July 4, 2023
As the picturesque fairways of the Donalda Club prepare to welcome the best female amateur golfers in the province, anticipation and excitement are reaching new heights for the upcoming Ontario Women’s Amateur & Mid-Amateur Championship. One of the most prestigious events in the country. Many players have kick-started their journey to professional golf through the event. Since the inaugural event, the Ontario Women’s Amateur & Mid-Amateur Championships have enjoyed an illustrious history of great champions.
This year’s championship boasts an impressive lineup of participants, featuring both seasoned veterans and rising stars eager to make their mark on the golfing landscape. Past Champions Sydney Naro (2020) and Jasmine Ly (2021) who are teammates at Northern Illinois University will be ones to watch for well as Kennesaw State’s Nyah Kelly, fresh off winning the Ontario Women’s Match Play, Kelly looks to maintain her momentum going into this tournament.
Other Notable players to watch out for include Shauna Liu, a talented young golfer whose remarkable talent and drive propelled her to win the Junior Girls (U19) Spring Classic. With a string of impressive performances in recent tournaments, Team Ontario’s Aryn Matthews enters the Ontario Women’s Amateur & Mid-Amateur Championship with immense confidence, aiming to claim the title for herself. Team Canada Next Gen Team Member Alissa Xu looks to leave her mark on the competition with a victory to add to her already impressive resume.
The tournament will also showcase the skill and experience of other prominent contenders, such as Mary-Ann Hayward, a seasoned golfer with a remarkable record of success in previous championships. Her extensive knowledge of the game and ability to stay calm under pressure makes her a formidable adversary for any opponent. The Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship trophy is also named after Hayward and she looks to etch her name on the trophy once again with this year’s tournament.
About the Women’s Amateur & Mid-Amateur Championship
First played in 1904, the Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship is Ontario’s oldest provincial championship and is the pinnacle of women’s golf in the province. 96 players will compete from across Ontario in a 72-hole stroke play format.
The Women’s Amateur has produced a rich history of champions throughout the tournament’s long and cherished existence. Past winners include 1968 LPGA Tour players Sandra Post (1964), Alena Sharp (1989), Jennifer Kirby (2009, 2010), Augusta James (2011), Brittany Marchand (2012), Brooke Henderson (2014), Maddie Szeryk and Brigitte Thibault (2019). World, Canadian and Ontario Golf Hall of Fame member, Marlene Stewart Streit, holds the record for the most titles with 11 (’51, ’56, ’57, ’58, ’68, ’69, ’70, ’72, ’74, ’76, and ’77).
First played in 1989, the Ontario Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship is open to female golfers aged 25 and over. In honour of her outstanding accomplishments at the Mid-Amateur level in Ontario, the trophy is rightfully named after 14-time champion Mary Ann Hayward. The Mid-Amateur championship will be awarded after 54 holes of play.. Other notable past champions of the event include 2012 Canadian Senior Women’s Champion Terrill Samuel (1991, 2000,2010, 2020), Casey Ward (2015) and Golf Ontario Hall of Fame members Gayle Borthwick Hitchens (1992, 1993), and Judith Kyrinis (2017).
The Donalda Club’s Associate Golf Professional, Taras Humeniuk had this to say regarding the upcoming event; “We are very excited to be hosting the 108th Ontario Women’s Amateur & Mid-Amateur Championship here at the Donalda Club. Having been preparing our course for the past couple weeks, it is in fantastic condition and welcomes the competitors with pure fairways and challenging greens”.
The action will begin at 7:20 am on July 5. To view pairings & starting times for each round as well as live leaderboard updates please visit the Championship Tournament Website here.
About Golf Ontario
Golf Ontario is Ontario’s Provincial Sport Organization focused on enhancing participation, elevating performance, and supporting the passion of golfers in Ontario. With over 100,000 individual members and 500 member clubs, Golf Ontario is one of the most significant golf associations in the world. From rating courses and keeping the integral rules of the game intact to growing the game at the grassroots level and hosting the best amateur tournaments in Canada, Golf Ontario is a passionate group dedicated to Shaping Lives Through Golf.
For more information, please contact:
Greg Mitchell, Coordinator; Brand, Communications & Marketing Golf Ontario,
Rob Watson, Tournament Director
For tournament results, Click Here
