Montréal – The best golfers of Québec and Eastern Ontario were at Le Portage this week for the 91st NIVO Women’s Provincial Amateur Championship. Part of the Jocelyne Bourassa Series presented by NIVO, this event is also used to identify the Québec teams for the Canadian Championships to be held later on, in the season.

Josée Doyon of Club de golf Beauceville has retained its provincial title by winning the honors of the amateur competition for the second consecutive year with a cumulative score of 72-74-70-216 (E) for the three rounds of competition. Doyon grabbed the lead in the first round with Valérie Tanguay. She maintained his lead until the end. With two birdies on holes # 3 and # 14 in the final round, she ensured not only the first place in the tournament, but also his place on the provincial team.

Only 4 strokes behind, Grace St-Germain from Camelot took second place with a score of 220 while Katherine Gravel-Coursol of Blainvillier club was third with 223 strokes.

A thrilling challenge in the senior division
Francesca Palardy of the Parcours du Cerf was crowned in the senior category as she cumulated 148 (+4) after two rounds. Following her by 2 strokes, Hélène Chartrand of Summerlea took the second place with 150(+6) and Marie-Thérèse Torti of La Vallée du Richelieu ranked third with 152.

Two Québec teams
Josée Doyon of Beauceville, Katherine Gravel-Coursol of Le Blainvillier and Valérie Tanguay of St-Hyacinthe, are the first three (3) players on the Women’s Amateur Order of Merit of the Jocelyne Bourassa Series. As such, they will represent Golf Québec as its provincial team at the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship presented at the Ken-Wo GC, Nova Scotia, from July 26 to 29, 2016.

Hélène Chartrand of Summerlea, Marie-Thérèse Torti of La Vallée du Richelieu and Marlene Desbiens of Murray Bay, are the first three (3) players on the Women’s Senior Order of Merit of the Jocelyne Bourassa Series. They will compose the Golf Québec team for the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship to be held at the Wolf Creek Golf Resort, in Ponoka, Alberta, from August 24 to 26, 2016.

Le Portage and Golf Québec honoured Lucile Theroux
A founding member of Le Portage, Lucile Theroux has been an active and dedicated member for over 53 years. She is always available to support and represent her club. Very respectful of the game of golf, its etiquette and rules, as well as of her partners and competitors, she truly personifies sportsmanship. She is always sharing her passion for golf with professionalism and enthusiasm. Throughout the years, Mrs. Theroux has always been a dedicated volunteer and rules official both at the regional and provincial levels.

The Club de golf Le Portage and Golf Québec are thanking her for her exceptional contribution and support. We will forever be grateful to her for her time and dedication.

HIGH RIVER, Alta. – Team Canada’s Jaclyn Lee went wire-to-wire to capture her second Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship (her last win came in 2014). The Calgary native ended as the only competitor to finish under par with a score of 5-under (71-70-70–211). Lee, a sophomore at Ohio State University, closed the event with a nine-stroke advantage over runner-up Kat Kennedy of Okotoks, who finished at 4-over for the tournament.

“It’s exciting because when I won it in 2014 it was wire-to-wire as well—so it’s cool to repeat that again,” said Lee of her dominant performance at Highwood Golf & Country Club. “I just tried to play my own game this whole week.”

Rounding out the top-three was Quinn Fitzgerald of Calgary, who carded rounds of 79-71-73 to close at 7-over par.

Lee, Kennedy, and Fitzgerald will make up Team Alberta’s Interprovincial Squad at the upcoming Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship from Jul. 26-29 at the Ken-Wo Golf Club in New Mina, N.S.

Calgary’s Lauren Diederichs of Elbow Springs won the Alberta Mid-Amateur Championship by two strokes over fellow Calgary native Tara McWilliam. Kyla Larder of Edson won the Alberta Mid Master Championship by seven strokes over Razina Visram.

Click here for full scoring.

BATH, Ont. – Heading into the final round of the 2016 Investors Group Ontario Junior Girls’ Championship at Loyalist Country Club, defending champion Chloe Currie of Mississauga, Ont., held a three-shot lead. That cushion proved to be enough as the Team Canada Development Squad member shot 1-over 73 to secure the win.

The member of Mississaugua Golf & Country Club made one bogey on the day on her first hole, but went on to par the remaining 17 holes. The 16-year-old Currie’s consistent brought her four-day tournament total to two-under (70-73-70-73-286).

“It feels incredible to defend the Ontario Junior Girls’ Championship. I was dreaming about this coming into the week and it is just awesome that I was able to win it twice!” Said Currie.

