Grace St-Germain finishes 2nd at National Junior College Golf Championship
Grace St-Germain.
[Guelph, ON] - July 26, 2017 - Canadian Women's Amateur Championship. (Golf Canada)
Photo Credit: ( Golf Canada)
MESA, ARIZ – Grace St-Germain, member of the Canada’s National Development Squad, finished at 8 under on Thursday at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Women’s Golf Championship in Mesa, Ariz.
The Ottawa Ont., native tied her teammate, Jiwon Jeon, recording scores of 71-70-72-67 while Jeon turned in a 74-69-69-68 performance.
The Camelot Golf & Country Club member was one stroke back of Jeon as they went into the final day at Longbow Golf Club. St-Germain capped memorable final round with four birdies and an eagle on the par-4 17th.
St-Germain and Jeon went into a three-hole playoff, both making a birdie on the first and second holes. Jeon continued with a birdie om the third hole and St-Germain could not match, finishing in second place, one place higher than last year’s championship.
This fall, St-Germain will be heading to the University of Arkansas which is one of the top NCAA Division 1 teams in the U.S. (currently ranked at No. 2)
The success of both Grace and Jeon helped the Daytona State Falcons to a repeat of the National Championship, beating out 2nd place Seminole State.
Team Canada’s Lee and Szeryk record T2 performances at NCAA Regionals
Maddie Szeryk.
[Guelph, ON] - July 26, 2017 - Canadian Women's Amateur Championship. (Golf Canada)
Photo Credit: ( Golf Canada)
Golf Canada
National Amateur Squad members Maddie Szeryk and Jaclyn Lee both earned T2 performances at 2018 NCAA Regional events to advance to the NCAA Women’s National Championship from May 18-23 at Karsten Creek Golf Club.
Szeryk, a Texas A&M senior, finished second at the NCAA Regional in Austin, Texas after carding rounds of 68-69-72 to close the 54-hole event at 7 under par. The London, Ont., product finished one stroke back of medallist Maria Fassi after holding the 36-hole lead.
Her second-place finish, the best for an Aggie at NCAA Regionals since 2012, advances her as an individual to the NCAA Women’s National Championship. The Aggies finished seventh, and failed to advance as a team.
Meanwhile, Ohio State junior Jaclyn Lee followed her Big Ten Championships medallist honours with a tie for second at the 2018 NCAA Women’s Regional at University Ridge Golf Course in Madison, Wisc. Lee, a Calgary native, closed the 54-hole event two shots behind the champion at 8 under.
Collectively, Lee and the Ohio State women’s golf team tied for fourth to advance to the NCAA Women’s National Championship.
The NCAA Women’s National Championship gets underway from May 18-23 at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Click here for scores of the Texas Regional.
Click here for scores of the Wisconsin Regional.
Team Canada’s Crisologo earns 4th selection to All-GNAC team
Chris Crisologo (Golf Canada)
PORTLAND, Ore. – Ending his career as arguably the most dominant player in conference history, Simon Fraser senior Chris Crisologo is once again the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year, headlining four selections to the 2017-18 GNAC Men’s Golf All-Conference Team.
Crisologo, now a three-time GNAC Player of the Year, is the first four-time First Team All-GNAC men’s golf selection. The senior was named the GNAC Player of the Week on four occasions this season and leads the conference with a 70.6 stroke average. He had seven top-five finishes, which includes a tie for fifth at the GNAC Championships and a first-place finish in October’s Concordia Invitational. Crisologo will also make his fourth appearance at the NCAA Division II West/South Central Regional next week in Amarillo, Texas.
The Team Canada National Amateur Squad member is also the Clan’s first-ever NCAA first-team All-American selection (2017).
In his first full season at the helm, Simon Fraser head coach Matthew Steinbach was chosen by his peers as the GNAC Coach of the Year. Steinbach led the Clan to its first conference championship since the 2015 campaign after guiding SFU to a nine-stroke victory at the GNAC Championships.
Crisologo is the only repeat selection to the First Team. Joining him on the First Team are Clan senior Craig Titterington, sophomore Sy Lovan and sophomore Scott Kerr.
Crisologo’s efforts also earned him a selection as a semifinalists for the 2018 Division II Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award. Nicklaus Award recipients will be announced May 31 with the honour presented by Jack Nicklaus at a ceremony during the final round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide at Muirfield Village Golf Club.
In addition to receiving the Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award, the five recipients will compete in the Barbasol Shootout for an exemption into the PGA TOUR’s Barbasol Championship, held July 16-22, at the Champions at Keene Trace in Lexington, Ky. The Barbasol Shootout will be held Saturday, June 2 at the storied Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio – the same club where Jack Nicklaus first learned the game of golf as a young boy.
Earning his first all-conference selection, Titterington helped Simon Fraser earn its second GNAC title after leading the team with a 4-under 209 to finish in second place at the GNAC Championships. Titterington is also fourth on the team with a 75.2 stroke average.
