Canada’s Lorie Kane of Charlottetown, P.E.I., shares some expert tips to help you with hitting low trajectory shots to avoid high winds.

Watch her perform in person this summer at the Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club from Aug. 21-27 – tickets are available here.

When you see players wearing yellow ribbons at this week’s CP Women’s Open at the Ottawa Golf and Hunt Club, think “DCJ.”

Those are the initials of Dawn Coe-Jones, one of Canada’s most outstanding golfers who died of bone cancer last November at the age of 56. The ribbons are to honour her memory and to remind us all of the toll this terrible disease takes.

Born in Lake Cowichan, B.C., Coe-Jones won the B.C. Junior Championship in 1978 and 1978 and then the B.C. Amateur in 1982. In 1983, she defended her provincial amateur title and capped off the season by winning the Canadian Amateur Championship. After being named an NCAA All-American at Lamar University in Texas, Coe-Jones headed to the LPGA Tour where she won three times, including the 1995 Tournament of Champions.

Despite smaller purses during her heyday, Coe-Jones remains the top Canadian money-winner at the CP Women’s Open. She finished, either solo or tied, as the top Canadian 13 times. Her best finish was third in 1993. Her golfing genes live on in her son, Jimmy, who played in the Canadian Amateur earlier this month.

Last October, the inaugural Dawn Coe-Jones Golf Classic was held in Florida to raise funds for sarcoma research. “Dawn touched so many people,” recalled fellow B.C. native Gail Graham, a fellow Lamar alumna who played with Coe-Jones on the LPGA Tour. “She was always the one who worried about others.”

That month, the Legends Tour (the official senior tour of the LPGA) honoured her with the Colleen Walker Spirit Award, given to the player who best exemplifies Walker’s spirit, courage and love of the game. The award is named for Walker, a former LPGA Tour player who died of cancer in 2012.

Coe-Jones’s legacy is also being carried on by the current generation of outstanding Canadians, many of whom are participating in this week’s championship.

The homegrown contingent is led by 19-year-old Brooke Henderson, already a four-time winner in only her second full season on the LPGA Tour, including the 2016 KPMG PGA Championship. Henderson, who was born in nearby Smiths Falls, Ont., now calls the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club her home club, so she has local knowledge on her side as well as talent.

Also vying to be the first Canadian to win our national women’s Open since Jocelyne Bourassa in 1973 will be Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont. Sharp, who represented Canada in the 2016 Olympics, is coming off a top-five finish at last year’s CP Women’s Open.

Charlottetown’s Lorie Kane, like her longtime friend and competitor Coe-Jones, is an honoured member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. She will be teeing it up this week in her record-setting 27th CP Women’s Open start.

Other Canadian pros in the field include Jennifer Ha of Calgary, Augusta James of Bath, Ont., Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que., Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., and Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City. Team Canada Amateur Squad members Naomi Ko of Victoria, B.C., Jaclyn Lee of Calgary, Grace St. Germain of Ottawa and Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., are also competing this week.

No doubt all of them have derived inspiration from the successes, both professional and personal, of Dawn Coe-Jones.

So when you notice those yellow ribbons this week, take a moment to remember DCJ and her legacy not only to golf, but to cancer research.

For Complete Results– Click Here

For Immediate Release

The final day of the 2017 Atlantic Golf Championship would provide a new challenge as mild rain, cool temperatures and changing winds would provide an additional test to the 52 competitors, over and above the par 72, Cornish & Robinson designed, Covered Bridge Golf & Country Club in Hartland, NB.

Originally contested in 2014, 2017 marks the fourth installment of the Atlantic Golf Championships where teams from New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland & Labrador compete for both the “Atlantic Cup”, and individual exemptions over eight (8) separate division and four age categories, into the 2018 Canadian Championships.

