Julia Hodgson of Donalda Club won the Mid-Am Championship today, after a great round +7 (78) today. She went 79-78-78 (235) over three days to earn the title. She had four bogeys starting out on the front nine +4 (40) and have four bogeys and a birdie +3 (38) on the back nine.

It is “a great opportunity to have the mid amateurs with the amateurs, to demonstrate competitive golf can be played after college golf, for those with the responsibility of full time jobs and families. We played a challenging first class golf course and it took a lot of patience the last 54 holes. It’s always fun to play Golf Ontario events. Thank you to all who competed”. – Julia Hodgson

Ellie Szeryk has kept her lead through 3 rounds of the championship. It is a remarkable week for her at this championship, where she has gone 72-74-74 (220) through the first three rounds. Ellie was +2 (38) on the front nine with two bogeys, and +1 on the back nine (36) with two bogeys and a birdie.

For more information, visit the tournament site.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and Like us on Facebook, @TheGolfOntario for updates of the Investors Group Women’s Am and Mid-Am Championship.

Today marked the end of round three for the junior boys’ championship, with Grand Niagara’s Nolan Piazza in the lead. He finished today with a score of 211(73, 69, 69), putting him only one stroke ahead of Credit Valley’s Matthew Anderson. In third place with a score of 214 is the previous rounds leader Robbie Latter (68, 67, 79) tied with Zachary Wylie (75, 69, 70).

The warm weather seemed to bring some luck to Luc Warnock who shot a hole in one on a par four (hole 14). Or perhaps it wasn’t luck, after all Warnock said this was actually the third hole in one he has had in his career so far.  The adrenaline of the moment set the boys jumping for joy as their cheers turned heads of spectators and fellow golfers. Warnock said that he “just screamed and threw [his] club and started high fiving everyone… it was the best.” He finished today’s round with a score of 74, but says that he is excited for tomorrow’s round.

In an interview with today’s leader, Piazza also felt confident about what tomorrows round will bring. Reflecting on his game today, he said that he thought he played “very well for a lot of windy conditions.” Apart from the weather, Piazza says that there are some tough pins on the course but it is nothing that the boys can’t handle. Moving forward he does not plan on making any changes to his game, but will focus on staying patient.

Tomorrows round will make for an exciting competition after today’s change in standings. To find out more on results, tee times and pairings check out  the tournament site

The Investors Group Ontario Junior Boys’ Championship is open to male golfers 18 years of age and under, who have qualified through one of six qualifiers held across the province earlier this season. The Ontario Junior Boys’ Championship was first contested in 1923 at the Summit Golf & Country Club. Past winners of the event include Gerry Kesselring, Gary Cowan, Stu Hamilton, Mike Weir, Jon Mills and Albin Choi.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and Like us on Facebook, @TheGolfOntario for updates of the Investors Group Ontario Junior Boy’s Championship.

The Investors Group Ontario Women’s –Am & Mid-Am started off early this morning at Seguin Valley Golf Club with tee times from 7:50-10:50.  Szeryk leads after the second round, she shot a 74 today to keep her lead for a total of 146 this week so far (72, 74).  Today, Szeryk, was two under on the front nine, with two birdies and a bogey, and she was five over on the back nine, with a double bogey, bogey, and a birdie. Szeryk, a member of Team Canada’s National Development Squad.  Szeryk shot +1 on the first round with a 72.

For more information, visit the tournament site.

For updated scored, including the tournament leaderboard click here.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and Like us on Facebook, @TheGolfOntario for updates of the Investors Group Ontario Women’s Am & Mid-Am Championship.

The heat warning was still in effect today but did not seem to have any impact on Robbie Latter’s game. After another beautiful day at Loyalist Country Club in Bath, Ontario, the junior boys competed to make it past the second round cut.  Latter holds onto first place with a total score of 135(68, 67), with Subdury’s Tristan Renaud (69, 72) and Niagara’s Luke DelGobbo (71, 70) trailing behind with scores of 141.

