Golf Canada

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The Canadian Golf Superintendents Association (CGSA) announced Keith Lyall of the Sun Peaks Resort Golf Course in Sun Peaks, B.C. as the CGSA Gordon Witteveen Award winner for 2023.

The Gordon Witteveen Award is presented annually by the CGSA to the superintendent or assistant superintendent who has authored the best article for publication in the CGSA GreenMaster magazine during the past year.

Keith’s article entitled “Steps to An Effective Management System”, which was published in the Winter 2023 issue of GreenMaster, was judged by a panel of peers and Keith was unanimously chosen as the winner.

BC's Jared du Toit (L) And Stuart Macdonald (R) Are Off To Q-School Finals - Golf Canada Player Photos

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

It was one of the toughest weeks of their golfing lives, but Jared du Toit and Stu Macdonald both survived to play another day.

Another week, actually, as both players have earned the right to play in the finals of the Korn Ferry/PGA TOUR qualifying school later this month. It did not come easy.

“It was probably the hardest week for me in my career,” Vancouver native Macdonald said of surviving a second-stage qualifier in Valencia, Calif.

MEDIA RELEASE

(December 1, 2023) – In celebration of Nick Taylor’s historic victory in becoming the first Canadian to win Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship in 69 years, Golf Canada in partnership with title sponsor RBC, have reimagined the tournament logo for the 2024 RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf & Country Club in celebrating one of the most iconic moments in Canadian sport.

The updated brand identity depicts a silhouette of Taylor’s now legendary putter toss following his 72-foot eagle putt on the fourth playoff hole at Oakdale Golf and Country Club to defeat Tommy Fleetwood and become the first Canadian in seven decades to win Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship.

SFU Red Leaf Stalwart Freshmen Golfers Dana Smith (L) & Denby Carswell (R) - BC Golf Photos

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Recruiting can be a hit-or-miss game for collegiate golf coaches, who are always on the lookout for promising juniors who can help replenish their teams.

Those new recruits often need time to develop before they are ready to play regularly and make an impact with their college squads. That is why Simon Fraser University coach Matthew Steinbach feels blessed after seeing how two of his freshmen have performed this season.

Dana Smith of Campbell River and Denby Carswell of Burnaby have led the women’s and men’s teams this fall.

Via Media Release

Oakville, Ont. – Golf Canada is pleased to announce the names of 39 amateur athletes and 10 coaches named to the 2024 men’s and women’s Team Canada – NextGen and Team Canada squads.

The Team Canada – NextGen program supports juniors and young amateurs who are transitioning to college golf. The Team Canada program supports a group of experienced amateurs who are on the path towards professional golf along with a group of young professional golfers who are building their careers as touring pros.

L-R: Stuart Macdonald, AJ Ewart & Jared du Toit - Macdonald/du Toit Courtesy Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

He won his most recent qualifying school by 10 shots, but that doesn’t mean Jared du Toit is looking forward to his next one.

Q-school is not something you savour as a pro golfer. It’s all about survival, moving on to the next stage and finding a place to play. All that is on the line is your career. Try draining a five-foot putt for par with those kinds of thoughts racing through your head.

“I don’t care who you are, if you are a PGA TOUR winner or you’re a guy coming out of college, whatever, Q-school is just hard,” du Toit, a Kimberley native, said over the phone from Arizona.

Shaughnessy G&CC Hosted The 2023 CPKC Women's Open - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

The CPKC Women’s Open has won the LPGA Tour’s highest tournament honour for the second consecutive year.

The event, hosted Aug. 22-27 at Vancouver’s Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club, was named the back-to-back winner of tour’s tournament of the Year at the LPGA’s annual year-end tournament awards Wednesday night.

“We really have a secret sauce,” tournament director Ryan Paul told The Canadian Press at the CME Group Tour Championship, the final event of the LPGA Tour season. “It’s really an incredible golf tournament. You’ve got the best players in the world a rope-line away from you, but outside the ropes there are so many great things that you can see and do.”

Click HERE to see complete story...

Uplands Golf Course In Victoria, BC - Image Courtesy Uplands GC

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Keith Dagg has been a key organizer of Victoria’s annual pro golf tourney for more than 40 years and he will tell you it hasn’t always been easy to secure enough corporate sponsorship to keep the tournament running.

“I started this in 1981 and we’re still going,” Dagg says with a hint of pride in his voice. The tournament that has been a labour of love for Dagg will kick off the Canadian portion of the new PGA Tour Americas circuit early next summer.

Four of Eight PNGA POY Awards Go To Players From BC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 8, 2023

Tacoma, Wash. – The Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA) has announced the region’s Players of the Year for 2023. Those honored include Men's Player of the Year, Cooper Humphreys of Vernon, B.C.; Women’s, Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C.; Men's Mid-Amateur, Zach Foushee of Portland, Ore.; Women's Mid-Amateur, Gretchen Johnson of Portland, Ore.; Senior Men's, Tom Brandes of Bellevue, Wash.; Senior Women's, Lara Tennant of Portland, Ore.; Junior Boys', James Lee of Whistler, B.C.; and Junior Girls', Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C.

The PNGA Player of the Year candidates are nominated by the state and provincial golf associations that comprise the PNGA (British Columbia, Idaho, Oregon and Washington), and are selected by a vote of the PNGA Championship Committee.

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The R&A

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(St Andrews, Scotland and Liberty Corner, NJ, USA) – The R&A and the USGA announced the first update to the World Handicap System™ (WHS™) as part of an ongoing review of the Rules of Handicapping™ and Course Rating System™ with a continued emphasis on accuracy, consistency and equity. The latest revisions will go into effect from the 1st of January 2024.

