PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland – Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., learned Wednesday that he will be playing The Open Championship next month at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Portrush, Northern Ireland.

The Canadian earned an exemption into the final major of the season based on his position in the World Golf Ranking (No. 82).

Conners will join Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., as the Canadians who will tee off at the 148th playing of the storied tournament. Hadwin qualified for The Open with his strong performance at the RBC Canadian Open.

Conners shot into the spotlight with his win at the Valero Texas Open in April. The 27-year-old has never competed at The Open Championship.

This will be Conners’ fifth major championship appearance. He made the cut at both majors he’s played this season, finishing in a tie for 46th at The Masters and in a tie for 64th at the PGA Championship. He also played the 2015 Masters and the 2017 U.S. Open, missing the cut on both occasions.

Two more spots in The Open Championship are up for grabs at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in at Detroit Golf Club in Detroit, Mich. this week. Seven Canadians are in the field, including Conners.

The 148th Open Championship will take place from July 18-21.

The final round of the East Coast Junior Championship was met with light rain and a little bit cooler temperatures, but nothing could dampen the spirits of the 96 junior golfers from New Brunswick, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island ready to attack the Covered Bridge Golf Course. The players did not disappoint as two of the titles had to be determined by playoffs.

Anthony Robitaille was named the East Coast Junior Boys Champion; Haley Baker is the East Coast Junior Girls Champion and Gavin Ives is the new Bantam Boys Champion. It was an exciting day!

Anthony Robitaille who represents Lac St-Joseph Golf Club in Quebec entered the day 5 shots back of first round leader Jean-Phillip Parr from the Ki-8-Eb, also in Quebec, and 4 shots back of Owen Mullen from the Truro Golf Club in Nova Scotia. Robitaille fired a 2-under par 70 to be leader in the clubhouse with a 2-day total of 1-under par and waited for the last two groups of junior boys to finish play. His 70, which was the low round of the day, started off with birdies on holes #1 and #3, a bogey on hole #5 but got that back quickly with a birdie on #6 to finish the front nine with a 2-under par 34. One birdie, one bogey and 7 pars on the back led to his round of 70. Now it was time to wait to see if he shot well enough to get into a playoff. Parr also started off hot with birdies on #1 and #3, and like Robitaille, had a bogey on #5 but the similarities ended there. Parr also had a bogey on the par four 8^th hole to shoot an even par 36 on the front. On his back nine he ran into trouble on the tough par five 12^th hole scoring a double bogey 7 and threw in a bogey on the 15^th for a 3-over par 39 on the back and a 75 total. His 75 paired with his 68 on day one also put him at 1-under par for the tournament. Mullen had an up and down front nine with 3 birdies and 4 bogeys for a 1-over par 37 to lose a stroke to Parr. On the back nine he had a birdie on number 12 to make up 3 shots on Parr but then had bogies on 15 and 16 to be tied with Parr. His missed his 6-foot birdie putt gave him another 37 on the back nine and a 2-day total of 1-under par to tie Robitaille and Parr.

The playoff holes were slotted as #1, #17 and #18 and those would be played until a winner was declared. They all parred the first hole and when Mullen bogeyed the 2^nd playoff hole (#17) he was eliminated from the playoff. Robitaille and Parr carried onto the third playoff hole (#18) where Robitaille had a birdie to Parr’s par, making him the champion.

Haley Baker who plays out the Ashburn Golf Course in Fall River, NS and Sarah Holt of the Gage Golf & Country Club in Oromocto were tied at 11 over par to enter their playoff. After shooting matching 77’s on day one, they decided to shoot matching 78’s in the final round so they could continue their play together. Holt got off to a rough start with a double bogey 7 on the first hole as Baker had a par but she bogeyed the next two holes to bring them back to even with each other. With that double, one bogey and the rest pars, Holt shot a 39 on the front to Baker’s 40 to take a 1-shot lead. That didn’t last long as Baker birdied the 10^th hole to draw back to even with Holt. After trading a few bogeys, Holt held a 1-shot lead going into the last hole. Baker sunk a beautiful 15-foot birdie putt to tie it up again. The girls played the same rotations of playoff holes as the boys, but it took the girls 4 playoff holes to declare a winner. Baker’s par on hole number one took the championship after Holt had a bogey. It was great play by two wonderful players.

