John Chidley-Hill/ Canadian Press
Maddie Szeryk has learned a lot about herself and the sport of golf in her first full season as a professional player.
The 23-year-old Szeryk made her Symetra Tour debut in March and has put together a strong debut campaign on the second-tier women’s circuit, remaining in contention for a full LPGA Tour card as the season winds down. There was still a steep learning curve for Szeryk, even though the dual Canadian-American citizen had won four NCAA tournaments over four years at Texas A&M.
“I think I’ve grown a lot, learned how to manage myself,” said Szeryk. “I thought I’d done pretty well over the years in college and amateur golf in the summer but it’s just a whole ‘nother level of travel.
“I think I’ve learned that the hard way, that maybe you need to take more breaks or some days you don’t have to spend every day out here all day. Have a few big days but then set a list of what you want to accomplish then leave.”
Szeryk has played in 19 tournaments since the SKYiGOLF Championship in March – 18 on the Symetra Tour and the LPGA’s CP Women’s Open – and will be in the field at this week’s Guardian Championship at Capitol Hill Golf Club in Prattville, Ala.
That grind of nearly a tournament per week has taught Szeryk to pace herself, including scheduling her heaviest gym days for Mondays and keeping the lighter workouts for later in the week.
Finding balance has paid off for Szeryk, who has been in the top 10 four times this season and sits 17th on the Volvik Race for the Card. Including the Guardian Championship, there are three tournaments left on the Symetra Tour schedule for her to crack the top 10 on the money list and earn a full LPGA Tour card for the 2020 season.
“I just need to focus on every shot. I can’t get too ahead of myself,” said Szeryk, who has earned US$55,604 this season.
Tenth-ranked Min Seo Kwak has $65,831 heading into play this week and No. 9 Jenny Coleman has won $66,851.
“I’ve worked hard for good results so hopefully that can show up for the next few weeks,” Szeryk said.
Szeryk joined Golf Canada’s Young Pro Squad this season after four years on the amateur squad. She’s drawn some inspiration this autumn from seeing fellow Canadians Michael Gligic and Taylor Pendrith move up the men’s pro ranks.
“It’s awesome to see so many good Canadians moving up,” said Szeryk. “Sometimes it takes time to get to where you want to be. It’s all a learning experience and everyone has a different path but it’s definitely really cool and encouraging to see other players get there.”
Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., and Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., are the other Canadians in the field at the three-day Guardian Championship, which begins Friday.
ALBANY, N.Y. – Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., shot a 2-under 69 to tie for second on Sunday at the Symetra Tour’s CDPHP Open.
“I like where my game is at right now and it was fun today being in the final group,” said Leblanc. “It was nice to get a feel for that, hopefully to use over the next seven events. Just a lot of positives to takes from this week. Had a couple bad breaks this afternoon, but overall it was solid.”
American Robynn Ree fired a 4-under 67 in the final round to win the tournament at 13 under.
Yujeong Son and Holly Clyburn tied with Leblanc at 12 under.
Leblanc was co-leader with Ingrid Gutierrez Nunez after Saturday’s second round at 10 under.
Samantha Richdale (73) of Kelowna, B.C., tied for 47th at 2 under and Hannah Hellyer (73) of Stirling, Ont., tied for 56th at even par.
HARRIS, Mich. – Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont. fired three rounds in the 60s, finishing in a tie for fourth place at the Island Resort Championship on Sunday.
The Team Canada Young Pro Squad member was the only competitor at the event to shoot all three of her rounds in the 60s at Sweetgrass Golf Club, finishing two strokes back of champion Daniela Iacobelli. It was Szeryk’s third top-five finish in his last four starts on the Symetra Tour.
It took 55 holes, but Iacobelli captured her third career Symetra Tour victory with a birdie in the first frame of a sudden-death playoff against Cindy Ha.
Each of Iacobelli’s three wins have come after she missed the cut the week prior.
“It feels good, there are a lot of memories here and this will just add to the list,” said Iacobelli, who also captured the 2012 Symetra Tour Championship and 2015 Tullymore Classic titles. “I think I just get a little upset with myself and come into the next tournament guns blazing.”
When the final round started at Sweetgrass Golf Club, Iacobelli was tied for 13th and looking at a six-stroke deficit. A bogey-free, 7-under par 65 moved the Florida Institute of Technology alumna quickly up the leaderboard.
“Started quick with birdie on the first three and made the turn in 5-under,” said Iacobelli, who finished at 11-under par overall. “I was like, ‘Ok, let’s step on the gas pedal,’ but the wind picked up a little bit and just tried not to make mistakes. The putter was hot this week, which is crazy since I switched grips on Wednesday. The 18th hole, I’m glad the wind was blowing the way it was because I only know how to play it as a two-shot hole. That was a bit advantageous.”
