Michelle Kim, The British Columbia Women's And Junior Girls Champion Of 2015 Heads Up A Contingent Of 8 B.C. Players Who Will Represent Canada On The National Amateur Team Squads For 2016 - Image Credit Alfie Lau

by BCG editors with files from Golf Canada

OAKVILLE, Ont. – No fewer than 8 players from British Columbia have been named to the National Amateur Team squads for 2016. Those teams include the Men's and Women's National Amateur Teams as well as the Developmental Squad. The Young Pro Squad for 2016 is expected to be announced in mid-November.

Canada's Casey Ward Was The Medallist In The 29th U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur, Just The Second Canadian To Earn That Honour - Image Courtesy USGA

courtesy Joey Flyntz USGA

Casey Ward, 25, of Picton, ON followed Saturday’s round of 2-over 74 with a 2-under 70 on Sunday to earn stroke-play medalist honors at the 29th U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, being conducted at the 6,061-yard, par-72 Squire Creek Country Club.

Ward was joined in the match play portion of the tournament by two British Columbia golfers, Christina Spence Proteau and Shelley Stouffer.

Ward is the second Women’s Mid-Amateur medalist from Canada and first since Mary Ann Hayward, the 2005 Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, did so in 1998. Entering the day two strokes behind Sarah Davison, Ward posted four birdies and two bogeys on the day to record the low round of stroke play.

Team Canada's Junior Girls Pose For A 'Selfie' At The Junior World Championships In Ottawa - Image Credit Alfie Lau

by Alfie Lau

Scoreboards rarely tell the real story of a golf tournament and for five British Columbia girls who were selected to play at The Marshes for the World Junior Girls Championship, that could not be more true.

While South Koreans and Scandinavians dominated the top of the leaderboard, the Canadian girls, led by Alisha Lau, Kathrine Chan and Euna Han on Team Canada 2 and Hannah Lee, Tiffany Kong and Ontario’s Grace St-Germain on Team Canada 1, were the hometown favourites who bravely played on despite their golf games not being at their peaks.

The Five Members Of Team Canada Who Flew From BC To Play At The Marshes Were, From Left, Tiffany Kong, Alisha Lau, Kathrine Chan, Hannah Lee And Euna Han - Image Credit Alfie Lau

by Alfie Lau

It was a chilly final day for the World Junior Girls Championship at The Marshes in suburban Ottawa, but nothing could cool down Hye-Jin Choi and the South Korean girls.

Choi walked away with the individual title, with a stunning (-7) round of 65 to finish at (-12) 276, seven strokes clear of Denmark’s Cecilie Bofill. Choi shot under-par for all four of her rounds and salted away the title early, making four birdies on the front nine to stake herself to a comfortable five-stroke lead over Bofill as they made the turn.

Bofill shot a credible (-3) round of 69 to finish solo second at (-5) 283, three strokes clear of Sweden’s Filippa Moork, who finished third at (-2) 286.

Richmond’s Kathrine Chan Shot The Low Round Of The Six Canadian Players During Round 3 Of The World Junior Girls At The Marshes In Ottawa - Image Credit Alfie Lau

by Alfie Lau

South Korea’s Hye-Jin Choi, who was the first-round individual co-leader, shot a (-2) round of 70 and now sits at (-5) 211, one stroke ahead of Sweden’s Filippa Moork, who had the round of the day Thursday, a (-4) round of 68 which has her at (-4) 212 for the tournament.

Hannah Lee Hits Her Opening Tee Shot During Round 3 Of The World Junior Girls At The Marshes On Thursday - Image Credit Alfie Lau

by Alfie Lau

For the five British Columbia girls playing for Team Canada at the World Junior Girls just outside of Ottawa, it hasn’t gone like they would have liked on the golf course. But that doesn’t mean they can’t have some fun as they experience a week in Canada’s capital.

The team is staying in the luxurious Brookstreet Hotel, which overlooks the course and is filled with business travellers. That’s because all around the course are the Canadian and worldwide head offices for massive tech companies like Wilan and Huawei.

This is the world of Sir Terry Matthews, who owns The Marshes and many of the buildings and land all around this area in Kanata, approximately 25 kilometres from downtown Ottawa.

Richmond’s Alisha Lau Talks With Coach Mike Martz After Round 2 Of The World Junior Girls At The Marshes In Ottawa. Lau Is The Top Canadian And Martz’s Team Canada 2 Is The Top Canadian Squad In The Tournament - Image Credit Alfe Lau

by Alfie Lau

On a day when many international players broke par and tamed The Marshes during Round 2 of the World Junior Girls Championship, Team Canada 1 and 2 had a tough day on the links.

Richmond’s Alisha Lau is the top Canadian after her second-round (+2) 74 has her at (+6) 150 for the tournament. Her Team 2 teammate Kathrine Chan also improved on her opening round 79 with a (+3) 75 which included two birdies in her final three holes.

