For long-drive champion Jamie Sadlowski, turning lightning-strike drives into consistent birdies is the key to earning a spot on the PGA Tour.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — It’s not unusual for one of Geoff Ogilvy’s practice sessions at Whisper Rock Golf Club to be interrupted by a sound akin to a lightning bolt splitting a tree. He might stop what he’s doing, but he will not run for cover. The only freak of nature that regularly pounds the range here is Jamie Sadlowski, a whippet-thin Canadian whose power can turn the major winners in his midst into wide-eyed fans.

“His ball-striking is incredible, not only the distance but how well he hits it,” said Ogilvy, the 2006 United States Open champion. He added, “It’s Dustin Johnson-, Rory McIlroy-level talent the way he strikes it.”

The comparisons end there. Sadlowski, 29, a two-time long-drive champion who once launched a shot 445 yards, has played fewer competitive rounds in his life than the top-ranked Johnson has logged this season. Ranked 1,967th in the world, Sadlowski has a long way to go to catch Johnson and McIlroy, who between them own five major titles and have spent a combined 120 weeks at the top of the rankings.

Surely a golfer who drives the ball longer than anybody else is teed up beautifully to compete on the Tour, right?

Think again. Any weekend duffer will tell you that one of the most frustrating aspects of golf is converting length into low scores. That is the challenge facing Sadlowski: to turn his lightning-strike drives into consistent birdies, enough to become an everyday touring pro. It is a butterfly dream in which no previous golf-ball bomber has emerged from the chrysalis stage.

Sadlowski’s metamorphosis continued apace in May when he made his PGA Tour debut at the Dean & Deluca Invitational in Fort Worth, Tex. His first shot traveled 365 yards, effectively wiping the frown from Colonial Country Club’s 565-yard downturned mouth of a first hole.

If hitting it long and straight off the tee was the winning combination for a touring pro, Sadlowski’s potential would have been unlocked then. Playing in a group with Kevin Tway and Brandon Hagy, both among the top eight on the tour in driving, Sadlowski routinely outhit both, even when he had a 2 iron in his hands and they had 3 woods.

But he struggled with his feel around the greens and his club selection in windy conditions. In 36 holes, Sadlowski posted six birdies — but also 10 bogeys, a double and a quadruple-bogey 7, resulting in a 10-over total.

He took solace in the fact that the more controlled, compact swing that he has been working on with his coach, Peter Kostis, held up. Since his PGA Tour debut, Sadlowski has made two cut in six starts on Canada’s Mackenzie Tour.

“I’m comfortable enough now I just get up there and I see the shot and hit the shot,” Sadlowski said in May.

Before his transformation, Sadlowski’s only concern was crushing the tee shot. In long-drive competitions, competitors have six attempts to put one ball in play on a football field-like grid, and they do not have to find the ball and hit it again. The transition that Sadlowski is trying to make, from one-hit superstar to consistent scorer, is so unusual that those in golf had a hard time coming up with a comparison.

Jordan Spieth, a three-time major winner, likened it to a home-run slugger morphing into a singles hitter; Ogilvy said it is like Usain Bolt turning his attention from the sprints to the marathon; Kostis related it to the Olympic sprint champion Bob Hayes, who turned himself into a N.F.L. receiver with the Dallas Cowboys.

“It’s a whole different sport,” Kostis said recently between assignments for his other job as a golf analyst and on-course reporter for CBS. “I can get him to strike the ball quite nicely. There’s more to being a PGA Tour player than hitting long and straight. He’s 15 years behind in playing experience. I’ve got to figure out how to help him accelerate that learning process.”

Sadlowski has a couple advantages over others who have tried to make the transition. At 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, he is wiry, with a graceful swing. He takes full advantage of the unusual flexibility he possesses in his wrists and shoulders to generate a peak club speed of 148 miles per hour (30 m.p.h. more than Tiger Woods averaged in 2013, when he won five Tour events).

Because Sadlowski did not grow up playing golf competitively, his learning process includes calculations — like how to read the wind when the tops of the trees are swaying one way, the water in a hazard is rippling the other way and the pin flag is not moving — that are second nature to those his age who came up through the junior ranks.