Latter seem calm and collected after wrapping up his second round with 7 under today. He said that he is confident that he can shoot even lower as long as his game remains consistent. When asked his opinion on the courses difficulty he said that, “it’s kind of hard there’s really some tough pins, anything inside 30ft [of the green] is a good shot.” However, he believes he will continue to play as well as he has for the next rounds. Although he carries the lead by 6 strokes, he shared that he will not be “laying off” his game.

As the heat wave continues tomorrow, so does the competition for the junior boys. For more on results, tee times and third round pairings check out the tournament site

The Investors Group Ontario Junior Boys’ Championship is open to male golfers 18 years of age and under, who have qualified through one of six qualifiers held across the province earlier this season. The Ontario Junior Boys’ Championship was first contested in 1923 at the Summit Golf & Country Club. Past winners of the event include Gerry Kesselring, Gary Cowan, Stu Hamilton, Mike Weir, Jon Mills and Albin Choi.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and Like us on Facebook, @TheGolfOntario for updates of the Investors Group Ontario Junior Boy’s Championship.

The Investors Group Ontario Junior (U19) Boys’ Championship is taking place this week at Loyalist Country Club. It started off early this morning with split tees at 7:30. The leader after the first round is Robbie Latter, a member of Team Ontario.  Latter shot 3 under on the day, shooting 68 by starting out the front nine one under par (34), with one birdie and finishing the back 9 with 1 bogey and three birdies (34). “I hit the ball well, in the right spots. It was important with the tough pin placements today”said Latter. His philosophy today was “Just let it go”and “continue to press on”the rest of the way.

Tied with scores of 69 and sitting in second place are Matthew Anderson and 2017 Junior Boys’ Champion Tristan Renaud.

For more information, visit the tournament site at:
https://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao18/event/gao1878/index.htm

The Investors Group Ontario Junior Boys’ Championship is open to male golfers 18 years of age and under, who have qualified through one of six qualifiers held across the province earlier this season. The Ontario Junior Boys’ Championship was first contested in 1923 at the Summit Golf & Country Club. Past winners of the event include: Gerry Kesselring, Gary Cowan, Stu Hamilton, Mike Weir, Jon Mills and Albin Choi.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and Like us on Facebook, @TheGolfOntario for updates of the Investors Group Ontario Junior Boy’s Championship.

The Investors Group Ontario Women’s –Am & Mid-Am started off early this morning at Seguin Valley Golf Club at 7:30.

The leader after the first round is Ellie Szeryk, a member of Team Canada’s National Development Squad.  Szeryk shot +1 on the day with a 72. She started out the front nine one over par (37) with two bogeys and a birdie, and finished the back 9 at par with a bogey and a birdie.

Victoria Zheng of Granite Golf Club is sitting in second place at +3 (74).

For more information, visit the tournament site at: https://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao18/event/gao1882/contest/1/leaderboard.htm

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and Like us on Facebook, @TheGolfOntario for updates of the Investors Group Ontario Women’s Am and Mid-Am Championship.

Amber Morley

Marketing and Communications

Amorley@gao.ca

Toronto Ontario-

Thornhill’s Judith Kyrinis (Granite Golf Club and Thornhill Club) had a fantastic week at Markland Wood Golf Club going 70-70-68 to win the Investors Group Ontario Senior Women’s Amateur Championship once again. She went (35) on the front nine and (32) on the back nine to achieve 68 in the final round of the competition.  On the first day, Kyrinis was 1 under on the course (70), starting out the front 9 one under par (35) with one birdie and finishing the back 9 with two bogeys and two birdies (35). On the second day, she started off the back 9 shooting 2 over par (37) with 3 bogeys and a birdie and rounded out the round 3 under par on the front nine (33) with 3 birdies for a total of (70).

Kyrinis is now a three-time champion of this event winning in 2016 (75-76-74-225), 2017 (72-73-78-223) and 2018 (70-70-68-208). Kyrinis was paired with Mary Ann Hayward for the final round, who went 77-71-70 to earn second place and Terrill Samuel who went 74-78-69 to earn third place.

Judith Kyrinis, Mary Ann Hayward, and Terrill Samuel will make up the team representing Ontario at the Canadian Senior Women’s Amateur Championship.

Hariett Corlett of the Mississaugua Golf and Country Club was the winner of the A Flight Net category after the second round, she went into a playoff on Wednesday to earn first place.

Charlotte Wang of Markland Wood Golf Club went into a playoff with Gloria Sinclair from The Club at North Halton the end of the third round to become the first ever Champion of the A Flight Gross Category.  This is the first year that the A Flight Net and Gross categories have been contested.

For more information, visit the tournament site.

The Investors Group Ontario Senior Women’s Amateur Championship is contested annually and features the province’s best female amateurs age 50 and over. Past champions of the event include Ada Mackenzie, Kay Helleur, Gayle Borthwick Hitchens and World Golf Hall of Fame member Marlene Stewart Streit.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and Like us on Facebook, @TheGolfOntario for updates of the Investors Group Ontario Senior Women’s Amateur Championship.

Amber Morley
Marketing and Communications
amorley@gao.ca

Burlington, Ontario –

It’s not every day that a Canadian NHL Referee Qualifies for the U.S. Open and plays with the pros. What’s even more spectacular, is after the extraordinary experience of playing last week at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in the U.S. Open, NHL Hockey Referee Garrett Rank from Elmira Golf Club came home to Ontario to win a provincial championship.

Bunker took home the Mid-Masters Championship (40-years and older division), he placed T2, 69-67-72 in the Championship.

Garrett Rank, an NHL referee, was a member of Golf Canada’s National Men’s Team from 2012-2014, and 2018 U.S. Open qualifier.  He also golfed with Team Canada in the Pan American Games in 2015, as well as winning the Investors Group Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship in 2015. He had a hat-trick at the Canadian Mid-Amateur championship, winning it three times in a row and finished runner-up in the 2012 U.S. Mid-Am. Winning the Canadian Mid-Am got him a ticket to three RBC Canadian Opens, making the cut in 2016.

The cool temperatures out on the course allowed for high-scoring from competitors during the first two rounds of the Championship, but the conditions for the 3^rd round of the Championship were windy, so no 63’s or 64’s were had.

When asked about the playing conditions today on the course, Garrett Rank remarked that the wind was the reason that no course records were had during the final round of the Championship “It was dead calm the last two days so it played a lot easier, and then with the wind today it was tricky …Had a couple shots spin up into the wind, and come up short, and then misjudged the wind a few times … so the wind out here coming off the lake changes the golf course for sure.

Garrett Rank who went 64-64-70 was in first place after every round this week and went into day 3 feeling confident.  His brother, Kyle Rank who recently caddied for him after he qualified for the U.S. Open finished T5 with 67-67-71.  During the first round, Garrett Rank tied what was at that time the Burlington Golf and Country Club course record – 64.

Garrett Rank started the first round of the week with 32 on the front 9, he had 3 birdies. He finished off the round with 32 on the back nine, with 4 birdies and a bogey (-6) 64.  During the second round, he started with 31 which included 3 birdies, a bogey and an eagle. He finished off the round by shooting 33 with two birdies (-6) 64.  Garrett Rank started the final round (+1) 36 on the front nine, with two bogies and a birdie, and finished with a birdie on the 12^th hole for (-1) 34. He finished the round at par 70.

After finishing in 1^st place after all 3 rounds played at the Burlington Golf and Country Club, Garrett Rank finished with a total of 198 over 3 days, finishing 12 under par 64-64-70.  After the first round of the Investors Group Men’s Mid-Am Championship, Garrett Rank was informed by Burlington Golf and Country Club staff that he had tied the course record with a (-6) 64, which made topping the leaderboard an even better accomplishment.

“Anytime you can come and play in a provincial championship, and at the end of the day have a good day, being the clubhouse leader is something special. You play golf all year long to put yourself in these positions. Coming off a little bit of a disappointment but a great opportunity and a great week at the US Open, it was great to come here and shoot a great score!” – Garrett Rank

The next day, Garrett finished (-6) 64 once again, but this time, the course record was beaten by Stephen Brown of Sarnia Golf and Curling Club with (-7) 63.

