GLEN COVE, N.Y. – Australia’s Su-Hyun Oh shot a 4-under 66 on Monday in the U.S. Women’s Amateur to take the first-round lead in stroke-play qualifying.
The 18-year-old Oh had six birdies and two bogeys at Nassau Country Club. The top 64 after the second round Tuesday will advance to match play.
“I’m playing quite solid,” said Oh, a quarterfinalist last year at the Country Club of Charleston in South Carolina. “Just giving myself a lot of opportunities and making a few.”
Eighth in the world amateur ranking, Oh matched the women’s course record. She holed out from 40 feet for birdie from off the green on the par-4 11th.
“I thought, `Just get it somewhere there,'” Oh said. “It felt good. I’ll take it any day.”
Sixteen-year-old Hannah O’Sullivan of Paradise Valley, Arizona, was a stroke back. She birdied four of her last six holes and needed only 25 putts.
“I just started hitting the ball better,” O’Sullivan said. “I was putting great all day and just gave myself better opportunities and drained the putts.”
Megan Khang, also 16, of Rockland, Massachusetts, opened with a 68.
Princess Mary Superal, the 17-year-old Filipino player who won the U.S. Girls’ Junior winner last month, had a 70.
Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., who was low amateur in the U.S. Women’s Open, shot 71 and was tied for 12th with Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont.
Augusta James of Bath, Ont. the newly crowned Canadian Women’s Amateur Champion, opened with a 72.
Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City was 3-over after the opening-round – she fired a 73.
Defending champion Emma Talley, the 20-year-old University of Alabama player from Princeton, Kentucky, was tied for 86th at 76.
KOMOKA, Ont. – Brooke Henderson become the youngest winner of the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada presented by Nike Golf after an unbelievable two days at FireRock Golf Club.
The 16-year-old posted a two-day total of 13-under par, setting a new championship scoring record and adding her name to a list of champions that includes Lorie Kane, Cathy Sherk, Gail Graham, Nancy Harvey, Jessica Shepley and Alena Sharp.
“Coming into this week I saw all those great names on the trophy and I wanted to have my name alongside them,” the Team Canada member said. “It’s a great feeling to know I am able to compete against the best players in Canada and someday the best players in the world.”
Henderson’s 36-hole total of 131 (65-66) was five shots better than 2008 winner Hannah Jun of San Diego. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp, a three-time winner of the PGA Women’s Championship, finished third at six under. Samantha Richdale of Kelowna B.C. and American amateur Simin Feng rounded out the top five.
The Smith Falls, Ont., native’s 36-holes at FireRock Golf Club featured 14 birdies and an eagle, with a stretch of five birdies in a row on the back-nine Thursday afternoon.
“I struggled a little bit on the front nine – I was hitting some great shots, but the putts just weren’t dropping,” Henderson admitted about her front nine score of 2-under-par 34. “But that all changed starting on No. 10 with a birdie. I think I had five in a row coming down the stretch and it was awesome.”
With the win, Henderson, who is currently ranked No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, pads her already impressive tournament stats in 2014. She was the low amateur (T10) at the U.S. Women’s Open, finished tied for 26th at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, and tied for 45th at the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic. She’s also has wins this year at the Canadian Women’s Tour event in Niagara Falls, the Porter Cup, the Ontario Women’s Amateur and the Scott Robertson.
The PGA Women’s Championship of Canada counted as the third and final stop on the Canadian Women’s Tour, with points awarded toward the Jocelyne Bourassa Player of the Year at the conclusion of the championship.
Similar to past years, the champion of each Canadian Women’s Tour stop and the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada will receive an exemption into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open to be held Aug. 18-24, 2014 at London Hunt & Country Club in London, Ont. As well, two (2) additional exemptions were awarded to the top competitors, not otherwise exempt into the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open from the 2014 Canadian Women’s Tour Order of Merit.
As well, the top five (previously the top 3) players on the Canadian Women’s Tour season-ending Order of Merit will be awarded direct entry into LPGA Stage-2 Qualifying.
Henderson captured the Jocelyne Bourassa Player of the Year award, with Richdale and Feng earning exemptions into the CP Women’s Open.
For complete results, click here.
Brooke Henderson did not disappoint in her opening round at the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada, presented by Nike Golf, firing a dazzling 7-under-par 65.
