Stroke Play

How to Proceed When Unsure of Rules in Stroke Play

Q. What should I do when I don’t know how to proceed in stroke play?

A. When you don’t know what to do in stroke play, you may seek a ruling from the Committee or play two balls if you are uncertain of what to do (see Rule 20.1c). Before playing two balls, you should declare which of the two balls you would like to score with. When you are done and prior to returning your scorecard, the facts must be communicated to the Committee, otherwise the player is disqualified.

Nine Canadians, including two members of the Team Canada National Amateur Squad have qualified to play the 119th U.S. Amateur Championship.

Ninety-six sectional qualifiers were held across North America from July 1-24, including one at The Thornhill Club in Thornhill, Ont., on Monday, July 22. Cougar Collins of Caledon, Ont., and Jackson Bowery of London, Ont., earned the two automatic exemptions at The Thornhill Club.

Julien Sale (Reunion Island) produced one of the lowest scores of any qualifier when he carded 10 under 132 at Mendon Golf Club in Rochester, N.Y. on July 8.

Calvin Ross (Fredericton, N.B.) was the low qualifier at The Ledges Golf Club in York, Maine on July 15. The 2017 Canadian Junior Boys champion finished one stroke ahead of Team Canada member Joey Savoie (La Prairie, Que.), with both players earning qualification.

Colwyn Abgrall (Niverville, Man.) finished as the low qualifier at the sectional at Fargo Country Club in Fargo, N.D.

Étienne Brault (Mercier, Que.), Tristan Mandur (Mill Bay, B.C.) and Chris Crisologo (Richmond, B.C.) all finished as runners-up at their respective qualifiers, therefore earning exemptions.

Eight additional Canadians are alternates for the championship; Jacob Presutti (Brampton, Ont.), Étienne Papineau (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.), Tyson Turchanski (Calgary), Kade Johnson (Yorkton, Sask.), Jeevan Sihota (Victoria), Cameron Kellett (Lambeth, Ont.), Josh Whalen (Napanee, Ont.) and Garrett Rank (Elmira, Ont.).

Each qualifier consisted of two stroke play rounds on the same day. Over 7,000 players attempted to qualify for the 312-player field.

The 119th U.S. Amateur Championship is being held at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in Pinehurst, N.C., from August 12-18.

Full results from all U.S. Amateur Championship sectional qualifiers can be found here.

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – Top junior golfers from across North America will head to Lethbridge Country Club from July 30-August 2 to compete in the 65th playing of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship.

The impressive field is led by the Team Canada National Junior Squad, with all five members set to chase the Brokenshire Trophy in Lethbridge; Céleste Dao (Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que.), Sarah Beqaj (Toronto), Emily Zhu (Richmond Hill, Ont.), Ellie Szeryk (London, Ont.) and Monet Chun (Richmond Hill, Ont.).

Dao is the defending champion, having won last year’s event by three strokes. She took the lead in the second round, but an impressive charge in the final round secured her the championship. Three birdies on her final five holes allowed her to separate from runner-up Emily Zhu.

In total, 16 of Canada’s top 50 golfers from the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) are included in the field.

“Lethbridge Country Club is the perfect host for our national Junior Girls Championship,” said Tournament Director Adam Cinel. “Its signature holes and fantastic layout will provide a great challenge for the best junior golfers across North America as they chase Canada’s national title.”

A practice round will be conducted Monday, July 29 prior to the championship’s opening round on Tuesday, July 30. Following the first two rounds of play, the field will be reduced to the low 70 players and ties with the top ten juvenile’s and ties included in the final round.

A tie for the championship will be decided by a hole-by-hole playoff immediately following the conclusion of play.

The 2019 Canadian Junior Girls champion will receive an exemption into the 2020 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.

Founded in 1909, Lethbridge Country Club has been on its current site since May 1932. Designed by renowned Canadian golf course architect Stanley Thompson, the course runs adjacent to the Old Man River. It was the site of the 2012 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, which was won by Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, who carded a course record 65 in the third round. A 14-year-old Brooke Henderson finished sixth.

“We are thrilled to be hosting this strong field at Lethbridge Country Club and welcoming this prestigious championship to our course,” said Brian Huculak, General Manager of Lethbridge Country Club. “The golf course is in tremendous shape and we look forward to showcasing its beauty as well as the great city of Lethbridge.”

The Canadian Junior Girls Championship has a long list of distinguished past champions, including Canadian Golf Hall of Famer and major champion Sandra Post, and current LPGA superstar and Canadian professional golf victory record-holder Brooke Henderson.

