It’s fair to say that BC has had some exceptional golfers come through the ranks many of whom have gone on to turn pro competing around the world.

We are hearing that BC or rather Team BC has also turned out exceptional qualified young golfers who are taking major steps to turn pro which we wish them much success.

We recently received the following from Golf Canada and want to share. Enjoy the read and thanks to Golf Canada for the press release!

After consecutive runner-up finishes the past two years, Team British Columbia (B.C.) has reclaimed the Inter-Provincial Team Championship from Team Ontario in the 111th playing of the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO.

Team B.C. finished with a two-day collective score of 9-over, six shots clear of the two-time defending champions to claim the title for the first time since 2022 on Wednesday at The Riverside Country Club in Rothesay, N.B.

The team was represented by Angela Arora of Surrey, B.C., Yeeun (Jenny) Kwon of Vancouver, B.C. and Amy Seung Hyun Lee of Langley, B.C.

“This win means a lot, we all have a lot of B.C. pride and any chance to play for our province is really good and being able to win for our province is a super great accomplishment,” said Arora.

The team mindset was to play smart heading into Wednesday, which has certainly been a requirement at Riverside Country Club over the first two rounds. For Kwon, the team dynamic played a key role in securing the title.

“Our team is very supportive of each other and the team made me feel very welcome and a very positive environment. This team was amazing and worked very well in the tournament,” she said. “Overall, I am proud and happy that I could play on the course with Team B.C.”

Lee, the lone returning player from last year’s team added, “I think it was great, I had really great teammates, and it was nice creating a bond with Team B.C.”

Arora’s back-to-back rounds of 2-over 74 and Kwon’s scores of 73 and 76 counted on both days for Team B.C. The two lowest scores from the three-person team counted towards the combined team total for each round.

Team Ontario finished as runner-up with a combined score of 15-over.

Team Alberta and Team Quebec finished in a tie for third at 30-over, with Team Manitoba rounding out the top five at 32-over.

Pate keeps pace

Day two began with warmer temperatures, but the winds picked up as the day progressed, flipping the script on Tuesday’s opening round conditions.

Macy Pate of Winston-Salem, N.C. maintains a one-shot lead following a 2-over 74 to now sit at 2-under for the tournament, ahead of Kaitlyn Schroeder from Jacksonville, Fla. who shot a 1-over 73 to move up one spot on the leaderboard at 1-under.

Pate began play on the back nine, recording a birdie and two bogeys before heading to the challenging front nine, where the winds played havoc for the field.

After carding a birdie on the fifth hole, Pate struggled with consecutive bogeys before regaining her lead with a birdie on her final hole of the round.

Team Canada NextGen member, Michelle Xing of Richmond Hill, Ont. was one of only two players that shot under par on Wednesday, following a 1-under 71 to move to even par for the tournament to jump up to third. Xing opened with five birdies through her first seven holes.

“I got off to a good start,” said Xing. “Hitting my wedges well and putting the ball well. 

I didn’t think too much of it because it was the morning and was just trying to have some fun.”

Xing added that her putting has been a strong point over the first two rounds of the championship despite some challenging conditions for the field coupled with stronger winds over the first two days.

“It’s been tough, the pin positions today were really tough, the course has been pretty firm, and the greens have slope, but I think there are still some scoring holes, especially the par fives,” she added.

Angela (Yilin) Liu of Irvine, Calif., Eunseo Choi of Auckland, New Zealand, Anna Iwanaga of Hyogo, Japan and Team Canada member, Tillie Claggett of Calgary, Alta. are tied for fourth at 2-over.

Fellow Team Canada member and 2023 Canadian Women’s Amateur champion, Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C. is tied for eighth with four others at 3-over.

The field has been reduced to the top 68 and ties (73 players total) advancing to the final 36-holes with a cut line of 15-over.

