MISSISSAUGA — The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) was pleased to announce the recipients of the 2015 Volunteer Awards on October 5, at the annual Volunteer Appreciation Day held this year at the Mississaugua Golf & Country Club.

The GAO volunteer recognition program has been designed to recognize outstanding performances and contributions by volunteers who have played an instrumental role in promoting the growth and development of amateur golf throughout the province of Ontario, while preserving the integrity and traditions of the game.

“Our volunteer team in Ontario is second to none and their dedication to the growth of the sport is inspiring,” said GAO Interim Executive Director Mike Kelly. “From course rating to championships to committee work, volunteers move our association forward with passion and for that we are grateful.”

This year, the GAO presented two Honourary Life Director Awards, two Dick Grimm Distinguished Service Awards, the Volunteer of the Year Award and the District Volunteer of the Year Award.

Honourary Life Director Awards — Bill Muzak & Jim Bristow

Honourary Life Directors are recognized for their outstanding achievements through their involvement as a Committee and Board Member. This year the GAO chose to recognize a pair of individuals who have made tremendous contributions to the association and golf in the province.

Bill Muzak, a resident of Baden, can often be seen and heard at many GAO events as a starter welcoming players and guests to the tee at tournaments. He has been volunteering as a Tournament Official since 2001. He also served on the Board of Directors from 2008 to 2014 during which time he sat on numerous board and operating committees.

Jim Bristow, from London, is a past Ontario Golf Association President (1996) and has been a volunteer with the GAO since 2002. He is a level 4 Rules Official, but also works as a Site Coordinator, Senior Rules Official and currently serves on the GAO’s Finance/Risk Committee.

Dick Grimm Distinguished Service Award — Randy Millage & Kathy Hill

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. The GAO’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.

Kathy Hill, a Mississauga resident, has been a course rater for more than 20 years. She has been a Team Leader and Chair of the Handicap & Course Rating Committee and is designated as a Master Course Rater. Throughout her time volunteering with the GAO, Hill has shown strong leadership and interpersonal skills. She has taken on additional responsibilities in the form of recruiting and training new course raters and has always been willing to help out when called upon.

Randy Millage, from Ennismore, has been involved in golf in the province since 1980. His work has concentrated on junior programs that began out of his home club: the Peterborough Golf & Country Club. He has also served as club president and on numerous club committees. Millage teamed up with the GAO in order to organize junior events. The events helped to open doors for junior golfers by making connections with NCAA schools. Millage is also a Certified Rules Official and has been a Site Coordinator at GAO qualifiers and championships for many years.

Volunteer of the Year — Pat Newman

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

Pat Newman, a native of Collingwood, has been a GAO volunteer since 2007. As a dedicated Rules Official, Newman has demonstrated his leadership skills in that role along with the positions of Senior Rules Official and Site Coordinator. One of Newman’s greatest accomplishments happened in 2014 when he took on the task of writing and introducing the GAO qualifying manual. It became evident that the manual is a valuable resource for new and returning volunteers and has provided consistency at qualifiers that are operated by volunteers.

District Volunteer of the Year — Shirley Egerton 

The District Volunteer of the Year Award has been designed to recognize those volunteers who embody the spirit of volunteerism and have shown dedication by making a significant contribution in promoting, supporting and expanding amateur golf within their district.

Shirley Egerton, who lives in Bath, has been volunteering with the GAO since 2009 as a Tournament Official and has been the Kingston District Coordinator since 2013. Egerton has fully embraced her district community and has taken a special interest in promoting and supporting junior golf in the district. She is always available to help and takes time to mentor new volunteers at qualifiers and championships.

The GAO congratulates all of the 2015 award winners and thanks all of the volunteers who put in countless hours to make GAO events successful.

Choi posts 7-under 65 as Korea completes wire-to-wire win

OTTAWA (Golf Canada/ Golf Association of Ontario) – As the temperatures cooled and fall was ushered in, the golf season drew to a close with the conclusion of the World Junior Girls Championship, Sept. 25 at the Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa. Team Korea completed a wire-to-wire victory and claimed both the team and individual titles at the second playing of the competition for the world’s best 18-and-under female golfers.

