With a strong field of contenders at River Spirit Golf Club, there are two past champions sitting one stroke back of first-round leader Ryan Werre from Redcliff, Alberta. Werre had a bogey-free round including three birdies in a row putting him on top of the leaderboard. The Team Alberta alumni leads the field of twenty-nine professionals competing for the $18,000.00 purse.

Michael Harrison of Camrose, Alberta shot a three-under-par sixty-nine to lead the group amateurs in the field. A 2019 Pacific Coast Amateur Championship team position awaits the low amateur at the conclusion of the event.

Click here for photographs from the first round action.

Going into day 2⃣ at the @svrlawyers Alberta Open @RiverSpiritGolf with 1⃣7⃣ players under par!⛳️ #abopen

Check out the leaderboard? https://t.co/ngYPGovFuW pic.twitter.com/HS3vyAoJ3q

— Alberta Golf (@Alberta_Golf) June 20, 2018

Top 10 Leaderboard

CALGARY – The 2018 SVR Alberta Open Championship is set to begin on Tuesday at River Spirit Golf Club. Defending champion Dustin Risdon is not in the field leaving it wide open for the strong field of 120 competitors.

“We are excited about the expansion of the SVR Alberta Open Championship to 54 holes this year. We have a strong field of touring and club professionals, as well as top amateur and junior competitors. We are in store for an exciting few days at River Spirit,” said Stephen Wigington, Alberta Golf’s Manager of Competitions and the Tournament Director for the Open. Wigington goes on to say that “this is the first year the SVR Alberta Open championship has a 2019 Pacific Coast Amateur team position available to the low amateur finisher.”

KEY INFO

Dates: June 19^th – 21^st

Course: River Spirit Golf Club

Yards/Par: 7,090 /72

Field: 120

2017 champion: Dustin Risdon (@RizzyGolf)

Format: 54 holes of stroke play with a 36-hole cut to the low 60 and ties

North Qualifying Results

South Qualifying Results

Social: #abopen

LOOKING BACK

The 2017 SVR Alberta Open Championship saw Dustin Risdon make 10 birdies on his way to a one-stroke victory over fellow professional James Love.

Risdon cements his place as Alberta's best player. Your 2017 @svrlawyers #ABOpen Champion ? Read about his victory: https://t.co/9Q8ijZFhvF pic.twitter.com/OX18XmmbTs

— Alberta Golf (@Alberta_Golf) June 21, 2017

HISTORY

The Alberta Open Championship began in 1935. There was a brief pause in the tournament from 2000–2002 which ended with the next Open champion being awarded in 2003. The distinguished Championship continues to bring together some of Alberta’s most outstanding touring professionals, club professionals, amateurs and juniors vying for the coveted “Alberta Open Champion” title.

2008 – Wes Heffernan

2009 – Ryan Yip

2010 – Jamie Kureluk

2011 – Wes Heffernan

2012 – Wes Heffernan

2013 – Riley Fleming

2014 – Riley Fleming

2015 – James Love

2016 – Brett Hogan

2017 – Dustin Risdon

NOTABLES

• Wes Heffernan– 5-time Alberta Open champion (2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012) is back and in good form after a T6 finish at the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Victoria stop.

• Evan Holmes – The 2016 Alberta Mens Amateur Champion has recently turned professional and will be looking to kick-start his pro career with a victory on home soil.

• Jamie Kureluk – “Mr. 25” is in the field and will look to re-kindle the magic from his Alberta Open victory in 2010 where he opened with a 10-under-par 61 including a record setting back nine score of 25.

• Riley Fleming – The 2-time Alberta Open champion (2013, 2014) has settled into his teaching career but still has the game to compete at the highest level.

FAST FACTS

• The SVR Alberta Open champion will earn a team position for the 2019 Pacific Coast Amateur Championship. They will also be joined by the Match Play Champion (Brendan MacDougall) and the champion of the 2018 Sun Life Financial Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship.

• The field features a wide range of ages including one 16-year old, Theo Sekulic and a veteran competitor, Terry Filewich at age 65.

• The 29 professionals in the field will be competing for the $18,000.00 total purse.

