Old friends Corey Conners and Brooke Henderson usually have to keep tabs on each other from afar, but this week they’ll get to see one another up close.

Conners and Henderson will team up once again at the Grant Thornton Invitational, a unique event where some of the best golfers from the PGA and LPGA Tours compete as pairs. The tournament is quickly becoming an annual reunion for the two graduates of Golf Canada’s junior program.

“Since turning professional, our careers have gone separate ways, and we haven’t been able to cross paths too much,” said Conners, who finished the men’s season 39th on the FedEx Cup standings. “I’m always cheering her on from afar, and always have my eye on the LPGA Tour leaderboard when she’s playing.”

Henderson, likewise, has been keeping tabs on Conners’s exploits.

“It’s just been really fun to watch his career and cheer him on,” said Henderson, who finished 13th in the women’s tour’s rankings. “I think this event has reconnected us, in a way, and it’s been really special and great to be able to know his family and just to watch this game and be his partner here is really cool.”

Both were on Team Canada back in 2013 when they won the Copa de las Americas along with Albin Choi and Augusta James.

Conners and Henderson also represented Canada at the last two Olympics but due to COVID-19 restrictions they didn’t get to interact at the Tokyo Games in 2021. The men’s and women’s tournaments were on different weeks at the Paris Games this past summer.

The two Canadians finished second at the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational last year with a combined score of 25 under, a shot behind New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and Australia’s Jason Day.

“It’s been great to be able to share some experiences like the Olympics and this event last year and spending more time together has been awesome,” said Conners, who is from Listowel, Ont. “She’s this amazing person, amazing golfer, and a fun partner at this event.”

The stacked leaderboard will see 16 pairs tee off on Friday at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Fla. American Tony Finau withdrew from the event on Wednesday afternoon. He was replaced as top-ranked Nelly Korda’s partner by Daniel Berger.

“I feel like we make a great team, and I’m excited for Friday to tee it up and hopefully make some birdies and be inspired by (Conners’s) great shots,” said Henderson, who is from Smiths Falls, Ont.

PGA TOUR — Six Canadians are vying for a PGA Tour card at the PGA Tour Q-School this week. Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., Edmonton’s Wil Bateman, Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S., Toronto’s Sebastian Szirmak, as well as Matthew Anderson and Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Mississauga, Ont., will all be in the field at Dye’s Valley Course and Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., this week.

LPGA TOUR — Hamilton’s Alena Sharp and Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., both earned full status on the LPGA Tour for 2025 after solid showings at the final qualifying stage of the Q-Series on Monday. Sharp tied for 21st at 7 under and Leblanc tied for 24th at 6 under. The top 25 finishers in the tournament earned their status.

With one international event now under his belt representing Team Canada and a full calendar of academics underway at Ball State University, Braxton Kuntz (Breezy Bend Country Club) catches up with Golf Manitoba Director of Communications & Development Brian Munz.

Team Canada earned a second place finish at the 52nd Copa Juan Carlos Tailhade (Copa Tailhade) at Los Lagartos Country Club in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Sunday.

Canada shot a combined score of 575 over four rounds, finishing four shots behind Colombia (571). Host nation Argentina finished third with a total score of 576.

Canada was represented by Team Canada NextGen members Braxton Kuntz (Breezy Bend Country Club) and Antoine Jasmin of Quebec.

Jasmin finished T5 at 3-over in the individual standings following rounds of 71-73-70-73-287. Kuntz finished T8 at 4-over with rounds of 73-68-72-75-288.

Juan Martin Loureiro of Argentina won individual honours, finishing the tournament at 5-under.

Canada has won the Copa Tailhade four times in tournament history winning titles in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2023. Austin Connelly (Clare, N.S.) and Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.) won in 2014, Eric Banks (Truro, N.S.) and Tony Gil (Vaughan, Ont.) in 2015, Joey Savoie (La Prairie, Que.) and Josh Whalen (Napanee, Ont.) in 2017 and Brady McKinlay (Lacombe, Alta.) and Felix Bouchard (Montréal, Que.) in 2023.

Since 1996, Australia has won five titles (1998, 1999, 2002, 2007, 2012), in addition to Canada, England and Argentina have also won the tournament four times.

Braxton Kuntz of Winnipeg has been selected to the 2025 Team Canada – NextGen program. The announcement was made earlier today when Golf Canada announced it’s 2025 Team Canada roster. The Breezy Bend Country Club member and four-time Manitoba Men’s Amateur Champion and Team Manitoba Alumni is one of only ten male athletes selected from across the country to join the program. Kuntz is currently in his senior year at Ball State University as member of the Cardinal Men’s Golf team.

Golf Canada’s National Team program supports a group of experienced amateurs on the path towards playing professional golf along with a group of young professional golfers building their careers as touring pros. The program provides individualized training and competition support with a goal to help advance 30 Canadian athletes to the LPGA and PGA TOUR by 2032.

For more information about the 2025 Team Canada announcement, please click here.

Golf Manitoba, in association with Golf Canada, is pleased to welcome Deer Ridge Golf Course as our newest member club.

Located just north of Brandon along Highway #1, this locally owned and operated 9 hole course can be played from two sets of tee boxes ranging from 2,563 to 2,766 yards.

Deer Ridge Golf Course features a driving range, chipping green and putting green. The fully licensed clubhouse is available to host fundraisers, weddings and corporate gatherings.

As an official Golf Manitoba / Canada member club, all rounds played at Deer Ridge Golf Course are acceptable for handicap purposes and may be recorded toward establishing or maintaining an official Golf Canada Handicap Index.

To reserve a tee time or for more information, call the proshop at (204) 726-1545 or click here for their website.

Canadians Taylor Pendrith, Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes have been named to the International Team’s for the upcoming Presidents Cup in Montreal.