Her finish in Harris, Mich. earns exemption into The Evian Championship next month, the fourth major on the LPGA Tour schedule this year. A 2012 and 2015 Symetra Tour graduate, Iacobelli has spent three years on the LPGA Tour. However, she has never played in The Evian Championship.
“I’m excited, never been to France and looking forward to it,” Iacobelli said. “Get to experience another moment of my career, I can’t wait. That is for sure the crazier part of all this.”
Full results can be found here.
Opelika, Ala. – Playing in the first final grouping of her professional career, 2019 Symetra Tour rookie Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont. stood her ground when tested on the Lake Course at Grand National to capture the best result out of her first eight starts as a pro.
The Texas A&M University alumna and member of Golf Canada’s Young Pro Team found double bogey on the par-5 4th, but went bogey-free with three birdies the rest of the way to shoot 1-under par 71 in the final round of the Symetra Tour’s inaugural Zimmer Biomet Championship hosted by Nancy Lopez.
At 10-under overall, two strokes was the difference between her finish and forcing a playoff.
“It’s huge and I definitely played really well, this is the best finish of the year,” Szeryk said. “I’m really excited to take this momentum into the next few tournaments and build on it. I had a rough hole early, but was able to come back from it and find myself in the mix.”
A final round 1-under par 71 was enough for Nuria Iturrios of Spain to clinch a wire-to-wire victory at the inaugural Zimmer Biomet Championship hosted by Nancy Lopez, stepping into the winner’s circle for the first time in her Symetra Tour career.
After a bogey-free, 7-under par 65 in the first round of the 11th annual Florida’s Natural Charity Classic, Maude-Aimee Leblanc (Sherbrooke, Quebec) mentioned how she typically begins every season strong. This afternoon was the latest performance that backed up the talk.
In 2018, she made the cut in each of her first four starts on the LPGA Tour. Rewind back to the second tournament of 2017 on the big stage and the Canadian turned in a career-best tied for seventh result at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open.
“I just get excited to play,” said Leblanc. “It gets boring to me taking a few months off, so I always look forward to playing the first tournaments. Now, just have to keep that same energy level for the rest of the season.”
At the SKYiGOLF Championship in North Port, Fla., Leblanc had to withdraw because of an injury. Even so, the Purdue University alumna is right back in mid-season form to open the year.
“I was playing really well last week too, but I tweaked my shoulder a little bit sleeping on it the wrong way,” Leblanc said with a chuckle. “I felt like I was hitting the ball really well last week, so it just built momentum for this week. Consistent throughout today. Missed one or two short putts, but other than that it was pretty solid.”
NAPA, Calif. — Kevin Tway made a 10-foot birdie putt on the third hole of a playoff Sunday to win the season-opening Safeway Open for his first PGA Tour title.
The son of eight-time PGA Tour winner Bob Tway, the 30-year-old former Oklahoma State player beat Ryan Moore on the par-4 10th after Brandt Snedeker dropped out on their first extra trip down the par-5 18th.
After strong wind died down in the late afternoon on Silverado’s tree-lined North Course, Tway birdied the final two holes in regulation for a 1-under 71, then birdied all three holes in the playoff.
Moore birdied three of the last four in a 67.
Snedeker, three strokes ahead entering the day and five in front with 11 to play, had four back-nine bogeys in a 74. The nine-time PGA Tour winner bogeyed the first three holes on the back nine, birdied the par-5 16th, bogeyed the par-4 17th and parred the 18th, missing from 9 feet.
Luke List eagled the 18th for a 67 to finish a stroke out of the playoff with Troy Merritt (68), Sam Ryder (69), Aaron Baddeley (69) and Sungjae Im (71).
Phil Mickelson tied for 17th at 8 under after a 72. Fred Couples had a 75 to tie for 41st at 5 under in his final start in a regular PGA Tour event.
LPGA TOUR
INCHEON, South Korea (AP) —South Korea held off challenges from the United States and England to win the eight-nation International Crown for the first time in front of a delighted home crowd at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea.
The top-seeded host team started the final round two points clear of the chasing pack and won two of the four singles matchups to finish with 15 points, four ahead of the defending champion United States and England.
Thailand finished fourth, and Sweden fifth. Australia, Taiwan, and Japan were all eliminated at the end of the third round.
In contrast to the wet conditions that cost the tournament an entire day’s play on Saturday after Typhoon Kong-rey hit the Korean peninsula, bright sunshine helped produce a big and passionate crowd that cheered the home team on to victory.
