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.

For the full leaderboard click here.

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.

Click here to view the full leaderboard.

Quebec golfers are leading the way at Southwood Golf and Country Club in Winnipeg after round one of the Canada Summer Games. Christopher Vandette from Beaconsfield, Que., fired an opening round 5-under-par 67 to lead the boys’ division and Quebec City’s Sarah-Eve Rheame carded a 4-under-par 68 to sit atop the girls’ division.

Vandette – the third-place finisher at last week’s Canadian Junior Boys Championship – had a clean card in round one recording five birdies and no bogeys to sit two shots ahead of Winnipeg’s Ryan McMillan who posted an opening-round, 3-under-par 69.

“I hit it off the tee really well and hit a lot of greens, I was putting it close,” said Vandette. “Inside 10 feet I made a lot of putts.”

The 16-year-old’s only mistake was hitting it in the water on the par-5 13th hole.

“It was a reachable par-5, so I was able to recover and make par,” added Vandette. “Other than that, all day long I played well and kept it in the fairway.”

McMillan, who lives just 20 minutes away from Southwood and has played the course a dozen times, used that to his advantage when preparing for the Games.

“Normally when we’re out here playing it’s just hit it find it,” said McMillan. “But, the last couple times I was really thinking about what clubs I should be hitting off the tee and where I should be missing.”

The 2017 Manitoba Junior Boys Champion took advantage of his local knowledge pouring in four birdies in his opening round with the only blemish on his card coming with a bogey on the first hole.

Taylor Beckstead (Alliston, Ont.) is tied for third with Keaton Gudz (Victoria, B.C.) at 2 under par.

Vandette’s first round 67 has Quebec leading the team competition by three strokes.

On the girls’ side, Rheaume has a four-shot lead after her opening-round 68. She made only two bogeys in round one and her strong start to the Games was powered by three straight birdies on holes 13-15.

“I was hitting good iron and approach shots into the green all day,” said Rheaume. “I hit it close to the pin on 13, made a 15-foot putt on 14 and had a tap-in on 15.”

She’s playing Southwood for the first time this week and enjoyed her first competitive round at the Thomas McBroom track.

“It’s pretty flat around here, not much elevation,” said Rheaume. “It’s fun to play I liked it. I just need to keep hitting fairways and greens and making putts.”

B.C. teammates Alisha Lau from Richmond and Hannah Lee from Surrey are tied for second at even par along with Céleste Dao (Notre-Dame-de-L’Île-Perrot, Que.) and Ellie Szeryk (London, Ont).

On the strength of Dao and Rheaume’s strong starts, Quebec is leading the girls’ team competition with a 4-under-par 140 in round one, putting them four shots ahead of British Columbia who is even par (144). Ontario is in the bronze medal position at 146 (+2).

“It’s nice to help the girls for this first round,” added Rheaume. “Hopefully it goes well for us the rest of the week.”

Led by Vandette’s low round of the day Quebec also leads in the boy division at 6-under-par (138), three shots ahead of British Columbia who posted a 3-under par 141 in round one.

Manitoba is in third at 1 under par.

British Columbia is the two-time defending champion in the male and female individual and team events – the only province or territory to win a gold medal at the Canada Summer Games since golf became part of the Games in 2009.

Click here to view the full leaderboard.

Sixty-four junior golfers from across Canada will compete for gold starting tomorrow when the 2017 Canada Summer Games golf tournament takes place from Aug. 8-11 at Southwood Golf and Country Club, in Winnipeg, Man.

A Thomas McBroom design – Southwood Golf and Country Club is known for its undulation and scenic views. With water, sand or both in play on nearly every hole, the course will provide a stiff test as golfers from ten provinces and one territory. compete for four gold medals.

“Southwood Golf and Country Club is an amazing course and it’s in stellar condition,” said Tournament Director Akash Patel. “We’re very excited to be involved with the Canada Summer Games and the celebration of sport in the beautiful city of Winnipeg.”

British Columbia comes to Winnipeg as the two-time defending champion in the male and female individual and team events – the only province or territory to win a gold medal at the Canada Summer Games since golf became part of the Games in 2009.

Team B.C. is sending a strong contingent again in the boys’ competition. The team is led by 16-year-old Victoria native Nolan Thoroughgood. Thoroughgood became the youngest champion in the history of the B.C. Men’s Amateur (age) when he won by two strokes in 2016.

He’s joined by Keaton Gudz (Victoria) and Tristan Mandur (Mill Bay). All three are ranked inside the top-45 of the Future Links driven by Acura National Order of Merit.

15-year-old Kelvin Lim will lead the Team Ontario boys’ team as Ontario attempts to take down the B.C. powerhouse. Lim, from Thornhill, won the 2017 Investors Group Ontario Junior Boys’ Spring Classic and is ranked third on the Future Links driven by Acura National Order of Merit.

Sudbury’s Tristan Renaud – the 2017 Ontario Junior Boys Champion – and Alliston native Taylor Beckstead will join Lim in Winnipeg.

