PORTLAND, Ore.  – For the first time in USGA championship history, two Canadian players – Judith Kyrinis and Terrill Samuel – will meet in a final match. The two will face off in the 18-hole final of the 56th U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at seven-time USGA championship host site Waverley Country Club, which is set up at 5,836 yards and a par of 72, at 8:30 a.m. PDT Thursday.

Kyrinis, who was 3 down through four holes in Wednesday’s semifinal match against former LPGA Tour professional Tara Fleming, of Jersey City, N.J., started to chip away at her opponent’s lead starting on the par-4 7th hole when Fleming bogeyed.

“I thought, ‘There’s lots of golf still in front of me, so be resilient and keep battling,’” said Kyrinis, who made it to the finals of the 2014 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, losing to Joan Higgins. “I’ve been playing well, so there’s no reason that I wouldn’t – that I couldn’t climb my way back. But, Tara is obviously a very accomplished golfer.”

A registered nurse and mother of three in suburban Toronto, Kyrinis birdied the par-3 16th hole with a 35-foot birdie from the fringe to take the lead from Fleming – a member of New Jersey’s winning team in the 2013 USGA Women’s State Team Championship – for the first time in the match.

“I can’t remember who said it, but a bad putt is way better than a bad chip,” said Kyrinis of her decision to go for the difficult putt on the 16th hole. “I try to stay calm in ups, and I try to stay calm in the downs. Just try to stay even keel, and I think I do that pretty well. I don’t get too high, and I don’t get too low.”

Kyrinis clinched the 2-and-1 semifinal win on the 17th hole. After Kyrinis missed a short birdie putt to pick up a conceded par, Fleming missed a 6-foot downhill putt that would have extended the match.

“I’m going to stick to the same game plan of driving it well, putting it well, and the goal will be to hit the irons a little bit better tomorrow,” said Kyrinis of her strategy for the final against Samuel, who also lives in suburban Toronto, approximately 25 minutes from Kyrinis.

Kyrinis, 53, also notched a 2-and-1 win in the morning’s quarterfinals against Lisa McGill, of Philadelphia, Pa. She made a 35-foot birdie putt on the par-4 15th hole to regain a 1-up lead over McGill, who never led. Kyrinis’ path to the final also included second- and third-round wins against USGA champions Martha Leach (2009 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur) and Sherry Herman (2009 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur), respectively.

Samuel also made a comeback on the inward nine against a former LPGA Tour player – Patricia Schremmer, 51, of Honolulu, Hawaii, to win her semifinal match. A teacher in the Toronto District School Board, Samuel, 56, won the match in 19 holes.

“It was going along OK, and then I made a couple of bad bogeys with wedges, and then she made two birdies, then I’m 4 down in four holes just like that,” said Samuel of Schremmer winning four consecutive holes starting with a 6-footer for birdie on No. 4. “And then it just turned around. You just hang in.”

With her 80-year-old mother and best friend, Cam Samuel, serving as her caddie, Samuel won three holes in a row starting with a 3-foot par on the 13th to cut Schremmer’s lead to 2 up. Samuel then posted a conceded birdie on the par-3 14th. To square the match on No. 15, Samuel hit a tee shot 30 yards past the mid-fairway bunkers, sticking her approach to 10 feet with a sand wedge before draining her birdie putt.

“It was pretty good,” said Samuel of the approach shot. “[After squaring a match], your adrenaline starts going.

Before, you’re just trying to stay relaxed and you’re fine, and just going along with whatever happens. Then, all of a sudden, you’re all square, and it becomes nerve-racking.”

The next three holes, 16-18, were halved, sending the match to the first extra hole, the par-3 ninth. On the 19th hole, Samuel’s par putt was conceded, and Schremmer missed her opportunity to extend the match by pulling her putt just left.

Samuel, the 2012 and 2015 Canadian Senior Women’s Amateur champion, never trailed in defeating two-time USA Curtis Cup competitor Patricia Cornett, of Mill Valley, Calif., 5 and 3, in the morning quarterfinal. Playing in her sixth U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, Samuel’s previous best finish was in 2014 when she made it to the Round of 32.

