TORONTO – In a year unlike any other, which included the PGA TOUR’s longest hiatus since World War II due to Covid-19, a record number (7) Canadians held PGA TOUR status while the country as a whole impressed across both the amateur and professional ranks.

The Golf Journalists Association of Canada (GJAC) is proud to announce Brooke Henderson, Mackenzie Hughes, Laurent Desmarchais and Brigitte Thibault as the 2020 Players of the Year as voted by GJAC members across the country. Along with the player awards, the surge in popularity in golf across Canada was voted as the story of the year.

“Each year, GJAC is proud to recognize and applaud the incredible performances by Canadian professional and amateur players,” said Rick Young, GJAC President. “While 2020 was a difficult year, players across Canada continue to record performances that make covering their achievements and telling the stories behind them a joy for our members.”

After claiming two wins in 2019 to become the winningest Canadian golfer of all time, Henderson continued to make headlines in 2020, making all but one cut on the LPGA Tour, including five top-10 finishes and a runner-up showing at the ANA Inspirational. The 23-year old finished the season with the second-lowest scoring average on Tour (69.7) and is currently the sixth-ranked female professional player in the world.

Mackenzie Hughes was named Male Professional of the Year after recording his best season to date, earning six top-10 PGA TOUR finishes in 22 starts. The 30-year old’s season was highlighted by a runner-up finish at the Honda Classic, where he posted 66 in both the third and final round, and the Tour Championship, where he finished in 14^th place in the FedEx Cup standings, the best of any Canadian since 2013 (Grahem DeLaet, 8^th).

For the second-consecutive year, Rosemére, Quebec’s Brigitte Thibault earned honours as Female Amateur of the Year after another standout season that included wins at the Women’s Western Amateur and the Women’s Dixie Amateur. In addition, Thibault earned two top-3 collegiate finishes with the Fresno State Bulldogs.

Finally, Longueuil, Quebec’s Laurent Desmarchais was named Male Amateur of the Year after claiming a victory over both amateurs and professionals in the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s Canada Life Series Championship at TPC Toronto. In addition, Desmarchais was named to the Golf Canada’s National Amateur team due to his standout play.

The Nova Scotia Golf Association announces the resignation of David Campbell, Executive Director of the NSGA. It is bittersweet but the Association is pleased for David, as he has chosen to pursue interests outside of the golf industry.

David has been the Executive Director of the NSGA for the past 15 years, and had become the face of the association.

Throughout his time at the NSGA David has managed numerous Provincial, Regional, and National Championships, and has worked closely with members, member clubs across the province, and key stakeholders at Golf Canada. He most recently navigated the NSGA and the game of golf through the unprecedented 2020 season which was COVID-19.

David embraced the challenge that COVID-19 presented to golf in Nova Scotia. His hard work and efforts collaborating with like industry stakeholders resulted in a successful 2020 season.

We will miss David’s professionalism, dynamic personality and leadership.

On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff of the NSGA, please join us in wishing David continued success in his future endeavours.

Sincerely,

Golf Canada is pleased to announce that Kevin Blue has joined the National Sport Federation as its new Chief Sport Officer.

A dynamic and accomplished executive, coach, and high-performance golfer, Blue joins the Executive Team of the National Sport Federation after serving nearly five years as Director of Athletics for the University of California, Davis, an NCAA Division I institute.

His responsibilities with Golf Canada as Chief Sport Officer include the oversight, management and strategic development of key functional areas including golf services with a focus on membership; high-performance player development; sport and junior programs including First Tee – Canada; amateur competitions; and governing body activities across the Rules of Golf, Handicapping, Course Rating and Amateur Status. Blue will be a lead contact with numerous provincial, national, and international stakeholders.

“Kevin brings a depth of executive leadership experience across business, education, coaching and high-performance sport, and we are thrilled to have him elevate our sport, golf services and player development activities,” said Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum. “He is a transformative leader and passionate advocate for Canadian golf who will bring tremendous energy and enthusiasm to improving the golfer, facility and athlete experience at all levels.”

For Blue, born in Montreal and raised in Toronto, the opportunity to return to Canada to champion the growth of golf was an opportunity to apply his executive leadership experiences across the sport that has been a lifelong passion.

“Golf has impacted my life in extraordinary ways,” said Blue. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to return home and help to extend the reach of our sport to more Canadians. I’m also very excited to partner with our athletes, coaches, and many others in the golf community nation-wide to continue building Canada’s global prominence in the sport we love.”

