WATCH | Rhonda Orr wins 2022 Female Amateur Golfer of the Year
Orr & Kuntz named 2022 Female & Male Amateur Golfers of the Year
On behalf of selection committee members Clayton Dreger, Jill Hardy, Adam Speirs and Ken Wiebe, Golf Manitoba is pleased to recognize the 2022 Female and Male Amateur Golfer of the Year Award winners.
This year’s recipients were announced at the annual Golf Manitoba Awards reception that was held at the Breezy Bend Country Club.
Rhonda Orr of Southwood Golf & Country Club is the Female Amateur Golfer of the Year.
Orr, 61, from Winnipeg, won the Mid-Amateur Flight and finished second overall at the Diamond Athletic Women’s Amateur Championship. She represented Team Manitoba at the Canadian Women’s Amateur. The Southwood Golf and Country Club member won the Hodson Financial Women’s Senior Championship, her seventh senior provincial championship in a row and ninth in the last ten years. Orr went on to finish 10th on the leaderboard playing for Team Manitoba at the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship. Orr also tied for eighth place at the AGA Women’s Senior Amateur Championship in the United States.
With the selection, it is the fourth time that Orr has been recognized as Female Amateur Golfer of the Year (2016, 2018, 2019).
Braxton Kuntz of Breezy Bend Country Club is the Male Amateur Golfer of the Year.
Kuntz, 18, from Winnipeg, won the Manitoba Junior Championship presented by the Alex & Peggy Colonello Foundation and represented Team Manitoba finishing in a tie for fifth place at the Canadian Junior Boys Championship. The Breezy Bend Country Club member also won the Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship. Kuntz is the first player in Manitoba to win both the Manitoba Junior and Amateur Championship in back to back seasons (2021 and 2022). He also finished tied for third place at the Elmhurst Invitational.
With the selection, it is the second time in as many years that Kuntz has been named Male Amateur Golfer of the Year (2021).
About the Golf Manitoba Amateur Golfer of the Year Award – The Manitoba Amateur Golfer of the Year award recognizes outstanding performance by Manitoba golfers in all levels of competition with the first award presented in 1975. In 2015, the award was re-established to include both a female and male category.
About Golf Manitoba – Golf Manitoba is the governing body for golf in the province of Manitoba and North West Ontario. Its mission is to develop, promote, govern and service the sport of golf for the benefit of all participants.
New “PGA Tour 2K23” video game made on Canada’s East Coast
From Moe Norman to Mike Weir and Sandra Post to Brooke Henderson, Canada has a rich golf history.
But there’s also a little-known golf hotbed in Lunenburg, N.S.
Located on the south shore of Nova Scotia, with a population of 2,396 according to the 2021 census, the port town is home to HB Studios, creator of the new “PGA Tour 2K23” video game.
Founded in 2000 by transplanted Englishman Jeremy Wellard, HB Studios collaborated with various publishers including Electronic Arts on an array of sports games. The studio recruited locally and all over the globe to get expertise in everything from cricket and rugby to soccer, football and golf.
“When I started here, I was definitely one of the local people,” said HB Studios creative director Josh Muise, who has more than 15 years experience with the company. “I was born on the East Coast and grew up out here. I remember walking through the studio the first day and the number of different accents that I came across was certainly delightful and kind of interesting to find in a small sleepy fishing village in Nova Scotia.”
The studio now also has an office in Halifax, with combined staff of about 100 and growing.
“This has become a really major project and it’s become a very big game,” Muise said of the golf title. “We’re very lucky to be able to continue attracting world-class talent and growing the franchise.”
Muise, 40, was born on Cape Breton Island and spent a lot of his school years in New Brunswick. While he admits to some reservations back in the day about moving to “a 1,200- to 1,500-person seasonal fishing village, as beautiful as it was in the postcards,” he is now an unabashed fan of Lunenburg.
“It’s been a wonderful transformation. The town has radically shifted in the last five, 10 years in particular, where you’re seeing a lot of new businesses and you’re seeing a lot of new people coming in. And it’s really become a hotbed.”
The trend toward working remotely has helped bring an influx of young high-tech workers looking to leave the city. The fact that Halifax is only an hour or so away adds to Lunenburg’s attraction.
HB Studios mirrors that growth, as shown by the fact that its newest title features Tiger Woods on its cover.
