by Golf NB 

2019 NB Pee Wee and Junior Championships – 1st Round Pairings & Tee-Times

For Immediate Release:

Hot off their wins at the East Coast Junior Championships last week, Haley Baker and Gavin Ives are gearing up for the next big Junior event of the 2019 Golf NB Tournament Season presented by Argus Audiology.

After taking the long Canada Day weekend to relax and refresh, Junior, Juvenile, Bantam and Pee Wee players will tee it up at the Hampton Golf Club on July 2 for the 2019 NB Pee Wee and Junior Championships. Hampton Golf Club offers a beautiful par 72 course that is sure to challenge the competitors in all areas of their game, especially when it comes to the course’s unique par 6 sixth hole.   Pee Wee players will play in 36 hole format while the 13 thru 18 aged competitors will have the chance to showcase their skills throughout a 54 hole format.  

Returning players, Nathan Hogan of Miramichi and Haley Baker of Ashburn, were at the top of the 2018 Junior and Juvenile leaderboards, however, with both being another year older, they will compete solely for their respective Junior titles. Abbey Baker, of Ashburn and sister to Haley, is back to defend her Bantam Girls title while also reaching for the Juvenile Girls crown. 2018 Bantam Boys Champion, Marc Andre Gaudet is also jumping age ranks and moving up to compete in the Juvenile Boys division with hopes of coming out on top again this year. The Pee Wee division will see 2018 Pee Wee Boys Champion Chase Burgess return to defend his title, while the field for Pee Wee Girls is wide open with last year’s Pee Wee Girls Champion Judy Lin not returning to compete this year.

63 excited competitors will come together at the Hampton Golf club for 3 days of great golf to vie for 8 titles.  With the looks of the field, this tournament is sure to impress. Good luck to all the players and remember to appreciate all the incredible golf courses our beautiful nation has to offer! Happy Canada Day everyone!

• For more information for the 2019 NB Pee Wee & Junior Championships please CLICK HERE. 
• For more information on the Hampton Golf Club please CLICK HERE.

DETROIT – Nate Lashley tried and failed to qualify for a spot in the Rocket Mortgage Classic earlier this week.

He chose to stay in Detroit, hoping to slip into the field as an alternate.

Good call.

Lashley birdied the final three holes and five of the last six for a 9-under 63 and the first-round lead Thursday at the PGA Tour’s first event in Detroit.

The 36-year-old Lashley had the lowest score in his PGA Tour career, a day after finding out he would have a chance to compete at Detroit Golf Club. Ranked 353rd in the world and No. 132 in the FedEx Cup standings, Lashley’s only top-10 finish in his two-year PGA Tour career is a tie for eighth in the Puerto Rico Open in February.

“Hopefully, can play well this week and continue to play well and lock up my card,” he said.

Ryan Armour and Nick Watney were at stroke back at 64. Chez Reavie , the Travelers Championship winner last week in Connecticut, and Charles Howell III and Stewart Cink topped the group of seven players at 65.

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., fired a 6-under 66 to finish the day in a tie for 11th. Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., shot a 4-under 68 to enter a tie for 33rd, Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., was at 3-under 69 to tie for 55th. Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., had identical 2-under 70 rounds to tie for 75th. Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., was tied for 122nd at even-par 72 and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., was at 1-over 73 to tie for 131st.

Dustin Johnson, the second-ranked player in the world, opened with a 71. Gary Woodland had a 73 in his first start since winning the U.S. Open, an accomplishment that altered his career and schedule.

“I definitely didn’t get prepared as much as I like to, but that’s no excuse,” Woodland said.

Lashley made the most of the opportunity with a bogey-free round, taking advantage of scoring opportunities during a day with little wind on a short course with receptive greens. He opened with a birdie and had three more on the front nine before the closing spree.

Lashley, who is from Nebraska, had a knee injury last year that stunted his rookie season on the PGA Tour after 17 events.

“I’m just trying to play relaxed and confident golf,” he said.

There’s no chance Lashley can afford to be comfortable with the early lead.

Johnson provided proof the Donald Ross-designed course can present a challenge. The only top-10 player in the field ranked in the middle of the pack off the tee, missing five of 14 fairways. He was among the worst on approach shots, leaving him 33-plus feet away from the pin on average.

Johnson missed the green to the left on the 175-yard, par-3 fifth and his ball bounced into a bunker, forcing him to stand in the rough while squatting to get the ball out of the sand.

“It ended up in a terrible spot,” he said.

Four shots later, Johnson had his first of two double bogeys. He was 2 over at No. 11 before rallying with three birdies over the last five holes.

“I think come out (Friday) morning and shooting a good score, I’ll be back in the tournament,” he said after finishing the first round tied for 101st.

