Elmira, ON- Matthew Javier (Scarboro Golf & Country Club) and Lindsay McGrath (RattleSnake Point Golf Club) have won the 2023 Ontario Juvenile (U17) Championship after three rounds of outstanding play at Elmira Golf Club.
Heading into the final round, Javier was in third place at 1-under par, however, after making four birdies and only one bogey the entire day, he found himself in the lead by one shot heading into the 18th hole. Javier demonstrated composure as he made par on 18 after getting up & down from a difficult spot. After battling much adversity, Javier was able to defend his title. Coming in second was two-day leader Manav Bharani of (Brampton Golf Club), Bharani made a bogey on hole 16 and found himself in trouble on 17 as he missed a close putt which resulted in a double bogey. Although he demonstrated a valiant effort, Bharani took second place in an impressive all-around performance. Team Ontario’s Luke Smith finished in a tie with Bharani for second place after he birdied hole 18 in a valiant effort. Smith demonstrated consistency as he shot a 1-under par 69 on all three days of the tournament.
In the girl’s division, Team Canada’s Lindsay McGrath (RattleSnake Point Golf Club) emerged victorious as she sunk a 15-foot putt on the first playoff hole to the cheers of an entire gallery watching along. McGrath fought valiantly throughout the tournament and demonstrated resilience as she shot 1-under par in the final round to force a playoff hole. McGrath ended up making a birdie to emerge victorious. Nobelle Park (RattleSnake Point Golf Club) and Angela Cai (Heron Point Golf Links) came into the final round tied for the lead. It was a back-and-forth battle that saw Cai bogey the 18th hole as Park made par securing her spot in the playoff hole. After Park and Cai made Par it was ultimately McGrath who was able to edge them for the victory.
Golf Ontario would like to thank all the players, staff, and volunteers for supporting the 2023 Ontario Juvenile (U17) Boys & Girls Championship. Thank you to Elmira Golf Club for hosting this amazing event. Lastly, thanks to our sponsors and partners; Adidas, Taylor Made, Golf Talk Canada, Play Golf Myrtle Beach, Humber College, StrackaLine, HUB International, BioSteel, Golf Genius, Modern Golf, Dormie, Durham Artificial Grass, Foresight Sports Canada, Baka, Nikon, and Sport Travel.
For media coverage of the 2023 Ontario Juvenile Championship, please visit the Golf Ontario Facebook Page to view our photo albums. For the full leaderboard, visit our tournament website.
About the Ontario Juvenile (U17) Boys’ and Girls’ Championships
The Ontario Juvenile (U17) Boys’ Championship is a 54-hole competition featuring the province’s best junior golfers under 17, competing for the Mike Weir trophy. Notable past champions include Josh Whalen, Brandon Ng, Tim McCutcheon, Peter R. Knechtel, Bob Panasiuk, and Gary Cowan. The Ontario Juvenile (U17) Girls’ Championship features the province’s best junior golfers under 17, competing for the Sandra Post trophy. Past event champions include Sandra Post, Jessica Shepley, Alena Sharp, Stephanie Sherlock, Rebecca Lee-Bentham, current Team Canada member Katie Cranston, and Grace St. Germain.
About Golf Ontario
Golf Ontario is Ontario’s Provincial sports 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 largest 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.
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