Hughes and Martin share lead at Ladies Amateur Championship
Alberta Golf (Edmonton) – Kenna Hughes from Willow Park Golf & CC in Calgary and Becky Martin who plays out of the Medicine Hat Golf & CC both shot rounds of 2 over 73 at The Ranch Golf & CC just west of Edmonton. Hughes and Martin share the lead after round one of the Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship after a cool but dry first day of action.
In the 25 and over Mid Amateur division Becky Martin has a 2 shot lead on Kylie Barros of the Glendale Golf & CC.
In the 40 and over Mid Master category Cheryl Newman of the Canyon Meadows Golf & CC in Calgary leads Gail Barros from the Edmonton Petroleum Golf & CC by one stroke.
Cheryl Newman and her daughter Sydney Scraba (Pictured below) join Gail and Kylie Barros as the 2 mother/daughter combos in this year’s field.
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Major and Hauck top honours at Alberta Senior Mens Qualifier
Alberta Golf (Carseland) – The first qualifier for this summer’s Alberta Senior Mens Championship was held Monday at Speargrass Golf Course south east of Calgary.
Peter Major of the Calgary Golf & CC and Randy Hauck of the Picture Butte Golf Club shared top medalist honours shooting 1 over 73.
In all 43 qualifiers and 3 alternates emerged from the 98 player field.
The Alberta Senior Mens Championship will be held at the Derrick Golf & Winter Club from July 30th-August 1st.
Preview: 2019 Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship
Alberta Golf (Edmonton) –
The 2019 Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship is set to begin Tuesday with 41 players competing for the prestigious title. The 54-hole stroke play tournament field is made up of competitors who range from 13-year-old Jayla Kucy to 61-year-old Candace Wickens.
KEY INFO
Dates: July 9-11
Course: The Ranch Golf & CC
Yards/Par: 5,751 yards/71
Field: 41
2018 Champion: Kat Kennedy
2018 Mid Amateur: Alexis Skyesong
2018 Mid Master Champion: Barbara Flaman
Format: 54 holes of stroke play
Social: #abladiesam
LOOKING BACK
The 2018 Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship saw Kat Kennedy of Okotoks outlast Sydney Colwill of Arizona at Willow Park Golf Course in Calgary as both players went low shooting rounds of 66 and 67 respectively in the final round as Kennedy won the title by 1.
HISTORY
The Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship was first contested in 1929. The Mid Amateur and Mid Master divisions were added to the event in 2003 and 2010, respectively. Sun Life Financial has been a proud sponsor of the event since 2002.
2010–Ashley Smith
2011–Nicole Zhang
2012–Jocelyn Alford
2013–Jocelyn Alford
2014–Jaclyn Lee
2015–Jennifer Ha
2016–Jaclyn Lee
2017–Sabrine Garrison
2018- Kat Kennedy
NOTABLES
- Sabrine Garrison– 2017 Alberta Ladies Amateur Champion
- Kehler Koss– 2017 Junior Girls Champion, 2019 Calgary City Ladies Champion
- Taylor Stone – 2018 Future Links, driven by Acura Western Champion
- Kaitlyn Wingnean – 2017 Alberta Bantam Girls Champion
- Barbara Flaman – 2018 Alberta Senior Ladies & Alberta ladies Mid Master Champion
FAST FACTS
- There are three contests up for grabs this week. The Amateur Championship which is open to all competitors, the Mid Amateur Championship for those aged 25 and over, and the Mid Master Championship for those aged 40 and over.
- The top three competitors at weeks end will make up Team Alberta at the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Red Deer Golf & CC July 23-26.
ABOUT THE COURSE
The Ranch features all the facilities of one of the top golf courses around Edmonton. These include:
- Our championship-calibre course
- A fully-stocked pro shop—in 2012 we were named Merchandiser of the Year by the PGA of Alberta and Retailer of the Year by the PGA of Canada for all of Canada
- Our licensed clubhouse, featuring a full menu for golfers and visitors
- A driving range for warm-up, lessons, and practice
- Pitching and putting greens for you to round out that short game
At The Ranch, our comprehensive facilities allow us to cover all of your golfing needs. This is one of many reasons we’ve been ranked as one of Canada’s top 100 courses.
More information on the Ranch Golf & CC can be found here.
ABOUT THE SPONSOR
Sun Life Financial has served Canadians for 150 years. With an array of products and services, Sun Life is able to offer trusted solutions for customer’s needs. Beyond business, Sun Life is committed to operating in a socially responsible way and acting as a good corporate citizen. Sun Life Financial has been a dedicated sponsor of the Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship for 16 years.
MEDIA
VIDEO: Stampede Breakfast at Golf Canada Calgary Centre
Ackroyd and Graf take provincial junior titles
Alberta Golf (High River) – Defending junior girls champion Annabelle Ackroyd of the Glencoe Golf & CC shot a 3 over round of 73 at Highwood Golf to defend her Alberta Junior Championship title with an impressive 9 stroke victory over Victoria Tse and Kaitlyn Wingnean.
Kaitlyn Wingnean of the Derrick Golf & Winter Club shot a 3 over round of 73 to win the Juvenile Girls title by a whopping 16 strokes.
Victoria Tse will join Wingnean and Ackroyd on Team Alberta that will compete later this summer at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship at the Lethbridge Country Club.
On the boys side Carter Graf of the Red Deer Golf & CC outlasted UBC golfer Ethan de Graaf to take the title with a 1 shot victory. Graf had a clutch par save on the par 4 17th hole to help secure the title.
