PNGA Senior Women's Champion Leslie Folsom (L) And Super Senior Champion Holly Horwood (R) - PNGA Photo

Via Press Release

Spokane, Wash. – Leslie Folsom of Tukwila, Wash. shot rounds of 73-76 to win the 33rd Pacific Northwest Senior Women’s Amateur; while Holly Horwood of Vancouver, B.C. successfully defended her title by winning the 8th Super Senior Women’s Amateur, her third consecutive title in this championship.

Both 36-hole championships were held concurrently this week at Kalispel Golf and Country Club in Spokane, Wash., and were conducted by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA).

Visit thepnga.org for complete final scoring of both championships.

British Columbia Golf CEO Kris Jonasson And Board President Michelle Collens Were Two Of The First Signatories On Board From A Provincial Association In Canada For The Women In Golf Charter - BC Golf Photo

Courtesy R & A/ British Columbia Golf

(Friday, 27 September, 2019) - To date, 153 organizations have given their commitment to the Women in Golf Charter, pledging to build on current initiatives and develop new projects to increase the number of women, girls and families playing golf and becoming members of clubs, as well as giving women wider opportunities to enjoy careers and volunteering in the sport.

Jaya Rampuri Collected Her First Collegiate Win At The Inaugural True North Classic At Richmond CC - SFU Athletics Photo

Courtesy Steve Frost/SFU Marketing & Communications

RICHMOND, BC – Senior Jaya Rampuri captured medalist honours for her first collegiate tournament win and Simon Fraser University won the inaugural True North Classic, the first-ever NCAA golf tournament held in Canada at the Richmond Country Club.

Rampuri fired a second round par 72, on the 5,978 yard layout to win by three strokes over first-round leader Cammie Decker of Concordia, who was the only player under par at -1 after one round. Rampuri shot two rounds of 72 to win the 36-hole tournament with a 144 after Decker slipped to a final round 4-over-par 76 during the wet and windy conditions on day two. Decker finished at 147.

Mary Parsons (Far Right) With Canadian Teammate Emily Zhu Before Their Match With Wenyung Keh (Far Left) And Julianne Alvarez Of New Zealand In The Astor Trophy Competition - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer/British Columbia Golf

VICTORIA -- Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Argentina, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Peru. Those are some of the places golf has taken Delta, BC's Mary Parsons the last few years.

The last week of August was not quite as exotic for the 20-year-old Parsons, who was a member of Canada’s four-woman team at the Astor Trophy competition held at Royal Colwood Golf Club. She only had to hop on a ferry to get there. It marked the end of what was a hectic summer for Parsons, the 2018 B.C. Women’s Amateur champion.

Courtesy Golf Canada

PONTE VEDRA, Fla. – The PGA TOUR’s three international tours—PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR Series-China—will use a points-based system for its Orders of Merit, starting in 2020, the three Tours announced September 11.

This will align these three Tours with the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour, which are both using points to measure players’ success.

Canada Will Be Returning A Golf Squad In The 2020 Olympics In Tokyo - Image Used With Permission 

By Terry Lenyk/Courtesy Golf Canada

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Wondering how Canada’s Olympic golf team will be selected? You’re not alone.

In 2016, golf made its historic return to the Olympic Games for the first time in 112 years, dating back to when Canadian George S. Lyon won gold for Canada at St. Louis 1904. A lot has happened since 2016 (new Rules of Golf and new PGA TOUR schedule just to name a few) and many golf fans have forgotten how Olympic qualifying works, which is why we’re writing this article.

The field for the 2020 Olympic golf competition will include 60 women and 60 men competing over 72 holes of stroke play in a men’s individual event (July 30-August 2) and a women’s individual event (August 5-8).

The stars of the LPGA are heading back West to Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in 2020 for the CP Women’s Open – August 31st through September 6th.

Each year over 1,200 people contribute their time and energy to volunteer at the CP Women’s Open. We are so thankful and fortunate to work with such a hardworking group of people each and every year. Registration fills up quickly, so be sure to get your volunteer registration in early.

(L-R) Julianne Alvarez, Carmen Lim, Wenyung Keh, and Amelia Garvey (Photo: Chuck Russell/Golf Canada)

By Brad Ziemer/For Golf Canada

VICTORIA, B.C. – They wore all-black, of course, and just like their country’s famous rugby team, the New Zealand women took care of business in a very efficient manner Sunday at Royal Colwood Golf Club.

The Astor Trophy, a five-country competition which has been played every four years since 1959, had never been won by New Zealand. Until now.

And the fact New Zealand earned it with a victory Sunday over Australia made it that much sweeter. This was a little like the All Blacks beating the Wallabies in rugby, albeit on a smaller scale, but in a much more civilized setting.

