It was another special night at Niakwa Country Club as the golf community gathered to celebrate the Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame Class of 2021.

The festivities had been on hold due to COVID, however those in attendance were honoured and welcomed with open arms.

The 2021 Class included Donna Brownridge, Derrick Chlopecki, Gerald Morrissey, and the 1991 Manitoba Junior Girls Interprovincial Team Champions.

In the Athlete category, Brownridge finished 3^rd in the Manitoba Amateur in 2001 and qualified for the interprovincial Women’s Amateur Team in 2001 (alternate), 2002 and 2003. She qualified for the Western Amateur Team in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 while also qualifying for the Manitoba Women’s Senior Team in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2012. In 2003, Team Manitoba finished in 3^rd place. Brownridge was a member of the winning Nassau League team representing Elmhurst G & CC in 1986, 1987, 1999, 2006, 2007, 2014 and 2014. She was a member of the winning team in the Manitoba Ladies Interclub Championship representing Elmhurst G & CC in 1976, 1979, 1986, 1987, 1989, and 1990. Her resume includes twice winning the Tamarack women’s match play along with twice winning the Elmhurst Club Championship and won the Elmhurst Ladies’ Open.

In addition to her playing record, Donna had a long history of club volunteerism acting as captain of the Elmhurst Ladies Nassau Team from 2003-2006 and 2011-2013. She was also the Nassau League President in 2014-15. Brownridge also served for 12 years on the Elmhurst Board of Governors and become the first (and only) female president in the club’s 114-year history (as of April 2020).  Brownridge was also the researcher and author of the golf history book “Elmhurst – The Home of Champions” that was completed in 2014.

Donna Brownridge passed away on December 18, 2020.

In the Builders Catagory, Chlopecki started his career in the golf industry in 1987 as the Equipment Technician at the Rossmere Country Club. In 1991 he assumed the role of Superintendent.  Derrick was hired in 1993 as Superintendent at the Pine Ridge Golf Club, a position that he still holds to this day.  During his 29 years at Pine Ridge, Derrick has consistently delivered exceptional course conditions for its membership and has hosted numerous club, provincial, national and professional events including an impressive 22 years as the host Superintendent of the Manitoba Open.  Derrick has been the host Superintendent 23% of all Manitoba Opens hosted in the events 100+ year history.

Chlopecki, a long-time member of the Manitoba Golf Superintendents’ Association, was named Superintendent of the Year by his peers in 2017.

Morrissey joins the Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame in the Athletes Category following his time as the head golf professional at the Rossmere Country Club from 1958 to 1991. “Moose” as his peers would call him, lived his 34-year golf career by playing and promoting the sport to which he devoted so much to.  During his tenure, he amassed an impressive playing record including two-time PGA of Manitoba Zone Senior Champion, 4-time Kenora Open champion, 3-time Falcon Beach Open champion, 2-time Pine Falls Open champion, 2 Brandon Western Open Championships, won the PGA of Canada Team Pro-am at Disney World in Florida, 3 top-ten finishes in the Manitoba Open in addition to numerous PGA of Manitoba Zone events and pro-am victories.  In 1991, he was awarded the PGA of Manitoba Zone Club Professional Award.

Morrisey was also an avid promoter of the sport where he taught golf lessons at the Y.M.C.A, and local schools.  He also organized indoor golf lessons and numerous golf tours and trips for his members and students to within Canada, the South Pacific, Europe and Australia and New Zealand.

A 62-year member of the PGA of Canada, Morrissey served as the president of the PGA of Manitoba Zone in 1967-68, was a member of the Board of Directors for the PGA of Canada from 1966-68 and was vice-captain of the PGA of Canada in 1968.  In 1997 and at the PGA of Canada Annual Meeting, he was awarded Life Membership status.

The 1991 Manitoba Junior Girls Interprovincial Team of Raina Best, Brionie Brown, Angela Daykin and Christine Power entered the Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame in the Team Catagory.

They finished in first place, on home soil, by shooting a 36-hole team score of 500 and six shots clear of second place Team Alberta (506).  The team championship was conducted during the first two days of 1991 Canadian Junior Girls Championship that was held August 21-24 at the Pine Ridge Golf Club in Sunnyside, Manitoba.

To view the photo gallery from the 2021 induction ceremony, please click here.

About the Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame & Museum Inc. – The Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame & Museum Inc. was formed to acknowledge the contributions and accomplishments made by Manitobans as competitors, both amateur and professional, builders and course superintendents to the game of golf.  It is a tripartite organization, the partners being Golf Manitoba, Manitoba Golf Superintendents’ Association and the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) of Manitoba. The annual induction ceremony is sponsored by the Alex & Peggy Colonello Foundation.

