Two of North America’s most successful women amateur golfers have become Honorary Members of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.

Canadian Marlene Stewart Streit, the only player to win the British, Canadian, U.S. and Australian women’s amateur titles, and America’s Judy Bell, a former Curtis Cup captain and player and United States Golf Association president, accepted invitations to become Honorary Members.

They follow Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Dame Laura Davies, Renée Powell, Belle Robertson MBE, Lally Segard, Annika Sorenstam and Louise Suggs, who sadly passed away in August, in becoming Honorary Members. A further eight women have also become Members of the Club.

Stewart Streit said, “I am absolutely delighted to be invited to join such a historic and prestigious institution in golf. I would never have dreamt of this all those years ago when I started out playing golf but I have enjoyed every moment of it. I am extremely proud and grateful to receive this honour and it means a great deal not just to me but to Canadian golf as a whole.”

Bell said, “I’m honoured to follow in the footsteps of so many great players and people who have been so influential in the game. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club enjoys such a special place at the heart of golf and I am thrilled to be part of it. Golf has been very good to me over the years and this is a wonderful distinction to receive. ”

Gavin Caldwell, Captain of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, said, “It is a privilege to welcome two women who have enjoyed such long and distinguished careers in golf to The Royal and Ancient Golf Club. Both Marlene and Judy have made substantial contributions to golf through their outstanding achievements as players and their tireless work in supporting the development of the sport. They are both wonderful examples to follow and tremendous ambassadors for golf.”

Stewart Streit’s remarkable career saw her win 11 Canadian Ladies Open Amateurs, nine Canadian Ladies Close Amateurs, four Canadian Ladies’ Seniors and three U.S. Senior Women’s Championships. After winning the Ladies’ British Amateur Championship at Royal Porthcawl in 1953, she went on to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 1956 and the Australian Women’s Amateur in 1963.

In 1951 and 1956, Stewart Streit, who was born in Cereal, Alberta, was named Canada’s top athlete of the year. She went on to establish the Marlene Streit Awards Fund to support promising young golfers. In 2004, she became Canada’s first member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and is also a Member of the Order of Canada, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.

Bell, who was born in Wichita, Kansas, took up golf at the age of ten and in 1952 reached the semi-final of the U.S. Junior Girls’ Championship in California where she was defeated by Mickey Wright. Bell went on to play in two American Curtis Cup teams in 1960 and 1962 and captained the team in 1986 and 1988. She set the then lowest score, a 67, in the U.S. Women’s Open in 1964, and, in a successful amateur career, won the Broadmoor Invitational title three times, the Florida East Coast Championships three times, the Palm Beach Invitational, the 1958 South Atlantic Championship, and the 1963 Trans-Mississippi title.

In 1996, Bell became the first woman to be named president of the USGA. She joined the USGA’s junior championship committee in 1961 and went on to act as a Rules official at the U.S. Open and the U.S. Women’s Open. Bell served on the USGA’s women’s committee for 16 years and became the first female member of the USGA executive committee. She was nominated to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001.

The Western Canadian Golf Champion University of British Columbia Thunderbirds Women’s golf team (47 points) are ranked No. 1 in the Golf Coaches Association of Canada (GCAC)-Golf Canada Annual Fall Top-10 Coaches Poll. The RSEQ Champion Montréal Carabins finished a close second (45 points), while the OUA Champion Toronto Varsity Blues and Victoria Vikes tied for third place (47 points). The Waterloo Warriors claimed fifth place (28 points) and the Humber Hawks (27 points) completed the top-six.

The Laval Rouge et Or (20 points) placed in seventh overall, followed by the Queen’s Golden Gaels (13 points).  The UBCO Heat came in ninth place (16 points), and the Alberta Pandas (8 points) round out the Top-10. The Western Ontario Mustangs and Lethbridge Pronghorns also received votes in the women’s rankings.

On the men’s side, the Western Canadian Golf Champion University of Victoria Vikes Men’s golf team (49 points) are ranked as the top University/College golf team in Canada based on the vote conducted by the GCAC on December 4.  The British Columbia Thunderbirds (39 points) are ranked second, while the OUA Champion Waterloo Warriors (38 points) complete the top-three.

The RSEQ Champion Laval Rouge et Or (36 points) claimed fourth place in the poll and the CCAA champion Camosun Chargers ranked fifth (34 points). The University of Toronto Varsity Blues (22 points) took sixth while the Alberta Golden Bears and Fraser Valley Cascades were knotted at No. 7.  The Niagara College Knights and the Concordia Stingers (12 points apiece) rounded-out the Top-10 in a tie for ninth, following play in the fall portion of the season.

