Aaron Stewart was always around golf even when he wasn’t heavily invested. Now he’s involved in ways he never imagined.

Stewart, the son of late three-time major champion Payne Stewart, has been appointed tournament director of the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions in Orlando, Florida. The season opener on the LPGA Tour is Jan. 16-19 and features two events in one – 72 holes of stroke play for LPGA winners the last two seasons and celebrities competing in a Stableford format.

“I’m really excited to be with the tournament side of things, back in the golf industry,” Stewart said. “And I’m still with the company I grew up with.”

He is approaching the 20-year anniversary – Oct. 25, 1999 – of his father travelling to Texas when the jet lost cabin pressure and flew uncontrolled across the country until crashing in South Dakota. Stewart was the reigning U.S. Open champion. His son was 10.

“I didn’t play as much then. I was more into other sports,” Stewart said. “I’d always go out to the golf course, and I was around my dad when he was practicing. I was more into the golf cart, driving that around.”

He started playing seriously a few years later and decided if he was going to be good, he would have to put in the time. He went to SMU, his father’s alma mater, with every intention of trying to make it to the next level.

“I ended up going a different route,” Stewart said. “I didn’t have the desire to play professionally. I was a little burned out, to be honest.”

He returned home to Orlando and worked for the Tavistock Group and then was hired by Diamond Resorts through an intensive training program. This job was more about marketing, taking him to Las Vegas and California. He married and took a year off to travel, returned to Diamond Resorts in March as part of the sports marketing team involved in the Tournament of Champions and was elevated last month to executive director.

It was a different path, much like the LPGA Tour event he now runs.

The tournament began as a one-day charity event for Brian Gay, geared toward raising money toward health causes. It became an unofficial event for the PGA Tour Champions, and now it offers a unique blend of LPGA winners and celebrities, along with giving the LPGA Tour a winners-only event it had been lacking.

Eun-Hee Ji won the inaugural event, with former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz winning the celebrity side.

Stewart always remained connected to tour golf in some capacity. The Payne Stewart Award has become one of the most significant honours on the PGA Tour, and Stewart goes to Atlanta every year for the televised ceremony during the Tour Championship.

He was in Las Vegas last week and got together with Jim Furyk, who played in the 1999 Ryder Cup with his father and won the Payne Stewart Award.

Now it’s about running a season opener for the LPGA Tour.

“It makes each week really exciting for us to see if we’ll have a new person on the roster,” Stewart said Monday, one day after Cheyenne Knight won her first LPGA Tour event to qualify for the season opener. “It’s a great transition into the season. We’re thrilled to be in that position.”

PRESIDENTS CUP

Four tournaments into the PGA Tour season are enough to raise questions about captain’s picks for the Presidents Cup – Joaquin Niemann of Chile winning big at the Greenbrier, and Kevin Na winning at Las Vegas for his second victory in five months.

Na said he was hopeful of a text from U.S. captain Tiger Woods about his Vegas win in a playoff.

“If not, I’m going to be texting him.” Na said.

He still is somewhat of a long shot. Na was No. 22 in the standings. Woods has four picks, and among those well ahead of Na were Match Play winner Kevin Kisner, U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland, Northern Trust winner Patrick Reed, along with Rickie Fowler and yes, Masters champion Woods.

Na says injuries limited him to only 19 starts – he has played at least 26 times each of the last five years – and he missed the second FedEx Cup playoff event to be home for the birth of his son.

“I was a little behind on the points, but I got two wins in this calendar year,” Na said. “So hopefully, he’s keeping an eye on me. I could make some putts. I’m a good match play player. I keep trying to sell myself. Hopefully, he considers me.”

Woods and International captain Ernie Els make their selections after the HSBC Champions ends on Nov. 3.

LPGA CARDS

The LPGA Tour takes a week off before heading to Asia for a month of limited field, no-cut events in which only players who earn spots in the fields – no sponsor exemptions – can earn points toward trying to be among the top 60 reaching the season-ending CME Globe Tour Championship.

The final full-field event in Texas proved plenty big. Cheyenne Knight won for the first time and moved to No. 65 on the money list, which will get her into Asia events. For others, it was a matter of keeping their cards. Stephanie Meadow made an 18-foot birdie on the last hole that was just enough to finish No. 99 on the money list.

The top 80 effectively have full cards and top 100 have status secured without having to go the Q-Series, consecutive 72-hole events at the end of October for players from Nos. 101-150, and for Nos. 11-35 on the Symetra Tour money list.

Among those who avoided a return to the Q-Series was Maria Fassi of Mexico, largely based on her pro debut.

She tied for 12th at the U.S. Women’s Open, which has the largest purse among the majors. Fassi made 80% of her money from one event with $103,065. She made $26,099 from three other tournaments and had a stretch of seven straight missed cuts.

Fassi, along with Jennifer Kupcho, went through the Q-Series last year, earned cards, deferred their memberships so they could finish college and didn’t start until June. Kupcho had two big weeks. While she missed five of her last six cuts, she tied for second in a major at the Evian Championship and tied for fifth at the Marathon Classic. She is eligible for the Asia swing but goes into them at No. 64 in the Race to CME Globe.

FITNESS FREAK

It would be simple enough for Bryson DeChambeau to say he’s going to spend time in the gym over the next month.