An inter-provincial team competition will take place over the first two rounds. The two best scores of the three golfers from each provincial team in rounds one and two count towards the team’s score. The lowest aggregate score over rounds one and two determines the champions, who will claim the Mary Pyke Trophy.

Quebec will look to defend their team competition title. The trio of Dao, Élizabeth Labbé (Lévis, Que.) and Emily Romancew (Pierrefonds, Que.) shot four over, four strokes ahead of British Columbia.

Additional information about the tournament, including the full field and tee-times is available here.

NOTABLES

Céleste Dao, Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que.
The 18-year-old played the 2019 US Women’s Open and is the highest-ranked Canadian in the field on the World Amateur Golf Ranking (No. 311). Dao also played the 2018 CP Women’s Open and placed fifth at the World Junior Girls Championship in September 2018. She currently leads the Future Links, driven by Acura Junior Girls Order of Merit and is sixth on the Golf Canada National Women’s Order of Merit.

Annabelle Ackroyd, Calgary
Ackroyd earned an exemption into the Canadian Junior Girls Championship in her home province by winning the Future Links, driven by Acura Western Championship in June. The 17-year-old defended her title as Alberta Junior champion earlier this summer.

Ellie Szeryk, London, Ont.
The sister of Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Maddie Szeryk, Ellie was in the hunt at last year’s Canadian Junior Girls Championship. She won the 2018 Golf Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship and played well at the 2018 World Junior Girls Championship. Szeryk also teed off at the South American Amateur Championship in January 2019.

Monet Chun, Richmond Hill, Ont.
Now in her third season on the Team Canada National Junior Squad, Chun won three tournaments in 2018. Although she missed the cut at the 2018 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, she finished in a tie for fourth at the tournament in 2017 and in the top ten in each of the previous three years. Chun also finished third at the AJGA C.T. Pan Junior Championship in April 2019.

Emily Zhu, Richmond Hill, Ont.
A runner-up performance at last year’s tournament was an incredible accomplishment for Zhu, who was only 14 years old at the time. She made the cut at the 2018 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, becoming one of the youngest players ever to do so. Zhu won the AJGA Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior and played well at the Women’s Porter Cup this season.

Sarah Bejaq, Toronto, Ont.
Bejaq placed fifth at last year’s Canadian Junior Girls Championship and joined the Team Canada National Junior Squad shortly thereafter. She posted top-10 finishes at both the 2018 Ontario Women’s Junior and Amateur Championships. Bejaq was one of six Canadians to play at the World Junior Girls Championship last year.

FAST FACTS

Dao’s win in 2018 broke a streak of three straight years in which a British Columbia golfer won the individual event: Susan Xiao in 2017 (Surrey, B.C.), Naomi Ko in 2016 (Victoria, B.C.) and Michelle Kim in 2015 (Surrey, B.C.).

Nine-time LPGA winner and major champion Brooke Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., won the event in 2012 at River Spirit Golf Club in Calgary, Alta.

The lowest single-round score in the tournament’s history is a 66 – Karen England (1997), Kristy Finlayson (1998), Elyse Archambault (2010) and Hannah Lee (2015).

Heather Kuzmich won four straight Canadian Junior Girls Championships from 1981-1984.

Four Canadian Golf Hall of Fame members are past champions of the event: Betty Stanhope-Cole (1956), Judy Darling Evans (1957), Gail Harvey (1958-60) and Sandra Post (1964-66).

Current LPGA golfer Alena Sharp was the 1999 Canadian Junior Girls Champion.

The 2019 Canadian Junior Girls champion will receive an exemption into the 2020 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.

When golfers have a tee time booked at their favourite club or on a trip with the sport a large part of the itinerary many look to the weather forecast before heading out hoping for a seasonally warm summer day. If you are going to spend upwards of five hours on the course skin care needs to be a requirement even when the sun isn’t shining.

Elizabeth Holmes is a Health Policy Analyst with the Canadian Cancer Society, she said some of the precautions people can take before heading out on the course for an extended period are creating your own shade with an umbrella, cover your skin with tightly woven clothes, and wear a wide brimmed hat and sunglasses. However the most important item to remember is checking the UV index and if it’s three or more take precaution with sunscreen.

“You are looking for that broad spectrum sunscreen with 30 SPF (sun protection factor),” she said. “30 is the minimum we encourage everyone to look for. Finding the brand or formula that works best for you, what are you going to apply that feels nice and what are you going to apply properly? I would suggest something that is sweat or water resistant, that usually has a timeframe on it of about 60 to 80 minutes.”

The mindset of most people heading outside for any extended period whether it’s work, or recreation is that if it’s cloudy outside they are safe from any sun damage to their skin. According to Holmes, that is false information and precautions need to be taken.

