MEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Joey Savoie made the biggest gain among the Top-10 as the Golf Canada National Team member and No. 4 ranked amateur in Canada climbed 14 places in the world rankings.

Charles Corner, Emmett Oh and Lawren Rowe all moved up one spot in the Canadian rankings, gaining five, five and three spots respectively due to Matt Williams’ slide down the rankings.

Biggest move: Thomas Demarco gained 539 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for eighth at the Pinetree Intercollegiate. It was the second top 10 result for the golfer from Lasalle, Ont., who is a junior at Northern Illinois University.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

WOMEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Top ranked Maddie Szeryk gained three places in the world rankings after finishing runner-up at the Maryb S. Kauth Invitational. The Golf Canada National Team member has finished in the top 10 in all four events this fall, including a pair of second place results. Since September 3, Szeryk is a combined 23 shots below par over the span of 10 rounds. The result moved her up to No. 28 in the world and she is likely to improve upon that ranking following her results at the final fall tournament, which should be factored into next week’s rankings.

Michelle Kim made the biggest move among the Top-10, picking up 15 places in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 16th at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown. It was the third top 20 result for Kim who moves up to No. 9 in the Canadian rankings.

Biggest Move: Brigitte Thibault gained 411 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 13th at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown. The freshman from Rosemère, Que. has also posted a tie for sixth in four tournaments at Fresno State.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

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Benjamin Silverman gained 31 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for seventh at the Sanderson Farms Championship. It was his first top 10 result on the PGA tour since earning his card for the 2018 season. The result was worth 3.92 world ranking points, the third best points-paying finish of his career. The result also helped him move up to No. 6 in the Canadian rankings.

Only one other change in the Top-10 saw Richard T Lee move past Roger Sloan into the No. 8 spot in the Canadian rankings.

Other notable results: No. 1 Adam Hadwin finished tied for 65th at WGC-HSBC Champions; No. 7 David Hearn finished tied for 59th at PGA Sanderson Farms Championship; No. 10 Corey Conners finished tied for 65th at the Sanderson Farms Championship;

Click here for Men’s Official World Golf Rankings.

WOMEN’S TOP 10

Brooke Henderson actually lost ground in the world rankings despite finishing in a tie for fifth at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia event. While the result saw Henderson’s total world ranking point total grow 4.78 points, she slipped down to No. 13 in the world rankings, having been passed by tournament winner Cristie Kerr and slipping behind Sei Young Kim, who also posted a top 10 result. The result was Henderson’s eighth top 10 result of the season on the LPGA Tour. The last time she was ranked this low outside the top 10 was back on June 19th

Other Notable Results: No. 2 Alena Sharp finished tied for 62nd at Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia;

Click here for full Women’s Rolex World Rankings.

MEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Emmett Oh continued to climb up the Canadian rankings, making the biggest leap among the Top-10.  The Calgary golfer climbed eight places in the world rankings to move up to No. 7 in Canadian rankings. Since joining the Top-10, Oh has gained 94 places in the world rankings over the last 10 weeks

No. 5 ranked Chris Crisologo won his first tournament of the season at the Concordia Invitational, marking his third consecutive top-5 result and coming off a runner-up finish two weeks ago.

Outside the Top-10, Travis Fredborg climbed 51 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for sixth at the Southern Dunes Invitational. The Selkirk, Manitoba junior at Arizona moved up to No. 16 in the Canadian rankings.

Biggest move:  Daniel Racioppa from Mount Albert, Ont., jumped 1,223 spots in the world rankings after a nine-shot victory in the Collegiate Challenge – Bluffs tournament. The Alcorn State senior and defending SWAC champion shot a career-best 212 over three-rounds including a career-best 65 in round three.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

WOMEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Vanessa Ha made the biggest move among the Top 10, picking up 19 places in the world rankings after finishing 10th at the UW Edean Ihlanfeldt Invite. It was the second top-10 result in three tournaments for the senior from Montreal.

Two of Canada’s up and coming junior golfers both made moves up the Canadian rankings. Susan Xiao climbed one spot up to No. 7 while Golf Canada Development Squad member Monet Chun moved up to No. 9.

