As Ellie Szeryk lined up her final putt to seal the win at the B.C. Women’s Open, she spied longtime friend Brooke Rivers lurking around the green with a bottle of water.

Sure enough, when Szeryk made the putt, the chase was on with Rivers trying to douse her with water.

“I ran as far as I could, but she still got me quite good,” Szeryk said with a laugh. “But it was fun. In golf you usually do that to your really good friends when they win. 

“So it was really sweet that she did that. It’s like an unspoken honour.”

Szeryk beat Rivers by four strokes at Pitt Meadows Golf Club on Sunday in their professional debuts. Both golfers also earned berths at the CPKC Women’s Open, July 25-28 at Calgary’s Earl Grey Golf Club.

“It was just really nice to be able to have followed through on something that I had been thinking about,” said Szeryk. “It’s not always easy to golf. It’s just three rounds and you have no idea what the course is like and how it’s going to play.”

Earning their way into the national women’s championship, rather than relying on a sponsor’s exemption, was a relief to both players.

“I knew that there’d be a good opportunity for that,” said Szeryk, from London, Ont. “It’s been on my mind the last couple of months, like since I signed up. 

“I knew I needed to make sure I had my game right so I could take advantage of it because I knew that they weren’t going to be a lot of sponsored exemptions for this Canadian Open.”

Rivers agreed.

“It does feel really good to earn the exemption spot on my own through good play,” said Rivers, from Brampton, Ont. “It also feels a little more rewarding while being there because you feel like you had done everything in order to put yourself there.”

Rivers added with a laugh: “It’s a little bit easier when booking travel that you don’t have to do it the week before.”

Both Szeryk and Rivers turned pro after the conclusion of the NCAA golf season. They’re both spending time with family and practising before the ORORO PGA Women’s Championship of Canada tees off at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ont., on July 2.

“I’m really excited to turn pro, and it’s something that I’ve wanted to do my whole life,” said Rivers, who played one season at Wake Forest University. “It’s something I’ve been working toward my whole life. 

“I just felt that I was in a position where I was ready to turn pro and I was ready to start competing.”

Golf Canada announced the early commitments to the 50th playing of the Women’s Open on Monday, with eight of the current top-10 and 83 of the top-100 players on the Race to the CME Globe Standings entered in the national women’s championship.

The 156-player field will be competing at Earl Grey Golf Club for the first time in tournament history. It will be the seventh time that Alberta hosts the Women’s Open and first time since 2016.

LPGA TOUR — Hamilton’s Alena Sharp is in the Dow Championship three days after making Canada’s Olympic golf team for a third time. Maddie Szeryk, Ellie’s older sister, just missed out on beating Sharp to the Olympics by 1.41 points in the women’s world golf rankings. Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., No. 14 in the world, is also in the field at the Midland Country Club in Midland, Mich. They will be joined by Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., and amateur Vanessa Borovilos of Toronto.

EPSON TOUR — Brigitte Thibault of Rosemere, Que., is the top-ranked Canadian playing in the Dream First Bank Charity Classic. She’s 120th on the second-tier Epson Tour’s points list. She’ll be joined at Buffalo Dunes Golf Course in Garden City, Kan., by Vancouver’s Leah John (160th), as well as Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont., and Kate Johnston of Ayr, Ont., who are unranked.

PGA TOUR — Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., is the top ranked Canadian at No. 30 on the FedEx Cup standings. He will be in the field at the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club, where he finished tied for second in 2022. Adam Svensson (76th) of Surrey, B.C., Ben Silverman (113th) of Thornhill, Ont., and Roger Sloan (194th) of Merritt, B.C., are also in the field.

KORN FERRY TOUR — Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S., is No. 23 on the Tour’s points list heading into the Memorial Health Championship. Edmonton’s Wil Bateman (33rd), Etienne Papineau (50th) of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., Sudarshan Yellamaraju (100th) of Mississauga, Ont., and Jared du Toit (118th) of Kimberley, B.C., are also in the field at Panther Creek Country Club in Springfield, Ill.

CHAMPIONS TOUR — Calgary’s Stephen Ames leads the Canadian contingent into the U.S. Senior Open Championship. He’s No. 1 on the Charles Schwab Cup money list with two victories so far this year. Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., is 25th on the list and also in the field at Newport Country Club in Newport, R.I. David Morland IV of Aurora, Ont., is also playing the event.

AMERICAS TOUR — Matthew Anderson of Mississauga, Ont., remains the atop the points list of the third-tier Americas Tour heading into this week’s ATB Classic. He’s one of 18 Canadians playing Northern Bear Golf Club in Strathcona County, Alta.

Although Canada’s lone PGA Tour Champions event will have a different name, the goal will still be the same for Mike Weir.

Like he did during his three previous appearances at the Shaw Charity Classic, Weir will do his best to finish at the top of the leaderboard this August at the tournament – now called the Rogers Charity Classic – at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club.

Weir had a ninth-place finish in 2021 before finishing well back of the leaders the past two years.

“For me, I think I probably played a little bit too aggressively,” Weir said. “I think it’s got me into a little bit of trouble. 
“This year I’ve got to find a few more fairways and get the flatstick heated up a little more and hopefully make a few more putts.”

Weir finished sixth at last week’s Insperity Invitational near Houston, a tournament he won in 2021 for his lone senior circuit victory so far.

The Canadian Golf Hall of Famer would like nothing more than to become the first Canadian to win a PGA Tour Champions tournament on home soil this summer.

“Hopefully I’ll make a good run at it this year,” said Weir, who noted he’ll face stiff competition from fellow Canadian Stephen Ames, who has won twice this season.

“He’s been playing some phenomenal golf, probably some of the best golf of his career.

“It’s great to see.”

Weir added that he was also happy to see Rogers Communications as the new title sponsor. The company made a $1-million donation to kick-start fundraising for this year’s tournament.

“Shaw obviously did such a great job for all those years,” said the 2003 Masters champion, who recently signed on as a Team Rogers athlete. “Now you have Rogers taking over and seeing it through and continuing on the great tradition that Shaw started.”

American Ken Duke won the tournament last year.

“It’s been one of the premier events on (the) PGA Tour Champions (tour),” Weir said in a phone interview. “Players love coming up to play and it’s a great golf course. We really get some great fan support. The crowds really come out.”

Weir will serve as captain of the International squad at the 2024 Presidents Cup at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in late September.

DULUTH, Ga. — Stephen Ames celebrated his 60th birthday with a successful title defense in the Mitsubishi Electric Classic, closing with a 5-under 67 on Sunday for his eighth PGA Tour Champions victory.

A stroke behind Paul Broadhurst after matching the tournament record Saturday with a 64, Ames had two eagles in the final round. He won by four strokes, finishing at 14-under 202 at TPC Sugarloaf for his record third victory in the event.

Broadhurst, the 58-year-old Englishman coming off a victory last week in the Invited Celebrity Classic, closed with a 72 to tie for second with Doug Barron (69). K.J. Choi (70) and Steven Alker (71) were 9 under.

Ames became the first multiple winner this year on the tour, also taking the Chubb Classic in February. He has six victories in his last 29 starts after winning twice in his first 175 — the first at TPC Sugarloaf in 2017 — on the 50-and-over tour. A naturalized Canadian citizen from Trinidad and Tobago, Ames won four times on the PGA Tour.

Ames opened with a birdie on the par-4 first, eagled the par-5 sixth and par-4 13th and birdied the par-4 14th. He bogeyed the par-4 15th and 17th and birdied the par-5 18th.

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NAPLES, Fla. — Canada’s Stephen Ames captured his seventh PGA Tour Champions title on Sunday without hitting a shot when the final round of the Chubb Classic was canceled because of a massive storm system moving across Florida.

Tournament officials originally planned to play only nine holes for the final round at Tiburon Golf Club until a forecast of the storm getting stronger led to the cancellation.

Ames shot an 8-under 64 on Saturday to build a three-shot lead over Rocco Mediate, and he was declared the winner. Ames now has five wins in his last 24 starts on PGA Tour Champions.

It was the second time in three weeks the final round was canceled at a PGA Tour-sanctioned event, this time on a different coast. The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am was washed out on Sunday with Wyndham Clark the 54-hole winner.

Ames finished at 13-under 131 and earned $270,000. Rocco Mediate, who opened with a 63, was runner-up after a 71 on Saturday. Ernie Els was part of a four-way tie for third.

Steven Alker, who won the last two Champions events dating to the end of last season, wound up in a tie for 15th.

It was the first time since the 2021 Insperity Invitational in Houston that a PGA Tour Champions event, typically 54 holes, was reduced to 36 holes because of weather.

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Brooke Henderson loves breaking records and this week she’s got a dubious one hanging over her head.

Since 2016, no LPGA Tour player has won the opening tournament of the season and then won a second title in the same year. Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., kicked off 2023 with a victory at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions on Jan. 22 and is in the field at this week’s CME Group Tour Championship, the climax of the professional women’s golf season, still looking for her second win of the year.

“It’s a really weird stat that I don’t like very much,” said Henderson with a laugh. “I thought I would break it earlier but maybe it kind of got in my head a little bit. 

“This would be the perfect week to break that and bookend the season; win the first one, win the last one, that would be obviously ideal.”

Henderson is the only Canadian in the 60-golfer field at Tiburón Golf Club’s Gold Course in Naples, Fla. She enters the tournament ranked 14th in the CME Globe rankings.

At last year’s CME Group Tour Championship, Henderson had an outside shot at finishing atop the standings, but was hampered by a back injury. Instead, New Zealand’s Lydia Ko won the event and the season’s championship.

“The off-season, for me last year was huge,” said Henderson. “I put in a lot of work to strengthen and heal and it has really paid off. 

“Knock on wood, I don’t have the issues that I had last year. That was another thing coming into this week: I was really excited that I’m a lot healthier than where I was this time last year.”

The PGA Tour also concludes its season with the RSM Classic. Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., is the defending champion. His victory at Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside Course in Saint Simons Island, Ga., last year was the start to a breakout season for Svensson.

“It is my best year here on the PGA Tour,” he said. “I feel like I’ve played my best golf in my career and I feel like I’m getting better and better. 

“Hopefully, I can keep it going.”

The RSM Classic is the seventh and final PGA Tour event of the FedExCup Fall. All seven tournaments featured winner’s benefits, including a two-year PGA Tour exemption, 500 FedExCup points and invitations to The Sentry, The Players Championship, the Masters and the PGA Championship in 2024.

Svensson enters the event 37th on the FedEx Cup standings, guaranteed a PGA Tour card next season as well as spots in the circuit’s premium events. 

He’ll be joined by at least seven other Canadians next season. 

Nick Taylor (25th) of Abbotsford, B.C., Corey Conners (26th) of Listowel, Ont, Adam Hadwin (45th) from Abbotsford, Mackenzie Hughes (53rd) of Dundas, Ont., and Taylor Pendrith (86th) of Richmond Hill, Ont., have also retained their tour cards. 

Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., and Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., have earned cards through their rankings on the second-tier Korn Ferry Tour.

Svensson has played more PGA Tour golf than most of the top 50 players on tour, including most of the fall events. He said that’s just a product of his passion for the sport more than any kind of strategy.

“I love playing I love competing and I feel like I learn so much each week,” said Svensson. “Even if I don’t play good I still learn and if I play great I learned so I feel like the more events I play … the better I get.”

Conners, Hughes, and Pendrith are also in the field at the RSM Classic this week, as is Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont. Gligic is 204th on the FedEx Cup standings and needs a strong showing this week to clinch a tour membership for next year.

DULUTH, Ga. – Stephen Ames capped off his dominant week on the TPC Sugarloaf with a 4-under 68 on Sunday that gave him the tournament scoring record and a four-shot victory in the Mitsubishi Electric Classic.

Ames joined David Toms as the only multiple winners on the PGA Tour Champions this year. He previously won the Trophy Hassan II in Morocco.

Ames had a three-shot lead going into the final and was never seriously challenged. He drove into the water on the final hole and still made a 30-foot par putt to finish at 19-under 197. Ames broke his own 54-hole record at Sugarloaf by four shots. He also won in 2017.

Miguel Angel Jimenez birdied the final hole for a 68 to finish alone in second.

Brett Quigley tried to make a run at Ames and got within three shots until a bogey-double bogey finish for a 69 to finish alone in fourth.

Ames, from Calgary, won $300,000 and moved up four spots to No. 4 in the Charles Schwab Cup standings. What made this victory more special was having his son, Ryan, as his caddie for the week. Ryan Ames is a PGA of Canada member and aspiring teaching pro.

“The fact I ended up winning was icing on the cake,” Ames said.

Steve Stricker didn’t make a birdie until the back nine and then shot 32 to tie for seventh, keeping his lead in the Charles Schwab Cup. He has finished in the top 10 in all seven of his PGA Tour Champions events this week, and 11 in a row dating to last August.

Canada’s Stephen Ames, 58, picked up his third PGA TOUR Champions victory by going wire to wire at the Trophy Hassan II in Rabat, Morocco.

But it wasn’t without a challenge during Saturday’s final round. Australian Mark Hensby got as close as one after a birdie on No. 10, but he missed a short birdie putt at the 12th that would have tied him for the lead.

Hensby proceeded to double bogey each of the next two holes to push Ames’ lead to five, and Ames cruised home from there.

“I knew everybody else had to catch me,” Ames said. “I played the game I needed – put the ball in play. I had opportunities but didn’t make any. Unfortunately, Mark faltered with two double bogeys.”

Hensby, 51, held on to finish solo second. It was his best finish in 11 career PGA TOUR Champions starts.

Ames, who burst from the gate with what would tie for the low round of the tournament in the first round – a 6-under 67 that included eight birdies – needed only 18 pars in the final round to seal the deal.

Ames last won at the 2021 Principal Charity Classic. He led by three shots after two rounds the last time PGA TOUR Champions was in Morocco, for the 2020 Morocco Champions, but he wound up finishing second to Brett Quigley.

“Everybody knows this is a tough golf course. Takes a lot of patience, and there was a lot of patience going on for me this week. I’m ecstatic about the win. It moves me forward nicely.”

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ENDICOTT, N.Y. – Mike Weir had reason to celebrate on Sunday. Competing in the Dicks Sporting Goods Open, the 52-year old made a pair of birdies down the stretch to finish T2 for his best result on the PGA TOUR Champions this season.

Padraig Harrington won the DICK’S Sporting Goods Open for his second PGA Tour Champions victory of the year.

Harrington closed with a 5-under 67 at En-Joie Golf Club for a three-stroke victory over Mike Weir and Thongchai Jaidee.

“Unusual for me, no drama, no real drama,” Harrington said. “Normally, I create something coming home. … Got the right breaks at the right time, holed the right putts and played nicely.”

A stroke behind Weir entering the day, Harrington birdied Nos. 2, 3, 9, 11 and 12 in a bogey-free round to finish at 16-under 200.

The 50-year-old Irishman won the U.S. Senior Open in late June at Saucon Valley. He also has four runner-up finishes and a tie for third in 11 starts this year.

Weir shot a 71, and Thongchai had a 66.

“It’s fun. You’re just thinking birdie, you’re just thinking middle of the fairway, get me in the fairway because my iron game is good and the putter’s finally starting to heat up for the first time this year,” said Weir, following Saturday’s second round. “I was kind of champing at the bit for more holes.”