In Gee Chun and I.K. Kim won singles matches for South Korea on the 18th hole. So Yeon Ryu rallied from a 2 down deficit to halve her match with Lexi Thompson. Sung Hyun Park was lost to Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand.
“We never really feel nervous before majors but we have been nervous for a couple of months before this,” Ryu said. “Turns out that because this was home field, we felt comfortable with all the fans that came out to support us, and we had a lot of benefits. The support was incredible.”
EUROPEAN TOUR
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP)— Lucas Bjerregaard of Denmark closed with a 5-under 67 on the Old Course at St. Andrews for a one-shot victory in the Dunhill Links Championship that denied Tyrrell Hatton a chance at his third straight title.
Bjerregaard started the day four strokes behind Hatton but he reeled in the European Ryder Cup player to finish with at 15-under 273.
Hatton (72) shared second place on 274 with Ryder Cup teammate Tommy Fleetwood (69).
Hatton, who was attempting to become only the fifth player to win the same tournament in three straight seasons, was six shots clear with 12 holes to play but came undone on the back nine with a 40. He missed a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that would have forced a playoff.
Bjerregaard won for the second time this year on the European Tour.
SYMETRA TOUR
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) —Ruixin Liu won the season-ending Symetra Tour Championship for her second straight victory and third of the season to top the 10 LPGA Tour qualifiers.
The Chinese player closed with a 1-under 71 for a one-stroke victory over Taiwan’s Pavarisa Yoktuan. Liu finished at 19-under 269 at LPGA International and earned $33,750 to take the season money title with $124,839.
Yoktuan shot 72. She finished third on the money list with $80,313.Dottie Ardina was second on the money list with $97,822. Elizabeth Szokol, Linnea Strom, Stephanie Meadow, Kendall Dye, Charlotte Thomas, Isi Gabsa and Dana Finkelstein also earned LPGA Tour cards, with Finkelstein edging Min Seo Kwak by $737 for the final spot.
OTHER TOURS
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Takumi Kanaya closed with a 5-under 65 to win the Asia-Pacific Amateur on Sunday and earn a spot in the Masters and British Open next year. Kanaya shot 64-65 on the weekend at Sentosa Golf Club for a two-shot victory over Rayhan Thomas of India and Keita Nakajima of Japan. … In a battle of Americans on the Asian Tour, John Catlin closed with a 7-under 65 for a two-shot victory over Sihwan Kim in the Yeangder TPC in Taiwan. … Oliver Wilson of England shot 3-under 69 for a two-shot victory in the Monaghan Irish Challenge, his second victory this year on the European Challenge Tour. … Kevin Techakanokboon of Long Beach, California, closed with a 73 and hung on for a one-shot victory over Yuwa Kosaihira of Japan in the Zhuhai Championship on the PGA Tour China Tour. … Nicolas Echavarria closed with a 2-under 70 for a four-shot victory in the San Luis Championship on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica. … Santiago Luna of Spain closed with a 3-under 69 for a two-shot victory over Peter Wilson and Markus Brier in the European Senior Masters on the European Staysure Tour.
WOMEN
Seon-woo Bae closed with a 68 for a two-shot victory in the Hite Jinro Championship on the Korean LPGA Tour. … Shoko Sasaki shot a 4-under 68 for a one-shot victory in the Stanley Ladies GolfTournament on the Japan LPGA Tour.
PRATTVILLE, Ala. — Entering the final round of the second annual Guardian Championship, Kendall Dye (Edmond, Oklahoma) trailed by two shots, but a 6-under par 66 performance this afternoon erased that deficit and helped claim her fourth career Symetra Tour title.
The University of Oklahoma alumna concluded the 19th event of the Symetra Tour season at 16-under par overall to raise the trophy, one shot ahead of Ruixin Liu (Dalian, China) and Min Seo Kwak (Seoul, Republic of Korea).
“I never really thought that I would get four professional victories out here, but I am so grateful,” said Dye, who recorded seven birdies and only one bogey today. “There was a lot of great competition and I thought if I gave myself a lot of good opportunities, make a few more putts than the last few days, then I could shoot something low. I’m thankful we got it done.”
In a week that shook the golf world with the tragic loss of Celia Barquin Arozamena (Puente San Miguel, Spain) last Monday, Dye joined the 120-player field in wearing Iowa State University hats donated by New Era and memorial ribbons throughout tournament play. During the trophy presentation, the first thing Dye talked about was dedicating the win to Barquin Arozamena.
