mentality basically to play well.”

Markusson, who has relocated to Winnipeg, Man. where he plays at St. Charles Country Club, says lots of green and lots of fairways were the key to his low round today. Monday’s cancelled practice round was taxing for most of the players in the field, but Markusson saw it as a glass half full.

“If you see too much sometimes you get too in your head and you don’t see enough it’s sometimes a good fresh run,” he said. “You visualize it a bit more and you come out the next day and you’re visually set which is nice.”

Markusson’s 66 also gives him the lead in the Mid-Master division – a subdivision for players 40 and over.

Tsang, a native of Thornhill, Ont., capped off a 4-under-par stretch between holes 3-8 with an eagle on the par-5 8^th. Bogeys on Nos. 12 and 14 put a halt on his round, but a pair of birdies down the stretch vaulted him back into a tie for second.

Sellors, out of Hudson, Que., was bogey-free in round two. The runner-up in Quebec’s Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship birdied holes 1, 6 and 8, before dropping a final birdie putt on No. 17 to settle into the top-5 heading into the final two rounds of the championship.

After Wednesday’s second round, the field was cut to the low 70 players and ties, including the low 15 players in the Mid-Master division. Round three is scheduled to tee off at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday.

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Curtis Markusson interview

THORNHILL, Ont. – Mother Nature put a damper on Monday’s practice round, but skies were clear as day for the opening round of the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, presented by BDO, on Tuesday at The Thornhill Club in Thornhill, Ont.

Charles Fitzsimmons used the home course advantage conveniently, carding a bogey free, 2-under-par 68 to grab a share of the lead.

“It was a really, really good day,” said Fitzsimmons. “The pins were in some really good spots and the wind was blowing for most of the round so it was a challenge. Felt fortunate to be able hit some good spots and be able to play a pretty solid round.”

The 35-year-old knows how to win this tournament. In 2021, his final round 67 propelled him into the winner’s circle at Fort McMurray Golf Club and with a lot of golf left to play, Fitzsimmons knows it’s not about how you start the tournament, it’s how you finish.

The Western University graduate played his junior golf at The Thornhill Club and won a club championship here in 2005. Today, his status remains active at the Club as an out-of-town member. Results aside, Fitzsimmons says he’s just excited to be back home.

“This place is really, really special to me,” said Fitzsimmons. “It’s been a huge part of my life in golf and any chance I get to compete here is such an amazing opportunity. To be able to compete here as the defending champion is pretty special, so I’m pretty happy just being able to be here and enjoy it and to play like today was just icing on the cake.”

Fitzsimmons made consecutive birdies on holes 17 and 18, his ninth and tenth holes of the day, and the rest of his scorecard was clean as a whistle.

Zachary Hallborg of Welland, Ont. matched Fitzsimmons’ low score of the day, rolling in six birdies to earn a stake of the lead. Hallborg, who plays out of Cardinal Lakes Golf Club, caught fire in the early stages of his round, making five birdies and two pars through a seven-hole stretch, but dropped a few strokes coming in.

Steven Jackson and Brett McKinnon fired rounds of 1-under-par 69 and sit one shot back of the leaders ahead of Wednesday’s second round. Jackson’s five birdies on the day were tied for the second most behind Hallborg.

Three-time champion Garrett Rank is tied for fifth after an even-par 70. Joining Rank in the T5 position are Sam Harris, Ryan Sevigny and Jesse Galvon.

John Walsh leads the Mid-Master division – a separate division for players 40 and over – by one stroke. The Prince Edward Island native shot a 1-over-par 71 in the opening round.

Nova Scotia owns a one-stroke advantage in the Interprovincial Team competition over Alberta and Ontario. McKinnon’s 1-under and Leon Carter’s 3-over contributed to the total team score of 2-over-par 142. The team event will conclude following tomorrow’s second round with the winner being award the Bruce Forbes Trophy.

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THORNHILL, Ont. – The 35^th playing of the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, presented by BDO, will play host to the top men’s amateur golfers in the country over the age of 25 this week at The Thornhill Club in Thornhill, Ont.

Monday’s practice round was spoiled by inclement weather, but all looks clear for a 7:24 a.m. start to round one on Tuesday morning. The national championship will conclude on Friday, August 26, where champions will be crowned in the Men’s Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master divisions, alike.

“The excitement continues to build around this year’s Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur championship,” said Tournament Director Adam Cinel. “An exceptional field of talent has joined us this week in Thornhill, and we expect they’ll bring the best out of each other as they compete for this prestigious title.”

The Thornhill Club, in their 100^th year of operation, has a rich history in championship play having previously hosted the 2014 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, the 2006 Canadian University/College Championship and the 2009 Toronto Star Women’s Amateur. In addition, the Stanley Thompson design was the site that played host to 1945 Canadian Open where Byron Nelson claimed his remarkable 11th victory in a row.

“The Thornhill Club is extremely excited to host the 2022 Canadian Men’s Mid-Am Championship, especially during our Centennial year,” said Todd McGrath, Head Golf Professional & Interim General Manager at The Thornhill Club. “The course is in excellent condition, and our Stanley Thompson design awaits some great play. All the best to the players and we look forward to crowning a champion at the end of the tournament.”

The inaugural Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, held in 1987, was won by Graham Cooke at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in Île-Bizard, Qué. At the time, the tournament was played in the form of a match play competition, but in 2007, Golf Canada reverted to stroke play – a format that has since stuck.

The tournament is a 72-hole stroke play event, with a 36-hole cut to the low 70 players and ties. In the event of a tie at the end of four rounds, there will be a hole-by-hole playoff immediately following completion of 72 holes. The Mid-Amateur division will run concurrently with the Mid-Master division for players 40 and older. The Mid-Amateur champion will earn an exemption into the 2023 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.

The Interprovincial Team championship will return this year following two years of cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Team Ontario are the reigning champions, having bested Québec by 12 strokes in 2019 to claim the R. Bruce Forbes Trophy. The team competition, first held in 1992, has been won a record 15 times by Ontario, including five in a row dating back to 2015.

A full field of 156 players is expected, headlined by three-time Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion, Garrett Rank. The Elmira, Ont. native won the event three years in a row between 2014 and 2016. Rank, an official in the National Hockey League, also finished as the runner-up in 2019. Following the week in Thornhill, the 34-year-old will join Johnny Travale and A.J. Ewart as part of Team Canada for the World Amateur Team Championships in Paris, France, August 29 – September 3. 

Defending champion Charles Fitzsimmons will be returning home to familiar territory this week. The 35-year-old played his junior golf at The Thornhill Club and won a club championship on these grounds in 2005. Fitzsimmons also has a University/College national championship to his name, from his time at Western University.

2021 Mid-Master champion Glenn Robinson is in the field this week and will bid to successfully defend his title at The Thornhill Club. The Middle Sackville, N.S., native defeated Ben Bandura in a playoff last year to capture the 40 and over title.

Other notable winners of the Men’s Mid-Am include Graham Cooke of Hudson, Que., who won it seven times between 1987 and 2002 and Stu Hamilton of Brampton, Ont., who won it on four separate occasions between 1990 and 1994. Together, the pair captured 11 of the first 20 championships played since the event was established in 1987.

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