Thompson, Lee share lead of 5-under at Evian Championship
Lexi Thompson (Stuart Franklin/ Getty Images)
EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France – Lexi Thompson played a four-hole stretch in 5 under and finished with a 5-under 66 on Thursday in the Evian Championship for a share of the lead with Mi Hyang Lee.
The 20-year-old Thompson began her run with a birdie on the par-4 12th, hit a 7-iron to 20 feet to set up an eagle on the par-5 13th, and added birdies on the par-3 14th and par-5 15th. She parred the final 12 holes in her bogey-free morning round in the major championship.
“It feels great to have a stretch of holes like that,” Thompson said. “But you just have to take one shot at a time and not get ahead of yourself because, I mean, shots can get away from you out here. If you hit it in the rough, the rough’s pretty thick.”
Thompson won the Kraft Nabisco last year for her first major title, and took the Meijer Classic in July for her fifth career title. She has three top-10 finishes in her last five starts, and will play in the Solheim Cup matches next week in Germany against Europe.
“Obviously, Solheim Cup was my No. 1 goal to be on that team to represent my country, so I’m very happy to be going to Germany next week,” Thompson said. “But you have to focus on this week being the last major here at the Evian Championship.”
Lee, from South Korea, had seven birdies and two bogeys at the picturesque resort above Lake Geneva.
Gerina Piller, Thompson’s U.S. Solheim Cup teammate, was a stroke back along with South Korea’s Eun-Hee Ji and Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum.
Piller had eight birdies and four bogeys.
“There are just some spots on this course you cannot get in,” Piller said.
Karrie Webb had a 71, and top-ranked Inbee Park opened with a 72.
Webb is attempting to win her sixth different major championship, and Park is trying to join Webb with a record five. Park has two major victories this year – the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and Ricoh Women’s British Open – and four overall titles. Webb and Park won the event before it became a major, Webb in 2006 and Park in 2012.
Second-ranked Lydia Ko, playing alongside Park and No. 3 Stacy Lewis, had a 69.
The New Zealander was impressed with Thompson’s round.
“I saw her score. I kind of realized it was going pretty low, especially at the start of the round and she was only a couple of groups in front of us,” Ko said. “I was on the par-3 14th or something, and that was only her fifth hole of the day. And I saw her to my left, and it showed her scorecard. I saw some birdies, some eagles, so that’s a pretty consistent scorecard there.”
Lewis shot a 73.
Defending champion South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim also had a 73. Last year, she opened with a major-record 61 and went on to beat Webb by a stroke.
Michelle Wie shot a 75. Sporting multicolored hair and high-top pink shoes, she’s fighting a slow-healing left ankle injury.
On her 18th birthday, Smiths Falls, Ont., native Brooke Henderson tallied two birdies across the back nine to finish with a share of 17th at 1-under 70. Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont., shot a first-round 4-over 75 and sits T80.
Six athletes selected to represent Canada at second World Junior Girls Championship
(Graig Abel/ Golf Canada)
OTTAWA, Ont. – The world’s top female junior golfers will gather in Ottawa for the second playing of the World Junior Girls Championship from September 20-25 at The Marshes Golf Club. Six Canadians will represent the host nation in team and individual competition as Canada vies for the title of World Junior Girls champion.
“The Marshes Golf Club is in great shape and we are excited to once again bring the world’s talented players to Canada,” said Tournament Director Mary Beth McKenna. “It is a true honour to be selected to represent your country and we know that all the athletes from across the globe will want to perform their best in this event.”
Grace St-Germain of Orleans, Ont., will return to the competition looking to improve upon Team Canada’s third-place result in 2014. The national team Development Squad member has had a banner year in 2015. St-Germain tallied a third-place result at the Golf Quebec Junior Spring Open before beginning Golf Canada’s championship season with a victory at the CN Future Links Pacific Championship. The 17-year-old repeated as the Golf Association of Ontario’s Junior Girls’ Match Play champion and closed the campaign with victories at the Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA) Mizuno National Junior Golf Championship and the Graham Cooke Junior Invitational – it was her third consecutive victory at the tournament named after the Canadian Golf Hall of Famer.
