Yeji Kwon wins the 67th Canadian Junior Girls Championship
Golf Canada
OTTAWA, Ont. – As she marveled at the names etched into the Brokenshire Trophy, Yeji Kwon gasped in awe when she realized she was in the same company as Brooke Henderson.
Kwon, 16, fired a two-under par 70 in Friday’s final round to capture the 2022 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, presented by BDO.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet, but I’m really happy and proud of myself; I’m really excited.”
Yeji Kwon
Words came few and far between from the Port Coquitlam, B.C., native following the victory. Instead, she let her play do the talking. With a four-stroke lead entering the day, Kwon stayed level-headed throughout, never allowing the gap to narrow down to less than three shots.
“I tried to block it (nerves) out as much as possible,” said Kwon. “I wasn’t playing the best today, but I tried my best out there to keep as calm as possible.”
Kwon, a member of Team Canada’s National Junior Squad, says her experience at the 2022 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in late June helped her manage her emotions in the spotlight at The Marshes Golf Club.
“It’s a tournament with everyone from around the world. I learned so much, especially playing with other players and I think that really helped me stay more focused and play a lot better,” Kwon said.
After Lucy Lin cut the lead to four with a birdie on No. 11, Kwon stepped on the gas and cruised to the promise land, closing out in style with birdies on holes No. 13, 14 and 16. At that point, she knew she had done it.
“I saw the scoreboard and I was like, “Ok, let’s just try to make pars and get it done.”
Get it done, she did. Kwon tapped in on No. 18 to win by nine strokes and was showered in water by her teammates and competitors who stormed the green.
After an opening round 75, the British Columbian carded rounds of 67, 65 and 70 for a total score of 11-under par 277, en route to the national title. Kwon was also crowned champion of the Juvenile Girls division – a subdivision for girls 16 and younger.
With the hardware comes an exemption into the 2023 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Ashburn Golf Club in Halifax, Nova Scotia, as well as an entry into the 2023 U.S. Junior Girls Championship.
Kwon will also be awarded a cheque of $1,200. To align with the modernized Rules of Amateur Status, players at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship, competed for a purse of $8,000 CAD. Along with Kwon, top-10 finishers and ties earned a piece of the prize money.
12-year-old Lucy Lin earned the runner-up honours in both the Junior Girls and Juvenile Girls divisions. The Vancouver, B.C. native, who is only getting started on the national stage, finished the tournament at two-under par for a total score of 286.
Erin Lee of Langley, B.C., completed the all-British Columbia podium sweep with a third-place finish. Lee, who was under par in each of the first three rounds, started hot with three birdies in her first four holes, but struggled to establish any pressure thereafter. She closed out her tournament with a four-over par 76.
In the Juvenile Girls divisions, the bronze medal was shared by three participants: Amy Seung Hyun Lee, Alissa Xu and Anna Huang. Xu’s medalist honours are her second in as many weeks. The Richmond Hill, Ont., native finished as the runner-up at last week’s Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Westmount Golf & Country Club.
Team Ontario – made up of Swetha Sathish, Sarah Gallagher, and Kelly Zhao – took home the Interprovincial Team Trophy. The Ontarians edged the British Columbians by five strokes in the team event, which concluded earlier in the week.
The 2023 Canadian Junior Girls Championship will be played at the Hampton Golf Club in Hampton, N.B.. Dates are to be announced in the coming months.
Click here for full results of the 2022 Canadian Junior Girls Championship.
Yeji Kwon takes command in third round of Canadian Junior Girls Championship
YEJI KWON IS A MEMBER OF TEAM CANADA'S NATIONAL JUNIOR SQUAD AND COMPETED FOR CANADA AT THE 2022 TOYOTA JUNIOR GOLF WORLD CUP.
Golf Canada
OTTAWA (July 28, 2022) – Automatic is one way to describe Yeji Kwon’s game in the third round of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship, presented by BDO. And even that might not do it justice.
The Port Coquitlam, B.C., native set the new tournament-low with a seven-under par 65 and broke free from the traffic jam atop the leaderboard. For the second day in a row, Kwon eagled the par-4 1st, holing out from the fairway. Incredibly, her approach shot came from the exact same yardage as her attempt in Wednesday’s second round.
