Taylor Craig/ Golf Canada

BROMONT, Que. – Clear skies and mountain winds at Golf Château-Bromont welcomed competitors to the first round of the 2016 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship. At 5-under 67, Montréal’s Jacob Peterson holds a one-stroke lead alongside Jordan Irwin of Banff, Alta.

Peterson took off from the 10th tee with the morning wave and moved into quick possession of the lead with three birdies through holes 12 to 15 and an eagle on the par-5 17th.

“It was a pretty windy morning, but I managed pretty well,” said Peterson. “It honestly helped me at some points. I got some good breaks, I made some good putts and I holed-out from a bunker.”

The 25-year-old Concordia University Stinger, who is competing for the first time at this national championship, birdied No. 2, but settled for a bogey on the par-4 5^th hole. A birdie on his final hole solidified Peterson’s 67.

“I was pretty lucky to get the morning draw today, so hopefully it’s not too windy tomorrow afternoon. 5-under is hard to beat, but there are a lot of golfers out here, so I’ll just try to do the same thing tomorrow.”

The 31-year-old Irwin also began his round on the back nine, collecting a birdie on the 14th hole followed by a trio across holes 16 to 18. A final push with birdies on Nos. 1 and 8 nudged Irwin into his share of the lead.

Three-time Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion Dave Bunker of Woodbridge, Ont., put himself in good position to defend his 2015 40-and-over Mid-Master title with a 4-under 68. The 51-year-old sits T3 in the overall competition with Vaughan, Ont., native Philip Arci, Brandon Markiw of Edmonton and Calgary’s Dustin Yeager.

The team representing Ontario – consisting of Charles Fitzsimmons (London), Ryan Kings (Kitchener) and Matthew Sim (Oakville) – lead the inter-provincial team competition which takes place concurrently with the first two rounds of stroke-play. The trio combined for a two-stroke lead at 6-under 138 as they look to defend their province’s 2015 title.

Team Quebec’s Sebastien Levasseur (Nicolet), Alain Dufresne (Deux-Montagnes) and Dwight Reinhart (Renfrew, Ont.) follow closely in second at 4-under 140.

In addition to the 2016 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur title, the champion will receive an exemption into the 2017 RBC Canadian Open hosted by Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., from July 24 to 30.

The second round of the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship will see the first wave tee off from holes 1 and 10 at 7:30 a.m., followed by the second wave from Nos. 1 and 10 at 12:30 p.m.

Additional information from the tournament can be found here.

Written by Glenn Campbell

Women and The Wolf

This article was originally published in the 2016 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

The fine people of Ponoka are hoping that the wind howls and “The Wolf” bares its teeth in late August. Wolf Creek Golf Resort will be the site of the 2016 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship from August 24-26.

Mary Beth McKenna, manager of rules and competitions at Golf Canada, claims that Wolf Creek is the perfect site for this tournament.

“Wolf Creek has hosted numerous Alberta Golf and Golf Canada championships in the past and director of golf Ryan Vold has always been a great supporter of amateur golf,” McKenna said. “The course is one of the best in the province and will provide an excellent test for all the competitors.”

Kim Carrington won the 2015 Guardian Capital Alberta Senior Ladies Championship at The Glencoe Golf and Country Club and she’s excited that Wolf Creek is hosting this year’s national championship. You see, the Carrington name is pretty well known at Wolf Creek.

“My dad, Bill Carrington, is a 50-year lifetime member of the PGA of Canada and was actually a golf professional at Wolf Creek for six years in the late 1990s,” Carrington proudly stated. “I was fortunate enough to play the course many times.”

Competitors will play Wolf Creek’s Old Course in the championship. There will be three competitions underway simultaneously: the Mid-Amateur for women aged 25 and over, the Mid-Master for those 40 and up, and the Senior Championship for women aged 50 and over as of the first day of the tournament.

Favourites in the senior division will likely include some of the past champions such as Terrill Samuel, Mary Ann Hayward, Jackie Little, Helene Chartrand and Alison Murdoch. Christina Proteau will be a strong contender in the Mid-Amateur division, having previously captured five national titles in that category.

“Both Hayward and Murdoch are members of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and both have numerous championships on their resumes,” said McKenna.

You can also throw Carrington’s name into that list of contenders, as she finished in eighth place at the 2015 Canadian Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship. With this year’s event being held in Alberta – and with her knowledge of the course – Carrington may just have an advantage. Kim isn’t so sure about that.

“It’s been long time since I played Wolf Creek,” Carrington noted. “I’m in golf sales and Ryan Vold is a great customer, so maybe I’ll have to make a few more calls to the course! I hope to play it as much as I can before the championship.”

Carrington says it’s a fantastic golf course and it should attract all of the best players. “Wolf Creek has proven itself to be an outstanding venue for men’s events. Hosting a Canadian [Women’s Mid Am and] Senior Championship will be fantastic for not only the players, but also for Wolf Creek. It will provide great exposure for women’s golf.”

Carrington has been competing in national golf events for over 30 years and has a Canadian Mid-Amateur title and two provincial Mid-Masters Championships to show for it. She says winning the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship would be icing on the cake. “To add a national senior title in my own province would make it that much more special.”

Carrington’s 2015 win at The Glencoe GCC gives her a ton of confidence heading into this season. “I played with Jackie Little of Vernon, BC in the last group last summer at The Glencoe. Jackie has been a great friend for years,” Carrington said.

Maybe the pair will find themselves in the final group on a bigger stage at Wolf Creek.