Lovan and Kerr have played instrumental roles in the Clan’s successful season. The duo finished in fourth and tied for fifth at the conference championships and are among GNAC leaders in stroke average. Kerr is second on the team with four top-10 finishes and was the individual medalist in September’s Western Washington Invitational after shooting a 10-under par 206.
Simon Fraser and Western Washington will participate in next week’s NCAA Division II Men’s Golf Championships.
Team Canada’s Céleste Dao captures Mexican Junior Girls Championship in playoff
Céleste Dao (Golf Canada)
Golf Canada
CANCUN, Mexico – It was a storybook ending for Quebec’s Céleste Dao, who stormed back to win the Mexican Junior Girls Championship in a playoff on Tuesday at the Cancun Country Club.
Starting the day six strokes back, Team Canada’s Dao went off with a bogey-free, 6-under 66 to force extra holes with Mexico’s Corey Lopez, eventually winning the title on the third playoff hole.
#TeamCanada Development Squad member Céleste Dao on her playoff victory yesterday at the Mexican Junior Girls Championship ??
Dao, 17, closed the event at 5 under par on the strength of four straight birdies between hole Nos. 13-16. Joining Dao near the top of the leaderboard were Development Squad teammates Monet Chun (Richmond Hill, Ont.) and Ellie Szeryk (London, Ont.) who finished 3rd and 6th, respectively.
This marks the second straight victory for the Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot native—she captured the Toyota Junior World Cup Qualifier medallist honours two weeks ago at Bear Mountain (the official training centre for Team Canada). The two victories bode well for the success of the centralized program at Bear Mountain, which is in its first year of providing athletes an immersive, focused centre of excellence, surrounded by world-class technical coaching staff and experts in the areas of mental performance, physiotherapy, biomechanics and nutrition.
“The program is great – we all live in the same house together,” said Dao of the new centralized program at Bear Mountain. “It’s been helpful for me… we all go to the gym together, and I see my coach Matt Wilson and assistant coach Sara-Maude Juneau all the time and they help me a lot in improving my game and decisions – it’s been great.”
Team Canada’s Jaclyn Lee ties scoring record and wins Big 10 Championship
Jaclyn Lee (Ohio State Buckeyes)
Golf Canada
MAINEVILLE, Ohio – Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee etched her name in the history on books on Sunday, tying a 54-hole scoring record at the Big 10 Championship en route to a four-stroke victory.
Lee, a three-time National Amateur Squad member, went wire-to-wire at TPC River’s Bend, kickstarted by an opening-round 66—the lowest score of the tournament. The Ohio State junior followed with a second-round 68 and battled through a tense final round which saw her lead shrink to as little as one.
“This means a lot to me,” Lee said, greenside at the 18th. “It was a goal that I set at the beginning of the year and I’m so happy to achieve it. After coming in to the final round with a five-stroke lead, things got a little nerve-wracking today but I’m glad to walk away with the title. To tie the record and have my name in the history books is pretty cool, too.”
The win marks the third NCAA title of the year for the 20-year-old—she collected victories at both the Westbrook Spring Invite and the East & West Match Play.
Canada’s Joey Savoie finishes T4 at Terra Cotta Invitational
Joey Savoie (Golf Canada)
Golf Canada
NAPLES, Fla. – International success has been a growing trend this season for Team Canada’s Joey Savoie.
The 23-year-old La Prairie, Que., native finished the Terra Cotta Invitational in a tie for 4th on Sunday at the Naples National Golf Club. Savoie’s play was underlined by a 4-under-par 68 in Saturday’s second round—good for the second-lowest score of the tournament.
Savoie finished the 54-hole stroke play event at 2 under par, three strokes back of champion Fernardo Barco of Peru.
Since joining Team Canada in 2017, the Middle Tennessee State senior has top-10 finishes at The Azalea Invitational, the Australian Master of the Amateurs, coupled with a victory at the Tailhade Cup.
Fellow Team Canada member Hugo Bernard of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., finished T12 at 4 over par (71-75-74). Newfoundland’s Blair Bursey was T10 at 3 over par (71-72-76).
Team Canada Development Squad graduate Tony Gil captured the event in 2016. Former champions include PGA TOUR starts Justin Thomas and Matt Kuchar.
Canada punches tickets to Toyota Junior Golf World Cup
Team Canada Development Squad (Golf Canada)
Golf Canada
VICTORIA, B.C. – Team Canada’s Development Squad boys and girls teams both finished atop the leaderboards in Thursday’s qualifying event at Bear Mountain Golf Resort & Spa to secure a spot to play in the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup.
In the boys division, Canada traded shots with Mexico through the 54-hole event but found themselves trailing heading into the final stretch. A late push by the four-man Canadian squad saw the contingent force a tie for the lead after going 5 under collectively on the final three holes. The two teams netted out tied at 23 over par, each grabbing one of two qualifying spots available on the boys side.
Canada was led by rookie Johnny Travale of Stoney Creek, Ont., who closed with a 1-under-par 70 to finish in solo second. The 17-year-old’s round was highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 18th, which helped lift Canada into the eventual tie with Mexico.
