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

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – The PGA TOUR announced today that Rory McIlroy has been named the 2019 PGA TOUR Player of the Year as voted by the TOUR’s membership for the 2018-19 season. McIlroy will receive the Jack Nicklaus Award for winning PGA TOUR Player of the Year for the third time in his career (2012, 2014, 2019).

Sungjae Im was voted 2019 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year and will receive the Arnold Palmer Award, renamed in 2019 as a tribute to its namesake’s influence on countless young players and a fitting honor for its recipients, who will shape the game and the PGA TOUR for generations to come.

PGA TOUR members who played at least 15 official FedExCup events during the 2018-19 season were eligible to vote. The balloting process ended on September 6.

McIlroy, 30, of Holywood, Northern Ireland, won the FedExCup for the second time (2016, 2019), becoming just the second player to win the season-long race multiple times (Tiger Woods), and the first player to win THE PLAYERS Championship and the FedExCup in the same season. With three wins on the season (THE PLAYERS, RBC Canadian Open, TOUR Championship), McIlroy matched Brooks Koepka for the most on TOUR, and marked the third time he collected three or more victories in a single season. McIlroy also won the Byron Nelson Award for Adjusted Scoring Average (69.057) for the third time in his career and led the PGA TOUR in Top-10s (14) and Strokes Gained: Total (2.551).

“On behalf of the PGA TOUR, my congratulations to Rory McIlroy on being voted the 2019 PGA TOUR Player of the Year by the TOUR’s membership,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “While there are a number of honors one can receive in this game, PGA TOUR Player of the Year has to be among the most satisfying as it comes directly from his peers. Rory’s season was a model of consistency punctuated by milestone victories and ultimately the FedExCup in Atlanta.”

One heck of a year, champ! Congrats to @McIlroyRory on being named the #PGATOUR’s 2018-19 Player of the Year! ????#LiveUnderPar #RBCCO pic.twitter.com/mluGMjWGId

— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) September 11, 2019

After one start in the fall of 2018 (World Golf Championships/HSBC Champions), McIlroy opened the 2019 calendar year with top-sixes in his first five starts before winning THE PLAYERS for his 15th career PGA TOUR victory. He became only the third player to win THE PLAYERS, a major, the FedExCup and a World Golf Championships event in a career, joining Tiger Woods and Henrik Stenson.

Six starts later, McIlroy made his tournament debut at the RBC Canadian Open, where he set the tournament record and won by seven shots, the largest winning margin of the season.

Three of McIlroy’s 14 top-10 finishes came at World Golf Championships events: Mexico Championship/2, Dell Technologies Match Play/T9 and FedEx St. Jude Invitational/T4.

McIlroy ended the PGA TOUR Regular Season at No. 2 in the FedExCup standings, claiming second place in the inaugural Wyndham Rewards Top 10, a $10 million bonus pool split among the top-10 finishers in the FedExCup Regular Season.

McIlroy entered the TOUR Championship at No. 5 in the FedExCup standings, beginning the FedExCup Playoffs finale at 5-under, based on the new FedExCup Starting Strokes system. With rounds of 66-67-68-66, McIlroy won the TOUR Championship and hoisted the FedExCup for the second time in his career.

McIlroy was selected for the honor over (alphabetically) Brooks Koepka, Matt Kuchar and Xander Schauffele.

Im, a 21-year-old native of Jeju, South Korea, was the only rookie to advance to the TOUR Championship and finished the season tied for 19th in the FedExCup standings. With his Rookie of the Year honors, Im joins Stewart Cink (1996-97) as the only players to be named the Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year and PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year in consecutive seasons.

For the season, Im made 26 cuts in 35 starts, becoming the first rookie in the FedExCup era to play 35 or more events. He recorded seven top-10s, highlighted by three top-fives, with his best finish of the season coming at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, where he tied for third.

See you next year, Rors! #RBCCO pic.twitter.com/Lq6vzGCXJU

— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) June 10, 2019

“Congratulations to Sungjae on being voted 2019 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year,” said Monahan. “His ‘Ironman’ season was remarkably consistent from start-to-finish, and his fellow players raved about his all-around game throughout the year. Like so many Korn Ferry Tour graduates, he arrived on the PGA TOUR prepared to compete with the world’s best, and his season was a reflection of a maturity beyond his 21 years.”

