Alberta Golf wrapped up its double header yesterday with three champions being named at the two sites. The 114th Alberta Men’s Amateur was played at the end of Highway 63 at the stunning Fort McMurray Golf Club, while down south in Calgary The Hamptons Golf Club hosted the 113th Alberta Women’s Amateur Championship.
114th Men’s Amateur Championship
The 114th Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship returned to Fort McMurray Golf Club for the first time since 2007, when Mitch Fox claimed the title. While both the course and the community have endured significant challenges in recent years, including devastating wildfires and flooding, the pride of the membership remains as strong as ever.
From the moment players arrived, that pride was impossible to miss. Welcome signs greeted competitors at the entrance, championship banners celebrating past winners lined the property, and even designated practice spots on the driving range had been reserved for the field. It was a fitting welcome for one of Alberta’s most prestigious championships.
Although the field was without two-time defending champion Hunter Thomson, the level of competition remained exceptionally high. The championship featured an impressive collection of collegiate athletes, Alberta Golf High-Performance Program members, past provincial champions, interprovincial team representatives, and even an Alberta Golf Hall of Fame member, making for one of the strongest amateur fields in the province.
The opening round was played under warm, sunny skies with temperatures climbing to 27°C. Only four players managed to navigate both the heat and the challenging layout at even par or better. Ryan Gillis and Neil Thomas shared the first-round lead after matching rounds of 69 (-3), while Tobias Buffam sat just three shots back following an even-par 72.
Round two proved to be a marathon. Play was suspended for two hours because of inclement weather after only two groups had reached the golf course. Once play resumed, the morning wave benefited from softer conditions and relatively calm weather, while the afternoon competitors battled steady rain for much of their round before the skies finally cleared. Despite the changing conditions, only five players finished the day under par, setting the stage for a tightly contested final round.
That anticipated battle quickly turned into a commanding performance by Tobias Buffam.
After beginning the day just three shots off the lead, Buffam caught fire immediately, birdieing each of his first three holes and five of his opening seven. By the turn, he had built an astonishing nine-shot advantage over the field. Although a few bogeys appeared on the inward nine, his early surge proved more than enough as he closed with a four-under-par 68 to finish the championship at 72-69-68.
The victory marks Buffam’s second provincial championship, adding the Alberta Men’s Amateur title to his 2025 Boys’ U19 Championship. His win also secured him a place on Alberta’s 2027 Morse Cup Team, as well as a spot on the province’s Willingdon Cup Team for the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship later this month.
Joining Buffam on the Willingdon Cup Team are Neil Thomas of Edmonton Country Club and Jordan Gustman of The Bridges at Claresholm. An additional 15 Alberta players also earned exemptions into the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, which will be contested later this month on home soil at Mickelson National Golf Club and Heritage Pointe Golf Club.
113th Women’s Amateur Championship
For the first time, the 113th Women’s Amateur Championship competed at The Hamptons Golf Club in Calgary. Despite being settled in a neighbourhood surrounded by homes, The Hamptons is its own secluded world featuring stunning views. In addition to its views, The Hamptons contains narrow fairways, large lakes, and so many trees it feels like a forest—all of which proved to challenge the players throughout the championship. This championship looked to crown champions in three different divisions: the Amateur, the Mid-Amateur, and the Mid-Master.
The field was comprised of players from many different walks of life developing an intense competition across all divisions. Four-time Mid-Amateur Champion Meaghan LeBlanc returned to the field after not competing last year. Additionally, defending Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master Champion Kassie Bourassa and 2025 U17 and U19 Champion Saylar May were notable names competing this week.
Round one was played under the sun while players looked to navigate a course with a difficult layout. The courses difficulty was apparent in round one scores with only one player shooting par. Emily Cornwall had a one stroke lead after the first day, with three players following at +1—Jayla Kucy, Coryn Tardif, and Niya Friesen.
In the Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master divisions Carly McNaughton led after day one shooting a 74. Meaghan LeBlanc was not far behind with a 77 in both divisions. Jenn Orcheski followed in the Mid-Amateur division with a 79 while Charmaine Hayden followed in the Mid-Master division with an 80.
On day two the players were faced with high heat as the temperature reached 27°C. Players were challenged by both the course and the heat on this day, but one player managed to shoot the best round of the tournament. Tessa Ion shot an impressive 68 following her 76 from day 1. This score allowed her to climb the leaderboard while others fell. May stayed consistent throughout day one and two, shooting 75 on both days putting her tied for second after day 2. Cornwall struggled on day 2 shooting a 78, but this only dropped her down to second, tied with May.
The Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master players faced the same struggles with the heat on day two with many scores dropping. This was not the case for Kaitlin Taylor who put herself back in contention in the Mid-Amateur by shooting a 78 after shooting an 83 on day one putting her at +17 going into day three. LeBlanc took the lead at +13 going into day three, followed by Orcheski at +16, and McNaughton tied with Taylor at +17 in the Mid-Amateur. LeBlanc also took the lead in the Mid-Master followed by McNaughton at +17 and Hayden at +20.
By day three the pressure was on, especially for Ion who had broken a course record the day before and was leading the Amateur by six strokes. Through nine holes, Ion put herself at -2 with a lead of five strokes. Hole 10 challenged Ion who took a triple bogey putting her up to +1, but she recovered making two birdies and six pars in the rest of the of her round. Her hot round on day two set her up well, giving her a lead that no one was able to catch allowing her to claim the 113th Women’s Amateur Championship.
Back on the Mid-Amateur side, LeBlanc was +2 on the day through six holes before she double bogeyed on hole seven, but she recovered well with a successful long birdie putt on eight. Taylor crept close to LeBlanc, but a bogey on 18 after she nearly chipped in for birdie left her two strokes behind. In addition to her Mid-Amateur win, LeBlanc captured the Mid-Master win by 18 strokes.
Tessa Ion, Emily Cornwall, and Saylar May will represent Team Alberta in the 112th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship in Mississauga at The Toronto Golf Club. Jenn Orcheski, Carly McNaughton, and Jin Yeo will represent Team Alberta in the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship in Burlington at the Burlington Golf & Country Club.
Notable Highlights
- Reid Casavant recorded the championship’s only hole-in-one, acing the 221-yard 4th hole while playing in the opening group of the tournament. The ace was the first of his career and Alberta Golf’s second hole-in-one of the 2026 championship season.
- Tobias Buffam was the only player in the field to shoot even par or better in all three rounds of the championship.
- Tessa Ion set a new competitive course record from the tournament ladies tees at The Hamptons Golf Club with her 68 in round two.
- Meaghan LeBlanc captured her fifth Mid-Amateur win and her first Mid-Master win with Alberta Golf.
Up next, Alberta Golf heads to The Coyote in Sundre for the U19 Championship beginning on July 14th.