As Director of Athletics for the University of California, Davis, Blue oversaw a $41M athletic department featuring 25 collegiate teams. He led record-setting fundraising campaigns at UC Davis that supported coaching endowments, athlete scholarships, and the construction of multi-million-dollar facilities including a $52M student-athlete performance centre currently under construction. In addition to facilitating all-time academic results for student-athletes and competitive success on the field of play, he implemented a formal diversity, equity and inclusion strategy for coaches and senior-level hires as well as mandatory implicit bias training for all employees.

Prior to joining UC Davis, Blue honed his executive management skills over three years as the Senior Associate Athletic Director, External Relations with Stanford University where he had oversight of key external business units including ticket sales, sponsorships, marketing, communications, business strategy, ticket operations, fan experience, and video. As a key member of the athletic department senior executive team, he contributed to strategic planning, policy, personnel, sponsor relations, and university integration in addition to launching the Pac-12 Network at Stanford. As a Lecturer at Stanford, he taught an introductory Sport Psychology course and constructed a curriculum that surveyed topics related to peak performance, talent development and mental health. He also taught a graduate level course on Strategic Management for Sport Business at the University of San Francisco.

Other leadership roles during his time at Stanford included three years as Associate Athletic Director and two years as an Athletics Department Fellow. Prior to Stanford, Blue was involved in high-performance golf, providing sport psychology and short game coaching to professional and elite amateur golfers.

An accomplished amateur golfer growing up in Toronto, Blue played in numerous provincial and national amateur competitions and spent time with Golf Canada’s National Junior Golf Team (prior to the formation of the Team Canada program) and represented Canada at the 2001 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Japan. He attended Stanford University on a varsity golf scholarship where he earned his B.A. in Psychology, was a captain on the golf team, and was an NCAA Academic All-American.

He went on to attend Michigan State University where earned his Ph.D. in Sport Psychology and then completed an executive education program at Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Blue has authored a multitude of articles on topics related to sport, education, and business.

Blue will be returning to Canada with his wife Betsy and their four children and is set to begin his role as Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer in early January 2021.

NOTE: pictures of Kevin Blue are available here.

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Golf Canada is pleased to announce the names of the 29 athletes, male and female, who have been selected to represent Team Canada as part of the 2021 National Amateur and Junior Squads.

Fifteen athletes will compete on Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad, consisting of eight players on the men’s squad and seven on the women’s squad.

The announcement marks a significant increase in roster size, adding six athletes to the previous year’s team. The roster expansion is due in large part to a restructuring of team resources in addition to increased funding support from the Golf Canada Foundation’s network of Trustee partners.

“We are very pleased to extend the reach of the Team Canada program to support more of the country’s top athletes,” said Derek Ingram, Head Coach of the National Men’s Squads. “The new program structure allows our coaching staff to focus more resources on training and sport science with each athlete’s individual results used to determine their respective competitive schedule.”

Team Canada’s 2021 Squad members have all competed and achieved impressive results at regional, national, and international competitions, including medals at the Pan-Am Games, NCAA tournament wins and victories at prestigious amateur competitions. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all athletes from the 2020 Squad were able to return in 2021, provided they met team eligibility criteria.

“We are very excited with the athletes selected – they represent a mix of returning team members as well as talented up-and-coming athletes,” said Tristan Mullally, Head Coach of the National Women’s Squads. “It is a new chapter for amateur golf in Canada and we have a tremendous group of ambassadors representing our country.”

The following athletes have been selected to Team Canada’s 2021 Amateur Squad:

WOMEN’S AMATEUR SQUAD

Taylor Kehoe | Strathroy, Ont. – West Haven Golf & Country Club
Alisha Lau | Richmond, B.C. – Marine Drive Golf Club
Noémie Paré | Victoriaville, Qué. – Club de golf de Victoriaville
Mary Parsons | Delta, B.C. – Mayfair Lakes Golf Club
Sarah-Ève Rhéaume | Québec, Qué. – Club de golf Royal Québec
Brigitte Thibault | Rosemère, Qué. – Club de golf de Rosemère
Brooke Rivers | Brampton, Ont. – Brampton Golf Club

MEN’S AMATEUR SQUAD

Matthew Anderson | Mississauga, Ont. – Credit Valley Golf & Country Club
Cougar Collins | Caledon, Ont. – TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley
Laurent Desmarchais | Longueuil, Qué. – Club de golf de la Vallée du Richelieu Noah Steele | Kingston, Ont. – Cataraqui Golf & Country Club
Henry Lee | Coquitlam, B.C. – Public Player
Brendan MacDougall | Calgary, Alta. – Glencoe Golf and Country Club
Étienne Papineau | St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Qué. – Club de golf Pinegrove
Johnny Travale | Hamilton, Ont. – Glendale Golf & Country Club

Click here to read full player bios.

