ORILLIA— Golf Ontario and Golf Barrie unveiled a new concept on September 11 with the first Golf Jam, hosted by Hawk Ridge Golf & Country Club in Orillia. The day, geared at junior golfers under 14 years of age, was a huge success as 64 players comprised 16 teams to take part in the day’s events.

“Golf Jam is a program that we’ve partner with the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport to create and provide to kids across the province. It aims to engage local golf clubs and promote fun family, friends and fitness all in a team environment,” said Mike Kelly, Golf Ontario Executive Director.

The day broke down into two components: a CN Future Links Skills Challenge and a nine-hole alternate shot team golf competition. Half of the teams took to the course, while the other half competed in the skills challenge, before swapping after lunch.

“I believe we continue to create and inspire new ways for kids and families to get into golf but this just blew my mind,” added Kelly. “Based on the reaction from coaches, kids and parents, I see this as a home run! I see it going to different communities across Ontario in future years because it is a great way to bring the province together.”

Kelly’s optimism was echoed by coaches and parents who attended the day. “Golf Jam is a great introduction for players who have participated in our camps, clinics and leagues to be involved in potentially their first tournament,” said Ryan Star, Coach at Geared to Golf. “There are a lot of players who haven’t crossed paths with one another so we hope that there are a lot of new friendships by the end of the day.”

“The day has been fantastic!” Remarked Kevin Potter, a parent attending the event. “What Golf Ontario is doing for the kids is awesome! It is great to see the team sprit and everyone has a smile on their face today! The team competition was a lot of fun. It was well put together and we had a great time playing the alternate-shot format.”

Those sentiments also trickled down to the young golfers themselves who not only enjoyed the golf and skills challenge, but also the fun and games that made up the rest of the day.

“Today has been great especially since we just started school and have been really busy,” said Abigail Dove, 11-years-old from Brooklin. “To have all of these fun things to do like golf with friends, bouncy castles, and play games has been great to enjoy!”

“My favorite part of the day was golfing on the course. I played awesome and so did the rest of my team. Golf Jam has been good and lots of fun. I like it!” Added Aiden Hodgkinson, 8-years-old from Brooklin.

While the emphasis on the day was squarely around fun the teams did want bragging rights as the inaugural Golf Jam champs. When all of the scores were tallied there was a three-way tie between Whistle Bear GC (Peyton Costabile, Andreas Diogenous, Owen Lipskie and Aiden Shan), Barrie CC (David Simon, Andrew Laurin, Olivia Stoggart and Matthew Simon), and TTGA (Alissa Xu, Sopia Xu, Arthur Wang and Joline Truong) who all finished with a score of 21 Stableford points to share the gold medal.

Golf Ontario/Golf Barrie would like to thank all of the golfers, teams, coaches and parents who participated in the event and hopes to see everyone next year, as the event gets bigger and better.

TORONTO — Two Golf Ontario championship veterans claimed their first provincial titles as the team of Mississauga’s Debbie Court and Etobicoke’s Marion Reid captured the 2016 Ontario Women’s Four-Ball Championship. The event, September 7 from Weston Golf & Country Club, was the final Golf Ontario women’s event of 2016.

Court, from the Toronto Golf Club, and Reid, from the Islington Golf Club, had a stellar day. The pair battled the hot, humid temperatures and finished with a team total of three-under (69). That turned out to be good enough for a two-shot victory.

The pair of Court and Reid also captured the net division title, scoring a net score of seven-under (65).

Finishing in second place was the team of Stouffville’s Ivy Steinberg, from Granite Golf Club, and Toronto’s Kelly Koselek, from Cedar Brae Golf & Country Club. The team carded a one-under (71) to earn the silver medal.

Rounding out the medals, with the bronze, was the team of Etobicoke’s Joanne Noble, from the host club of Weston, and Thornhill’s Judith Kyrinis, The Thornhill Club. Noble and Kyrinis shot a team total of even par (72).

Golf Ontario would like to thank the staff of Weston Golf & Country Club for hosting the 2016 event, along with the Golf Ontario volunteers for their continued support of amateur golf in Ontario.

About the Ontario Women’s Four-Ball Championship

First played in 1953, the Ontario Women’s Four-Ball Championship is contested annually and features two-woman teams competing in a better-ball format. In total, 40 teams and 80 players took part in the 2016 event.