The Manitoba Bisons, Laurier Golden Hawks and UBCO Heat also received votes in the men’s rankings.

The 2016 University/College Golf Championship will be hosted in conjunction with the University of Victoria and will run May 30 to June 3 at Morningstar Golf Course in Parksville, B.C.

2015 Women’s University-College Fall Rankings

2015 Men’s University-College Fall Rankings

The Golf Association of Ontario is pleased to welcome the three new members who will be inducted into the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame at a ceremony tentatively set to take place on May 4, 2016 at Wooden Sticks Golf Club in Uxbridge. Dave Mills, John Gordon, and Patty Howard will become the 73rd, 74th and 75th members of the Hall. In addition, Bill ‘Skip’ Johns will be receiving the Lorne Rubenstein Award, which is presented annually to accredited members of the Ontario media for “major contributions to golf.”

The Ontario Golf Hall of Fame is dedicated to the recognition of extraordinary contributions and accomplishments in the game of golf in Ontario. Founded in 2000 by the Ontario Golf Association and the Ontario Ladies’ Golf Association, the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame is housed at Wooden Sticks Golf Club in Uxbridge.

2016 ONTARIO GOLF HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

Dave Mills

Dave Mills has been involved with the GAO/OGA since 1986. He served on the board of directors from 1989-1997, before being appointed Executive Director in 1997. He turned around an association that was experiencing significant financial and administrative challenges.

Mills led several initiatives during his time as Executive Director including: the GAO Scholarship Program, educational seminars, Golf in Schools, learn to play clinics, new provincial championships, Team Ontario, participation in Canadian and Ontario Summer Games, a partnership with Ontario Golf Magazine to be official magazine of Association, led the process to establish Ontario Golf Hall of Fame and helped to have golf recognized as an “Official Sport” by Sport Canada. Perhaps one of his greatest accomplishments was leading the process to amalgamate the Ontario Golf Association with the Ontario Ladies Golf Association to create one of the largest amateur golf Associations in North America.

Mills is also a certified rules official and has volunteered his expertise at numerous GAO events and at the Canadian Open, Canadian Amateur and Telus Skins Game. He retired from the GAO in 2014, but continues to volunteer at provincial events.

John Gordon

John Gordon left the Canadian Press to become managing editor of SCOREGolf in 1986 and has been involved in the golf industry ever since. Recruited by the Royal Canadian Golf Association (now Golf Canada) in 1990, he initiated their communications and member services departments and was the founding editor of the Golf Canada Magazine. After a stint as executive director of the Golf Association of Ontario, he founded The Gordon Group, specializing in communications and consulting for the golf industry, in 1994. He has contributed to the National Post and Toronto Sun and appeared on multiple television stations as a golf analyst. He has also provided Rogers Sportsnet with online material and served as an associate editor of the Sportsnet Magazine.

Gordon is a past chairman of the NGCOA Canada and has conducted golf-related seminars and presentations across Canada, the U.S., and Scotland. Gordon was a founding board member of the Professional Golf Management program at Georgian College, where he also taught. In 2008, he was hired by ClubLink to build an in-house communications department, re-launch their member magazine and build out more than 50 web sites.

Gordon has written hundreds of articles for golf consumer and trade publications and is the author of eight golf books. John recently has returned to freelance golf writing.

Patty Howard

Patty Howard achieved success as professional golfer and as a teacher. She notched three provincial championships: 1988 Ontario Ladies Professional Championship, 1988 Ontario Ladies Summer Championship and the 1991 Ladies Professional Summer Championship. She also captured a pair of wins on the Florida Mini Tour (now Symetra Tour).

Howard’s impact on the game stretched past her playing career. She was the first female head professional at a private mixed club in Canada. She originally joined the PGA of Canada in 1975 and received Class A status in 1981. She was the first female to sit on the PGA of Ontario Board of Directors.

Howard has been recognized on numerous occasions for her work in the game. Honours she has received include: 2001 YWCA London Women of Excellence Award for Sport, Fitness and Recreation, 2007 Ontario Club Professional of the Year, 2007 Canadian Club Professional of the Year, 2007 Score Golf Club Professional of the Year, 2008 London Sports Person of the Year, 2009 London Sports Hall of Fame Induction, and 2013 London Heart Award.

