Team Ontario hold a three-stroke lead over Team British Columbia in the Inter-Provincial Team Championship.<\/p>\n
NANAIMO, B.C. \u2013 Shelly Stouffer of Nanoose Bay, B.C. carded an even-par 72 on Tuesday while Mary-Ann Hayward of St. Thomas, Ont. opened with a 1-over 73 to each lead the Senior and Super Senior divisions respectively at the Canadian Women\u2019s Senior Championship, presented by BDO.<\/p>\n
Stouffer rolled in three birdie putts on Tuesday to negate a trio of bogeys and take a one-stroke lead over Hayward in the Senior Division into Wednesday\u2019s second round. The two-time Canadian Women\u2019s Senior Champion will have the advantage of playing in her home province and less than a half an hour away from her hometown of Nanoose Bay this week as she looks to capture her third title in five years at the national championship.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI get to sleep in my own bed which is nice,\u201d commented Stouffer following her opening round on Tuesday. \u201cI\u2019m familiar with the golf course. I played it several times this year because I wanted to get more familiar with the greens because I know they\u2019re tricky out there. It feels like a home game for me and it\u2019s kind of like an advantage,\u201d she continued, adding that her goal to make more birdie putts remains the focus as she looks to separate from Hayward and the rest of the pack when she tees off Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Stouffer began her round on the tenth tee and quickly got her putter into a steady rhythm with five consecutive pars to grab the early lead in the Senior division. Stouffer birdied holes 4 and 5 to bring her under par headed into her last 4 holes. She finished her round at 1-over after bogeying the 6th hole.<\/p>\n
Still, her putter was self-admittedly the club that proved most responsible for steering Stouffer to the front of the pack after 18 holes on Tuesday and was the part of her game she praised the most at the end of her opening round.<\/p>\n
\u201cI putted very well today,\u201d said Stouffer. \u201cI didn\u2019t really miss any short putts, and I didn\u2019t have any three putts. It\u2019s very crucial to putt well and I read the greens well,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
In the Super Senior division, Hayward finished her opening round 1-over par to set the pace and lead both Ruthie Maxwell of Austin, Nev. and recent Canadian Women\u2019s Mid-Amateur Champion Judith Kyrinis of Thornhill, Ont. by four strokes.<\/p>\n
Her ball striking proved to be Hayward\u2019s biggest strength of the round and allowed her to take the lead in the Super Senior division after 18 holes. \u201cI set the ball really well and I did a very good job of keeping the ball below the hole,\u201d said Hayward. \u201cI knew with this golf course you got to keep the ball on the right side of the pin so I hit the ball very well and drove the ball very well,\u201d she added, claiming that Nanaimo Golf Club\u2019s demand for keeping the ball on the right side of the pin strikes a similar chord to the needs of St. Thomas Golf & Country Club, her home course.<\/p>\n
\u201cOther than the first couple of holes I struck it very good off the tee and my irons were very good\u2026that\u2019s what I hope to continue,\u201d added Hayward. Her 1-over 73 also helped Team Ontario set the pace in the Inter-Provincial Team Championship on Tuesday, with Hayward parlaying her round with Kyrinis\u2019 5-over 77 to nab a three-stroke lead over the reining champs, Team British Columbia with just one round left to play.<\/p>\n
The Inter-Provincial Team competition is held throughout the event\u2019s first 36 holes as players accumulate scores for their province over the course of their opening two rounds. Each day, the two lowest scores of the three players representing each province will count towards the team\u2019s total score. Team British Columbia have won the Katherine Helleur Trophy in two of the last three seasons, with Team Ontario looking to take advantage of their first round lead and be crowned champions again for the first time since 2023.<\/p>\n
The Canadian Women\u2019s Senior Championship features a pair of competitive divisions, the Senior division and Super Senior division that run concurrently throughout the competition\u2019s 54 holes.<\/p>\n
A notable list of exemptions is awarded to the winner of the Canadian Women\u2019s Senior Championship, including a spot in the field at the 2025 U.S. Senior Women\u2019s Amateur Championship set to descend on the Cascades Course at Omni Homestead Resort September 13-18.<\/p>\n
Additionally, a place in the 2026 U.S. Senior Women\u2019s Open, 2026 Canadian Women\u2019s Amateur Championship, 2026 Canadian Women\u2019s Mid-Amateur Championship and 2026 Canadian Women\u2019s Senior Championship will be claimed by the winner. This week\u2019s champion will also earn a 10-year exemption into the Canadian Women\u2019s Senior Championship<\/p>\n