Canadians Dayton Price & Hayden Underhill were survivors of a horrific car crash in Texas that took nine lives, including seven members of the University of the Southwest golf team they were part of.
Here’s the story of their accident and how the game they love is helping them heal.
Your League Levelled Up!
(April 3, 2023) – Golf Canada has announced the launch of The National Golf League (NGL), a nationwide network of existing recreational golf leagues designed to enhance the league experience for participants and generate charitable support for First Tee – Canada.
Built for golfers of all skill levels, the National Golf League will feature a six-week regular season that takes place within existing recreational league play during the summer. A series of regional playoff tournaments across Canada will take place in the fall at premium golf courses. The National Golf League will culminate with the NGL National Championship at Hamilton Golf and Country Club as part of the 2024 RBC Canadian Open tournament week celebration.
The National Golf League will also contribute to the development of a more sustainable and inclusive future for the sport by supporting a charitable component through First Tee – Canada. First Tee is a youth development program that provides accessible pathways to golf participation at schools, community centres, and golf courses across the country.
“League play is one of the most popular ways that Canadians engage with golf. The National Golf League will build on the fun that league golfers already have by supplementing and levelling up existing leagues through a national platform for regular season play and an exciting and unique playoff format,” said Golf Canada Chief Sport Officer, Kevin Blue. “The National Golf League will also provide important charitable support to First Tee – Canada, a program that creates youth participation opportunities for the next generation of recreational golfers.”
National Golf League competitions will utilize an official Golf Canada Handicap applied towards a net Stableford scoring system that allows golfers to earn points for the net score they record on each hole.
Regular season NGL competition will take place over nine holes during six weeks of identified league play called “NGL Majors” that are integrated into existing league play and scheduled at the convenience of the local league operator. A golfer’s best four net Stableford point totals of the six NGL Majors will count towards their season-long points total on the NGL leaderboard.
A portion of the top regular season finishers in each participating league will qualify for the NGL Regional Playoffs, which will take place at premium courses across Canada. Qualifying golfers will select a guest teammate who also played in their regular season league and participate as a team of two in a best-ball net Stableford competition over 18 holes. Successful teams in the NGL Regional Playoffs will earn an all-expenses-paid trip to the NGL National Championship.
The NGL is open to recreational golf leagues played at both private and public courses. Participants must be Golf Canada members to ensure an official handicap is used. There is no registration fee for golfers or leagues to join the National Golf League. Participants will be asked to support First Tee – Canada in their home province by way of donation.
The size of the National Golf League will be limited in its launch year to ensure a positive experience for players and league operators. A limited number of spots remain for leagues to join the National Golf League in 2023—interested league operators should contact Ryan Logan (rlogan@golfcanada.ca) to express interest before April 15. For more information visit NationalGolfLeague.ca.
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Canada’s Monet Chun has made the cut at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
The 22-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., is tied for sixth at 2-under par after two rounds.
Rose Zhang of the United States fired a blistering 7-under round at the storied golf course to sit atop the leaderboard at 13 under.
Chun’s the first Canadian to make the cut at the event.
Brigitte Thibault of Rosemere, Que., missed the cut at the inaugural tournament in 2019 and again in 2021.
Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., missed the cut last year.
The opening 36 holes were held over two days on the Island and Bluff nines at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Augusta, Ga.
The entire field will then play Augusta National for an official practice round on Friday, followed by the final round featuring the top 30 competitors who made the cut.
Registration for Golf Canada’s competitions is opening soon. The 2023 schedule features a total of 35 competitions including:
Registration will open on the following dates for each category of championships and qualifiers:
NextGen Championships, fueled by JOURNIE Rewards will continue to provide a high-performance training ground and championship experience across Canada, which showcases the next wave of elite junior golfers.
Registration will open on Wednesday, February 15th at 12:00pm EDT.
NEXTGEN CHAMPIONSHIPS REGISTRATION
Join the world’s best amateur and professional golfers and attempt to qualify for the 2023 RBC Canadian Open. Registrants are selected on a first-come, first-serve basis, as long as each applicant meets the eligibility requirements.
Registration will open on Wednesday, February 22nd at 12:00pm EDT.
RBC CANADIAN OPEN REGIONAL QUALIFERS REGISTRATION
True to the life-long sport that golf is, Golf Canada will be conducting 10 national amateur championships for golfers of all ages, genders and abilities.
Registration will open on Wednesday, March 15th at 12:00pm EST.
By: John Chidley-Hill/Canadian Press
Team Canada’s Brooke Rivers is ready to take the next step in her golf career by following in Arnold Palmer’s footsteps.
Rivers has declared her intention to play for Wake Forest University in the new school year, Palmer’s alma mater. The decision isn’t just based on Palmer’s legacy, but the contemporary reality that the Demon Deacons are the No. 2 ranked women’s golf program in the NCAA.
LEARN MORE ABOUT TEAM CANADA’S BROOKE RIVERS
“I’m very excited to be going to such a top golf school, I will be around girls that are very competitive, and I’ll be able to learn from them and grow my golf game by learning from them,” said Rivers. “I will also be able to play in really high rank tournaments, which again, will expose me to play against really good competition, to better myself.”
Rivers, who was born in Brampton, Ont., and raised in Turks and Caicos, signed on at Wake Forest on Friday along with American Macy Pate. The Canadian said the legacy of Palmer, one of the greatest golfers of all time, was just one of the reasons why she wanted to play for Wake Forest.
“Having very good alumni that come out of school, just shows how great the golf program is,” said Rivers, referring to Palmer who arrived at Wake Forest in 1948 and was the school’s first individual NCAA champion in 1949.
But Rivers’s interest in the college in Winston-Salem, N.C., goes beyond its NCAA ranking or history of producing strong professional golfers. She was attracted to its facilities and the strength of its academic curriculum.
“I’m very excited to use the (Arnold Palmer Golf Complex) practice facilities and all of the technology and different resources that they have available there, as well as the amazing (Old Town Club) golf course,” said Rivers, who intends to study business.
“Everything is very close to the dorms so I will be able to spend my time practising and balance my time management.”
Kim Lewellen, the head coach of Wake Forest’s women’s golf team, said she has kept close tabs on Rivers throughout her junior and amateur career.
“She has a nice athletic stature, hits the ball a long way, and has a good golf IQ,” said Lewellen, who noted that Rivers’s parents Tammy Glugosh and Gregg Rivers are also impressive golfers. “I think she also probably got that from her parents, so this was a total package.”
Although Rivers said she chose Wake Forest to learn from some of the best collegiate golfers in the world, she’s no slouch herself. She impressed Lewellen when she tied for 10th representing Canada at the World Amateur Women’s Team Championship on Aug. 27.
Rivers also won the 2021 North and South Junior Championship and tied for eighth at the Scott Robertson Memorial that same year. In 2020, she won the AJGA Visit Tallahassee Junior Championship and tied for second at the Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship.
She also won the Coca-Cola Junior Championship in 2019 and the Future Links Quebec Championship the same year, and was runner-up at the Ontario Women’s Match Play.
“Golf is a tough game, you can have your good rounds, but you can have your bad rounds and golf can hurt your feelings. You have to have a little bit of thick skin,” said Lewellen. “I think Brooke shows the confidence that you need to have for those days that aren’t great.
“She’s not going to feel sorry for herself.”
By: Adam Stanley/Golf Canada
For the first time since prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Golf Canada had a full slate of amateur championships – from coast-to-coast – contested in 2022. The venues were spectacular, the competition was impressive, and the momentum heading into next season is at an all-time high.
Mary Beth McKenna, the Director of Amateur Championships and Rules for Golf Canada, called 2022 “incredible.” Thirty-two championships were contested, including national, elite junior, qualifiers, or NextGen efforts.
“It’s great to be out at all of our courses, engaging with our member clubs, all the volunteers, and working with our officials and providing playing opportunities to our competitive players,” said McKenna. “It was just a really great year, all-in-all.”
There was, of course, so much momentum behind the game of golf in general in Canada through the COVID-19 pandemic, with the number of recorded rounds by Golf Canada reaching never-before-seen levels. That buzz, McKenna said, was definitely felt through the full summer schedule of Golf Canada championships.
There was success at every level, she continued.
Monet Chun was a perfect example. Chun, the Golf Canada National Team Member, won the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship presented by BDO but also went on to play in the finals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur and teed it up at the CP Women’s Open. There was also Shelly Stouffer, who won the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and proceeded to go on and win the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur plus the Canadian Senior Amateur.
“There were just so many great champions along the way,” said McKenna, pointing as well to the spectacular play of 12-year-old Lucy Lin. “Just to see the progression of some of these players through the calendar year… was just incredible. It was just great to be back at our host clubs seeing the dramatics of amateur golf and seeing their success throughout the summer.”
Golf Canada’s key partners also played an important role in the support and amplification of the amateur championships through 2022. There were also new sponsors like BDO, which came on board as the presenting sponsor of all of the amateur championships and Sargent Farms, which sponsored the World Junior Girls Championship.
“It’s certainly important to support our amateur championships. It just elevates our championships into premiere events. We were so fortunate this year having a number of new partners,” said McKenna. “In concert with our national partners with Titleist, Canadian Pacific, and Levelwear, just the continued support makes our events better and better for our players.”
While the partners play an important role in continuing to elevate the championships, the golf courses where they take place are also important. They could not be played without venues, of course.
In 2022 golfers had the opportunity to tee it up at such fine facilities as Royal Colwood Golf Club in Victoria, B.C., TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley, Westmount Golf and Country Club in Kitchener, Ontario, The Marshes in Ottawa, Point Grey Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, The Thornhill Club, Essex Golf and Country Club near Windsor, Breezy Bend Country Club in Manitoba, and Red Deer Golf and Country Club – just to name a few.
While not all the golf courses are confirmed for 2023 yet, McKenna said her team is particularly thrilled to bring the Men’s Amateur to The Pulpit Club’s two courses, plus Ashburn Golf Club in Halifax for the Women’s Amateur.
“Across the board,” said McKenna, “we’re going coast to coast at really some incredibly facilities.”
With lots of excitement from a fabulous 2022, great players, and amazing courses ready to host, 2023 is set to be another fantastic year of Golf Canada championships.
By: Adam Stanley/Golf Canada
Golf is all about community – friends, family, your local club or course. Everything is connected. It’s part of what makes this game so great.
The Canadian golf community was struck a blow this weekend as tropical storm Fiona impacted in the Atlantic provinces with wind speeds up to 177 km/h and sustained winds of over 100 km/h blowing for up to 10 hours in parts of the Maritimes.
Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, said the army would be deployed to help with clean-up efforts.
“This is hands down the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” journalist Rene Roy told the CBC.
“It looks like a bomb went off,” Newfoundland resident David Harvey told the National Post while working with displaced residents at a local Salvation Army.
Nine people are estimated to have died due to the storm, with nearly 13,000 people displaced, and at least 20 buildings destroyed.
One of those buildings was the clubhouse of the Stanhope Golf and Country Club in Charlottetown, P.E.I. It burned down Sept. 24, and the golf course will likely be closed for the balance of the season as there was significant damage there, too.
“This is a real loss for the community. It’s a community club,” said Merlin Affleck, the club’s head professional. “It’s just devastating.”
Plenty of other courses in Eastern Canada escaped from the wrath of the storm relatively unscathed including Cabot Cape Breton, and Digby Pines in western Nova Scotia took to social media to say they were “open as usual.”
Golf Prince Edward Island posted on Twitter on Sunday morning encouraging patience as turf crews assess and clean up any damages. The island is home to more than 25 courses and has long been a popular destination for tourists and Canadians alike to get feet on the fairway.
“Islanders are resilient, and we will get through this together,” the statement said.
After two summers of COVID-19 restrictions, golf in Atlantic Canada was opening its doors at an impressive clip before Fiona made landfall. If there was a silver lining to the time of the storm, the 2022 golf season is much closer to its conclusion than its beginning, and there will hopefully be enough time to get things settled and sorted before shutting things down for the winter.