Golf Canada

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – The world’s top female junior golfers will head to Mississauga for the third edition of the World Junior Girls Championship from September 25-30 at Mississaugua Golf & Country Club. Two teams of three athletes will don the red and white of the host nation as Canada competes for the title of World Junior Girls champion.

“It is an honour to represent your country and we look forward to welcoming these players to Canada,” said Tournament Director Mary Beth McKenna. “The course is in fantastic shape and we are thrilled to host some of the world’s best juniors at this historic club. Our partners at Mississaugua and the communities in the surrounding area have come together to make this a truly memorable event for our competitors.

Representing Canada One will be Mississauga, Ont., native Chloe Currie who will look to translate home course advantage into success on the international stage. The member of Mississaugua Golf & Country Club has had a banner year, capturing the 2016 Ontario Juvenile Girls Championship before defending her Ontario Junior Girls title. At the national level, the 16-year-old Team Canada Development Squad member collected runner-up results at the CN Future Links Pacific Championship and the 2016 Canadian Junior Girls Championship.

Mary Parsons opened Golf Canada’s season by claiming victory at the 2016 edition of the CN Future Links Pacific Championship at The Dunes at Kamloops Golf Club in Kamloops, B.C. The product of Delta, B.C., came up just shy of the victory at her province’s Amateur Championship, collecting a second-place result, but then claimed an impressive six-stroke win at the B.C. Junior Girls Championship. The 17-year-old earned third-place at the 2016 Canadian Junior Girls Championship behind Currie.

Completing the Canada One contingent is Monet Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont. The 2016 Team Ontario member claimed her first CN Future Links title at the Quebec edition of the regional cross-Canada championships for junior golfers. The 15-year-old earned a share of second at her province’s amateur championship before finishing T11 at the national event for amateurs. Chun secured an eighth-place result at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship.

As the host country, Canada reserves the right to field two teams in the 48-player, 15-country competition. Céleste Dao earned her place on the Canada Two squad following an impressive season. A fifth-place showing at the Quebec Women’s Amateur Championship propelled the Notre-Dame-de-L’Île-Perrot, Que., native into a runner-up result at her province’s Junior Girls Championship. She tied for eighth in the stroke play component of the U.S. Girls’ Junior before claiming a share of sixth at Canada’s National Junior Girls Championship. The 15-year-old’s season culminated in a convincing nine-stroke victory at the Graham Cooke Junior Invitational.

Hannah Lee is returning for a second stint at the World Junior Girls Championship, having competed in 2015 at The Marshes Golf Club in the nation’s capital. The member of the National Team Development Squad secured a third-place finish at the CN Future Links Ontario Championship. She excelled at the provincial level, claiming fourth at the B.C. Women’s Amateur before earning a T2 at the B.C. Junior Girls competition. An 11th-place showing at the national Junior Girls Championship and a season of lessons-learned garnered the Surrey, B.C., native the growth and experience she needed to emerge victorious at the B.C. Juvenile Championship.

The third and final member of Canada Two is Isabella Portokalis – the 2016 CN Future Links Ontario champion. The London, Ont., native’s 2016 season includes a T2 at the Ontario Junior Girls Championship and a share of seventh at her provincial Women’s Amateur. The 2016 Team Ontario member’s performance at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship earned her a T11 result before she collected a sixth-place finish at the Ontario Juvenile Girls’ Championship.

“Golf Ontario is excited to once again partner with Golf Canada to conduct this global championship at another of Ontario’s storied clubs – Mississaugua Golf & Country Club,” said Mike Kelly, Golf Ontario Executive Director. “We thank their membership and volunteer committees for all their hard work. We are thrilled for our athletes from Ontario who have been selected to represent Canada and wish them the best of luck.”

“These six athletes have had tremendous seasons and their selections to Team Canada are the result of their hard work and commitment to the sport,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “The Provincial Golf Associations, their home clubs, their parents and of course, the athletes themselves – their joint efforts have made this accomplishment possible and they should all be proud.”

While highlighting the work of those involved with the newest members of Team Canada, Thompson also spoke highly of the talented juniors from coast to coast.

“The selection of these teams was not an easy task. Across the nation, the level of skill shown by our junior-aged players speaks to not only the passion for golf in Canada, but also the excellent work done by golf facilities and our provincial partners to hone the skills of our athletes. We look forward to seeing these six players represent Canada against a number of the best juniors in the world.”

National Team Development Squad Women’s Coach Ann Carroll will once again lend her expertise to Canada One. Coach Mike Martz from the Golf Performance Centre at Whistle Bear will return to lead Canada Two.

