PINEHURST, N.C. – Three Canadians are competing at the LPGA’s revamped Qualifying Tournament, which gets underway Oct. 24 at Pinehurst Resort and concludes Nov. 3, where 45 players earning LPGA Tour status for the 2019 season.

What Canadians are competing?

Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que., Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City and Team Canada National Amateur Squad member Jaclyn Lee of Calgary.

What is Q-Series?

One of the biggest changes coming to the LPGA in 2018 is the revamping of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament, the process whereby players from Canada and and all over the world compete to earn membership onto the LPGA.

Formerly, qualifying was a three-step process, where non-members generally start at Stage I in California. The top 80 and ties advanced from Stage II to Final Stage, where the top 20 earned what is considered “full” LPGA membership, while finishers 21 through 45 earn “partial” or “conditional” LPGA membership.

What’s Staying the Same?

Stage I and Stage II of LPGA Qualifying Tournament remain unchanged. Recent college graduates, those testing the waters early and the influx of players around the world hoping to reach the LPGA will still have to grind through the five-round gauntlet that is Stage I, which some consider the hardest because of the pressure and the 115–degree summer temps in the desert.

What’s Changing?

Instead of Stage II feeding into Final Stage, it feed into the Symetra Tour, for the most part. There will be some exceptions where top finishers at Stage II will qualify for the Q-Series.

Final Stage in Daytona Beach will be replaced by this new concept called the Q-Series, which begins this week. It consists of two weeks of golf, with eight days of tournament play on two separate golf courses at Pinehurst Resort, and scores will be cumulative over the eight rounds of competition.

Who Qualifies for the Q-Series?

The major goal of the Q-Series is to identify the most LPGA-ready talent. In the past, Final Stage was at one golf club, played over five rounds. Someone could have a bad week or catch the flu or experience the yips on the greens. It’s a roll of the dice. One tournament over five rounds doesn’t adequately provide the best glimpse at who should be on the LPGA.

That’s where Q-Series helps identify the top performers. Players that finish No. 101 to 150 on the LPGA money list during the current season will qualify, along with those that finish No. 11 through 30 on the Symetra Tour money list. Players in the top 75 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings will also qualify for Q-Series.

Additionally, the top five players according to Golfweek’s Collegiate Rankings will also skip Stages I and II and right into the Q-Series.

Finally, the top finishers from Stage II will round out the field.

The field will be 102 players and there will be approximately 45 spots up for grabs for the 2019 season. Click here for scoring.

MEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Laurent Desmarchais gained 186 spots in the world rankings after taking individual honours at the PING CCAA National Championship. It was the second consecutive victory in as many tournaments for the Quebec golfer who also earned tournament all-star honours. The result also moved him up to No. 7 in the Canadian rankings.

Myles Creighton  and Golf Canada National Team member Joey Savoie were the only other Top 10 golfers to make any positive gains this past week, picking up 19 and six places respectively in the world rankings.

Biggest move: Michael Harrison of Camrose, AB, gained 856 spots in the world rankings following a sixth place finish at the PING CCAA National Championship.

WOMEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Jaclyn Lee begins her second week atop the amateur rankings by picking up two places in the world rankings as she continues her quest at LPGA Q-School. The Golf Canada National Team member from Calgary has advanced through to the final stage, where the top 45 players will earn LPGA status for 2019.

After relinquishing the top amateur ranking in Canada last week, Golf Canada National Team member Maddie Szeryk falls off the amateur world rankings table following completion of the second stage of LPGA Q-School. While Szeryk failed to advance to the final stage, she has earned status on the Symetra Tour for 2019.

Szeryk’s departure means Tiffany Kong makes her Top 10 debut, taking over the No. 10 amateur ranking in Canada.

Biggest Move: Emily Romancew of Pierrefonds, QC., gained 363 spots in the world rankings after taking the individual title at the PING CCAA National Championship.

Click here for the full World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR)

MEN’S TOP 10

Adam Hadwin picked up three places in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 10th at The CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges. The result was his first points-paying finish of the new season and was worth 6.75 world ranking points, leaving him at No. 60 in the world which is where he ended the year last year.

