Led by Henderson, Hughes and Svensson, Canadian golf hit new highs in 2022
There’s an argument to be made that 2022 was the most successful year in Canadian golf.
Brooke Henderson, Mackenzie Hughes, and Adam Svensson’s combined four wins between the LPGA and PGA Tours were highlights of the season. But the achievements of Canadian golfers were not limited to those victories.
Corey Conners and Taylor Pendrith became the first two Canadians to compete in the Presidents Cup at the same time, Mike Weir was named the first-ever Canadian captain of the International team for the 2024 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal Golf Club, and the RBC Canadian Open and CP Women’s Open both returned after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s only getting better and that’s been shown on the golf course and it continues to show,” said Hughes, who won the Sanderson Farms Championship on Oct. 2 for the second PGA Tour title of his career. “It’s very exciting to be part of that winning group this year and to add to that total.
“I think that in the years to come you’re going to see those records continue to fall. I wouldn’t be surprised to see us eclipse that total, once again, in 2023.”
Henderson won the 11th and 12th tournaments of her career, adding to her all-time Canadian record. She was victorious at the ShopRite LPGA Classic on June 12 and then won her second career major at the Evian Championship on July 24.
Despite playing through the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship with an injured back, Henderson was still in contention to win the LPGA Tour’s player of the year in the tournament’s final round. Although Henderson tied for seventh at that tournament and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko won the annual award, it was still impressive finish to an exceptional year for the Canadian.
“I just love being in contention and being near the top of the leaderboards on the weekend. Hopefully, I can do more of that in 2023,” said Henderson, who won two tournaments each LPGA Tour season in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. After the circuit lost its 2020 season Henderson won once in 2021 and was eager to start a new streak of multi-win years.
“Hopefully, I can do more of that in 2023. I really wanted to get off to a hot start (in 2022) and try to get more top 10s and be in better positions on the weekends, especially coming off a year where I won one.”
The same day Henderson was finishing out her season, Svensson won on the PGA Tour for the first time of his career with a two-stroke victory at the RSM Classic.
On Sept. 22, Conners and Pendrith made their Presidents Cup debuts. The two best friends were the first Canadian duo to play in a Presidents Cup at the same time, with Hughes and Adam Hadwin also considered to make the International team at the best-on-best tournament at Quail Hollow Golf Club in Charlotte, N.C.
The next Presidents Cup will have even more of a maple flavour as Royal Montreal Golf Club hosts the 2024 edition and Weir serves as the International team’s captain. The Canadian Golf Hall of Famer joked that after his was introduced as the team captain at Bell Centre on Nov. 30 his phone was blowing up with messages from Canada’s PGA Tour players eager to make the team.
“We have a huge country land-wise to try to bring everybody together as best we can and make sure that they feel like this is part of our golf legacy,” said Weir after closing the Toronto Stock Exchange on Dec. 1. “We want people coming from Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, from the East Coast, Halifax.
“I’m hoping they want to come and see the best players in the world compete.”
Top-flight professional golf made its return to Canada in 2022 after the COVID-19 pandemic put the RBC Canadian Open and CP Women’s Open on hiatus for two years.
Golf Canada reported the RBC Canadian Open drew a record 135,000 spectators to Toronto’s St. George’s Golf and Country Club as superstar Rory McIlroy won the national title for the second consecutive time.
The CP Women’s Open drew over 70,000 fans to Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club, earning Tournament of the Year honours from the Tournament Partners of the LPGA. Tourism Ottawa said that the event had an expected economic impact of $13.4 million as the National Capital Region’s hospitality sector tried to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and anti-government protests that gridlocked Ottawa in February.
In recognition of the economic benefits of hosting the two national golf championships, Canada’s Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario gave Golf Canada $4.4 million in September. The non-repayable investment is earmarked for the RBC Canadian Open and theCP Women’s Open.
Mona Fortier, president of the Treasury Board and member of Parliament for Ottawa-Vanier, said the investment will help the tournaments stimulate local economies.
The men’s championship is typically held in the Greater Toronto Area and will be at Oakdale Golf & Country Club in 2023, while the women’s event travels across Canada, with next year’s tournament scheduled for Vancouver’s Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club.
Garrett Ball, Golf Canada’s chief operating officer, said in September that the organization was approached by the federal development agency about the investment in 2021. He said that the money will go, in part, a new double-decker hospitality suite as well as the development of new mobile phone apps for spectators at the two events.
“Simply put these are innovative assets, that will benefit the championships for the foreseeable future,” said Ball. “In fact, at the RBC Canadian Open in June, these assets were major factors in the announcement of record sales, record crowds, and record media impressions.”
Top moments in Canadian golf for 2022
If you happened to miss the big-time moments and stories that unfolded in Canadian golf this year, not to worry! We’ve got nine collected right here – plus a handful of honourable mentions, too.
Whether it was major-winning putts, huge tournament returns, or significant announcements, Canadian golf had them all in 2022.
What was your favourite? What did we miss? Let us know!
And here’s hoping 2023 produces plenty more.
A slippery final-hole birdie was needed, but Brooke Henderson bent down just as it caught the lip and trundled in – and the Canadian became a major champion again.