After nine weeks of being on the outside, Valerie Tanguay rejoins the Top-10 at No. 10.

Julia Champion climbed 84 spots in the world rankings after her wire-to-wire win at the Shirley Spork EMU Invitational, the third collegiate tournament win for the senior from Markham, Ont. The result earned her Mid-American Conference Golfer of the Week honours and moved up to No. 20 in Canadian rankings.

Biggest Move: Michelle Ruiz vaulted 268 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 14th at the NSU GolfRank Invitational. It was her second straight Top-20 finish and helped the Mississauga, Ont., senior at Nova Southeastern University to settle in at No. 13 in the Canadian rankings.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

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Nick Taylor gained 15 places in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 13th at the PGA’s CIMB Classic. The result was worth 4.74 world ranking points, which was the sixth best points-paying finish of his career. It was also the third consecutive event where he has collected world ranking points. Over the last two weeks, the No. 4 ranked Canadian has gained 29 spots in the world rankings.

Austin Connelly picked up 12 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 21st at the Italian Open. The result was worth 2.46 world ranking points for the former Golf Canada National Team member and it was his second biggest payday on the European Tour.

Other notable results: No. 1 Adam Hadwin and No. 9 Richard T Lee both finished tied for 51st at PGA CIMB Classic; No. 2 Graham DeLaet finished tied for 54th at PGA CIMB Classic.

Click here for Men’s Official World Golf Rankings.

WOMEN’S TOP 10

Brooke Henderson moved back into the world top 10, picking up one spot in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for eighth at the LPGA’s KEB Hana Bank Championship. The result saw the top ranked Canadian gain 3.45 points in the world rankings. It was also her seventh top 10 result of the season and the third in the last four events.

Maude-Aimee Leblanc made the biggest gain among the Top-10, picking up six places in the world rankings.

Other Notable Results: No. 2 Alena Sharp finished tied for 46th at the LPGA’s KEB Hana Bank Championship.

Click here for full Women’s Rolex World Rankings.

MEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Emmett Oh (pictured above) made the biggest move among the Top-10, picking up 30 places in the world ranking to move up to No. 8 in Canada.

Outside the Top-10, Henry Lee climbed 30 places in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 38th at the Nike Golf Collegiate Invite. Lee just missed breaking into the Top-10, moving up to No. 11 in the Canadian rankings.

Honourable mention to Brandon Lacasse, a sophomore at Wallace State who hails from Chateauguay, Que. He gained 156 places in the world rankings after claiming medalist honors to win the NJCAA District 4 Fall Preview. Lacasse was one of only  three players to finish the tournament under par.

Biggest move: Raphael Lapierre-Messier, a freshman from Quebec playing at  University Missouri-Kansas City, gained 700 places in the world rankings after finishing tied for 37 at The Jackrabbit – his first collegiate tournament of the year.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

WOMEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

A minor reshuffling up and down the Top-10 this past week.

Jaclyn Lee climbs 15 places in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for ninth at the Windy City Collegiate Championship. Coming off her win last month, it was her ninth-career top 10 finish and  moves her up to the No. 2 spot in Canada, replacing fellow Team Canada National Squad member Naomi Ko, who had held that position for the last 10 weeks.

Grace St-Germain climbs one spot in the world rankings and takes over the No. 5 spot in Canada. It was double duty for the the Team Canada National Squad member, who finished in a tie for fifth at the Xavier Invitational before posting an 11th place finish at the Jacksonville Classic, missing out on the top 10 by just two strokes.

Canada’s top-ranked junior Susan Xiao moves past Michelle Kim and into the No. 8 spot in the Canadian rankings.

Outside the Top-10, Golf Canada Development Squad member Mary Parsons jumped 48 spots in the world rankings after her eighth place finish at the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational. The freshman from Delta, B.C. who plays at Indiana set a new school single round score of 66 in the third round, which ended up being the lowest round of the tournament. The result helped move her up to No. 16 in the Canadian rankings.