Bill ‘Skip’ Johns – Lorne Rubenstein Award

Skip Johns began a career in journalism at the Niagara Falls Review in 1957. In 1972 he moved on to the Kitchener-Waterloo Record to continue his top priority: Sports Journalism. Throughout his 58-years in sports journalism, Johns always had a passion for golf. His work also included writing for Ontario Golf News and Golf Scene. Even now at 77-years-old, Johns continues to cover golf online. In 2002, John was honoured, where he started, as he was inducted into the Niagara Falls Virtual Wall of Fame.

SCOTTSDALE, AZ  – Four golf coaches and educators are joining forces to create GenNXT Golf Academy – the first high performance junior golf academy in the American Southwest.

Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott of VISION54, Dr. Rick Jensen of the Dr. Rick Jensen Performance Center at PGA National and Canadian Henry Brunton have selected the Talking Sticking GC as the home base for the ground-breaking academy for aspiring golfers from 14 to 18 years of age.

The golf athlete development program will open its doors January 5th, 2016 and is currently accepting athlete applications for the semester that runs until June 5th. It’s a full-time residential golf academy for boys and girls ages 14 to 18 with a variety of housing and educational options available for consideration. There are options for athletes to participate in GenNXT for a month, a semester or a full school year. The 2016/2017 GenNXT Academy will commence August 22nd.

“We have created GenNXT to be a boutique style high performance golf academy. We are all committed to providing exceptional coaching and training support while developing personal relationships with all of our athletes,” says Brunton, a GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teacher who spent 13 years as the Head Coach of Canada’s National Golf Team.

Athletes will have full access to the exceptional practice facilities and two remarkable 18-hole Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw designed golf courses at Talking Stick Resort, which is also the home base for spring training for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies.

For more details, visit www.gennxtgolfacademy.com.

FAR HILLS, N.J. – Diana Murphy has been nominated to a one-year term as president of the United States Golf Association (USGA).

If elected, she would be the second woman to be president of the USGA. Judy Bell was president in 1996-97. Murphy’s husband, Reg Murphy, was USGA president in 1994-95.

Murphy is in her fifth year on the USGA executive committee. She is chair of the Championship and Compensation committees. She was elected treasurer in 2013 and has been a vice president the last two years.

Murphy lives in St. Simons Island, Georgia. She is managing director of Rocksolid Holdings, a private-equity firm for small business and real estate in the Southeast.

The election will be Feb. 6 in San Diego at the USGA’s annual meeting.

TORONTO – Ontario is launching a new sport plan that will help more Ontarians participate and excel in sport.

Building on the success of the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am / Parapan Am Games, the province is releasing Game ON – The Ontario Government’s Sport Plan.

Game ON targets actions in three priority areas:

• Participation: actions that enable all Ontarians to participate in safe, organized amateur sport
• Development: actions that help Ontario’s athletes receive the right support as their skills develop
• Excellence: actions to help Ontario’s high-performance athletes pursue excellence by facilitating access to the latest training, programs, facilities, resources and technical experts

Game ON builds on a strong existing foundation of sport organizations, programs and investments. It recognizes the many ways in which organized sport can be good for people and communities, from the health benefits of physical activity to the economic benefits of hosting major events.

Progress is already underway on a number of initiatives, including:

• Minister’s Advisory Panel: the province has named prominent sport sector leaders and experts to its new Minister’s Advisory Panel to help achieve the priorities set out in Game ON
• Roundtable on Women and Girls in Sport: in early 2016, Ontario will gather sector leaders to explore opportunities for women and girls in sport, built around the plan’s priority areas
• Ontario Sport Symposium: in spring 2016, the province will bring together leaders in the sport sector to highlight research, trends and issues and to plan the best ways to implement Game ON.

Investing in the development of Ontario athletes and providing them with more opportunities to succeed is part of the government’s plan to build Ontario up. The four-part plan includes investing in people’s talents and skills, making the largest investment in public infrastructure in Ontario’s history, creating a dynamic, innovative environment where business thrives, and building a secure retirement savings plan.

“Participation in sport improves health and wellness and helps to strengthen people and communities. That’s why, I am proud that we are building on the success of the Pan Am/Parapan Am Games to launch Game ON – The Ontario Government’s Sport Plan. Through this plan, we will collaborate with our sport partners to create a world-class sport system and support our athletes from the playground to the podium,” said Michael Coteau, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport and Minister Responsible for the Pan and Parapan American Games.

