Gormley, ON — Cool and sunny skies hung over Meadowbrook GC for the second and final day of the 2019 Ontario Public Amateur Championship. The players arrived to the challenging yet fair course in hopes of a strong showing, and also a first place finish. The day proved to be competitive as they all conducted impressive play throughout.
The tournament from the very beginning this championship has been a tight race, and the final day proved to be no different. Heading into today, only a one stroke difference separated first and second, and only three strokes separated first from fifth. By the end of the round, only a few strokes separated the top five players.
But by the time it was all said and done, Jeremy Wilson (Barrie, ON), last years runner up, came out on top. With some hot play out the gate, Wilson played one of the best rounds of his career carding four birdies and only two bogeys through 18 for a total score of +1 for the tournamnt. The first half of the tournament was a battle between Peter Willis (Aurora, ON) and Mark Wiebe (St. Catharines, ON), but Wilson quickly stole the spotlight after going 3-under after 9. Showing maturity and the ability to be consistent, Wilson continued this success the rest of the way through, and despite some pressure from the players trailing, he maintained composure and finished the round with a tournament low -2 to secure the win.
It was just last year when Wilson was standing on the other end of victory. In the 2018 playing of the Public Amateur championship, the 24-year-old found himself thwarted by the talented Shyamal Nagindas (Aurora, ON) in the final round. To come so close to a championship and let it slip through his hands, it wasn’t surprising to see Wilson come out and take charge this time around.
“It’s an awesome feeling to be able to come back and win it,” said Wilson. “Second last year was still a success in my books but definitely the end goal was to win it all.” When asked about the pressures of being a finalist last year and to continue to have success, Wilson pointed out that there’s always pressure to perform.
“You always want to better yourself. I knew there would be talented competition out there again this year so there was definitely some added pressure there, but overall I’d say this wasn’t anything new to me.” Wilson finished the tournament with a total score of +1 (143).
Trailing closely behind was 2016 champion Peter Willis (Aurora, ON) with a total score of +3 (145). WIllis came out looking like he had something to prove in today’s round. Starting off -2 after 4, the champion put up a fight from the very start, and despite a few tough holes he made sure to persevere and play well the entire way through. He finished only two strokes behind Wilson.
Sitting in a tie for third were Jean-Henri Lavoie (Brampton, ON) and Daniel Racioppa (Mount Albert, ON). The duo displayed some impressive play over the course of the tournament, both finishing with total scores of +5 (147).
As for the B and C flights, it was Derek Baird (Etobicoke, ON) and Andrew Schlegel (Newmarket, ON) who took home the hardware. Baird won the B flight with an impressive net score of +2, while Schlegel won the C flight with a net score of +1.
For results and information on the tournament, visit the official tournament page HERE
For photos from the tournament, CLICK HERE
About the Ontario Public Amateur Championship
The Ontario Public Amateur Championship was first played in 1958 at Don Valley Golf Club. Past winners include: Ken Trowbridge (1970), 2018 Ontario Golf Hall of Fame inductee Dave Bunker (2009, 2010) and Craig Loughry who has won a record four times (1997, 2001, 2005, 2006). Play of the tournament was suspended from 1984-1995. Mill Run Golf and Country Club (Uxbridge, ON) has hosted the tournament a record 9 times.
The Ontario Public Amateur Championship provides the perfect opportunity for those interested in trying a competitive tournament while providing gross and net flights. This allows higher handicap players to play against players in their handicap grouping.
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 450 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.
Ryan MacKenzie
Assistant, Marketing & Communications
rmackenzie@gao.ca