“The thing that we’re proudest of with that is that we feel like we earned the opportunity,” said Muise, whose name is pronounced muse. “We went from an independent golf game, not all those many years ago, to building up to earning ourself the spot to having the PGA Tour licence come into play and being part of our partnership, ultimately bringing in 2K (Games) and everything that they offer, and then leading up to bringing in Tiger Woods as well.
“The team worked very very hard to put a great game out there. We worked with the community. We were receptive to the feedback. And we kind of grew together. So for it all to culminate with the best, I would say, single-sport athlete of all time on the cover of the box, nothing could feel better.”
That first independent golf game was “The Golf Club,” released in 2014, which eventually became “The Golf Club 2019 featuring PGA Tour.”
In 2020, the studio released “PGA Tour 2K21” for 2K Games. A year later, 2K Games bought HB Studios and signed a deal with Woods.
Today the PGA Tour 2K franchise is the studio’s main focus with 2K Games’ expertise from its NBA franchise helping the studio with the complexities of golf licensing and partners.
Woods and Canadian Brooke Henderson are among the 16 playable pros available at launch in “PGA Tour 2K23,” which was released Oct. 14 for PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One and PC via Steam. Basketball icons Michael Jordan and Steph Curry also appear in the game.
“Being a Canadian studio, it was important for us to try and bring in a great Canadian icon like Brooke,” said Muise.
“She’s a great ambassador for the sport. She’s an all time Canadian legend.” he added. “And (we’re) absolutely thrilled to have her as part of our roster.”
Gamers can also play St. George’s Golf and Country Club, set up in tournament condition as it was for the 2022 RBC Canadian Open in June.
The 2K franchise will have competition next spring, with Electronic Arts getting back into the game with “EA Sports PGA Tour,” boasting video game access to all four majors including the Masters.
“We know that there may be a new product coming into the space but ultimately we feel very confident and very comfortable that golf is where we want to be,” said Muise. “And golf is where we intend on staying. And we’re going to keep building on our current success and pushing it.”
Finalists announced for 2022 Female & Male Amateur Golfer of the Year
Golf Manitoba is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2022 Female and Male Amateur Golfer of the Year Awards.
This year’s female and male award finalists were chosen by the selection committee of Clayton Dreger of Golden West Radio, Ken Wiebe of Rogers Sportsnet as well as former Golf Manitoba Junior and Amateur Champions Jill Hardy and Adam Speirs. The winners will be announced at the Golf Manitoba Awards reception on Tuesday, November 2, 2022 at the Breezy Bend Country Club.
The 2022 Female Amateur Golf of the Year Finalists are Addison Kartusch, Jeri Lafleche, Charmaine Mackid and Rhonda Orr.
Kartusch, 16, from Winnipeg, won the Manitoba Junior Girls Championship presented by the Alex and Peggy Colonello Foundation and represented Manitoba with a 30th place finish at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship. She was a semi-finalist in the Manitoba Play Championship presented by St. Vital Dental Centre, placed fourth in the Diamond Athletic Women’s Amateur Championship, tied for fifth at the Golf Canada NextGen Prairie Championship and finished ninth at the Canada Summer Games. The St. Charles Country Club member also qualified to take part in the 2022 Golf Canada NextGen Selection Camp that was held at TPC Osprey Valley in Toronto, Ontario.
Lafleche, 15, from Winnipeg, won the Diamond Athletic Women’s Amateur Championship and was a member of Team Manitoba at the Canadian Women’s Amateur. The Clear Lake Golf Course/Niakwa Country Club member placed fifth at the Manitoba Junior Girls Championship presented by the Alex and Peggy Colonello Foundation, made the cut at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship (T61), seventh at the Women’s City & District Championship and eighth at Golf Canada’s Prairie NextGen Championship.
Mackid, 45, from Winnipeg, was a semifinalist in the Manitoba Match Play Championship presented by St. Vital Dental Centre. She finished second in the Mid-Amateur Flight of the Diamond Athletic Women’s Amateur Championship and third overall. The Breezy Bend Country Club member also tied for sixth place on the leaderboard in the Mid-Master Flight of the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship where she finished in a tie for ninth place overall.
Orr, 61, from Winnipeg, won the Mid-Amateur Flight and finished second overall at the Diamond Athletic Women’s Amateur Championship. She represented Team Manitoba at the Canadian Women’s Amateur. The Southwood Golf and Country Club member won the Hodson Financial Women’s Senior Championship, her seventh senior provincial championship in a row and ninth in the last ten years. Orr went on to finish 10th on the leaderboard playing for Team Manitoba at the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship. Orr also tied for eighth place at the AGA Women’s Senior Amateur Championship in the United States.
