BADDECK, N.S. – The operations manager for Cape Breton’s Bell Bay golf course says the renowned facility could reopen as soon as this week despite a fire that destroyed the clubhouse.

Eric Tobin says there was no damage to the scenic course in Baddeck, N.S., which he says is in the best condition it has been over the last two or three years.

Tobin says no one was hurt in Sunday’s fire and firefighters were able to save the cart storage barn next to the clubhouse, which is still in use.

The course, considered one of the most attractive in Nova Scotia, is scheduled to hold a PGA Canada event in September, although there’s no word on the tournament’s status following the fire.

Tobin says a temporary building will be used as a clubhouse for the immediate future.

He says a permanent structure will be built, however its too early to say when that will happen.

Montréal – The best golfers of Québec and Eastern Ontario were at Le Portage this week for the 91st NIVO Women’s Provincial Amateur Championship. Part of the Jocelyne Bourassa Series presented by NIVO, this event is also used to identify the Québec teams for the Canadian Championships to be held later on, in the season.

Josée Doyon of Club de golf Beauceville has retained its provincial title by winning the honors of the amateur competition for the second consecutive year with a cumulative score of 72-74-70-216 (E) for the three rounds of competition. Doyon grabbed the lead in the first round with Valérie Tanguay. She maintained his lead until the end. With two birdies on holes # 3 and # 14 in the final round, she ensured not only the first place in the tournament, but also his place on the provincial team.

Only 4 strokes behind, Grace St-Germain from Camelot took second place with a score of 220 while Katherine Gravel-Coursol of Blainvillier club was third with 223 strokes.

A thrilling challenge in the senior division
Francesca Palardy of the Parcours du Cerf was crowned in the senior category as she cumulated 148 (+4) after two rounds. Following her by 2 strokes, Hélène Chartrand of Summerlea took the second place with 150(+6) and Marie-Thérèse Torti of La Vallée du Richelieu ranked third with 152.

Two Québec teams
Josée Doyon of Beauceville, Katherine Gravel-Coursol of Le Blainvillier and Valérie Tanguay of St-Hyacinthe, are the first three (3) players on the Women’s Amateur Order of Merit of the Jocelyne Bourassa Series. As such, they will represent Golf Québec as its provincial team at the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship presented at the Ken-Wo GC, Nova Scotia, from July 26 to 29, 2016.

Hélène Chartrand of Summerlea, Marie-Thérèse Torti of La Vallée du Richelieu and Marlene Desbiens of Murray Bay, are the first three (3) players on the Women’s Senior Order of Merit of the Jocelyne Bourassa Series. They will compose the Golf Québec team for the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship to be held at the Wolf Creek Golf Resort, in Ponoka, Alberta, from August 24 to 26, 2016.

Le Portage and Golf Québec honoured Lucile Theroux
A founding member of Le Portage, Lucile Theroux has been an active and dedicated member for over 53 years. She is always available to support and represent her club. Very respectful of the game of golf, its etiquette and rules, as well as of her partners and competitors, she truly personifies sportsmanship. She is always sharing her passion for golf with professionalism and enthusiasm. Throughout the years, Mrs. Theroux has always been a dedicated volunteer and rules official both at the regional and provincial levels.

The Club de golf Le Portage and Golf Québec are thanking her for her exceptional contribution and support. We will forever be grateful to her for her time and dedication.

Golf Canada is pleased to announce that Burlington Golf & Country Club will host the 13^th annual Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru National Event on Sept. 12.

The event marks the celebration of another year of success for the program, which aims to increase women’s participation in the sport while fundraising for the fight against breast cancer. During its 13 years, Golf Fore the Cure has raised over $5.4 million for breast cancer research towards program partners Canadian Cancer Society and Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation. The participation program has exposed over 100,000 women to the sport of golf—a statistic that hits home with Burlington Golf & Country Club’s Head Professional, Trevor Fackrell.

“We have a very strong female membership at Burlington Golf & Country Club and are thrilled to be supporting Golf Fore the Cure and its powerful impact on both women’s golf and breast cancer research,” said Fackrell, a PGA of Canada Class “A” member. “We’re really excited to be hosting the National Event and look forward to a very special celebration at our golf club.”

The 18-hole charity event expects to host over 120 women, including the top-three fundraising teams from across Canada as well as program ambassador and Rogers Sportsnet broadcaster Evanka Osmak, who will be delivering opening remarks.

New in 2016, Pink Partner adidas Golf will be the official apparel provider at the event, distributing full outfits to the top-three teams and one clothing piece to all other participants. Presenting partner Subaru will continue to extend their commitment to the National Event with “Subaru’s Safest Drive” mini-game, adding to their generous gifting at the event. The evening will commence with a three-course dinner, coupled with speeches from keynote speakers and followed by a special prize draw.

