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

VERO BEACH, Fla. – The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced tee times for the first two rounds of the 57th U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, Saturday (Oct. 6) and Sunday (Oct.7), at 5,817-yard, par-72 Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club, in Vero Beach, Fla.

The U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur consists of 36 holes of stroke play on Oct. 6 and 7, after which the field will be reduced to the low 64 scorers. There will be six rounds of match play, starting Oct. 8. The quarterfinals and semifinals are slated for Wednesday, Oct. 10. The championship is scheduled to conclude with an 18-hole final on Thursday, Oct. 11, starting at 8:30 a.m. EDT.

The 132-player field feature 12 Canadians, including defending champion Judith Kyrinis of Thornhill, Ont. Joining her is 2017 runner-up Terrill Samuel of Toronto and Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Mary Ann Hayward.

Below is the full list of Canadians competing in the 57th U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur:

• Judith Kyrinis
• Terrill Samuel
• Mary Ann Hayward
• Helene Chartrand
• Gail Pimm
• Cheryl Newman
• Audrey Akins
• Alison Murdoch
• Marie-Therese Torti
• Barbara Flaman
• Jackie Little
• Rhonda Orr

Judith Kyrinis, 54, of Canada, won the 2017 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship by defeating Terrill Samuel, 4 and 3, in the final at Waverley Country Club in Portland, Ore. Kyrinis is a registered nurse at Toronto General Hospital and primarily preps cancer patients for surgery. She has competed in 14 USGA championships, including four Senior Women’s Amateurs. Her brother, Dan Allan, qualified for the 2016 U.S. Senior Amateur Championship. In September, she reached the Round of 32 in the 2018 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Norwood Hills Country Club in St. Louis.

Audrey Akins, 51, of Canada, won the Canadian Junior Girls Championship in 1980 at age 13, making her the youngest winner in championship history. She was a member of the Canadian team that won a gold medal in the 1986 Commonwealth Games, an Olympic-style competition for countries that were traditionally associated with the former British Empire. Akins, a 1980 graduate of the University of Oklahoma who works as an English teacher, won the 2016 Michigan Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship.

Helene Chartrand, 62, of Canada, won the 2014 Canadian Senior Women’s Amateur Championship and finished runner-up in 2016. She is also the 2013 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur champion.

Mary Ann Hayward, 58, of Canada, is the manager of sports performance for the Golf Association of Ontario. The four-time Canadian Women’s Amateur champion has been inducted into the Canada, Ontario and Quebec Golf Halls of Fame. In 2005, she won the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur as Mary Ann Lapointe. An eight-time member of the Canadian team in the World Amateur Team Championship, she also served as the team’s captain in 2008. Hayward advanced to the Round of 16 in last year’s Senior Women’s Amateur.

Terrill Samuel, 57, of Canada, was the runner-up in last year’s U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, losing to fellow Canadian Judith Kyrinis, 4 and 3. It was the first time in USGA history that two Canadian players met in a final match. Samuel’s 80-year-old mother, Cam, served as her caddie for the 2017 Senior Women’s Amateur. Samuel, who is competing in her seventh Senior Women’s Amateur, played in the Inaugural Senior Women’s Open at Chicago Golf Club earlier this year. She was the 2010 Ontario Mid-Amateur Champion and the 2011 Ontario Senior Champion. Samuel is a two-time Canadian Senior Champion, winning in 2012 and 2015. Samuel is a teacher and a high school volleyball coach in the Toronto School District.

Gail Pimm, 58, of Canada, was a professional squash player for 10 years and competed in three world championships as a member of the Canadian team. Pimm was a teacher for 20 years and started playing golf in 2003.

Jackie Little, 60, of Canada, was a quarterfinalist in last year’s U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, losing to Patricia Schremmer, 2 and 1. Little, who is competing in her fourth Senior Women’s Amateur, is a five-time winner of the British Columbia Women’s Amateur and British Columbia Senior Women’s Amateur, and a three-time British Columbia Women’s Mid-Amateur champion. In 2008 and 2009, Little won both the Canadian Senior Women’s Amateur and Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA) Senior Women’s Amateur, earning Senior Women’s Amateur player-of-the-year honors from both associations. She is a member of the Golf Hall of Fame of British Columbia (2009), Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame (2012) and the PNGA Hall of Fame (2017). She and her husband, Pat, formerly owned the Hollies Executive Golf Course in Canada.

Click here for more information on the championship.

Red Deer, AB– It was an exciting finish to the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Golf Championships and all student-athletes battled the elements on the final day of competition at Alberta Springs Golf Resort as they attempted to climb the leaderboard.