In addition to winning the Duchess of Connaught Trophy, the Canadian Women’s Amateur champion will receive an exemption into the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open taking place at the Mississaugua Golf and Country Club in Mississauga, Ont. from August 20 – 24.

The winner will also earn an exemption into the 2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, taking place August 4 – 10 at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Ore and an exemption into the 2026 Canadian Women’s Amateur, taking place at The Toronto Golf Club, July 20 – 24, 2026.

For Thursday’s Third Round tee times, please click here. For the individual and inter-provincial team leaderboards following the second round of the 111th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO, please click here.

GOLF CANADA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Golf Canada annually conducts more than 30 golf competitions and qualifiers nation-wide – including 11 National Amateur Championships – which play host to more than 3,000 domestic and international athletes from all corners of the world. 

In partnership with our host clubs, thousands of volunteers, provincial golf associations and our proud sponsors, Golf Canada is dedicated to supporting player development through world-class competition since our inception in 1895. Officiated by certified Canadian Rules of Golf officials, 

Golf Canada’s amateur competitions are fully compliant with golf’s international governing bodies and include marquee events such as the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships as well as the Canadian Junior Girls and Junior Boys Championships.

Golf Canada’s amateur championships are proudly supported by BDO Canada, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Titleist, FootJoy, Coca-Cola, Sport Canada, and Levelwear. 

For more information and scheduling visit www.golfcanada.ca/competitions-calendar/.

The post TEAM BC WINS 111TH CANADIAN WOMEN’S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

2023 Women’s Open, at the Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club, in Vancouver, British Columbia, August 26, 2023.

If you’re talking about pressure you need look no farther than day three for the  CPKC Women’s Open played at the Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club that has world class players competing for the coveted trophy..

During the event I had the opportunity to catch-up with Assistant Tournament Director Leanne Schellenberg and Diana Maughan who is one of three tournament co-chairs representing Shaughnessy. 

Knowing that there are three curiosity got the better of me so I had to inquire who the other two were and found out that they are Ken Woods who was the top volunteer as Chair in both 2005 and 2011 with the other being Past President Ian MacLean. 

Diana  has been working with Leanne ever since she arrived at Golf Canada and has stayed in touch with what decisions have been made starting back in April in addition to using Zoom  calls  for all the  Chairs and Vice Chairs to stay in touch.

CPKC is the title sponsor and they help determine where they would like to have the event year to year as their railway runs across Canada so they like to make sure that the event is held across Canada.

CPKC has been the title sponsor of the Women’s Open for the past nine years managing to raise over $13.5 million to support children’s heart health in the event’s host communities with this year’s charitable beneficiary being the B.C. Children’s Hospital Foundation. 

Tournament Director Ryan Paul spent time visiting Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club which they previously knew about and the club had to indicate they were interested and then they started planning.

The one thing they were looking for was that the venue was one that was played on by the men as well knowing it’s historical, family friendly, accessible for everyone including Sportswave photographer Mark Steffens.

While the event focuses on Women’s Golf the event could not be a success without the overall support of the over 1000 volunteers who have traveled from various areas of Canada to make this event successful. 

Not just for Golf in Canada and CPKC but also golf in BC which shows how the game has not only changed but also  continues to grow in the lower mainland.

In conversation with not only the volunteers but some of the younger fans the one thing they enjoy is the interaction with the players who ironically are being billitted with families for their time here.

One golfer mentioned “It’s so nice to be with the family as they are not only telling me about the area but also teaching me about life on Canada’s West Coast.”

In conversation with one of Golf Canada’s media personnel it’s nice to hear that this is the largest women’s event hosted by Golf Canada.

The growth for women’s golf clearly depends on the development and training for the young girls who are playing the sport regardless of where you live or play.

The training of young girls in any sport depends solely on  the teaching, instruction and knowledge of the instructor or pro who has come through the system knowing what’s required to achieve success.

Not all instructors can grasp this, but the ones that do will advance to the higher level of the game all for the betterment of their student, which only leads to success.

