MAYNOOTH, Ireland — After a rough start in the first round, Team Canada’s trio of women battled back to finish seventh on Saturday’s final round of the 2018 World Amateur Team Championships at Carton House.

The Canadian squad posted a final-round 137 (-7) to continue their ascension up the leaderboard with a 7 under par finish, climbing back from an opening-round score of 10 over par that saw them in an early tie for 39th.

After struggling in the opening round, the Canadian women paced the field at 17 under par in the final three rounds to get back into contention in the biennial competition. They were led by Calgary native Jaclyn Lee, who finished at 8 under par in a tie for 5th (76-69-72-65).

London, Ont., product Maddie Szeryk closed the event at 4 over par to share 46th place. Naomi Ko of Victoria, B.C., rounded out the squad with a score of 9 over par.

The American team ran away with the competition, collecting a 10-stroke victory with a score of 29 under par. Pacing Team U.S.A. was former Canadian Women’s Amateur champion Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster, Colo., who finished at 15 under par, two back of Korean medalist Ayean Cho.

“We have the strong bond already from the beginning, especially yesterday when we were all struggling we all fought for each other,” said Kupcho, who won the NCAA Women’s individual title in 2018. “We all wanted to win for each other, and I think that was a big thing coming out of yesterday. And, I think that’s how we got our big lead coming into today.

Japan won the silver with a score of 19 under par, while the Republic of Korea captured the bronze at 18 under, which is their fifth consecutive medal-winning performance.

Conducted every two years, the World Women’s Amateur Team Championship has been staged since 1964, with the winner earning the Espirito Santo Trophy. In 2014, Australia claimed the title by two strokes over the Canadian team of Brooke Henderson (Smiths Falls, Ont.), Augusta James (Bath, Ont.), and Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.).

In 25 appearances at the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship, Canada has earned runner-up honours four times.

The World Amateur Team titles are contested over four days of stroke play. A country may field a team of two or three players. In each round, the total of the two lowest scores constitutes the team score for the round. The four-day total is the team’s score for the championship.

Click here for full scoring.

The men’s World Amateur Team Championship will follow the women’s event, running from Sept. 5-8. Canada will send Hugo Bernard, 23, of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., Joey Savoie, 24, of La Prairie, Que., and Garrett Rank, 30, of Elmira, Ont., to compete for the Eisenhower trophy.

MAYNOOTH, Ireland — After getting off to a rocky start at the World Amateur Team Championships, Team Canada climbed the leaderboard during round two and three. The Canadian trio, consisting of Team Canada Amateur Squad’s Jaclyn Lee, Naomi Ko and Maddie Szyerk, will start the final day tied for 12th in the hunt the Espirito Santo Trophy.

Calgary’s Lee has been instrumental in boosting the team up the leaderboard carding rounds of 69 and 72 and a total of ten birdies against six birdies over the last 36 holes. The 21-year-old Ohio State amateur, who started the tournament tied for 75th, now sits T16 heading into Saturday’s final round.

22-year-old Szyerk, of London, Ont., fired her second 71 of the tournament to share a piece of 51st.

Ko, who registered the third and non-counting score, is in a tie for 60th after posting rounds of 78, 70 and 75.

In windy conditions and playing against the other two teams on the top of the leaderboard on the Montgomerie course, the USA posted a 54-hole score of 19-under 415 to extend its lead to five strokes over defending champion Republic of Korea and six over Japan.

“It was a really tough day, and everyone had to grind,” said USA captain Stasia Collins. “We were on 12 and we had two players at plus 3, and I told them that their scores might count, and they had to grind it out. They worked very hard and made some birdies coming in. It was great.”

One of those players was McCormack medal winner, 2017 Canadian Women’s Amateur champion and World No. 1 Jennifer Kupcho, who shrugged over a shaky start and posted four birdies on her last four holes for 1-under 71.

“I was struggling with putting so I decided instead of lining up the ball, I would set the ball down the putt like I do in practice,” said Kupcho, who won the 2018 NCAA Women’s individual title playing for Wake Forest. “I don’t’ focus that much and I just hit it. It worked really well, and I made some putts and got my confidence back and I birdied the last two holes, which was a bonus.”

Conducted every two years, the World Women’s Amateur Team Championship has been staged since 1964, with the winner earning the Espirito Santo Trophy. The World Amateur Team titles are contested over four days of stroke play.  In each round, the total of the two lowest scores constitutes the team score for the round. The four-day total is the team’s score for the championship.