The 16-year-old’s first round included seven birdies and a hole-in-one on No. 17, en route to a new course record at the Thomas McBroom designed FireRock Golf Club in Komoka, Ont.
“My caddie told me it was over the back and I kind of panicked for a few minutes,” Henderson joked. “But when I went up there I checked and there it was-it was a great shot.”
Henderson leads by two strokes over Stephanie Connelly of Fleming Island, Fla. Sitting three shots back heading into Thursday’s final round is three-time champion Alena Sharp of Hamilton.
Earlier this summer Henderson, who is currently ranked No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, earned low amateur honours (T10) at the U.S. Women’s Open, finished tied for 26th at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, and tied for 45th at the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic. The Team Canada member’s year has also included wins at the Canadian Women’s Tour event in Niagara Falls, the Porter Cup, the Ontario Women’s Amateur and the Scott Robertson.
“I’ve had a great summer and it’s definitely been a huge confidence booster,” Henderson said. “I’m looking forward to the future and want to use these experiences on the LPGA Tour when I finally get out there some day.”
The 2008 champion Hannah Jun, Team Canada member Anne-Catherine Tanguay, Brooke’s older sister Brittany Henderson of Smith Falls, Ont., and Australian Emma De Groot each fired opening rounds of 69.
In total, 12 players are at even par or better.
Click here for the full leaderboard.
The PGA Women’s Championship of Canada was first played in 1987 and past champions include Cathy Sherk, Gail Graham, Nancy Harvey, Lorie Kane and Jessica Shepley.
The PGA Women’s Championship of Canada counts as the third and final stop on the Canadian Women’s Tour with points awarded toward the Jocelyne Bourassa Player of the Year at the conclusion of the championship.
Similar to past years, the champion of each Canadian Women’s Tour stop and the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada will receive an exemption into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open to be held Aug. 18-24, 2014 at London Hunt & Country Club in London, Ont. As well, following the conclusion of play at the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada, two (2) additional exemptions will be awarded to the top competitors, not otherwise exempt into the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open from the 2014 Canadian Women’s Tour Order of Merit.
In addition, the top five (previously the top 3) players on the Canadian Women’s Tour season-ending Order of Merit will be awarded direct entry into LPGA Stage-2 Qualifying.
Having proven his ability to hold his own against the world’s top amateur golfers, Listowel, Ont.’s Corey Conners has his sights set on doing the same against the world’s top pros in the near future.
With five collegiate tournament victories to his credit, along with a semi-final appearance at the 2013 U.S. Men’s Amateur, the 22-year-old has some respected golf insiders believing he has all the tools to make that successful transition to the next level.
One of them is Canadian men’s national team head coach, Derek Ingram.
“He’s does all the right things and he’s just been super steady out there,” said Ingram. “He’s got a fantastic combination of length and accuracy off the tee; along with a fantastic putter.
“Corey’s improved in small incremental amounts in every area of his game over the years and if he continues to put in the work, I just think he’s just going to have a tremendous career as a professional golfer,” Ingram added.
Besides praise from Ingram, the recent Kent State graduate is also spoken about highly by his former head coach at the university, Herb Page.
Having won the 2013 and 2014 Gopher Invitational, the 2014 General Hackler Championship, the 2014 Mid-American Conference Golf Championship and the 2014 Jones Cup, combined with a semi-finals appearance at the 2013 U.S. Men’s Amateur, Page says Conners has been nothing short of a superstar on the Kent State team.
He also points to Conners’ steady progression and hard work as an indication of a bright future ahead for the amateur standout.
“He came in to Kent State as a really good junior player from Ontario and he’s leaving as one of the top amateurs in the world,” said the long time Kent State head coach. “And I see no reason why he shouldn’t continue to make that progression.
“Corey’s a very bright young man off and on the golf course and very determined; he’s got all the skills and all the tools to reach his goals on the golf course.” Page added about the talented young Canadian who stands at six feet even.
For his part, Conners says both programs have played a vital role in his maturity and development as a golfer.
“Being part of Team Canada and the Kent State golfing program has obviously been instrumental to helping me to become a better player,” he acknowledged.
“At Kent State, we had a great team there and it was great to play in a lot of competitive collegiate tournaments,” noted Conners.
“It was an awesome experience. I learned a lot about how to manage things on and off the course; and definitely grew as a person,” he added about his four years at Kent State which saw him graduate with a major in actuary math.
The 22-year-old was also quick to recognize the important benefits of his four years spent as a member of the Canadian national team program.
