This past Sunday at Eagle Point Resort in La Ronge nearly 40 junior players took part in the 2019 Fall Golf FORE Juniors event.

Golfers from three different age categories were eligible, there was a five to 14 par 3 division, a 10 to 18 age group, those players competed for the Eagle Point Junior Open Championship. They also had a collegiate division for players 19 to 23 years of age.

Organizer Devin Bernatchez spoke with MBC Radio sportscaster Braden Malsbury on Monday following the event, you can see more here.

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Wondering how Canada’s Olympic golf team will be selected? You’re not alone.

In 2016, golf made its historic return to the Olympic Games for the first time in 112 years, dating back to when Canadian George S. Lyon won gold for Canada at St. Louis 1904. A lot has happened since 2016 (new Rules of Golf and new PGA TOUR schedule just to name a few) and many golf fans have forgotten how Olympic qualifying works, which is why we’re writing this article.

The field for the 2020 Olympic golf competition will include 60 women and 60 men competing over 72 holes of stroke play in a men’s individual event (July 30-August 2) and a women’s individual event (August 5-8).

Athletes earn their spots on their respective Olympic Golf Team based on their standing in the respective men’s and women’s Olympic golf rankings. The final day for qualifying is June 22, 2020 for the men’s teams and June 29, 2020, for the women’s teams.

The top-15 players will qualify with a limit of up to four golfers per any one country. Any remaining spots will go to countries who do not already have two golfers qualified, with a limit of two per country. As well, the International Golf Federation (IGF) has guaranteed at least one golfer from the host nation and each geographical region (Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania) will qualify.

If Canada’s team was determined today (Sept. 12, 2019), Adam Hadwin, Corey Conners, Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp represent Canada. However, there’s still plenty of golf to be played before the selection is made.

Golf Canada is the National Sports Federation and governing body for golf in Canada representing 319,000 golfers and 1,400 member clubs across the country. A proud member of the Canadian Olympic Committee, Golf Canada’s mission is to increase Canadian participation and excellence in golf. By investing in the growth of the sport and introducing more participants of all ages to the game, our vision is to be a world leader in golf.

Prior to being named to the final Canadian 2020 Team, all nominations from Canada are subject to approval by the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Team Selection Committee following its receipt of nominations by all National Sport Federations.

Golf Canada joins the entire golf industry in mourning the passing of golf industry veteran Ian Webb. After a brave battle with cancer, Webb passed away Saturday, September 7th, 2019 at the age of 54. He is survived by his wife Helen as well as his daughters Gillian and Allison.

Webb, a respected member of the PGA of Canada and the Canadian Society of Club Managers, was Chief Operating Officer of the Credit Valley Golf and Country Club in Mississauga, Ont. Before that, he spent eight years as Credit Valley’s Director of Golf. He had also spent time working as a golf professional at St. George’s Golf and Country Club, Peterborough Golf and Country Club and Bridgewater Country Club in Fort Erie over the course of his distinguished career.

In March of 2019, Webb was diagnosed with glioblastoma, the same aggressive form of brain cancer that took famed Canadian rocker Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip in October of 2017.

His impact on the game of golf in Canada and his industry peers has been significant. He has mentored several golf professionals who now hold Head Professional and Director of Golf positions in Western Canada, the United States and as far away as Thailand. Since his diagnosis, his fellow professionals and countless colleagues in the industry rallied around Webb with the hashtag #WebbyStrong on T-shirts and across social media as a tribute to their close friend.

The impact of Ian Webb has continued in force across a number of initiatives. The PGA of Canada renamed their national education program the Ian Webb Scholarship Fund in April 2019. The #WebbyStrong initiative online and through various activities has raised over $60,000 for the scholarship fund and for the Trillium Health Partners Foundation in Mississauga. As well, the members and staff of Credit Valley have donated over $75,000 to honour Webb with a memorial Verdin clock tower to be added to the practice area at Credit Valley Golf and Country Club.

Prior to his passing, Webb was also a driving force behind Credit Valley’s decision to host the 2019 Golf Fore the Cure National Event on September 23rd. The 144-player scramble tournament will welcome female golfers of all abilities from across the country in a fun golf event that raises awareness and funds for breast cancer research.

On Wednesday, September 18th from 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm Credit Valley Golf and Country Club will welcome its members, PGA of Canada Professionals and CSCM General Managers to share a story about Ian and toast to his impact, his legacy and love of the game.

If interested, donations to the Trillium Health Partners would be appreciated by the family.

GLENEAGLES, Scotland – Suzann Pettersen stood over the final shot of her golfing career, not quite realizing it also was the last shot of the most dramatic Solheim Cup ever played.

