PORT HOPE – A field of 156 golfers will tee it up at Dalewood Golf Club when the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) 2015 Investors Group Junior Boys’ Championship begins on July 21.

“To bring the province’s premier junior boys’ championship to Port Hope and Dalewood Golf Club is very exciting,” said Mike Kelly, GAO Interim Executive Director. “The course will present a great test to all players in their quest for the gold medal and to secure their ticket to the National Championship.”

“On behalf of the members and staff of Dalewood Golf Club we are very honoured to be hosting such a great event,” said Jamie Carter, Dalewood Golf Club Director of Golf & Operations. “The 156 Junior Boys who have qualified are deserving of a terrific venue to play for the championship and Dalewood is ready! We have a great group of members who have come forward to volunteer in assisting the GAO to facilitate what will be a great week of golf. We hope that Dalewood will be viewed by every competitor as not only a wonderful part of their junior career but also as a great part of their journey into maturing into fine young men!”

Players qualified for the event, which will run from July 21-24, through one of 10 qualifiers that were held throughout the province during June and early July.

In addition to the title itself, the golfers will be looking to claim one of the Canadian Junior Boys’ Championship qualifying spots and the top three finishers will earn the right to represent Ontario in the inter-provincial competition at the Canadian Junior Boys’ Championship, Aug. 3-6 at the Summerlea Golf & Country Club in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec.

Included in this year’s field are a few past GAO Champions. Scarborough’s Gavin McIver, who won the 2014 Juvenile Championship, and Port Perry’s Sam McNulty, the 2013 Juvenile champion, will both be part of the field.

In addition, former GAO Bantam Champions in the field include: Lakeshore’s Curtis Hughes (2014), Vaughn’s Tony Gil (2011) who also won the 2014 Investors Group Junior Boys’ Spring Classic, and Port Lambton’s Brendan Seys (2010).

Unionville’s Max Sear, who captured the 2015 Investors Group Junior Boys’ Spring Classic and Trevor Ranton, the 2014 Junior Boys’ Match Play Champion, will also be players to watch.

Both Gil and Ranton, will represent Golf Canada as members of their Development Squad.

All seven members of Team Ontario will also compete in the event. Joining Sear and Seys will be London’s Jackson Bowery, Dunrobin’s Jake Bryson, Thornhill’s Jason Chung, Vaughn’s Kelvin Lim, and Burlington’s Kyle MacDonald.  The GAO’s regional teams (Ottawa, York, Waterloo, Niagara and Essex-Kent) will also be well represented.

Leading the local contingent will be a trio of players from Cobourg and the host club: Dalewood. Mackenzie Carter, Nicholas Oosterhof and Jacob Richards will look to win the tournament on their home course.

Spectators are invited to Dalewood to check out action throughout the week. The opening round begins on July 21^st at 7:30 a.m. For complete information, including pairings see the tournament site at: http://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao15/event/gao1520/index.htm

About the Investors Group Junior Boys’ Championship

The Investors Group Ontario Junior Boys’ Championship is open to male golfers 18 years of age and under. The tournament was first contested in 1923. Past champions include: Albin Choi (2009), Matt Hill (2007), Jon Mills (1996), Mike Weir (1998), Kelly Roberts (1969), Stu Hamilton (1963) and Gary Cowan (1956).

CAMBRIDGE — The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) was saddened to learn that former volunteer Emerson Creed passed away on July 10 at the age of 94. Creed began volunteering with the Ontario Golf Association (OGA) in 1965 and was a course rater in 1992. In 2003, the (GAO) named Creed as an Honourary Life Director. In 2011, Creed was also presented the GAO’s Dick Grimm Distinguished Service Award.

Obituary, courtesy of London Free Press:

CREED, Emerson Russell – After a brief stay in Cambridge, Ontario, in his 94th year, Emerson went to be with his Lord on Friday, July 10, 2015. Emerson was a compassionate and principled man, an RCAF Pilot, champion golfer, and retired Financial Editor of the London Free Press. He was a man of deep faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and his commitment to him was evident in all aspects of his life. Predeceased by his wife Elisabeth and son David, Emerson will be missed by his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 11am Saturday, August 8, 2015 at Oakridge Presbyterian Church, London, Ontario. Reception will follow at London Hunt and Country Club.

When the 2015 Toronto Pan American Games, and specifically the golf competition, begin on July 16, four golfers will don the maple leaf to represent Canada. The veteran of the squad will be 50-year-old, Charlottetown, P.E.I. native Lorie Kane.

