Woodstock, Ont. – Team Canada’s Augusta James set records with an 8-under 63 on Thursday at the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.

James’ bogey-free 63 set a new women’s course record at Craigowan Golf and Country Club and also became the lowest 18-hole score ever recorded in the history of the 101-year-old championship. 

“It’s maybe my second or third bogey-free round ever, I think it might be my first one in a tournament,” James said. “It’s always good to have one of those, you come so close sometimes and I’m happy that I could eliminate the big mistakes that would turn into bogeys or doubles.” 

The Bath, Ont. native opened with a 5-under 30 on the front-nine that was highlighted by four straight birdies over the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th holes at Craigowan. 

“I putted well but I hit the ball pretty close too which made it a lot easier, I made a few putts that you don’t expect to make everyday,” she continued.

The 21-year-old currently holds a six-stroke lead heading into the final round over Team Canada’s Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont. and Australia’s Su-Hyun Oh. Sitting at 12-under 201 for the championship a win on Friday would be the biggest title of her career.

“It’s been a few years since I’ve held a trophy for first place and it would be a great honour to have competed with this field and won,” the N.C. State Wolfpack senior said.  “That is a long way away still, lots of work left to do tomorrow for that.”

Henderson, the defending champion, posted a 1-under 70 playing alongside her Team Canada teammate in the final pairing to finish 54-holes in a tie for second place alongside Oh who fired a 4-under 67 on Thursday. 

In the Mid-Amateur division (25+), Christina Proteau, the defending champion, carded a 1-under 70 to open a large gap in the race for her fourth consecutive title. The Port Alberni, B.C. native currently sits eight strokes ahead of Helene Chartrand of Pincourt, Que. Chartrand leads the Mid-Master division (40+) by nine strokes over Marion Reid of Etobicoke, Ont. 

The champion of the 101st Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship receives an exemption into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open and also the 2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur. 

Starting times, post-round results, full field list, and live scoring are available here.

Woodstock, Ont. – Team Canada’s Brooke Henderson carded a 4-under 67 at Craigowan Golf and Country Club to jump into the lead at the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship on Wednesday. 

Henderson opened her second round with a 3-under 32 and followed it with back-nine birdies on the par-5 13th and par-4 17th holes to grab the outright lead at 5-under 137. The 16-year-old has played near flawless golf since opening the tournament with an over-par front-nine on Tuesday.

“It was a tough start yesterday being 3-over through eight holes but then I went 4-under the rest of the way which was really huge,” said Henderson, the defending champion. “I had a couple of moments yesterday that really saved my round and I think that really saved my tournament. Going into today I knew I had momentum and I just wanted to keep that going.” 

With that momentum the Smiths Falls, Ont. native currently sits one-stroke clear of her teammate Augusta James of Bath, Ont. and Liz Breen of  Waynesboro, Pa., who share second place at 4-under 138 at the conclusion of Wednesday’s windy second round.

“It was much tougher today, we were here bright and early and it was quite a bit colder from past days so the ball wasn’t quite flying as far,” Henderson continued. “The wind also really picked up especially in the middle of my round, I was hitting four clubs more than what I normally do.” 

James battled back during her closing nine, carding birdies on her final two holes to finish with an even-par 71. Breed held the outright lead for a short time on the back-nine before bogeying two of her last six holes to finish tied with James.

Australia’s Su-Hyun Oh posted a 2-over 73 to finish in solo fourth at 2-under 140, while Megan Osland of Kelowna, B.C. and California’s Betty Chen share fifth place at 1-under par.

In the Inter-Provincial Team competition, the Team Ontario contingent of Henderson, James and Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., soared away from the field to capture the team title. The squad fired a 5-under 137 to finish 15 strokes ahead of Team Alberta in the 36-hole competition at 10-under par.   

In the Mid-Amateur division (25+), Christina Proteau of Port Alberni, B.C. posted a 6-over 77 to card a two-round total of 153. Proteau currently sits three strokes ahead of Helene Chartrand of Pincourt, Que. In the Mid-Master division, Chartrand, the defending champion, fired a second round 1-under 70 and currently sits one-stroke ahead of Marion Reid of Etobicoke, Ont. at 11-over 153.