The young players today have far too much on their mind given the outside pressures put on them and fitting into today’s society isn’t the easiest for some and to be successful you have to believe in yourself.

Canadian’s flocked to the course on Saturday knowing that Brooke Henderson made the cut  hitting the first tee at two following a rough start that saw her have to climb up the leaderboard to make the cut.

We forgot to mention that on hole 17 it’s truly Canadian being set up with a hockey theme “The Rink” that some of the players had a hard time understanding, but eventually understood our pastime.

Known as Canada’s pride and joy she has a personality that bubbles with excitement and never has a down-side that shows through, yet her overall demeanor  was what one described jokingly as one of a kind.

We should remember that this was on the schedule to be on the docket to be played in 2020 but due to COVID-19 and cancelled twice as was put on hold along with other sporting events.

So realistically it’s been a three year battle to get to the first tee and as we were doing the interview there were about 1000 volunteers all working in different areas such as planning, scheduling and knowing their goals as well as getting oriented.

Being a volunteer isn’t a nine to five job, it’s all about getting here early driving players, setting up the practice range and doing what’s needed to make the day a success.

The shifts are long and one volunteer mentioned that he arrived at 5 and finished about 10:30 Thursday evening then only turned around to do it all over again the next day.

Stay tuned Part Two Sunday!!

The post Volunteers Drive CPKC Women’s Championship first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

The long extended wait is finally over and for golfing fanatics who purchased tickets for the CPKC Women’s Open  which is being played at the Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club and twice as nice to see the 13-time LPGA Tour winner on the links 

In conversation with several in attendance, many of the young girls who followed her around aspire to follow in her footsteps.

This time it is a “new look” Brooke Henderson as she was wearing glasses while getting in an added practice timer and when asked about them she replied “I’ve worn glasses off the course for a long time, but I’ve never played with them, so it was a bit of a change.”

She continued by mentioning “It was just time that I wanted to be able to see things a little bit better and maybe not depend on Brit (Henderson, her sister and caddie) so much. I started practicing with them last week and seemed to go pretty well. This will be the first week in competition. It’s really nice to be able to see some things. Hopefully, it gives me maybe not an advantage but helps me improve my game a little bit.”

It’s fair to say that the older one gets at one point we all require a pair of glasses for various reasons that could include reading, distance  or possibly cataract surgery which is apparently normal if over the age of forty.

For young Miss Henderson we have been used to seeing her wear sunglasses while on the course, but nothing more as far as we are led to believe.

Her first major tournament win on the LPGA Tour was when she was only 18 playing at the LPGA Championship in 2016 which saw her maintain her title at the Cambia Portland Open in only her third LPGA win.

For many this seemed to catch them off-guard, while others said “she looked very distinguished” wearing them, regardless of how she finished.

The start of the week saw 42 golfers competing for the final four spots in the final qualifier that was held at Point Grey Golf & Country Club

The top four Canadian Amateurs are Vanessa Borovilos (Toronto, Ont.), Yeji Kwon (Port Coquitlam, B.C.), Ellie Szeryk (London, Ont.) and Sonja Tang (Vancouver, B.C.) have earned tournament exemptions, boosting the number of Canadians competing in the 2023 CPKC Women’s Open to 14.

Interesting to note that there are 11 players who have exemptions into this years 2023 CPKC Women’s Open

Hamiliton’s Alena Sharp is one of seven Canadians who earned exemptions into the 2023 championship that saw her make her 18th showing at the National Open Championship where she posted a career-best 4th place finish in 2016. 

Sharp, who earned the exemption for winning the 2023 PGA of Canada Women’s Championship, is ranked 13th on the 2023 Epson Tour points list in a season that features a victory at the Champions Fore Change Invitational and two other top-10 finishes.

Others getting invitations are Team Canada professionals Brigitte Thibault (Rosemere, Que), as well as Quebec City’s Sarah-Eve Rhéaume who makes appearance number four, and second respective starts in Canada’s National Open Championship. 