Kane, fourth ranked professional in Canada, has been a fixture on the Canadian golf scene since the early 1990s. In 1996 she made her LPGA debut and has gone on to win four tournaments on the tour including: the 2000 Michelob Light Classic, 2000 New Albany Golf Classic, 2000 Mizuno Classic and 2001 LPGA Takefuji Classic.

Kane also has two wins in the Hyundai Team Matches and two wins on the Legends Tour. As an amateur, Kane captured the 1992 Espirito Santo Trophy,.

This will not be the first time that Kane has represented Canada. She represented her country at the World Cup in 2005, 2006 and 2008 and was also part of the World Team for the 2010-13 Handa Cups.

Perhaps one of the greatest honours Kane has received is the Order of Canada, which she was awarded in 2006. On the LPGA Tour, she has also received the 1998 Heather Farr Player Award, which represents hard work, dedication and love of the game. In 2000 she received the William and Mousie Powell Award, an honour given to the player whose behavior and deeds best exemplifies the spirit, ideals and values of the LPGA.

Team Canada will undoubtedly lean on Kane’s leadership and experience as they search for Pan Am gold.

Don’t miss your chance to see the legendary Kane and the rest of Team Canada at the Pan Am Games. For more information visit: http://www.toronto2015.org/golf

UNION— In a week that had a little bit of everything from unpredictable weather, to penalty strokes to the round-three leaders, things finally came to a conclusion at the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) Investors Group Women’s Amateur on July 10 at the St. Thomas Golf & Country Club, the 100^th anniversary of the event.

Heading into the final round, Mono’s Brittany Marchand held a two-shot lead. However, it would be a lights-out performance by Maddie Szeryk that would be the final-round story as she shot a four-under (68) to overcome the deficit and hoist the Marlene Stewart-Streit Trophy.

Szeryk, a Canadian-American dual citizen, makes her home in Texas, where she also attends Texas A&M, but has family connections to London with her grandparents residing there. She is also a member of the Golf Canada National Team.

The 18-year-old Szeryk wasted little time in grabbing the lead. She birdied the first hole and then added three more on the fifth, sixth and eighth to lead at the turn. She was able to keep up her strong play on the back nine in order to take the win at seven-under for the tournament (73-70-70-68).

After the win, Szeryk spoke about what it meant to win the 100^th Ontario Women’s Amateur. “It is a pretty big honour to win the 100^th one, that is amazing!” Said Szeryk. “I came into the tournament hoping to play well and am really happy with the outcome. Coming into the tournament I knew it was a huge event and that it would mean a lot to win it. My family is from London, so to win here made it even better.”

When asked about what made the difference this week, Szeryk credited her play to having a solid all-round game. “It really was everything. I was focused on each shot, playing my plan and hitting the right shots. Today was really solid.”

Sharing the silver medal were Marchand and Victoria, British Columbia’s Naomi Ko. Marchand, the National Team and Brampton Golf Club member had her struggles during the final round and just couldn’t find her consistency. She finished the day one-over (73) and four-under for the Tournament (69-73-69-73).

As for Ko, she got off to a hot start with back-to-back birdies on the first two holes. She was able to get to three-under for the day before the turn but gave one stroke back with a bogey on the tenth. Despite her best efforts, she was unable to make a run at the top spot and had to settle for a share of second with a final round two-under (70) and four-under for the tournament. (71-68-75-70).

Based on their results, Marchand, Toronto’s Elizabeth Tong and Ottawa’s Grace St-Germain all move on to represent Ontario, in the inter-provincial competition, at the Canadian Women’s Amateur, July 28-31, at the Riverside Country Club in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

For full final results see the tournament site: http://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao15/event/gao1518/index.htm.

The GAO would like to thank the St. Thomas Golf & Country Club, their staff and members for hosting the event. A big thanks go to Tournament Chair Jim Waite and his 100 volunteers for all of their hard work throughout the week. Thanks also to all of the GAO volunteers and title sponsor Investors group for their continued support of golf in Ontario.

About the Investors Group Women’s Amateur

First played in 1904, the Investors Group Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship is being contested for the 100th time this summer, and for the second time at the St. Thomas Golf & Country Club. Past champions include 1968 LPGA championship winner Sandra Post (1964), LPGA Tour players Alena Sharp (1999) and Rebecca Lee-Bentham (2007), Brooke Henderson (2014) and World Golf Hall of Fame member Marlene Stewart Streit, who holds the record for the most number of titles with 11.

OTTER LAKE— After six gruelling rounds and six hikes through the very lengthy Seguin Valley Golf Club course in Otter Lake, Thomas Giroux has capped off the week and is the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) Junior Boys’ Match Play Champion.