Biggest Move: Alexandra Naumovski gained 219 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 13th at the Jacksonville Classic.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

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Nick Taylor gained 14 spots in the world rankings with a tie for ninth at the Safeway Open, the first event of the new PGA calendar season. The result was worth 3.51 world ranking points and his second consecutive points-paying finish. Taylor’s fifth top 10 result of the year helped move him up to No. 4 in the Canadian rankings.

Graham DeLaet picked up 8 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for fifth at the Safeway Open. The result was worth 5.72 world ranking points and was his biggest points-paying finish since June, not counting major championships. It was his sixth top 10 result this season and second in his last four tournaments.

Other notable results: No. 3 Mackenzie Hughes and No. 10 Corey Conners both missed the cut at PGA Safeway Open; No. 5 Austin Connelly missed the cut at European Tour Alfred Dunhill Links Championship; No. 6 David Hearn finished tied for 54th at PGA Safeway Open; No. 7 Benjamin Silverman finished tied for 43rd at PGA Safeway Open; No. 9 Richard T Lee missed the cut at Asian Tour Yeangder Tournament Players Championship;

Click here for Men’s Official World Golf Rankings.

WOMEN’S TOP 10

Samantha Richdale made the biggest move of the week, picking up eight places in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 18th at the Symetra Tour Championship. The result saw her pick up .13 world ranking points for her fourth top 20 finish on the development tour this year.

Despite slipping seven places in the world rankings, Anne-Catherine Tanguay secured her LPGA Tour card for next season with a tie for 12th at the Symetra Tour Championship. The Team Canada Young Pro Squad member had six top 10 results, including her first career victory, and finished eighth on the tour’s money list to capture one of 10 cards up for grabs.

Despite missing the cut at the Symetra Tour Championship, Brittany Marchand earned an exemption into Stage III of Q-School after claiming the 25th and final qualifying spot on the money list. Marchand had two top 10 finishes including her first career victory.

Coming off her latest LPGA victory, top ranked Brooke Henderson slipped a spot to No. 11 in the world rankings, pushed out of the top 10 by Inbee Park.

Other Notable Results: No. 6 Augusta James finished tied for 26th at Symetra Tour Championship; No. 10 Elizabeth Tong missed the cut at Symetra Tour Championship;

Click here for full Women’s Rolex World Rankings.

MEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Chris Crisologo gained five places in the world rankings after finishing runner-up at the WWU Invitational. The senior and defending champion lost out to teammate Scott Kerr, who captured his first collegiate title by two strokes and makes his debut in the amateur world rankings. The pair helped power Simon Fraser University to an 11 stroke victory over rivals UBC.

Blair Bursey picked up 42 places in the world ranking after finishing in a tie for fifth at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invite. It was the first top-5 finish for the senior from Newfoundland. Bursey has gained 64 spots in the world rankings in last two weeks and moves up to take over the No. 8 ranking in Canada.

Matt Williams picked up another five places in the world rankings. The redshirt junior at Houston has gained 45 spots in the rankings over the last two weeks.

Honourable mention goes to Brendan Seys of Port Lambton, Ont., who makes his amateur world rankings debut after winning the Kyle Ryman Memorial in a playoff for win his second tournament win of the season and his third straight finish in the top three.

Biggest move: Perry Xin, a freshman from Vancouver, B.C., gained 379 spots in the world ranking after finishing in a tie for 17th at The Macdonald Cup, helping Yale University capture the team title.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

WOMEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Michelle Kim made the biggest move among the Top-10, picking up 18 places in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for sixth at the Coeur D’Alene Collegiate. It was the second consecutive top-10 finish for the Surrey, B.C. junior at Idaho and her 211 total is the best score to par of her collegiate career. It also enabled her to climb two spots up to No. 8 in Canada.

Top ranked Maddie Szeryk climbed two spots after finishing in a tie for ninth at The Schooner Fall Classic. It was the third straight top 10 finish for the Golf Canada National Team member and the 24th of her collegiate career.

Outside the Top-10, Golf Canada Development Squad member Mary Parsons climbed 15 spots to move up to No. 19 in the Canadian rankings after finishing in a tie for 20th at the Coeur D’Alene Collegiate.