“The National Event is always a special day of celebrating the success of the program and what it has done for women’s golf,” said Jeff Thompson, Chief Sport Officer with Golf Canada. “It’s an important culmination of everything that has been accomplished thus far, due in large part to the support we get from our great corporate partnerships and most importantly, our volunteers across the country.”

Registration is open to the public and also to corporate teams.

Click here to register.

HIGH RIVER, Alta. – Team Canada’s Jaclyn Lee went wire-to-wire to capture her second Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship (her last win came in 2014). The Calgary native ended as the only competitor to finish under par with a score of 5-under (71-70-70–211). Lee, a sophomore at Ohio State University, closed the event with a nine-stroke advantage over runner-up Kat Kennedy of Okotoks, who finished at 4-over for the tournament.

“It’s exciting because when I won it in 2014 it was wire-to-wire as well—so it’s cool to repeat that again,” said Lee of her dominant performance at Highwood Golf & Country Club. “I just tried to play my own game this whole week.”

Rounding out the top-three was Quinn Fitzgerald of Calgary, who carded rounds of 79-71-73 to close at 7-over par.

Lee, Kennedy, and Fitzgerald will make up Team Alberta’s Interprovincial Squad at the upcoming Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship from Jul. 26-29 at the Ken-Wo Golf Club in New Mina, N.S.

Calgary’s Lauren Diederichs of Elbow Springs won the Alberta Mid-Amateur Championship by two strokes over fellow Calgary native Tara McWilliam. Kyla Larder of Edson won the Alberta Mid Master Championship by seven strokes over Razina Visram.

Click here for full scoring.

BATH, Ont. – Heading into the final round of the 2016 Investors Group Ontario Junior Girls’ Championship at Loyalist Country Club, defending champion Chloe Currie of Mississauga, Ont., held a three-shot lead. That cushion proved to be enough as the Team Canada Development Squad member shot 1-over 73 to secure the win.

The member of Mississaugua Golf & Country Club made one bogey on the day on her first hole, but went on to par the remaining 17 holes. The 16-year-old Currie’s consistent brought her four-day tournament total to two-under (70-73-70-73-286).

“It feels incredible to defend the Ontario Junior Girls’ Championship. I was dreaming about this coming into the week and it is just awesome that I was able to win it twice!” Said Currie.

Currie recognized that winning back-to-back titles is a special feat and that she has joined some impressive company. “It is incredible, it is such an inspiration to join the great names to have won multiple times. Hopefully, I will be able to have my own accomplishments like theirs.”

When asked about the strongest part of her game, Currie pointed to her short game. “My chipping and putting were really good this week. I got up and down many times and gave myself great chances.”

London, Ont., natives Isabella Portokalis and Ellie Szeryk finished in a tie for second. Portokalis – the leader after the first two rounds – had a rough start to the day finishing 5-over on the front nine. However, the West Haven Golf & Country Club and Team Ontario member, rebounded nicely on the back nine shooting 4-under to complete the round with a 73 to finish 3-over 291. Szeryk, 14, entered the day in second, three shots back of Currie, but was unable to make up any ground on the leader.

Rounding out the Top-5 was a tie for fourth between Hornby’s Alexandra Naumovski (72-72-76-74-294) and Ridgeway’s Madeline Marck-Sherk (79-74-72-69-294) at six-over. Naumovski prevailed in a playoff and will join Currie and Portokalis to represent Team Ontario at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship, Aug. 2-4 at The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S.

Additional information, including the final leaderboard, can be found here.

FAIRVIEW, P.E.I. – The 2016 CN Future Links season will come to a close with the Atlantic edition of the championship series from July 12-14 at Countryview Golf Club in Fairview, P.E.I.

Built as a nine-hole course in 1999, Countryview Golf Club earned the nickname “P.E.I.’s little Augusta” for its impeccable conditions and challenging design. Members would typically play back-to-back rounds, prompting an expansion to 18 holes in 2011. Competitors will have a chance to familiarize themselves with the course during a practice round on July 11 before tournament play commences.

“Countryview is an excellent venue for our final regional junior championship of the year,” said Tournament Director Dan Hyatt. “The course is in peak condition and the players will encounter a unique challenge in its design.”

The Junior Girls division will see the return of reigning champion Allison Chandler of Chester, N.S., and runner-up Laura Jones of Moncton, N.B. Chandler claimed a five-stroke victory at the 2015 edition of this competition at Gowan Brae Golf Club in Bathurst, N.B.

Port Williams, N.S., natives Meghan and Heather McLean finished T6 and T8 last year. The sisters will return to the East Coast having posted Top-20 finishes at the 2016 CN Future Links Québec Championship at Club de golf Beauceville in Beauceville, Que.

Calvin Ross will take part in the competition looking to defend his Junior Boys title. The product of Fredericton, N.B., was the only player under-par in 2015 and will look to build upon a T6 result at this year’s CN Future Links Québec Championship.