“I had 76 yards again. It was a little into the wind, so I held the same club as yesterday and it did the same thing, it just spun back and went in,” said Kwon.
Even her reaction was the same; I was like, “Oh my gosh!”
With the quick start, Kwon positioned herself atop the leaderboard early in her round and didn’t let up from there. The 16-year-old hit a speedbump on hole No. 5, but was mistake-free after that, making five birdies including a tap-in on hole No. 17 to extend her lead to four strokes going into Friday’s final round.
“Tomorrow going in, I’m not going to think about it much,” said Kwon. “I feel like I’m going to think of it as a first round and play my best. It’s the last day, I just want to keep as calm as possible and focus and try to go lower tomorrow.”
If so, she better plan to save some room in her luggage for a trophy or two. Kwon also leads the Juvenile Girls division – a subdivision for girls 16 and under – by five strokes over 12-year-old, Lucy Lin.
Kwon’s 65 is the lowest round at a Canadian Junior Girls Championship since Euna Han’s opening round 64 in 2019. Han is also a native of Port Coquitlam, B.C.
Lin had back-to-back birdies on holes No. 4 & 5, then drained consecutive birdies again on holes No. 16 & 17 but made three bogeys in between. The Vancouver, B.C., native finished her round at one-under par and four-under for the tournament. She is alone in third place.
Erin Lee maintained her steady play at The Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa, Ont., this week, with another round in the red numbers. The Langley B.C., local rolled in six birdies in round three, en route to a one-under par 71. The Long Beach State University commit holds sole possession of second place and will play in the final pairing on Friday, alongside Kwon and Lin.
Alissa Xu and Lindsay McGrath rounded out the top-5, at three-under par for the tournament and still very much in contention for the national championship. Xu fired a three-under par 69 on moving day, while McGrath followed up yesterday’s 66 with a one-over par 73.
Final round tee times are scheduled to begin at 8:00 a.m., with the leaders teeing off at 9:50 a.m. An awards ceremony will follow the conclusion of play. Team Ontario will be awarded the Interprovincial Team Trophy and a national champion will be crowned for the individual competition.
The winner of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship will earn an exemption into the 2023 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, as well as the 2023 U.S. Junior Girls Championship.
Ontario mounts comeback to win interprovincial; trio tied for lead at Canadian Junior Girls Championship
Golf Canada
OTTAWA, Ont. – Team British Columbia had their sights set on second consecutive interprovincial team championship, but the squad from Ontario had other plans at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship, presented by BDO.
As so often is the case in golf, the tables turned on the leaders – and in this one, they turned quickly. With the trophy at the fingertips of Team B.C., one team got cold and the other heated up. Trailing by three strokes, Swetha Sathish piloted a miraculous comeback, making birdie on three of her final six holes to lift her province to victory in the interprovincial competition.
Sarah Gallagher contributed to the team efforts with back-to-back rounds of even-par 72. Along with Sathish’s two-under par 70 in the second round and Kelly Zhao’s three-over par 75 in Tuesday’s opening round, the team combined for a total score of 289 and a five-stroke triumph over the runner-up British Columbians.
INDIVIDUAL COMPETITION
Of the five players who shared the lead after Tuesday’s opening round, only Erin Lee remained atop the standings in the individual competition. Joining the Langley, B.C., native at the front of pack is Lindsay McGrath and Krystal (ZhuoTong) Li. The trio own a share of the lead at four-under par.
After starting her round with a bogey, Lee answered the bell, rallying off five birdies to get to six-under par on the tournament. The 16-year-old dropped a pair of shots in the latter stages of her round and pointed to lackluster putting to explain the blemishes.
“Today, all my shots were pretty good [but] I struggled a bit with putting. If my putter worked, I honestly think I could have gone way lower,” admitted Lee. She says she’ll look to continue hitting the shots she’s been hitting but needs to see a few more putts drop.
McGrath, 15, carded the low round of the tournament, a six-under par 66 to climb into a share of the lead. A troubling round one with the flat stick lead the Oakville, Ont., native to the putting green this morning. Safe to say the practice was worthwhile. The Team Ontario recorded birdies on holes No. 1 and No. 18 and made five others in between en route to the top of the board.
