Canada, USA and South Korea tied for the lead heading into the final round at the 2023 World Junior Girls Championship, presented by Sargent Farms
Mike Masaro
Denisa Vodickova ties women’s competitive course record at Brampton Golf Club
Brampton, Ont. –Team Canada 1, Team United States (USA) and South Korea will enter Saturday’s final round all tied for the lead at even par at the eighth annual World Junior Girls Championship, presented by Sargent Farms at the Brampton Golf Club in Brampton, Ont.
Overnight rain brought about more seasonal conditions for Friday’s third round with players battling the wind and cooler temperatures. Friday also saw numerous changes to the team leaderboard throughout the day and as the final putt dropped, three teams find themselves tied for first.
Team Canada 1 was led by the play of Anna Huang of Vancouver who shot a 1-under 70. Huang also finds herself in second place in the individual championship at 3-under for the tournament. Vanessa Borovilos of Toronto shot a 2-over 73 and Vanessa Zhang of Vancouver shot 9-over 80. Team Canada 1 Coach Jeff MacDonald of Chester, N.S. is proud of how his team has battled all week heading into Saturday, “It’s a good spot to be in and when we started the week this is where we wanted to be, and the girls are just really battling. We’ve had a couple tough breaks here and there and a couple things happen out there, but I am really proud of how much they’ve fought each day. It’s really tough out there, it’s really windy and the greens are really tricky, so some things are going to happen that you have to deal with, and they’ve just dealt with it so well to get into the position and give them a chance to win tomorrow.”
Team USA held the lead through the opening two rounds of the world championship but are now tied. Chloe Kovelesky of Boca Raton, Fla. led the way on Friday with a 2-under 69, teammates Mia Hammond of New Albany, Ohio and Molly Brown Davidson of Springville, Ala. both shot rounds of 5-over 76. Coach Mo Martin is looking forward to Saturday’s final round, “Couldn’t ask for a better finale tomorrow on Canadian soil. This is the first unified front for the U.S. Development program, and we’re really excited about. I know all three players are honoured to be the face of that and I think they are carrying that with a lot of pride and a lot of passion.”
Two-time champions, South Korea were led by Hyojin Yang who fired a 1-under 70 on Friday. Teammates, Soomin Oh and Seojin Park both recorded rounds of 1-over 72 to grab a piece of the team lead. Coach Naon Min said she hopes her team enjoys the final round, “I’m really proud of them. It’s their first time in Canada and first time playing for Korea and for that I am really proud of them.”
The three countries take a three-shot lead into Saturday with the Czech Republic in fourth at 3-over and Sweden sits fifth at 5-over.
Team Canada 2 is at 32-over and features 14-year-old Miranda Lu of Vancouver (5-over 76),
16-year-old Luna Lu of Burnaby, B.C. (6-over 77) and 14-year-old Eileen Park of Red Deer, Alta. (9-over 80).
World Junior Girls Championship, presented by Sargent Farms, team standings:
T1
United States
E (139-142-145)
T1
Canada 1
E (141-142-143)
T1
South Korea
E (143-141-142)
4
Czech Republic
+3 (145-142-142)
5
Sweden
+5 (140-147-144)
6
Spain
+10 (143-144-149)
T7
Mexico
+11 (144-144-149)
T7
Belgium
+11 (142-149-146)
9
England
+12 (141-148-149)
10
Italy
+16 (146-144-152)
11
Germany
+18 (148-147-149)
T12
Denmark
+19 (151-147-147)
T12
Poland
+19 (148-147-150)
T14
Finland
+21 (146-147-154)
T14
Chinese Taipei
+21 (148-153-146)
16
Switzerland
+27 (148-147-158)
17
Colombia
+28 (153-150-151)
18
Canada 2
+32 (154-151-153)
T19
Iceland
+36 (152-156-154)
T19
Austria
+36 (149-154-159)
21
Peru
+38 (151-155-158)
22
Wales
+43 (155-158-156)
Click here for the full team competition leaderboard.
BRAMPTON, ON – October 6th, 2023 – Denisa Vodickova – 2023 World Junior Girls Golf Championship presented by Sargent Farms at Brampton Golf Club.
(Christian Bender/Golf Canada)
In the individual competition, there is a new leader as Denisa Vodickova of the Czech Republic tied the women’s competitive course record at Brampton Golf Club, shooting a 5-under 66 to move to 7-under for the tournament. The record was previously set by Brooke Henderson during the 2014 Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship.
Vodickova had the low round for the second consecutive day and recorded seven birdies in her round. The 18-year-old credited her putting and a change just before the tournament that has helped her this week, “I changed my grip recently and it’s working really well so I think that’s what has helped me the most. My putting was really good and also my irons into the green were great as well.”
Vodickova takes a four-shot lead into Saturday’s final round over Anna Huang. Savannah de Bock of Belgium is in third place at 2-under with Nora Sundberg of Sweden and Soomin Oh of South Korea tied for fourth at even par.
Click here for the third round individual leaderboard.
This year marks the largest field in tournament history, with a total of 66 athletes comprising 22 teams and representing 21 countries competing for the team and individual titles. This year’s field for the World Junior Girls Golf Championship, presented by Sargent Farms is highlighted by eight competitors currently ranked inside the World Golf Amateur Rankings (WAGR) top-100 including the tournament’s top-ranked player, Spain’s Rocío Tejedo Mulet (no. 23). Spain and South Korea both feature two players ranked inside the WAGR top-100, with Spain’s Andrea Revuelta Goicoechea (no. 33) and South Korea’s Hyojin Yang (no. 60) and Soomin Oh (no. 67).