Medicine Hat College’s Becky Martin shot a 76 on Sunday for a two-round total of 150, accumulating three birdies and nine pars to earn individual women’s gold. Martin was a key member of the Rattlers and also helped her women’s team capture gold (330). Concordia University’s Kennedy Turcotte fired an 84 and earned individual silver (166), helping her group win bronze (344). RDC’s Shaye Leidenius recorded an 84 on the final day for a two-day total of 167 and individual bronze, and was an important golfer in leading the Queens to silver (332).

Michael Harrison from the University of Alberta Augustana Vikings won individual gold after shaving off one stroke from Saturday (72) for a weekend total of 145. Harrison had three birdies and 12 pars on day two. Chase Broderson of the RDC Kings finished Sunday with a 78 and captured silver (151), while also leading the Kings to team bronze (631). Noah Lubberding from MacEwan University was one stroke behind Broderson (152) for individual bronze, helping his group take gold (606). The Concordia University men won team silver (631).

The RDC Mixed Golf team finished in the gold medal position. Medicine Hat College won silver and Concordia University earned bronze.

RDC Golf Head Coach Scott Bergdahl, the 2018 – 19 ACAC Golf Coach of the Year, recognized the difficulty on the ACAC golfers with the windy and cool weather. “The conditions were extremely difficult out there and it was a grind,” he says. “All of the players toughed it out.”

Bergdahl especially credited the men’s silver winning team from Concordia University with a strong push on Sunday. “The Concordia men really brought it today and that’s a real testament to the strength of their program and where they are going,” he says.

There will be strong ACAC representation at the 2018 PING Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Golf National Championships, October 16 – 19, at Desert Blume Golf Club. Medicine Hat College will host the prestigious event.

The following is a summary of the ACAC Golf medal and award winners, recognized at Alberta Springs Golf Resort, Sunday evening.

Individual Men’s Champions

Gold – Michael Harrison (University of Alberta Augustana)

Silver – Chase Broderson (Red Deer College)

Bronze – Noah Lumberding (MacEwan University)

Male Golfer of the Year – Michael Harrison (University of Alberta Augustana)

Individual Women’s Champions

Gold – Becky Martin (Medicine Hat College)

Silver – Kennedy Turcotte (Concordia University of Edmonton)

Bronze – Shaye Leidenius (Red Deer College)

Female Golfer of the Year – Becky Martin (Medicine Hat College)

ACAC Coach of the Year – Scott Bergdahl (RDC)

Mixed Championship

Gold – Red Deer College

Silver – Medicine Hat College

Bronze – Concordia University of Edmonton

Men’s Championship

Gold – MacEwan University

Silver – Concordia University of Edmonton

Bronze – RDC Kings

Women’s Championship

Gold – Medicine Hat College

Silver – RDC Queens

Bronze – Concordia University of Edmonton

Brent Forster – RDC

Red Deer, September 29, 2018 – Despite a delayed start to the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Golf Championships due to frost, the talented group of student-athletes still performed well on a cool opening day at Alberta Springs Golf Resort, 6 km west of Red Deer.

After Saturday’s round, Michael Harrison, from the University of Alberta Augustana Vikings, and Chase Broderson, of the RDC Kings, share top spot on the men’s side after firing one over par (73). Harrison started extremely well, picking up three birdies over the first four holes. The Bachelor of Science student ended the day with a total of four birdies and nine pars. Broderson, a first-year Business Administration student at RDC, recorded three birdies and 11 pars. Nicolas Pittman, of the Concordia University Thunder, rounded out the top three male golfers with a 75.

Medicine Hat College’s Becky Martin had an exceptional day on the course and finished two over par (74) to sit on top of the women’s leaderboard. The Rattlers’ star accumulated 4 birdies and ten pars to kick off the championship weekend. Concordia University’s Kennedy Turcotte scored an 82 for second place. Turcotte had one birdie and nine pars on day one. RDC’s Shaye Leidenius was close behind with 83, for third.

Leading the men’s teams after the first day are the MacEwan University Griffins (307), followed by the Red Deer College Kings (313) and then the Concordia University Thunder (323).

Not much separated the top women’s golf teams. The Medicine Hat College Rattlers women sit in top spot as a group (169). Next, are the RDC Queens (170) and then the Concordia University Thunder (171).

In the new ACAC Mixed Golf Division, RDC (403) leads the way followed by Concordia University (409) and then Medicine Hat College and MacEwan University are tied (421) for third. After another round, medals will be also awarded in this category on Sunday.

Considering the cool weather, Red Deer College Golf Head Coach Scott Bergdahl was thankful that   the championships could still go ahead. “We had a two hour frost delay in the morning but with snow falling in different areas of region, I am happy that we were able to play,” he says.

Bergdahl appreciated the skill and close competition on the first day. “Things are really close this year among ACAC golfers and teams,” he says. “It will be a dog fight on Sunday to earn a medal.”

