PORTLAND, Ore. – Team Canada’s Elizabeth Tong has advanced to the U.S. Women’s Amateur round of 32 after defeating opponent Magdalena Simmermacher 6&4 on Wednesday at the Portland Golf Club.

Tong, 22, jumped out to an early lead over Argentina’s Simmermacher, winning five of the first nine and losing none. The Thornhill, Ont., product is now the lone remaining Canuck in the field. She is set to tee-it-up against 11^th seeded Cindy Ha of Demarest, N.J., Thursday morning at 9:30 am PDT.

National Amateur Squad teammate and dual-citizen Maddie Szeryk, 18, suffered defeat at the hands of England’s Bronte Law, who holds the No. 2 spot in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). Despite holding a 1up lead twice on the front nine, the Texas A&M sophomore could not hold off Law who won 6 of the last 11 holes for the 3&2 victory.

Mariel Galdiano, the 17-year-old from Pearl City, Hawaii, who won the Canadian Women’s Amateur last month, topped Kimberly Mitchell of Woodbridge, Virginia, 7 and 5.

The match-play rounds of the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1. Coverage will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. EDT on Aug. 12-16. Additionally, bonus coverage will be live streamed on usga.org on Aug. 13 and Aug. 16 from Noon to 2 p.m. EDT.

Click here for live scoring.

TORONTO – Team British Columbia captured the Willingdon Cup as provincial team champions at the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship hosted by Weston Golf & Country Club and The Lambton Golf & Country Club. The team combined for a total of even-par 286.

“It was a nice little surprise to wake up to,” said Stuart Macdonald of the winning team. “It feels awesome. We’ve joined some good names up there [in the championship’s history]. I know B.C. has had some pretty good runs with the Willingdon Cup. I thought we had a pretty good team this year.”

The native of Vancouver spoke highly of his teammates – Kimberley, B.C., product Jared du Toit and Maple Ridge, B.C., native Kevin Kwon – when reflecting on their time together. “I felt like we had the three best in the province. I’ve played with Jared in the past and we play a lot with each other. I hadn’t really played with Kevin too much. I’ve always seen him up at the top in a lot of B.C. tournaments. I got to know him pretty well and we’re all good friends now. I think we had a lot of camaraderie between the three of us.”

Since 1927, the Willingdon Cup has been awarded to the provincial or territorial team with the lowest scores from the first 36 holes of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship. The top-two daily scores from each round of the twelve three-man teams counted towards the competition.

Finishing in a tie for second place were Teams Quebec and Alberta. Team Canada Development Squad member Étienne Papineau (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.), Hugo Bernard, (Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que.) and Pierre-Alexandre Bedard (Chibougamau, Que) finished with a combined score of 3-over 289. The Alberta squad was comprised of Brett Hogan (Calgary), Andrew Harrison (Camrose, Alta.) and Jack Wood (Banff, Alta.). Defending champion Team Ontario finished in fourth at 11-over 257.

Billy Kennerly opened the day in third, but supplanted the two 36-hole co-leaders with a 3-under 69 performance. “I played really solid today. I was trying to keep it around par, to be honest. It’s definitely a lot firmer out there today than yesterday.”

The native of Alpharetta, Ga., tallied five birdies on the day, including a 3-under 33 across the front nine. The graduate from Clemson University remained poised when asked about the possibility of victory. “It would be a great honour, but of course, we have a lot of golf ahead of us. [Winning] would be a great boost and I feel really good about my game, so we will see how it all goes.”

National Team Development Squad member Patrick Murphy totaled five birdies, including an impressive four-in-a-row on his final four holes to ascend the leaderboard. The Crossfield, Alta., native’s 3-under performance has him in second place at 6-under. A single shot back in third is Ben Eccles, who began the day tied for first. The Australian is 5-under 210 in the competition.

Buoyed by the team-competition win, MacDonald shot the low-round of the day, a bogey-free 5-under 67, to move into a tie for fifth. “I started off solid. I just really kept the ball in play in the fairway and gave myself a lot of opportunities,” said the Purdue University Boilermaker. “I took advantage of the par-5s. The par-5s out here are mostly reachable. So if you can do that, you can get a good number out here. I putted pretty solid. Overall, I’m pretty happy with the round, happy that I can be up on the leaderboard and maybe have a chance tomorrow.”

