OAKVILLE, Ont. – Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., have been recognized as Canada’s top male and female amateur golfers as Golf Canada announced the final standings on the 2013 National Order of Merit, presented by Under Armour.

On the men’s side, Conners, a member of Team Canada’s National Squad, is one of Canada’s top ranked amateur golfers at No. 41 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. Conners’ breakout season was highlighted by a second place finish at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship and semi-final appearance at the U.S. Amateur Championship. As a junior at Kent State University, he also notched a slew of top-10 finishes in NCAA action. In addition, the Listowel, Ont., native made an appearance at the PGA TOUR’s RBC Canadian Open and posted a third place finish at the prestigious Monroe Invitational.

Rounding out the next three spots on the Men’s Order of Merit were Team Canada National Squad member’s Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., while Charlie Hughes of Langley, B.C., finished the 2013 season in fifth place.

On the women’s side, Henderson, 16, sits as the No. 9 ranked female amateur in the world. In 2013, the Team Canada member captured three titles, including the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, the South American Amateur Championship and the CN Future Links Pacific Championship. On the professional stage, the Smiths Falls, Ont., native recorded two top-3 finishes on the CN Canadian Women’s Tour, a T35 finish at the LPGA’s Manulife Financial Classic and made an appearance at the CN Canadian Women’s Open. In addition, at only 15 years of age, Henderson finished T59 at the 2013 U.S. Women’s Open – an LPGA major and premier world event.

Rounding out the top-five in the women’s national rankings were the city of Québec’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay, Soobin Kim of Coquitlam, B.C., and Team Canada’s Augusta James of Bath, Ont., alongside her teammate Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont.

In the junior divisions, Kevin Kwon, 18, of Maple Ridge, B.C., and Henderson finished atop the CN Future Links Junior Boys and Junior Girls National Order of Merit respectively, to earn the distinction as Canada’s top junior golfers in 2013.

In 2013, Kwon captured the Canadian Junior Boys Championship by five strokes and won the season-opening CN Future Links Pacific event. Kwon also captured two gold medals at the Canada Summer Games – winning individually and also as a member of Team BC. His season was also highlighted by a T13 finish at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship and a fourth place finish at the B.C. Men’s Amateur Championship.

Hugo Bernard of Mont-St-Hilaire, Qué., finished in second on the CN Future Links Order of Merit, while Étienne Papineau of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., finished in third. Ontario native’s Joseph Kremer of Toronto and Tony Gil of Vaughan, Ont., rounded out the top-5.

Alongside Henderson’s amateur honours, she also captured the CN Future Links National Junior Girls Order of Merit. Maddie Szeryk of Allen, Texas, finished second in the standings after her 14-stroke victory over Henderson at the Royale Cup Canadian Junior Girls Championship. Team Canada Development Squad members, Valérie Tanguay of St-Hyacinthe, Que., Taylor Kim of Surrey, B.C. and Jaclyn Lee of Calgary rounded out the top-5.

The following are the Top 10 on the Men’s and Women’s 2013 National Orders of Merit presented by Under Armour:

Men’s Amateur – Top 10

1. Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.) 5,935.00
2. Taylor Pendrith (Richmond Hill, Ont.) 4,912.50
3. Garrett Rank (Elmira, Ont.) 2,930.38
4. Adam Svensson (Surrey, B.C.) 2,295.80
5. Charlie Hughes (Langley, B.C.) 2,173.02
6. Chris Hemmerich (Kitchener, Ont.) 2,054.42
7. Riley Fleming (Airdrie, AB) 1,902.25
8. Kevin Carrigan (Victoria, B.C.) 1,850.00
9. Stephane Dubois (Victoria, B.C.) 1,850.00
10. Kevin Kwon (Maple Ridge, B.C.) 1,355.47

 Women’s Amateur – Top 10

1. Brooke Henderson (Smiths Falls, Ont.) 6,069.38
2. Anne-Catherine Tanguay (Québec, Que.) 4,257.25
3. Soobin Kim (Coquitlam, B.C.) 3,892.50
4. Augusta James (Bath, Ont.) 3,290.83
5. Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.) 3,196.44
6. Jennifer Ha (Calgary, Ont.) 2,699.44
7. Vivian Tsui (Markham, Ont.) 1,754.82
8. Taylor Kim (Surrey, B.C.) 1,619.32
9. Robyn Doig (Seaforth, Ont.) 1,539.87
10. Josée Doyon (Beauceville, Que.) 1,533.64

The National Men’s and Women’s Order of Merit presented by Under Armour recognize season-long achievements and were established to identify Canada’s top amateur golfers.