Defending champions Spain (2017 & 2022) is tied with South Korea (2015 & 2019) for the most victories in the event’s seven-year history, with two each. Other team winners include the United States (2014), Philippines (2016), and Italy (2018). South Korea and Sweden are tied with the most podium finishes in tournament history with four each. Canada’s best finish in the team competition was third in 2014 and fourth in 2018. A history of past individual and team winners is available here.
Several players who have competed in the World Junior Girls Golf Championship have gone on to have great success on the LPGA Tour, led by Canadian Brooke Henderson, a 13-time LPGA winner and Canada’s winningest professional golfer, who finished fourth in the individual competition at the inaugural championship hosted in 2014.
Other notable competitors who went on to become LPGA Tour winners include Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand who won back-to-back World Junior titles in 2018 and 2019 as well as Yuka Saso of the Philippines who won the 2016 World Junior title. The 2023 CPKC Women’s Open winner, Megan Khang of the United States competed in the inaugural tournament in 2014. Other former World Junior competitors who have gone on to win on the LPGA Tour include Hannah Green of Australia and Maja Stark of Sweden.
The individual champion will receive an exemption into the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open being held at Earl Grey Golf Club in Calgary from July 22 – 28, 2024.
For Saturday’s final round tee times, please click here.
Busy golf courses can be great places for junior activity
Photo Bernard Brault, Golf Canada
Adam Stanley/ Golf Canada
Carrie Julie knows Sawmill Golf Course won’t be around in 30 years if she and her husband, Jeremy – the owner-operator pair at the course near St. Catharines – don’t put in a grow-the-game effort now.
“That’s simply what it comes down to,” she says.
Sawmill was one of the inaugural winners of Golf Canada’s National Facility Award for Junior Golf in 2022 (awarded “to a facility that provides exceptional access and membership opportunities for junior golfers”) and Julie knows that drumming up even more interest in the game amongst youngsters starts with one thing leading to another – opportunity to access.
There is a myriad of junior programs at Sawmill, she explains, including a golf-and-hockey camp that targets that hockey-playing group if kids and gets them interested in golf (“The retention has been off the charts”) and Try Golf Days, supported by Stephen Ames, that happen on Saturdays. Three hundred and fifty-two kids tried golf this year.
The club also made a pact with its members that the only tournaments it will host are for juniors.
When Julie and Sawmill won the Junior Golf Opportunity Award last year, she said she accepted it on behalf of the 300-or-so members. They step up. They know the importance of this program. She often turns away volunteers for junior tournaments because she has just too much interest.
The club made this choice, and she knows it was the right one.
“We certainly haven’t made the commitment to juniors for pats on the back, but I have to tell you, it was a really nice honour in the inaugural year to win the award,” Julie says. “It really cemented we’re doing the right things for the right reasons.”
Through the start of the COVID-19 pandemic golf saw a boom unlike any other in recent history in Canada. Tiger-Mania couldn’t hold a candle to how many people started to play golf, picked golf up again, or played more golf than they ever had before. It resulted in the popularity of the sport in Canada being as high as it ever had been. A lot of courses, however, needed to make a choice they were never faced with before on junior golf because of the demand for tee times. Could they still give up a tee-time for $20 for a youngster if they had a line of adults waiting to pay $100+ for the same time?
“We’re super empathetic about some of the unintended challenges that a participation spike creates,” Golf Canada chief sport officer Kevin Blue says. “But at the same time, we’re trying to think about the health of our sport over the next 30, 40, or 50 years and clearly junior golf is a part of that.”
Blue has spoken at length about his time growing up as a non-family sponsored junior member at the Bayview Country Club, which, he says, allowed him to develop as a golfer significantly. A non-family sponsored junior program allows junior golfers to play and practice at a private club for a reasonable annual fee without their parents having to join. While many clubs across Canada continue to have programs like this, some have scaled back access for juniors due to increased demand for tee times. Blue suggested that all private clubs in Canada should consider adding a limited number of non-family sponsored juniors – for example, two girls and two boys – to help some tournament-playing youngsters have access to quality facilities.
“They pay a reasonable annual fee for being there […] and the club rallies behind these players,” Blue says. “A casualty (due to golf’s increased popularity through the COVID-19 pandemic) in some instances has been these non-family sponsored junior programs. Or at least shrinking them. We understand the influences involved and why these choices are made. But at the same time, that’s had a direct impact on (junior) opportunities to be able to train and practice and develop.”
(Click image to enlarge)
Nick Taylor, the three-time PGA Tour winner and – of course – the reigning RBC Canadian Open champion, was one of those youngsters able to take advantage of an affordable junior program. Growing up in Abbotsford, B.C. (about an hour outside of Vancouver) Taylor recalls his parents paying about $220 to have full access to the course (minus, he thinks, sometimes on the weekend) where he would be at the course every day from sun up to sun down.
“It was the greatest babysitter,” Taylor says with a laugh.
Now as a father of two, he reflects on the opportunity afforded to him by this junior-golf program and those are the two key things he hopes other clubs across the country will be able to offer – accessible, affordable golf for kids.
With Taylor’s win at the RBC Canadian Open now four months in the rear-view mirror, he’s been able to reflect on his position in Canadian golf as someone who can inspire the next generation, like Mike Weir did to him after Weir’s 2003 Masters triumph.
Taylor has his own charity golf tournament each year at home in B.C. and this year there was the Nick Taylor Junior Golf Day, with 94 young golfers asking questions and watching Taylor hit balls. Monies from his charity event went right back into the community.
“It’s obviously very important […] to maybe be that person to get some more kids in the game and get them determined to be as best as they can be,” Taylor says.