The winner of the 111^th playing of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship will earn the Earl Grey Trophy and gain a prized exemption into the 2016 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., and entry into the 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship at Olympia Fields, Ill. The champion will also be eligible to receive an exemption into the U.S. Junior Amateur, the U.S. Mid-Amateur or the U.S. Senior Amateur, if applicable.

Additional information regarding the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, including tee times and scoring, is available here.

PORTLAND, Ore. – National Amateur Squad teammates Maddie Szeryk and Elizabeth Tong finished inside the top-64 in U.S. Women’s Amateur qualifying rounds on Tuesday to advance to match play at the Portland Golf Club.

Tong, a recent graduate of Indiana University, carded a 2-under 70 in Tuesday’s second stroke-play round, raising her score to even-par—good for a T22 finish. The 22-year-old Thornhill, Ont., native will square off against 43^rd seeded Magdalena Simmermacher of Argentina on Wednesday afternoon at 1:40 pm, PDT.

Szeryk, 18, finished one stroke back of Tong at 1-over par (73-72) to finish in a tie for 24^th. The dual-citizen will face No. 39 seed Bronte Law of England, who currently sits as No. 2 ranked female in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). The match is slated to begin on Wednesday at 12:00 pm, PDT.

Americans Angel Yin (Arcadia, Calif.) and Jennifer Hahn (Henderson, Nev.) shared medalist honours after both finishing at 6-under par.

Reigning Canadian Junior Girls Champion, Michelle Kim of Surrey, B.C., failed to qualify after carding rounds of 76 and 75 to miss the cut line by three strokes. Fellow Canadians Judith Kyrinis of St. Catharines, Ont., and Selena Constabile of Thornhill, Ont., also fell short of the cut line.

In 2014, American Kristen Gillman earned a 2-up victory over Smiths Falls, Ont., native Brooke Henderson in the 36-hole championship match, conducted at Nassau Country Club in Glen Cove, N.Y.

The match-play rounds of the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1. Coverage will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. EDT on Aug. 12-16. Additionally, bonus coverage will be live streamed on usga.org on Aug. 13 and Aug. 16 from Noon to 2 p.m. EDT.

Click here for live scoring

Ben Eccles and Eric Banks share the lead on the second day of competition at the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at Weston Golf & Country Club and The Lambton Golf & Country Club. The day began in very much the same way as the first with clear skies and fair temperatures serving as an ideal backdrop for the resumption of the first round. The picturesque conditions continued throughout the day until second-round play was suspended due to darkness.

Heavy rainfall and the ensuing unplayable conditions halted play on the first day of competition. An early morning start saw players across both host courses complete their opening rounds before the majority of competitors took advantage of strong conditions to finish their second rounds.

When play was suspended, Ben Eccles and Eric Banks had claimed shares of the lead with 7-under performances.

Banks reflected positively on his play through 36 holes. “I thought I played pretty good, but it was a little bit more windy than I expected,” said the native of Truro, N.S. “We played some holes into the wind and I hit some pretty poor chip shots coming in, which is usually one of my strengths, so I will work on that.

“But overall, 3-under is a pretty solid day. I shot 4-under at Lambton yesterday, so I knew I was in a good position to come out today and if I had a good round, maybe be around the top of the leaderboard.

“Despite being deadlocked with Eccles, a product of Victoria, Australia, Banks maintains the need to remain focused on the task at hand. “I’m hitting my driver really good right now. I need to keep doing that and just stay calm. When I made a few bogeys coming in, I was getting a little too hot. So I just need to relax and just keep doing what I’m doing.”

Banks, a graduate of the University of Florida, began the day with four birdies after starting the round on the back nine. Eccles countered with a six-birdie performance, highlighted by a 34 across the front nine. Billy Kennerly was not able to complete his second round, but the product of Alpharetta, Ga., currently holds third-place following a bogey-free 3-under performance through 13 holes.

Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., continues to play through a busy summer which has included representing Team Canada at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games, as well as, a victory at the 2015 Ontario Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship. The reigning Canadian Mid-Amateur champion sits fifth at even-par through 13 holes before play was halted.

Team Canada Development Squad member Patrick Murphy sits tied for sixth place and leads the national team contingent at 3-under 140.

The winner of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship will hoist the Earl Grey Trophy and will be awarded an exemption into the 2016 RBC Canadian Open to be played at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., as well as, entry into the 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship at Olympia Fields, Ill.