Currie recognized that winning back-to-back titles is a special feat and that she has joined some impressive company. “It is incredible, it is such an inspiration to join the great names to have won multiple times. Hopefully, I will be able to have my own accomplishments like theirs.”

When asked about the strongest part of her game, Currie pointed to her short game. “My chipping and putting were really good this week. I got up and down many times and gave myself great chances.”

London, Ont., natives Isabella Portokalis and Ellie Szeryk finished in a tie for second. Portokalis – the leader after the first two rounds – had a rough start to the day finishing 5-over on the front nine. However, the West Haven Golf & Country Club and Team Ontario member, rebounded nicely on the back nine shooting 4-under to complete the round with a 73 to finish 3-over 291. Szeryk, 14, entered the day in second, three shots back of Currie, but was unable to make up any ground on the leader.

Rounding out the Top-5 was a tie for fourth between Hornby’s Alexandra Naumovski (72-72-76-74-294) and Ridgeway’s Madeline Marck-Sherk (79-74-72-69-294) at six-over. Naumovski prevailed in a playoff and will join Currie and Portokalis to represent Team Ontario at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship, Aug. 2-4 at The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S.

Additional information, including the final leaderboard, can be found here.

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – The 2016 CN Future Links Western Championship at Medicine Hat Golf & Country Club required extra holes before its winners could be crowned. Kehler Koss prevailed in a one-hole playoff to complete a wire-to-wire victory to capture the Junior Girls title. Brendan MacDougall persevered through two playoff holes to secure the win in the Junior Boys division.

Koss hung on following three double-bogeys in regulation play to send the championship to a playoff on the par-4 10^th hole against West Vancouver’s Phoebe Yue. The Calgary product recorded her third birdie of the day to claim the title.

“It was really stressful today. I wasn’t striking the ball as well and I was missing a lot of three-footers,“ said Koss. “I was just trying to breathe in the playoffs and calm myself down because I was really shaky going into that. I don’t think I actually watched her [Yue] hit any balls.”

The 17-year-old Koss finished with runner-up honours at this event in 2015 at Goose Hummock Golf Course in Gibbons, Alta. With a CN Future Links title in hand, she now looks ahead to this summer’s National Championship.

“I’ve worked so hard to get to this point. Last year I three-putted on the last hole to lose by one, and that was heartbreaking. Today, it was nice to see that this hard work I’ve been putting in for the past year has really paid off.”

Yue carded a 1-over 73 to rally from a five-stroke deficit, but fell to Koss with a par performance on the extra hole. Calgary’s Kenna Hughes, the 2015 champion, finished with a bogey-free 1-under showing across her final nine holes to take third-place at 7-over.

As the Junior Girls division’s Top-6, Koss, Yue and Hughes alongside Calgarians Annabelle Ackroyd, Claire Emery and Taylor Stone have earned exemptions into the 2016 Canadian Junior Girls Championship from August 2-5 at The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S.

An eagle on No. 11 and four birdies through his final four holes propelled Calgary’s Brendan MacDougall up the Junior Boys leaderboard.  The 18-year-old recorded his lowest score of the week – a 4-under 68 – to force second-round leader Chandler McDowell into a playoff with matching scores of 7-under 209.

The pair remained knotted following the first playoff hole, before MacDougall secured the championship title by making par on No. 9.

“I’ve actually never been happier in my life! This is my last CN Future Links event, so I’m pretty excited about that,” said MacDougall. “I’m pretty happy with the way I came back. I made a lucky par on ten and from there, I said ‘alright, I’m not out of it and I can come back.’”

In his final year on the junior circuit, MacDougall hopes to improve upon his T23 result at last year’s Canadian Junior Boys Championship at Summerlea Golf & Country Club in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que.

“I just told myself each round, ‘Brendan you’re good enough, you’re here, you know you can play well, if you play your game, you’re going to be fine.’ This will be my third time at nationals, so if I can improve the way I played last year, that would be great.”

McDowell of Springbrook, Alta., recorded five birdies on the day, including four across a bogey-free back nine. Team Canada Development Squad member Alexander Smith of Calgary collected four birdies to claim a share of third at 3-under alongside Thomas Code of Dorchester, Ont.

MacDougall, McDowell, Smith and Code will be accompanied by Kai Iguchi (Banff, Alta.) and Kade Johnson (Yorkton, Sask.) at the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship which will be contested at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L. from August 1-4.

Additional information regarding the 2016 CN Future Links Western Championship can be found here.