ABOUT THE COURSE

River Spirit Golf Club is one of the most gorgeous golf clubs in all of North America, nestled along the edge of the Rocky Mountains. The Elbow River and Millburn Creek provide a breathtaking backdrop to many of River Spirit’s signature holes. But there’s more than just beauty to this course, with three different 9-hole layouts for a total of 27 holes that can be combined into various interesting layouts. The amenities at River Spirit Golf Club are sure to satisfy even the most discriminating tastes, this is truly a must-play Alberta golf course. More information on River Spirit Golf club can be found here.

ABOUT THE SPONSOR

Scott Venturo Rudakoff LLP is a multi-service law firm based in Calgary, Alberta. Since its establishment in 1986, Scott Venturo Rudakoff LLP has become one of Calgary’s leading legal service providers, focusing on delivering high quality, efficient solutions for clients. The partners, associates and staff of Scott Venturo Rudakoff LLP come from a wide range of backgrounds, and this experience enables us to offer responsive, effective and creative legal solutions to our clients.

MEDIA

• Championship Leaderboard

• Flickr Albums

Calgary’s Steve Blake shot a two-under 70 with just one bogey at a U.S. Senior Open qualifier at Fairbanks Ranch Country Club in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., on Monday.

Blake finished second with the top three positions qualifying for the U.S. Senior Open, June 28-July 1 at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Blake joins Vancouver’s Phil Jonas, Ian Doig of Barrie, Ont., and Toronto’s Rick Todd as Canadians in the field.

Mike Woodcock of Chatham, Ont., is second alternate after a 71 at the Battle Creek Country Club in Michigan.

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada—Wes Heffernan claimed the Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week Award after a sixth-place finish in Victoria. The Calgary, Alberta, native did so in dramatic fashion, jarring his shot from the fairway on the 15th for eagle and chipping in for birdie on the 18th to shoot 68.

“Golf has allowed me to travel the world and play something I have a huge passion for.” Heffernan said. “When I mentioned I was struggling a bit, sometimes you forget how much it means to you and how much fun it can be if you just let it happen. The past few years I’ve tried to have as much fun as possible, and you see the scores when you do that. When you have fun, you play a lot better.”

After his third round, Sam Fidone mentioned he would likely be feeling some nerves on his stroll up to the first tee Sunday.

Fidone appeared to make that stroll with all the confidence in the world, striping his first tee shot down the Uplands Golf Club fairway to begin his march toward a bogey-free 65 and commanding five-stroke victory.
Going into the day, the Lufkin, Texas, native had built a two-stroke lead over Blake Sattler due to three consecutive scores in the mid-60s. As the afternoon moved on, the nail drew closer to the coffin as Fidone’s lead slowly increased.

On the 11th green, the 25-year-old fist-pumped the entire 10 yards from where he stroked his putt to the hole, and as he picked up his ball from the bottom of the cup he essentially put down any hopes other players had of winning the tournament.

“The putt on 11 was kind of my ‘let’s go get them, you have the control and the dominance over everyone right now’ moment,” said Fidone. “I just continued to game plan the rest of the day, but that putt was really the catalyst to bring me in and make me feel really solid.”

The moment came after a near flawless front-nine that included three birdies and no bogeys. The rest of the back nine was much of the same, consistent golf that allowed him an easy tap-in on the last hole to solidify himself as a Mackenzie Tour winner.

“I definitely feel like I’m on the right trajectory,” said Fidone. “I feel like my game is trending, and my attitude towards my game is trending, in the right direction. I’m making more mature decisions every time I step up to the tee, and I think that’s the biggest part about winning at every level.”

Fidone spent the spring tightening up his game on the Adams Tour, winning the Options for Independence Houma Classic in April, with rounds of 70-67-69-65. Fidone’s only other start this year on the Adams Tour resulted in a second-place finish after losing in a playoff at the Business First Bank Classic, firing scores of 69-63-66-69.

While Fidone cashed his check for $36,000, the Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island also won in a big way. With the help of volunteers, sponsors and donations made by the Victoria community, at the closing ceremony the tournament announced it had raised $180,000 for the foundation.

Next on tap for the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada is the third and final stop of the B.C. Golf Swing, a three-tournament stretch through Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna. A field of 156 golfers will tee it up at Gallagher’s Canyon on June 14-17 to see who can join Fidone, and last week’s winner, Jordan Niebrugge, in the 2018 winner’s circle.

