The Canadian Amateur Women’s Championship will continue into the third round Thursday without any Saskatchewan representation.

Both Chloe Wills of Kyle and Autumn Neiszner of Regina were back of the cut line at the national event on Tuesday in Halifax, N.S. at the Ashburn Golf Club and will not play the final two rounds.

For Wills, making her amateur national debut, the highlight came on Tuesday in the opening round when the Sask. Landing Golf Resort member hit a hole-in-one on hole 14. That assisted her in an opening round 82, she shot 83 in round two for finish at 21-over par.

Neiszner posted an opening round 93 and followed that with a 91 for a two-day score of 40-over par, 184.

As a team the duo finished in eighth place overall in the inter-provincial competition, that honour was taken by Ontario who won by 12 shots over British Columbia.

The championship of the 109th women’s amateur will be crowned on Friday afternoon.

To see the complete results click here.

Two-time Saskatchewan junior women’s champion, college winner and national team champion, you can now add PGA of Canada Professional to the impressive resume of Melville’s Chloe Sies.

Following a college career that started in Red Deer and ended in Kelowna at the UBCO, Sies is now the general manager of the Melville Regional Park Golf Course. She is also the newest member of the PGA, receiving her certification just last week.

Golf Saskatchewan caught up with Sies earlier this summer to hear about school, taking the Melville job, working towards professional certification, her home course, and what’s next.

Halifax, N.S. – The 109th installment of the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO, gets underway next week at Ashburn Golf Club (New) in Halifax, N.S.

The championship, which was first contested in 1901, is one of the longest standing amateur golf events in the world. The inaugural tournament at Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Que., featured only three players and over a century later, 156 players will look to etch their name onto the Duchess of Connaught Gold Cup in 2023.

“Golf Canada is extremely excited to bring the storied Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship to Halifax and welcome a premiere field of Canadian and International talent,” said Golf Canada tournament director Mary Beth McKenna. “The 2023 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship will be a memorable event for all players, officials, club staff and volunteers involved, and we are grateful to our hosts, Ashburn Golf Club, for all their efforts. We know the players will enjoy this incredible course and the club’s Atlantic hospitality.”  

Practice rounds are scheduled for Monday July 31, before the official 72-hole stroke play competition begins on August 1. Play is scheduled to wrap up on August 4, followed by an awards ceremony and champions reception. The field will be cut to the low 70 players (including ties) after 36 holes.

Two players from Saskatchewan will represent the team competing in a 36-hole inter-provincial competition as well as the individual championship.

Autumn Neiszner of Regina and Chloe Wills of Kyle are in the field. Wills will tee off at 8:20 a.m. Tuesday for her first round, Neiszner is 10 minutes behind at 8:30 a.m. Both will start on hole 10.

The tournament will welcome the return of 40 international players 21 from the United States, nine from Australia, three from Chinese Taipei, and representation from England, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand are slated to tee up at Ashburn Golf Club this week.

Also being reintroduced this year is the Inter-Provincial team competition. The Inter-Provincial Championship will be played in conjunction with the first 36 holes of the competition with three-player teams vying for the team title. Team British Columbia – composed of Yan Jun (Victoria) Liu, Leah John, and Ha Young Chang are the reigning champions from 2022.

The 156 player field features 10 members of Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad led by defending champion Monet Chun (Richmond Hill, Ont.) along with teammates Angela Arora (Surrey, B.C.), Brook Rivers (Brampton, Ont.), Céleste Dao (Notre-Dame-De-l’île-Perrot, Que.), Katie Cranston (Oakville, Ont.), Lauren Kim (Surry, B.C.), Lauren Zaretsky (Thornhill, Ont.), Leah John (Vancouver, B.C.), Michelle Liu (Vancouver, B.C.), and Nicole Gal (Oakville, Ont.).

The NextGen Squad will also be well-represented with 10 members of the junior team slated to compete: Alissa Xu (Richmond Hill, Ont.), Anna Huang (Coto De Caza, Calif.), Carlee Meilleur (Lansdowne, Ont.), Lindsay McGrath (Oakville, Ont.), Luna Lu (Burnaby, B.C.), Martina Yu (Coquitlam, B.C.), Michelle Xing (Richmond Hill, Ont.), Vanessa Borovilos (Etobicoke, Ont.), Vanessa Zhang (Vancouver, B.C.) and Yeji Kwon (Port Coquitlam, B.C.).