MAYNOOTH, Ireland — Team Canada will look to bounce back during round two of the World Amateur Team Championship as they chase down Canada’s first Espirito Santo Trophy.

The Canadian trio, consisting of Team Canada’s Amateur Squad members Jaclyn Lee, Naomi Ko and Maddie Szeryk, started the tournament on shaky ground, posting a first-round score of 10-over par to sit in a tie for 39th.

21-year-old Lee leads the Canucks heading into Thursday’s second round after carding wa 4-over 76 for a share of 75th individually. Teammate  Ko of Victoria, B.C., finished one-stroke higher at 6-over and sits tied for 103rd.

The third and non-counting score was registered by Allen, Texas product Szeryk, who posted an 8-over 80.

Conducted every two years, the World Women’s Amateur Team Championship has been staged since 1964, with the winner earning the Espirito Santo Trophy. The World Amateur Team titles are contested over four days of stroke play.  In each round, the total of the two lowest scores constitutes the team score for the round. The four-day total is the team’s score for the championship.

Though Canada has never won, they have earned runner-up honours four times in the championship’s history, the last time being in 2014 when the Canadian team of Brooke Henderson (Smiths Falls, Ont.), Augusta James (Bath, Ont.), and Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.) lost by two strokes.

Yuka Yasuda, 17, posted a bogey-free and record-tying 7-under-par 65 on the par-72 Montgomerie Course to propel Japan to a two-stroke lead over the People’s Republic of China in the first round.

“My short game and putting were very good,” said Yasuda, No. 22 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking™, who tied the first-round 65 shot by countrywoman Rikako Morita in 2006 in South Africa. “I was hitting shots solid today and sinking three- to four-meter putts – that was pretty good today. I was very confident putting.”

Teammates Yuna Nishimura and Yuri Yoshida each shot 1-under 71 for a team total of 8-under 136, which is just one stroke off the WWATC first-round team mark of 135 set by Canada in Japan in 2014.

The People’s Republic of China, which played on the par-73 O’Meara Course was led by Mohan Du. With birdies on her first three holes and five total on her front nine, she shot a 6-under-par 67. Du, 16, reached 7-under through 15 holes but bogeyed the 16th and 17th before a finishing birdie, which gave her eight birdies against two bogeys. Her teammate Ruoning Yin, 15, added an even-par 73 for a 6-under team total of 140.

Defending champion Republic of Korea and Austria share third position at 4 under with Australia and Ireland tied for sixth at 3 under; the USA and Hong Kong, China are tied for eighth at 2 under and Venezuela and Italy are tied for 10th at 1 under.

Hoping to gain momentum for her team, Ko will be the first Canadian to tee off in the second round at 7:45 local time, followed by Lee at 7:56 and Maddie at 8:07.

Golf Canada is pleased to announce the six individuals selected to represent Canada at the 2018 World Amateur Team Championship, conducted by the International Golf Federation.

The World Amateur Team Championship—featuring both a women’s (Aug. 29 – Sept. 1) and men’s (Sept. 5-8) competition— will be contested at Carton House (Montgomerie and O’Meara Courses) in Maynooth, Ireland, located 30 minutes west of Dublin.

Representing Canada on the women’s side will be Maddie Szeryk, 22, of London, Ont., Jaclyn Lee, 21, of Calgary, Alta., and Naomi Ko, 20, of Victoria, B.C. The trio will compete for the Espirito Santo Trophy at the Montgomerie and O’Meara courses at Carton House.

The men’s team selected to represent Canada consists of Hugo Bernard, 23, of Mont-St-Hilaire, Que., Joey Savoie, 24, of La Prairie, Que., and Garrett Rank, 30, of Elmira, Ont. Also contested on both at the Montgomerie and O’Meara courses at Carton House, the men will compete for the Eisenhower Trophy.

“The World Amateur Team Championships are an excellent benchmark to monitor our players’ performance and development globally,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s chief sport officer. “Our participation in this premier golf competition is a reflection of our commitment to supporting and developing world-class talent in Canada, and we hope to demonstrate that again this year with the remarkable group of athletes chosen to represent our country.”

Team Canada Men’s and Women’s National Team coaches Derek Ingram (Winnipeg, Man.) and Tristan Mullally (Ireland native) will accompany their respect squads.