Taylor had affordable access to a course that was supportive of kids learning the game and becoming the next generation of golfers in this country. Julie, at Sawmill, is committed to having a place like that.
There are plenty of other great examples across the country providing a safe space for kids to learn – and love – golf. But there’s still even more room to grow.
“I often say to my peers, ‘go on and copy and paste our program. It would be an honour,’” Julie says. “It’s who our club is.”
————-
On Oct. 2, 2023, Blue took part in a Golf Journalists Association of Canada (GJAC) Virtual Summit with the topic being Courses Supporting Junior Golf.
The series is part of an ongoing GJAC series intended to help membership stay connected, as well as to generate discussion and opportunities around important issues in the game.
Panelists for this Summit included Blue, as well as Nick Taylor, 2023 RBC Canadian Open Champion and Carrie Julie, Owner/Operator, Sawmill Golf Club. The Summit was moderated by Dan Pino, Golf Canada’s Senior Director of Communications. You can watch it below.
The short game for First Tee programming may be rooted in golf, but the long game is much more than that. The main objective of First Tee – Canada youth development programming is for participants to use the life skills learned through golf to navigate their journeys through life and opportunities thought previously inaccessible.
Golf Canada launched its partnership with First Tee in 2020, and First Tee – Canada began in 2021 under the operation of its provincial chapters, delivering programming at golf facilities, schools, and community centres.
With summer programs wrapped up, First Tee – Ontario fall programming is underway at 20 locations across the province with curriculums developed for each environment and modified to different ages and abilities.
The activities use golf as a vehicle to reinforce life skills, focused on the program’s five key commitments: pursuing goals, growing through challenge, collaborating with others, building positive self-identity, and using good judgement. First Tee – Ontario provides instructors with interactive training, equipment, and turnkey lesson plans to deliver safe and inclusive programming.
jalani morgan/ golf canada
Golf Canada’s commitment to enhancing diversity and inclusivity in golf is a driving force behind the growth of First Tee – Canada and its provincial chapters. The aim is to break down existing barriers to sport participation, particularly in traditionally marginalized communities, and ultimately diversify golf’s participant pool to more closely reflect the strength of Canada’s multiculturalism.
First Tee – Ontario Program Manager Amaya Athill is responsible for overseeing the implementation of programming across the province and having a hand in providing youth with empowering and life-changing experiences. At this year’s RBC Canadian Open, her team provided an extended experience for First Tee – Ontario community program participants from local Boys and Girls Clubs to show them what life on and off the tee box can look like.
“The messaging that children often see is that a successful career pathway in sports is to rise to the level of a professional competitor. There is so much that goes into running a professional golf tournament and event of that size, so the idea was to expose as many children as possible to a wider world of opportunities and careers within golf and the sports industry. This included behind-the-scenes tours of the agronomy, media, and volunteer services teams,” said Athill. “Access to these experiences and exposure to future opportunities in the sport is a gap we hope to bridge through First Tee.”
As both an accomplished human rights lawyer and golfer since the age of five, Athill’s professional background and personal relationship with the game intersect seamlessly with the First Tee program, as they all value accessibility and opportunity.
“This is just the beginning of First Tee – Ontario’s impact,” said Athill. “We look forward to making more connections with schools, coaches, and community centres, and providing more youth with access to golf, as well as inspiring experiences and opportunities.”
With Ontario’s chapter experiencing rapid short-term growth, Ian Gragtmans – First Tee – Ontario’s Founding Chapter Donor and Trustee – expressed excitement about recent strides and confidence that the Gragtmans Family Foundation’s decision to support this cause was the correct one.
His decision to support the launch of the program was less influenced by the game of golf, but rather by a desire to help support the long-term development journeys of First Tee program participants.
“It’s not just about the golf, it has everything to do with helping those that were underrepresented, and giving younger people a chance,” said Gragtmans. “I want to help those that probably don’t have a chance of coming out of whatever challenging time they’re going through.”
With the help of generous donors like the Gragtmans Family Foundation, Golf Canada has fast-tracked access to these spaces where youth can learn self-sustaining life skills in a program that has over 25 years of international experience.
Gragtmans shared his personal experience engaging people who were direct participants of First Tee in the U.S.
“I have been fortunate enough to spend time in the U.S. – meeting and speaking with some of the participants that have gone through the program, and it’s nothing shy of remarkable to see what the potential is for those that may not otherwise, if not for First Tee, had that opportunity, or exposure,” said Gragtmans.
The Golf Canada Foundation is continuously pursuing gifts, which allow First Tee – Ontario to expand its locations across the province and further impact the lives of Canadian youth. To get involved, please visit www.firstteeontario.ca.
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Lorie Kane inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame
Lorie Kane (Bernard Brault/ Golf Canada)
Golf Canada
Canadian Golf Hall of Fame Member Lorie Kane formally received the Order of Sport on Sunday, Oct. 3, along with induction into Canada’s Sport Hall of Fame.
As one of the country’s most decorated and celebrated golfers of all time, Kane joins just four other women in the athlete category for the sport of golf. A summary of her accomplishments is listed below:
Amateur – Two-time Prince Edward Island Junior Girls Champion – Nine-time Prince Edward Island Women’s Amateur Champion – 1991 Mexican Amateur Champion – 1991 Commonwealth Team member – 1992 Canadian World Amateur Team member
Professional – 2000 Michelob Light Classic Champion – 2000 New Albany Golf Classic – 2000 Mizuno Classic – 2001 LPGA Takefuji Classic – 2005, 2006, 2008 represented Canada in the World Cup – 2011 Wendy’s Charity Challenge – 2013 The Legends Championship – 2015 Pan-Am Games – 2016 Self-Regional Women’s Health Classic – 2016 Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial – Five-time PGA of Canada Women’s Champion
Accolades – 1998 Heather Farr Award (LPGA) – 2000 LPGA William and Mousie Powell Award (LPGA) – Invested as a Member of the Order of Canada in 2006 – Inducted to PEI Sports Hall of Fame in 2014 – Inducted to PGA of Canada Hall of Fame in 2017
In addition to her success on the green, Lorie continues to be a shining ambassador for the sport while reflecting Golf Canada’s values of fun, excellence, inclusion, respect and accountability. Her commitment to promoting community health through sport, as well as growing the game from the grassroots level has rightly earned her role model status with youth and teammates across the country.