Only it’s never that simple with DeChambeau.

The objective is to get stronger, and he says that means he will probably look bigger. And he says he’s going to have fun doing it through muscle activation techniques.

“We make sure the neurological threshold is just as high as the mechanical threshold,” DeChambeau said. “In layman’s terms, pretty much whatever muscle potentially you have, how big and the muscle spindles you have, making you recruit every single one of them to their full potential throughout the whole range, and training the whole range of motion.”

DeChambeau calls it “revolutionary in the physical therapy world.”

“I’m looking forward to an incredible off-season of getting really strong and really stable,” he said.

DISTANCE CHASER

Pat Perez is the latest on the list of players who went chasing power only to find their games got weaker. He also is the latest to figure out that what he had was good enough to win on the PGA Tour and reach as high as No. 16 in the world.

Perez returned from shoulder surgery to win twice in 26 starts, finally reaping the rewards of being among the top players in the world ranking – the Masters, no U.S. Open qualifying for the first time and more than $7 million over two seasons.

And then he wanted to get better, which meant trying to get longer.

“I played for three years one way and I made a lot of money, won twice, do all these things,” Perez said. “And then I went away from it to try to get longer. It just hurt my game, so I went back to the drawing board.”

He finished third in Las Vegas, his best finish since he won in Malaysia two years ago. It moved his world ranking from No. 183 to No. 120.

DIVOTS

Dustin Johnson plans to defend his title in the Saudi International next January. The tournament also confirmed that world No. 1 Brooks Koepka will return. … Phil Mickelson now has gone 18 consecutive starts without a top-10 finish since winning at Pebble Beach in February. … The 2022 Ryder Cup in Italy will end on Oct. 2, the third time since 2010 the matches end in October. The others were Wales in 2010 and Hazeltine in 2016. … Ian Baker-Finch will captain the Australians in the Olympics for the second time. Three Aussies currently are in the top 25 in the world – Adam Scott, Marc Leishman and Jason Day, none of whom was in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

STAT OF THE WEEK

Jon Rahm has finished in the top five in 10 of his 14 regular European Tour events, including five victories.

FINAL WORD

“Putter got hot this week – tends to do that sometimes. And when it does, if I’m hitting it halfway decent, I feel like I can win.” – Kevin Na, after making 559 feet of putts over four rounds in his victory at Las Vegas.

Graham DeLaet is back to work. Now it’s time to get into a routine on the PGA Tour once again.

DeLaet, who returned to action after more than two years at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open last week, is playing again this week at the Houston Open as he tries to earn enough FedEx Cup points to regain his PGA Tour card.

The native of Weyburn, Sask. needs to earn 267 FedEx Cup points to get off his Major Medical Exemption, but after that he’ll need to earn enough points to be within the top 125 to keep his card for next season.

It’s a lot to think about for someone who is just getting his feet wet in competitive golf again after so long away.

The 37-year-old received a series of stem-cell treatments in 2017, which were deemed unsuccessful, and he opted to have a second microdiscectomy surgery (the first he had in 2011).

He was on the shelf for the full 2018-19 PGA Tour season, but as of last Thursday, DeLaet is back – albeit a little older and a little more prepared for what’s to come.

The actual swinging of a golf club doesn’t cause him soreness, DeLaet said, but the pain comes from being on his feet for so long and getting stiff. Although he missed the cut last week (75-72) he said there were some good signs.

“I hit some really, really good shots last week. I was pretty happy with how I played for the most part. I was pretty tight with the putter but I think it was extra pressure, feeling those nerves again. I had two bad holes but other than that I feel like I played pretty decent,” DeLaet said by phone in Houston.

“I know the course wasn’t playing all that difficult but it’s still good to get some birdies under your belt. All in all I was pretty happy with how things went despite shooting 5-over on a pretty easy golf course.”

Another thing that’s changed is the time DeLaet will have to spend away from his twins, Roscoe and Lyla.

While DeLaet was busy rehabbing and preparing for a return to professional golf, he said the best part of the last two years was how much quality time he got to spend with his kids, who turn four in November.

Last week was the first time DeLaet was away from them for a lengthy amount of time but the whole family, including wife Ruby, will be joining him this week in Houston.

DeLaet says it’s been an adjustment for his kids to know their dad is back at work.

“If I say I’m going to the golf course, Roscoe is always like, ‘I want to go, I want to go’ but if I’m going out there to practice or play he times out pretty quickly. So I’ve started to say ‘I’m going to work’ and I don’t know if they quite understand how I make a living, but they are kind of starting to get the grasp I play a golf a lot,” said DeLaet with a laugh.

Besides watching his kids start to grow up, there have been plenty of reasons to smile at home.

DeLaet’s friends from Arizona Chez Reavie and Max Homa both won on the PGA Tour this summer, and Kevin Chappell – another longtime pal who just returned from the same back surgery as DeLaet – shot a 59 at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier in his first tournament back on Tour in September.

“That was pretty cool,” said DeLaet. “I have a soft spot for stories like that because I’ve been through it twice and it’s hard when you come back, but he made it look pretty easy.”