Neither history nor time is on his side. Sadlowski, who had a birthday last month, is older than five of the players ranked in the men’s top 10.

“If anyone can do it, Jamie can,” Ogilvy said, adding, “Physically, the tools are there and mentally, the tools are probably there, too. It’s a thousand-piece puzzle and he’s got 200 pieces put in.”

Sadlowski grew up in St. Paul, Alberta, and the cornerstone of his childhood was hockey. He spent three years as a defenseman on the Bonnyville Pontiacs of the Alberta Junior Hockey League and was known for his shot from the point on the power play.

“The aim wasn’t always good, but it was going to get shot hard,” Sadlowski said.

The balance, footwork and hip rotations through impact on a slap shot and a golf shot are similar, so it is perhaps not surprising that Sadlowski made a seamless transition to golf in the summers. He was a recreational player in his late teens, squeezing in 18-hole rounds around his job picking up roadkill. He accompanied a friend to a long-driving contest in 2003, and upon finding out there was a junior division, he entered on a lark. In 2005, he won the first of consecutive junior world titles. Three years later, he won the first of two consecutive open titles.

For more than a decade, Sadlowski earned upward of half-million dollars each year launching 400-plus yard drives in competitions and 300-yard drives using his putter in roughly 600 exhibitions.

His manager, Art Sellinger, a former long-drive competitor, insisted that Sadlowski possessed the skill set to become a touring pro. But it was a hard sell. Practicing alongside the likes of Ogilvy was a sobering exercise for Sadlowski, who said, “I know how good these guys are.”

Plus, he had found his niche. “When you’re so good at something, it’s hard to walk away,” he said. “You’re one of the best and it’s been that way for 10 years.”

Last summer, Sadlowski realized it was time for a new challenge. The decision, a few years in the making, to leave his long-drive comfort zone was motivated by the feeling that he had become a trained seal performing on command.

“Deep down I felt like I could be doing much more,” he said.

The roster of long-drive winners since 1975 does include two PGA Tour winners, Lon Hinkle and Dennis Paulson. But unlike Sadlowski, they came from tournament golf backgrounds. Hinkle was a multiple champion on the Tour when he emerged victorious in the 1981 long-drive competition. Paulson won four years later as an amateur in what he described as a fun diversion from his full-throttle pursuit of a Tour membership.

From 2011 to 2016, Sadlowski made three cuts in four starts on the Web.com Tour, a level below the PGA Tour, and his path became clear. Last summer, he put away the driver with the extra-long shaft and lower loft that he used in long-drive competitions and committed the next three years to pursuing his PGA Tour playing privileges.

His old clubs may be gathering cobwebs, but it is hard to shake off his past.

Sellinger recalled a recent conversation with Bob Tway, a major winner and the father of Kevin Tway, one of Sadlowski’s playing competitors in his PGA Tour debut.

“He flat-out said if it wasn’t for the fact that Jamie has all this raw talent, trying this would be a very serious waste of time,” Sellinger said. “If we can refine that talent, hone those skills and get the learning curve to speed up quickly, then there’s a chance.”

Under Kostis’s tutelage, Sadlowski has made his swing shorter and more balanced. Navigating courses and conditions is a skill that Sadlowski has to learn himself. At Kostis’s urging, Sadlowski will play at least nine holes after he is done with his lengthy range sessions.

“Just go hit golf shots,” Sadlowski said, “and if I hit an awful one, try to figure out what happened and hit it again and learn that way.”

He is inspired by the success of Wesley Bryan, who had a background in tournament golf but until recently was more famous for his trick shot exhibitions. Last season Bryan won three times on the Web.com Tour, and he earned his first PGA Tour title in April.

“It’s there, it can happen,” Sadlowski said. “People say, ‘Hit with the putter’ and I’m like, ‘I’m so over that.’ I just want to be a normal guy that shows up at the golf course and tries to win a golf tournament.”

