MEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

James Song made the biggest move among the Top 10, jumping 176 spots in the world rankings after finishing 26th at the AJGA Polo Golf Junior Classic. The result moved him from No. 7 up to No. 4 in the Canadian rankings. Since joining the Top 10, Song has made up 179 places in the world rankings.

Top ranked Hugo Bernard picked up four places in the world rankings, up to a career-best No. 37 in the world.

Biggest move:  Laurent Desmarchais gained 1,142 spots in the world rankings after finishing third at the U25 Championship

WOMEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Brigitte Thibault made the biggest move among the Top 10, gaining 169 spots in the world rankings after advancing all the way to the quarter-finals of the Women’s Western National Amateur Championship. It’s her second top 10 result in as many tournaments and she jumps from No. 10 up to No. 7 in the Canadian rankings.

Jaclyn Lee picked up eight places in the world rankings to improve to a world-best No. 28 after finishing third at the Ladies’ British Open Amateur Championship. The Golf Canada National Team member placed 39th in the stroke play portion of the event and won her first four matches in the match-play portion of the tournament to advance to the semi-finals before losing to Germany’s Leonie Harm, who would go on to win the championship.

Michelle Kim returns to the Top 10, gaining five places in the world rankings.

Outside the Top 10, Ellie Szeryk gained 166 spots in the world rankings after finishing third at the Women’s Western National Amateur Championship. The Golf Canada Development Squad member made it all the way to the semi-finals of the tournament. The result helped her move up to No. 12 in the Canadian rankings.

Biggest Move:Savannah Grewal gained 399 spots in the world rankings after finishing 17th at the AJGA Polo Golf Junior Classic.

MEN’S TOP 10

Austin Connelly made the biggest move among the Top 10, picking up 10 places in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 37th at the European Tour’s HNA Open de France. The result was worth 1.68 world ranking points and marked his second points-paying finish in the last three tournaments for the former Golf Canada National Team member.

Other notable results:No. 1 Adam Hadwin finished tied for 48th at PGA’s Quicken Loans National; No. 3 Benjamin Silverman, No. 4 Nick Taylor both missed the cut at PGA’s Quicken Loans National; No. 7 Adam Svensson finished tied for 40th at Web.com Tour’s Lincoln Land Championship; No. 8 Corey Conners finished tied for 41st at the PGA’s Quicken Loans National; No. 9 David Hearn finished tied for 41st at the PGA’s Quicken Loans National;

WOMEN’S TOP 10

Maude-Aimee Leblanc made the biggest gain among the Top 10, picking up 57 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 31st at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. It was her second best career finish at an LPGA major and the result was worth 4.35 world ranking points – her fourth best career points-paying finish. Leblanc also managed to retake the No. 3 ranking in Canada.

Brittany Marchand picked up 20 places in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 60th at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. That result was worth 1.45 world ranking points and it marked the seventh points-paying finish in eight LPGA events this year for the Golf Canada Young Pro squad member.

Top ranked Brooke Henderson moves up two spots to No. 16 in the world after flirting with victory at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship before settling for a sixth place tie at the LPGA major. The result was worth 19 world ranking points for the Smiths Falls, Ontario golfer.

Christina Foster returns to the Top 10, replacing Jennifer Ha as the No. 10 ranked female pro in Canada.

Other Notable Results: No. 2 Alena Sharp finished tied for 68th at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship; No. 5 Anne-Catherine Tanguay missed the cut at KPMG Women’s PGA Championship; No. 8 Samantha Richdale, No. 9 Elizabeth Tong missed the cut at the Symetra Tour event in Cincinnati;

For more information on the 2018 Golf NB Junior & Pee Wee Championships including results and tee times please CLICK HERE.

For more information on Hampton Golf Club please CLICK HERE.

Golf New Brunswick (Golf NB), a not for profit organization founded in 1934, is the official governing body for amateur golf in New Brunswick.  In January of 2006, the New Brunswick Golf Association (NBGA) officially merged with the New Brunswick Ladies Golf Association (NBLGA), resulting in one united governing body for amateur golf in the province.  Programs offered by Golf NB to its 10,000 members include: 12 provincial events, rules of golf education, course rating and handicap services, junior golf development programs and member club marketing initiatives.

RBC, Golf Canada and the PGA TOUR today announced that the 2019 RBC Canadian Open will be moving to a premier spot on the PGA TOUR schedule starting in 2019, one week before the U.S. Open. The 110th RBC Canadian Open, to be played at the historic Hamilton Golf and Country Club with new dates, June 3-9, 2019, is expected to attract an even better field for Canada’s National Championship.