Third place in the girl’s division went to Yasmine Qureshi who shot the low girl’s round of the day with a 75 and finished 1 shot out of the playoff. Another shot back, finishing in forth place was Baker’s younger sister, Abby.

Gavin Ives who is a clubmate of Baker’s at the New Ashburn Golf Club won the Bantam Boys Championship by a large margin with scores of 73 and 78. Patrick Gamner from the Club de Golf Lotbiniere in Quebec was runner-up with scores of 82 and 82. One shot back from Gamner was Fox Creek’s own Jacob LeBlanc after shooting scores of 85-80.

As you can see, it was an exciting two days at the East Coast Junior Championship at the Covered Bridge Golf & Country Club. Covered Bridge will also be hosting the Golf Canada Future Links, driven by Acura, Atlantic Championship July 16-18^th as well as, the Canadian Junior Boys Championship August 12-15^th. We are so pleased that a Golf NB member club is hosting three major junior championships this year. Thank you to all involved at Covered Bridge for letting this happen at your beautiful course.

• For more information on the 2019 East Coast Junior Championship please CLICK HERE.
• For more information on the Covered Bridge Golf & Country Club please CLICK HERE.

Golf New Brunswick (Golf NB), a not for profit organization founded in 1934, is the official governing body for amateur golf in New Brunswick.  In January of 2006, the New Brunswick Golf Association (NBGA) officially merged with the New Brunswick Ladies Golf Association (NBLGA), resulting in one united governing body for amateur golf in the province.  Programs offered by Golf NB to its 8,000 members include: 12 provincial events, rules of golf education, course rating and handicap services, junior golf development programs and member club marketing initiatives.

Barrington, R.I. – Brooke Henderson’s winning form continued Monday, as she won the CVS Health Charity Classic along with teammates Keegan Bradley and Billy Andrade. The trio won the event for the third straight year.

Six teams of golfers, each featuring a PGA TOUR member, an LPGA Tour member and a PGA Tour Champions member competed at the CVS Health Charity Classic. The two lowest scores on each hole counted toward the team’s score.

The trio of Henderson, Bradley and Andrade competed alongside teams that included Billy Horschel, Lydia Ko, Lexi Thompson and Brad Faxon.

Three-peat!!! Great partners! Great day! ??? https://t.co/2EG7IHYplt

— Brooke Henderson (@BrookeHenderson) June 24, 2019

Bradley, of Woodstock, Vt., competes on the PGA TOUR, and teed off at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, leading the field after the opening round at Hamilton Golf & Country Club. This was Bradley’s fifth-straight win at the CVS Health Charity Classic.

Andrade, A Bristol, R.I. native, competes on the PGA TOUR Champions, and won the 1998 RBC Canadian Open.

While not an official LPGA Tour victory, the win at Rhode Island Country Club comes two weeks after Henderson’s triumphant, record-setting win at the Meijer LPGA Classic.

The CVS Health Charity Classic has raised more than $22 million for Rhode Island-area organizations in its 20-year history.

More information can be found here.

There is no longer a penalty for moving loose impediments when your ball lies in a bunker.

Click here to learn more about the modernized Rules of golf.

HARRIS, Mich. – Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont. fired three rounds in the 60s, finishing in a tie for fourth place at the Island Resort Championship on Sunday.

The Team Canada Young Pro Squad member was the only competitor at the event to shoot all three of her rounds in the 60s at Sweetgrass Golf Club, finishing two strokes back of champion Daniela Iacobelli. It was Szeryk’s third top-five finish in his last four starts on the Symetra Tour.