Hugo Bernard had a quick turn around following his July 2 win at the Dogwood Invitational at the Druid Hills Golf Club in Atlanta, Ga. One day removed from his victory, the native of Mont St-Hilaire, Que., arrived at the Ottawa Hunt Golf Club to compete in the 67th edition of the Lord Alexander of Tunis Championship – the first stage of Golf Québec’s Triple Crown. The Team Canada National Team member put on quite the show to capture the prestigious event.

The 21-year-old tallied five birdies en route to a 3-under 68 to sit at the head of the pack alongside Ottawa’s Robert Mustard. Bernard followed his strong opening round by recording six of his seven second-round birdies on the back nine for a 5-under day to emerge with a two-stroke victory and an 8-under 134 final score.

Last year’s champion, former Team Canada Development Squad member Étienne Papineau of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., finished runner-up at 6-under. Ryan Sevigny of Stittsville, Ont., was third at 142, while Étienne Brault (Mercier, Que.), Joey Savoie (Montréal) and Cullen Chung (Westmount, Que.) finished with shares of fourth with matching 143s.

Bernard, Papineau, Sevigny, Brault, Savoie and Chung will compete at the Royal Québec Golf Club in Boischatel, Que., from July 8-9 at The Duke of Kent Championship.

Golf Québec’s Triple Crown is comprised of the Alexander of Tunis, the Duke of Kent and the Québec Amateur Championship. The Top-3 golfers on the Triple Crown Order of Merit will form the provincial team that will represent Québec at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship to be contested at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club in Gatineau, Que., and Eagle Creek Golf Club in Dunrobin, Ont., from August 8-11.

If there’s one word that describes this year’s Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, it’s history.

Hosted by The Royal Ottawa GC in Gatineau, Que., and co-hosted by Eagle Creek GC in Dunrobin, Ont., it marks the first time the renowned championship — any of Golf Canada’s national championships, actually — has taken place in two separate provinces.

“It’s also interesting in that it’s the first time the drinking age has been different at both clubs too,” says Adam Helmer, Golf Canada’s director of rules and competitions, with a hearty chuckle.

Joking aside, Helmer says he is thrilled to have this year’s Canadian Amateur at such a historically important club like The Royal Ottawa. He’s eager for this year’s championship to begin.

“It’s such a storied club. This is where the Canadian Amateur began, and where Golf Canada began. We’re really excited to return,” he explains.

The history of The Royal Ottawa is robust, and it’s no wonder the club will be hosting a number of events to celebrate its 125th anniversary throughout the summer. It will have a kick-off event on April 15 (it’s around that date the club was founded in 1891), and over Canada Day weekend, the club will host its reciprocal clubs and ‘Royal’ affiliate clubs from around the world (there are five in Canada).

First established as the nine-hole Ottawa GC near the city’s current downtown core, the club moved to the Quebec side of the border not long after that, quite close to where a casino now stands. It moved to its current spot in 1903 and opened in 1904. It received its Royal designation from King George V in 1912.

Head professional Paul Carrothers says he approached Golf Canada (then the Royal Canadian Golf Association) in 2006 to say that the club’s 125th anniversary was approaching and they wanted to host the Canadian Amateur. The club also hosted the inaugural Canadian Amateur in 1895.

“At the time they were booked up to 2012, but we got slotted in for 2016. At the same time, we took the 2010 Canadian Mid-Amateur as part of the deal,” Carrothers explains.

Meanwhile, Eagle Creek — a Ken Venturi design (the Hall of Famer’s only Canadian layout) — is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

“It’s the biggest event in Canada for amateur golf, and we’re proud to co-host,” explains Ryan Little, Eagle Creek’s director of operations. “It’s the signature event for our 25th anniversary.”

Built through 230 acres of forest, the course features large greens and challenging, yet receptive holes. Water is a big part of the challenge at Eagle Creek, while the course sits just over 7,000 yards in length.

“Eagle Creek is one of the top courses in the region and this is an awesome opportunity to get the name out there and put on a good show for the players,” says Little. “I think the players are going to see a completely different course then what they’re seeing at The Royal Ottawa. It’s very remote, parkland-style. It’ll be really exciting.”

The Royal Ottawa, which also hosted the 1906 and 1911 Canadian Opens, sits at just over 6,600 yards, and although it’s not long by modern standards, it boasts some of the toughest greens in the area.

This year’s Canadian Amateur champion, according to Carrothers, will likely be a wizard around the greens.

“They have to be a putter, and they need to have a good short game. You’re dealing with very fast, small greens that are subtle in their breaks, but can play havoc if you don’t put the ball in the right spot,” he explains. “You could easily have four or five putts.”