Marlene Stewart Streit is the most recent Canadian to win the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, doing so in 2003. Gayle Borthwick is the only other Canadian to win the championship, winning in 1996 and 1998. Mary Ann Hayward, the 2005 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion who lost her morning quarterfinal match, 3 and 2, to Fleming, is the most recent USGA champion from Canada.

The U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, open to female amateurs age 50 and older with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 18.4, consists of two 18-hole rounds of stroke play and six rounds of match play. It is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the USGA, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.

Both finalists receive an exemption from qualifying into the inaugural 2018 U.S. Senior Women’s Open Championship at the historic Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Ill., with the winner receiving a two-year exemption into the championship. Both finalists also receive a two-year exemption into the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur (2017 and 2018) and exemptions for future U.S. Senior Women’s Amateurs – 10 years for the winner and three for the runner-up. All of the semifinalists are exempt into the next two U.S. Senior Women’s Amateurs, currently scheduled to be conducted at Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club in Vero Beach, Fla., in 2018, and Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Country Club in 2019.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Four Canadian players won two matches each Tuesday to advance to the quarterfinals of the 56th U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at Waverley Country Club. Hosting its seventh USGA championship, Waverley is set up at 5,836 yards and a par of 72.

Jackie Little joins Judith Kyrinis, Mary Ann Hayward and Terrill Samuel to comprise half of the remaining field, which began with nine Canadians.

“We’re pretty proud Canadians. We play some really good golf up there, as you can see,” said Kyrinis, 53, the 2014 Senior Women’s Amateur runner-up. “PGA, LPGA, we’re all really coming on strong. It’s great to see everybody do well here. We all hang out pretty often when we’re here, and we keep in touch with each other through social media.”

The way the bracket played out, none of the Canadian players will face each other in Wednesday’s quarterfinals.

“We couldn’t have planned it much better,” said Little, 59, before the Canadian quartet left to go to dinner together at a local Italian restaurant.

Marlene Stewart Streit is the most recent Canadian to win the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, doing so in 2003. Gayle Borthwick is the only other Canadian to win the championship, winning in 1996 and 1998. Hayward, the 2005

U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, is the most recent USGA champion from Canada.

The U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, open to female amateurs age 50 and older with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 18.4, consists of 36 holes of stroke play, with the low 64 players advancing to match play. The championship, scheduled to conclude with an 18-hole final on Thursday, is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the USGA, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.

Kyrinis was one of two players to defeat two USGA champions on Tuesday. She first eliminated 2009 Women’s Mid-Amateur runner-up Martha Leach, 5 and 4, in the Round of 32, then won four of the final five holes to defeat 2009 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion Sherry Herman, 2 up.

“It was a really tight, back-and-forth match,” said Kyrinis of her win against Herman. “I played so well against Martha, and it’s really hard to play like that back to back, but I held my own. I’ve been driving the ball really well and putting it well. If you can do those two things on this course, you’ll be in good stead.”

Hayward, 57, needed 20 holes to defeat fellow Canadian Marie-Therese Torti in the Round of 32, then cruised to a 7-and-6 win in the Round of 16 against Sherry Smith. Little led 2010 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion Mina Hardin 3 up with four holes remaining, then held on to seal the match on No. 17 after Hardin won Nos. 15 and 16.

The winning Canadians then flocked to the 18th hole to watch the final match on the course, as Samuel sealed her victory with a conceded birdie against 2004 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion Carolyn Creekmore.

All quarterfinalists are exempt into the 2018 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur at Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club in Vero Beach, Fla. The quarterfinals begin at 8 a.m. PDT Wednesday with McGill facing Kyrinis. The semifinals are scheduled to begin at 12:45 p.m.

My grandparents lived in a duplex on a quiet street in Montreal, which I loved to visit any time the opportunity presented itself. In the hallway were photos of my grandfather, Albert, who was a professional golfer but never talked about his career in the game.

