Golf Canada has set an impressive stretch goal of having 30 professional golfers at the highest levels of the sport by 2032.

The World Junior Girls Golf Championship is a huge part of that target.

Credit Valley Golf and Country Club will host the international tournament from Sept. 30 to Oct. 5, with 24 teams representing 23 nations — Canada gets two squads — competing. Lindsay McGrath, a 17-year-old golfer from Oakville, Ont., said she’s excited to be representing Canada and continue to develop her game.

“I’m really grateful to be here,” said McGrath on Monday after a news conference in Credit Valley’s clubhouse in Mississauga, Ont. “It’s just such an awesome feeling being here and representing our country, wearing all the logos and being on Team Canada.

“I’ve always wanted to play in this tournament, so it’s really special to me.”

McGrath will be joined by Nobelle Park of Oakville, Ont., and Eileen Park of Red Deer, Alta., on Team Canada 2. All three earned their places through a qualifying tournament last month.

“I love my teammates so much,” said McGrath. “I know Nobelle and Eileen very well. I’m just so excited to be with them. We have such a great relationship.”

Shauna Liu of Maple, Ont., Calgary’s Aphrodite Deng and Clairey Lin make up Team Canada 1. Liu earned her exemption following her win at the 2024 Canadian Junior Girls Championship while Deng earned her exemption as being the low eligible Canadian on the world amateur golf ranking as of Aug. 7.

Deng was No. 175 at the time, she has since improved to No. 171 and is Canada’s lowest-ranked player.

“I think it’s a really great opportunity,” said Liu. “We don’t really get that many opportunities to play with people from across the world, so it’s really great to meet new people and play with them.

“It’s great to see maybe how they play and take parts from their game that we might also implement our own games.”

Golf Canada founded the World Junior Girls Golf Championship in 2014 to fill a void in women’s international competition and help grow its own homegrown talent. The hosts won for the first time last year when Vancouver’s Anna Huang, Toronto’s Vanessa Borovilos and Vancouver’s Vanessa Zhang won team gold and Huang earned individual silver.

Medallists who have gone on to win on the LPGA Tour include Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., who was fourth in the individual competition at the inaugural tournament. She was on Canada’s bronze-medal team in 2014 with Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont., and Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee.

Other notable competitors who went on to become LPGA Tour winners include Angel Yin and Megan Khang of the United States, as well as Yuka Saso of the Philippines, Sweden’s Linn Grant and Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand.

“It’s not if, it’s when they’re going to be on the LPGA Tour,” said Garrett Ball, Golf Canada’s chief operating officer, of how Canada’s golfers in the World Junior Girls Championship can be part of the organization’s goal to have 30 pros in the LPGA and PGA Tours by 2032.

“Events like this, like the She Plays Golf festival that we launched two years ago, and then the CPKC Women’s Open exemptions that we utilize to bring in our national team athletes and get the experience has been important in that pathway.”

The individual winner of the World Junior Girls Golf Championship will earn a berth in next year’s CPKC Women’s Open at nearby Mississaugua Golf and Country Club.

Both clubs, as well as former RBC Canadian Open host site Glen Abbey Golf Club, were devastated by heavy rains through June and July as the Greater Toronto Area had its wettest summer in recorded history.

Jason Hanna, the chief operating officer of Credit Valley Golf and Country Club, said that he has seen the Credit River flood so badly that it affected the course’s playability a handful of times over his nearly two decades with the club.

Staff and members alike came together to clean up the course after the flooding was over, with hundreds of people coming together to make the club playable again.

“You had to show up, bring your own rake, bring your own shovel, bring your own gloves, and then we’d take them down to the golf course, assign them to areas where they would work, and then we would do a big barbecue down at the halfway house,” said Hanna. “We got guys, like, 80 years old, putting in eight-hour days down there, working away.”

The 2024 Ontario Women’s & Senior Women’s Four-Ball Championship at the Ladies’ Golf Club of Toronto saw interesting finishes all around.

The women’s division was won by Team Ontario’s very own Angela Cai + Emily McKee (Heron Point Golf Links, St. George’s Golf and Country Club). The pair finished the round with 5-under-par for a total of 67.

In the senior women’s division, Ivy Steinberg + Sandy Byckowski (Granite Golf Club, Brampton Golf Club Ltd) were victorious with a 72-even-par, just two strokes ahead of Helen Williams + Meredith Stanford (Station Creek Golf Club, The Thornhill Club).

