Thornhill, Ont. (Golf Canada) – The top golfers in the country will be on display at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship, July 28-August 1 at Thornhill Golf and Country Club in Thornhill, Ont. 
 
In its 60th year, the Canadian Junior Girls Championship continues to showcase Canada’s top players. This year 125 players will vie for the title over 72 holes of stroke play with the field being cut to the low-70 players and ties after 36 holes.
 
“The excitement continues to build around this year’s Canadian Junior Girls Championship,” said Tournament Director Justine Decock. “The field is incredibly strong and it should prove to be a very exciting four days of action at Thornhill Golf and Country Club as Canada’s best juniors compete for the prestigious title.”

Challenging for the title will be various provincial champions including Team Canada Development Squad member, Jaclyn Lee, 18, of Calgary who finished tied for 7th at last year’s event and Naomi Ko, 16 of Victoria. Lee has been on an impressive run this summer capturing the CN Future Links Prairie Championship along with the Alberta Women’s Amateur and Junior Girls titles, while Ko picked up the CN Future Links Pacific Championship and B.C. Junior Girls title earlier this summer.

Four additional CN Future Links champions are also entered into the field including, Team Canada Development Squad’s Valerie Tanguay of St. Hyacinthe, Qué., Annie Songeun-Lee of Surrey, B.C., Alyssa Getty of Ruthven, Ont. and Rachel Cormier of Rothesay, N.B.

Other notable contenders include recent Ontario Junior Girls’ Match-Play Champion Grace St-Germain who also won the Québec Women’s Amateur title, Development Squad’s Sabrine Garrison of Calgary who finished tied for 5th at the 2013 Canadian Junior Girls Championship at Cherry Downs Golf and Country Club and Courtney Tolton of Mitchell, Ont. who claimed the 2014 Ontario Junior Girls’ Championship.

Thornhill Golf and Country Club has a rich history in championship play having previously hosted the 2006 Canadian University/College Championship and the 2009 Toronto Star Women’s Amateur. In addition, the Stanley Thompson design was the site that played host to 1945 Canadian Open where Byron Nelson claimed his remarkable 11th victory in a row.

“It’s a great honour to host the top juniors in our country and there is certainly a lot of excitement building in the Thornhill community,” said Craig Stait-Gardner Host Club Tournament Chair at Thornhill. “The support from our local sponsors and volunteers has been outstanding and everyone is looking forward to a great championship.”

This year’s Canadian Junior Girls Champion will receive an exemption to the 2015 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, as well as each of the 2015 Canadian Women’s Tour events.
 
In 2013, Maddie Szeryk, a dual-citizen of Canada and the United States ran away with the Junior Girls’ title, winning by an impressive 14 strokes. Szeryk will not be in the field this year.

Practice rounds will be held Monday, July 28, while championship play will be conducted Tuesday, July 29 through Friday, August 1 with 18 holes of stroke play each day.  Any tie after 72 holes will result in a hole-by-hole play-off.
 
Starting times, post-round results, full field list, and live scoring are available here.

The Canadian Junior Girls Championship is open to female amateur golfers who have not reached their 19th birthday by the last scheduled day of the Championship, Aug. 1, 2014. The Canadian Juvenile Championship is open to female amateur golfers who have not reached their 17th birthday by the last scheduled day of the Championship.

As part of Golf Canada’s Annual General Meeting in London, Ont., the association’s Rules & Amateur Status Committee has approved the use of Distance Measuring Devices (DMD’s) for all amateur championships beginning in 2014.

This Local Rule will be introduced at CN Future Links junior championships as well as Canada’s national amateur competitions. Competitors will not be allowed to use DMD’s at Golf Canada’s professional championships including Canadian Women’s Tour events, the TOUR Championship of Canada presented by Freedom 55 Financial, the RBC Canadian Open and the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, including their respective qualifiers.

This Local Rule allows competitors to use Distance Measuring Devices that measure distance only – not those devices that can measure other conditions such as wind speed or direction, temperature or elevation.

