WINNIPEG, Man. – Canada’s top university and college golfers will convene at Southwood Golf and Country Club, from June 2-6 to compete in the twelfth playing of the Canadian University/College Championship, conducted by Golf Canada.

The Canadian University/College Championship is a showcase of the finest university and college golf programs in Canada. The event was created with the intention of giving the top Canadian university and college golfers the opportunity to compete for a national championship, as well as acting as the Canadian team qualifier for the World University Golf Championship. 

This year marks the first time The University of Manitoba has been host to this national golf event. In all, 155 male and female golfers from post-secondary institutions across Canada will vie for both team and individual titles at the par-72 Thomas McBroom designed Southwood Golf and Country Club.

“We are so thrilled to welcome the best university and college golfers to Southwood. At first sight, this seemingly flat course appears calm. When Mother Nature decides to be the equalizer you will experience prairie winds that meet no resistance,” said Gordon Hudson, Host Club Tournament Chair. “Our volunteers are eagerly looking forward to making the 2014 Canadian University/College Golf Championship a memorable one for these great players.”

The field will be comprised of 19 men’s and 11 women’s teams as well as 155 individual competitors. Following the third round, the field will be reduced to the top 10 men’s and the top six women’s teams, as well as any teams and individuals within 15 strokes of the lead.

“The field at this year’s Canadian University/College Championship shows the talent we have in collegiate golf across the country,” said Tournament Director Mary Beth McKenna. “This course will surely challenge the players and should provide a true test for the winning teams and individual medalists.”

On the men’s side, the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds will look to defend their title after securing a 21-stroke victory over Université Laval Rouge et Or at the 2013 Canadian University/College Championship at Club de golf Val des Lacs in Ste-Sophie, Que. Returning players for the Thunderbirds include, Conner Kozak and Scott Secord, along with Jack Wood.

In the women’s team division, the Université de Montreal Carabins will look to capture their second straight championship. The squad will be led by Sabrina Sapone, 2013 Individual Women’s Champion, alongside Caroline Ciot, Véronique Fortin-Latreille and Sarah-Andréa Landry. The Carabins will look to defend against the Thunderbirds who will be vying for their 10th women’s team title since the championship originated in 2003. 

Individually on the women’s side, Sapone returns to defend her six-stroke victory over the University of Victoria Vikes Megan Woodland in 2013. Sapone recently competed on the Canadian Women’s Tour in Parksville, B.C. where she finished tied for 34th against a strong field of professional and amateur players. In the Men’s division, Ugo Coussard of the Université Laval Rouge et Or will not return to defend his individual title from last season.

 Golf Canada and Southwood Golf and Country Club invite spectators and media to attend the 2014 Canadian University/College Championship. The event is open to the public and admission is free for the duration of the championship.

The following teams and individuals will be competing in the 2014 Canadian University/College Championship, conducted by Golf Canada. For a full listing of team rosters and individual players, click here.

Men’s Teams:
University of Victoria Vikes 
University of Alberta Golden Bears 
University of Lethbridge Pronghorns 
University of Calgary Dinos 
University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 
Western University Mustangs 
University of Toronto Varsity Blues 
University of Guelph Gryphons 
University of Waterloo Warriors 
Brock University Badgers 
University of the Fraser Valley Cascades 
Humber College Hawks 
Grant MacEwan University Griffins 
Université Laval Rouge et Or 
École de technologie supérieure Piranhas 
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières Patriotes 
Université de Montréal Carabins 
University of Manitoba Bisons 
McMaster University Marauders

Women’s Teams:
University of Victoria Vikes 
University of Alberta Pandas 
University of Lethbridge Pronghorns 
University of Toronto Varsity Blues 
University of Waterloo Warriors 
Western University Mustangs 
Carleton University Ravens 
Université de Montréal Carabins 
Université Laval Rouge et Or 
University of the Fraser Valley Cascades 
University of British Columbia Thunderbirds

MALMO, Sweden – Sweden’s Jens Dantorp and Eddie Pepperell of England both opened with 6-under-par 66s to share the lead after the first day of the Nordea Masters on Thursday.

Boosted by the support of family, friends and other fans in Malmo, the 25-year-old Dantorp hit six birdies and no bogeys on his home course.

Looking ahead to the second round Dantorp said: “I cannot promise another bogey-free round but I’ll try to keep playing and putting well.”

Pepperell surged to the top of the leaderboard with three birdies on the last five holes.

“I played well today and I hit the ball better, which is the main thing for me. I’ve not been hitting the ball that well over the last couple of weeks, despite some good results,” he said.

Scotsman Stephen Gallacher, Daan Huizing of the Netherlands, Northern Ireland’s Gareth Maybin and Swedes Rikard Karlberg and Sebastian Soderberg trailed the top duo by one shot.