Europe’s players had their hands over their mouths, and their captain could barely watch. Blissfully unaware of what was unfolding was 1-year-old Herman, Pettersen’s first child who was also among the thousands around the 18th green at Gleneagles.

The putt was from 7 feet, slightly left to right, and it never looked like missing.

After being mobbed by her teammates on the 18th green, an emotional Pettersen held Herman in her arms and kissed him. The Europeans had regained the Solheim Cup and one of the stalwarts of women’s golf had her perfect ending.

“Yeah, this is it. I’m completely done,” said the 38-year-old Pettersen, confirming her sudden decision to retire. “It doesn’t get any better.”

On an afternoon of singles matches that pretty much had everything, Europe secured a 14 1/2-13 1/2 win over the United States to claim the biggest team prize in female golf for the first time since 2013.

The final act, spread over two holes with virtually simultaneous putts, could not have been more thrilling.

Just as Pettersen was addressing her putt at No. 18, U.S. player Ally McDonald slid a putt to the right of the hole at No. 17 and walked up to Bronte Law to concede the match in favour of the Europeans.

The score changed to 13 1/2-13 1/2 and – without her even realizing – the outcome of the contest hinged on Pettersen.

“I thought Bronte was in behind me on the (18th) fairway,” Pettersen said. “I actually didn’t know that it was THE putt.”

That it was Pettersen who secured the winning point felt apt.

She was a contentious wild-card pick by European captain Catriona Matthew because Pettersen had played just two tournaments – missing the cut in both – since November 2017. She had time off before and after giving birth to Herman, and then because of injury.

Pettersen also had a score to settle with the Solheim Cup. In her most recent appearance, at St. Leon-Rot in Germany in 2015, she refused to concede a short putt to Alison Lee on the 17th hole of a tight fourballs match before the singles on the final day. There were angry exchanges, and it stoked a fire inside the Americans as they fought back from 10-6 down going into the singles to win 14 1/2-13 1/2.

Pettersen later apologized.

“She gone from villain to hero,” said Laura Davies, one of the European vice captains.

Pettersen’s redemption story was delivered in Scotland, the home of golf, where the U.S. team hasn’t now won in three attempts. Playing in her ninth Solheim Cup, Pettersen won two of her three matches and is now a four-time Solheim Cup winner.

The day started with the teams locked at 8-8 after four sessions, and the first definitive break of the entire contest happened when the Americans took the lead for the first time since Friday lunchtime, at 12-11.

At 13 1/2-11 1/2, they needed just a half-point from the final three singles matches out on the course to guarantee retaining the cup, but then came the European fightback.

Anna Nordqvist completed a 4-and-3 win over Morgan Pressel. Then, on No. 17, Law sealed a 2-and-1 win over McDonald to tie the score. Pettersen delivered for Europe on No. 18, but only after her opponent, Marina Alex, slid a 10-foot birdie putt wide that, if it had found the hole, would have been enough for the U.S.

“I told them afterward, the sun’s going to come up tomorrow,” said U.S. captain Juli Inkster, when asked what she’d said to her players. “It was great for women’s golf. We played great.

“But you know what, the Europeans played great. You tip your hat. And you move on to Toledo.”

Inkster won’t be there in 2021, confirming afterward that she will not be captain for a fourth straight match. She finishes with two victories from three Solheim Cups as captain.

Two of the Americans, in particular, will still look back on the week with fond memories despite the loss. Jessica and Nelly Korda, the first sisters to play together in the fourballs or foursomes at the Solheim Cup, both finished with 3 1/2 points from four matches after coming from behind to win in the singles.

Nelly Korda, out in Match 2, was 3 down after nine holes against Caroline Hedwall but won 2 up. Jessica Korda, who at age 26 is five years older than her sister, beat Caroline Masson 3 and 2 after being 2 down.

Other key interventions for the U.S. in the singles came from Megan Khang, who birdied No. 18 to claim a half-point against Charley Hull, and Lizette Salas, who parred the last for a 1-up win over Anne van Dam.

But Europe, which had a historically inferior record in singles, managed to win the session 6 1/2-5 1/2 after victories in three of the first matches to finish – including Georgia Hall taking down world No. 3 Lexi Thompson 2 and 1 – and then those last three matches.

Hall and Celine Boutier, a 2-and-1 winner over Annie Park, both won all four of their matches.

Thompson, the highest-ranked player at Gleneagles, collected just two half-points from four matches.

Matthew, carried shoulder-high by her players on the 18th green, celebrated victory in her home country.

And Pettersen closed her career with 21 points in the Solheim Cup, the Norwegian described by Matthew as “one of the trailblazers in women’s golf.”

“Coming down No. 18, Beany (Matthew) said, ‘It’s why I picked you,”’ Pettersen said. “In your wildest dreams, especially where I’ve come from, I never thought I was going to do this again.”