“With recent technological advances designed to enhance the golfer experience, our Rules Committee felt that this decision to allow DMD’s was a step in the right direction without jeopardizing the spirit and challenge of the game,” said Dale Jackson, Chair of Golf Canada’s Rules & Amateur Status Committee. “We have received a tremendous amount of feedback from golfers and this decision allows us to align with all of our provincial and international partners that have moved to allow DMD’s at their respective amateur competitions.”

Since 2006, committees have had the option of adopting a Local Rule under the Rules of Golf to allow players to use Distance Measuring Devices that measure or gauge distance only. See note to Rule 14-3 of the Rules of Golf.

Recently, the R&A and the USGA Championship Committee’s decided it will allow the use of distance measuring devices (DMDs) in R&A amateur events in 2014.

For more information on the Rules of Golf, please click here.

To ask a Rules of Golf question, please click here.

For more information on how to proceed in various Rules of Golf situations, guidance on the Golf Canada Handicap System and more, please consult our Rules of Golf publications – for purchase in Golf Canada’s eStore, or at your local book retailer.

Registration opens today for Golf Canada’s Amateur Championships, CN Future Links and Canadian Women’s Tour events.

Competitors looking to play in one of Golf Canada’s eight national amateur championships, six CN Future Links stops or three Canadian Women’s Tour events can view the championship schedule and register online by clicking here.

Canadian Women’s Tour returns for its 13^th season

Golf Canada is pleased to announce the schedule for the 2014 Canadian Women’s Tour – Canada’s only women’s professional golf tour.

This season’s scheduled stops include May 12-14 at Morningstar Golf Club in Parksville, B.C., June 23-25 at Legends on the Niagara in Niagara Falls, Ont. and the Tour’s final stop set for early July in Alberta to be announced in the coming days.

New for 2014, the top five (previously the top 3) players on the Canadian Women’s Tour season-ending Order of Merit will be awarded direct entry into LPGA Stage 2 Qualifying.

In addition, the champion of each Canadian Women’s Tour stop will receive an exemption into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open. As well, following the conclusion of play at the final Canadian Women’s Tour event, two (2) additional exemptions will be awarded to the top competitors, not otherwise exempt, on the 2014 Canadian Women’s Tour Order of Merit.

Groove Specifications for 2014 Golf Canada Championships

Golf Canada has determined our plans to implement the new groove specifications for our championships starting in 2014. The Rules Committee recently approved the following:

• Introduce the groove condition of competition for the 2014 Canadian Men’s Amateur and the 2014 Canadian Women’s Amateur.  Note: this does not automatically include the qualifying events for these championships.  Please refer to the conditions of competitions at your respective provincial amateur championships.

• Introduce the groove condition of competition at all other championships (national amateur championships, CN Future Links, and Canadian Women’s Tour events) beginning in 2016.

For more information on the groove specification: Groove FAQ for Golf Canada Championships

No one could stop Maddie Szeryk of Allen, Texas, this week at the Royale Cup Canadian Junior Girl Championship at Cherry Downs Golf and Country Club in Pickering, Ont.

The 17-year-old soared past the field to capture her first Royale Cup Canadian Junior Girls Championship by 14 strokes, after a final round 2-under 70.

“It feels pretty awesome, I know this is a really big tournament,” Szeryk said. “It was great to be able to play well and win.”

Szeryk, a dual-citizen of the United States and Canada, led from start to finish in her national championship debut in Canada. Over the course of the 72-hole championship she carded four eagles and 12 birdies to finish at 5-under 283 (71-69-73-70) for the tournament.

“I was just trying to come in, do my thing, play well and see where it led,” she continued. “I drove the ball pretty well this week and I made a couple of putts so that really helped.”

With her victory she earns an exemption into the 2014 Royale Cup Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship and exemptions into the three CN Canadian Women’s Tour stops contested across the country.

Finishing in solo second and earning the Juvenile title for the second straight year, was defending champion and Team Canada’s, Brooke Henderson, 15, of Smiths Falls, Ont. Henderson carded a final round even-par 72 to finish at 9-over 297 (76-77-72-72) for the championship.

Team Canada Development Squad member, Taylor Kim, 18, of Surrey, B.C., finished in solo third at 13-over 301 after a final round 1-under 71, while Muni He, 14, of Pitt Meadows, B.C., finished in fourth at 15-over 303 for the tournament after a 2-over 74 on Friday.