DeLaet is quick to point out the success of his countrymen as well, including Adam Hadwin (who has notched two top-5 finishes in a row to start his 2019-20 PGA Tour campaign and moved well inside the top-50 in the world ranking), who DeLaet feels should be on Ernie Els’ Presidents Cup radar.

“I would be surprised if Ernie (Els) didn’t give him a shot to play down there in Melbourne. I think he deserves it,” said DeLaet. “He’s got some experience underneath him. There are some new faces on that team so I think some of that experience is going to be helpful. He’s playing great, which has been good to see.”

And while DeLaet has been preparing himself for a big return on the golf course, he’s kept fairly busy off the golf course with his ongoing charitable efforts.

DeLaet has just been named a National Ambassador for Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada, his ‘Graham Slam’ event had its sixth edition in September (it’s raised more than $1.5 million for various charities), and he’s been nominated for the Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame People’s Choice Award – recognizing those who are a champion of their sport and a champion for their community.

“The game of golf has given me so much and I have the platform where we can try to make a difference,” said DeLaet. “It’s kind of a no-brainer for myself and Ruby.”

But DeLaet, who at one time was inside the top-35 in the Official World Golf Ranking, knows that despite all the support from friends and family and the impact he’s had away from golf over the last few years, it’s time to get back down to business.

He admits it would have been nice to dip his toes into playing a Korn Ferry Tour event – he was scheduled to in the summertime but tweaked his back just enough early in the week that he did not tee it up Thursday – but he’s feeling happy and as healthy as possible right now.

DeLaet saw Canadian physiotherapist Dr. Craig Davies in Las Vegas last week – Davies works with a handful of PGA Tour players – and DeLaet said Davies was “pleasantly surprised” with where he was physically.

A good sign, DeLaet said, as he will likely tee it up twice more this fall.

“Just hearing that from a guy who knows my body really well, it gives you a little bit of extra confidence with what you’re doing,” said DeLaet. “I feel like I’m on a pretty good path.”

Whether you’re a club member, an avid public player or a new enthusiast to the game, spending on the sport of golf drives massive benefit to communities across Canada.

The impact of golf on the Canadian economy is enormous—an economic impact in excess of $14B is only part of the story. Golf courses and the industry at large account for hundreds of thousands of jobs. Canadians and international visitors plan golf vacations to communities that market themselves as golf destinations and resorts offer golf packages that result in millions of tourism dollars. Tens of thousands of charitable causes use golf as the platform to general $500M annually for worthwhile causes. The golf industry—including more than 5M golfers, nearly 2,300 facilities and local retailers plus countless superintendents, PGA of Canada professionals and industry stakeholders—play a vital role in the continued growth and health of the sport.

Understanding the full scope of Canadian golf including the economic, employment, environmental, tourism and charitable impact of the game in communities from coast to coast is critical. Evaluating that impact is why We Are Golf, a coalition of Canadian golf associations, are inviting Canadians to participate in the latest iteration of the Canadian Golf Economic Impact Study.

CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE SURVEY

The survey, which takes approximately 12-15 minutes to complete, will generate incredible insights, spending trends and meaningful data towards understanding the current impact of golf in Canada.

As part of the survey, We Are Golf wants to know how much you have or expect to spend on golf and golf related activities or purchases. From green fees and equipment to trips or other golf related spending, the confidential information and insights you share will help estimate the economic impact of golf in your community.

The Canadian Golf Economic Impact Study will be carried out by Group ATN Consulting and your privacy as well as any personal or proprietary information shared will be protected in strict confidence. Results of the Canadian Golf Economic Impact Study will be reported in early 2020 and the information gathered will only be used to report aggregate results both at the national and provincial level.

We Are Golf includes Golf Canada, the National Golf Course Owners Association Canada, the PGA of Canada, the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association and the Canadian Society of Club Managers. The results of the Canadian Golf Economic Impact Study will be shared across the Canadian golf community and used to advocate the benefits of our sport.

Thank you for your participation in the Canadian Golf Economic Impact Study.

The Estabrooks Cup was hosted by the Gowan Brae Golf & Country Club in Bathurst this year. The Estabrooks cup, named for John Estabrooks, a past president of Golf NB and is a team format that people get invited to based on their season-long play at various tournaments on the Golf NB Player of the Year schedule. Each team is made up of 8 female players, 8 Senior Men and 2 Amateur Men. There are 36 points up for grabs with each match being worth 1 point. The South would need 18 points to retain the cup and the North would need 18.5 points to win the cup. It all started with a reception, introduction of the teams representing North and South and then the live pairings for the first two rounds, a Four -Ball (Best Ball) format of play in the morning and a Pinehurst Format in the afternoon. Playing Captains for the two teams were Kathy Grebenc from the home course, Gowan Brae Golf & Country Club and Sonny Phillips who was representing the Fredericton Golf Club and at the helm of the South Team was Sandy Comeau from Country Meadows Golf Club and Mark Armstrong who hails from the Riverside Country Club. There is nothing better than being in a room with 36 golfers listening to them all telling golf stories and hearing the laughter in the room. Once the pairings were chosen for the first two contests, the fun trash-talk started! The South has won the past 3 years of the North/South rivalry, so the North was looking to win the Estabrooks Cup this year on home territory and that is just what they did.