Not until I excused myself to head to their musty, unfinished basement did his involvement with golf become obvious. Along one of the walls, perched upright on a long narrow shelf were wooden golf clubs of every type and style you could imagine. One of the clubs looked like it was fashioned from a tree branch. Hanging beside his clubs, in a large wooden display case, were his antique golf balls and dozens of tees made of wood, paper and metal. In another room were his putty clay models of golf greens and what Granny called his “maps,” some rolled up on his desk, others hanging from the walls.

Amidst the hardware of trophies, metals and golf keepsakes that stuffed the china cabinet upstairs were four brimming scrapbooks of photos and clippings documenting a lifetime in golf. Not until decades later did a scrapbook of his brother, Charlie — revealed by a granddaughter who allowed the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame & Museum to scan it — confirm a stellar and pioneering career in professional golf for the brothers Murray.

Their father, Charles Joseph Murray, a carvers mason, had led them to Canada from England in 1888. In tow with he and his wife were three children: five-year-old Charles, eight-month-old Albert and a daughter in between, Frances. The patriarch wasted no time putting his skills to work, building a large family home replete with Corinthian columns while also taking mason jobs in the city. But finances were tight.

A few years later teenage son Charlie set out looking for part-time work. A tall, solidly framed youngster, he had heard about being a caddie at a nearby golf club where he could be outdoors, make a bit of money and learn a new sport on the side. Younger brother Albert, who respected Charlie a great deal and was never far from big brother’s footsteps, tagged along. He was nine.

In time, Albert picked up the rudiments of the game and in 1899 won his first caddies tournament; his prize was a plum pudding with a $5 gold piece inserted in the cake. He successfully defended his title the following year.

Competing for young Albert’s interest was the private racetrack behind their house owned by Joseph Seagram, founder of the distillery of the same name. Hanging around the stalls, Albert’s love of horses took root. With the permission of Mr. Seagram but not his father, along with Charlie’s promise not to say anything, Albert would get up at five in the morning to exercise and train the horses.

“In time, I gained confidence and would exercise any horse in the field,” Albert wrote in his diary. “The horses knew I liked them so it became easy to handle them.”

Almost immediately he had the desire to become a jockey, until his father found out.

“It was my first ambition and I liked it even more than golf,” he told a journalist years later.

The year 1900 saw the arrival of George Cumming, a Scotsman who started his career caddying at 14, to the original Toronto Golf Club, not far from the Murray home. There, Cumming met Charlie and enticed him to look at golf as a career given what he saw in Charlie’s natural abilities but, more importantly, his even temperament, a necessary skill to have in relation to the club members he would serve. Not to be outdone, Albert showed Cumming a golf club he had formed from a tree limb at 12 years old and soon the brothers were the first graduates of Cumming’s pro shop, having learned the art of club making and teaching the fundamentals of golf.

The Murray brothers applied their skills and expertise together, first at the Toronto Hunt Club with Charlie as head professional and Albert as designated teaching professional; then at Westmount Golf Club in Montreal; and next at Royal Montreal Golf Club.

In 1906, Albert left Montreal for the (Royal) Quebec Golf Club at the Plains of Abraham, specifically Cove Fields in Quebec City. Just 18, Albert was hired to revamp the course and be its head professional. His tenure lasted a year when he returned to Montreal but members of the Quebec club had not forgotten him and in 1915 commissioned Albert to lay out their new 18-hole course at Montmorency Falls.

This was a couple years after the inaugural Canadian Open at Royal Montreal. There were just 10 pros, along with some amateurs, competing for the win in 1904 but 16-year-old Albert came in 12th and Charlie finished fourth. Albert (1908 and ’13) and Charles (1906 and ’11) each won the event twice.

As the years passed, Charlie cemented his reputation with members of Royal Montreal and the larger golfing public with his competitive prowess. By the 1920s he was often scoring in the 60s, quite unusual in the dead ball era and poorly groomed courses. His charismatic, dependable and terse personality won the deep affection of his members. A decade later, Charlie was bestowed an honorary lifetime membership at Royal Montreal in recognition of his 25 years of service.

In addition to capturing the inaugural PGA Championship of Canada and two Open championships, Charlie took the Quebec Open crown nine times. Albert’s second victory in the Quebec Open in 1930 by a record score remained unbroken for almost 50 years.