Other notable results: No. 6 Austin Connelly missed the cut at the European Tour Andalucia Valderrama Masters;

Click here for the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR)

WOMEN’S TOP 10

No. 5 ranked Maude-Aimee Leblanc was the only player inside the Top 10 to make a positive gain in the world rankings, picking up three places.

Top ranked Brooke Henderson finished in a tie for 26th at the Buick LPGA Shanghai. That result was worth 2.31 world ranking points and enabled her to maintain her No. 8 world ranking. Henderson has now picked up world ranking points in each of her last 12 tournaments.

Click here for the Rolex Women’s Golf Rankings.

TORONTO – Sporting Life Inc. and Golf Town Limited  have announced they will merge to become Sporting Life Group Limited (“SLG”).

Sporting Life is a premium sports and lifestyle retailer that provides an assortment of high-end sport and lifestyle brands coupled with a focus on premium customer service. It currently has 11 locations operating in Ontario, Alberta and Quebec, following the recent opening of a 27, 500 square foot store last week. In 2019, it will open another flagship store in the new “Amazing Brentwood” Mall in Vancouver.

Golf Town is the largest retailer for golf apparel and equipment in Canada, with a national footprint of 47 stores. Golf Town has been incredibly successful since its acquisition by Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (“Fairfax”) (TSX: FFH and FFH.U) and certain funds managed by Signature Global Asset Management, a division of CI Investments Inc., in 2016.

Fairfax, and founders David Russell and Patti Russell, were the owners of Sporting Life and both continue to be invested in Sporting Life Group.

The merger will see the two brands continue to maintain their brand identities and operate separately, but they will jointly invest in key people, technology and supply chain to enhance future profitable growth and synergies.

“Sporting Life experiences its strongest sales in the winter months, while Golf Town experiences its strongest sales in the summer months,” said David Russell, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Sporting Life. “We believe this to be a natural ‘hedge’ allowing both companies strong profitable performance throughout the year.”

“Enhancing our people, technology and supply chain while obtaining synergies will allow for a streamlined, profitable roll out of our expansion plans. We intend to add stores in B.C beyond Brentwood, more in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, and to enter Manitoba,” added Russell.

Golf Town continues to invest in its brand and network of stores with a next generation store concept launching in March 2019 in Richmond, B.C.

“Since the acquisition of Golf Town in 2016, we have invested in Canada on people, technology and our stores,” said Chad McKinnon, President of Golf Town. “This merger will accelerate that investment and open up new opportunities for our brand and our people, while maintaining the separate identity and teams of both brands.”

On the final day of competition at the 2018 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Golf National Championships, hosted by Medicine Hat College (MHC), four national champions were crowned.

The Red Deer College (RDC) Queens were the first Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) school to win a golf national championship.

“To take home gold at a national championship is incredible, not only for RDC but for Alberta golf,” says Scott Bergdahl, head coach for RDC Queens. “We have put a lot of resources into developing both the men and ladies teams in the last few years. So to be rewarded like this, in such a short period of time, is really outstanding. I think it’s really going to benefit the team and the program moving forward.”

On the men’s side the 2019 CCAA Golf National Championship Hosts, Cégep André-Laurendeau, secured a nine-stroke victory to raise a championship banner.

Individually, Emily Romancew from the John Abbott Islanders and Laurent Desmarchais from André-Laurendeau won their respective individual titles.

“Winning a national award and being able to say we have a national title for John Abbott is amazing. I think I played really well and I’m really satisfied with my overall week,” says Romancew.

The women’s team event was dominated by the ACAC.

RDC pulled away from the field with a four-day total of 625 to claim a gold medal. The MHC Rattlers fired a four-day total of 641 to earn the silver medal and the bronze medal went to the University of British Columbia (UBC) Okanagan Heat who had a four-day score of 666.

On the men’s side, the Boomerang d’André-Laurendeau had a dominating performance on their way to a national title. Their four-day total of 1138 was 14 under par and placed them nine strokes ahead of silver medalists Humber College who had a four-day total of 1147. The bronze medal went to the University of Fraser Valley (UFV) Cascades who tied with Champlain St. Lawrence but won the bronze on a count back. Both teams closed with four-day scores of 1171.