The champion of the 101st Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship receives an exemption into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open and also the 2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur. 

Starting times, post-round results, full field list, and live scoring are available here.

Woodstock, Ont.  – Liz Breed of Waynesboro, Pa., Augusta James of Bath, Ont., Mexico’s Gabriela Lopez and Su-Hyun Oh of Australia fired 4-under 67’s to share top spot on the leaderboard after the opening round of the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Craigowan Golf and Country Club.  

During Tuesday’s afternoon draw, Team Canada’s Augusta James closed with a back-nine 3-under 32 to share the clubhouse lead alongside Liz Breed who posted the low round of the morning flight.

“I’m excited to have shot a number like this and basically I always try to tell myself at every tournament try to shoot one better each day,” James said. “That’s my goal for the rest of the week and hopefully I come out on top.”

Playing a few groups behind James, Lopez and Oh’s pairing finished tied for the lead after rolling in par putts on the par-3 9th hole.  Lopez, last year’s third place finisher, held the outright lead for the majority of her closing nine before a late bogey on her 17th hole, the par-4 8th. 

“It’s always fun to come to a tournament where you’ve played well and you know that you’re expectations are high and you have the chance to win,” said Lopez, the No. 11 ranked amateur in the world. “It feels very good being tied for the lead and I just need to keep believing in myself and trusting my golf shots and my swing.”

Kelowna, B.C. native Megan Osland also posted a strong opening round after a bogey-free 3-under 68 on Tuesday morning. Osland currently sits in solo fifth, while defending champion Brooke Henderson, 16, of Smiths Falls, Ont. posted a 1-under 70 to share seventh place. 

Team Canada’s Henderson rebounded from a 2-over front-nine with a 3-under 32 closing nine that was highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 4th hole. 

In the Inter-Provincial Team Competition that is conducted over the first 36 holes of the championship, Team Ontario’s contingent of Team Canada’s James, Henderson and Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont. sit seven strokes ahead of Team Alberta at 5-under par. In the Mid-Amateur division (25+), Christina Proteau of Port Alberni, B.C. will look to pick up her fourth consecutive title after opening with a 2-over 73. Proteau currently leads by five strokes over Marion Reid of Etobicoke, Ont. who holds a three-stroke lead in the Mid-Master (40+) division after a 7-over 78. 

Starting times, post-round results, full field list, and live scoring are available here.

Woodstock, Ont. – A strong contingent of the world’s top female amateur golfers will compete July 21-25 in the 101st playing of the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Craigowan Golf and Country Club in Woodstock, Ont.

The championship will feature 156 of the top Canadian and international female amateurs contending for the Duchess of Connaught Trophy. This year, 13 players ranked inside the top-100 in the world, including No. 2 ranked amateur and defending champion, Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont. highlight the strong field.

“We are very excited about this year’s Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship as it features some of the world’s strongest competitors,” said Golf Canada Tournament Director Mary Beth McKenna. “The golf course will challenge these players as they vie for the title and those coveted exemptions into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open and U.S. Women’s Amateur.”

Last year, Team Canada’s Henderson, 16, captured the 2013 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship by six strokes over Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec. Already this season, she has won five amateur titles – the Junior Orange Bowl, South Atlantic Amateur, Scott Robertson Memorial, the Porter Cup and the Ontario Women’s Amateur. In addition, Henderson has excelled on the professional stage, winning the 2014 Canadian Women’s Tour Ontario stop and finishing T10 at the U.S. Women’s Open and T29 at the Kraft Nabisco Championship. Leading into the championship she sits as the highest ranked Canadian in the world on the professional Women’s Rolex Rankings at No. 188.

The strong field heading to Woodstock, Ont. will also include Su-Hyun Oh of Australia, Mexico’s Gabriela Lopez and Annie Park of Levittown, N.Y. who all rank inside the top-12 in the world.