Im was selected for the honor over (alphabetically) Cameron Champ, Adam Long, Collin Morikawa and Matthew Wolff.

GLENEAGLES, Scotland – Suzann Pettersen stood over the final shot of her golfing career, not quite realizing it also was the last shot of the most dramatic Solheim Cup ever played.

Europe’s players had their hands over their mouths, and their captain could barely watch. Blissfully unaware of what was unfolding was 1-year-old Herman, Pettersen’s first child who was also among the thousands around the 18th green at Gleneagles.

The putt was from 7 feet, slightly left to right, and it never looked like missing.

After being mobbed by her teammates on the 18th green, an emotional Pettersen held Herman in her arms and kissed him. The Europeans had regained the Solheim Cup and one of the stalwarts of women’s golf had her perfect ending.

“Yeah, this is it. I’m completely done,” said the 38-year-old Pettersen, confirming her sudden decision to retire. “It doesn’t get any better.”

On an afternoon of singles matches that pretty much had everything, Europe secured a 14 1/2-13 1/2 win over the United States to claim the biggest team prize in female golf for the first time since 2013.

The final act, spread over two holes with virtually simultaneous putts, could not have been more thrilling.

Just as Pettersen was addressing her putt at No. 18, U.S. player Ally McDonald slid a putt to the right of the hole at No. 17 and walked up to Bronte Law to concede the match in favour of the Europeans.

The score changed to 13 1/2-13 1/2 and – without her even realizing – the outcome of the contest hinged on Pettersen.

“I thought Bronte was in behind me on the (18th) fairway,” Pettersen said. “I actually didn’t know that it was THE putt.”

That it was Pettersen who secured the winning point felt apt.

She was a contentious wild-card pick by European captain Catriona Matthew because Pettersen had played just two tournaments – missing the cut in both – since November 2017. She had time off before and after giving birth to Herman, and then because of injury.

Pettersen also had a score to settle with the Solheim Cup. In her most recent appearance, at St. Leon-Rot in Germany in 2015, she refused to concede a short putt to Alison Lee on the 17th hole of a tight fourballs match before the singles on the final day. There were angry exchanges, and it stoked a fire inside the Americans as they fought back from 10-6 down going into the singles to win 14 1/2-13 1/2.

Pettersen later apologized.

“She gone from villain to hero,” said Laura Davies, one of the European vice captains.

Pettersen’s redemption story was delivered in Scotland, the home of golf, where the U.S. team hasn’t now won in three attempts. Playing in her ninth Solheim Cup, Pettersen won two of her three matches and is now a four-time Solheim Cup winner.

The day started with the teams locked at 8-8 after four sessions, and the first definitive break of the entire contest happened when the Americans took the lead for the first time since Friday lunchtime, at 12-11.

At 13 1/2-11 1/2, they needed just a half-point from the final three singles matches out on the course to guarantee retaining the cup, but then came the European fightback.

Anna Nordqvist completed a 4-and-3 win over Morgan Pressel. Then, on No. 17, Law sealed a 2-and-1 win over McDonald to tie the score. Pettersen delivered for Europe on No. 18, but only after her opponent, Marina Alex, slid a 10-foot birdie putt wide that, if it had found the hole, would have been enough for the U.S.

“I told them afterward, the sun’s going to come up tomorrow,” said U.S. captain Juli Inkster, when asked what she’d said to her players. “It was great for women’s golf. We played great.

“But you know what, the Europeans played great. You tip your hat. And you move on to Toledo.”

Inkster won’t be there in 2021, confirming afterward that she will not be captain for a fourth straight match. She finishes with two victories from three Solheim Cups as captain.

Two of the Americans, in particular, will still look back on the week with fond memories despite the loss. Jessica and Nelly Korda, the first sisters to play together in the fourballs or foursomes at the Solheim Cup, both finished with 3 1/2 points from four matches after coming from behind to win in the singles.