The Golf Manitoba Awards selection committee would also like to recognize Cala Korman (1st Women’s City & District and 3rd at the Manitoba Junior Girls), Marissa Naylor (2022 Women’s Match Play Champion) and Veronica van der Meer (T19 Canadian Women’s Amateur Champion) on their accomplishments during the 2022 season.
The 2022 Male Amateur Golfer of the Year finalists are Braxton Kuntz, Curtis Markusson, Rob Oliphant and Marco Trstenjak.
Kuntz, 18, from Winnipeg, won the Manitoba Junior Championship presented by the Alex & Peggy Colonello Foundation and represented Team Manitoba finishing in a tie for fifth place at the Canadian Junior Boys Championship. The Breezy Bend Country Club member also won the Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship. Kuntz is the first player in Manitoba to win both the Manitoba Junior and Amateur Championship in back to back seasons (2021 and 2022). He also finished tied for third place at the Elmhurst Invitational.
Markusson, 41, from Winnipeg, won the Canadian Men’s Mid-Master Championship and tied for 12th place representing Team Manitoba at the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship. He tied for second place in the Mid-Masters Flight and tied for ninth place at the Manitoba Mid-Amateur Championship. The St. Charles Country Club member also tied for seventh place at the Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship.
Oliphant, 57, from Winnipeg, won the Manitoba Match Play Senior Championship presented by St. Vital Dental Centre. The Rossmere Country Club member also won the Hodson Financial Men’s Senior Championship. While representing Team Manitoba, he tied for 65th on the leaderboard at the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship.
Trstenjak, 22, from Winnipeg, won the Manitoba Match Play Championship presented by St. Vital Dental Centre. He finished second at both the Elmhurst Invitational and the Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship. The Elmhurst Golf and Country Club member placed 54th on the leaderboard while representing Team Manitoba at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.
The Golf Manitoba Awards selection committee would also like to recognize Jacob Armstrong (T2 Canadian College/University Championship), Jay Doyle (T7 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship), Ryan McMillan (T7 Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur & T76 Canadian Men’s Amateur) and Ryan Sholdice (2022 Mid-Amateur Champion) for their play during the 2022 season.
Tickets for the 2022 Golf Manitoba Awards reception Tuesday, November 2, 2022, at Breezy Bend Country Club are available by contacting Golf Manitoba.
About the Golf Manitoba Amateur Golfer of the Year Award – The Golf Manitoba Amateur Golfer of the Year award recognizes outstanding performance by Manitoba golfers in all levels of competition with the first award presented in 1975. In 2015, the award was re-established to include both a female and male category.
Past Amateur Golfer of the Year recipients >>
About Golf Manitoba – Golf Manitoba is the governing body for golf in the province of Manitoba and North West Ontario. Its mission is to develop, promote, govern and service the sport of golf in Manitoba and North West Ontario for the benefit of all participants.
For more information:
Brian Munz
Director of Communications
Golf Manitoba
204.899.1092
brian@golfmb.ca
Golf Manitoba score posting season to end October 31
The World Handicap System stipulates every player is responsible for returning all acceptable scores into one’s scoring record from rounds played on courses observing their active season, which is part of the golf season when courses have acceptable playing conditions.
Ultimately, it is the responsibility of authorized provincial golf association to declare active and inactive periods, and it is the responsibility of the area club and golfers to observe these dates for posting purposes.
Each year, provincial associations analyze numerous factors to determine their active seasons. This ensures consistency of when scores would be posted by the majority of golfers to help keep Handicap Indexes accurate.
Scores made at any golf course observing an inactive season are not acceptable for handicap purposes. The rationale behind this is that posting scores during inactive seasons (periods of poor course conditions) could artificially increase a player’s Handicap Index.
Scores made at a golf course in an area observing an active season must be posted for handicap purposes, even if the golf club from which the player receives a Handicap Index is observing an inactive season. The club’s Handicap Committee must make it possible for a player to post these away scores at the beginning of the active season.
For example, if a player belonging to a golf club in Ontario plays golf in Florida during January, any scores made in Florida are acceptable and must be returned to the player’s Ontario golf club. If the player is also a member of a golf club in Florida, scores must be posted to the player’s Florida club.