Tommy McKenzie from the Priddis Greens Golf & CC won a 4 player playoff to take the Juvenile Boys championship.
Team Alberta on the boys side will see Carter Graf, Ethan de Graaf and Brady McKinlay from the Lacombe Golf & CC compete later this summer at the Canadian Junior Boys Championship at Covered Bridge Golf & CC in Nova Scotia.
FINAL ROUND VIDEO FEATURE – WATCH:
FULL FIELD JUVENILE BOYS SCORES
The Ranch Hosts the Ladies Amateur
After a great Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur in southern Alberta last year at Willow Park the women are headed north in 2019.
It will be the first time The Ranch Golf and Country Club has hosted the Ladies Amateur, but it most certainly is not their first rodeo, so to speak.
“We’ve hosted PGA club pro championships. We’ve really hosted PGA events here at least one every year over the last decade,” said Murray McCourt, General Manager at The Ranch Golf & Country Club. “The Ranch certainly has a long history of hosting quality events, including some Canadian Tour events back in the early 90’s.”
So, what was it which prompted McCourt and his group to step forward and host the Ladies Amateur July 9-11?
“Over the past couple of years, the ladies golf market here at The Ranch has been on the uptick, more and more women have been coming out here and playing and really enjoying the golf course and what it has to offer,” said McCourt. He engaged in talks with Alberta Golf, feeling the course would be a great fit for this event.
The Ranch will provide a nice balance to test the best women golfers in Alberta with plenty of bunkers, some open holes, well-treed holes and some with enough water to get your attention.
“It’s a course where you certainly need a strategy in order to get around and score,” says McCourt. “Accuracy would be at the top of the list.”
“If you just grab a driver and try to smash it around here all day, you’re going to lose a golf ball or two I think,” he said.
The final four holes at The Ranch may provide a turning point for somebody hanging on to win the tournament or trying to make a charge on the final day.
“They’re all extremely difficult holes and lots of water comes into play and lots of trees come into play,” said McCourt.
He singled out #18 as one that the women will need to have their focus. It measures anywhere from 254 yards to 439 yards and has two different fairways. A specific strategy could depend on the tee in play that day. The closer tee means less water to cover but from further back you have trees to deal with so option one might be the fairway on the left which makes for a longer hole with water on the right side.
“So, you have a very narrow landing area that is very punishable on both sides and then you have a long carry to get to the green over a lot of water,” said McCourt, adding there is a grouping of bunkers protecting the putting surface. He advises being below the hole because putting downhill on this green can be a bit tricky.
“It’s just a challenge all the way through to make sure you’re paying attention to your game and never lose focus on any shot around the golf course,” said McCourt. “But there are some holes that are birdie-able and I’m sure some of those better players who are in the field will take advantage and there will be some birdies but there’ll also be some big numbers as well.”
The Ranch will undergo a major bunker renovation before the ladies tee it up with some being removed. Those left over will get a makeover. It remains to be seen if these changes will impact scoring during the tournament, but McCourt says in the end it will make The Ranch a bit more user-friendly for the casual player.
“It’s going to be fun because we’ve never had the best women players in the province play here and we’re excited to see how that looks.”
This being Alberta, weather can impact any golf tournament with wind, rain and even scorching heat. McCourt says if we get a real soaker during the tournament, he’s not worried as the course drains quickly.
“But if we get a drought year and we are trying to keep the course green and lush the water still likes to run away, and we dry out a little bit easier than other golf courses. If it does dry out, you’ll get a lot more roll on the fairway. It might not make it easier, but the ball might roll into places you don’t want it to.”
The Ranch has a reputation for hosting solid PGA events and there is no reason to think these ladies will not get the same red-carpet treatment in July.
The Ranch Hosts the Ladies Amateur
This article was originally published in the 2019 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.
Tough conditions tighten the field at provincial junior championships
Alberta Golf (High River) – Tough wet conditions at Highwood Golf for round 3 of the Alberta Junior Championship meant only 2 players on either the boys or girls division broke par on Thursday. Joel Sullivan of Country Hills golf & CC rocketed into the top 20 after shooting a round of 66. UBC golfer Ethan de Graaf had the best round among the contenders shooting and even par 70 to sit 4 shots back of leader Carter Graf who’s 5 over 75 has brought a half dozen players back into the championship with one round to go.
Defending junior girls champion Annabelle Ackroyd of the Glencoe Golf & CC shot a 2 over round of 72 to extend her lead to 4 strokes over Victoria Tse and 9 shots clear of Kaitlyn Wingnean with one round to go.
Tommy McKenzie and Cooper Lindberg are tied for the lead in the Juvenile Boys division while Kaitlyn Wingnean of the Derrick Golf & Winter Club has a massive 10 shot lead in the Juvenile Girls competition.
FULL FIELD JUVENILE BOYS SCORES
VIDEO: Families enjoy Calgary Golf Festival presented by Shaw Charity Classic
Rody, Graf and Ackroyd go low in round 2 at provincial juniors
Alberta Golf (High River) – Carson Rody of the Glencoe Golf & CC moved up 25 spots after a second round 66 at Highwood Golf in the Alberta Junior Championship. Rody shared low round of the day with leader Carter Graf of Red Deer. Rody moved up to a tie for 8th with 2 rounds to go and sits 2nd, I shot behind Cooper Lindberg in the U17 Juvenile competition.
Defending junior girls champion Annabelle Ackroyd leads Victoria Tse and Kaitlyn Wingnean by 3 strokes after a 2 under 68 on Wednesday.
FULL FIELD JUVENILE BOYS SCORES