The 2018 RBC Canadian Open will be played as scheduled, July 23-29, at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario.

“The RBC Canadian Open is one of the oldest and most-prestigious golf events in the world and we’re thrilled to start a new chapter in 2019,” said Mary DePaoli, executive vice-president and chief marketing officer, RBC. “As the only Canadian stop on the Tour, the June tournament date will help enrich the experience for fans, players and all Canadians.”

IT’S A DATE! The #RBCCO is moving to June 3-9 in 2019 ??#OurOpen pic.twitter.com/okc6Z3dopB

— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) July 3, 2018

In addition to the new spot on the PGA TOUR schedule, the 2019 RBC Canadian Open will also feature an increased purse, set at USD $7.6-million.

“The PGA TOUR, RBC and Golf Canada have collaborated to ensure this new date is the right fit for players and fans of the RBC Canadian Open,” said Andy Pazder, chief tournaments & competitions officer, PGA TOUR. “As title sponsor of both the RBC Canadian Open and the RBC Heritage, RBC has been a tremendous partner of the PGA TOUR, and we’re thrilled to have this opportunity to move one of golf’s most important and historic tournaments to a new date for the event starting in 2019.”

SAVE. THE. DATE. June 3-9, 2019 – Starting in 2019, the #RBCCO will move to a premier spot on the @pgatour – #RBCCO #OurOpen

A post shared by RBC Canadian Open (@rbccanadianopen) on Jul 3, 2018 at 9:04am PDT

With even stronger fields and competition anticipated with the new date, the RBC Canadian Open is expected to:

• Increase global awareness for golf in Canada and the RBC Canadian Open tournament
• Drive deeper interest and participation in golf in Canada
• Positively impact the regional economy with increased ticket sales, hospitality and tourism

“Golf Canada is beyond thrilled by RBC’s overall support for the Canadian Open. Together with the PGA TOUR, the new 2019 date change is a clear demonstration of our combined commitment to the game and Canada’s National Open Championship,” said Laurence Applebaum, chief executive officer, Golf Canada. “This exciting change will inject tremendous energy into the RBC Canadian Open and make Canadian golf better.”

For ticket, volunteering, sponsorship and corporate hospitality information on the 2018 RBC Canadian Open, details are available online at www.rbccanadianopen.com.

Almost four years ago Todd Keirstead did a golf instructional demonstration at a veteran’s hospital when he came to an important realization.

The trick shots he had been performing for a few years – building up a brand so well known that Golf Channel named one of his shots as the No. 1 trick shot in 2014 – actually were emulating the injured service men and women he was doing the demonstration for.

Instead of being just pure entertainment, Keirstead – who most recently was the golf competition supervisor at the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto – realized he could be more inspirational and inspiring.

Now, that realization has come full circle.

Starting Saturday and running through the end of September Keirstead will be performing for United States Air Force members and their families in a new ‘Recharge for Resiliency’ initiative.

The program began in 2015 as a new tool to encourage service members and their families who are affected by deployments to participate in morale, welfare, and recreation programs and activities.

LPGA Tour golfers like Amy Read participated in instructional clinics in 2017 and Keirstead will be travelling across the United States and into Europe and Japan performing for hundreds of servicemen and women in the Recharge for Resiliency Golf Days.

“It’s my way of saying ‘thank you’ for everything they do – not only the individuals that are serving but also their family members and all the sacrifices they’ve made,” says Keirstead by phone as he prepares for the first event of the year in Dover, Delaware on June 30th.

Keirstead says he’ll be performing for an hour, and at one of the sites in Colorado Springs he’ll also be doing a 30-minute motivational talk.

It will be entertainment, he says, but for the past number of years Keirstead, who is able-bodied, has shown that people who may be in a wheelchair or may be blind can still play golf. The shots he hits (he’ll put on a prosthetic limb or a blindfold, for example) are entertaining for some, but inspiring for many others.

“The last 10 minutes of the show I’ll be explaining to them how the military has changed my life and how I’m taking the entertainment show and turning it into a motivation/inspiration show,” he says. “A lot of the shots I hit are emulating the wounded veterans situations.”

The trick shots, he admits, are not really tricks. By making sure he has all the correct fundamentals down, he’s able to hit any shot the way he does. But because it’s so unique, he’s sure the audience will leave with a smile on their face after a break from their every-day military lives.