Ryan Logan, Director of Golf Services at Golf Canada, says it’s no surprise to see the golf community in Eastern Canada band together.
While golf courses in Canada are just starting to exit from the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic – a situation that bonded golf courses unlike ever before – the clubs in eastern Canada will now need to come together again to get things back to relative normalcy before the end of the 2022 season.
“We’ve seen great strength and heard great stories of community support already,” says Logan. “This was a catastrophic environmental event and Golf Canada knows the staff at impacted clubs will bind together and hopefully be able to come out stronger on the other side.”
HAMPTON, N.B. – The NextGen Fall Series East Championship, fueled by JOURNIE Rewards, tees off this week with 65 amateur golfers taking the stage in Hampton, N.B.
Practice rounds are scheduled for Thursday, September 15, before the official 54-hole tournament gets underway on September 16. Play is scheduled to conclude September 18th with an awards ceremony scheduled immediately following play at Hampton Golf Club.
The starting field will feature 65 players –50 Junior Boys and 16 Junior Girls – vying for a spot in their respective Canadian Junior Championship later this summer. Thirteen players in the field hail from host province, New Brunswick, and 12 boys and eight girls are competing from the Bantam Division (Under 15 years of age).
The top 3 male competitors will earn a spot in the 2023 Canadian Jr Boys Championship, presented by BDO. The top 3 and female golfers (including ties) will also earn exemptions into next year’s Canadian Junior Girls Championship, presented by BDO, August 1-4, 2023, also at Hampton Golf Club.
“Hampton Golf Club is in excellent shape and will serve as a challenging test to this talented field of junior competitors,” said tournament director Melany Chong. “We look forward to what is sure to be an exciting competition and are grateful for the support from the community and our hard-working volunteers”.
The NextGen Fall Series East Championship is one of Golf Canada’s regional junior championships presented in partnership with JOURNIE Rewards. Ella Weber and Cameron Pero took home the honours in their respective divisions in 2021.
For the full schedule of 2022 competitions, click here.
Hampton Golf Club is a 18-hole located in the Town of Hampton, a 25-minute drive from Saint John, N.B. Hampton offers scenic views and sits high up on a hill overlooking Darlings Lake and the rolling hills of Kings County.
Additional information about the 2022 NextGen Fall Series East Championship can be found here.
Andreas Diogenous: Whistle Bear GC
Isaiah Ibit: Greyhawk GC
Jacob LeBlanc: Fox Creek Golf Club
Lindsay McGrath : Rattlesnake Point Golf Club
Emily McKee: Rattlesnake Pointe Golf Club
Carlee Meilleur: Loyalist Golf and Country Club
Kelly Zhao: Station Creek Golf Club
The NextGen Championships, fueled by JOURNIE Rewards is a high-performance junior golf series which totals eight competitions. From May to July, six championships will take place across Canada where the region’s best junior golfers will compete to earn exemptions into their respective 2022 national championships, with two Fall Series events taking place in September. NextGen Championships provide junior players an opportunity to develop and showcase their skills at the highest level of tournament golf.
RED DEER, Alta. – As the saying goes, there’s power in momentum. It’s a saying that Rusty Strawn knows all too well after securing back-to-back victories this September at the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship in Marion, Mass., and the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship, presented by BDO in Red Deer, Alta. Nine days separated the two wins. Needless to say, the McDonough, Ga. resident is going to need a bigger trophy case.
Heading into the final round at Red Deer Golf and Country Club, the 59-year-old shared the lead with fellow American, Mike Lohner of Southlake, Tex. The pair went back and forth throughout the day, both beginning their round at 5-under-par. It wasn’t until the back nine when Strawn hit a groove, birdieing three of his last eight holes to pull away from the pack to secure the 60th Canadian Men’s Senior Championship title.
“I was very fortunate last week to win the United States Senior Amateur,” said Strawn. “And of course, by doing it I got the exemption to the United States Mid-Amateur, and I told the people at the USGA, I said, there is no way I’m going to miss the Canadian Men’s Senior. I absolutely love it here.”
To celebrate, Strawn popped a bottle of champagne and toasted the volunteers, Red Deer Golf and Country Club staff, and fellow competitors “To my new Canadian friends!”. He also commented, “having my picture taken with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is the coolest picture I’ve ever taken.”
Strawn was also highly complimentary of the host club.
“It’s just been a wonderful week here in Red Deer,” said Strawn. “When I arrived here for my practice round on Sunday – probably the strength of my game is my putting – and when I rolled those first few putts on the practice green, I was like, I have nobody but myself to blame because they were absolutely awesome.”
Low Canadian Ken Griffith, who is a member at Red Deer Golf and Country Club, placed third on the leaderboard, carding a total score of 288, his best finish ever at the national championship. Fellow members, Grant Lee and Peter Innes also competed in the tournament and finished T7 and T15, respectively.
Frank Van Dornick ran away with the Super Senior division securing the title and the Governor’s Cup by 10 strokes.
Earlier in the week, host club Team Alberta won the 36-hole inter-provincial team competition in an impressive 11-stroke victory over runner-up Team British Columbia. Ken Griffith (Red Deer Golf & Country Club), Senan Foley (Public Player – Alberta), and Kelly Risling (Medicine Hat Golf & Country Club) shot a collective one-under to give Team Alberta the back-to-back victory as they defended their 2019 title and claimed the Phil Farley Memorial Trophy.
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Clear skies over Red Deer Golf and Country Club set the stage for a picturesque day in Red Deer, Alta. as the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship, presented by BDO, wrapped up its third day of play in the Energy Province.
For the third consecutive day, Mike Lohner continues to hold prime real estate at the top of the leaderboard, firing even par 72 to share the lead with fellow countryman Rusty Strawn. A resident of Southlake, Tex., Lohner finished second in the Carlton Woods Invitational earlier this year and is in the hunt for his first victory north of the border.
Strawn finished the first round tied for the top spot with Lohner, but dipped down to second place after navigating three bogeys during yesterday’s second round. After a steady performance today where the McDonough, Ga. resident made birdie on five holes, Strawn holds a share of the lead once again and will look to keep the momentum going after securing a victory at the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship last week.
Occupying the third spot, local golfer and Red Deer Golf and Country Club member Ken Griffith came in at one-under par today. Frank Van Dornick of Camrose, Alta. (4), and Dave Bunker of Ridgeway, Ont. (5) round out the top five with an even score.
In addition to sitting fourth for the overall tournament, Van Dornick also leads the 65-and-over Super Senior division that runs concurrently throughout the week. The Super Senior champion will be crowned tomorrow and awarded the Governor’s Cup.
Tomorrow promises to be an exciting battle of top amateur talent with an exemption into the 2023 U.S. Senior Amateur Championship on the line. Not only will the winner etch their name into the historic John Rankin Memorial Trophy, but also into Canadian golf history as the field of 156 top senior golfers comes down to one champion.
The final round is set to commence at 8:10 a.m. MT tomorrow with the awards ceremony scheduled to take place at approximately 3:00 p.m. MT at Red Deer Golf and Country Club.
2022 CANADIAN MEN’S SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 3 LEADERS
| T1 | Mike Lohner | Southlake, Tex. | 69-70-72—211 (-5) |
| T1 | Rusty Strawn | McDonough, Ga. | 69-71-71—211 (-5) |
| 3 | Ken Griffith | Red Deer, Alta. | 71-69-75—215 (-1) |
| 4 | Frank Van Dornick | Camrose, Alta. | 73-70-73—216 (E) |
| 5 | Dave Bunker | Ridgeway, Ont. | 74-70-73—219 (+3) |
2022 CANADIAN MEN’S SUPER-SENIOR DIVISION ROUND 3 LEADERS
| 1 | Frank Van Dornick | Camrose, Alta. | 73-70-73—216 (E) |
| T2 | Michael Mealia | Aurora, Ont. | 76-75-75—226 (+10) |
| T2 | David Schultz | Calgary, Alta. | 73-79-74—226 (+10) |
| 4 | Jim Russell | Calgary, Alta. | 77-75-75—227 (+11) |
Additional information, including a full list of competitors and scores can be found here.