Playing alongside St-Germain is Hannah Lee of Surrey, B.C. The 15-year-old has demonstrated a great deal of consistency this summer, finishing runner-up at the British Columbia Juvenile Championships, third at the B.C. Junior Girls and T7 at the B.C. Women’s Amateur. She captured the 16-and-under Juvenile Division at the 2015 Canadian Junior Girls Championship and finished second overall in the national championship. The lessons she learned this summer culminated in Lee claiming the gold medal in the girls’ competition at the 2015 Western Canada Summer Games in Wood Buffalo, Alta.
Rounding-out the Team One contingent is 14-year-old Tiffany Kong. The Vancouver native’s second-place standing at the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) Season Opener began a string of six events where she finished no lower than a tie for sixth-place. Kong finished fourth at the B.C. Junior Girls before capturing the silver medal in the individual competition at the Western Canada Summer Games. The highlight of Kong’s season would come at The Vancouver Golf Club in Coquitlam, B.C., where she competed in the 2015 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open after earning a spot through the Monday Qualifier.
As the host nation, Canada will field two teams in the World Junior Girls Championship. Euna Han of Coquitlam, B.C., will be a member of Canada’s second team in the competition. The 13-year-old notched five top-six finishes this summer, including a runner-up result at the MJT Odlum Brown Classic-PGA of BC Junior Championship, a third-place finish in the juvenile division of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship and a T6 at the B.C. Junior Girls Championship.
Alisha Lau will play in the World Junior Girls Championship for a second time. The product of Richmond, B.C., emerged victorious at the 2015 CN Future Links Prairie Championship at Cooke Municipal Golf Course in Prince Albert, Sask., and finished tied for third at the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship. Lau claimed the bronze medal at the Western Canada Summer Games to complete a sweep of the podium for Team B.C. The trio of Lee, Kong and Lau’s combined score of 435 over two rounds earned them gold in the team competition – 58 strokes clear of second-place.
Completing the second team will be fellow British Columbian Kathrine Chan of Richmond. The 15-year-old’s 11th place standing at the B.C. Junior Girls Championship was her lowest result this season. Chan finished second in the juvenile division of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship and fourth overall while also registering a T5 finish at the B.C. Juvenile Championships.
“These six athletes have been selected to represent Canada based on some fantastic results achieved throughout the season,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “The growth that these players have shown this year is a direct result of the support they have received from their home clubs, their skilled coaches and the provincial golf associations.”
Thompson credited the strength of competition in Canada as being a key component in the development of these players.
“The performances of Canada’s junior female athletes have been very strong this year. While that level of competition has made this selection process far from simple, it has provided excellent opportunities for the players to hone their skills against Canada’s best. The wealth of resources available to our athletes, beginning at the grassroots level and extending to the provincial and national levels, has resulted in a tremendous amount of golfing talent across the nation. We look forward to seeing this group proudly represent all of Canada as they learn and grow on the international stage.”
National team Development Squad women’s coach Ann Carroll will return to lead the Canadian teams in the competition. Assisting her will be Mike Martz, coach of the New Competitors team at the Golf Performance Centre at Whistle Bear.
Conducted by Golf Canada in partnership with the Golf Association of Ontario and supported by the International Golf Federation, the 2015 edition of the World Junior Girls Championship will take place in Ontario for a second consecutive year. The inaugural tournament in 2014 was held at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont., where Team USA claimed team honours and Beverly Hills, Calif., native Mika Liu finished atop the leaderboard in individual competition.
In addition to the 72-hole team and individual competitions, the World Junior Girls Championship will be a celebration of the sport with a specific focus on the growth and development of the game. Golf Canada will host a Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (CSIO) coaching summit and a girls’ skill development clinic in the lead-up to the tournament.
Additional information regarding the 2015 World Junior Girls Championship can be found on the competition’s website.