The following are the Top-10 on the CN Future Links Junior Boys and Junior Girls 2013 National Orders of Merit:

Junior Boys – Top 10

1. Kevin Kwon (Maple Ridge, B.C.) 3,185.00
2. Hugo Bernard (Mont-St-Hilaire, Que.) 3,022.50
3. Étienne Papineau (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.) 2,967.50
4. Joseph Kremer (Toronto, Ont.) 2,963.75
5. Tony Gil (Vaughan, Ont.) 2,927.50
6. Nicholas Ross (Dundas, Ont.) 2,908.00
7. Austin James (Bath, Ont.) 2,702.17
8. Matt Williams (Calgary, AB) 2,538.33
9. Josh Whalen (Napanee, Ont.) 2,360.50
10. Matthew Scobie (Ajax, Ont.) & Zach Anderson (Nanaimo, B.C.) 2,265.00

Junior Girls – Top 10

1. Brooke Henderson (Smiths Falls, Ont.)  8,035.83
2. Maddie Szeryk (Allen, Texas) 4,013.00
3. Valérie Tanguay (St-Hyacinthe, Que.) 3,998.00
4. Taylor Kim (Surrey, B.C.) 3,485.29
5. Jaclyn Lee (Calgary, AB) 3,372.50
6. Sabrine Garrison (Calgary, AB) 3,155.83
7. Michelle Kim (Surrey, B.C.) 3,103.33
8. Naomi Ko (Victoria, B.C.) 2,981.66
9. Alix Kong (West Vancouver, B.C.) 2,815.00
10. Annie Lacombe (Laval, Que.) 2,730.00

The CN Future Links Junior Boys and Girls National Order of Merit recognizes season-long achievements, and were established to identify Canada’s top junior golfers. For complete Order of Merit standings click here.

The world’s first digital-only golf news publication announced their inaugural Global All-Amateur Teams that recognize on-course amateur excellence around the world.

Amongst the 178 players worldwide selected for the awards, 11 Canadians were recognized at the amateur, mid-amateur and senior amateur levels.

Team Canada’s Brooke Henderson, 16, of Smiths Falls, Ont., earned First Team Women’s Amateur honours alongside 2013 Canadian Women’s Open Champion and former World Amateur No. 1, Lydia Ko of New Zealand. In 2013, Henderson’s excelled on the amateur and professional stage, winning the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship and also making the cut at the LPGA’s U.S. Women’s Open and Manulife Financial LPGA Classic.

On the Men’s Mid-Amateur side, Team Canada’s Garrett Rank and Victoria’s Kevin Carrigan were named to the Men’s Mid-Amateur First Team. Rank, 26, of Elmira, Ont., earned medalist honours at the U.S. Amateur Public Links in the stroke-play competition and finished runner-up to Victoria, B.C.’s Carrigan (27) at the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship.

Christina Proteau of Port Alberni, B.C., and Stefi Markovich of Welland, Ont., each received Women’s Mid-Amateur First Team honours. Proteau captured the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur title and advanced to the Round of 16 at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, while Markovich, the 2013 Ontario Mid-Amateur Champion, was a semi-finalist at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur.

On the senior side, Calgary’s David Schultz was named to the Senior Men’s First Team after his victory at the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship where he held off the USA’s Chip Lutz. On the women’s side, 2013 Canadian Women’s Senior Champion, Mary Ann Hayward of Aurora, Ont., grabbed a spot on the First-Team, after making it to the Round of 16 at the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur.

Team Canada’s Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., notched the lone position in the Men’s Amateur awards. The Kent State University senior earned Second Team accolades after his runner-up finishes at the U.S. Amateur and Canadian Men’s Amateur Championships. Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., received an honorable mention after his victory at the Porter Cup.