43 days to go & 4 more athletes named to #TeamBC! Congrats @bc_golfer men’s team! #JCG2017 #CGGolf #WEareBC https://t.co/0L5MbpyCZg pic.twitter.com/SRbq2xdBSb

— Team BC (@GoTeamBC) June 15, 2017

On the girls’ side, Team Canada’s Hannah Lee of Surrey will lead Team B.C. in their title defense. Lee is in her second year on the Team Canada Development Squad and is coming off a third place finish at the B.C. Junior Girls Championship. Lee is joined by Richmond’s Alisha Lau the 2017 B.C. Junior Girls Champion Tiffany Kong (Vancouver).

Led by Team Canada Development Squad’s Monet Chun, the Ontario team will look to bring gold to Canada’s largest province for the first time.

Chun, from Richmond Hill, won the 2017 Ontario Future Links Driven by Acura Championship and the 2017 Investors Group Junior Girls’ Spring Classic.

London, Ont., native Ellie Szeryk, the 2017 Investors Group Ontario Junior Girls’ champion will join Chun along with Toronto’s Sarah Beqaj who is a member of Golf Ontario’s Team Ontario program.

Szeryk captures Investors Group Ontario Junior Girls’ Championship: https://t.co/DWZ6oLJMkc #Golf #GolfOntario #JuniorGirlsChamp pic.twitter.com/6aFRSdKShf

— Golf Ontario (@TheGolfOntario) July 7, 2017

Both the team and individual competitions take place over the course of four rounds with no cut and all 60 golfers playing 72 holes.

Each day the two best scores of the three team members count towards the team score. The team medallists are determined by the aggregate sum of the four daily team scores.

For more information on the Canada Summer Games golf tournament click here.

Click here to view the rosters of each team.

CHAMPIONSHIP FAST FACTS

B.C. has won all eight gold medals since golf became part of the Canada Summer Games in 2009 and has the most medals overall with 10 (eight gold, one silver, one bronze).

In 2013, British Columbia dominated the team competitions in Sherbrooke, Que., winning the girls’ event by 17 strokes and the boys by 12.

Maple Ridge, B.C.’s Kevin Kwon won the 2013 men’s individual event finishing 13 strokes clear of silver medallist Etienne Papineau (Bromont, Que.) en route to establishing a new Canada Games record with a four-round score of 279 (-13). Calgary’s Matt Williams won bronze.

Surrey, B.C., native Taylor Kim finished five shots ahead of Valerie Tanguay from Saint-Hyacinthe, Que. in the women’s 2013 event. Calgary’s Sabrine Garrison won bronze.

Only four provinces have medalled in golf at the Canada Summer Game: British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, and Ontario.

The lowest single day team score is 141 for male and female with B.C. setting both records at the 2009 Canada Summer Games in Prince Edward Island.

COURSE FACTS

Southwood Golf and Country Club was established in 1894, but moved to its current location in 2011.

Architect: Thomas McBroom

Southwood Golf and Country Club hosted the 2014 Canadian University/College Championship and the 2014 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.

The ruins of a monastery were left in place during construction of the course creating a landscape with natural beauty and man-made structures.

Global sports entertainment leader Topgolf® and Cineplex (TSX: CGX), a leading entertainment and media company, today announced an exclusive partnership that will bring Topgolf’s sports entertainment experience to Canada. The joint venture will see the opening of multiple Topgolf venues in markets across the country during the next several years.

“Throughout the years, Canada has been the top-requested country among our fans asking us to expand outside the United States,” said Topgolf Entertainment Group Co-Chairman and CEO Erik Anderson. “We’re thrilled to continue our growth in North America and introduce Topgolf as a destination for entertainment and socializing where Canadians can play golf even when there’s snow on the ground.”

We continue to identify new opportunities to grow and diversify our business and are very pleased to introduce this incredible entertainment and sports concept to Canadians,” said Cineplex President and CEO Ellis Jacob. “As one of the country’s leading entertainment companies, this relationship with Topgolf is a natural extension of our business and leverages our existing expertise, experience and infrastructure in the Canadian market.”

Through the premium experience of play, food and music, Topgolf inspires people of all ages and skill levels – even non-golfers – to come together for playful competition. Guests can enjoy point-scoring golf games using microchipped balls that instantly score themselves, showing players the accuracy and distance of their shots on a TV screen in their hitting bay. Topgolf locations are typically three-level, 65,000-square-foot venues that feature a chef-driven menu, top-shelf drinks, big screen TVs and music in climate-controlled hitting bays for all-seasons comfort. Year-round programming includes events for kids and families, social leagues, groups, golf tournaments and instruction.

Cineplex will manage the venues’ day to day operations, working closely with Topgolf to ensure the best guest experience in Canada. Predominately known as Canada’s largest and most innovative film exhibitor, Cineplex operates in the film entertainment and content, amusement and leisure, and media sectors. In addition to welcoming more than 75 million guests annually through its circuit of 164 theatres across Canada, it also owns and operates The Rec Room, Canada’s social destination for eats and entertainment, and an online eSports platform. Cineplex is also one of America’s largest providers of amusement games and arcade solutions.

“Cineplex has decades of experience running high-volume entertainment businesses, which makes them the perfect partner for Topgolf,” said Topgolf International COO Zach Shor. “Their company culture and expertise with real estate, location based entertainment and multi-unit operations will be major assets as we work together to introduce Topgolf in Canada.”

With 33 successful venues already operating in the United States and United Kingdom, Topgolf and Cineplex are planning potential locations in large urban centres across Canada. Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed.