The 2024 Ontario Juvenile (U17) Boys and Girls Championship concluded in thrilling fashion at Hollinger Golf Club.
Boys’ Division
In an unforgettable comeback, Dawson Lew of Team Ontario and Wyndance Golf Club claimed the prestigious Mike Weir Trophy.
Entering the final round nine strokes behind the leader, Lew delivered a stunning performance, carding a 7-under-par 65 to tie the Hollinger Golf Club course record. His remarkable round allowed him to finish one stroke ahead of Station Creek Golf Club‘s Jager Pain.
Pain, who led going into the final round, finished with a total score of 216 (even-par), securing second place. Hawk Ridge Golf Club’s Spencer Shropshire rounded out the top three with a final score of 220.
Lew’s final tally of 1-under-par 215 included seven birdies, with four consecutive birdies between holes five and eight.
His extraordinary finish adds to Team Ontario’s success this season, joining RattleSnake Point Golf Club’s Nobelle Park, who has won multiple championships, including the Ontario Junior Girls Spring Classic, and the Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship.
Girls’ Division
In the girls’ division, the competition was intense as Avery Nordman of the Canadian Golf & Country Club and Alexis Card of Galt Country Club battled throughout the day.
Both players entered the final round tied for the lead. Although Card appeared to be pulling away on the back nine, Nordman staged a fierce comeback to ultimately claim the Sandra Post Trophy. Nordman finished four strokes ahead of Card and six strokes ahead of Narisse Daye from Sarnia Golf & Country Club.
After a challenging start with rounds of 77 and 76, Nordman rebounded with an impressive 71 in the final round, bringing her total score to 224.
Just 21 days after finishing as a finalist in the Ontario Junior Girls Match Play Championship, Nordman can now proudly call herself the Ontario Juvenile Girls Champion.
For all final results, CLICK HERE.
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The 2024 Ontario Juvenile (U17) Boys and Girls Championship heads to Hollinger Golf Club in Timmins August 19 – 21.
The top 60 boys and 30 girls aged 17-and-under compete in 54-hole stroke play for the Mike Weir and Sandra Post trophies.
Notable past winners of the Ontario Juvenile Girls Championship include Alena Sharp (1996), Jessica Shepley (1998), Stephanie Sherlock (2003) and Rebecca Lee-Bentham (2006 & 2008).
Notable past Ontario Juvenile Boys Champions include Gary Cowan (1954), Bob Panasiuk (1956 & 1957), Brandon Ng (2007 & 2009) and current Team Canada NextGen member, Matthew Javier (2022 & 2023)
All three rounds will see morning tee-offs starting at 8 a.m. from the first and 10th tees.
For first round pairings and start times, CLICK HERE.
FIELD NOTES
Team Ontario:
Chase Jerome (Royal Ottawa Golf Club), Bode Stephen (Cataraqui Golf & Country Club)and Dawson Lew represent Team Ontario in the Juvenile Boys division.
Next Waive:
Five of the Next Waive program’s 11 male athletes compete: Matthew Simpson (Lambton Golf & Country Club), Michael Vivone (Royal Ottawa Golf Club), Tristian Zhang (Summit Golf & Country Club), Josh Ye (Summit Golf & Country Club) and Bo Dong.
Also in the field are three of the Next Waive program’s four female athletes: Sierra Kowlayshyn (Sawmill Golf Course), Ava Gilbert (Summit Golf & Country Club) and Kirsten Lee (Brampton Golf Club).
Top Junior Golf Pathway Rankings (Girls):
Avery Nordman, No. 2, U17; Alexis Card, No. 4, U17; Amelia McFarlane, No. 7, U17.
Top Junior Golf Pathway Rankings (Boys):
Bode Stephen, No. 2, U17; Dawson Lew, No. 3, U17; Jager Pain, No. 4, U17.
PLAYER NOTES
Notable players in the Juvenile Boys division include:
The 2024 Ontario NextGen Champion, Jager Pain (Station Creek Golf Club), who also finished top five in the recent Canadian Junior Boys Championship.
Bode Stephen (Cataraqui Golf & Country Club), who won the 2024 Golf Canada NextGen Atlantic Championship.
Dawson Lew (Team Ontario), who finished tied for second in the 2024 Ontario NextGen Championship and fourth in the 2024 Ontario Junior Boys Championship.
Spencer Shropshire (Hawk Ridge Golf Club), who comes in fresh off finishing third in the Canadian Junior Boys Championship.
Notable players in the Juvenile Girls division include:
Avery Nordman (Canadian Golf & Country Club), who was a finalist at the recent Ontario Junior Girls Match Play Championship.
Ava Gilbart (Summit Golf & Country Club), who finished tied for 2nd at the Golf Canada NextGen Atlantic Championship.
Alexis Card (Galt Country Club), who finished top ten in this year’s Ontario Junior Girls Championship.
Winner of last year’s Ontario Peewee Girls Championship, Evelyn Ma (National Pines Golf Club).
QUOTES
Connor Doyle, Tournament Director: “The Ontario Juvenile U17 Championship has always had a very competitive field. The field for this year’s championships is no different as it features multiple Team Ontario, Next Waive athletes, and many top ranked players from the 2024 Junior Golf Pathway rankings. Hollinger Golf Club will be a great test for the players with its tight treelined holes and angulating greens. We look forward to another excellent championship in the north.”
Taylor Dupuis, General Manager – Hollinger Golf Club: “Hollinger Golf Club is excited to not only welcome the top Juvenile players in the province, but to also showcase our beautiful Northern Ontario landscape, hospitality and championship calibre course. This is the first time a provincial championship has made its way to Timmins, and we look forward to setting a standard for years to come. This is a great opportunity for junior golfers and parents of our area to come by and experience an environment and of course golf of this calibre and we couldn’t be more thrilled.”
FAST FACTS
Championship Venue: Hollinger Golf Club
Championship Dates: August 19 – 21
Field: 90 players (60 boys, 30 girls)
Format: 54-hole, stroke play, (36 Hole Cut – Low 60 & Ties)
Leaderboard Link: 24′ Ontario Juvenile (U17) Boys’ & Girls Championship Event :: Tournament Results (golfgenius.com)
Fun Fact: Hollinger Golf Club is named after its previous owners, the Hollinger Mine of Timmins. The course was renamed from Timmins Golf Club after the Hollinger Mine closed and sold the club in 1974.
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HUNTSVILLE— It was another soggy day at the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) final round of the Ontario Juvenile Girls’ Championship on Aug. 20 from Deerhurst Resort Highlands Course in Huntsville. At 10:09 a.m. play was suspended for the second time during the event and the players remained in the clubhouse until 12:55 p.m.
The girls began the day on the back nine with two players well ahead of the field. Toronto’s Jennifer Yoon and Richmond Hill’s Monet Chun entered the day with just two shots separating Yoon, who was at three-under, and Chun at one-under. At the end of the day it was Yoon, 16 and a member at Station Creek Golf Club, who would hoist the trophy after a six-over (78) final round.
Yoon was able to limit any damage during the round considering the tough elements. She finished the tournament three-over (72-69-78-219). She spoke about how challenging the week was and what winning the title meant to her. “Winning this is great, it is my first provincial championship and it was just my 16th birthday so this was a very nice present to myself. The weather this week was interesting, but in the end it didn’t matter because my score was great. The two suspensions of play were tough because I was very tired during the second round, especially playing 27 holes, and even today.”
Earning the silver medal was Chun. Chun, a member of Team Ontario and The Summit Golf & County Club, had some strong holes like her eagle on the par-five 14th, but also some struggles and in the end, she was unable to catch Yoon. Chun finished the day six-over (78) to bring her tournament total to five-over (69-74-78-221).
Rounding out the podium with the bronze was Port Credit’s Chloe Currie. Currie, from the Mississaugua Golf & Country Club and a Team Ontario member, had the low round of the day as she carded a three-under (69). That brought her tournament total to seven-over (75-79-69-223).
The GAO would like to thank Deerhurst Resort Highlands Course along with their staff and volunteers for helping to run the event. Thanks also to the GAO volunteers for their continued support of golf in the province.
For full tournament information, including the final leaderboard, see the tournament site at: http://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao15/event/gao1526/index.htm
About the Ontario Juvenile Girls’ Championships
The Ontario Juvenile Girls’ Championship features the province’s best junior golfers under the age of 17 competing for the Sandra Post Trophy. Past champions of the event include Post, Jessica Shepley, Alena Sharp, Stephanie Sherlock, and Rebecca Lee-Bentham.