“It was a very important week for all of us across the sport, especially in the women’s game,” Dye said. “I wanted to be the person to win this week in honor of Celia. We are going to carry on her legacy and play our hearts out for her each and every day. This is for her and her family.”
Meanwhile, the occasion etches Dye into the history books as the first two-time winner on the Symetra Tour in 2018. Up to this point, there had been 18 different champions for the season, but Dye becomes the first to step into the winner’s circle multiple times.
“I don’t set a ton of goals, but when I was told that no one had a repeat victory this year, I wanted to be that person to do it,” said Dye, who also won the Fuccillo Kia Classic of NY in late July. “I was late getting out here since I spent most of the year on the LPGA Tour, so it’s important to get my full membership for next year. I was really excited to play this week and if you can wake and still be excited late in the fourth quarter of the season like this, that’s a good thing.”
The result launches Dye from No. 23 to No. 7 in the Volvik Race for the Card. With two events remaining, the battle for the top-10 to earn full LPGA membership for 2019 still faces its biggest tests yet.
“It’s kind of like today, you can’t play prevent defense out here, you have to go and be hungry to win,” Dye said. “I don’t look at the money list because I’m not that smart to add it all up, I just come out here and play golf, get the ball in the hole. My experience will hopefully pay off. I’m really excited for the finish.”
Canadian Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City finished in a tie for 5th at 12 under par after an even-par 72 on Sunday. The Team Canada Young Pro Squad member held the 36-hole lead after setting a personal record through two rounds, but couldn’t keep it rolling into the finale.
PRATTVILLE, Ala. — A rookie on the LPGA Tour this season and 2017 Symetra Tour graduate, Anne-Catherine Tanguay (Quebec City, Canada) holds the outright advantage after two rounds in the Guardian Championship on the Senator Course at Capitol Hill of the Robert Trent Jones (RTJ) Golf Trail.
The former University of Oklahoma standout is 12-under par overall and takes a one-stroke lead into the final round over Nontaya Srisawang (Chiang Mai, Thailand).
“It feels really good and has been awhile since I have been out on the Symetra Tour as well,” said Tanguay, who set her career 36-hole scoring mark with the performance so far. “I’m really happy to see my name at the top of the leaderboard. I played really solid today, gave myself a lot of chances and stayed pretty patient. It’s definitely a good feeling.”
Competing on the official qualifying tour of the LPGA once again last week and this week, Tanguay is simply keeping herself in competition to get ready for Q-Series from Oct. 22 through Nov. 3 at Pinehurst Resort.
Already a champion on the Symetra Tour at the 2017 Garden City Charity Classic, her second career professional win would be icing on the cake as she prepares for the LPGA Qualifying Tournament.
“These events are so great and the field is deep, so I thought it couldn’t be more perfect to test myself and play amazing courses,” said the Team Canada Young Pro Squad member. “It is very familiar for me to come out and play on this Tour. I’m happy because my game is where I want it to be heading into Q-Series, so I think I will keep working in that direction for the next few weeks.”
Furthermore, having been in the position of many individuals when it comes to the Volvik Race for the Card, Tanguay has one piece of advice.
“The pressure is huge and we put a lot of pressure on ourselves,” said Tanguay. “We think if you finish 11th and miss your card, then it’s kind of the end of the world to us. You have to put it in perspective. For me, it was extremely difficult and I understand what they are going through. Your goal is to be out there, but you’re not there yet so really have to see the big picture and really embrace the pressure.”
Meanwhile, a bogey-free round of 7-under par 65 launched Srisawang into solo second position after day two. She will join Tanguay in the final pairing tomorrow looking for her first career Symetra Tour victory.
“I hit it really well today and put the ball in good position on the greens, then made the putts,” said Srisawang, currently No. 25 in the Volvik Race for the Card. “I missed a couple greens, but I could get up and down really well. Out here, we have to trust the target that you’re aiming at and I just feel really comfortable with my putting this week.”
Two groups did not complete the second round because of unplayable conditions after heavy rains moved into the area this evening. They will restart tomorrow at 7 a.m. CT then a cut will be made to the low 60 players and ties. From there, the final round will begin no earlier than 8 a.m. CT. A total of 61 players sit at even par or better.
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BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — A rain delay and fog delay might have an effect on some players as they prepare or continue through their round, but in the end, the strongest will come out on top.
Marta Sanz Barrio sure didn’t let those delays get in her way of winning it all.
With a finish that came down to the wire, Sanz Barrio walked away with a one-shot victory at the FireKeepers Casino Championship, finishing at 13-under-par.
