OSOYOOS, B.C. – One hundred and fourty-two golfers ranging from 25-73 years of age will descend on Osoyoos Golf Club in Osoyoos, B.C., from Aug. 17-20 for the 49th playing of the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship.
Four individual trophies are up for grabs at the 54-hole tournament in southern British Columbia.
Competitors over 25 will vie for the Mid-Amateur title, players over 40 will be eligible to compete in the Mid-Master competition and those over 50 will play for the Senior Championship. Finally, those 60-and-over will compete for the Super Senior title.
“The Mid-Am and Senior is a great opportunity for Canadian amateurs to find success and compete on a national stage,” added tournament director Adam Cinel. “We are very excited to bring this talented field to a spectacular host club in Osoyoos. The course’s beautiful layout will provide a tough, yet fair test for all the golfers here this week.”
In 2018, Australian Sue Wooster defended both her Senior and Mid-Masters titles, while also winning the Mid-Amateur Championship. Wooster won the Mid-Amateur in a playoff with Christina Proteau (Port Alberni, B.C.), while Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Mary Ann Hayward (St. Thomas, Ont.) came third.
Hayward finished one stroke behind Wooster in both the Mid-Masters and Senior competitions. The Super Senior competition was won by Procter, B.C., native Jackie Little, who finished one stroke ahead of Penny Baziuk (North Saanich, B.C.).
Wooster is returning in 2019 to defend her titles, as are Proteau, Hayward, Little and Baziuk.
In addition to the four individual competitions, an inter-provincial team competition will take place during the first two rounds.
Team Ontario, consisting of Hayward, Judith Kyrinis (Thornhill, Ont.) and Terrill Samuel (Etobicoke, Ont.) won the team competition in 2018 with a two-day score of 11-over-par 299.
After 36 holes, the field will be reduced to the low 70 players and ties from the senior division. Further to that, all Mid-Amateurs and Mid-Masters posting a 36-hole score which is equal to the last player(s) to qualify for the final round, will make the cut. A minimum of ten Mid-Amateurs (age 25-39), five Mid-Masters (age 40-49) and five Super-Seniors (age 60+) will make the cut.
The winner receives an exemption into the 2019 U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur being contested at Cedar Rapids Country Club in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, from Aug. 24-29.
Established in 1973, Osoyoos Golf Club expanded to a 36-hole layout in 2006. Located in a picturesque setting adjacent to Osoyoos Lake overlooking the town with the mountains in the distance, the 2019 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship is the first Golf Canada championship conducted at the course.
“Our course is renowned for its spectacular views and very consistent turf conditions,” said Doug Robb, general manager of Osoyoos Golf Club. “It’s in great condition and we’re thrilled to share our course with these talented women.”
Additional information about the tournament, including the full field and tee times is available here.
NOTABLES
Sue Wooster, Australia
Wooster enters the tournament as the defending champion, currently holding the Mid-Amateur, Mid-Master and Senior titles. The 57-year-old rode the exemption she earned at last year’s tournament all the way to the final of the U.S. Senior Amateur, finishing runner-up to Lara Tennant.
Mary Ann Hayward, St. Thomas, Ont.
A four-time Canadian Women’s Amateur champion and member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, Hayward won the Canadian Women’s Mid-Senior in 2013 and came in third last year. The 59-year-old has represented Canada internationally on numerous occasions, including eight times at the World Amateur Championship.
Alison Murdoch, Victoria
The 69-year-old Canadian Golf Hall of Famer has won the Canadian Women’s Mid-Senior four times, most recently in 2007. She had a pair of good results in 2018, finishing third at the British Columbia Mid-Amateur and fourth at the 2018 Alberta Senior Ladies Championship.
Jackie Little, Procter, B.C.
The reigning Canadian Super Senior champion won this event in 2008 and 2009. In 2018, Little won her sixth B.C. Senior Women’s Championship. She was inducted into the Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Fame in 2017 and played the U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur Championship for the third time in 2018.
Judith Kyrinis, Thornhill, Ont.
The 2016 Canadian Mid-Senior champion finished in fourth place at last year’s event. Kyrinis played both the Ontario Women’s Match Play and the Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship in 2019, finishing in a tie for fifth and a tie for 19th, respectively.
FAST FACTS
Six Canadian Golf Hall of Fame members have won the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship; Marlene Streit, Gayle Borthwick, Alison Murdoch, Marilyn O’Connor, Margaret Todd and Mary Ann Hayward.
Streit (1985, 1987-88, 1993), Borthwick (1994-1995, 1999-2000) and Murdoch (2002, 2004-05, 2007) are tied for the most Canadian Women’s Senior Championship victories with four each.
Nancy Fitzgerald has the most consecutive Canadian Women’s Senior Championship victories – winning three straight titles from 1996-1998.
To date, Australian Sue Wooster is the only non-North American winner of the event.
The champion receives an exemption into the 2019 U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur at Cedar Rapids Country Club in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, from Aug. 24-29.