Henderson won the Amundi Evian Championship to become the first Canadian (male or female) to win more than one major. Her win at the Evian was her second of the season as she inched ever closer to putting a bow on a fabulous LPGA Tour season.
Thanks to Henderson’s two wins, she ended up third in the LPGA’s Player of the Year standings and will head into 2023 ranked sixth in the world.
After two years of cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a palpable buzz as the RBC Canadian Open returned to the PGA TOUR schedule for 2022.
St. George’s Golf and Country Club was an excellent host, and Rory McIlroy defended his title from 2019 – in thrilling fashion.
McIlroy, Justin Thomas, and Tony Finau were grouped together in Sunday’s finale and oh-my-goodness did they ever deliver. McIlroy and Thomas fired matching 5-under 29s on their opening nine holes before McIlroy pulled away to win by two. He closed with an 8-under 62.
While McIlroy, Thomas, and Finau were battling back-and-forth, Justin Rose had made three eagles of his own and shot a 10-under 60 to finish at 14 under and tied for fourth. Not to mention(!) on the very same Sunday Brooke Henderson was winning the ShopRite LPGA Classic on the LPGA Tour.
Phew.
What a week. What a tournament. We’re sure Oakdale Golf and Country Club will deliver, too.
Some of the biggest names in women’s golf ended up firmly in the mix Sunday at the CP Women’s Open (with world No. 2 Nelly Korda finishing tied for second while world No.1 Lydia Ko would finish tied for fourth) but it was Paula Reto who was the eventual winner of the CP Women’s Open. At 19 under she captured her maiden LPGA Tour title by one shot.
The tournament made its return to the LPGA Tour after two years of cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic (like the RBC Canadian Open on the men’s side) and from start-to-finish it was a special week – so special, in fact, the LPGA Tour rewarded it with plenty of hardware at its year-end awards.
The CP Women’s Open, contested at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club, ended up winning a trio of awards at the LPGA Tour’s 2022 Partner Awards including the coveted Tournament of the Year title.
It also won the Best Community and Charity Engagement award for its work with the CP Has Heart community investment program, which raised $2.5 million in support of the CHEO Foundation and $510,000 for Perth & Smiths Falls District Hospital Foundation – the largest charitable campaign in the history of the CP Women’s Open.
Finally, the tournament also won Best Sponsor Activation for its Hilton on the Green experience – a first-of-its-kind opportunity for Canadian golf fans to stay in a unique, 1-bedroom pop-up hotel room on the 8th hole at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. Hilton on the Green included a personal concierge, golf cart, gourmet meals including breakfast in bed, exclusive view of the action, as well as world-class service and hospitality from Hilton.
And in case you forgot, 12-year-old(!) Lucy Lin also Monday Qualified for the event after getting through a 3-for-1 playoff, becoming the youngest person in tournament history to tee it up in Canada’s National Women’s Open.
While there was much to celebrate for the Canadians on the PGA Tour through the early part of 2022, once we got into the fall season things really picked up.
On October 2 it was Mackenzie Hughes who won for the second time on the PGA Tour, defeating Sepp Straka with a birdie on the second playoff hole at the Sanderson Farms Championship.
Seven weeks later it was Adam Svensson’s turn. Svensson won The RSM Classic by two shots for his maiden Tour title. More impressively he opened the week with a 3-over 73 before pressing the gas and shooting rounds of 64-62-64 to win by two shots over Callum Tarren.
With the announcement that the Presidents Cup would be returning to Royal Montreal in 2024, there truly could have been just one person to be at the helm of the International squad – Mike Weir.
Weir, who went 3-1 as a captain’s pick when the matches were previously at Royal Montreal in 2007 including an inspired defeat of Tiger Woods in Sunday singles, was indeed named the leader of the international team in a two-day event in both Montreal and Toronto.
The news was made official on Nov. 30 at the Bell Centre.
And so begins the two-year journey to the matches for Weir, who has long said despite it being contested in Montreal, it is “Canada’s Presidents Cup.”
July saw Golf Canada announce a major partnership with TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley to see the National Sport Federation relocate its base of operations to the fabulous 54-hole facility in Caledon, Ont.
Golf Canada’s national headquarters and the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum will relocate, while the new Canadian golf campus on TPC Toronto’s grounds will also feature the national headquarters for First Tee – Canada.
Phase one of the project – set to include the corporate headquarters, Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum, and a 30,000 square foot community putting green – will break ground next year with expected completion by 2025.
Richmond Hill, Ont.’s Monet Chun had as complete a college campaign as anyone in Canadian golf in recent memory and in 2023 she’ll enter her junior season at the University of Michigan with lots of momentum as she looks to wrap up her college career with a bang.
In April Chun, a Golf Canada National Team member, helped the Wolverines to its first Big Ten Championship – winning by four shots. She also won the Big Ten Tournament as an individual by four shots, leading the field with 16 birdies for the week. She set the school’s Big Ten 54-hole scoring record by five. That win was one of three team titles for the University of Michigan in 2022.
Chun captured the Canadian Women’s Amateur in July thanks to a third-round 66 before having a magical run to the finals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur a month later.
Chun, who was the first Canadian to make the final of the U.S. Women’s Amateur since Brooke Henderson in 2014, fell short in the final but did earn a spot in the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach thanks to her runner-up result.