Also earning Second Team honours were Jennifer Lochhead of Ancaster, Ont., and Judith Kyrinis of Thornhill, Ont., in the women’s mid-amateur division.

To see the entire award winners list, click here.

Team Canada’s Brooke Henderson captured the women’s individual gold medal at the Spirit International in Trinity, Texas, on Saturday.

Henderson, 16, finished at 13-under in the rain shortened 54-hole tournament. The Smiths Falls, Ont., native held off Mathilda Cappeliez, who finished at 12-under for the championship.

“I was definitely aiming for the gold, but I really was trying to help my team the most,” said Henderson. “This is one of my absolute favorite tournaments. I’ve wanted to come back ever since I was here two years ago.”

In the overall team competition the Canadian contingent of Henderson, Jaclyn Lee of Calgary, Etienne Papineau of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, and Tony Gil of Vaughan, Ont., finished in eighth place at 15-under 417. The Canadian squad finished 18 strokes behind Team USA who captured the overall championship after firing 33-under over 54 holes.

For more information, visit The Spirit International website at www.thespiritgolf.com.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., has won the 2013 Royale Cup Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Club de golf Beloeil in Beloeil, Que.

After a four-day back and forth battle with Anne-Catherine Tanguay, 22, of Quebec City, Henderson,15, carded the best round of the championship after firing a 5-under 66 on Friday. As the 15th ranked amateur in the world, Henderson finished at 9-under (69-70-70-66), six strokes ahead of Tanguay who stumbled on the back nine with three straight bogeys.

“It was just a fun day overall,” said Henderson. “I have a lot of high expectations for myself and I played up to them today.”

The wins marks the Team Canada National Squad member’s third win this season and second victory at Club de Golf Beloeil – she also won the CN Canadian Women’s Tour Quebec title at Club de Golf Beloeil in 2012.

Overnight leader, Tanguay finished in second place at 3-under 281 after a final round 2-over 73. Henderson and Tanguay have known each for quite some time, as Tanguay used to golf with Brooke’s older sister Brittany and is a former member of Team Canada.

“It’s amazing to see how far she has come,” said Tanguay. “She used to be a little kid running around on the course and now she is just a young prodigy. Amazing.”

Gabriela Lopez, 19, of Mexico, finished in third place at 1-under 283 (69-75-71-68) after carding a 3-68 under in her final round.
Casey Danielson, 18, of Osceola, Wis., Kelly Shon, 21, of Flushing, N.Y., and Vivian Tsui, 19, of Markham, Ont., finished tied for fourth at 5-over 289.

In the Mid-Amateur division (25+ years), Christina Proteau, 30, of Port Alberni, B.C., successfully defended her title winning her third consecutive Mid-Amateur division title. Proteau carded a 4-over-75 in her final round to finish at 16-over 300 for the tournament, seven strokes ahead of runner-up Stefi Markovich, 38, of Welland, Ont. Helene Chartrand, 56, of Pincourt, Que., took home the Mid-Master division title (40+) with a final score of 27-over 311, three strokes ahead of Leanne Richardson, 49, of Indian Mountain, N.B.

With the win, Henderson receives an exemption into the 2013 CN Canadian Women’s Open at the Royal Mayfair Club in Edmonton, Alta. from August 19-25. In addition, Henderson will receive an exemption into the 2013 USGA Women’s Amateur Championship, the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links and the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship.

Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City, Que and Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., lead the 2013 Royale Cup Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship after the second round of competition at Club de golf Beloeil in Beleoil, Que.

Henderson, a member of Team Canada’s National Squad and Tanguay, a former member of Team Canada, share the lead at 3-under 139 for the tournament. Henderson, who came in to Wednesday with a share of the lead, carded a 1-under 70 in her second round. Tanguay’s 3-under 68 was tied for the best round of the day.

“Everything was really going well,” said Tanguay. “I know the course and my family was here so I was really happy.”

Mariko Yamaguchi-Tumangan of San Jose, California, Maribel Lopez of Columbia and Casey Danielson of Osceola, Wisconsin sit in a tie for third at 1-over 143. Mariko and Lopez both shot a 2-over 73, while Danielson had an even-71 second round.