Three Team Canada athletes transition to professional ranks
Brittany Marchand, Austin Connelly, Jennifer Ha
With the amateur season coming to a close, three of Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad athletes have decided to turn professional.
Austin Connelly, a dual-citizen, will forego joining the University of Arkansas team next season in favour of turning professional this week leading up to the Mackenzie Tour’s Great Waterway Classic in Kingston, Ont.
“I’m really excited, and I’ve been looking forward to it for a while,” said Connelly in an interview with Mackenzie Tour leading up to this week’s event. “With the way these cases are about some younger players turning pro, I feel like they’re a very individual thing. My family and I kind of sat down and said, ‘Okay, where are we trying to get to, and what’s the best way to get there?’ We decided that I want to play golf full-time, that’s what I wanted to do and where my interest was. The fastest and best way for me to do that was to turn professional.”
The 18-year-old Connelly held the No. 18 spot on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) before announcing his decision. He is coming off a strong amateur season that featured competing for Canada at the Pan-American Games as well as finishing as low amateur to earn the Gary Cowan award at the 2015 RBC Canadian Open.
“Austin’s goal was always to play professional golf and be ready to make the transition early,” said Derek Ingram, Team Canada Men’s Head Coach. “He has very appropriate results—making two PGA TOUR cuts, winning the Jones Cup and many other strong finishes in top-ranked events.”
Connelly will play in the next three Mackenzie Tour events in addition to having a PGA TOUR exemption to the McGladrey Classic in October from winning the Jones Cup earlier in the year. Next step for Connelly will be looking to earn status on the Web.Com Tour via Qualifying School later this year.
On the girls side, two experienced amateurs have made the decision to turn professional.
Brittany Marchand, in her fifth season with Team Canada, teed-it-up as a professional last week at the CP Women’s Open in Vancouver. The 23-year-old Orangeville, Ont., native had concluded her fifth year of study (Chemical Engineering) at N.C. State before making her transition to the professional ranks.
Despite missing the cut at the Vancouver Golf Club, Team Canada Women’s Head Coach, Tristan Mullally, pulled a lot of positives out of Marchand’s first event as a pro.
“She’s one-hundred percent invested into becoming the best professional golfer she can be,” said the PGA of Canada Class ‘A’ member. “She’s earned her degree—which was something she really wanted—and now can focus on working on her golf game without the difficulty of balancing a school schedule at the same time.”
He echoed some of the same thoughts for recent Kent State grad Jennifer Ha of Calgary, who came up just short in Monday qualifying for the CP Women’s Open with a T10 finish, three strokes outside of the top-4 qualifiers.
“Jen has struggled a bit in the spring but is really starting to come on strong in the summer and has a bright future ahead of her,” said Mullally of the First-Team All-MAC athlete. “She strikes the ball as well as anyone I have seen come through this program.”
Elizabeth Tong of Thornhill, Ont., is also working towards a transition to the professional ranks after graduating from Indiana University where she tallied 36 top-50 finishes.
All three women attended LPGA Qualifying School earlier in July, with Marchand emerging as the only one to advance to stage II from Oct. 22–25.
“Brittany learned a lot from stage I—knowing how to handle the pressure when every stroke is so important,” said Mullally. “Going forward she’s going to continue doing all the right things and just maintaining her focus with the added pressure.”
In the meantime, the trio will compete in Monday qualifiers and play in mini-tour events.
With the transition, both the men’s and women’s National Amateur Squads are left with one athlete (Blair Hamilton; Maddie Szeryk). The National Team selection process will be underway shortly and decided by the end of September.
Team Canada’s Papineau and St-Germain capture titles at Graham Cooke Junior Invitational
Étienne Papineau and Grace St-Germain (Golf Quebec)
BROMONT, Qué. – Team Canada Development Squad members Étienne Papineau of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Qué., and Grace St-Germain of Ottawa each took home titles on Sunday at the Graham Cooke Junior Invitational hosted at Golf Château-Bromont.