“The sport plan will help address the gaps and ensure we have all parts of the system, from government to education to local communities working together to support our athletes and coaches along the pathway. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Advisory Panel to provide guidance on the new plan for Ontario’s sport system in all contexts, ” added Susan Kitchen, Executive Director, Coaches Association of Ontario, Member of Minister’s Advisory Panel.

• In Ontario, there are at least 2.1 million registered athletes, supported by 121,000 coaches, 58,000 officials and 363,000 volunteers.
• The sport industry contributes an estimated $2.1 billion to Ontario’s GDP and supports 43,730 jobs.
• Ontario has almost tripled its support for amateur sport from $8.78 million in 2003 to more than $25 million in 2015-16.
• The Ontario government is investing almost $985,000 in 2015-16 to provide Sport Priority Funding to 15 Provincial and Multi-Sport Organizations, supporting services and specialized training for athletes and coaches.
• Ontario is committed to providing access and opportunities for our children and students to participate in 60 minutes of physical activity, both in and outside of school. Promoting well-being is a key goal of Achieving Excellence, Ontario’s renewed vision for education.

Oakville, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada announced today the 2015 scholarship recipients for the Golf Canada Foundation’s Canadian University/College Support Program.

A total of $53,500 in scholarships was awarded by the Golf Canada Foundation to 15 scholar-athletes this year.

The ClubLink Scholarships of Excellence were awarded to two students studying in British Columbia who have outstanding records in both academics and golf. The recipients are Carolyn Lee of Calgary, Alta. (University of British Columbia), and Brianna Carrels of Lethbridge, Alta. (University of Victoria). Each student will receive $5,000 towards their studies.

Claire Konning of Indian Mountain, N.B., and Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S., student-athletes at the University of Waterloo and Radford University (respectively), each received the Connor/Spafford Scholarship award ($7,500 each), presented to eligible students from Atlantic Canada, with an emphasis on Nova Scotia residents.

The Geordie Hilton Academic Scholarship award, presented to students entering their second year of business studies or beyond, was given to Eunice Hong of Thornhill, Ont., a standout golfer at the University of British Columbia.

Molly MacDermaid of Bathurst, N.B. (University of Mobile) received the Mary Ellen Driscoll Scholarship, awarded to a female citizen born or residing in New Brunswick. The award celebrates a life time achievement in golf for Mary Ellen Driscoll and has a value of $1,000.

Caroline Ciot of Brossard, QC. (Université de Montréal), and Emily Creaser of Edmonton, Alta. (University of British Columbia) each received one Canadian Seniors’ Golf Association (CSGA) scholarship valued at $3,000, while Evan Holmes of Calgary, Alta. (University of British Columbia) was presented with the John Powell Memorial Scholarship (valued at $3,000) in honour of John Powell, a former Executive Director of the CSGA, who passed away in 2011.

The Marlene Streit Golf Scholarship awards, valued at $3,000, and presented to standout Canadian female golf­ers attending Canadian universities and colleges, were given to Courtney Schubert of Calgary, Alta. (University of Calgary) and Ana Peric of Etobicoke, Ont. (University of Toronto).

Annie Lacombe of Laval, QC., (Vanier College) and Valérie Tanguay of St-Hyacinthe, QC. (University of Oklahoma) captured the Suzanne Beauregard Scholarship ($2,000 each). Sarah Dunning of Waterloo, Ont. (University of Toronto) was awarded the William Kucey Scholarship ($2,000).

This year also marked the introduction of a new scholarship offered by the Golf Canada Foundation. The Salsberg family approached the Foundation with the request that a scholarship be created and named in honour of the late Robert Salbserg, a family man who loved the game of golf and found that the sport improved his life and helped him deal with difficult life situations. Aaron Black of Grimsby, Ont. (Brock University) received the Robert Salsberg Scholarship valued at $1,500.

This year’s selection of scholarship recipients reflects a wide range of scholastic backgrounds, including health sciences, sociology, mathematics and business, as well as kinesiology and biomedical engineering. The impressive range of educational programs reinforces the Golf Canada Foundation’s commitment to supporting our future leaders and providing them with opportunities to study and stay in Canada.

“We are extremely proud to support young Canadians in their pursuit of academic and golfing excellence,” said Martin Barnard, CEO of the Golf Canada Foundation. “Supporting collegiate golf is an important part of the Foundation’s mission to support and promote participation in the game.”