Original story

CHARLOTTE, N.C.  – In a joint announcement, the PGA of America and the PGA TOUR today announced that beginning in 2019, the PGA Championship will be played in the month of May – while THE PLAYERS Championship will be contested in March at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

“In weighing the complex evolution of the golf calendar, the PGA of America’s key objectives were to promote the best interests of our signature spectator Championship, do what is best for the game and its great players, and find the most advantageous platform to fulfill our mission of serving our nearly 29,000 PGA Professionals and growing the game,” said PGA of America Chief Executive Officer Pete Bevacqua. “Our analysis began in 2013 and included an extensive list of factors, including having to shift the date every four years to accommodate the Olympic Games. In the end, we determined that playing the PGA Championship the week prior to Memorial Day in May, making it the second major championship of the golf calendar, will achieve those three objectives.

“The golf calendar is dramatically different, especially in the latter portions of the schedule, than it was in the 1970s when our PGA Championship took up residence in August. We are excited about this move to May. It provides our PGA Championship a strong landing spot on the calendar and a consistent major-championship rhythm that golf fans can embrace. For nearly 85 percent of our Membership, May is also on the front-end of the golf season. This date change will allow them to engage new players and introduce various Growth of the Game initiatives entering the heart of the golf season across much of the country.”

“We are thrilled to announce these two significant changes, which will greatly enhance the professional golf calendar starting in 2019,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Our thanks to the PGA of America for its partnership in what will allow both organizations to meet our short- and long-term objectives, while delivering incredibly compelling golf to our fans around the world.

“The calendar for the PGA TOUR season is among the most important and challenging aspects of our business, and the changes we’re unveiling today give significant flexibility to create a schedule including the FedExCup Playoffs that is in the best interests of players, fans, tournaments, communities and our partners, from start to finish.

“THE PLAYERS Championship has grown in stature since we moved to May in 2007 and, regardless of the date, is clearly one of the premier events in all of golf – the best players in the world, a premier venue in THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, an unmatched fan experience and a significant charitable component that benefits the Jacksonville-area community. THE PLAYERS moving to March in 2019 will enhance an already strong Florida portion of our calendar and play a significant role in an overall improved schedule.”

From May 16-19, 2019, Bethpage Black in Farmington, New York, will host the 101st PGA Championship, which will be the first conducted in May since Sam Snead’s triumph in 1949.

A total of four PGA Championships have been held in May. Ben Hogan claimed the second of his two PGA Championship victories in May of ‘48. Denny Shute also hoisted the Wanamaker Trophy in May 1937, as did Snead for the first time in May ’42.

Since its inception in 1916, the PGA Championship has been played in nine different months. It has been the final major championship of the year from 1959-70, and from 1972 through 2017.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Lucas Glover walked off the 18th fairway at Quail Hollow still feeling slightly underdressed.

He wasn’t alone.

“I don’t recognize some of these guys out here, and I’m sure they probably don’t recognize me either,” Glover said.

For the first time in its 99-year history, the PGA Championship allowed players to wear shorts during practice rounds this week , in part to combat the August heat in North Carolina. But on a rain-soaked Tuesday, only about half of the players took advantage of the change, with many like Rory McIlroy choosing to stick with long pants.

But like Glover, Scotland’s Martin Laird couldn’t resist.

“This feels great,” Laird said following his practice round. “It gets a little hot out here during the summer.”

Still, it was different, if not odd, watching Jim Furyk practicing bunker shots wearing shorts and seeing Dustin Johnson chilling in the interview room with bare legs.

The running joke leading up the PGA Championship was that no other major championship course had so many white stakes – except they weren’t boundary markers. They were legs.

“Everybody is razzing each other a little bit,” defending champion Jimmy Walker said. “Some guys look good in shorts and some guys don’t. It’s pretty funny. There are a lot of untanned legs out there. You can tell those Florida boys, they have been soaking the sun up. I’ve been up in Utah and overseas for a few weeks so my legs are kind of untanned.”

Johnson, the world’s No. 1-ranked player, wore long pants on Monday out of habit, later saying he completely forgot about the rule. But he wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice, throwing on shorts for Tuesday’s practice round.

“Hopefully we can do this a little more,” Johnson said.

Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler wore shorts as well on Tuesday.

Never one to miss a fashion statement, John Daly broke out some red, white and blue shorts with stars. And Pat Perez donned bright cherry red shorts that matched his high-top Jordan golf cleats.

Even Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson, who are gearing up for their 100th majors this week, opted for shorts on the practice tee.