Woodland was strong late in the first round after failing to maintain any momentum from winning the first major of his career. He tied a U.S. Open record by making just four bogeys over four rounds at Pebble Beach and had that many bogeys in a four-hole stretch at Detroit Golf Club and a total of six. After falling to 5 over through 11 holes, he had four birdies over the last six to finish with a 73.

Reavie, meanwhile, picked up where he left off after winning for his first win in 11 years. He had a 4-under 32 on the front nine and was 3 under on the back, including an eagle on the 582-yard, par-5 17th.

“I’m entering the week as if I didn’t win last week,” Reavie said. “I’m out here grinding as I do every week and looking forward to the challenge. I like old-school golf courses. I like being able to work it off slopes on the greens.”

It’s going to be an all western Friday at the PGA Championship of Canada.

Parry (Seymour Golf Centre) squares off against his good friend and fellow B.C. resident Oliver Tubb (University Golf Club) on one side of the bracket. The other side of the bracket features a pair of Alberta boys—Wes Heffernan (Golf Canada Calgary Centre) and Dustin Risdon (The Players Shack).

Parry, the only one of the four remaining players with a PGA Championship of Canada win (2013 at Magna Golf Club) says he’s not going to get ahead of himself and think about what it would mean to win a second.

“While it would be very cool and fantastic to win, I’m not even going to think about it,” Parry said. “I’m not the type of person who gets too far ahead of himself, so tomorrow I’ll just stay in the moment and play golf.”

In the match of the day, Tubb defeated the PGA of Canada’s No. 1-ranked player Marc-Etienne Bussières in 21-holes.

“I got up on Marc early and he’s such a good player that he comes back and keeps coming,” Tubb admitted. “But my strategy at the beginning of the day was to not let him beat me and I guess that worked.”

The winner of the Parry and Tubb match takes on the victor of the Heffernan and Risdon duel.

“I’ve never actually played Dustin in match play, but we’ve played together so many times over the years,” Heffernan said. “Our games our completely different—Dustin has a great short game and mine isn’t such a strength. Where as, I’m pretty long off the tee and Dustin is definitely shorter and more precise.”

A past PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada winner, Risdon says he’s starting to get the winter rust off his game.

“My game is starting to come around—I haven’t played a lot of golf yet this year, but the more and more I ‘m playing here this week, the more and more my game is coming together,” Risdon said. “If I do the same things I did today and make five or six birdies, I’ll probably be all right.”

For the full leaderboard and match play bracket, CLICK HERE.

Re-launched in 2011, the PGA Championship of Canada was contested strictly as a match play event through 2014 with players from the four brackets—Stan Leonard, George Knudson, Al Balding and Moe Norman—looking to advance through the six rounds to capture the historic P.D. Ross trophy. However, the 2015 championship at Cabot Links saw a format change, with top-ranked players from the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC playing two rounds of stroke play. The top-16 players from the 36-hole stroke play portion of the event filled out the four match-play brackets with the eventual champion winning four match play rounds. This year’s championship follows the same format.

Built on more than 230 acres, Whistle Bear is regarded as one of southern Ontario’s most distinctive golf destinations. Host of the 2004 and 2005 PGA Championship of Canada (as part of the Korn Ferry Tour schedule), the links-style venue features more than 100 bunkers, as well as water on more than half of the holes.

PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC points are also up for grabs at Whistle Bear. The eventual winner will take home 60 points, with the runner up gaining 50 points. The player who earns the most ranking points (in national and zone events) in 2019 will be awarded the Mike Weir Player of the Year crown at next year’s Canada Night.

Attendance to the PGA Championship of Canada is free and spectators are encouraged to attend during championship play.

When taking “lateral relief” from a red penalty area, under a one-stroke penalty, estimate the point on the edge of the penalty area where your ball last crossed as it went in.

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

It was another windy and wild day at Whistle Bear Golf Club for the second round of the PGA Championship of Canada.

The 72-player field was whittled down to the top 16 advancing to the match play portion of the championship, which begins bright and early Thursday morning in Cambridge, Ont. However, it wasn’t so cut and dry Wednesday afternoon as a six-for-five playoff was needed to determine the final spots in the match play.

The PGA of Canada’s No. 1-ranked player Marc-Etienne Bussières, Thomas Keddy, Brad Kerfoot, Kent Fukushima and James Skrypec outlasted Mark Bicknell on the first playoff hole. It was the second-straight year Bussières survived extra-holes to squeak into the match play.

“I guess I just like the challenge of getting through to the match play via a playoff,” Bussières joked Wednesday afternoon at Whistle Bear. “But seriously, I feel like I found a little something out there today and we’ll see if I can keep that going for the next couple days.”