COURTENAY, B.C. —Amateur Jake Shuman claimed medalist honours at the fifth and final Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Qualifying Tournament at Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community, shooting a final-round 68 to edge fellow American Brinson Paolini. William Griffin finished third.

Shuman was under-par in each of his four rounds, playing the par-5s in 13-under, birdieing all eight in the final two rounds.

The Duke senior birdied his first hole of the final round before giving one back on the third. The product of Needham, Massachusetts, quickly bounced back, making birdie at the fifth and sixth before making his final bogey of the tournament, on the seventh.

From there on in, Shuman played marvelous golf, sandwiching a birdie on 13 between circles on his scorecard at Nos. 10 and 15, closing the day with three pars for the victory.

“If that’s not the best tournament I’ve ever played, it’s one of the best,” said Shuman, following his round.

Putting heat on Shuman down the stretch was Paolini, another Duke alum. After making nine pars on the front nine, Paolini birdied 10 and then made three in a row from the 15th to the 17th to get within one shot of Shuman.

Paolini had a 20-foot look for birdie on the 18th that narrowly slid by the hole as he settled for the runner-up position.

Griffin pieced together three of the best rounds of the tournament, highlighted by his second-round 65, including an ace that gave him the lead going into the third round.

Griffin battled back Friday from his third-round 73, capping a bogey-free 66 with a 15-foot birdie putt on 18.

Amateur Grant Hirschman, a senior at the University of Oklahoma, finished fourth, and fellow amateur Chandler Blanchet, who tied for fifth alongside Nicholas Pandelena, won a playoff to receive status through the first eight events. Pandelena receives status through the first four events.

Canadian Riley Wheeldon paced the Canadian contingent in the field, closing at 11 under par to finish with a share of seventh place. Growing up in Comox, B.C., Wheeldon has played a number of rounds at Crown Isle, with Friday’s round one of his more important ones. A winner on the Mackenzie Tour in 2013, Wheeldon shot his second 67 of the week to jump 13 spots. Wheeldon will be exempt for the first eight events, subject to the second reshuffle.

Four other Canadians finished between 17th and 40th to earn conditional status for the 2018 campaign:

• Brett Hogan (a) | Calgary, AB
• Jake Duvall (a) | Victoria, B.C.
• Bret Thompson | Winnipeg, Man.
• Devin Carrey | Burnaby, B.C.

Click here for full scoring.

Brooke Henderson is just three wins away from becoming the most decorated Canadian professional golfer of all time – and she’s only 20 years old.

After her sixth career LPGA Tour victory Sunday at the Lotte Championship in Hawaii, the native of Smiths Falls, Ont., is on track to eclipse the Canadian-high mark of eight wins, held jointly by Sandra Post, Mike Weir, and George Knudson.

“It’s actually amazing, when I think about it, that I’m this close already,” said Henderson from Los Angeles, where she is competing this week. “I’d love to get a couple more wins this season and go from there.”

Post, who was 31 when she notched her sixth victory, said Henderson has adapted well to the lifestyle of the LPGA Tour. Henderson’s early success hasn’t shocked the Canadian Golf Hall of Famer.

“I’m really not that surprised,” Post said by phone. “She’s always had a tremendous amount of talent and she loves to compete.”

Henderson is in just her third season as a pro, but said it’s becoming increasingly difficult to win on the LPGA Tour. There have been no two-time LPGA winners yet this season, while on the PGA Tour three golfers have already won twice.

“I feel like every week coming down the stretch on Sunday there are six people within a shot of the lead,” she said. “Last week was a little different, which was nice for me, but every other week I feel like anybody can win.”

Henderson dedicated her win to the community of Humboldt, Sask., and will be playing with the Humboldt Broncos in her thoughts through the rest of the season after a deadly crash involving the hockey team’s bus led to 16 deaths and 13 injuries.

Smiths Falls is approximately the same size as Humboldt, and she said she has a unique connection to a small town that supports its hockey team.

“Hockey is so important to almost every Canadian, I would say, and definitely Smiths Falls is a hockey town,” she said. “I think it gave me that little extra motivation and extra mental strength to keep pushing and try to get that win not only for me but for them as well.”

Although Henderson has four top-10 finishes this year, she sits 13th in the world rankings.

She admitted she is a bit of a victim of how many events she plays, as standings in the world rankings are determined by dividing total points earned by the amount of events a golfer plays. But is eager to get into the LPGA’s elite group.