We have two situations covered in this edition of Rule of the Week.

Situation 1

Ball is in the fence. You have to look closely, and you will see the vinyl fence has a base. No part of the ball would be touching the golf course if you ran a string/line up from the base. Unfortunately for the player but this ball is Out of Bounds and the player will proceed under Rule 18-2b, unless the Model Local Rule is in place.

Situation 2

In the picture below, the ball is lodged in a fence with no base, therefore, a part of the golf ball would be in bounds. The player could either play the ball as it lies or proceed under Rule 19 for an Unplayable Ball.

Rule 18-2b. What to Do When Your Ball Is Lost or Out of Bounds

If your ball is lost or out of bounds, you must take stroke-and-distance relief by adding one penalty stroke and playing a ball from where the previous stroke was made (see Rule 14.6).

The Canadian Men’s Senior Championship has wrapped up in Scarborough, Ont.

The top Saskatchewan golfer was Delisle’s Colin Coben who finished in a tie for 25^th at plus-19 for the event held at Cedar Brae Golf Course. The Valleyview Golf Course member carded a six-over, 77 on Friday to cap the 72-hole event. The tournament was Coben’s 31^st appearance at a national championship.

2018 Saskatchewan senior champion and team alternate this year, Rick Hallberg of Weyburn shot 75 in his final round. For the week the Weyburn product was 20-over par. He tied for 32^nd overall.

This season’s reigning Sask. senior champion Ken Rodgers of Regina was 12-over par during the final round, the Tor Hill Golf Course player closed the championship at plus-25. Rodgers will finish in a tie for 48^th place.

2017 champion Gene Elliott of West Des Moines, IA won the event at six-under, five shots ahead of the second-place finisher.

The complete leaderboard can be found here.

Saskatoon’s Josh Nagy has several golf championships on his resume, but the talented teenager was forced to decide on his future this summer.

A star forward with the Saskatoon Blazers AAA midget hockey team and 2018 Saskatchewan junior men’s golf championship created plenty of options for Nagy. He ultimately chose the golf avenue to further his post-secondary career.

“After our season ended the coach emailed me and said there’s a spot if I want it,” Nagy said of his commitment to Robert Morris University. “I had talked to him in the winter a little bit. I was focused on hockey, but the coach emailed me and said there’s a spot if I want it,’ Nagy said.

Nagy was considering signing with the Bonnyville Pontiacs of the Alberta Junior Hockey League and chasing hockey to further his education, but he decided to get on with his business education immediately out of high school in the Bridge City.

“It was definitely hard to decide between hockey and golf, it took a while to decide. I had the opportunity to sign with a couple junior “A” teams but ultimately chose here on what they had to offer. To come here right after school instead of taking two or three years off before coming to college, I want to get school done with,” Nagy explained.

On the course this past summer, Nagy was as stellar as ever, he won the Future Links Prairie Championship in Yorkton early in the season punching his ticket to the Canadian Junior Boy’s Championship. That allowed him to bypass the Saskatchewan junior provincials and compete in the IMG Junior Academy World Championship at Torrey Pines in San Diego. He said the experience was one he will never forget.

“It was amazing,” he said. “To get the exposure, I got there for the first round and I look around I see New Mexico State, Arizona State University, and Oregon scouts on the putting green, so it was nice to play good the first two rounds. I was even after two rounds, didn’t play my best in the third round and I missed the cut by one. I think the cut was top-50 out of 200 so to be up there was pretty nice.”

The Robert Morrison team, that is an NCAA Div. I program is preparing for their first event of the season on Sept. 16 and 17. Unfortunately Nagy won’t be in the field. He admitted being a top dog in a Canadian province doesn’t lead to a cake walk at college.

“We did five rounds of qualifying and unfortunately I missed going to the tournament by a couple shots. I’m putting in a lot of work right now to qualify for the next one. I have a day off now so I’m going to go to the course and hit some balls and play a bit and try to continue to get better and qualify for the next one,” he said.

Gary Brandon was more than a golf professional; the man was a sporting leader who is set to be recognized for what he did for the game across Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Brandon is one of three 2019 Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame inductees and the lone individual who will be enshrined on Sept. 21 posthumously. Brandon lost his fight with cancer in 2009.

Being honoured for his sporting accomplishments is nothing new, Brandon is in the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame as a member of the 1972 Unity Cardinals who won a national title, he was also enshrined into the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. His daughter, Bobbi, the professional at Moon Lake Golf and Country Club said recognizing his golf career was only a matter of time.

“We are very happy, we actually had started this process last year. We are very happy to see that it’s gone through and I know he would be very proud,” she said.