WOMEN’S TEAM BIOS

Maddie Szeryk

A member of Team Canada’s National Squad for the past four years, Szeryk will lead the women’s squad into competition as the top-ranked Canadian at No. 16 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). Szeryk will make her second World Amateur appearance after being selected in 2016. She finished a strong 2018 collegiate campaign at Texas A&M with two NCAA wins en route to earning All-SEC First Team honours for the fourth consecutive season. Szeryk’s senior year featured 11 top-ten finishes in fourteen events including four runner-up finishes. She would add another runner-up finish at the prestigious Women’s Porter Cup in June and finished T22 at the Canadian Women’s Amateur. Currently the No. 1 ranked golfer on the National Women’s Order of Merit, the 22-year-old has prior experience representing Canada on the global stage, finishing tied for 15th at the 2014 Youth Olympics and helping Canada to win the team competition at the 2017 Mexican Amateur. She has also competed in three CP Women’s Opens as an amateur.

Jaclyn Lee

Jaclyn Lee is in her fifth year as a member of Canada’s National Team and is currently ranked No. 21 on the WAGR. The Ohio State Buckeye enters her final collegiate season with three NCAA wins including the 2018 Big Ten Championship as well as a pair of runner-up finishes. Lee made a splash on the international amateur scene in 2018, making it to the semi-finals at the Ladies’ British Open Amateur Championship and quarterfinals of the US Women’s Amateur. The former Alberta Ladies Amateur champion also boasts LPGA experience, making the cut at the 2016 CP Women’s Open and competing in the 2018 Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, where she finished tied for 35^th.

Naomi Ko

Naomi Ko is in her sixth year with the Team Canada program and will make her second World Amateur appearance. The 20-year-old spent three years with the Development Squad before graduating to the Amateur Squad in 2016. Ko, a three-time CP Women’s Open competitor who will be heading to her final year at N.C. State, won her first NCAA championship in 2017 at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic. Her 2017 season also included third-place finishes at the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship and Women’s Porter Cup.

MEN’S TEAM BIOS

Hugo Bernard

A four-year member of Team Canada, Hugo Bernard is the top-ranked Canadian on the WAGR at No. 78 and will compete in his second World Amateur. The 2016 Canadian Men’s Amateur champion recorded three top-10 finishes this season, including a runner-up at the Azalea Invitational and a ninth place finish at the Australian Men’s Amateur. In 2018 he also finished T41 at the Canadian Men’s Amateur and played in his third RBC Canadian Open. His 2017 season was highlighted by earning medalist honours at the U.S. Amateur Qualifying in Maine alongside top-five finishes at the 2017 Canadian Men’s Amateur and the French Open – Coupe Murat. In 2016, Bernard posted six top-5 finishes in eight events with the Division II Saint-Leo Lions, including medalist honours at the NCAA Division II Championship to earn him a Freshman of the Year title to go with being named as a first-team all-American.

Joey Savoie

Team Canada Amateur Squad rookie Joey Savoie is ranked No. 84 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) and currently leads the National Men’s Order of Merit thanks to seven top-five finishes this season. Internationally, Savoie has a win at the Grant Clements Memorial Tournament in New Zealand, co-medalist honours at a U.S. Amateur Qualifier and a fifth-place finish at the prestigious St. Andrews Links Trophy in Scotland. The Middle Tennessee State graduate also led Team Canada to victory at the 2017 Tailhade Cup in Argentina with his first-place finish and competed in his first RBC Canadian Open.

Garrett Rank

Team Canada graduate Garrett Rank made the most of his amateur season to secure a spot on his second career World Amateur team. Rank, a three-time RBC Canadian Open competitor, has been balancing a professional career as an NHL referee with a busy summer competing at high-level amateur golf events. The 30-year-old made headlines when he earned co-medalist honours to qualify for the U.S. Open. His 2018 season has been highlighted by a win at the Ontario Men’s Amateur Championship and a third place finish at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship where he earned low-Canadian honours. The three-time Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion also boasts international experience from representing Canada in the 2015 Pan-American games, where he finished 15^th, as well as the 2016 World Amateur Team Championship, where he finished tied for 36th.

About the World Amateur Team Championships

A biennial competition, the Men’s World Amateur Team Championship has been played since 1958, with the winner taking home the Eisenhower Trophy while the winner of the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship, conducted since 1964, earns the Espirito Santo Trophy.

In 2016, the Canadian men’s trio of Hugo Bernard, Garrett Rank and Jared du Toit (Kimberley, B.C.) finished tied for 9^th in Riviera Maya, Mexico, while the women’s trio of Maddie Szeryk, Naomi Ko, and Josée Doyon (St-Georges-de-Beauce, Que.) finished in 9^th place.