 Julianne Alvarez, Carmen Lim, Wenyung Keh, Amelia Garvey And Coach Jay Carter Of Team New Zealand At This Year's Astor Cup - Golf Canada Image

Written by Brad Ziemer/For Golf Canada

VICTORIA, B.C. – New Zealand golfers have a history of playing well in British Columbia.

Lydia Ko won the CP Women’s Open twice, in 2012 and 2015, at Vancouver Golf Club. And way back in 1992, the New Zealand men’s team that included future U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell along with Phil Tataurangi, Stephen Scahill and Grant Moorehead won the World Amateur Team competition at Capilano Golf Club in West Vancouver.

Now, it seems, the New Zealanders are at it again in British Columbia at this week’s Astor Trophy competition at Royal Colwood Golf Club. New Zealand earned a big point Friday by winning its match against South Africa. New Zealand has played two matches this week and collected the maximum two points.

Brooke Rivers (AJGA File Photo)

VICTORIA, B.C. – Brooke Rivers’ debut on the international golfing stage is off to a splendid start as the 14-year-old from Brampton, Ont. helped put Canada on the board Thursday at the Astor Trophy.

Rivers, who is about to enter Grade 9, won both of her matches Thursday at Royal Colwood Golf Club as Canada earned half a point by tying its matches with Australia.

Rivers teamed with Noémie Paré of Victoriaville, Que., to win their foursomes match 2&1 over Australians Amelia Mehmet-Grohn and Kirsty Hodgkins. After a quick lunch, Rivers then went out and beat Australia’s Emily Mahar 2-up in their afternoon singles match.

Mary Parsons (Far Right) With Canadian Teammate Emily Zhu Before Their Match With Wenyung Keh (Far Left) And Julianne Alvarez Of New Zealand - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

VICTORIA -- Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Argentina, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Peru. Those are some of the places golf has taken Delta’s Mary Parsons the last few years.

This week is not quite as exotic. The 20-year-old Parsons is a member of Canada’s four-woman team at the Astor Trophy competition being held at Royal Colwood Golf Club. She only had to hop on a ferry to get here. It is the end of what has been a hectic summer for Parsons, the 2018 B.C. Women’s Amateur champion.

The highlight of her summer came in early August when she was part of Canada’s golf team that won a bronze medal in the mixed team event at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. Parsons also finished fifth in the women’s individual competition in Lima.

Canada's Brooke Rivers (Golf Canada)

Brad Ziemer/For Golf Canada

VICTORIA, B.C. – New Zealand swept all four of its afternoon singles matches Wednesday to take the lead after the opening day of the Astor Trophy at Royal Colwood Golf Club.

All four of those wins came over Canada after the two countries had split their two morning foursomes matches.

Five four-woman teams — Canada, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Great Britain & Ireland — have gathered for the round-robin match play event that has been held every four years since 1959.  All of the countries will face each other once during the five-day competition.

Delta, BC's Mary Parsons Will Represent Canada At This Week's Astor Trophy Competition At Royal Colwood GC In Victoria - Jurgen Kaminski/BC Golf

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Golf Canada is pleased to announce the four athletes selected to represent Canada at the Astor Trophy competition, scheduled for Aug. 29 – Sept. 1 at Royal Colwood Golf Club in Victoria, B.C.

Canada’s team will include Mary Parsons of Delta, B.C., Noémie Paré of Victoriaville, Que., Emily Zhu of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Brooke Rivers of Brampton, Ont.

The Astor Trophy competition is held every four years between teams from Australia, Canada, Great Britain & Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa. Each country is represented by four female players and each country contests foursomes and singles match play in a round-robin format.

Bruce Mitchell (The Royal & Ancient)

By John Gordon/Golf Canada

Catching up with Bruce Mitchell to reflect about his experience as the first Canadian to be named captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A) is a daunting task.

That, no doubt, is because he’s still doing his own catching up after a whirlwind year in the post, one of the most prestigious in the world of golf.

Vancouver's Stuart Macdonald Is A Globe Trotting Professional Golfer These Days But Is Back Home For A Spell - Image Credit Bernard Brault/Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

A break in the PGA Tour China schedule has Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald back in Canada, where life outside the ropes is a little less stressful. Macdonald is a rookie on the PGA Tour China circuit and acknowledges it has been something of an adventure.

“It has been pretty interesting,” he says. “It's a completely different culture over there. Obviously, there is a big language barrier and just doing the simple things that we would take for granted here can be challenging.”