“Yesterday I was missing a lot of putts, so I put the work in this morning and was able to make a lot of short putts for birdie and save a lot for par, so I think that really helped me today,” said McGrath. “My mental [game] was really good today; I was able to dial in on those putts and not feel any pressure.”
Team Canada’s Yeji Kwon also made some noise on Wednesday at The Marshes Golf Club, posting a five-under par 67 to leap into sole possession of sixth place, just two strokes back of the leaders.
“Yesterday my irons weren’t so good, so I made a couple of changes after the round and today my irons were a lot better. I was able to get them on the green and make a couple of birdie putts,” said Kwon.
After a bogey-free, three-under par 33 on the front nine (started on hole No. 10), the Port Coquitlam eagled the par-4 1st, holing out on a 76-yard wedge shot from the fairway.
“It was a good shot. It hit the slope, then it spun back, and it went in, and I was like ‘Oh my gosh,” said Kwon, in disbelief.
Bo Brown also fired a five-under par 67, a result of eight birdies, including a stretch of three in a row from holes No. 11-13. The University of British Columbia Thunderbird improved on her first-round performance by 16 strokes. She sits T25 going into Thursday’s third round.
Krystal (ZhuoTong) Li, Peyton Costabile and Ling Yu (Katherine) Hao managed scores of three-under par 69. Elsa Wu aced the 146-yard, par-3 17th hole. The 12-year-old says she saw the ball hit the pin but didn’t see it drop into the hole and if her “memory is correct,” it is the first of her very young career.
70 players made the cut at 14-over par. Third round tee times are scheduled to begin at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, with the leaders teeing off at 9:50 a.m.
Five share lead through first round at Canadian Junior Girls Championship
12 year old Lucy Lin was among the top performers in round one of the 2022 Canadian Junior Girls Championship at The Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa, Ont., on July 26.
Golf Canada
OTTAWA, Ont. – The leaderboard flip flopped all throughout the first round of the 2022 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, presented by BDO, but when the dust settled, there were five tied atop the leaderboard.
Madelin Boyd, Amy Seung Hyun Lee, Erin Lee, Lucy Lin, and Myranda Quinton all fired rounds of two-under par 70 to pace the 136-player field.
27 other players are within five shots of the leaders at The Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa, Ont.
Boyd, a native of Oshawa, Ont., recorded three birdies on the day and suffered only one bogey. The 18-year-old birdied the par-5 2nd hole, before falling back to even par two holes later. From there, it was nothing but birdies and pars for the junior who earned the clubhouse lead early in the day.
Quinton, 17, also made a trio of birdies on the day. After a bogey-free front nine, the Burlington, Ont. native dropped a shot on the par-5 2nd hole but bounced back with a pair of birdies down the stretch to secure a piece of the pie.
Lee and Hyun Lee, both of Langley. B.C. matched each other with five birdies aside and had merely similar scorecards. Both started their tournaments with a pair of birdies in their opening holes, and added two more early in their back nines, before capping off their rounds with a final birdie on No. 18.
Lin, one of the youngest competitors in the field, had the most birdies on the day with six. After falling to one-over par after 10 holes, the 12-year-old rallied off three birdies coming in – including a pair on her final two holes – to grab a share of the lead after the opening round.
Recent history doesn’t bode well for the quintet. In four of the last five Canadian Junior Girls Championships, only once did the leader or co-leader after the first round go on to win the tournament, but ask them and they’ll tell you trends are meant to be broken.
Four more players sit one stroke back of the leaders in the red numbers at one-under par: Payton Lovisa, Krystal (ZhuoTong) Li, Anna Huang and Alissa Xu.
Xu, 16, carried on her momentum from the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship last week, with another strong showing in round one. The Richmond Hill, Ont. native, who finished in second place at Westmount Golf & Country Club, rolled in five birdies, to go along with four bogeys on the way to a one-under par 71.
Hyun Lee and Lin are tied for the lead in Juvenile division – a subdivision for girls 16 and under.
In the interprovincial team competition, the Team British Columbia contingent of Hyun Lee and Tina Jiang carded an even-par 144 for a three-stroke advantage over Team Ontario. The team championship will wrap up tomorrow at the conclusion of the second round.