“We can’t see UV rays so they still get through clouds,” she explained. “That’s why it’s really important to check your UV index for the day. When it’s three or more you need to practice sun safety. In general between April and September in Saskatchewan you should practice sun safety no matter the weather when you are outside.”

Wind can also be a factor for more than a fade off the tee or slicing around a fairway dogleg in search of a birdie. A breeze, where there is no shortage in Saskatchewan can elevate your chance of getting a sunburn.

“Sometimes a windburn is actually used to refer to a sunburn,” Holmes said. “People think because it’s a cloudy windy day that they don’t need to practice sun safety. Sometimes it is a strong wind but sometimes it’s actually a sunburn people have gotten because they haven’t practiced sun safety. It’s important to practice sun safety when it’s cloudy and windy and dress accordingly to the weather.”

People that are fair skin, have light eyes and hair are more susceptible to skin damage from the sun. If you have suffered sunburns as a child you are also more at risk to serious skin damage. Holmes said there are some symptoms to watch out for if you do spend significant amount of time outdoors.

“If you have a mole or wart and there is a change in the shape, size, or colour you want to get that checked out. If you have a sore that isn’t healing, patches of skin that bleed, itch or become red or any kind of new growth that comes out of nowhere. It’s really just check your skin regularly for changes and know what’s normal for you and if something doesn’t look quite right get it checked out. It might be nothing, but it might be skin cancer so it’s important to be proactive about getting it checked out,” she said.

The Canadian Cancer Society has much more information available here.

The Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship will continue for the next two days but unfortunately no Saskatchewan ladies will be chasing a national title.

Representing the province was Kim Brown, Chloe Sies (pictured), Brooklin Fry, and Alex Schmidt. All four players missed the cut at the event hosted by the Red Deer Golf and Country Club.

Fry, 14, was the top performer shooting a two-round total of plus-24. The Shell Lake product was in decent shape after day one carding an eight-over, 80 but she shot 88 on Wednesday dropping her back in the field of the world’s best amateur women golfers.

Melville’s Chloe Sies had a much better round during the second day of the event carving ten strokes off her score but unfortunately her 91 on Tuesday left her too far back of the cut line. She finished at plus-28.

Kim Brown also posted a better round during the second day of the championship going from 91 to 88 but her plus-35 leaves her behind the cut line.

Alex Schmidt posted rounds of 95 and 97 meanwhile picking up valuable experience for what is expected to be many more national appearances.

North Carolina’s Jennifer Chang is the leader at minus-eight,

A champion will be crowned on Friday.

Colin Coben has picked up another victory on what is all of a sudden a very busy Saskatchewan Senior Men’s Order of Merit Tour (OMT). The Delisle product claimed the Regina Dental Group South Sask. Senior Men’s Championship at Deer Valley on July 23.

The 2012 Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame inductee ran away from the field of 42 golfers winning by eight strokes over Regina’s Rick Ledingham. Coben posted back to back even rounds of 72 on route to his second OMT event win of the year. He won the Lobstick earlier on this season. In his four OMT standings qualifying tournaments the Delisle Valleyview member has two wins and two runner-up finishes.

Ledingham, who plays out of the Wascana Country Club posted rounds of 74 and 78 to finish at eight-over par. Harbor Golf and Resort member Percy Murray, Kevin Vollet and Jeff Wood of the Royal Regina Golf Club and Deer Valley player Stu Innes all finished tied for third at plus-10.

The win leaves Coben 187.5 OMT points behind reigning Saskatchewan senior OMT and provincial champion Rick Hallberg.

Estevan is hosting the Woodlawn FrameTech Classic from Aug. 3 to 5 for the next stop on the senior tour. Hallberg and Coben will likely decide the 2019 OMT champion a the 100^th Saskatchewan Senior Men’s Championship at the Royal Regina Golf Club on Aug. 6 to 8.

The deadline to register is Aug. 4 at 5 p.m.

Golf is advertised as a game for life; potentially nobody knows that more than Moose Jaw’s Mickey Gower.

On Tuesday, July 23 at the Deer Ridge Golf Course, Gower’s 100^th birthday was celebrated. Gower still golfs twice a week at the club where she’s been a member for over the last dozen years. She was a long-time member at the Hillcrest Golf Club but transitioned to the executive par-three Deer Ridge over a decade ago. Gower’s husband was in the Air Force and the couple moved several times, but golf was always something they did no matter the location.