Delta, BC's Mary Parsons (3rd From Left) Was Part Of The Bronze Medal Winning Team From Canada In The Mixed Team Golf Event At The Peru Pan American Games. L-R: Austin Connelly, Brigitte Thibault, Parsons, Joey Savoie - Image Credit: David Jackson/ COC

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Delta’s Mary Parsons won a medal Sunday and came close to earning a second one at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. Parsons, Brigitte Thibault of Rosemere, Que., Joey Savoie of La Prairie, Que., and Austin Connelly of Lake Doucette, N.S., combined to win the bronze medal in the mixed team event on Sunday.

The Canadians finished with a team score of 552, just three shots behind the silver medalists from Paraguay. The United States took the gold medal with a team score of 544. “I think all four of us grinded out every shot to kind of get to where we are,” Parsons said. “We knew coming down the stretch we had to keep pushing because it wasn’t going to be over until it’s over.”

Garrett Rank (Charles Cherney/Western Golf Association)

Courtesy Amateurgolf.com

The vast majority of the Western Amateur field was made up of collegians – incoming freshmen, current players and fresh graduates.

Then there’s Garrett Rank, a 31-year-old Canadian who competes in golf in the summer and referees NHL hockey in the winter. Rank is one of the most impressive mid-amateurs in the game, yet his legend grew this week at Point O’Woods Golf Club in Benton Harbor, Mich.

Rank outlasted the kids for a Western Amateur title – a win that's unheard of for a thirty-something in today’s amateur climate. In fact, he becomes the first mid-amateur to win this title since 1997.

The foreshadowing came from Rank’s own mouth on Friday evening, after playing his way to the semifinals.

“I’ve been playing a lot of really good golf the last three or four weeks,” he said.

RESULTS: WESTERN AMATEUR

Win - Garrett Rank Canada  72-67-70-65 = 274
Runner-Up - Daniel Wetterich Cincinnati, OH  66-68-69-68 = 271
Semifinals - CA Ricky Castillo Yorba Linda, CA  71-66-69-68 = 274
Semifinals - CA David Laskin Elk Grove, CA  68-66-74-66 = 274
Quarterfinals - GA Davis Thompson St. Simons, GA  67-68-65-67 = 267

View full results for Western Amateur

ABOUT THE WESTERN AMATEUR
Invitational event, known to many as the 'Masters of Amateur Golf.' Quite probably the hardest amateur tournament to win.

156 invited players come from across the globe to play one of the toughest formats in amateur golf. The tournament starts with 18 holes of stroke play on Tuesday and Wednesday after which the field is cut to the low 44 scores and ties. Thursday it's a long day of 36 holes of stroke play to determine the “Sweet Sixteen” who compete at Match Play on Friday and Saturday (two matches each day if you're going to the finals) to decide the champion.
View Complete Tournament Information

Richmond's Alex Zhang Is The 2019 Boys' 10-year Old Age Division Champion From the U.S. Kids Golf World Championships Held In Pinehurst, North Carolina - Image Courtesy Quilchena GC

By REEGAN PRICE, CJGA

PINEHURST, North Carolina — The 2019 U.S. Kids Golf World Championships wrapped up with a number of young Canadians placing in the top tier of the elite junior competition operated by U.S. Kids Golf.

The Top Canadian performances of the competition were by Aurora, Ontario’s Eddie Gu (Boys 9) and Richmond, BC’s Alex Zhang (Boys 10) who both took the top spot in their respective divisions at the conclusion of the 54-hole competition.

BC's Mike Darby Poses With Winner Jim Herman After Herman's Second Career PGA TOUR Victory, This One In The Barbasol Championship With Darby On The Bag - Images Courtesy Facebook

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Ladner resident Mike Darby took some good-natured ribbing from some of his fellow PGA TOUR caddies after his recent win with Jim Herman at the Barbasol Championship in Kentucky.

The win was Darby’s third on the PGA TOUR. He had previously partnered with Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor to win the 2014 Sanderson Farms Championship and with American D.A. Points to win the 2017 Puerto Rico Open.

“The big inside joke on tour right now is me going for the opposite field Grand Slam,” Darby said with a chuckle in an interview this week. “If we had won in Reno last week I would have sealed it up. It’s either Reno or the Dominican Republic, so that’s my goal.”

Courtesy Darren Douma President, WCBGA

British Columbia kicked off a ten-day stretch of Championship Blind Golf in Creston, BC with the first-ever BC Provincial Championships, July 5^th and 6^th. The Championships had five BC players participating and two who were newcomers to blind golf. 

As one can see when looking at the results, both had success in their first championships. The Creston Golf Club provided a challenging course for these championships and Mother Nature also cooperated and provided great weather for the 36 holes of championship play.

This event was also the lead-in to two other championship events to follow taking place in BC in Kimberley (The Western Canadian Blind Golf Championships) and Cranbrook (The ISPS Handa Canadian Blind Golf Championships).