Thursday’s round-of-16 matches include:

• Kevin Stinson (1) vs. Fukushima (16)
• Jim Rutledge (2) vs. Kerfoot (15)
• Billy Walsh (3) vs.  Keddy (14)
• Oliver Tubb (4) vs. Skrypec (13)
• Nick Kenney (5) vs. Bussières (12)
• Wes Heffernan (6) vs. Brian Hadley (11)
• Dustin Risdon (7) vs. Danny King (10)
• Bryn Parry (8) vs. Billy Houle (9)

For the full leaderboard and match play bracket, CLICK HERE.

Of the remaining 16; Rutledge, Parry, King and Bussières are all past PGA Championship of Canada winners. Furthermore, Kerfoot and Risdon are past PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada winners.

The winners of the morning matches Thursday qualify for the afternoon quarterfinal matches. The eventual champion will win four match play rounds, adding his name to the historic P.D. Ross trophy.

Re-launched in 2011, the PGA Championship of Canada was contested strictly as a match play event through 2014 with players from the four brackets—Stan Leonard, George Knudson, Al Balding and Moe Norman—looking to advance through the six rounds to capture the historic P.D. Ross trophy. However, the 2015 championship at Cabot Links saw a format change, with top-ranked players from the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC playing two rounds of stroke play. The top-16 players from the 36-hole stroke play portion of the event filled out the four match-play brackets with the eventual champion winning four match play rounds. This year’s championship follows the same format.

Built on more than 230 acres, Whistle Bear is regarded as one of southern Ontario’s most distinctive golf destinations. Host of the 2004 and 2005 PGA Championship of Canada (as part of the Korn Ferry Tour schedule), the links-style venue features more than 100 bunkers, as well as water on more than half of the holes.

PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC points are also up for grabs at Whistle Bear. The eventual winner will take home 60 points, with the runner up gaining 50 points. The player who earns the most ranking points (in national and zone events) in 2019 will be awarded the Mike Weir Player of the Year crown at next year’s Canada Night.

Attendance to the PGA Championship of Canada is free and spectators are encouraged to attend during championship play.

CAMBRIDGE, Ont. – Jim Rutledge turned back the clock Tuesday at Whistle Bear Golf Club for the first round of the PGA Championship of Canada.

The championship’s second-oldest player—who turns 60-years-old later this summer—torched a windswept Whistle Bear in Cambridge, Ont., posting an opening round 6-under-par 66.

Rutledge’s sizzler of an opener included seven birdies and just a single bogey on the second hole of the day.

“I got off to a bit of a shaky start with that bogey on No. 2, but got rolling after birdies on Nos. 4, 5 and 9 and then made some simple birdies on the back-nine to finish it off,” Rutledge said. “It’s not really a secret, but you’ve got to put yourself in the fairway out here because the rough is so unforgiving.”

A five-time PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada winner and champion of the 1984 PGA Championship of Canada, Rutledge is clearly an artful veteran of the game of golf. The former Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour player says his love for the game and his fellow competitors keeps him motivated to keep playing well in tournaments.

“I really just enjoy coming out to these events and catching up with the fellas who I’ve known for a lot of years,” he says. “And, of course, I enjoy competing against them too.”

Rutledge is one of eight past PGA Championship of Canada winners in the field this week at Whistle Bear.

The National Golf Club of Canada’s Nick Kenney sits just three shots back of Rutledge after an opening-round of 3-under-par 69. Mark Bicknell (Victoria Golf Club); last year’s runner-up Gordon Burns; Riley Fleming (National Golf Academy Dome); Brian Hadley (Thames Valley Golf Club); past PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada winner Dustin Risdon; and Oliver Tubb (University Golf Club) are all T3 at 2-under-par.

The 72-player field will be whittled down to the top-16 players following tomorrow’s second round. The final 16 will fill out the match play brackets with the eventual champion winning four match play rounds.

For the full leaderboard and second-round tee times, CLICK HERE.

This week’s field features 43 of the top 50-ranked players from the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC are in the field, including the entire top 10.

Built on more than 230 acres, Whistle Bear is regarded as one of southern Ontario’s most distinctive golf destinations. Host of the 2004 and 2005 PGA Championship of Canada (as part of the Korn Ferry Tour schedule), the links-style venue features more than 100 bunkers throughout the 18 holes, as well as water on more than half of the holes.

PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC points are also up for grabs at Whistle Bear. The eventual winner will take home 60 points, with the runner up gaining 50 points. The player who earns the most ranking points (in national and zone events) in 2019 will be awarded the Mike Weir Player of the Year crown at next year’s Canada Night.

Attendance to the PGA Championship of Canada is free and spectators are encouraged to attend during championship play.

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.