West Vancouver’s Jenny Guo is the youngest player in the field at the age of 11 and there are five members of Ashburn Golf Club teeing it up this week: Abbey Baker, Annika Parkash, Haley Baker, Lori Diturbide and Brittany Anderson.

The purse payout that was introduced in 2022 will continue at this year’s championship. To align with the modernized Rules of Amateur Status, players at the Canadian Amateur Women’s Championship will compete for a purse of $8,000 CAD. Amateur golfers may accept prize money up to a maximum of $1,200 CAD, and payouts will be awarded to the top-10 finishers and ties.

Ashburn Golf Club is one of the most esteemed clubs in Canada and has played a significant role in Halifax for almost a century. Designed by legendary architect Stanley Thompson, the development of the new course at Ashburn commenced in 1965. Land near Kinsac Lake in Windsor Junction was identified and acquired, spanning an impressive 600 acres. To lead the project, the club turned to the expertise of Geoffrey Cornish, a distinguished member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and renowned golf designer who had previously worked alongside Thompson. New Ashburn rapidly became recognized as one of the finest courses in Eastern Canada.

“New Ashburn has a long history of hosting world-class events, and our team is excited and ready to showcase our golf course and facilities to some of the best female golfers in the world,” said Gordie Smith, General Manager at Ashburn Golf Club. “With over 100 volunteers in place, our membership has fully committed to ensuring that the event is spectacular. The whole club has stepped up in preparation and we can’t wait to welcome everyone to the East Coast to get this incredible championship started.”

The Championship was first contested in 1901 and operated by the former Canadian Ladies Association (CLGA) until the amalgamation of CLGA and Royal Canadian Golf Association (now Golf Canada) in 2005.

The Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship was last played in 2022 at Westmount Golf & Country Club in Kitchener, Ont. Team Canada National Squad member Monet Chun was crowned champion after firing 5-under to win the national championship by two shots over Alissa Xu.

With Lauren Zaretsky’s win in 2021 and Chun’s win in 2022, the competitors became the first Canadian duo to win back-to-back since Brooke Henderson and Augusta James captured the national title in 2013 and 2014.

Along with the championship’s storied history comes a coveted roster of competitors including Marlene Stewart Streit, a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, who sits atop the class with 11 victories and five runner-up finishes at the national event. The tournament has proven to be a launch pad for some of golf’s brightest young stars—Ariya Jutanugarn (2012), Brooke Henderson (2013), Hye-Jin Choi (2016), Jennifer Kupcho (2017) and Yealimi Noh (2018) are previous winners who now compete on the LPGA Tour.

The 2023 Canadian Women’s Amateur champion will receive an exemption into the 2023 CPKC Women’s Open, 2023 U.S Women’s Amateur Championship and the 2024 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.

More information about the 2023 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship can be found here.

GOLF CANADA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Golf Canada annually conducts more than 30 golf competitions and qualifiers nation-wide – including nine National Amateur Championships – which play host to more than 3,000 domestic and international athletes from all corners of the world. In partnership with our host clubs, thousands of volunteers, provincial golf associations and our proud sponsors, Golf Canada is dedicated to supporting player development through world-class competition since our inception in 1895. Officiated by certified Canadian Rules of Golf officials, Golf Canada’s amateur competitions are fully compliant with golf’s international governing bodies and include marquee events such as the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships as well as the Canadian Junior Girls and Junior Boys Championships. Golf Canada’s amateur championships are proudly supported by BDO Canada, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Titleist, FootJoy, Sport Canada, Levelwear and JOURNIE Rewards. For more information and scheduling visit www.golfcanada.ca/championships.

The Golf Saskatchewan Junior Order of Merit Tour (OMT) has been busy of late with a couple events taking place since the provincial under-19 championships in Swift Current in early July.