Biggest Move: Emily Zhu climbed 141 places in the world rankings after finishing tied for 54th at the World Junior Girls Championship.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

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Benjamin Silverman made the biggest gain among the Top-10, picking up 14 places in the world ranking after finishing in a tie for 20th at the season-ending Web.com Tour Championship. The result was worth 1.23 world ranking points for Silverman, who had already wrapped up his PGA Tour card for 2018 prior to the conclusion of the Web.com Tour Finals. It was his fifth top 20 result on the development tour in his last eight events, which included his first career victory.

Despite missing the cut at the Tour Championship, Corey Conners will be joining Silverman on the PGA Tour in 2018 after securing his card by virtue of finishing 20th on the Web.com Tour Finals money list.

Adam Svensson, No. 12 in the Canadian rankings, just missed out on securing a PGA Tour card after missing the cut at the Tour Championship. The former Golf Canada National Squad member came up just under $3,000 short of the goal.

Other notable results: No. 6 David Hearn withdrew from the Web.com Tour Championship; No. 8 Roger Sloan missed the cut at the Web.com Tour Championship; No. 9 Richard T Lee finished 49th at the Asian Tour Taiwan Masters;

Click here for Men’s Official World Golf Rankings.

WOMEN’S TOP 10

Brooke Henderson moved back inside the world top 10 after her fifth career LPGA victory, claiming the New Zealand Women’s Open by five strokes. It’s her second tour win in 2017 and was worth 13 world ranking points. Henderson climbed two places to No. 10 in the world rankings.

Despite slipping two spots in the world rankings, Alena Sharp finished tied for 13th at the New Zealand Women’s Open, which was worth a half a world ranking point.

Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Augusta James finished in a tie for 10th at the Symetra Tour event in Florida. It was the second top 10 result of the season for the No. 6 ranked golfer in Canada.

No. 4 Anne-Catherine Tanguay missed the cut at the Symetra Tour Florida event but she goes into this week’s final at No. 7 on the money list and a pretty good bet to secure an LPGA Tour card for next season.

No. 5 Brittany Marchand, who finished in a tie for 48th at the Symetra Tour event in Florida, sits 21st on the money list and needs to win the final in order to move into the top 10 and secure an LPGA card.

Other Notable Results: No. 3 Maude-Aimee Leblanc and No. 9 Jennifer Ha both missed the cut at New Zealand Women’s Open;  No. 7 Samantha Richdale and No. 10 Elizabeth Tong all missed the cut at Symetra Tour event in Florida;

Click here for full Women’s Rolex World Rankings.

MEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Matt Williams made the biggest move of the week, picking up 40 spots in the world rankings to move up to No. 6 in Canadian rankings, moving past Lawren Rowe, who finished runner-up at the Saint Martin’s Invite.

Blair Bursey climbed 22 spots in the world rankings after finishing tied for 12th at the Ram Masters Invitational. That result enabled him to climb up to No. 9 in the Canada rankings.

Outside the Top-10, Andrew Harrison climbed 60 spots in the world rankings and moved into the Top 20 after successfully defending his title at the Saint Martin’s Invite. He was the only player in the 72-golfer field to shoot three rounds in the 60s en route to his third career university win.

Honourable mention goes to Taylor Beckstead, who jumped 693 spots in the world rankings after winning the Junior Boys title in a playoff at the MJT International Team Challenge.

Biggest move: Freddy D’angelo gained 933 spots in the world rankings after finishing third in the Junior Boys portion of the MJT International Team Challenge. He, along with Beckstead, helped Golf Ontario WHITE to the team challenge title.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

WOMEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Grace St-Germain made the biggest move of the week, climbing 60 spots in world rankings after finishing in a tie for 40th at the Lady Paladin Invitational. The result helped the Golf Canada National Squad member move up two places to No. 6 in Canada.

Jaclyn Lee moved up six places following her co-medalist honors at the East and West Match Play Challenge. The Team Canada National Squad member also earned Big Ten Golfer of the Week honours for the first time in her collegiate career.

