National Coaches Week provides coaches with the recognition they deserve for the time they devote to ensuring Canadians live an active, healthy lifestyle. From September 21 - 29, 2019, encourage yourself to say thanks to the coaches who call B.C. home.

To celebrate National Coaches Week, viaSport is giving away $1000 through our Coaches Week Contest! See below for more details.

Mary Parsons (Far Right) With Canadian Teammate Emily Zhu Before Their Match With Wenyung Keh (Far Left) And Julianne Alvarez Of New Zealand In The Astor Trophy Competition - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer/British Columbia Golf

VICTORIA -- Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Argentina, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Peru. Those are some of the places golf has taken Delta, BC's Mary Parsons the last few years.

The last week of August was not quite as exotic for the 20-year-old Parsons, who was a member of Canada’s four-woman team at the Astor Trophy competition held at Royal Colwood Golf Club. She only had to hop on a ferry to get there. It marked the end of what was a hectic summer for Parsons, the 2018 B.C. Women’s Amateur champion.

Taylor Pendrith Was A Two-Time Winner On The Mackenzie Tour - PGA Tour Canada This Year - Image Credit Claus Andersen (Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada)

Written by Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada/Courtesy Golf Canada

LONDON, Ont. – For the second time in four years, Taylor Pendrith earned Canada Life Canadian Player of the Year honours on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada.

The native of Richmond Hill, Ont., came the final round at the Canada Life Championship with a chance to top the Order of the Merit, but after 1-under-par 69 Pendrith ended second, just $2,700 behind Paul Barjon

Pendrith won twice in 2019 – at the 1932byBateman Open and the Mackenzie Investments Open – and had seven top-10 finishes, including a tie for 10th at the Canada Life Championship en route to winning his second Dan Halldorson Trophy (he won the award in 2015, as well).

Courtesy Golf Canada

PONTE VEDRA, Fla. – The PGA TOUR’s three international tours—PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR Series-China—will use a points-based system for its Orders of Merit, starting in 2020, the three Tours announced September 11.

This will align these three Tours with the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour, which are both using points to measure players’ success.

Canada Will Be Returning A Golf Squad In The 2020 Olympics In Tokyo - Image Used With Permission 

By Terry Lenyk/Courtesy Golf Canada

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Wondering how Canada’s Olympic golf team will be selected? You’re not alone.

In 2016, golf made its historic return to the Olympic Games for the first time in 112 years, dating back to when Canadian George S. Lyon won gold for Canada at St. Louis 1904. A lot has happened since 2016 (new Rules of Golf and new PGA TOUR schedule just to name a few) and many golf fans have forgotten how Olympic qualifying works, which is why we’re writing this article.

The field for the 2020 Olympic golf competition will include 60 women and 60 men competing over 72 holes of stroke play in a men’s individual event (July 30-August 2) and a women’s individual event (August 5-8).

Canada One Team From L-R: Euna Han, Brooke Rivers And Emily Zhu - Golf Canada Image

MARKHAM, Ont. – The world’s top 18-and-under female junior golfers will return to Angus Glen for the sixth edition of the World Junior Girls Championship from Sept. 24-27. As host nation, Canada will send two teams of three athletes to compete for the international title of World Junior Girls champion.

Representing Canada One will be Brooke Rivers (Brampton, Ont.), Emily Zhu (Richmond Hill, Ont.) and Euna Han (Coquitlam, B.C.).

Written by Rob Gavarkovs/ Golf Canada

On a sunny Tuesday afternoon at Magna Golf Club during CP Women's Open week, the inspirational CP Women’s Leadership Summit took place.

The Summit’s mission was geared towards empowering women in the workplace, providing a platform for networking, and giving back to the community, a task of which title sponsor CP is going above and beyond with this year.

Hosted by Sportsnet Anchor Evanka Osmak, the day was a mixture of networking and speeches from successful women figures in business and sports, including RBC CAO Jennifer Tory, and Assistant VP of Investor Relations for tournament sponsor Canada Pacific, Maeghan Albiston.

On the sports side, Team Canada Olympians Karina Leblanc (soccer), and Natalie Spooner (hockey) both spoke to their journeys, and what has made them successful both in sports and in life.

The stars of the LPGA are heading back West to Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in 2020 for the CP Women’s Open – August 31st through September 6th.

Each year over 1,200 people contribute their time and energy to volunteer at the CP Women’s Open. We are so thankful and fortunate to work with such a hardworking group of people each and every year. Registration fills up quickly, so be sure to get your volunteer registration in early.