It took 55 holes, but Iacobelli captured her third career Symetra Tour victory with a birdie in the first frame of a sudden-death playoff against Cindy Ha.

Each of Iacobelli’s three wins have come after she missed the cut the week prior.

“It feels good, there are a lot of memories here and this will just add to the list,” said Iacobelli, who also captured the 2012 Symetra Tour Championship and 2015 Tullymore Classic titles. “I think I just get a little upset with myself and come into the next tournament guns blazing.”

When the final round started at Sweetgrass Golf Club, Iacobelli was tied for 13th and looking at a six-stroke deficit. A bogey-free, 7-under par 65 moved the Florida Institute of Technology alumna quickly up the leaderboard.

“Started quick with birdie on the first three and made the turn in 5-under,” said Iacobelli, who finished at 11-under par overall. “I was like, ‘Ok, let’s step on the gas pedal,’ but the wind picked up a little bit and just tried not to make mistakes. The putter was hot this week, which is crazy since I switched grips on Wednesday. The 18th hole, I’m glad the wind was blowing the way it was because I only know how to play it as a two-shot hole. That was a bit advantageous.”

Her finish in Harris, Mich. earns exemption into The Evian Championship next month, the fourth major on the LPGA Tour schedule this year. A 2012 and 2015 Symetra Tour graduate, Iacobelli has spent three years on the LPGA Tour. However, she has never played in The Evian Championship.

“I’m excited, never been to France and looking forward to it,” Iacobelli said. “Get to experience another moment of my career, I can’t wait. That is for sure the crazier part of all this.”

Full results can be found here.

When you decide your ball in a bunker is unplayable, under the 2019 Rules you have an extra option that lets you drop “back-on-the-line” outside the bunker for total penalty of two strokes.

Click here to learn more about the Rules of golf.

CROMWELL, Conn. – Chez Reavie is a PGA Tour winner again after 11 years and 250 events.

Reavie won the Travelers Championship on Sunday, closing with a 1-under 69 for a four-stroke victory over Keegan Bradley and Zack Sucher.

The 37-year-old Reavie, whose first title came as a rookie at the 2008 Canadian Open, finished at 17-under 263 at TPC River Highlands a week after tying for third in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

“It means everything,” he said. “I went through some injuries, had some long years there in the middle. But it was great, because it gave good perseverance and good perspective of what life is and what golf is.”

The former Arizona State player took a six-stroke lead over Bradley and Sucher into the round after a shooting a 63 on Saturday. He had an understated celebration, pulling his ball out of the hole at 18 and saluting the crowd with it clenched in his fist.

It was the same calm he showed throughout the day, even as, Bradley, a New England native from nearby Vermont, chipped away to the cheers of the large galleries.

Bradley made back-to-back birdies on 10 and 11 to get within three shots, just missed a 13-foot birdie putt on the 12th, then made a 9-footer on 13 to get within two strokes. His 22 foot-birdie attempt at 14 stopped just at the hole.

He got within a stroke on the par-4 15th when he made a 7 1/2-foot birdie putt after Reavie missed an 11-footer.

“The crowd was just so behind me and so loud and so, it felt like a Ryder Cup to me,” Bradley said. “Man, I’ve dreamt of this ever since I’ve come here at 10 years old. It lived up to the hype – it was awesome.”

But Reavie put the tournament away on the par-4 17th, making a 14-foot birdie putt, while Bradley three-putted for a double bogey. Bradley and Sucher each shot 67, with Sucher playing the back nine in 5-under 30.

Sucher, coming of an injury that kept him away from golf for 13 months after the 2017 Travelers, had his best ever finish in a PGA Tour event.

“The back nine was unbelievable,” Sucher said. “I mean the whole thing was unbelievable with the huge crowds, it was quite an experience.”

He came into his fourth of six medical extension start needing to earn 347 FexEx Cup points to retain his Tour card. He came in with 25 points and picked up 245 with the second-place tie.