He will be accompanied by Woodmans Point, N.B., resident Stuart Earle. The 17-year-old stood alone in sixth at last year’s competition and is the only other returning player from the Top-10.

The top six finishers in the Junior Boys division will gain exemptions into the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship to be contested August 1-4 at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L. In the case of ties, exemptions will be decided via hole-by-hole playoff. All players within the Top-6, including ties, in the Junior Girls division will each earn entry into this year’s Canadian Junior Girls Championship, hosted by The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S., from August 2-5.

Additional information regarding the 2016 CN Future Links Atlantic Championship, including participants, start times and up-to-date results can be found here.

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – The 2016 CN Future Links Western Championship at Medicine Hat Golf & Country Club required extra holes before its winners could be crowned. Kehler Koss prevailed in a one-hole playoff to complete a wire-to-wire victory to capture the Junior Girls title. Brendan MacDougall persevered through two playoff holes to secure the win in the Junior Boys division.

Koss hung on following three double-bogeys in regulation play to send the championship to a playoff on the par-4 10^th hole against West Vancouver’s Phoebe Yue. The Calgary product recorded her third birdie of the day to claim the title.

“It was really stressful today. I wasn’t striking the ball as well and I was missing a lot of three-footers,“ said Koss. “I was just trying to breathe in the playoffs and calm myself down because I was really shaky going into that. I don’t think I actually watched her [Yue] hit any balls.”

The 17-year-old Koss finished with runner-up honours at this event in 2015 at Goose Hummock Golf Course in Gibbons, Alta. With a CN Future Links title in hand, she now looks ahead to this summer’s National Championship.

“I’ve worked so hard to get to this point. Last year I three-putted on the last hole to lose by one, and that was heartbreaking. Today, it was nice to see that this hard work I’ve been putting in for the past year has really paid off.”

Yue carded a 1-over 73 to rally from a five-stroke deficit, but fell to Koss with a par performance on the extra hole. Calgary’s Kenna Hughes, the 2015 champion, finished with a bogey-free 1-under showing across her final nine holes to take third-place at 7-over.

As the Junior Girls division’s Top-6, Koss, Yue and Hughes alongside Calgarians Annabelle Ackroyd, Claire Emery and Taylor Stone have earned exemptions into the 2016 Canadian Junior Girls Championship from August 2-5 at The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S.

An eagle on No. 11 and four birdies through his final four holes propelled Calgary’s Brendan MacDougall up the Junior Boys leaderboard.  The 18-year-old recorded his lowest score of the week – a 4-under 68 – to force second-round leader Chandler McDowell into a playoff with matching scores of 7-under 209.

The pair remained knotted following the first playoff hole, before MacDougall secured the championship title by making par on No. 9.

“I’ve actually never been happier in my life! This is my last CN Future Links event, so I’m pretty excited about that,” said MacDougall. “I’m pretty happy with the way I came back. I made a lucky par on ten and from there, I said ‘alright, I’m not out of it and I can come back.’”

In his final year on the junior circuit, MacDougall hopes to improve upon his T23 result at last year’s Canadian Junior Boys Championship at Summerlea Golf & Country Club in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que.

“I just told myself each round, ‘Brendan you’re good enough, you’re here, you know you can play well, if you play your game, you’re going to be fine.’ This will be my third time at nationals, so if I can improve the way I played last year, that would be great.”

McDowell of Springbrook, Alta., recorded five birdies on the day, including four across a bogey-free back nine. Team Canada Development Squad member Alexander Smith of Calgary collected four birdies to claim a share of third at 3-under alongside Thomas Code of Dorchester, Ont.

MacDougall, McDowell, Smith and Code will be accompanied by Kai Iguchi (Banff, Alta.) and Kade Johnson (Yorkton, Sask.) at the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship which will be contested at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L. from August 1-4.

Additional information regarding the 2016 CN Future Links Western Championship can be found here.

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – The CN Future Links Western Championship continued under sunny skies at Medicine Hat Golf & Country Club. The second round saw Kehler Koss distance herself from her Junior Girls competitors, while Chandler McDowell broke through to take a one-stroke lead in the Junior Boys division.

The 17-year-old Koss continues to lead the Junior Girls division after extending her advantage to five strokes with a 1-over 73 performance. The Calgary native collected four birdies on the day, including a pair back-to-back on her final two holes to sit 2-under 142 in the competition.

A second-round 69 propelled Kenna Hughes of Calgary into second place at 3-over 147. The defending champion collected six birdies and went bogey-free through her final 12 holes to move past West Vancouver’s Phoebe Yue who is 5-over. Lauren Koenig of Redcliffe, Alta., sits fourth, while Calgarians Sydney Scraba and Annabelle Ackroyd are tied for fifth.