“Being on Team Canada is a big honour; the resources that we have available to us are second to none,” he pointed out. “Derek (Ingram) and all the staff are really great in helping us to get a good plan together and being properly prepared before we compete.”
Grateful for the strong support and encouragement from Kent State and Golf Canada, Conners has plans to make the complete transition from amateur to pro after the World Amateur Golf Championships in September.
Conners had the chance to taste what life would be like as a member of the PGA Tour when he competed at the RBC Canadian Open in Montreal. It was an experience that left the talented young golfer hungry for more.
“It’s definitely fun playing in front of the big crowds; definitely a motivating and exciting experience for me,” he noted.
“I was disappointed that I didn’t play a little better,” admitted Conners, who posted a five over par in the first two rounds and failed to make the cut. “But still this was an awesome experience for me.”
Despite the disappointment of missing the cut, the amateur standout says the entire experience from competing against the world’s best at the Royal Montreal Golf Club has given him extra clarity on where he envisions himself within the next few years.
“Competing at this stage made me realize that this is definitely where I want to be,” said Conners. “So I’m going to keep working hard and try to earn a place out here on the PGA tour.”
MONTREAL – Michael Putnam and Tim Petrovic mastered the afternoon winds to shoot six-under-par 64s and take a share of the first-round lead at the US$5.7 million RBC Canadian Open on Thursday.
But the surprise of the day was big-hitting amateur Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., who shot five-under 65 for a share of third place with Kyle Stanley.
Putnam and Petrovic played bogey-free golf at the 7,153-yard par-70 Blue Course at Royal Montreal on a near perfect day for scoring, with sunny weather and soft greens from heavy rains the previous day.
A gust wind came in for the those with afternoon starts, but it didn’t stop Putnam or Petrovic from shooting the low scores of the day, which set the course record for an opening round.
“It was tough ball-striking, but somehow I was able to keep it in the fairway and take advantage of the soft greens to hit a couple of shots close and make a couple of five-to-ten-foot putts,” said Putnam, who has been playing his best golf of the season of late with top-35 finishes in his last three outings.
The 47-year-old Petrovic didn’t know he would play until he got a call on Tuesday saying he was in as the seventh alternate. The former PGA Tour regular, playing only his eighth Tour event this season, didn’t even have his name on the program.
There was no rust in his game, however.
“I didn’t set my expectations high because I got in late, so this was kind of my practice round,” said Petrovic. “I walked the back nine (Wednesday).
“It wasn’t that I played conservative. I was just trying to hit fairways and greens, trying to see the golf course and see if I could make a few putts. I drove the ball pretty good overall.”
There were 11 players tied at 4-under 66, including Nick Watney and Charl Schwartzel, and another 16 at 3-under 67, including David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and two-time Canadian Open champion Jim Furyk.
Another dozen were at 2-under 68 and there were 23 at 1-under 69, including top-ranked Canadian Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., and defending champion Brandt Snedeker.
Another sunny day is forecast for the second round on Friday, with a possibility of wet weather on the weekend.
The 23-year-old Pendrith, Canada’s top amateur, had a dream day in his first round of his first Canadian Open. He recently graduated from Kent State University and hopes to play in the world amateur championships this summer before likely turning pro in the fall.
Although it’s early, he’s one stroke off the lead of a tournament no Canadian has won since Pat Fletcher in 1954.
“I never expected that,” said Pendrith. “I was playing good golf coming in here, so I just played golf.
“Five-under is pretty nice. Everybody has some nerves. If you didn’t have nerves on the first tee something would be wrong with you. But after I played the first hole, I felt calm and felt I should be here.”
He played in the last threesome to tee off in the afternoon, when the worst of the wind was up, but used his long drives to cut through the tree-lined fairways and get close to the greens. He had seven birdies, including one on a putt that trickled in on the 18th, and two bogeys.
“The front nine suits my game a lot,” he said. “I can shoot driver nearly every hole.
“I had four birdies on the front nine, all with wedges.”
Pendrith is 18th in world amateur rankings, tops among Canadians. He and fellow national team members Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., who shot even-par 70, and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., who was at 4-over 74, were given entries into the Open.
Stanley’s 5-under was the best among the early tee times.
“I love this golf course,” the Gig Harbor, Wash., native said. “It’s similar to the one I grew up with in Washington, so I felt pretty comfortable.