Susan Xiao moves up 3 places in world rankings to take over the No. 9 spot in Canada.

Vanessa Ha’s tie for sixth at the Ram Classic helped her climb three places in the world rankings.

Outside the Top-10, Hannah Lee gained 74 places in the world rankings and moves into the Top 20, up to No. 18 in Canada.

Honourable mention to Hailey Mclaughlin, who gained 80 places in the world rankings after winning the Junior Girls title at the MJT International Team Challenge.

Biggest Move: Victoria Zheng of Markham, Ont. gained 348 spots in the world rankings after finishing runner-up in the Junior Girls portion of the MJT International Team Challenge.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

MEN’S TOP 10

Corey Conners made the biggest gain among the Top-10, picking up 39 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 11th at the Web.com Tour’s DAP Championship. It was his second top 15 result in three Finals tournaments and it was enough for the Team Canada Young Pro squad member to secure a PGA Tour card for next season.

Roger Sloan moved back past Richard T Lee, up into No. 8 in the Canadian rankings. Sloan finished tied for 45th at the Web.com Tour’s DAP Championship and he is just on the outside of the Top 25 needed to secure a PGA Tour card for next season.

Top ranked Adam Hadwin finished 23rd in his first ever Tour Championship, garnering 3.48 world ranking points. The B.C. golfer picked up points in three of the four FedEx Playoff events and ends the official golf season at No. 47 in the world rankings.

Other notable results: No. 4 Austin Connelly missed the cut at the European Tour Portugal Masters; No. 6 David Hearn and No. 7 Benjamin Silverman both missed the cut at the Web.com Tour DAP Championship; No. 9 Richard T Lee finished tied for 31st at the Korean Tour Genesis Championship;

Click here for Men’s Official World Golf Rankings.

WOMEN’S TOP 10

Only No. 6 Augusta James maintained her standing as the rest of the Top-10 lost ground in the world rankings this past week. No. 1 Brooke Henderson slipped down to No. 12 in the world, falling behind Korean Kim Sei-young.

With just two events to go, Anne-Catherine Tanguay appears a lock to secure her LPGA Tour card for next year. At No. 6 on the money list, the Team Canada Young Pro player is almost $25,000 ahead of the No. 11 ranked player.

No. 5 Brittany Marchand is just over $22,000 behind No. 10 on the list in the race for a Tour card in 2018.

Other Notable Results: No. 4 Anne-Catherine Tanguay finished tied for 23rd at Symetra Tour event in Alabama; No. 5 Brittany Marchand finished tied for 42nd at Symetra Tour event in Alabama; No. 7 Samantha Richdale finished tied for 28th at Symetra Tour event in Alabama; No. 10 Elizabeth Tong missed the cut at Symetra Tour event in Alabama;

Click here for full Women’s Rolex World Rankings.

VERONA, Wis. – Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee has added another accolade to her impressive resume.

The 20-year-old Ohio State junior carded seven birdies to post a 5-under-par 67, climbing three spots up the leaderboard en route to capturing her first collegiate title on Sunday at the East & West Challenge.

Lee, a four-year Team Canada member, opened with an even-par 70 on Saturday at University Ridge Golf Course before marching up the standings into first place, where she shared medallist honours with Oregon’s Kathleen Scavo.

For Head Coach Tristan Mullally, it was only a matter of time before Lee notched her first NCAA win.

“Jaclyn is learning to be more aggressive and play to her strengths, she is a fantastic ball striker who is starting to be better at taking her chances,” said Mullally. “It was only a matter of time before her ability to shoot low scores translated into an NCAA win.”

The former Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur champion paced the Buckeyes to a 3rd place finish through two rounds of stroke play. The match play portion of the tournament is set to begin on Monday, with Lee facing off against Alanna Campbell at 10:39 a.m. ET

In her sophomore season, Lee led the Buckeyes in scoring average as well as total finishes in the top-5, earning her a selection to the All-Big Ten Second Team.

Click here for complete stroke play results.
Click here for live match play scoring.

Ty Steinbring representing Alberta at The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.