Chandler McDowell opened the day with four straight birdies to match his first-round 70 and take sole possession of the Junior Boys lead. The Springbrook, Alta., native sits one stroke ahead of the competition.

Thomas Code began the day tied for 11^th, but a six-birdie 69 moved the Dorchester, Ont., native into a tie for second alongside Calgary’s Brendan MacDougall. Fellow Calgarian Alexander Smith, a member of Team Canada’s Development Squad, recorded five birdies on the day to claim a share of fourth alongside Kade Johnson (Yorkton, Sask.), Chris Horton (Calgary) and Jordan Bean (Canmore, Alta.).

The top six players in the Junior Boys Division will earn entry into the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L., from August 1-4. Exemptions will be decided via a hole-by-hole playoff in the case of ties. All competitors within the Top-6, including ties, in the Junior Girls Division will gain exemptions into the Canadian Junior Girls Championship. The tournament will be conducted from August 2-5 at The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S.

The final day of competition will see the Junior Boys tee-off at 7 a.m. before the Junior Girls begin play at 10:10 a.m. Additional information, including pairings and up-to-date scoring is available here.

Hugo Bernard had a quick turn around following his July 2 win at the Dogwood Invitational at the Druid Hills Golf Club in Atlanta, Ga. One day removed from his victory, the native of Mont St-Hilaire, Que., arrived at the Ottawa Hunt Golf Club to compete in the 67th edition of the Lord Alexander of Tunis Championship – the first stage of Golf Québec’s Triple Crown. The Team Canada National Team member put on quite the show to capture the prestigious event.

The 21-year-old tallied five birdies en route to a 3-under 68 to sit at the head of the pack alongside Ottawa’s Robert Mustard. Bernard followed his strong opening round by recording six of his seven second-round birdies on the back nine for a 5-under day to emerge with a two-stroke victory and an 8-under 134 final score.

Last year’s champion, former Team Canada Development Squad member Étienne Papineau of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., finished runner-up at 6-under. Ryan Sevigny of Stittsville, Ont., was third at 142, while Étienne Brault (Mercier, Que.), Joey Savoie (Montréal) and Cullen Chung (Westmount, Que.) finished with shares of fourth with matching 143s.

Bernard, Papineau, Sevigny, Brault, Savoie and Chung will compete at the Royal Québec Golf Club in Boischatel, Que., from July 8-9 at The Duke of Kent Championship.

Golf Québec’s Triple Crown is comprised of the Alexander of Tunis, the Duke of Kent and the Québec Amateur Championship. The Top-3 golfers on the Triple Crown Order of Merit will form the provincial team that will represent Québec at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship to be contested at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club in Gatineau, Que., and Eagle Creek Golf Club in Dunrobin, Ont., from August 8-11.

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – Thunder and lightning forced a 44-minute delay to prolong the first round of the 2016 CN Future Links Western Championship at Medicine Hat Golf & Country Club. When the skies parted and the opening day concluded, Team Canada Development Squad member Alexander Smith emerged in a four-way tie atop the Junior Boys leaderboard, while Kehler Koss leads the Junior Girls division following a 3-under 69 showing.

A five-birdie day gave Calgary’s Smith a share of the lead at 2-under 70 alongside Kade Johnson (Yorkton, Sask.), Marc Sweeney (Saskatoon, Sask.), and Chandler McDowell (Springbrook, Alta.). The quartet holds a one-stroke advantage over the field of 81 junior boys.

The crowded leaderboard has Medicine Hat’s Michael Valk tied for fifth at 1-under with Jordan Bean (Canmore, Alta.), Noah Kozack (Regina, Sask.), Kai Iguchi (Banff, Alta.), Max Murchison (Calgary) and Brendan MacDougall (Calgary).

Kehler Koss returns to the CN Future Links Western Championship after capturing runner-up honours in 2015 at Goose Hummock Golf Course in Gibbons, Alta. The Calgarian’s eagle on No. 10 and a trio of birdies gave the 17-year-old a four-stroke lead after opening with a 69.

Holding second-place at 1-over 73 is West Vancouver’s Phoebe Yue. The 16-year-old is followed by a trio of Calgarians with Claire Emery in third at 3-over. Annabelle Ackroyd sits fourth after carding a 77, while defending champion Kenna Hughes is one stroke behind in fifth.

All competitors within the Top-6, including ties, in the Junior Girls Division will gain exemptions into the Canadian Junior Girls Championship. The tournament will be conducted from August 2-5 at The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S. The top six players in the Junior Boys Division will earn entry into the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L., from August 1-4. Exemptions will be decided via a hole-by-hole playoff in the case of ties.

The second day of competition will see the Junior Girls tee-off at 7 a.m. before the Junior Boys begin play at 8:30 a.m. Additional information, including pairings and up-to-date scoring is available here.