Both clubs are also excited to offer opportunities to their members to play in the championship.

Golf Canada has given The Royal Ottawa three automatic entries, one of which is going to its current club champion. It will host an open event for members in June, along with another event in the summer that will reward both winners with a spot in the championship.

The Royal Ottawa is also hosting a pre-qualifier for the event, and “hopefully there will be some local representation there as well,” according to Carrothers.

There is one exemption from Eagle Creek already locked in, and the club is hosting a qualifier for all ClubLink members this summer for another spot.

“We want to really get our membership behind all of this. It’s a great opportunity for them,” says Little.

The field expanded to 240 players in 2010 as part of an effort to get an ‘A’ ranking for the event, according to Helmer. The ranking was established at the same time the World Amateur Golf Rankings were formalized, and Helmer says the Canadian Amateur is “pretty close.”

“The exemptions are the big carrot. Having the RBC Canadian Open exemption helps, and our U.S. Amateur exemption helps too,” he explains.

The Canadian Amateur is sandwiched between the Western Amateur and the U.S. Amateur, and right before that is the Porter Cup. That makes four huge amateur events in North America all happening around the same time.

“We’re hoping our combination of The Royal Ottawa/Eagle Creek, and Toronto Golf Club in 2017 will help translate our championship into an ‘A’ ranking,” Helmer states.

Whatever the ranking, the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship continues to play an important role in Canadian golf history. And this year’s championship will no doubt provide another chapter.

Capital city clash This article was originally published in the May 2016 edition of Golf Canada Magazine. To view the full magazine, click the image to the left.

CALGARY – Amateur Squad member Jared du Toit, 21, added another accolade to his resume on Saturday, winning the Glencoe Invitational by two strokes to take home the Crystal Keeper trophy.

du Toit, a Kimberley, B.C. product, opened the 54-hole event with a 2-under 70 to jump out to the early lead at the Glencoe Golf & Country Club. The Arizona State Sun Devil followed with matching rounds of 74 to close at 2-over for the tournament, securing the wire-to-wire victory over hometown native Emmett Oh. The 2015 B.C. Men’s Amateur Champion certainly made it interesting down the stretch, posting four bogeys and three birdies in his final nine.

With the win, du Toit adds to an impressive junior season at Arizona State, which saw him post five Top-10 NCAA Div I finishes. The victory also earns him exemptions into the final qualifier of the upcoming RBC Canadian Open on July 18 and a spot in the 2016 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship. As Team Canada’s lowest ranked male on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) at No. 67, du Toit is likely to have a few options into Canada’s open next month.

Click here for full scoring.

TOYOTA CITY, Japan – Team Canada Men’s Development Squad struggled to close out their final round on Friday at the Chukyo Golf Club, carding a collective 4-over par to drop to an 11^th place finish at the 24th annual Toyota Junior Golf World Cup presented by JAL.

As a team, the Canadian contingent tallied an aggregate score of 1-over par through 72-holes of the play-four-count-three format. They were as high as T6 in the event, but struggled to hold their position. The foursome finished well back of the Americans, who ran away with the competition posting four consecutive rounds under par to lock down a score of 36-under par—good for a nine-stroke victory over runner-up Germany. The win marks the eighth title for the Americans and their first since 2005.

The Canucks were led by Vaughan, Ont., native Tony Gil, who closed at 4-under par (65-73-68-74) to finish alone in 18^th place. The 18-year-old University of Houston commit was a steady performer all week, playing in his third Toyota World Junior event. Trailing Gil by one stroke was teammate A.J. Ewart of Coquitlam, B.C. Ewart, 17, posted consistent rounds of 71-70-69-71 to end the tournament in 19^th place.

Rounding out the Canadian squad was Quebec’s Charles-Éric Bélanger, who came in at 11-over par (76-73-74-72) to end in a tie for 47^th. Jack Simpson, an Aurora, Ont., product, posted a total of 18-over par, ending in 56^th place overall.

Medalist honours went to Chile’s Joaquin Niemann, who fired a final round 62 (-9) in Friday’s final to close at 17-under par with a five-stroke margin over second place.

On the girls’ side, the Americans captured the team and individual victories, with Kristen Gillman taking home the medal at 10-under par. Canada did not have a squad compete in the girls’ division.

Click here for team scoring.
Click here for individual scoring.

When the 2016 World Junior Girls Championship begins September 25th, Canada’s top female teenage golfer won’t be attendance.