Canada finishes second in the 2017 Euro Junior Golf Cup, with the MJT Team Canada crew off to Finland

This month marks an exciting time for some Alberta junior golfers. From August 8th to 11th Richard Dou, Brady McKinlay, and Ty Steinbring travelled to Scotland to compete in the 2017 Euro Junior Golf Cup (EJGC). Team Canada took home silver medals through a retrogression match against Team Europe. With Team USA capturing first for a third straight year at The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.

“The whole experience was memorable. From traveling with the team, seeing Scotland (the home of golf) to playing and getting to practice on an old course, it was a great experience that I’ll never forget,” says Barrhead Golf & Country Club affiliate Steinbring.

Formerly known as the World Junior Golf Cup, the Euro Junior Golf Cup was developed in 1998 and is conducted on courses around the home of golf in St. Andrews, Scotland every year. The Euro Junior Golf Cup provides junior golfers with an opportunity to re-visit golf’s history and maybe make some of their own. Three countries participate each year – Canada, (Canadian Junior Golf Association), the United States (International Junior Golf Tour), and Scotland (Fife Golf Union). The tournament takes on a unique format with the three teams competing in singles matches over three days to determine a winner for the John Clark Trophy. Each team consists of six (U19) junior boys, two (U15) bantam boys and two (U19) junior girls.

Team Canada at the 2017 Euro Junior Golf Cup in Scotland

Also, taking place this month is the MJT (Maple Leaf Junior Tournament) Nordic Junior Team Matches in Vierumaki, Finland. Albertans Chris Horton and Brady McKinlay qualified for this year’s MJT Team Canada. They will compete against Finland, Sweden and Estonia from August 28th to September 4th, with Ontario teammates Bennett Ruby and Joe MacNeil.

“This will be an incredible life experience as well as an eye opener for the Canadian players,” said Trent Matson, MJT National Operations Manager, who is chaperoning the team to Helsinki.  “The Sports Institute of Finland is an excellent facility and this is a unique opportunity to play against very good juniors from three different countries in different conditions.”

This season, 18 junior golfers are participating in Alberta Golf’s expanded development program. Once labeled the “Development Team”, the regional concept is now more accessible and has since doubled its capacity from last year.

“Every fall, we invite juniors based on their Order of Merit points. We take in players who earn their spot based on points. But this season we thought: why don’t we open this up to more people and give more players who want to participate the chance? There was one boy who wrote to Alberta Golf saying, ‘Hey, I’d love to be a part of the program. What are the chances and what are the opportunities?’ This year, we were able to say, ‘Of course, yes.’ If a kid’s skilled, sure, but if he shows initiative and that he’s keen and wants to play and get better, he’s in.” says Team Alberta Coach, John Deneer.

The program is a gateway to making the Team Alberta U19 squad. It’s designed to help 13 to 17 year olds develop their competition skills.

“If they’re good enough to qualify for the Development Program, they can swing a golf club. They know how to hit golf shots. This program shows them what else they can do to kind of keep that improvement going. It shows them how to prepare for competition, how to practice, how to get their body right, how to eat right, etc. – things they maybe don’t think about or have never thought about. At this age, many of them are starting to try to find and secure a university golf scholarship. This helps them potentially get a few steps ahead of guys who aren’t doing everything that they could be doing,” says Deneer.

From January to September, players are taught how to prepare physically and mentally for competition. They learn to work as a team, setting goals together for their upcoming season.

“Off season is a lot of getting to know each other. Players have a chance to chat with anyone at any time. We go over sports psychology. I’ll get the kids to do some tests on how to control emotions, nerves, how to acknowledge them, how to see them coming and what they effect. Then leading up to and during events, we’ll talk about nutrition and fitness goals.”

Once competition season picks up, Deneer sees the players regularly, focusing on course management. Many of the players have a similar competition schedule allowing them work as a group leading up to matches.

“I’ll get them to really focus on areas of their game that they can see is costing shots. They focus on what they need to improve on at the time. Then maybe a week to five days prior to a tournament, we’ll try and play a practice round. I’ll go and play a practice round with all the teammates, all the program kids, and we’ll do course mapping. We look at the golf course and we try to set a game plan for that tournament. Then we just sit down and chat and discuss how to play certain holes, why they should do that and what they should avoid.”