Thank you to @MHC_Rattlers @MHCollege @hpdesertblume and @TheGolfCanada for an incredible 2018 CCAA Golf National Championship Presented by @PingTour.

Final Round Recap available here: https://t.co/pMoj7IXS3a pic.twitter.com/W0XWwBUURr

— CCAA ?? ACSC (@CCAAsportsACSC) October 20, 2018

Romancew, led the women’s individual race from wire to wire. Her final total of 298 left her six strokes ahead of runner-up Shaye Leidenius from RDC. Alyssa Stoddart from the Fanshawe Falcons shot a four-day total of 305 to claim the bronze medal.

In men’s individual action, Laurent Desmarchais from André-Laurendeau shot an amazing 13 under par over four days to win gold. Cobber Watt had a solid week and earned the silver medal with a total eight under par 280. Desmarchais’ teammate Olivier Ménard took home the bronze with a four-day score of seven under par 281.

Tournament all-stars were also awarded. Winners for the women included Romancew, Leidenius and Stoddart. The men were represented by: Desmarchais, Menard and Philip Isabelle from Cégep André-Laurendeau, along with Watt from Humber College and Daniel Campbell from UFV.

Exemplary leadership awards, given out to the athletes who uphold the highest integrity of the game, and who show leadership and fair play both on and off the course, were given to Nicole Schultz of the Rattlers and Brad Byers from the Fanshawe Falcons.

On the last day of competition, the male athlete of the day was Kyle Claggett from the Cascades. Clagget was personable and polite throughout the week and always had a smile on his face.

The female athlete of the day was Stoddart. She was a strong competitor all week and her third round 69 was the tournament low on the ladies side. She was always friendly and supported her teammates and the other golfers throughout the week.

Our final team of the day was awarded to the UBC Okanagan Heat for their friendly and positive attitude. They battled hard each day and were rewarded with a bronze medal.

Men’s Team Results
Women’s Team Results
Men’s Individuals Results
Women’s Individuals Results

VENICE, Fla. – Canada’s top-ranked amateur golfer is making waves alongside this year’s LPGA hopefuls at Qualifying School.

Jacyln Lee, a five-year member of Team Canada’s National Squad program, advanced through the second stage of qualifying on Thursday at the Plantation Golf & Country Club. The 21-year-old Ohio State senior closed the 72-hole event at 3 under par (70-73-70-72) in a tie for 13th place.

With the finish, Lee is one of 25 to advance to Q-series stage from Oct. 22 – Nov. 3 at Pinehurst. Approximately 45 players will earn LPGA status.

Fellow Team Canada member Maddie Szeryk fell just short of the even-par cut line, finishing at 2 over par (75-73-72-70).

Excited to share that I’ve made it through to LPGA Q-Series!

Thanks to everyone who’s has been following along this past week. It means a lot to have your support! I’m ready for a fun week in Pinehurst ?

— Jaclyn Lee (@JaclynLee57) October 18, 2018

Click here for full scoring.

VENICE, Fla. — With the Symetra Tour season in the books and the LPGA Tour on its Asian swing, the remainder of eyes in the women’s golf world shift to the Sunshine State for Stage II of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament from Oct. 15-18.

A field of 193 players is set to compete in southwest Florida on the Panther Course and Bobcat Course at Plantation Golf & Country Club.

“The journey continues for those hoping to secure a LPGA card through Q-School,” said Mike Nichols, the Chief Business Officer of the Symetra Tour. “After graduating the top-10 players in the Volvik Race for the Card, it is an exciting time to not only usher the next wave to the big stage, but see who will join them in the relentless pursuit of their dreams.”

Individuals will battle in a 72-hole stroke play format featuring no cut.

Furthermore, a minimum of the top-25 players and ties will advance to Q-Series, contested from Oct. 22 through Nov. 3 in Pinehurst, N.C. at Pinehurst Resort. Those at the next score, or scores, will also advance provided that the total number of players in Q-Series does not exceed 108, which currently has 62 exempt and entered competitors.