“It’s amazing, it’s life-changing to be honest,” Sucher said. “It changes the rest of our year, it changes our plans and we have a lot of work to do to figure what else we have to do now.”

Vaughn Taylor, who started nine strokes back, made a run of five birdies to finish his final-round of 65, shooting a 29 on the back nine. His 15-foot birdie putt on 18 put him at 12 under.

“I’ve never birdied the last five holes of a tournament that’s for sure,” Taylor said

Paul Casey, who blew a four-stroke lead during last year’s final round, started the day 10 strokes behind Reavie, his former college teammate. But he hit his tee shot on the par-4 15th inside 7 feet and made eagle, then finished with a birdie to go 11 under.

The Englishman said he was hoping to match the 28 Reavie put up on the back nine Saturday to put some pressure on him. But he couldn’t do it and spent the rest of the day rooting for his friend.

Reavie, who took home just under $1.3 million, has finished in the top 20 in five of his last six starts.

Defending champion Bubba Watson, who was hoping for a fourth title in Connecticut, shot a 71 to finish at 1 under, but said he wasn’t disappointed with his week.

“I know sometimes I look like I’m angry out there,” he said. “But most of the time, I’m pretty happy.”

Brooks Koepka made quick work of his final round, also shooting a 71 to finish the tournament at an even par. He and Russell Knox needed just under three hours to play their 18 holes in the first group of the day. Koepka says he has a couple of appearances in the next two days and then will get some much-needed rest.

“I’m not going to practice and take some time away from the game and just try to realize what’s going on,” he said. “”I don’t think I’m still over Bethpage, and with these majors they are so tightly bunched, it’s difficult. I didn’t really have a chance to soak that one in and then we are playing again, it’s just a continuation that keeps rolling on.“

CHASKA, Minn. – Hannah Green never felt more nervous than standing over a 5-foot par putt Sunday at Hazeltine National with a chance to win her first major at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

Neither did Karrie Webb, who won seven majors in her Hall of Fame career.

Webb watched from outside the ropes, her heart racing. It was 11 years ago in Minnesota that Webb started a scholarship program to bring young Australian amateurs to majors to spend a week with her and experience golf’s biggest events. Four years ago, Green was one of those scholarship winners.

And now she’s a major champion.

Green held her nerve to the end, hitting 8-iron to 15 feet for a pivotal birdie on the 16th hole, and getting up-and-down from a bunker ono the 18th hole for an even-par 72 and a one-shot victory over defending champion Sung Hyun Park.

“I can’t believe I’m in this position right now,” said Green, a 22-year-old Australian in her second year on the LPGA Tour. “I’ve always wanted to win an event, and to win a major championship as my first is crazy.”

She became the first wire-to-wire winner of this major since Yani Tseng in 2011, and even more amazing is who she held off to claim the silver trophy. She started the final round with a one-shot lead over Ariya Jutanugarn, the most powerful player on tour and a two-time major champion. Jutanugarn didn’t make a birdie in her round of 77.

Then it was Park, another former No. 1 and two-time major winner, making an 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 68 that left Green no margin for error.

Watching it all unfold was Webb, as clutch as there was in her prime, the only woman to capture the “Super Slam” of five different LPGA majors. She stayed with Green in a house all week, along with the two most recent scholarship winners – Becky Kay and Grace Kim – who were draped in Australian flags at Hazeltine.

“I feel like I won a golf tournament today I’m so excited for her,” Webb said. “You didn’t do it yourself, but you supported someone who realized that dream.”

They all charged the 18th green to celebrate with Green, spraying her with cans of beer in true Aussie fashion. It’s become a tradition on the LPGA Tour for friends to spray winners with water bottles, and Webb would not allow that to happen.

“It was Budweiser,” she said.

Green, who won three times on the Symetra Tour in 2017 to earn an LPGA Tour card, became the first Australian to win an LPGA Tour major since Webb won her last one in 2006 at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.