The Canadian scrambled out the gates on Sunday, bogeying two of his opening four holes but regained his rhythm with a birdie on No. 8 to move back to even par on the day.

After another dropped shot on No.10, the lefty responded with birdies on No. 12 and No. 16 – with the help of a tree, no less – to establish himself in a tie for 2nd place.

Birdie bounce?!@mweirsy's tee shot on 16 clipped a tree and kicked way right of the green.

He made the most of it 🐦 pic.twitter.com/4smhDivMRt

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) August 21, 2022

Jim Furyk (68) and Vijay Singh (69) were 12 under, and 64-year-old Bernhard Langer (68) followed at 10 under with Darren Clarke (69), Ken Tanigawa (68) and Gene Sauers (70).

CALGARY—Fred Couples and John Daly are coming back to Calgary and bringing with them the top rookie on the PGA TOUR Champions, Padraig Harrington,  for the 10th anniversary celebrations at the 2022 Shaw Charity Classic presented by Suncor, August 1-7.

The trio of major winners – Fred Couples (1992 Masters), John Daly (1995 Open Championship, 1991 PGA Championship), and Padraig Harrington (2008 PGA Championship; 2008, 2007 Open Championship) – are the first to add their names to the tee sheet when the PGA TOUR Champions’ lone Canadian stop makes a full return after operating under a modified structure and ticket price in 2021. The 10th-anniverary of the award-winning community event will feature a string of special events and activities for Calgary golf fans to enjoy for as low as $10.

Couples is the first World Golf Hall of Famer to commit to returning to Calgary.  A crowd favourite since the tournament’s inception in 2013, Couples won the 2014 event in thrilling fashion after a career-best final round 61 that included a chip-in eagle on the 54th hole. Boom Boom got sized up for a white cowboy hat after winning the first playoff hole over Billy Andrade.

“Calgary has been a very enjoyable place for me. I have always said, as long as I’m healthy I plan on coming here every year,” said Couples, who has 13 victories on golf’s senior circuit. “The people at Shaw are incredible. The crowds are huge. The course is always in great shape, and I feel like I play it well. There is nothing more a player could ask for. I look forward to getting back and participating during this special year for the tournament.”

A winner of 15 PGA TOUR events, the smooth swinging bomber is remembered most for his 1992 triumph at the Masters Tournament. Once graduating to the senior swing, he made an immediate statement. Finishing second in his first start, he went on to win his next three events, becoming the first player ever to win three of his first four tournaments. Couples has two major championship victories on the PGA TOUR Champions: 2011 Senior Players Championship, and The Senior Open Championship in 2012.

It will be a family affair when Long John Daly makes his first return to the Shaw Charity Classic since his lone appearance in 2016. The two-time major winner will be travelling to Calgary along with his son Little John who will be caddying after recently completing his freshman year playing golf at the University of Arkansas.

One of the most colourful characters in professional sports, Daly is a two-time major champion, a winner of five PGA TOUR titles and one PGA TOUR Champions title who is adored by golf fans around the globe.

The story of how golf’s “Wild Thing” burst onto the international scene never gets old. It was nearly 25 years ago when John Daly was the ninth and final alternate of the 1991 PGA Championship. A 25-year-old rookie, Daly drove halfway across the country the night before his first round at Crooked Stick Golf Club where he eventually went out and won the golf tournament – not to mention legions of fans around the world with his booming drives, deft short game and fearless approach to the game. He backed that up by winning the 1995 British Open at the Home of Golf in St. Andrews.

“I’ve always said I’ve got the greatest fans in the world, and Calgary is no different. No matter what, through thick and thin, they’ve always stuck by me,” said Daly. “This tournament always has huge galleries. There is nothing better than getting it going and having the fans get loud and crazy. That’s just the way I like them so I’m looking forward to getting up to Canada with Little John, and hopefully give the fans something to get loud about.”