The inaugural World Junior Girls Championship in 2014 was held at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont. Mika Liu of Beverly Hills, Calif., captured individual honours in leading Team USA to victory. Playing in her final event as an amateur, current World No. 3 Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., finished fourth as Canada One claimed bronze.

The second edition of the tournament was conducted at Ottawa’s The Marshes Golf Club where the trio representing the Republic of Korea completed a wire-to-wire victory to secure the team title. Paju-si, South Korea native Hye-jin Choi finished 12-under in claiming a seven-stroke victory. Choi is currently the No. 15-ranked amateur in the world and counts a victory at the 2016 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship among her accomplishments.

In addition to the 72-hole team and individual competitions, the World Junior Girls Championship will celebrate the sport and focus upon the promotion and development of junior girls golf. Golf Canada will host a PGA of Canada coaches clinic and a girls skill development clinic in the days leading up to the competition’s first round on Tuesday, September 27.

Admission to the competition is free. Additional information regarding the third annual World Junior Girls Championship can be found on the competition’s website.

UXBRIDGE — Since 1994, Golf Ontario has been providing financial assistance to deserving student golfers throughout Ontario who are continuing their education at the post-secondary level. Through the support of Golf Ontario’s corporate partners and sponsors, the association has been able to award scholarships and awards to deserving students.

This year marks a tremendous occasion for Golf Ontario, as the association has now surpassed $500,000 in scholarship funds awarded since the program’s inception. In 2016, Golf Ontario has selected another 12 deserving student golfers who will receive funding to help with their post secondary studies.

2016 Golf Ontario Scholarship Recipients

To be eligible for one of the Golf Ontario awards or scholarships, recipients have maintained at least a 75% academic average, are enrolled in a post secondary institution, are members of the Golf Ontario and are actively involved in the game of golf.

Golf Ontario Congratulates the 2016 recipients and wishes them the best in their post-secondary studies.

Highlights from the Investors Group Ontario Senior Men’s Championship, Aug. 4-6 at The Marshes Golf Club in Kanata, Ontario. The championship was won by Pickering’s Christopher Kertsos at -2.

RICHMOND HILL— The 2016 Ontario Women’s Match Play and Ontario Junior Girls’ Match Play Championships wrapped up on Aug. 17 from DiamondBack Golf Club in Richmond Hill. After a long three days, which included a very soggy second day, the sun was out for the semi finals and finals on day three. When the final matches concluded, it was Pickering’s Crystina Kertsos who walked away with the Women’s title, while Markham’s Hailey McLaughlin took home the Junior Girls’ championship.

The Women’s final match was a close one early on between Kertsos and Georgetown’s Samantha Spencer. Kertsos, 20-years-old from York Downs Golf & Country Club, took the lead on the first hole and extended it to two on the third. Spencer, 20-years-old from The Club at North Halton, came back and won the fourth to only trail by one. Then, on the sixth hole, Spencer chipped in from just off the fringe to even the match, which is where it stood at the turn. The match remained even until the 17^th hole when Spencer took the lead. Spencer had a chance to end the match on the 18^th but couldn’t get her putt to fall. That opened the door for Kertsos who tied the match on the 18^th and then won it on the 19^th hole.

“It feels amazing to win,” said Kertsos after the match. “I knew I had to do something special on 18. I didn’t, but I stayed confident, made my par and got lucky that it was in the cards. It is cool because this is my first Golf Ontario title and it is going to be a great confidence booster as I head to school.”

Kertsos went on to talk about the strengths of her game during the event. “My short game had to be my savior this week. I wasn’t hitting the ball amazingly, but still managed to put it in the hole with the least amount of strokes.”

The road to the title for Kertsos began with a 19-hole win over Pickering’s Meghan Bennett. She followed that up with a 4&3 quarter finals win over Uxbridge’s Kelsey Fuchs. She then moved on to the semi-finals where she knocked out St. Thomas’ Mary Ann Hayward, with an exciting 1up win on the 18^th hole, which earned her a spot in the final.

Getting to the final for Spencer started with a big 7&6 win over Thornhill’s Olivia Lee. Next up was a clash with Welland’s Tasha Macdonald that ended 2&1 in Spencer’s favour. That moved her onto the semi finals where she beat Markham’s Julia Champion 2&1 to punch her ticket to the championship match.