The 16-year-old Giroux finished off the event by defeating Brampton’s Jacob Presutti in the final match by a score of 4&3. Giroux, from Georgetown and the Club at North Halton was able to win not only the battle on the course but also the battle of attrition to hoist his first provincial title, in just his first GAO event.

“It feels pretty good to win in my first GAO event,” said Giroux. “I’d say the highlight of the week had to be my two rounds yesterday beating two Team Ontario guys, those were two big wins. This is the biggest win I have had and hopefully I can keep it rolling and get some more.”

Giroux got out to a big lead in the final match before slipping up. He talked about how he kept things on track. “With the par putt on the 12^th hole, I knew he would need to make something big happen to come back, so I knew it was pretty real at that point.”

For Giroux, he began his quest to the trophy as the 46^th seed out of the 64 players in the field. He began by defeating Whitby’s Brendan Dunphy in the opening round 5&4. He moved on to face Scarborough’s Benjamin Thompson in the second round and earned a 2up victory. Next, Giroux matched up with Owen Dick, from Toronto, and earned a 2&1 win in the match. That pitted him against Team Ontario’s Jackson Bowery, from London, but Giroux had no problem with him as he picked up a 4&3 win to advance to the semi finals against Vaughn’s Kelvin Lim. Lim had been on a tear of his own but it was stopped by Giroux who won 5&4 to move on to the finals.

As for Presutti, 15, from the Brampton Golf Club, his road to the finals began as the 28^th seed. He defeated Bracebridge’s Denver Dafoe (3&1), Grimsby’s Aaron Black (1up), Toronto’s Jason Williams (1up), Richmond Hill’s Ryan Stolys (4&2) and Bowmanville’s Matthew Cholod (1up) before eventually falling short in the finals.

The GAO would like to thank Seguin Valley Golf Club and their staff, along with all volunteers for helping to run the event.

About the Junior Boys’ Match Play Championship

The Junior Boys’ Match Play Championship has been contested since 1998. Male golfers under 19 years of age before August 1 are eligible to compete. The field is determined by results from four qualifiers. Notable past champions include Matt McQuillan, Justin Shin, Stephane Dubois, and Jon Boncoddo.

PETERBOROUGH – A field of 156 golfers will take to the Peterborough Golf & Country Club when the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) 2015 Investors Group Men’s Amateur Championship kicks off on July 14.

“To host the most prestigious event on the GAO calendar is certainly an honour for our Club,” said Chris Jones, Head Golf Professional at Peterborough Golf & Country Club. “It speaks to the level of quality of our Club and course as well as to the history that both this event and Peterborough Golf & Country Club share. Our members are extremely excited to be able to watch the best players in our province play our course.”

“It’s very exciting for the GAO to return to Peterborough Golf & Country Club to host another major championship,” said Mike Kelly, GAO Interim Executive Director. “The Ontario Amateur is one of the strongest fields in Canadian amateur golf and there is no question the players are in for treat but a stern test in their quest to hoist the Gary Cowan Trophy.”

Players qualified for the event, which will run from July 14-17, through one of 14 qualifiers that were held throughout the province during May and June.

In addition to the title itself, the golfers will be looking to claim one of the Canadian Amateur Championship qualifying spots and the top three finishers will earn the right to represent Ontario in the inter provincial competition at the Canadian Amateur, Aug. 10-13 at the Weston Golf & Country Club/Lambton Golf & Country Club in Toronto.

With so many of the favorites from last year moving on to the professional ranks, including 2014 champion Chris Hemmerich and 2010 Champion Corey Conners, this year’s event is wide open. The only former champion in the field is 2008 winner Dave Bunker. Bunker, 50, is also a three-time Ontario Mid-Amateur Champion and recently qualified, on his first attempt, and competed in the U.S. Senior Open (June 22-28).

A trio of recent GAO winners will also tee it up with the rest of the field. Waterloo’s Matt LeMay, 2014 Investors Group Junior Boys’ Champion, Bognor’s Josiah Dixon, 2015 Men’s Champion of Champions winner, and Aurora’s Peter Willis, 2014 Baka Public Player Champion, will all look for more provincial success.

The Golf Canada national programs will be well represented with National Team member Blair Hamilton, from Burlington, Development Squad members Tony Gil, from Vaughn, and Trevor Ranton, Waterloo, all part of the field.

Team Ontario will send a trio of players to compete in the event. Unionville’s Maxwell Sear, London’s Jackson Bowery and Vaughn’s Kelvin Lim will all be participating. Lim will have the distinct honour of being the youngest competitor at just 13 years of age.