On July 18 and 19 the Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA) made a stop at Deer Valley Golf Club for a two day event, the results can be seen here.

From July 24 and 25 the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) was just outside Saskatoon for a tournament at Moon Lake Golf and Country Club.

Tayla Perry of Regina was the winner of the under-15 girls division thanks to rounds of 81 and 83. The Wascana Country Club player was 30 shots better than fellow Regina golfer Yuna Lee. Saskatoon’s Youran Zhu was third.

Kaylee Chung of Vancouver was the lone participant in the under-19 category, largely due to the Canadian Junior Girls Championship in Hampton, N.B.

On the boys’ side of the 36-hole event Hunter Kutcher of Regina was the overall winner holding off Darien Herlick of Weyburn in a playoff in the under-19 boys category and overall championship.

Both Kutcher and Herlick were at 142 following two rounds but a par for Kutcher gave him the win in his last MJT event.

A three-way tie between Brett Leonard, Davin Karst, and Josh Czuy made up third place.

In the under-15 division Saskatoon’s Aricin Franklin won again. Fresh off an under-15 provincial win and events in California (IMG Academy Junior World Championships and the Callaway World Championship) the Riverside Country member has won every bantam event on the MJT Saskatchewan slate this year and leads the OMT standings for his age group by 350 points.

Lucas Sturgeon of Saskatoon was second, North Battleford golfer Finn Silver placed third.

The under-13 division winner was Austin Nesbitt of Pilot Butte.

Just like Franklin, the 12-year-old returned from California events to capture another MJT title. The Wascana Country Club member shot 70 and 73 to win by seven shots over Regina’s Jun Lee.

Melville golfer Keaton Kreklewich was third at 155 (79, 76).

There was also a playoff for the under-17 title that was won by Saskatoon’s Jack Maharaj.

The 15-year-old was tied with Ryan Mosher and Dane Giesbrecht after 36 holes, but in the playoff Maharaj sunk a 15-foot birdie putt to claim the win, the Saskatoon Golf and Country Club members’ first of the year.

Ben Staines was fourth a shot outside the three-way playoff, Jordan Heller shot 152 to round out the top five.

All the results can be found here, the one-day MJT Mini-Tour was also in the Bridge City on Monday, the results are available here for the 18-hole event at Wildwood Golf Course.

To see the up to date OMT standings for all the tours click here.

Next up for the juniors on the OMT is the CJGA Saskatchewan Championship at Deer Park Municipal Golf Course in Yorkton from Aug. 1 to 3.

The Women’s OMT resumes Aug. 5 to 7 with the TS&M Woodlawn FrameTech Ladies Classic in Estevan.

The Men’s and Senior Men’s OMT also features Estevan’s FrameTech event. Cooke Municipal Golf Course in Prince Albert will hold the Men’s Northern Championship that weekend as well.

The Canadian Junior Girls Championship wrapped up in Hampton, N.B. Thursday at the Hampton Golf Club.

Yorkton’s Ella Kozak was the top placing Saskatchewan player at the national event tying for 24th at 19-over par. The 17-year-old Deer Park Municipal Golf Course member shot 77, 75, 75, and 76. Kozak was 22 shots back of winner Eileen Park of Red Deer, Alta.

Regina’s Hallie Crozier made the cut as well carding rounds of 83, 77, 89, and 81 for a 72 hole score of 46-over par, 330. The 18-year-old was 67th overall.

Sarah Henderson of Saskatoon and Niya Friesen from Swift Current joined Crozier as Team Saskatchewan. Both players missed the cut, but gained valuable experience with several years left as junior competitors.

Friesen, 14, shot back-to-back rounds of 86 in her national debut. Henderson was also competing in her first national event, the 15-year-old posted a 94 on day one before shaving six shots off her score in round two carding an 88.

Grace Odnokon also competed as the team alternate, the 13-year-old shot 91 and 93 in her first of potentially many Canadian events.

In spite of a young team representing the province the team placed a respectable seventh overall just 13 shots back of both Ontario and Alberta at 8-over par. Ontario won the team competition through a tie breaker.