One was a lock, and one came in at the last minute – but both were very deserving.
Canadians Corey Conners and Taylor Pendrith – childhood friends, college teammates, and long-time Golf Canada National Team members – became the first Red-and-White pair to find themselves on the Presidents Cup team in the competition’s history when it teed off at Quail Hallow in September.
Both Conners and Pendrith (who had an excellent rookie campaign on the PGA Tour despite missing four months due to a rib injury) had a good experience with the International team – despite the squad’s loss to the heavily-favoured American side – and are more motivated than ever to make the International Team in 2024 when it returns to Canada and will be under Mike Weir’s leadership.
What a summer it was for Nanoose Bay, B.C.-native Shelly Stouffer, highlighted by a fabulous week in Alaska when she won the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur.
Stouffer, who also won the Canadian Women’s Senior and Canadian Women’s Mid-Am title in September (her second-straight Canadian Seniors title), became just the fourth Canadian in history to win the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur.
The 52-year-old defeated Australian Sue Wooster 4-and-3 to win the title – an honour she shared with her 15-year-old son, Brett, as her caddie.
Stouffer was buoyed into the final after receiving a text message from Marlene Streit the night prior to her title-winning tilt.
“She said, ‘You’ve got this, good job, keep it going,’” said Stouffer.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
- FIRST TEE CANADA CONTINUES TO GROW
- Thanks to the Golf Canada Foundation and a generous network of donors, the growth of First Tee Canada has welcomed 23,000 youth across four provincial chapters that includes 112 locations at golf courses, schools, and community centres. Two more provincial chapters and additional program locations are planned for 2023 with a goal to create an accessible, inclusive, and empowering sport environment and make a positive impact on thousands of youth nationwide.
- CANADA GOLDEN IN JAPAN AT TOYOTA JUNIOR GOLF WORLD CUP
The Canadian Junior Boys team – made up of Félix Bouchard (Otterburn Park, Que.), Ethan Wilson (St. Albert, Alta.), Cooper Humphreys (Vernon, B.C.) and Eric Zhao (North York, Ont.) – captured the 2022 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup with a two-stroke victory over Japan in the seven-team competition. Canada’s team victory at the World Cup is its first in the 28-year history of the event. Rob McMillan (1994) and Corey Conners (2009) have previously been crowned individual champions of the tournament representing the Maple Leaf.
- PGA TOUR CANADA’S TOP GOLFER IS A CANADIAN
- After two wins this season, including one in his hometown of Edmonton and the other at the season finale, Wil Bateman became the first Canadian to top the PGA Tour Canada’s Order of Merit since Mackenzie Hughes in 2013
- TERRILL SAMUEL WINS R&A WOMEN’S SENIOR
- Not to be outdone by Canadian pal Shelly Stouffer noted earlier, Terrill Samuel of Etobicoke, Ont. completed a Canadian trifecta of National Senior Women’s Amateur championships in 2022 as the Weston Golf Club member became only the third Canadian winner of the R&A Women’s Senior Amateur Championship joining Alison Murdoch in 2007 and Diane Williams in 1994.
- DAYTON AND HAYDEN’S RECOVERY CONTINUES
- Ontarians Dayton Price and Hayden Underhill were the only two to survive a fatal bus crash that killed nine – including six members of their college’s golf team and a coach – in March. After months of recovery, both Price and Underhill have physically turned corners and are playing golf again (including at a competitive level), enjoyed time at the RBC Canadian Open, and are laser-like on a return to the game – whatever form that may take.
- AARON COCKERILL HAS A NICE YEAR ON DP WORLD TOUR
- Canada’s lone professional golfer from Manitoba had a solid campaign on the DP World Tour and kicked off the 2023 season (and ended his 2022 year) with a T4 result in South Africa.
- SCORES, SCORES & MORE SCORES
- The surge in golf interest through the pandemic may be starting to level off as the world returns to normal, but the record-levels of engagement with the sport continues to be massive, as evidenced by a record 9.8M scores posted by Golf Canada members in 2022.
- MADDIE SZERYK RE-EARNS LPGA TOUR STATUS
- What a grind! Maddie Szeryk, who had an up-and-down rookie season on the LPGA Tour, re-earned LPGA Tour status via the eight-round Q-Series after she finished tied for 17th
Golf Canada announces amateur and professional athletes named to 2023 Team Canada
DECEMBER 21, 2022 – Golf Canada is pleased to announce the names of the 57 athletes and eight coaches named to Team Canada as major enhancements to Golf Canada’s national team program continue to take effect.
Golf Canada’s 2023 national team system now features three program tiers: Team Canada (both amateur and professionals); Team Canada – NextGen (U21 amateurs); and a national talent identification system aimed at growing the pool of future national team prospects.
The updated program tiers for 2023 including a record-breaking number of athletes and coaches reflect the enhancements to the high-performance program announced last year to accelerate Canada’s position in the global professional golf landscape with a goal to increase the number of Canadians on the LPGA and PGA Tours to 30 by 2032.
The Team Canada tier (formerly the Young Pro Squad and Amateur Squad) now includes both professionals and amateurs with training focused on helping players reach the major tours. Feeding into Team Canada is a new tier called Team Canada – NextGen (formerly the Junior Squad) focused on supporting top juniors and bridging the gap for players transitioning into amateur golf and the U.S. college system.