“I’m speechless,” Green said as she fought to get the words out through such strong emotions. “I was really nervous playing the last five holes.”

She finished at 9-under 279 and won $577,500.

It was hard work, even though Green never surrendered the lead on a cloudy day at Hazeltine with some light drops of rain at the end.

Green rolled in a 5-foot birdie putt on the par-5 seventh for a three-shot lead. With the group ahead still waiting to tee off, a 7-year-old girl handed her a blue sheet of paper. It was a poem she wrote to Green, along with the words, “You can win this.” Green, who had given Lily Kostner a golf ball at the ANA Inspiration this year, read the poem and hugged the girl, and then drilled another tee shot to birdie range.

“I had it in the back of my yardage book because I didn’t want it to get rained on,” Green said. “A couple times on the back nine when I was feeling nervous and had some time, I actually read it to myself.”

The nerves didn’t really leave, especially after making three bogeys in a four-hole stretch that dropped her to 8 under, a four-shot lead suddenly down to one.

Mel Reid closed with a 66 and posted at 6-under 282.

Nelly Korda was one behind until a soft bogey on the par-5 15th. Park birdied that hole to get to 7 under, and Green couldn’t afford any mistakes. It looked as if she had it wrapped up when she made a 15-foot birdie putt on the 16th, the signature hole at Hazeltine, followed by a par on the 17th.

Park wasn’t finished, however, and she hit her tee shot so hard on the 18th that it went through the corner of the rough into the fairway, setting up a tidy approach to the back pin position and one last birdie.

Green answered her final challenge with the bunker save, and the celebration was on with Webb and the two scholarship winners, Stacy Peters from Golf Australia and Jarryd Fenton, her boyfriend who plays on the PGA Tour of Australasia.

“I always wanted to win in front of an Aussie crowd,” Green said. “That’s what it was like today. I’m over the moon.”

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., closed with a 70 to finish 2-over while Hamilton’s Alena Sharp had a 72 to come in at 6-over.

Korda (71) and Reid tied for third, while Lizette Salas (72) and Danielle Kang (70) were four shots behind. The surprise was Jutanugarn, who started the final round one shot behind on a course that measured nearly 6,800 yards, perfect for her power. She tied for 10th.

Green becomes the 11th player to win the last 11 majors on the LPGA Tour, a sign of growing parity. She also is the third winner in the last five LPGA majors who had never won on the LPGA Tour….

TOYOTA CITY, Japan – Christopher Vandette of Beaconsfield, Que., fired a 3-under-par 68 in the final round to finish third in the individual boys division at the TOYOTA Junior Golf World Cup. Canada finished sixth in the team competition.

Vandette’s score of 68 was his third round in the 60s this week. A bogey on the par-4 13th was the lone blemish on the 17-year-old’s scorecard. His score of 63 on Thursday was tied for the lowest round of the competition, helping him finish five shots back of winner Samuel Simpson of South Africa.

Laurent Desmarchais saved his best round for last, as his 4 under performance brought him to 3 under for the tournament. The Longueuil, Que., native was bogey-free on the back nine and finished in a tie for 20th.

Jeevan Sihota of Victoria, B.C. also shot under par, with his 1 under earning him a 34th place finish.

William Duquette of Laval, Que., withdrew from the competition before the final round and finished in 60th.

The quartet of Vandette, Desmarchais, Sihota and Duquette were competing individually, with each nation’s three lowest scores counting towards the team competition.

Canada ranked sixth of 15 teams in the team competition at 14 under, having gained eight shots in the final round. South Africa won the event at 41 under, 11 shots clear of Japan in second.

In the girls division, Japan won the team event with a score of 18 under, three strokes ahead of the United States. Cory Lopez of Mexico, Rose Zhang of the United States and Cassie Porter of Australia finished tied for first in the individual competition at 11 under.

Full scoring can be found here.