Papineau, 18, notched his third victory in his home province this season after shooting 9-under par (68-67) for the one-stroke win over Félix Normand of Mont-St-Hilaire, Qué. in the boys division.
With the win, the West Virginia University commit marked the end of his junior career in great fashion—adding to an impressive season highlighted by wins at the Québec Amateur Championship and the Alexander of Tunis. The two-time provincial junior champion finished in a tie for third in last year’s Graham Cooke Invitational.
In the girls division, 17-year-old Grace St-Germain repeated as champion for the second consecutive year to win the title for a third time. St-Germain posted an even-par score (70-74) for the tournament, fending off a charge from Céleste Dao of Notre-Dame Ile Perrot, Qué., to defend her title with a one-stroke victory.
OTTAWA – Richmond Hill, Ontario’s Taylor Pendrith and Longwood, Florida’s Sam Ryder reached 15-under par through 54 holes at Hylands Golf Club on Saturday to share the lead heading into the final round of the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s National Capital Open to Support Our Troops.
The 24-year old Pendrith held a two stroke lead playing the 18th hole before finding the water with his approach and making double bogey, leaving him in a tie with Ryder with one round to go at Hylands.
Uniontown, Ohio’s Ross Beal and Otsego, Minnesota’s Clayton Rask, who holed his 82-yard approach on the 18thfor eagle, were one shot back at 14-under in a tie for third.
“I played solid, hit the ball really well and made a lot of putts, so I can’t be too disappointed. It would have been nice to hit it in the fairway on 18 and a make a par, but that’s alright. It’s nothing that can’t be fixed tomorrow,” said Pendrith, a member of Golf Canada’s Young Pro Squad.
“I played well all day and had a nice little stretch on 13 through 16. I was hitting it in the fairway and my irons were pretty good today,” said Ryder, a second year Mackenzie Tour player who sits 11th on the Order of Merit. The Stetson University grad shot a 7-under 64, including four straight birdies on the back nine.
Pendrith began the day playing in the final group with Beal, the 36-hole leader, with the pair of long bombers ranking among the longest hitters on Tour. Pendrith said the back-and-forth battle off the tee spurred both competitors on Saturday afternoon.
“It was fun. We both hit it really far and we were both swinging very hard on almost every tee ball. He made five or six birdies and an eagle and I made nine birdies, so it was a lot of fun,” said Pendrith, a graduate of Kent State University.
Ryder, meanwhile, played with current Mackenzie Tour Order of Merit leader J.J. Spaun, who shot his third straight 4-under 67 to sit tied for fifth. Ryder said the amicable atmosphere in their pairing was the perfect tone-setter for his round of 64, which included four straight birdies on the back nine on holes
“We had a good time. J.J.’s a buddy of mine. We talked before the round and said ‘Let’s go out here and get it, feed off each other a little.’ It’s nice when you both can start making some birdies and get it going, it definitely helps you and gets the juices going,” said Ryder.
Three shots back of the lead were Spaun and Zimbabwe’s Nyasha Mauchaza at 12-under. 12 players were within five shots of the lead at 10-under or better heading into Sunday.
NUMBERS YOU NEED TO KNOW
82: Clayton Rask’s yardage to the hole on his second shot at the par-4 18th, which he holed for eagle.
20: Taylor Pendrith’s number of birdies through 54 holes.
12: Players within five shots heading into Sunday.
QUOTABLES:
“Last year was my first year out here and this year has been steady. I’ve put myself in some good positions. Hitting the shots under the most intense pressure you can get out here. It’s just about being patient and waiting for your time, and when it comes, it comes.” – Sam Ryder on the value of a year’s experience on the Mackenzie Tour.
“I was five yards short of the green and he was like seven yards short. It was a good way to start the day and keep the crowd in it. I saw him swing and he went at it, so I couldn’t let him hit it by me.” – Taylor Pendrith on he and Ross Beal’s drives on the 365-yard first hole.