The local contingent will be comprised of Ryan Ahrens, Michael Farrugia, Luke Gavin, Christian Rutherford and Paul Stevens who all call Peterborough home.

For complete results during the tournament and full information see the tournament page at: http://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao15/event/gao1519/index.htm

Spectators are welcome to attend the event and there is no charge. The first round tee times begin at 7:30 a.m. on July 14.

About the Investors Group Ontario Men’s Amateur

The Investors Group Ontario Amateur Championship was first played in 1923 at Lakeview Golf and Country Club, and has a rich history of former champions. Past winners include 2003 Masters Champion Mike Weir (1990 & 1992), PGA Tour player Jon Mills (2001), Gerry Kesselring (1949, ‘51, ‘52, ‘53) and Gary Cowan, who holds the record for the most Ontario Amateur Championships with nine (1964, ’68, ’71, ’74, ’74, ’75, ’77, ’78, ’81 & ’84).

On July 6, the Golf Association of Ontario and the St. Thomas Golf & Country Club hosted past Ontario Women’s Amateur Champions for the traditional Champions Dinner, the night before the opening round. The dinner featured guest speaker LPGA Tour member Rebecca-Lee Bentham, two Wall of Recognition recipients (Karin Mundinger and Ann Carroll) and a historical look at 100 Years of the Ontario Women’s Amateur.

100 Years of the Ontario Women’s Amateur

Photos from the Champions Dinner

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He was born in Irving, Texas but Austin Connelly also calls Nova Scotia home. The dual citizen made his debut on Team Canada in 2015 and now he will be one of the four members to represent Canada in golf at the 2015 Toronto Pan American Games, July 16-19.

Connelly, the top ranked Canadian Amateur and ninth ranked amateur in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, will enter the Games with an impressive 2015 resume to date. Earlier this year he captured the Jones Cup and was a finalist at the U.S. Four-Ball Championship. He has continued to build momentum off his 2014 season that was highlighted by a win at the FJ Invitational, along with top three’s in the Argentine Amateur, Tailhade Cup, Jones Cup, Junior PGA Championship and Ping Invitational. Connelly was also part of the team that took home top honours at the 2014 Tailhade Cup. In addition, Connelly was part of two winning American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Wyndham Cup Teams and has also been named a two-time AJGA Junior Rolex All-American.

At just 19-years of age, the Pan Am competition will be one of the biggest events he has played in. Something he will be able to take with him as he begins his career as a member of the University of Arkansas golf team this fall.

However, this will not be the first time Connelly has participated in an international team event. In 2014 he was a member of the U.S. Jr. Ryder Cup team that won the event in Scotland. That experience will be crucial for Connelly as he hopes to help propel Canada to gold.

Don’t miss your chance to see the up and coming Connelly and the rest of Team Canada at the Pan Am Games. For more information visit: http://www.toronto2015.org/golf

It was a hot day in Bromont, Que., for the final round of the CN Future Link Quebec Championship hosted by Golf Château-Bromont. Alyssa Getty and Jason (Chan Young) Chung fired off the day’s low rounds in their respective divisions to capture the 2015 CN Future Links Quebec Championship titles.

Before Alyssa Getty of Ruthven, Ont., teed off this morning, she was tied for fifth place and sat two strokes out of the lead. After nine holes, she found herself three back, but remained focus on the task at hand.

“My game plan was to be more aggressive today than I was the other two days and I definitely got some momentum going,” said Getty of her round today.

She played the back nine at even par, bouncing back with a birdie after a bogey on 14. Her par putt on 18 secured her third CN Future Links Championship victory in two years, including back-to-back wins at this event. Earlier this season, Getty captured the CN Future Links Ontario Championship.

Getty added that there was a little extra pressure coming into this tournament as the defending champion, but she stayed calm with her sights set on the victory. “It’s crazy. I’m so excited, especially since it’s my last year of junior golf and playing well in the CN Future Links Championships has been one of my goals. I’m really happy about having won this week and at CN Future Links Ontario this season.”

Getty’s score of 2-over 74, was the lowest in the Junior Girls division on Sunday. Her 224 total for the competition put her one stroke ahead of runner-up Sarah-Ève Rhéaume. The 36-hole co-leader and Québec City, Que. native made the turn this morning with a 1-over 37, but could not hold on for the win. She concluded the tournament with a 5-over-par round of 77.

Finishing T3 at 228 were Noémie Paré of Victoriaville, Que., and Céleste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-L’Île-Perrot, Que., who carded rounds of 78 and 79, respectively.

