Team Ontario hold a three-stroke lead over Team British Columbia in the Inter-Provincial Team Championship.
NANAIMO, B.C. – 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’s Senior Championship, presented by BDO.
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’s second round. The two-time Canadian Women’s 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.
“I get to sleep in my own bed which is nice,” commented Stouffer following her opening round on Tuesday. “I’m 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’re tricky out there. It feels like a home game for me and it’s kind of like an advantage,” 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.
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.
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.
“I putted very well today,” said Stouffer. “I didn’t really miss any short putts, and I didn’t have any three putts. It’s very crucial to putt well and I read the greens well,” she added.
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’s Mid-Amateur Champion Judith Kyrinis of Thornhill, Ont. by four strokes.
Her ball striking proved to be Hayward’s biggest strength of the round and allowed her to take the lead in the Super Senior division after 18 holes. “I set the ball really well and I did a very good job of keeping the ball below the hole,” said Hayward. “I 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,” she added, claiming that Nanaimo Golf Club’s 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.
“Other than the first couple of holes I struck it very good off the tee and my irons were very good…that’s what I hope to continue,” 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’ 5-over 77 to nab a three-stroke lead over the reining champs, Team British Columbia with just one round left to play.
The Inter-Provincial Team competition is held throughout the event’s 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’s 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.
The Canadian Women’s Senior Championship features a pair of competitive divisions, the Senior division and Super Senior division that run concurrently throughout the competition’s 54 holes.
A notable list of exemptions is awarded to the winner of the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship, including a spot in the field at the 2025 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship set to descend on the Cascades Course at Omni Homestead Resort September 13-18.
Additionally, a place in the 2026 U.S. Senior Women’s Open, 2026 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, 2026 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship and 2026 Canadian Women’s Senior Championship will be claimed by the winner. This week’s champion will also earn a 10-year exemption into the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship
To view the final leaderboards following the opening round of the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship, presented by BDO, please click here.
