CALGARY – Jennifer Ha wins the 2015 Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur after a rainy round at Lynx Ridge Golf Club, finishing -8, 205. It was a close finish between Ha and Garrison, with the two going head-to-head in the championship round. A strong front nine game, which included three birdies, put Ha ahead by four strokes to take the title.
“It feels incredible,” Ha reflects on her win. “This is definitely something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”
After recently graduating from Kent State University, Ha hopes to turn pro in the near future. “This is a big stepping stone. A lot of great players have won this event and I’m really looking for a chance to be following their foot steps.”
Sabrine Garrison from Country Hills G&CC came close to Ha, finishing 4 under 209. The defending champion, Jaclyn Lee, placed third gaining a spot to compete in the 2015 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship alongside Ha and Garrison.
After ending the final round with a tie for lead, Meaghan LeBlanc and Jocelyn Alford were forced into a playoff for the Mid Amateur title. “I wasn’t really expecting to go out again,” says LeBlanc, from Bearspaw Country Club. She took the win with +9 for the tournament. “I was kind of surprised … I think I did well despite the weather.”
Meg Nicholson, also from Bearspaw Country Club, battled to first place for the Mid Master Championship win despite the poor weather conditions. “Thanks to all the competitors. Without everybody playing we wouldn’t have this,” Nicholson said of the tournament.
Photos from the championship can be found on Alberta Golf’s Facebook page, here.
Click here for full scoring.
MARKHAM, Ont. — The first day of golf at the Pan Am Games felt like any other tournament to Lorie Kane. That is, until she crossed paths with Austin Connelly between the first green and the second tee and the Canadian teammates shared a high-five.
“He’s on my team,” Kane said with some amazement. “I was like, ‘That’s different.'”
A year away from golf returning to the Olympics for the first time since 1904, the sport made its Pan Am debut Thursday at Angus Glen Golf Club. It was a rough start for two of the three Canadians in the field but a picture-perfect day to celebrate golf in international play.
“It was a cool experience and something I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” said Canadian Garrett Rank, who shot a 7-over 79. “I still can play really well the next three days. It’s just a matter of soaking in the experience.”
Connelly, an 18-year-old dual citizen from Dallas with parental roots in Nova Scotia, shot a 2-under 70, while the 50-year-old Kane matched Rank’s 7-over 79.
Those scores notwithstanding, Canadians playing on home soil could appreciate the history they were a part of.
“I’m excited to be here, I’m proud to be here,” said Kane, the only Canadian woman in the Games after teenage phenom Brooke Henderson withdrew to focus on her professional career. “This is a new thing for golf. I think we’re going to learn some things, and I think it’s going to just get better.”
The sun-soaked day with temperatures in the 20s and light wind made for almost ideal golfing conditions.
“The weather is perfect,” said Alejandro Tosti of Argentina, the first-round men’s leader with a 7-under 65. “It’s a little windy, but the temperature is perfect and it’s perfect to play golf.”
The team element involved, taking the best men’s and women’s score in each round, took some getting used to. Players have much more on their shoulders than just their own expectations and results, more to play for than themselves and sponsors, even if medals replace prize money.
“It’s completely different, but you just have to roll with the punches and kind of adjust on the go,” said Paraguay’s Julieta Granada, the women’s leader at 4-under 68. “It’s going back to junior golf where we get to represent our countries a little bit more then. It makes carrying your country’s flag a little bit more special than every other LPGA event.”
Because Henderson withdrew without an injury after the June 15 deadline, Canada was unable to replace her and lost a spot. It means Kane’s score counts in every round, and her first-round 79 essentially eliminated Canada from team medal contention.
Rank, an NHL referee from Elmira, Ont., cost himself in the men’s individual competition with two triple bogies, including one on the eighth hole when he lost his ball in the woods. Connelly wasn’t necessarily pleased with his showing but goes into Friday’s second round tied for fourth, five shots off the lead.
It’s too early to say Connelly is in medal contention, but he has a chance.
“They say you can’t win on the first day, but you can certainly lose it,” Connelly said. “I don’t feel like I lost it.”