World No. 2 Henrik Stenson hit seven birdies but four bogeys spoiled things for the Swede, who finished with a 3-under 69.

“No catastrophe, but I feel like I left a couple of shots out there,” said Stenson, who was irritated by spectators not keeping their mobile phones on silent.

“We have problems with mobile phones whether we play in China, Germany and apparently also in Sweden,” he said. “People can take as many pictures as they want, as long as they turn the sound off.”

As part of Golf Canada’s Annual General Meeting in London, Ont., the association’s Rules & Amateur Status Committee has approved the use of Distance Measuring Devices (DMD’s) for all amateur championships beginning in 2014.

This Local Rule will be introduced at CN Future Links junior championships as well as Canada’s national amateur competitions. Competitors will not be allowed to use DMD’s at Golf Canada’s professional championships including Canadian Women’s Tour events, the TOUR Championship of Canada presented by Freedom 55 Financial, the RBC Canadian Open and the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, including their respective qualifiers.

This Local Rule allows competitors to use Distance Measuring Devices that measure distance only – not those devices that can measure other conditions such as wind speed or direction, temperature or elevation.

“With recent technological advances designed to enhance the golfer experience, our Rules Committee felt that this decision to allow DMD’s was a step in the right direction without jeopardizing the spirit and challenge of the game,” said Dale Jackson, Chair of Golf Canada’s Rules & Amateur Status Committee. “We have received a tremendous amount of feedback from golfers and this decision allows us to align with all of our provincial and international partners that have moved to allow DMD’s at their respective amateur competitions.”

Since 2006, committees have had the option of adopting a Local Rule under the Rules of Golf to allow players to use Distance Measuring Devices that measure or gauge distance only. See note to Rule 14-3 of the Rules of Golf.

Recently, the R&A and the USGA Championship Committee’s decided it will allow the use of distance measuring devices (DMDs) in R&A amateur events in 2014.

For more information on the Rules of Golf, please click here.

To ask a Rules of Golf question, please click here.

For more information on how to proceed in various Rules of Golf situations, guidance on the Golf Canada Handicap System and more, please consult our Rules of Golf publications – for purchase in Golf Canada’s eStore, or at your local book retailer.

Registration opens today for Golf Canada’s Amateur Championships, CN Future Links and Canadian Women’s Tour events.

Competitors looking to play in one of Golf Canada’s eight national amateur championships, six CN Future Links stops or three Canadian Women’s Tour events can view the championship schedule and register online by clicking here.

Canadian Women’s Tour returns for its 13^th season

Golf Canada is pleased to announce the schedule for the 2014 Canadian Women’s Tour – Canada’s only women’s professional golf tour.

This season’s scheduled stops include May 12-14 at Morningstar Golf Club in Parksville, B.C., June 23-25 at Legends on the Niagara in Niagara Falls, Ont. and the Tour’s final stop set for early July in Alberta to be announced in the coming days.

New for 2014, the top five (previously the top 3) players on the Canadian Women’s Tour season-ending Order of Merit will be awarded direct entry into LPGA Stage 2 Qualifying.

In addition, the champion of each Canadian Women’s Tour stop will receive an exemption into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open. As well, following the conclusion of play at the final Canadian Women’s Tour event, two (2) additional exemptions will be awarded to the top competitors, not otherwise exempt, on the 2014 Canadian Women’s Tour Order of Merit.

Groove Specifications for 2014 Golf Canada Championships

Golf Canada has determined our plans to implement the new groove specifications for our championships starting in 2014. The Rules Committee recently approved the following:

• Introduce the groove condition of competition for the 2014 Canadian Men’s Amateur and the 2014 Canadian Women’s Amateur.  Note: this does not automatically include the qualifying events for these championships.  Please refer to the conditions of competitions at your respective provincial amateur championships.

• Introduce the groove condition of competition at all other championships (national amateur championships, CN Future Links, and Canadian Women’s Tour events) beginning in 2016.

For more information on the groove specification: Groove FAQ for Golf Canada Championships

In the latest vote conducted by the Golf Coaches Association of Canada (GCAC), the University of Fraser Valley men’s squad and the Université de Montréal Carabins women’s team were both selected as the top-ranked male and female post-secondary golf programs in the country.

According to the GCAC Top 20 Fall Rankings, the Fraser Valley Cascades, the 2013 PACWEST and CCAA Champions, earned 41 points, edging out the University of Western Ontario Mustangs by two points. The University of Victoria Vikes (36 points) finished in third in the poll, while the Université de Laval Rouge et Or (30 points) and University of Toronto Varsity Blues rounded out the top-5.

The defending Canadian/University College champion the Université de Montréal Carabins (36 points) are the leaders of the GCAC Top 10 Fall Rankings on the women’s side. The Carabins narrowly edged out the University of Victoria Vikes (35 points). The University of Toronto Varsity Blues followed in third place (33 points), while the Cascades and the University of Waterloo Warriors completed the top-5.

he Université de Montréal Carabins and the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds captured their respective titles at the Canadian University/College Championship at Club de golf Val des Lacs in Ste-Sophie, Que., on Friday.