National Junior Squads

The National Junior Squad—a U19 program—features fourteen athletes (seven girls and seven boys).

In September, Golf Canada hosted a selection camp at Bear Mountain Resort in Victoria, B.C., to evaluate Canada’s top juniors. In partnership with the Provincial Golf Associations, all golfers were run through a series of testing modules followed by a 54-hole competition.

From March through early June, the Junior Squad will practice out of Golf Canada’s National Training Centre at Bear Mountain—the fourth year that the program has provided centralized training, accommodation and education for athletes during the second semester of their school year. Team members will be immersed in a focused centre of excellence, surrounded by world-class technical coaching staff and experts in the areas of mental performance, physiotherapy, biomechanics, and nutrition.

The following athletes have been selected to Team Canada’s 2021 Junior Squad:

JUNIOR GIRLS SQUAD

Angela Arora | Surrey, B.C. – Beach Grove Golf Club
Katie Cranston | Oakville, Ont. – Oakville Golf Club
Nicole Gal | Oakville, Ont. – Oakville Golf Club
Jennifer Gu | West Vancouver, B.C. – Seymour Golf & Country Club
Lauren Kim | Surrey, B.C. –  Morgan Creek Golf Club
Michelle Liu | Vancouver, B.C. – Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club
Emily Zhu | Richmond Hill, Ont. – National Pines Golf Club

JUNIOR BOYS SQUAD

Willy Bishop | Victoria, B.C. – Victoria Golf Club
Félix Bouchard | Otterburn Park, Que. –  Club de golf de la Vallée du Richelieu
Malik Dao | Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Qué. – Summerlea Golf & Country Club
Ashton McCulloch | Kingston, Ont. – Cataraqui Golf & Country Club
Owen Mullen | Shortts Lake, N.S. – Truro Golf Club
JP Parr | St-Célestin, Qué. – Club de golf Ki-8-eb Golf
Hunter Thomson | Calgary, Alta. – Glencoe Golf & Country Club

Click here to read full player bios.

Team Canada Coaching Staff Announced 

Golf Canada is pleased to announce the 2021 Team Canada coaching staff that will support both the National Amateur and Junior Squads.

For the amateur squads, Derek Ingram of Winnipeg returns as men’s head coach with support from assistant coach Andrew Parr of London, Ont. On the women’s side, Tristan Mullally of Dundas, Ont., returns as head coach.

On the junior side, Robert Ratcliffe of Comox, B.C., will lead the centralized Junior Squads at the National Training Centre in Bear Mountain for the fourth year. He will receive support from newly named coach Jennifer Greggain, also of Comox, B.C.

Players will have access to Team Canada’s sport science staff, which includes physiotherapist Greg Redman and Psychologist Dr. Adrienne Leslie-Toogood supporting the men’s team with physiotherapist Andrea Kosa and mental performance consultant Christie Gialloreto supporting the women. The Junior Squads will continue to receive sport science support from the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific in the areas of strength & conditioning, physiotherapy, mental performance, and nutrition.

“Team Canada has shown tremendous success and the coaching staff is well-positioned to lead the increased roster of athletes along with the centralized training program at Bear Mountain,” said Laurence Applebaum, Golf Canada Chief Executive Officer. “Along with every area of the business, we will continue to monitor the impact of COVID-19 to ensure the health and well-being of the athletes and coaches. We now look ahead to helping shape the bright futures of Canada’s top up-and-coming athletes looking to follow in the footsteps of graduates such as Brooke Henderson, Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes.”

Mullally, Ingram, Ratcliffe, Greggain and Parr are all PGA of Canada members.

Golf Canada will announce the selection of the 2021 Team Canada Young Pro Squad in January.

WAYNE, Penn. – Golf Genius Software, the leading worldwide provider of tournament management solutions, announced today that Golf Canada and Canada’s Provincial Golf Associations will begin using Golf Genius Tournament Management to manage their golf competitions beginning in 2021.

