3-Way Tie for First Place inside the Top 100 Program
With the golf season well underway, we wanted to provide a standings update on the PGA of Alberta Top 100 Program. This is year three of the revamped Top 100 Program (formerly the Professional Development Program) presented by Foresight Sports Canada. The Top 100 Program is based on pre-defined measurable criteria and is designed to recognize PGA of Alberta members who dedicate their time and demonstrate proven abilities in advancing the Association’s interests for the benefit of all Golf Professionals.
As of June 3rd, we have a 3-way tie for top spot between Alex Bunner (Belvedere G&CC), Stephen Yanitski (Valley Ridge GC) and Assistants’ Board President Bryce Halverson (Valley Ridge GC), all sitting at 39 points for this program year. All three members will continue to add points to their total in hopes of being named this year’s Top 100 Award recipient at the Awards Banquet in October. Last year’s winner Chris Ward (Edmonton Petroleum G&CC) is sitting within striking distance at 36 points as he looks to be the first member in PGA of Alberta history to win the Top 100 Award in back-to-back years! The current Top 10 in the standings are:
How to Earn Points? There’s still lots of time to earn points and move up in the rankings as this program year finishes at the end of September. A few areas where members can receive points right now is by attending education webinars or workshops, volunteering within the industry or just by completing the Compensation Survey (if not done so already). See where you can earn points by clicking the link below and looking under the "Point Allocation" tab.
*New Feature* - Standings by Membership Category Want to see how you compare to other Professionals in the same membership category as yourself? You can now do so by viewing the rankings in the following four membership categories; Apprentice Professionals, Class A Professionals, Head Professionals and Executive Professionals. *Please note that the cash prizes and Top 100 Professional initiative mentioned below are still based off the overall standings and not by the member category standings. Click Here for standings by membership category.
Top 100 Professionals & Cash Prizes Please remember that theTop 100 point earners will be recognized as a “Top 100 Professional” for this program year. Learn more about the program and see where you currently sit in the standings by clicking the link below.
The top 10 point earners for the 2021 program year will again receive a cash prize as an added incentive! Cash prizes total over $5,200! See the prize breakdown by clicking the link below and looking under the "Cash Prizes" tab.
Today saw the Pro-Pro Scramble sponsored by E-Z-GO, Pixel Army & BPG Buying Group, hosted at the immaculate and pristine conditioned Edmonton Petroleum G&CC. Temperatures and scores on the Leaderboard were scorching all day! We had a massive field of 56 teams encompassing 112 total players.
Our Winning team today was: Matthew Mah (Cardiff G&CC) & Mike Belbin (The Royal Mayfair GC) who carded an absolutely scorching 12-under par 60 with a ridiculous 7 birdies on the front-9 for a 29 and followed it up with an excellent 5 more birdies for a back-9 total of 31.
Tied for Second Place was the teams of: Josh Fleming & Tyler Lebouthillier (GOLFTEC Calgary Beacon Heights) & Samuel Hart (Bearspaw GC) & Gord Courage (The Hamptons GC) who carded excellent rounds of 11-under par 61’s. Fleming and Lebouthillier had 11 birdies on the card and Hart & Courage had 10 birdies and 1 eagle.
Tied for Fourth Place and rounding out our Top-5 was the teams of: Dallas Cantera (Cardiff G&CC) & Jeremy Lavallee (Northern Bear GC) and Wes Heffernan (Dynamic Motion Golf Performance Centre) & Kevin Black (Redwood Meadows G&CC) who carded stellar 10-under par 62’s respectively.
Thank you to our Sponsors: E-Z-GO, Pixel Army & BPG Buying Group & Host Facility, Edmonton Petroleum G&CC for putting on an incredible event!
Jeffries & Nelson Win Ladies’ Division at Pro-Pro Scramble
Today saw the Pro-Pro Scramble sponsored by E-Z-GO, Pixel Army & BPG Buying Group hosted at the immaculate and pristine conditioned Edmonton Petroleum G&CC. Temperatures and scores on the Leaderboard were scorching all day!
Our Ladies’ Division had 4 total teams today: Nicola Jeffries (Willow Park G&CC) & Gina Nelson (Magrath GC), Marsha Rogers (Derrick G&WC) & Shannon Werbicki (Royal Mayfair GC), Kim Valleau (The Winston GC) Carmen Kinas (Canyon Meadows G&CC) and Lisa Rosengarten (Glencoe G&CC) & Rachel Wiebe (Windermere G&CC).
After a battle on the course, our Ladies’ Division Champions are Nicola Jeffries & Gina Nelson who carded a stellar 6-under par 66 with 6 birdies on the card to win with a 2-stroke lead over their nearest competitors!