With the standings extremely close and the thought of medals on the horizon, the golfers will look to climb the leaderboard with their best performances on Sunday, the final day of the championships. The original Sunday start will be delayed 90 minutes until around 11:30 a.m. with the anticipation of frost, once again.

Leaderboards

ANN ARBOUR, Mich. – Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee has picked up right where she left off last season, winning medalist honours and her fourth NCAA golf title on Tuesday at the East & West Match Play event.

The Ohio State senior carded rounds of 69-71 to finish the stroke-play portion at 4 under par, two strokes clear of the pack. The three-time Team Canada Amateur Squad member continued rolling in the match play rounds with 5&3 and 5&4 victories, leading the Buckeyes into a 3rd place finish.

Last season for the Buckeyes, Lee was a First-Team ALL-BIG10 athlete thanks to three victories, including a record-tying victory at the BIG10 championship.

The medal comes with a heavy heart for the 21-year-old Lee, who paid her respects to the late Celia Barquin Arozamena, a European golf star and Iowa State student who had her life tragically taken away this week.

 

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First W of the season ✅ • But real talk. Life’s too short, so tell the people you care about that you love them. Live each day to its fullest and be safe in this cruel world. • Bad things happen to good people. Rest In Peace Celia. Your family is much bigger than you think ❤️

A post shared by Jaclyn Lee (@jaclyn_lee) on Sep 18, 2018 at 7:12pm PDT

Next up, Ohio State travels to the Windy City Collegiate in Chicago Oct. 1-2.

Click here for full results.

“Where Champions Are Crowned”

Although it’s the marketing tagline for Duncan Meadows Golf Course on Vancouver Island, site of the recent men’s Canadian Amateur Championship, it could be adopted by any of the scores of courses across Canada that play host each year to provincial and national championships.

Ming Hui, owner of Duncan Meadows, says the course hosted its first event, the B.C. Mid-Amateur Championship, in 1999. Since then, the course and its members have welcomed a veritable spectrum of tournaments: provincial junior and amateur championships, Future Links events, the Canadian University/College Championship, the Canadian Women’s Tour, and even an American Junior Golf Association tournament where, says Hui, a young Paula Creamer set the women’s competitive course record before heading off to LPGA Tour stardom.

“The overall experience is fabulous,” Hui says. “Although the members have to give up their course for a few days, it’s a positive experience for everyone. It’s good for our course because it gives us exposure and visibility and it’s good for the game overall.”

At any given time, Golf Canada is in contact with hundreds of courses in order to secure sites over the next three to five years for the 30 or so tournaments they conduct each year, says Adam Helmer, Golf Canada’s director of rules, competitions and amateur status.

“Lots of advance notice and excellent communication is key,” he says. “Once a course hosts an event, they realize it is a positive and lasting experience for all concerned. Some courses want to showcase major changes, celebrate a significant anniversary or get more recognition. Others may target a specific championship because they have strong players in that category and it never hurts to have local knowledge.”

Phil Berube, executive director and CEO of Alberta Golf, agrees. “We are very fortunate in that many clubs in Alberta see this as an opportunity to showcase their facility and demonstrate good will for the golf community.” He says the key is a “partnership” between the golf association, the members and staff of the host club, and the players themselves.

Finding the appropriate number and type of facility is a formidable task for Golf Canada and the provincial associations. Although smaller provinces conduct a relative handful of competitions, Ontario runs more than 50 qualifying events and two dozen championships.

“It’s a very compact season and it’s difficult to schedule them all in during Ontario’s short summer,” says Rob Watson, Golf Ontario’s coordinator of next generation and competitions.

Some provincial associations offer nominal remuneration to host clubs and that has made the experience more palatable for some courses, but there’s much more to the equation. While British Columbia, for example, does so, the association “works with host clubs to help them understand the local economic impact of hosting an event as well as revenue opportunities for food and beverage as well as local sponsorship,” according to Kris Jonasson, CEO of British Columbia Golf.

Golf Canada, says Helmer, is working toward a new hosting model that would leave behind a “lasting legacy” commemorating their contribution to the game. That legacy could include donating Golf In Schools kits to local schools or some other support for growing the game locally.

One of the most memorable events during my 30 years at my club was when I volunteered last year for a Future Links tournament that had a Special Olympics component. We have hosted a men’s Ontario Amateur and some other events over the years and, with our centennial coming in 2019, our club is pursuing another significant championship. An unspoken motivation could be that we’ve got a very good golf course that we’re sick of being referred to as a “hidden gem.”

No matter what your motivation, reach out to your provincial association or Golf Canada to see what’s involved in hosting an event.

If for nothing else, do it for golf.

The Mens and Ladies teams from Inglewood brought their A-games to the 2018 Alberta Mens and Ladies Interclub Championships!

Both squads from the inner-city Calgary club won the gross contest by six shots over their nearest competitors.

