Daniela Pacheco wins 2025 Alberta Women’s Senior Championship

Alberta Golf (High River) – After the 2nd round of the 2025 Alberta Women’s Senior Championship was rained out on Tuesday, sunny skies for the final round in the rain shortened event at Highwood Golf. Daniela Pacheco from Mickelson National Golf Club fired a final round 1-under 71 for a 5 stroke victory over Jackie Little. Pacheco, playing in only her 2nd ever Alberta Golf event had 2 bogeys in her first 5 holes but had 3 birdies the rest of the way including an impressive birdie on 18 to cap off the win.


Daniela Pacheco – 2025 Alberta Women’s Senior Champion
WATCH VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH CHAMPION DANIELA PACHECO

Tournament runner up and 2025 Alberta Golf Hall of Fame inductee Jackie Little posted rounds of 75-77 to win the Super Senior Championship for competitors over 65 years of age.

Jackie Little – 2025 Alberta Super Senior Champion
Ena Spalding is the 2025 Alberta Diamond Division Champion for competitors over 70 years of age.

Ena Spalding – 2025 Alberta Diamond Division Champion
The Alberta Interprovincial Team that will represent the province at the 2025 Canadian Women Senior’s Championship consists of Daniela Pacheco, Gisselle Willimus and Lynn Kuehn.

Lynn Kuehn, Daniela Pacheco and Gisselle Willimus
At the prize presentation the entire field had high praise for Superintendent Troy Hurl and his staff for getting the course tournament ready for the final round after Tuesday’s heavy rain. Thanks to General Manager J.D. Scheller, Head Professional Dan Warwaruk, Food and Beverage Manager Crista Watt and all the Highwood Golf volunteers for all they did to create a great championship.

Highwood Golf Head Professional Dan Warwaruk
2025 Women’s Senior Championship Preview

As the summer continues to roll on, so does the Alberta Golf Championship schedule. Up next, the 2025 Alberta Women’s Senior Championship, July 21-23. The championship returns to a course that’s very familiar to competitive players in Alberta, as Highwood Golf will host the event in 2025.
Highwood is a familiar course to many players in Alberta, as it’s been a terrific host for a variety of championships. Last year, Highwood hosted the Men’s Senior Championship where we saw David Schultz win the championship. In previous years Highwood has hosted the U19 Championships and the Women’s Amateur making it no stranger to hosting a provincial championship.
For the Women’s Senior Championship there’s a lot up for grabs this week. Players will be competing for the Women’s Senior, Super Senior, and Diamond Division Championships. There are also national championship quota spots up for grabs and the coveted Women’s Senior Interprovincial Team has three spots up for grabs.
As for potential winners this week, there are a lot of players to watch. Celina Lam, the defending champion, is on the cusp of history with the chance to win three straight Women’s Senior Championships. The other two members from last year’s interprovincial team, Lisa Hall & Lynn Kuehn, are also in the field and will be on the hunt this week. The championship also marks the return of Kim Carrington, a long time competitor in Alberta who has been sidelined for injury in recent years. Jackie Little will defend her Super Senior title from last year and has the chance to claim the 2025 Women’s Senior title in the same year that will see her get inducted into the Alberta Golf Hall of Fame.
For the full event preview and hear from the defending champions, click the button below for the 2025 Women’s Senior Championship Yearbook Article written by Gord Montgomery.
2025 Women’s Senior Championship Preview
For Round 1 & Round 2 pairings, click the button below to find and star your favourites for the event this week!
Saylar May and Tobias Buffam win 2025 Alberta U19 Titles

Alberta Golf (Water Valley) – 2 weather delays, a course record and a playoff that wrapped up with the sun setting defined a memorable day at Water Valley Golf Club at the 2025 Alberta U19 Championships. Saylar May from Pine Hills Golf Club added to her previous U15 & U17 victories with a fantastic course record of 6-under 66 to add the U19 title to her trophy case. The Pine Hills golfer from Rocky Mountain House blistered the course with 7 birdies and a bogey for the course record and an 8-shot victory.



Saylar May – 2025 U19 Girls Champion – Course Record 66
On the boys side Jalen Apedoe made a great up and down on 18 to force a playoff with Tobias Buffam. In the playoff Buffam was blocked out on his second shot and could only get it to 88 yards with Apedoe was on the green in 2 25 feet away. Buffam, with staff from his Valley Ridge Golf Club cheering him on, made the up and down of his life while Apedoe was not able to 2-putt and Buffam claimed the title after a 3-under 69 and a par on the first playoff hole.



