Flaman and Carrington lead Senior Ladies Championship
Alberta Golf (Rocky Mountain House) – Defending champion Barbara Flaman and 2-time champion Kim Carrington played together during round one of the Alberta Senior Ladies Championship on Tuesday. Both shot rounds of 2 over 75 to share the lead after round one on a gorgeous day at Pine Hills Golf Club in Rocky Mountain House.
Flaman and Carrington played alongside 2014 and 2015 champion Jackie Little. Round 2 of the 54 hole provincial championship goes Wednesday morning.
2019 ATB Financial Junior Golf Clinic
In conjunction with the 2019 ATB Financial Classic, ATB Financial will be conducting a Junior Golf Clinic on Saturday, August 10 at the Blue Devil Golf Club in Calgary. The clinic is for kids aged 6-12, and provides the opportunity to learn some golf fundamentals from PGA TOUR Canada Professionals.
Preview: 2019 Alberta Senior Ladies Championship
Alberta Golf (Rocky Mountain House) – The 2019 Alberta Senior Ladies Championship is set to begin Tuesday July 23rd at Pine Hills Golf Club in Rocky Mountain House with 49 players competing for the provincial senior crown. The 54-hole stroke play tournament field is made up of competitors who are over the age of 50 as of the first day of the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship.
KEY INFO
Dates: July 23-25
Course: Pine Hills Golf Club
Yards/Par: 5,675 yards/73
Field: 49 players
2018 Champion: Barbara Flaman
2018 Super Senior Champion: Alison Murdoch
Format: 54 holes of stroke play
Social: #absrladies
LOOKING BACK
Barbara Flaman entered the final round of the 2018 Senior Ladies Championship at Woodside Golf Course with a two stroke lead over a decorated champion in Jackie Little.
The 56-year-old from Sherwood Park looked to be on cruise control early on by making all pars and a single birdie through the first seven holes. After a rough patch in the middle of her round Flaman executed perfectly on the closing hole making a clutch par four to win by a single stroke over Little.
During the awards presentation Flaman credited her mentor, an eight-time Alberta Senior Ladies Champion, Diane Williams for providing sage advice that helped calm her nerves during the final round.
Flaman has already had a great 2019, winning the Mid Master championship at the Sun Life Financial Alberta Women’s Amateur Championship at The Ranch Golf & CC in Edmonton.
Flaman has also been given direct entry into the 2019 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship Aug 24-29 at Cedar Rapids Country Club in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
HISTORY
The Alberta Senior Ladies Championship was first contested in 1964.
2010–Alison Murdoch
2011–Diane Williams
2012–Alison Murdoch
2013–Jackie Little
2014–Jackie Little
2015–Kim Carrington
2016–Lynn Kuehn
2017–Kim Carrington
2018- Barbara Flaman
NOTABLES
- Barbara Flaman – Defending champion. Alberta Ladies Mid Master Champion (2018 and 2019)
- Kim Carrington – Two-time Senior Ladies Champion (2015 and 2017)
- Alison Murdoch – Two-time Senior Ladies Champion (2010 and 2012)
- Jackie Little – Three-time Senior Ladies Champion (2009, 2013 and 2014)
FAST FACTS
- There are three contests up for grabs this week. The Senior Championship for those aged 50 & over, the Super Senior for those aged 65 & over and an overall low net contest.
- The top three competitors at weeks end will make up Team Alberta at the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur & Senior Championship at Osoyoos Golf Club Aug 18-20 2019.
ABOUT THE COURSE
Pine Hills Golf Club is the perfect balance of challenge and beauty. 18 performance inspiring holes embraced by countless awe inspiring scenic views…perfectly secluded with nature. A delight to play yet difficult to master.
Pine Hills was established in 1964 originally as a 9 hole layout. In 1989 renowned Canadian golf course architect Sid Puddicombe integrated an additional 9 holes in unison with other improvements. The result…an 18 hole par 72 championship golf course that harmonizes perfectly with nature.
More information on the Pine Hills Golf Club can be found here.
MEDIA
Andrew Harrison wins weather-shortened Alberta Mens Amateur
Alberta Golf (Ponoka) – The 3rd and final round of the Sun Life Financial Alberta Mens Amateur Championship was cancelled Friday due to bad weather. The provincial championship played at Wolf Creek Golf Resort ends after 36 holes with Andrew Harrison the champion. The 22-year-old from Camrose adds the provincial title to his Alberta Open win in June.
“It’s not the way I pictured winning the Alberta Amateur.” Said Harrison “I’m really proud of how I played the first two days. It’s awesome, I’ve always wanted to win this one and it’s really cool to get it done.”
VIDEO: 1 on 1 with the champion.
Harrison along with Matt Bean of Canmore and Max Murchison of Calgary will make up Team Alberta for the Willingdon Cup competition at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship Aug 5-8 at Glen Arbour Golf Course in Nova Scotia.
Alberta Set to Host Two National Events
Alberta Set to Host Two National Events
When competitors in this year’s Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship and Canadian Junior Girls Championship arrive in Alberta, they will not only be playing for history, they will be playing on it.