The next national event is the Canadian Amateur Women’s Championship in Halifax, N.S. at the Ashburn Golf Club. Autumn Neiszner of Regina and Kyle’s Chloe Wills are the lone Saskatchewan competitors at the championship that begins on Aug. 1.

The North American Indigenous Games wrapped up in Halifax last week with Saskatchewan taking the overall medal standings with a total of 175, three of those accomplishments were on the golf course.

Competing at the Links at Brunello in Halifax, Nova Scotia, two junior women from the province won medals as did one junior male.

In the under-16 female division Hailey Thunderchild placed third with a 54-hole score of 301.

In the under-19 female category Cassidy Strongarm made it to a championship playoff where she was edged by Nakomis Mitchell. Strongarm comes back to Saskatchewan with a silver medal.

Gabrielle Paskemin also played well finishing in fourth place, missing the podium by a dozen strokes.

Solomon Ness captured a silver medal in the male under-19 category thanks to his three round total of 237, he was eight strokes behind the winner.

Jagger Bitz finished in seventh place at 254.

Both competitors in the under-16 male category were close to the top-three but Dade Bernatchez and Dante Gamble placed fourth and fifth respectively. Bernatchez shot 226, he was nine shots back of third, Gamble fired a total score of 243.

For complete results of the golf championship at NAIG click here.

Hampton, N.B. – Top junior golfers from across North America will come together at Hampton Golf Club in Hampton N.B. from July 23-27 to compete in the 68th playing of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship presented by BDO.

Five players from Saskatchewan are in the field, competing for Team Saskatchewan is Hallie Crozier (Regina), Niya Friesen (Swift Current), and Sarah Henderson (Saskatoon). Ella Kozak of Yorkton was exempted into the national championship, Grace Odnokon of Saskatoon is competing as an alternate.

The impressive field is led by eight members of the Team Canada NextGen squad—Alissa Xu (Richmond Hill, Ont.), Michelle Xing (Richmond Hill Ont.), Yeji Kwon (Port Coquitlam, B.C.), Luna Lu (Burnaby, B.C.), Anna Huang (Coto De Cazo, CA), Carlee Meilleur (Lansdowne, Ont.), Lindsay McGrath (Oakville, Ont.) and Martina Yu (Coquitlam, B.C.).

Yeji Kwon comes in as the defending champion, having won last year’s championship by eleven strokes. After an opening round 75, the British Columbian carded rounds of 67, 65 and 70 for a total score of 11-under par 277, enroute to the national title. Kwon was also crowned champion of the Juvenile Girls division for girls 16 and younger.

In total, 37 of Canada’s top golfers from the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) are included in the 130-player field along with 2 international competitors.

“The 2023 Canadian Junior Girls Championship will be a memorable event for all players, staff and volunteers involved,” said Golf Canada Tournament Director Dan Hyatt. “Hampton Golf Club has stepped up in a major way, committing over 100 volunteers to the championship and has done an amazing job engaging the local community and embracing this National Championship. The golf course will be in excellent shape and will be a great test to all of the players.”

A practice round will be conducted Sunday, July 23 prior to the championship’s opening round on Monday, July 24. Following the first two rounds of play, the field will be reduced to the low 70 players and ties with the top ten juvenile and ties included in the final two rounds.

A tie breaker, if necessary, will be decided by a hole-by-hole playoff immediately following the conclusion of play.

Located in the town of Hampton, The Hampton Golf Club is known as one of the most scenic and popular 18-hole golf courses in all southern New Brunswick. Suitable for golfers of all levels, the course overlooks Darlings Lake with the hills of Kings Country offering a striking view.

“Hampton is extremely excited to be able to showcase our fantastic course to the country, Hampton is very proud of the product we offer, thanks to our Superintendent Andy Magee’s hard work and dedication, said Head Golf Professional at Hampton Golf Club, Jon Garron. “Hampton is truly a member’s course and they all come together to showcase the club when hosting major events as shown by over 100 volunteers. We cannot wait to see some tremendous play from all the competitors and wish them the best as they compete for a National Championship.”

The Championship was first contested in 1955 and operated by the former Canadian Ladies Association (CLGA) until the amalgamation of CLGA and Royal Canadian Golf Association (now Golf Canada) in 2005.