Lorie has also significantly contributed to numerous charitable efforts including her participation in KidSport, Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities, Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, and the Lorie Kane Charity Golf Classic which has raised over $850,000 in her home province of P.E.I. As an ambassador for Canadian Pacific Railway she was also instrumental in the development of the CP Has Heart program, raising over 20 million dollars to improve heart health in Canada.
“I took a look at the great athletes and builders that are in our Canada Sports Hall of Fame and at what the Hall of Fame does in helping build our communities. I’m tickled that I’m going to be able to have the opportunity to use a new platform to continue the growth of sport. It’s important to me.” – Lorie Kane on her Induction into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame
The Order of Sport Award is the highest sporting honour given in the country and was created in recognition of both athletic excellence and a commitment to build Canada through the transformative power of sport. Please join Golf Canada in extending our congratulations on a record-breaking career with commendable community efforts across the country.
Kane joins 18 fellow Canadian golfers and builders who have also received honoured membership:
– Al Balding – Athlete (1969) – Jocelyne Bourassa – Builder (2015) – Gary Cowan – Athlete (1967) – Pat Fletcher – Athlete (1975) – Jules Huot – Athlete (1978) – George Knudson – Athlete (1969) – Stan Leonard – Athlete (1964) – George Lyon – Athlete (1955) – Ada Mackenzie – Athlete (1955) – Albert Murray – Athlete (2015) – Charles Murray – Athlete (2015) – Murray ‘Moe’ Norman – Athlete (2006) – Sandra Post – Athlete (1988) – Charles ‘Sandy’ Somerville – Athlete (1955) – Marlene Stewart Streit – Athlete (1962) – Stanley Thompson – Builder (2015) – Mike Weir – Athlete (2017) – Nick Weslock – Athlete (1971)
Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2020/21 Inductees
– John “Jackie” Barrett – Athlete, Powerlifting and Special Olympian – Sonja Gaudet – Athlete, Wheelchair Curling – Diane Jones Konihowski – Athlete, Athletics – Lorie Kane – Athlete, Golf – Eric Lamaze and Hickstead – Team, Equestrian – Show Jumping – Steve Nash – Athlete, Basketball – Duncan Campbell – Builder, Wheelchair Rugby – Sheldon Kennedy – Builder, Ice Hockey – Judy Kent – Builder, Sport Administration – Willie O’Ree – Builder, Ice Hockey – Ross Powless – Builder, Lacrosse
For full biographies of the Class of 2020/21, please visit www.sportshall.ca.
Golf in 2020: Looking back on a year you’ll never forget
TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley (Chris Fry)
John Gordon
The COVID-19 pandemic has infected millions and killed hundreds of thousands around the world. Almost without exception, everyone was affected in some way. Its effects extended beyond the physical toll, causing emotional, psychological and economic impact. We were hard-pressed to find ways to stay positive and active. Many turned to golf as an outlet, even therapy of sorts.
“What an incredibly strange and challenging year,” Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum said in an interview with The Canadian Press. “Golf has been a silver lining, a bright light, call it what you may, in giving people a bit of a break from the pandemic.”
Record rounds were registered across the country consistently throughout the year, played under strict precautionary COVID-19 protocols.
While participation grew across the country, most tournaments and social gatherings at golf clubs were cancelled or postponed, including the RBC Canadian Open and the CP Women’s Open. The Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada cancelled its season. All Golf Canada’s national championships and many provincial association tournaments were shelved.
“We’re going to look back on 2020 and say, ‘amongst all the challenges, amongst a lot of really difficult situations for so many people, golf was a bright light that we built from,’” Applebaum said.
For example, the COVID-19 Golf Relief Fund initiated by Golf Canada and the Canadian Golf Foundation raised more than $400,000. The fund subsidizes non-medical personal protective equipment for golf course employees as well as sanitization, hygiene and protective material expenses. It also subsidizes rounds of golf for front-line workers as well as juniors.
What follows are some of the top golf-related stories from 2020, a very different year. These are just some of the headlines. Details on these stories and many others are available under News on the Golf Canada website.
January
The new World Handicap System came into effect with the goal of making the game more enjoyable by providing a consistent means of measuring performance and progress and to enable golfers of differing abilities to compete or play a casual round with anyone else on a fair and equal basis.
Jared du Toit, a member of Golf Canada’s Young Pro Squad, won the PGA TOUR Latinoamerica Qualifying Tournament Mexico.
Grace McCann of Windsor, Ont., a past president of the former Canadian Ladies’ Golf Association, passed away at the age of 85.
The Golf Journalists Association of Canada named Brooke Henderson (female professional), Corey Conners (male professional), Garrett Rank (male amateur) and Brigitte Thibault (female amateur) as players of the year for 2019.
February
Charlie Beaulieu of Lorraine, Que., was elected for a second term at Golf Canada’s annual meeting. Liz Hoffman of Thornhill, Ont., and Dale Jackson of Victoria remain as first and second vice-president respectively. Bill MacMillan of Eastern Passage, N.S., received the Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year Award. Volunteer Richard Smith of Regina and golf journalist Ian Hutchison of Newmarket, Ont., received Golf Canada’s Distinguished Service Award.