Kane and Rank lost it with their struggles, but they were encouraged because they still get to play three more days of Pan Am golf.
“I’ve been preparing too hard to let this bother me,” said Kane, a Charlottetown native. “If we had a cut here, I’d be probably gnawing my arm off.”
Gnawing isn’t necessary, but Kane is champing at the bit to play one more international tournament: the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. As of now, Henderson and Alena Sharp would represent Canada on the women’s side and PGA professionals Graham DeLaet and David Hearn on the men’s side.
Kane would love to improve her world ranking enough to qualify for the Olympics, especially after getting a taste of this kind of competition at the Pan Am Games.
“It only makes me want to get to Rio even more because if this is the Pan American Games, I can only imagine the feeling when it’s the Olympics,” she said. “I need to stop shooting 7-over par.”
Even though Garrett Rank has a full-time job, don’t call him a part-time golfer.
“It’s still serious, just not 12 months of the year like it used to be,” the 27-year-old says.
Rank, who will represent Canada in golf alongside 18-year-old Austin Connelly at the Pan American Games, doesn’t play as much competitively as he used to as a standout at the University of Waterloo and as a member of Golf Canada’s national team.
But the reason is a worthy one.
For more than eight months of the year, Rank works as a referee under contract with the National Hockey League.
The native of Elmira, Ont., worked nine NHL games this season, but spent most of the season with the American Hockey League. None of the nine NHL games were more memorable than his first.
“I settled in pretty well, but we had a video review on the first goal about five minutes in, and they reversed our call on the ice,” Rank said in an interview. “That was pretty funny. Looking back though, it helped settled me down.”
The players on the ice could not have been nicer, according to Rank, who had 250 friends and family in the stands.
“All the guys were first-class,” he said. “I got some signed jerseys from both teams, and a couple taps on the shin-pads from the guys. It was cool.”
Rank was offered an NHL contract in 2014. He couldn’t turn it down, especially after he put his goals on hold in 2011 to fight testicular cancer.
“As silly as it sounds, I never truly believed I had cancer,” said Rank. “I know I did, the test results showed that. But I thought to myself, ‘you’re a young athlete in great shape. You’re a good kid. You never did anything to deserve this.’ I always thought of it as a lie, or that it wasn’t actually true. That helped push me along.”
Now with a clean bill of health, Rank says he has “the best of both worlds” as he pursues his two passions.
“I love my job, but I love being able to come out here (the golf course) for four or five months and work on my game,” he said.
In 2014, Rank captured the Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship to secure a spot in this summer’s RBC Canadian Open, which is scheduled the week after the Pan Am Games tournament. It will be his PGA Tour debut.
“I feel like I probably should have played a couple (Canadian Opens) before, but it just hasn’t worked out,” he said. “But I’m excited to get this opportunity, and I want to go there and do well. I want to see what professional golf at the highest level is about.”
Rank’s whirlwind summer began July 6, where he won a qualifier for the U.S. Amateur by six shots. If he makes it to the finals, which start Aug. 17, he’ll qualify for the Masters.
From there, he received a special exemption into The Players Cup, an event on Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada.
Next up is the Pan Am Games, which begins Thursday at Angus Glen, the same course where Rank won the 2010 Ontario University Association Championship.
“It’s kind of a home game, and seeing some familiar faces in the crowd will definitely be an advantage,” he said.
Canadian coach Derek Ingram says Rank has some “wicked natural ability.”
“Garrett is a lot of fun, and he’s an unbelievable team guy,” said Ingram. “Regardless of the results next week, we’re going to have a great time.”
VICTORIA, B.C. – Team Canada Development Squad member Michelle Kim may be running out of room in her trophy case.
The 17-year-old Surrey native won her second straight British Columbia Golf event with an overpowering final day at Cordova Bay Golf Course. Kim shot a (-4) round of 69 to finish at (-4) 288 to beat 12-year-old Akari Hayashi by nine strokes.
A visibly nervous Hayashi managed to hold it together to shoot a (+5) round of 78 to finish at (+5) 297 to claim solo second place and a spot on the BC team going to the Canadian Junior Girls in Saskatchewan next month.
