YanJun (Victoria) Liu leads following second round of Canadian Junior Girls Championship
(Golf Canada)
Golf Canada
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – YanJun (Victoria) Liu of Vancouver carded her second straight round in the 60s, opening a three-stroke lead at the 65th Canadian Junior Girls Championship held at Lethbridge Country Club.
Liu shot 3 under 69, moving herself to 10 under for the tournament. Her 65 yesterday tied the old course record at Lethbridge Country Club – the record was broken by Euna Han only minutes earlier. Liu has only committed a single bogey through 36 holes.
“Today was a different round from yesterday,” said Liu. “Yesterday I had lots of birdie opportunities. Today was more of a regular day – lots of up-and-downs and some birdies too. I kept it real consistent today and made many great putts.”
This is the 16-year-old’s third appearance at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship. She finished in a tie for 13th and a tie for seventh in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Liu won the D.A. Points Junior Championship earlier in July.
“I think my putting’s been really good for both rounds,” added Liu. “I had some miss hits with my driver, but I saved them. Also, my mental game was key – I kept everything together.”
The low round of the day belonged to Tiffany Kong. The Vancouver product carded a 5 under par 67, bringing her score on the tournament to 7 under. She sits three strokes back of Liu heading into moving day.
Brooke Rivers (Brampton, Ont.) shot 4 under in round two, which included an eagle on the par-4 No. 14. Rivers is tied with Han, a Coquitlam, B.C. product, for third. Han carded 3 over on the day.
Team British Columbia won the Inter-Provincial Team Competition. The trio of Angela (ZiLan) Zhang (Vancouver), Cindy Koira (Victoria) and Erin Lee (Langley, B.C.) finished at even par, four strokes ahead of Team Québec in second place.
“The players did all the work – we came up with a good plan and they all stuck to it,” said Team British Columbia coach Colin Lavers. “It’s awesome for B.C. golf. We’re really proud and we’re trying to build a strong program. Results aren’t everything, but they are nice.”
This is Team British Columbia’s first time claiming the Mary Pyke Trophy since 2016 and they have now won three of the last five Inter-Provincial Team Championships.
Euna Han sets course record, leads after opening round of Canadian Junior Girls Championship
(Golf Canada)
Golf Canada
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – Euna Han of Coquitlam, B.C., set the course record with a 64 to take the lead heading into the second round of the 65th Canadian Junior Girls Championship held at Lethbridge Country Club in Lethbridge, Alta.
Han was six under through the front nine and the lone blemish on her scorecard was a bogey on the par-3 No. 16. She could have gone even lower, narrowly missing an eagle putt on the par-5 No. 17.
“I cannot feel better really,” said Han. “I putted really well, but I also hit good shots into the green, so the putts weren’t as tricky as they could have been.”
Han’s 8 under 64, course record-setting round was especially remarkable as Lethbridge Country Club hosted the 2012 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship. Future LPGA players Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn played the 2012 Canadian Women’s Amateur, with the former claiming the title and firing a round of 65.
“I want to stay calm and stay patient, not getting too excited or too down if I make mistakes,” added Han when asked about her outlook on the rest of the tournament.
YanJun (Victoria) Liu finished a single stroke back of Han at 7 under 65. Liu was bogey free, notching six birdies on the front nine.
Hsin Chiao Chang of Chinese Taipei shot 5 under and sits in third place.
Four players are tied for fourth at 2 under; Emily Zhu (Richmond Hill, Ont.), Angela Zhang (Vancouver), Tiffany Kong (Vancouver) and Annabelle Ackroyd (Calgary).
“My front nine was really good,” said Zhu. “I thought I kept my cool and overall I’m very happy with my round. The course is really nice, very well maintained and challenging.”
“I hit the ball really well, so I just stayed consistent out there,” said Ackroyd. “The course is in great shape, it’s playing awesome. It was a good test. I’d love to play the same way I played today. It’s awesome being home in Alberta.”
Team British Columbia, consisting of Angela Zhang (Vancouver), Cindy Koira (Victoria) and Erin Lee (Langley, B.C.), lead the inter-provincial team competition at 2 under. Team Québec, the defending champions, sit three strokes back in second.