Celeste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-L’lle-Perrot, Que., a graduate of Team Canada’s National Junior Squad, won the NCAA’s Gold Rush tournament in California.
Nick Taylor shot a final-round 2-under-par 70 to claim a wire-to-wire four-stroke victory in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California. Taylor overcame 40 mph gusts of winds and finished at 19-under to become the first Canadian to win the event.
Golf Canada named the 2020 Young Pro Squads: Hugo Bernard, Jared du Toit, Stuart Macdonald, Taylor Pendrith, Chris Crisologo and Joey Savoie for the men and Jaclyn Lee, Brittany Marchand and Maddie Szeryk for the women.
As the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic enveloped not only Canada but the world, governments ordered the shutdown of non-essential businesses, which in most provinces included golf courses.
The Summer Olympics, scheduled to begin in July in Tokyo, are postponed until 2021 due to the pandemic. They will still be called the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, however.
April
Canadian Scott Pritchard, previously vice-president of the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada, is promoted to executive director.
May
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, most golf courses across Canada did not open on schedule this spring. Although those in British Columbia were never ordered to close, those in other provinces were shuttered until they were allowed to open when stringent anti-COVID safeguards were in place. New Brunswick courses opened April 24 with the balance of the provinces following suit throughout the month of May.
Golf Canada announced the formation of the Golf Industry Advisory Council, a volunteer group of experienced professionals to support Golf Canada’s Board of Directors and management team. The council will include course owners, operators, general managers, superintendents and professionals as well as executives from the golf equipment, apparel and footwear industry.
Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame announced Lorie Kane of Charlottetown was among six athletes and five builders who will receive the Order of Sports award, Canada’s highest sporting honour.
BIG round of applause for @loriekanelpga, who was announced as an inductee into @sportshall class of 2020/21 👏🏼👏🏼
The Prince Edward Island Golf Association named Alison Griffin as its new executive director.
The PGA TOUR announced that it would resume without spectators in June. The Tour had suspended play since The Players Championship was cancelled in March.
June
Despite months of planning, the celebration of the 125th anniversary of the founding of Golf Canada on June 6, 1895, also fell victim to the pandemic. Nevertheless, the historic occasion was commemorated virtually with pivotal moments in Canadian golf being recalled on social media platforms using the hashtag #GolfCanada125.
The Golf Canada Women in Coaching Program, a partnership between Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada with the goal of putting the sport on the path to further balance between the sexes at a high level, was announced.
The new and free Golf Canada app was launched, allowing golfers nationwide to record and track their scores, trace where they have played and provide detailed game statistics as a game improvement tool.
🚨NEW FEATURE🚨
The Golf Canada app now includes free GPS distances 👀
Golf Canada and U.S.-based First Tee announced the launch of First Tee-Canada. The partnership will bring First Tee’s youth development emphasis to strengthen Golf Canada’s junior golf activities —previously conducted under the Future Links brand — that reach kids in schools and at golf facilities. The innovative First Tee curriculum will focus on empowering young people to build strength of character through the game of golf.
The third annual CP Women’s Leadership Summit, held virtually due to the pandemic, provided inspiring stories and a networking opportunity along with accepting donations for the B.C. Children’s Hospital Foundation. Hosted by TSN anchor Lindsay Hamilton, speakers included golfers Lorie Kane and Brooke Henderson, Olympians Marnie McBean and Perdita Felicien and other prominent women in leadership positions. “It was a success story for us,” said Mary Beth McKenna, assistant RBC Canadian Open tournament director who has co-led the event since it began.
The Golf Journalists Association of Canada announced that Kim Locke of Toronto, founder and president of SCOREGolf, was the 2020 recipient of the Dick Grimm Award. The association’s highest honour is awarded in memory of the late Richard Grimm whose legendary service to the RBC Canadian Open and the Canadian golf industry remains unparalleled.
Laurent Desmarchais of Bromont, Que., a member of Team Canada’s junior squad, went wire-to-wire to win the season-ending Canada Life Series Championship at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley.
October
PGA TOUR Champions rookie Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ont., had victory in sight leading by three strokes heading into the final round of the Dominion Energy Charity Classic in Virginia but fellow rookie Phil Mickelson denied him the win. It was Weir’s third top-10 finish in eight starts on the tour.
PGA of Canada member Jennifer Greggain of Chilliwack, B.C., was named coach of the National Junior Squads by Golf Canada, working with head coach Robert Ratliffe.
Findlay Young of Prince George, B.C., a former Golf Canada president and honourary life governor, passed away at the age of 92.
November
Twenty-nine athletes, male and female, were named by Golf Canada to represent Team Canada as part of the 2021 national Amateur and Junior Squads. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all athletes from the 2020 squad were able to return in 2021, provided they met team eligibility criteria.
Aaron Cockerill of Stone Mountain, Man., finished T4 at the JoBurg Open in South Africa, his best career finish on the European Tour.
The Economic Impact of Golf in Canada (2019) report, conducted on behalf of the national Allied Golf Associations (We Are Golf), was released. Among its findings were that the Canadian golf industry generated $18.2 billion in economic benefits, employs the equivalent of nearly 249,000 people through direct and spin-off effects and contributed to $10.6 billion in household income.
⛳️ Accounts for an estimated $18.2B of Canada’s GDP ⛳️ Directly employed nearly 150,000 full-time positions ⛳️ Contributed $4.8B in household income
Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., finished in a tie for 10th at the Masters, which was postponed from its traditional April date due to the pandemic. That finish guaranteed him a spot in the 2021 Masters.
