ST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND and FAR HILLS, N.J. – Ireland’s Leona Maguire has won the Mark H. McCormack Medal as the leading women’s player in the 2015 World Amateur Golf RankingTM.

Maguire has enjoyed an outstanding season, which she came close to rounding off with a victory in a professional event on the Ladies European Tour when she finished one shot behind the winner, Beth Allen, at last month’s ISPS Handa Ladies European Masters at the Buckinghamshire Golf Club.

The 20-year-old, who attends Duke University in Durham, N.C., has won three events this season: the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate, the ACC Championship and the NCAA South Bend Regional. In May, she received the 2015 ANNIKA Award as the best golfer in American women’s college golf.

Maguire was the leading qualifier after the stroke play stage of the Ladies British Open Amateur Championship at Portstewart Golf Club in Northern Ireland, where she reached the last 16. In June, she was part of the Great Britain and Ireland team which lost to their continental European counterparts in the Vagliano Trophy at Malone Golf Club and was undefeated, securing 3 ½ points out of 4.

The R&A and United States Golf Association (USGA) award recognizes Maguire’s outstanding performances this year and is named after Mark H. McCormack, who founded sports marketing company IMG and was a great supporter of amateur golf.

“It’s a huge honor to win the Mark H. McCormack Medal,” said Maguire. “To be able to call myself the best female amateur in the world is a nice feeling. In the last few years a lot of big names have won it and they have gone on to do great things in the game. It caps a fantastic year for me and it is rewarding after all the hard work I have put in and my family as well.”

Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, Executive Director – Championships at The R&A, said, “I would like to congratulate Leona on her performances in what has been a tremendous season. To secure three victories in such a competitive environment as collegiate golf is a great achievement but to go on and come so close to winning a professional event is remarkable. Leona is a hugely talented golfer and an extremely worthy winner of the McCormack Medal.”

John Bodenhamer, USGA Senior Managing Director, Rules, Competitions & Amateur Status, said, “On behalf of the USGA, it gives me great pleasure to extend our congratulations to Leona for winning the McCormack Medal. Her outstanding play throughout the season in NCAA competition, as well in both the amateur and professional ranks, makes her a very deserving recipient. We look forward to following Leona in the future.”

The World Amateur Golf RankingTM, which is supported by Rolex, was established in 2007 when the men’s ranking was launched. The men’s ranking encompasses more than 2,300 counting events, ranking more than 6,000 players from 96 countries worldwide. The women’s ranking was launched in 2011 and has a calendar of more than 1,370 counting events with over 2,940 ranked players from 71 countries worldwide.

OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – Bath, Ont., native Austin James has emerged as the lone remaining Canadian in the field at the U.S. Amateur after winning his round of 64 match on Wednesday.

James, a junior at Charleston Southern University, jumped out to an early two-hole lead, keeping up the pressure for a steady 4 and 3 victory over Miller Capps of Denver, N.C.

The 19^th seeded James is set to face-off against No. 51 seed Denny McCarthy of Rockville, Md., who currently sits as the No. 10 ranked amateur on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). The match is scheduled to begin Thursday morning at 9:10 a.m. CDT.

Canada’s Pan-American Games duo of Austin Connelly and Garrett Rank both ran out of steam in their matches at the Olympia Fields Country Club.

Connelly, a dual-citizen, was involved in a thrilling back-and-forth affair with Maverick McNealy of Portola Valley, Calif. The National Amateur Squad member found himself quickly down four through seven holes. He erased the deficit not long after, squaring the match with a birdie on the par-4 11^th. He held the lead shortly on the 14^th hole before carding back-to-back bogeys, leaving McNealy with the 1-hole victory.

Despite holding a 2-hole advantage through five holes, Elmira, Ont., native Garrett Rank could not hold off Sepp Straka of Valdosta, Ga., who took advantage of three consecutive bogeys by Rank on the back-nine for the 3 and 2 victory.

The championship will run six 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 live scoring.

OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – Three Canadians got the official word Wednesday morning that they have advanced to match-play at the U.S. Amateur.

National Amateur Squad member Austin Connelly and 2014 Canadian Junior Boys Champion, Austin James of Bath, Ont., earned their way in as the low Canadians at even-par (T14) through two qualifying stroke-play rounds.

Connelly, a dual-citizen, is slated to take on Maverick McNealy of Portola Valley, Calif. on Wednesday afternoon while James matches up against Miller Caps of Denver, N.C.