Daly and Couples will have to fend off the top name in the PGA TOUR Champions’ rookie class for 2022, Padraig Harrington.

A three-time major winner, Ireland’s Padraig Harrington brings 31 victories worldwide with him to the Shaw Charity Classic. Not only was Harrington the first player from Ireland to win the Claret Jug in 60 years (2007), he was the first European to successfully defend his British Open title in nearly a century the following summer (2008).  A six-time Ryder Cup European Team Member added his third major title to his resume when he also won the 2008 PGA Championship which brought him to third in the Official World Golf Rankings.

“I really enjoy it (playing on the PGA TOUR Champions). I was shocked. I’m substantially longer than the field and yet I got lapped in the first two events,” said Harrington. “These guys were just running by me. I played with Bernhard [Langer] and he made me look like an amateur golfer. It was a lesson for me. If I want to go out there and beat these guys – just because you hit it past them ain’t going to do it. You have to be very good with your wedges and very good with your scoring.”

Three of the biggest names in golf are sure to help tournament officials make a continued impact in supporting the more than 260 youth-based charities benefitting from the Shaw Birdies for Kids presented by AltaLink program. Donations can be made by visiting www.shawcharityclassic.com/donatenow.

“Fred Couples, John Daly and Padraig Harrington are three of a handful of players in professional golf who are needle movers,” said Sean Van Kesteren, executive director, Shaw Charity Classic. “Sport is entertainment, and these guys are exactly who fans of any sporting event want to come out and see. They are extremely talented. They still hit the ball a mile, and are colourful characters who are sure to entertain both with their play and while interacting with our loyal fan base.”

Single-day General Admission tickets for tournament play August 5-7, 2022, that are purchased in advance for the award-winning tournament will cost $10 while upgraded Clubhouse tickets purchased in advance will be only $30 (plus GST and fees). Juniors 12 and under are admitted FREE when accompanied by a ticketed adult. The deadline to purchase advanced tickets is July 31, 2022, at 11:59 PM MT. The RBC Championship Pro-Am (August 3-4, 2022) will also be FREE for spectators to attend.

Limited quantities of advance General Admission and Clubhouse tickets are available for purchase at www.shawcharityclassic.com.

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) – Germany’s Bernhard Langer and Canada’s Mike Weir made third-round moves Saturday in the 82nd Senior PGA Championship, under improved weather conditions.

The 64-year-old Langer and the left-handed Weir, who started the day two strokes behind co-leaders Scott McCarron and Calgary’s Stephen Ames, played the front side of the Jack Nicklaus designed course on the shores of Lake Michigan in 3 under. They were one stroke behind Ames, who turned at 2 under for the third round and an early 10 under for the tournament.

Ames birdied No. 2 and 3. After he bogeyed the 436-yard seventh hole, Ames finished the front with a birdie on the par-5 ninth to turn in 2-under 34. McCarron turned in 1 under after a front nine that included three birdies and two bogeys.

Following Friday’s rain and temperatures in the 50s, the 72 golfers who made the cut at 3-over 145 at Harbor Shores were taking advantage of the soft conditions and temperatures nearing 70 degrees. It’s the Senior PGA’s fifth visit to the par-71 course that opened in 2010. It’s produced four champions, whose victories totaled a combined 64 under. The record score is 19-under 265 by champions Rocco Mediate (2016) and Paul Broadhurst (2018).

Langer has three top-10 finishes in the 2012, 2014 and 2016. He didn’t play in 2018 because of his son’s graduation but showed up that year for media day after winning the Senior PGA championship in 2017.

On Saturday, Langer, a two-time winner of the Masters who has won the most senior majors (11) on the PGA Tour Champions, picked up where he left off after two straight rounds of 68 by making birdies on holes 1, 6 and 9. Weir, from Bright’s Grove, Ont., who opened with a 65 Thursday before scrambling for a 71 in Friday’s poor weather, started his round with a bogey on the par-4 third hole but then birdied four of his last five holes.