She said getting into the top 10 of the world rankings along with getting into the top six of the season-long Race to the CME Globe are her two goals for the near future.

Post said Henderson will likely focus her attention on trying to win majors, as she’s already proven she can compete week in and week out on the LPGA Tour. The big events will have special meaning for her moving forward.

“There will be certain tournaments, like the CP Women’s Open, that she’ll aim at a little bit more,” Post said. “The big thing is to keep her enthusiasm and keep that fire lit as long as she can, and stay healthy.”

After this week in Los Angeles, Henderson will play the next two weeks, in San Francisco and Dallas, before the LPGA Tour has a week off where she will return to Smiths Falls and participate in a charity event in Ottawa.

Henderson said she would likely take the week off prior to the U.S. Women’s Open, the next major on the LPGA Tour schedule, to prepare.

She’ll play at her home course in Florida to get used to the warmer temperature and the different grass she’ll have to play on at the host course, Shoal Creek Golf Club in Birmingham, Ala.

“Hopefully I can win again soon,” Henderson said. “With the amount of talent out here, and the amount of players that don’t get a lot of credit, it’s going to be a tough challenge. But I’m ready for it.”

Watch as Grandpa Jamie (2-time long-drive champion and Albertan Jamie Sadlowski disguised as an 80-year man) hits the range and shows these country club members how it’s done. Hidden cameras capture hilarious hijinks as Grandpa Jamie gives swing lessons, pesters patrons, and uses his Launcher HB Driver to out-drive everyone on the course!

KAPOLEI, Hawaii – For the final two days of the Lotte Championship, it was pretty clear that the only player who could beat Brooke Henderson was Brooke Henderson.

She wasn’t about to let it happen Saturday at windy Ko Olina Golf Club, where she won by four shots. The Smiths Falls, Ont., native was too talented, and she had some very important people to play for, dedicating her victory to the people involved in the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team bus crash in Saskatchewan.

“It’s extremely sad, a terrible tragedy what happened up there,” Henderson said. “I know it kind of affected my whole country. Everybody really took it kind of personally.

“For all the survivors that are still fighting through it and all the ones that have passed away, I want to show them that we’re here for them and we’re supporting them. They’re always going to be in our thoughts and prayers.”

Canadian golfers and their caddies were wearing green and gold ribbons at the tournament this week to honour the victims of the April 6 crash. Twenty-nine people were on the team bus when it collided with a semi-truck en route to a playoff game in Nipawin, Sask. Sixteen of them have died and 13 were injured.

A champion in every way ??

Post-round interview with @BrookeHenderson: pic.twitter.com/TOL15gY5og

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) April 15, 2018

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp, who finished in a tie for 44th place at 4 over, had posted a picture on Twitter of one of the ribbons pinned to the side of her hat on Tuesday.

Henderson, who won’t be 21 until September, won her sixth LPGA Tour title, leaving her just two short of Sandra Post for most wins by a Canadian player.

She collected $300,000, giving her nearly $500,000 this year and $4 million in her three-year career. Her final-round 3-under 69 left her at 12 under, four ahead of Azahara Munoz, whose 67 was the low round on a very difficult scoring day. With the win, Henderson jumps to No. 2 on the Race to the CME Globe.

It was Munoz’s best finish in more than four years. Henderson and sixth-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn (69) were the only other golfers to break 70 on a day that featured rain squalls and winds gusting to 30 mph.

“Crazy windy again” said Henderson, who was third in greens in regulation (52 of 72) and sixth in driving distance (288.8) for the week. “Just being able to adjust to it, kind of stay poised in it. Things aren’t going to always go perfectly, but I felt like my ball striking was probably the best it’s ever been.”

6 wins on the @lpga_tour ????

A post shared by Golf Canada (@thegolfcanada) on Apr 14, 2018 at 8:32pm PDT

Jutanugarn tied for third, five back, with top-ranked Shanshan Feng (71) and third-ranked Inbee Park (72), who bogeyed the last two holes.

Henderson came into the week ranked 14th and in a comfort zone. She has never finished worse than 11th at Ko Olina.

At the halfway point, she was 10 under, bogey-free and two shots ahead. That stretched to five at the turn Friday, before putting problems brought the field back into it.