Michel Landry – Team NB

In the Amateur Men’s division it was New Brunswick’s Michel Landry of the Fredericton Golf Club overcoming a two stroke deficit to PEI’s Jeff Hughes, of the Belvedere Golf & Country Club, to claim NB’s 2^nd amateur men’s title, and first since The Riverside Country Club’s Edward Reevey did so in the inaugural event at the Bell Bay Golf Club, in Bedeck, NS, in 2014.  Despite making bogey on the par four 2^nd, Landry would still cut the deficit to one as Hughes would double the tricky 384 yard par four.  A par at the third combined with a Hughes bogey would get Landry back to even for a short time.  Hughes would birdie the 4^th to go one up again but Landry would rattle off three consecutive birdies at the 5^th, 6^th and 7^th , that combined with Hughes’ double at seven would push the two time NB Men’s Amateur Champion four clear through 43 holes.  A double bogey at the 8^th would see Landry make the turn in an even par (E), 36, and two shots up on Hughes who would card a four over par (+4), 40, on the outward nine.

With Hughes needing to come and get him, Landry would settle in posting nine consecutive pars on the back nine to win the division by three shots over Hughes, whose two bogeys and a birdie at #18, would see him close the day with a five over par (+5), 77, and a three day total of 226.

Moving into third position with a final round 72 of his own was NB’s Peter Wedge (82, 73, 72, +10, 227) of the Rockwood Park Golf Course.  Wedge would use birdies at the 5^th, 6^th, 7^th and 18^th to offset bogeys at #3, #4, #10 and #12 to climb to within one shot of Hughes for 2^nd in the division.

Cristal Fitzpatrick – Team NS

Nova Scotia’s Cristal Fitzpatrick (79, 75, 79, +17, 233), of the Eaglequest Grandview Golf & Country Club would join fellow divisional champions to go wire to wire claiming the Ladies Amateur division.  With a ten shot lead entering Saturday’s final round, Fitzpatrick would cruise home posting a birdie, 11 pars, four bogeys and two others on the day to card a final round seven over par (+7), 79 on the day.  Maintaining her grip on second in the division was Team NB’s Jescynda Hotham.  Hotham (84, 80, 78, +6, 242), of the Country Meadows Golf Club, would fire her round of the tournament carding four bogeys and one other to close the event with a six over par (+6), 78, and make up one shot on Fitzpatrick.  Rounding out the top three was Team NB’s Maureen O’Donnell of the Fredericton Golf Club (84, 81, 92, +20, 257).

The battle of the day may have been for the Men’s Mid-Master title, as New Brunswick’s Stuart Musgrave, PEI’s Tim Yorke and Team NB’s Chris Bunting all started the day within two shots of each other.  While he started the day with a one shot advantage over Yorke, and a two shot lead over Bunting, Musgrave would struggle on his opening nine holes carding a five over par (+5), 41, that consisted of three bogeys and a double at the par three 7^th.Yorke would bogey the par five 1^st, the par three 4^th  and the par three 7^th before making birdie at the 9^th to post a two over par (+2), 38, to move two clear of Musgrave, but the big mover of the day was Bunting.  Birdies at the 1^st, 4^th and 8^th would wipe out his lone bogey on the front, at the par four 2^nd, to see him card a two under par (-2), 34, on the front and jump into the lead three up on Yorke and five clear of Musgrave.

While Yorke and Musgrave would both right the ship on the back nine, posting one under par (-1), 35’s, for final round 73’s and 76s respectively the division was now Bunting’s to lose.  A birdie at the 11^th would extend his lead to four shots over Yorke, bogeys at the 12^th and 15^th would bring him back to the pack.  Bunting would fall no further as he would par the difficult par four 16^th, the par three 17^th and the challenging par five 18^th to tie the low round of the event and post a one under par (-1), 71, on the day, a three day total of 219 and a one shot victory over Yorke.

Melissa Castle – Team PEI

The Mid-Master Ladies division was claimed by Charlottetown`s Melissa Castle (83, 85, 88, +40, 256) of the Belvedere Golf & Country Club.  Castle would card one birdie, 11 bogeys and two others on her way to a closing round 16 over par (+16), 88.  Finishing just three shots off the lead was New Brunswick’s Mary Walton-Rossignol (90, 82, 87, +43, 259).  The Fredericton Golf Club member would post 11 bogeys and two others as she would close her event with a 15 over par (+15), 87, for a three day total of 259, three shots off of Castle’s mark.  In third position was Team NB’s Shelley Thomas (90, 89, 83, +46, 262) of the Country Meadows Golf Club.  Thomas’ final round 83, was good enough to slide by club mate Erin Musgrave (90, 88, 87, +49, 265) and into solo third in the division.