Deneer has been involved with the program for three years. He has worked with program graduates, like current Team Canada Development squad members, Max Sekulic and Chandler McDowell. He says that if the players apply the concepts and work hard, results will come.

“You can see that what we’re doing is working. The kids who really take hold and are committed to all the steps and the processes often make the U19 team, and they continue to play great. I can see confidence growing in the kids. When they’re in the program, with the other juniors, they feel a part of something. Just being accepted into the program, I can tell that many of them feel like they believe that they are good players. Their confidence and their play improves.”

This year to join, players are only required to pay a nominal fee of $500. The remaining half is covered by Alberta Golf’s sport development budget with funds provided by membership dollars. Along with coaching, the players receive Team Alberta uniforms and equipment.

Deneer says that they’ve worked hard to ensure that the program remains “very affordable” and that he and the organization “don’t want people not to be able to participate due to costs.” He says that players usually only participate for a few years before they advance to higher levels.

“I think we’re hoping, that the 13 to 15 year olds are only here for one or two years and that they step up to the top team. That’s the goal of this program. We’re helping them here, but we don’t want them to stay here. We want to get them to move up.”

The success of the program has even started to draw attention from other provinces. “Talking to some of the parents from different provinces, they are just so impressed with all the options and training we have for our kids. It’s very cool,” he says.

Overall, Deneer believes that as the years go on, the U17 Regional Development Program can only get better. He says he loves to watch what’s possible and what could be next.

“As much as the kids learn about their game and what they have to do, I learn as a coach. I learn what worked, or maybe certain things I have to change about my communication style, my scheduling, my everything. It’s nice knowing that we’re improving. I get to see how this program is going, and I’m already thinking about ways to make it better and what else we can do to help more kids. To me it’s never ‘this is it.’ It’s what can we continue to do to make this program better.”

John Deneer has been a PGA of Canada golf professional for 12 years. He has worked at various courses, helping in a variety of areas, until a significant life event caused him to ultimately focus on his passion for working with kids. “I suffered a pretty significant brain injury. Then once I was going through all the rehab, and everything was getting better, I thought: why am I spending my time doing a job, like in the golf shop per say, that I don’t enjoy fully? Then I started to think about what I wanted to do. I thought, I love working with kids, I love coaching, I love mentoring, why don’t I focus on that? That happened six years ago, and as soon as I got cleared to get back to work, I focused fully on kids and I know that’s never going to change.”

Deneer is a certified Coach of New Competitors, having taken multiple PGA of Canada seminars and learning from numerous coaches in the industry. On top of overseeing Team Alberta’s U17 Development Program, this will also be his tenth year running the Bearspaw Country Club junior program.

MEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

The Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at The Toronto Golf Club dominates this week’s Top-10 rankings.

No. 3 Josh Whalen picks up 33 places in the world ranking after finishing third at the Canadian Amateur, taking low-Canadian honours at the tournament.

Despite missing the cut at the Canadian Amateur, Chris Crisologo picks up 21 places in the world rankings and moves up to No. 5 in Canada, surpassing fellow B.C. golfer and collegiate rival Lawren Rowe, who finished tied for 37th at the event.

Matt Williams gained 81 spots in the world rankings following his tie for eighth at the Canadian Amateur to move past Austin James into the No. 7 spot in the Canadian rankings.

James gained 32 places in the world rankings after finishing tied for 37th at the Canadian Amateur.

Making his Top-10 debut is Calgary’s Emmett Oh. The University of Houston graduate jumped 62 places in the world rankings to take over the No. 10 spot in the Canadian rankings after finishing tied for 22nd at the Canadian Amateur.

Outside the Top-10, Henry Lee gained 130 spots in the world rankings and climbed up from No. 17 to No. 12 in Canada as a result of finishing tied for 22nd at the Canadian Amateur.