Junior girls set to tee it up at nationals on heels of Henderson’s historic win
Golf Canada
OTTAWA, Ont. – Hinged between two of the biggest tournaments in Canadian women’s amateur golf was one of the most monumental moments in Canadian golf history.
Last Friday, Monet Chun captured the 108th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship. This Friday, a champion will be named at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship; and in between, Brooke Henderson became the first-ever two-time major champion in Canadian golf history.
All that to say, timing is everything and for the junior girls teeing it up at The Marshes Golf Club this week, the timing couldn’t have been better. On the ten-year anniversary of Henderson’s win in 2012, 137 players will compete for the 67th Canadian Junior Girls Championship beginning Tuesday, July 26 and wrapping up Friday, July 29.
For some, it will be a first chance to compete on the national stage. For others, it will be the last of their junior careers. But, for all, it will represent an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the winningest golfer in Canadian history.
“Moments like yesterday matter for these girls,” said Tournament Director Josée Matte. “We’re excited to host a strong field of competitors this week at The Marshes Golf Club and watch as the future of Canadian women’s golf chase a national championship in the nation’s capital.”
Five of Team Canada’s National Junior Squad members will be in the field this week in Ottawa, Ont.: Anne-Léa Lavoie (Québec, Qué.); Ella Weber (Burlington, Ont.); Luna Lu (Burnaby, B.C.); Martina Yu (Coquitlam, B.C.); and Yeji Kwon (Port Coquitlam, B.C.).
Also in the field are three top-10 finishers from last week’s Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship: Alissa Xu (Richmond Hill, Ont.), who finished in 2nd place, as well as Kelly Zhao (Richmond Hill, Ont.) and Vanessa Borovilos (Etobicoke, Ont.) who recorded T5 finishes.
Peyton Costabile of Ayr, Ont., as well as U19 Alberta Junior Girls champion, Eileen Park, and Ontario Women’s Amateur champion, Carlee Meilleur are among the other notable names pencilled into the draw in the nation’s capital.
Returning this year is the inter-provincial team competition. The inter-provincial championship will be played in conjunction with the first 36 holes of the competition, with three-player teams vying for the team title. In rounds one and two the best two scores of the three golfers from each provincial team count towards the team’s score. The lowest aggregate score over rounds one and two determines the champion.
Team British Columbia – composed of Angela Zhang, Cindy Koira and Erin Lee – are the reigning champions from 2019.
The Juvenile division remains in place this year and will run concurrently with the Junior division through the 72-hole competition. The Juvenile division is for girls 16 and under. Luna Lu, of Burnaby, B.C., was the runner-up in the Juvenile division last year and will be in the field this week.
New to this year’s tournament is a purse payout. To align with the modernized Rules of Amateur Status, players at the Canadian Women’s Junior Championship will now compete for a purse of $8,000 CAD. Amateur golfers may accept prize money up to a maximum of $1,200 CAD, and payouts will be awarded to the top-10 finishers and ties.
The winner also receives an exemption into the 2023 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Ashburn Golf Club in Halifax, N.S., as well as the 2023 U.S. Junior Girls Championship.
Previous winners of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship include Brooke Henderson (2012), Alena Sharp (1999), and Sandra Post (1964-66).
For more information on the 2022 Canadian Junior Girls Championship click here.
Brooke Henderson takes 2 shot lead into final round of Evian
EVIAN-LES-BAINS, FRANCE - JULY 23: Brooke Henderson of Canada waves her golf ball on the ninth hole during day three of The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 23, 2022 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Golf Canada
EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France (AP) – Brooke Henderson stood over a birdie putt from three feet at the 18th green, a three-shot lead going into the final round of the Evian Championship seemingly at her mercy.
For the first time on Saturday – maybe all week, given her dominance of the fourth women’s major of the year – her putting stroke let her down.
Henderson missed it left, to gasps from spectators around the green at Evian Resort Golf Club. The Canadian couldn’t believe it. Probably those hoping to chase her down on Sunday, too.
Seeking her second major title after the Women’s PGA Championship in 2016, Henderson had to settle for a 3-under 68 in the third round and a two-shot lead on 17-under par – two off the 54-hole record for the tournament.