“Thanks to the Golf Canada Foundation as well as our generous donors and partners, the enhanced Team Canada program structure is well positioned to support more of this country’s top athletes towards our goal of getting 30 Canadians to the major tours over the next decade,” said Golf Canada Chief Sport Officer Kevin Blue. “We have continued to evaluate and analyze the current player development system, have made refinements to competition and training environments, and are working collaboratively with athletes, parents and PGA of Canada coaches toward a shared goal of enhanced Canadian excellence on the global golf stage. Canada has made significant progress in the development of world-class golfers and is poised to take another step forward.”
The enhancements to Golf Canada’s high-performance program, which were outlined in a detailed update authored by Blue in 2022, were made possible through major gift funding support from the Golf Canada Foundation’s network of Trustee donors.
TEAM CANADA – MEN
| A.J. Ewart (23) | Coquitlam, BC | Barry University (Sr.) | The Vancouver GC [AM] |
| Ashton McCulloch (20) | Kingston, ON | Michigan St. (So.) | Cataraqui G&CC [AM] |
| Johnny Travale (22) | Hamilton, ON | UCF (5th Yr.) | Hamilton G&CC [AM] |
| Laurent Desmarchais (21) | Bromont, QC | Tennessee (So.) | Vallée Du Richelieu Golf Club [AM] |
| Matt Anderson (22) | Mississauga, ON | San Francisco (5th Yr.) | Credit Valley G&CC [AM] |
| Piercen Hunt (21) | Hartland, WI | Illinois (Jr.) | The Club at Lac la Belle [AM] |
| Remi Chartier (21) | Naples, FL | East Tennessee State (Sr.) | Royal Montreal GC [AM] |
| Brendan MacDougall (25) | Calgary, AB | High Point/Nevada (’21) | The Glencoe C&CC [PRO] |
| Chris Crisologo (27) | Richmond, BC | Simon Fraser (’18) | Marine Drive GC [PRO] |
| Chris R. Wilson (27) | Toronto, ON | Colgate University (’17) | |N/A| [PRO] |
| Etienne Papineau (26) | Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC | West Virginia (’21) | Pinegrove CC [PRO] |
| Henry Lee (24) | Coquitlam, BC | University of Washington (’21) [PRO] | |
| Jared du Toit (27) | Kimberly, BC | ASU (’16) | [PRO] |
| Jeevan Sihota (18) | Victoria, BC | turned pro after high school [PRO] | |
| Joey Savoie (28) | La Prairie, QC | MTSU (’17) [PRO] | |
| Max Sekulic (23) | Rycroft, AB | Washington State (’22) | The Glencoe C&CC [PRO] |
| Myles Creighton (27) | Digby, NS | Radford (’18) | Banyan GC [PRO] |
| Noah Steele (25) | Kingston, ON | Sam Houston State (’20) | Cataraqui G&CC [PRO] |
| Stuart Macdonald (28) | Vancouver, BC | Purdue (’16) | [PRO] |
| Sudarshan Yellamaraju (21) | Mississauga, ON | turned pro after high school [PRO] |
TEAM CANADA – WOMEN
| Angela Arora (18) | Surrey, BC | Tennessee (Jan 2023) | Marine Drive GC [AM] |
| Brooke Rivers (17) | Brampton, ON | Wake Forest (2023) | Brampton GC [AM] |
| Celeste Dao (21) | Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, QC | Georgia (Sr.) | Summerlea G&CC [AM] |
| Katie Cranston (18) | Oakville, ON | Auburn (Jan 2023) | Oakville GC [AM] |
| Lauren Kim (17) | Surrey, BC | Texas (2023) | Morgan Creek GC [AM] |
| Lauren Zaretsky (18) | Thornhill, ON | Texas Tech (Fr.) | Maple Downs G&CC [AM] |
| Leah John (22) | Vancouver, BC | Nevada (Sr.) | Marine Drive GC [AM] |
| Michelle Liu (16) | Vancouver, BC | High School (grade 11) | Shaugnessy GC [AM] |
| Monet Chun (21) | Richmond Hill, ON | Michigan (Jr.) | Summit GC [AM] |
| Nicole Gal (18) | Oakville, ON | Ole Miss (Fr.) | Oakville GC [AM] |
| Sarah-Eve Rhéaume (22) | Boischatel, QC | Furman (5th Yr.) | Royal Quebec [AM] |
| Savannah Grewal (21) | Mississauga, ON | Clemson (Sr.) | Piper’s Heath GC [AM] |
| Brigitte Thibault (24) | Rosemere, QC | Fresno/Texas (’22) | Rosemère Golf Club [PRO] |
| Maddie Szeryk (26) | London, ON | Texas A&M (’18) [PRO] | |
| Selena Costabile (24) | Thornhill, ON | turned pro after high school | Ladies GC of Toronto [PRO] |
The 2023 Team Canada roster is comprised of 35 players who are competing at the highest levels of amateur golf and refining their games on developmental professional tours. The program provides individualized training and competition support by collaborating with players’ support teams, including personal and college coaches, and adding value where gaps are identified. Members of Team Canada have access to The Legacy Golf Club in Phoenix, Ariz. where players can live and train in the winter months.