In Canada, the active season in each province is as follows:
BC = Mar.1 – Nov.15
AB = Mar.1 – Oct.31
SK = Apr.15 – Oct.31
MB = Apr.15 – Oct.31
ON = Apr.15 – Oct.31
QC = Apr.15 – Oct.31
NS = Apr.15 – Oct.31
NB = May.1 – Oct.31
PE = Apr.16 – Nov.14
NL = Apr.1 – Nov. 30
It’s also important to note that if you are travelling to other countries, you should determine their active seasons to prevent posting unacceptable scores. Your home club needs all acceptable scores from the “off-season” as well to ensure your Handicap Index is accurate once recalculated at the beginning of the season.
For a detailed list of active and inactive schedule in the United States, click here.
For more information on handicapping, click here.
To enter your scores for an official Handicap Index, become a Golf Canada member here.
Golf Manitoba announces 2022 scholarship award recipients
Winnipeg, MB – The Board of Directors of the Golf Manitoba Scholarship Fund are pleased to announce its award recipients for 2022. These students are active in the Manitoba golf community, have demonstrated academic excellence and are pursuing post-secondary studies at Canadian universities and colleges. In 2022, the Fund awarded $16,500 in scholarships to 11 deserving students.
DR. DWIGHT PARKINSON AWARD – Riley Dudych
The Dr. Dwight Parkinson Award has been made possible by Mr. Dave Hill of the St. Charles Country Club. The award recognizes Dr. Parkinson’s long-time commitment to the sport of golf. This $2,000 award is available to a student entering their first year of studies at a post-secondary institution.
Riley graduated from Oak Park High School in the spring of 2022 and has begun his post-secondary studies in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Manitoba. Riley was active in his high-school community serving as co-president of the student council, captain of the men’s hockey team and assisted follow students through a peer tutoring program. Riley has been both involved with the Glendale Golf & Country Club for the past four years where he plays recreationally and works in the golf services department.
BRIAN GILHULY AWARD – Jacob Armstrong
The Brian Gilhuly Memorial Scholarship was made possible by a generous donation from the estate of the long-time Golf Manitoba volunteer, Mr. Brian Gilhuly. Brian started his volunteerism with Golf Manitoba in 1986 where he served in a variety of capacities for over 30 years until his passing in 2017. This $2,000 award is available to students who are currently in the process of continuing with post-secondary studies.
Jacob had a very successful academic and athletic year at the University of the Fraser Valley. Academically, he made the Dean’s list for both the Fall 2021 and Winter 2022 terms. On the golf course, he recorded four top-three finishes for the Cascades that included a T2 at the 2022 Canadian University/College Golf Championship. The finish earned him a chance to play for Team Canada in the 2022 FISU World University Golf Championship that was held in Torino, Italy.
GOLF MANITOBA SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS
- Jack Carswell
St. Charles Country Club
Huron University College / AEO Ivey Business – Business Management - Dayna Dubnicoff
Elmhurst Golf & Country Club
University of Manitoba / Faculty of Kinesiology & Recreation Management – Physical Education - Mackenzie Forsythe
Elmhurst Golf & Country Club
University of Manitoba / Asper School of Business - Stefan Lavallee
Niakwa Country Club
University of Manitoba / Faculty of Education - Eric Strick
Rossmere Country Club
University of Manitoba / Asper School of Business – Actuarial Mathematics - Samuel Sullivan
Carman Golf & Curling Club
Humber College / Professional Golf Management - Brett Tustin
Rossmere Country Club
Confederation College / Aviation Flight Management – Pilot Training
Golf Manitoba scholarship awards are made possible each year by the Scholarship Fund. These awards are made available to both high school and post-secondary students who are pursuing studies in Canada. Scholarships are awarded based largely on academic achievement; however, golf ability and community involvement are also considered. In 2022 each recipient will receive $1,500.
CRAIG YAHIRO MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS
- Ryden Hargreaves
Employed at the Shilo Country Club & Wheat City Golf Course
Assiniboine Community College / Construction Electrician - McKyla Poponick
Employed at the Selkirk Golf & Country Club
University of Manitoba / Occupational Therapy
The Craig Yahiro Memorial Scholarship Award is made possible through the generosity of the Yahiro Family and participants in an annual fundraising event at Rossmere Country Club in memory of the late Craig Yahiro. Craig Yahiro was a long-time member of the PGA of Canada where his skillful instruction and great personality and sense of humour helped many improve their game. These awards are available for students who are either Golf Manitoba members or who are currently involved with golf either through employment or participation.