Surrey’s Hannah Lee finished with a (+2) 75 final round to finish at (+7) 299 to claim the third and final provincial spot.
“I still can’t believe it,” said Kim, who received her trophy from Shirley Nasheim, the 1952 winner of the BC Junior Girls title and the first winner of the trophy. “It feels amazing, especially since I won last week and I’ve played this tournament so many times.”
Kim thanked her family, including her father, who coaches her and her mother, who walks almost every hole with her. But the biggest thanks go to older sister Taylor, who Michelle beat at last week’s BC Women’s Amateur.
“Taylor gave me a really big hug before I came here and told me ‘Go get that trophy. I know you can.’ It’s the only trophy we don’t have in the house.”
For the second week in a row, Kim received a water shower from her friends Gloria Choi, Alisha Lau and Hannah Lee, who rushed the final green to spray Kim.
Kim entered the final round tied with Hayashi for the lead and after both players made nervous bogeys on the first, they also matched birdies on the par-5 second hole. But Kim gained the upper hand she would never relinquish by making another birdie on 3 while Hayashi made bogey.
When Kim made birdies at 5 and 7, and Hayashi made bogeys at 6 and 7, the lead was up to six and it was just a matter of time before Kim was lifting the BC Junior Girls trophy to go along with the Flumerfelt Cup she won last week at Duncan Meadows as the British Columbia Women’s Amateur Champion.
Hayashi made seven bogeys on the day, but saved her best for last, making birdie on the final hole as a large crowd cheered her on. “I am really happy,” said Hayashi. “This is my first time getting into the top 5 or top 10. I’m really happy.”
Hayashi was happy she finished second and got a runner-up trophy with her name on it. “I was really nervous,” she said. “There are so many good girls. I had so much pressure. . . There were so many people on the back 9, I was surprised.”
Kim, Hayashi and Lee comprise the British Columbia team at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship at Deer Park Golf Course in Yorkton, SK from August 4-7.
For full results, please click here.
LANCASTER, PA. – Brooke Henderson might be a little worse for wear after a minor car accident last week, but that’s not stopping the 17-year-old from a busy stretch of golf.
It starts with the Women’s U.S. Open this week as Henderson continues to try to earn enough money to qualify for her LPGA card for next season.
The goal is to earn as much as 40th place on the LPGA money list (she would currently be 22nd with $317,000). She cannot be a member of the LPGA Tour until she turns 18 (in September) and has been turned down in her request for a special age exemption.
The LPGA has ruled it will count her money earned this summer as official when she turns 18. If she earn as much as 40th place on the money list (which looks like it might be about $450,000) she will earn her card for 2016.
After winning on the developmental Symetra Tour last month and being granted membership, she could also earn her card by finishing in the top 10 on that Tour’s money list.
That’s why she withdrew from competing for Canada at the Pan-Am Games next week. She’ll be playing the Symetra Tour event in Rochester, N.Y. to try and boost her chances.
Henderson said she remains confident choosing the Symetra Tour over the Pan-Am Games was the right thing to do.
“I’m very happy with my decision,” she said after a practice round at the Lancaster C.C. “Of course I love playing for Canada and I’m hoping to play in the Olympics next year. I wear the Maple Leaf on my shirt every time. I love playing for Canada, but I know it was the right decision.”
Her other options to earn an LPGA card are by winning one of her remaining Tour starts. The last resort is going through qualifying school in the fall.
After another Symetra Tour event in Albany, Henderson will be off to the Ricoh British Women’s Open at Trump Turnberry Resort in Scotland July 30-Aug. 2. She was granted a special exemption for the women’s major.
At this point, her last chance to earn money on the LPGA Tour will be at the Canadian Pacific Canadian Women’s Open Aug. 17-23 at the Vancouver Golf Club in Coquitlam, B.C. The championship will be her sixth and last sponsor’s exemption, the most allowed for an LPGA non-member.
There remains a chance she could play in more LPGA events by Monday qualifying.
In the meantime, she could take a big step this week with another strong performance at the U.S. Open. She finished tied for 10th last year at Pinehurst as an amateur which earned her a place in the field this week.