Action begins at 8 a.m. ET all four days with the rotation of Bobcat Course-Panther Course to be used for the first two rounds. Meanwhile, the entire field will be re-paired by score and divided in half for round three, with lower scores playing the Panther Course and higher scores playing the Bobcat Course. Ties will be broken by the lowest, most recent round to determine which course an individual will play for the third round.

In the fourth round, players will alternate the course played in round three and be re-paired by score. For example, if a player starts the third round on the Bobcat Course, she will be re-paired by score and play the Panther Course for the fourth round.

Eight Canadians are in the field, including Aram Choi of Surrey, B.C., Krista Fenniak of For McMurray, Alta., Hannah Hellyer of Stirling, Ont., Jaclyn Lee of Team Canada who hails from Calgary, Megan Osland and Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., Team Canada Maddie Szyeryk of London, Ont., as well as Elizabeth Tong of Thornhill, Ont.

Click here for scoring.

Championship Returns to Alberta for 3rd Time Since Its Inception

Edmonton, Alberta (October 11, 2018) – The Canadian Junior Golf Association and the Junior America’s Cup Executive committee announced today that the Blackhawk Golf Club in Edmonton, Alberta will be the host venue for the 2019 Junior America’s Cup.

The 2019 competition will mark the 47th year of the Junior America’s Cup championship and the third time it will be held in the province of Alberta, the event will take place from July 22nd – 25th. The previous times the event was hosted in the province were 1986 and 2002, both times in the city of Calgary at the Calgary Golf & Country Club and the Silver Springs Country Club respectively. The 2002 competition was extra special as not only did Alberta host the championship, but the Alberta team comprised of Colin Norris, Dale Vallely, Ryan Lecuyer and Ryan Yip claimed victory on home soil.

Blackhawk Golf Club is located just southwest of Edmonton and is situated along the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The course which opened in 2003 was designed by Rod Whitman and was ranked as the best new course in Western Canada by Golf Digest in its inaugural year. The layout which boasts wide fairways, rugged bunkering and dynamic green sites is currently ranked 14th on Score Golf magazine’s Top 100 golf courses in the country.

“We are thrilled to be able to host the Junior America’s Cup next summer. The opportunity to host such a prestigious event only comes around so often, and we couldn’t be more excited to showcase Blackhawk and Edmonton to the elite field of international junior golfers” said Craig McArthur, Head Professional at Blackhawk Golf Club.

In hosting the 2019 competition, Blackhawk Golf Club will join a list of other prestigious venues to play host to the Junior America’s Cup that includes the likes of Pebble Beach (California), Sahalee (Washington), Wailalae (Hawaii) and Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club (British Columbia). Each of these venues, among others have played host to the elite competition over the past 47 years which has featured some of the most notable names in the professional game today taking part.

The Junior America’s Cup is an international team competition that features 72 players representing 18 teams from the western United States, Mexico, British Columbia and Alberta. Each team is comprised of four junior boys age 14 – 18 who compete over three days of competition. The players compete as part of a team with the low three scores each day of competition counting towards the team’s tournament total. The team with the lowest three-day total at the end of the week are crowned champions.

The first Junior America’s Cup was held in 1973 at the famed Pebble Beach Golf Links in California, that years championship team from the San Diego Golf Association included future PGA TOUR player Scott Simpson. Since that inaugural season a who’s who list of players that have gone on to the highest levels of the sport have competed in the event including the likes of Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Bryson DeChambeau and Adam Hadwin.

Scott McNevin, Executive Director of the Junior America’s Cup was excited to announce Blackhawk as the 2019 Host for the Championship.

“The Junior America’s Cup Executive Committee is excited to have the 2019 tournament at one of the top ranked courses in Canada, at Blackhawk Golf Club. It will be a great event in Edmonton and we are looking forward to the championship and having Alberta, and the Canadian Junior Golf Association, host the best junior golfers in North America.”