Nelly Korda, out in Match 2, was 3 down after nine holes against Caroline Hedwall but won 2 up. Jessica Korda, who at age 26 is five years older than her sister, beat Caroline Masson 3 and 2 after being 2 down.

Other key interventions for the U.S. in the singles came from Megan Khang, who birdied No. 18 to claim a half-point against Charley Hull, and Lizette Salas, who parred the last for a 1-up win over Anne van Dam.

But Europe, which had a historically inferior record in singles, managed to win the session 6 1/2-5 1/2 after victories in three of the first matches to finish – including Georgia Hall taking down world No. 3 Lexi Thompson 2 and 1 – and then those last three matches.

Hall and Celine Boutier, a 2-and-1 winner over Annie Park, both won all four of their matches.

Thompson, the highest-ranked player at Gleneagles, collected just two half-points from four matches.

Matthew, carried shoulder-high by her players on the 18th green, celebrated victory in her home country.

And Pettersen closed her career with 21 points in the Solheim Cup, the Norwegian described by Matthew as “one of the trailblazers in women’s golf.”

“Coming down No. 18, Beany (Matthew) said, ‘It’s why I picked you,”’ Pettersen said. “In your wildest dreams, especially where I’ve come from, I never thought I was going to do this again.”

The year started with 14 teams but only 2 remained for the 2019 Past Presidents Cup Inter-Club Challenge, held at the Memramcook Valley Golf Club on September 14^th & 15^th. The Past Presidents’ Cup, Inter-club Challenge, now in its 20^th year, is a competition run by Golf New Brunswick (Golf NB) where clubs enter a 16-player team (divided into five different handicap flights). Each round of the competition consists of a home and home series between the clubs with the winner advancing to the next round.  This year the Nackawic Golf & Country Club and the Lakeside Golf & Country Club were the final two teams to face off for the title of 2019 Past Presidents’ Cup Champions.

The participants in the Past Presidents’ Cup Inter Club Challenge are divided into five handicap flights as follows;

The event started play both days on the 10th hole so the nines were reversed from their usual play. Day one was met with cloudy skies and high winds making for tough and cool conditions. The first match of the day saw the A-Flight Lakeside Duo of Remi Comeau and Larry Strong take 11 points to jump to a 4-point lead over their Nackawic opponents of Harold Christie and Liam Crawford who gathered 7 points.

The second pairing of the day had B-flight players which saw Lakeside partners Donnie Maillet and Donovan Mallaley take a commanding lead on their front done (but the back nine on the golf course) taking 8 of the 9 available points. The Nackawic Team of Jamie Pollock and Jody Crawford got a few more points on their back nine but Lakeside took the match by 13.5 points to 4.5 points.

Match #3 (also B-flight), would see Lakeside continue to apply the pressure with Paul LeBlanc and Gary MacDonald  take a 3 point lead on the first nine but the Nackawic partners, David Konefal and Brandon Bradley tied them on the second nine and held them to the 3 point win. This had the Lakeside Team leading 35 to 19 at this point in the day.

Match #4 was the start of the C-flight and Lakeside’s Todd Benoit and Rowan Garnett continued to put Lakeside ahead with a 4-point lead after nine holes. Matt Hinton and Jeremie Martin from Nackawic won 3 of those points back on their final nine to lose by 1 point with Lakeside winning 9.5 points to Nackawic’s 8.5 points.

The second C-flight group and Match #5 saw the first tie of the day when the Lakeside group of Roger Robinson and Brian Waite had an even match with Nackawic’s Tony Bradley and Dave McConaghy. The overall points now found Lakeside at 53.5 points over Nackawic’s 36.5 points.

That spurred the next Nackawic team and first D-flight group of Cody Price and Jeff Sharpe grabbed a 4-shot lead on their front nine but the Lakeside team of Rick Fury and Jeff Worton held them to a tie on the back for the first Nackawic win of the day. The # 7 match was a good one for Nackawic and their comeback attempt as the final D-flight match saw the largest upset of the day. Jonathon Goodine and Craig Briggs took 14 points to Lakeside’s Eddie Saulnier and Richard Russel’s 4 points closing the overall score to a lakeside lead of only 3 points (64.5 to 61.5).

