'Golden Pond', the 5th hole at the Lethbridge Country Club (Lethbridge News Now)

By Justin Goulet

Canadian Junior Girls Championship

Prestigious golf tournament starts Tuesday in Lethbridge

Jul 27, 2019 | 8:00 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Over 100 golfers are ready to hit the links at the Lethbridge Country Club.

The course is hosting the 65^th annual Canadian Junior Girls Championship (CJGC), which will bring in the country’s best female golfers between the ages of 12 and 18.

“These are going to be future LPGA stars that we’re going to be witness to. The talent is just absolutely incredible,” said Adam Cinel, the tournament’s director with Golf Canada.

Past junior tournament champions include Brooke Henderson (2012) and Céleste Dao. Dao is coming to Lethbridge as the defending champion from last summer.

In addition to the above-mentioned Canadian athletes, the Lethbridge Country Club will welcome two golfers from the United States – Paris Hilinski and Lilly Thomas, as well as Hsin Chiao Chang from the Republic of Korea.

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“(There’s) a little bit of international flavor, so those will be some great players coming in to play as well and will give our Canadian players a run for their money,” Cinel told Lethbridge News Now.

“We also have our five Team Canada Junior Squad players that will be playing as well … (and) a lot of players that are ranked within the top one-thousand of amateur players in the world.”

The Team Canada National Junior Squad is comprised of five junior-aged girls that were selected to be trained by national coaches from Golf Canada. The athletes hone their craft out of the Bear Mountain Golf Resort in Victoria, B.C.

In total, the Canadian Junior Girls Championship will feature 123 golfers vying for the trophy and an exemption into the 2020 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.

Although this is the first time the Lethbridge Country Club has hosted the CJGC, it previously hosted the 2012 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship. That year, 16-year-old Ariya Jutanugarn set a course record of 65 en route to victory.

Jutanugarn currently plays on the LPGA tour and was the first golfer, male or female, from Thailand to win a major championship.

“It’s pretty incredible the players that you see that go up this national, amateur level and we hope that they see future success in collegiate and professional careers,” Cinel said.

“It’s one of the, I guess, most prestigious events they may play in their career and it just means so much for them to qualify and get here, but the chance to win it is definitely a huge success as well.”

Practice rounds take place on Monday, July 29 with competitive tournament play beginning on Tuesday, July 30.

“Then, Thursday and Friday (August 1 and 2) are the final two rounds. So, after the second round on Wednesday we will cut the field to the low-70 and ties and that’s also including the low-10 juvenile players as well,” Cinel explained.

The juvenile-aged players (16 and under) are not just golfing to win the Junior Championship but have a chance at winning their age group’s tournament within a tournament.

“In 2017, one player (Susan Xiao) won both of those. She was under 16 and won the Junior and Juvenile,” Cinel remarked.

Richmond Hill, Ontario’s Emily Zhu won the Juvenile competition last summer and will be competing again in this year’s tournament.

Country Club General Manager, Brian Huculak, said there’s a lot of excitement in the air.

“It’s a big deal for Lethbridge and our club. National championships are played in town here maybe once every five to 10 years – best case. To have the best in Canada coming to play the Lethbridge Country Club is very exciting for us,” he said.

Huculak noted that the opportunity to be a part of players’ growth and the evolution of the sport is also something the LCC takes pride in.

“To see the best in Canada play here and be able to follow their careers, hopefully on to the LPGA Tour or wherever they go from there, it’s very exciting to have that young crop of great players here.”

He added that hosting the Amateur Championship in 2012 prepared them for this moment.

“We’re definitely better prepared because we know what to expect this time with the numbers of volunteers and the way the week flows,” he said.

“We’ve got a great tournament committee that’s stepped up and put in a lot of time organizing the event. We’re in good shape.”

Huculak said the course is in ideal condition for the upcoming tournament.

“The playing conditions will be just prime,” he said.

“Any local golf enthusiast would probably be blown away by how great these young players hit it and they might learn some things or two. It is free to come and spectate and we welcome anybody who’s interested to come down.”

The Lethbridge Country Club has been a staple in the community for over 100 years.

Local golfers in the tournament include Lethbridge’s Chelsea Joseph, Taber’s Alanna Makarchuk and Camryn Frasz from Brooks.

116 volunteers (including seven junior volunteers) are helping out with the event. A live leaderboard will be available at golfcanada.ca/competitions.