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Celebrating championship golf in Waterloo Region
by Dan Shirk
The Region of Waterloo has produced several golf champions – most notably Gary Cowan, a two time US Amateur champion and Moe Norman, one of the best strikers of the golf ball the world has seen. Golf courses in the Region have hosted many major golf events in the past 60 years. With the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic coming to Grey Silo, it seems timely to review the history of major tournaments held in the Region and the performance of local golfers in these events. The tournaments reviewed are only the ones played on a national level and don’t include the many other provincial, inter-collegiate and invitational tournaments played in the area.
1957 Canadian Open
The 48th Canadian Open was played at Westmount Golf and Country Club in July 1957. Eight local golfers competed including 10 time Ontario Amateur champion Gary Cowan and 1954 Ontario Amateur Champion Grant Shirk. Long hitting George Bayer shot 13 under par 271 to win his first PGA tour title. Bayer and Bob Toski set a new course record with scores of seven under par 64 in the third round. Moe Norman shot four rounds of 72 or better to finish tied for 15th place. 1957 Ontario Open champion, Gerry Kesselring, despite a final round 76 finished tied for 28th. The 1955 Canadian Open Champion Arnold Palmer shot 4 consecutive rounds of 70 finishing 11th. Future golf notables Billy Casper, Ken Venturi and Bob Rosburg also competed.
Bob Panasiuk of Windsor, Ontario provides the longest memory of the 1957 Canadian Open. The 15 year old Panasiuk became the youngest player ever to make the 36 hole cut at a PGA Tour event – a record that still stands today. He would later win the 1972 and 1973 CPGA Championship.
1965 Canadian Women’s Amateur
The 1965 Canadian Women’s Amateur brought 32 ladies together at Westmount in the Championship flight to compete at match play. The event was won by 18 year old Jocelyn Bourassa of Shawinigan, Quebec. She defeated Mary Ellen Driscoll of Saint John, NB 5 and 3 to win the 36 hole final. Two local players competed. Daintry Snyder of Waterloo lost in the first round, missing the opportunity for a second round match against Bourassa. Mary Gay of Kitchener won her first round match and then defeated her rival Marlene Stewart Streit on the final hole of the second round, before losing her third round match.
Tournament highlights included Jocelyn Bourassa’s hole in one in her second round victory and the appearance of 17 year old Sandra Post. Post later became the first Canadian golfer to win a major by capturing the 1969 LPGA Championship.
1969 Canadian Men’s Amateur
Less than a month after Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, the 1969 Canadian Men’s Amateur Golf tournament was played. It was the first time the tournament was played at stroke play. It had been played as match play since its inception in 1895 and Kitchener native, Gary Cowan, had lost in the final match the previous year to Jim Doyle of Winnipeg. Of the 162 players who teed off in the tournament, 15 were local including Cowan and former Ontario Amateur champion, Gerry Kesselring. The tournament was won by Wayne McDonald of Port Credit, Ontario by one stroke over Americans Dick Siderowf and Leonard Thompson and two strokes over Gary Cowan. Kesselring would finish 6th and Waterloo’s Mike Whitney would finish in a tie for 8th place 10 strokes behind McDonald. Siderowf would win the Canadian Amateur in 1971 and Thompson would win 3 times as a professional on the PGA Tour.
1981 CPGA Championship
Local organizers of the 1981 Labatt’s International for the CPGA Championship were ecstatic when Arnold Palmer returned to defend his CPGA title. Arnie won his first professional tournament at the 1955 Canadian Open at Weston, Ontario. He played in 17 Canadian Opens including the 1957 event in Kitchener. “The King” also played in 4 CPGA Championships.
The 1981 CPGA was won by World Golf Hall of Famer Raymond Floyd by 6 strokes over crowd favourite Daniel Talbot of Quebec. Other notable competitors included Australian David Graham, New Zealand’s Bob Charles and Irishman David Feherty.
Floyd’s name completed an impressive three year list of champions with Lee Trevino winning in 1979 and Arnold Palmer winning in 1980.