She is still in a position of strength after opening with two straight 64s, but that missed putt at No. 18 might prove costly.
The closest challengers to Henderson are a former No. 1 and a player breaking new personal ground at a major.
So Yeon Ryu, a two-time major winner from South Korea, shot 65 after three birdies on her last four holes and was alone in second place. The top-ranked player in 2017, when she won the ANA Inspiration for her second major, she hasn’t been in contention this deep into one of women’s golf’s biggest five tournaments for three years.
Two strokes further back on 13 under was Sophia Schubert, ranked No. 283 and without a top-50 finish in a major. The American birdied her last four holes for a 66 and was in new territory alone in third place in just her fifth appearance in a major.
Olympic champion Nelly Korda started the third round in second place, three strokes behind Henderson, but could shoot only even-par 71 _ the worst score of the current top 20 on a warm and still day when only a few tough pin placements kept very low scores off cards.
Korda was on 11 under overall, six shots off the lead and in a five-way tie for sixth with, among others, top-ranked Jin Young Ko (67).
Above them in a tie for fourth place, five behind Henderson, were Carlota Ciganda (67) and Sei Young Kim (68).
If the end to the 2021 tournament is anything to go by, there’s plenty to play for on Sunday.
Minjee Lee made up a seven-shot deficit to third-round leader Lee Jeong-eun in the final round last year and beat her in a playoff.
Monet Chun wins 108th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship
Golf Canada
KITCHENER, Ont. – On a day where her idol, Brooke Henderson, made history overseas, Monet Chun added her own name to the record books by winning the 108th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO.
Chun, 21, fired an even-par 73 to win the national championship by two shots over Alissa Xu. With the win comes an exemption into the CP Women’s Open at Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club, August 22-28, as well as a spot in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, August 8-14, at Chambers Bay.
“I was coming into this week just trying to put together a couple of good rounds, but I’m happy that it worked out,” said Chun. “Coming into the stretch was a little bit stressful just because it was getting pretty close there, but I didn’t really change too much in my game.”
With a six-stroke advantage entering the day, the stage was set for Monet Chun on Friday at Westmount Golf & Country Club, and she did not disappoint. All day, crowds followed the lead group through the fairways at Westmount Golf & Country Club and the support did not go unnoticed.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a crowd that big following me around. It’s pretty cool to get some local people just watching and, yeah, I had a lot of fun,” said the Michigan University product.
Along with the Duchess of Connaught Gold Cup, Chun will take home a cheque of $1,200. To align with the modernized Rules of Amateur Status, players at the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, competed for a purse of $8,000 CAD. Along with Chun, top-10 finishers and ties earned a piece of the prize money.
With Lauren Zaretsky’s win in 2021, the pair become the first Canadian duo to win back-to-back since Henderson and Augusta James did it in 2013 and 2014.
“Following in their footsteps is a big thing, just as a Canadian… I don’t know, it’s nice and a lot of fun,” Chun said, at a loss for words.
Team Canada Stollery Family Women’s Head Coach, Salimah Mussani, followed the final pairing and couldn’t be happier for not only Chun, but women’s golf in Canada.
“This is best case scenario,” said Mussani. “It was definitely something that was important to us, some national pride to have a Canadian win this and for it to be a member of our team, it was definitely special,” said Mussani.
Although she made it look easy this week, that wasn’t always the case for Chun who admits she struggled with her game a short time ago. With hard work and patience came a national championship and memories that will last a lifetime.
“It’s been a huge couple of years just grinding it out,” said Chun. “Coming out here today and having this win is huge for me,” said Chun. “It seems like my game is coming towards where it should be or going in the right direction, so I’m happy.”
Chun’s range session following her second round 78 was a turning point in the week for the champion, and though Mussani was there for pointers, she directed all the credit to the player for putting in the work.
“She knows what she needs to take care of, she knows her putting needs to be key here, we did a lot of work on that. She focused on it, she spent the time in the mornings and after her rounds and she took care of business,” said Mussani. “She just gets things done.”
Xu gave Chun a run for her money, firing a found-under par 69 to finish as the runner-up. The 16-year-old rolled in six birdies to post her second round under par for the tournament. In third was the Newport Beach, Calif. native, Katherine Muzi, and Team Canada National Junior Squad member Lauren Kim with a score of even-par over the 72-hole championship.