“I love that they took a risk and did something with the players in mind and I think it’s turned out well,” Mickelson said. “I hope that their example gets followed by the tour. I think it would be a great thing.”

McIlroy, the odds-on favourite to win the tournament, said he opted for long blue pants when he looked outside in the morning and saw dark skies.

“Hey, if it was sunny it would be great,” McIlroy said with a laugh. “Obviously it’s raining out. So I don’t get why people are wearing shorts.”

Still, McIlroy is one of many golfers who likes that the rules have been relaxed.

While the look Tuesday was in stark contrast to a century ago when golfers wore coats and ties on the course, McIlroy said the game needs to adapt because tournaments are being held in warmer climates during summer months.

“I know walking 18 holes around there, if it was hot and humid and in the 90s, as it is here sometimes this year, shorts are very much appreciated,” McIlroy said.

Some traditionalists have criticized the move, saying it’s inappropriate and lacks class. Others point to the LPGA Tour, where women have worn shorts and skirts for years.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with professional golfers showing the lower half of their leg,” McIlroy cracked.

PGA of America president Paul Levy announced in February that players would be allowed to wear shorts during practice rounds of its championships. The European Tour approved a similar rule last year, allowing players to wear shorts during practice rounds and pro-ams.

Italy’s Francesco Molinari called the change “a step in the right direction” for golf.

He’s among many professional golfers who’d like to see the PGA Championship allow players to wear shorts during competition, not just practice rounds.

“Hopefully one day we will get there,” Molinari said.

Team Alberta tees off today for the 2017 Canada Summer Games, view this year’s squad.  

Experiences of two of Alberta golfers at the last 2013 Canada Summer Games in PEI.

For Sabrine Garrision and Matt Williams, it turned into more than a golf tournament. This was the Canada Summer Games, new for the two Albertans and oh-so fulfilling. Memories, medals, mementos.

“I still have a P.E.I. hoodie that I wear quite often, funnily enough,” chuckles Williams, who bartered for the cherished keepsake after the closing ceremonies of the 2013 Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke, Que. “It’s crazy to think it’s already been four years, but I still recall a lot of it. An awesome experience.”

Swapping province-issued apparel had been only part of the fun. Competing was a thrill, too. Williams earned bronze in the boys’ individual competition, while Garrison, a fellow Calgarian, bagged bronzes for girls’ individual and team play.

“It seems like a very different time in my life,” says Garrison, who just finished her junior year at the University of Minnesota. “But I look back with fondness.”

Apparently, participation in the Canada Summer Games – staged every four years – comes highly recommended. “I had a really great time,” says Garrison. “It was unique. Something I’d never experienced. I’m excited for the girls and boys who get to participate this year.”

For the 2017 Canada Summer Games, the Wild Rose squad’s teenagers – three boys and three girls, based on the current order of merit and last year’s handiwork – are annoyed in the summer. One of 19 sports on display in Winnipeg, July 28 to Aug. 13, golf’s results are determined by 72-hole stroke play at the Southwood club.

“We’ve certainly promoted it as being a huge life experience,” says Randy Robb, who coaches and manages Alberta Golf’s high-performance sport development. “We’re definitely trying to make it a premier event on the calendar. “It’s quite memorable in terms of how different it is.”

Golf made its Canada Summer Games debut in 2009. At Prince Edward Island that year. Alberta’s girls and boys finished fourth and sixth, respectively. Four years later, the girls picked up bronze, while the boys stood fourth. “B.C. and Ontario tend to be strong every year,” Robb says. “Quebec is another province we always battle with … we’d like to have a strong team and pick up medals, for sure.”

Granted, with the fixed field – limited to the top three from every province – the talent pool isn’t as deep as, say, national championships.

But the calibre is high. “You certainly get the best possible contenders,” says Williams, a junior at the University of Houston next year. “All the best players are there, so it is kind of a showdown.”

In addition to the podium push, the Canada Summer Games provides an eye-opening environment for golfers. Staying in dorms. Eating in mess halls. Sporting team colours. Travelling in buses. Mixing with non-golfing peers. Marching in closing ceremonies.