In 2014, The United States won the 2014 title in Karuizawa, Japan, by two strokes over the Canadian contingent of Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.), Taylor Pendrith (Richmond Hill, Ont.) and Adam Svensson (Surrey, B.C.). In the women’s division, Australia claimed the title by two strokes over the Canadian team of Brooke Henderson (Smiths Falls, Ont.), Augusta James (Bath, Ont.), and Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.).

In 29 appearances at the World Amateur Team Championship, Canada has captured the Eisenhower Trophy on one occasion (1986) and earned runner-up honours five times. In 25 appearances at the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship, Canada has earned runner-up honours four times.

The World Amateur Team titles are contested over four days of stroke play. A country may field a team of two or three players. In each round, the total of the two lowest scores constitutes the team score for the round. The four-day total is the team’s score for the championship.

The World Amateur Team Championships are conducted by the International Golf Federation, which was founded in 1958 to encourage the international development of the game and to employ golf as a vehicle to foster friendship and sportsmanship. The IGF is comprised of 146 National Federation Members in 141 countries and 22 Professional Members. The IGF serves as the International Olympic Committee’s recognized International Federation for golf.

SOUTHPORT, England – Jaclyn Lee secured her place in the semi-finals of the 115th Ladies’ British Open Amateur Championship on Friday after making quite an impression at UK’s Hillside.

The Team Canada Development Squad member started off the week as one of the 64 players advancing to the match play round after two rounds of 18-stroke play and it only got better from there. Lee defeated Pauline Roussin-Bouchard and Emma Brozein of France in round one and two, respectively.

The Calgary, Alta., talent secured her place in the semi-finals beating Denmark’s Karen Fredgaard 2&1 following her impressive 6&5 third-round victory over Czech Republic’s Sara Kouskova.

“I was last over in the UK for the Ladies Amateur Championship a couple of years ago and didn’t fair too well so this has been a nice redemption,” said the 21-year-old. “I’m having a lot of fun here. I have the rest of my teammates here from Canada and it’s been great to see a lot of familiar faces from college golf here too, so it’s been cool.”

Lee must overcome Germany’s Leonie Harm to progress to the final after the 20-year-old Stuttgart golfer defeated Switzerland’s Priscilla Schmid 4&3. The University of Houston student came through a tie with her countrywoman Aline Krauter 6&5.

Fellow Team Canada member Grace St-Germain also made it to the round of 64 but fell short and lost 2&1 in her first match despite a valiant effort.

Local favourite Hollie Muse, who suffered a painful injury to her groin when she fell on uneven ground on Wednesday, will also be competing in the semi-finals after defeating Germany’s Ava Bergner 4&3 in the morning and a 5&4 victory over former Girls Amateur champion Emilie Paltrinieri in the afternoon.

Muse will be playing against American Stephanie Lau, who coincidentally competes against Lee often in the U.S. college golf circuit. The 21-year-old Northwestern University student defeated Norway’s Emilie Øverås 3&2 for her place in the semi-finals

The semi-finals get underway on Saturday with Lee’s semi-final match beginning at 1:30 ET. Should Lee advance, she will be teeing off in the finals later that day at 6 p.m. ET.

144 elite women’s amateur golfers from 24 countries across Europe, Asia-Pacific arrived at the Southport course on Monday to take part in the first stage of the Championship which saw each player compete in two rounds of 18-hole stroke play.

The 64 lowest scores over the 36 progressed to the match play stage.

The last Canadian to win the Ladies’ British Open Amateur was Marlene Streit after her 7-and-6 victory over Philomena Garvey in 1953.

For more information, including up-to-date results, click here.

Almost four years ago Todd Keirstead did a golf instructional demonstration at a veteran’s hospital when he came to an important realization.

The trick shots he had been performing for a few years – building up a brand so well known that Golf Channel named one of his shots as the No. 1 trick shot in 2014 – actually were emulating the injured service men and women he was doing the demonstration for.

Instead of being just pure entertainment, Keirstead – who most recently was the golf competition supervisor at the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto – realized he could be more inspirational and inspiring.

Now, that realization has come full circle.

Starting Saturday and running through the end of September Keirstead will be performing for United States Air Force members and their families in a new ‘Recharge for Resiliency’ initiative.

The program began in 2015 as a new tool to encourage service members and their families who are affected by deployments to participate in morale, welfare, and recreation programs and activities.

LPGA Tour golfers like Amy Read participated in instructional clinics in 2017 and Keirstead will be travelling across the United States and into Europe and Japan performing for hundreds of servicemen and women in the Recharge for Resiliency Golf Days.