This is the most lucrative event in women’s golf with a pursue of $4.5 million, the United States Golf Association announced Wednesday. The winner will receive $810,000. Tenth place is worth $121,500.
“I’m in a good position. I’m far from being safe with that top 40 though, and I know that my next three tournaments – this one, British and Canadian Open – will be really important,” she said. “That’s another reason why this week it’s really important that I play and that I play well.”
Henderson’s leg was a little sore after her accident – which caused her to withdraw from the Symetra Tour event in Michigan last week – but after a couple of trips over the Lancaster C.C.’s rolling hills, she’s ready to go.
“I’m excited for this week. There’s a reason why I’m ready to play and I want to see what I can do with it. It’s been an interesting week, but I’m very grateful to be here,” Henderson said. “It’s by the grace of God that I’m here this week and able to play.
“I think I have to take the most out of this opportunity.”
CUMBERLAND, Ont. – Team Canada’s Étienne Papineau notched another provincial tournament win on Monday at the Camelot Golf & Country Club, winning Golf Québec’s Alexander of Tunis in a two-hole playoff.
Papineau, a two-time Québec junior champion, posted a cumulative score of 140 (-4) to enter the sudden-death playoff against Pierre-Alexandre Bédard of Chibougamau-Chapis, Qué., and Scott Ray of Ottawa—also the president of host club Camelot.
With the group still all-square on the second playoff hole, 18-year-old Papineau made his mark with an approach shot that landed inches from the hole. From there, the St-Jean-sur-Richelieu native tapped-in for birdie and the win.
“I was so nervous; it felt like I was carrying 200 pounds on my shoulders,” said Papineau. “When I saw the ball sink into that cup, I started breathing easy again.”
The win adds to Papineau’s impressive summer, which includes a T10 finish for Canada at the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Japan last month. He will look to keep up the strong play this weekend at the Duke of Kent tournament—the second of leg of the men’s triple crown of amateur golf in Québec.
The “Tunis” is the most prestigious amateur tournament presented in the Ottawa region. The men’s Triple Crown is composed of the Alexander of Tunis, Duke of Kent, and Men’s Provincial Amateur Championship. The three (3) best players on the Triple Crown’s Order of Merit will form the provincial team representing Golf Québec at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship to be held at the Weston Golf & Country Club and Lambton Golf & Country Club, in the Toronto area, from August 10 to 13. Practice rounds will be held on August 8 and 9.
Click here for full results.
TORONTO, Ont. – Golf Canada regrets to announce that Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont. has withdrawn from the TORONTO 2015 Pan American Games golf competition.
Statement from Brooke Henderson:
“Since turning professional in December, my goal has been to play in as many LPGA Tour and Symetra Tour events as possible to earn LPGA status and avoid the Q-School process. After winning the Four Winds Invitational last week, LPGA Commissioner Whan graciously granted me membership on the Symetra Tour which allows me the opportunity to earn my way onto the LPGA. I am now guaranteed a spot in a professional tournament the week of July 13. Based on my goals for the year, this is an opportunity I cannot pass up.”
“As an ambassador for golf in Canada, I am disappointed to miss the Pan-Am Games. I am so appreciative for the support I receive every week from Golf Canada and fans across the country. I wish the competitors all the best and look forward to cheering them on.”
Statement from Golf Canada Chief Sport Officer Jeff Thompson:
“We are disappointed to lose Brooke Henderson from the Pan Am golf team but we respect the rationale that went into this very difficult decision. Brooke is committed to her goal of reaching the LPGA Tour and her recent play including her victory on the Symetra Tour last weekend has provided a unique opportunity that will help her achieve that goal. We will continue to be a strong supporter in her career.”
Golf Canada is currently working with the Canadian Olympic Committee to determine who will join previously confirmed team member Lorie Kane on the Women’s golf team at the Pan Am Games.
The men’s Pan Am golf team will be comprised of 18-year-old Austin Connelly, currently the 13th ranked player on the World Amateur Golf Rankings along with reigning Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion and recently crowned Ontario Mid-Amateur champion Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont.