Helen Williams + Meredith Stanford (Station Creek Golf Club, The Thornhill Club) won the senior Net division with a total net score of 67.

CLICK HERE for all final results.

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The prestigious Ladies’ Golf Club of Toronto will host the Ontario Women’s & Senior Women’s Four-Ball Championship on Monday, celebrating its 100-year anniversary in 2024. The event features 44 two-player teams divided into women’s and senior women’s divisions competing in a four-ball format.

Founded in 1924 by the legendary Ada Mackenzie, an Ontario Golf Hall of Fame member, the Ladies’ Golf Club of Toronto was designed with the assistance of Stanley Thompson on the rolling terrain between Yonge Street and Bayview Avenue in Thornhill.

The one-day championship begins at 1 p.m. on Monday.

QUOTE

We’re excited to be hosting the Ontario Women’s Four-Ball and inaugural Ontario Senior Women’s Four-Ball Championship at The Ladies’ Golf Club of Toronto during their 100th anniversary. This championship annually hosts some of the top female amateur golfers in the province, and we look forward to having them compete at this amazing facility.”
– Connor Doyle, Tournament Director

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Alexandra Taylor of The Cherry Hill Club, 2024 Ontario Women’s Mid-Amateur champion.

Ivy Steinberg, two-time Ontario Senior Women’s Amateur champion (2008, 2009).

Angela Cai, current Team Ontario member, and Emily McKee, Team Ontario alumna.

Lynn Lean, this year’s Senior Women’s Champion of Champions winner.

Avery Nordman, 2024 Ontario Juvenile U17 Girls’ Amateur winner.

Carolyn McCullough, the No. 5-ranked player from the 2024 Senior Women’s Order of Merit.

FAST FACTS

Championship Venue: Ladies’ Golf Club of Toronto

Championship Date: September 16

Field: 44 two-player teams

Format: 18-hole, four-ball. Two divisions: Women’s and Senior Women’s

Leaderboard Link: View the leaderboard

Fun Fact: The Ladies’ Golf Club is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2024.

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The final round of the 55th Ontario Public Amateur Championship presented by Baka Mobile from Tangle Creek Golf & Country Club saw interesting finishes all around.

The men’s Gross and ‘A’ Flight divisions were won by none other than Tangle Creek’s very own Josh Taylor, who had two very impressive rounds of play, shooting 2-under-par-70 yesterday and 4-under-par-68 today.

Taylor finished nine strokes ahead of runner-up, Brett Wira of London and 11 ahead of Toronto’s Paul Sobottka in both ‘A’ Flight and total Gross play. Overall, Taylor shot 138-6-under-par in both competitions while Wira shot 147 and Sobottka 149.

Jenna Power of Hornby Glen Golf Course captured both the women’s Gross and Net titles, shooting 87-par in Net play in the final round to finish two strokes ahead of runner-up, Loren Gabel of Cambridge.

Power shot 85-97 for a two-day total of 182 in gross play and 75-87 for 162 in net competition. Meanwhile, Gabel shot 92-86 for 178 in Net and 95-89 for 184 overall.

In the ‘B’ Flight division, Glencoe’s Jamie Howe took the reigns on the back of an impressive final round, where he shot 68-4-under-par in B Flight Net to finish six strokes ahead of Mike Vieira of Whitby. In Gross play, Howe shot 79 in the final round and both he and Vieira shot a two-day total of 159 in the overall competition.

The ‘C’ Flight division was decided in a playoff, where Joseph Smith of Alliston knocked off Whitby’s Steve Stone. Stone shot 72-even-par in C Flight Net play in the final round, which allowed him to rally from five strokes behind to allow a playoff. In the end, Smith, who shot 75-par in Net competition in the second round, prevailed after a nine-hole grind.

CLICK HERE for all final results.

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The 2024 Ontario Public Amateur Championship presented by Baka Mobile heads to Tangle Creek Golf & Country Club August 29 – 30.

The event will see 109 public golfers, the most in Ontario Public Amateur Championship history, compete in four sperate flighted divisions.

The men will play in three flighted divisions—the ‘A’ flight division will compete in Gross competition, while flights ‘B’ and ‘C’ play in net competition with the option for ‘B’ flight golfers to compete in the overall championship. The women will compete in their own division, with both gross and net competitions.

Tangle Creek Golf & Country Club is no stranger to hosting Golf Ontario championships, having previously hosted events such as the 2019 Ontario Junior Boys Championship and last year’s Ontario Men’s & Senior Men’s Match Play Championship.