Vivian Tsui of Markham, Ontario, Simin Feng of Windermere, Florida and Gabriela Lopez of Mexico are in a tie for sixth at 2-over 144. Tsui’s 3-under 68 was tied with Tanguay’s round for best of the day.

The best hole of the day went to Seshia-Lei Telles, of Tualatin, Oregon, who carded a hole-in-one on Beloeil’s 13th hole. Telles currently plays for the Oregon State University Beavers.

“This was the second time I ever hit a hole-in-one,” Telles said. “But to do it in a national championship is just awesome!”

76 players will be moving on to round three after making the cut. The Individual Stroke Play division cut was at 14-over 156 while the Mid-Amateur division and Mid-Master division cuts were at 24-over 166.

Team British Columbia took home the Inter-Provincial Division title with a combined score of 9-over 293. Team British Columbia consists of Team Canada National Squad member Christine Wong of Richmond, B.C., Team Canada Development Squad member Taylor Kim of Surry, B.C., and Megan Osland of Kelowna, B.C. Team Saskatchewan and Team Ontario finished tied for second at 15-over 299.

In the Mid-Amateur division (25+ years), Christina Proteau of Port Alberni, B.C., who has won the division the past two years, maintains her lead over Helene Chartrand of Pincourt, Que after shooting a 2-over 73 in her second round for a tournament total of 7-over 149. Chartrand, who carded a second round 4-over 75 for a two-day score of 10-over 152, is leading the Mid-Master division (40+ years) by a single stroke over Leanne Richardson of Indian Mountain, N.B.

The winner of the 2013 Royale Cup Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship will receive an exemption into the 2013 CN Canadian Women’s Open at the Royal Mayfair Club in Edmonton, Alta. from August 19-25. In addition, the champion will receive an exemption into the 2013 USGA Women’s Amateur Championship and, if applicable, the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links, U.S. Girls’ Junior, U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and USGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championships.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., and Gabriela Lopez of Mexico lead the 2013 Royale Cup Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship after the first round of competition at Club de golf Beloeil in Beloeil, Que.

After entering the clubhouse at 3-under 68 with a one-stroke lead, Henderson, 15, and her pairing were penalized one stroke for pace of play and joined Lopez at 2-under 69 and a share of the lead.

Henderson, a member of Team Canada’s National Squad and currently ranked at #15 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings has a history of success at Club de golf Beloeil. She took home the 2012 CN Canadian Women’s Tour Quebec title at the same course, her first professional tournament victory.

“Familiarity breeds confidence,” said Henderson’s coach Tristan Mullally. “She’s played well here before and that’s something we feed off of.”

Both Henderson and Lopez had four birdies and a bogey on a Tuesday that saw many players struggle with Club de golf Beloeil’s fast greens.

Henderson’s National Squad teammate Christine Wong of Richmond, B.C., finished in a tie for third with Vanessa Ha of Allen, Texas, Mariko Yamaguchi-Tumangan of San Jose, California, and Maribel Lopez of Columbia after they all shot 1-under 70 in their first rounds.

Team Canada Development Squad member Taylor Kim of Surrey, B.C., and former Team Canada member Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City, Que., sit in a tie for seventh after they both carded even-71 opening rounds.

In the Mid-Amateur division (25+ years), Christina Proteau of Port Alberni, B.C., who has won the division the past two years, currently leads by one shot at 5-over par 76, while Helene Chartrand of Pincourt, Que is in second place at 6-over par 77. Chartrand leads the Mid-Master division (40+ years) by a single shot over Kim Carrington of Calgary, Alta.

In the Inter-Provincial Team division, Team British Columbia leads by seven strokes over Team Alberta and Team Saskatchewan at Even par 142. Team British Columbia consists of Wong, Kim, and Megan Osland of Kelowna, B.C.

The winner of the 2013 Royale Cup Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship will receive an exemption into the 2013 CN Canadian Women’s Open at the Royal Mayfair Club in Edmonton, Alta. from August 19-25. In addition, the champion will receive an exemption into the 2013 USGA Women’s Amateur Championship and, if applicable, the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links, U.S. Girls’ Junior, U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and USGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championships.