The morning came with a red sky in the morning so we knew some unwelcomed weather might arrive at the course a little later. Before all the groups had teed of, the rain started coming down intermittently throughout the day, with it getting a little heavier at the end of the day. The first round was a Four Ball Format also known as a best-ball, and the South team was first on the board with Match #2 going to the 14^th hole with a 5 & 4 win by partners Pam Cossey from Rockwood Park and Tracy Gallant from the Riverside Country Club over the North team of Sharon Case from the Miramichi Golf Club and Fredericton Golf Club’s Maureen O’Donnell. The Cossey/Gallant team were only up by one after the front nine but won 4 of the next 5 holes to close the match out. The next match in was a strong 7 & 6 win by the North headed by Captain Kathy Grebenc and veteran partner, Fredericton Golf Club’s Penny Dickeson over rookie participant Darlene Comeau who plays out of the Lakeside Golf & Country Club and Pine Needles’ own Doreen Vienneau. The rest of the matches were a bit closer as Match #1 witnessed the North team of Dan Coulombe who plays at West Hills Golf Course but grew up at Gowan Brae, and Gerry Jenkins from the Fredericton Golf Club winning 2 and 1 over the South’s veterans Louis Boudreau of the Pine Needles Golf & Country Club. The 4 players had a total of 9 birdies between them, so some great golf was being played out there! Match # 3 had North’s Paula Napke-Flanagan of the Miramichi Golf Club and Mary Walton-Rossignol from The Fredericton Golf Club win 2 up over the South team of Andrea Boucher from the Moncton Golf Club and Captain Sandy Comeau but the match was tied through 6 holes but the North won the next 3 in a row to get a large enough lead to hold on through 17 holes. Match # 4 was won by the South in a match that included 12 birdies and 3 players shooting under par and the other player only being 1-over par so great golf by all! In the South team of Tom Cameron from the Gage Golf and Curling Club and his partner Ryan Allaby from the Hampton Golf Club winning 2-up over Denis Beaulieu from Le Club de Golf Saint-Quentin and Eric Hildebrand from the Fredericton Golf Club. Match # 5 had the North get back on the board winning 1 up with Pat Garagan of the Fredericton Golf Club and Alex Doucet from the Restigouche Golf Club who were 3 up after eight holes, ended up holding on after the South team of Captain Mark Armstrong and partner Mike Hosford, a Golf NB/Golf Canada Gold Member rally back to even after 13 holes. Garagan/Doucet then birdied holes 14 and 16 but bogeyed the tough par 3 17^th hole to win by 1. Match #7 was the first halved (tied) match of the day with the North team of Miramichi Golf Club member Morgan Matchett and host-club member Molly MacDermaid taking on the South team of Riverside Country Club’s Allison Chisholm and Country Meadow’s Shelley Thomas. The South jumped to a 3-up lead after just 6 holes, but the North fight back hard and actually went 1 up themselves after 12 holes but a back and forth battle from there ended up with the tie and a half point for each team. At this point in the morning matches it was at 4.5 points for the North team and 2.5 points for the South team so it was time for the south to apply some pressure and that is exactly what happened. The 8^th match featured Jamie Melanson who plays out of the Fox Creek Golf Club but grew up playing Gowan Brae taking on Captain Sonny Phillips his friend Herrick Hansen from the Aroostook Valley Golf Country Club. It was a close match with lots of birdies and the South didn’t get to 2 up until the 17^th hole to close the match. The final match of the four Ball format was Ed Vail of the Riverside Country Club and Bob Gray out of the Maplewood Golf Club get another win (1-up) for the South over Eric Babin from the Miramichi Golf Club and Shane Wellman who plays out of the Restigouche Golf Club. Vail and Grey were 1 down or Even throughout the match until they won the 17^th hole and tied the 18^th to squeak out the win. This brought to a close the morning Four-Ball portion of the Estabrooks Cup and things were all tied at 4.5 points for each team.