The 2019 Canadian Junior Girls champion will receive an exemption into the 2020 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.
Canadian Junior Girls Championship to tee off at Lethbridge Country Club
Golf Canada
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – Top junior golfers from across North America will head to Lethbridge Country Club from July 30-August 2 to compete in the 65th playing of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship.
The impressive field is led by the Team Canada National Junior Squad, with all five members set to chase the Brokenshire Trophy in Lethbridge; Céleste Dao (Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que.), Sarah Beqaj (Toronto), Emily Zhu (Richmond Hill, Ont.), Ellie Szeryk (London, Ont.) and Monet Chun (Richmond Hill, Ont.).
Dao is the defending champion, having won last year’s event by three strokes. She took the lead in the second round, but an impressive charge in the final round secured her the championship. Three birdies on her final five holes allowed her to separate from runner-up Emily Zhu.
In total, 16 of Canada’s top 50 golfers from the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) are included in the field.
“Lethbridge Country Club is the perfect host for our national Junior Girls Championship,” said Tournament Director Adam Cinel. “Its signature holes and fantastic layout will provide a great challenge for the best junior golfers across North America as they chase Canada’s national title.”
A practice round will be conducted Monday, July 29 prior to the championship’s opening round on Tuesday, July 30. Following the first two rounds of play, the field will be reduced to the low 70 players and ties with the top ten juvenile’s and ties included in the final round.
A tie for the championship will be decided by a hole-by-hole playoff immediately following the conclusion of play.
The 2019 Canadian Junior Girls champion will receive an exemption into the 2020 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.
Founded in 1909, Lethbridge Country Club has been on its current site since May 1932. Designed by renowned Canadian golf course architect Stanley Thompson, the course runs adjacent to the Old Man River. It was the site of the 2012 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, which was won by Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, who carded a course record 65 in the third round. A 14-year-old Brooke Henderson finished sixth.
“We are thrilled to be hosting this strong field at Lethbridge Country Club and welcoming this prestigious championship to our course,” said Brian Huculak, General Manager of Lethbridge Country Club. “The golf course is in tremendous shape and we look forward to showcasing its beauty as well as the great city of Lethbridge.”
The Canadian Junior Girls Championship has a long list of distinguished past champions, including Canadian Golf Hall of Famer and major champion Sandra Post, and current LPGA superstar and Canadian professional golf victory record-holder Brooke Henderson.
An inter-provincial team competition will take place over the first two rounds. The two best scores of the three golfers from each provincial team in rounds one and two count towards the team’s score. The lowest aggregate score over rounds one and two determines the champions, who will claim the Mary Pyke Trophy.
Quebec will look to defend their team competition title. The trio of Dao, Élizabeth Labbé (Lévis, Que.) and Emily Romancew (Pierrefonds, Que.) shot four over, four strokes ahead of British Columbia.
Additional information about the tournament, including the full field and tee-times is available here.
NOTABLES
Céleste Dao, Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que.
The 18-year-old played the 2019 US Women’s Open and is the highest-ranked Canadian in the field on the World Amateur Golf Ranking (No. 311). Dao also played the 2018 CP Women’s Open and placed fifth at the World Junior Girls Championship in September 2018. She currently leads the Future Links, driven by Acura Junior Girls Order of Merit and is sixth on the Golf Canada National Women’s Order of Merit.
Ellie Szeryk, London, Ont.
The sister of Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Maddie Szeryk, Ellie was in the hunt at last year’s Canadian Junior Girls Championship. She won the 2018 Golf Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship and played well at the 2018 World Junior Girls Championship. Szeryk also teed off at the South American Amateur Championship in January 2019.
Monet Chun, Richmond Hill, Ont.
Now in her third season on the Team Canada National Junior Squad, Chun won three tournaments in 2018. Although she missed the cut at the 2018 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, she finished in a tie for fourth at the tournament in 2017 and in the top ten in each of the previous three years. Chun also finished third at the AJGA C.T. Pan Junior Championship in April 2019.
Emily Zhu, Richmond Hill, Ont.