The Thunderbirds fired an impressive 1-under 283 in the final round to soar ahead of Université Laval Rouge et Or for the overall team title. The squad of Conner Kozak of Vernon, B.C., Kieran Standen of Edmonton, Alta., Jerry Christiansen of Air Ronge, Sask., Andrew Ledger of Toronto and Scott Secord of Calgary carded their best round of the tournament to finish at 12-over 1148, 21 strokes ahead of the defending champions Université de Laval Rouge et Or.

“It feels wonderful we haven’t had this win for a long time, I think 2009 was the last time we won,” said Head Coach Chris MacDonald “We’ve been in contention a lot of times and this week came as a bit of a surprise so we’re very excited.

Laval posted a final round 7-over 291 but couldn’t catch the Thunderbirds after they turned through the final nine at 3-under par.

The Université de Montréal Carabins overtook the Humber College Hawks to finish in solo third at 39-over 1175 after an impressive 4-over final round. The Hawks finished in fourth place at 47-over, while the University of Manitoba Bisons closed the tournament in fifth at 53-over.

Individually, Laval’s Ugo Coussaud, lead wire-to-wire to capture his first individual title. Coussaud opened the tournament with a 5-under 66 and never looked back, finishing one stroke ahead of the University of Guelph Gryphons Chris Hemmerich at 4-under 280 (66-69-73-72)

“I’m very very happy today, this is a big tournament for me,” said Coussaud. “We had a very good round today just UBC was better than us.”

Team Canada’s Hemmerich grabbed the lead at the turn on Friday but couldn’t hold off Coussaud who birdied three of his final six holes. Hemmerich finished at 3-under 281 (71-68-70-72), two strokes ahead of UBC’s Andrew Ledger who fired a 4-under 67 on Friday.

Carabins’ Mattieu Perron finished in solo fourth at even par, while Holland College Hurricanes’ Eric Locke carded a 4-over 75 to finish in fifth.

On the women’s side, the Carabins captured their first overall title after a 17-over 230 final round. The contingent of Sabrina Sapone of Montréal, Caroline Ciot of Brossard, Que., Laurence Mignault of Varennes, Que., and Sarah-Andrea Landry of Brossard, Que., finished at 51-over par 903 for the tournament.

“It feels great we worked hard all week, we played consistent and we stayed patient so it paid off really well in the end,” said Carabins’ team member and individual champion Sabrina Sapone.

The Carabins finished eight strokes ahead of the University of Victoria Vikes, who posted a 21-over 234 on Friday to finish in solo second. As the defending champions, the UBC Thunderbirds fired a 12-over 225 final round to finish in solo third at 67-over 919.

Rounding out the top five were the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in fourth at 93-over, while the University of Waterloo Warriors finished in fifth.

Individually, Sapone closed out the championship with a 3-over 74 to capture the individual title. Her 9-over 293 total (74-74-71-74), left her six strokes clear of Vikes’ Megan Woodland of Victoria who stumbled in the final round after posting a 6-over 77.

Vikes’ Brynn Tomie of Bedford, N.S., finished in third at 18-over 302 after a final round 79, while Thunderbirds’ Stephanie Wong carded the low round of the day with a even-par 71 to grab fourth. First round leader, Caroline Ciot, finished in fifth at 20-over par after a final round 81.

The University of Montréal Carabins regained the women’s division lead, while the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds soared ahead at the Canadian University/College Championship at Club de golf Val des Lacs in Ste-Sophie, Que.

On the women’s side, the Carabins overtook the University of Victoria Vikes, who led by three after the second round on Wednesday.  The contingent of Sabrina Sapone of Montréal, Caroline Ciot of Brossard, Que., Laurence Mignault of Varennes, Que., and Sarah-Andrea Landry of Brossard, Que., fired a combined third round 6-over 219. The Carabins currently sit at 34-over 673 for the tournament and hold a four-stroke lead over the Vikes heading into Friday’s final round.

“They were really patient today and I’m really proud of the how well the girls did,” said Carabins Coach Nicolas Quirion. “They fought all day and hit the ball very well. I’m really happy with where we are right now.”

Heading into the final round, the Vikes have ground to make up after a 16-over 229 in the third round. The Vikes currently sit 17 strokes ahead of defending champions, University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds.

The University of Toronto Varsity Blues sit one stroke behind UBC, while the University of Waterloo Warriors round out the top five.
Individually, Sapone leads the women’s division at 6-over 219 after an even-par 71 third round. Through nine holes Thursday, the Montréal native turned at 3-under-par but struggled with her putting over the closing holes.