Craigowan Golf and Country Club played host to the 2009 Ontario Men’s Amateur Championship where former World. No. 2 ranked amateur Matt Hill took home the prestigious title. This year marks the first time the club has hosted a national amateur championship since the 2005 Canadian Junior Boys Championship.

“It’s always an honour to have the opportunity to host a national championship and it has been many years of planning and the members and staff at Craigowan are extremely excited to host such a talented international field of players,” said Adam Hagen, General Manager at Craigowan. “There have been numerous hours of preparation by many dedicated volunteers over the last several months to be ready for this event and there is an amazing buzz around the course and club as well as in the entire community of Woodstock.”

Team Canada’s National and Development squads will also bring their full rosters to the event. Jennifer Ha of Calgary, Augusta James of Bath, Ont. and Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont. are all ranked inside the top-100 in the world and will contend for the title alongside their teammates Henderson and Tanguay. Jaclyn Lee of Calgary, Valerie Tanguay of St-Hyacinthe, Que., Naomi Ko of Victoria, Taylor Kim of Surrey, B.C. and Sabrine Garrison of Calgary will represent Team Canada’s Development Squad.

The Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship also features a Mid-Amateur competition and a Mid-Master competition. The Mid-Amateur Championship will be awarded to the lowest player over 25 years of age while the Mid-Master competition will be open to players over 40 years of age. An inter-provincial team championship will also take place in conjunction with the first two rounds of stroke play; Team British Columbia won the championship in 2013.

Additionally, the 2014 Canadian Women’s Amateur champion earns an exemption into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open at London Hunt and Country Club in London, Ont. and the 2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship.

Practice rounds will be held Monday, July 21 with championship play following Tuesday, July 22 through Friday, July 25 with 18 holes of stroke play each day. After 36 holes, the field will be cut to the low 70 and ties. Any tie after 72 holes will result in a hole-by-hole play-off.

Starting times, post-round results, full field list, and live scoring are available here.

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

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., has won the 2013 Royale Cup Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Club de golf Beloeil in Beloeil, Que.

After a four-day back and forth battle with Anne-Catherine Tanguay, 22, of Quebec City, Henderson,15, carded the best round of the championship after firing a 5-under 66 on Friday. As the 15th ranked amateur in the world, Henderson finished at 9-under (69-70-70-66), six strokes ahead of Tanguay who stumbled on the back nine with three straight bogeys.

“It was just a fun day overall,” said Henderson. “I have a lot of high expectations for myself and I played up to them today.”

The wins marks the Team Canada National Squad member’s third win this season and second victory at Club de Golf Beloeil – she also won the CN Canadian Women’s Tour Quebec title at Club de Golf Beloeil in 2012.

Overnight leader, Tanguay finished in second place at 3-under 281 after a final round 2-over 73. Henderson and Tanguay have known each for quite some time, as Tanguay used to golf with Brooke’s older sister Brittany and is a former member of Team Canada.

“It’s amazing to see how far she has come,” said Tanguay. “She used to be a little kid running around on the course and now she is just a young prodigy. Amazing.”

Gabriela Lopez, 19, of Mexico, finished in third place at 1-under 283 (69-75-71-68) after carding a 3-68 under in her final round.
Casey Danielson, 18, of Osceola, Wis., Kelly Shon, 21, of Flushing, N.Y., and Vivian Tsui, 19, of Markham, Ont., finished tied for fourth at 5-over 289.

In the Mid-Amateur division (25+ years), Christina Proteau, 30, of Port Alberni, B.C., successfully defended her title winning her third consecutive Mid-Amateur division title. Proteau carded a 4-over-75 in her final round to finish at 16-over 300 for the tournament, seven strokes ahead of runner-up Stefi Markovich, 38, of Welland, Ont. Helene Chartrand, 56, of Pincourt, Que., took home the Mid-Master division title (40+) with a final score of 27-over 311, three strokes ahead of Leanne Richardson, 49, of Indian Mountain, N.B.

