Calgary’s Lee headlines trio of Canadians set to compete at LPGA’s 2018 Q-Series
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-
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.
Team Canada’s Jaclyn Lee advances to final stage of LPGA Qualifying
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.
Lee headlines eight Canadians at Stage II of LPGA Q-School
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.
2018-19 Sport Development Program Announced
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 5thin Edmonton 3:00-6:00pm (location TBD) and November 6thin 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
Reigning Senior Champ Flaman among 12 Canadians set to compete at U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur
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.
Team Canada’s Jaclyn Lee wins in Ann Arbour to collect 4th NCAA golf title
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.
• 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 
Next up, Ohio State travels to the Windy City Collegiate in Chicago Oct. 1-2.
Click here for full results.
LIVE SCORING: Canadian Men’s Senior Championship – Interprovincial Competition
Team Canada led by Jaclyn Lee looks to bounce back in round 2 of World Amateur
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.