2017 In Review: Professional Golf
By John Gordon/ Courtesy Golf Canada
The year 2017 has drawn to a close and what a year it was for Canadian golf. Our pros won literally around the world and on just about every tour imaginable. Our amateurs of all ages made Canada proud at home and abroad.
And, off the course, there were significant moments that are well worth memorializing as 2018 gets underway. This is the first of a three-part series remembering most, if not all, of those memorable moments.
(If we’ve unintentionally overlooked any—there were so many, after all!—please let us know on Twitter or Facebook.)
MARCH:
Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C, had a year to remember. In March, he wins his first PGA TOUR title at the Valspar Championship in Florida. In January, he shoots a 13-under-par 59 in the third round of the CareerBuilder Challenge in California. His outstanding season-long performance earns him a spot in the Presidents Cup in late September.
APRIL:
Vancouver, B.C. resident Stephen Ames wins his first PGA TOUR Champions title, holding off Bernhard Langer at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic in Georgia.
JUNE:
Nineteen-year-old Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., wins the Meijer LPGA Classic, her fourth LPGA Tour title. Jean-Philip Cornellier of Club de golf Knowlton in Quebec wins the PGA Championship of Canada at Deer Ridge GC in Kitchener, Ont.
Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand wins the Manulife LPGA Classic at Whistle Bear GC in Waterloo, Ont.
JULY:
Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas defends his RBC Canadian Open title at Glen Abbey GC in Oakville, Ont., winning a one-hole playoff over Charley Hoffman.
This edition of our national men’s Open garners even more attention than usual, due to innovations such as “The Rink,” which transforms the par-3 seventh hole into a hockey-themed fan experience complete with hockey boards, a Zamboni, bleachers, and volunteers in black-and-white referee jerseys. Even course designer Jack Nicklaus relishes the experience, taking what he says was his first shot with a hockey stick.
AUGUST:
Sung Hyun Park wins the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club but, to Canadian fans, Brooke Henderson of nearby Smiths Falls, Ont., is the real star. Finishing T12 at her home course, she shows incredible talent and determination, firing a course-record 63 in the third round after almost missing the 36-hole cut on Friday. Tournament sponsor CP makes a $2-million donation to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.
Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., wins the DATA PGA Women’s Championship of Canada at Scarboro G&CC in Toronto.
Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., wins the Web.com Tour’s Price Cutter Charity Championship in Missouri.
Jim Rutledge of Victoria, B.C., wins his fifth PGA Seniors Championship of Canada at the Burlington (Ont.) G&CC.
Brittany Marchand wins the Symetra Tour’s PHC Classic in Wisconsin.
SEPTEMBER:
Richard T. Lee of Toronto wins the Asian Tour’s Shinahan Donghae Open.
Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City wins the Symetra Tour’s Garden City Charity Classic in Kansas.
OCTOBER:
Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City finishes eighth on the Symetra Tour money list to earn a spot on the 2018 LPGA Tour. Click HERE or on the image below to see an interview with her regarding gaining her status on the LPGA Tour.
image courtesy CP Women's Open Facebook
Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., earns his PGA TOUR status by finishing in the top 25 on the Web.com Tour finals money list. He joins Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., who qualified for the PGA TOUR by virtue of his 10th-place finish during the Web.com Tour’s regular season.
Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., wins the New Zealand Women’s Open for her second LPGA Tour victory of the season and fifth overall.
DECEMBER:
Ryan Yip of Calgary, Albin Choi of Toronto, and Stuart Macdonald and Seann Harlingten of Vancouver finish inside the top 45 in the final stage of the Web.com Tour qualifying school to earn guaranteed starts in 2018.
image courtesy British Columbia Golf
B.C's Stuart Macdonald (L) and Seann Harlingten (R)
Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que., and Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., earn conditional status on the 2018 LPGA Tour at the final stage of qualifying school.
Brooke Henderson was named Canadian Press Female Athlete of the Year.