After a nice lunch, the players were ready to attack the course with a new partner, some mixed matches and a new Pinehurst Format instead of the usual Foursomes (total alternate shot) format. The first match to finish was Match # 3 with a south win of 4 & 3 for Tom Cameron and Pam Cossey over Fredericton teammates Penny Dickeson and Pat Garagan. North took the next point with a win from Seniors Dan Coulomb and Kathy Grebenc when they went 4 & 2 over the young South team of Ryan Allaby and Tracy Gallant. Grebenc and Coulombe won holes 5-8 to have a 4-up lead after 9 and steady play after that gave them the win. Match # 1 gave another point to the North with Sharon Case and Garry Jenkins teaming up and took a 1-up win over Sandy Comeau and Mike Hosford. Comeau/Hosford were 2-up after 5 holes, but the North quickly fought back with wins on the next 3 holes to take the lead. From there it was a see-saw battle to the end with the victory for the North. Match # 5 saw Molly MacDermaid and Eric Hilderbrand of the North took on the South team of Darlene Comeau and Mark Shannon and after tying the first 2 holes, the North took control of the match and were 6 up after 11 holes but the South took a couple away over the next 3 but ran out of holes to lose 4 & 3. Match # 4 found quite a competition between the North’s Mary Walton -Rossignol and Denis Beaulieu and the South’s Riverside teammates Allison Chisholm and Mark Armstrong. The North stormed out to a 5-up lead after 7 holes, but Chisholm and Armstrong never gave up and clawed back to being just 1 down after 15 holes! Walton-Rossignol and Beaulieu bounced back with a birdie on the 16^th hole to go 2 up after 16 and hold onto that lead.  Match # 8 came in next with a 4 & 3 win for the North after Restigouche club mates Shane Wellman and Alex Doucet took on the South old friends of Bob Gray and Jean LeBlanc. The Restigouche team fired 4 birdies at the South team in the first 12 holes to take a strong hold on the match that the South couldn’t counter. Match 9 came in next with another 4 & 3 North win for the Miramichi duo of Morgan Matchett and Eric Babin over the South’s team of Shelley Thomas and Louis Boudrea. There were 3 birdies on the first 3 holes, so these golfers came out to play! After 9-holes the North was up by two and won 3 more holes by the 15^th to make the South run out of holes. The 6^th match went the whole 18 holes with the North team of Paula Napke-Flanagan and teammate Herrick Hansen playing against Andrea Boucher and Ed Vail from the South. Napke-Flanagan/Hansen found themselves 2-down after 2 holes but battled back to 1-up after the outward nine. A birdie on the 10th hole made it 2 up until the 13^th hole where the South got 1 back and were only down 1 but the rest of the holes were tied giving the North a 1 up win.  The last match of the Pinehurst format was Match #7 where after 7 straight North match wins the South team of Doreen Vienneau and Jamie Melanson won the last point after a 2 & 1 win over North’s Maureen O’Donnell and Sonny Phillips. The South team came out hot and were 5-up after 6 holes but the North kept battling back and got it to a 2-point deficit after 15 holes, a tie on 16 made the match dormie and the South made a birdie on the always tough Par 2 17^th hole to close out the match. The Pinehurst format finish at 7 points for the North and 2 points for the South for an overall North lead of 13.5 to 6.5 points.

After the singles pairing being made at the Saturday night dinner, the south needed to make an early charge to make try to retain the Estabrooks Cup. The morning brought cool temperatures with strong winds making it a cold day with tough conditions. A cloud cover had kept the frost away and sunny skies prevailed later on.  The first match of North’s Shane Wellman and South’s Mike Hosford was played in 2 ½ hours and they did play 18 holes even though the match finished on 15 at 4 & 3. The South got the first point of the day as Hosford had the match at 5-up with 5 to play (dormie) but Wellman won the 14^th to keep the match going but the tie on the 15^th hole gave the South a well-needed point. The second Match in was Match #4 with a North win by Alex Doucet of the North over Bob Gray at 5 & 4. The win gave Doucet a perfect weekend record of 3 wins and 0 losses. Match 5 came in next and North came through with another 5 & 4 win as Maureen O’Donnell beat Tracy Gallant. Gallant was only 2-down after nine, but O’Donnell put the accelerator down and won 3 of the next 5 holes for the win. The overall score was now 15.5 to 7.5 for the North. The fourth score to be reported was the # 8 match where Herrick Hansen of the North won 5 & 4 over Louis Boudreau of the South. After a 2-up lead on the front nine, Hansen won 3 more holes on the first 5 holes on the back, making Boudreau run out of holes. Coming in right after was that of the North’s Captain Sonny Phillips. North teammate and Phillips Clubmate, Pat Garagan had started Impeachment Hearings on his own captain since Phillips had not won a match yet. Phillips, fearing losing his captaincy, pulled up his socks and won his singles match against Jean LeBlanc of the South. Some people may have caved under the pressure that Phillips was under, but he rose to the occasion and won the first 4 holes and won by those 4 holes in the end. Needless to say, Phillips kept the capital C on his sweater! The North was only 1 point away from winning the cup, but the South wasn’t done just yet. Andrea Boucher won a point for the South after her win over Paula Napke-Flanagan. Boucher won hole # 6, 7 and 8 to give her a cushion to play with and closed out the match on the 16^th hole. The South felt rejuvenated as the score went to 17.5 to 8.5. We are not sure who won the actual winning point for the North as some teams were still playing the whole round even after the match was won. North’s Penny Dickeson won her match over Doreen Vienneau 5 & 3 and she never really let Vienneau into the match. Near the same time the North’s Denis Beaulieu was playing Ed Vail from the South. Vail was up by 2 after 4 holes but Beaulieu fought back for even on the front and continued his strong play to also win for the North. At this point the North had won the Estabrooks Cup, they needed 18.5 points and by this point had 19.5 points (so we are not sure if Penny Dickeson or Denis Beaulieu won the actual point). The rest of the matches out on the course were told that the Estabrooks Cup had been won by the North and they could halt their matches or play in. Most came in off the course as the wind was playing havoc with the golf balls.  As well as Alex Doucet winning all three of his matches, his teammates Dan Coulombe and Captain Kathy Grebenc also went a perfect 3 wins and 0 losses for the weekend.  All the players had a nice hot chicken bouilli and tea biscuits and the trophy presentation made and thanks given to the host club, Gowan Brae. It was a wonderful weekend with people making new friends, lots of laughs and a little bit of golf!

After the end of all the matches the final Tally of the Estabrooks Cup 32.5 to 12.5 points.