Journeyman Garrett Rank of Elmira Ont., came in at 2-over par (68-74) to earn the 52^nd seed, he’ll square-off against 13^th-seeded Sepp Straka of Valdosta, Ga.

Nicholas Ross of Dundas, Ont., and Stuart Macdonald of Vancouver were unable to secure a spot in Wednesday morning’s 18-man playoff for one of 10 remaining spots inside the top-64.

Australian Brett Coletta captured medalist honours and the No. 1 seed after going 7-under (67-66) for the one-stroke advantage over David Oraee of Greeley, Colo.

The championship will run six 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 live scoring.

The Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, Canada’s premiere competition for amateur golfers over 25, will make its way to Abercrombie Golf & Country Club from August 24-28.

“Golf Canada is looking forward to returning a national championship to Nova Scotia,” said Tournament Director Russell Mackay. “It is always a pleasure to bring competitions to golf fans across the entire country. The course is in great shape and will provide our competitors with an excellent challenge.”

The town of New Glasgow, N.S., in the heart of Pictou County is home to Abercrombie Golf & Country Club. Situated among the region’s picturesque woodlands, the course offers scenic backdrops across sprawling fairways and well-groomed greens. Throughout its 96 years, Abercrombie has accumulated a wealth of history and has hosted a number of championships at both the provincial and national levels.

In addition to claiming the President’s Cup as Canadian Mid-Amateur champion, competitors will vie for a prized exemption into the 2016 RBC Canadian Open to be held at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., from July 18-24.

A field of 152 golfers will take to Abercrombie, including defending champion Garrett Rank. The Elmira, Ont., native will continue a busy summer which has included representing Canada at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games and competing in his first RBC Canadian Open, as well as, a five-stroke victory at the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) Investors Group Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship and a T2 finish at the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.

Rank, 27, is currently playing in the U.S. Amateur Championship being hosted by Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Ill.

Joining Rank in the field is a number of players who have seen success at the Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship. The competition’s most decorated winner, Graham Cooke, won the first edition of the event in 1987. The Hudson, Que., native followed the performance with six subsequent victories, including a string of three-in-a-row between 2000 and 2002.

Kevin Carrigan will look to become a three-time winner in this competition. The product of Victoria, B.C., registered back-to-back victories in 2012 and 2013. The 29-year-old’s final-round 7-under 65 at the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship propelled him into a tie for sixth place.

Woodbridge, Ont., native Dave Bunker is hoping to add a fourth Canadian Mid-Amateur title to his resume after three consecutive victories from 2008-2010. The 50-year-old is coming off his second of back-to-back GAO Ontario Men’s Match Play Championship titles.

Introduced in 2006, the Mid-Master division will be contested by competitors over 40. Darren Shaw of Stoney Creek, Ont., will return to defend his title following his seven-stroke victory in 2014. First contested in 1992, an inter-provincial competition will be played concurrently with the opening two rounds of stroke play for the prestigious R. Bruce Forbes Trophy. Team British Columbia emerged victorious in 2014 with a combined total of 1-over 289 – four strokes clear of Team Alberta.

Following the first 36 holes of play, the field will be reduced to the low-70 competitors and ties. Additional information regarding the 2015 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship can be found here.

Alena Sharp, Canada’s No. 2 ranked golfer on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, conducted a Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru clinic on Tuesday at the Seymour Golf & Country Club in North Vancouver, just 20 kilometres from the Vancouver Golf Club—site of this year’s CP Women’s Open.

Sharp, one of three program ambassadors, was on hand to provide instruction to over 50 female members of Seymour Golf & Country Club. The Hamilton, Ont., native has backed Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru since 2011—supporting the program’s objective of increasing women’s participation in golf while raising money to fight breast cancer.

Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru was created in 2003 by Golf Canada – the National Sport Organization – to drive women’s participation in the game of golf with the use of fun, non-intimidating activities. Through a unique partnership structure with the Canadian Cancer Society (and Québec Breast Cancer Foundation), the program has women across the country participating in golf activities and raising money and awareness for a cause close to Canadian hearts – the fight against breast cancer.

With the help of volunteers across the country, the program has welcomed more than 100,000 women to the game of golf. These women have been able to raise over $5.1 million towards the fight against breast cancer.