Tobias Buffam – 2025 U19 Boys Champion
WATCH VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH SAYLAR MAY AND TOBIAS BUFFAM
The Alberta Interprovincial Boys Team consists of Jalen Apedoe, Russell Quinn and Owen Bruins while the Alberta Interprovincial Girls Team consists of Saylar May, Sela Ogada and Alessandra Sundquist.

Saylar May & Sela Ogada (Alessandra Sundquist not in photo)

Jalen Apedoe, Russell Quinn and Owen Bruins
Water Valley Golf Club was a great host for the Alberta U19 Championship. Owner Jeremy Dueck spoke at the prize presentation and the first person he thanked was Superintendent Ross Parsons who had the course in sublime shape. Thanks to Office Manager Shannon Sherriff, Head Professional Wes McLeod, Co-Owner Pat Thomas and all the Volunteers who made this week a great success.
READ HERE PAGE 22 OF OUR YEARBOOK FOR A FULL STORY ON WATER VALLEY GOLF CLUB

Water Valley Golf Club Owner Jeremy Dueck with Saylar May

Water Valley Golf Club Owner Jeremy Dueck with Tobais Buffam
2025 Alberta U19 Championship Preview

The top juniors in the province have their eyes on the prize this week, as we close in on the Alberta U19 Championship set at Water Valley Golf Club from July 8-10.
The U19 Championship is a full 140 players all competing for either the U19 Boys’ or U19 Girls’ Championship. The list of winners is long with plenty of names going on to win either the Men’s Amateur or Women’s Amateur, and even turning pro. This year with neither of the defending champions returning, two new juniors will be crowned as champions. In addition, there are national championship implications with quota spots available on both the Boys’ and Girls’ sides. There are also two interprovincial teams up for grabs, either for the Canadian Junior Boys or Canadian Junior Girls.
Some top players to watch are the champions from the 2024 U17, U15, & U13 Championship. On the girls side, Saylar May looks to continue her winning ways already claiming the 2023 U15 and 2025 U17 Championships. Sela Ogada looks to make a big step after winning the 2024 U15 Championship. On the Boys’ side, Patrick McLarty hopes to win this event after claiming the 2024 U17 Championship and Bennett Love is eyeing down his next junior prize after winning the 2024 U15 Championship.
Click below to hear from last year’s champions and read more about our 2025 host club, Water Valley Golf Club. Additionally, follow the bottom button to see the tee times for Rounds 1 & 2.
Carys Code Wins 2025 Alberta Women’s Amateur Championship

Alberta Golf (Leduc) – The 112th Alberta Women’s Amateur Championship was proudly hosted by the Leduc Golf and Country Club. Final round action on Friday saw Carys Code from The Glencoe Golf and Country Club post a 3-over par round of 74 with 4 bogeys and a birdie on a breezy day to fend off Sydney Bisgrove by a single stroke to claim the title.



Carys Code – 2025 Alberta Women’s Amateur Champion
WATCH INTERVIEW WITH CARYS CODE
Kassie Bourassa won both the Alberta Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship and the Alberta Women’s Mid-Master Championship.

Kassie Bourassa – 2025 Alberta Women’s Mid-Amateur & Mid-Master Champion
2 Alberta teams were named after the championship. The Women’s Amateur Interprovincial Team consists of Sydney Bisgrove, Jayla Kucy & Sarah Armstrong while the Women’s Mid-Amateur Interprovincial Team consists of Kassie Bourassa, Heather Lee and Jenn Orcheski.

Jayla Kucy, Sydney Bisgrove & Sarah Armstrong (Not in photo)

Jenn Orcheski, Kassie Bourassa and Heather Lee
A big thank you to the Leduc Golf and Country Club General Manager Rick Brown and Head Professional Jeremy Beirnes for being amazing hosts this week. The volunteers, food and beverage, and course conditions were all outstanding.