Golf Genius Software, the leading worldwide provider of tournament management solutions, announced that Golf Canada and the provincial golf associations will begin using Golf Genius Tournament Management for their competitions in 2021.
So while what lies ahead for 2021 remains unclear, we can only hope that when we compile next year’s “Year in Review,” life as we know it will have returned to a semblance of normality, on the course and off.
First timers like Nick Taylor won’t get the real Masters
Nick Taylor (Getty Images)
Doug Ferguson/ Associated Press
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Nick Taylor has never been to the Masters. He already is motivated to get back.
Taylor is excited to be playing Augusta National in two weeks, make no mistake about that. The 32-year-old Canadian has only watched on television, often enough to have a good idea what to expect. And that’s what tempers some of the anticipation about his Masters debut.
He has seen it enough to know what he’ll be missing.
“When I won, you think of the Masters and what it’s going to be,” Taylor said. “And it’s not going to be that.”
No spring colours from the dogwoods and azaleas. The Par 3 Contest has been cancelled. The patrons will be at home, the same place Taylor has been all these years. That means no roars that echo through Georgia pines, as much a part of Masters lore as the green jacket.
For those who think Augusta National is the cathedral of golf, it probably will sound like one. The Masters without roars? That’s like having the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade without balloons.
Taylor is among 26 newcomers to the Masters, postponed from the first full week of April to Nov. 12-15 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nine of those players, such as PGA champion Collin Morikawa, already have secured spots for the next Masters, presumably in April.
There is no guarantee when the others will return, if they ever do.
Taylor won as a rookie in 2014 at the Sanderson Farms Championship when it was held the same week as the World Golf Championship in Shanghai and did not come with a Masters invitation. He finally earned his invitation in February, playing with five-time champion Phil Mickelson at Pebble Beach and posting a 70 in blustery conditions to win by four.
“To get that invite for the Masters, that’s a tournament I’ve dreamt about playing my entire life,” Taylor said that day.
Just over a month later, the pandemic shut down golf. The Masters was postponed until November. Then came the announcement in August that it would be held without fans.
The anticipation is different now from what it was in February.
“I was two months away from all the perks, maybe going before (the Masters) to see it,” Taylor said. “Now all the news we’ve heard about it is a downer. No fans. No Par 3. It’s hard to compare. It’s not that I’m not excited, but certain aspects make it a special week, especially having never been there before. To not have those only makes me want to go back.”
Taylor is thankful to be playing again, like so many others. This is the 21st consecutive week of PGA Tour golf, with no shutdown, no slashing of prize money and no fans, no energy. For a sport that sees something new every week – Winged Foot, Shadow Creek, Port Royal this week in Bermuda – there is a sameness to each week without anyone watching.
And now the Masters.
“It’s easy to get negative about what’s going on the world,” he said. “But we’re playing golf. The reality check when we’re out there is how fortunate we are. We have our jobs. Everyone in my bubble is healthy. But when you think about what could have been at the Masters, it can get disappointing.”
Tyler Duncan knows the feeling.
He won the RSM Classic at Sea Island last November, beating Webb Simpson in a playoff, and he received his formal Masters invitation in the mail soon after.
When the Florida swing arrived, Duncan called the club and arranged for a practice round at Augusta National. His plan was to go there on the Monday after The Players Championship.
Golf shut down on Friday of The Players.
“That didn’t work out,” Duncan said with a wry smile. “And then the course is shut down all summer. Now they’re trying to limit play, and you have to play with a member. I’ve been trying to do that but haven’t had a whole lot of success. We’ll show up and figure it out from there.”
Asked what he think he would miss the most, the azaleas or the noise, Duncan didn’t hesitate.
“The noise, for sure,” he said. “I’ve watched it so many times. A lot of shots come to mind, and you think of that. But you hear all the roars on the back nine where the tournament is won.”
He doesn’t know anything about Washington Road. He didn’t even know John Daly sold merchandise from an RV parked outside Hooters. Duncan won’t know all he’s missing.
“It’s still the Masters,” he said. “It’s a tournament everyone dreams of playing.”
Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player will be hitting the ceremonial tee shot without people standing a dozen deep around the tee trying to hear what they say. The starter will announce each player with that familiar, “Fore, please.” There’s still a green jacket everyone covets.
But it won’t be the same. It won’t sound the same.
They’re still going to the Masters. And then the goal is to come back to experience the real Masters.
Team Canada’s Brigitte Thibault is in pursuit of excellence
Brigitte Thibault (Tyler Costigan/ Golf Canada)
David Li
As a second-year member of Golf Canada’s National Amateur Squad, Brigitte Thibault has established herself as one of the country’s most promising amateurs.
Since the spring of 2019, the native of Rosemère, Que., has been playing some the best golf of her career.
After being selected as the only Canadian to compete at the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur in April of 2019, Thibault would go on to win the Ontario Women’s Amateur title and the Mountain West Conference Championship.
The second year Amateur Squad member is also a standout at Fresno State University. She’s carried the success from 2019 over to her junior year, having recorded six NCAA top ten finishes.
However, in early March, her collegiate season came to an end when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the suspension of the remaining tournaments on the NCAA schedule.
Faced with the unprecedented circumstances, the 21-year-old was extra cautious as she travelled back home to Rosemère, Que.
“First thought when travelling back to Canada was to stay healthy and take all the precaution possible to not catch anything. I knew that if I made a mistake, I could have put my family at risk,” she noted.