Keirstead’s new role with the USAF is part of a grander program he has called Bring Back the Game, an initiative supported by adidas golf and TaylorMade in Canada. The Bring Back the Game clinics, Keirstead says, are helping people to overcome their barriers and show golf as a tool to help build confidence and self-esteem.

He says he’s “very fortunate” to be asked to give back to the U.S. military using this platform, and he’s hopeful it will expand the message that golf is a sport for all people regardless of age, physical or mental ability.

“These shots that I’m doing for pure entertainment are actually motivating and inspiring for these troops,” he says. “It’s showing they can play golf in an adaptive way.”

TORONTO, Ont. – Hopes were high at Weston Golf and Country Club on Wednesday as 37 players vied for one of three spots up for grabs into 2018 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship taking place at The Golf Club of Tennessee in Kingston Springs, Tennessee on August 6-12.

Despite the threat of rain hanging over the tournament, Kelsey Sear posted an even-par 72 to top the field and earn one of three spots that were up for grabs at the qualifier held at Weston Golf and Country Club in Toronto.

The Unionville, Ont., talent ran into trouble with bogeys on holes 1 and 12 but otherwise cruised to victory over the competition.

Team Canada graduate Chloe Currie fired three sets of consecutive birdies to tie for second with fellow Mississauga, Ont., native Melany Chong at 1 over to earn the other available spots into the 2018 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship.

A playoff between Guatemala’s Pilar Echeverria and Siyan Chen of Howey In The Hills, Fla., was set to determine which players would be designated first and second alternates. After the playoff ended on the first playoff hole with Chen winning with a par to secure the first alternate spot. Echeverria will be the second alternate.

More information on the qualifier at Weston, including final results, can be found here.

MEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Garrett Rank made the biggest move among the Top 10, picking up 10 spots in the world rankings after winning the Ontario Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship. The result comes just a week after the former Golf Canada National Team member missed the cut at the U.S. Open and it vaults him back inside the top 100 in the world rankings. It’s his second top 3 result in four tournaments played this year.

Top ranked Hugo Bernard improved upon his career-best world ranking, climbing seven places up to No. 41 after placing 78th at The Amateur Championship. The Golf Canada National Team member was sitting in a tie for seventh after the opening round of stroke play but a second round 78 left him outside the top 64 cut line for the match play portion of the event.

Fellow National Team member Joey Savoie picked up three places in the world ranking after placing 138th at The Amateur Championship.

Josh Whalen, the third member of the National Team, gained five places in the world ranking after finishing 27th at the Northeast Amateur Invitational.

Biggest move:  Ryan Tsang climbed 407 spots in the world rankings after finishing seventh at the Ontario Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship.

WOMEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Jaclyn Lee was the only member of the Top 10 to make any positive gains in the world rankings, picking up four places to get to a career-best No. 36 in the world. The Golf Canada National Team member has posted three top-5 results in her last four events and posted a 35th place finish in her first LPGA start of the year a couple of weeks ago.

Fellow National Team member Grace St-Germain picked up the win at the Golf Quebec Provincial Amateur Championship. It was her second win in the last five weeks, having collected medallist honours at the NJCAA National Championship last month

Biggest Move:Jackie Little gained 190 spots in the world rankings after winning the British Columbia Senior Championship.

MEN’S TOP 10

Mackenzie Hughes was the only player in the Top 10 to make a positive gain in the world rankings this past week. Hughes climbed six places after finishing in a tie for 42nd at the PGA Travelers Championship. That equalled his best finish of the season and was worth 1.80 world ranking points, only his fourth points-paying finish of the season.

One week after missing the cut at the U.S. Open, top ranked Canadian Adam Hadwin was back in the points, finishing in a tie for 42nd at the PGA Travelers Championship. The result was worth 1.80 world ranking points and it snapped a streak of two consecutive tournaments without a points-paying finish.

Outside the Top 10, No. 13 Ryan Yip picked up 53 places in the world rankings after finishing tied for 16th at the Web.com Tour Wichita Open.

Other notable results: No. 3 Benjamin Silverman, No. 4 Nick Taylor and No. 8 Corey Conners all missed the cut at the PGA Travelers Championship; No. 6 Austin Connelly finished tied for 40th at the European Tour BMW International Open; No. 7 Adam Svensson finished tied for 58th at the Web.com Tour Wichita Open; No. 10 Roger Sloan finished tied for 32nd at the Web.com Tour Wichita Open;

WOMEN’S TOP 10

Elizabeth Tong made the biggest move of the week to return to the Top 10, picking up 66 spots in the world rankings after finishing tied for 22nd at the Symetra Tour event in Michigan. It was her best finish of the season on the development tour and the result was worth 0.22 world ranking points. She goes from No. 11 up to No. 9 in the Canadian rankings.