Mike Hosford (Team NB) with Jeffrey Hutt (Golf Canada)

The Senior Men`s division would see Team NB`s Mike Hosford (78, 77, 76, +15, 231) go wire to wire as the Royal Oaks Golf Club member would fire a closing round four over par (+4), 76, to edge out his New Brunswick teammate Gary Melanson (82, 77, 73, +16, 232).  Hosford would fire an even par (E), 36, on his opening nine holes thanks to birdies at the 4^th and 6^th that offset bogeys at the 7^th and 8^th, but two bogeys on #12 and #13 and a double bogey at the par four 16^th would see him close his day with a four over par (+4), 40, on the inward nine opening the door for Melanson.  Melanson who started the day tied for fourth, four shots back of Hosford, would start on the back nine and post an even par (E), 36, on his opening nine holes to match Hosford.  While Hosford struggled on his inward nine, Melanson would be steady bogeying the par three 4^th and birdieing the par five 6^th to draw even with Hosford atop the division.  However a Hosford par at the 18^th combined with a Melanson bogey at the ninth would see Melanson fall one shot off the pace, despite an excellent one over par (+1), 73, on the final day.  Tied for third position were PEI’s Malcolm Reid (78, 79, 79, +20, 236) and Newfoundland & Labrador’s Colin Budgell (85, 74, 77, +20, 236).

Mel Bernard – Team PEI

It was PEI’s Mel Bernard (79, 78, 72, +13, 229) of the Andersons Creek Golf Club who used a near perfect round to surpass New Brunswick’s Jean LeBlanc (77, 76, 78, +15, 231) of the Fox Creek Golf Club in the Super-Senior Men’s division.  Bernard would double bogey the par three 4^th before birdieing the par four 5^th to make the turn in a one over par (+1), 37, and draw within one of LeBlanc through 45 holes.  Eight consecutive pars on the back nine, punctuated with a birdie on Covered Bridge`s par five finishing hole would see Bernard shoot a final round even par (E), 72, compared to LeBlanc`s final round six over par (+6), 78, to take a two shot victory in the division.  In third position is Don Boland (80, 79, 77, +20, 236) of Newfoundland & Labrador and the Bally Haly Golf & Country Club.

Paula Napke-Flanagan – Team NB

New Brunswick’s Paula Napke-Flanagan (79, 77, 79, +19, 235) would go wire to wire to win the Senior Women’s division.  Starting the day with a five shot lead over PEI’s Sherry White, Napke-Flanagan would double her lead on the front nine thanks to a three over par (+3), 39, compared to White’s eight over par (+8), 44 on the outward nine.  Despite bogeying her first three holes, Napke-Flanagan would settle in to record six consecutive pars to close out her front side.  Four more bogeys on the back nine, at #11, #13, #16 and #17, would see Napke-Flanagan cruise into the clubhouse with a respectable seven over par (+7), 79, and a ten shot victory over Stanhope, PEI’s Chrissie MacLaughlan (81, 83, 83, +29, 245) who’s consistent play throughout the week would earn her solo second.  Jumping into third position, with the categories round of the day, was NB’s Pam Cossey (85, 83, 78, +30, 246), of the Rockwood Park Golf Course.  Cossey’s final round six over par (+6), 78, would jump her into third position, four shots clear of Stratford PEI’s Sherry White (Belvedere Golf & Country Club) and the Country Meadows Golf Club’s Sandy Comeau who finished tied for fourth.

Penny Dickeson (Team NB) with Jeffrey Hutt (Golf Canada)

The Fredericton Golf Club’s Penny Dickeson (95, 87, 84, +50, 266), would claim the ladies Super-Senior division by 15 shots over Lorrain MacDonald (99, 92, 90, +65, 281) of Kensington, PEI and the Red Sands Golf Club.  Dickeson would steadily improve her play throughout the week, improving by eight shots from round one to round two and by another three shots from round two to three, to claim the division win.