Individual members and member clubs wishing to nominate an individual (amateur or professional golfers, superintendents, builders, media, etc.) for the Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame may obtain nomination forms through any of the three member organizations or at manitobagolfhalloffame.com.

One of the hottest golfers on the planet is sure to be a fan-favourite at Oakdale Golf and Country Club in Toronto as world no. 6 Matthew Fitzpatrick will compete in the 2023 RBC Canadian Open.

Competing in his third RBC Canadian Open, the 28-year-old Englishman is having a stellar 2023 season with three top-10 finishes including a victory at the recent RBC Heritage and a T10 finish at The Masters. Currently ranked no. 22 on the 2022 FedEx Cup, Fitzpatrick, a two-time winner on the PGA TOUR, six-time winner on the DP World Tour, and two-time Ryder Cup team member will compete in Canada’s National Open Championship before defending his U.S. Open title the next week at L.A. Country Club.

“I am really looking forward to returning to Canada and competing in the RBC Canadian Open in front of the amazing Canadian golf fans,” said Fitzpatrick. “Having won the RBC Heritage last month, I am hopeful to play well at Oakdale and keep that momentum going into the U.S. Open.”

Fitzpatrick joins an emerging field headlined by two-time defending champion and world no. 3 Rory McIlroy who will be looking to become the first player to win three consecutive RBC Canadian Open titles. A victory for McIlroy would make him only the fourth three-time champion, joining Tommy Armour, Sam Snead, and Lee Trevino. Leo Deigel’s four victories are the most in the tournament’s storied history.

McIlroy and Fitzpatrick will be joined by fellow European stars Tommy Fleetwood as well as Shane Lowry. The world no. 23 ranked Lowry is a two-time PGA TOUR winner and a past Open Championship winner while Fleetwood, who has two top-10 PGA TOUR finishes this season, has won seven international titles, and is ranked no. 25 in the world.

The group will compete alongside Team RBC ambassadors Sam Burns (world no. 13), Cameron Young (world no. 16), Sahith Theegala (world no. 24), seven-time PGA TOUR winner Webb Simpson, and nine-time PGA TOUR winner Matt Kuchar.

A full Canadian contingent will also challenge for the national championship led by PGA TOUR winners Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont. (world no. 30), Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont. (world no. 57), Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C. (world no. 56), Nick Taylor of Abbottsford, B.C. (world no. 65), and Adam Hadwin of Abbottsford, B.C. (world no. 71) as well as fellow PGA TOUR members Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont. and Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont.

A trio of Canadians have also accepted tournament exemptions to compete at Oakdale including Manitoba’s Aaron Cockerill who is currently ranked 24^th on the DP World Tour as well as Thornhill, Ont. native Ben Silverman who won on the Korn Ferry Tour earlier this year to sit second on the Tour’s 2023 Points List.

Also accepting an exemption to compete is Canadian golf icon and President’s Cup International Team Captain Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ont. who will be competing in his 31^st  RBC Canadian Open, one back of fellow Canadian Golf Hall of Famer George Cummings who had a record 32 starts in Canada’s National Open Championship.

In addition to world class golf, fans at the 2023 RBC Canadian Open will be treated to the two-night RBCxMusic Concert Series onsite at Oakdale Golf and Country with Grammy Award-winning pop group, the Black Eyed Peas performing on Friday, June 9 and Canadian Grammy Award-winning icon Alanis Morissette performing on Saturday, June 10.

“We are less than 40 days away from the RBC Canadian Open and extremely excited to get the tournament started,” said Bryan Crawford, Tournament Director, RBC Canadian Open. “Oakdale Golf and Country Club in the heart of Toronto joins our host club rotation for the first time and will present a great test of golf for the world’s best players. Our partners have leaned into our National Open Championship in a major way to deliver a truly immersive fan festival experience as a kickoff to summer.”

Tickets for the 2023 RBC Canadian Open are available here. Children aged 12-and-under get free admission with a ticketed adult.

Team Manitoba gathered at Southwood Golf & Country Club this past weekend gearing up for the 2023 season. It was the first time both the boys and girls teams had a chance to work together outdoors after a long winter indoors.

It is with great sadness that Golf Manitoba mourns the loss of volunteer and friend, Mrs. Marion Goehring. Marion passed away on April 5, 2023.

Marion had been volunteering with Golf Manitoba since 2004 and was a long-time member of the Breezy Bend Country Club.

You can read her obituary here.