“I hit the ball well on my first nine today. I was able to make a few of the long range putts that got the round going for me.”
The soft greens made for ideal scoring conditions, but Stanley said the course is still a challenge.
“That front nine is pretty difficult,” he said. “There’s a couple of mid-irons into the par-3s and a 500-yard par-4 (the fourth), so it’s a kind of sneaky-demanding course.”
Stanley is best known for posting his only PGA Tour win a week after a memorable collapse.
In 2012, he blew a six-shot lead in the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open and lost in a playoff to Snedeker, then bounced back with a victory at the Phoenix Open.
This season has been trying for the 26-year-old. He sits 164th in FedEx Cup standings with only one top-25 finish, which was in October.
He said it was premature to think about turning the season around after one good round.
“There’s a ton of golf left,” he said. “It’s nice to get a round like this because it shows I’m working on the right things.”
Hearn had a great round going until he bogeyed the 14th and 15th on his back nine. He recovered with a birdie at the 16th.
“Any day you come off the course and shoot 3-under and feel you left a few out there, you feel it’s a good day,” said Hearn. “I’m not overly disappointed with the way I played.
“I hit the ball great from tee to green. If I can continue to do that for the rest of the week I know I’m going to play well.”
It was a rough opening round for some. Both Stephen Ames of Calgary and one of the tournament favourites, Dustin Johnson, shot 4-over 74. John Daly had 6-over 76, Scott McCarron turned in a 78 and Erik Compton shot 79.
NEWTON, Kan. – National Amateur Team member Garrett Rank has fallen in the round of 16 at the U.S. Amateur Public Links on Thursday, losing his match 3 & 2.
Rank made it interesting down the stretch, pulling to within 1 thru 13 holes, but couldn’t hang on as Bryon Meth of San Diego, Calif. proved to be too much for the 26-year-old.
Rank is playing strong golf of late – he is coming off a second place finish at the prestigious Players Amateur tournament just a week earlier. That finish catapulted the Elmira, Ont. native into the World Amateur Golf Ranking’s (WAGR) top 100, where he currently sits at No. 98. He will look for that number to drop even more after his performance this week in Kansas.
This finish marks the second consecutive strong showing for Rank at the U.S. Amateur Public Links – he earned medalist honours at last year’s event.
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Oakville, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada and RBC are pleased to extend three players exemptions into the 2014 RBC Canadian Open at The Royal Montreal Golf Club through Canada’s National Amateur Team program.
Among those extended tournament invites are Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C. and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont.
Pendrith, 23, is currently Canada’s highest ranked male amateur on the World Amateur Golf Rankings at No. 18. A recent graduate of Kent State University, Pendrith will make his first start at Canada’s National Open Championship after recently claiming the prestigious Monroe Invitational title and finishing tied for second at the Ontario Men’s Amateur Championship.
At No. 27 on the WAGR, Svensson will make his second start at the RBC Canadian Open fresh off an outstanding sophomore year at Barry University. Last season in NCAA action the 20-year-old captured seven tournament titles and was awarded Jack Nicklaus Award as the most outstanding Division II men’s golfer.
Rounding out the list of exemptions at No. 39 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings is Conners, 22, who recently reached the finals at the North and South Amateur Championship earlier in July.
In addition to their title sponsorship of Canada’s National Open Championship, RBC is also a proud supporter of Canada’s National Amateur Golf Team program (Team Canada) as well as Golf Canada’s National Amateur Championships, assisting in the development of this country’s up and coming golf talents.
With the addition of Pendrith, Svensson and Conners a 15-player Canadian contingent (to date) will compete at The Royal Montreal Golf Club looking to become the first Canadian since Pat Fletcher in 1954 to win Canada’s National Open title.
Leading the charge for the Canadian contingent are PGA TOUR players Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., Brad Fritsch of Manotick, Ont., Stephen Ames of Calgary and Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ont. Other Canadians set to compete include the Web.com Tour’s Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C. and Roger Sloan of Merrit, B.C. who both earned exemptions. In addition, recently crowned 2014 PGA Championship of Canada winner Dave Levesque of Montreal and PGA of Canada Player Rankings leader Billy Walsh of Markham, Ont. will also join the field alongside the 2013 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion, Kevin Carrigan of Victoria. PGA TOUR Canada’s Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont. and Beon Yeong Lee of Montreal are also set to compete after winning the their regional qualifying sites.