“I hit it good. It was funny, [Rask and caddie Don Constable] just got done saying ‘how fun would it be to hole out?’ and sure enough it happened. It’s just ironic. For all the good putts that I hit today that lipped out, some good wedge shots that didn’t do it that I thought would, to hit one and it actually do exactly what we wanted it to do, it’s exciting.” – Clayton Rask on his hole out from the fairway on 18.
Notes:
Weather: 24 degrees Celsius (27 with Humidex). Mostly sunny. Winds 4 km/h.
Sam Ryder can move as high as no. 2 on the Order of Merit with a win. He needs at least $10,695 and a solo third finish to pass no. 5 Michael Letzig, who sits T22 through 54 holes.
National Capital Open Golf Ambassador Brad Fritsch sits T6 at the Web.com Tour’s News Sentinel Open through 54 holes.
Taylor Pendrith is a member of Golf Canada’s Young Pro Squad along with fellow Mackenzie Tour members Mackenzie Hughes, Albin Choi, Corey Conners and Adam Svensson.
Pendrith is also a member of Freedom 55 Financial’s Team Freedom, along with fellow Mackenzie Tour members Matt Hill, Albin Choi, Mackenzie Hughes and Adam Svensson.
Pendrith can move as high as No. 2 on the Order of Merit with a win and needs at least a solo second place finish to get inside The Five.
Canada’s Austin James advances to round of 32 at U.S. Amateur
Austin James (Golf Canada)
OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – Bath, Ont., native Austin James has emerged as the lone remaining Canadian in the field at the U.S. Amateur after winning his round of 64 match on Wednesday.
James, a junior at Charleston Southern University, jumped out to an early two-hole lead, keeping up the pressure for a steady 4 and 3 victory over Miller Capps of Denver, N.C.
The 19th seeded James is set to face-off against No. 51 seed Denny McCarthy of Rockville, Md., who currently sits as the No. 10 ranked amateur on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). The match is scheduled to begin Thursday morning at 9:10 a.m. CDT.
Canada’s Pan-American Games duo of Austin Connelly and Garrett Rank both ran out of steam in their matches at the Olympia Fields Country Club.
Connelly, a dual-citizen, was involved in a thrilling back-and-forth affair with Maverick McNealy of Portola Valley, Calif. The National Amateur Squad member found himself quickly down four through seven holes. He erased the deficit not long after, squaring the match with a birdie on the par-4 11th. He held the lead shortly on the 14th hole before carding back-to-back bogeys, leaving McNealy with the 1-hole victory.
Despite holding a 2-hole advantage through five holes, Elmira, Ont., native Garrett Rank could not hold off Sepp Straka of Valdosta, Ga., who took advantage of three consecutive bogeys by Rank on the back-nine for the 3 and 2 victory.
The championship will run six rounds of match-play, concluding with a 36-hole final on Sunday.
Olympia Fields Country Club, a two-time U.S. Open venue, will host its first U.S. Amateur with stroke-play being conducted on the 7,037-yard South Course and match-play on the 7,234-yard North Course.
In 2014, Canadian Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., fell in the final 36-hole match to South Korea’s Gunn Yang, 2 and 1. Both finalists are usually invited to compete in the Masters tournament the following April, alongside exemptions into next year’s U.S. and British Opens.
Three Canadians advance to match-play at U.S. Amateur
Austin Connelly (Scott Halleran/ Getty Images)
OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – Three Canadians got the official word Wednesday morning that they have advanced to match-play at the U.S. Amateur.
National Amateur Squad member Austin Connelly and 2014 Canadian Junior Boys Champion, Austin James of Bath, Ont., earned their way in as the low Canadians at even-par (T14) through two qualifying stroke-play rounds.
Connelly, a dual-citizen, is slated to take on Maverick McNealy of Portola Valley, Calif. on Wednesday afternoon while James matches up against Miller Caps of Denver, N.C.
Journeyman Garrett Rank of Elmira Ont., came in at 2-over par (68-74) to earn the 52nd seed, he’ll square-off against 13th-seeded Sepp Straka of Valdosta, Ga.