“Then quarantine was actually not as bad as I thought. It gave me enough time to think about my game plan, prepare my game plan, so when my 14 days were over, then I would be able to train and keep my routine as normal as possible,” added Thibault, who was recently selected to the NCAA All-Mountain West first team.
Given her recent stellar results on the golf course, it might be surprising for some to find out that Thibault did not start focusing on golf until the age of 15.
And while she was introduced to the sport prior that by her father, Daniel and her mother, Josee, it wasn’t something that she invested much time in to initially.
“My parents were members at a golf course back home and I remember of Sundays, we would always go eat at the course and afterwards we would hit some golf balls on the range. But it was always just for fun at the time,” Thibault recalled.
Growing up young Brigitte dedicated most of her time to cheerleading and gymnastics.
“Cheerleading was huge for my competitiveness. In cheerleading, you have this rush of energy that is boiling inside of you with so many people watching. You have to put yourself all in all the time. My work ethic really grew from cheerleading,” she pointed out.
“I was into cheerleading and gymnastics but all the flips and jumping was hard on my body. So my parents suggested that I focus on golf instead. They have been playing golf for 30 years and wanted me to try it out,” said Thibault.
Faced with injuries, Thibault followed her parent’s suggestion and decided to shift her focus from cheerleading and gymnastics to golf.
“I really got started at the age of 15, and I remember having coaches approach me and telling me how raw my talent was,” she recalled.
Despite the relative late start, Thibault would make up for it with an all in approach.
“I was super focused. I was just trying to learn as much as I could. I would wake up at 5 a.m. and spend the whole day at the golf course,” she pointed out.
Thibault says she became inspired and fascinated by athletes who achieved greatness in their sport – such as Tiger Woods and the late great Kobe Bryant. She was impressed by their work ethic and level of dedication to their craft.
“I used to look for videos of them because I was always intrigued by their greatness and how obsessive they were about getting better and figuring out how to get to that next level. I have taken this same obsession and approach to my development in golf,” she revealed.
Thibault’s desire to achieve her own version of excellence on the golf course combined with her hard work and dedication would lead to impressive results.
In 2016, just two years after dedicating herself to the game of golf, the then 17-year-old Monday qualified for the CP Women’s Open.
Thibault remembers qualifying for the LPGA event, which was held at the Priddis Greens Golf & Country Club in Calgary, gave her confidence in her game, as well as, motivation to work even harder.
She also adds that playing in her first LPGA tournament at 17 was an eye-opening experience.
“I remember that my heart was racing like crazy and my energy level was so high. It felt like an out-of-body experience. All the golfers that I looked up to were sitting next to me having lunch and everything just seemed so surreal,” she recalled.
Thibault is glad to have been able to continue her development at Fresno State University.
“Being at Fresno State, the weather is always nice. And it’s great that I get to be play Division I golf with some of the best amateurs of the world,” said Thibault, who will be entering her senior year this autumn.
She’s also thankful to be part of Golf Canada’s National Team Program.
“The program has been great, we learn about the mental side of golf, and we learn about nutrition, physio, fitness and a lot of other things to be successful on the golf course and away from it,” noted the second year Amateur Squad member.
“I also love working with Tristan (Mullally) because he’s very direct and to the point and gives great feedback.”
The 21-year-old amateur standout credits continued improvements in her game for the recent success on the golf course.
Head Coach Tristan Mullally and Brigitte Thibault at a training camp in Phoenix, Ariz.
“My putter is starting to gain momentum and my short game is starting to step up. I’ve also been working hard to improve on my wedge and approach,” pointed out Thibault, who is also known to show creativity on her shots.
Looking ahead, Thibault believes her all in approach will provide the opportunity to achieve her own version of greatness on the golf course.
“The game of golf is incredible and I would love to be able to play on the LPGA Tour one day and make an impact and do my part to bring the women’s game to the next level.”
And despite the restrictions from practicing social and physical distancing, Thibault’s long-term goals have kept her motivated and focused during the pandemic.
“I’m up at 5 a.m., filled with busy days and doing it all over again. My own personal growth and grind aren’t going to pause in regards to the conditions of COVID-19,” she said.
With golf courses across the country preparing to open up again, there is optimism that tournament golf will soon return. And when it does, the second year Amateur Squad member will surely be ready.
“I am actually working on all aspects of training – fitness wise, golf wise, and mentally. I’m doing my best to keep improving and being my best self.”
Team Canada coach Tristan Mullally excited for Canada’s wave of NCAA talent
Tristan Mullally (Tyler Costigan/ Golf Canada)
John Chidley-Hill/ Canadian Press
After an intensive training camp with Golf Canada’s national amateur squad, coach Tristan Mullally is excited for the future of the women’s game in this country.
Mullally worked with Quebec City’s Sarah-Eve Rheaume, Noemie Pare of Victoriaville, Que., Brigitte Thibault of Rosemere, Que., and Mary Parsons of Delta, B.C. last week at The Legacy Golf Club in Phoenix. The camp focused on the ongoing development of all four players, preparing them to make the leap to the professional ranks.
“We’ve got a young, dynamic group that are a little bit light on experience but have some of the best attitudes that I’ve ever seen in terms of our national team,” said Mullally on Wednesday. “It’s very easy to improve their golf when their attitude is the way it is.
“I’m expecting over the next couple of years to start to see some of these players starting to be those next discussion points.”
Of course, right now the biggest discussion point in Canadian golf is Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont. She became the winningest golfer in Canadian history last season and is ranked eighth in the world. Henderson and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp represent the Canadian contingent on the LPGA Tour this season.
It’s a reversal of fortunes from last year when five Canadians were LPGA regulars with Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay and Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee joining Henderson and Sharp.
