Inside Golf Manitoba

7 Manitobans set to tee off at Canadian Men’s Senior Championship in Central Alberta

The 60th installment of the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship, presented by BDO, tees off this morning at the Red Deer Golf & Country Club in Red Deer, Alberta. 

Representing Manitoba are Hodson Financial Men’s Senior Champion Rob Oliphant of Rossmere Country Club, Garth Collings of Breezy Bend Country Club, Golf Manitoba Public Players Club member Bill Moslenko, Gerald Diamond of St. Charles Country Club, Southwood Golf & Country Club’s Kevin Nicholson, Jay Doyle of Niakwa Country Club and Gordon Kroeker of Pine Ridge Golf Club.

For the leaderboard, click here.

Conducted since 1962, the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship has grown to become one of the most popular amateur golf events in Canada. In 1995, the 65-and-over Super Senior division was introduced, which runs concurrently with the existing 55-and-over age group.

One of nine national championships conducted by Golf Canada for the 2022 season, the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship will consist of 72 holes of stroke-play with a cut after 36 holes. The Super Senior Championship is contested concurrently over the four rounds of the championship, and the Senior Inter-provincial Team Championship, established in 1977, also runs concurrently with the first 36 holes of the tournament. Rob Oliphant, Jay Doyle and Kevin Nicholson will represent Manitoba in the Team Championship.

Defending champion Darren Ritchie will return once again to defend his title and vie to see his name on the John Rankin Memorial Trophy for the second consecutive year. In 2021, the St. John, N.B. native from Hampton Golf Club held the lead for the majority of the tournament and finished 2-over par 72 to claim his first Canadian Men’s Senior title.

Additional notables in the field include Robert Funk (Canyon Lake, CA.), John Crowther (London, Ont.), Jim Lehman (Minnetonka, MN.), and Rusty Strawn (McDonough, GA.) who recently claimed the 2022 U.S. Senior Amateur Championship title at The Kittansett Club in Marion, Mass. this past week.

The champion will receive an exemption into the 2023 U.S. Senior Amateur Championship.  

More information about the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship can be found here.