It’s a fresh vibe. “You’re not just playing for yourself – like you do throughout your junior career – you’re playing for the province,” says Williams. “Definitely a pretty interesting dynamic, trying to contribute to the medal table. You see athletes walking around with their medals and that gives you a little kick in the butt to go out and play well.”

Rubbing shoulders with standouts from all sorts of sports adds to the event’s flavor. (“Probably more than anything,” says Garrison, “I remember sharing those moments.”) Socializing also gives golfers a rare opportunity to unplug. After all, it’s easier to forget about the day’s bogey-bogey finish when you’re cheering wildly at a basketball match or kibitzing with the wrestlers.

“(It) is a chance to get away and actually clear your head,” says Alberta coach Bill Murchison, “which could be very beneficial.” Golf gets an undeniable boost from these high-profile multi-sport settings. No different than the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the game, in all its glory, is rolled out. Everyone benefits from that.

“Look at the best players in the world, they’re ridiculous athletes,” says Williams. “To put golf in that conversation is absolutely the right move. The year I played … you could definitely tell that golf was getting more respect for being a really legitimate sport, which it is. It’s getting the credit it deserves. To be the best, you have to train like a world-class athlete now.”

Murchison calls the opportunity to play in the Canada Summer Games “special” – because of the competition, because of the exposure, because of the experience. “Any time we get a chance to showcase the game and the values and life skills associated with the game,” he says, “it’s nothing but good.”

The 2017 Canada Summer Games run from July 28th to Aug. 13th in Winnipeg, MB. The event will welcome 20,000 visitors to feature 4,000 of Canada’s best athletes in 16 sporting categories. Golf presented by Birchwood Automotive Group, will take place on Aug. 8th to Aug. 11th at the Southwood Golf & Country Club. This year’s Alberta representatives include:

Canada Summer Games

This article was originally published in the 2017 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

Alberta’s top six junior golfers will represent the province for Canada’s 150th birthday in Winnipeg, Manitoba for the 2017 Canada Summer Games. The four-year cycle event represents the first step in Olympic sport development, with both the male and female teams having worked very hard to get their July 28th to August 13th invite.

“There isn’t anything like the Canada Games for our junior golfers. It’s an opportunity to be part of a large multi-sport event and compete for your province. Coach Bill Murchison, team trainer Crystal Watson, and the six team members will have specific training sessions in July as they get ready for the Games in August,” says Alberta Golf’s High Performance Sport Manager Randy Robb.

The Interprovincial squad will compete as both a team and individually for the Canada Games Flag and the Centennial Cup. Alberta has placed fourth every year since golf was introduced in 2009 to the event. Robb says that this year’s team looks promising, but the overall experience that the players will receive is what matters most.

“It’s going to be a competitive event for the players attending the tournament in Winnipeg. There is a good chance that our teams will come home with a medal, but the lasting memory of the event will be being part of the big group of athletes representing Alberta. As golf will be played during the second week of the Canada Games, our juniors will be part of the closing ceremony, which they will remember for a long time.”

The 2017 Canada Summer Games Alberta team was selected based on a combination of results from the past four years and events on the 2017 tournament schedule. With 16 sports and 4,000 athletes at the Games, golf will take place at the Southwood Golf and Country Club from August 8th to August 11th. The first two days of competition will feature two days of accumulating team play. The 39 individual low scorers will then play individually for the final two days of competition.

Full event information

BOYS TEAM:

GIRLS TEAM

Annabelle Ackroyd Age: 15 Club affiliation: Silver Springs Golf & Country Club4 – 2017 PGA of Alberta Junior Masters T16 – 2017 Future Links Pacific 1 – 2016 Alberta Bantam Championship 4 – 2016 CN Future Links Western Championship T17 – 2016 CN Future Links Pacific Championship 2016 Alberta Golf Bantam Girls Player of the Year

Sharmaine Rapisura Age: 18 Club affiliation: Inglewood Golf & Curling Club 1 – 2017 CJGA Alberta Junior 5 – 2017 PGA of Alberta – Junior Masters 1 – 2016 CJGA Alberta Junior 2 – 2016 PGA of Alberta – Junior Masters T5 – 2016 Alberta Junior Girls Championship 8 – 2016 CN Future Links Western Championship

Taylor Stone Age: 17 Club affiliation: Pine Brook Golf & Country Club 1 – 2017 MJT Paradise 3 – 2017 PGA Alberta Junior Championships T5 – 2016 Alberta Junior Championships 10 – 2016 PGA Alberta Junior Championships

Fresh off the RBC Canadian Open, the third-oldest continually held tournament on the PGA TOUR, Canadian golf fans are presented this week with the Canadian Men’s Amateur, the third-oldest national amateur championship in the world.