The injury bug bit, however, with Tanguay having to take a one-year sabbatical to heal an ailing back and focus on personal projects. Lee’s season was derailed by ongoing issues with her wrist. She’ll have partial LPGA status this season as she plays under a medical exemption.
Longtime Symetra Tour player Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., retired in the off-season after finishing 30th on the second-tier tour’s money list, further depleting Canada’s presence in the pro ranks.
But Mullally is optimistic about the next wave of young Canadian golfers playing in the NCAA.
“All of these athletes are on the national team for a reason, they know how to work hard to be efficient with their time,” said Mullally, who collaborates with the players’ university coaches to design individual development plans. “They’ve all done that, they’ve all come back a little bit better than when they left the last national camp and we want to continue that.”
Thibault is coming off of a career season where she competed in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur, won the Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship and the NCAA’s Mountain West Conference Championship. That led to her being named the female amateur of the year by the Golf Journalists Association of Canada.
She and Parsons were also part of Canada’s bronze-medal team at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, with Austin Connelly and Joey Savoie.
Tiger Woods ties Sam Snead’s PGA TOUR victory record at 82
Tiger Woods (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
INZAI CITY, Japan – Tiger Woods won the Zozo Championship to tie Sam Snead’s PGA Tour record of 82 victories.
The 43-year-old American played the final seven holes Monday in the rain-hit tournament, completing a 3-under 67 to beat local favourite Hideki Matsuyama by three strokes at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club.
“It’s just crazy. It’s a lot,” Woods said. “I’ve been able to be consistent most of my career. … Today was one of those days where I was able to pull it out.”
Woods had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee two months ago – his fifth on the same problem joint. He was making his first start in his 23rd season on the PGA Tour.
“I can still manage my way around the golf course,” Woods said. “I know how to play. I was able to do that this week.”
The fourth round was suspended because of darkness Sunday, and Woods took a three-stroke lead over Matsuyama into Monday in the first official PGA Tour event in Japan.
He bogeyed his first hole Monday, the par-4 12th, but was solid the rest of the way with birdies on Nos. 14 and 18 to finish at 19-under 261. Matsuyama also closed with a 67
Rory McIlroy, the highest ranked player in the field, completed his round with two birdies for a 67 to tie for third at 13 under with Sungjae Im. Im had a 65.
Woods opened with consecutive 64s, with a day off in between because of rain. He had a 66 on Sunday in the third round.
“It’s been a long week,” Woods said. “Five days at the top of the leaderboard is a long time.”
What golf clubs should know about hosting championships
(Chad Hipolito/ Golf Canada)
John Gordon
“Where Champions Are Crowned”
Although it’s the marketing tagline for Duncan Meadows Golf Course on Vancouver Island, site of the recent men’s Canadian Amateur Championship, it could be adopted by any of the scores of courses across Canada that play host each year to provincial and national championships.
Ming Hui, owner of Duncan Meadows, says the course hosted its first event, the B.C. Mid-Amateur Championship, in 1999. Since then, the course and its members have welcomed a veritable spectrum of tournaments: provincial junior and amateur championships, Future Links events, the Canadian University/College Championship, the Canadian Women’s Tour, and even an American Junior Golf Association tournament where, says Hui, a young Paula Creamer set the women’s competitive course record before heading off to LPGA Tour stardom.
“The overall experience is fabulous,” Hui says. “Although the members have to give up their course for a few days, it’s a positive experience for everyone. It’s good for our course because it gives us exposure and visibility and it’s good for the game overall.”
At any given time, Golf Canada is in contact with hundreds of courses in order to secure sites over the next three to five years for the 30 or so tournaments they conduct each year, says Adam Helmer, Golf Canada’s director of rules, competitions and amateur status.
“Lots of advance notice and excellent communication is key,” he says. “Once a course hosts an event, they realize it is a positive and lasting experience for all concerned. Some courses want to showcase major changes, celebrate a significant anniversary or get more recognition. Others may target a specific championship because they have strong players in that category and it never hurts to have local knowledge.”
Phil Berube, executive director and CEO of Alberta Golf, agrees. “We are very fortunate in that many clubs in Alberta see this as an opportunity to showcase their facility and demonstrate good will for the golf community.” He says the key is a “partnership” between the golf association, the members and staff of the host club, and the players themselves.
Finding the appropriate number and type of facility is a formidable task for Golf Canada and the provincial associations. Although smaller provinces conduct a relative handful of competitions, Ontario runs more than 50 qualifying events and two dozen championships.
“It’s a very compact season and it’s difficult to schedule them all in during Ontario’s short summer,” says Rob Watson, Golf Ontario’s coordinator of next generation and competitions.
Some provincial associations offer nominal remuneration to host clubs and that has made the experience more palatable for some courses, but there’s much more to the equation. While British Columbia, for example, does so, the association “works with host clubs to help them understand the local economic impact of hosting an event as well as revenue opportunities for food and beverage as well as local sponsorship,” according to Kris Jonasson, CEO of British Columbia Golf.
Golf Canada, says Helmer, is working toward a new hosting model that would leave behind a “lasting legacy” commemorating their contribution to the game. That legacy could include donating Golf In Schools kits to local schools or some other support for growing the game locally.
One of the most memorable events during my 30 years at my club was when I volunteered last year for a Future Links tournament that had a Special Olympics component. We have hosted a men’s Ontario Amateur and some other events over the years and, with our centennial coming in 2019, our club is pursuing another significant championship. An unspoken motivation could be that we’ve got a very good golf course that we’re sick of being referred to as a “hidden gem.”
No matter what your motivation, reach out to your provincial association or Golf Canada to see what’s involved in hosting an event.
