Highlights from the 2017 Investors Group Ontario Senior Men’s Championship, July 25-27 at Cedar Brae Golf Club in Scarborough, won by Orillia’s John Murphy.

Highlights from the 2017 Ontario Juvenile Boys’ and Girls’ Championships, Aug. 15-17 at Sawmill Creek Golf Resort in Camlachie. The titles were won by Fonthill’s Freddy D’Angelo and Markham’s Victoria Zheng.

UXBRIDGE — Six players are returning to Team Ontario (U19) in 2018 and will be joined by eight new faces as Golf Ontario is pleased to announce the newest installment of the squad. The 2018 team will see an even split of seven boys and seven girls.

Leading the returning players for 2018 is Markham’s Victoria Zheng who captured the 2017 Ontario Juvenile Girls’ title at Sawmill Creek Golf Resort in Camlachie. Zheng will be joined by fellow returnees: Toronto’s Sarah Beqaj, who represented Ontario at the Canada Summer Games, Mississauga’s Matthew Anderson, Mississauga’s Robbie Latter, Markham’s Hailey McLaughlin, and Tillbury’s Hailey Katona.

The new members of the squad bring some impressive credentials from this past season. Sudbury’s Tristan Renaud won the Ontario Junior Boys’ Championship, Fonthill’s Freddy D’Angelo was the Ontario Juvenile Boys’ Champion, Aurora’s Vanessa Chychrun captured the Ontario Junior Girls’ Match Play title, and Caledon’s Raesa Sheikh was the Ontario Bantam Girls’ Champion. Also new to the team are: Waterloo’s Dylan Henderson, Windsor’s Shawn Sehra, Waterloo’s Bennett Ruby, and Windsor’s Jasmine Ly.

Entering his fifth season as the Head Provincial Coach is Milton resident Reggie Millage. Millage is joined by Strength and Conditioning Coach Nick Martichenko and Mental Skills Coach Charles Fitzsimmons. Delaney Howson will act as the Team Coordinator.

“The start of a new season is always exciting but this year even more so,” said Millage. “This group is filled with talented, young athletes that are striving to be better and willing to do the work necessary to achieve their goals. I expect one of the hardest working teams this year and I have no doubt that they will show their off-season work next spring.”

The team will train throughout the winter at Peak Performance Golf in Vaughan. They will have a pair of local camps, followed by three winter warm weather camps including the Can/Am Matches, during March Break with the South Carolina Junior Golf Association at the Wachesaw Plantation Club in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.

2018 Team Ontario

About Team Ontario

Golf Ontario’s Team Ontario program is a high performance training program for the top junior aged golfers in Ontario. Athletes are selected in the fall each year and the program runs during the winter into the Ontario golf season. Team Ontario athletes receive the very best in coaching services, training/competitive opportunities, and sport science support. Being selected to Team Ontario is a tremendous accomplishment and offers unparalleled support and guidance to the participating athletes and their families. New for 2018, Team Ontario will be piloting a number strategic initiatives with Golf Canada and its National Team program focused on ensuring identified Next Generation players are getting opportunities and programming to best prepare them for high performance golf.

Highlights from the 2017 Investors Group Ontario Men’s Amateur Championship, July 11-14 at Ambassador Golf Club in Windsor, Ontario won by Mississauga’s Sudarshan Yellamaraju.

Highlights from the 2017 Ontario Junior Boys’ Championship, July 4-7 at The Rock Golf Club in Minett, won by Sudbury’s Tristan Renaud.

Former LPGA Tour Player Stephanie Sherlock was inducted into the Barrie Sports Hall of Fame on Wednesday night.

Please read more here from the Barrie Examiner

UXBRIDGE — The lifeblood of Golf Ontario is truly the volunteers that make running events and services possible. On October 2, from Wooden Sticks Golf Club in Uxbridge, those volunteers were given the royal treatment at the annual Volunteer Appreciation Day, themed crowning moments. The volunteers were treated like the kings and queens they are as they were recognized for all of their contributions, culminating with the presentation of the District Volunteer of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Dick Grimm Distinguished Service Award, and Honorary Life Director Award.

“On behalf of the board, I personally want to thank each and every one of our volunteers,” said Golf Ontario Board Member Ivy Steinberg. “Thanks also as a competitor because we don’t play with out you. Without each and every one of you our events don’t happen. It is often overlooked how important you are to our organization. I know how much time goes into volunteering and that you have many things you could be doing in your lives. Thank you for everything you do.”

Honorary Life Director— Jim King

Honorary Life Directors are recognized for their outstanding achievements through their involvement as a Committee and Board Member. This year, the award went to Waterloo’s Jim King, an individual who has made tremendous contributions to the association and golf in the province.

In 2014, King became the first Golf Ontario President to serve a second term. He has been a volunteer with the Golf Ontario since 2008, serving on the Finance, Rules and Competitions, Marketing and HR and Compensation committees, while spending countless hours as a tournament starter and Level 3 Rules Official.