The Canadian Junior Girls Championship has a long list of distinguished past champion names on the Brokenshire Trophy, including Canadian Golf Hall of Famers Sandra Post (1964-66), Betty Stanhope (1956), Judy Darling (1957), Gail Harvey Moore (1958-1960) and Gayle Borthwick (1961) along with current LPGA Tour players Brooke Henderson (2012), Maddie Szeryk (2013) and Alena Sharp (1999). Stollery Family Team Canada Women’s Head Coach Salimah Mussani (1996) is also a past Canadian Junior Champion.

An inter-provincial team competition will take place over the first two rounds. Each day, the lowest two of three individual 18-hole scores will count towards the team total. The lowest aggregate score over rounds one and two determines the inter-provincial team champions, who will claim the Mary Pyke Trophy.

The Ontario trio of Shauna Liu (Maple, Ont.), Joline Truong (Mississauga, Ont.) and Aryn Matthews (Little Britain, Ont.) will look to defend the province’s team title.

The new purse payout that was introduced in 2022 will continue at this year’s championship. To align with the modernized Rules of Amateur Status, players at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship will compete for a purse of $8,000 CAD. Amateur golfers may accept prize money up to a maximum of $1,200 CAD, and payouts will be awarded to the top-10 finishers and ties.

The 2023 Canadian Junior Girls champion will receive an exemption into the 2023 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship and 2024 U.S Girls’ Junior Championship, if eligible.

Golf Canada recognizes the financial resources required to play in a national championship. Accordingly, Golf Canada is pleased to provide needs-based financial assistance grants to help reduce the cost of competing in both the Canadian Junior Girls Championship and Canadian Junior Boys presented by BDO again this year. These available funds would not be possible without the support and generous donation of the Gary Cowan Heritage Fund and the Canadian Seniors Golf Association.

For more information on Golf Canada’s Financial Assistance Grant Program click here.

For more information on the 2023 Canadian Junior Girls Championship click here.

GOLF CANADA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Golf Canada annually conducts more than 30 golf competitions and qualifiers nation-wide – including nine National Amateur Championships – which play host to more than 3,000 domestic and international athletes from all corners of the world. In partnership with our host clubs, thousands of volunteers, provincial golf associations and our proud sponsors, Golf Canada is dedicated to supporting player development through world-class competition since our inception in 1895. Officiated by certified Canadian Rules of Golf officials, Golf Canada’s amateur competitions are fully compliant with golf’s international governing bodies and include marquee events such as the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships as well as the Canadian Junior Girls and Junior Boys Championships. Golf Canada’s amateur championships are proudly supported by BDO Canada, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Titleist, FootJoy, Sport Canada, Levelwear and JOURNIE Rewards. For more information and scheduling visit www.golfcanada.ca/championships.

New year, same champions at the 2023 Saskatchewan Senior Championships at Cooke Municipal Golf Course on Wednesday.

Kim Walker of Regina won her third straight 55-plus championship holding off Kathy Ziglo for her fourth senior championship overall.

Joining Walker and Ziglo on Team Saskatchewan at the 2023 Canadian Senior omen’s Championship will be Prince Albert’s Pauline McDougall who was third.

Walker spoke with Golf Saskatchewan after the win.

The 60 and over competition named after Mae Balmos, was won by Robin Action of Lloydminster. She edged Moose Jaw’s Lorie Boyle for her first victory in the category.

The complete results of the championship can be found here.

Rick Hallberg captured his fourth consecutive senior championship Wednesday and fifth overall with a four shot win over Brad Phelps of Saskatoon.

Cliff Selander of Prince Albert will join Hallberg and Phelps at the Canadian Senior Men’s Championship in September.

Hallberg spoke about the win after the final round.

The super-senior (65+) came down to a playoff between Colin Coben of Delisle and Swift Current based veteran Brent Wotypka. Wotypka (pictured below) won the playoff to take the age division and seal a position at the national event as well. Also receiving quota positions at the Canadian championship is Martin Ring and Trent Kachur, both of Prince Albert.