Golf Canada’s National Women’s Team Head Coach Tristan Mullally of Straffan, Ireland along with National Men’s Team Head Coach Derek Ingram of Winnipeg, Man will serve as coaches for the 2015 Pan Am Golf Team.
The Pan Am golf competition will run July 16-19 at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont.
The field for the 2015 Pan Am Golf Competition will include 32 women and 32 men competing in a women’s individual, men’s individual and mixed team competition (low female and male score combined).
HARRIS, Mich. – The Symetra Tour, Road to the LPGA, has announced that Brooke Henderson was granted Symetra Tour membership by LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan following her win at last week’s Four Winds Invitational. By virtue of her win, Henderson will be placed in category C on the Symetra Tour Priority List for the remainder of the year. She has committed to play in the Island Resort Championship this week in Harris, Michigan and was already scheduled to play the Tullymore Classic, July 3-5, as a sponsor invite.
Henderson carded a 3-under 69 on Sunday at Blackthorn Golf Club to win her first Symetra Tour event by three shots at 10-under 206. She became the third youngest winner in Symetra Tour history behind 16-year-old Hannah O’Sullivan, who won the Gateway Classic at Longbow Golf Club earlier this year, and Cristie Kerr, who was 17 years old when she won the 1995 Ironwood FUTURES Classic.
“I‘m really excited to be a member of the Symetra Tour and that my petition was accepted by Mike Whan and the LPGA,” said Henderson. “I have worked really hard to maximize the playing opportunities on both LPGA and Symetra Tours and to get a win at the Four Winds Invitational feels really good and gets me closer to my goals.”
Here is the statement from LPGA Chief Tour Operations Officer Heather Daly-Donofrio on Henderson being granted membership on the Symetra Tour:
“On Sunday, Brooke Henderson petitioned Commissioner Whan to waive the minimum age requirement to be eligible for Symetra Tour membership. Commissioner Whan reviewed the petition and accepted it. Based on her win Sunday at the Four Winds Invitational, Henderson will now be seeded into Category C on the 2015 Symetra Tour Priority List for the remainder of the season. As a Symetra Tour Member, she will be eligible to earn official money for the purposes of the Symetra Tour Money List and the Volvik Race for the Card. Per Symetra Tour regulations, any money previously earned by Henderson as a non-member will remain unofficial for the purposes of the Symetra Tour Money List. Henderson plans to compete this week at the Island Resort Championship in Harris, Michigan.”
Henderson’s $22,500 first-place check for the Four Winds Invitational victory will not count towards the official Volvik Race for the Card money list because she played the event as a non-member. However, any money earned by Henderson at the Island Resort Championship and any Symetra event moving forward will count.
While the money that Henderson won last week is unofficial, her victory at the Four Winds Invitational will count toward potential additional playing opportunities on the LPGA. Winners of three official Symetra Tour tournaments during the current year can earn a spot in Category 13 on the LPGA Priority List. A spot in Category 13 does not give a player LPGA membership but it is an opportunity for that player to compete in LPGA events as a non-member.
“Since turning professional this year, Brooke has compiled an impressive list of accomplishments including her victory Sunday at the Four Winds Invitational,” said Chief Business Officer of the Symetra Tour Mike Nichols. “We welcome her to the Symetra Tour for the remainder of the season as she continues her pursuit of ultimately joining the LPGA Tour.”
This year, Henderson has competed in seven LPGA events as a non-member while posting two top-10 finishes and five top-25 results. She recently finished in a tie for fifth at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Henderson is scheduled to play in the U.S. Women Open in July after finishing in a tie for 10th at last year’s U.S. Women’s Open.
TOYOTA CITY, Japan – Team Canada rebounded in strong fashion on Thursday, dealing a low-round 204 (-9) to climb into a tie for fourth place at the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup.
The Canadian foursome was led by Waterloo, Ont., product Trevor Ranton. The towering Indiana University commit carded a 4-under 67 at Chukyo Golf Club’s Ishino Course—his previous best score was an even-par 71.