Nine local professionals played in the event with Moe Norman tying for 3rd place. The only other local pro to make the cut was Galt Country Club’s Albert Southgate.
1990 Du Maurier Classic
The only major golf tournament held in Waterloo Region was the 1990 Du Maurier Classic. The tournament began as La Canadienne in 1973 and was one of women’s golf’s four major tournaments between 1979 and 2000. The tournament is now known as the CN Canadian Women’s Open.
Westmount represented a warm and comfortable place for Jocelyn Bourassa. She had won the 1965 Canadian Women’s amateur there and won the same title again in 1971. After turning professional she was LPGA Rookie of the Year in 1972. She won the first LPGA event held in Canada beating World Golf Hall of Famers Sandra Haynie and Judy Rankin in a playoff to win the 1973 La Canadienne. After retiring from the tour, Jocelyn became the Executive Director for the Du Maurier Classic from 1980 to 2000
Cathy Johnston of Wilmington, North Carolina shot an opening round 65 and led from start to finish, winning by 2 strokes over Patty Sheehan. The victory was the only one of Johnston’s career. Being a major, the field included 3 time Du Maurier winner Pat Bradley, Joanne Carner, Beth Daniel and Juli Inkster.
Fifteen Canadians competed in the tournament with only Waterloo native Judy (Ellis) Sams representing the Region. Sams shot rounds of 78 and 73 missing the cut by three strokes. Low Canadian was Dawn Coe of Lake Cowichan, BC who finishing tied for 19th place.
All of these past tournaments were played at Westmount Golf and Country Club. The Manulife LPGA Golf Classic will be held at Grey Silo Golf Club. It is owned by the City of Waterloo and operated by GolfNorth Properties. The course was designed by Stephen Young and is relatively new, opening in 2002.
I am certain the Waterloo Region will give the stars from the LPGA a warm welcome and the ladies will enjoy Grey Silo Golf Club.
* * *
Dan Shirk is an avid golf historian born and raised in Waterloo Region. He welcomes your thoughts and comments at golfgeek1956@yahoo.com.
The Region of Waterloo has produced several golf champions – most notably Gary Cowan, a two time US Amateur champion and Moe Norman, one of the best strikers of the golf ball the world has seen. Golf courses in the Region have hosted many major golf events in the past 60 years. With the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic coming to Grey Silo, it seems timely to review the history of major tournaments held in the Region and the performance of local golfers in these events. The tournaments reviewed are only the ones played on a national level and don’t include the many other provincial, inter-collegiate and invitational tournaments played in the area.
1957 Canadian Open
The 48th Canadian Open was played at Westmount Golf and Country Club in July 1957. Eight local golfers competed including 10 time Ontario Amateur champion Gary Cowan and 1954 Ontario Amateur Champion Grant Shirk. Long hitting George Bayer shot 13 under par 271 to win his first PGA tour title. Bayer and Bob Toski set a new course record with scores of seven under par 64 in the third round. Moe Norman shot four rounds of 72 or better to finish tied for 15th place. 1957 Ontario Open champion, Gerry Kesselring, despite a final round 76 finished tied for 28th. The 1955 Canadian Open Champion Arnold Palmer shot 4 consecutive rounds of 70 finishing 11th. Future golf notables Billy Casper, Ken Venturi and Bob Rosburg also competed.
Bob Panasiuk of Windsor, Ontario provides the longest memory of the 1957 Canadian Open. The 15 year old Panasiuk became the youngest player ever to make the 36 hole cut at a PGA Tour event – a record that still stands today. He would later win the 1972 and 1973 CPGA Championship.
1965 Canadian Women’s Amateur
The 1965 Canadian Women’s Amateur brought 32 ladies together at Westmount in the Championship flight to compete at match play. The event was won by 18 year old Jocelyn Bourassa of Shawinigan, Quebec. She defeated Mary Ellen Driscoll of Saint John, NB 5 and 3 to win the 36 hole final. Two local players competed. Daintry Snyder of Waterloo lost in the first round, missing the opportunity for a second round match against Bourassa. Mary Gay of Kitchener won her first round match and then defeated her rival Marlene Stewart Streit on the final hole of the second round, before losing her third round match.
