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

By Justin Goulet

Canadian golf in a great spot according to Junior Girls Championship tournament director

Aug 2, 2019 | 6:43 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – All week, golfers have been on the links at the Lethbridge Country Club.

The club is hosting the Canadian Junior Girls Championship, which wraps up today (Friday, August 2).

Adam Cinel of Golf Canada, who is serving as the tournament’s director, said the week has shaped up just as they were hoping it would, and the final day is set to be a tight contest between the athletes.

“We have a tight leaderboard heading into the final day here. It’s going to be a great day and we’re really looking forward to etching another name into Canadian golf history,” he said.

Going into the final day of play, Vancouver’s YanJun (Victoria) Liu holds the lead. On Thursday, the 16-year-old carded a round one 1-under 71, sinking two birdies.

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Richmond Hill, Ontario’s Emily Zhu is in second place, two strokes behind Liu at 9-under.

Cinel noted that tee times start at 7:30 a.m. for the final day, with leaders teeing off at 9:30 off the first tee. He said they should be coming around the 18^th hole at around 1:30 or 2:00 p.m.

He said golf enthusiasts should definitely take the opportunity to watch the golfers in action. Attendance to the event is free for the public.

“We had a lot of spectators out yesterday (August 1), which is great to see and we’re hoping for the same today,” he remarked.

“It’s quite something to watch. When I see it, I’m pretty jealous [laughs]. We’ve got such talent that’s coming up the pipeline in Canada. You can definitely tell that Canadian golf is in a great spot right now. There are just so many players that are in the mix and are so capable.”

Cinel said it’s remarkable how talented the athletes are on the course at such a young age.

“We’ve got the leaderboard pretty tightly packed at the top. Most of them are under 16 years old, which is pretty incredible. Our leader is 16 and pretty much four out of the (top) five are 16 and under, which is pretty incredible in a junior event where you can be 18 (years old) and under.”

He added that the winner of the Junior Girls Championship will receive an exemption to the 2020 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.

“It’s one of the top-ranked amateur events in the world, so it’s a great playing stage to showcase your skills,” he said.

The 2020 Amateur Championship is set to take place in Quebec.

To view the leaderboard at the 2019 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, visit golfcanada.ca/competitions.