Hye-Jin Choi of Paju-si saved her best performance for last, posting seven birdies in a bogey-free round to finish 7-under 65 for the lowest round of the tournament.

“Through the first three rounds I was focused on improving my putting, but today I sank a birdie on the first hole and with it, gained a boost of confidence for the round,” said the individual champion. “I felt better out there today than during any other round. I knew I could do it and at the same time, I trusted that my teammates would get it done, as well.”

The 16-year-old credited her competitors for challenging her across the course. “On the 14^th hole I made a birdie and followed it up with a difficult par on the 15^th.  At that point, I had a good feeling that I was going to be the individual winner. Up until then, I was still worried because my playing partners from Sweden and Denmark are great players and they could have made a charge and caught up.”

“Team competition is not very common in golf,” added Choi, whose squad was making its debut in the championship. “So when I get a chance to play as a team and represent my country, my focus is always on the team. When I saw their scores, I was so relieved and was then able to turn my attention to winning the individual title. I am so happy and proud of us.”

The remaining two members of the Korean contingent completed the competition tied for fourth at 1-under 287. Eun-Soo Jang of Chang Hyung shot a final-round of even-par 72 to count towards her team’s winning total of 22-under 554. The final member of the squad, Shin Hye Kim of Icheon, carded a 73.

“This is a really big win for us,” said head coach Sang-Won Ko, whose trio was the only team to all finish with under-par rounds. “Coming into the tournament, we never expected that we would win. Our top priority was to learn since the environment and course would be so different to us. I am so happy with the result. It is an added bonus to win because we learned so much during the week. I am really proud of all of my players.”

“Hye-Jin was crazy today!” said Ko, when asked about the World Junior Girls champion. “I have mentioned during the week that she struggled with her putting, but today it was simply amazing.”

Finishing second in the individual competition was Cecilie Bofill of Denmark. The native of Silkeborg began the day tied for third, but tallied five birdies en route to a 3-under 69. The 17-year-old moved to 5-under 283 in the competition to trade places in the standings with Filippa Moork of Sweden. The native of Karlstad was 2-over on the day and finished 2-under overall to claim sole possession of third.

Bofill’s performance coupled with Frederickshavn native Puk Lyng Thomsen’s 1-over 73 propelled Denmark into the runner-up position in the team competition at 4-under 572. Four strokes shy of second was Team Sweden, which counted identical rounds of 2-over 74 from Moork and Frida Kinhult of Fiskebackskil to finish even-par 576.

Kathrine Chan led the Canadians in the field with a 3-over 75 performance. The native of Richmond, B.C., finished the championship at 15-over 303.

Tournament Director Mary Beth McKenna echoed the sentiments of all those involved when asked to reflect on the competition. “In speaking with the players and coaches this past week, I think this event was a tremendous success. From the coaching summit and the skills clinic to an entertaining and exciting tournament – I truly believe this was a very positive experience for not only the golfing community in Ottawa, but also the development of junior girls’ golf on the international stage.”

Additional information on the 2015 World Junior Girls Championship can be found on the tournament’s official website at www.worldjuniorgirls.com.

ABOUT THE WORLD JUNIOR GIRLS GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

The World Junior Girls Golf Championship is an annual event conducted by Golf Canada in partnership with the Golf Association of Ontario. The international competition features three-player teams of athletes under the age of 19. As host country, Canada will field two teams in the competition.

In 2015, the competition will be hosted at The Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa. The second edition of the tournament will see a 16-team field compete over 72 holes for both individual and team honours.

The event receives funding from the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport; the Golf Canada Foundation (Women’s Golf Fund); and Ottawa Tourism.

Admission and parking for the World Junior Girls Golf Championship is free. For more information, visit www.worldjuniorgirls.com.

BRAMPTON— The Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) season concluded on September 24 with the final provincial championship of 2015: the Ontario Senior Men’s Better-Ball Championship. This year, Brampton Golf Club played host to the event that saw 64 teams and 128 players compete for the title.

At the end of the day it was the team of Robert Gibson and Colin Grieve that walked away as champions. Gibson, from Toronto and the Cedar Brae Golf Club, and Grieve, from Stoney Creek and the Glendale Golf & Country Club, finished the day at a combined six-under (65) to win the title by two strokes.

