Uxbridge, ON – In our final edition of the Golf Ontario Summer 2020 recap, we look back on September, the final month in our 2020 championship schedule. The month of September ushered in a variety of weather conditions, making it feel like players would be battling tough conditions for the remainder of season. Greeted by cold, wet conditions at the Ontario Senior Men’s and Women’s Championship, players then experienced a drastic change in weather at the Ontario Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, with conditions that felt like summer was making one final appearance.
This exciting final month of championships featured defending of titles, impressive battles for the lead, and amazing shots in tricky conditions.
September Championships
Taking to the course from August 31 to September 1 at Cambridge Golf Club, Golf Ontario welcomed the Ontario Bantam (U15) Boys’ and Girls’ Championship. This championship would also see Golf Ontario crown a winner for the Ontario Peewee (U13) Boys’ and Girls’ Championship.
The weather couldn’t have been more agreeable as the players teed off for round one. On the girls’ side of the championship, an impressive round of four-under 68 gave Kelly Zhao (Station Creek GC – North) a four-stroke lead after the first round of the Bantam (U15) Girls’ Championship. Tied for second with even par 72’s were Vanessa Borovilos (Weston G&CC) and Shauna Liu (Station Creek GC – North). Liu was the current leader for the Peewee (U13) Girls’, with Michelle Xing (National Pines GC) and Elliana Buhagair (Deer Creek GC) following with two and four-over par respectively.
Taking his place at the top of the Boys’ leaderboard after round one, with a two-under par 70 was Bantam (U15) player Jax Sisson (Ambassador GC). Sisson’s round included three birdies and only one bogey to give him a two-stroke lead heading into the final round. Close on his tail, and also sitting atop the leaderboard for the Peewee (U13) Boys’, was Jager Pain (Public Player), with a solid round that included three birdies for an even par 72.
(Ontario Bantam (U15) Girls’ Champions, left to right: Vanessa Borovilos, Kelly Zhao, Wendy Li)
With clouds looming over Cambridge Golf Club, many players were worried that the final round would be rained on. In celebration of Women’s Golf Day, the Ontario Bantam (U15) Girls’ dominated the course, as the females posted the lowest scores of the championship. Holding onto her impressive lead to take home the 2020 Ontario Bantam (U15) Girls’ Championship title, Kelly Zhao (Station Creek GC – North) finished the tournament with an even par (140) on the championship.
(Ontario Bantam (U15) Boys’ Champions, left to right: Matthew Javier, Cale Marontate, Jager Pain)
Making massive moves on the course in the final round, Cale Marontate (Kingsville G&CC) secured the title for the 2020 Ontario Bantam (U15) Boys’ Championship. In an impressive turn of events, Marontate jumped twelve positions to give him the win with an overall three-over par (147).
In recognition of the Ontario Peewee (U13) Boys’ Championship, Jager Pain (Public Player) took home the gold, while Michelle Xing (National Pines GC) was awarded the gold (149) for the Ontario Peewee (U13) Girls’ Championship.
View the leaderboards from the Ontario Bantam (U15) and Peewee (U13) Boys’ and Girls’ Championship at Cambridge Golf Club.
All photos from the championship can be found here: round one, round two.
As summer slowly slipped away, players prepared to tee up for the Ontario Public Amateur Championship, presented by Baka Mobile, at Meadowbrook Golf Club from September 1 to 2. With three championship flights taking to the course, golfers in the A flight (gross) and two net flights (B and C) tackled the beautiful Meadowbrook conditions. Spectacular tree lined, lush fairways were paired with greens requiring accurate approach shots, providing a tough yet fair track for day one of the annual two-day tournament.
In the A Flight, which is a gross competition, Gavin Smith of Orangeville closed out the first 18 holes with an even par 71 to take the lead into day two. B Flight and the first net score competition, saw both Kyle Stolys of Richmond Hill and Tony Darbyson of Brooklin atop the leaderboard with a first round – three-under. Rounding out the leaderboard is the C Flight, which again is a net competition. A strong three under on his back nine has Andrew Garron of Kingston, holding a four shot lead heading into tomorrow’s final round.
(Ontario Public Amateur “A Flight” Champion, Kevin Holloway)
After a humid and breezy first round of the Public Player Championship presented by Baka, players enjoyed a mostly duller, wetter day of weather for the final round play. The overall winner and winner of the A flight (gross) competition was Aurora’s Kevin Holloway. Birdies on 11, 15 and 18 secured him the victory with an even par round of 71 and two-over overall.
(Ontario Public Amateur “B Flight” Champion, Troy Darbyson)
The B Flight and the first net score competition finished in regulation with a two-way tie of +1 overall for the lead between Troy Darbyson and Ken Brace, both of Brooklin, requiring a three-hole playoff. Darbyson had the low round through both rounds, shooting a 68 in round one to help build his early lead and hang on to reach the playoff holes, from which he would emerge victorious.
(Ontario Public Amateur “C Flight” Champion, Zachary Peters)
The C flight Championship also ended in regulation with a two-way tie for the lead between Zachary Peters and Andrew Garron. After a closely contested playoff, Hamilton’s Peters emerged as the winner of the C flight.
View the leaderboard from the Ontario Public Amateur Championship at Meadowbrook Golf Club, here.
All photos from the championship can be found here: round one, round two.
Golf Ontario was ecstatic to announce the tee-off of the 2020 Ontario Senior Men’s and Women’s Championship, presented by Durham Artificial Grass, from September 8 to 10 at the stunning Taboo Muskoka Resort and Golf. It was a gloomy day to start round one, as players battled wet, cold conditions for majority of the day.
On the Men’s side, sharing the top of the leaderboard, was 2014 Ontario Senior Men’s Champion Larry Cooper (Mississauga) and 2019 bronze medallist Ashley Chinner (Coppinwood). Cooper had a strong start on the front going three-under par, including an eagle on the eighth hole, to finish off the round one-under par (70). In first place after round one on the Women’s leaderboard, was five-time Ontario Senior Women’s Champion, Mary Ann Hayward (St. Thomas G&CC). Playing a consistent round, Hayward was able to make a couple of birdies and an eagle on the fourteenth hole, leaving her at three-over par (74).
Fall like conditions continued into round two, as challenging conditions made an impact on players as they continued to fight the cold weather. Remaining at the top of the leaderboard on the Men’s side, Ashley Chinner (Coppinwood) had a strong round with three birdies to hold on to his lead at one-under par (141). Making a big move on that day was three-time Ontario Men’s Mid-Amateur Champion, Dave Bunker (Cherry Hill Club), after an impressive performance of five birdies to move him from seventh to second with a two-over par total. On the Women’s side, the leaderboard saw quite a bit of movement with the top leaders changing positions. Taking over the lead following round two, Terrill Samuel (Weston G&CC) had a fantastic round of just one-over par and a couple of birdies, to give her a three-stroke lead over second (147).
(Ontario Senior Women’s Champions, left to right: Mary Ann Hayward, Terrill Samuel, Judith Kyrinis)
Having a fantastic season after recently finishing second place in the Ontario Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, Terrill Samuel (Weston G&CC) captured her second Ontario Senior Women’s Championship title. Playing her lowest round of the championship (70) on the final day, Samuel posted the low round of the day to finish six strokes ahead of the silver medalist, leaving her at four-over for the week (217). Rounding out a star studded top three were five-time champion Mary Ann Hayward, who finished at ten-over par to secure the silver medal (223), while three-time champion Judith Kyrinis (Granite GC) took home the bronze medal (225).
(Ontario Senior Men’s Champions, left to right: Ashley Chinner, Dave Bunker)
Securing the Ontario Senior Men’s Championship title, Dave Bunker (Cherry Hill Club) completed the final round two strokes ahead of silver medalist Ashley Chinner (Coppinwood). Sitting in second place after round two, Bunker managed to shoot a solid one-over par round that included three birdies, putting him atop the final leaderboard at three-over par (216) on the championship. Already a three-time winner of the Ontario Men’s Mid-Amateur Championships, Bunker adds another title to his belt following his first Senior Men’s Championship win.
View the leaderboard from the Ontario Senior Men’s and Women’s Championship at Taboo Muskoka Resort and Golf.
All photos from the championship can be found here: round one, round two, round three.
Championship season continues with the 2020 Ontario Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, presented by BioSteel, at the Loyalist Country Club from September 22 to 24. While temperatures may have been high, the opposite can be said for the scores, as players took to the course for round one and used the warm weather to their advantage. Holding the leader position after round one with an impressive score of five-under par (67), Ryan Tsang (Cedar Brae GC) shot four birdies and added an eagle on eighteen to finish off the low scoring round.
While the low scores continued into round two, high winds picked up in the early afternoon, giving the later groups more of a challenge. Maintaining his position atop the leaderboard, Ryan Tsang (Cedar Brae GC) would now hold an extraordinary lead at eleven-under par (133) after firing seven birdies, to put him a whopping six strokes ahead of second. Holding onto second with a three-way tie and two-under par for the day (139), Charles Fitzsimmons (Thornhill Club), David Lang (Donalda Club / pictured above), and Scott Rutgers (Roseland G&CC), would be battling for the silver and bronze titles.