After becoming a member of the PGA of Saskatchewan Brandon started his 18-year tenure at the Melfort Golf and Country Club in 1983. While there he revived the men’s and ladies’ leagues and created the extremely popular Left-Right Championship that now bears his name. Brandon was also a driving force behind the men’s provincial championship simply now known as the Mid-Amateur under the guidance of Golf Saskatchewan. The 1996 Canadian Junior Women’s Championship was also hosted in Melfort under his tutelage. Whether it was golf tournaments for all skill levels or a curling event, Bobbi said her father put fun first in sports.

“He was always a huge supporter of sports in general,” she said. “He always wanted to bring people together, he seemed to really take to that. That’s kind of why the distinguished service nomination is a good fit for him.”

Brandon was named the PGA of Saskatchewan Senior Player of the Year in both 1998 and 1999. He was honoured by his peers with a lifetime achievement award in 2001. In 2002 he took his passion to Manitoba and worked at the Dauphin Lake Golf Club for another seven years. He designed the Mark’s Nine Golf and Country Club in the Prince Albert area too. With the event under two weeks away, Bobbi said her family is looking forward to a special night honouring their father.

“We’re happy to see him be acknowledged,” she said. “It’s always a little bittersweet after somebody has passed, but he’d be very honoured.”

Tickets are available here for the gala event at the Riverside Country Club.

Day three is complete at the 2019 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship at Cedar Brae Golf Club in Scarborough, Ont.

Ken Rodgers kept his tie for 24^th after posting a five-over, 76 on Thursday during round three. The Regina product who plays out of Tor Hill Golf Course sits at 13-over heading into Friday’s final round.

Delisle’s Colin Coben is also at plus-13 alongside Rodgers. Coben shot nine-over, 80 Thursday.

Rick Hallberg of Weyburn is still in the top-40 at the championship, the Golf Kenosee member stroked a 78 during round three. Hallberg sits at plus-16 overall.

American Gene Elliott continues to lead, the West Des Moines, IA golfer is at nine-under par, six shots ahead of the field.

The championship round takes place on Friday. The complete leaderboard can be seen here.

It was an impressive opening week for some of Saskatchewan’s student-athletes playing golf at US colleges.

Saskatoon’s Roman Timmerman made the biggest impression winning his first collegiate championship in the opening event of the season, the GAC Preview. Timmerman has been close to winning at the NCAA Div. II level over his first couple years at Southern Arkansas University (SAU), but he finally succeeded at the Lake Hefner Golf Course in Oklahoma City on Tuesday.

“It feels awesome,” he told Golf Saskatchewan on Wednesday. “I knew I was capable of doing it but, you never know until you do it. To get the monkey off my back, I’ve been putting a lot of work in lately, so it feels really good.”

Timmerman finished the 54-hole event with a score of 210 (68, 68, 70) and was tied with Dakota Clark of Oklahoma Baptist at 10-under par. The Riverside Country Club member ended up securing the win in a playoff. He said not only was winning a memorable moment but getting the victory early in the season takes some pressure off going forward.

“It takes a lot of the pressure off for sure,” he said. “My goal coming into this season was to get an individual victory. To do it right off the bat in the first tournament feels great, now I can focus on the team. We have a great team this year so hopefully we can continue with this momentum.”

As a team the Muleriders won the event, their second straight at the Hefner course. That’s also the school’s fourth win in the last calendar year under coach Ben Sanders. The overall score of 22-under, 842 is the second lowest ever in the university’s history. Timmerman’s tournament score was the fourth lowest in the school’s Div. II era dating back to 1995. Poised to have a big year along with Yorkton’s Kade Johnson, Timmerman said the success is exciting to be a part of.

“I don’t our program has seen this success before so to be a part of it feels awesome and to share it with Kade is pretty cool,” Timmerman said.

Next up for the Muleriders is the Northeastern State Classic on Sept. 16 and 17.

Kydd assists Indiana Wesleyan in team win

Regina’s Jacob Kydd put together a 36-hole plus-10 performance and helped the Indiana Wesleyan men’s golf team win their second straight event.

The Royal Regina Golf Club member finished in a tie for fifth after shooting rounds of 75 and 79 at the IWU Fall Invitational. The fifth-place finish follows a tie for sixth in Kydd’s first tournament of the season on Aug. 30.

The Wildcats, a school governed by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), travel to Peru, Indiana for the Battle at the Rock on Sept. 16 and 17.

Schmidt claims top-3 spot at Lewis-Clark State

Regina’s Alex Schmidt also performed well to start the year at her school, Lewis-Clark State College.

Schmidt shot a two-round total of 160 to finish third in the Argo Invitational in Great Falls, Mont. The Royal Regina member’s strong showing helped the Warriors finish second in the team competition.

Schmidt and the Warriors will travel to Helena, Mont. for the Fighting Saints Invitational on Sept. 23 and 24 for their next event.