Richmond’s Alisha Lau Turns 16 In October And Is On The Radar Of Many College Coaches Looking To Add To Their Teams In Upcoming Years - Image Credit Alfie Lau

by Alfie Lau

They’re not hard to miss: coaches sporting hats and golf shirts with their school logos on them scouting 44 of the best u-19 female golfers in the world.

The World Junior Girls Championship at The Marshes in suburban Ottawa is a great place for coaches to see top 100 amateur golfers such as South Korea’s Hye-Jin Choi (#51 in the most recent World Amateur Golf Rankings), Italy’s Carlotta Ricolfi (#56) and Australia’s Karis Davidson (#74) and Hannah Green (#49).

But every golfer in the field is a potential recruit, simply because girls mature at different ages and someone currently ranked 610 right now might be a top 100 player within a couple of years.

Number 610 is Canada’s top-ranked player, 17-year-old Grace St-Germain of Orleans, ON, who was offered multiple scholarship offers before she decided on Daytona College in Florida.

Team Canada 2 Coach Mike Martz, Far Left, And Team Canada 1 Coach Ann Carroll, Far Right, Are Happy Round 1 Of The World Junior Girls Is In The Books And Are Hopeful Their Teams Can Rebound With Three Rounds To Go At The Marshes In Ottawa - Image Credit Alfie Lau

by Alfie Lau

For Ann Carroll and Mike Martz, it was just one round of four. 

While their squads, Carroll’s Team Canada 1 and Martz’s Team Canada 2, trail other countries after Round 1 of the World Junior Girls at The Marshes in Ottawa, they’re both optimistic that things will change with three rounds to go.

“It was a good day because I saw a lot of fight back in my team,” said Martz. “Euna had a tough start and then she made some birdies to get it back and I’m pretty happy for her.”

Tiffany Kong Of Vancouver Had The Low Score For Team Canada 1 With A (+3) Round Of 75 - Image Credit Alfie Lau

by Alfie Lau

The sun was shining, but when the wind picked up, it blew up the scores of the six Canadian girls playing in the World Junior Girls Championship at The Marshes in suburban Ottawa.

The best Canadian scores came from Vancouver’s Tiffany Kong and Coquitlam’s Euna Han, who each carded (+3) scores of 75. Kong is on Team Canada 1 and her teammates Hannah Lee of Surrey, at (+5) 77 and Grace St-Germain of Orleans, ON, at (+6) 78, were also undone by the winds, which blew entirely differently than during their practice rounds on Sunday and Monday.

From Left, Euna Han, Alisha Lau, Tiffany Kong And Kathrine Chan Putt In A Line At Quilchena Prior To Leaving For The World Junior Girls In Ottawa - Image Credit Alfie Lau

by Alfie Lau

The junior’s room at Quilchena Golf & Country Club in Richmond isn’t big, but with a large couch and two comfy armchairs, it’s usually more than enough for young golfers wanting to relax away from prying adult eyes.

So when Alisha Lau, Kathrine Chan, Tiffany Kong and Euna Han meet up just prior to flying out to Ottawa to represent Canada at the second World Junior Girls golf championship, it’s amazing that all four of them squeeze themselves onto the couch, in descending order of age.

Coach Mike Martz With The Six Members Of Team Canada, From Left, Euna Han, Tiffany Kong, Kathrine Chan, Hannah Lee, Grace St-Germain And Alisha Lau - Image Credit Alfie Lau

by Alfie Lau

Of the 44 u-19 golfers standing in golf blazers, skirts and black dress shoes for the opening ceremonies of the World Junior Girls Championship at The Marshes in suburban Ottawa, it wasn’t hard to miss the six in the traditional red of Canada.

Five British Columbia girls, Hannah Lee and Tiffany Kong on Team Canada 1 with Ontario’s Grace St-Germain; and the all-BC Team Canada 2 squad of Alisha Lau, Kathrine Chan and Euna Han, were nervously waiting for the bagpiper to lead the 14 teams out for the ceremony.

Canada's Newest LPGA Star, Brooke Henderson - Seen Here Playing In The CP Women's Open At Vancouver GCC -  Was A Participant In Last Year's World Junior Girls Championship At Angus Glen - Image Credit Jurgen Kaminski 

by Alfie Lau

The inaugural World Junior Girls Golf Championship at Angus Glen Golf Club last September has proven to be a great indicator of future golf success.

As the second World Junior Girls Golf Championship is set to take place Sept. 20-25 at The Marshes Golf Club in suburban Ottawa, it’s instructive to take a look at where last year’s teenagers have taken their game since that tournament.

(Tyler Costigan/Golf Canada) — The Golf in Schools program has a fresh new look for 2016.