While Sanz Barrio was having a day to remember, competition was a hole behind her the whole day in Augusta James who finished at 12-under-par. Sanz Barrio headed to the 18th with a two-shot lead and gave herself a little challenge she overhit her second shot behind the green.
After taking several different looks at her upcoming chip, Sanz Barrio flopped the perfect shot onto the green, but her ball stopped short of going in by a matter of inches. With a par inked on her final hole of the day, Sanz Barrio’s lead was locked in at 13-under, but James was right behind her with one hole left to go standing at 12-under.
James hit her second shot on 18 on the front of the green, with the pen nestled roughly 25 feet away in the back left corner. James needed to sink the long putt to force a playoff with Sanz Barrio, as it was down to just the two of them on the leaderboard at the end of the day.
With volunteers, fans, and players alike all waiting on James’ decisive putt, complete silence fell over the crowd. James’ putt was rolling with the perfect speed to the cup, and for a matter of seconds, it seemed like a playoff push was inevitable, but James’ putt inched just past the cup.
Having secured her second-place finish, James walked over to Sanz Barrio, and hugged the champion, and the two of them walked off the green, both of them champions in the hearts of the fans.
“I didn’t know the exact score or know how well Marta was playing in front of me,” said James. “I wanted my putt to get there, it was a long putt and I left myself with a bit of a tester for second place but I’m happy i got it there at least.”
A second-place finish at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship left James feeling pretty pleased with her performance this week.
“I didn’t have the results I wanted at the beginning of the year but I’m really happy with the way I’ve been playing over the last two weeks and especially today,” said James.
Fans also saw a familiar face out there caddying for Sanz Barrio throughout the day as it was her sister, Patricia Sanz Barrio, who was looping for the eventual champion.
“She played amazing, especially on the back nine it just felt like she made everything,” said Patricia. “It felt like every hole she had the chance to birdie from everywhere.”
For Patricia Sanz Barrio, she got to experience a different point of view while being on the golf course.
“It was really cool and she was really calm, we had so much fun out there it was a great experience to share with her,” said Patricia Sanz Barrio. “I always keep her cool.”
For Marta, she believed today would be a day her and her sister would never forget.
“I actually wished that she was playing, but to have her have her read my putts and calm me down, this is something we will remember for the rest of our lives,” said Marta Sanz Barrio.
With Marta Sanz Barrio crowned the champion on the day, Maia Schechter earned championship honors of her own with her victory as the Potawatomi Cup Champion. The Potawatomi Cup takes place during four events on the tour, taking place in South Bend, Harris, Battle Creek, and Milwaukee. Each player who plays in those four events is automatically registered to compete in the Potawatomi Cup. It’s a point-based system, and whoever finishes with the most points at the end of the fourth round will be the victor.
“It’s a really fun mini-series within the schedule itself,” said Schechter. “I won in South Bend, played well in Harris and Milwaukee, and today simply settled the score.”
BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — With a different day brings better weather, and that was very good news on Saturday at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship. August James sits 2 strokes behind the lead with a share of sixth. She fired five birdies and one bogey on Saturday to head into Sunday’s round 6-under for the tournament.
The weather wasn’t the most important factor of the day though, but rather who could sink the final putt to take over first place through two rounds of play.
Janie Jackson held the lead at 7-under prior to her 2:25 p.m. second-round tee time on Saturday, but her lead didn’t last for long. There was a 6-way tie for first place heading into the latter portion of the afternoon. Between Jackson, Karolina Vlckova, Linnea Johansson, Casey Danielson, Kendall Dye, and Maia Schechter, nobody could pull away to take over solo possession of the lead.
Schechter was playing lights out, marking five total birdies on the day, compared to a lone bogey on her card. However, it was experience over tenacity that changed the leaderboard late.
Former LPGA Tour player Silvia Cavalleri decided it was her time to shine.
Cavalleri got off to quite the rough start, starting her day with back-to-back bogeys in her first two holes. She quickly bounced back from her issues, and birdied the third hole.On the 15th hole, she tallied her third birdie of the day, which put her in a tie for first at 7-unde-parr. Her fourth birdie of the day came at just the right time on hole No. 17, as it pushed her into the sole possession of first place at 8-under-par.
With the lead in her hands, Cavalleri needed to par the 18th to maintain sole possession of the lead heading into Sunday’s final round. She was lyingtwo on the fringe in front of the green, and needed to two-putt to finish with the lead. With her short game consistently having her back all day long, she decides to putt from nearly 25 feet away, and ended up just about a foot short of the hole.
Cavelleri tapped in to preserve the lead, and will head into the final day of competition one stroke ahead of the field.