Women and The Wolf

This article was originally published in the 2016 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

CP Women’s Open Returns to Priddis Greens

This article was originally published in the 2016 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

The CP Women’s Open is returning to Alberta this summer for the fifth time in the last decade. Priddis Greens Golf and Country Club in Calgary will host 156 of the best women professional golfers in the world from August 22-28th in what is always one of best-attended and most prestigious events on the LPGA Tour schedule. Priddis Greens has hosted Golf Canada’s flagship women’s tournament twice previously, in 1999 and 2009, and the club is looking forward to the opportunity to showcase their spectacular course again this summer.

Canadian superstar Brooke Henderson will be one of the favorites at the 72-hole event, which will be the first tournament on the LPGA Tour immediately after the women’s golf competition at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Will Brooke have a gold medal around her neck when she steps off the plane in Calgary?

Defending champion and world #1-ranked player Lydia Ko of New Zealand will also be in the field at Priddis Greens. Top stars of the LPGA Tour from around the world such as Ha Na Jang, Inbee Park, Lexi Thompson as well as Canada’s Alena Sharp and Lorie Kane are all expected to be in Calgary to compete for the winner’s share of the $2.25M USD purse.

The Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation is the official charity beneficiary of the 2016 CP Women’s Open. All funds raised through the tournament will support pediatric cardiac care and research at the hospital.

CP Women’s Open Returns to Priddis Greens

This article was originally published in the 2016 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

After a 112 year hiatus, Golf is back in the Olympics. The men’s tournament has already wrapped, so Canadian’s turn their attention to the young phenom hoping to lead Canada to victory, Brooke Henderson.

This July, Henderson was announced as a member of the Canadian Olympic Golf team heading to the games in Rio. The conference was held in Ontario, while Henderson was live streamed via satellite from the Golf Canada Calgary Centre where she was hosting a junior girls golf clinic for other young golf hopefuls. We had the opportunity to attend this fantastic event, please enjoy our video recap.

This year, Edmonton’s CN Future Links Girl’s Club celebrated their 10^th anniversary. Girl’s Club is an initiative to encourage more girls to experience the benefits of golf in a comfortable environment.

The Edmonton Girl’s Club gets together regularly throughout the summer at various golf courses in the city. The girls that participate range from ages 7 to 18, with graduates of the program returning to mentor the girls.

The success of the program would not be possible without the hard work of the organizers and site leaders, who volunteer their time for this great cause. Special recognition goes to Deb Keller (CN Future Links Site Leader), Dawn Stengel (Organizer), Enid Botchett (Assistant Site Leader), Dory Reich (Treasurer), Linda Sharpe (Advisor) and Dani Perl (Recruiter) for starting the Edmonton Girl’s Club from the ground up and watching it grow.

Congratulations, girls!

Written by Jeff Thompson, Chief Sport Officer, Golf Canada

Olympic Revival

This article was originally published in the 2016 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

Golf makes its return to the Olympic Games after a 112-year hiatus. There is great excitement surrounding golf ’s return to the Olympics – and rightfully so. With the Olympic dream now a reality, it is important to remember a Canadian legend – the story of defending Olympic gold medalist George Seymour Lyon.

Canada has held the title of Olympic golf champion for 112 years since the trophy was last hoisted at the St. Louis Games in 1904. Lyon, 46 at the time of his victory, defeated American H. Chandler Egan 3&2 in the 36-hole match play final. You can make a case that had his accomplishments happened against today’s sport and media landscape, we would be talking about one of Canada’s iconic athletes.

At the time, golf enthusiasts could not have predicted that 1904 would be the last time the Olympic golf competition would be contested for more than a century. As time went on and pro golf tours like the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour made their way to the forefront, golf slowly faded from the Olympic landscape.
Fast forward to 2009, when the International Golf Federation (IGF) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) collectively agreed to reintroduce golf to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games as a 72-hole stroke play event.

How will Canada fare at the Games in Rio? Our team is well positioned to defend its title – thanks in part to Mr. Lyon paving the way for golf in Canada.

Golf Canada is extremely excited to have a very talented group of professionals in line to fill the four spots (two male, two female) that we expect to receive based on the qualification process. On the women’s side, Brooke Henderson (currently ranked No. 5 on the Olympic rankings) and Alena Sharp (No. 36) hold Canada’s best female rankings and both have very good chances of being on the women’s squad come the July 11th cut off date.

At just 18 years of age, Brooke has vaulted herself amongst the world’s elite through her amazing talent and work ethic. She has shown poise beyond her years and is eager to represent Canada on the global stage.

Sharp had her best season in 2015 with five Top-25 LPGA finishes and continues to impress as the Games get closer.

On the men’s side, PGA Tour stars David Hearn and Graham DeLaet are currently positioned to fly the flag for Canada. Hearn (No. 40), wowed Canadians this past summer in his bid to win the RBC Canadian Open – eventually finishing third.

Rounding out the squad if the selection were made today would be DeLaet, (No. 38), who has been a leading Canadian figure on Tour and is primed for a strong return following last year’s injury plagued season.

The selection of the men’s team could come down to the wire as a pair of rising stars – Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor – could very well make a run at one of the top-two rankings. Hadwin currently sits 14 world ranking spots out of the second Olympic spot.

Canada’s golf Olympians will be leaning on the expertise of Team Canada coaches Derek Ingram and Tristan Mullally who will lead the men’s and women’s squads respectively in Rio. They will provide support to the players leading up to and during the event.

Ingram and Mullally will both have made a site visit to the golf course in advance of the Games to gain some insight into how they can best support the players.

The global exposure will be huge for our sport and for Golf Canada’s high performance program. Will we see Canada defend George S. Lyon’s gold medal in Rio? Our athletes and our coaches are determined to take advantage of this incredible opportunity. The 2016 Games will be two of the most exciting weeks in golf’s storied history.

Olympic Revival

This article was originally published in the 2016 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.