Gordon on Golf

2017 in review: Amateur golf

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John Gordon

The year 2017 is drawing to a close and what a year it was for Canadian golf. Our pros won literally around the world and on just about every tour imaginable. Our amateurs of all ages made Canada proud at home and abroad. And, off the course, there were significant moments that are well worth memorializing as 2018 looms on the horizon. This is the second of a three-part series remembering most, if not all, of those memorable moments.(If we’ve unintentionally overlooked any—there were so many, after all!—please let us know on Twitter or Facebook.

January:

Grace St-Germain and Maddie Szeryk, members of Team Canada’s Amateur Squad, win the team title at the Mexican Amateur.

February:

Jared du Toit of Kimberley, B.C., wins a U.S. collegiate tournament, The Prestige at PGA West, in California.

Naomi Ko of Victoria, B.C., a sophomore at North Carolina State, wins a playoff to claim her first NCAA title, the Lady Puerto Rico Classic.

March:

Maddie Szeryk, a third-year member of Team Canada’s Amateur Squad and a junior at Texas A&M, wins the NCAA’s Dr. Donnis Invitational in Hawaii.

April:

Emily Leung and Chris Crisologo, both B.C. natives and students at Simon Fraser University, win their respective NCAA Division II individual titles at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championship in Idaho.

British Columbians Stuart Macdonald, the event’s medallist, and Lawren Rowe team up to win the Peruvian International Amateur Championship.

Congrats to British Columbia’s @stu_mac_golf & @lrowe96, who took home the ? at the Peruvian Amateur ?? • 1st – Macdonald (70-72-68-71) T3 – Rowe (72-71-71-71)

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Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., wins her division at the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship at Augusta National, home of The Masters in Augusta, Ga.

June:

Team Canada Amateur Squad member Maddie Szeryk, a junior at Texas A&M, wins the Western Women’s Golf Association Amateur Championship in Illinois.

The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds women, led by Kat Kennedy, claim their second consecutive Canadian University/College Championship at Tangle Creek GC in Barrie, Ont. Universite Laval wins the men’s title.

The @ubctbirds are your women’s 2017 #CDNUniCollege Champions! ??

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July:

Colorado’s Jennifer Kupcho wins the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Cutten Fields in Guelph, Ont.

Jennifer Kupcho goes wire-to-wire to capture the Duchess of Connaught Gold Cup at the #CDNWAm at @cuttenfieldsguelph

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The “Future Links, driven by Acura, Junior Skills Challenge” national event commences at Glen Abbey GC in Oakville, Ont. For the ninth consecutive year, the event crowns female and male champions from three age groups. The 2017 champions are Andre Zhu, Kelly Zhao, Felix Bouchard, Emily Zhu, Nathan Hogan and Mackenzie Morrison.

23 juniors from across ?? competed for a national title in the #FutureLinks driven by @acuracanada Junior Skills Challenge National Event. Congrats to our six champions and all participants!

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August:

Winnipeg’s Todd Fanning wins the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Wascana CC in Regina.

Australian Sue Wooster wins the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship in a playoff over Mary Ann Hayward of St. Thomas, Ont., at Humber Valley Resort in Newfoundland and Labrador. Lauren Greenlief of Australia claims the Mid-Amateur title.

Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Mary Ann Hayward defeats reigning champion and fellow Canadian Judith Kyrinis in a playoff to win the Women’s North and South Senior Championship in Pinehurst, N.C.

Quebec wins all four medals at the Canadian Summer Games at Southwood G&CC in Winnipeg.

Zach Bauchou of Virginia wins the 113th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at Toronto GC.

Zach Bauchou (Forest, Virginia) is your 2017 Canadian Men’s Amateur Champion! ????? #CDNAm

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Susan Xiao of Surrey, B.C., wins the Canadian Junior Girls Championship at Ottawa’s Camelot G&CC.

Calvin Ross wins the Canadian Junior Boys Championship at Cataraqui G&CC in Kingston, Ont., becoming the first New Brunswick native to claim that title.

Calvin Ross becomes the first golfer from New Brunswick to capture the Canadian Junior Boys Championship ? #CDNJrBoys

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September:

Team Spain wins the World Junior Girls Golf Championship in Ottawa in a playoff over Korea.

Congrats to Team Spain, who completed an 8-stroke comeback to capture the 4th World Junior Girls Championship team title in a playoff ???? #WJGC

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Judith Kyrinis of Thornhill, Ont., defeats fellow Canadian Terrill Samuel to win the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship. Of the nine Canadians in the field, four advanced to the quarter-finals.

Team Canada wins a total of five medals in the inaugural adaptive golf competition of the Invictus Games in Toronto.

Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee, a junior at Ohio State, wins her first NCAA collegiate tournament, the East & West Challenge in Wisconsin.

Gene Elliott of Iowa wins the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship at Kanawaki GC in Quebec.

October:

University of the Fraser Valley wins both the men’s and women’s titles at the Canadian Collegiate Athletics Association national championships in Oshawa, Ont.

November:

Team Canada—Joey Savoie of La Prairie, Que., and Josh Whalen of Napanee, Ont.—win the Tailhade Cup in Argentina.

National Amateur Squad members Joey Savoie & Josh Whalen won the Tailhade Cup by 16 strokes, giving Canada their third title in four years ???

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December:

Josh Whalen of Napanee, Ont., and Maddie Szeryk, a dual citizen of London, Ont., and Allen, Texas, recognized as Canada’s top male and female amateur golfers for 2017 by Golf Canada.