With the win, Henderson receives an exemption into the 2013 CN Canadian Women’s Open at the Royal Mayfair Club in Edmonton, Alta. from August 19-25. In addition, Henderson will receive an exemption into the 2013 USGA Women’s Amateur Championship, the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links and the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship.

Anne-Catherine Tanguay, 22, of Quebec City, Que., leads the 2013 Royale Cup Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship after the third round of competition at Club de golf Beloeil in Beloeil, Que.

Tanguay, a former member of Team Canada, leads by a single stroke over Team Canada’s, Brooke Henderson, 15, of Smiths Falls, Ont. Tanguay’s 2-under 69 round tied for best of the day – she currently sits at 5-under 208 for the tournament (71-68-69).

“I played conservative because that’s what I had to do,” said Tanguay. “Tomorrow I will just have to stay calm and stick to my game plan.”

After a triple bogey on the 12th hole, Tanguay birdied four of the next five holes for a total of five birdies on the day.

“I wasn’t happy [about the 12th hole], but I wasn’t mad either,” she remarked. “I just forgot about it quickly and moved on to the next hole.”

Henderson, who shared the lead with Tanguay coming into the third round, shot 1-under 70 on Thursday and now has a total score of 4-under 209 (71-68-69).

Vivian Tsui, 19, of Markham, Ont., sits in third place at even-par 213 (76-68-69). Tsui’s 2-under 69 tied Tanguay for best of the day. Gabriela Lopez, 19, of Mexico is in fourth place at 2-over 215 (69-75-71) after carding an even-par 71 in her third round.

Casey Danielson, 18, of Osceola, Wis., and Elisabeth Bernabe, 17, of Anaheim Hills, Calif., sit in a tie for fifth at 3-over 216. Danielson (72-71-73) shot 2-over 73 for the day, while Bernabe (74-71-71) carded an even-par 71.

In the Mid-Amateur division (25+ years), defending champion, Christina Proteau, 30, of Port Alberni, B.C., holds a six-stroke lead over Helene Chartrand, 56, of Pincourt, Que after shooting 5-over 76 in her third round for a tournament total of 12-over 225 (76-72-76). Chartrand and Leanne Richardson, 49, of Indian Mountain, N.B. are tied for the lead in the Mid-Master division (40+ years) at 18-over 231. Chartrand shot 8-over 79 (77-75-79) on Thursday, while Richardson was 7-over 78 (79-74-78).

The 2013 Canadian Golf Hall of Fame inductee Alison Murdoch, 63, of Victoria B.C., sits in fourth place in the Mid-Master division and sixth place in the Mid-Amateur division at 9-over 242 (79-83-80).

The winner of the 2013 Royale Cup Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship will receive an exemption into the 2013 CN Canadian Women’s Open at the Royal Mayfair Club in Edmonton, Alta. from August 19-25. In addition, the champion will receive an exemption into the 2013 USGA Women’s Amateur Championship and, if applicable, the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links, U.S. Girls’ Junior, U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and USGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championships.

Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City, Que and Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., lead the 2013 Royale Cup Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship after the second round of competition at Club de golf Beloeil in Beleoil, Que.

Henderson, a member of Team Canada’s National Squad and Tanguay, a former member of Team Canada, share the lead at 3-under 139 for the tournament. Henderson, who came in to Wednesday with a share of the lead, carded a 1-under 70 in her second round. Tanguay’s 3-under 68 was tied for the best round of the day.

“Everything was really going well,” said Tanguay. “I know the course and my family was here so I was really happy.”

Mariko Yamaguchi-Tumangan of San Jose, California, Maribel Lopez of Columbia and Casey Danielson of Osceola, Wisconsin sit in a tie for third at 1-over 143. Mariko and Lopez both shot a 2-over 73, while Danielson had an even-71 second round.

Vivian Tsui of Markham, Ontario, Simin Feng of Windermere, Florida and Gabriela Lopez of Mexico are in a tie for sixth at 2-over 144. Tsui’s 3-under 68 was tied with Tanguay’s round for best of the day.