In the meantime, Albert was looking for a classy venue to launch Canada’s first indoor golf school so he leased the basement of Montreal’s Ritz Carlton Hotel in 1916. He had already invented several golf aids to go along with his lessons and he would operate his winter golf schools in various locations around Montreal for the next 25 years.

Albert’s interest in golf course architecture developed early on and by 1915 the younger Murray had already laid out 10 courses, some with Charlie, including the Kanawaki and Whitlock golf clubs. He would go on to design or remodel more than 60 courses, spanning a professional career of the same length.

With the outbreak of the First World War, patriotic golf matches for the Red Cross Relief Fund were established. This was the first time spectators paid to watch professionals play golf in North America. The Murray brothers, teamed up against the best pros of the day, were undefeated in their matches. Undeterred, in 1918, the Toronto Mail and Empire reported that multiple Canadian Amateur champion, George Lyon and professional Percy Barrett had challenged the Murray brothers for a match at Weston Golf & Country Club in Toronto, “with a side bet of $500.00 or $1000.00.”

The pro game was becoming lucrative, and in May of 1922, the Vancouver Sun reported that Charles and Albert Murray were the highest paid professional golfers in Canada. Charles had just turned down an offer from E.B. Mclean, publisher of the Washington Post, to be his personal coach and head pro at a private course he was building in Florida. In turning down the offer, Charlie was firm in his loyalty to the members of Royal Montreal where he had been head professional since 1905.

Instead Charlie became the first head professional of the newly designed Donald Ross course, Gulf Stream, in Delray Beach, Fla., beating out a number of outstanding U.S. professionals for the coveted position at this uber-exclusive club.

A devoted father to his three sons, Charlie’s routine for nine years was to head with his family to Florida in late fall to take up residence for the high season at the Gulf Stream club, returning in time to open the season at Royal Montreal. It was at Gulf Stream that Charlie established a North American reputation, breaking course records in matches at area clubs and hosting the golfing stars of the day.

Meanwhile, younger brother Albert was head pro at the Country Club of Montreal where he had designed their first course in 1910. Two years earlier Albert had captured his first Canadian Open at 20, establishing a record as the youngest winner that still stands 109 year later. Charlie maintains the most top 10 finishes in the Open, two better than Jack Nicklaus.

Murrays Reigned Supreme In Early Era read the headline in the Montreal Star in 1967 when they interviewed Albert. The “Yellow Course,” the first municipal course in Quebec designed by the brothers was the first time a public course was chosen to host an Open championship in North America. Now in his 70s, Albert shook his head at the modern stars of Nicklaus, Palmer and Player, saying the game had completely changed since their days of golfing, then paused and with a wink said “but the hole is still the same size.”

Ian Murray, a grandson of Albert, is currently writing a book on the Murray Brothers in Golf’s ‘Golden Age.’

PORTLAND, Ore. – Helene Chartrand of Pincourt, Qué., who finished as a co-medalist, will lead six Canadians on to the Round of 32 at the 56th U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship.

Chartrand won the first four holes and never trailed in her 6-and-5 win over American Nanette Seman.

“Nannette had a rough time starting, so it’s tough to come back from there,” said Chartrand, 61, who won the 2014 Canadian Women’s Senior Championship and finished runner-up in 2016. “If I’ve learned one thing in golf, it’s that you can never sit on a lead. You never want to let your competitor come back. That’s what I tried to do with some good shots where I forced her to make pars, and unfortunately for her, she missed putts.”

Chartrand has played in six consecutive U.S. Senior Women’s Amateurs and made a quarterfinals appearance in 2014, losing 1 down to champion Joan Higgins. She will be joined by five other Canadian players in the Round of 32, including Mary Ann Hayward, the 2005 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, and Judith Kyrinis, the 2014 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur runner-up. Hayward defeated M.K. Thanos-Zordani, 4 and 2, and Kyrinis ousted Jen Holland, 6 and 4, in the first round.

“These greens remind me of home – a lot of undulations and up-and-down reads,” said Kyrinis. “So, I get them and feel really comfortable on them. I sunk some fairly lengthy putts today. Anytime you birdie No. 3, that’s a real bonus.”