Medallist honours was won by Mexico’s Mauricio Figueroa, who concluded the event with a three-stroke cushion over the field at 1 over par (77-69-68).
In the girls division, Quebec’s Céleste Dao paced the Canadians to victory with a collective score of 5 over par (73-74-71). The Canadian trio finished nine strokes clear of runner-up Mexico, earning the one available spot in the girls division.
“My putting game was really good this week – I rolled the ball like I wanted to,” said Dao, who was quick to credit the new centralized program at Bear Mountain. “It’s a great program, going to the gym, being with the team and practicing, also learning so much preparing for college – it’s great.”
Not far behind was teammate Monet Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont., who posted a total score of 8 over par (76-72-73) to finish solo second.
Canada will be among 23 other nations to compete in the upcoming Toyota Junior Golf World Cup which takes place June 10-15 at the Chukyo Golf Club in Toyota City, Japan. Canada’s most-recent finish at the event was in 2016 with an 11th place result in the boys division.
TULSA, Okla. – Maddie Szeryk hasn’t relinquished an NCAA lead in over two weeks.
The Team Canada National Amateur Squad member doubled down on Tuesday, winning the Dale McNamara Invitational to collect her second consecutive NCAA title in as many weeks.
The Texas A&M senior demonstrated a consistent approach in the 54-hole event, opening with an even-par 70 to share the outright lead. The 21-year-old London, Ont., resident followed with rounds of 71-71 to complete the wire-to-wire victory with a final score of 2 over par.
Szeryk finished two strokes clear of the pack, a stat that isn’t much of a surprise for Team Canada Women’s Head Coach, Tristan Mullally.
“Maddie has been doing the right things, giving her a chance every week,” said Mullally. “Her consistency is credit to her game and mental strength—which keeps the wins coming.”
With the win, Szeryk collects her fourth career NCAA victory and becomes the first Aggie to win back-to-back events since 2015. Szeryk is gaining momentum at the right time. She’ll lead the Aggies into the SEC Championship from April 18-22.
Collectively, the Aggies finished second at 30 over par, five strokes shy of Oklahoma State.
Bear Mountain set for Junior Golf World Cup Qualifier
Team Canada (Puerto Rico Golf Association)
Golf Canada
VICTORIA, B.C. – The Toyota Junior Golf World Cup Qualifier makes its return to Canadian soil on Tuesday, with four nations competing for a spot in both the Boys and Girls divisions at Bear Mountain Golf Resort & Spa, Team Canada’s National Training Centre.
The 54-hole stroke play tournament is comprised of teams from host nation Canada, Mexico, Guatemala and Puerto Rico. The Boys division consists of four athletes per team, each submitting a cumulative total from the three lowest scores per round (omitting the highest score). The two lowest team scores after Thursday’s final round will qualify for the 2018 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup.
Canada will be represented by Development Squad members Nolan Thoroughgood (Victoria, B.C.), Johnny Travale (Stoney Creek, Ont.), Christopher Vandette (Beaconsfield, Que.) and Peyton Callens (Langton, Ont.).
The Girls Division is made up of three athletes per squad, each submitting a team score counted from the lowest two per round, with the lowest team score moving on. Flying the flag for Canada are Team Canada Development Squad members Céleste Dao (Notre-Dame-de-lîle-Perrot, Que.), Monet Chun (Richmond Hill, Ont.) and Alyssa DiMarcantonio (Maple, Ont.).
The squad is a couple months into the new centralized program at Bear Mountain, providing athletes an immersive, focused centre of excellence, surrounded by world-class technical coaching staff and experts in the areas of mental performance, physiotherapy, biomechanics and nutrition.
All teams will be competing for a spot to play in the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup, taking place from June 10-15 at the Chukyo Golf Club in Toyota City, Japan. The event features 24 international teams from around the world competing over 72 holes of stroke play. In 2016, the Canadian boys team finished 11th.
The first round gets underway on Tuesday at 8 a.m.
Team Canada’s Maddie Szeryk collects 3rd NCAA victory
Maddie Szeryk (Bernard Brault/ Golf Canada)
Golf Canada
CARROLLTON, Texas – Maddie Szeryk set the tournament-low 70 in the opening round and never looked back, marching to a wire-to-wire victory at the Bruzzy Challenge on Tuesday at the Maridoe Golf Club.
Szeryk, a Team Canada National Amateur Squad member, finished the 54-hole at even par (70-72-74), four strokes ahead of the field. The Texas A&M senior collects her third NCAA victory in the process, something Team Canada Head Coach Tristan Mullally doesn’t take lightly.
“I’m really proud of Maddie—she has been close a number of times this spring and finally gets the win she deserves,” said Mullally, a PGA of Canada Class ‘A’ member. “She is getting better all the time and growing into a player who will gain success at the next level.”
Szeryk continues to impress in her farewell campaign with the Aggies—she’s now posted six top-5 events in the 2017-18 season leading into the NCAA regionals next month.