Also making their top-20 debut is Johnny Travale, who climbed 133 spots to take over the No. 19 spot in the Canadian rankings after he finished 34th at the Canadian Amateur.

Biggest move: Kyle Chung gained 826 spots in the world ranking after finishing runner-up at the AJGA Under Armour Canadian Championship. Chung tied for second following a four-hole playoff, recording his second straight top-5 finish at the event after finishing tied for fifth last year.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

WOMEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Significant movement at the bottom end of the Top-10 standings. Selena Costabile made the biggest move of the week, climbing 61 places in the world rankings to move up from No. 12 to No. 9 in Canada.

Monet Chun rejoins the Top-10, picking up 12 places to move from No. 13 to No. 10. The Team Canada Development Squad member was part of the bronze medal winning women’s team at the Canada Summer Games. Chun herself finished fourth in the individual standings.

Biggest Move: Emily Zhu gained 251 spots in the world rankings after the Richmond Hill golfer finished tied for third at the AJGA Under Armour Canadian Championship. That result comes on the heels of her tie for fourth the previous week at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

Quebec won all four gold medals at the Canada Games in record-setting fashion at Southwood Golf and Country Club in Winnipeg, Man., becoming the first province other than British Columbia to win a gold medal at the Canada Games.

Celeste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-L’Île-Perrot, Que., fired a 3-under-par 69 in Friday’s final round to set a Canada Games record for lowest four-round total (-5) en route to winning the individual gold medal.

“It’s indescribable,” said Dao. “My putting was very good and my iron play was solid all week.  I was able to attack the pins and not be scared, even though they were well protected.”

Dao’s performance helped lift the Quebec team of Brigitte Thibault (Rosemere) and Sarah-Eve Rheaume (Quebec City) to a four-round score of 573 (-3), a new Canada Games record for lowest four-day team score and Quebec’s first gold medal in golf at the Canada Summer Games.

Dao’s low-round of 69 was accompanied by a 1-over-par 73 from Thibault, leaving Quebec as the only team to finish under par in the final round.

“We knew we had to stay concentrated and be the best we could be and do everything we could to win,” said Thibault.

“Winning the first girls gold for Quebec makes our gold medal even more special,” added Rheaume.”

British Columbia was second in the team competition at 5 over par—they came into the Winnipeg Games having previously won all eight gold medals since golf became part of the Canada Summer Games in 2009. Ontario finished third at 8 over par.

Richmond, B.C.’s Alisha Lau took home the individual silver medal at 1 over par. Ellie Szeryk of London, Ont., won bronze at 3 over par.

Not to be outdone was the Quebec boys team of Christopher Vandette (Beaconsfield), Antoine Roy (Rimouski) and Louis-Alexandre Jobin-Colgan (Quebec City), who also won gold with a tournament record 14-under-par 562.

Leading the team was Vandette, who carded a 1-under-par 71 to finish as the individual gold medallist.

“It feels great,” said Vandette. “Quebec has never won the gold medal in golf at the Canada Games – so it’s really exciting that we just won four in one shot like that.”

British Columbia won the silver medal at 8 under par.

A three-team playoff between New Brunswick, Alberta, and Manitoba was needed to determine the team bronze medallist.

Canadian Junior Boys Champion Calvin Ross from Fredericton, N.B., came up on clutch on the third playoff hole, dropping a birdie putt to secure the bronze for New Brunswick – their first medal in golf at the Canada Games.

“We fell just short of winning the team competition last week at the Canadian Junior Boys, so it’s great to get out here and win a medal this week,” said Ross.

Another playoff was needed to decide the boys’ individual silver medal, with Jobin-Colgan going on to collect the silver and Quebec’s fifth medal in golf by defeating Tristan Mandur (Mill Bay, B.C.) on the second playoff hole, leaving Mandur with the bronze medal.

“It feels like a gold medal because I won it in a playoff,” said Jobin-Colgan. “I’m also really happy for Chris winning the gold.”

Kade Johnson from Yorkton, Sask., fired a tournament record 6-under-par 66 in the final round to finish in seventh place at 1 over par.

The 2021 Canada Summer Games will be hosted by the Niagara Region.

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