The legends (75+) division again featured just one golfer, but Moose Jaw’s Ken Bradley continues to compete and shot 79, 81, 81 over the 54-hole event at Cooke Municipal.

The Mid-Masters Men’s Championship for players over 40 up to 54 years of age was won by Spiritwood’s Todd Turgeon with a three-round score of 1-under par, 212. Turgeon received an exemption into the Canadian Mid-Amateur Men’s Championship with the win, however he had already punched his ticket to the national event through the Saskatchewan Mid-Amateur Championship.

The complete results of the Senior and Mid-Masters (40+) Championships can be seen here.

The names at the top of the leaderboards at the Saskatchewan Senior Championships in Prince Albert are the same after day one, but the majority of the competitors had a longer day than what was planned during Tuesday’s second round.

At 1:50 p.m. a thunderstorm rolled over Cooke Municipal Golf Course forcing an hour and 25 minute delay, with five groups left to start their round.

Regina’s Kim Walker and the entire women’s field was on the course when the air horns signaled the stoppage due to lightning. The pause didn’t alter the Wascana Country Club’s players’ game immensely, reigning back-to-back champion shot 75 Monday in round one, that vaulted to 80 in rainy conditions Tuesday. She leads the event by nine shots over Kathy Ziglo of Saskatoon.

Prince Albert’s Pauline McDougall was the big mover of the day jumping to third from eighth thanks to an 8-over 81 on Tuesday.

See all the results here.

The final round will begin late Wednesday morning.

In the men’s senior championship a three-way tie after round one is now down to two.

Defending champion Rick Hallberg of Weyburn and Prince Albert player Cliff Selander remain tied for the lead, they followed their 74 on Monday with 1-over par 72 during the second round.

Martin Ring, also of Prince Albert was tied after day one, he shot 77 in round two and still sits in third and will play in the same group in the championship round Wednesday.

Several players had better rounds in the rain on Tuesday and climbed the leaderboard, Brad Phelps of Saskatoon moved up four spots to fourth place, Shawn Strelau, also of Saskatoon moved up five positions to fifth, he’s tied with Prince Albert’s Trent Kachur for fifth.

Delisle’s Colin Coben climbed 10 spots into a tie for seventh.

Spiritwood’s Todd Turgeon retained his lead atop the Mid-Masters (40+) Championship, he shot 1-over par 72 on Tuesday, Turgeon leads the age division by five shots over Hallberg.

The men’s results are here.

The championship round begins at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, the presentation of the trophies will be at approximately 6 p.m.

Kim Walker of Regina has a large lead after day one of the 2023 Saskatchewan Senior Women’s Championship at Cooke Municipal Golf Course in Prince Albert.

The Wascana Country Club member carded a pair of birdies on route to an opening round score of 3-over par 75 on Monday. The two-time reigning champion has a nine shot lead through 18 of the 54 hole championship.

Kathy Ziglo of Saskatoon and Lorie Boyle from Moose Jaw sit tied for second place at 11-over par 84. Robin Acton of Lloydminster is fourth at 85, Jo-Anne Schiller (Lloydminster) and Kathy Hopfner (Swift Current) are tied for fifth at 86.

The full results are here.

In the Mid-Masters (40+) Championship Todd Turgeon sits on top of the leaderboard at 2-under 69. He leads reigning champion Rick Hallberg by five shots after day one at Cooke Municipal Golf Course.

Three players are tied in third place including Kris Carley (Carnduff), Brent Wotypka (Swift Current), and Dave Christiansen (Nipawin) all carded rounds of 4-over par 75 on Monday.

The Saskatchewan Senior Men’s Championship is led by the three-time champion Hallberg of Weyburn.

The Golf Kenosee member sits on top the 55+ leaderboard, but he has company.

Prince Albert players Martin Ring and Cliff Selander also opened the championship with 3-over par 74’s on Monday.

Three players are tied for fourth at 75 including Wotypka, Christiansen, and Saskatoon’s David Bird.

The full results of all the men’s age divisions can be found here.

The second round of the three round tournaments continues Tuesday starting with the first tee time at 7:30 a.m.