The Golf Canada Foundation supports Canadian student golfers and the development of Canadian university and college golf programs. Its mandate is to raise and grant funds for the advancement of golf across the country.

Since 1982, the Golf Canada Foundation has awarded over $2.6 million in scholarships to promising young golfers, landscape architects and turf grass scientists. The scholarship program has been funded through generous donations from corporations, golf clubs, associations and individual friends of golf.

In 2004, the Golf Canada Foundation began a program of granting funds to universities and colleges across Canada to enhance the institutions’ golf programs and competitive golf opportunities. The Golf Canada Foundation believes golf is a valuable part of Canadian society and strives to elevate golf programs to help them become recognized as a core sport of Canadian Intercollegiate Sport (CIS).

The Golf Canada Foundation is the leading source for golf philanthropy in Canada. The Foundation’s mission is to support and promote programs that increase participation in golf by engaging players of all ages and abilities across Canada. For more information on the Golf Canada Foundation, click here.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Team Canada member Eric Banks finally ran out of steam on Friday, falling in his quarter-final match at the Argentine Amateur by 2 holes.

Banks, a Truro, N.S., native, fell at the hands of 13^th seeded Luca Cianchetti of Italy at the Tortugas Country Club in the 120^th running of the event. He exits competition as the 5^th seed, earned by his runner-up finish in the two qualifying stroke-play rounds.

The 23-year-old had an impressive couple weeks in Argentina, which also included placing runner-up in stroke-play at the Tailhade Cup en route to winning the team event.

Click here for full scoring.

TORONTO – The Golf Journalists Association of Canada (GJAC) and Freedom 55 Financial have awarded the inaugural Freedom 55 Financial GJAC Journalism Scholarship to Kelly Hobson, a Masters of Journalism Candidate at Carleton University.

Hobson, who holds an undergraduate degree from Western University, and has interned at the Edmonton Journal, impressed the four-judge panel with her writing prowess and multimedia skills. “Kelly’s writing was a notch above all the other candidates,” said Jason Logan, editor of SCOREGolf Magazine and GJAC scholarship coordinator, noting she also submitted an outstanding radio feature. “She’s an excellent example of the great journalists Canada’s schools continue to produce.”

Hobson was ecstatic to receive the news. She receives $2,000 from Freedom 55 Financial for her efforts.

“It’s an honour to present Kelly with this bursary,” said Mike Cunneen, Senior Vice-President, Freedom 55 Financial. “We believe in supporting Canadians in achieving their goals and dreams today and tomorrow. This bursary will hopefully help Kelly as she continues to pursue her goals.”

“This bursary gives me not only the means to pursue some of the sports stories I want to tell, but also the confidence in my abilities as a sports journalist,” Hobson said. “Incurring costs as a freelancer is par for the course, but with shrinking newsroom budgets, every piece is now a risk with slimmer chance of reward. I’m indebted to the Golf Journalists Association of Canada.”

Hobson was also invited to attend GJAC’s annual Writing & Photography Awards ceremony and dinner this coming July at the historic Mississaugua Golf and Country Club.

Established in 2006, part of GJAC’s mandate is to promote golf journalism in Canada and recognize excellence in Canadian golf journalism. The focus of this scholarship was to encourage excellence in sports writing by student journalists across the country.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – National Amateur Squad member Eric Banks has continued his hot play of late, advancing to the Argentine Amateur quarter-finals on Thursday at the Tortugas Country Club.

Banks, a University of Florida alumnus, defeated 12^th seed Montenegro Jesus Dario of Argentina, 4&3, to punch his ticket to the quarter-finals. The win also came on the Truro, N.S., native’s 23^rd birthday.

Banks has not taken his foot off the gas since helping Canada win the Tailhade Cup last week in Argentina. He tied for second in the stroke-play qualifying rounds at 4-under before going on to win his first match 6&5.

Banks will look to keep thing rolling against 13^th-seeded Luca Cianchetti of Italy in Friday’s quarter-final match. The semi-final round will also commence Friday, with the 36-hole final set for Saturday.

Tony Gil, the second half of Canada’s winning duo at the Tailhade Cup, slipped in his opening match against Mexico’s Eduar Carrete Serratos, losing in 20 holes. The Vaughan, Ont., product finished T24 in stroke-play qualifying at 2-over par.

Click here for live scoring