Nicholas Ross of Dundas, Ont., and Stuart Macdonald of Vancouver were unable to secure a spot in Wednesday morning’s 18-man playoff for one of 10 remaining spots inside the top-64.
Australian Brett Coletta captured medalist honours and the No. 1 seed after going 7-under (67-66) for the one-stroke advantage over David Oraee of Greeley, Colo.
The championship will run six rounds of match-play, concluding with a 36-hole final on Sunday.
Olympia Fields Country Club, a two-time U.S. Open venue, will host its first U.S. Amateur with stroke-play being conducted on the 7,037-yard South Course and match-play on the 7,234-yard North Course.
In 2014, Canadian Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., fell in the final 36-hole match to South Korea’s Gunn Yang, 2 and 1. Both finalists are usually invited to compete in the Masters tournament the following April, alongside exemptions into next year’s U.S. and British Opens.
COQUITLAM, B.C. – After Brooke Henderson was denied early admittance into the LPGA Tour’s qualifying school, the Canadian teenager gave commissioner Michael Whan several reasons to change his mind.
Henderson put together a string of impressive results in LPGA events this year despite having to rely on sponsors’ exemptions or qualification just to play. And two days after she cruised to her first Tour victory at last weekend’s Cambia Portland Classic, Henderson was finally granted full LPGA membership.
“It’s an opportunity that not a lot of people get,” the 17-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., said Tuesday before shooting a practice round at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open. “I can start living my dream today.”
Having a full membership means Henderson won’t have to play Monday qualifying tournaments for the rest of the season. She faced having to qualify because she had exhausted all six of her sponsors’ exemptions.
“It’s a little bit surreal,” said Henderson. “The last couple of days have been an amazing journey.
“I’m still going to play my own game and go out there and do what I have always done. Just to know I have a place to play now any week I want to, and I have full status for at least a year, is really exciting. I am playing really well right now. Hopefully I can keep it going.”
Henderson had appealed to the LPGA for early admission in the past. She petitioned the organization to allow her to attend qualifying school last year after winning three times as an amateur on the Canadian Women’s Tour, but was turned down.
“That was probably the best thing that could have happened to me,” she said. “It made me realize what I really wanted in life and what I really desired.
“It made me work really hard, made me focus and be more determined.”
LPGA policy states that any woman 18 years of age or over is eligible to apply for Tour membership, but golfers between the ages of 15 and 18 may be granted special permission to apply for membership by petitioning directly to the Tour commissioner.
Henderson had the weight of a Tour victory behind this petition, becoming the second golfer in LPGA history to go from Monday qualifier to tournament winner in Portland.
“After reviewing Brooke Henderson’s petition, I have granted her LPGA Tour membership beginning immediately,” Tour commissioner Michael Whan said in a statement. “Brooke truly earned her card, and we are looking forward to Brooke joining our Tour and our family.”
Veteran Canadian golfer Lorie Kane said Henderson deserves to be on the Tour.
“It’s very exciting,” said Kane. “It was only a matter of time before that happened.”
Any money Henderson earns during the remainder of this season will be considered official money. The 10 remaining tournaments of 2015 will also be considered her rookie season on the LPGA Tour.
The win in Portland moved her to No. 17 in the world rankings, boosted her earnings over US$660,000 and secured her 2016 card.
Henderson can now concentrate on playing in the $2.25-million CP Women’s Open, which begins Thursday.
She was greeted with a round of applause when she walked onto the driving range at the Vancouver Golf Club on Monday and has been busy signing autographs.
“It’s pretty cool to be famous,” she said.
Henderson’s win made her the first Canadian to win an LPGA event since Kane in 2001. She is the Tour’s third-youngest champion ever at 17 years 11 months six days.
The past few days have been a whirlwind, but Henderson knows her journey is just beginning.
“I have big goals and big dreams ahead of me,” she said. “I am still a long ways from where I want to be. It’s still pretty cool to know I am competing against the best in the world.
“If I can continue to improve and get better every day, hopefully good things will happen.”