“I started golfing when we were first married and he was working in the Air Force,” Gower told Golf Saskatchewan during her birthday celebration. “We moved to different towns for his work and we were in Yorkton at the time. I had never golfed much, but my husband played at Deer Park and there was a tournament that they wanted me to golf in and I said ‘no, no, no.’ Well, I ended up playing in it and I think I doubled the score. From then on, I golfed with my husband in every community we ended up in.”

Gower was also a member at the Lynbrook Golf Club during her years in Moose Jaw. When she started golfing at that club the greens were still sand. She transitioned to the Hillcrest when the curling rink became part of the facility as Gower still curls in the winter. She said being active is the secret to a long, healthy life.

“I think it has a lot to do with being in sports, I really do. Without sports, you don’t get the exercise. When I was younger, I played tennis and ball and I have met so many people through sports,” she said.

The Deer Ridge clubhouse was packed for her centennial celebration with family, friends, and other members of the club in attendance. Gower said the day was a perfect way to recognize the milestone.

“I just think it’s marvelous. All the people that came. I have been contacted by so many people, I can’t even count,” Gower said. “Everything has been super. Denise Corrin [Deer Ridge golf course owner] is so nice. I loved every minute of it.”

Gower passed along a thank you to everyone who attended the event, she also provided a message to young women growing up in today’s world.

“Try to obtain what they have always dreamed of being. There is always a way, if you really want something,” she said.

Corrin said the club was ecstatic to host Gower’s birthday party and said the day was memorable.

“It was a special day for us and her,” Corrin said. “Mickey is our oldest female golfer ever. We have a gentleman who is 94 who is our oldest male. To be above 90 and still be able to go out there and hit the ball is just phenomenal.”

Corrin added that having Gower at the club still playing two times a week adds to her incredible life story.

“I think it’s amazing, I think it’s amazing just to be on the right side of the grass,” Corrin beamed. “She doesn’t look 100, she doesn’t act like she’s 100. She’s an active lady and I think she is as healthy as she is because of how active she is. Golf is one of the few things at 100 years of age that is not too hard on your body that you can still manage to do.”

The Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) made a stop at the Dakota Dunes Golf Links just outside Saskatoon this week with over 70 golfers playing in the event.

Regina’s Autumn Neiszner continues her impressive season with another victory. The 15-year-old Wascana Country Club member is coming off a provincial junior women’s win and followed it up with a two-round total of 159 (81, 78) to hold off Saskatoon’s Sarah Grieve. Grieve, 16, was three shots back after carding rounds of 83 and 79. Sophie Pasitney of St. Paul Alta. placed third with a score of 180 (91, 89).

Braden O’Grady of Edmonton was the low overall boy in the field. He shot 68 in round one and 69 during the final round on Tuesday. His 137 was two strokes lower than Kindersley’s Cort Tunall’s 139 (72, 67) to win the juvenile boy’s division. Cole Bergheim of Red Deer finished third with a total of 140. Jayden Dudas of Estevan placed fourth at 145, Wawota golfer Theoren West rounded out the top-five at 148.

In the junior boy’s division, that played the same 6,310 yards as the juvenile’s was won by Saskatoon’S Josh Nagy. The Riverside Country Club member shot 71 and 69 to finish at 140 and win by seven strokes over Prince Albert’s Cole Jenkins. Colby Friedrich of Battleford carded rounds of 74 and 76 to finish in the top-three. Kyler Cote of Kindersley posted a two-round total of 154 to finish in fourth place, Regina’s Adam Husli recorded a top-five finish with a total of 156.

Bradin Stahl of Priddis, Alta. claimed the bantam boy’s category with a score of 143 (68, 75). Saskatoon’s Tommy Danielson, fresh off his solid performance at the Men’s Amateur Championship last week placed second with a total of 149 (69, 80). Colin Pasitney of St. Paul, Alta. finished third at 152, Darien Herlick out of the Weyburn Golf Club and Estevan’s Ryan Chernoff tied for fourth with scores of 156.

The peewee boy’s division was also won by an Alberta golfer, Brett Jones of Calgary shot 71 and 76 to hold off Warman’s Dane Giesbrecht by nine strokes to win the event. Peyton Stahl, a Priddis, Alta. product placed third with a score of 159. La Ronge golfer Dade Bernatchez was fourth at 163 (81, 82).

All the results can be seen here.

Mini-Tour Results 

Another 21 golfers were involved in the event playing a one-day event known as the MJT Mini-Tour. All the golfers are 12 or younger.

Saskatoon’s Poppy Hudye Baranesky won the 9 – 10-year-old girl’s category with a score of 107.

Keaton Kreklewich of Melville was the winner in the under-8 boy’s division with a round of 77.