Salimah Mussani returns as the Stollery Family Team Canada Women’s Head Coach supported by Associate Coach and fellow PGA of Canada professional Jennifer Greggain. Derek Ingram returns as Men’s Team Head Coach and will be supported by Assistant Coaches Louis Melanson and Benoit Lemieux.
The Team Canada coaching staff will be joined by an integrated support team that includes Greg Redman (Strength, Conditioning & Physio, Men’s Team), Dr. Adrienne Leslie-Toogood (Mental Performance & Psychologist, Men’s Team), Andrea Kosa (Strength, Conditioning & Physio, Women’s Team), Lindsay Berard (Mental Performance & Psychologist, Women’s Team), and Kelly Anne Erdman (Performance Dietician).
TEAM CANADA – NEXTGEN (BOYS)
| Alex Zhang (14) | Richmond, BC | High School (grade 9) | Marine Drive GC |
| Ben MacLean (18) | Niagara Falls, ON | Kent St. (Fr.) | Cherry Hill Club |
| Cooper Humphreys (17) | Vernon, BC | Oregon St. (2023) | The Harvest Golf Club |
| Eric Zhao (15) | Toronto, ON | High School (grade 10) | Bayview G&CC |
| Ethan Wilson (18) | St. Albert, AB | University of Illinois (2023) | Glendale G&CC |
| Félix Bouchard (19) | Otterburn Park, QC | Univ. of Kansas (2024) | La Vallée du Richelieu GC |
| Gavyn Knight (18) | Parksville, BC | Boise St. (Fr.) | Morningstar GC |
| Hunter Thomson (19) | Calgary, AB | University of Michigan (So.) | Calgary G&CC |
| James Newton (19) | Ottawa, ON | Rutgers (Fr.) | Royal Ottawa |
| JP Parr (18) | Saint-Celestin, QC | University of Tennessee (2023) | Club de Golf Ki-8-Eb |
| Owen Kim (18) | Oakville, ON | Coastal Carolina University (Fr.) | Hamilton G&CC |
| Owen Mullen (19) | Shortts Lake, NS | University of Notre Dame (So.) | Truro Golf Club |
TEAM CANADA – NEXTGEN (GIRLS)
| Alissa Xu (17) | Richmond Hill, ON | Dartmouth (2023) | Station Creek GC |
| Anna Huang (14) | Coto de Caza, CA | Junior High (grade 8) | Coto De Caza G&RC |
| Carlee Meilleur (14) | Lansdowne, ON | High school (grade 9) | Loyalist G&CC |
| Lindsay McGrath (15) | Oakville, ON | High School (grade 10) | RattleSnake Point GC |
| Luna Lu (15) | Burnaby, BC | High School (grade 10) | Pitt Meadows GC |
| Martina Yu (16) | Coquitlam, BC | High School (grade 11) | |
| Michelle Xing (14) | Richmond Hill, ON | High School (grade 9) | Station Creek GC |
| Vanessa Borovilos (16) | Etobicoke, ON | High School (grade 11) | Weston G&CC |
| Vanessa Zhang (16) | Vancouver, BC | High School (grade 11) | Marine Drive GC |
| Yeji Kwon (16) | Port Coquitlam, BC | High School (grade 11) | Swaneset Bay Resort & CC |
The 22-player Team Canada – NextGen roster will include both top junior golfers and U21 amateurs in a program to support their transition from junior competition to high-level amateur golf.
The NextGen coaching staff will be led by Head Coach Robert Ratcliffe with support from Assistant Coaches Jennifer Ha and Jeff MacDonald. The coaches will be joined by an integrated support team that includes Dr. Emily Wiggin (Strength & Conditioning) and Dr. Adam Kingsbury (Mental Performance & Psychologist).
Supporting the overall growth of elite golf in Canada is the national talent identification system, established in 2022 and led by Tristan Mullally, Head of National Talent Identification. The talent identification system provides assistance to younger juniors (11-16 years old) and their existing coaching support teams to grow the pool of future Team Canada prospects.
A key activity within the talent identification system will be the engagement of the National Talent ID Network, a group of more than 80 coaches across Canada working towards collaborative player development initiatives. Additionally, 2023 will see a broader introduction of talent ID camps across the country led by network members to deliver educational and skill-building opportunities to players, parents, and coaches.
The strategic enhancements for Golf Canada’s player development program were shaped by in-depth feedback from numerous stakeholders in Canadian high-performance golf and a global comparative analysis of other countries’ efficiency success in producing world top-200 players. The analysis considered factors such as participation base, culture, and financial investment into high-performance golf, with a particular focus on countries such as Denmark, Sweden, Australia, and England that are geopolitically and culturally similar to Canada.
PGA TOUR Canada announces 2023 Qualifying Tournament information
PGA TOUR Canada announced it will hold six Qualifying Tournaments to determine Tour membership for the 2023 season – five in the U.S., beginning in late-February and concluding with a final qualifier in Canada a week before the Tour’s regular season begins.
PGA TOUR Canada completed its season in September, crowning the Fortinet Cup Points List leader – Edmonton’s Wil Bateman – as Player of the Year. Bateman became the inaugural winner of the Fortinet Cup after winning twice in 2022 and is now a fully exempt member of the Korn Ferry Tour for the 2023 season. Players hoping to follow in Bateman’s footsteps can begin by earning PGA TOUR Canada membership, with playing spots available at the six Qualifying Tournaments.
