NEW GLASGOW, N.S. – Garrett Rank tamed cool temperatures and gusty 47 km/h winds to maintain his lead atop the leaderboard at the 2015 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship. The defending champion carded an even-par round to mark his third straight day ahead of the field at Abercrombie Country Club in New Glasgow, N.S.

“The weather was tough today. It got really windy in the middle of the round,” said Rank. “But I played good and putted really well again. I made a few good six to 10-footers for par. I gave myself a few more chances today. It was just a solid round altogether.”

Rank registered another steady day, matching a bogey on hole 8 with a birdie on No. 15 to finish at even-par 70. The 27-year-old is four-strokes clear of his nearest competitor. Despite the advantage, Rank maintains a need to stay focused.

“I’m not really going to worry about what other guys are doing and just control what I can control,” added the native of Elmira, Ont. “I’ll just go out there and play against the golf course. I’ll stay patient again and give myself a lot of looks.”

At stake are the President’s Cup as Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion and an exemption into the 2016 RBC Canadian Open. Next year’s edition of Canada’s National Open Championship will return to Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

In second place is another competitor familiar with emerging victorious at this competition. Dave Bunker is hoping to return to the winning form he found during three consecutive championships between 2008-10. Bunker tallied four birdies on the day en route to a round of 2-under 68.

“I hit the ball really well considering how windy it was,” said the 50-year-old. “I think anything around par or under-par is going to be a good score today. It was very difficult out there, I think.”

The native of Woodbridge, Ont., reflected positively on his competitors when asked about the possibility of adding a fourth championship. “Another title would be special. Now that the younger guys are playing – and they’re playing very well – if I can put a good round together tomorrow and challenge for first place, that’d be pretty good.”

Paul Raycroft of Humboldt, Sask., completes the top-3 following a round of 2-under 68 to move to 4-over 214 in the competition. The 34-year-old collected five birdies on the day and registered a bogey-free 1-under 33 across the back nine.

At a combined 2-over 212, Dave Bunker leads the over-40 Mid-Master division. A victory would give Bunker a fifth Mid-Master championship following four consecutive titles from 2007 to 2010. He sits seven-strokes clear of 2003 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion Garth Collings of Matlock, Man., and Middle Sackville, N.S., product Glenn Robinson.

Team Ontario captured the inter-provincial competition played concurrently with the first two rounds of the tournament. Garrett Rank and teammates Josh Hunke of New Hamburg, Ont., and Toronto’s Kevin Fawcett combined to shoot 5-over 285 to claim the R. Bruce Forbes Trophy by a three-stroke margin. Finishing in second was the team representing the host province while Team New Brunswick completed the competition at 12-over 292.

The final round will see players begin the day at 7:30 a.m. ADT with the leaders teeing off at 9:30 a.m. ADT. Additional information regarding the 2015 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship can be found here.

Team Ontario captured the R. Bruce Forbes Trophy as provincial team champions at the 2015 edition of the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship. The three-man unit combined for a total of 5-over 285 at Abercrombie Country Club in New Glasgow, N.S.

“When you make the team, the goal is to come here and win,” said team member Garrett Rank. “It’s really nice for me and the guys to bring it back home to Ontario.”

Rank, the competition’s defending champion, reflected on his time together with teammates Kevin Fawcett of Toronto and Josh Hunke from New Hamburg, Ont., as a building block to their victory. “I played with them in the final round at the (Golf Association of Ontario’s Investors Group Men’s) Mid-Amateur so I knew them pretty well. I grew up with Josh’s brother, so I knew his family a little bit better, too. (Kevin and Josh) are nice guys and good players.”

For the past 23 years, provincial teams at the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship have contested the R. Bruce Forbes Trophy – awarded to the provincial team with the combined two lowest daily scores through each of the first two rounds of competition.

Finishing in second was the team representing the host province, made up of Dartmouth native Stuart Lenehan, Biblehill product Paul Coulson and Glenn Robinson of Middle Sackville that tallied 8-over 288. In third place with a combined effort of 12-over 292 was another maritime province – Team New Brunswick, comprised of Brett Taylor (Grand Bay-Westfield), Michel Landry (Saint John) and Greg Jones (Berry Mills).

Despite gusty conditions, Rank carded a 3-over 73 to maintain his lead in the individual competition. The 27-year-old’s round was highlighted by three straight birdies on holes 11 to 13.

“It was harder out there today in the wind,” reflected the native of Elmira, Ont. “I made a few mistakes and they cost me a couple of double (bogeys), but I putted really well. It wasn’t a good day, but I managed well out there.”