In the race for the Atlantic Cup, New Brunswick’s victories in all six divisions would see Team NB earn the full 24 points and supplant two time defending Atlantic Cup Champions Team PEI (17 points) to bring home the Atlantic Cup for the first time.  In third position was Team NS with 9 points while Team NL rounded out the contest by claiming the final 2 points available.

L to R: Jeffrey Hutt of Golf Canada presents Tom Hendershot, President of Golf NB, with the Atlantic Cup

For more information on the Atlantic Golf Championships – Click here

For more information on the Covered Bridge Golf & Country Club please visit: http://coveredbridgegolf.nb.ca/.

For more information on the Golf Newfoundland Labrador – Click Here

For more information on the Prince Edward Island Golf Association– Click Here

For more information on the Nova Scotia Golf Association – Click Here

For more information on the Golf New Brunswick– Click Here

Quebec won all four gold medals at the Canada Games in record-setting fashion at Southwood Golf and Country Club in Winnipeg, Man., becoming the first province other than British Columbia to win a gold medal at the Canada Games.

Celeste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-L’Île-Perrot, Que., fired a 3-under-par 69 in Friday’s final round to set a Canada Games record for lowest four-round total (-5) en route to winning the individual gold medal.

“It’s indescribable,” said Dao. “My putting was very good and my iron play was solid all week.  I was able to attack the pins and not be scared, even though they were well protected.”

Dao’s performance helped lift the Quebec team of Brigitte Thibault (Rosemere) and Sarah-Eve Rheaume (Quebec City) to a four-round score of 573 (-3), a new Canada Games record for lowest four-day team score and Quebec’s first gold medal in golf at the Canada Summer Games.

Dao’s low-round of 69 was accompanied by a 1-over-par 73 from Thibault, leaving Quebec as the only team to finish under par in the final round.

“We knew we had to stay concentrated and be the best we could be and do everything we could to win,” said Thibault.

“Winning the first girls gold for Quebec makes our gold medal even more special,” added Rheaume.”

British Columbia was second in the team competition at 5 over par—they came into the Winnipeg Games having previously won all eight gold medals since golf became part of the Canada Summer Games in 2009. Ontario finished third at 8 over par.

Richmond, B.C.’s Alisha Lau took home the individual silver medal at 1 over par. Ellie Szeryk of London, Ont., won bronze at 3 over par.

Not to be outdone was the Quebec boys team of Christopher Vandette (Beaconsfield), Antoine Roy (Rimouski) and Louis-Alexandre Jobin-Colgan (Quebec City), who also won gold with a tournament record 14-under-par 562.

Leading the team was Vandette, who carded a 1-under-par 71 to finish as the individual gold medallist.

“It feels great,” said Vandette. “Quebec has never won the gold medal in golf at the Canada Games – so it’s really exciting that we just won four in one shot like that.”

British Columbia won the silver medal at 8 under par.

A three-team playoff between New Brunswick, Alberta, and Manitoba was needed to determine the team bronze medallist.

Canadian Junior Boys Champion Calvin Ross from Fredericton, N.B., came up on clutch on the third playoff hole, dropping a birdie putt to secure the bronze for New Brunswick – their first medal in golf at the Canada Games.

“We fell just short of winning the team competition last week at the Canadian Junior Boys, so it’s great to get out here and win a medal this week,” said Ross.

Another playoff was needed to decide the boys’ individual silver medal, with Jobin-Colgan going on to collect the silver and Quebec’s fifth medal in golf by defeating Tristan Mandur (Mill Bay, B.C.) on the second playoff hole, leaving Mandur with the bronze medal.

“It feels like a gold medal because I won it in a playoff,” said Jobin-Colgan. “I’m also really happy for Chris winning the gold.”

Kade Johnson from Yorkton, Sask., fired a tournament record 6-under-par 66 in the final round to finish in seventh place at 1 over par.

The 2021 Canada Summer Games will be hosted by the Niagara Region.

For the full leaderboard click here.