In second place today was the team of: Marsha Rogers (Derrick G&WC) & Shannon Werbicki (Royal Mayfair GC) who carded a great round of 5-under par 68!
Thank you to our Sponsors: E-Z-GO, Pixel Army & BPG Buying Group & Host Facility, Edmonton Petroleum G&CC for putting on an incredible event!
Partner News
PGA of Alberta Renews Partnership with EFW Radiology
The PGA of Alberta is delighted to announce a renewed partnership with EFW Radiology as the preferred medical imaging partner of the Association!
EFW Radiology will continue as the Title Sponsor of the PGA of Alberta Pro-Lady event which features one Professional paired up with a female Golfer in a team net stableford format. The Pro-Lady is being held this season at Stewart Creek G&CC in Canmore on July 13th. Learn more about the tournament here.
About EFW Radiology… EFW Radiology provides comprehensive diagnostic and interventional imaging services in Calgary and the surrounding areas. They perform more than 600,000 imaging procedures, consultations, second opinions, and studies every year. They are driven by their values of Compassion, Trust and Meaning.
For more information on EFW Radiology, please visit their website by clicking here. To make an appointment, please call 403-541-1200.
Tournament News
Resilient Riley Hangs On at GSH Series at Highwood Golf
Round 2 of the Golf Supply House Series 2-Day Event at Highwood Golf provided excitement throughout the day after an incredible Round 1 yesterday. The day started with what appeared to be an insurmountable lead for Riley Fleming (Lynx Ridge GC) but two of our competitors, Dillion Batsel (Desert Blume GC) & Mitchell Fox (Speargrass GC) managed to tighten things up at the top and make it an extremely interesting day on the Leaderboard.
Riley managed to grind it out and made some timely birdies today to end up victorious after breaking the course record yesterday. Riley carded an even-par (71) today to finish the tournament at -10 with a two-day total of 132. His birdie on #17 helped provide the 1 stroke cushion that he ended up winning by.
Right behind in sole possession of 2nd Place was Dillion Batsel (Desert Blume GC) who played an excellent round today carding 5-under par for a 66. Dillion dropped 5 birdies today to finish the tournament only 1-stroke off the lead (-9) with a two-day total of 133.
In sole possession of 3rd Place was Mitchell Fox (Speargrass GC) who carded the lowest Round 2 score of our competitors today. Mitchell played an outstanding round today carding a 6-under par 65. Mitch rattled in 6 birdies today! In sole possession of 4th Place was Weston Gillett (Lacombe G&CC) who shot 1-under par today to finish the tournament at -5. Rounding out our Top 5 was Marcus Clift (Coloniale GC) who shot even-par (71) today to finish the tournament at -4.
Congratulations to our Day 2 Skins winners of: Matt Yeo (Goose Hummock GR) who won 2 skins with a birdie on #7 & #18, Brady Karlson (Canyon Meadows G&CC) with an eagle on #4 & finally, Zander Ritson (Earl Grey GC) with a birdie on #14.
Special thank you to our Sponsor: Golf Supply House & our Host course of Highwood Golf for putting on an outstanding event!
Please be advised of the recent staff changes at the PGA of Alberta office. Ashley Van Kroonenburg is no longer working for the PGA of Alberta. She is still however working in the golf industry at Canmore G&CC. We wish Ashley the best of luck in her new role at the club and look forward to seeing her at future Association events.
Trevor Rioux will be shifting over to our Events role (Buying Show, Awards, Golf Shows, etc.) as well as remaining the point of contact for several other Association programs. Please send any questions to him pertaining to the events above moving forward ([email protected]).
Aaron McKay is now the main point of contact for the tournament program this season. Please send any questions to him pertaining to tournaments moving forward ([email protected]).
Lastly, the Association is currently in the process of hiring a new person for the role of Education & Tournament Coordinator. The office has already interviewed several candidates and should have a new person in place in the coming weeks.
PGA of Canada News
PGA of Canada Ian Webb Scholarships - Deadline to Apply June 25
In an effort to promote and foster ongoing education for PGA of Canada Members and Apprentices,The Webby Fund - in support of the PGA of Canada Foundation - will offer scholarship funding of varying amounts to qualified and selected applicants who are engaged in continuing their education through full-time studies.
These scholarships are also open to Sons/Daughters, Grandchildren or Spouses of PGA of Canada Members to help further academic achievements.
The annual deadline to apply for a scholarship is June 25th, 2021, and the Evaluation Forms must be received by July 2nd, 2021. For a copy of the 2021 PGA of Canada Foundation Scholarship Application, click here.