The Canucks will join a field that includes PGA TOUR stars such as Matt Kuchar, Dustin Johnson, Luke Donald, Jim Furyk, Hunter Mahan, Ernie Els, Charl Schwartzel, Chris Kirk and recent French Open champion Graeme McDowell as well as defending RBC Canadian Open champion Brandt Snedeker.
In addition, three exemptions will be awarded to the Top-3 finishers on PGA Tour Canada’s Order of Merit following the Stall Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel on Sunday, July 20th.
The final four exemptions into Canada’s National Open Championship will be determined following the Final Monday Qualifier for the RBC Canadian Open on July 21st at Golf Saint-Raphaël in L’Île-Bizard, Que where four exemptions will be handed out to the Top-4 finishers.
Grounds tickets for all days of Canada’s National Open Championship as well as a limited number of premium ticket packages are still available. A full list of ticket packages and pricing, including the new Family Day package, is available online at www.rbccanadianopen.com. Golf Canada and RBC are also please to offer free admission to children 17 year and younger who are accompanied by a ticketed adult.
BLUFFTON, S.C. – Garrett Rank, a member of the National Amateur team, relinquished a six stroke lead on Sunday to slip into a runner-up finish at the prestigious Players Amateur held at Berkeley Hall Club.
Rank separated himself from the field on Friday’s second round, firing a remarkable bogey-free, 10-under 62 to set a course (and personal) record. The Waterloo University graduate then went on to card rounds of 70 and 75 to close out the tournament, finishing at 10-under par.
The Elmira Ont. native builds on an already impressive season that features a tie for 7th at the Dixie Amateur and a tie for third at the Monroe Invitational Championship.
Rank lost the lead to Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent, who earns the exemption to play in next year’s RBC Heritage, a PGA Tour event. The 26-year-old Rank is set to be in Kansas on Monday to play in the U.S. Amateur Public Links event.
Rank will surely boost his current World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) of No. 135 after his strong play this week. The same can be said for Team Canada teammate, Adam Svensson.
Svensson, a Surrey, B.C. native, closed out with a 1-under 71 to finish inside the top-10, in a tie for 8th. The 20-year-old Barry University sophomore continues to have a memorable season, winning seven NCAA events and capturing the Jack Nicklaus award, given to the top golfer in NCAA Div I, II and III golf.
Click here for full results from the Player Amateur Championship.
RICHMOND, British Columbia – Taylor Kim of Surrey, B.C. finished at 10-under par to win the 111th British Columbia Golf Women’s Amateur at Kamloops Golf and Country Club on Friday.
Kim shot 2-under 71 Friday to finish out a week of exceptional play, winning her first title at a British Columbia Golf Championship. The Team Canada member was already 2-under at the turn and only bogeyed once on number 15 that proved to be just a slight speed bump on the way to the title.
“I thought simple. Just hit the fairways and hit the green and two putt or if I get close just one putt it,” she said. “I came into trouble on number 15 a par-3 and bogeyed it but I knew I was still leading then I had a birdie opportunity on number 18 but I thought ‘just make par, don’t do anything stupid’ and it worked out.”
After recording the lowest score of the tournament during the opening-round of the championship, a 6-under 67, Kim struggled slightly the following round with tough wind conditions. She proved her adaptability the following round when she shot 70 (-3) to reclaim the lead.
“There was no wind today, it was a perfect and I knew it was going to be my day it felt just like the first day,” said the 19-year-old.
“I was a little nervous going into the round because it was my first opportunity to win this event and I’m just really excited to win” she explained. “I felt like I played really great, I used the advantage of the par-5’s again and it worked out.”
A Ram Choi finished two-strokes back of Kim, finishing second at 8-under. Choi briefly co-led at the midway mark of the tournament after finishing 3-under in back-to-back rounds. Choi shot 3-under for the final round to finish at 8-under.
Alisha Lau played an incredible four rounds of golf to finish third at 6-under. The 14-year-old from Richmond, B.C.’s 3-under-par 70 on Friday was good enough to earn her a top three finish and the final spot on Team British Columbia which will represent the province at the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship July 22-25 at Craigowan Golf & Country Club in Woodstock, Ont.
The 2014 B.C. Junior Girl’s Champion, Naomi Ko, finished fourth at a 4-under 288. She was followed by Michelle Kim of Surrey, B.C. and Christina Proteau of Port Alberni at 289. Proteau won the Mid-Amateur title.
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