A runner-up performance at last year’s tournament was an incredible accomplishment for Zhu, who was only 14 years old at the time. She made the cut at the 2018 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, becoming one of the youngest players ever to do so. Zhu won the AJGA Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior and played well at the Women’s Porter Cup this season.
Sarah Bejaq, Toronto, Ont.
Bejaq placed fifth at last year’s Canadian Junior Girls Championship and joined the Team Canada National Junior Squad shortly thereafter. She posted top-10 finishes at both the 2018 Ontario Women’s Junior and Amateur Championships. Bejaq was one of six Canadians to play at the World Junior Girls Championship last year.
FAST FACTS
Dao’s win in 2018 broke a streak of three straight years in which a British Columbia golfer won the individual event: Susan Xiao in 2017 (Surrey, B.C.), Naomi Ko in 2016 (Victoria, B.C.) and Michelle Kim in 2015 (Surrey, B.C.).
Nine-time LPGA winner and major champion Brooke Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., won the event in 2012 at River Spirit Golf Club in Calgary, Alta.
The lowest single-round score in the tournament’s history is a 66 – Karen England (1997), Kristy Finlayson (1998), Elyse Archambault (2010) and Hannah Lee (2015).
Heather Kuzmich won four straight Canadian Junior Girls Championships from 1981-1984.
Four Canadian Golf Hall of Fame members are past champions of the event: Betty Stanhope-Cole (1956), Judy Darling Evans (1957), Gail Harvey (1958-60) and Sandra Post (1964-66).
Current LPGA golfer Alena Sharp was the 1999 Canadian Junior Girls Champion.
The 2019 Canadian Junior Girls champion will receive an exemption into the 2020 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.
Céleste Dao wins 2018 Canadian Junior Girls Championship
Celeste Dao (L) and Emily Zhu
Golf Canada
TSAWWASSEN, B.C. – After a close round on Friday, Team Canada National Development Squad Member Céleste Dao from Notre Dame de l’Île Perrot, Que. carded a 2-over-par 74 to become the 2018 Canadian Junior Girls Champion.
Dao started the day with a one stroke lead and worked hard to keep the lead in the final round. She started her round with a bogey on hole 2 and hole 3 and continued to bogey two more holes before she made the turn.
Dao’s first three bogeys were out of the sand to put her at 1-over-par in second place after the 7thhole. She parred hole 8, while Emily Zhu from Richmond Hill, Ont. bogeyed it, putting them both with a share of the lead before the back nine.
Dao’s fourth bogey set her back one stroke, into second, and another bogey on hole 10, after a three putt, forced her to sit three back of Emily Zhu.
“The voice in my head kept telling me to stay patient, just stay patient for the two par 5s that are coming, I knew that at least one of them I could birdie,” said the 2018 Junior Girls Champ.
The Notre Dame de l’Île Perrot, Que. native went on to birdie hole 14, her first birdie of the day, to sit tied for the lead again with Zhu.
“I was waiting for the birdie for a long time, I kind of panicked a little on the front nine but I knew the two par 5s were coming so I stayed patient and when the first birdie dropped I was really, really happy,” said the 17-year-old. “After the first birdie came I knew I would be good for the next one.”
Dao birdied hole 15, as well, to sit one up. Both players stepped up to hole 17, the same hole that decided their fate in round 3, and teed off.
Zhu hit her ball to the left of the fairway, over the cart path, and into the trees. She had a great recovery and made it back on to the fairway. As she swung her club for her third stroke, the ball went into the trees to the right, and fell out of bounds. Zhu double bogeyed the hole, placing Dao in the lead by 3 strokes with just one hole left.
“She got unlucky, unfortunately, she played so well the whole round. She was so consistent, I mean she’s 14-years-old, it’s impressive, she’s really impressive,” said Dao about Zhu’s shot out of bounds on hole 17.
Dao would go on to birdie hole 18 to finish the day 2-over-par 74 with a total score of even par 288 for the tournament.
“This win means a lot, it was one of my goals as a junior. This year I’m really, really happy. Brooke did it, and so many good players did it, and for me it is so important to win it so I’m happy,” said Dao. “This is a big win for me because it is in my home country and playing against so many players here, it is a national event, and playing in a beautiful city, I’m really happy.”