When asked about his mindset heading into the third round, the former Waterloo Warrior said, “I need to stay patient and give myself more looks. I didn’t give myself too many opportunities today. It seemed like I was working for par a lot more than I was yesterday.”

Kevin Carrigan and Glenn Robinson are knotted for second following identical rounds of 72 and 69. Carrigan from Victoria, B.C., opened with two bogeys on his first nine holes, but recovered with three birdies across the remainder of his round.  Likewise, Robinson began the day with a 2-over 38 on the front nine before registering three birdies, including two back-to-back on holes 14 and 15, to complete the day.

With today’s 69, Robinson also took over top spot in the over-40 Mid-Master division. First-round leader Garth Collings of Matlock, Man., moved to second place following a round of 73 that including four birdies. Tied for third with two-day totals of 144 are Allan Stanley of Windsor, Ont., and fellow Ontarian Dave Bunker of Woodbridge.

In addition to claiming the President’s Cup, the winner of the 29^th playing of the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship will earn a coveted exemption into the 2016 RBC Canadian Open to be played at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

Advancing to the third round are 78 players who shot 15-over 155 or better. Additional information regarding the tournament can be found here.

CAMLACHIE, Ont. – Judith Kyrinis of Thornhill, Ont., and Terrill Samuel of Etobicoke, Ont., sit atop the leaderboards at the 2015 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship after carding opening rounds of 3-under par 68 at Sawmill Creek Golf Resort and Spa in Camlachie Ont.

Kyrinis, 51, and Samuel, 54, share the leads in the Senior (50+), Mid-Master (40+) and Mid-Amateur (25+) divisions.

“I hit the ball where I wanted to most of the time, which is great in this wind,” said Kyrinis, who recently competed in the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship and finished runner-up at the 2014 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur. “I made some really nice up-and-downs and some really nice putts to save a couple that I missed.”

Kyrinis managed a 3-under par 32 on the front nine; she then notched a birdie on the 12^th hole after a bogey on No. 11 to finish the back nine at even par.

“We had a nice game out there together so we really kind of pulled each other along, so it was great. We fed off each other really well,” added Kyrinis who was grouped alongside her co-leader.

Samuel opened the championship with a birdie and added an eagle on the par-5 sixth hole to also finish her front nine with a 32. A birdie-par-par finish brought the 2012 Canadian Women’s Senior champion back to 3-under par to complete the opening round.

Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member and three-time Canadian Women’s Senior champion Mary Ann Hayward of Aurora, Ont., sits in a three-way tie for third in the Senior division after a first-round 1-over par performance.

“I had a lot of looks at birdies. I felt like I let a lot of chances go,” said Hayward. “I’ll take 1-over for a start. We will see how it shakes out, there are two more rounds. I might have to play a little catch up, but I think I can score a little better.”

Also chasing the lead at four-shots back are Marion Reid, 51, of Etobicoke, Ont., and Debbie McDonald of Claremont, Ont.

The 61-year-old McDonald leads the Super Senior (60+) division after an opening round of 72. Joey Bush (Aurora, Ont.) and Cheryll Damphouse (Amherstburg, Ont.) sit second in the division after carding rounds of five-over 76. The Super Senior division is contested concurrently with the first two rounds of play.

Joining Kyrinis and Samuel near the top of both the Mid-Master and Mid-Amateur divisions is Jessica Luciuk of Barrhead, Alta. The 40-year-old is third in both divisions after firing a round of 1-under 70 that concluded with a string of four birdies.

Team Ontario entered the tournament as defending inter-provincial champions and lead after a first round combined 4-over par performance. The team comprised of Gail Pimm (Uxbridge), Mary Ann Hayward and Debbie Court (Mississauga) holds a one-shot advantage over second-place Team Quebec. The provincial team competition will conclude following the second round of play.

The top 70 players and ties from the Senior division will advance to the third and final round of the National Championship. In addition, all Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master competitors who post a 36-hole total that is equal or better than the cutline of the Senior division will compete on the competition’s last day.

The champion of this year’s Canadian Women’s Senior division will gain entry into the 2015 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur at Hillwood Country Club in Nashville, Tenn., from September 26 to October 1.

For full details on tee times and scoring, click here.

NEW GLASGOW, N.S. – Garrett Rank wasted little time in opening his title defence at the 2015 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Abercrombie Country Club in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. Rank was one of three players to register a round below par on the opening day of the nation’s premiere competition for those over 25.