The British Amateur, first held in 1885, is the granddaddy, followed by the Australian Amateur in 1894. While both the Canadian and U.S. Amateurs were born the following year, the Canadian version arrived first by a matter of months.

In contrast to the first Canadian Amateur where about 30 golfers competed at Royal Ottawa Golf Club, the 113th Canadian Amateur which runs Monday through Thursday will feature 264 of the top players from nine countries. Toronto Golf Club will play host for all four rounds (for a record ninth time) while Islington Golf Club will co-host for the first two rounds prior to the 36-hole cut.

A lot has transpired since 1895. Three years in, Toronto’s George Lyon whipped his opponent (whose name we will not mention out of respect) 12&11. (The Amateur has vacillated between match play and stroke play over its long history and currently is a stroke-play tournament.) Lyon, perhaps best known for his gold medal in the 1904 Olympics, would win a total of eight times between then and 1914.

His record would be challenged by Ross (Sandy) Sommerville who won six times between 1926 and 1937 and was four times the runner-up. Nick Weslock and Doug Roxburgh each won four times. Brent Franklin won three in a row from 1985 to 1987. Jim Nelford won back to back in 1975 and 1976 and finished second in 1977. Richard Scott won three out of four from 2003 to 2006 and Cam Burke won two straight in 2008 and 2009. (Burke is in the field this week.)

While most winners retained their lifelong amateur status, some chose to turn pro, with varied success. Nelford, for example, was on a promising path on the PGA TOUR when an accident ended his career. Thus far, 11 Canadian Amateur champions have won on TOUR, including Canadians Ken Black, Richard Zokol, Nick Taylor and Mackenzie Hughes. Rod Spittle, who defeated Nelford in the 1977 Amateur and won again in 1978, won the PGA TOUR Champions AT&T Championship in 2010.

This year’s field is packed with talent, as usual. Defending champion Hugo Bernard of Mont St-Hilaire, Que., is coming off medallist honours at the U.S. Amateur qualifier in Maine. Florida’s Andy Zhang, 19, finished second to Bernard last year and is ranked 37th in the world. Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., winner of three straight Canadian Mid-Amateur Championships, recently set a course record at Ontario’s Granite Golf Club on his way to medallist honours at the U.S. Amateur qualifier held there. Austin James of Bath, Ont., a member of Team Canada’s national amateur squad, won the NCAA’s Big South Men’s Championship in 2016. A sentimental favourite would be Jimmy Jones of Tampa, Fla., son of the late Dawn Coe-Jones, an LPGA standout who is an honoured member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. A junior at the University of South Florida, he posted six top-25 finishes in 2016-2017 to lead the team.

There’s more on the line for the winner this week than the title and the Earl Grey Trophy. He will earn exemptions into this year’s U.S. Amateur at the Riviera Country Club in California and next year’s RBC Canadian Open. If applicable, the champion will also be eligible for an exemption into the U.S. Junior Amateur, the U.S. Mid Amateur or the U.S. Senior Amateur.

For more information on the Canadian Amateur including field, starting times and love scoring, click here. Spectators are welcome and there is no admission fee.

Sixty-four junior golfers from across Canada will compete for gold starting tomorrow when the 2017 Canada Summer Games golf tournament takes place from Aug. 8-11 at Southwood Golf and Country Club, in Winnipeg, Man.

A Thomas McBroom design – Southwood Golf and Country Club is known for its undulation and scenic views. With water, sand or both in play on nearly every hole, the course will provide a stiff test as golfers from ten provinces and one territory. compete for four gold medals.

“Southwood Golf and Country Club is an amazing course and it’s in stellar condition,” said Tournament Director Akash Patel. “We’re very excited to be involved with the Canada Summer Games and the celebration of sport in the beautiful city of Winnipeg.”