First played in 1958, the Ontario Public Amateur Championship has provided great opportunities for public players of either the Golf Ontario Public Player Program and of semi-private golf courses to compete in a competitive tournament with gross and net flights. This allows high-handicap players to compete with players in their handicap grouping.

Past champions include Ontario Golf Hall of Famer Dave Bunker (2009, 2010), Robert Mclean (2021), Arnold Johnson (2011, 2015), Peter Willis (2014), Gail Pimm (2015) and Nobelle Park (2022).

Both rounds will see morning tee-offs between 8-9:30 a.m. and afternoon times between 12:30-2 p.m., each on first and 10th tees.

CLICK HERE for all first-round pairings and start times.

PLAYERS

Notable players include:

Tangle Creek Golf & Country Club’s own, Bradley Greenside, who won the 2023 Ontario Men’s Champion of Champions.

Defending men’s Ontario Public Amateur champion, Paul Sobottka.

Michael Naus, who won the 2022 Ontario Men’s Public Amateur Championship.

QUOTES

Rob Watson, Tournament Director: “The Ontario Public Amateur Championship has served as a great opportunity for public players across the province to play in a competitive field. With about 110 players making up the field, as well as a course that brings plenty of hole-by-hole challenges in Tangle Creek Golf & Country Club, competition at this year’s event promises to be fierce.”

Richard Edmonds, General Manager – Tangle Creek Golf & Country Club: “It’s an honor and pleasure to be able to host such a prestigious event at our club. Our team has worked tirelessly to ensure that the experience this week will be world class. The course is in immaculate shape and will test all golfers’ abilities. I would like to thank Golf Ontario and all the Volunteers that have dedicated their time to organizing this event.”

FAST FACTS

Championship Venue: Tangle Creek Golf & Club

Championship Dates: August 29 – 30

Field: 107 players (‘A’ Flight: 42,  ‘B’ Flight: 36,  ‘C’ Flight: 27  Women’s Overall: 2)

Format: 36-hole, stroke play

Leaderboard Link: 24′ Ontario Public Amateur Championship Event :: Tournament Results (golfgenius.com)

Fun Fact: Mill Run Golf Club in Uxbridge has hosted the Ontario Public Amateur Championship nine times, a tournament record.

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The 2024 Ontario Juvenile (U17) Boys and Girls Championship concluded in thrilling fashion at Hollinger Golf Club.

Boys’ Division

In an unforgettable comeback, Dawson Lew of Team Ontario and Wyndance Golf Club claimed the prestigious Mike Weir Trophy.

Entering the final round nine strokes behind the leader, Lew delivered a stunning performance, carding a 7-under-par 65 to tie the Hollinger Golf Club course record. His remarkable round allowed him to finish one stroke ahead of Station Creek Golf Club‘s Jager Pain.

Pain, who led going into the final round, finished with a total score of 216 (even-par), securing second place. Hawk Ridge Golf Club’s Spencer Shropshire rounded out the top three with a final score of 220.

Lew’s final tally of 1-under-par 215 included seven birdies, with four consecutive birdies between holes five and eight.

His extraordinary finish adds to Team Ontario’s success this season, joining RattleSnake Point Golf Club’s Nobelle Park, who has won multiple championships, including the Ontario Junior Girls Spring Classic, and the Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship.

Girls’ Division

In the girls’ division, the competition was intense as Avery Nordman of the Canadian Golf & Country Club and Alexis Card of Galt Country Club battled throughout the day.

Both players entered the final round tied for the lead. Although Card appeared to be pulling away on the back nine, Nordman staged a fierce comeback to ultimately claim the Sandra Post Trophy. Nordman finished four strokes ahead of Card and six strokes ahead of Narisse Daye from Sarnia Golf & Country Club.

After a challenging start with rounds of 77 and 76, Nordman rebounded with an impressive 71 in the final round, bringing her total score to 224.

Just 21 days after finishing as a finalist in the Ontario Junior Girls Match Play Championship, Nordman can now proudly call herself the Ontario Juvenile Girls Champion.

For all final results, CLICK HERE.

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The 2024 Ontario Juvenile (U17) Boys and Girls Championship heads to Hollinger Golf Club in Timmins August 19 – 21.

The top 60 boys and 30 girls aged 17-and-under compete in 54-hole stroke play for the Mike Weir and Sandra Post trophies.

Notable past winners of the Ontario Juvenile Girls Championship include Alena Sharp (1996), Jessica Shepley (1998), Stephanie Sherlock (2003) and Rebecca Lee-Bentham (2006 & 2008).