Through the efforts of over 10,000 women, Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru raised over $300k for breast cancer research in 2019 at 175 events held across the country.

Since the program’s inception in 2003, upwards of 130,000 women have raised over $6.8 million to date with all proceeds donated to the Canadian Cancer Society and the Québec Breast Cancer Foundation.

Over 100 women celebrated this year’s success at the 16th annual Golf Fore the Cure National Event at Credit Valley Golf Club in Mississauga, Ont.

The National Event included 18 holes of golf featuring raffles, prizing, and games, followed by an awards dinner to thank the 13,000 Golf Fore the Cure participants across Canada this year.

“Golf Canada is very proud to celebrate the growth of women’s golf in Canada with over 10,000 women leading the charge from coast-to-coast,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s chief sport officer. “The remarkable efforts from volunteers, site coordinators, and our partners at Subaru, the Canadian Cancer Society and Québec Breast Cancer Foundation continue to be a driving force behind the achievements of Golf Fore the Cure. We’re excited for the next season and hope we can accomplish raising over $7 million for breast cancer research.”

Top-three fundraising sites in 2019:

1. Golf NB $39,132.09
   1. Coordinator: Marilyn Pollock
2. Mississauga Golf and Country Club $32,704.97
   1. Coordinator: Shanthy Weerasekera
3. Elk Ridge Resort $20,028.97
   1. Coordinator: Verna Schneider

Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru was created in 2003 by Golf Canada to drive women’s participation in the game of golf through the use of fun, non-intimidating activities. Through a unique partnership structure with the Canadian Cancer Society (and Québec Breast Cancer Foundation), the program has women across the country participating in golf activities and raising money and awareness for a cause close to Canadian hearts—the fight against breast cancer.

Canada holds over 37,000 charity events at golf courses across the country which raise approximately $533 million annually for charity.

Subaru Canada has been a proud partner of Golf Fore the Cure since 2007.

To learn how to get involved with Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru, visit golfcanada.ca/golfforethecure

MARKHAM, Ont. — It is a field comprised of some of the planet’s best young female golfers that will display their skills at Angus Glen Golf Club, as the sixth edition of the World Junior Girls Championship gets underway from September 24 to 27. In total, 60 athletes representing 19 countries—including two teams from host nation Canada—will compete for the team and individual titles.

“In collaboration with Golf Ontario and our partners, we are thrilled to present this first-class event featuring some the most promising female athletes the world of golf has to offer,” said Dan Hyatt, Tournament Director for the World Junior Girls Championship. “It is an honour for us to afford these talented juniors an opportunity to continue their growth and development.”

This year’s field is highlighted by 11 competitors ranked inside the World Golf Amateur Rankings (WAGR) top 100. The tournament’s top-ranked player is 2018 World Junior Girls individual champion Atthaya Thitikul (No. 2), who will represent last year’s bronze medal winners Thailand in the country’s second World Junior Girls appearance. Thitikul, the reigning Thailand Ladies Amateur champion, won the Smyth Salver award as the Low Amateur at the 2019 AIG Women’s British Open, captured the 2019 Ladies European Tour Thailand Championship and has now competed in 10 professional events worldwide.

England is the only country in the tournament to have all three team members ranked in WAGR’s top 100. Lily May Humphreys (No. 29) will make her third WJG appearance and try to improve on her T7 finish in 2017. Joining her at Markham’s Angus Glen will be Annabell Fuller (No. 46) and Euphemie “Mimi” Rhodes (No. 95).

Returning champions Italy will be able to rely on Alessia Nobilio (No. 7) to lead the team. Nobilio will look to add to her record WJG individual medal haul after capturing silver medals in 2017 and 2018. The 17-year-old, who has seven top-ten finishes this year including two victories, will be joined by newcomers Carolina Melgrati (No. 115) and Benedetta Moresco (No. 34). The trio will look to bring a third World Junior Girls team medal to Italy.

The 2019 edition of the Championship will see several players return, as 17 members of the field have played in at least one World Junior Girls Championship, including double individual silver medallist Nobilio (Italy) who became the first repeat medallist in tournament history in Ottawa last year. Six players will be appearing in at least their third edition of the event, including Canadians Ellie Szeryk (No. 724) and Emily Zhu (No. 977), Switzerland’s Elena Moosman (No. 97), Mexico’s Cory Lopez (No. 314) and England’s Humphreys. Nobilo will make a record fourth appearance at the Championship.

Sweden will look to add a fourth team medal to their trophy case after earning one silver (2014) and two bronze medals (2015 and 2017). As the only Swedish player returning to the championship, Ester Fägersten (No. 180) will be joined by first-timers Louise Rydqvist (No. 439) and Sara Ericsson (No. 230).

Along with the returning teams and players, the World Junior Girls Championship is also pleased to welcome back the representatives of Germany and the Republic of Korea after a one-year absence, as well as to host Wales for the very first time.  The inaugural Welsh team will consist of Darcey Harry (No. 578), Ffion Tynan (No. 693) and Carys Worby (No. 799).

Joining the strong international field will be the six players chosen to represent Canada. Brooke Rivers (Brampton, Ont.), Euna Han (Coquitlam, B.C.) and Zhu (Richmond Hill, Ont.) will constitute Canada One, while Lauren Kim and Angela Arora of Surrey, B.C., will team up with Szeryk (London, Ont.) to form Canada Two. Team Canada will be looking for their first medal since capturing bronze at the inaugural World Junior Girls Championship in 2014.

