Winnipeg’s Kristian Hammerback carded a 12-over par 84 in the opening round of the Canadian All Abilities Championship at The Kamloops Golf and Country Club in Kamloops, B.C.

Hammerback shot a 42 on both the front and back nine holes respectively to place him T17 on the Gross Stroke Play leaderboard. He earned 29 points in the Net Stableford division to sit T23.

Hammerback is looking to build on last year’s T5 finish in the Men’s Net Stableford Championship and an 8th place finish in the Men’s Gross Stroke Play Championship. He won the 2022 Manitoba All Abilities Championship at La Broquiere Golf by nine strokes.

In 2021, he finished 4th in the Men’s Net Stableford and 5th in Men’s Gross Stroke Play.

For the opening round leaderboard, click here.

For second round tee times, click here.

Winnipeg’s Kristian Hammerback is our province’s lone representative in this week’s field as the 2023 Canadian All Abilities Championship tees off today at The Kamloops Golf and Country Club in Kamloops, B.C.

The third playing of the national championship will be contested as a 36-hole competition and will feature players with neurological, intellectual, sensory, and physical impairments.

There are four different divisions in the Canadian All Abilities Championship that players will compete in, regardless of disability classification: Women’s Gross Stroke Play; Women’s Net Stableford; Men’s Gross Stroke Play; and Men’s Net Stableford.

Hammerback is looking to build on last year’s T5 finish in the Men’s Net Stableford Championship and an 8th place finish in the Men’s Gross Stroke Play Championship. He won the 2022 Manitoba All Abilities Championship at La Broquiere Golf by nine strokes.

In 2021, he finished 4th in the Men’s Net Stableford and 5th in Men’s Gross Stroke Play.

For the opening round tee times, click here.

For the opening round leaderboard, click here.

The field of competitors includes two-time Women’s Gross Stroke Play defending champion Natasha Stasiuk of Oakville, Ont. and two-time Women’s Net Stableford winner, Tess Trojan of St. Catharines, Ont. On the men’s side, two players ranked in the top-20 on the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD) will be in the field including Jesse Florkowski of Medicine Hat, Alta. (no. 17) who finished third in last year’s tournament and 2022 runner-up Chris Willis (no. 20) of Aurora, Ont. The 2022 Men’s Net Stableford winner Kevin Delaney of Windsor, Ont. is also set to defend his title this week in Kamloops.

“We are very proud to get the third playing of the Canadian All Abilities Championship underway this week at an incredible golf course,” said Golf Canada Tournament Director Adam Cinel. “This national championship is a signature event on Golf Canada’s calendar and demonstrates our continued commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are proud to feature both a gross stroke play championship and a net stableford championship that provides equitability for the field competing in this national championship. The staff and volunteers at Kamloops Golf and Country Club have been preparing the course to ensure that the field competing is treated to a memorable experience.”

The stableford scoring format of the Canadian All Abilities Championship awards set points based off a golfer’s net score for the hole. The points will be awarded as follows: Albatross (5 points), Eagle (4 points), Birdie (3 points), Par (2 points), Bogey (1 point), Double Bogey or higher (0 points). The golfers with the highest total of accumulated points over 36-holes will win their respective divisions.

with copy courtesy Golf Canada

Winnipeg’s Kristian Hammerback, a Golf Manitoba Public Players Club member, finished 8th on the leaderboard at the Canadian All Abilities Championship this week in Essex, Ontario.

Over 36 holes at the Essex Golf & Country Club, Hammerback shot 80 and 81 to finished at +19, 161.

Kurtis Barkley of Ontario won the Men’s Gross Stroke Play Championship at 4 under par 138.

In the Net Stableford division, Hammerback tied for fifth place with 70 points, only five back of Ontario’s Kevin Delaney.

For the complete leaderboard, click here.

Courtesy Golf Canada – Kurtis Barkley and Natasha Stasiuk both completed wire-to-wire victories on Friday to capture their respective stroke play divisions in the inaugural All Abilities Championship at Humber Valley Golf Course.

Williamsburg, Ont., product Kurtis Barkley jumped to the early lead with an opening-round 69 and followed that up on Friday with a 3-under 67—the lowest score of the tournament.

“I usually set little goals and I try to minimize my mistakes—I try to play one hole at a time,” said Barkley, who is ranked No. 12 in the World Gross Ranking for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD).

The win extends a recent stretch of great play from Barkley, who also won his third consecutive title at the Ontario Disability Championship a week prior.

The 33-year-old finished with a 16-stroke cushion over silver medallist Craig Dowling of Vancouver. Rounding out the top three was Bob MacDermott of Sherwood Park, Alta., who closed with a score of 14 over par.

Winnipeg’s Kristian Hammerback, a Golf Manitoba Public Players Club member was the lone Manitoban in the field.

Hammerback finished fourth in the Men’s Net Stableford event earning 66 points, only six back of first place. He also finished fifth on the leaderboard in Men’s Gross Stroke after shooting rounds of 83 and 77.

In the women’s stroke play event, Stasiuk carded rounds of 85-90 to finish at 35 over par. The Oakville, Ont., native finished 16 strokes ahead of silver medallist Tess Trojan of St. Catherines, Ont.

“Even though I know I didn’t have the best scores I never give up,” said Stasiuk, who also collected her third consecutive title at the Ontario Disability Championship last week. “I’ve played with Tess (Trojan) twice in a row now and it’s great. She’s always there for me and I’m always there for her.”

The 36-hole event also featured a net stableford division.

Tess Trojan emerged as champion in the women’s side, recording a total of 48 points while Stasiuk finished with 32.

On the men’s side, Glenn Babcock of Thornhill, Ont., captured the victory with a total of 72 points. Trailing him were Neil Washer (Trenton, Ont.) with 68 points and Barkley with 67 points. 

A total of 31 players with neurological, intellectual, sensory, and physical impairments teed it up this week at Humber Valley—a municipal golf facility located on the west bank of the Humber River. The club invested a significant amount of capital in recent years to improve accessibility and course conditions to appeal to golfers of all ability and skill levels.

As a legacy of the inaugural Canadian All Abilities Golf Championship, Golf Canada was proud to donate a SoloRider (Para Golfer adaptive golf equipment) to the City of Toronto to support golfers with disability. 

Golf Canada has worked with several partner organizations on the Canadian All Abilities Championship including Special Olympics Canada, Blind Golf Canada, Canadian Amputee Golf Association, Emeritus Golf, The R&A, EDGA, and others to ensure an inclusive and fair competition is provided to the athletes. The inaugural championship is proudly supported by Golf Canada national partners CP, Levelwear, Titleist & Footjoy, and Sport Canada as well as championship partners including Turf Care, the R&A and Dol Turf. 

A venue for the 2022 Canadian All Abilities Championship will be announced at later date.

Click here for full results.