Emily Zhu also continued to birdie hole 18 to win the Juvenile competition at 14-years-old. Angela Zhang from Vancouver, B.C., came in at 4-over-par and Zhu, after the birdie on 18, came in at 3-over-par to take the title.
“I wanted to sink that birdie putt anyways (not just to win the Juvenile Competition), the first two days I bogeyed the hole and yesterday I hit par so I was like why not go for the birdie?”
The Richmond Hill, Ont., native finished 3-over-par 291 for the tournament. This is just the beginning for her, as she has a few more years to play in this event.
Sarah Beqaj from Toronto Ont., finished 5-over-par 293 to finish third in the Juvenile Competition. Tiffany Kong from Vancouver, B.C., and Angela Zhang, also from Vancouver, B.C., finished with a share of third in the Championship with a score of 4-over-par 292.
Click here to view the full leaderboard for the 2018 Canadian Junior Girls Championship.
Canadian Junior Girls Championship – Player Disqualification
(Beach Grove Golf Club)
Golf Canada
Tsawwassen, B.C. – At the completion of the second round of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship at Beach Grove Golf Club in Tsawwassen, B.C., a total of 70 players had made the cut at 21-over par (165).
It was brought to attention of the Tournament Committee late in the evening on Wednesday that Ellie Szeryk of London, Ont., who was sitting alone in second place in the Junior Girls Division and leading the Juvenile Girls Division at 1-under (143), had signed for a score lower than she had taken.
As part of the due diligence, the Tournament Committee reviewed the scorecard with Szeryk personally, which ultimately resulted in a penalty of disqualification.
A total of 69 players will now continue to compete in the final two rounds of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship. A link to updated scoring and third round pairings is here.
Céleste Dao leads after second round of Canadian Junior Girls
Céleste Dao(Photo: Chuck Russell/Golf Canada)
Golf Canada
**Tournament update – Player Disqualification: At the completion of the second round of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship at Beach Grove Golf Club in Tsawwassen, B.C., a total of 70 players had made the cut at 21-over par (165).
It was brought to attention of the Tournament Committee late in the evening on Wednesday that Ellie Szeryk of London, Ont., who was sitting alone in second place in the Junior Girls Division and leading the Juvenile Girls Division at 1-under (143), had signed for a score lower than she had taken. As part of the due diligence, the Tournament Committee reviewed the scorecard with Szeryk personally, which ultimately resulted in a penalty of disqualification.
A total of 69 players will now continue to compete in the final two rounds of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship. A link to updated scoring and third round pairings is here.
TSAWWASSEN, B.C. – Céleste Dao carded a 2-under-par 70 to jump into the lead after the second round of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship at Beach Grove Golf Club.
The Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que. native was one of two players, again, to shoot under par. She started the day off strong firing three birdies on the first three holes. She made the turn at one under and would go on to bogey holes 10 and 12 to sit at even par.
Dao approached the 10th green after over shooting from the fairway. She made a beautiful chip onto the green and the ball sat about 6 feet away from the hole. She lined up her putt for the par and the ball missed the hole, not going as she had planned.
“I missed a short putt. After that I had another bad hole, but after hole 12 I started making birdies and went back to normal, so I was happy,” said the 17-year-old. “The round was up and down, some holes went well, and some others so-so. So, I’m happy.”
She finished the day on Wednesday carding seven birdies and five bogeys. Dao heads into the third round in the lead–ahead of fellow Team Canada Development Squad member Ellie Szeryk–by two strokes. She sits a total of 3-under for the tournament.
Ellie Szeryk made a major comeback after firing a 77 in her opening round on Tuesday. Szeryk finished the round with a 6-under 66, the lowest score of the tournament so far.
“It went well, I was pretty relaxed. I had a really good time with my group which I think really helped my score,” said the London, Ont. native. “I had some good shots. I didn’t put myself in a good position off the tee but I managed to have a good approach shot on the par 5s and I made one long putt. It was pretty simple birdies.”
Ellie made the turn at 3-under.