Following the first 36 holes of play, the Willingdon Cup will be awarded to one of the 12 provincial and territorial three-person teams in the tournament.

The projected cut is currently sitting at 4-over par. The second round is scheduled to resume at 7:30 a.m. EDT at both courses. The third round is set to begin at 10:30 a.m. at Weston Golf & Country Club.

Additional information regarding the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, including updated tee times and scoring, is available here.

PORTLAND – Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., has qualified to play in this week’s Cambia Portland Classic on the LPGA Tour.

Henderson, 17, shot a four-under 68 at Columbia Edgewater Country Club to grab one of two spots available in the field this week. She joins sister Brittany, who received a sponsor exemption, in the field in Portland. Brittany Henderson, who plays on the Symetra Tour, was granted a sponsor’s exemption, a spot that might have gone to Brooke, except she has already received her maximum seven for the year.

If Henderson had not qualified Monday, she would have caddied for Brittany – something she did during the LPGA qualifying tournament last year. Brittany has caddied for Brooke five times this year, including at the U.S. Women’s Open and Women’s British Open.

“I love it,” Brooke Henderson said. “She’s a great caddie. I’m not sure how good I am, but she’s great. We know each other so well, so we know what to say when things aren’t going well, and when things are going well, to keep us going.”

Florida’s Doris Chen, a University of South California graduate, claimed the other Monday qualifier spot.

TORONTO – Thunderstorms and the ensuing unplayable conditions have forced the postponement of the opening round of the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at Weston Golf & Country Club and The Lambton Golf & Country Club in Toronto.

While pleasant conditions and cool breezes set the stage for the morning rounds, clear skies quickly gave way to cloud cover and heavy rainfall shortly after 1 p.m. EDT. With inclement weather continuing, play was cancelled at both courses at 5 p.m.

The first round of play will resume on the morning of Tuesday, August 11 at 7:30 a.m. EDT. Round two tee times will be adjusted due to time restrictions resulting from the suspension of the first round.

“Unfortunately, inclement weather and unplayable conditions have delayed the completion of the first round of play,” said Tournament Director Adam Helmer. “We are hopeful that the weather will hold for the ensuing rounds and that we will be able to complete the 72-hole national championship.”

The winner of the Earl Grey Trophy as Canadian Men’s Amateur Champion will be awarded an exemption into the 2016 RBC Canadian Open to be played at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., as well as, entry into the 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship.

An inter-provincial team competition will be played in conjunction with the first 36 holes. Vying for the Willingdon Cup as team champions will be 12 provincial and territorial three-person teams from across the nation.

For additional information on the championship, including adjusted second-round tee times and live scoring, please proceed to the competition’s website.

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Four Canadians have advanced through to stage II of LPGA Qualifying School after finishing inside the top-60 following Sunday’s final round at the Mission Hills Country Club.

Megan Osland, a 22-year-old amateur from Kelowna, B.C., finished as the low Canadian at T12 with a score of 2-under (73-72-69-72). The recent San José State graduate is coming off a two-win NCAA season with the Spartans and will look to keep the ball rolling in stage II in October.

Laura Demarco, also 22, finished in a tie for 39^th at 2-over par (76-68-72-74). The LaSalle, Ont., native placed fifth earlier this year in the Investors Group Ontario Women’s Amateur.

Nineteen-year-old Christina Foster of Concord, Ont., and Team Canada’s Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., shared a T48 finish to round out the Canadians advancing to stage II.

Stage II of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament will be held from Oct. 22–25 at the Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Fla.

Final Stage of LPGA Qualifying School will feature the top-80 scorers from Stage II and will run from Dec. 2–6 at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Click here for full scoring.

TORONTO – Francesco Ruffino shot a 6-under 66 at Weston Golf & Country Club in Toronto, Ont., to claim medalist honours at the final qualifying event for the 2015 edition of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship. Michael Boss, Jake McNulty, Charles Corner and Addison Coll captured the remaining four spots available through the qualifier to complete the field for the 111^th playing of the world’s third-oldest amateur championship.

“I’m excited. I’m really looking forward to playing in it,” said Ruffino when asked about the opportunity to join the full field of 264 players in the national amateur competition. Ruffino carded an eagle and five birdies to lead the field of 119 competitors vying for a spot in the championship. With today’s victory, the Bloomfield Hills, Mich., native gained valuable experience and confidence for the tournament ahead.