The leaderboard was a logjam after the winners as five teams tied for second with rounds of four-under (67). The list included: St. Catharines’ Michael Baines (Twenty Valley Golf & Country Club) and Burlington’s Mike Soucie (Twenty Valley Golf & Country Club); Chris Kertsos (York Downs Golf & Country Club), from Pickering, and Bolton’s Dan Partland (The National Golf Club of Canada); Caledon’s Ronald Kerr (Brampton Golf Club) and Glenn McClelland (Brampton Golf Club); Caledon’s Marty Quincey (Devil’s Pulpit Golf Association) and Oakville’s Brian Semkiw (Devil’s Pulpit Golf Association); and Newmarket’s David Stroud and Toronto’s Don McLean (Greystone Golf Club).

After the five teams in second, there were four other pairs tied for seventh at three-under (68).

For full tournament information, including the final leaderboard, see the tournament site at: http://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao15/event/gao15101/index.htm

About the Ontario Senior Men’s Better-Ball Championship

The Ontario Senior Men’s Better Ball Championship was first contested in 1982. It is open to players aged 55 and older as of the date of the tournament. The championship trophy was donated by the Oakdale Golf & Country Club, who annually host the GAO’s Men’s Better Ball Championship. Notable champions include Ontario Golf Hall of Famers Nick Westlock and Stu Hamilton. The GAO would like to thank the staff and volunteers from Brampton Golf Club, along with the GAO volunteers, for their support of amateur golf in Ontario.

Sweden’s Filippa Moork jumps to second with third-round 4-under 68

 OTTAWA (Golf Canada/ Golf Association of Ontario)— The team representing the Republic of Korea continued its strong play in the third round of the World Junior Girls Championship at The Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa.

The trio’s depth was again on display – for the third time in as many days, a different player led the team. The unit finished the day 6-under and now sits at 15-under 417 for the competition – 11 shots clear of second. Icheon native Shin Hye Kim led the way with six birdies and a bogey-free 3-under across the back nine. She finished the day at 4-under 68 to move into a tie for third at 2-under 214.

“I am extremely happy with my round. I was very lucky with my putting today. There were times when I made six or seven footers and that is something that rarely happens for me.”

Teammate, Hye-Jin Choi, a native of Paju-si, fired a 2-under 70 to reach 5-under in the tournament and reclaim the lead she held following the first round. Round two leader Eun-Soo Jang of Chang-Hyung finished the day 4-over 76 and sits alone in fifth for the tournament at 1-under.

“Even though this competition has an individual component, all three of us are only focused on the team competition,” added Kim when asked about her relationship with her squad. “The first day I was worried because I shot a 4-over. Throughout the round, I thought about what my teammates were doing, when I finished and found out what they had shot, I was instantly relieved. It felt like I had shot a 3-under myself.”

Filippa Moork began the round in third-place at even-par, but a 4-under performance propelled the native of Karlstad, Sweden into second. The 18-year-old is one-shot off the individual lead at 4-under.

“It felt really good to tie for the low round. I played my own game,” said Moork. “It was fun out there today. It feels nice that my putts were going in.”

Team Sweden, consisting of Moork, Gothenburg’s Elin Esborn and Fiskebackskil’s Frida Kinhult, sits alone in second at 4-under 428 following a combined score of 3-under on the day. Esborn completed the round at 3-over 75 to sit T20 in the tournament at 223. Kinhult ended the day with a 74 and is currently alone in sixth.

“We did really well today,” said Sweden’s head coach Malin Thorberg.
“Filippa putted really well today and made a lot of birdies. Frida, as well. It was a very good day on the greens. We are all really happy with today.”

Despite some difficult circumstances, Thorberg reflected very positively on the importance of this competition. “This is a really good learning experience for the girls. For Frida and Elin, it is their first time playing in this championship. We were without our clubs for the first two days (due to travel issues), but that was a good thing for the girls to learn – that these things can happen. They took it really well. From there, we just tried to be happy and do our best and learn as much as we could, both from other players and the course.”