“It’s nice to start off with a clean slate I had a pretty rough first round so hopefully I’m just going to continue the momentum.” she said.
She took the crowd by storm when she carded four birdies in a row on her back nine, sitting 4-under through her last 5 holes.
“I had a lot of lip-outs yesterday, and missed a lot of putts, so I knew that at some point they were going to drop, I didn’t think they were all going to drop at once, so it was a nice surprise,” said the 16-year-old.
Szeryk sits in second and heads into the third round at 1-under 143 for the tournament, leading the Juvenile Girls Championship.
Emily Zhu from Richmond Hill, Ont. sits two strokes behind Szeryk at 1-over 145 in third place. She recorded a 1-over-par 73 in Wednesday’s round.
The cut was set at 21-over-par and 70 golfers will advance to the final two rounds on Thursday and Friday.
Team Quebec took home the win in the inter-provincial team competition after duking it out with Team British Colombia all the way until the final group came in off the green. Team Quebec finished 4-over par for the tournament and Team B.C. finished 8-over. Defending Champions, Team Ontario, finished in third at 15-over.
Click here to view the full leaderboard for the 2018 Canadian Junior Girls Championship.
Lauren Kim leads after round one of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship
Lauren Kim (Golf Canada)
Golf Canada
TSAWWASSEN, B.C. – Lauren Kim carded a 3-under-par 69 to lead by one stroke after the first round of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship at Beach Grove Golf Club.
After playing the third round of the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Marine Drive in B.C. last week with a bug bite on her arm causing her pain to bend her arm; Kim was healthy and bug bite free heading into the first round on Tuesday.
“I feel confident after doing well today, I feel confident heading into the week,” said Kim.
The 12-year-old carded four birdies and one bogey to jump in front of Céleste Dao who had the clubhouse lead after the morning wave.
“I didn’t hit a lot of fairways today, it was actually hard, my swing was off, and I was just trying to par my way in, I was like try to keep it even, make your pars and do what you can,” said the Surrey, B.C., native. “I had a good start to my back nine, I started with a birdie and hit more fairways, it was easier.”
Kim has already tasted the winners circle this season, after she played up a division – against girls 15-18 years old – winning the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s Ford Seres Tournament in May and was T5 at the Future Links, driven by Acura Pacific Championship later that month.
Céleste Dao, member of the Team Canada Development Squad, came in with a 1-under-par 71, to sit one stroke back of Kim.
“My birdies came mostly on the par 5s. I was reaching them in two or doing up and downs from the bunkers. Otherwise, I was sticking it close to the pin with my wedges on the other holes I birdied. I did have one chip-in.” said the Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que. native.
Dao – the 2018 Mexican Junior Girls Champion – was two under on her front nine. When she made the turn she recorded two bogeys, then two birdies to recover, but fired one last bogey on hole 16 to finish her round 1-under.
“You have to take advantage of the par 5s. You just need to be patient, there are some holes that may look like they are birdie opportunities, but you need to identify the holes where you need to play safe,” said the 17-year-old. “The front nine is tighter for the drives, the back nine is longer and I think the greens are harder on the back nine, more elevation.”
Emily Zhu from Richmond Hill, Ont. and Hannah Lee from Surrey, B.C. both came in at even par 72.
Zhu sat tied with Dao at 1-under throughout her entire round until she recorded a bogey on her last hole to finish T3.
Team Quebec is leading the inter-provincial team competition at even par and defending champions, Team B.C., sit in second at 6-over-par.
Click here to view the full leaderboard for the 2018 Canadian Junior Girls Championship.
Canadian Junior Girls Championship to tee off at Beach Grove Golf Club
(Beach Grove Golf Club)
Golf Canada
TSAWWASSEN, B.C. – 142 of Canada’s premier junior golfers will be in Tsawwassen from July 30 – August 3 for the 2018 Canadian Junior Girls Championship at Beach Grove Golf Club.
Established in 1932, Beach Grove Golf Club is a championship golf course layout par 71 playing 6200 yards from the back tees. The course, situated in the heart of sunny Tsawwassen, B.C., is lined with mature trees and offers well-groomed fairways and the truest greens in the Lower Mainland.