In the boy’s 9 – 10 age group it was Saskatoon’s Lucas Sturgean coming out victorious with a score of 83.

Ayden Ross of Swift Current was the low golfer in the boy’s 11 – 12-year-old field. He won with a score of 86.

You can find all the Mini-Tour results here.

There is one more MJT event in Saskatchewan this season, that will be the MJT/Golf Saskatchewan OOM Championship at the Legends Golf Course in Warman on Aug. 24 and 25.

Brooklin Fry is the low Saskatchewan women competing at the Canadian Amateur Women’s Championship in Red Deer, Alta.

Fry, 14, of Shell Lake cared a solid round of eight-over, 80 during day one of the championship taking place at the Red Deer Golf and Country Club. The 2018 Saskatchewan Junior Women’s champion posted a couple birdies during her round on Tuesday and sits in a tie for 112^th.

Kim Brown and Chloe Sies both carded rounds of 91, 19-over in the first round of the four-day championship. They sit tied for 152^nd.

Alex Schmidt is at plus-23 after the first 18 holes, she sits in 155^th spot.

Provincially the team of Brown, Fry, and Schmidt is in in seventh place at plus-27.

Zoe Campos, of Valencia, California leads the event at minus-six. Quebec is atop the inter-provincial leaderboard at plus-four.

Sies is first on the tees tomorrow for Saskatchewan, she tees off at 7:30 a.m. Brown will hit the blocks at 2:09 p.m. Fry tees off at 2:20 p.m. and Schmidt hits her first shot with the 2:42 p.m. group.

The leaderboard can be seen here.

Back on July 9 and 10, Riverside Country Club players Don Steele and Warren Campbell went low to hold off a field of over 30 teams to win the Willows Senior Team championship.

Steele and Campbell carded rounds of 65 and 66 to edge Frank Enns and Colin Coben by just one stroke. Enns and Coben were tied for the day one lead but their round of 67 during the second round was a stroke back.

Taking third in the event was the team out of the Legends Golf Course of George Janson and Ian Larocque. They were another shot back at 133.

John Walsh and Rick Hillestad, both Riverside members placed fourth at 137, rounding out the top five was the twosome of Chuck Hainsworth and Keith Silvernagle with a score of 139.

Steele and Campbell collect 250 Senior Men’s Order of Merit Tour (OMT) points each for the win. Enns and Coben pick up 200 each, Janson and Larocque earned 175 points each. 150 OMT points were awarded to Walsh and Hillestad. Hainsworth and Silvernagle collected 125 each.

Mercator Financial South West Senior Men’s Championship  

Over the same weekend, the Elmwood Golf and Country Club hosted the Mercator Financial Southwest Senior Men’s Championship over three rounds.

Reigning Saskatchewan senior men’s OMT champion and provincial title holder Rick Hallberg was victorious. The Weyburn product, who calls Golf Kenosee home ran away from the field shooting 222 (73, 73, 76), six-over. Hallberg picked up 750 OMT points for the win to pad his lead atop the standings. He has 2,650 points through five events.

Warren Proctor of Saskatoon placed second behind Hallberg with a score of 229. The member at Saskatoon Golf and Country Club earned himself 600 OMT points for the second-place finish. Proctor sits in third position in the rankings behind Coben.

Swift Current’s Keith Miyashiro used home field advantage to secure a third-place finish at the tournament with a score of 231. Rod Grose, also an Elmwood member stroked a three-round total of 234 to place fourth. Finishing in the top-five was Regina’s Jody Lehmann and Kevin Vollet of Indian Head, they tied with scores of 238.

The complete results of both events and the OMT standings can be found here.

Next up for the senior men’s circuit is the Regina Dental Group South Saskatchewan Senior Men’s Championship at Deer Valley on July 22 and 23.

Regina Ladies Open 

On July 15 and 16 the Joanne Goulet Golf Course hosted the Regina Ladies Open.

Golf Sask. public player, Crystal Piero took the championship with a plus-10, 142. Piero was three strokes better than Wascana Country Club member Kim Walker who went 70, 75 over the two days.

Autumn Neiszner continues her incredible season with a third place showing at plus-20.

Reigning Saskatchewan senior women’s champion Lorie Boyle finished in fourth spot, Denise Wilson, who plays out of the Elmwood carded a plus-24, 156 to round out the top-five.

Saskatoon’s Abra Thompson finished sixth in the event, she earned 200 OMT points for the performance pushing herself into third on the women’s OMT leaderboard. Neiszner is in fifth in the standings.

The complete results of the tournament and the OMT race can all be found here.

The Pharmasave Ladies Open is the next tournament on the schedule, that takes place in Weyburn on July 27.