The format for the Interclub is an eighteen hole competition where the best three of four scores on each hole are counted in both a gross and net contest.

32 mens teams of four from clubs across the province competed in Kananaskis.

14 ladies teams of four competed in the inaugural ladies interclub in Canmore.

Dana Cooper of Edmonton Riverside made an ace on the par three 17th hole on the Mt. Lorette course. It was his seventh career hole in one!

A special thanks to the staff and members of the Kananaskis Country GC and Canmore G&CC for hosting the 2018 Alberta Interclub Championships.

Mens – Full Results

Ladies – Full Results

Social Media

Pleasure to be back! 3⃣2⃣ member clubs are represented for the 2018 #ABInterclub https://t.co/xfwOvJgKKJ

— Alberta Golf (@Alberta_Golf) September 4, 2018

Looking forward to playing in the @Alberta_Golf inter club @KananaskisGolf with my home club @CottonwoodGCC pic.twitter.com/ZU4F3xS0QS

— Theo Fleury (@TheoFleury14) September 4, 2018

The Alberta Net Amateur Championship concluded yesterday to wrap up the 2018 Rec Series. The Rec Series is for golfers of any ability who want to play in an organized and fun competition. Stay tuned for further Rec Series events in 2019!

Two-time defending champion Mike Ross was sitting pretty after round one at his home course, the River Bend Golf & Recreation Area. He entered the final round one point ahead of Zhenhao Zhao in the net stableford point event.

Zhao had a clutch final round posting 44 points to tie Ross and win in a countback that was still tied after looking at the back nine.

Ena Spalding of Calgary took the Ladies Net Amateur title posting a two day total of 71 points.

Jackie Cross of Red Deer won the Marg Ward division by 7 points over Dianne Murland of Edmonton. The Marg Ward flight is for ladies with the highest handicaps.

Thank you to the staff and members at River Bend for a fantastic finale to the 2018 Rec Series!

Final Leaderboard

To provide feedback on the Rec Series events or to inquire about participation, please contact John Burns

MAYNOOTH, Ireland — Team Canada will look to bounce back during round two of the World Amateur Team Championship as they chase down Canada’s first Espirito Santo Trophy.

The Canadian trio, consisting of Team Canada’s Amateur Squad members Jaclyn Lee, Naomi Ko and Maddie Szeryk, started the tournament on shaky ground, posting a first-round score of 10-over par to sit in a tie for 39th.

21-year-old Lee leads the Canucks heading into Thursday’s second round after carding wa 4-over 76 for a share of 75th individually. Teammate  Ko of Victoria, B.C., finished one-stroke higher at 6-over and sits tied for 103rd.

The third and non-counting score was registered by Allen, Texas product Szeryk, who posted an 8-over 80.

Conducted every two years, the World Women’s Amateur Team Championship has been staged since 1964, with the winner earning the Espirito Santo Trophy. The World Amateur Team titles are contested over four days of stroke play.  In each round, the total of the two lowest scores constitutes the team score for the round. The four-day total is the team’s score for the championship.

Though Canada has never won, they have earned runner-up honours four times in the championship’s history, the last time being in 2014 when the Canadian team of Brooke Henderson (Smiths Falls, Ont.), Augusta James (Bath, Ont.), and Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.) lost by two strokes.

Yuka Yasuda, 17, posted a bogey-free and record-tying 7-under-par 65 on the par-72 Montgomerie Course to propel Japan to a two-stroke lead over the People’s Republic of China in the first round.

“My short game and putting were very good,” said Yasuda, No. 22 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking™, who tied the first-round 65 shot by countrywoman Rikako Morita in 2006 in South Africa. “I was hitting shots solid today and sinking three- to four-meter putts – that was pretty good today. I was very confident putting.”

Teammates Yuna Nishimura and Yuri Yoshida each shot 1-under 71 for a team total of 8-under 136, which is just one stroke off the WWATC first-round team mark of 135 set by Canada in Japan in 2014.

The People’s Republic of China, which played on the par-73 O’Meara Course was led by Mohan Du. With birdies on her first three holes and five total on her front nine, she shot a 6-under-par 67. Du, 16, reached 7-under through 15 holes but bogeyed the 16th and 17th before a finishing birdie, which gave her eight birdies against two bogeys. Her teammate Ruoning Yin, 15, added an even-par 73 for a 6-under team total of 140.

Defending champion Republic of Korea and Austria share third position at 4 under with Australia and Ireland tied for sixth at 3 under; the USA and Hong Kong, China are tied for eighth at 2 under and Venezuela and Italy are tied for 10th at 1 under.

Hoping to gain momentum for her team, Ko will be the first Canadian to tee off in the second round at 7:45 local time, followed by Lee at 7:56 and Maddie at 8:07.

World Amateur Scoring