Knowing that the course record had been set the day before at (-6) 64, Brown knew he was in a good position to make a course record when he was finishing up his round “It kinda happened late in the round, I was two-under on the back nine, had a couple birdies, birdied 3 and 6, and was four-under with 4 holes left, and I was like, okay maybe birdie one or two more and I’ll be in a good spot for tomorrow. I had an eagle and one birdie and all of a sudden I was seven-under and I had one hole left, and … I didn’t have time to think about it … I guess that’s how you get to 63” – Stephen Brown

Stephen Brown finished the championship with a three-part tie for T2 with Patrick Forbes from Bayview Golf and Country Club, and Dave Bunker of Brampton Golf Club. Stephen Brown, Patrick Forbes, and Dave Bunker played 3 playoff holes teeing off from 18 twice, then 17 to determine who would be joining Garrett Rank at the Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship in August. After a course record the day before, Brown lost the playoff round to Patrick Forbes and Dave Bunker.  The playoff round decided the Ontario team for the Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship in August, which will consist of Garrett Rank, Dave Bunker, and Patrick Forbes.

Garrett Rank joins other past multiple champions of the Investors Group Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship who include Dave

Bunker of Brampton Golf Club (2007, 2010, 2014), Peter McCarthy of Rosedale Golf Club (2006, 2008), Stu Hamilton of Brampton Golf Club (1993, 1998) and now Garrett Rank of Elmira Golf Club (2015, 2018).

About the Investors Group Ontario Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship

The Investors Group Ontario Men’s Mid-Amateur championship is a 54-hole competition featuring Ontario’s best golfers age 25 and older that have gained entry into the event through one of nine qualifying tournaments or an exemption. Competitors age 40 and over also compete for the Ontario Men’s Mid-Master division trophy. Contested annually since 1993, past champions of the event include Ontario Golf Hall of Fame members Stu Hamilton and Kelly Roberts, Dave Bunker, Graham Hill and Drew Symons.

For more information on the Investors Group Ontario Men’s Mid-Am, visit the tournament page.

For updated results view the results page.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and Like us on Facebook, @TheGolfOntario for updates of the Investors Group Ontario Men’s Mid-Am and other Golf Ontario news.

Images from the Championship will be posted within the next week on our Flickr account.

RELATED: Investors Group Ontario Men’s Mid Am Championship to take place this week, Garrett Rank looks to win once again.

Amber Morley
Marketing and Communications
amorley@gao.ca

The Investors Group Ontario Men’s Mid-Am Championship is taking place from Tuesday June, 19^th– Thursday, June 21^stat the Burlington Golf & Country club.

The competitors tee off from 7:30-2:20 on Tuesday, and the Superstar pairing of Garrett Rank, Ashley Chinner, and Marc Savard tee off at 12:20 on Tuesday.

Garrett Rank, from Elmira, ON is an NHL referee, was a member of Golf Canada’s National Men’s Team from 2012-2014, and 2018 US Open competitor.  He also golfed with Team Canada in the Pan American Games in 2015, as well as winning the Investors Group Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship in 2015. He looks to win the Investors Group Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship again this year.

Garrett Rank had a hat trick at the Canadian Mid-Amateur championship, winning it three times in a row and finished runnerup in the 2012 U.S. Mid-Am. Winning the Canadian Mid-Am got him a ticket to three RBC Canadian Opens, making the cut in 2016. (Last year, he played the par-3 seventh hole, made to look like a hockey rink, in a referee’s sweater).

This season, despite being limited to less than a dozen rounds of golf during the winter as he worked 73 regular-season games in the NHL, he qualified for the U.S. Open with a pair of 71s at the Ansley Golf Club’s Settindown Course in Atlanta.

Rank, has been one of the popular stories in the early days of the tournament. Coming off his second full season as a referee in the NHL, he has been a media darling. He was the first player in the media centre on Monday and has done a steady stream of interviews since.