Dick Grimm Distinguished Service Award— Lee Griffin

The Dick Grimm Distinguished Service Award is considered the highest honour recognizing individual service to the game of golf in Ontario. The award is named after Richard H. Grimm, who was affectionately known as “Mr. Canadian Open” for his service to the event from 1965 to 1993. Golf Ontario’s Dick Grimm Distinguished Service Award recognizes an individual’s meritorious service as a volunteer. Recipients of this award embody the principles of integrity, dignity and commitment, which are central to the volunteer experience and to Mr. Grimm’s persona.

The 2017 recipient is Cambridge resident Lee Griffin. Griffin has been a rules official for more than 17 years. She also served on the Board of Directors from 2003 to 2006. Griffin has been a part of numerous committees and currently chairs the Officials Development Committee. In addition to the hours spent on the course, Griffin has also been instrumental in teaching new officials. She has helped in administering exams and putting more people through rules training programs. Thanks to the time she has spent, Ontario has one of the highest pass rates for rules training.

“I am hugely honoured and still in shock,” said Griffin. “When I received the call I was absolutely dumbfounded, I literally didn’t know what to say. A lot of people who I have worked with in the past, that I have looked up to and who have mentored me, have won this award. So to be joining such an accomplished group is really cool and I could not be more proud.”

Volunteer of the Year— Lea Hill

The Golf Ontario Volunteer of the Year Award has been designed to recognize and honour a Golf Ontario volunteer who has demonstrated outstanding performance and contributions while preserving the integrity and traditions of the game.

This year’s recipient is Mississauga’s Lea Hill. Hill has been a vital member of York District Course Rating Team for the past several years and has taken on the role of Team Coordinator. In this role, he sets up the dates that course rating will take place and then actively solicits the assistance of the other members of the team. He has also developed standardize rating sheets that the team uses for landing zones and greens. These have greatly streamlined the work course raters do and made the transfer of data to those doing the charting simpler.

“I must say I was quite surprised and honoured when Chris Osborne (Golf Ontario Past President) called me to tell me I was receiving this award,” said Hill. “I believe I share this award with every volunteer. We all volunteer our time and I know everyone enjoys what they do.”

District Volunteer of the Year— Sheila Buglass

Golf Ontario’s District Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes volunteers who embody the spirit of volunteering and have shown dedication by making significant contributions in promoting, supporting and expanding golf within their district community.

This year the District Volunteer of the Year was awarded to Toronto’s Sheila Buglass. Buglass has been treasurer of Scarboro District and Golf Scarboro for 22 years. She has assisted at the Scarboro tournaments by doing registration, scoring, and photography. She gives sage advice to the committee and contributes at her home club (Westview Golf Club) by organizing events and mentoring new golfers.

Golf Ontario would like to congratulate all of the award winners and send a special thank you to all of the Golf Ontario volunteers who make everything the association does possible.

To see photos from Volunteer Appreciation Day click here.

Korea’s Seo-yun Kwon defeats Nobilio in playoff for individual title 

OTTAWA – Few could have predicted the wild finish that took place on Friday for the World Junior Girls Championship at The Marshes Golf Club.

In thrilling fashion, the Spanish team fired a collective 4-under par (140) to erase an eight-stroke deficit, forcing a playoff with the Korean squad. As light rain began to fall, both teams headed back to the par-4 18th in pairs to conduct the first playoff in World Junior Girls Championship history.

The Spaniards kept their foot on the gas, with two of the first three team members making birdie on the hole to put the trio at 2 under. The Korean team was then forced to hole out for eagle to continue the match, but their approach missed the green to the right.

“If I would not have made that putt, my teammates might not have been as motivated as they were,” said Elena Arias, the first Spanish team member to birdie the playoff. “I just hit the putt like the other times I had played the hole. It just looked so clear to me and went in but I was so nervous.”

Dimana Viudes followed in the second playoff group, capping her 3-under bogey-free round with a birdie of her own.

“It is like Elena said, her putt really gave me confidence because knowing that we already had a birdie was a great start,” said Viudes, who finished in fourth place individually. “I was very nervous but at the same time calm as well. I was just lucky enough to pull off the shot.”

The win marks the first World Junior Girls Championship medal for Team Spain, which is something not lost on the team’s coach.

“This is a dream come true. To beat a strong team like Korea is something else,” said Nacho Gervas, Team Spain coach. “They are so strong that at times you feel like you are playing for second place. I told them (Spain) they had the game to do well today and if we played our game you never know what can happen.”

Republic of Korea’s Seo-yun Kwon, the 54-hole leader, headed into the final round with a two-stroke advantage over Italy’s Alessia Nobilio. Kwon had built a clear advantage on the day before running into trouble on the par-5 14th with a triple-bogey.

Nobilio took advantage of Kwon’s mishap by making birdie on the 14th to briefly hold a one-stroke lead, until giving a stroke back on the next hole. The pair took scores of 9 under to the last hole, forcing another playoff to be commenced after the team event was decided.

With Korea losing the team event, Kwon was determined to come out on top. The 16-year-old missed the green on her approach but went up-and-down for par, beating out Nobilio who slipped with a bogey.