The final match of the day found the E-flight players hit the course. Lakeside’s Ray Melanson and Brian Bell won 6 points on each nine to Nackawic’s Tim MacFarland and Ian Kitchen who managed 3 points a side finishing 12 points to 6 points. This allowed Lakeside to cushion their lead to 9 points.

All of this added up to 76.5 points for the Lakeside Golf & Country Club Team and 67.5 points for the Nackawic Golf & Country Club at the end of Day 1. Points can change hands quickly in this format so it will be interesting to see how the second round plays out. The first team to 145 points will win the Past Presidents’ Cup.

Day 2 brought no wind and a nice temperature in which to play the course. Match #1 had the A-flight start the day again and it was the team from Lakeside, Remi Comeau and Lanny Strong continued their strong play and grabbed a 5.5 to 3.5 points lead after their front nine but the Nackawic team of Harold Christie and Liam Crawford didn’t back down and won the inward nine by the same numbers by winning 4 holes in a row for a 9 to 9 point tie.

The B-flight started Match #2 where Lakeside’s own Donny Maillet and young Donovan Mallaley continued their winning ways by beating the team from Nackawic, Jamie Pollock and Jody Crawford, by a margin of 5 points.

Match #3 had the second group of the B-flight  where Paul LeBlanc and Gary McDonald from Lakeside was ahead by 1 point on their outward nine but won by 3 points on the way in for a 4 point win over Nackawic’s Team Captain, David Konefal and his partner Brandon Bradley. After Match 3 Lakeside 31.5 points compared to Nackawic’s 22.5 for the overall 2-day total of 108 to 90 points.

C-flight players followed in Match #4 and Todd Benoit and Rowan Garnett who represent Lakeside faced off against Nackawic’s Matt Hinton and Jeremie Martin. Lakeside kept the accelerator to the floor by stealing 7 of the available 9 points on their opening nine. Nackawic played better on the their inward nine and only gave up 1 point for a 12 point to 6- point Lakeside win.

Match # 5 found Lakeside players Roger Robinson and Brian Waite play Nackawic’s Tony Bradley and Dave McConaghy and things were still going Lakeside’s way. Lakeside was ahead by 4 points on the first nine but Nackawic started to fight back to win 2 points on the way in for a 2-point Lakeside win. After the C-flights were finished the day total was Lakeside at 53.5 points to Nackawic’s 36.5 points and an overall total, at this point, of 130 to 90 points.

Match #6 and the start of the D-flight found Lakeside’s own Eddie Saulnier and Richard Russell were down after their first nine by a point over Nackawic members Cody Price and Jeff Sharpe but righted the ship coming in to win by two and an 1-point match win of 9.5 to 8.5 points.

Match # 7 ended up being the winning match as Lakeside’s Rick Fury and Jeff Worton and
Nackawic players Jonathon Goodine and Craig Briggs tied the match but the 9 points for the Lakeside team put them over the 145 total needed to win the cup as Lakeside now had 148.5 points.

The final match of the day in the E-flight concluded with Lakeside golfers Ray Melanson and Brian Bell and Nackawic players Tim MacFarland and Ian Kitchen. It was the only match that Nackawic won on the day as both teams were tied after the first nine with 4.5 points each but Nackawic gained 2 points on the last nine. The final score on Day 2 was Lakeside 80 and Nackawic 64 for a tournament total of 156.5 to 131.5 points. Lakeside’s Captain and Head Golf Professional, Mike Perry added this, “Thank you to the Memramcook Golf Club for hosting the finals this year and for Nackawic for being great competitors. This is our first win and these players have made it a special time, so this trophy is for you, boys! Thank you!”

It was another successful finish to the Past Presidents’ Cup. Memramcook Valley Golf Club was a wonderful host and the course was in magnificent condition. Well done to the two finalists for a tournament well-played and congratulations to the Lakeside Golf & Country Club for winning the Cup.

For more information on the Memramcook Valley Golf 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 10,000 members include: 12 provincial events, rules of golf education, course rating and handicap services, junior golf development programs and member club marketing initiatives.