“It’s my way of saying ‘thank you’ for everything they do – not only the individuals that are serving but also their family members and all the sacrifices they’ve made,” says Keirstead by phone as he prepares for the first event of the year in Dover, Delaware on June 30th.

Keirstead says he’ll be performing for an hour, and at one of the sites in Colorado Springs he’ll also be doing a 30-minute motivational talk.

It will be entertainment, he says, but for the past number of years Keirstead, who is able-bodied, has shown that people who may be in a wheelchair or may be blind can still play golf. The shots he hits (he’ll put on a prosthetic limb or a blindfold, for example) are entertaining for some, but inspiring for many others.

“The last 10 minutes of the show I’ll be explaining to them how the military has changed my life and how I’m taking the entertainment show and turning it into a motivation/inspiration show,” he says. “A lot of the shots I hit are emulating the wounded veterans situations.”

The trick shots, he admits, are not really tricks. By making sure he has all the correct fundamentals down, he’s able to hit any shot the way he does. But because it’s so unique, he’s sure the audience will leave with a smile on their face after a break from their every-day military lives.

Keirstead’s new role with the USAF is part of a grander program he has called Bring Back the Game, an initiative supported by adidas golf and TaylorMade in Canada. The Bring Back the Game clinics, Keirstead says, are helping people to overcome their barriers and show golf as a tool to help build confidence and self-esteem.

He says he’s “very fortunate” to be asked to give back to the U.S. military using this platform, and he’s hopeful it will expand the message that golf is a sport for all people regardless of age, physical or mental ability.

“These shots that I’m doing for pure entertainment are actually motivating and inspiring for these troops,” he says. “It’s showing they can play golf in an adaptive way.”

Thornhill’s Judith Kyrinis had a fantastic week at Markland Wood Golf Club going 70-70-68 to win the Investors Group Ontario Senior Women’s Amateur Championship once again.

In Thursday’s final round, Judith went out in 35 on the front nine and tore through the back nine with a 33 to shoot her low score of the week at 3 under on the par-71 layout.

Judith finished the three-day championship at 5 under par – the only competitor in the field to finish in red numbers – as Mary Ann Hayward of St. Thomas G&CC settled for second at 5 over par and Terrill Samuel rounded out the top three at 8 over.

“I’m pretty proud to have won this championship three times in a row against a strong field that includes Mary Ann Hayward, a member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Terrill Samuel, a member of the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame – two of the best in Canada!” Judith says. “The Canadian Senior Women’s Amateur Championship is at Lookout Point in Fonthill the last week of August. I get to stay at home with my mom, so that will be neat and I’m excited about our chances as Team Ontario with Mary Ann, Terrill and myself.”

Judith won the 2017 Investors Group Ontario Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at Wildfire Golf Club and the 2016 championship at The Briars.

Despite having a significant lead throughout the championship, Judith stayed focused right to the end. “Any lead can be overcome as history has shown. I had a game plan that Matt Hoffman and I came up with in our practice round and I stuck to it,” says Judith, who carded only one three-putt all week. “I continued to play the course. I have full respect for Mary Ann and Terrill and know they can go low. I just kept the pedal down. Each shot is important. You can’t let up. I feel I’m a great putter on tricky greens.”

Up next is the US Senior Women’s Open Championship at Chicago Golf Club from July 12 to 15 where her goal is to make the cut and see where it goes from there.

“Playing in the Celebration of Champions at the men’s US Open at Shinnecock Hills earlier this year was a great test of having Fox TV cameras all around you and being on a big stage, so I will draw on that experience to go play with the pros I grew up idolizing,” Judith says.

Then she is off to the Senior Women’s International Matches, North America vs. Europe, in Venice, Italy at the end of July, followed by the North and South at Pinehurst Resort before heading to the Canadian championships. In September, Judith will tee it up in the US Women’s Mid Amateur Championship in St. Louis and then defend her US Women’s Senior Amateur Championship at Orchid Island in Vero Beach, Florida.

“I’m very good now at staying patient and letting the course come to me. The key is to stick to the game plan that we come up with in the practice round,” says Judith, who continues to workout with Thornhill’s fitness/golf guru Jeff Hammond.

ABERDEEN, Scotland — It was the end of the road for Peterborough’s Sam Meek after a great run at the 123rd British Amateur Championship at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club.

The nineteen-year-old was cut on the third day of the tournament after the 17th hole in his match play round against Mexico’s Raul Perada.