In 2018 at Camelot Golf and Country Club, it was Italy that prevailed over the USA to capture the crown, registering a feisty 6-under performance (138) that allowed them to catch the Americans and force extra holes. Italy eventually came up on top to win their first World Junior Girls Championship gold.

The World Junior Girls Championship is conducted by Golf Canada in partnership with Golf Ontario and supported by the R&A and the International Golf Federation. Recognized as an ‘A’ ranked event by the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), the World Junior Girls Championship will run for its sixth time.

Angus Glen Golf Club consists of two 18-hole championship golf courses in Markham, Ontario. The North and South courses offer variety, beauty and challenges. It has been ranked as one of the top 80 golf courses in the world outside of the United States. It was home to the 2002 and 2007 Canadian Open and an official host of the 2015 Toronto Pan/Parapan American Games.

The first round of play is on Tuesday, September 24. The tournament’s closing ceremonies will immediately follow the conclusion of play on Friday, Sept. 27.

Admission to the competition is free. Additional information regarding the sixth annual World Junior Girls Championship can be found on the competition’s website.

LACHUTE, Qué. — Erin Kim of Toronto kept her eye on the prize and held on to her 36-hole lead for a six-shot victory in the Junior Girls division while Jean-Philippe Parr of Saint-Célestin, Qué., managed to keep his rivals at bay to escape with the Boys title, as the first of two Future Links, driven by Acura Fall Series events concluded Sunday on course No. 1 at Lachute Golf Club.

_{2019 Champions Erin Kim and Jean-Philippe Parr}

Parr, who shot 73 on Sunday for a tournament best score of 213 (-3), had registered the day’s low score of 68 in Friday’s opening round to sit in the pole position, but he had to fend off some fierce competition both Saturday and during the final round to claim the laurels.

Parr narrowly beat a trio of contenders that finished T2 at 214 for the weekend, including Owen Kim of Oakville, Ont., Malik Dao of Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Qué. and Felix Bouchard of Otterburn Park, Qué. Thomas Latter of Mississauga, Ont., valiantly tried to catch the leaders by shooting the low round of the week, but his card of 67 still left him two shots back of the winner.

The three had to go in extra holes to break the tie in order to determine which two would receive exemptions into the 2020 Canadian Junior Boys Championship and it was Kim and Bouchard who prevailed. The 2020 Canadian Junior Boys Championship will be held from Aug. 10-13, 2020 at Rivershore Estate & Golf Links in Kamloops, B.C.

In the Girls division, it was a wire-to-wire victory for Erin Kim. The Toronto resident who plays her club golf at The Ladies Golf Club of Toronto beat her nearest rival by six strokes with a total score of 220 (+4), this despite notching her highest score of the week on final Sunday with a 78.

Finishing second was Sarah Gallagher of Burlington, Ont. who also shot 78 on Sunday for a total of 226 (+10) while Katie Cranston of Oakville handed in a final card of 76 to finish third at 227 (+11). All three have earned exemptions into the 2020 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, which takes place next July 28 to 31, at Club de golf de Lorette in Loretteville, Québec.

The competition marked the second year of the Future Links, driven by Acura Fall Series — two additional junior golf tournaments that were introduced last fall to increase the competitive offering for up-and-coming young players. The Future Links Championship series now features eight tournaments through the course of the season, each hosted in collaboration with the host club’s provincial association.

The second Fall Series event and final Future Links championship of the 2019 season will take place at Crown Isle Golf Resort in Courtenay, British Columbia, from Sept. 27 to 29.

Results for all 2019 Future Links, driven by Acura Championships can be found here: Pacific, Ontario, Western, Québec, Prairie, Atlantic.

Click here for scoring, pairings and additional information.

For Immediate Release:

Golf New Brunswick (Golf NB) is pleased to announce the 2019 Golf NB Players of the Year.  The Player of the Year (POY) is a ranking system that awards points to players based on tournament results throughout the golfing year. It is designed to promote golf development through competition and celebrate the individual achievements of golfers in New Brunswick.

NB Men’s Player of the Year
Stuart Musgrave
Country Meadows Golf Club

It pays to play and the 2019 TaylorMade NB Men’s Player of the Year, Stuart Musgrave, proved just that. Musgrave competed in all 6 Men’s POY tournaments this season, accumulating 97.8 points to edge out Michel Landry of the Fredericton Golf Club by just 9/10’s of a point.

After starting the 2019 season with a 12^th place finish at The Riverside Country Club’s Don Sinclair Invitational, Musgrave would rattle off two top 5’s and three top 10’s in the remaining five POY events to claim his first TaylorMade NB Men’s Player of the Year crown.

Landry would come within a whisker of his 2nd Men’s POY title following victories at the 2019 RBC Dominion Securities NB Men’s Amateur Championship and the Mactaquac Invitational in addition to his T5 finish at the Gowan Brae Golf & Country Club.

In third position is Greg Jones of the Country Meadows Golf Club.  Jones would record a top 20 finish at the NB Men’s Amateur Championship along with a pair of T2’s and another top five finish to amass 74.3 a season total of points.

