For the second time in its 128-year history, Riverside Country Club (RCC) will be the site of Canada’s premier women’s amateur golf tournament.
The Rothesay course, founded in 1897, will host the 111th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship from July 21 to 25.
It is one three high-profile golf events in the province this summer. Mactaquac Provincial Park Golf Course will be the site of the PGA Americas Tour Explore NB Open, June 30 to July 6, and the Canadian Junior Boys Championship is set for Aug. 11-15 at Gowan Brae Golf & Country Club in Bathurst.
Jason Porter, Riverside’s general manager and executive professional, said Golf Canada approached the club in early 2024 with the opportunity to host one of two events in 2025. Following discussions at the board of directors level, Riverside chose to stage the women’s amateur.
“Hosting a national event was part of our strategic plan. It was just a bit earlier than we had anticipated, but it was a great opportunity for us,” Porter said. “When they mentioned the women’s amateur, we immediately jumped at that opportunity.”
Riverside is no stranger to hosting national tournaments, including the 1939 Canadian Open, the Canadian Women’s Open (1948, 1960), the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship (1949, 1963, 1975, 1992) and the Canadian Junior Boys Championship (1949, 1995).
Based on historic numbers from Golf Canada, Envision Saint John estimates a $370,000 economic impact from hosting the 2025 women’s amateur.
Jason Porter, Riverside Country Club’s general manager and executive professional, and Moira Gagnon, host club tournament chair, will be busy in the coming months preparing for the 2025 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship in July. Riverside Country Club will be hosting the event for the second time in its 128-year history. The scenery behind the pair is courtesy of a sunny mural at the club.
Moira Gagnon, host club tournament chair, said two-thirds of the 150 volunteers required to run the event have signed on.
Gagnon added that deciding in early 2024 to host the amateur gave the host committee a head start in preparing for the first major championship at Riverside in 30 years.
“Golf Canada does numerous events like this every year, so they have a plan and a timeline,” she said. “The (Riverside) board really wanted to do this event, so we got started right away. We’re ahead of schedule and really pleased with the work that’s been put in so far.”
The women’s amateur was first contested in 1901 by three players at the Royal Montreal Golf Club. Up to 156 players, including golfers from the United States, New Zealand, Colombia and Japan, are expected to compete for the 2025 Duchess of Connaught Gold Cup title at the 6,500-yard, par-72, private country club that runs parallel to the Kennebecasis River.
Previous Canadian women’s amateur winners who have gone on to successful careers on the LPGA Tour include Ariya Jutanugarn (2012), Brooke Henderson (2013), Hye-Jin Choi (2016), Jennifer Kupcho (2017), and Yealimi Noh (2018).
“This is an incredible opportunity for New Brunswickers to come out and see these great golfers, plenty of whom will be going on to the LPGA,” Gagnon said, adding that the majority of the field is between 16-25 years old.
“Many are already playing at American universities in the NCAA and they take this tournament extremely seriously. They are here just for the competition,” she said. “For spectators to be able to come out and watch these young women play golf, it’s an opportunity we don’t get very often in New Brunswick. It will be neat to watch players we will be seeing on television in the future and some locals as well. It will be quite a show.”
Riverside Country Club in Rothesay will be the site of the 2025 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship in July. Hole 17 is seen here with the Kennebecasis River in the background.
The five-day tournament is open to amateurs with a handicap index of 10 or less. It is a 72-hole stroke-play championship.
Callie Taylor was the top New Brunswicker at the 2024 women’s amateur in British Columbia. The Quispamsis golfer posted a 72-hole score of +5. Taylor fired a three-under-par 69 in the final round and tied for 26th place. An inter-provincial team 36-hole competition runs concurrently with the individual tournament.
Golf Canada’s Mary Beth McKenna said the sport’s national governing body is excited to host one of its “signature amateur championships at a premier golf course on the East Coast of Canada.”
“We’re grateful to the membership of the Riverside Country Club, its volunteers and Greater Saint John who we know will show true Maritime hospitality,” said McKenna, director, amateur championships and rules for Golf Canada.
Despite the 30 years between hosting national events, Riverside could be staging similar tournaments in the not-so-distant future, its general manager said.
“I think we need to do our part in golf, and we are fortunate enough to have a championship course like Riverside in our community. We’ve already been asked to host other events, and I know that will continue over the next few years,” Porter said.
“It’s not something we will do every year but maybe once every five years, once every three years, something along those lines,” he added. “When you look at opportunities, you have to make sure they are a fit for the club. The women’s amateur was perfect for our club.”