“We are coming off a remarkably successful season, and we will continue to build on that momentum in 2023. The first steps are at our Qualifying Tournaments, where players can get on the path that will take them to their ultimate destination, which is the PGA TOUR,” said PGA TOUR Canada Executive Director Scott Pritchard. “Through the years, we’ve been fortunate that so many players are interested in pursuing their professional dreams by playing on PGA TOUR Canada. We anticipate there will be strong demand by players to come to our Tour, as players know about the quality of courses, the cities we visit and the caliber of competition PGA TOUR Canada offers.”
The qualifiers begin with two tournaments in Florida (Weston and Howey-in-the-Hills) on consecutive weeks in late-February, early March. The action starts February 21-24 at The Club at Weston Hills’ Tour Course, as it hosts a Qualifying Tournament for a second consecutive year. The Howey-in-the-Hills tournament is at historic Mission Inn Resort and Club, a long-time host of both PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR Latinoamérica tournaments. It has hosted six previous PGA TOUR Canada qualifiers. The following week, the RTJ Golf Trail at Highland Oaks in Dothan, Alabama, is the site for a third consecutive year.
A month later, the qualifiers move west, with events at Wigwam Golf Club in the Phoenix suburb of Litchfield Park, Arizona (April 4-7) and at Soboba Springs Golf Course in San Jacinto, California (April 11-14).
Notable PGA TOUR members to emerge from these sites in recent years include Cameron Young (medalist at Dothan in 2020), Will Zalatoris (runner-up at Wigwam Golf Club in 2019), Alex Smalley (T3 at Howey-in-the-Hills in 2020), Hayden Buckley (T4 at Wigwam Golf Club in 2019), Carson Young (T7 at Howey-in-the-Hills in 2020) and Philip Knowles (T9 at Howey-in the-Hills in 2019).
Bateman finished T5 at the Wigwam Golf Club site in 2021, retained membership for 2022 via the points list and won the Fortinet Cup with his two-win season.
The final Qualifying Tournament is set for June 6-9 in Courtenay, British Columbia. Crowne Isle Resort and Golf Club has previously hosted seven Qualifying Tournaments. PGA TOUR Canada’s season begins the week after this Q-School.
Here is a look at the six tournaments that will all be 72-hole, Tuesday-to-Friday, no-cut events:
| Date | Course | Location |
| February 21-24 | The Club at Weston Hills (Tour) | Weston, Florida |
| February 28-March 3 | Mission Inn Resort and Club (El Campeon) | Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida |
| March 7-10 | RTJ Golf Trail at Highland Oaks (Highlands/Marshwood) | Dothan, Alabama |
| April 4-7 | Wigwam GC (Gold) | Litchfield Park, Arizona |
| April 11-14 | Soboba Springs GC | San Jacinto, California |
| June 6-9 | Crowne Isle Resort and GC | Courtenay, British Columbia |
“This is a great lineup of tournaments that will test players’ skills and abilities. Those who emerge with Tour cards will have another strong PGA TOUR Canada schedule to play in 2023, with a chance to continue progressing in their professional careers,” Pritchard added.
Among player benefits available, a three-time winner on the Tour would earn automatic promotion to the Korn Ferry Tour. Additionally, the top five players on the 2023 Fortinet Cup Points List will receive 2024 Korn Ferry Tour membership, with the player finishing first earning fully exempt status. The top five players will also be exempt into the Final Stage of the 2023 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament, competing for a PGA TOUR card, which will be awarded to top-five finishers and ties. Those in the sixth-through-25th Fortinet Cup positions are exempt into the Second Stage of the 2023 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. In addition, the top 60 players on the final Fortinet Cup standings will retain their PGA TOUR Canada playing privileges for 2024.
PGA TOUR Canada will announce its complete regular season schedule in early 2023.
Canada’s Maddie Szeryk earns LPGA Tour card for 2023
Maddie Szeryk played her way onto the LPGA Tour for the second straight year through the Q-Series.
The 26-year-old London, Ont., native finished the eight-round marathon series with a -17, good enough for T-17. The top 45 and ties from the Q- Series receive their cards for the 2023 season. This year saw 46 players advance.
Hae Ran Ryu of South Korea finished first with a score of -29, with American Bailey Tardy two shots behind in second at -27.
Two courses from the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Alabama were the site for the Q- Series this year. The first four rounds occurred at Crossing Course from Dec. 1-4, with the second set of 72 holes hosted at Highland Oaks from Dec. 8-11.
While Szeryk started off the first round of the Q- Series shooting even par, she came out hot in round 2. After starting with a birdie on the first hole, Szeryk would convert seven more birdies and no bogeys to shoot -8. She finished her final two rounds at Crossing Course with scores of -4 and even par.
The second set of four rounds proved to be slightly more challenging, but Szeryk more than rose to the occasion. She shot -2 in the fifth round and -4 with the help of an eagle in the sixth round. Szeryk closed out the seventh and eighth rounds with 1-over par and even.