Tournament highlights included Jocelyn Bourassa’s hole in one in her second round victory and the appearance of 17 year old Sandra Post. Post later became the first Canadian golfer to win a major by capturing the 1969 LPGA Championship.
1969 Canadian Men’s Amateur
Less than a month after Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, the 1969 Canadian Men’s Amateur Golf tournament was played. It was the first time the tournament was played at stroke play. It had been played as match play since its inception in 1895 and Kitchener native, Gary Cowan, had lost in the final match the previous year to Jim Doyle of Winnipeg. Of the 162 players who teed off in the tournament, 15 were local including Cowan and former Ontario Amateur champion, Gerry Kesselring. The tournament was won by Wayne McDonald of Port Credit, Ontario by one stroke over Americans Dick Siderowf and Leonard Thompson and two strokes over Gary Cowan. Kesselring would finish 6th and Waterloo’s Mike Whitney would finish in a tie for 8th place 10 strokes behind McDonald. Siderowf would win the Canadian Amateur in 1971 and Thompson would win 3 times as a professional on the PGA Tour.
1981 CPGA Championship
Local organizers of the 1981 Labatt’s International for the CPGA Championship were ecstatic when Arnold Palmer returned to defend his CPGA title. Arnie won his first professional tournament at the 1955 Canadian Open at Weston, Ontario. He played in 17 Canadian Opens including the 1957 event in Kitchener. “The King” also played in 4 CPGA Championships.
The 1981 CPGA was won by World Golf Hall of Famer Raymond Floyd by 6 strokes over crowd favourite Daniel Talbot of Quebec. Other notable competitors included Australian David Graham, New Zealand’s Bob Charles and Irishman David Feherty.
Floyd’s name completed an impressive three year list of champions with Lee Trevino winning in 1979 and Arnold Palmer winning in 1980.
Nine local professionals played in the event with Moe Norman tying for 3rd place. The only other local pro to make the cut was Galt Country Club’s Albert Southgate.
1990 Du Maurier Classic
The only major golf tournament held in Waterloo Region was the 1990 Du Maurier Classic. The tournament began as La Canadienne in 1973 and was one of women’s golf’s four major tournaments between 1979 and 2000. The tournament is now known as the CN Canadian Women’s Open.
Westmount represented a warm and comfortable place for Jocelyn Bourassa. She had won the 1965 Canadian Women’s amateur there and won the same title again in 1971. After turning professional she was LPGA Rookie of the Year in 1972. She won the first LPGA event held in Canada beating World Golf Hall of Famers Sandra Haynie and Judy Rankin in a playoff to win the 1973 La Canadienne. After retiring from the tour, Jocelyn became the Executive Director for the Du Maurier Classic from 1980 to 2000
Cathy Johnston of Wilmington, North Carolina shot an opening round 65 and led from start to finish, winning by 2 strokes over Patty Sheehan. The victory was the only one of Johnston’s career. Being a major, the field included 3 time Du Maurier winner Pat Bradley, Joanne Carner, Beth Daniel and Juli Inkster.
Fifteen Canadians competed in the tournament with only Waterloo native Judy (Ellis) Sams representing the Region. Sams shot rounds of 78 and 73 missing the cut by three strokes. Low Canadian was Dawn Coe of Lake Cowichan, BC who finishing tied for 19th place.
All of these past tournaments were played at Westmount Golf and Country Club. The Manulife LPGA Golf Classic will be held at Grey Silo Golf Club. It is owned by the City of Waterloo and operated by GolfNorth Properties. The course was designed by Stephen Young and is relatively new, opening in 2002.
I am certain the Waterloo Region will give the stars from the LPGA a warm welcome and the ladies will enjoy Grey Silo Golf Club.
* * *
Dan Shirk is an avid golf historian born and raised in Waterloo Region. He welcomes your thoughts and comments at golfgeek1956@yahoo.com.