About the Ontario Women’s Match Play Championship

The Ontario Women’s Match Play Championship was first played in 1975 and has several notable past champions including: World, Canadian and Ontario Golf Hall of Fame member Marlene Stewart Streit, six-time champion Mary Ann Hayward, Terrill Samuel, and Heather Kuzmich.

For full tournament information, including round by round results, see the tournament page at: https://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao16/event/gao1680/index.htm

As for the Junior Girls’ Championship, McLaughlin, 14-years-old from Cedar Brae Golf & Country Club, quickly moved out in front of Markham’s Victoria Zheng with wins on the first two holes. She later extended the lead to three up, with a par on the fourth hole, and looked to be heading to the turn with a big advantage. However, Zheng, 12-years-old from Station Creek Golf Club, came back taking the eighth and ninth holes and was just one down at the turn. McLaughlin extended the lead to two up on the 10^th but Zheng won the 12^th and 13^th to even the match. However, McLaughlin would birdie the next two holes and pared the 16th to win the match 3&2.

Afterwards McLaughlin spoke about how much the win meant to her. “It is very exciting to win this event. I knew it was going to be a tough round, especially against Victoria who is a very good competitor, but I am just overwhelmed with excitement. This is the biggest event I have won since the Bantam Championship (2015) so I am just speechless.”

McLaughlin talked about the conditions that she faced this week and what part of her game was strongest. “I am used to playing in bad weather from tournaments I have played in previous years so it was not that big a deal to me. I just focused on my shots and try not to worry about the weather. This week my short game was the strongest part of my game. I made some long putts today and yesterday. My game was just really on this week.”

On her way to the title McLaughlin, a Team Ontario member, started by ousting Markham’s Rachel Lee 4&2. Next up was her quarter final match with Niagara Falls’ Sukriti Harjai, which McLaughlin needed 19 holes to earn the win. That set her up for an all Team Ontario semi final with Maple’s Alyssa DiMarcantonio. McLaughlin took the match 5&3 to advance to the title match.

As for Zheng, she began the championship with an 8&6 victory over Windsor’s Rachel Cote.  In the quarters, she beat out Grafton’s Danielle Sawyer in 19 holes. That put her up against a fellow Station Creek member in Toronto’s Catherine Zhang. Zheng would win the match 5&3 sending her to the final.

ABOUT THE ONTARIO JUNIOR GIRLS MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

The Junior Girls’ Match Play Championship has been contested since 1982. Female golfers under 19 years of age, before August 1, are eligible to compete. Notable past champions include: Alena Sharp, Stefi Markovich, Christina Yoon, Elizabeth Tong and Grace St-Germain.

For full tournament information, including round by round results, see the tournament page at: https://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao16/event/gao1679/index.htm

Golf Ontario would like to thank ClubLink and DiamonBack Golf Club for hosting the Championships. Thanks also to the Golf Ontario volunteers who make these events possible.

ORILLIA — Golf Ontario’s first Golf Community, Golf Barrie, has nearly completed its inaugural season. The initiative has had a presence at more than 30 events throughout the spring and summer and introduced more than 20,000 people to the game of golf.

A key learning from Golf Barrie has been the importance of programs that bridge TRY, LEARN, and PLAY stages of development.

To wrap up the summer, Golf Barrie, in association with Golf Ontario, is inviting junior golf programs from across Ontario to join them for a day of House League style golf, a format that fits naturally as a transition from the LEARN to PLAY stages. The one-day event is called Golf Jam.

House League style junior golf introduces the individual nature of competitive golf, while maintaining the fun team atmosphere offered by other sports.

Golf Jam will take place on September 11 at Hawk Ridge Golf & Country Club in Orillia, one of the Golf Barrie partner clubs. Teams from golf clubs, other sports or even just friends, are encouraged to sign up. Teams will be made up of four players, between the ages of 8-12, including both boys and girls. Each team is permitted one coach to help them as they play a nine-hole round.

The format is simple: two players from the team will hit drives on a given hole, while the remaining players will hit the second shots. The team will continue to alternate shots until both balls are holed, with the lowest score counting.

To encourage both existing and new players to take part in the Golf Jam, there will be multiple divisions including a novice flight for new players. Teams will also receive a skills clinic with a PGA Professional, participate in a full run through of the Future Links Skills Challenge, receive a unique team jersey, BBQ lunch and the opportunity to win amazing prizes.

“Golf Ontario is committed to supporting local golf junior league formats, or other club designed approaches, that bridge the steps between TRY, LEARN and PLAY experiences for young golfers,” said Andrew Moss, Golf Ontario Director of High Performance.