Many countries have seen significant increases in the number of scores being submitted for handicapping purposes since the WHS was introduced, reflecting golf’s broadening appeal. More than 100 million scores have been posted each year, unifying millions of golfers through a standard measure of playing ability. The 2024 update leverages the performance data gathered from around the world, in addition to feedback received from many of the 125 countries now using the system.

Significant updates to the WHS include:

Click HERE to see complete article.

Uplands GC In Victoria, BC Will Host The Lone PGA TOUR Americas Event In British Columbia

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PGA TOUR Communications

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – The PGA TOUR announced the 2024 PGA TOUR Americas schedule, which features 16 tournaments spanning eight countries, beginning in March and concluding in September with the Fortinet Cup Championship.

PGA TOUR Americas, which was introduced in April 2023, is the merger of PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and PGA TOUR Canada into a singular Tour.

Click HERE to see complete article and schedule. 

View From The 1st Tee At Vancouver's Langara Golf Club - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Even on these soggy November days, there is plenty of roll on the fairways at Langara Golf Course. And now, thanks to a unanimous vote last week by the Vancouver Park Board, there is also plenty of optimism about the course’s future.

For not the first time, there have been calls recently from academics and assorted others to have at least part of Langara used for affordable housing. The park board’s answer was an emphatic no and commissioner Brennan Bastyovanszky indicated his ABC party colleagues on Vancouver city council feel the same way.

Once Dubbed 'Disco Dick' For Wearing A Sony Walkman While Playing On The PGA TOUR, Richard Zokol Was Inducted Into The BC Sports Hall of Fame As Part Of The Class of 2024 - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Perseverance has always been one of Richard Zokol’s biggest assets. Zokol made his childhood dreams of becoming a professional golfer come true through a lot of hard work and self-belief.

He was inspired as a junior golfer at Marine Drive Golf Club by the likes of Stan Leonard, Johnny Johnston, Alvie Thompson and a young Doug Roxburgh. “The club had a spirit of champions and it just seemed so appealing to me,” Zokol says. “I wanted to follow in that path and fill those shoes.”

Zokol found himself doing lots of reflecting on his golf journey when he got the news that became official last week. He is being inducted into the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame.

BC Provincial Sport Organizations, British Columbia Golf and Curl BC are jointly looking to hire an Events Manager to perform an important role on behalf of both organizations in a contract position split equally over a 12-month period between the two. 

Please see full details and how to apply below. 

BC's A.J. Ewart Is On To The Next Round Of Korn Ferry Tour Q-School - Image Courtesy Brad Ziemer

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

A.J. Ewart played well again in Florida, which should not come as a surprise. The 24-year-old Coquitlam native, who enjoyed considerable success as a collegiate player at Barry University in south Florida, sailed through the first stage of Korn Ferry Tour qualifying school last week at a site in Lake Worth, Fla.

Ewart fired rounds of 69, 66, 65 and 69 to finish tied for fifth at 16-under par. The top 20 and ties advanced to the second stage of Q-school. Ewart’s third-round 65 included a hole-in-one on the 177-yard par 3 third hole at The Falls Club.

Leah John Has Win No. 3 On Her College Resume At The University Of Nevada - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

For Lauren Kim, it was collegiate win No. 1 in what was just her third event. For Leah John, it was win No. 3 and it came just a week after win No. 2.

The two British Columbians, at very different points in their collegiate golf journeys, recorded their wins on the same day last week (Wednesday, Oct. 11). They both thought that was great.
“Canada is crushing it,” said John, who is in her final year at the University of Nevada.

“I immediately thought, 'we’re amazing,'” added Kim, a freshman at the University of Texas. “Two Canadians win on the same day. And Team Canada won at the World Junior Girls, too. That was pretty cool.”

Merritt, BC's Roger Sloan Has Punched His Ticket Back To The PGA TOUR -Image Credit Bernard Brault/Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Eight feet was all that stood between Roger Sloan and a return to the PGA TOUR. Make that putt on the 72nd hole of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship and the Merritt product was back in the big leagues. Miss it and, well, Sloan didn’t want to think about that.

It was gut-wrenching to watch on TV, so one can only imagine how Sloan felt as he was standing over the putt. He had missed some putts late in his round, so he wasn’t exactly oozing with confidence as he stood over the ball. Somehow, he managed to put all that aside and calmly stroked the ball into the middle of the cup.

Clara Ding Accepts Her NextGen Winner's Plaque From Golf Canada's Daniel Suppa - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/British Columbia Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

White Rock’s Clara Ding won going away, while Tate Bruggeman of Edmonton had to work a little overtime to secure his victory at the NextGen Fall Series West Championship.

Ding, all of 12 years old, played the back nine of her final round in five-under par en route to a five-under 67 that set a women’s competitive record at The Hills at Portal Golf Club in Surrey. She finished the 54-hole event at even-par and won by five shots over Rose Zhiyan Chen of Langley.

L-R: Vanessa Borovilos, Vanessa Zhang, Anna Huang & Coach Jeff MacDonald - Golf Canada Photo

MEDIA RELEASE

Denisa Vodickova of the Czech Republic wins individual title at Brampton Golf Club

Brampton, Ont. – The most successful season in Canadian golf history added another exciting chapter on Saturday as Team Canada won its first-ever team title at the World Junior Girls Golf Championship, presented by Sargent Farms.

The Canada 1 Team comprised of 14-year-old Anna Huang of Vancouver (71-69-70-70—280), 17-year-old Vanessa Borovilos of Toronto (70-73-73-75—291), and 17-year-old Vanessa Zhang of Vancouver (72-75-80-68—295) shot a team-total 138 under cool and blustery conditions at Brampton Golf Club in Brampton, Ont. to finish at 4-under 564 for the championship, a single shot clear of the Republic of Korea.