Rounding out the top three is Team Denmark. The squad members made a move early in the round and found themselves just one back of Korea for the lead. However, they would fall back and sit at 2-under heading into the final round.

Silkeborg’s Cecilie Bofill, who is tied for third, led Denmark on the day. Bofill got off to a fast start with three birdies on the first five holes, but would end the round at 2-over 74 to sit 2-under for the tournament. Teammate Puk Lyng Thomsen, a native of Frederickshavn, was 1-over for the day and sits T8 at 2-over. The third member of the team, Gilleleje’s Line Toft Hansen, is T13 at 4-over after an even-par third round.

Team Canada Two’s Kathrine Chan of Richmond, B.C., posted a 2-over 74 on the day – her lowest round of the competition. Tied for 27^th, she is the top Canadian in the individual standings at 12-over.

The final round of the World Junior Girls Championship will begin tomorrow at 8 a.m. Additional information regarding the tournament, including tee times and full results, can be found at www.worldjuniorgirls.com.

ABOUT THE WORLD JUNIOR GIRLS GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

The World Junior Girls Golf Championship is an annual event conducted by Golf Canada in partnership with the Golf Association of Ontario. The international competition features three-player teams of athletes under the age of 19. As host country, Canada will field two teams in the competition.

In 2015, the competition will be hosted at The Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa. The second edition of the tournament will see a 16-team field compete over 72 holes for both individual and team honours.

The event receives funding from the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport; the Golf Canada Foundation (Women’s Golf Fund); and Ottawa Tourism.

Admission and parking for the World Junior Girls Golf Championship is free. For more information, visit www.worldjuniorgirls.com.

Jang reaches 5-under as Team Korea builds a five-stroke lead

OTTAWA (Golf Canada/ Golf Association of Ontario) – Clear skies and brilliant sunshine provided an ideal backdrop for the second round of the 2015 World Junior Girls Championship at The Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa. The team representing the Republic of Korea took full advantage of the ideal conditions to expand its lead atop the standings.

“I am very satisfied with both the scores and details of today’s performance,” said Korean coach Sang-Won Ko. “Yesterday the scores were fine, but the details weren’t where we wanted them to be. Today everything went well.”

Ko credited hard work and increased familiarity with the course for his team’s play. “The players are getting used to the course and are getting more comfortable playing it. Their putting was much better. We worked on it after yesterday’s round and it helped a lot today. To continue to lead, we just need to keep putting well.”

Leading the Korean side was Eun-Soo Jang who tallied six birdies en route to a 5-under 67. The 17-year-old, who has been battling a cold, is finally feeling more like herself. “Yesterday, I was struggling. Today, I got back to my game and gave myself more chances to make birdies. My wedge play was the strongest part of my game today. My shots from 80-yards-in were really good. I stuck many of them to within a foot or two on many of the holes.”

Cecilie Bofill of Silkeborg, Denmark ascended the leaderboard with five birdies, including three across a bogey-free back nine. The 17-year-old finished the first day of competition tied with 10 other players in fourth-place at even-par; her round of 4-under 68 has vaulted her into second.

The 18-hole leader – Hye-Jin Choi – followed her opening round of 2-under 70 with a 71. She carded two birdies on the day and despite sitting third in the competition, the 16-year-old’s tally will not count towards her team’s total on the day.

The Korean trio extended its lead from two to five strokes on the strength of performances from Jang and the team’s final member – Shin Hye Kim. She collected four birdies on the front nine before a pair of bogeys saw the 18-year-old finish at 2-under 70. The team is now 9-under 279 through two rounds.

Led by Bofill, Team Denmark rose two spots to claim sole possession of second place. Puk Lyng Thomsen’s even-par round also counted towards her squad’s combined total of 4-under 285, while Line Toft Hansen’s 75 on the day completes the trio’s scores.

Team Sweden – comprised of Frida Kinhult of Fiskebackskil, Gothenburg’s Elin Esborn and Karlstad native Filippa Moork – holds third place at 1-under 287. Kinhult, who sits T5, posted a round of 1-under 71 to count alongside Moork’s 72. Esborn was 3-over 75 for the round.