No. 3 Brittany Marchand climbed 11 places in the world rankings after finishing tied for 53rd at the LPGA Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. The result was worth 1.33 world ranking points and marked the ninth time in 10 tournaments that the Team Canada Young Pro Squad member has managed a points-paying finish.

Anne-Catherine Tanguay gained eight places in the world rankings after finishing tied for 65th at the LPGA Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. The result was worth 0.7 world ranking points for the Team Canada Young Pro squad member and marked her third straight points-paying finish.

Other Notable Results: No. 2 Alena Sharp and No. 4 Maude-Aimee Leblanc both missed the cut at LPGA Walmart NW Arkansas Championship; No. 6 Augusta James, No. 8 Samantha Richdale and No. 10 Jennifer Ha missed the cut at the Symetra Tour event in Michigan;

OAKVILLE, ON (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada and RBC today announced that four of the top five finishers from the 118^th playing of the U.S. Open will be facing off in the 2018 RBC Canadian Open.

Two-time U.S. Open champion and world No. 4 golfer Brooks Koepka, Bubba Watson (world No. 13), Tommy Fleetwood (world No. 10), Tony Finau (world no. 31) and world No. 28 Ian Poulter will all join Dustin Johnson, the world’s number one ranked golfer and Team RBC member in competing for the 2018 RBC Canadian Open, July 23-29 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

Koepka, who recently defended his U.S. Open title, is only the seventh player in history to win consecutive U.S. Opens. He is a 3-time PGA TOUR winner who sits 13^th on the 2018 FedEx Cup standing.

Fleetwood made a fierce charge at the U.S. Open, firing a final-round 7-under 63 to finish runner-up behind Koepka. With four top-10 finishes in 2018, the 27-year old Englishman is ranked No. 10 in the world and No. 28 on the FedEx Cup standing. The European rising star will be making his debut appearance in Canada’s National Open Championship.

Johnson’s solo-third place finish at the U.S. Open was his eighth top-10 finish in 2018. A member of Team RBC, Johnson is an 18-time PGA TOUR winner, including two 2018 victories—the Sentry Tournament of Champions as well as the recent FedEx St. Jude Classic. He is currently ranked No. 1 in both the world ranking and FedEx Cup standing and will compete in his sixth RBC Canadian Open.

Finau is having a career-best season on the PGA TOUR in 2018—his T5 finish at the U.S. Open was one of six top-10 finishes this season. A graduate of the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada, Finau has one-career PGA TOUR win and is ranked No. 31 and No. 11 on the world ranking and FedEx Cup standing respectively.

Also confirmed to compete at Glen Abbey is big-hitting lefty Bubba Watson who claimed his 12^th career PGA TOUR win last week at the Travelers Championship. The win was Watson’s third of the season including the World Golf Championship—Dell Technologies Match Play and the Genesis Open.  The win was his fifth top-10 finish in 2018. He is currently ranked No. 13 in the world and is 3^rd on the 2018 FedEx Cup standing in a season which includes five top-10 finishes. Watson, whose wife is Canadian, will again be a fan-favourite making his eighth appearance at the RBC Canadian Open.

Ryder Cup star and fan-favourite Ian Poulter is also committed to compete in the RBC Canadian Open. Poulter has three career PGA TOUR wins including the 2018 Houston Open. He has three top-10 finishes in 2018 and is currently ranked 28^th and 29^th on the world ranking and FedEx Cup standing respectively.

The foursome of Watson (3), Johnson (2), Koepka (1) and Poulter (1) have captured a combined seven PGA TOUR wins during the 2018 season to date.

“A growing list of the hottest players on the planet are coming out for the 2018 RBC Canadian Open,” said Golf Canada Chief Championship Officer and acting Tournament Director Bill Paul. “We are thrilled to welcome two-time U.S. Open winner Brooks Koepka along with rising stars Tommy Fleetwood and Tony Finau plus in-year winners Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson and Ian Poulter to Canada’s National Open Championship.”

Players have until 5 p.m. ET on the Friday of the week preceding the tournament to officially commit to playing. The field is released and published by the PGA TOUR as soon as possible after 5 p.m. ET on that Friday.

More information about the 2018 RBC Canadian Open including tickets, corporate hospitality and volunteer information is available at www.rbccanadianopen.ca.

Juniors and students aged 17-and-under get FREE admission to the RBC Canadian Open.