Team British Columbia took home the Interprovincial Team Trophy with a five stroke victory over Team Quebec.
AUCHTERARDER, SCOTLAND- JULY 22: Stephen Ames of Canada in action during Day Two of The Senior Open Presented by Rolex at The King's Course, Gleneagles on July 22, 2022 in Auchterarder, Scotland , United Kingdom. (Photo by Phil Inglis/Getty Images)
Golf Canada
GLENEAGLES, Scotland (AP) – Chasing a maiden senior major title, Darren Clarke opened a two-shot lead at the Senior British Open after the second round at Gleneagles Friday.
Clarke, from Northern Ireland, shot a 3-under 67 that left him alone on top of the leaderboard, at 8 under. He had two bogeys and a birdie on the front nine but an excellent back nine punctuated by four birdies.
“Around the front nine today, I was so-so,” Clarke said. “My right foot slipped a couple of times but apart from that I played really nicely.”
Scott Parel of the United States was two back after an up and down 68.
A group of seven players with nine major championships between them was three strokes off the lead. It included four-time winner Bernhard Langer, Padraig Harrington, Ernie Els, David Frost, 2016 champion Paul Broadhurst, Stephen Ames and Jerry Kelly.
Colin Montgomerie, 2018 champion Miguel Angel Jimenez, Miguel Angel Martin, Steven Alker and Glen Day were four shots off the lead.
Brooke Henderson leads the Evian Championship by 3 strokes
EVIAN-LES-BAINS, FRANCE - JULY 22: Brooke M. Henderson of Canada looks on on the 18th hole on day two of The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 22, 2022 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Golf Canada
EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France (AP) – Brooke Henderson is setting the pace in record-breaking style at the Evian Championship.
The Canadian shot a second straight 7-under 64 to take a three-stroke lead after the second round of the fourth major of the year on Friday.
She is the first player in the history of the U.S. LPGA to begin a major with two rounds of 64 or lower.
And Henderson, who is 14 under for the tournament, thinks there’s a reason for her fast start.
“I’ve been having a lot of crepes in France,” she said, smiling. “To keep the momentum going, I’d better have some more.”
Nelly Korda is the only player in the 132-woman field within four shots of Henderson.
The Olympic champion and former No. 1 was three back, having finished birdie-eagle at the picturesque Evian Resort Golf Club to shoot 67.
It is Korda’s fifth event since returning to competitive action after more than four months out because of surgery on a blood clot on her arm.
South Korean players Sei Young Kim (65) and So Yeon Ryu (66) were tied for third place on 9 under, five shots adrift of Henderson. Among the bunch of six players on 8-under par was a Frenchwoman, Perrine Delacour, after her round of 68.
Henderson, who won her only major title at the Women’s PGA Championship in 2016, started her afternoon round four shots behind Korda – who was part of the morning wave – and birdied her first two holes.
There was a bogey at No. 3 and a birdie at No. 9, before Henderson went on a roll over the back nine. She had back-to-back birdies from No. 11 and then made putts from 15 feet, 8 feet and 10 feet for birdies on the final three holes.
“It feels really nice to get off to a fast start in a major championship,” Henderson said.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been able to do that. To get it this far under par is really awesome and I feel like I’m hitting the ball really well, which is nice, and making some putts.”
The highlight of Korda’s round was her second shot at the par-5 18th, a high fade which landed in the middle of the green and rolled to inside 3 feet from the cup. She made no mistake with the putt for eagle.
Korda said she has been suffering from jet lag and barely slept ahead of the early start to her second round, which opened with what she described as 10 “stress-free” pars.
Like Henderson, Korda has won one major championship – last year’s PGA Championship – and was No. 1 in the world when she stopped playing in February.
Now she is No. 3 and is coming off three top-10 finishes in that little stretch since her return.
First-round leader Ayaka Furue shot 72, nine strokes worse than Thursday, and was in a five-strong group on 7 under.
Ontario’s Chun charges to top in round three of Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship
Monet Chun stares down a par putt on the 18th green at Westmount Golf & Country Club during the third round of the 108th Canadian Women's Amateur Championship.