“I think there are actually a couple of holes that I can play better, but I felt pretty well out there.  I didn’t play great, but I was able to be pretty smart with a lot of my shots,” said the 20-year-old. “I really tried to give myself a lot of birdie looks – a few of them dropped, a few of them didn’t. You can always ask for more, but I’m satisfied with a 66.”

The sophomore at the University of South Florida beamed about the course conditions and welcomes the chance to play them again next week.

“The fairways are pristine, they’re perfect,” said Ruffino. “The greens are great, they roll true. If you hit a good putt, you know it’s going to go in. The rough is long and if you don’t hit it in the right spot, you’re going to get penalized out here. It will be really exciting to see how the rest of the field does in the tournament.”

Michael Boss of Lewiston, N.Y., carded a bogey-free 67 to finish runner-up. Port Perry, Ont., product Jake McNulty notched six birdies en route to a round of 3-under 69. The trio of Charles Corner (Cayuga, Ont.), Addison Coll (Arlington, Va.) and Sam McNulty (Port Perry, Ont.) finished T4 after rounds of 70 and required an extra hole to decide the final two spots in the championship. Corner chipped-in for birdie on the par-4 No. 18 to secure his place while Coll made par to advance.

The 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship will be co-hosted by two storied Toronto clubs – Weston Golf & Country Club and The Lambton Golf & Country Club. The first two rounds will take place on August 10 and 11 across both host courses. Following the championship’s first 36 holes, the field of 264 representing eight countries will be reduced to 70 players and ties. The two final rounds will be contested at Weston Golf & Country Club where one competitor will claim the coveted Earl Grey Trophy as the Canadian Men’s Amateur Champion.

The winner will earn exemptions into the 2016 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., as well as, the 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Ill. The champion will also be eligible to receive an exemption into the U.S. Junior Amateur, the U.S. Mid-Amateur or the U.S. Senior Amateur, if applicable.

An inter-provincial championship will take place in conjunction with the first two rounds of the tournament with three-member teams competing for the Willingdon Cup. Additional information regarding the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship is available here.

Full scorecards and additional details from the final qualifier can be found here.

VAUDREUIL-DORION, Que. – Charles-Éric Bélanger claimed victory on the first playoff hole to win the 77^th playing of the Canadian Junior Boys Championship at Summerlea Golf & Country Club in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que.

“I feel I played really well. I hit some pretty good shots and made some great saves for par, as well as, some birdies,” reflected the 16-year-old. “My game plan was just to stay focused on the process and play one shot at a time. With the wind this week and the challenging greens, par was a good score.”

He is the national championship’s first winner from Quebec since André Nols in 1976. The tournament’s Juvenile Division was introduced in 1970; Bélanger is the seventh champion to capture both the Junior and Juvenile titles in the same year. Amongst that group, he is the third to do so in his home province.

“It feels really special,” said Bélanger when asked about returning the championship to Quebec. “It has been 39 years since the last winner was from Quebec, so it just feels great. I am so happy. I’ve worked very hard during the past two years to be able to perform at this level.”

Bélanger carded three birdies and an eagle on the day to equal his 1-under 71 performances in the first and third rounds. Despite his consistent play, the Québec City, Que., native needed an extra hole to secure the victory. Maxwell Sear of Unionville, Ont., made a furious charge to force the playoff, tallying four birdies across the back nine with the last coming on the final hole to match Bélanger at even-par for the tournament.

Raphaël Lapierre-Messier of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., and Henry Lee of Coquitlam, B.C., finished tied for third place. Lapierre-Messier, who entered the final round in a three-way tie for second, shot 2-over 74 to complete the competition at 3-over 291. The 17-year-old Lee recorded two eagles on holes 11 and 14 to move up from seventh place.

Placing second in the Juvenile Division and fifth overall was A.J. Ewart. The product of Coquitlam, B.C., shot a final-round 74 and finished four strokes shy of the winner. Fellow British Columbian Tristan Mandur of Mill Bay, B.C., rounded out the Juvenile Division’s top-3 at a combined score of 296.

Played concurrently with the first 36 holes of the competition was an inter-provincial team competition. Team Quebec consisting of Lapierre-Messier, Team Canada Development Squad member Étienne Papineau (St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que.) and Félix Normand (Beloeil, Que.) claimed the title with a combined even-par 288. Claiming second place was Team Ontario at 296 while 2014 winners Team Alberta finished third with a total of 302.