The 30-year-old deserves all the attention he has been getting, from winning a battle with testicular cancer in 2011 to putting together an impressive amateur career to establishing himself as a referee in the best hockey league in the world.

With the spotlight turned on him, Rank has been taking the opportunity to spread the word Canada isn’t just about hockey.

“Yeah, growing up in Canada, you’re kind of born with a pair of skates on your feet, so hockey is probably our number one sport. But golf is getting there,” he said. “I’ve had a great opportunity with Golf Canada for three years on their Canadian Men’s National Team and have represented them in many international competitions. Obviously, I owe a huge debt to them. I wouldn’t be here without the guidance and support their staff has given me.”

Rank’s coach, David Smallwood, said what Rank has done getting here is remarkable for a guy who has a full-time job.

“You know what? For somebody who spends 72 nights dropping a puck, this is a part-time gig for him. He gets a few opportunities (to play) when he refs some Florida games and some mini-camps with me in Florida. We’d like it to be a couple more, but he’s busy with all the travel and stuff.

“It’s not the best situation to be able to come out here and compete with the best players in the world, but he’s a helluva an athlete, a helluva player and a helluva guy. When you have talent, you have talent. Is he as sharp mentally? Does he not question stuff because he’s a little rusty or not? He’s had three or four tournaments in the spring. He’s had some playing time. He just hasn’t had the range time.

About the Investors Group Ontario Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship

The Investors Group Ontario Men’s Mid-Amateur championship is a 54-hole competition featuring Ontario’s best golfers age 25 and older that have gained entry into the event through one of nine qualifying tournaments or through an exemption. Competitors age 40 and over also compete for the Ontario Men’s Mid-Master division trophy. Contested annually since 1993, past champions of the event include Ontario Golf Hall of Fame members Stu Hamilton and Kelly Roberts, Dave Bunker, Graham Hill and Drew Symons.

To view updated scores of the tournament, visit the tournament page

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and Like us on Facebook, @TheGolfOntario for updates of the Investors Group Ontario Men’s Mid-Am this week!

Amber Morley
Marketing and Communications
amorley@gao.ca

The 32^nd Men’s Match Play Championship took place at the Lake Joseph Club in Port Carling Ontario. Matches were held from Tuesday, June 12 – Friday, June 15^th, 2018. This is the 13^thtime that The Lake Joseph Club has hosted the event, and have proved themselves time and time again to be a magnificent course, and gracious hosts of the Golf Ontario tournament.

A match play championship is one of the toughest tests for any golfer and for Cameron Kellett of St. Thomas Golf & Country Club he enjoyed the challenge and used it to motivate him to win the championship “I played well all week, didn’t miss a whole lot of shots, didn’t give a whole lot away, didn’t make a lot of mistakes, and when I did, I was able to bounce back and win the next hole. I never got too far ahead of myself, just tried to focus on winning each hole” – Cameron Kellett, 2018 Men’s Match Play Champion.

The Final Round of the 2018 Men’s Match Play tournament was a pairing of Cameron Kellett (St. Thomas Golf & Country Club) and Eric Shea (Brantford Golf & Country Club). The pair were extremely fairly matched, as many of their drives and shots landed within mere feet of each other.

Cameron Kellett excelled at his short-game for the final round of the men’s match play championship, winning 5-4 against his opponent.  Kellett values the importance of routine and dedication to his golf game, “I take a quick warmup, hit a few putts, then once I get out there it’s just a matter of picking the right spots. I hit great shots off the tee at this championship this year” –Cameron Kellett, 2018 Ontario men’s match play champion.

Kellett, 18, had a great week of play at the men’s match play championship, winning in the first round against Jackson Bowery (Greenhills Golf Club) 1 UP, winning in the second round against MacKenzie Dasti (Public Player, currently on the UOIT Ridgebacks Golf Team) 4&3. He won the third and fourth round against Andrew Nagel ( ) 2 UP and Trevor Corner ( ) 1 UP.  He won in the semi-final against Shyamal Nagindas (Public Player) 1 UP. Then worked hard toward a trophy in the final round against Eric Shea (Brantford Golf and Country Club) 5&4.