Golf Canada’s Golf Fore the Cure program is proudly sponsored by presenting partner, Subaru. For more information on Golf Fore the Cure, visit golfforethecure.ca

PORTLAND, Ore. – Hannah O’Sullivan won the U.S. Women’s Amateur on Sunday, beating Sierra Brooks 3 and 2 in the 36-hole final at Portland Golf Club.

The 17-year-old O’Sullivan, from Chandler, Arizona, took the lead with a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-4 30th, added birdie wins on the par-4 32nd and par-5 33rd and ended the match with a two-putt par for a halve on the par-4 34th.

“I can’t really describe how good it feels,” O’Sullivan said. “It was just such a tough match today, and to be able to come out on top, it’s just incredible. I just feel so blessed.”

The 17-year-old Brooks, from Sorrento, Florida, took a 3-up lead with a birdie on No. 14 and led 1 up after 18 holes.

“This morning, I was striping it, and everything was really clicking,” Brooks said. “I didn’t miss a lot of shots. … When we came back out, she definitely played 100 percent and she definitely brought it on,” Brooks said. “I struggled a little bit, but I still played well, and she just played better, and she made more putts, and in match play that’s what it always comes down to.”

O’Sullivan eagled the par-5 23rd to pull even and took her first lead since the fourth hole with a 5-foot birdie putt on the par-4 24th. She won the par-3 26th with a birdie to take a 2-up lead.

Brooks fought back with a birdie on par-4 27th and tied it with a par on the par-4 29th.

O’Sullivan won Nos. 30, 32 and 33, holing a 7-footer on the 33rd.

“I knew if I was standing over that putt thinking about (winning), probably the result wouldn’t be what I would have liked,” O’Sullivan. “I just tried to push that aside and just stand over the putt, commit to it and put a good stroke on it, and to see it go in was awesome.”

Both players earned exemptions for the 2016 U.S. Women’s Open.

O’Sullivan won the Symetra Tour’s Gateway Classic in February at 16 to become the youngest winner in the history of the professional circuit. In May, she teamed with Robynn Ree to finish second in the inaugural U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball at Bandon Dunes.

OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – 12 Canadians will take to the Olympia Field Country Club on Monday to kick off the U.S. Men’s Amateur from Aug. 17–23.

Highlighting the field of Canadians are both Team Canada National Amateur Squad members, dual-citizen Austin Connelly and Burlington, Ont., native Blair Hamilton. They will be joined by Development Squad member and Texas State sophomore, Tyler Saunders of Sturgeon County, Alta.

Another notable is former long-time National Amateur Squad member Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., who competed for Canada alongside Connelly at the 2015 Pan-American Games in Toronto. The 27-year-old Rank is coming off a strong T2 finish last week at the Canadian Men’s Amateur, co-hosted by Weston Golf & Country Club and Lambton Golf & Country Club in Toronto.

2014 Canadian Junior Boys champion, Austin James of Bath, Ont., will also tee-it-up at Olympia Fields.

The format for the championship consists of two stroke-play qualifying rounds, followed by six 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.

—

The full list of Canadians is below:

Austin Connelly (Dual-citizen)

Garrett Rank (Elmira, Ont.)

Blair Hamilton (Burlington, Ont.)

Tyler Saunders (Sturgeon County, Alta.)

Nicholas Ross (Dundas, Ont.)

Joey Savoie (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Qué.)

Eric Banks (Truro, N.S.)

Turner Southey-Gordon (Toronto)

Brett McIntosh (London, Ont.)

Josh Whalen (Napanee, Ont.)

Austin James (Bath, Ont.)

Stuart Macdonald (Vancouver)

—

Click here for starting times

Billy Kennerly won the 111th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship co-hosted by Weston Golf & Country Club and Lambton Golf & Country Club. The native of Alpharetta, Ga., shot a final-round 2-under 70 to finish six strokes clear of his nearest competitor.

“It’s really nice to win, especially the Canadian Am,” said the graduate from Clemson University. “It’s a huge tournament and a national championship is always nice. On top of that, to win where Arnold Palmer won his first tournament, that’s really special and something I’ll never forget. I’m honoured to be the Canadian Amateur champion.”

Kennerly began the day with a front-nine 38, but settled in with four birdies across his final nine holes to complete the tournament at 12-under 275. “I got off to a slow start,” the 22-year-old explained. “I wasn’t quite putting my best and I just wasn’t quite hitting the ball where I needed to hit it. On the back nine, I just hit better and made a couple of adjustments with my putting which really made a big difference in my scoring.”

