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.
Social Handles: Stay connected with us on social media: Instagram, Facebook and X @thegolfontario
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.
Social Handles: @thegolfontario on Instagram, Facebook and X
A new, full-time career opportunity is available at Golf Ontario.
To learn more about the Director, Human Resources & EDI role, CLICK HERE.
The role summary is as follows:
As an experienced Human Resources Leader, the Director, Human Resources (HR) & EDI will have a passion for building culture and collaborating with key stakeholders in delivering an HR strategy to inspire a performance-based team environment that is passionate, respectful, united, accountable and brilliant.
The Director, HR & EDI will collaborate with the leadership team, colleagues and volunteers to develop and lead the HR strategy for Golf Ontario, including employment practices to attract, retain and engage talent, compliance, administration, training, benefits, compensation and health, safety and wellness.
The Director, HR & EDI will drive the strategy for advancing Golf Ontario’s commitment to EDI and Safe Sport, including collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to build an inclusive environment that will shape lives by connecting people to positive golf experiences across Ontario.
Golf Ontario is a Provincial Sports Organization and the governing body for golf in Ontario. With more than 80 years of history and tradition, serving 125,000 members, Golf Ontario is one of the largest golf associations in the world. We strive to partner with a connected golf community to inspire the game of golf for all Ontarians, including youth, women and underserved communities.
With our vision of Golf for All, Golf Ontario is committed to creating a diverse and safe environment within our organization and across the sport of golf.
Golf fans, brace yourselves—we’ve got one final auction item, and it’s nothing short of superhero-level cool.
Thanks to our incredible partners at TaylorMade Canada, we’re thrilled to offer a dozen limited-edition, comic book-inspired TP5 PIX golf balls. These collector’s items sold out faster than you can say “Smash! Boom! Pow!”—and now’s your chance to get your hands on them.
What makes these golf balls truly special?
- Each ball features bold comic book language like “Smash!” “Boom!” and “Pow!” perfectly aligned to create pix’s ClearPath Alignment for improved visibility.
- The outside of the collector’s box? Showcasing four of golf’s greatest superheroes—Rory McIlroy, Brooke Henderson, Collin Morikawa, and Tommy Fleetwood!
- But that’s not all: the inside reveals more about their golf super-powers!
And now for the real plot twist… this exclusive box is signed by:
? Brooke Henderson? Collin Morikawa? Tommy Fleetwood? World No. 1, Scottie Scheffler
That’s right—you get signatures from some of the biggest legends in the game, making this item a once-in-a-lifetime collector’s dream!
But time is running out! ⏳
This online-only auction closes this Friday at 5 p.m.—so don’t wait! Place your bids on this super cool, one-of-a-kind treasure before it’s gone for good.
Every dollar raised from this auction directly supports junior golf programming across Ontario. Let’s keep building the future of the game—one superhero golf ball at a time!
Ontario’s own Taylor Pendrith, Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes have been named to the International Team’s for the upcoming Presidents Cup in Montreal.
It’s the first time three Canadians have played in the prestigious international event at the same time.
Canadian golf legend and Ontario Golf Hall of Fame member Mike Weir used three of his six captain’s selections on Pendrith, Conners and Hughes. He also picked South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout, South Korea’s Si Woo Kim and Australia’s Min Woo Lee.
Pendrith finished the 2024 season on a heater, earning his way into the PGA Tour’s playoffs and finishing the Tour Championship tied for 14th.
Corey Conners
- Country: Canada
- Age: 32
- PGA TOUR Wins: 2
- Presidents Cup: 1 (2022), 0-4-0
2024 Highlights: Has notched three top-10 finishes in 2024 including a season-best, solo-sixth-place effort at the RBC Canadian Open.
Captain Weir on Conners: “Corey is one of the best ball-strikers on the PGA TOUR and his ability to consistently put himself and his playing partner in a position to attack is invaluable in team competition. He has looked towards the 2024 Presidents Cup for two years now, and I know he’s eager to compete in front of his fellow Canadians.”
Mackenzie Hughes
- Country: Canada
- Age: 33
- PGA TOUR Wins: 2
- Presidents Cup: First appearance
2024 Highlights: Has recorded three top-10 finishes including a season-best T3 at the Valspar Championship. Only missed four cuts in 22 starts, marking a career best.
Captain Weir on Hughes: “Canadian golf fans have followed Mackenzie’s career for nearly two decades and it’s incredible to know he’s going to make his Presidents Cup debut in his home country. He is steady and calm under pressure and is without doubt one of the best putters on the PGA TOUR, which is a great combination for our team.”
