By: Dan Pino

Windsor, Ont. – Kurtis Barkley of Williamsburg, Ont. and Natasha Stasiuk of Oakville, Ont. both completed wire-to-wire victories to defend their respective Gross Stroke Play titles at the second annual Canadian All Abilities Championship, presented by BDO and hosted at Essex Golf and Country Club in Windsor, Ont.

Barkley followed up an opening-round 4-under 67 with an even par 71 on Wednesday to finish the championship at 4-under 138, one shot better than runner-up Chris Willis of Aurora, Ont. whose round of 1-under 70 was the low round of the day.

“The conditions were awesome tee to green. It’s a ball striker course you know, tee to green which I’m usually pretty good at it. I think I hit 14 greens today and I hit 17 yesterday, so it was definitely suited to my game,” said Barkley, a member of Cedar Glen Golf Course who came into the championship ranked no. 6 on the World Gross Ranking for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD). “I played smart percentage wise, and Kris is an amazing player. I battled with him in the Ontario one and I look forward to many battles with this guy.”

Rounding out the top-five behind Barkley (67-71—138) and Willis (69-70—139) were Jesse Florkowski of Medicine Hat, Alta. (73-72—145), Michael Pisaric of Fort Erie, Ont. (77-77—154) and local product Kevin Delaney of Windsor (76-81—157).   

The win marks back-to-back victories in the Men’s Gross Stroke Play division for the 34-year-old Barkley, who won the inaugural Canadian All Abilities Championship in 2021 at Humber Valley Golf Club in Toronto. Barkley’s impressive season also includes a victory at the 2022 Ontario Disability Championship in July, his fourth consecutive win at the provincial event.

In the women’s Gross Stroke Play division, defending champion Natasha Stasiuk carded rounds of 84-82 to finish 24-over 166. The 24-year-old Oakville, Ont., native finished 13 strokes ahead of runner-up Tess Trojan of St. Catharines, Ont. (91-88—179).

“It feels pretty awesome and amazing,” said Stasiuk, who also collected her fourth consecutive title at the Ontario Disability Championship earlier this summer. “It was a tough situation. It was back-to-back-to-back with Tess on the back nine. I’ve been working a lot on my game, my mental game. I went to Pinehurst in July, and it helped me prepare for this.”

For the Women’s Net Stableford Competition, Trojan, a public player with the Golf Canada, earned 39 stableford points in the second round for tournament total of 74 stableford points to defend her division title. Trojan finished 20 points clear of Stasiuk who earned 28 points Wednesday and a tournament total of 54 stableford points.

In the Men’s Net Stableford competition, the local favourite Delaney, a member of Pointe West Golf Club in Windsor, earned 35 stableford points Wednesday to finish with 75 total points for the championship, two clear of Pisaric (73). Rounding out the top-five were Randall Mackus of Prince George, B.C., (72) in third and Willis in fourth (71) with Vic McLelland of High River, Alta. and Kristian Hammerback of Winnipeg, Man. in a share of fifth at 70 stableford points.

Click here for complete final results from the 2022 Canadian All Abilities Championship.

A total of 39 players, regardless of disability classification, competed over 36 holes across four divisions— Women’s Gross Stroke Play; Women’s Net Stableford; Men’s Gross Stroke Play; and Men’s Net Stableford. 

As a legacy of the second annual Canadian All Abilities Golf Championship, Golf Canada was proud to donate a SoloRider (Para Golfer adaptive golf equipment) to the City of Windsor to support golfers with a disability. The SoloRider will be utilized at the Roseland Golf & Curling Club.  

A venue for the 2023 Canadian All Abilities Championship will be announced at later date.

The Canadian All Abilities Championship was contested September 13-14 as a 36-hole competition featuring players from Canada and the United States with neurological, intellectual, sensory, and physical impairments. First held in 2021 at Humber Valley Golf Course, the competition supports Golf Canada’s commitment to create a more inclusive and respectful sport environment across the Canadian golf community.

Golf Canada has worked with several partner organizations on the Canadian All Abilities Championship including Special Olympics Canada, Blind Golf Canada, Canadian Amputee Golf Association, Emeritus Golf, The R&A, EDGA, and others to ensure an inclusive and fair competition is provided to the athletes.

By: Dan Pino

Tess Trojan and Randall Mackus lead in the Women’s and Men’s Net Stableford Competitions

Windsor, Ont. – Defending champions Natasha Stasiuk of Oakville, Ont. and Kurtis Barkley of Williamsburg, Ont. have jumped out to an early-opening lead at the second playing of Canadian All Abilities Championship, presented by BDO and hosted at the Essex Golf and Country Club in Windsor, Ont.

A total of 39 players, regardless of disability classification, are competing over 36 holes across four divisions— Women’s Gross Stroke Play; Women’s Net Stableford; Men’s Gross Stroke Play; and Men’s Net Stableford. 

In the Women’s Gross Stroke Play Competition, Stasiuk, a member of Heron Point Golf Links who won the 2021 Women’s Gross Stroke Play title at the Canadian All Abilities Championship, shot a 13-over 84 and heads into Wednesday’s final round with a seven-shot lead over Tess Trojan of St. Catharines. Earlier this year Stasiuk won the 2022 Ontario Disability Championship.

For the Women’s Net Stableford Competition, Trojan, a public player with the Golf Canada, earned 35 total stableford points and leads Stasiuk (26) by nine points. Trojan also won the Women’s Net Stableford Competition in 2021.

In the Men’s Gross Stroke Play Competition, Barkley, currently ranked no. 6 on the World Ranking for Golfers with Disabilities (WR4GWD), fired an opening-round 4-under 67 to take a two-shot lead into Wednesday’s final round. A member of Cedar Glen Golf Course, Barkley also won the 2022 Ontario Disability Championship in July.

Chris Willis of Aurora, Ont. sits alone in second at 2-under 69 while Jesse Florkowski of Medicine Hat, Alta. (2-over 73), local product Kevin Delaney of Windsor (5-over 76) and Michael Pisaric (6-over 77) round out the top-five.

In the Men’s Net Stableford competition, Randall Mackus, a member of Prince George Golf and Country Club, earned 42 total stableford points Tuesday and leads Delaney by two points. Vic McLelland of High River, Alta. is third with 39 points with Pisaric is fourth with 37 points. Barkley and Willis round out the top-five with 36 points each.

The national golf championship is being contested September 13-14 as a 36-hole competition and features players from Canada and the United States with neurological, intellectual, sensory, and physical impairments. First held in 2021 at Humber Valley Golf Course, the competition supports Golf Canada’s commitment to create a more inclusive and respectful sport environment across the Canadian golf community.

Golf Canada has worked with several partner organizations on the Canadian All Abilities Championship including Special Olympics Canada, Blind Golf Canada, Canadian Amputee Golf Association, Emeritus Golf, The R&A, EDGA, and others to ensure an inclusive and fair competition is provided to the athletes.

Click here for opening-round results from the 2022 Canadian All Abilities Championship.

By: Dan Pino

WINDSOR, Ont. – The Canadian All Abilities Championship, presented by BDO, heads to Essex Golf and Country Club this week to celebrate the second playing of the now-annual championship.
 
With international competitors permitted to take part this year following restrictions in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the field will expand to feature 39 golfers from Canada and the United States.
 
The national golf championship will be contested September 13-14 as a 36-hole competition and will feature players with neurological, intellectual, sensory, and physical impairments. First held in 2021 at Humber Valley Golf Course, the competition supports Golf Canada’s commitment to create a more inclusive and respectful sport environment across the Canadian golf community.
 
“We are extremely proud to host the Canadian All Abilities Championship, a signature event on Golf Canada’s calendar that demonstrates our ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said Golf Canada Director of Rules and Championships, Mary Beth McKenna. “Essex Golf and Country Club will prove to be an excellent test for our talented competitors, and we look forward to an exciting competition ahead.”
 
There are four different divisions in the Canadian All Abilities Championship that players will compete in, regardless of disability classification: Women’s Gross Stroke Play; Women’s Net Stableford; Men’s Gross Stroke Play; and Men’s Net Stableford. 
 
Williamsburg, Ont., product Kurtis Barkley will return to defend his title in the Men’s Gross Stroke Play division. The 34-year-old is currently ranked no. 6 on the World Ranking for Golfers with Disabilities (WR4GD) and carded the lowest score in last years tournament at 3-under 67.  Barkley, who is a member at Cedar Glen Golf Course, also claimed victory at the 2022 Ontario Disability Championship back in July.
 
2021 Women’s Gross Stroke Play champion Natasha Stasiuk will also make her way to Essex Golf and Country Club to compete for a chance at back-to-back victories. Like Barkley, the Oakville, Ont. resident came out on top of her division at the 2022 Ontario Disability Championship.
 
2021 Canadian All Abilities Women’s Net Stableford champion Tess Trojan will also return to the field to compete in the second playing of the championship in Windsor.
 
Essex Golf and Country Club was designed by renowned golf course architect Donald Ross and played host to the Canadian Open in 1976 won by Jerry Pate. In 1998 the club also hosted the world’s finest female golfers by staging one of the four “Majors” on the LPGA tour, the du Maurier Classic, won by Brandie Burton. This year, the club celebrates its 120th year of operation.
 
As part of Golf Canada’s commitment to create a more inclusive and respectful sport environment, the national sport federation in concert with the PGA of Canada has also launched the EDGA 359 Pilot Project, partnering with EDGA (formerly the European Disabled Golf Association) on coach training designed to demystify adaptive golf and give coaches the confidence needed to launch and develop programs for golfers with disabilities across Canada. More information about the EDGA 359 Pilot Project is available here.
 
More information about the 2022 Canadian All Abilities Championship can be found here.

(August 10, 2021) – Golf Canada is committed to providing the highest level of competition for amateur golfers of all abilities and is proud to announce the inaugural Canadian All Abilities Championship will be conducted September 22-24 at Humber Valley Golf Course in Toronto.

The national golf championship will be contested as a 36-hole competition and will feature a maximum of 84 players from across Canada with neurological, intellectual, sensory and physical impairments. 

Originally scheduled to launch in 2020, but delayed due to restrictions from the pandemic, the All Abilities Championships supports Golf Canada’s commitment to create a more inclusive and respectful sport environment across the Canadian golf community. 

“We are extremely proud to officially announce the formation of the inaugural Canadian All Abilities Championship,” said Golf Canada Chief Sport Officer Kevin Blue. “We are happy to contest another national golf championship for a new group of talented and committed competitors. We also want to thank our friends at the City of Toronto for sharing in this inclusive journey and inviting the athletes to compete for a national title at Humber Valley.” 

Registration for the Canadian All Abilities Championship will open on August 11 at 12:00 pm ET. Players must have a Golf Canada membership to compete in the championship and can register to participate at www.golfcanada.ca/championships. 

Humber Valley Golf Course is a municipal golf facility located on the west bank of the Humber River. The club has invested a significant amount of capital in recent years to improve accessibility and course conditions to appeal to golfers of all ability and skill levels.

“Humber Valley Golf Course is celebrating 100 years of operation this year”, said Toronto Mayor, John Tory. “City staff have worked hard to update course conditions over recent years to improve accessibility and allow golfers of all abilities and skill levels to play. I’m delighted that Humber Valley Golf Course is able to host athletes to compete for a national title at the inaugural Canadian All Abilities Championship.”

Golf Canada is working with several partner organizations on the Canadian All Abilities Championship including Special Olympics Canada, Blind Golf Canada, Canadian Amputee Golf Association, Emeritus Golf, Canadian Deaf Sports Association, ParaGolf Canada, The R&A, and many more, to ensure an inclusive and fair competition is provided to the athletes.

One week prior to the Canadian All Abilities Championship, Golf Ontario will be conducting the 3rd Ontario Disability Championship from September 15-17 at Woodington Lake Golf Club in Tottenham, Ont.  

The launch of the Canadian All Abilities Championship coincides with Golf Canada’s commitment to developing a more inclusive and inviting culture and engaging diverse communities in the sport and across its organization. 

Golf Canada acknowledges and respects the Indigenous Peoples of Canada that for hundreds of generations have been the keepers of the territories where we all live and work.  We also acknowledge, along with our partners at the City of Toronto, that Humber Valley Golf Course is located on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We also acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit.

A complete list of Golf Canada’s competitions is available here.