The T-17 finish for Szeryk improves on her finish in last year’s Q-Series, where she finished T-35. The improvement is significant, as the top 20 finishers this year will receive higher priority than the rest of the field who qualified.
Throughout her rookie season on the LPGA Tour in 2022, Szeryk made five cuts in 14 starts. Her career best finish is T-24 at The Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America. She has made over $47,000 in career earnings on the LPGA Tour so far.
Playing at home for the first time as an LPGA Tour member this year, Szeryk used two bogey-free opening rounds to make the cut for the first time at CP Women’s Open. Szeryk would go on to finish T-26, the second best Canadian in the tournament.
Szeryk turned pro in 2018 after playing collegiately at Texas A&M. While in college, Szeryk was a three-time All-American and holds the SEC record with 32 career top-10 tournament finishes.
Since turning pro, Szeryk has earned $80,197 on the Epson Tour, where she has five top-10 finishes. She is also a winner on the Women’s All Pro Tour, capturing the 2020 Kingwood Island Championship.
After the tournament of champions kicks off the season in January, the LPGA Tour will go to Thailand for the Asian swing of the calendar. The CP Women’s Open is scheduled for Aug. 24-27 in Vancouver.
Canadian Keith Pelley named IGF Chairman
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – The International Golf Federation (IGF) has announced DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley has been elected as its new Chairman.
The announcement was made following an IGF Board Meeting which was conducted December 7, 2023.
World Golf Hall of Fame Member Annika Sörenstam was also reelected as IGF President.
“We are grateful for the leadership of Keith Pelley and Annika Sörenstam as we continue to encourage the international development of the sport of golf,” said IGF Executive Director Antony Scanlon. “As two prominent members in the international golf landscape, Keith and Annika will bring extensive experience and knowledge to our overall strategy and we are thrilled to have them in these key roles. I also want to thank PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan for his tenure as the IGF Chairman and we’re delighted to have him continue on the Board moving forward.”
Pelley, from Canada, became the fourth CEO in the DP World Tour’s history in August 2015, will serve as the Chairman of the IGF from 2023-2027.
Prior to joining the DP World Tour, Pelley was President of Rogers Media in Toronto. Before that, he was Executive Vice President of Strategic Planning at CTVglobemedia, President of Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium, President and CEO of the Toronto Argonauts Football Club and President of The Sports Network (TSN) in Canada.
Sörenstam, who has 97 worldwide professional victories during her prestigious playing career, was reelected for a second two-year term as IGF President, which she’ll serve from 2023-2024.
Craig Gibson wins Head Professional Championship of Canada in playoff
When Sirocco Golf Club Head Professional Craig Gibson stood on the 16th tee on Thursday afternoon, he trailed by four strokes.
That left just three holes to make up those four strokes on his playing partner, Rob Tadey, who entered the day with a one-stroke lead at the PGA Head Professional Championship of Canada presented by Callaway Golf and supported by G&G Brands.
Oh yah; he also trailed Stephen Cox by four strokes; who was about to tee off on No. 18 at about the same time Gibson was hitting his tee shot on the par 3 16th at Verrado Golf Club just outside of Phoenix.
Peeking at the leaderboard around this time, Gibson knew he needed something special to happen if he was going to stamp his name in PGA of Canada championship history.
The next half hour you almost had to see to believe:
2:34 PM: Gibson nails 30-foot birdie putt on 16 to move to -9, trialing Cox and Tadey by 3.
2:45 PM: Cox hits his second on the par-5 18th short left of the green into the desert, takes an unplayable lie, moving backwards on-line with the pin up a 30-foot, 45-degree grade hill to take a drop in (less dense) desert, ending up with a bogey to finish at -11, one back of Tadey.
2:47 PM: Gibson hits it to an inch on No. 17 to move to -10.
2:55 PM: With a one-stroke lead, Tadey hits his approach shot left, losing his ball in the desert, and makes a double bogey with his provisional to finish at -10.
3:05 PM: Gibson hits a tidy chip to kick-in length for birdie on 18 to finish at -11.
Gibson vs. Cox playoff.
Four playoff holes later, Gibson fought back tears on the 18th green after making his fourth birdie of the day.
The six-footer he made on his 22nd hole of the day wasn’t just for him – not this time – but also for his wife and baby daughter at home, 2,500 km away.
“I can’t wait to take a picture of Georgia [his daughter] and the trophy,” said Gibson, who celebrated Georgia’s first birthday alongside his wife Courtney just weeks before making the trek to Verrado Golf Club. “It’s special. I started to kiss my ball marker with her name on it, so this one, it is awesome.”
Gibson was stellar all week long, firing 66-68-71 to finish on top at the final PGA of Canada national championship of the season.
“This came out of left field, I haven’t played well in 2022,” said Gibson. “To have three rounds like this and to make six birdies in the final seven holes including the playoff, it’s crazy and I didn’t expect this to happen. I’m at a loss for words.”
In addition to the win, which netted him a cool $9,000, Gibson also takes home an additional $500 as the low club professional.
Finishing in a tie for third behind Gibson and Cox was first-round leader John Cochrane and Rob Tadey at 10-under, while Nathan Leonhardt and Sam Kirkness finished in a tie for 5th at 9-under.