Jeremy Beirnes – Leduc Golf and Country Club Head Professional
WATCH INTERVIEW WITH JEREMY BEIRNES
112th Alberta Women’s Amateur Championship Preview

The Alberta Women’s Amateur Championship starts tomorrow at Leduc Golf Club and the 112th playing of this event promises to be a treat!
At the Alberta Women’s Amateur there’s more than just one trophy up for grabs, there’s three! The Alberta Women’s Mid-Amateur and Women’s Mid-Master are also up for grabs, with competitors of the right age having a chance of walking away with multiple pieces of hardware. Also up for grabs this week are quota and interprovincial team spots for the Canadian Women’s Amateur and Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championships. New in 2025, the winner of the Alberta Women’s Amateur will get an invite to compete in the 2026 PNGA Women’s Amateur, along with the Low Albertan at Nationals and the Low Amateur at the new Alberta Open Women’s Division.
This year a new champion will be crowned and the list of potential winners is lengthy. With young juniors climbing the ranks like Saylar May, the university players back from their years at school like Sydney Bisgrove and Jenna Bruggeman, and the veteran champions like Celina Lam.
Click the link below to read more about what Leduc has to offer the competitors this year and hear from the 2024 Champions.
Brett Jones dominates Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship with 12-Stroke Victory

Alberta Golf (Lethbridge) – The final round of the 113th Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship was held Friday at the Paradise Canyon Golf Resort in Lethbridge. Defending champion Brett Jones from Calgary started the day with a 4-shot lead over Paxton Maxwell, Ryan Gillis and 2020 champion Michael Valk. On a windy day at Paradise Canyon, Jones turned in 3-under 33 with 4 birdies and a lone bogey to extend his lead to 5 strokes. On the par 3 12th hole the golfers only had 117 yards but faced 70 kmh gusts of wind and 1 in 3 competitors were even hitting the green. Jones pured one to 8 feet and even though he missed his birdie putt he went eagle-birdie-birdie over the next 3 holes and the tournament was over. In the end 18-year-old Brett Jones fired 8 birdies and an eagle with only 2 bogeys for a final round 63 and a 12 stroke victory finishing the tournament at 17 under par to defend his title. Jones is the first player since Riley Fleming in 2012 and 2013 to defend the Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship.
“Sometimes everything gets clicking, putts go in, you’re in the fairway and you hit it close, and today was one of those days,” Jones admitted. “Ever since I won last year I wanted to defend well and to have my name beside a player like Riley Fleming, that’s a great accomplishment and I’m very happy to do that.”

Brett Jones – 2025 Alberta Men’s Amateur Champion

WATCH VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH CHAMPION BRETT JONES

Ryan Gillis posted an even par round of 71 to finish runner up, while 2020 champion Michael Valk posted a 1-over par 72. Gillis, Valk and Jones make up the 2025 Alberta Willingdon Cup team and will represent Alberta at the 120th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship in late July at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club.

Ryan Gillis, Brett Jones and Michael Valk
A thank you to the staff at Paradise Canyon Golf Resort for being such great hosts this week, the volunteer spirit from the membership was amazing and the course was in incredible shape. Head Professional Jae Maegaard, General Manager Matt Barkway, Owner Ron Sakamoto and Superintendant Kelly Thorson along with the food and beverage staff were amazing hosts.

Matt Barkway and Jae Maegaard
WATCH DRONE FOOTAGE OF PARADISE CANYON GOLF RESORT
The 114th Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship will be held in 2026 at the Fort McMurray Golf Club.
David Schultz back in Paradise

Alberta Golf (Lethbridge) – The 113th Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship is being held this week at Paradise Canyon Golf Resort in Lethbridge. It’s the first time since 1993 that Paradise Canyon has been the host and the only player in the field to play in both events is 67-year-old David Schultz of Calgary. Schultz is the recent winner of the 2023 and 2024 Alberta Men’s Super Senior Championship and he also won the 2024 Alberta Men’s Senior Championship to qualify for this event. What did Schultz think when Paradise Canyon was announced as the host for this event in 2025?
“I wasn’t thinking too much until I won the Alberta Men’s Senior Championship and I got an exemption,” Schultz explained. “I thought why not, I’ll give it one last farewell tour and play with the kids and see what happens.”

Stepping on the property this week, and shooting a tidy 3-under par 68 in a practice round, Schultz didn’t think much had changed with the dramatic layout in the canyons.
“It was a beautiful place, we came down here in 1993 knowing it was a couple years old and it was great, a beautiful golf course. We had a lot of fun, a lot of good play that week,” Schultz explained. “I shot 70 on the final day to sneak into 2nd place but no one was catching Darryl James who blew the field away that week and won by 7 strokes. To be the only player in the field coming back here after 32 years, I’m really enjoying it.”