Toping the Canadian contingent is Alisha Lau. The 15-year-old carded one birdie and completed the round at 2-over 74. The national team Development Squad member is T24 at 6-over for the competition.

Head Coach of Team Canada One, Ann Carroll, provided some insight on her squad’s second-round performance. “I think they tried a little too hard today. I think some of them got off to a not-so-great start and after that, they started to force things instead of letting things come to them. I tried my best to get them in the right frame of mind and back to where they could control things.”

Carroll remains positive on the experience as a whole. “I think playing in an international event like this excels their learning and gives them confidence that even though they may not have played their best, they still know they can play against other girls from around the world.”

The third round of the World Junior Girls Championship will begin tomorrow at 8 a.m. Additional information regarding the tournament, including tee times and full results, can be found at www.worldjuniorgirls.com.

TORONTO— The Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) Women’s Four-Ball Championship took place on Sept. 21 from the Ladies’ Golf Club of Toronto. This year’s competition saw 35 teams and 70 female golfers compete for the title.

It would end up being a pair of 2015 GAO champions who would team up to win the event. Markham’s Hailey McLaughlin, 14, from the Cedar Brae Golf & Country Club, and Maple’s Alyssa DiMarcantonio, 12, from Station Creek Golf Club, shot a two-under (70) to earn the title. It caps off nice seasons for both McLaughlin and DiMarcantonio as earlier this summer, McLaughlin captured the Investors Group Ontario Bantam Girls’ Championship and DiMarcantonio won the Ontario Peewee Girls’ Championship.

Finishing second was the team of Kingston’s Diana McDonald and Hornby’s Alexandra Naumovski. The pair finished the day at even par (72).

Picking up the bronze medal was the team of London’s Sue Postian and Strathroy’s Jane Hedges-McKinnon who carded a one-over (73) round.

Two teams shared the net championship at six-under (66). McLaughlin and DiMarcantonio tied with Burlington’s Tania Clancy and Louise Desrochers.

For all tournament information, including the final leaderboard see the tournament site at: http://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao15/event/gao1584/index.htm

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. The Golf Association of Ontario would like to thank the staff of the Ladies’ Golf Club of Toronto for hosting the 2015 event along with the GAO volunteers for their continued support of amateur golf in Ontario.

The September Issue of Ontario Golf News is now available – click here to read your digital copy. 

Two teams of three Canadians among 48 players and 15 countries set to compete at The Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa

OTTAWA (Golf Canada) – The world’s top female junior golfers will gather in Ottawa for the second playing of the World Junior Girls Championship from September 20-25 at The Marshes Golf Club. Six Canadians will represent the host nation in team and individual competition as Canada vies for the title of World Junior Girls champion.

“The Marshes Golf Club is in great shape and we are excited to once again bring the world’s talented players to Canada,” said Tournament Director Mary Beth McKenna. “It is a true honour to be selected to represent your country and we know that all the athletes from across the globe will want to perform their best in this event.”

Grace St-Germain of Orleans, Ont., will return to the competition looking to improve upon Team Canada’s third-place result in 2014. The national team Development Squad member has had a banner year in 2015. St-Germain tallied a third-place result at the Golf Quebec Junior Spring Open before beginning Golf Canada’s championship season with a victory at the CN Future Links Pacific Championship. The 17-year-old repeated as the Golf Association of Ontario’s Junior Girls’ Match Play champion and closed the campaign with victories at the Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA) Mizuno National Junior Golf Championship and the Graham Cooke Junior Invitational – it was her third consecutive victory at the tournament named after the Canadian Golf Hall of Famer.

Playing alongside St-Germain is Hannah Lee of Surrey, B.C. The 15-year-old has demonstrated a great deal of consistency this summer, finishing runner-up at the British Columbia Juvenile Championships, third at the B.C. Junior Girls and T7 at the B.C. Women’s Amateur. She captured the 16-and-under Juvenile Division at the 2015 Canadian Junior Girls Championship and finished second overall in the national championship. The lessons she learned this summer culminated in Lee claiming the gold medal in the girls’ competition at the 2015 Western Canada Summer Games in Wood Buffalo, Alta.