Rounding out the top-five were, Alyssa Getty, 16, of Leamington, Ont., and Sabrine Garrison, 17, of Calgary, who both finished at 17-over 305 for the championship.

In the Inter-Provincial Team competition that concluded on Wednesday, the Team Alberta contingent of Jaclyn Lee, Sabrine Garrison and Brianna Carrels carded a second round 7-over 151 to capture their first Inter-Provincial title since 2004. The squad finished at 19-over 307 for the championship, 14 strokes ahead of Team Quebec.

Maddie Szeryk, 17, of Allen, Texas, accomplished quite a feat today at the Royale Cup Canadian Junior Girls Championship.

The overnight leader recorded three eagles in her second round to vault to 4-under 140 for the championship after a 3-under 69 on Wednesday. She currently sits 11-strokes clear of her nearest competitor heading into the third round at Cherry Downs Golf and Country Club in Pickering, Ont.

Szeryk, a dual-citizen of the United States and Canada, rolled in her first two eagles on the par-5 16th and 5th holes, while her third eagle of the day came from a hole-out from the greenside bunker on the par-5 7th hole.

“I’ve never made three eagles in a round, I think I’ve only ever made one before,” Szeryk said. “Making two was pretty neat and then I made the third and I didn’t even see it go in, I only heard it hit the pin from the bunker.”

A trio of players currently sit in a tie for second including, Sabrine Garrison, 17, of Calgary, Team Canada Development Squad member, Taylor Kim, 18, of Surrey, B.C., and Muni He, 14, of Pitt Meadows, B.C. He’s 1-over 73 was the second lowest round of the day and leaves her at 7-over 151 for the tournament alongside Garrison and Kim.

Defending champion, Brooke Henderson, 15, of Smiths Falls, Ont., rounds out the top five in solo fifth after posting a 5-over 77 on Wednesday. The Team Canada member currently sits at 9-over for the championship and trails He by two strokes in Juvenile division title race.

In the Inter-Provincial Team competition, the Team Alberta contingent of Jaclyn Lee, Sabrine Garrison and Brianna Carrels carded a second round 7-over 151 to capture their first Inter-Provincial title since 2004. The squad finished at 19-over 307 for the championship, 14 strokes ahead of Team Quebec.

Maddie Szeryk, 17, of Allen, Texas, fired an opening round 1-under 71 to lead the Royale Cup Canadian Junior Girls Championship at Cherry Downs Golf and Country Club on Tuesday.

Szeryk, a dual-citizen of the United States and Canada, heads into the second round with a five stroke lead, after carding five birdies on extremely tricky greens in her first round.

“I started off chipping in for birdie, so that was nice,” Szeryk said following her round. “I just kind of played solid and tried to focus on hitting fairways and greens and leaving it in the right spot, because if you’re above the hole it’s really tough to putt.”

Trailing Szeryk is defending champion and Team Canada member, Brooke Henderson, 15, of Smiths Falls, Ont. Henderson carded a 4-over 76 to open the tournament after an early triple bogey on the par-4 3rd hole. Tied for second alongside Henderson is Team Canada Development Squad Member, Taylor Kim, 18, of Surrey, B.C.

Calgary native, Sabrine Garrison, 17, sits in solo fourth at 5-over after an opening 77, while four players sit in a tie for fifth at 6-over par including, Alyssa Getty, 16, of Leamington, Ont., Muni He, 14, of Pitt Meadows, B.C., Avril Li, 16, of Port Moody, B.C., and Casey MacNeil, 18, of Massey, Ont.

In the 36-hole Inter-Provincial Team competition, the Team Alberta contingent of Jaclyn Lee, Sabrine Garrison and Brianna Carrels leads by three strokes over Team Quebec and Team Ontario after opening with a 12-over 156. In the Juvenile division, Henderson currently leads by two strokes over Getty, He and Li.

The 2013 Royale Cup Canadian Junior Girls Championship resumes tomorrow, Wednesday, July 31, with second-round play beginning at 7:30 a.m. (EDT).