Eight Players Pass the first PAT of the Season at Highwood Golf
Congratulations to the eight players that passed the first Play Ability Test of the season hosted today at Highwood Golf. All players shot the target score or better (79) in the hot conditions to successfully pass and become an Apprentice Professional of the PGA of Canada. Congratulations to the following:
Riley Runs Rampant during Round 1 at Highwood Golf
Today saw the first two-day Golf Supply House event of the season hosted at the idyllic Highwood Golf in High River with 36 competitors in the field. The conditions were ideal today and it showed on the leadeboard, 16 players carded even-par (71) or better.
Our Leader after Round 1, Riley Fleming (Lynx Ridge GC) played an incredible round today, opened up a significant lead on the field and last but not least, broke the course record of 62 which has stood since 2003. Riley carded an amazing 10-under par (61), shooting 31-30. He had 5 birdies on the front-9 and followed it up with 1 eagle and 4 more birdies on the back-9.
We have 4 players tied for 2nd after carding stellar round 1 scores of 67. The players are: Zander Ritson (Earl Grey GC), Weston Gillett (Lacombe G&CC), Dillion Batsel (Desert Blume GC) & Markus Clift (Coloniale GC). Scott Stiles (Earl Grey GC) has sole possession of 6th after carding a solid 3-under par 68. Three players are tied for 7th after carding 2-under par 69’s: Stefan Cox (Calgary G&CC), Dustin Risdon (Dustin Risdon School of Golf) & Kevin Black (Redwood Meadows G&CC). Rounding out our Top-10, in sole possession of 10th is Mitchell Fox (Speargrass GC).
Tee times kick off at 7am sharp tomorrow (June 22) with our final group of Fleming, Gillett, Ritson heading out at 9:00am.
Congratulations to our Day 1 Skins winners: Riley Fleming (Eagle on #11), Weston Gillett (Eagle on #17) and Braden Chown (Eagle on #18).
New Venue Found for GSH Series & Seniors’ Division Events
We are happy to announce that LEDUC GC will host the available GSH Series and Seniors’ Division events later this season on Wednesday, August 25th. Leduc GC has previously hosted the Pro-Lady North in 2019 and also a GSH Series back in 2018. Thank you to all clubs that expressed interest in hosting these events.
Leduc GC is thrilled to showcase their new 9,500 sq. ft. facility that will feature their Pro Shop, Hackers Grill with wrap around patio, Boardroom, 220 person banquet hall, and underground storage with a state of the art two bay virtual golf facility.
Registration is NOW OPEN for these events and will be given on a first come, first serve basis. Click the proper link below to sign up.
Team Match Play Championship North Bracket Round 1 Complete
Yesterday saw the first-round matchups of the Srixon / Cleveland Golf Team Match Play Championship South bracket presented by Nike Golf. The event was hosted at Sturgeon Valley G&CC.
The following teams were victorious in their respective matchup today: Lavallee/Cantera, Mah/MacComb, Plouffe/McArthur, Robillard/ T. Robinson, Belbin/Cuthbertson, McCourt/Piercey, MacGregor/Cartier, Nelson/Leicht, K. Allred/Van Amsterdam, New/DiBartolo, Busetto/Bruce, Jackson/Behiels, Whitecotton/Chapman, Hnatiw/Wisser, Ranger/McDermott. Congratulations to these teams and good luck in the Second Round!
They will now move on to the second round and the remaining teams will shift to the consolation side. A randomized consolation side bracket will be shared later today with the teams that did not win their first matchup. Best of luck to all these teams in the Second Round!
**Teams are now responsible for scheduling and playing their respective matches B E F O R E the deadlines specified below. As the season has been condensed and shortened there will be N O tolerance for missed deadlines for completing your respective matches.**
Deadlines for the matches are as follows:
Round
Deadline to Complete Match
Round 1
COMPLETE
Round 2
July 8th
Round 3
July 29th
Round 4
August 19th
Semi-Finals
September 9th
Finals (North Winners vs South Winners)
September TBA @ Red Deer G&CC
Thank you to our Sponsors for this event and Sturgeon Valley G&CC for hosting us!
Tournament News
Team Match Play Championship South Bracket Round 1 Complete
Yesterday saw the first-round matchups of the Srixon / Cleveland Golf Team Match Play Championship South bracket presented by Nike Golf. The event was hosted by the picturesque Lakeside GC in Chestermere. The day started with some difficult conditions but the later half of the bracket got to enjoy another beautiful sunny summer day.
The following teams were victorious in their respective matchup today: McCluskey/Hill, Willner/Stef. Anderson, Halpen/G. Johnson, Fukushima/Corrigan, Smith/Keats, Gibson/Lavoie, Chown/Waters, Ritson/Luopa, Fox/Spriddle, Courage/Jenkinson, Fleming/Stiles, Black/Heffernan, Becker/Repp, Keller/Suto, Robb/Cox, Freeman/Wade. Congratulations to these teams and good luck in the Second Round!