“We’re thrilled to be hosting this strong field at Beach Grove and welcoming this prestigious championship to our course,” said Chris Hugill, General Manager at Beach Grove Golf Club. “The golf course is in tremendous shape and we look forward to showcasing its beauty as well as the great city of Tsawwassen.”
The impressive field is led by the Team Canada Development Squad, with 13 of Canada’s top-50 golfers in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) in the draw. At No. 360, Team Canada’s Céleste Dao the highest ranked golfer in the field.
All four members of Team Canada’s Development Squad will be chasing the title in Tsawwassen: Céleste Dao (Notre-Dame Ile Perrot, Que.), Monet Chun (Richmond Hill, Ont.), Alyssa DiMarcantonio (Maple, Ont.) and Ellie Szeryk (London, Ont.). Szeryk finished last year’s event tied for second, the highest of the returning golfers from last year.
“Beach Grove Golf Club is the perfect host for our national Junior Girls Championship,” said Tournament Director Akash Patel. “Its signature holes and fantastic layout will provide a great challenge for the best junior golfers in Canada as they chase a national title.”
Susan Xiao was crowned champion at the event last year, finishing with a five-stroke victory. She would go on to place sixth at the 2017 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Cutten Fields in Guelph, Ont.
A practice round will be conducted on July 30 prior to the championship’s opening round on July 31. Following the first two rounds of play, the field will be reduced to the low 70 players and ties with the top ten juvenile’s and ties included in the final round.
A tie for the championship will be decided by a hole-by-hole playoff immediately following the conclusion of play.
The 2018 Canadian Junior Girls’ champion will receive an exemption into the 2019 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.
The Canadian Junior Girls Championship has a long list of distinguished past champions including Canadian Golf Hall of Famer and major champion Sandra Post, and current LPGA superstar and 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship winner Brooke Henderson.
The defending team champions from Ontario will look to make it two in a row in the inter-provincial team competition, which takes place over the first two rounds.
In rounds one and two the best two scores of the three golfers from each provincial team count towards the team’s score. The lowest aggregate score over rounds one and two determines the champion. British Columbia won the 2015 and 2016 titles.
Additional information about the tournament, including the full field and tee-times is available here.
NOTABLES Céleste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-l’Île Perrot, Que.
The 17-year-old is in her first year on the Team Canada Development Squad and has top-ten finishes in 11 out of the 16 events she has played at in 2018, including three wins this year: Mexican Junior Girls Championship, U.S Women’s Open Qualifying – Cape Cod National and Girls’ Provincial Junior Championship. She is currently ranked No.1 on the Future Links driven by Acura National Order of Merit and is ranked No. 377 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
Ellie Szeryk of London, Ont. The Team Canada Development Squad rookie finished T2 at this event last year, the highest of any returning player. The 18-year-old recently won the 2018 GO Investors Group Women’s Amateur Championship and finished in the top-ten in all nine of the 2018 stroke-play events she played in. She is currently No. 2 on the Future Links driven by Acura National Order of Merit.
Monet Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont. The 17-year-old is in her second year on the Women’s Development Squad and has three wins in 2018 so far. Chun is currently rank No.3 on the Future Links driven by Acura National Order of Merit and has won three Future Links driven by Acura Championships in the past three years: Pacific (2018), Ontario (2017) and Québec (2016).
Emily Zhu of Richmond Hill, Ont. The 14-year-old, who finished T4 at the event last year, is currently ranked No. 4 on the Future Links driven by Acura National Order of Merit. Zhu has five top-finishes in 2018 so far, including a win at the GO Investors Group Junior Spring Classic in May.
Annabelle Ackroyd of Calgary, Alta. The 16-year-old has four wins in 2018: Alberta Junior & Juvenile Girls Championship, USGA – U.S Girls’ Junior Sectional Qualifier, CJGA Junior at RedTail Landing and MJT – Alberta Spring Classic 2018. Ackroyd is currently ranked No. 6 on the Future Links driven by Acura National Order of Merit.