With school back in session, now is a great time to give the gift of golf. Arm a local school with all the tools they need to introduce golf into their physical education curriculum for the 2019-20 school year by providing them with the Future Links, driven by Acura Golf in Schools program. 

Developed by Physical and Health Education Canada (PHE Canada) with Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada, Golf in Schools was written for teachers by teachers, regardless of their background in golf. It meets the learning outcomes of school curriculums (grades 1-12) across Canada. The full program consists of the Learning Resource as well as age-appropriate golf equipment that is student friendly, safe and easy to store.

• Golf in Schools reaches 444,000 students annually coast-to-coast
• Over 70% of Canadian schools are without the program – we need your help!

Support the next generation of golfers and Adopt a School in your community!

Visit golfinschools.golfcanada.ca/overview/adopt-a-school for more information.

Back In 1999 Inside Golf Magazine Was There To Cover The Historic First Victory By Mike Weir On The PGA TOUR In The Air Canada Championship - Images Courtesy Jeff Sutherland/Inside Golf

Former Masters Champ Mike Weir Is Counting The Days Until His PGA Tour Champions Debut

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Mike Weir is too excited about the future to spend a lot of time dwelling on the past, but he’s more than happy to do a little reminiscing about his first PGA TOUR win 20 years ago.

Yes, it really has been two decades since Weir thrilled golf fans with his Air Canada Championship victory at Northview Golf Club in Surrey. If you were there, you will never forget it. Weir certainly hasn’t, although he has a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that it has been 20 years.

It was Sept. 5, 1999 when Weir recorded his second straight seven-under 64 to beat American Fred Funk by two shots and get that elusive first PGA TOUR win.

Mary Parsons (Far Right) With Canadian Teammate Emily Zhu Before Their Match With Wenyung Keh (Far Left) And Julianne Alvarez Of New Zealand - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

VICTORIA -- Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Argentina, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Peru. Those are some of the places golf has taken Delta’s Mary Parsons the last few years.

This week is not quite as exotic. The 20-year-old Parsons is a member of Canada’s four-woman team at the Astor Trophy competition being held at Royal Colwood Golf Club. She only had to hop on a ferry to get here. It is the end of what has been a hectic summer for Parsons, the 2018 B.C. Women’s Amateur champion.

The highlight of her summer came in early August when she was part of Canada’s golf team that won a bronze medal in the mixed team event at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. Parsons also finished fifth in the women’s individual competition in Lima.

Canada's Brooke Rivers (Golf Canada)

Brad Ziemer/For Golf Canada

VICTORIA, B.C. – New Zealand swept all four of its afternoon singles matches Wednesday to take the lead after the opening day of the Astor Trophy at Royal Colwood Golf Club.

All four of those wins came over Canada after the two countries had split their two morning foursomes matches.

Five four-woman teams — Canada, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Great Britain & Ireland — have gathered for the round-robin match play event that has been held every four years since 1959.  All of the countries will face each other once during the five-day competition.

Ashley & Dave Zibrik Have Risen To The Top Of Their Profession While Forging A Life Together At The Same Time - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Before they fell in love with each other, Dave Zibrik and Ashley Hogg had already fallen in love with golf. It was the summer of 2005 when they met -- at a golf course, naturally.

Ashley had come home for the summer after completing her junior year at Boise State University, where she played collegiate golf, and had landed a summer job at Swaneset Bay in Pitt Meadows. Dave had just turned pro, was also working at Swaneset and was in the midst of completing the golf management program at Camosun College. Both were 21 and soon they were in love with more than just golf.

Delta, BC's Mary Parsons Will Represent Canada At This Week's Astor Trophy Competition At Royal Colwood GC In Victoria - Jurgen Kaminski/BC Golf

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Golf Canada is pleased to announce the four athletes selected to represent Canada at the Astor Trophy competition, scheduled for Aug. 29 – Sept. 1 at Royal Colwood Golf Club in Victoria, B.C.

Canada’s team will include Mary Parsons of Delta, B.C., Noémie Paré of Victoriaville, Que., Emily Zhu of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Brooke Rivers of Brampton, Ont.

The Astor Trophy competition is held every four years between teams from Australia, Canada, Great Britain & Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa. Each country is represented by four female players and each country contests foursomes and singles match play in a round-robin format.