British Columbia comes to Winnipeg as the two-time defending champion in the male and female individual and team events – the only province or territory to win a gold medal at the Canada Summer Games since golf became part of the Games in 2009.

Team B.C. is sending a strong contingent again in the boys’ competition. The team is led by 16-year-old Victoria native Nolan Thoroughgood. Thoroughgood became the youngest champion in the history of the B.C. Men’s Amateur (age) when he won by two strokes in 2016.

He’s joined by Keaton Gudz (Victoria) and Tristan Mandur (Mill Bay). All three are ranked inside the top-45 of the Future Links driven by Acura National Order of Merit.

15-year-old Kelvin Lim will lead the Team Ontario boys’ team as Ontario attempts to take down the B.C. powerhouse. Lim, from Thornhill, won the 2017 Investors Group Ontario Junior Boys’ Spring Classic and is ranked third on the Future Links driven by Acura National Order of Merit.

Sudbury’s Tristan Renaud – the 2017 Ontario Junior Boys Champion – and Alliston native Taylor Beckstead will join Lim in Winnipeg.

43 days to go & 4 more athletes named to #TeamBC! Congrats @bc_golfer men’s team! #JCG2017 #CGGolf #WEareBC https://t.co/0L5MbpyCZg pic.twitter.com/SRbq2xdBSb

— Team BC (@GoTeamBC) June 15, 2017

On the girls’ side, Team Canada’s Hannah Lee of Surrey will lead Team B.C. in their title defense. Lee is in her second year on the Team Canada Development Squad and is coming off a third place finish at the B.C. Junior Girls Championship. Lee is joined by Richmond’s Alisha Lau the 2017 B.C. Junior Girls Champion Tiffany Kong (Vancouver).

Led by Team Canada Development Squad’s Monet Chun, the Ontario team will look to bring gold to Canada’s largest province for the first time.

Chun, from Richmond Hill, won the 2017 Ontario Future Links Driven by Acura Championship and the 2017 Investors Group Junior Girls’ Spring Classic.

London, Ont., native Ellie Szeryk, the 2017 Investors Group Ontario Junior Girls’ champion will join Chun along with Toronto’s Sarah Beqaj who is a member of Golf Ontario’s Team Ontario program.

Szeryk captures Investors Group Ontario Junior Girls’ Championship: https://t.co/DWZ6oLJMkc #Golf #GolfOntario #JuniorGirlsChamp pic.twitter.com/6aFRSdKShf

— Golf Ontario (@TheGolfOntario) July 7, 2017

Both the team and individual competitions take place over the course of four rounds with no cut and all 60 golfers playing 72 holes.

Each day the two best scores of the three team members count towards the team score. The team medallists are determined by the aggregate sum of the four daily team scores.

For more information on the Canada Summer Games golf tournament click here.

Click here to view the rosters of each team.

CHAMPIONSHIP FAST FACTS

B.C. has won all eight gold medals since golf became part of the Canada Summer Games in 2009 and has the most medals overall with 10 (eight gold, one silver, one bronze).

In 2013, British Columbia dominated the team competitions in Sherbrooke, Que., winning the girls’ event by 17 strokes and the boys by 12.

Maple Ridge, B.C.’s Kevin Kwon won the 2013 men’s individual event finishing 13 strokes clear of silver medallist Etienne Papineau (Bromont, Que.) en route to establishing a new Canada Games record with a four-round score of 279 (-13). Calgary’s Matt Williams won bronze.

Surrey, B.C., native Taylor Kim finished five shots ahead of Valerie Tanguay from Saint-Hyacinthe, Que. in the women’s 2013 event. Calgary’s Sabrine Garrison won bronze.

Only four provinces have medalled in golf at the Canada Summer Game: British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, and Ontario.

The lowest single day team score is 141 for male and female with B.C. setting both records at the 2009 Canada Summer Games in Prince Edward Island.

COURSE FACTS

Southwood Golf and Country Club was established in 1894, but moved to its current location in 2011.

Architect: Thomas McBroom

Southwood Golf and Country Club hosted the 2014 Canadian University/College Championship and the 2014 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.