Next in line was St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Qué. native, Étienne Papineau. The 18-year-old remained consistent in the tournament, posting a 3-under 68 to sit in a tie for fourth as Canada’s lowest individual scorer at 6-under overall (70-69-68).
The third and final score posted by the Canucks came from matching rounds of 69 from Tony Gil of Vaughan, Ont. and A.J. Armstrong of St. Albert, Alta. (team’s lowest three scores count towards daily total).
The Swedes hold the outright lead at 16-under for the tournament, four strokes ahead of host Japan (-12) and defending champion Norway (-12). Heading into Friday’s final round, the Canadian quartet is deadlocked with the Koreans at 11-under.
Team Canada is paired up in Friday’s final with the Koreans and Americans in the earliest tee-time slot at 8:00 am JST.
Click here for team scoring
Click here for individual scoring
Any trace of inclement weather from the previous day was erased with clear skies and beaming sunshine as the Canadian Women’s Tour Ontario concluded at Smiths Falls Golf & Country Club in Smiths Falls, Ont. The 36-hole competition finished with a pair of Team Canada members emerging victorious – Young Pro Squad member Rebecca Lee-Bentham claimed the title while Jennifer Ha earned low amateur honours.
Lee-Bentham opened the day in a three-way tie atop the leaderboard. The National Team Young Pro Squad member distanced herself from the pack and secured the victory by shooting the low round of the day – a 2-under 69. “I went out with a really relaxed mindset which helped me to concentrate on each shot more and not worry about results. I think that’s what helped me today,” said the Toronto native when asked about her combined 2-under 140 performance.
With the victory, Lee-Bentham not only takes the $10,000 winner’s share of the tournament’s $60,000 purse, she has also secured an exemption into the 2015 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open to be played August 17-23 at the Vancouver Golf Club in Coquitlam, B.C. “It’s good knowing that I secured the spot. The CP Women’s Open is probably my favourite stop on tour, so just to have the opportunity to play in it again this year is a blessing,” reflected the Team Canada member.
Lee-Bentham’s Young Pro Squad teammate Brooke Henderson returned to her home course and finished one shot shy of the winner. The 17-year-old registered a bogey on her first hole, but finished the round without another to go with two birdies. The two Young Pro Squad members’ under-par rounds were the only ones of the tournament.
Brittany Henderson, the elder of the two Henderson sisters, finished in a five-way tie for third place. The rookie on the Symetra Tour carded a second-round 73 and completed the competition at 4-over 146.
Joining Brittany Henderson for a share of third was National Team Amateur Squad member Jennifer Ha. The Calgary native was one of four players to notch back-to-back 73s; the only difference is that the Ha was the lone amateur to do so. “It was an up and down sort of day,” said Ha of her round. “I hit the ball well and overall, I’m pretty happy with the way I played. Winning low amateur has made this event extra special.”
Ha sees the honour as a stepping stone as she heads into an important summer. “It gives me a lot of confidence going into the season. It’s going to be a big year for me as I get ready to become a professional. It gives me a boost knowing that I can finish high at a professional event. Hopefully this trend continues and I can build upon the success I found here.”
For a second day in a row, the Canadian National Team contingent fared well. Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., finished in a four-way tie for eighth with a score of 5-over. Thornhill, Ont., native Elizabeth Tong equaled her first-day 74 for a share of 12th place while London, Ont., product Maddie Szeryk was T14 at 7-over. Of the 23 amateurs in the field, the four National Team Amateur Squad members finished at the top.
Rebecca Lee-Bentham joins Michelle Piyapattra of Corona, Calif., as the winners of the first two legs on the 2015 Canadian Women’s Tour. The Tour’s third and final stop, the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada, will be contested July 20-22 at Burlington Golf & Country Club in Burlington, Ont. In addition to the exemptions awarded to the Tour champions, the top two competitors on the Jocelyne Bourassa Order of Merit, who are not otherwise exempt will join the trio at Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship, provided they have played in at least two of the three Tour events.
The five highest ranked players on the Canadian Women’s Tour Order of Merit will also be awarded direct entry into the second stage of LPGA Qualifying School.
Additional Information on Canadian Women’s Tour Ontario can be found here.