With the victory, Kennerly has secured a spot into the 2016 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont. The 107^th playing of Canada’s National Open Championship is set to take place July 18-24, 2016. “That’s a really big honour,” added the winner. “I’m looking forward to next year, I can’t wait.” Kennerly is slated to compete in the 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Ill.

Three players finished 6-under 281 to claim shares of second. Garrett Rank entered the third round tied for 13^th place. An eagle and five birdies propelled the Elmira, Ont., native up the leaderboard. “I got off to a great start. After having a bad start yesterday when I was 3-over through three, today I was 3-under through three, so that led to some good momentum going forward. Overall, it was a really good day.”

Rank claimed victory at the Investors Group Ontario Mid-Amateur Championship before representing Canada at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games and competing in the 2015 RBC Canadian Open. “It’s been a busy summer, my game has been close. I’ve been able to play in some really cool events and it was a good experience moving forward. It was nice to get a good result here this week.”

From August 25-28, the reigning Canadian Mid-Amateur champion will defend his title at Abercrombie Golf Club in New Glasgow, N.S. “I’m really looking forward to that. It’s a big opportunity to get into the RBC Canadian Open again next year. I have the U.S. Amateur Championship next week, so hopefully I can take my momentum here and try to get into match play, and then move on from there.”

Jake Shuman earned his share of second following a seven-birdie, 4-under final round. Completing the trio knotted in second was Hugo Bernard of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que. The 20-year-old, who also earned a runner-up finish at this year’s Quebec Men’s Amateur Championship, carded three birdies and an eagle for a final round of 69.

Kevin Carrigan shot the low round of the day with nine birdies in a 7-under performance. The Victoria, B.C., native finished in a five-way tie for 6^th place alongside Team Canada Development Squad member Patrick Murphy. The Crossfield, Alta., native and UCLA Bruin led the national team contingent with a combined 4-under 283 showing.

Played in conjunction with the tournament’s first 36 holes is an inter-provincial team championship. The competition saw 12 provincial and territorial teams compete for the Willingdon Cup with Team British Columbia emerging victorious. The squad comprised of Stuart Macdonald (Vancouver), Jared du Toit (Kimberley) and Kevin Kwon (Maple Ridge) combined for a total of even-par 286 to claim a 3-stroke victory.

The Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship is the third-oldest amateur championship in the world. The 2016 edition is set to take place August 8-11 at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club in Gatineau, Que.

Additional information regarding the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship can be found here.

PORTLAND, Ore. – National Amateur Squad member Elizabeth Tong has fallen short in the Round of 32 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur on Thursday, losing by 2 holes to American Cindy Ha at the Portland Golf Club.

Tong, 22, was the lone Canadian left in the field and was looking ahead to the Round of 16 after holding a 3 up lead on the 11^th hole. The Thornhill, Ont., native ran into trouble not long after, losing four of the next five holes before eventually falling by 2 to Cindy Ha of Demarest, N.J.

Click here for live scoring.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Team Canada’s Elizabeth Tong has advanced to the U.S. Women’s Amateur round of 32 after defeating opponent Magdalena Simmermacher 6&4 on Wednesday at the Portland Golf Club.

Tong, 22, jumped out to an early lead over Argentina’s Simmermacher, winning five of the first nine and losing none. The Thornhill, Ont., product is now the lone remaining Canuck in the field. She is set to tee-it-up against 11^th seeded Cindy Ha of Demarest, N.J., Thursday morning at 9:30 am PDT.

National Amateur Squad teammate and dual-citizen Maddie Szeryk, 18, suffered defeat at the hands of England’s Bronte Law, who holds the No. 2 spot in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). Despite holding a 1up lead twice on the front nine, the Texas A&M sophomore could not hold off Law who won 6 of the last 11 holes for the 3&2 victory.

Mariel Galdiano, the 17-year-old from Pearl City, Hawaii, who won the Canadian Women’s Amateur last month, topped Kimberly Mitchell of Woodbridge, Virginia, 7 and 5.

The match-play rounds of the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1. Coverage will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. EDT on Aug. 12-16. Additionally, bonus coverage will be live streamed on usga.org on Aug. 13 and Aug. 16 from Noon to 2 p.m. EDT.

Click here for live scoring.