Eric Shea (Brantford Golf and Country Club) brought his A-game to The Lake Joseph Club, he won his semi-final match against Dave Bunker (Brampton Golf Club)  3&2, Shea continued on to the finals but lost on the 13^thhole to Cameron Kellett.

Golf Ontario would like to thank all of the golfers who participated in this event, their families, and the spectators who came to view this event, as well as The Lake Joseph Club, and its staff for once again being an excellent location to host the Men’s Match Play Tournament. Finally, thank you to the volunteers who made this event possible.

About the Ontario Men’s Match Play Championship

Established in 1986, the Ontario Men’s Match Play Championship is contested annually and features 64 of Ontario’s best amateur golfers that have qualified through one of four qualifying tournaments held earlier this season, or who have gained an exemption into the event.  Notable former champions include: David Hearn, David Byrne and Dave Bunker.

For full tournament information, including round by round results, see the tournament page at: https://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao18/event/gao1854/contest/25/leaderboard.htm

Amber Morley

Marketing and Communications

amorley@gao.ca

Missisauga, Ontario – This year, the annual Ada Mackenzie Matches between Teams from Upper New York and Ontario was held at Toronto Golf Club.  Ontario clinched the win once again, with two completely show-stopping rounds of golf.  In the first round, which is held in Chapman-format team matches, Ontario won 4 points while Upper New York won one.  The Ontario pairings of Terrill Samuel and Ivy Steinberg, Chris Critelli and Debbie Court, Judith Kryinis and Theresa deLuis, Mary Ann Hayward and Jennifer Lavis each got one point in the first round, and the pairing of Tammy Blyth and Pat Mayne from Upper New York got one point as well.

In the second round that includes Better-Ball Matches paired the following players Ontario’s Mary Ann Hayward and Theresa DeLuis 2.5 points vs Upper New York’s Karen Felman and Kim Kaul 0.5 points.  Ontario’s Terrill Samuel and Allyson Harrison had an extremely strong round with three points being awarded to them, as well as Ontario’s Judith Kryinis and Jennifer Lavis being awarded three points as well, while their respective competitors from Upper New York Teresa Cleland and Jan Lavigne, as well as Tammy Blyth and Pat Mayne were not awarded any points for the round. Ontario’s Debbie Court and Ivy Steinberg were awarded half a point while their playing partners were awarded two and a half points. Finally, Marion Reid and Chris Critelli ensured a win with their two points versus their competitors Susan Kohler and Nancy Kroll’s 1 point for the round.

The beautiful and historic club was an amazing venue for the players, as the rich history of the golf course dates back to 1876, when it first opened its doors as the third golf club to open in Canada, the United States as this time had no golf courses, so it was also the third course to open in all of North America. The Club celebrated its 125^th Anniversary in 2001, and will soon be approaching 150 years as a golf club in 2026.

Canada’s third oldest golf club was an excellent golf course for the Ada Mackenzie Matches whose namesake Ada Mackenzie was considered a dominant golfer on the Canadian scene in the 1920’s.  She won many championships, provincial tournaments, and other competitions throughout her life.  The Ada Mackenzie Matches have been conducted since 1960 and are an annual team event with Upper New York.  The format for the completion consists of two match-play rounds. The first day consists of Chapman-format team matches. Chapman which occurred on the first day of the tournament, is where both players drive, then hit each other’s tee shot for the second shot, before the best ball is selected and players play alternately on the selected ball for the remainder of the hole.  The second day, sees morning Better-Ball matches, followed by the trophy presentation to the victorious team. Ontario is the defending champion at the event.

View the photo album for this event on Flickr here.

Golf Ontario would like to thank the Toronto Golf Club for their facilities and excellent service over the course of this championship, as well as all the players who competed from Ontario and Upper New York.

Amber Morley

Marketing and Communications

amorley@gao.ca