That’s because Brooke Henderson is a little busy skyrocketing up the world rankings, winning major championships on the LPGA Tour, and becoming the face of the sport in this country.

However, that doesn’t mean her presence won’t be felt.

The blonde-haired youngster with a megawatt smile participated in the inaugural edition of the World Junior Girls event in 2014 at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont. It was her final event as an amateur and she finished fourth individually. Her team of three claimed the bronze medal.

Henderson recorded a video for the competitors last year at The Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa, which was incredibly well received. This year, when the tournament heads to the storied Mississaugua Golf and Country Club just outside Toronto, Henderson will have just wrapped up the final major of the year in France.

But for the Canadian and international competitors alike, Henderson is an inspiration, especially given her young age.

“I’m still a young girl myself,” she said with a laugh when asked how it feels to inspire girls who are around her age. “It’s really unbelievable. Hopefully I can continue to be that role model.”

Henderson appeared at an event in Ottawa led by noted Canadian golf instructor Kevin Haime in early May this year before heading out on her most recent run of fine play, culminating with Sunday’s victory at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the teenagers’ first major championship win.

At Haime’s event, Henderson and her sister Brittany put on a clinic for a group of approximately 60 juniors – both male and female.

“What an opportunity for those kids to watch her. She’s going to do special things in golf, and as a junior in the area (Ottawa), you can’t imagine a better get for this event,” explained Haime. “It’s even more special than Jordan Spieth, the kids can really relate her. It’s the whole local element.”

The native of Smiths Falls, Ont., was part of Canada’s national team since she was 14. That was the year she first felt that playing golf, for a living, was within her grasp.

“I had that dream as a young girl, to play on the LPGA Tour, and I thought maybe it was possible,” she stated. “I didn’t know for sure until I was 14 and won a pro event in Quebec and got an invite to play against LPGA Tour players.”

The event in question was a Canadian Women’s Tour event that took place almost exactly four years to the date of her major victory (June 13, 2012). With that win, she eclipsed the record for “youngest person to win a professional golf event” held previously by someone who was already becoming familiar to her: Lydia Ko.

It was also Ko who Henderson took down in a playoff to capture her first major.

But Ko remains an inspiration to Henderson, by the Canadian’s self-admission.

They had a spirited exchange on Twitter at the conclusion of Sunday’s playoff that ended with Ko saying what Henderson was “doing for golf in Canada and women’s golf is amazing.”

The day after her win Henderson was asked what she remembers, if anything, of Mike Weir’s win at The Masters in 2003 – seeing as Henderson was only five years old.

Although she admitted she didn’t remember watching it, she knew how much his win meant.

“He really changed golf in Canada, I think, for everybody,” she said.

With Henderson only at the beginning of her career, and with Weir in the twilight of his, there is a chance she will change golf, again, in this country.

And perhaps it will start at the World Junior Girls Championship in September.

Will there be the next Brooke Henderson in the mix?

Henderson, unlikely, will want to give up the mantle quite yet. However, she is happy to be a part of the inspiration to get more young girls playing golf. Many of whom will be in the championship field in September.

“It’s pretty cool to think that I can inspire and motivate,” she said. “And just being someone they want to be like is really amazing.”

For more info on the World Junior Girls Championship, visit www.worldjuniorgirls.com.

TOYOTA CITY, Japan – Team Canada Men’s Development Squad returns to the Chukyo Golf Club this week from June 14–17 for the 24^th annual Toyota Junior Golf World Cup supported by JAL.

Leading the way for the Canadian foursome is Tony Gil of Vaughan, Ont., who will be returning to the event for the third consecutive year. In 2015, the 18-year-old University of Houston commit finished T10 to lead the Canadians. He will be joined by teammates Charles-Éric Belanger (Quebec), A.J. Ewart (Coquitlam, B.C.) and Jack Simpson (Aurora, Ont.).

The Canadian contingent will be under the direction of Lead Development Squad Coach, Robert Ratcliffe—who is entering his fourth year coaching the event. Ratcliffe will be joined by fellow PGA of Canada Class “A” member Matt Wilson, who will be acting as team captain for the second straight year. Wilson currently works out of the La Rinconada Country Club in Los Gatos, Calif., as the Director of Instruction.

The 72-hole event, featuring both a boys and girls division, plays host to 87 players from 19 countries across the globe. The scoring is conducted in a stroke-play format, with each team’s lowest three scores counting towards the day’s aggregate total.

The Canadian quartet will look to improve on last year’s sixth place finish 2015 and they will look to dethrone the defending champion and host Japan.

Click here for pairings.
Click here for scoring.