During his childhood years, Garrett Rank kept busy with his two biggest passions – hockey during the winters; and golf in the summers.

Today, at 29 years old, not much has changed for the now full-time National Hockey League referee, who also holds the distinction as one of Canada’s top ranked amateur golfers.

“I grew up in the small town of Elmira, Ontario and as a Canadian boy it was hockey in the winter time and golf in the summer,” said Rank, a former member of the national team program from 2012 -2014.

As a child, young Garrett would follow his father, Richard and his older brother, Kyle, to the golf course during the summers.

“My parents thought taking us to the golf course was a good idea because they knew that we wouldn’t get into much trouble on a golf course,” Rank recalled.

During the winters, his focus shifted from the links to the hockey rinks.

“I grew up playing a lot of hockey in the winters and had dreams of playing in the NHL. I was a forward and played centre and played some junior hockey and also played college hockey at the University of Waterloo,” he pointed out.

“As I grew older, I realized a professional career as a hockey player was not going to happen. So being a referee was neat way to stay involved in the game; and lucky enough for me, I had the opportunity to start right away as a referee in junior hockey,” he added.

“I spent four years in the OHL and they saw some potential in me; and before I knew it, I was refereeing professional hockey games.”

The Elmira, Ont., native still clearly remembers his first NHL game on Jan. 15 of 2015.

“It was a game between Minnesota and Buffalo and my first call was overturned after video review… I had to make the announcement to the arena saying that there was a goal being awarded to Minnesota and so the fans in Buffalo didn’t like that too much,” Rank pointed out.

“My boss called me the next day and said ‘look at it this way, you can only go up from here,’” he recalled with a laugh.

Things have certainly trended upwards for Rank who went from refereeing seven NHL games that first season to 40 games the following season.  And just last year, he was promoted to full-time status and officiated over 70 NHL games.

Having recently completed his first full season as an NHL referee, Rank has shifted his focus to his summer sport of choice – golf.

Having recently competed in his third consecutive RBC Canadian Open, the three-time defending Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Champion is quick to offer his thoughts on the hockey rink design on the seventh hole.

“The fact that they have a rink this year is really neat. It ties in with Canada really well because hockey is huge in our country. It allows the players to have a little bit of fun and joke around with the fans,” said Rank, who made the 36-hole cut last year.

NHL referee Garrett Rank rockin’ the stripes at #TheRink. Amazing.@RBCCanadianOpen #RBCCO
??? pic.twitter.com/THjiNkvD3n

— Rob Leth (@RobLeth) July 28, 2017

Glen Abbey Golf Club superintendent, Andrew Gyba, is quick to acknowledge the favourable feedback in regards to the hockey rink on the seventh hole.

“I think it’s a great idea, especially seeing how much fun the players are having with it through the practice rounds and through the Pro-Ams…Yeah, I’m all for the rink. Let’s keep it going,” said Gyba.

While he didn’t bring his ‘A’ game to the RBC Canadian Open this year, Rank – who shot a combined two-round total of 11 over par at Glen Abbey – is hoping to step up his game for what promises to be an exciting summer ahead.

First, he will be aiming to put in a strong performance at the upcoming U.S. Amateur, which runs from Aug. 14-20 at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, Calif.

“I played the U.S. Amateur the last few years and feel that I have a bit of unfinished business there,” said Rank who has yet to advance past the round of 32 at the tournament. “The winner gets to play at the Masters, so I’m definitely looking to have a great week.”

The week after, Rank will be looking to defend his Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur title for a fourth consecutive year at the Wascana Country Club in Regina, Sask.

“With the Canadian Mid-Am, it’s cool that the winner gets to play at the RBC Canadian Open each year – so that’s the goal to win that and get back here next summer,” he said.

Looking at the bigger picture, the 29-year-old feels that he is truly living the dream in that he remains so closely connected to his two childhood passions.

“Obviously there’s been a lot of hard work and dedication to get to this point, but I feel really fortunate to be where I am today. I’m really living the dream,” said Rank.

“I mean, I’ve got one of the coolest jobs in the world as a hockey official; and it’s just neat that it enables me to spend my summers pursing my other childhood passion at such a high level.”