It’s the first time three Canadians have played in the prestigious international event at the same time.

Canadian golf legend Mike Weir used three of his six captain’s selections on Pendrith, Conners and Hughes. He also picked South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout, South Korea’s Si Woo Kim and Australia’s Min Woo Lee.

Fellow Canadian Adam Hadwin had also been vying to join the team but missed out.

Pendrith finished the 2024 season on a heater, earning his way into the PGA Tour’s playoffs and finishing the Tour Championship tied for 14th.

Corey Conners

• Country: Canada
• Age: 32
• PGA TOUR Wins: 2
• Presidents Cup: 1 (2022), 0-4-0

2024 Highlights: Has notched three top-10 finishes in 2024 including a season-best, solo-sixth-place effort at the RBC Canadian Open.

Captain Weir on Conners: “Corey is one of the best ball-strikers on the PGA TOUR and his ability to consistently put himself and his playing partner in a position to attack is invaluable in team competition. He has looked towards the 2024 Presidents Cup for two years now, and I know he’s eager to compete in front of his fellow Canadians.”

Mackenzie Hughes

• Country: Canada
• Age: 33
• PGA TOUR Wins: 2
• Presidents Cup: First appearance

2024 Highlights: Has recorded three top-10 finishes including a season-best T3 at the Valspar Championship. Only missed four cuts in 22 starts, marking a career best.

Captain Weir on Hughes: “Canadian golf fans have followed Mackenzie’s career for nearly two decades and it’s incredible to know he’s going to make his Presidents Cup debut in his home country. He is steady and calm under pressure and is without doubt one of the best putters on the PGA TOUR, which is a great combination for our team.”

Taylor Pendrith

• Country: Canada
• Age: 33
• PGA TOUR Wins: 1
• Presidents Cup: 1 (2022), 0-4-0

2024 Highlights: Picked up the first win of his PGA TOUR career at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson. Recorded five additional top-10 finishes while advancing to the TOUR Championship for the first time.

Captain Weir on Pendrith: “Taylor is in the midst of his best year on the PGA TOUR, and it was great to see him breakthrough for his first win in Dallas and advancing to the TOUR Championship. He has built a reputation as one of the longest hitters in our game, and that length should be advantageous in match play competition at Royal Montreal.”

Weir’s International side will face off against Jim Furyk’s U.S. squad in the match-play competition, Sept. 24-29, at The Royal Montreal Golf Club.

Pendrith and Conners — close friends — also played for the International Team at the 2022 Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte.

That was the first time two Canadians had played at the elite event.

Ultimately, the Internationals lost 17 1/2 to 12 1/2 to the United States.

The International team has only won once in the event’s history, emerging victorious at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in 1998 when captain Peter Thompson led them to a 20 1/2 – 11 1/2 triumph over Jack Nicklaus’s American squad. 

Golf Manitoba, in association with Golf Canada, is pleased to welcome Lake of the Sandhills Golf Course at Buffalo Point as our newest member club.

Located in the southeast corner of Manitoba off Highway #12 along the shores of Muskeg Bay and Buffalo Bay, this 18 hole course can be played from five sets of tee boxes ranging from 4,996 to 6,829 yards.

Lake of the Sandhills Golf Course at Buffalo Point features a driving range, putting green and fully licensed restaurant. The fully stocked proshop also offers both club and cart rentals.

Unique to the course is The Gambler, a 19th hole measuring 137 yards that plays to an island green, located just off the patio for closest to the hole competitions.

As an official Golf Manitoba / Canada member club, all rounds played at Lake of the Sandhills Golf Course at Buffalo Point are acceptable for handicap purposes and may be recorded toward establishing or maintaining an official Golf Canada Handicap Index.

To reserve a tee time or for more information on stay and play packages, call the proshop at (204) 437-2777 or click here for their website.

Golf Manitoba, in association with Golf Canada, is pleased to welcome Sandy Beach Golf Club as our newest member club.

Located on the southeast side of Dryden, Ontario along the shore of Wabigoon Lake, this nine hole course can be played from three sets of tee boxes ranging from 2,843 to 3,348 yards.

Sandy Beach Golf Club features a driving range, putting green and fully licensed restaurant. The fully stocked proshop also offers both club and cart rentals.

As an official Golf Manitoba / Canada member club, all rounds played at Sandy Beach Golf Club are acceptable for handicap purposes and may be recorded toward establishing or maintaining an official Golf Canada Handicap Index.

To reserve a tee time or for more information, call the proshop at (807) 223-3345 or click here for their website.

Manitoba’s two representatives had an impressive showing in Courtney, British Columbia at the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship.

Charmaine Hayden (Breezy Bend Country Club) shot a 4-over par 76 in her final round to finish T4 on the leaderboard in the Mid-Masters Championship while Rhonda Orr (Southwood Golf & Country Club) shot a 78 to finish ninth overall.

In the overall 54 hole Mid-Amateur championship, Hayden finished T11 at 17 over par 233 (79-78-76) while Orr was 22nd at 241 (81-82-78).

Shelly Stouffer of British Columbia won the championship at even par 216 (75-68-73).

For the final leaderboard, click here.

Charmaine Hayden (Breezy Bend Country Club) shot an 6-over par 78 during her second round of the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community in Courtenay, British Columbia.

Her two day 13-over par 157 currently has her at T14 on the leaderboard as our Top Manitoban.

Rhonda Orr (Southwood Golf & Country Club) is T25 following an 82 and sits at 163.

Both players are also competing in the Mid-Masters Championship where Hayden is in sixth place on the leaderboard while Orr is T11.

Team Manitoba (Hayden, Orr & Hannah Diamond) finished fourth in the Inter-Provincial Team Championship.

For the leaderboards, click here.