FAST FACTS A British Columbia golfer has won the individual event the last three years: Susan Xiao in 2017 (Surrey, B.C.) Naomi Ko in 2016 (Victoria, B.C.) and Michelle Kim in 2015 (Surrey B.C.).
Six-time LPGA winner and major champion Brooke Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., won this event in 2012 at River Spirit Golf Club in Calgary, Alta.
The lowest single-round score in the tournament’s history is a 66 – Hannah Lee (2015), Elyse Archambault (2010), Karen England (1997), and Kristy Finlayson (1998).
Heather Kuzmich won four straight Canadian Junior Girls Championships from 1981-1984.
Four Canadian Golf Hall of Fame members are past champions of this event: Betty Stanhope-Cole (1956), Judy Darling Evans (1957), Gail Harvey (1958-60), and Sandra Post (1964-66).
Current LPGA golfer Alena Sharp was the 1999 Canadian Junior Girls Champion.
The 2018 Canadian Junior Girls champion will receive an exemption into the 2019 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.
British Columbia hopes to crown fourth consecutive Junior Girls Champion
Beach Grove
British Columbia has a little streak going at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship; one its players hope to extend at Beach Grove Golf Club.
The last three Canadian Junior Girls Championships have been won by B.C. players. Susan Xiao of Surrey won it last year, Naomi Ko of Victoria was the 2016 champion and Michelle Kim of Surrey captured the title in 2015.
“This is home turf and the B.C. girls have to represent and do well and have some fun out here,” says Vancouver’s Tiffany Kong, one of a large number of strong B.C. players who will compete in this year’s championship, which goes July 31-Aug. 3 at Beach Grove.
Hannah Lee of Surrey is another one of those British Columbians especially motivated to play well at Beach Grove. This will be Lee’s final junior tournament and she has come close the last three years, finishing no worse than tied for 11th. She was runner-up in 2015.
“Considering this is my last one and it is at home, I obviously want to do well,” says Lee, who is heading into her sophomore year at the University of Oklahoma. “It would definitely mean a lot if I could do well.”
Doing well at Beach Grove starts with keeping the ball in play off the tee. The course is tight in spots and missing fairways makes it difficult to hit the course’s small greens in regulation.
“What the players will have to do especially well is position the ball off the tee,” says longtime Beach Grove head professional Brent Derrheim. “You can’t be overly aggressive, you need to be patient. And also putting. If you make the putts, you are going to score well.”
Beach Grove is a private club located in Tsawwassen, a suburban community located about a half-hour south of Vancouver. It opened as a nine-hole course in 1929 and a second nine was completed in 1965.
Tsawwassen, home to the B.C. Ferries terminal that takes passengers to the Victoria port of Swartz Bay, is renowned as the sunniest spot in the Metro Vancouver area. Beach Grove certainly benefits from all that sunshine and this year is no different. The course is in immaculate shape and figures to play firm and fast for the junior girls.
“The course has been in fantastic shape all summer and our superintendent Ian Murray and his crew have been doing a great job,” Derrheim says. “The course will play firm and fast. I feel it is a great golf course for women and it will be a great test for the girls, too.”
The course figures to be set up at about 6,000 yards for the junior girls.
None of the competitors know the course better than Amanda Minni, who has been playing it regularly as a junior member for the last several years.
“Actually my first tournament ever was at my home course,” Minni says. “It was one of the club championships and I shot like 112 and 112 to win when I was nine years old. Playing another huge championship there is going to be different from a little club championship, but it’s going to have the same sort of feeling. Hopefully the members come out and watch. I think it is going to be a great event.”
Minni, who is heading into her sophomore year at Oregon State University, finished 10th at the 2016 Canadian Junior Girls Championship in Shubenacadie, N.S., and was third at the B.C. Junior Girls Championship earlier this month at Kimberley Golf Club. She will be joined on the B.C. team at Beach Grove by B.C. Junior Girls Champion Phoebe Yue of West Vancouver and Vancouver’s Leah John.
“The course is definitely going to play really tough over the week,” Minni says of Beach Grove. “The grounds crew has been out here every day making it look sharp so I am really excited about the conditions.
