Port leads both the Senior and Super Senior divisions following an opening round 69. Team Ontario leads Inter-Provincial Team Championship
Georgetown, Ont. – Ellen Port fired an opening round 3-under 69 to lead the 2024 Canadian Women’s Senior Championship, presented by BDO at The Club at North Halton in Georgetown, Ont. on Tuesday.
Port, of Sunset Hills, Mo. recorded three birdies and 15 pars in a solid opening round to take a three-shot lead in both the Senior and Super Senior divisions into Wednesday. Port hit every green while only missing one fairway along with having several looks for birdie during her opening round.
“My lag putting when I was a little further away, these greens can certainly see a lot of three putts and I avoided three putts, I had a few longer putts and I managed those well and let the round unfold,” she said.
In addition to her work on the greens, Port credited something specific for today’s strong round, “my space between my ears,” she said with a smile. “I turned it off and played a little bit more feel and not so much static in my brain. I tend to get a little mechanical and I made a big change in feel right before I came.”
The change for Port involved her shoulder turn in her take away, “any change for a golfer is strange and number one that helped me because it took me off results a little bit and I just focused on this new feel and every golfer knows when you have the right thing that helps get everything in sync that’s good and that took me off thinking about results.”
The 62-year-old is a decorated champion having won seven USGA events in her career. This season, Port hasn’t played as many tournaments but did earn a runner-up finish at the AGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championship in May.
She said the experience of winning can have its pros and cons, “I think sometimes it actually hurts you because your expectations get very high and my friends know I can be pretty hard on myself and they keep saying give yourself some slack, give yourself some grace. So yes and no, I think we all know when we don’t have good rounds in us or where were winding down and I don’t feel that yet, but I haven’t had a lot of reasons to believe that I can shoot these numbers the last few years so mentally overcome that and stick with it is a big victory.”
Port is playing in her first ever Canadian Women’s Senior Championship and only her second Canadian National Championship, “I love being in Canada, I love all the Canadians that have come and stolen victories away from us Americans. Maybe one of the Americans can get them this time on their home soil,” she said with a laugh.
“There are so many wonderful players here and the hospitality and how much you love golf, I really felt like I might be inspired and remember why I love this game coming here,” she added.
Port leads both divisions over two-time Canadian Women’s Senior champion Terrill Samuel of Etobicoke, Ont. who shot an opening round even par 72. Lara Tennant of Portland, Ore. also sits tied for second in the Senior division with Samuel.
Samuel was pleased with her opening round, “my ball striking was excellent, I had a few sloppy ones on the back nine. I thought I had good speed on the greens today and hopefully tomorrow a few more go in otherwise it was a pretty solid round.”
Defending champion, Mary Ann Hayward of St. Thomas, Ont. is currently tied for fourth with Carolyn Janidlo of Moncton, N.B. at 3-over.
Team Ontario leads the Inter-Provincial Team Championship following the opening round with a combined score of 9-over to lead Team British Columbia by two shots. Team Alberta and Team New Brunswick are tied for third and are both four back of Ontario. Team Ontario has won 10 of the past 12 inter-provincial titles at the Canada Women’s Senior Championship. This year, Ontario is represented by Mary Ann Hayward, Judith Kyrinis of Thornhill, Ont. and Debbie Court of Huntsville, Ont. Hayward’s 3-over 75 and Kyrinis’ 6-over 78 counted towards the team score for Tuesday. The Katherine Heller Trophy, awarded to the Inter-Provincial Team champions will be handed following Wednesday’s second round.
The 118-player field battled hot and humid temperatures from start to finish at The Club at North Halton on Tuesday, with temperatures hitting 32 C which felt more like 40 C during the afternoon tee times.
The Senior and Super Senior championship rounds are played concurrently over 54 holes, with the low 70 players plus ties in the Senior division and a minimum of five players in the Super Senior division advancing to Thursday’s final round. Players over 50 are eligible to compete in the Senior championship and those 60 and over are eligible to compete for the Super Senior title.
The winner of the 2024 Canadian Women’s Senior Championship will earn an exemption into the 2024 U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur Championship taking place September 21-26 at the Broadmoor Golf Club in Seattle, Wash. Along with exemptions into the 2025 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, 2025 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship and the 2025 U.S. Women’s Senior Open.
For the leaderboard following the opening round of the 2024 Canadian Women’s Senior Championship, presented by BDO, please click here.