Rounding out the list of six Canadians advancing are Marie-Therese Torti, Terrill Samuel and Jackie Little.

The U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, open to female amateurs age 50 and older with a Handicap Index not exceeding 18.4, consists of 36 holes of stroke play, with the low 64 players advancing to match play. The championship, scheduled to conclude with an 18-hole final on Thursday, is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the USGA, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Canada’s Helene Chartrand and Lara Tennant of Oregon each recorded a 36-hole total of 2-over par 146 to earn co-medalist honors in the 2017 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at Waverley Golf Club, which is set up at 5,836 yards and a par of 72.

Tennant, who had a large gallery following her, including three of her five children and her husband, Bob, carded five bogeys and four birdies to match her Round 1 total of 1-over 73. Bob grew up in a house on Waverley’s 12th hole. Tennant’s father, George Mack Sr., an accomplished Oregon golfer who learned how to play on the course, carried her bag.

Chartrand, 61, bested her first-round score by four strokes Sunday, carding a 1-under par 71 that was highlighted by a 12-footer for birdie on the par-3 ninth hole, her final hole of the day. It was one of only two under-par rounds in the championship.

“I feel strange, happy, I don’t know where this is coming from because I haven’t been playing that great,” said Chartrand, the Canadian Senior Women’s Amateur champion in 2014 and runner-up in 2016. “I took a couple putting lessons from my coach a few weeks ago and changed my setup, and have worked hard on pace and speed and trying to trust myself.

“Usually, I’m the queen of three-putts, and I had four yesterday, but only one today,” said Chartrand who is playing in her sixth consecutive U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur and made a quarterfinal appearance in 2014, losing 1 down to champion Joan Higgins. “So, I stroked the ball really well today. I actually don’t think I can hit the ball any better than I have the last two days. I missed three greens yesterday and only two today.”

The U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, open to female amateurs age 50 and older with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 18.4, consists of 36 holes of stroke play, with the low 64 players advancing to match play, which begins Monday. The championship, scheduled to conclude with an 18-hole final on Thursday, is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the USGA, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.

Other Canadians advancing through to match play are:

• Judith Kyrinis
• Marie-Therese Torti
• Sandra Turbide
• Terrill Samuel
• Jackie Little
• Mary Ann Hayward

In a preview of next week’s Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur & Senior Championship, Canadian Golf Hall of Fame honoured member Mary Ann Hayward defeated reigning champion and fellow Canadian Judith Kyrinis in a playoff to win the Women’s North and South Senior Championship at Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, N.C.

Hayward – who was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 2007 – adds her victory at the prestigious event to an already impressive resume.

The St. Thomas, Ont., native is a three-time winner of next week’s Canadian Women’s Senior Championship and a four-time Canadian Women’s Amateur champion.

Kyrinis – the defending Women’s North & South Senior champion – put up a valiant effort in defending her title, matching Hayward’s score of 5 over par through 54 holes of stroke play, before falling short in the playoff.

North South Senior Champion!! pic.twitter.com/vrhUexiroL

— Mary Ann (@maryannhayward) August 16, 2017

The Thornhill, Ont., native is also the defending champion at next week’s Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur & Senior Championship.

Kyrinis will look to build off her strong performance at the North and South when she heads to Humber Valley Resort, in Little Rapids, N.L., from Aug. 21-24 trying to become the first back-to-back winner of the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship since Hayward herself won in 2010 and 2011.

Click here to view the full North and South Senior leaderboard.

Click here to learn more about the Canadian Women’s Mid-Am Senior Championship and view the full field.

Team Canada’s Hugo Bernard and fellow Canadians Joey Savoie and Chris Crisologo have advanced to the round-of-64 at the U.S. Amateur at The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., and Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, Calif.

Bernard from Mont-St-Hilaire, Que., recorded back-to-back rounds of even-par 70 in the two rounds of stroke play qualifying – playing 18 holes at each host club.

He is the No. 22 seed and will play No. 43 John Hilliard Catanzaro (Gadsden, Ala.) in the round of 64 at 12:40 p.m.