Rounding-out the Team One contingent is 14-year-old Tiffany Kong. The Vancouver native’s second-place standing at the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) Season Opener began a string of six events where she finished no lower than a tie for sixth-place. Kong finished fourth at the B.C. Junior Girls before capturing the silver medal in the individual competition at the Western Canada Summer Games. The highlight of Kong’s season would come at The Vancouver Golf Club in Coquitlam, B.C., where she competed in the 2015 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open after earning a spot through the Monday Qualifier.

As the host nation, Canada will field two teams in the World Junior Girls Championship. Euna Han of Coquitlam, B.C., will be a member of Canada’s second team in the competition. The 13-year-old notched five top-six finishes this summer, including a runner-up result at the MJT Odlum Brown Classic-PGA of BC Junior Championship, a third-place finish in the juvenile division of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship and a T6 at the B.C. Junior Girls Championship.

Alisha Lau will play in the World Junior Girls Championship for a second time. The product of Richmond, B.C., emerged victorious at the 2015 CN Future Links Prairie Championship at Cooke Municipal Golf Course in Prince Albert, Sask., and finished tied for third at the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship. Lau claimed the bronze medal at the Western Canada Summer Games to complete a sweep of the podium for Team B.C. The trio of Lee, Kong and Lau’s combined score of 435 over two rounds earned them gold in the team competition – 58 strokes clear of second-place.

Completing the second team will be fellow British Columbian Kathrine Chan of Richmond. The 15-year-old’s 11th place standing at the B.C. Junior Girls Championship was her lowest result this season. Chan finished second in the juvenile division of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship and fourth overall while also registering a T5 finish at the B.C. Juvenile Championships.

“These six athletes have been selected to represent Canada based on some fantastic results achieved throughout the season,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “The growth that these players have shown this year is a direct result of the support they have received from their home clubs, their skilled coaches and the provincial golf associations.”

Thompson credited the strength of competition in Canada as being a key component in the development of these players.

“The performances of Canada’s junior female athletes have been very strong this year. While that level of competition has made this selection process far from simple, it has provided excellent opportunities for the players to hone their skills against Canada’s best. The wealth of resources available to our athletes, beginning at the grassroots level and extending to the provincial and national levels, has resulted in a tremendous amount of golfing talent across the nation. We look forward to seeing this group proudly represent all of Canada as they learn and grow on the international stage.”

National team Development Squad women’s coach Ann Carroll will return to lead the Canadian teams in the competition. Assisting her will be Mike Martz, coach of the New Competitors team at the Golf Performance Centre at Whistle Bear.

Conducted by Golf Canada in partnership with the Golf Association of Ontario and supported by the International Golf Federation, the 2015 edition of the World Junior Girls Championship will take place in Ontario for a second consecutive year. The inaugural tournament in 2014 was held at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont., where Team USA claimed team honours and Beverly Hills, Calif., native Mika Liu finished atop the leaderboard in individual competition.

In addition to the 72-hole team and individual competitions, the World Junior Girls Championship will be a celebration of the sport with a specific focus on the growth and development of the game. Golf Canada will host a Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (CSIO) coaching summit and a girls’ skill development clinic in the lead-up to the tournament.

Additional information regarding the 2015 World Junior Girls Championship can be found on the competition’s website: http://www.worldjuniorgirls.com.

OTTAWA (Golf Canada) – The 2015 edition of the World Junior Girls Championship will be held at The Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa from September 20-25. In addition to showcasing a number of the world’s most talented 18-and-under female golfers, the event will focus on the continued development of the sport.

“The World Junior Girls Championship is about more than this year’s participants and their opportunity to learn through international competition,” said Jeff Thompson, Chief Sport Officer of Golf Canada. “It is also about the sustainable development of golf in Canada and strengthening the relationship between the national golf associations around the world.”

Mike Kelly, Interim Executive Director of the Golf Association of Ontario, mirrored Thompson’s sentiments. “The chance to gather a number of elite coaching minds from around the world to share their knowledge and experiences is an invaluable opportunity. Through the junior girls skills development clinic and the junior-amateur fundraiser, we hope to leave a lasting imprint on the golfing community in the Ottawa area.”