Fresh off his best finish on the DP World Tour in Japan last week, Golf Manitoba Director of Communications Brian Munz catches up with Manitoba’s Aaron Cockerill.

As the college golf season starts to wind down south of the border, Golf Manitoba Director of Communications Brian Munz catches up with Winnipeg’s Braxton Kuntz

General registration for most Golf Manitoba championships is now open.

To be eligible to compete in all Golf Manitoba competitions, players must be an active Golf Manitoba/Canada member and must also hold a current Golf Canada Handicap Index.

Players who do not have an active Golf Manitoba/Canada membership through a member club or league can click HERE to learn more and join.

The championship registration process is easier, less time consuming and accessible through Golf Canada’s Score Centre.

To enter all Golf Manitoba events, you must first log into your Golf Canada Score Centre profile using a web browser and select the competitions tab found under the user menu on the top right-hand side of the web page.

Registration is open for the following:

• Match Play Championship presented by St. Vital Dental Centre
• Diamond Athletic Women’s Amateur Qualifier
• Diamond Athletic Men’s Mid-Amateur Qualifier
• Junior Girls Championship presented by the Alex & Peggy Colonello Foundation
• Junior Boys Championship presented by the Alex & Peggy Colonello Foundation
• Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship
• Hodson Financial Women’s Senior Championship
• Hodson Financial Men’s Senior Championship

Registration for our final six championships will be announced at a later date.

Please note that personal Golf Genius accounts that are active at the club level will not permit you to register for any Golf Manitoba Championship. 

New for 2023, entry deadlines for most events will now close 14 days prior to the start of the championship.

If you have any questions regarding registration, please do not hesitate to contact Amy at amy@golfmb.ca.

You can view the 2023 championship schedule and register HERE.

(April 6, 2023) Golf Manitoba is pleased to announce its 2023 championship schedule. The 2023 competition calendar includes fifteen Provincial Amateur Championships that will be contested at Golf Manitoba member clubs.

As the Provincial Sport Organization and governing body of golf in Manitoba and Northwest Ontario, Golf Manitoba conducts premier amateur golf championships to support the development of the province’s competitive golfers.

Golf Manitoba’s championship season kicks off May 28 with the Match Play Championship, presented by St. Vital Dental Centre, at the Glendale Golf & Country Club and concludes with the return of the Men’s Four-Ball Championship that will be played on September 21 at the Bridges Golf Course in Starbuck, Manitoba.

Championship registration will open on Monday, April 10 at 10am and only for players who achieved exempt status based on their play in 2022. General registration will open on Monday, April 17 and also at 10am. Players who fall into the exempt category will receive an email informing them of their status.

To view Golf Manitoba’s 2023 Championship Schedule, including all host venues and registration requirements, click here.

Golf Manitoba Amateur Championships

Golf Manitoba annually conducts more than 15 golf competitions and qualifiers – which play host to more than 900 golfers who play over 1,700 rounds. In partnership with our host clubs, volunteers, and our proud sponsors, Golf Manitoba is dedicated to supporting player development through first-class competition. Golf Manitoba’s amateur championships are proudly supported by the Alex & Peggy Colonello Foundation, TaylorMade, adidas Golf Canada, Manitoba Blue Cross, Nott Autocorp, Diamond Athletic, St. Vital Dental Centre, Hodson Financial and our sport partners at Sport Manitoba and Golf Canada. For more information and scheduling visit golfmb.ca/competitions.

Canadians Dayton Price & Hayden Underhill were survivors of a horrific car crash in Texas that took nine lives, including seven members of the University of the Southwest golf team they were part of.

Here’s the story of their accident and how the game they love is helping them heal.

Golf Manitoba Executive Director Jared Ladobruk is pleased to announce David Borowski has been named Director of Competitions & Rules.

Borowski joins Golf Manitoba after four years in event sales and management. His most recent golf posting was at Kingswood Golf & Country Club where he served as the Head Professional from 2017 to 2019.

“With over 25 years of experience in the golf, sales and service industries, David is a well-respected member of the golf community.” said Ladobruk. “We’re excited to see him apply his business acumen and leverage his years of golf experience in helping to grow our championships and Rules of Golf profile.”

The Winnipeg product also gained valuable experience travelling throughout the province of Manitoba and Northwest Ontario serving as the Territory Manager for Nike Golf Canada.

A PGA of Canada Class “A” member and graduate of the Red River Business & Administrative Studies program, Borowski started his golf career at St. Boniface Golf Club before moving on to Golf Town and then to The Players Course.

“I’m honoured to join the team at Golf Manitoba” said Borowski. “I look forward to working with our volunteers during every event we host and putting on a first class championship for everyone involved.”