Meek started strong on opening day, tying for second in the first round of stroke play on Monday. He was the sole Canadian to advance to the match play stage after earning solo-third in the final stroke play round on Tuesday.

Fellow Canada Hugo Bernard finished T7 on Monday but failed to crack the top 64 advancing to the match play round.

Wilco Nienaber, who won the Stroke Play Qualifier heading into match play, eased his way into the third round of The 123rd Amateur Championship with a comfortable 5&4 victory over Niclas Weiland at Royal Aberdeen today.

The 18-year-old South African continued the dominating form which saw him lead both rounds of stroke play qualifying to progress to the last 32. His countryman Matt Saulez recorded the championship’s first hole in one at the 11th during his match with Benjamin Jones but it failed to inspire him to victory as he went down by 2 holes to the Englishman.

“It’s satisfying, you can easily fall out in the first round so it’s a good start,” said Nienaber.

“We had different weather and different wind today so it was tough on the front nine playing into the wind and I think I played nicely. It’s tough so I’m really happy to get the win and go through to tomorrow.”

When the tournament ends on Saturday, the champion will earn a spot in the 147th British Open next month in addition to the 2019 U.S. Open and 2019 Masters Tournament.

ABERDEEN, Scotland — Sam Meek was the only Canadian to qualify for the match play stage of The 123^rd Amateur Championship at Royal Aberdeen and Murcar Links on Tuesday.

The Peterborough, Ont., native had a solid day of play and was in contention to finish as leading qualifier after back to back birdies on holes 15 and 16 put him at six under heading to the final hole. The eighteenth hole had other plans for him, however, when an attempt to drive the green at the 369-yard par four ended with Meek shooting a triple bogey that put him in third place position at 3 under par

“I’m still pleased with the two days and I had to give it a try. It feels good,” said the 19-year-old. “The tournament starts over again so I have to try to progress through the matches and see where I end up. It was good to play well and I putted really well. I just want to keep feeding the momentum and go out there and do some damage.”

Wilco Nienaber led the way in qualifying for the match play stage. On the historic championship’s first visit to the renowned North East links courses, Nienaber became the first South African to lead the qualifying stage since it was introduced in 1983.

“When I heard I was going to play The Amateur Championship this year I was really excited. To finish at the top after the qualifying is great,” said Nienaber. “I made good decisions from the tee, stuck to my game plan and hit the greens. The match play stage is a different game but winning this or finishing at the top makes me feel like I can beat the other guys, which is really nice. So we will see what happens this week.”

The cut for the championship fell on six-over-par with 77 players qualifying. Team Canada’s Hugo Bernard fell short by only one stroke at 7 over par.

The reward for the winner of The Amateur Championship is a place in The 147th Open at Carnoustie in July and the 2019 US Open at Pebble Beach. Traditionally, the Amateur Champion is also invited to compete in the Masters Tournament.

The match play stage gets underway at Royal Aberdeen Wednesday. Each match will consist of one round of 18 holes except the Final which will be over 36 holes.

For more information, including scoring, click here.

ABERDEEN, Scotland —  Peterborough, Ont. talent Sam Meek shares second place after the first round of stroke play qualifying in The 123^rd Amateur Championship at Royal Aberdeen and Murcar Links on Monday.

The 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Champion finished two strokes behind the lead at 2 under par, tied with  Australia’s David Micheluzzi. The highlight of his round at the Royal Aberdeen was a magnificent albatross two on the 487-yard par five sixth.

“I had no idea it went in,” said the 19-year-old. “It was totally blind. I had 240 yards so I just hit 5 iron up there. It looked good but I really had no idea until the people up there started jumping so I figured it was in the hole. That was a pretty good feeling – I’ve never made one of those before. I just need a hole in one and then I can say I’ve got this!”

We ? you, @meeker_6 ????

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) June 19, 2018

Team Canada’s Hugo Bernard finished the first round of stroke play qualifying in a tie for seventh after firing a 70 at the Murcar Links course.

South Africa’s Wilco Nienaber leads the way after Monday’s round. The 18-year-old from Bloemfontein got off to a fine start at the par 70 Murcar with birdie threes at his opening two holes. Nienaber, who lost out in a play-off to England’s Nick Poppleton in the Brabazon Trophy earlier this month, notched up three birdies in five holes from the 4th but bogeyed the par three 5th. He bounced back from a dropped shot at the 10th with a birdie at the 14th on his way to a four-under-par 66.

The 288-strong field will play the second stroke play qualifying round on Tuesday with the leading 64 and ties qualifying for the match play stage.

For more information, including live scoring, click here.