The Canadian Junior Golf Association will assume the role of host organizers for the championship and will work closely with the host facility, the provincial golf association and the JAC Executive Committee in all aspects of conducting the tournament including securing local sponsorship and finding host housing for the 72 players from across North America who will be competing in the event.

“The Canadian Junior Golf Association is once again proud to be part of this historic and prestigious championship and we are excited to be able to bring it to the Edmonton region in 2019. The Blackhawk Golf Club is one of the top golf facilities in the country and we look forward to showcasing it and the city of Edmonton to the teams at next years championship” said Earl Fritz, Executive Director of the Canadian Junior Golf Association.

This will be the fourth year that the Canadian Junior Golf Association will be involved with the Junior America’s Cup having acted as the stewards for Team Alberta since the 2015 event. In 2018 the competition was hosted in Anaconda, Montana where the team from Colorado took home the trophy with a final day charge that saw them overtake the team from Mexico. Alberta’s team comprised of Mason Harder, Jakob Chicoyne, Cater Graf & Ethan Choi managed to secure a 13th place finish in the event.
Media Contact

Reegan Price
Director, Tournament Operations
Canadian Junior Golf Association
reegan.price@cjga.com
289-242-3870

Alberta Golf is pleased to announce the Player Support portion of the 2018-19 Sport Development Program. This year’s program is an expansion of the High Performance Strategy released last year.

The program places an emphasis on sustainable athlete development throughout the province.

In 2019, each of our Sport Development Tiers have more clearly defined criteria, resources, benefits and recommended events:

Tier 1 – Club Players

• These players are playing the majority of their golf at their home course, or in their local community. There is minimal travel at this level. Recommended events at this level include the McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Tour and local Interclub events.

Tier 2 – Provincial Players

• These players are working on coordinating a travel schedule, as well as playing at their local club level. This is the most broad Tier of all and is a main focus for Alberta Golf. Organized in-season camps will be available to players in this Tier as well as event support from our top coaches. Opportunities to represent Team Alberta in this Tier include the Alberta/Montana Ryder Cup and the Western Canada Summer Games/Canada Summer Games. Recommended events at this level include the Alberta Bantam & Novice Championships and the Alberta Junior & Juvenile Championships, Future Links events, MJT, CJGA and City Junior events (CGA, CLGA & EGA)

Tier 3 – National Players

• These players are likely making the cut at a National Level competition. These players are actively playing golf at the highest level and have proven results on the Provincial and National stages. Criteria for this Tier will be continuously monitored throughout the year and players will be invited into this Tier as they meet the criteria. Players who meet this criteria will be contacted directly by Alberta Golf.
• Alberta Golf will support players at this level by subsidizing the costs that players incur for their training. Players are welcome to work with any sports professional of their choosing and subsidies will be paid directly to those professionals.

Tier 4 – International Players

• These players are representing Alberta on the International stage. Members of Team Canada are eligible for this Tier. Golf Canada Order of Merit and WAGR events are the focus of this Tier. Subsidies are available to these players.

Tier 3 and Tier 4 players will have access to the Alberta Golf Winter Program for High Performance Players.

Please click on the link to see the full document for more details.

In addition, Alberta Golf will be providing event support to all major events that Alberta players attend:

• Alberta Bantam
• Alberta Junior
• Alberta Men & Ladies Amateur
• Alberta Open
• Future Links Pacifics & Westerns
• Canadian Junior Boys & Girls
• Canadian Men’s & Ladies Amateur
• Alberta/Montana Ryder Cup
• Western Canada Summer Games (2019)
• Canada Summer Games (2021)

At National Level events, coaches will be available to all players representing Alberta. All available coaching positions for 2019 will be posted to the PGA of Alberta job posting site, and any eligible PGA of Alberta professional is welcome to apply.

Alberta Golf is offering two Open House opportunities for parents and players to come and have a conversation regarding the 2018-19 program. November 5^thin Edmonton 3:00-6:00pm (location TBD) and November 6^thin Calgary at Alberta Golf’s office 22 11410 27 Street SE from 3:00-6:00pm.

Contact:

Jennifer Davison
Director, Sport Development & High Performance
jennifer@albertagolf.org

“I’m not good enough to keep track of my handicap.”