Golf Genius will provide Golf Canada-branded versions of its TM Club, TM Club Premium and TM Association cloud-based services to the Canadian golf market. Golf Canada and the Provincial Golf Associations will join a number of other national golf associations and tours in using the TM Association solution, which is purpose-built to meet the specialized needs of national and regional golf associations.

Golf clubs and other golf facilities across Canada will also be able to utilize the Golf Canada versions of the TM Club at preferred rates and TM Club Premium services. Golf Genius will provide single sign-on support to club administrators through the Golf Canada Score Centre and will integrate with the World Handicap System (WHS) services provided through the Golf Canada Score Centre. Golf Genius will also provide French language versions of its TM services as part of its agreement with Golf Canada.

Mike Zisman, Co-CEO of Golf Genius Software, commented: “We have committed substantial resources to build a significant presence in the Canadian market, including our recent acquisition of two respected Canadian software providers. Our new relationship with Golf Canada will not only enable us to serve the tournament management needs of Golf Canada and the Provincial Associations, it will also help us more rapidly expand our customer base in the club and facility market. We are honored to have been selected by Golf Canada for this critical relationship.”

Adam Helmer, Senior Director of Golf Services at Golf Canada, added, “We conducted a rigorous process to select a tournament management solution which included an RFP last year and the evaluation of several prospective vendors. Golf Genius presented the most robust product, and most importantly, can meet the needs of Golf Canada, our Provincial Golf Associations and over 1,400 of our member golf facilities in Canada with one integrated solution.”

In 2020, Golf Genius has also announced national association agreements with England Golf, the Singapore Golf Association and Golf NSW serving New South Wales in Australia.

The Canadian golf industry generated $18.2B in economic benefits across our nation in 2019, according to a recent economic analysis conducted by Group ATN Consulting Inc. on behalf of the National Allied Golf Associations (We Are Golf).

According to The Economic Impact of Golf in Canada (2019), the Canadian golf industry employs the equivalent of nearly 249,000 people through direct and spin-off effects and contributed to $10.6B in household income. The industry also contributed $4.5B in government tax revenue ($1.8B federal and $2.1B provincial) used to support a variety of programs for all Canadians.

Based on nationwide surveys completed by golfers and golf course operators in 10 provinces and three territories along with multiple industry data sources, The Economic Impact of Golf in Canada (2019) is a follow up to previous comprehensive and independent assessment studies (2014, 2009) of the economic impact of the golf industry in Canada. The $18.2B economic impact of golf represents a 14% increase in contribution to Canada’s GDP between 2013 and 2019.

“The Economic Impact of Golf in Canada (2019) further reinforces the enormous financial, employment, charitable, tourism and positive environmental impact that the sport and the business of golf are affecting across Canada,” said Laurence Applebaum, Chair of We Are Golf and CEO of Golf Canada. “This third iteration of the study provides the golf industry with a powerful snapshot of the scale and magnitude that our sport has on the Canadian economy and within the communities where we live, work and play.”

The study presents economic insights for each of the 10 provinces and three territories from coast to coast. Also captured in the report are comparisons to international economic insights from select countries and regions including the United States, European Union, and Australia.

The Economic Impact of Golf in Canada (2019) was conducted on behalf of We Are Golf by Group ATN Consulting Inc., a world leader in economic development and analysis for communities, regions, and industries. Group ATN previously conducted the 2014 and 2009 Canadian Golf Economic Impact Studies (based on 2013 and 2008 data respectively) which have allowed the Canadian golf industry to benchmark the game’s economic impact over five-year periods.

“Every industry has its own unique circumstances to allow for, and the ability to repeat the same application of our model for Canadian golf is a significant advantage,” said Tom McGuire, Principal with Group ATN Consulting. “Beyond consistency, we have also been able to further improve certain aspects based upon learnings from the prior studies we did for the National Allied Golf Associations (We Are Golf).”

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF GOLF IN CANADA (2019)

The game of golf accounts for an estimated $18.2B of Canada’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is up 14% from the $15.9B reported in 2014*. Included within the 2019 economic impact:

• The golf industry directly employed nearly 150,000 full-time, full-year equivalent positions, representing many more individuals who are employed in the sector. This number grows to approximately 249,000 when accounting for direct, indirect, and induced employment.