“Golf Jam will be an exciting wrap up to the summer golf season, with a fun format of House League style junior golf. It is a great way for clubs to celebrate a successful season of junior golf!” added Moss.

For more information or to register your team(s) visit: www.gao.ca/golf-jam

Highlights from the 2016 Investors Group Ontario Junior Boys’ Championship, July 19-22 at Listowel Golf Club. The title was won by Langton’s Peyton Callens at -6 for the tournament.

MISSISSAUGA — Golf at the 2016 Mississauga Ontario Summer Games came to a close on Aug. 12, from BraeBen Golf Course, with Stoney Creek’s Johnny Travale and Port Credit’s Chloe Currie standing atop the podium. Travale came in with a lead and never relinquished it, carding a two-over (74) final round. Currie came from behind to win thanks to a four-under (68) during the day.

Travale, from the Hamilton Golf & Country Club, entered the day at 10-under for the tournament, with a four-shot lead. The 15-year-old didn’t let his competitors back into it on the front nine as he was even par heading to the turn. On the back nine he would settle for three bogeys, but added a birdie to finish two-over, which was good enough for the win. Travale ended the championship at eight-under (68-66-74-208).

“It feels good to win this. A lot of hard work has gone into my game, especially after having a little upset at the U.S. Junior,” said Travale.

Travale also talked about what the keys to his win were. “My ball striking and putting were the strongest parts of my game this week. Nothing was really going wrong. The final round got tough in the wind but I’m sure it was tough for everyone. I knew I had to put up a good number today because Peyton (Callens) or Mike (von Schalburg) were going to give me a run for my money.”

Earning the silver was Langton’s Peyton Callens. Callens, from Delhi Golf & Country Club and Team Ontario, began the day five-under and that is where he finished thanks to an even par final round (70-69-72-211).

Rounding out the podium with the bronze was King City’s Michael von Schalburg. The York Downs Golf & Country Club member had a tough front nine but settled down on the back nine to end the day three-over (75). That helped him finish the event at three-under (68-70-75-213).

In the girls’ championship, Currie, from the Mississaugua Golf & Country Club, started the day two shots off the lead. The 16-year-old quickly made up that ground thanks to a solid three-under front nine. She continued her strong play on the back nine finishing it at one-under to end the day four-under (68). That moved her tournament total to seven-under (68-73-68-209), earning her a four-shot win.

With the win, Currie has now captured provincial championships at the Bantam (U15), Juvenile (U17) and Junior (U19) levels. After the win she spoke about what that means to her. “It is incredible! It is something you dream of doing, winning one is incredible but now I have won four provincial championships and it is an unbelievable feeling.”

Currie went on to talk about her strengths during the tournament. “My ball striking and putting were solid all week. I got myself out of trouble a couple of times but I found the most challenging part of the week was the wind. But I knew that if I stuck to my game plan, things would turn out the way I wanted.”

Taking the silver was Richmond Hill’s Monet Chun. Chun, from the Summit Golf & Country Club and Team Ontario, was the leader as the final round got underway. However, she would give it up with a two-over front nine. While she did play the back nine even, she was unable to make up the ground on Currie. Chun finished the day two-over (74) to bring her tournament total to three-under (74-65-74-213).

Picking up the bronze was Maple’s Alyssa DiMarcantonio. DiMarcantonio, from Station Creek Golf Club and Team Ontario, started the final round at five-over. However, the 13-year-old had the second best round of the day, next to Currie, finishing at three-under (69). That moved her to two-over (80-69-69-218) and helped her earn the medal.

In addition to the medals for individual play, medals were awarded to the top three teams representing different regions across the province. For the team competition, the lowest two boys and lowest girl’s score from the first two rounds were counted. Capturing the gold medal was Team York (Zack Mason, Eric Byun and Vaijayanti Bharkhada) at 455. The silver medal was won by Team Ottawa (Cameron Belanger, Ethan Johnston and Karianne Lefebvre) at 479. Team Essex-Kent (Shawn Sehra, Luc Warnock and Brooke MacKinnon) was awarded the bronze at 482.

For more information, including the final leaderboards, see the tournament sites at: https://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao16/event/gao164/index.htmfor the boys’ championship and https://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao16/event/gao166/index.htmfor the girls’ championship. For more information on the Ontario Summer Games, visit: https://www.osgmississauga.ca.