Taylor Pendrith
- Country: Canada
- Age: 33
- PGA TOUR Wins: 1
- Presidents Cup: 1 (2022), 0-4-0
2024 Highlights: Picked up the first win of his PGA TOUR career at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson. Recorded five additional top-10 finishes while advancing to the TOUR Championship for the first time.
Captain Weir on Pendrith: “Taylor is in the midst of his best year on the PGA TOUR, and it was great to see him breakthrough for his first win in Dallas and advancing to the TOUR Championship. He has built a reputation as one of the longest hitters in our game, and that length should be advantageous in match play competition at Royal Montreal.”
Weir’s International side will face off against Jim Furyk’s U.S. squad in the match-play competition, Sept. 24-29, at The Royal Montreal Golf Club.
Pendrith and Conners — close friends — also played for the International Team at the 2022 Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte.
That was the first time two Canadians had played at the elite event.
Ultimately, the Internationals lost 17 1/2 to 12 1/2 to the United States.
The International team has only won once in the event’s history, emerging victorious at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in 1998 when captain Peter Thompson led them to a 20 1/2 – 11 1/2 triumph over Jack Nicklaus’s American squad.
Social Handles: Stay connected with us on social media: Instagram, Facebook and X @thegolfontario
Golf Ontario, the Provincial Sport Organization for Golf, is currently seeking interested individuals to serve on the Board of Directors for a three-year term commencing February 2025.
If you have a strong passion for the sport of golf and believe that it can contribute to building healthy communities, we would like to hear from you. We are searching for individuals who understand the amateur golf system in Ontario and have solid financial expertise, including knowledge and experience with investments and foundations. We are committed to ensuring that our Board reflects the diversity of golfers in Ontario and would particularly welcome women to apply.
Our Vision is a simple but powerful statement: Golf for All. This Vision is brought to life in our Strategic Plan, through unique participation initiatives such as the Regional Support Strategy. We are committed to building trusting relationships with our facilities and our golf partners so that together we can expand participation opportunities not only for current players but also for those who have never had the opportunity to play the game.
The role of a Golf Ontario Board member is to act as a trustee, always serving the best interests of the organization with integrity and an open mind. The Board’s governance responsibilities are multi-faceted and include upholding our By-Law, determining policy, developing and evaluating strategic priorities, monitoring financial performance, and approving annual budgets.
The Board currently consists of 11 directors serving staggered three-year terms, with an option to extend for a second three-year term. We will welcome 2 new directors in 2025. In-person Board meetings are hosted quarterly (travel and accommodation reimbursement provided), while quarterly Board committee and work group meetings are held virtually.
Expressions of Interest must include the following:
Online application form and
Current CV (Instructions for uploading your documents are included on the application form).
The application deadline for the coming year is October 31, 2024.
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO APPLY.
With more than 80 years of history and tradition, serving 120,000 members, Golf Ontario is one of the largest golf associations in the world. We strive to align with all golf stakeholders through a connected golf community while encouraging both youth and adults to play more golf, more often. Our Mission is to shape lives through golf by connecting people to positive golf experiences.
Golf Ontario is an equal opportunity organization committed to providing accessible practices. We will make all reasonable accommodations for applicants with varying abilities to support their full participation in this process. We thank all individuals for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. All Expressions of Interest will be kept in confidence.
Social Handles: Stay connected with us on social media: Instagram, Facebook and X @thegolfontario
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.
Social Handles: Stay connected with us on social media: Instagram, Facebook and X @thegolfontario
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.
Social Handles: @thegolfontario on Instagram, Facebook and X
Golf Ontario is launching an exciting new raffle that every golfer will want to be a part of.
For a donation of just $20 to the 1000 Ball Challenge, you can enter for a chance to win 1,000 TaylorMade TP5/X golf balls—a prize valued at $7,000! Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to stock up on top-quality golf balls while supporting a great cause.
What is the 1000 Ball Challenge?
The 1000 Ball Challenge is Golf Ontario’s bold fundraising initiative designed to drive golf participation across the province. This unique challenge inspires golfers to rally their friends and family, hit 1,000 golf balls in a single day, and raise much-needed funds to support the growth of the game. Whether you’re a seasoned player or just getting started, this is your chance to make a meaningful impact while having fun. Learn more and get involved at 1000 Ball Challenge.
How to Enter:
Supporting the 1000 Ball Challenge is easy and rewarding! For every $20 donation, you’ll receive one entry into the raffle for the grand prize of 1000 TaylorMade TP5/X golf balls.
You can donate directly to a team or individual taking part in the challenge or contribute to the overall campaign at www.1000ball.ca/raffle.
Remember, the more you donate, the better your chances of winning.
The lucky winner will be announced after at season’s end.
Don’t wait—make your donation today and take your shot at winning 1,000 TaylorMade TP5/X golf balls!