In the Junior Boys division, Jason (Chan Young) Chung posted the low round for the second consecutive day. The Thornhill, Ont., native’s final round of 6-under 66 earned him the CN Future Links Junior Boys Quebec title with a three-day score of 11-under 205.

“It’s very surreal, I haven’t won in a couple of years,” shared Chung of the win today. “It’s really been a good past few days and I feel I’ve finally broke through with my game. It is a boost of confidence that I can hopefully take into the next couple of tournaments I will be playing. I’d like to think of it as a new chapter because I’ve never gone this low.”

Chung noted that his game plan coming into the final round was to focus on hitting fairways and greens to set him up for as many birdie chances as possible. He was able to follow though, notching eight birdies on the day. He credited his work around the greens for the victory. “I made most, if not all, of my putts from inside eight feet, so I think that’s what made the difference today.”

Finishing two strokes back in second place was Charles-Éric Bélanger with a final round 67. The Québec City, Que., product made a determined attempt to catch the leader, notching four birdies on the front nine for a 3-under 33 before adding three consecutive birdies on holes 13, 14 and 15. Third-place finisher Maxime Laoun matched Bélanger’s front nine score of 33 and went on to sign for a final round 4-under 68. The Montréal, Que., native finished the competition at 209.

Jason (Chan Young) Chung will return to the province of Quebec from August 3-6 to compete in the 2015 Canadian Junior Boys Championship at Summerlea Golf & Country Club in Vaudreuil-Dorion. Also receiving exemptions into the field were the five runners-up from this competition determined in a playoff.

Similarly, Alyssa Getty and the five finishers and ties in the Junior Girls division of the CN Future Links Quebec Championship were awarded direct entry into the field at the 2015 Canadian Junior Girls Championship to be contested from August 4-7 at Deer Park Golf Course in Yorkton, Sask. Alyssa Getty has also earned entry into a 2016 Canadian Women’s Tour event.

The CN Future Links Championships are a series of six tournaments presented by Golf Canada in partnership with CN in support of the development of junior golf. The 2015 series’ first winners were Team Canada Development Squad members Trevor Ranton (Waterloo, Ont.) and Grace St-Germain (Ottawa, Ont.) who found the podium at the championship’s Pacific edition at Pheasant Glen Golf Resort in Qualicum Beach, B.C. Ontarians Jack Simpson (Aurora, Ont.) and Alyssa Getty (Ruthven, Ont.) captured the Ontario titles in their home province at Pine Knot Golf & Country Club in Dorchester, Ont. At Cooke Municipal Golf Course in Prince Albert, Sask., Alexander Smith (Calgary, Alta.) and Development Squad member Alisha Lau (Richmond, B.C.) joined the winners circle at the Prairie Championship.

For full results from the 2015 CN Future Links Quebec Championship, please visit the tournament website here.

Elmira, Ontario’s Garrett Rank is coming off a great 2014 both personally and in his golf career. The 2014 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Champion and now NHL referee, gets to add another accomplishment in 2015 by being part of Team Canada’s golf squad for the Pan American Games, July 16-19.

The 27-year-old Rank has always had a close relationship between golf and hockey. Growing up he played both, including Jr. B hockey in his hometown. When he moved on to the University of Waterloo, he was a member of the Warriors golf and hockey teams. In 2010, he captured the Ontario University Athletics Golf Championship.

Rank is currently the second ranked Canadian Men’s Amateur and is 56th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. In addition to his Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship, he is coming off a win at the Ontario Mid-Amateur Championship, June 23-25.  He is also a past winner of the Toronto Star Men’s Amateur in 2011. In 2014, Rank was second at The Players Amateur Championship and third at the Monroe Invitational. He has also been runner up at the U.S. Men’s Mid-Amateur in 2012, runner up at the 2013 Canadian Mid-Amateur and Ontario Amateur and runner up in the 2009 Ontario Men’s Match Play Championship. Rank also represented Canada in 2011 during the Spirit International at Whispering Pines Golf Club in Texas.

This past winter, Rank made his NHL officiating debut on January 15 in Buffalo. Rank has also officiated AHL and OHL games along with the IIHF World Under 17 World Championships.

The Pan Am Games will not be the only time that Rank tees it up at a high-profile event this summer. Thanks to his win at the Canadian Mid-Amateur, he will be part of the field for the Canadian Open, July 20-26, at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville.  

Don’t miss your chance to see the inspirational Rank and the rest of Team Canada at the Pan Am Games. For more information visit: http://www.toronto2015.org/golf