A coaching summit is set to take place on Sunday, September 20 at The Marshes Golf Club. During the competitors’ practice rounds, PGA of Canada coaches will be paired with international coaches to exchange ideas and share in coaching methodology. Following the practice rounds, the PGA of Canada coaches will gather with Team Canada Women’s Head Coach Tristan Mullally and PGA of Canada Technical Director Glenn Cundari in a round-table discussion.

A junior girls skills development clinic will be conducted with PGA of Canada coaches introducing and developing golf-specific skills with junior golfers invited from the community. The junior-amateur fundraiser will see World Junior Girls Championship competitors play with local golfing enthusiasts to raise funds towards the development of golf in Ontario.

ABOUT THE WORLD JUNIOR GIRLS GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

The World Junior Girls Golf Championship is an annual event conducted by Golf Canada in partnership with the Golf Association of Ontario. The international competition features three-player teams of athletes under the age of 19. As host country, Canada will field two teams in the competition.

In 2015, the competition will be hosted at The Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa. The second edition of the tournament will see a 16-team field compete over 72 holes for both individual and team honours.

The event receives funding from the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport; the Golf Canada Foundation (Women’s Golf Fund); and Ottawa Tourism.

Admission and parking for the World Junior Girls Golf Championship is free. For more information, visit www.worldjuniorgirls.com.

INNISFIL— The Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) Baka Wireless Public Player Championship concluded on Sept. 2, at National Pines Golf Club in Innisfil. When all of the scores were in, it was 2011 champion, Arnold Johnson, who hoisted the trophy for a second time.

This year, the championship was divided into three categories: the A Flight, for the overall gross championship, and two net flights, B and C. Players were placed into one of the three flights based on their handicap ratings heading into the event.

Johnson, from Brampton, began the day at four-over, five shots back of leader Jean-Henri Lavoie, also from Brampton. The 47-year-old Johnson started the day in the fifth from last group. He had a tough start and was two-over at the turn. However, he would settle down on the back nine and thanks to birdies on the 15^th and 18^th holes, he finished the day even. That brought his tournament total to four-over (76-72), good enough for the win.

“This wasn’t expected at all, I just came out and played the golf course,” said Johnson. “I have won this before, but today was special because I have been suffering from a wrist ailment this season. I just had it fixed three weeks ago, so this was a comeback and it was quite a joy to play well and win.”

Johnson went on to talk about what went well and what his frame of mind was during the final round. “I was finally able to make some putts. Yesterday the greens were a bit slower but today I was able to live with them. The good putting definitely helped. I figured I needed to be two or three under to have a chance. I just wanted to keep it close, I didn’t think 72 would do it but it did.”

Capturing the silver medal was Oshawa’s Jay Finley. Finley finished the day four-over (76) to go along with his opening round of one-over (73), which was good enough to grab second by just one stroke at five-over for the tournament.

Five players shared the bronze medal at six-over for the championship. The group included: Toronto’s Chris Willis (78-72), Cobourg’s Lucas Pichl (74-76), Mississauga’s Dawson Pitcher (75-75), Lavoie (71-79) and Mississauga’s Gary Young (73-77).

In the Net B Flight, it was Oakville’s David Everest who came away with the title. Everest had an opening-round net score of one-under (71) and followed it up with a three-under (69) second round to win the flight by a stroke at four-under.

Taking the Net C Flight was Toronto’s John Baty. Baty had an opening round net score of four-under (68), but outdid himself on the second day finishing with a net 13-under (59) to win the title at 17-under for the tournament.

For complete tournament information, including the final leaderboards, see the tournament site at: http://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao15/event/gao1587/index.htm

The GAO would like to thank the staff and volunteers at National Pines Golf Club for their help in running the event. Thanks also to title sponsor Baka Wireless and the GAO volunteers for their continued support of golf in the province.

 About the Baka Wireless Ontario Public Player Championship

The Baka Wireless Public Player Championship has been contested since 1958. It was suspended between 1984 and 1995. This year’s event is a two-round competition with a gross championship and two net flights. Former champions include: Ontario Golf Hall of Famer Gerry Kesselring, Ken Trowbridge, Dave Bunker and Lucas Kim. Craig Loughry holds the record for the most victories with four.