Notable past Ontario Juvenile Boys Champions include Gary Cowan (1954), Bob Panasiuk (1956 & 1957), Brandon Ng (2007 & 2009) and current Team Canada NextGen member, Matthew Javier (2022 & 2023)

All three rounds will see morning tee-offs starting at 8 a.m. from the first and 10th tees.

For first round pairings and start times, CLICK HERE.

FIELD NOTES

Team Ontario:

Chase Jerome (Royal Ottawa Golf Club), Bode Stephen (Cataraqui Golf & Country Club)and Dawson Lew represent Team Ontario in the Juvenile Boys division.

Next Waive:

Five of the Next Waive program’s 11 male athletes compete: Matthew Simpson (Lambton Golf & Country Club), Michael Vivone (Royal Ottawa Golf Club), Tristian Zhang (Summit Golf & Country Club), Josh Ye (Summit Golf & Country Club) and Bo Dong.

Also in the field are three of the Next Waive program’s four female athletes: Sierra Kowlayshyn (Sawmill Golf Course), Ava Gilbert (Summit Golf & Country Club) and Kirsten Lee (Brampton Golf Club).

Top Junior Golf Pathway Rankings (Girls):

Avery Nordman, No. 2, U17; Alexis Card, No. 4, U17; Amelia McFarlane, No. 7, U17.

Top Junior Golf Pathway Rankings (Boys):

Bode Stephen, No. 2, U17; Dawson Lew, No. 3, U17; Jager Pain, No. 4, U17.

PLAYER NOTES

Notable players in the Juvenile Boys division include:

The 2024 Ontario NextGen Champion, Jager Pain (Station Creek Golf Club), who also finished top five in the recent Canadian Junior Boys Championship.

Bode Stephen (Cataraqui Golf & Country Club), who won the 2024 Golf Canada NextGen Atlantic Championship. 

Dawson Lew (Team Ontario), who finished tied for second in the 2024 Ontario NextGen Championship and fourth in the 2024 Ontario Junior Boys Championship.

Spencer Shropshire (Hawk Ridge Golf Club), who comes in fresh off finishing third in the Canadian Junior Boys Championship.

Notable players in the Juvenile Girls division include:

Avery Nordman (Canadian Golf & Country Club), who was a finalist at the recent Ontario Junior Girls Match Play Championship.

Ava Gilbart (Summit Golf & Country Club), who finished tied for 2nd at the Golf Canada NextGen Atlantic Championship. 

Alexis Card (Galt Country Club), who finished top ten in this year’s Ontario Junior Girls Championship.

Winner of last year’s Ontario Peewee Girls Championship, Evelyn Ma (National Pines Golf Club).

QUOTES

Connor Doyle, Tournament Director: “The Ontario Juvenile U17 Championship has always had a very competitive field. The field for this year’s championships is no different as it features multiple Team Ontario, Next Waive athletes, and many top ranked players from the 2024 Junior Golf Pathway rankings. Hollinger Golf Club will be a great test for the players with its tight treelined holes and angulating greens. We look forward to another excellent championship in the north.”

Taylor Dupuis, General Manager – Hollinger Golf Club: “Hollinger Golf Club is excited to not only welcome the top Juvenile players in the province, but to also showcase our beautiful Northern Ontario landscape, hospitality and championship calibre course. This is the first time a provincial championship has made its way to Timmins, and we look forward to setting a standard for years to come. This is a great opportunity for junior golfers and parents of our area to come by and experience an environment and of course golf of this calibre and we couldn’t be more thrilled.”

FAST FACTS

Championship Venue: Hollinger Golf Club

Championship Dates: August 19 – 21

Field: 90 players (60 boys, 30 girls)

Format: 54-hole, stroke play, (36 Hole Cut – Low 60 & Ties)

Leaderboard Link: 24′ Ontario Juvenile (U17) Boys’ & Girls Championship Event :: Tournament Results (golfgenius.com)

Fun Fact: Hollinger Golf Club is named after its previous owners, the Hollinger Mine of Timmins. The course was renamed from Timmins Golf Club after the Hollinger Mine closed and sold the club in 1974.

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The third annual Indigenous Ontario Championship concluded Wednesday afternoon with exciting finishes in the final round at MontHill Golf & Country Club.

This year’s championship saw more than 110 players from more than 60 First Nations compete from across Canada as well as the U.S.