The top ranked Canadian is Thibault while Rhéaume competes in her rookie year on the Epson Tour.  

Adding are four Team Canada amateurs starting in no particular order Lauren Kim (17) of Surrey competing in her first CPKC Women’s Open. 

Other exceptions are Oakville’s Katie Cranston (19) as well as Thornhill Ontario’s Lauren Zaretsky (making their second start) that include Brampton Ontario Brooke Rivers who is making her first-ever star..

Vancouver resident and Shaughnessy member Victoria Liu has also accepted an exemption to compete at her home golf club.

In addition to the talented players both Amatur and Pro alike we should give credit to the one’s behind the scenes who have worked long and tireless hours to ensure that everything goes off without a hitch.

I’m talking about what Sportswave calls the “unsung heroes” of any event which are the volunteers who seem to make it happen for every event.

Unsung heroes or not -they are the ones that are the “real machine” and are deserving of praise and thanks from everyone.

So remember when you walk past one at this event or other events remember to thank them for being a Volunteer.

More Info:

If you are looking for additional info for the CPKC Women’s Open feel free to download the Golf Canada Mobile App on your iOS or Android device. 

Find golf courses, track your game, set up matches against friends, access GPS yardages and more. Click here to download.

The post Henderson’s Love Of Golf first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

Golf is around the corner for many, while others have been playing all winter and while not on the course, I am hearing that they have been to the driving range when they were open.

Living on the West Coast of Canada Golfers have the luxury of playing year round which grows the game for golfers of all ages.

This alone attracts up and coming young golfers to various courses that has many coming with their parents, grandparents or buddies.

We are fortunate to have pro golfers such as Adam Hadwin, Adam Svensson, Nick Taylor on the pro circuit who are filling the golf cleats or spikes of Doug Roxburgh, Stan Leonard and even Stephen Ames.

PGA Tour Canada hold a qualifying tournament in Courtenay running this year from June 6th-9th that saw Riley Wheeldon win in 2022 with a -20 and a total score of 268.

One interesting fact that not even Riley knew about when we spoke when he was on tour playing at the Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club was that his Uncle and I went to school together at George Vanier High in Courtenay.

While I am mentioning Shaughnessy Golf Club you should know that they have been selected as the host site for the 2023 CP Women’s Open which has been rescheduled for August 21-27.

We are hearing that the final round of the second PGA TOUR Canada Qualifying event saw Amateur Jonathan Yaun (22) fight windy conditions pulling out the win.

He fired an even-par 72 finishing with a five-stroke victory over a trio of players. 

The win saw him gain membership for the entire 2023 PGA TOUR Canada season with the event played at the Mission Inn Resort and Club.

John Pak, the top-ranked PGA TOUR University player in 2021 was the co-leader after round two, but shot 4-over in the final round, seeing him tied for second with both George Kneiser and Cole Bradley. 

All three finished with a 7-under (281) each earning PGA TOUR Canada status that had others pick up guaranteed starts in the first half of the PGA TOUR Canada season. 

Following the match Yaun mentioned “I’ve won out here (before), so I just had that mentality that I could do it and last week I played in this similar type of wind, so I thought I’d be ready for that, but I didn’t play very well. Today was really tough, I’ve never played this course in that hard of conditions.”

Yaun began his final round with a bogey-6 but bounced back on No. 2 with a birdie. He had a stretch, starting at No. 3, where he made 11 consecutive pars. Birdies and Nos. 14 and 17 offset bogeys on two of his final three holes.

Cameron Willis shot the lowest score Friday with 2-under 70 that saw him  make a huge jump of 25 positions up the leaderboard finishing with conditional status.

Time to hit the links, clean the clubs and get set to “T” off for the season.

Final-Round Weather conditions: Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Wind S at 10-15 mph, increasing to 20 mph in the afternoon. At one point, gusts reached as high as 35 mph.

The post Hitting The Links – Early first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.