PERTH, Australia – Team Canada’s Hugo Bernard opened the Australian Amateur on Tuesday with a 4-under-par 68 at the Wanneroo Golf Club to hold a share of 4th place.
The Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., product jumped to a hot start, going birdie-eagle-birdie in his first three holes to sit inside the top-five against competitors from 15 countries across the world. Bernard, 24, will tee-it-up Wednesday at co-host Lake Karrinyup Golf Club for the second and final stroke play round.
Team Canada teammates Joey Savoie (La Prairie, Que.) and Josh Whalen (Napanee, Ont.) sit T20 and T55, respectively.
The top 64 men and 32 women will advance to Thursday’s match play draw.
Japan’s Yuna Nishimura leads the women’s division at 6 under par; there are no Canadians in the field.
The Amateur Championships are Australia’s oldest golfing events, dating back to 1894.
Past winners include Michael Clayton, Michael Campbell, Mat Goggin, Brett Rumford, Kristie Smith and Nikki Campbell, and more recently Cameron Smith, newly crowned Australian Open champion Cameron Davis, former world No.1 Lydia Ko, Minjee Lee and current world No.12 Hye-Jin Choi, who won in 2017.
With both champions receiving exemptions into their respective Australian Opens, they are the most prized titles in Australian amateur golf.
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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – National Amateur Squad member Chris Crisologo fired a 6-under 66 on Monday to extend his lead to seven at the South American Amateur.
The 23-year-old Richmond, B.C., native posted the low round for a second consecutive day at Martindale Country Club to sit a 14 under through 54 holes.
The Simon Fraser University junior will look to become the first Canadian male to win the event when he tees off in tomorrow’s final round at 1:30 p.m. local time. LPGA athlete Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., captured the event in 2013 with a wire-to-wire victory in Bogotá, Colombia, to become the first female Canadian to win the event.
Fellow Canadian Matt Williams of Calgary carded a 2-under-par 70 jump inside the top 20 with a share of 17th.
On the women’s side, Team Canada duo of Céleste Dao () and Ellie Szeryk (London, Ont.) sit T14 and T23, respectively. The pair of Team Canada Development Squad members are in chase of Colombia’s Silvia Garces and Maria Serrano who share the lead at 4 under par.
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BEUNOS AIRES, Argentina – National Amateur Squad member Chris Crisologo climbed into the lead at the South American Amateur following a tournament-low 64 on Sunday at the Martindale Country Club.
Crisologo, a Richmond, B.C. product, sits at 8 under (72-64) to hold a two-stroke advantage through 36 holes. Fellow Canadian Matt Williams of Calgary stands at 1 over par in a tie for 27th.
On the women’s side, Céleste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que. leads all Canadians with a four-way share of 5th place at even par. Fellow Team Canada Development Squad member Ellie Szeryk of London, Ont., sits a 7 over par in a tie for 21st.
The Canadian pair is chasing Peru’s Luisamariana Mesones and Colombia’s Maria Serrano who share the women’s outright lead at 3 under par.
LPGA superstar Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., captured the event in 2013 with a wire-to-wire victory in Bogotá, Colombia, to become the first (and only) Canadian to win the event.
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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Canada will be among 25 countries competing in the 13th edition of the South American Amateur at Martindale Country Club from Jan. 13-16.
Four elite amateurs will make up the Canadian contingent: Chris Crisologo (Richmond, B.C.), Matt Williams (Calgary), Céleste Dao (Notre-Dame-de-lÎle-Perrot, Que.), Ellie Szeryk (London, Ont.).
Dao and Szeryk are current members of Team Canada’s Women’s Development Squad; Crisologo is a member of the Men’s Amateur Squad and Williams is a program graduate.
Williams will lead the Canadian quartet in Saturday’s opening round, teeing off No. 1 at 8:20 a.m. The University of Houston junior will be paired alongside a familiar face in Colombia’s Camilo Aguado, who held the 54-hole lead at the 2017 Canadian Men’s Amateur at Toronto Golf Club and Islington Golf Club. Aguado finished the championship tied for 4th, while Williams closed with a share of 8th.
Defending women’s champion, Isabella Fierro, will tee off No. 1 at 1:10 p.m. local time—the Mexican finished T16 at the 2015 World Junior Girls Championship in Ottawa, Ont.
LPGA superstar Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., captured the event in 2013 with a wire-to-wire victory in Bogotá, Colombia, to become the first (and only) Canadian to win the event.
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VICTORIA, Australia – Team Canada’s Joey Savoie fired a 7-under 64 to momentarily break the course record at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club on Thursday at the Australian Master of the Amateurs.
Savoie, a La Prairie, Que., product, marched up the leaderboard on the heels of a bogey-free, seven-birdie effort to leap 26 spots in the final standings. The Middle Tennessee University grad finished T10 at 4 over par with fellow Amateur Squad member Hugo Bernard of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que.
Savoie was one of four competitors to set a course record at Royal Melbourne, including champion David Micheluzzi of host nation Australia. Micheluzzi won by a comfortable five-stroke margin with a final score of 14 under par.
The final-standing course record was set by American Shintaro Ban, one of two runner-ups. Ban fired two eagles alongside five birdies to finish with a 63 (-8). In 2017, Ban finished runner-up at the Canadian Men’s Amateur at Toronto Golf Club and Islington Golf Club.
Canadian Josh Whalen of Napanee, Ont., finished T32 at 11 over par (77-75-73-70).