Procter, BC's Jackie Little Holds The Trophy Alongside Two Of Canada's Finest After She Successfully Defended Her Canadian Women's Super-Senior Title On Home Turf - Image Credit Chuck Russell/Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

OSOYOOS -- Jackie Little didn’t exactly race across the finish line, but she got there first. The British Columbia Golf Hall of Famer successfully defended her Canadian Women’s Super-Senior Championship on Tuesday at Osoyoos Golf Club.

Little closed with an eight-over par 81 that left her at 11-over par for the 54-hole event. That was good for a five-shot win over Ivy Steinberg of Stouffville, Ont. and Ruth Maxwell of Reno, Nev. “That is the hardest I have had to work for an 81 in a long time,” Little said with a laugh after her round.

At age 61, Little knows every win now is something of a bonus. “I have been complaining about how I have been hitting it and my husband says, 'well, remember, you are 61 now,'” she said.

The 2019 Economic Impact of Golf in Canada study is underway.

The research and economic analysis is being led by We Are Golf, a coalition of golf associations that includes the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association, Canadian Society of Club Managers, Golf Canada, PGA of Canada and the National Golf Course Owners Association.

The goal of the study is to understand the impact of golf on Canada’s economy. We Are Golf is working to get the word out through multiple channels to golfers across Canada to invite them to participate in a short survey.

If your course or business could share the survey links to your patrons or post the survey link to your website and social media channels, that would greatly enhance the overall effectiveness of the survey.

The English link is here and the French link here. 

Should you be a golfer, please complete the survey as well.

Take the survey HERE.

Répondez au sondage ICI.

From L-R: Mary Parsons, Michelle Liu And Megan Osland Will Represent BC In This Week's CP Canadian Women's Open - File Photos

AURORA, Ont. – Golf Canada and Canadian Pacific (CP) have announced the names of 13 players who have received exemptions to compete in the 2019 CP Women’s Open, set to take place at Magna Golf Club from August 19-25. Headlining the list of exemptions is Canadian Golf Hall of Fame honoured member and CP Ambassador Lorie Kane.

The Charlottetown native will be making a record-setting 29th appearance at the CP Women’s Open appearance, besting World Golf Hall of Fame member JoAnne Carner (28) for most all-time appearances at the event.

Joining Kane will be a teenager who made national headlines last month, Vancouver’s Michelle Liu, who finished as the low Canadian at the 2019 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship in July to earn an exemption. Liu will be 12 years, nine months and seven days when she tees off at Magna Golf Club, becoming the youngest player ever to appear at the CP Women’s Open.

The record was previously held by Canadian star Brooke Henderson, who played as a 14-year-old in 2012.

Bruce Mitchell (The Royal & Ancient)

By John Gordon/Golf Canada

Catching up with Bruce Mitchell to reflect about his experience as the first Canadian to be named captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A) is a daunting task.

That, no doubt, is because he’s still doing his own catching up after a whirlwind year in the post, one of the most prestigious in the world of golf.

Delta, BC's Mary Parsons (3rd From Left) Was Part Of The Bronze Medal Winning Team From Canada In The Mixed Team Golf Event At The Peru Pan American Games. L-R: Austin Connelly, Brigitte Thibault, Parsons, Joey Savoie - Image Credit: David Jackson/ COC

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Delta’s Mary Parsons won a medal Sunday and came close to earning a second one at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. Parsons, Brigitte Thibault of Rosemere, Que., Joey Savoie of La Prairie, Que., and Austin Connelly of Lake Doucette, N.S., combined to win the bronze medal in the mixed team event on Sunday.

The Canadians finished with a team score of 552, just three shots behind the silver medalists from Paraguay. The United States took the gold medal with a team score of 544. “I think all four of us grinded out every shot to kind of get to where we are,” Parsons said. “We knew coming down the stretch we had to keep pushing because it wasn’t going to be over until it’s over.”

Victoria, BC's Jim Rutledge Won The 2019 PGA Seniors' Championship Of Canada At Carleton Golf & Yacht Club - Image Credit PGA of Canada

Courtesy PGA of Canada

It wasn’t the stroll to the finish line Jim Rutledge had hoped for, but in the end, the 59-year-old from Victoria, BC captured the PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada.

When the final round began, Rutledge held a three-shot lead over Ken Tarling and a four-shot cushion over Danny King, however, as the day wore on Rutledge’s lead dwindled away. “I’m sure glad we ran out of holes out there this afternoon,” Rutledge joked after his final round 1-under-par 70.

“Going into the back-nine I hit some wayward shots, some miscues off the tee and the next thing you know I only end up winning by a shot.”