(Ontario Men’s Mid-Amateur Champions, left to right: Ryan Tsang, Charles Fitzsimmons, David Lang)
With low winds and high competition, the final round was a nail biter as players looked to climb the board for a podium finish. Holding his own and leading the way for the entirety of the three days, Ryan Tsang (Cedar Brae GC) seized his first Golf Ontario Championship title, as the winner of the 2020 Ontario Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship. In an impressive showing, Tsang was able to hold his position in the final round after firing three consecutive birdies on the final three holes. The low score of 207 put him three strokes ahead of the two-way tie (210) for the silver medal. Rounding up the silver medal was both 2019 Ontario Men’s Mid-Amateur Champion, Charles Fitzsimmons (Thornhill Club), and David Lang from the Donalda Club.
View the leaderboard from the Ontario Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Loyalist Country Club, here.
All photos from the championship can be found here: round one, round two, round three.
After a very successful launch in 2019, the Ontario Disability Championship returned to the beautiful Woodington Lake Golf Club from September 28 to 29. The event was included in the list of events eligible for world ranking points and would see both Men and Women compete in both low gross and net stableford categories.
A beautiful day greeted the players for round one, as the warm weather continued into the day and winds began to pick up around noon, giving the later groups more of a challenge on the back nine. Leading the Overall Men Gross following round one, was defending champion Kurtis Barkley (Cedar Glen GC), with an even-par round after shooting an eagle on the first hole and four birdies for the day. Holding in first for the Overall Women Gross was another defending champion, Natasha Stasiuk (Heron Point GL), with an 88 after round one.
(Ontario Disability Champions, left to right: Gary Bos, Kurtis Barkley, Josh Williams)
Defending the Men’s 2020 Ontario Disability Championship title, for the second year in a row, was Kurtis Barkley (Cedar Glen GC) after an impressive showing of 145 over two rounds. As the wind may have been stronger in round two, Barkley’s score sure didn’t show that, as he continued to excel and finished at just one-over par on the day. Four strokes behind in second place to win silver medal, was Josh Williams (Craigowan G&CC), following a round of two birdie shots and two-over par (148). Winning the bronze medal, Gary Bos (Public Player) experienced a bit of a roller coaster in his round, after shooting a mix of birdies, bogeys, and double bogeys (157).
(Ontario Disability Champions, left to right: Tessa Trojan, Natasha Stasiuk)
On the Women’s side, also taking home the 2020 Ontario Disability Championship title for a second year in a row, is Natasha Stasiuk (Heron Point Golf Links) (171). Stasiuk was much happier with her round today, after finishing the final round with an eleven-over par (83). Taking home the silver medal with 205 on the championship is Public Player Tessa Trojan.
View the leaderboard from the Ontario Disability Championship at Woodington Lakes Golf Club, here.
All photos from the championship can be found here: round one, round two.
Other Notable Events
Golf Ontario also gave out their annual Scholarship Awards in September to some lucky and deserving recipients. Providing financial assistance to deserving student golfers since 1994, the Golf Ontario Scholarship program exists with the support of our corporate partners and sponsors. This support allows Golf Ontario to award multiple scholarships each year to support student golfers as they pursue post-secondary education.
Winning of our largest scholarship this year, Aidan Hussey (Barcovan GC) was awarded the Craig Revell scholarship. This annual Scholarship in Craig’s name represents the fact that Aidan not only achieved success on the golf course, but also in all facets of his life. Hussey, a golfer from a small town in southern Ontario, will be attending McMaster University this fall to study Integrated Business and Humanities. With a passion for global leadership and humanitarian work, Hussey and a friend from high school (with the help of a teacher), created the ‘ENSS Hope Project’ while completing his grade ten year. This young, ambitious golfer hopes to play on the McMaster golf team once the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) resumes their season.
Read the full list of deserving award recipients, here.
Well folks, that’s a wrap on the Golf Ontario 2020 Championship season! A big thank you to all the players, volunteers, and staff for respecting the COVID-19 protocols set in place, so that all participants could enjoy a safe season of tournament play. A final thank you to all our host courses for their amazing hospitality during these challenging times, our departments and staff for their tireless efforts, and a massive thanks to our volunteers and officials who make everything possible. We look forward to welcome you back to the golf course in 2021!
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Golf Ontario
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Golf Ontario
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