Brian Youell to be honoured by Canadian Golf Superintendents Association
Mississauga, ON – The Canadian Golf Superintendents Association (CGSA) announced Brian Youell of Uplands Golf Club in Victoria, B.C. as its John B. Steel Distinguished Service Award recipient for 2022.
The CGSA John B. Steel Award commemorates the CGSA’s first President, who was also the first superintendent to be inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. This award is presented annually to an individual, chosen by the CGSA Board of Directors, who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of the profession of Golf Course Superintendent. The recipient is presented with an original soap stone carving designed and carved by Bill Fach, retired Master Superintendent, and a past CGSA President.
“Brian Youell is one of the most devoted and respected colleagues in the turf industry and a mentor to many,” said Pierre Vezeau, CGSA President. “He has overcome many challenges over the years and continues to give back to the industry and his community. He is a dedicated husband and father to two daughters. His successful career and leadership in the industry is truly inspirational. Congratulations on this well-deserved award Brian.”
Youell has been a CGSA member since 1993 and has held the association’s Master Superintendent (MS) designation since 2002. He is in his 42nd year at Uplands Golf Course which was established in 1922 and celebrated their centenary on December 1st, 2022. His career in the industry spans almost 45 years.
He was the CGSA Environmental Achievement Award winner in 2017, the 2016 CGSA Gordon Witteveen winner and the CGSA Superintendent of the Year Award winner in 2012.
“What an honour to win such a prestigious award,” added Youell. “I’ve had an amazing 42 years with Uplands Golf Club, and I’ve been very fortunate to host 20 PGA Tour Canada events. I’m so happy to have chosen this career path and networked with amazing people.”
Mike Weir closes day at Toronto Stock Exchange
TORONTO – Canadian golfing great Mike Weir added another new experience to his storied career on Thursday.
Gold confetti rained down as Weir pressed the button that formally stops trading for the day at the Toronto Stock Exchange.
“I swear, I thought it was still the bell not the button, I guess I’m getting old,” Weir said with a laugh. “It was really fun to do that. Get out to a new network of people, bring golf to the business side of Canada, get those people engaged, not just the golfers.”
The 52-year-old from from Brights Grove, Ont., is the winningest men’s golfer in Canadian history with eight victories on the PGA Tour, including earning the green jacket at the 2003 Masters.
Weir was formally introduced as the captain of the international team for the 2024 Presidents Cup on Wednesday at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
Although Royal Montreal Golf Club will host the next Presidents Cup, Weir said it was “very important” to include all of Canada in the event and give the international event a true home-course experience.
“We have a huge country land-wise to try to bring everybody together as best we can and make sure that they feel like this is part of our golf legacy,” said Weir. “We want people coming from Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, from the East Coast, Halifax.
“I’m hoping they want to come and see the best players in the world compete.”
Weir was the first Canadian to ever play in the star-studded event that sees the best golfers from around the world, minus Europe, play the top players from the United States.
Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., both played for the international team at the 2022 edition, making it the first time two Canadians played in the tournament.
Weir was an assistant captain for the third time this past September when the Americans won 17 1/2 to 12 1/2 at the Quail Hollow Club outside Charlotte, N.C.
He said that as soon as he was officially named the captain his phone started blowing up with messages from Canadian golfers hoping to make the team in two years’ time.
“We’ve had a WhatsApp chat going for a long time and yeah, I got a bunch of nice texts in there from the guys,” said Weir.
2023 CP Women’s Open tickets now available
The 49th playing of Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship is set for August 21-August 27, 2023 in Vancouver
(Golf Canada) – Golf Canada, in partnership with title sponsor Canadian Pacific (CP), is pleased to announce tickets for the 2023 CP Women’s Open in Vancouver are now on sale.
The 2023 edition of the CP Women’s Open will be held at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club August 21-27, marking the sixth time the province of British Columbia has hosted Canada’s Women’s Open Championship, with the last time being 2015 at The Vancouver Golf Club, where Lydia Ko won her third CP Women’s Open title.
The 2022 CP Women’s Open at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club was recently named Tournament of the Year by the Tournament Partners of the LPGA. The tournament, which set an attendance record of more than 73k fans, also received Awards for Best Community and Charity Engagement, as well as Best Sponsor Activation.
As the only Canadian stop across 33 official LPGA Tour events, the week-long event will draw the world’s best players including 10-time LPGA Tour winner and CP Ambassador Brooke Henderson.
Title-sponsor Canadian Pacific will once again be making a charitable donation to the host community through its CP Has Heart campaign. Since CP assumed title sponsorship of the CP Women’s Open in 2014, more than $16 million has been raised to support children’s heart health in Canada. This is the third time in the last four years the awards were handed out that the CP Women’s Open was awarded the Gold Driver for Best Community and Charity Engagement.
The week-long national championship features something for everyone including The Rink, Golf Canada’s signature Canadian themed hole that has grown in popularity at both national opens, a premium food experience at the Recipe Unlimited Fare Way, as well as partner activations, photo-ops, terrific golf and more.
First conducted in 1973, Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship has enabled the brightest stars of the LPGA Tour to shine on Canadian soil and has inspired the nation’s next generation of female golfers.
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Join us to witness world-class LPGA Tour golf, activities for all ages, outstanding food and patio experiences and more. Get your tickets today and be a part of one of Golf Canada’s signature events.