The ruins of a monastery were left in place during construction of the course creating a landscape with natural beauty and man-made structures.

Team Alberta will meet Montanans in Medicine Hat for the local Junior Ryder Cup

12 junior golfers will play as a team for the annual title

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. (Alberta Golf) – Starting tomorrow, Team Alberta will face off against Team Montana in Medicine Hat for the 26th annual Alberta-Montana Junior Ryder Cup. The two day tournament offers a unique opportunity for six male and six female junior golfers (selected by Alberta Golf and Montana State Golf Association) to develop their skills and compete as a unit. The Desert Blume Estates and Golf Club will feature 18 holes of best ball, alternate stroke play and state vs. province individual match play.

In all events there are three Nassau points; one point to the winner of the front nine, one point for the winner of the back nine, and one point to the winner of the eighteen-hole match. The girls and boys play separately.

Alberta’s 2017 Junior Ryder Cup team includes:

**All age categories based on a birthdate cut-off

The team will be accompanied by Junior Golf Coach, John Deneer. To search a player, view the Junior and Bantam Alberta Player of the Year rankings.

Past Alberta-Montana Junior Ryder Cup Boys Teams
Past Alberta-Montana Junior Ryder Cup Girls Teams

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ABOUT ALBERTA GOLF

The Alberta Golf Association was incorporated as a society in 1912 and continues today as a not for profit Provincial Sport Organization (PSO) operating as Alberta Golf. As the PSO, we are committed to realizing the positive impacts of golf on individuals and communities across Alberta. Our vision is that through golf, Albertans will enjoy a high quality of life, improved health and wellness, a strong sense of community, economic benefits and personal fulfillment.

CONTACT

Phil Berube
Director/Chief Executive Officer
Alberta Golf
(p) 403-236-4616

Kim Carrington comes out victorious after shining in the final round of the 2017 Guardian Capital Alberta Senior Ladies’ Championship. With the pressure on, Carrington got better and better as the day went on. The now two-time champion, surpassed a four-stroke deficient, with a clutch tournament low round of 73.

“In the earlier days as a youngster, I learned from my mom, but also players like Diane Williams, Marilyn O’Connor and Marlene Stewart Streit. They said. ‘You know what, people are coming to watch you. Show them something.’”

That’s what she did. Carrington’s 9th and 18th holes both showcased birdies, with her final day back nine score being bogey free. She says those moments are what keeps her going.

“As we were starting to get a bigger crowd through the back, I was getting more and more energy. I was thinking OK, you’ve come to see something; let me show you something.”

She emotionally spoke about how she was “just happy to be playing” after having to put golf on the back burner last year. She also expressed how much it meant to have her family supporting her, including her mom who was her caddy this week.

“Whether they’re here or on property, the text messages, the emails, the phone calls and inspirational words that were given; I heard them all out here today.”

Carrington wasn’t the only one taking home a second trophy this week. Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member, Alison Murdoch, claimed back to back Alberta Super Senior (65+) titles.

2017 Alberta Super Senior Ladies’ Champion Alison Murdoch

“I wasn’t particular great as a junior or an amateur, but once I hit 50, I seemed to find my stride. I had a lot of good years as a senior. You know I’m probably in my twilight of my career at this point, but I’m pretty pleased with what golf has brought for me. I’m really glad that I took it up and that I stuck with it for my whole life pretty much.”

This year’s Low Net Overall winner was Barbara Flaman (from Windermere Golf & Country Club). Last year’s Senior Champion, Lynn Kuehn (from Lacombe Golf & Country Club) and Joan Wilson (from Country Hills Country Club) will travel together to the Canadian Senior Women’s Championship in Newfoundland from August 22nd to 24th.

Having won the Senior Women’s Championship four times, Murdoch’s advice for this year’s Alberta players is: “If you want to have certain shots in your repertoire, you have to practice them. You can’t just say to someone who’s good at it, “How do you do that?” That’s not going to work. You have to practice. You have to get the feel of it, and get comfortable with it. Then you’ll find your chipping gets better, or your putting gets better, your sand play, whatever it is.”

2017 Alberta Senior Ladies’ Interprovincial Team: Kim Carrington, Lynn Kuehn & Joan Wilson.

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