.@Hbernard63 the 2016 Canadian Amateur Champ shoots 70-70 at #USAmateur that should be good enough for him to advance to Match Play

— TSN Golf (@TSNGolf) August 15, 2017

Fellow Quebecker Joey Savoie, from Montreal, is the No. 37 seed after finishing at 2 over par (73-69). Savoie plays reigning Canadian Men’s Amateur champion the No. 28 seed Zach Bauchou (Forest, Va.) at 10:20 a.m.

Crisologo, a product of Richmond, B.C., was one of 13 players to finish at the cut line of 4 over par after stroke play. He survived a 13-for-8 playoff advancing on the second hole to take the last spot in the round-of-64.

As the No. 64 seed Crisologo plays medallist Hayden Wood (Edmond Okla.) at 2:00 p.m.

The last spot in #USAmateur match play goes to Chris Crisologo. Full Round-of-64 schedule: https://t.co/YQiJ9ATC4K pic.twitter.com/5VguISKaqq

— USGA (@USGA) August 16, 2017

Wood posted the lowest 36-hole qualifying score in the 117 year history of the U.S. Amateur at 9-under-par 131 to secure medallist honours.

The remaining rounds of match-play will all be played at The Riviera Country Club.

Click here to view the full leaderboard.

During his childhood years, Garrett Rank kept busy with his two biggest passions – hockey during the winters; and golf in the summers.

Today, at 29 years old, not much has changed for the now full-time National Hockey League referee, who also holds the distinction as one of Canada’s top ranked amateur golfers.

“I grew up in the small town of Elmira, Ontario and as a Canadian boy it was hockey in the winter time and golf in the summer,” said Rank, a former member of the national team program from 2012 -2014.

As a child, young Garrett would follow his father, Richard and his older brother, Kyle, to the golf course during the summers.

“My parents thought taking us to the golf course was a good idea because they knew that we wouldn’t get into much trouble on a golf course,” Rank recalled.

During the winters, his focus shifted from the links to the hockey rinks.

“I grew up playing a lot of hockey in the winters and had dreams of playing in the NHL. I was a forward and played centre and played some junior hockey and also played college hockey at the University of Waterloo,” he pointed out.

“As I grew older, I realized a professional career as a hockey player was not going to happen. So being a referee was neat way to stay involved in the game; and lucky enough for me, I had the opportunity to start right away as a referee in junior hockey,” he added.

“I spent four years in the OHL and they saw some potential in me; and before I knew it, I was refereeing professional hockey games.”

The Elmira, Ont., native still clearly remembers his first NHL game on Jan. 15 of 2015.

“It was a game between Minnesota and Buffalo and my first call was overturned after video review… I had to make the announcement to the arena saying that there was a goal being awarded to Minnesota and so the fans in Buffalo didn’t like that too much,” Rank pointed out.

“My boss called me the next day and said ‘look at it this way, you can only go up from here,’” he recalled with a laugh.

Things have certainly trended upwards for Rank who went from refereeing seven NHL games that first season to 40 games the following season.  And just last year, he was promoted to full-time status and officiated over 70 NHL games.

Having recently completed his first full season as an NHL referee, Rank has shifted his focus to his summer sport of choice – golf.

Having recently competed in his third consecutive RBC Canadian Open, the three-time defending Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Champion is quick to offer his thoughts on the hockey rink design on the seventh hole.

“The fact that they have a rink this year is really neat. It ties in with Canada really well because hockey is huge in our country. It allows the players to have a little bit of fun and joke around with the fans,” said Rank, who made the 36-hole cut last year.

NHL referee Garrett Rank rockin' the stripes at #TheRink. Amazing.@RBCCanadianOpen #RBCCO
??? pic.twitter.com/THjiNkvD3n

— Rob Leth (@RobLeth) July 28, 2017

Glen Abbey Golf Club superintendent, Andrew Gyba, is quick to acknowledge the favourable feedback in regards to the hockey rink on the seventh hole.

“I think it’s a great idea, especially seeing how much fun the players are having with it through the practice rounds and through the Pro-Ams…Yeah, I’m all for the rink. Let’s keep it going,” said Gyba.