“At first I was angry with myself because I was leading by a few strokes and made one mistake,” said Kwon. “Even though I won the individual medal, I am a little disappointed in myself because if I had done a little more, we could have won the team championship so it is bitter sweet. This is my first win at an international tournament so right now I am so happy.”

Rounding out the team medallists was the trio from Sweden, who finished the tournament at 9 under par, five strokes shy of Spain and Korea. Spain’s Blanca Fernández took home the individual bronze medal, posting a final-round 71 to close the tournament at 7 under par.

Céleste Dao from Notre-Dame-de-L’Île-Perrot, Que., finished as the low Canadian with a share of 24th place at 6 over for the tournament.

In 2018, the World Junior Girls Championship will return to the Ottawa area at Camelot Golf and Country Club next September.

Additional information and full results from the competition can be found here.

Italy’s Nobilio shoots low-round 68 to sit two back in second place

OTTAWA – The playing conditions tightened up on moving day in the World Junior Girls Championship, with high winds bringing temperatures down 20C from the opening two rounds at The Marshes Golf Club.

Republic of Korea’s Seo-yun Kwon carded a 2-under 70 to keep the individual lead for the third consecutive day. She heads into tomorrow’s final round at 11 under for the tournament with a two-stroke advantage over Italy’s Alessia Nobilio.

“My mindset heading into tomorrow will be pretty much the same as what I have done in the past three rounds,” said the 16-year-old Kwon. “I won’t worry about what the other players are doing because I always set a certain goal for myself. So tomorrow I will do that and play for my goal.”

Nobilio carded one of two low-round 68s on the day, moving her into sole possession of second place. The 15-year-old caught fire with five-straight birdies before giving strokes back with a bogey on 13, and a double-bogey on the par-4 18th.

“I think I played perfectly until the last hole,” said Nobilio, the 41st ranked female in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. “I made five birdies in a row and my irons were always two meters from the pin, so that was my strength today. If I do my best I know that I can play good golf. I just need to concentrate until the last hole and everything will be fine.”

Nobilio’s efforts also helped lift the Italian team into a share of third place at 7 under, giving the trio a chance at what would be their first team medal at the World Junior Girls Championship. Caterina Don, who is currently tied for 26th, took home the individual bronze medal for the Italians in 2016.

“This is an important tournament for Italy,” added Nobilio. “Playing in a world championship and representing my country is just a dream for me.”

Spain carded a team-low 139 (-5) to move into second place at 10 under par, eight back of the leading Korean trio. The Koreans will look to collect their second World Junior Girls title at The Marshes – they captured the 2015 tournament here by a commanding 18 strokes.

Leading the Canadians in the field with a share of 26th at 4 over is Céleste Dao from Notre-Dame-de-L’Île-Perrot, Que.

The final round of tournament play will see players tee off at 8 a.m. Additional information and full results from the competition can be found here.

Korea’s Seo-yun Kwon maintains individual advantage by four strokes

Céleste Dao fires a 2-under-par 70 to lead all Canadians

OTTAWA – The Republic of Korea successfully battled the heat once again at The Marshes Golf Club, carding a 6-under 138 on Wednesday to extend their team lead through two rounds of the World Junior Girls Championship.

On the strength of Hae-Ran Ryu’s 4-under 68, the Koreans have built up a seven-stroke team advantage. The trio’s second-counting score was posted by the individual leader, Seo-yun Kwon, who maintained her first-round lead after carding five birdies on the day to move to 9 under for the tournament — good for a four-stroke cushion.

Chasing Kwon for the individual title are five competitors deadlocked in second place at 6 under par: Esther Henseleit (Germany), Alessia Nobilio (Italy), Linn Grant (Sweden), Hana Ryskova (Czech Republic) and Annabel Wilson (Ireland).

Wilson carded the low-round of the day with a six-birdie, 5-under-par effort.

“Everything was going well today, it was a stress-free round of golf,” said Wilson, who played in the inaugural World Junior Girls Championship in 2014. “My putter was hot today which was the biggest difference from yesterday. I hit one more green yesterday but I took five less shots today so it really was all because of the putter.”

The Korean squad are looking to mirror their success from the 2015 championship — also hosted at The Marshes — where they recorded an 18-stroke team victory. They are currently trailed by the Americans at 9 under and Germans at 7 under.

Céleste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-L’Île-Perrot, Que., posted four birdies on the day to lead all Canadians at even-par for the tournament (74-70).

“I had a good start, I was hitting the ball well but my long putts were the key,” said the 16-year-old Dao. “I was 3 under after the front nine, which was a great start for me.”

Playing for Canada on home soil was not lost on the reigning Quebec Women’s Amateur champion.

“It’s an honour for me to play for Canada at this tournament,” added Dao. “I know that the scores will be low because it is the best in the world competing but it doesn’t change how I approach my game. It is just great to compare my game with theirs.”

The second round was delayed from 2:45 p.m. to 4:03 p.m. due to lightning.

The third round of tournament play will begin at 8 a.m. Additional information and full results from the competition can be found here.