The Board of the Golf Manitoba Scholarship Fund extends its sincere congratulations to the 2022 recipients and wishes them all the best in their post-secondary studies.
About the Golf Manitoba Scholarship Fund
The Golf Manitoba Scholarship Fund (GMSF) is a registered charity that provides financial assistance to young golfers entering or continuing in a post-secondary educational institution in Canada. Since 1986, the Fund has awarded over 200 scholarships and over $225,000 to students throughout Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario.
For more information about the Scholarship Fund including information on how to apply or to make a donation, please visit golfmb.ca/scholarship.
For additional information:
Jared Ladobruk
Executive Director, Golf Manitoba
204-925-5729
jared@golfmb.ca
Vikes, Thunderbirds crowned Canada West Golf Champions
Victoria, B.C. – The University of Victoria Vikes men and University of British Columbia women took home the team titles at the 2022 Canada West Golf Championships, Oct. 4.
The Vikes men finished +3 collectively with rounds of 293 and 278. UBC finished second at +7 (279, 296) in the team standings, while Fraser Valley rounded out the top three with a +9 (286, 291) over the two-day tournament. The University of Manitoba Bisons men finished in 6th place with a +43 team score (303, 308). The Bisons were lead by Stefan Lavallee and Cameron McIntyre who both finished at T16 with a two-day total of +9 (151). Also playing for the Bisons were Trent Robertson (T19), Connor Stewart (T23) and Cole Peters (T37).
The UBC women shot +19 (221, 224) as a team to earn the conference banner, followed by Victoria at +25 (226, 225) for silver, and UBCO with a +29 (225, 230) in bronze position as teams.
Neel Soni (2020 Manitoba Junior Boys Champion) who plays for the University of British Columbia, helped the Thunderbird men to a second place team finish on rounds of 74 and 73 to finish individually at T11. Jacob Armstrong, (2019 Manitoba Junior Boys Champion) playing for the University of the Fraser Valley, shot scores of 75 and 82 to finish at T25.
For more on the 2022 Canada West Golf Championship and for the full leaderboard, please click here.
WATCH | Round to Remember
As the final month of golf is underway in Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario, Golf Manitoba’s Director of Communications Brian Munz goes 1on1 with Karlos Jeong.
In a round this summer, the Southwood Golf & Country Club member had a hole in one, albatross and an eagle.
As well, here’s a look at how rare Jeong’s accomplishments are individually, let alone over 18 holes.
Jones & Pardy win Four Ball Championship
Drew Jones and Brad Pardy of the Shilo Country Club topped the leaderboard at the 2022 Manitoba Men’s Four Ball Championship. The duo combined for a 7-under par score of 65 in near perfect conditions at the Southwood Golf & Country Club. Their round included nine birdies, including four straight on holes 14 through 17, propelling the team to a two-shot victory over Jay Doyle and Todd Fanning of the Niakwa Country Club. Doyle and Fanning took second place honors on a countback on a 5-under par round of 67.
Jones and Pardy also combined to win the Club Division title, awarded to the top two-man club team in the event.
For the complete Manitoba Blue Cross leaderboard, click here.
Golf Manitoba would like to thank our Official Performance Partners:
adidas Golf Canada – Paige Lawrence, Territory Manager
Taylormade Canada – Eric Johnson, Sales & Marketing Territory Manager
Golf Manitoba wishes to extend a big thank you to the membership of the Southwood Golf & Country Club, General Manager Jeff Scott, Head Professional Andrew Steep, Executive Chef Richard Tolentino, Food & Beverage Manager Nichole Gagnon and Superintendent Dustin How for their warm welcome.
Golf Manitoba Awards to be held November 2
The 2022 Golf Manitoba Awards reception will be held on Tuesday, November 2, 2022, at the Breezy Bend Country Club. The annual Golf Manitoba Awards event recognizes and celebrates all that’s great about the sport of golf in the province – from volunteers to elite performers, teams and milestone achievements including the annual male and female Amateur Golfer of the Year awards.
The Golf Manitoba Annual General Meeting will also be held on November 2 and just prior to the start of the Awards event. Under Golf Manitoba by-laws, notice of the annual meeting has been sent to all member clubs and leagues via email and to the attention of the Club President & Member Club Representative. All member clubs are invited to RSVP one voting delegate to attend the meeting and to vote on behalf of the club/league.
For more information about the Golf Manitoba Awards event and annual meeting, please contact Golf Manitoba Executive Director Jared Ladobruk at jared@golfmb.ca.