ROTHESAY, N.B. – Macy Pate fired a 4-under 68 to take a one-shot lead over Clara Ding following the opening round of the 111th playing of the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO at The Riverside Country Club in Rothesay, N.B.
Cooler temperatures and strong winds made scoring more challenging early on Tuesday before warmer conditions settled in for the afternoon in Rothesay. Pate of Winston Salem, N.C. was one of only four players to get into red figures, carding four birdies in a bogey free round. She opened and closed her front nine with three consecutive pars, grabbing birdies on hole Nos. 4 and 6. Making the turn, she continued her run of pars through 13 before recording back-to-back birdies on Nos. 14 and 15.
Pate credited her iron play and short game for putting her name atop the leaderboard following round one.
“It feels good to shoot a bogey free round. I played really solid and missed a few greens in the wind but I got up and down nicely and made some solid putts,” said Pate.
She added that patience will be key for her game heading into Wednesday, “the golf course is definitely challenging, so just trying to give yourself opportunities and not let the course get in your head or let anything get away from you.”
Pate recently completed her sophomore season at Wake Forest University, where she earned six top 25 finishes and also competed in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA) for the first time this past April.
Ding of White Rock, B.C. also carded four birdies in her round to finish one back of Pate with a 3-under 69 to sit alone in second. The 14-year-old member of Team Canada NextGen was happy with her opening round but knows there is a long way to go this week. Ding and many others were complimentary of the course but found the greens to be a challenge on Tuesday.
“The greens are really tough on this course and putting was really difficult,” said Ding. “There are a lot of big breakers and slope.”
Ding has enjoyed a successful season thus far recording a pair of wins at the Women’s Orlando International Amateur Championship and most recently at the GolfBC Group BC Women’s Open where she earned an exemption into the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open through the She Plays Golf Championship Series.
Kaitlyn Schroeder of Jacksonville, Fla. sits in third following a 2-under 70, while Eunseo Choi of New Zealand is fourth after a 1-under 70. Five players are currently T5 at even par (72) including Team Canada members, Nicole Gal of Oakville, Ont., Tillie Claggett of Calgary, Alta. and Clairey Lin of Langley, B.C.
Team British Columbia (B.C.) leads the Inter-Provincial Team Championship by two shots over the two-time defending champions, Team Ontario. Team B.C. shot a collective 3-over in Tuesday’s round led by Yeeun (Jenny) Kwon of Vancouver who shot a 1-over 73 and Angela Arora of Surrey who finished at 2-over 74, B.C. is also represented by Amy Seung Hyun Lee of Langley. Team Ontario sits at 5-over with Oakville duo, Lindsay McGrath’s 2-over 74 and Nobelle Park’s 3-over 75 counting on day one. Ontario is also represented by Julia Alexander-Carew, also of Oakville. Park and Alexander-Carew are returning members from last year’s winning team. Team Manitoba sits third at 13-over and Team Alberta is fourth at 14-over. The two lowest scores from the three-person team count towards the combined team total. The Inter-Provincial Team Championship will be awarded tomorrow, following the opening 36-holes of the championship.
Following Wednesday’s second round, the field will be reduced to the top 70 players plus ties.
In addition to winning the Duchess of Connaught Trophy, the Canadian Women’s Amateur champion will receive an exemption into the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open taking place at the Mississaugua Golf and Country Club in Mississauga, Ont. from August 20 – 24. The winner will also earn an exemption into the 2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, taking place August 4 – 10 at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Ore and an exemption into the 2026 Canadian Women’s Amateur, taking place at The Toronto Golf Club, July 20 – 24, 2026.
For the individual and inter-provincial team leaderboards following the opening round of the 111th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO, please click here.
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Golf Canada annually conducts more than 30 golf competitions and qualifiers nation-wide – including 11 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, Coca-Cola, Sport Canada, and Levelwear. For more information and scheduling visit www.golfcanada.ca/competitions-calendar/.
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