“I was pretty good off the tee today,” reflected the 27-year-old, who tallied five birdies en route to a 5-under 65 performance. “I got it in play and gave myself a lot of chances. I hit a few close and then hit a few really good wedge shots. I tried to give myself as many opportunities as I could from 15 feet all day.”

Rank is the defending champion after claiming the President’s Cup in 2014 following a playoff victory over Rob Couture of Dallas, Texas. The native of Elmira, Ont., recognizes the challenges of playing as a past winner, but likens the experience to the difficulties of participating in the many big events that have highlighted his season.

“There’s a little bit of pressure, but it’s not really anything that’s new or different. There’s pressure playing in the RBC Canadian Open. There’s pressure playing in the Pan Am Games. There’s pressure playing in the U.S. and Canadian Amateurs. You just have to try and take it one shot at a time.”

The former University of Waterloo Warrior remains focused on the task at hand – claiming victory and a prized exemption into the 2016 edition of Canada’s National Open Championship.

“The goal here is to win and get into the RBC Canadian Open again next year,” said Rank. “But you can’t think about that stuff. You’ve just got to worry about playing golf. You just need to stay patient. You can’t try and get too aggressive. If you just keep grinding away and hitting solid shots, hopefully some good scores will follow.”

Sitting with a share of second is another competitor looking to build upon his legacy at this championship – Garth Collings of Matlock, Man. The 57-year-old, who won this competition in 2003, opened with three birdies across a bogey-free front nine and would go on to finish 1-under on the day. Tyler Wright of Regina, Sask., notched three birdies to also end the first day of competition tied for runner-up.

With his round of 69, Collings leads the over-40 Mid-Master division. Woodbridge, Ont., product Dave Bunker’s 18 even-par holes has him in second. The 50-year-old is a three-time Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion, having collected three consecutive titles from 2008-2010. Stony Plain, Alta., native Jeff Murdoch is in third at 1-over 71.

Team Ontario leads the inter-provincial competition that is played concurrently with the first 36 holes of the tournament. Comprised of Garrett Rank, New Hamburg, Ont., native Josh Hunke and Toronto’s Kevin Fawcett, the trio registered a combined score of 3-under 137 to lead by five strokes.

In second place totaling 142 is Team Alberta made up of Jeff Murdoch, Kevin Temple (Calgary) and Brandon Markiw (Edmonton). Rounding out the top-three is the host province – Team Nova Scotia. The efforts of Stuart Lenehan (Dartmouth, N.S.), Paul Coulson (Biblehill, N.S.) and Glenn Robinson (Middle Sackville, N.S.) have the hosts at 4-over 144. British Columbia, which hoisted the R. Bruce Forbes Trophy in 2014 as team champions, currently sits T6 at 148.

Following the two opening rounds of play, the field will be reduced to the low 70 competitors and ties.

For more information regarding the 2015 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, please visit the tournament website.

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – The top Canadian and American senior male golfers will tee off at Desert Blume Golf Club in Medicine Hat, Alta., for the 53^rd playing of the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship.

The 72-hole stroke play competition will feature a practice round on August 31 followed by tournament play from September 1-4. The national championship is open to players over the age of 55, while competitors 70 years of age and older will also be eligible for the Super Senior division to be played concurrently over the first 36 holes of the tournament.

“With a field of highly-touted senior golfers ready to take on Desert Blume Golf Club, the 2015 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship will prove to be an exciting competition,” said Tournament Director Mary Beth McKenna. “The course is in excellent condition and will test the best senior golfers from across our country and the United States.”

Vancouver’s Doug Roxburgh will attempt to defend his 2014 Canadian Men’s Senior title and earn his seventh national golf championship to add to his Canadian Golf Hall of Fame career. Inducted in 1990, the 63-year-old has claimed a Canadian Junior Championship, four Canadian Amateur titles and a total of 13 B.C. Amateur Championships. Last year, Roxburgh finished 7-under par to complete a wire-to-wire victory and capture his first Senior championship.

Challenging Roxburgh for the title will be Paul Simson of Raleigh, N.C. The 64-year-old made history in 2010 by becoming the first player to win the British, U.S. and Canadian senior titles in the same year. Simson is hoping to carry forward momentum from winning the 2015 North Carolina Senior Amateur title at Champion Hills Club in Hendersonville, N.C.

