14-Year-Old Eileen Park Of Red Deer Wins Canadian Junior Girls Championship
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2023-08-07
By Lauren Christie, Alberta Golf
HAMPTON, New Brunswick — Eileen Park of Red Deer, Alta., played an amazing and dominant final round to win the 68th playing of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship presented by BDO at Hampton Golf and Country Club in Hampton, N.B.
After heading into the second round tied for first with Luna Lu of Burnaby, B.C., Park carded a final round of 4-under 67 on Thursday, to finish ahead of Team Canada member and Lu who finished second with a 4-over 288 overall for the tournament.
After an opening round 74, the 14-year-old, carded rounds of 74, 71, 69, and 67 for a total score of 3-under 281, en route to the national title.
Coming into the final round Park carded three birdies overall during round three, two birdies back-to-back on the front, one on the par-5 first hole and the other on the par-4 second hole. Park also birdied the par-4 14th hole, for a total score of 2-under 69.
During the final round, Park carded five birdies with three on the front nine, one on the par-5 first hole, on the par-5 sixth hole, and the other on the par-4 eighth hole. Park also recorded two birdies on the back nine, the par-4 eleventh hole, and par-4 fourteenth hole, for a total score of 4-under, 67.
“This win means a lot to me,” Park said with tears. “This tournament has [shown] me how much hard work I’ve put in and the results are very nice. I was very nervous on the first tee shot but after my birdie on number one I was able to keep my round going pretty well and kept it simple.”
Park also won the Juvenile division, which ran concurrently for girls aged 16 and under, ahead of Lu at two-over who placed second. The bronze medal was shared by three participants, Lindsay McGrath of Oakville Ont., and Swetha Sathish of Oakville, Ont. who both finished at seven-over.
In the Junior division, the bronze medal was shared by three participants, Michelle P. Ding, McGrath, and Sathish at seven-over.
Along with the hardware, Park’s win comes with an exemption into the 2023 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Ashburn Golf Club in Halifax, as well as an entry into the 2024 U.S. Junior Girls Championship.
“This win is definitely going to motivate me for the future because it’s my biggest win so far,” Park added. “Going forward I will have more confidence for bigger tournaments.”
Park will also be awarded a cheque of $1,200. To align with the modernized Rules of Amateur Status, players at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship, competed for a purse of $8,000 CAD. Along with Park, top-10 finishers and ties earned prize money.
Park joins a list of notable Canadian golfers to have won the Canadian Junior Girls Championship including LPGA Tour players and Olympians Brooke Henderson (2012) and Alena Sharp (1999), as well as Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Sandra Post (1964-66).
Team Ontario — made up of Shauna Liu, Joline Truong, and Aryn Matthews — took home the Interprovincial Team Trophy. The Ontarians edged the British Columbians by four strokes in the team event, which concluded earlier in the week.
Full results can be found here.
For more information on the 2023 Canadian Junior Girls Championship click here.
GOLF CANADA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Golf Canada annually conducts more than 30 golf competitions and qualifiers nationwide – including nine National Amateur Championships – which play host to more than 3,000 domestic and international athletes from all corners of the world. In partnership with our host clubs, thousands of volunteers, provincial golf associations, and our proud sponsors, Golf Canada is dedicated to supporting player development through world-class competition since our inception in 1895. Officiated by certified Canadian Rules of Golf officials, Golf Canada’s amateur competitions are fully compliant with golf’s international governing bodies and include marquee events such as the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships as well as the Canadian Junior Girls and Junior Boys Championships. Golf Canada’s amateur championships are proudly supported by BDO Canada, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Titleist, FootJoy, Sport Canada, Levelwear, and JOURNIE Rewards. For more information and scheduling visit www.golfcanada.ca/championships.
This article was originally published on the Alberta Golf website.