Henderson led by just one heading into the final day. She played the first 11 holes Saturday in 2 under to carve out a three-shot advantage, then faltered again. Her only bogey came on the 12th and she missed a short birdie putt at the next hole.

This time she recovered quickly, hitting driver-driver within 20 yards of the 14th green, then sinking a short birdie putt. She drained a 10-footer for another birdie one the 16th, where she four-putted Friday.

“Mentally I was in a great spot this week,” Henderson said. “I missed a couple putts, which you could argue that mentally I wasn’t there because of a couple mishits, but I think to recover from that and kind of put it in the past and then go out and make some more birdies. And, being the leader since early Thursday, that does add a little of pressure.”

Munoz and Jutanugarn put together the only serious charges of the final round. Both came up a few holes short.

Munoz, who has struggled with illness injury the past few years, climbed 13 places the final day. She was two shots back after her fifth birdie of the day, at the 14th, but parred in.

Jutanugarn, from Thailand, secured her fifth Top 10 this year but couldn’t get the eighth victory of her career. At the turn, the 2016 Player of the Year was 3 under and three back. She parred her final 11 holes.

Hawaii’s Michelle Wie tied for 11th after shooting 71.

Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont., finished at 4 over par in a tie for 44th. Fellow Canadians Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.) and Maude-Aimée LeBlanc (Sherbrooke, Que.) closed with shares of 50th.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – For the first time in more than 20 years, the PGA TOUR is launching a new advertising campaign designed to capture and celebrate the energy and spirit of today’s TOUR.  Titled “Live Under Par,” the campaign plays on golf’s unique scoring language to portray the relentless pursuit of excellence by TOUR players, both competitively and in how they embrace the values of the game like sportsmanship and respect, as well as the PGA TOUR’s ingrained mission of giving back.

The thematic of “Live Under Par” immerses spectators into the contagious excitement of the sport, showcasing its vast 360-degree impact both inside and outside the ropes. As part of the current integrated marketing strategy of the TOUR, the campaign aims to reach beyond the core golf fan and attract new and diverse fan segments to the sport. Further, it will serve as a call to action for dedicated golf fans to share their passion for the game and invite newcomers to “join the PGA TOUR.”

“The ‘Live Under Par’ campaign goes beyond capturing the incredible ability of PGA TOUR players to score below par each week by showcasing and celebrating that same attitude of excellence that exists between players, players with fans, and players interacting with communities and charities,” said Joe Arcuri, Chief Marketing Officer of the PGA TOUR.  “The new campaign captures not just a way to play, but a way to be.”

You don’t need a club in your hand to #LiveUnderPar. pic.twitter.com/FvMqP25Y0s

— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) April 10, 2018

Developed in collaboration with new roster agency Troika of Los Angeles, “Live Under Par” becomes the TOUR’s first new theme and tagline since “These Guys Are Good,” the longest-running advertising campaign among major sports, debuted in 1997.

“’Live Under Par’ is an invitation for both players and fans to participate, no matter which side of the ropes you’re on,” said Gilbert Haslam, Executive Creative Director, Troika.  “The campaign provides fans with new ways to engage in all the PGA TOUR has to offer and celebrates the shared mindset and spirit behind the constant pursuit of greatness. ‘Live Under Par’ is unique to the game, but with meaning that resonates far beyond it.”

The PGA TOUR has been proactively shaping marketing plans through a fans-first lens to reach beyond the core fan. The TOUR has analyzed real-time fan consumption across all media platforms to further understand and enhance the areas where target segments are most engaged.

One of the first initiatives the TOUR made under the fans-first approach was relaxing cell phone and social media guidelines at tournaments – providing both fans and players with the opportunity to create and share personally captured content. “Live Under Par” is a testament to the success of those changes and prominently features fan-captured content throughout the exhilarating commercial spot debuting in conjunction with the campaign.

“We consider this campaign more of an evolution, growing from how our players’ competitive excellence was presented so effectively through ‘These Guys Are Good’ to doing that and so much more,” Arcuri said. “We are pulling the camera lens out, so to speak, to highlight the fun and excitement on TOUR and highlight the special interaction we see every week between our players and fans. We believe this, in turn, will help spur broader interest among a more diverse group of fans.’”

“Live Under Par” will debut with a combination of television, digital, social, print, radio and advertising, along with tournament activation and support of PGA TOUR players. To experience the campaign, visit www.liveunderpar.com.