Heading into Friday’s final round she holds a three stroke lead over Vikes’ standout Megan Woodland of Victoria, B.C., who posted a 4-over 75 in the third round and sits at 9-over 222 for the championship.

Overnight leader Brynn Tomie of Bedford, N.S., and Caroline Ciot of Brossard, Que., share third place at 10-over 223, while 2012 individual champion Devon Rizzo, carded a third round 3-over 74 to grab solo fifth at 15-over 228.

On the men’s side, the Thunderbirds fired a third round 3-over 287 to establish themselves atop the leaderboard. Heading into Friday’s final round they hold a 13 stroke lead over defending champions, Université Laval Rouge et Or.

The Thunderbirds’ squad of Conner Kozak of Vernon, B.C., Kieran Standen of Edmonton, Alta., Jerry Christiansen of Air Ronge, Sask., Andrew Ledger of Toronto and Scott Secord of Calgary sit at 13-over 865 for the tournament.

Head Coach Chris MacDonald is happy with the way his squads has been performing this week and isn’t planning to change much heading into the final round.

“I don’t think we’re going to change a lot, we’ve kind of had the same kind of game plan all week,” he said. “The group is having a lot of fun together and I think that’s the main thing that’s been happening, they’re really enjoying the golf course.

“We’d like to be making a few more putts but they’ve kept the ball in play and played a pretty simple game and just been steady this week,” he continued.

Trailing the Thunderbirds through the opening nine the Rouge et Or stumbled on the third day, posting 15-over 299 to sit at 26-over 878 for the championship. Humber College posted a second consecutive 12-over 296 to sit in third, while the Université de Montréal Carabins and University of Manitoba Bisons round out the top five respectively.

Individually, Laval’s Ugo Coussaud of Angoulème, France remains in the lead after a 4-over back nine on Thursday. Coussaud sits at 5-under 208, one stroke ahead of Team Canada’s Chris Hemmerich of Kitchener, Ont., who posted a 1-under 70 for the University of Guelph Gryphons.

Holland College Hurricanes’ Eric Locke of Digby, N.S., sits in third at 3-under, while UBC’s Conner Kozak of Vernon, B.C., and Hawks’ Alex Dumais of Caledon, Ont., are in a tie for fourth at 1-over 214.

Following 54 holes of play the field was reduced to the low 10 men’s teams and low six women’s teams. In addition, any individuals who were within 15 strokes of the lead return to play Friday.

The University of Victoria Vikes lead the women’s division, while men’s division play was suspended at the Canadian University/College Championship due to darkness at Club de golf Val des Lacs in Ste-Sophie, Que.

On the women’s side, the Vikes overtook the Université de Montréal Carabins, who led by three after the opening round on Tuesday.  The contingent of Brynn Tomie of Bedford, N.S., Megan Woodland of Victoria, B.C., Emily Nicol of Kelowna, B.C., and Michaela Misener of Stanhope, P.E.I., combined to card a second round 9-over 222. The Vikes currently sit at 22-over 448 for the tournament and hold a six-stroke lead over the Carabins heading into the third round.

“We just seem to gel right here at Val des Lacs,” said Vikes Head Coach Bryan Carbery “That was a great round of golf for our women’s team today and it’s pretty neat to see Brynn Tomie who’s our number two player, step up and shoot 72 today.”

Tomie leads the individual competition at 4-over 146 after a second round 1-over-par 72. She sits one stroke ahead of overnight co-leader Woodland heading into Thursday’s action.

The Carabins posted a second round 18-over 231 to sit at 454 for the tournament, 14 strokes ahead of defending champions University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds who posted a second round 27-over 240.

The University of Toronto Varsity Blues and University of Waterloo Warriors round out the top five respectively.

Individually, Vikes standout Woodland carded a second round 5-over 75 to sit in second place at 5-over 147 for the tournament. Carabins’ Sabrina Sapone of Montréal sits in third after consecutive 3-over 74’s, while teammate Caroline Ciot of Brossard, Que., sits in fourth after a second round 6-over 77. UBC’s Haley Cameron of Kelowna, B.C., rounds out the top five at 10-over 152 for the tournament.

On the men’s side, play was temporarily suspended at 5:54PM EDT due to unplayable course conditions after heavy rain rolled through the Ste-Sophie area. Play resumed at 7:08PM EDT but was suspended again at 8:37PM EDT due to darkness.

The completion of the men’s second round will resume tomorrow at 7:30AM EDT. Any player with a completed scorecard can also expect to begin their third rounds at 7:30AM EDT.  At the time of the suspension 21 players were left on course.

Currently, overnight leader Ugo Coussaud of Angoulème, France, holds the individual lead at 7-under 135 after a 2-under-par second round, while The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds sit unofficially in first at 10-over 578, one stroke ahead of Université Laval Rouge et Or.