In 1993 no one was catching Darryl James for the title, but there were 3 more spots on the Willingdon Cup for Team Alberta up for grabs. Schultz came 2nd and made the team along with Keith Whitecotton. Home course player Jamie Freel outdueled the likes of Harold Pasechnik and 64-year-old legend Bob Wylie to make the team.

“Coming in 2nd to make the Willingdon Cup team was a thrill,” Schultz said. “Myself, Darryl James, Keith Whitecotton and Jamie Freel went to Victoria and won the Willingdon Cup so it was a great year.”

David and his wife Karen will be celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary this November. Karen is David’s caddie this week and almost every week the past 40 years except at Paradise Canyon in 1993 when their kids were very young.

“Oh it’s great to have that support, it’s good she still puts up with me, I’m not always the best on a golf course like any golfer,” Schultz admitted. “We’ve had a lot of good trips together, we’ve travelled the world, I’ve played so many tournaments and she’s always caddied so it’s been a lot of fun.”
Karen had a front row seat to David shooting an even par 71 in round 1 and says she always loves being the caddie and watching great golf.

“David’s 71 today was solid and outplaying some of the young kids? I think that’s fun and to be honest fairly normal,” Karen chuckled. “I like the ups and downs of it all, I think it’s just fun to watch, it’s exciting, I like watching all the good players play,”

Jesse Galvon, Ryan Werre and David Schultz
Turns out Schultz is indeed hanging in with the kids just fine, shooting an opening round even par 71. An amazing story that can only be topped if he somehow shoots his age of 67 in round 2.
“It was solid, I made a couple good up and downs, had one lucky break on 18,” Schultz said. “Could have made a couple more putts, but overall pretty solid. The ball and the course don’t know how old I am.”
As for how Schultz’s game has changed over the past 32 years?
“I don’t hit it like the kids but I know where it’s going,” Schultz said. “I’m probably straighter now than I’ve ever been in my career which certainly helps, and I still have the competitive urge, it’s a lot of fun.”
WATCH VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH DAVID AND KAREN SCHULTZ
113th Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship Preview

The 113th Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship gets underway tomorrow at Paradise Canyon Country Club. This is the first time Paradise Canyon has hosted the Men’s Amateur since 1993, a year after they opened.
This week there’s a lot at stake. The Men’s Amateur not only names the best male amateur golfer in the province, but has been used as a spring board for many players careers. The winner is named to the Morse Cup Interprovincial team for 2026 and competes at the Pacific Coast Amateur championship. There are also 18 quota spots available for the top finishers with Alberta residence. This will also be the first event with an interprovincial team being named, with the top three finishers with Alberta residence making up the 2025 Willingdon Cup Team to compete at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.
The list of high-profile players is long including past champions like Brett Jones, Mike Valk, and Braden O’Grady. Also a part of the list are Mid-Amateur Champions like Jesse Galvon, the defending Senior Champion David Schultz, 2025 Glencoe Invitational Champion Brandon Markiw, Alberta’s U19 and U17 Champions Ryan Gillis and Patrick McLarty.
Click the link below to read more about the course and hear from our defending champion, Brett Jones, in the 2025 Alberta Golf Yearbook.
Tom McKinlay Jr. Wins 2025 Alberta Men’s Mid-Master Championship

Alberta Golf (Lacombe) – The first full championship for Alberta Golf in 2025 was held this week at Lacombe Golf and Country Club. The Alberta Men’s Mid-Master Championship for competitors aged 40 and over was held Monday through Wednesday at the historical course celebrating it’s 100th anniversary this year. There’s no bigger golfing family in the Lacombe area than the McKinlays, with three generations of golfers coming out of the club. Brady McKinlay is a 24-year-old professional, he and his wife Caylyn were on hand with the entire McKinlay family to cheer on Brady’s uncles Tom McKinlay Jr. and Bobby McKinlay. Tom started the day with a one shot lead on defending champion Christopher Thayer. After a front 9 3-under 33 with three birdies and no bogeys, the lead grew to 3 shots. After birdies on 11 and 12 McKinlay Jr built and 6 stroke advantage on Ryan Vallely. Despite a double bogey on the par 3 15th hole, McKinlay Jr shot a final round 3-under par 68 for a 4 stroke victory over Christopher Thayer and earned an emotional home course win in front of friends and family.



WATCH INTERVIEW WITH CHAMPION TOM MCKINLAY JR
The Lacombe Golf and Country Club were outstanding hosts and congratulations on your 100 years as a club in Alberta.

Weston Gillett – Head Professional Lacombe Golf & Country Club