They will now move on to the second round and the remaining teams will shift to the consolation side. A randomized consolation side bracket will be shared later this week with the teams that did not win their first matchup. Best of luck to all these teams in the Second Round!
**Teams are now responsible for scheduling and playing their respective matches B E F O R E the deadlines specified below. As the season has been condensed and shortened there will be N O tolerance for missed deadlines for completing your respective matches.**
Deadlines for the matches are as follows:
Round
Deadline to Complete Match
Round 1
COMPLETE
Round 2
July 8th
Round 3
July 29th
Round 4
August 19th
Semi-Finals
September 9th
Finals (North Winners vs South Winners)
September TBA @ Red Deer G&CC
Thank you to our Sponsors for this event and Lakeside GC for hosting us!
Tournament News
Tournament Payment Reminder
Please remember that the below events from July 5th forward will be processed TODAY (June 15th) at 4pm. Please withdraw before this point today to avoid any withdrawal penalties.
Assistants’ Championship @ Sirocco GC on July 5 & 6
GSH Series @ Links at Spruce Grove on July 12
Pro-Lady South @ Stewart Creek G&CC on July 13
The payment processing date for events moving forward beyond those listed above will return to the normal 28-days in advance policy. CLICK HERE to refresh yourself on our withdrawal policy.
Click "Manage" beside the event you want to update your partner’s name
For Pro-Pro Events - Scroll down and select your partner from the drop down list “Select Partner Name (Eligible Member)”
For Pro-Am Events - Scroll down and enter your partners name under “Enter Partner Name (Non-Member)” and valid Golf Canada index under “Partner Handicap”
Look up their Index by CLICKING HERE to ensure their valid Golf Canada is accurate and their name is spelled correctly
Click “Register Partner” once completed
Tournament News
Numrich Wins First Event of the Season
Today’s first Golf Supply House Series of the season is dedicated to the late PGA of Alberta Member Corey Beaver, who sadly passed away earlier this year and was a member of the Sundre GC team.
The first event of the season was a resounding success with a massive field of 76 Professionals and hosted at the picturesque Sundre GC. The course was in immaculate condition and the weather was outstanding for our competitors for the majority of the day.
Grant Numrich of Red Deer G&CC rose to the top of the leader-board today and never looked back. With 3 birdies on the front-9 for a stellar 3-under par (33) start, Grant then carded 35 on the back-9 to finish today with a commanding 3-stroke lead on the rest of the field.
Rounding out our Top-10 today we have a 9-way tie for 2nd place at 1-under par (71): Stefan Cox, Dustin Risdon, Kent Fukushima, Wes Heffernan, Randy Robb, Riley Fleming, Keith Whitecotton, Dallas Cantera and Host Professional, Scott Shouldice.
Congratulations to our Skins winners’ of Wes Heffernan with an Eagle on #7 & Gary Hartford with a Birdie on #1!
PGA of Canada Now Accepting Hall of Fame Nominations - Deadline July 1
The PGA of Canada Hall of Fame is dedicated to recognizing the extraordinary contribution and accomplishments of our members to the game of golf in Canada and around the world. Deserving members will be inducted on a regular basis.
A Committee of Past Presidents, Honorary Directors, Members, and representatives of the golf industry is responsible for reviewing nominations and selecting individuals for induction.
Once elected, the nominee is officially inducted at a special ceremony. Virtually housed, the Honoured Member’s portrait and biography are then enshrined in the PGA of Canada Hall of Fame.
Nominations must be received no later than July 1st to be eligible for selection the following year.
All nominations must be submitted electronically using this online form together with all supporting documentation (see link below). If you require additional information with the online form, please contact Darcy Kral at [email protected] or 1.800.782.5764 ext.224.
2021 Shaw Charity Classic Qualifying Events - Register Today
The PGA of Alberta is excited to host two Qualifying events for the 2021 edition of the Shaw Charity Classic held at Canyon Meadows G&CC. This year the Shaw Charity Classic will be held a bit earlier in the season on August 13th-15th.
The Pre-Qualifier, which is open to Amateurs and Professionals aged 50 years and older by the day of the event, will be taking place at Valley Ridge GC in Calgary on Friday, August 6th. The Top 5 scores from the Pre-Qualifier will advance to the next stage noted below.
Players who advance from the Pre-Qualifier will compete in the Event Qualifier on Monday, August 9th hosted at Elbow Springs GC, the final stage before the Shaw Charity Classic. The Top 4 scores from the Event Qualifier will go on to play in the 2021 Shaw Charity Classic!
DEADLINE to register for the Pre-Qualifier is Friday, July 30th by 5pm MST. For more information on eligibility and how to register, please click Read More below.