For more information on the TaylorMade NB Men’s Player of the Year Challenge – CLICK HERE

NB Ladies Player of the Year
Leanne Richardson
Country Meadows Golf Club

A familiar name sits a top the 2019 Royale NB Ladies Player of the Year standings as Leanne Richardson of the Country Meadows Golf Club compiled 189.0 points on route to her 19^th Royale NB Ladies Player of the Year Championship.  With five victories, including her 5^th Argus Audiology NB Ladies Amateur Championship, and two runner-ups Richardson would cruise to the 2019 Ladies POY title, 42 points clear of Pam Cossey of the Rockwood Park Golf Course.

Cossey locked down second position thanks to a victory a The Riverside Country Club’s Mabel Driscoll Ladies Invitational, T2 finishes at the Mountain Woods Golf Club, the NB Ladies Provincial Championships and top five results at the Petitcodiac Valley Golf & Country Club’s Iona McCully Provincial Primer, the Sussex Ladies Invitational and the Country Meadows Ladies Invitational.

In third position is the Fredericton Golf Club’s Mary Walton-Rossignol.  Walton-Rossignol would finish the Ladies POY season with seven top 10’s and two runner-up finishes to total 126.8 Ladies POY points.

For more information on the Royale NB Ladies Player of the Year Challenge – CLICK HERE

NB Senior Men’s Player of the Year
Tom Cameron
Gage Golf & Curling Club

A top five machine in 2019, the Gage Golf & Curling Club’s Tom Cameron would finish inside the top five finish in each of the three MCT Insurance Senior Men’s Player of the Year events in which he competed.  A third place finish at the Argus Audiology NB Senior Men’s Championship in July and a phenomenal T12 finish at the 2019 Canadian Men’s Senior Championships, where he earned 42 points, would vault him into the lead entering the final week of the season.  His total of 148.0 Senior Player of the Year points would see him edge out 2019 NB Super-Senior Champion Sonny Phillips (137.5) of the Fredericton Golf Club.

Phillips, who finished 5^th at the NB Senior Men’s Championships, would also claim a victory at the Miramichi Senior Invitational along with four more to 5 finishes and two top 10’s to lock down second position in the season long series.

In third position is Eric Hildebrand, also of the Fredericton Golf Club.  Hildebrand would secure POY Points in 11 of the season’s 22 events posting two top 10’s and seven top 5’s on his way to 119.5 points and his first top three finish.

For more information on the MCT Insurance NB Senior Men’s Player of the Year Challenge – CLICK HERE

Golf NB Junior Girl’s Player of the Year
Julie Gauvin
Fox Creek Golf Club

Julie Gauvin had another solid 2019 season as she would successfully defend her 2018 MJT-Golf NB Junior Girls Player of the Year crown.  Gauvin proved to be a big game performer carding consecutive top five finishes at the NB Junior Girls, Argus Audiology NB Ladies Provincials and the Future Links, driven by Acura Atlantic Championships which would account for 105 of her 157.6 points.  Gauvin would also be New Brunswick’s lone player to make the cut at the 2019 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, on route to a comfortable 20 point victory in the Junior Girls POY Challenge.

NB’s most improved player of the year would have to be Alexandra Guitard of the Royal Oaks Golf Club.  Guitard would secure three victories on tour this season and would use a personal best 81 during the second round of the NB Junior Girls Championship to secure the 1^st alternate position on Team NB.  Guitard would continue her improvement by posting rounds of 84 and a new personal best of 79 at the Canadian Junior Girls Championships to miss the cut by a single shot.  Guitard’s performance at the NB Junior Championships would prove to be the difference as she secured 2^nd position in the Junior Girls POY standings just 1.5 points over Fox Creek’s Mackenzie Deveau (136.3).

For more information on the MJT-Golf NB Junior Girls Player of the Year Challenge – CLICK HERE

Golf NB Junior Boy’s Player of the Year
Daniel Kirby
JH Sports

Back to back was the theme of the MJT-Golf NB Junior Player of the Year Challenges in 2019, as Daniel Kirby of JH Sports and the Covered Bridge Golf & Country Club would follow Julie Gauvin’s lead on route to his own title defense.  Kirby would finish the 2019 Junior POY season with three victories and three top 5’s, which included a runner-up finish at the Future Links, driven by Acura Atlantic Championship on his home course of Covered Bridge.  A 12^th place finish at the RBC Dominion Securities NB Men’s Amateur Championship would serve to increase his points total to a dominating 312.1 points a full 139 points better then the Moncton Golf & Country Club’s Ethan McFadden.

McFadden would be a consistent presence on the Junior POY leaderboard in 2019 accumulate points 13 different events including a tie for 1^st, five top 5’s and five top 10’s totaling 172.8 points.  In a season long seesaw battle with the Hampton Golf Club’s Nicholas Ritchie, the race for 2^nd position came down to the final event of the year.  With McFadden locked in at 172.8, Ritchie needed a T9^th or better to move into second position in the year long challenge however he would come up one shot short at the MJT Atlantic Championship at Fox Harbour, finishing T10 and falling just 4.8 points shy of second position with a total of 168.0 points.

For more information on the MJT-Golf NB Junior Girls Player of the Year Challenge – CLICK HERE