“Definitely hitting greens there is big because the greens are so tiny and they are so firm that chipping around them is tough. If you short-side yourself, you are in trouble.”
Of course, there a number of strong competitors from the rest of the country in what will be a very deep field at Beach Grove.
Ellie Szeryk of London, Ont., fresh off her win at the Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship, must be considered one of the favourites. Szeryk, a member of Golf Canada’s national developmental team now based at Bear Mountain in Victoria, tied for second at last year’s Canadian Junior Girls Championship.
Other national developmental team players in the Beach Grove field include Monet Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont., Celeste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-I’lle-Perrot, Que., and Alyssa DiMarcantonio of Maple, Ont. Chun and Szeryk finished 1-2 at the Future Links, driven by Acura Pacific Championship at Bear Mountain this past May.
Three other Future Links champions from this year are in the field, including: Taylor Stone of Calgary (Western Championship), Emily Romanceow (Quebec Championship) and Sydney Scraba of Calgary (Prairie Championship).
A Canadian Juvenile Girls Champion will also be crowned at Beach Grove. That competition is open to players 16 and younger. An inter-provincial team competition will be held over the first 36 holes of the tournament. Ontario won that competition last year by three shots over British Columbia.
Susan Xiao wins 2017 Canadian Junior Girls Championship
(Bernard Brault/Golf Canada)
Golf Canada
54-hole leader Susan Xiao from Surrey, B.C., didn’t blink in the final round of the 2017 Canadian Junior Girls Championship at Camelot Golf and Country Club carding a 3-under-par 69 to finish with a five-stroke victory.
Xiao started the day with a one stroke lead at 2 under par and was rock solid in Friday’s final round. She started with a birdie on No. 2 – then made eight consecutive pars before three straight birdies on holes 11, 12, and 13 to build a comfortable lead over the field.
“I am so honoured to win, words can’t describe how happy I am right now,” said Xiao. “This is definitely one of the biggest wins I’ve ever had.”
A 30 minute weather delay on the 18th tee didn’t affect Xiao as she sunk a 10-foot putt for par on No. 18.
“We were walking off 17 green and they blew the horn so we had to come back. At first I was a little bit sad thinking it’s the last hole can’t we just finish but it’s better to be safe,” said a smiling Xiao from the 18th green after the closing ceremonies.
Xiao is the third straight British Columbian to win the Canadian Junior Girls Championship, following Team Canada’s Naomi Ko from Victoria in 2016 and Michelle Kim of Surrey in 2015. The 15-year-old also took home the juvenile championship for players 16-and-under.
Mary Parsons, a member of Team Canada’s Development Squad, from Delta, B.C., threatened to take the lead early in the day.
Playing in her last junior tournament she had birdie putts on No.9 and 10 that would have brought her to within a stroke of Xiao who made the turn at 3 under par. But Parsons was unable to make a charge playing the final eight holes even par.
“I could have sunk some more putts out on the course, I was inside five feet and 10 feet,” said Parsons. “But I’m really happy for Susan and everyone who played really well this week at Camelot.”
Parsons’ junior career has come to a close but the 18-year-old is looking ahead to the next chapter as she joins the Indiana University Hoosiers in the fall.
“I have one more tournament before college. I’m going to the U.S. Amateur in San Diego so I’m excited for that,” added Parsons. “Moving forward in my career it’s good to know I have the shots in my bag to succeed and I’m excited for college.”
London, Ont., native Ellie Szeryk was 2 under par through six holes and it looked like she would challenge Xiao for the title, but a bogey on No. 7 and a triple-bogey on No. 8 proved too much to recover from.
“After six holes, I thought all Susan does is hit it in the middle and on the green so I started to press,” said Szeryk. “My mental game is something I have to work on.”
Emily Zhu from Richmond Hill, Ont., finished tied for fourth at 2 over par, alongside Development Squad’s Monet Chun, also from Richmond Hill. Just 13-years-old, Zhu was in second with two holes to play before a bogey-bogey finish set her back.
With her victory Xiao earns an exemption into the 2018 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Marine Drive Golf Club in Vancouver.
Click here to view the full leaderboard for the 2017 Canadian Junior Girls Championship.
