Highlights from the 2016 Investors Group Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship, July 12-15, at Ambassador Golf Club in Windsor. Ottawa’s Grace St-Germain won the title at -2.

WINDSOR— Heading into the final round of the 2016 Investors Group Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship, July 15 at Ambassador Golf Club, it was anyone’s tournament to win as eight players were all within five strokes of the lead.

The final group consisted of co-leaders Ridgeway’s Madeline Marck-Sherk, Guelph’s Rachel Pollock and Ottawa’s Grace St-Germain, who was just one back. St-Germain got out to a good start with a birdie on the opening hole and would add three more on the front nine, along with a pair of bogey’s, to head to the turn at two-under.

Meanwhile, Marck-Sherk, a member at the Bridgewater Country Club, and Pollock, Whistle Bear Golf Club, had their share of struggles on the front nine. Both players finished the front nine three-over resulting in a big swing, in St-Germain’s favour, on the leaderboard.

St-Germain, 17-years-old and a member of Golf Canada’s National Development Squad, would close things out on the back nine finishing it at one-over to end the round at one-under (71). That brought her tournament total to two-under (69-70-76-71-286), good enough for a four-stroke victory.

“It feels amazing to win the Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship,” said St-Germain. “To have my name on this trophy with all of these great players is fantastic!”

Ambassador and the elements were tough on the players this week, but for St-Germain, her putting kept her in it. “My putting was the strongest part of my game this week. I was putting really well, which helped on these greens.”

Like most players, St-Germain had her ups and downs during the week, especially during the third round. However, she ended that round with birdies on two of the final three holes. She talked about how that late charge helped her mind frame heading into the final round. “Getting those birdies at the end of round three gave me a lot of confidence because I wasn’t playing very well. It gave me momentum coming into today.”

There was a tie for the silver medal between Marck-Sherk and Richmond Hill’s Monet Chun resulting in a podium swept by current and former Team Ontario members.

Marck-Sherk went on to play the back nine one-over and ended the round at four-over (76) bringing her tournament total to two-over (74-71-69-76-290).

As for Chun, a Summit Golf & Country Club member, she finished the day at even par (72). Chun followed up a one-over front nine by carding a one-under on the back nine to end the tournament in the tie at two-over (68-75-75-72-290).

In addition to crowning the winners, the top three also earned the right to represent Ontario in the team competition at the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, July 26-29 at the Ken-Wo Golf Club in New Minas, Nova Scotia. With some players not electing to participate in the event, Ontario will be represented by: St-Germain, Chun and Pollock, who finished the tournament at five-over (68-75-71-79-293).

For full tournament information, including the final leaderboard, see the tournament site at: https://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao16/event/gao165/index.htm

Golf Ontario would like to thank Ambassador Golf Club, along with their staff and volunteers for hosting the event. Thanks also to title sponsor Investors Group and the Golf Ontario volunteers for their continued support of golf in the province.

About the Investors Group Women’s Amateur

First played in 1904, the Investors Group Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship is being contested for the 101st time this summer, and for the first time at Ambassador Golf Club. Past champions include 1968 LPGA Championship winner Sandra Post (1964), LPGA Tour players Alena Sharp (1999) and Brooke Henderson (2014), Rebecca Lee-Bentham (2007), and World Golf Hall of Fame member Marlene Stewart Streit, who holds the record for the most number of titles with 11. In total, 64 players began the four-day, 72-hole tournament.

Highlights from the Investors Group Ontario Senior Women’s Championship, July 29-31 from Ambassador Golf Club in Windsor, ON. Mary Ann Hayward won her fourth title at the event with a final score of seven-under.

WINDSOR, ON – For the fourth time, Aurora’s Mary Ann Hayward will have her name engraved on the Investors Group Ontario Senior Women’s Amateur Championship trophy after her second consecutive win at the event on July 31 at Ambassador Golf Club in Windsor.

The North Halton member entered the final round with a five-shot lead and would save her best for the last day. The Canadian, Ontario and Quebec Golf Hall of Famer would finish the day six-under (66) and end the tournament at seven-under to win comfortably by 12 shots.

“I wasn’t really thinking of the number of times or back-to-back, I think just shooting 66 today is what I am going to remember from this,” said Hayward after the round.

It was obvious that the 54-year-old Hayward was on during the round as she began the day with three-straight birdies. She did have back-to-back bogeys on the fifth and sixth holes, but was able to settle down after that. She birdied the ninth and then added four more on the back nine, including one on 18 that brought the gallery to their feet, as she clinched the title.

After the round, Hayward thanked her caddie Dave Mulholland for keeping her calm after her bogeys. “Dave is a great guy. He is always encouraging me just telling me ‘you’re good, just calm down’ I tend to beat myself up a little bit, so he just reels me back in.”

Her play throughout the week was spot on but Hayward said it was her ball-striking and final-round putting that were the best parts of her game. “The ball-striking was pretty good all three days. The putter comes and goes but today it was unbelievable. I think I made almost every birdie putt I had.”

Finishing in second spot was Whitevale Golf Club member and Uxbridge resident Gail Pimm. Pimm was the only other player to finish the round under par at one-under (71) for the round. She finished the tournament at five-over.

Picking up the bronze medal was Thornhill resident and Thornhill Golf and Country Club member Judith Kyrinis who carded a final round at two-over (74) finishing the tournament at six-over.  Etobicoke’s Terrill Samuel, nine-over, and Stouffville’s Ivy Steinberg, 14-over, rounded out the top five.

Hayward, along with Kyrinis and Steinberg will all represent Ontario in the inter-provincial competition at the Canadian Senior Women’s Championship, Aug. 19-21 at the Milby Golf Club in Sherbrooke, QC.

The 60+ division winner was Sue Postian, from London and the Sunningdale Golf Club who finished the tournament 19-over. The 70+ division was won by Ellen Horton, from Collingwood and the Blue Mountain Golf & Country Club, at 54-over for the tournament.

In the district team competition, Team York won the gross and Team London picked up the net.

The Ada Mackenzie Matches Team was also announced after the final round. The matches are a team-competition between Ontario and New York State in the spring of 2015. The team members are: Hayward, Pimm, Kyrinis, Steinberg, Lynn Morrison, Andrea Blackwell, Marion Reid, Jane Hedges-Morrison, Postian and Sarah-Anne Smurlick.

For more information and the final leaderboard see the tournament site at: http://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao14/event/gao1418/index.htm

The Investors Group Ontario Senior Women’s Amateur Championship is contested annually and features the province’s best female amateurs age 50 and over. Past champions of the event include Ada Mackenzie, Kay Helleur, Gayle Borthwick Hitchens and World Golf Hall of Fame member Marlene Stewart Streit.

The Golf Association of Ontario would like to thank the members, volunteers and staff from Ambassador Golf Club for hosting the championship, as well as title sponsor Investors Group for their outstanding support of amateur golf in the province.