Billy Kennerly claims victory at Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship
Billy Kennerly (Graig Abel/ Golf Canada)
Billy Kennerly won the 111th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship co-hosted by Weston Golf & Country Club and Lambton Golf & Country Club. The native of Alpharetta, Ga., shot a final-round 2-under 70 to finish six strokes clear of his nearest competitor.
“It’s really nice to win, especially the Canadian Am,” said the graduate from Clemson University. “It’s a huge tournament and a national championship is always nice. On top of that, to win where Arnold Palmer won his first tournament, that’s really special and something I’ll never forget. I’m honoured to be the Canadian Amateur champion.”
Kennerly began the day with a front-nine 38, but settled in with four birdies across his final nine holes to complete the tournament at 12-under 275. “I got off to a slow start,” the 22-year-old explained. “I wasn’t quite putting my best and I just wasn’t quite hitting the ball where I needed to hit it. On the back nine, I just hit better and made a couple of adjustments with my putting which really made a big difference in my scoring.”
With the victory, Kennerly has secured a spot into the 2016 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont. The 107th playing of Canada’s National Open Championship is set to take place July 18-24, 2016. “That’s a really big honour,” added the winner. “I’m looking forward to next year, I can’t wait.” Kennerly is slated to compete in the 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Ill.
Three players finished 6-under 281 to claim shares of second. Garrett Rank entered the third round tied for 13th place. An eagle and five birdies propelled the Elmira, Ont., native up the leaderboard. “I got off to a great start. After having a bad start yesterday when I was 3-over through three, today I was 3-under through three, so that led to some good momentum going forward. Overall, it was a really good day.”
Rank claimed victory at the Investors Group Ontario Mid-Amateur Championship before representing Canada at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games and competing in the 2015 RBC Canadian Open. “It’s been a busy summer, my game has been close. I’ve been able to play in some really cool events and it was a good experience moving forward. It was nice to get a good result here this week.”
From August 25-28, the reigning Canadian Mid-Amateur champion will defend his title at Abercrombie Golf Club in New Glasgow, N.S. “I’m really looking forward to that. It’s a big opportunity to get into the RBC Canadian Open again next year. I have the U.S. Amateur Championship next week, so hopefully I can take my momentum here and try to get into match play, and then move on from there.”
Jake Shuman earned his share of second following a seven-birdie, 4-under final round. Completing the trio knotted in second was Hugo Bernard of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que. The 20-year-old, who also earned a runner-up finish at this year’s Quebec Men’s Amateur Championship, carded three birdies and an eagle for a final round of 69.
Kevin Carrigan shot the low round of the day with nine birdies in a 7-under performance. The Victoria, B.C., native finished in a five-way tie for 6th place alongside Team Canada Development Squad member Patrick Murphy. The Crossfield, Alta., native and UCLA Bruin led the national team contingent with a combined 4-under 283 showing.
Played in conjunction with the tournament’s first 36 holes is an inter-provincial team championship. The competition saw 12 provincial and territorial teams compete for the Willingdon Cup with Team British Columbia emerging victorious. The squad comprised of Stuart Macdonald (Vancouver), Jared du Toit (Kimberley) and Kevin Kwon (Maple Ridge) combined for a total of even-par 286 to claim a 3-stroke victory.
The Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship is the third-oldest amateur championship in the world. The 2016 edition is set to take place August 8-11 at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club in Gatineau, Que.
Additional information regarding the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship can be found here.
Team Canada’s Elizabeth Tong eliminated from U.S. Women’s Amateur
Elizabeth Tong (Golf Canada)
PORTLAND, Ore. – National Amateur Squad member Elizabeth Tong has fallen short in the Round of 32 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur on Thursday, losing by 2 holes to American Cindy Ha at the Portland Golf Club.
Tong, 22, was the lone Canadian left in the field and was looking ahead to the Round of 16 after holding a 3 up lead on the 11th hole. The Thornhill, Ont., native ran into trouble not long after, losing four of the next five holes before eventually falling by 2 to Cindy Ha of Demarest, N.J.