On the women’s side, Japan’s Yuka Yasuda cruised to a five-stroke victory in the first-ever edition of the women’s competition.
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VICTORIA, Australia – National Squad members Hugo Bernard, Joey Savoie and Josh Whalen will be among the 78 elite amateur golfers competing in the 21st Australian Master of the Amateurs from Jan. 9-12 at Royal Melbourne Golf Club.
The Canadian trio will look to make their mark in their first competitive action of 2018 when the 72-hole stroke play event gets underway Tuesday. Savoie (La Prairie, Que.) will lead the contingent at 8:10 a.m. local time, followed by Bernard (Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que.) 8:40 a.m. and Whalen (Napanee, Ont.) at 12:20 p.m.
Defending champion and local native Charlie Dann will tee off at 11:50 a.m.
The 2018 Men’s Australian Master of the Amateurs champion receives exemptions into the 2018 Amateur Championship (UK), Porter Cup (USA), The Players Amateur (USA), and The Dogwood Invitational (USA).
For the first time in its 20-year history, the event will feature a female division with 21 athletes. The 2018 Women’s Australian Master of the Amateurs Champion will receive exemptions into the 2018 Women’s Western Amateur Championship (USA) and the 2018 Women’s Porter Cup Championship (USA).
The event marks the beginning of a popular two-tournament swing down under, which also includes the Australian Amateur in the week following.
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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – La Prairie, Que., native Joey Savoie will leave Argentina on a high note after finishing in 4th on Saturday in the national amateur championship at the Argentina Golf Club.
Savoie, 23, closed the 72-hole stroke play event with an even-par score, leaving the Team Canada member with sole possession of 4th at 7 under par. The Middle Tennessee State alumnus held the lead briefly following Wednesday’s opening-round 67 before eventually slipping down the leaderboard.
Fellow National Amateur Squad member Josh Whalen of Napanee, Ont., was also in action, recording a T17 finish. The Kent State graduate finished at 4 over par for the tournament.
The event marks the end of an Argentina swing for the Canadian duo, who captured the Tailhade Cup in early November — Canada’s third title in four years.
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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – National Amateur Squad member Joey Savoie emerged with the lead in Wednesday’s opening round of the Argentine Amateur at the Argentina Golf Club.
Savoie, a La Prairie, Que., native, notched a 5-under-par 67 to co-lead the event with Brazil’s Machado Herik. The Team Canada rookie carded six birdies against one blemish on the par-5 4th, building a one-stroke advantage over the field.
Savoie is looking to collect his second consecutive win in Argentina, after capturing medallist honours last week at the Tailhade Cup. Teammate and fellow countryman Josh Whalen of Napanee, Ont., posted a 1-under 71 effort to hold a share of 5th place.
Both Canadians will look to keep rolling when the second stroke play round gets underway Thursday.
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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Argentina’s best amateur golfers will square off against a strong international field including Team Canada’s Joey Savoie and Josh Whalen when the Argentine Amateur gets underway Nov. 8-11 at the Argentina Golf Club.
The Canadian duo is coming off an impressive 16-stroke victory in Argentina at the Tailhade Cup (Canada’s third in the last four years), marking a great start to their rookie campaigns as members of the National Amateur Squad.
Savoie (La Prairie, Que.) and Whalen (Napanee, Ont.) will compete for the top seed during the tournaments opening stroke play rounds for position in the match play portion of the tournament.
Whalen is set to tee off Wednesday on No. 10 at 8:50 a.m., with Savoie following at 9 a.m.
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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – National Amateur Squad duo of Joey Savoie and Josh Whalen marched to an emphatic 16-stroke victory on Sunday to win the Tailhade Cup at the Los Lagartos Country Club.
The Canadians were led by Savoie of La Prairie, Que., who fired his lowest round of the tournament with a 5-under 66 en route to capturing medallist honours. The 23-year-old finished at 8 under par (69-73-68-66), two strokes ahead of runner-up Machado Herik of Brazil.
“This victory was because Josh and I complimented ourselves in a great way together,” said Savoie. “We want to thank the families that have hosted us here in Argentina — they treated us very well and made for a memorable week.”
Whalen of Napanee, Ont., also saved his best for the final round, carding a 3-under-par 68 to climb into a share of fourth individually. The Kent State alumnus closed the event at 4 under (73-69-70-68), one stroke shy of third place.
“It feels great to have put in the work and win the cup for our country,” said Whalen. “We played very calm all week — we came with a lot of confidence and everything came together for us when we needed it to.”
Collectively, the Canadian duo totalled a 5-under 134 in Sunday’s finale, extending their 54-hole advantage from two strokes to a convincing 16. The win marks the third victory for Canada in four years, which is an accomplishment not lost on Team Canada men’s head coach, Derek Ingram.
“I’m very happy for Joey and Josh — this is a really great start to their first year as members of the national team,” said Ingram. “It’s great for these two to follow in the footsteps of professionals Corey Conners (PGA TOUR) and Austin Connelly (European Tour), who were in the very same spot — a great learning experience all around.”
Eric Banks (Truro, N.S.) and Tony Gil (Vaughan, Ont.) captured the event in 2015 while Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.) and dual citizen Austin Connelly (Irving, Texas) took home the title in 2014.
Camilo Aguado, the Colombian 54-hole leader at the 2017 Canadian Amateur, finished in seventh place at 2 under par.
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