Simson ranks No. 23 on Golfweek’s Senior Amateur Rankings and will be joined by Steve Hudson of Birmingham, Ala., who finished last year’s competition in third. Hudson, the top-ranked player in the field at No. 3, opened the year by capturing the 2015 Golfweek Senior National Championship at Stone Creek Golf Club in Ocala, Fla.

Collingwood, Ont., native Michael Jackson is the top-ranked Canadian at No. 28 on Golfweek’s Senior Amateur rankings. Jackson, 62, claimed this year’s Ontario Senior Men’s Amateur title in a three-way playoff thriller.

Also in the hunt for the national championship will be Golfweek’s Senior Amateur No. 26, Brady Exber of Las Vegas, Nev. A member of the Golf Hall of Fame in his hometown, Exber is looking to improve upon his runner-up result at this event in 2014. The 59-year-old is joined by a trio of Americans in the top-25 of Golfweek’s rankings, including Pat Thompson of Asheville, N.C. (T18), Jack Hall of Savannah, Ga. (T18), and Gary Robinson of Fayetteville, N.C. (No. 21).

A Senior Inter-Provincial Team Championship will also be played in conjunction with the first two rounds of competition; British Columbia enters as the defending champions.

The 2015 Canadian Men’s Senior champion will earn an exemption into the 2015 U.S. Senior Amateur Championship at Hidden Creek Golf Club in Egg Harbor Township, N.J., from September 26 to October 1.

More information on the championship can be found here.

The term National Junior Golf Development Centre might be a mouth-full, but its strategy is very clear-cut.

A joint initiative between Golf Canada, the PGA of Canada, and the Provincial Associations, Development Centres offer best-in-class programming, instruction and facilities for junior golfers between the ages of 5–18.

First and foremost, the purpose behind the initiative is to point parents, teachers and junior golfers in the right direction for finding the best, most welcoming experience for juniors.

The need for these centres addresses a gap where industry bodies had difficulty identifying facilities—with absolute certainty—that offer best-in-class programming. Since inception in 2013, the initiative has grown 33% from 30 facilities to 40. With that said, the main focus remains on quality of programming and commitment to junior golf—hence the following criteria for accreditation:

Each National Junior Golf Development Centre must possess the following before applying:

• Meet minimum coaching requirements as defined by the PGA of Canada
• Offer Long-Term Player Development­­ (LTPD) compliant programming
  • CN Future Links
  • Learn to Compete
• Demonstrate a healthy relationship with a Golf in Schools facility in their community

“Golf Canada is proud to stand behind National Junior Golf Development Centres as those facilities that go above-and-beyond when delivering junior programming,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “These centres have demonstrated the ability to deliver junior programming at all levels from introductory to competitive and play a key leadership role in Canada’s player development pathway.”

To find a National Junior Golf Development Centre in your area, visit the postal-code locator at Golf Canada Juniors website: golfcanada.ca/juniors

Click here to view all National Junior Golf Development Centres across Canada.

BROMONT, Qué. – Team Canada Development Squad members Étienne Papineau of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Qué., and Grace St-Germain of Ottawa each took home titles on Sunday at the Graham Cooke Junior Invitational hosted at Golf Château-Bromont.

Papineau, 18, notched his third victory in his home province this season after shooting 9-under par (68-67) for the one-stroke win over Félix Normand of Mont-St-Hilaire, Qué. in the boys division.

With the win, the West Virginia University commit marked the end of his junior career in great fashion—adding to an impressive season highlighted by wins at the Québec Amateur Championship and the Alexander of Tunis. The two-time provincial junior champion finished in a tie for third in last year’s Graham Cooke Invitational.

In the girls division, 17-year-old Grace St-Germain repeated as champion for the second consecutive year to win the title for a third time. St-Germain posted an even-par score (70-74) for the tournament, fending off a charge from Céleste Dao of Notre-Dame Ile Perrot, Qué., to defend her title with a one-stroke victory.

Click here for full scoring.

OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – Canada’s Austin James came up just short on Friday in his bid to reach the semi-finals of the U.S. Amateur at the Olympia Fields Country Club.

The Charleston Southern junior held a 2-up lead at the turn, but could not hang on to the lead after bogeying three holes on the back nine to lose by 2 against No. 22 seed Sean Crocker of Westlake Village, Calif.

James, a Bath, Ont., native, was vying to become the second consecutive Canadian to reach the finals of the U.S. Amateur—Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., achieved that feat in 2014.

The championship semi-final will run on Saturday, followed by a 36-hole final on Sunday.