With the victory, Charles-Éric Bélanger has secured a place in the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship. While excited for the opportunity, he plans to maintain a calm demeanor. “I’m just going to have the same plan as this week:  focus on hitting fairways and greens and then I will see the result at the end of the week. I’m not putting any added pressure on myself because I won this week. I need to stay focused on the process.”

Bélanger joins 265 competitors vying for the historic Earl Grey Trophy at the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship. The event in Toronto will be co-hosted by Weston Golf & Country Club and The Lambton Golf & Country Club from August 8-13. Details regarding the 111^th playing of the world’s third-oldest national amateur championship can be found here.

Additional information and full scorecards from the 2015 Canadian Junior Boys Championship are available here.

TORONTO – The 111^th playing of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship will re-visit the roots of Canadian golf in 2015. Lambton Golf & Country Club – the home of the tournament’s most decorated champion, George S. Lyon – will co-host the competition alongside Weston Golf & Country Club, which is celebrating its 100^th year, from August 8-13.

“This year’s co-hosting venues have a long history with the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship and Canadian golf,” explained Tournament Director Adam Helmer. “George S. Lyon, an eight-time winner of this tournament, honed his game at Lambton. Weston saw a young Arnold Palmer win his first Tour victory and has since played a significant part in growing Canadian golf over the past century. Both courses are among Canada’s best and we look forward to seeing our impressive field challenge them.”

The Canadian Men’s Amateur Qualifier is set to take place at Weston Golf & Country Club on August 7. Two days of practice rounds are slated for August 8 and 9 before competitors from eight countries take to both courses on August 10 and 11 for the championship’s first 36 holes. The field will be reduced to 70 players and ties for the two final rounds at Weston as competitors try to claim the historic Earl Grey Trophy. James Beale of New Zealand won the trophy in 2014 after a thrilling three-hole playoff.

The field of 264 competitors will be competing for exemptions into the 2016 RBC Canadian Open to be played at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., as well as, the 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Ill. The champion will also be eligible to receive an exemption into the U.S. Junior Amateur, the U.S. Mid-Amateur or the U.S. Senior Amateur, if applicable.

Team Canada’s Austin Connelly of Irving, Texas and Blair Hamilton of Burlington, Ont., will be among the Canadian contingent vying for the championship. Connelly is Canada’s highest-ranked amateur at No. 16 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking. The two national team members are coming identical 1-under performances at the 2015 RBC Canadian Open which saw them recognized as co-recipients of the Gary Cowan Medal for low amateur honours.

Reigning Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion and 2015 Ontario Mid-Amateur champion Garrett Rank will continue a busy summer. The Elmira, Ont., native represented Canada at the Toronto 2015 Pan-Am games alongside Connelly and also competed in Canada’s National Open Championship.

All six members of Team Canada’s Development Squad will round out the national team contingent in the competition. Étienne Papineau of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., is looking to build upon a successful summer that has seen the 19-year-old capture the Alexander of Tunis trophy and the Quebec Men’s Amateur Championship – two legs of Golf Quebec’s prestigious Triple Crown. Teammate Trevor Ranton is hoping to carry forward momentum after claiming the 2015 CN Future Links Pacific Championship and winning the Golf Association of Ontario’s Investors Group Junior Boys’ Championship.

Rico Hoey of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., returns to the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship looking to improve upon a T6 finish in last year’s event. The No. 74-ranked amateur finished runner-up at the 2015 Saguaro Men’s Amateur Championship. Fellow Californian Eli Cole of Beverly Hills hopes to become a two-time winner of this event to go with his 2013 title.

An inter-provincial championship will take place in conjunction with the first two rounds of the tournament with three-member teams competing for the Willingdon Cup. Team Ontario claimed the competition in 2014 with Chris Hemmerich (Kitchener, Ont.), Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.) and Taylor Pendrith (Richmond Hill, Ont.) combining to shoot 9-under 275, eight strokes clear of Team Alberta.

A minimum of five spots into the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship will be awarded through the championship’s qualifier on Friday, August 7 at Weston Golf & Country Club. Pairings and start times can be found here.

Admission to the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at Weston Golf & Country Club and Lambton Golf & Country Club is free during tournament week. Additional information regarding the championship is available here.