August 7th, 2023
Port Hope, ON – Golf Ontario’s season continues as we welcome back the Ontario Junior U19 Boys & Girls Match Play Championship to Port Hope Golf & Country Club from August 8 – 10. A field of 64 boys and 32 girls (96 players total) will seek out to conquer their respective titles.
The Ontario Junior U19 Boys’ Match Play Championship, which made its debut in 1998, has featured Ontario’s top amateur male golfers 18 and under. For over 20 years, this tournament has seen tremendous talent come through it. Notable past champions include Matt McQuillan, Justin Shin, Stephane Dubois, Jon Boncoddo and Owen Kim. The Ontario Junior U19 Girls’ Match Play Championship made its debut in 1982 and has since featured Ontario’s top amateur female golfers 18 and under. Since Leslie Price became its first champion, this tournament has seen many great players win it and go on to have great careers. Notable winners include Alena Sharp, Stefi Markovich, Christina Yoon, Elizabeth Tong and Grace St-Germain.
“Match play has a long history and tradition of providing an exciting way to compete in the game of golf,” said Jason Miller, Port Hope Golf & Country Club’s Architect. Miller believes all golfers will be put to the test with the course’s new modifications. “The newly remodeled Port Hope Golf & Country Club is ideal for this type of competition as there is a great variety of risk and reward shots required at this course, and the greens complexes will provide yet another level of excitement. Set against Lake Ontario, the golf course layout will test both the golfer and their gamesmanship. It will be a superb facility for these very competitive junior golfers.”
Players to watch in the junior boys field include Matteo Rocco (Weston Golf & Country Club), who comes in ranked ninth on the Ontario Junior Golf Pathway U19 Boys’ Rankings. Rocco looks to capture a major title after finishing fifth at the Ontario Men’s Match Play Championship in June. Graydon Laughlin (Ottawa Hunt & Country Club) is the only player representing Team Ontario in this tournament. Sitting 14th in the Junior Golf Pathway rankings, Laughlin has had a consistent season finishing top ten in four of the five major tournaments he’s played in this season. Right behind Laughlin on the Junior Golf Pathway leaderboard is fellow Ottawa Hunt member, Ben Sheridan, who ranks 15th after finishing tenth place at the 101st Ontario Junior Boys’ Championship.
Players to watch in the junior girls field include Shauna Liu (Station Creek Golf Club), who is ranked number one on the Ontario Junior Golf Pathway U19 Girls’ leaderboard. Liu has had a stellar season so far, winning the 2023 Ontario Junior U19 Girls’ Spring Classic and the 2023 Ontario Junior U19 Girls’ Championship. Coming in ranked third on the Junior Golf Pathway leaderboard is Nobelle Park (RattleSnake Point Golf Club), who looks to bring home silverware as she is coming off top ten finishes at this years Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship and Ontario Junior U19 Girls Championship. Team Ontario Member, Aryn Matthews (Bigwin Island Golf Club), will look to claim her first title of the season coming off a third-place finish at the 2023 Ontario Junior U19 Girls Championship and a fifth-place finish at the 2023 Ontario Women’s Match Play Championship.
Play gets underway at Port Hope Golf & Country Club on Tuesday, August 8th with the junior boys teeing off at 8:00 a.m. The junior girls will tee off in the afternoon at 12:32 p.m. To view all pairings and live scoring for the Junior Boys’ Match Play, click here. To view the pairings and results of the Junior Girls’ Match Play, click here.
About Golf Ontario
Golf Ontario is Ontario’s Provincial Sport Organization focused on enhancing participation, elevating performance, and supporting the passion of golfers in Ontario. With over 100,000 individual members and 500 member clubs, Golf Ontario is one of the most significant golf associations in the world. From rating courses and keeping the integral rules of the game intact to growing the game at the grassroots level and hosting the best amateur tournaments in Canada, Golf Ontario is a passionate group dedicated to Shaping Lives Through Golf.
For more information, please contact:
Greg Mitchell, Coordinator; Brand, Communications & Marketing Golf Ontario
Connor Doyle, Tournament Director