While he didn’t bring his ‘A’ game to the RBC Canadian Open this year, Rank – who shot a combined two-round total of 11 over par at Glen Abbey – is hoping to step up his game for what promises to be an exciting summer ahead.

First, he will be aiming to put in a strong performance at the upcoming U.S. Amateur, which runs from Aug. 14-20 at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, Calif.

“I played the U.S. Amateur the last few years and feel that I have a bit of unfinished business there,” said Rank who has yet to advance past the round of 32 at the tournament. “The winner gets to play at the Masters, so I’m definitely looking to have a great week.”

The week after, Rank will be looking to defend his Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur title for a fourth consecutive year at the Wascana Country Club in Regina, Sask.

“With the Canadian Mid-Am, it’s cool that the winner gets to play at the RBC Canadian Open each year – so that’s the goal to win that and get back here next summer,” he said.

Looking at the bigger picture, the 29-year-old feels that he is truly living the dream in that he remains so closely connected to his two childhood passions.

“Obviously there’s been a lot of hard work and dedication to get to this point, but I feel really fortunate to be where I am today. I’m really living the dream,” said Rank.

“I mean, I’ve got one of the coolest jobs in the world as a hockey official; and it’s just neat that it enables me to spend my summers pursing my other childhood passion at such a high level.”

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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Quebec continues to lead the way after round two of the Canada Games with Beaconsfield’s Christopher Vandette and Céleste Dao from Notre-Dame-de-L’Île-Perrot leading the way.

Teeing off in the first group of the day following a four-hour weather delay, Vandette came out firing with an eagle and a birdie in his first four holes to card a 3-under-par 69.

“You can’t spend too much energy during delays,” said Vandette, the 36-hole leader. “I was trying to keep my energy up, and I ended up being able to go out and start well.”

The 16-year-old was steady the rest of day pouring in two more birdies and making just one bogey. His scrambling was what kept his momentum going.

“I missed it in the right spots,” added Vandette. “Then I was able to get up and down from there.”

Ryan McMillan from Winnipeg is in sole possession of second, five shots back of Vandette at 3 under par after carding an even-par 72 in round two.

Victoria, B.C., native Keaton Gudz and Canadian Junior Boys champion Calvin Ross from Fredericton, N.B., are tied for third at 1 under par.

Quebec is leading the boys team competition at 8-under-par 280. B.C. is second at 1 under par and Alberta is third at even par.

“We’ve never won gold before so it’s a pretty cool feeling,” said Vandette. “I’m pretty pumped about it so hopefully we can keep it going the next two days.”

On the girls side, 2017 Quebec Junior Girls champion Dao  had two birdies in round two and the only blemish on her card was a bogey on No. 15.

“I tried to keep it simple with my shots. Pars were good for me,” said Dao. “I was bogey-free on the first nine so I was happy with that, and I was really confident in my putting today.”

Co-leader Alisha Lau (Richmond, B.C.) struggled on the front nine in windy and wet conditions, going out in a 1-over-par 37. But she chipped in for birdie on No. 10 and got the ball rolling from there.

“I was in a bit of a groove after that and feeling it,” said Lau. “I got into a good rhythm and I was confident on the back nine. I hit some good shots that gave me good opportunities I was able to convert.”

The 2017 B.C. Junior Girls champion closed with a 2-under-par 34 on her second nine recording four birdies along the way to card a 1-under-par 71 in round two.

Ellie Szeryk from London, Ont., is in the bronze medal position at 3 over par.

In addition to Dao’s 71, Rosemere, Que., native Brigitte Thibault carded a 2-over-par 74 in round two giving Quebec a commanding eight shot lead in the girls’ team competition.

“I’m very happy to have an under-par score for my teammates,” said Dao. “Yesterday Sarah-Eve (Rheaume) had a 4 under par round and I was so happy for the team. I hope we can keep it up.”

B.C. is second with a two-day total of 5-over-par 293 and Ontario is third at 299 (+11).

Quebec is looking to become the first province other than B.C. to win gold in the boys or girls team competition.

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