Golf Canada
KITCHENER, Ont. – Thursday was all about Monet Chun at Westmount Golf & Country Club.
Chun charged into the lead with a bogey-free, seven-under par 66 on moving day at the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO, and holds a six-stroke lead ahead of Friday’s final round, with the Duchess of Connaughton Gold Cup and a spot in the CP Women’s Open at stake.
“I was just trying to make up strokes from yesterday, but I hit the ball well [and] putted well today so I was pretty happy overall,” said Chun. “I had a couple of tough chips out there, left a little bit of long putts like on 18 here, but I was just putting together a good round today so I’m pretty happy about that,” added a humble Chun.
Within minutes of finishing a disappointing round of three-over par 78 on Wednesday, Chun darted to the range to fine-tune some swing mechanics. Needless to say, the practice paid off on Thursday.
“I missed a couple left yesterday and I’ve been working on that for quite a long time now so it’s nothing new. I kind of worked on it a little bit yesterday and it obviously helped today,” said Chun
The best of the 21-year-old’s seven birdies on the day came at the par-4 15th, where she chipped in from behind the green. With a downhill lie, the Team Canada member lofted a wedge onto the putting surface and watched as it broke toward the pin and drop into the hole.
Monet Chun chips in on 16 to get to 6-under on the day.
Chun, who is as even keeled as they come, couldn’t help but crack a smile after that one.
The Richmond Hill, Ont. native, who sits at five-under on the tournament, was part of an all-Team Canada pairing today, playing alongside Céleste Dao and Yeji Kwon. Chun admitted that being grouped with familiar faces and having her coach follow along today allowed her to settle in more comfortably on yet another gusty day in Kitchener.
“For sure there’s a factor in that. I’ve played with Céleste for forever now, so being with her out there was very helpful.”
Earlier in the day, Vanessa Borovilos stormed up the leaderboard with a round of four-under par 69 that saw the 16-year-old record eight birdies. Borovilos sits T6 ahead of the final round, eight strokes back of the leader.
“Over the last few days, after the rounds, I worked on my putting because I was struggling with that,” said Borovilos. “Last night, I was able to get a good feel for my putts; I changed my setup a little bit, so today, I was able to go out there and I felt confident that I could get every putt to the hole and on line. Also, on the par 5s I was pretty aggressive with my second shots, so I gave myself good looks.”
Having not been among the leaders entering the round relieved the Etobicoke, Ont., native of any underlying pressure, but she says that didn’t change her mentality going into the day.
“Whether I’m close to the leaderboard or down at the bottom, I still want to play well; I’m still trying to do my best. Today, I just got everything to work so it was a good day,” said Borovilos.
Bentley Cotton, out of Austin, Tx., carded her best round of the week, a one-under par 71. After a blistering hot start, the University of Texas Longhorn cooled off, but still managed to put herself in a favourable position entering the final round.
The 21-year-old was five-under through a five-hole stretch, from holes No. 5-9, including an eagle on the par-4 8th. Cotton bombed her drive, which settled just short of the green, before knocking in a lengthy putt to get into the red numbers.
“That’s a bonus, you know, you’re just trying to make birdie. [I] made bogey on three, no four; I kind of got a tough break in the rough, was in a divot and came away with bogey but then just got it going. [I] started rolling the putts and hitting it close,” said Cotton.
Bentley Cotton’s 1-under par 70 has her in the hunt ahead of Friday’s final round
Cotton, who plays with Team Canada’s Brigitte Thibault at the University of Texas, says it’s her first time in Canada and it’s been, well, great.
“Canadian Am, great tradition […] Everything is run very well, great points for the WAGR (World Amateur Golf Rankings), great people and obviously a great course in great conditions. I’m excited to be here,” said the American. “I love it,” she said about Canada as a whole. “Everything is just unbelievable, overall just a great experience.”
Alissa Xu continues to hold onto second place after a three-over par 76. Katherine Muzi, Lion Higo and the aforementioned Cotton are T3 and sit at +2 for the tournament.
The final round is scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m., with the leaders teeing off at 9:30 a.m. An awards ceremony will follow the conclusion of play on Friday.