It starts with updated curriculum, resulting from a partnership between Golf Canada, the PGA of Canada and the University of Ottawa to incorporate life skills into the learning resource that accompanies each Golf in Schools kit.

The new life skills component of the program was created from in-depth research of the leading scientific literature behind delivering life skills through sport.

From (L-R) Paula Reto, Caroline Masson, Maraijo Uribe, Julietta Granada, Shanshan Feng And Canada's Alena Sharp On The Ferry From Evian To Lausanne, Switzerland - image courtesy igf golf

courtesy International Golf Federation and Ladies European Tour

From the shores of Lake Geneva to the fairways of Rio de Janeiro, the world’s top women golfers had a taste of what to expect in 2016 when they paid a visit to the Olympic Museum and IOC Headquarters ahead of the Evian Championship.

Seven golfers from five continents, all with aspirations of going to the 2016 Rio Olympics, played a nearest to the pin contest before taking a guided tour of the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland and posing in front of the Olympic Flame.

Shanshan Feng (China), Julieta Granada (Paraguay), Fabienne In-Albon (Switzerland), Caroline Masson (Germany), Paula Reto (South Africa), Alena Sharp (Canada) and Maria Uribe (Colombia) were all inspired to realize their own Olympic dreams as they learned about past records and heroes.

Savannah, Georgia's Jack Hall Accepts The Trophy As The 2015 Canadian Senior Men's Champion - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

Jason St. Jacques/ Golf Canada

MEDICINE HAT, Alta – Jack Hall of Savannah, Ga., shot 7-under par through three rounds to claim the 2015 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship at Desert Blume Golf Club in Medicine Hat, Alta.

Hall, 58, battled through rainy conditions on Friday to shoot 1-over par 73 to claim a narrow one-stroke victory that was not decided until the final hole.

“There are three big international tournaments that Americans look forward to playing in, one’s the British, one’s the Canadian and one’s the U.S. Senior Amateur. To have one on my resume is there forever and I enjoy it – love it,” said Hall, who captured his first international title.

Three Members Of Team BC From The Western Canada Summer Games Gold Medal Winning Female Team (Tiffany Kong Front Left, Alisha Lau 3rd From Front Left And Hannah Lee 2nd From Right 2nd Row) Will Also Represent Team Canada, Along With Two Other BC Girls Making It 5 Of 6 From This Province - Image Courtesy WCSG

by Alfie Lau

It was almost a complete British Columbia sweep of the six Team Canada spots for the 2015 World Junior Girls Golf Championship in Ottawa later this month.

The event, which runs Sept. 20-25 at The Marshes Golf Club, sees three-player teams competing in 72-hole team and individual competitions. Because Canada is the host country, it can field two teams and BC players are front and centre for both squads.

courtesy Jason St. Jacques/ Golf Canada

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – Strong winds and the ensuing unplayable conditions during day two of the 2015 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship forced the suspension of the second round at Desert Blume Golf Club in Medicine Hat, Alta.

Players that were unable to complete their first rounds on Tuesday due to suspension of play did so on Wednesday morning. The same windy conditions experienced on the competition’s first day resurfaced on day two and forced play to be suspended at 3:30 p.m. MDT. The third round has been cancelled and the competition will be reduced to 54 holes.

Stacy Lewis Congratulates Lydia Ko After Ko Made The Putt To Win The CP Canadian Women's Open In A Playoff - Image Credit Bryan Outram

by Alfie Lau

It may be time for the City of Coquitlam to rename itself ‘Koquitlam’ in honour of Lydia Ko.

For the second time since 2012, the New Zealand citizen has won the Canadian Women’s Open at the Vancouver Golf Club. Add in Ko’s 2013 triumph at Royal Mayfair in Edmonton and Ko has won three of the last four Canadian Women’s Opens.

But it wasn’t easy for Ko, who had to survive a playoff with American Stacy Lewis, who shot a (-5) round of 67 to tie Ko at (-12) for the tournament.

LPGA Major Winner And World Women's Number 8 Ranked Lexi Thompson Was On Hand At Seymour Golf & Country Club, Along With Host Head Professional Dale Schienbein, As A Thrilled Group Of Youngsters Took Part In A CN Future Links Clinic At The North Vancouver Layout - Image Credit Jurgen Kaminski

by Bryan Outram

When the top players from around the world travel to Vancouver for the CP Canadian Women’s Open one of the great things they do is give of their time for various events surrounding the tournament itself.

Not far removed from being a junior herself, she’s already a ‘veteran’ at the ripe-old age of 20, women’s world number 8 ranked Lexi Thompson came out to Seymour Golf & Country Club in North Vancouver on the Monday of tournament week to put on a clinic for a group of young aspiring players for CN Future Links National Junior Golf Development.