Craig Loughry, Golf Canada’s Director of Handicap and Course Rating, is tired of hearing that.

“The purpose of the Handicap System is to make the game of golf more enjoyable by enabling players of differing abilities to compete on an equitable basis,” the Golf Canada Handicap Manual states.

“If you’re playing golf regularly, you’re keeping track of your scores in some fashion,” he points out. “You’re golfing for a reason or reasons, whether it’s for the competition against yourself or others, recreation, socializing, whatever. It obviously is a significant part of your activity schedule, so why not keep track on an ongoing basis?

“If golfers didn’t care about keeping score, then courses wouldn’t need scorecards, but they seem to have to replace thousands every year.”

Loughry is right. Everyone tracks their progress in just about every other facet of their lives, so why not in their golf games? In business or other pursuits, you expect a level playing field, right? A Golf Canada handicap factor provides both for your golf life.

Additionally, you never know when not having a Golf Canada handicap factor will come back to haunt you.

Knowing zero about your handicap can find you playing off a zero handicap.

A couple of personal anecdotes…

Years ago, I was invited to play in a pro-am. When I showed up at registration, I was asked for my handicap. When I said I didn’t have one, I was told I would have to play off scratch, from the pro tees. Some of my drives barely made the tee block from where my fellow amateurs (the ones with official handicaps) were playing from. Needless to say, I started posting every score after that humiliation.

My wife (who faithfully maintains an accurate handicap factor) plays in the member-guest tournament at a friend’s club every summer. The club sends out a friendly note leading up to the event.  It says, “it is the member’s responsibility to provide a handicap factor from an accredited golf association for their guest(s). Failure to do so will result in your guest(s) playing from scratch. Please note that scorecards, letters or ‘she shoots about an 85’ are unacceptable.”

If you have a Golf Canada Gold-level membership, the lengthy list of benefits includes an official handicap factor. It’s easy to post your adjusted scores online or at any Golf Canada member course and there’s even an app for your phone. It’s easy to join online even if you’re not already a member of a club and start tracking your scores right away.

Now that I’ve persuaded those of you who haven’t maintained a current and accurate factor (you must post all scores using the easy-to-understand Equitable Stroke Control system) to get on the bandwagon, here are some other handicapping notes.

Active Seasons

Regrettably, the end of the Canadian golf season is approaching. Each provincial golf association decides on what is called the “active season” for handicap posting purposes.

By province, the active seasons are:

• British Columbia March 1-Nov. 15
• Alberta March 1-Oct. 31
• Saskatchewan April 15-Oct. 31
• Manitoba April 15-Oct. 31
• Ontario April 15-Oct. 31
• Quebec April 15-Oct. 31
• Nova Scotia April 15-Oct. 31
• New Brunswick May 1-Oct. 31
• Prince Edward Island April 16-Nov. 14
• Newfoundland and Labrador April 1-Nov. 30

Going South This Winter?

It’s never been easier to post out-of-country scores if you’re lucky enough to play in a warmer clime this winter.

“Essentially, all you have to do is simply change the Canadian flag icon to the international one and then start typing in the most unique part of the club/course name,” says Taylor Stevenson, Golf Canada’s manager of member services.

As well, says Loughry, the International Golf Network (IGN) allows Golf Canada members to link their golf membership (handicap record) from Canada to their U.S. club(s). What’s the advantage of that?

“You only need to post your score once and that score automatically gets posted into the other record. This is not only important now for our many members who travel and golf outside the country, but will be more so when the World Handicap System is implemented.”

We Are The World

In 2020, the new unified World Handicap System will be implemented to make handicaps truly consistent and equitable around the globe. The new system will feature more flexibility and reflect the changes in how the game is played worldwide.

For example, both competitive and recreational rounds will count for handicap purposes, the number of scores needed to obtain a new handicap will be reduced and, perhaps most importantly, the result will be a consistent handicap that is portable from courses to course and country to country.

There is even a calculation that considers the impact that abnormal course and weather conditions affected your score.

Click here for more on handicapping.