Taking the reigns on the men’s side for the second consecutive year was Ky Horn of the Mohawks of Kahnawake, who put together an outstanding final round performance to rally back from a seven-stroke deficit.

Horn shot 4-under-par-68 in the final round to finish two strokes ahead of both Lower Mohawk, John Monture and Lucas Rogers of Kettle Point First Nation.

Despite a rocky start to his Indigenous Ontario Championship, Horn shot a total par of 219 overall, which included a 70 in the second round and his final round 68.

Cheryl Mitchell of Walpole Island First Nation captured the women’s title for the third straight year.

Mitchell came into the final round with a two-stroke lead over Melanie Burgess of Matachewan First Nation, but quickly took control in the final round, shooting a 35 on the front nine and ended with a total of 73 in the final round and 226 overall.

For the third consecutive edition of the Indigenous Ontario Championship, Burgess finishes in second place, shooting 236 overall, while Savana Smith of the Delaware Nation shot a total of 239 to finish third.

The following 16 players have qualified to represent Team Indigenous Ontario in the Indigenous Challenge Cup in Bear Mountain Golf Club in Victoria, BC:

MEN:

Ky Horn – Mohawks of Kahnawake

John Monture – Lower Mohawk

Lucas Rogers – Kettle Point First Nation

Colin Sobey – Red Rock Indian Brand

Andrew Hill – Lower Mohawk

Lorne Smith – Walpole Island

Brent Sault – Mississaugas of the Credit

Earl Hill – Mohawk

WOMEN:

Cheryl Mitchell – Walpole Island First Nation

Melanie Burgess – Matachewan First Nation

Savana Smith – Delaware Nation

Loraine Elijah – Oneida Nation of the Thanes

Alisha Jacobs – Delaware Nation Moravian of the Thames

Roxanne General – Upper Cayuga

Courtney Riley – Chippewas of the Thames

Julie Hill – Mohawk

For all final results, CLICK HERE.

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Sarah Xing of Players Club- Ottawa on the girl’s side and Wilson Doornekamp of Cataraqui Golf & Country Club in the boy’s division are both walking away with new hardware this week.

Xing pulled off impressive scores of 73 and 69. While Doornekamp stayed on top both days shooting 66 and 71.

The intense competition continued as the second place medalists kept it close with Riviera Lindholm of St. Georges Golf & Country Club on the girl’s side finishing with scores of 72 on both days and Dustin Zhao of National Pines Golf Club on the boy’s side had scores of 75 and 64.

Kaige Zhu and Grace (HyunYi) Kim followed along in third place to close out the championship.

CLICK HERE for all results of the Ontario Peewee U13 Girls Championship.

CLICK HERE for all results of the Ontario Peewee U13 Boys Championship.

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The 2024 Ontario Pewee (U13) Championship heads to Victoria Park East Golf Club August 12-13 in Guelph, Ontario. 

This championship will see 72 players, 33 on the girl’s side, and 39 from the boy’s division.  

Of these 72 players competing many of them are ranked within the top ten of the Junior Golf Pathway rankings.   

The first two rounds will begin tee times between 11:00am- 3:00pm. 

For first round pairings and start times, CLICK HERE. 

FIELD NOTES

Riveria Lindholm No.1, Keisha Han No. 2, Katherine Xia No.3 are top three under the U13 Girls Junior Golf Pathway Rankings.  

Gerry Kou No.1, Chi-Shen Lin No.2, Dustin Zhao No.3, are top three under the U13 Boys Junior Golf Pathway Rankings. 

PLAYER NOTES

Notable names in the 72-player field include: 

Riviera Lindholm of St. Georges Golf and Country Club  has competed at the Women’s Amateur at just 11 years old. She will also be competing for the Ontario Pewee (U13) Girls Championship. 

QUOTES

Mason Cowan, Tournament Director: “We are beyond excited to host our Ontario Pewee U13 Championship at Victoria Park East. Their staff and ownership have done an amazing job to provide our athletes with great course conditions. It allows our athletes to showcase their talents over the next two rounds. I’m looking forward to watching the future of golf in action!”

FAST FACTS

Championship Venue: Victoria Park East Golf Club 

Dates: August 12 – 13, 2024 

Field: 72 Players (33 girls, 39 boys) 

Format: 36-hole, stroke play 

Leaderboard Link: 24’ Ontario Pewee (U13) Boys & Girls Championship 

Fun Fact: Many of the players competing are ranked top ten in the JGP Rankings. 

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