Red Deer Golf and Country Club plays host to the Amateur from July 23 to 26 and Lethbridge Country Club welcomes the Junior Girls the following week, July 30-Aug. 2.
The Amateur, first played in 1901, boasts an impressive list of champions with World Golf Hall of Fame member Marlene Stewart Streit topping the list. Other winners include Canadian Golf Hall of Fame members Jocelyn Bourassa, Ada Mackenzie, Dawn-Coe Jones, Alberta’s own Marilyn O’Connor, and several others. Brooke Henderson won the Amateur in 2013 prior to embarking on a phenomenal pro career on the LPGA Tour.
While the Junior Girls Championship is comparatively young, dating back “only” to 1955, its roster of winners also includes some of our finest female golfers such as Sandra Post who won the title in three consecutive years: 1964, 1965 and 1966. Unbelievably, her accomplishment was outshone by Heather Kuzmich who won four straight from 1981 through 1984. Henderson won it in 2012 and other Canadian girls who went on to the pro ranks with a Junior Girls victory on their resume include Maddie Szeryk, Maude-Aimee Leblanc, and Alena Sharp among others.
Like the championships themselves, this year’s venues have impressive histories of their own.
Red Deer G&CC can trace its roots (literally) to a rudimentary six holes laid out on leased land in 1919 before moving to its current location in 1922. Similarly, Lethbridge CC was founded in 1913 before moving permanently in the mid-1920s. Each has welcomed prestigious professional and amateur events throughout the years.
Photo: Red Deer Golf and Country Club
In fact, says Brian Huculak, General Manager and PGA of Canada Executive Professional at Lethbridge CC, it was the gratifying experience of playing host to the 2012 Canadian Women’s Amateur that motivated his club to invite another national championship. Current LPGA star Ariya Jutanugarn, then 16, was the winner.
“It was a great experience,” he says. “Everyone from the players to the spectators to our members enjoyed it thoroughly. That’s why we reached out to Golf Canada for another tournament.”
Photo: Lethbridge Country Club
Don McFarlane, General Manager and PGA of Canada Executive Professional at Red Deer G&CC, says his club eagerly anticipates welcoming the Women’s Amateur for a number of reasons. The club loved hosting the Alberta Ladies Amateur a couple of years ago, for one. Showcasing their historic, beautiful and challenging golf course is another, but there is a more altruistic motive, he says.
“It’s a matter of giving back to grow the game,” says McFarlane. “In our opinion, every club is obligated to help in any way they can, so when we host any event, we feel we are doing just that. It’s not just about hosting a tournament. It’s about doing our part for the game.”
Huculak agrees, having seen promising signs of growing interest among girls and women recently. “It was tough there for a while, but we’re seeing an improvement.”
His observation is reflected by recent research by the World Golf Foundation which reports that the percentage of junior golfers who are female has doubled over the past 10 years. This increase is due to a number of factors including not only more focus on girls by forward-thinking golf facilities, but provincial and national initiatives such as Golf Canada’s Girls Club, part of the Future Links program.
“Girls Club was designed to provide a welcoming atmosphere in which girls can excel at developing their skills and interest in the sport with their female peers,” says Golf Canada. “Developed for girls ages seven to 18, Girls Club hopes to bridge the gap between the high number of boys playing golf in comparison to girls.”
Then, according to Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer, there’s the ‘Brooke Effect’.
“Certainly, from a participation standpoint, we are seeing a bump in girls interested in golf in our country because of the Brooke Henderson factor and I am sure that will surge as she continues to succeed on the LPGA Tour,” says Thompson.
So, if the trend of more girls taking up the game continues, we can thank forward-thinking clubs such as Red Deer and Lethbridge, along with progressive initiatives from Alberta Golf and Golf Canada. But golf can’t progress with just them “growing the game.” It will take a commitment from everyone who cares about the future of the game.
Alberta Set to Host Two National Events
This article was originally published in the 2019 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.
3rd and Final round of Alberta Mens Amateur cancelled due to bad weather
Alberta Golf (Ponoka) – The 3rd and final round of the Sun Life Financial Alberta Mens Amateur Championship have been cancelled due to bad weather. The provincial championship played at Wolf Creek Golf Resort ends after 36 holes with Andrew Harrison the champion. Prize presentation will happen at 9:30 in the Wolf Creek clubhouse.
Play suspended until Friday morning at Mens Amateur
Alberta Golf (Ponoka) – Competitors in the Sun Life Financial Alberta Mens Amateur Championship at Wolf Creek Golf Resort in Ponoka started round 3 on Thursday after a 4 hour weather delay. The leaders were mid way through their front 9 when play was suspended for the day due to heavy rain. Round 3 will resume Friday morning at 8am with the hopes of getting all 72 holes in by Friday evening. Andrew Harrison of Camrose had a 4 shot lead on Canmore’s Matt Bean at the start of round 3.
Royal Portrush hosts Open Championship
Royal Portrush
Home of the 2019 Open Championship
You can’t miss this sign as you roll into town: ‘Welcome to Portrush, Major Golf Capital of the World.’ With that billing, it’s about time that major championship action returned to this seaside charmer in Northern Ireland.