• The golf industry directly contributed $4.8B in household income, rising to $10.6B when considering the combined direct, indirect, and induced impacts.

• The golf industry generated $4.5B in government tax revenue; including $1.8B in federal tax revenue and $2.1B in provincial tax revenue.

• Conservatively, course operators invested $727M industry-wide on capital expenditures.

*Note that 2014 figures are adjusted by the consumer price index and reported as current dollars.

Additional Insights from The Economic Impact of Golf in Canada (2019)

• Employment – The golf industry is a significant job provider for youth with 48% of its workforce identified as students.

• Travel – Canadians along with international visitors contributed to $8.6B in golf-related travel nationwide. Canadians made approximately 4.8M trips involving golf, including 3.0M in their home province and 1.8M outside their home province and abroad.

• Golfer Spending – golfers in Canada spent approximately $19.3B on items such as green fees, memberships, lessons, equipment, travel, hospitality, events, and other golf-related expenditures.

• Canadian Course Operators – a total of 2,283 facilities were estimated to be operating in 2019, accounting for 2,043 courses (18-hole equivalent); course operators collectively spent approximately $3.8B in course expenditures.

• Land management – Golf course operations manage between 155,000 and 175,000 hectares, including 30,000 to 35,000 hectares of wildlife and wetland area.

• Charitable Impact – The golf industry generated an estimated $330M in charitable impact through more than 51,000 tournaments and events.

• Golf Participation – Canadian golfers played an estimated 57.0M rounds in 2019.

Although released in 2020, The Economic Impact of Golf in Canada (2019) does not factor in the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Canadian golf industry.

“Establishing a baseline for the economic impact of our sport measured against pre-2020 Covid-19 spending is an important benchmark consideration for the integrity and continuity of the study,” added Applebaum. “Based on what we learned through the 2020 season, the safety of golf through this pandemic and the potential for a lift in participation and spending on the game, we are optimistic in looking ahead.”

An executive summary along with a complete report outlining the results of The Economic Impact of Golf in Canada (2019) is available by clicking here or by visiting any of the We Are Golf partner websites.

Two of Nova Scotia’s top junior golfers have been selected to take part in Golf Canada’s National Junior Squad Selection Camp this week at Bear Mountain Resort in Victoria, B.C.

Truro Golf Club member, and University of Notre Dame recruit, Owen Mullen and fifteen-year-old Abbey Baker of Ashburn Golf Club will go head-to-head against the best of their peers from across the country to try and earn a spot on Team Canada for the 2021-2022 season.

Golf Canada stated: Due to the effect of COVID-19 on the 2020 competitive season, the process of selection for the 2021 Squads based on previously posted Selection Criteria is not feasible. As a result, Golf Canada coaching staff will be conducting a Selection Camp whereby athletes are invited to attend and compete for spots on the Squads through a series of objective testing protocols assessing skill and a 54-hole head-to-head tournament.

Following the Camp, Golf Canada’s selection committee will use the results from the Camp assessments, along with supplementary information (2019/2020 results), to select the additional players.

The Camp will take place from October 14-18, 2020. Best of luck to both athletes! All of Nova Scotia is rooting for you!

2021 Junior Team Selection Camp
Player Invitations
(in alphabetical order)

As the 2020 competitive season has come to a close, the NSGA is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 NSGA Player of the Year Awards.

The Player of the Year (POY) is a ranking system awards points to players based on tournament results. It is designed to promote golf development through competition and celebrate the individual achievements of golfers in Nova Scotia.

For more information the on the NSGA Player of the Year format and points system, please click here.

The NSGA is pleased to announce the 2020 NSGA Player of the Year award winners:

Juvenile Girls (U17) – Abbey Baker, Ashburn Golf Club

 Abbey Baker had a stellar 2020 season and managed to sweep the Junior Girls Player of the Year series in the process. She played in nine POY events and earned a whopping 10910 points overall. Baker took home the 2020 NSGA and PEIGA Junior Girls Provincial Championships, along with the PEIGA Women’s Amateur Championship. She also took top spot that the Antigonish Provincial Prep Tournament, the Oakfield Golf & Country Club Junior Invitational, and the MCT at Ken-Wo Golf Club. Baker also competed in the Ontario Junior Girls Championship, where she placed 16th overall.

Juvenile Boys (U17) – Owen Canavan, Oakfield Golf & Country Club 

Over the course of the competitive season, Owen Canavan played in seven NSGA Player of the Year events, placing top 10 in four of those events. He won the Oakfield Golf & Country Club Junior Club Championship, placed T5 at the MJT at Ken-Wo Golf Club, and a finished 9th place at the Antigonish Provincial Prep and the NSGA Junior Boys Provincial Championship. This is Canavan’s second Player of the Year award, after winning the HRM Zone Junior award last season.

Bantam Girls (U15) – Olivia Seaman, Ken-Wo Golf Club

Olivia Seaman of Ken-Wo Golf Club has claimed the first ever NSGA Bantam Girls Player of the Year award. This past season Seaman took home the NSGA Bantam Girls Provincial title, and finished 7th overall. She also won the DQ Junior Invitational (Bantam) at Truro Golf Club, and placed 2nd at the MJT Bantam at Ken-Wo Golf Club, and the MJT Bantam Atlantic Championship at Fox Harb’r.

Bantam Boys (U15) – Simon Mullen, Truro Golf Club 

Simon Mullen has earned his first NSGA Bantam Boys Player of the Year award this season. The younger brother to Owen Mullen, won nearly every Bantam tournament he played in, including the NSGA Bantam Provincial Championship, the MJT Bantam at Ken-Wo Golf Club, and MJT Bantam Atlantic Championship at Fox Harb’r. Mullen also took home 2nd place at the DQ Junior Invitational at Truro Golf Club.

Amateur Player of the Year Winners

Amateur Female – Cristal Romero, Grandview Golf & Country Club

The short competitive season did not stop Cristal Romero from taking home the 2020 Women’s Amateur Player of the Year Award. The Grandview Golf & Country Club member placed 2nd in the NSGA Women’s Amateur, and the Oakfield Ladies Invitational respectively. This is Romero’s first Player of the Year award.

Amateur Male – David Williamson, Ashburn Golf Club

David Williamson, of Ashburn Golf Club, has earned his first Men’s Player of the Year title this season. Williamson claimed two 2nd place finishes this season at the MCT Men’s Amateur and the MCT MID-Amateur Championship. He also took home 2nd place at the Ashburn Men’s Club Championship.

Senior Player of the Year Winners

Senior Female – Debbie Arsenault, Grandview Golf & Country Club

Debbie Arsenault is no stranger to the NSGA Player of the Year Awards, and winning this years Women’s Senior Award marks her third title. The Grandview member won the Women’s POY back in 2017 and 2019. Over the competitive season, Arsenault won the 2020 NSGA Women’s Senior Championship, placed 2nd at the Grandview Ladies Club Championship, and T11th at the Oakfield Ladies Invitational.

Senior Male – Rob Collins, Clare Golf & Country Club

Rob Collins dominated the Senior Men’s Player of the Year this season, playing in seven Player of the Year events this season. Collins took home top spot at the 2019 Snowball, 2019 Jack Frost and the 2020 Clare Men’s Club Championship. He also finished 2nd in the 2020 NSGA Men’s Senior Championship, T9 at the NSGA Men’s Amateur, and T10 at the NSGA Men’s MID Amateur.

Congratulations to all 2020 winners on a successful tournament season!

The typical Yarmouth wind picked up for round two of the NSGA Men’s Four-Ball Championship. The Yarmouth Links truly tested the skills of some of the top competitors in the province.

Nick Coates and Anthony LeBlanc went wire-to-wire to claim their first NSGA Men’s Four-Ball Championship. The Clare Golf & Country Club members finished today’s round at six-under-par (66); carding one eagle, six birdies, and two bogeys for the day. Coates and LeBlanc finished the tournament at fifteen-under-par (129).

Four teams finished tied for second place, finishing two shots back at thirteen-under-par (131). The team of Shawn Johnson and David Fader of Hartlen Point Forces Golf Club took home second place (by retrogression), while Marc Lombard and Stephane LeBlanc of Clare Golf & Country Club finished in third.

Yarmouth Links’ members took advantage of their home course knowledge and cleaned up the prizes for division two. The team of Garth Nickerson and Faren Surette claimed top spot (by retrogressions) after carding a 2-under-par (70), for a two day total of 2-under-par (142). While Jamie Comeau and Josh Berry finished in second place.

NSPPC players Matt Wood and Shayne Pottie came in third place, only three shots back, with a two-day total of one-over-par (145).

For the complete results of the 2020 Men’s Four-Ball Championship, please CLICK HERE.