The best hole of the day went to Seshia-Lei Telles, of Tualatin, Oregon, who carded a hole-in-one on Beloeil’s 13th hole. Telles currently plays for the Oregon State University Beavers.

“This was the second time I ever hit a hole-in-one,” Telles said. “But to do it in a national championship is just awesome!”

76 players will be moving on to round three after making the cut. The Individual Stroke Play division cut was at 14-over 156 while the Mid-Amateur division and Mid-Master division cuts were at 24-over 166.

Team British Columbia took home the Inter-Provincial Division title with a combined score of 9-over 293. Team British Columbia consists of Team Canada National Squad member Christine Wong of Richmond, B.C., Team Canada Development Squad member Taylor Kim of Surry, B.C., and Megan Osland of Kelowna, B.C. Team Saskatchewan and Team Ontario finished tied for second at 15-over 299.

In the Mid-Amateur division (25+ years), Christina Proteau of Port Alberni, B.C., who has won the division the past two years, maintains her lead over Helene Chartrand of Pincourt, Que after shooting a 2-over 73 in her second round for a tournament total of 7-over 149. Chartrand, who carded a second round 4-over 75 for a two-day score of 10-over 152, is leading the Mid-Master division (40+ years) by a single stroke over Leanne Richardson of Indian Mountain, N.B.

The winner of the 2013 Royale Cup Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship will receive an exemption into the 2013 CN Canadian Women’s Open at the Royal Mayfair Club in Edmonton, Alta. from August 19-25. In addition, the champion will receive an exemption into the 2013 USGA Women’s Amateur Championship and, if applicable, the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links, U.S. Girls’ Junior, U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and USGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championships.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., and Gabriela Lopez of Mexico lead the 2013 Royale Cup Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship after the first round of competition at Club de golf Beloeil in Beloeil, Que.

After entering the clubhouse at 3-under 68 with a one-stroke lead, Henderson, 15, and her pairing were penalized one stroke for pace of play and joined Lopez at 2-under 69 and a share of the lead.

Henderson, a member of Team Canada’s National Squad and currently ranked at #15 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings has a history of success at Club de golf Beloeil. She took home the 2012 CN Canadian Women’s Tour Quebec title at the same course, her first professional tournament victory.

“Familiarity breeds confidence,” said Henderson’s coach Tristan Mullally. “She’s played well here before and that’s something we feed off of.”

Both Henderson and Lopez had four birdies and a bogey on a Tuesday that saw many players struggle with Club de golf Beloeil’s fast greens.

Henderson’s National Squad teammate Christine Wong of Richmond, B.C., finished in a tie for third with Vanessa Ha of Allen, Texas, Mariko Yamaguchi-Tumangan of San Jose, California, and Maribel Lopez of Columbia after they all shot 1-under 70 in their first rounds.

Team Canada Development Squad member Taylor Kim of Surrey, B.C., and former Team Canada member Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City, Que., sit in a tie for seventh after they both carded even-71 opening rounds.

In the Mid-Amateur division (25+ years), Christina Proteau of Port Alberni, B.C., who has won the division the past two years, currently leads by one shot at 5-over par 76, while Helene Chartrand of Pincourt, Que is in second place at 6-over par 77. Chartrand leads the Mid-Master division (40+ years) by a single shot over Kim Carrington of Calgary, Alta.

In the Inter-Provincial Team division, Team British Columbia leads by seven strokes over Team Alberta and Team Saskatchewan at Even par 142. Team British Columbia consists of Wong, Kim, and Megan Osland of Kelowna, B.C.

The winner of the 2013 Royale Cup Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship will receive an exemption into the 2013 CN Canadian Women’s Open at the Royal Mayfair Club in Edmonton, Alta. from August 19-25. In addition, the champion will receive an exemption into the 2013 USGA Women’s Amateur Championship and, if applicable, the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links, U.S. Girls’ Junior, U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and USGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championships.