Olympia Fields Country Club, a two-time U.S. Open venue, will host its first U.S. Amateur with stroke-play being conducted on the 7,037-yard South Course and match-play on the 7,234-yard North Course.

Click here for full scoring.

CAMLACHIE, Ont. – The Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship is set to begin at Sawmill Creek Golf Resort and Spa in Camlachie, Ont., from August 26-28. The 2015 edition of the event will see the debut of the Mid-Amateur division which has historically been held in conjunction with the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.

In addition to the 43^rd playing of the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship, competitors over 25 years of age will compete for the Mid-Amateur Championship, while the Mid-Masters division is open to players over 40. The 54-hole stroke play Senior Championship is open to amateur players over the age of 50 and the Super Senior division is open to competitors who are 60 years of age or older.

“The Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship will be an excellent showcase of Canada’s strong golf talent,” said Tournament Director Justine Decock. “We have had many Canadian Golf Hall of Fame members hoist the Ada Mackenzie Trophy and we will continue write the championship’s history this year at Sawmill Creek Golf Resort.”

This tournament has housed the talents of Canadian Golf Hall of Famers Marilyn Palmer O’Connor, four-time Canadian Women’s Senior Champion Gayle Hitchens Borthwick and World Golf Hall of Fame member Marlene Stewart Streit.

Defending her 2014 title will be Hélène Chartrand of Pincourt, Que. The 58-year-old defeated Mary Ann Hayward on the second playoff hole at Club de golf Milby in Sherbrooke, Que. Chartrand also captured the 2014 Mid-Master division at last year’s Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship hosted at Craigowan Golf & Country Club in Woodstock, Ont.

Three-time champion Mary Ann Hayward, 55, captured back-to-back Canadian Women’s Senior titles in 2010 and 2011 before adding her third in 2013. The Aurora, Ont., native is a member of both the Ontario and Quebec Golf Halls of Fame, and was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 2007. Hayward has four career victories at the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship and holds the distinction of being the first Canadian to win the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur title.

Also in this year’s field is 51-year-old, Thornhill, Ont., native Judith Kyrinis who recently competed in the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. In 2014, Kyrinis finished third at the Canadian Senior Women’s Championship and was runner-up at the 2014 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur.

Canadian Golf Hall of Famer and four-time Canadian Women’s Senior Champion Alison Murdoch, 65, of Victoria, B.C., along with two-time champion Jackie Little, 56, of Port Alberni, B.C., will look to add to their legacies at this year’s competition. Little and Murdoch finished in first and second place respectively at the 2015 British Columbia Senior Women’s Championship.

An inter-provincial team championship will take place in conjunction with the first two rounds of stroke play; Team Ontario won the championship by 16 strokes in 2014.

The champion of this year’s Canadian Women’s Senior division will gain an entry into the 2015 U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur at Hillwood Country Club in Nashville, Tenn., September 26 to October 1.

Additional information, including the full field and tee times, is available here.

OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – Canadian Austin James won his third consecutive match on Thursday to advance to the U.S. Amateur quarter-finals at the Olympia Fields Country Club.

The Bath, Ont., native started out the day squaring off against American Denny McCarthy in the morning’s round of 32. James came out of the gate hot, winning five of the first six holes to put the pressure on McCarthy, who currently holds the No. 10 rank on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR).

The Charleston Southern junior lost some momentum with a string of four consecutive bogeys, before bouncing back to close out McCarthy with a 3 and 2 victory.

James kept his foot on the gas in the afternoon’s round of 16 match against No. 3 seed Jake Knapp of Costa Mesa, Calif. They traded shots back-and-forth all match, with James holding a slight one-hole advantage at the turn.

The match was squared after a Knapp birdie on the par-4 11^th before James took advantage of two bogeys to earn the 2-up victory.

James is gearing up to face No. 22 seed Sean Crocker of Westlake Village, Calif., who is coming off a 20-hole victory. The match will begin at 1:30 p.m. CDT.

The championship will run three more rounds of match-play, concluding with a 36-hole final on Sunday.

Olympia Fields Country Club, a two-time U.S. Open venue, will host its first U.S. Amateur with stroke-play being conducted on the 7,037-yard South Course and match-play on the 7,234-yard North Course.

In 2014, Canadian Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., fell in the final 36-hole match to South Korea’s Gunn Yang, 2 and 1. Both finalists are usually invited to compete in the Masters tournament the following April, alongside exemptions into next year’s U.S. and British Opens.

Click here for full scoring.

Click here for round of 16 highlights.