Kelly Masson and Dustin Boydell share lead in the Men\u2019s Net Stableford Championship, Natasha Stasiuk moves into top spot of Women\u2019s Net Stableford Championship\u00a0<\/p>\n
KAMLOOPS, B.C. \u2013 Josh Hunke of New Dundee, Ont. and Natasha Stasiuk of Oakville, Ont. were able to navigate wet conditions throughout Wednesday\u2019s second round to keep their opening round leads intact at the Canadian All Abilities Championship, presented by BDO, at The Dunes at Kamloops in Kamloops, B.C.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hunke steered around a pair of bogeys on his scorecard with three birdies to shoot a 1-under 71 while Stasiuk added some major insurance over Emma Bittorf of Strathmore, Alta. with a 14-over par performance to get a hand on her fifth-straight title. Both hold outright leads in the Men\u2019s and Women\u2019s Gross Stroke Play division respectively heading into Thursday\u2019s final round.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A close race for the Men\u2019s Gross Stroke Play Championship emerged in the early stages of Wednesday\u2019s second round as Josh Williams of Tavistock, Ont. reeled in birdies at holes two and four to slice his deficit in half and get within a stroke of Hunke.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Williams \u2013 who started two shots back of Hunke on Wednesday \u2013 stayed in limbo with his playing partner, remedying a pair of bogeys on his front nine with birdies at Nos. 8 and 12 to shoot a 2-under 70 and enter his final round one stroke off the pace. \u00a0<\/p>\n
A bogey at the par-3 16th reeled in Hunke from entering the clubhouse with the same two-stroke lead he ended his round with on Tuesday and sets the Ontarian up for a tight race to claim the Men\u2019s Gross Stroke Play Championship in less than 24 hours.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe round was a difficult one with the weather. It was just one of those rounds you needed to be patient, and I was proud of myself that I stayed in it for the most part,\u201d commented Hunke, who teed off at 9:20 a.m. PST and endured wet conditions until the rain exited the Kamloops region at approximately 1:00 p.m. local time.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cToday was all about trying to keep dry and stay within myself,\u201d continued Hunke. \u201cI was trying to keep it in play and in front of me which I did for the most part. There were a couple of errant shots due to weather but all in all I played within my game plan.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hunke has been surrounded by his family all tournament long and praised his support system for being a major motivational element to help find success in Kamloops. Personally, the week is a special one for the Hunke family, marking the seventh birthday of one of their close family friends that has led Josh to illustrate his ball with seven dots in their honour. He is hopeful that the practice will bring him luck in the form of birdies throughout his final round as he contends for a maiden win at the event.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is really exciting to be in this position. I have worked really hard to hopefully have these types of opportunities\u2026 really looking forward to tomorrow,\u201d he added.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Similarly to Hunke, Kelly Masson of Grande Prairie, Alta. was able to maintain his first round lead in the Net Stableford division on Wednesday, adding 35 Stableford points to get in a two-player tie with Dustin Boydell of Chilliwack, B.C. The two hold a two-point lead over Randall Mackus of Prince George, B.C. and sit at the top of the leaderboard with 73 total Stableford points. \u00a0<\/p>\n
In the Women\u2019s Net Stableford division, Stasiuk was able to overtake Bittorf for the top spot after picking up 27 Stableford points on Wednesday to get to 59 total points. The four-time Canadian All-Abilities champion enters Thursday\u2019s final round with a one-point lead over Bittorf and a seven-point lead over reining Women\u2019s Net Stableford Champion Tess Trojan of St. Catharines, Ont. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWith one more round to go I am determined to play my best tomorrow\u2026I am a proud Canadian and I want to show Canada what I can do,\u201d said Stasiuk, who plans on getting a good night\u2019s sleep and some pasta for dinner before heading out to the range early Thursday morning.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWith all the rain today, it was about tough for me, I don\u2019t play with a glove due to a sensory issue so my goal for the whole round was to keep them dry during the round\u201d added Stasiuk. Her game plan on Wednesday hinged on keeping her golf ball in play and staying out of trouble in which the perimeter of The Dunes at Kamloops can offer. \u00a0<\/p>\n
The Canadian All Abilities Championship debuted in 2021 at Humber Valley Golf Course in Toronto, Ont. and has since run annually while supporting Golf Canada\u2019s commitment to fostering a more inclusive and respectful sport environment throughout the nation\u2019s golf community. The Women\u2019s Gross Stroke Play, Women\u2019s Net Stableford, Men\u2019s Gross Stroke Play and Men\u2019s Net Stableford make up the four different divisions that players compete in \u2013 regardless of disability \u2013 throughout the competition\u2019s 54 holes.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
The stableford scoring format of the Canadian All Abilities Championship awards set points based off a golfer\u2019s 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 54-holes will win their respective divisions.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
The gross champions will earn exemptions into the 2026 U.S. Adaptive Open taking place July 6-8 at Woodmont Country Club (South Course) in Rockville, M.D. Last month, Stasiuk and Chris Willis of Aurora, Ont. each competed at Woodmont Country Club for the 2025 U.S. Adaptive Open through exemptions from their 2024 titles, finishing first in the intellectual impairment category and second in the men\u2019s upper limb impairment category respectively.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n