Story Courtesy Golf Canada/Mike Masaro, with notes from Jeffrey Reed/LondonOntarioGolf.com
Photo: Chuck Russell/Golf Canada

Move over, Maddie Szeryk: here comes your sister, Ellie.

Having recently turned professional, younger sister Ellie captured her first pro win yesterday, following in the footsteps of Maddie, a sophomore competitor on the LPGA Tour. Both are Londoners with dual citizenship and hailing from Allen, Texas.

Ellie, and fellow Team Canada athlete Brooke Rivers, earned exemptions into the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open after finishing atop the leaderboard at the GolfBC Group BC Women’s Open at Pitt Meadows Golf Club in Pitt Meadows, B.C. as part of the She Plays Golf Championship Series.

Ellie, 21, held the lead in all three rounds, initially sharing the lead with Virginie Ding of Hong Kong following Thursday’s opening round at 4-under. Ellie followed that with a 6-under 66 on Friday to take the solo lead into Saturday. She finished the tournament at 6-under (68-66-76) to win the GolfBC Group BC Women’s Open.

The win at Pitt Meadows is Ellie’s second title in the past nine months, having won the individual championship at the Jim West Challenge in San Marcos, Texas last October.

With the win, Ellie has earned an exemption into the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open at Earl Grey Golf Club in Calgary, Alta., July 23-28. It will mark the third start in tournament history for the 22-year-old having previously played in 2018 and 2023. She’ll again join Maddie in the CPKC Women’s Open field.

The sisters also were fellow competitors at the LPGA’s 2023 Ascendant LPGA benefitting VOA – watch their interview here.

Ellie is a recent graduate from Southern Methodist University, after transferring from Texas A&M where Maddie was an All-American. Like Maddie, she’ll now take a run at earning her LPGA Tour card during ’24 Q-School.

Maddie, 27, turned pro in 2018. She recently captured the Texas Women’s Open. Maddie relies on LPGA Tour qualifiers this season due to partial tour status during third year on Tour.

File photo L-R: Maddie and Ellie Szeryk. Photo: Szeryk Family.

Both sisters captured the Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship (Maddie 2015, Ellie 2018), this week held at London’s West Haven Golf and Country Club.

Rivers, of Brampton, Ont. finished the tournament at 2-under (72-69-73) to finish in second and also earn an exemption to compete at Earl Grey. The 19-year-old will be making her second consecutive start at the CPKC Women’s Open after competing last year at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club.

The GolfBC Group BC Women’s Open saw a field of 51 golfers (amateur and professional) with five members of the Team Canada program competing in Pitt Meadows. The tournament was the second of three as part of the She Plays Golf Championship Series.

Team Canada athletes Lauren Kim (a) and Anna Huang (a) finished first and second respectively at the Peloton Glencoe Invitational in Calgary, Alta. last weekend, which was the first tournament in the She Plays Golf Championship Series. The ORORO PGA Women’s Championship of Canada from July 2-5 at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ont. is the final stop in the three-tournament series for this season.

She Plays Golf is a citywide celebration of women’s golf anchored in each host market by a $60,000 CAD professional golf championship contested over 54-holes for a field of 60 professionals and elite amateurs. The tournaments are played with a cut after 36-holes and each championship sees players compete for WAGR points and two qualifying spots into the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open. The She Plays Golf Championship Series marks the rebirth of a professional women’s golf tour in Canada.

Players earn points for their finishes in the She Plays Golf Championship Series towards a series-long standings. The golfer with the most points following the final championship will also earn qualification into the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open, if not otherwise qualified and will be supported by Golf Canada’s Q School bursary program if they enter LPGA Q School in the fall.

She Plays Golf Festivals feature inclusive programming for women and girls, addressing gaps in the participation pathway and introducing new women and girls to the game in a safe, fun, and judgment-free environment. Festival activities take place at golf courses across the host city during the same week as the She Plays Golf Championship Series event with activities including introductory “Try Golf” events for women and girls new to golf, professional development for women in coaching, networking socials for women in business and leadership, and more.