Situated along the Antrim Coast, just minutes from the landmark Giant’s Causeway, Royal Portrush Golf Club will be in the spotlight as site of the 2019 Open Championship, marking only the second time — and first since the early 1950s — that the Claret Jug will be awarded outside of England or Scotland.
“It’s been a long time coming,” grinned Northern Ireland’s own Darren Clarke during a trip to Calgary last summer for the 2018 Shaw Charity Classic. “Royal Portrush is one of the best golf courses in the world — it’s brilliant, it is absolutely sensational — and for us to be able to highlight that, going to a global audience, I think it’s incredible. It will be an unbelievable event.”
The global audience should be warned — once you get a glimpse of the Dunluce Links, you will be tempted to immediately book your own trip.
Clarke’s is one of three names on that entrance sign in Portrush, a reminder of his triumph at The Open Championship — around these parts, you should expect a sideways look if you call it the British Open — at Royal St. George’s in 2011. Fred Daly (British Open, 1947) and Graeme McDowell (U.S. Open, 2010) are the other local legends with major victories, while Brooks Koepka’s caddie, Ricky Elliott, also hails from this golf-keen community about an hour north of Belfast. That is a lot of hardware for a town of roughly 7,000 residents.
In July, the best of the best will be digging divots in their backyard. Especially in the era of high-def, you can’t help but watch coverage of the majors and find yourself thinking, ‘Whoa, I’ve gotta play there!’ The good news is that in 2019, it’s more plausible than ever in the past, with three of the PGA Tour’s four biggies being contested at public-access offerings.
Augusta National, of course, remains off-limits to Ordinary Joes and Joans, but the PGA Championship — with its new spring slot on the schedule — was held at Bethpage Black, while Pebble Beach marked it’s centennial by playing host to the U.S. Open.
A fixture on international best-of lists, the prep at Royal Portrush included the addition of two new holes. This linksy layout is every bit as good as the admittedly-biased Clarke says, but golf-trippers are as likely to return talking about the proud and hospitable folks who call this area home. They will point out Dunluce Castle — you’ll be treated to a great view from the fifth green, set smack-dab on the shoreline — and tell you about Michael Jackson’s bid to purchase that historic property.
They can direct you to some of the many Game of Thrones filming locations in this area, or suggest their favourite spot for a meal and a pint of Guinness. If there’s a downpour of rain (“Just a wee spit”) or a wicked wind (“Just a wee breeze”), they might even offer to lend you their weather-tested gear. And most will be tickled to talk golf, not only their dandy Dunluce Links but the others that make this a must-play destination for the par-seeking public.
Just up the road and up the Antrim Coast is the Strand Course at Portstewart, with perhaps the finest front nine you’ll find. Located about two hours away on the opposite side of Belfast is the scenic and stout Royal County Down, which topped Golf Digest’s latest listing of the World’s 100 Greatest Courses. (You won’t have to scroll much further to find Royal Portrush, ranked seventh.)
Its neighbour, cliff-hugging Ardglass Golf Club, boasts the oldest clubhouse building in the world.
On this particular night, just a short drive from Portrush in the pub at The Bushmills Inn, the man at the microphone paused between tunes to poll the polo-shirted crowd. “Have you been humbled by our golf courses?” he asked with a crooked grin. “When people tell you it takes a lot of balls to play golf in Ireland, now you know what it means!”
Once headline news for all the wrong reasons, there has been peace in Northern Ireland for the past two decades. In July, the spotlight shines on these deserving people and this special destination.
Royal Portrush has once before hosted the British Open, with Max Faulkner winning in 1951. It’s time for a new chapter for the self-proclaimed ‘Major Golf Capital of the World.’
“I’d be foolish to say I ever thought we’d get through the dark times in Northern Ireland to get to this stage where we have the biggest and best tournament in the world,” Clarke told reporters when the R&A announced that his home club would host the 2019 Open Champ
Now, you really should see it for yourself.
Royal Portrush
This article was originally published in the 2019 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.
Harrison extends lead at Alberta Mens Amateur Championship
Alberta Golf (Ponoka) – Andrew Harrison of Camrose shot a 2nd consecutive 2 under 69 to extend his lead at the midway point of the Sun Life Financial Alberta Mens Amateur Championship at Wolf Creek Golf Resort in Ponoka. The 22-year-old won the Alberta Open Championship in June and had a solid Wednesday with 5 birdies and 3 bogeys including a birdie on 18.
Matt Bean of Canmore was 6 under par after 8 holes but a quadruple bogey on the back nine derailed his round until a birdie at the last kept his round in the 60s with a 2 under 69 and has him sitting in second place 4 shots back.
Andrew Harrison in his own words after round 2. WATCH:
VIDEO: Alberta Junior Tour introduces kids to competitive golf
Alberta Golf (Wetaskiwin) – Alberta Golf now runs the McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Tour. The 24 event tour across Alberta hit Montgomery Glen Golf & CC in Wetaskiwin on Wednesday and is a great place for kids aged 10-18 to get exposed to tournament golf, learn the rules, acquire life skills, meet new friends and have fun playing the game.
McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Tour Video. WATCH: