Simpson posts 68 and wins playoff against Sear; Getty finishes with round of 71

DORCHESTER, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Sunny skies and warm temperatures provided ideal conditions for the final day of the CN Future Links Ontario Championship at Pine Knot Golf & Country Club in Dorchester, Ont. Jack Simpson and Alyssa Getty fought until the very end to claim victory in their home province.

Entering the final round of play, Aurora, Ont., native Jack Simpson and Unionville, Ont., product Maxwell Sear were four shots back of leader Nicholas Brisebois of Ottawa. The two Ontarians spent the round trying to best one another, but neither could pull away. When it seemed Simpson had victory within reach, Sear birdied the final hole to send the competition to a playoff.

Jack Simpson however, would not be denied, chipping-in for eagle on the first extra hole to claim the title of 2015 CN Future Links Ontario champion. When asked about the victory, he credited a calm demeanor as the key to his success. “I knew if I just stayed patient and in the moment, birdies would fall and I would be able to post a good score,” said Simpson, who notched four birdies on the day.

Finishing in third place was Quebec City’s Charles-Eric Belanger who carded a final round of 67. Team Canada Development Squad member and Vaughan Ont., product Tony Gil shot a round of 70 to get to 1-under par for the tournament and claim solo fourth place.

National Squad teammate Étienne Papineau finished at 5-under par 66. The St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., native was T5 with seven birdies on the day, including a string of three on holes 12 to 14. Rounding out the Development Squad on the Junior Boys side was Trevor Ranton of Waterloo, Ont., who posted a round of 74 to finish T12.

In the Junior Girls division, Alyssa Getty shot her lowest round of the competition – an even par 71 – to win the CN Future Links Ontario Championship by two strokes over Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont. The battle came down to the final hole where Getty notched her third final-round birdie to secure the victory.

“It was back and forth,” Getty said of her round with Costabile. “It was always very close between us in score and that kept it really interesting. It was a fun day of good competition.” Getty adds this year’s CN Future Links Ontario title to a 2015 resume that already includes a victory at the recent Golf Association of Ontario Junior Girls Spring Classic.

Off to a strong early season start, the Ruthven, Ont., native has high hopes for her last season of junior golf. “I want to keep playing well, and see how well I can shoot. I’m happy with my start and excited to see just how well I can play.”

Climbing up the leaderboard to a third place finish was National Team Development Squad member Grace St-Germain. The Ottawa native’s final round of 70 was her best of the tournament.

Jack Simpson and the five runners-ups from the CN Future Links Ontario Championship have earned exemptions into the 2015 Canadian Junior Boys Championship. The tournament will be contested August 3-6 at Summerlea Golf & Country Club in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que.

The 2015 Canadian Junior Girls Championship will take place August 4-7 at Deer Park Municipal Golf Course in Yorkton, Sask. With today’s victory, Alyssa Getty and the second to sixth place finishers have earned entry into the competition. This sextet has also gained exemptions into a future Canadian Women’s Tour event.

The CN Future Links Championships are a series of six tournaments presented by Golf Canada in partnership with CN in support of golf at the junior level. Team Canada Development Squad members Trevor Ranton and Grace St-Germain were the 2015 series’ first winners, claiming victory at the Pacific edition of the competitions. The next event in the series is the CN Future Links Prairie Championship from June 11-14, hosted by Cooke Municipal Golf Course in Prince Albert, Sask.

Player scorecards and more information from the CN Future Links Ontario Championship can be found here.

COPETOWN, ON —The Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) Senior Men’s Champion of Champions took place May 21 at the Beverley Golf & Country Club in Copetown. A total of 70 senior club champions from across the province teed it up to see who would claim the 2015 title. In the end, it was Whitby’s Barry Fairhurst, from Whitevale Golf Club, who took home the honour.

Fairhurst was the first player to bring his card to the scorers and had to wait to see where his one-over (71) would end up. It look as though it would stand until 2012 winner, Collingwood’s Mike Jackson, turned in a one-over (71) of his own that forced the two back to the first hole for a playoff.

During the playoff, Jackson, from the Georgian Bay Club, put his tee shot in a fairway bunker, while Fairhurst sailed his to within 80 yards of the green. Fairhurst would chip within nine feet and stepped up and drained his birdie putt for the win.

“Hearing who has won this before and knowing how prestigious it is, makes it great honour to be on the trophy. These are the best champions from their golf courses in the province,” said Fairhurst.

Fairhurst went on to talk about the dramatic win and where it ranks for him. “A birdie on the first playoff hole is always a good thing. The worst case, you are probably just going to the next hole. I hit a good drive, chipped it close and sank the putt down the middle. This win is definitely way up there for me.”

Sharing the bronze medal were Brampton Golf Club and Brampton resident Rick Dodds-Hebron and Welland’s Frank Mattei, from Sparrow Lakes Golf Club. Both players finished the day at three-over (73).

With the win, Fairhurst earned an exemption into the GAO’s 2015 Investors Group Senior Men’s Amateur Championship Aug. 11-13 at Kawartha Golf & Country Club in Peterborough.

About the Senior Men’s Champion of Champions

The Ontario Senior Men’s Champion of Champions was first contested in 1970 and features senior men’s club champions age 55 and over from Golf Association of Ontario member clubs across the province. The Golf Association of Ontario would like to thank Beverley Golf & Country Club for hosting the event, as well as all of the staff and volunteers who contributed to the event. 

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CANANDAIGUA, NEW YORK— The 2015 Ada MacKenzie Senior Women’s matches between Ontario and Upper New York State took place May 19-20 at the Bristol Harbour Resort Golf Club in Canandaigua, New York. The two-day event was dominated by Ontario who went on to win the matches 19-1 and retain the trophy.

Day one saw team matches with one point being awarded for winning the match. Ontario swept the team matches with the teams of Sue Postian and Jane Hedges-McKinnon, Judith Kyrinis and Andrea Blackwell, Mary Ann Hayward and Ivy Steinberg, Marion Reid and Marg Matthews, and Sarah-Anne Smurlick and Gail Pimm all defeating their American counterparts.

The trend continued on the second day with best-ball matches. Points were awarded for winning the front nine, back nine and overall match. Ontario ended the day taking 14 of 15 points.  Pimm and Matthews took all three points in their match, Blackwell and Smurlick won 2.5 points, Kyrinis and Postian claimed all three, as did Steinberg and Reid, and Hayward and Hedges-McKinnon won 2.5 in their match.

PORT STANLEY, Ontario – The Golf Association of Michigan’s Team rallied from a 5-3 deficit to turn back the Golf Association of Ontario 6 ½ – 5 ½ in the fifth annual GAM/GAO Senior Matches Wednesday at Redtail Golf Club.

The two eight-golfer senior teams were tied 2-2 after four-ball matches on Tuesday, and the GAO won three of the first four singles matches Wednesday to forge the 5-3 lead.

Fred Djurdjev of Troy was the lone Michigan winner in the early going, and the GAM turned the tide with consecutive wins by Greg Zeller of Jackson, Mitch Wilson of Portage and Bill Zylstra of Dearborn Heights to take a 6-5 lead.

Doug Anderson of Bay City halved the final match of the day with Ontario’s Mike Jackson to secure the win.

Ontario team members were: Christopher Kertsos, Colin Grieve, Dan Partland, Lars Melander, Rick Dodds-Hebron, Robert Chaperon, Michael Jackson and Larry Cooper

Representing the winning GAM team were Anderson, Djurdjev, Ray Emsley of Davisburg, Mike Fedewa of Canton, Larry Vaughan of Bloomfield Hills, Wilson, Zeller and Zylstra.

Thank you for your interest in the Golf Canada Foundation scholarships!

Please read the following to make sure you have all necessary documents and information BEFORE filling out an application. You should start getting this material together immediately- when you get to the end of the application you will be asked to upload ALL of the following (acceptable file formats include PDFs, Word Documents, and Excel Spreadsheets):

• At least ONE letter of reference from any of the following: your golf club official, school teacher, coach, provincial golf association official or national golf association official
• Personal letter outlining your academic and golf achievements, goals, and career objectives
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• Any other information regarding your golf achievements, academic achievements, or extra-curricular activities that may help the committee evaluate your application

As you fill out the form, you should also be prepared to answer questions that ask for the following information:

• Golf club address/contact information, including slope and rating
• Golf Canada handicap factor / membership #
• Details regarding academic excellence
• List of extracurricular activities
• Details of all your significant golf events in the past 3 years

Please read the scholarship information & criteria available here BEFORE filling out an application- it is important to understand which scholarship(s) you are eligible to apply to!

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The Ontario Golf News Spring 2015 Issue is now available. Click here for the issue.  

UXBRIDGE/WATERLOO— The Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) Investors Group Junior Spring Classic wrapped up on May 18 after three days at Wooden Sticks Golf Course in Uxbridge and Grey Silo Golf Course in Waterloo. When all was said and done it was Max Sear who captured the boys’ title while Alyssa Getty took home the girls’ championship.

At the junior boys’ event, taking place May 16-18 at Wooden Sticks Golf Course, a tremendous final round by Golf Canada Development Squad member Trevor Ranton put the pressure on second-round leader, Team Ontario’s Sear. Waterloo’s Ranton carded a six-under (66) during the final round moving him to seven-under for the tournament (68-75-66-209). That meant Sear had to finish the round at two-under to force a playoff or better for the win. Unionville’s Sear was up to the task and finished two-under 70 (69-70-70-209) and forced the playoff.

During the playoff it was Sear, the York Downs Golf & Country Club member, who was able to pull out the win with a par on the first extra hole to win the Investors Group Junior Boys’ Spring Classic.

Ranton, the Whistle Bear Golf Club member, still had a strong showing this week. He followed up his win at the CN Future Links Pacific Championship last weekend with the Junior Spring Classic silver medal.

After his win Sear spoke about his tournament. “It felt good out there today,” said Sear. “I started off slow but got going on the back nine. I felt good all day. Trevor and I are good buddies and if I had to go up against someone, in a playoff, I’m glad it was him because we both enjoy the pressure. I wanted to see him do well but at the same time I also wanted to beat him. We both played well today, so it was a lot more fun for everybody.”

Completing the top three were London’s Jackson Bowery and Waterloo’s Tyler Douse who both finished even for the tournament. Bowery, the Team Ontario member from the Green Hills Golf Club finished 70-73-73 for a total of 216.  As for Douse, from Westmount Golf & Country Club, his tournament scores were 70-71-75 for a total of 216.

Capturing the Juvenile Division was Aurora’s Jack Simpson. Simpson, from the Beacon Hall Golf Club finished the tournament at five-over (74-68-79- 221). Thanks to his low second round, Simpson was able to build up a big lead and rode it right through the final round to win the Juvenile Championship.

Over at the junior girls’ event at Grey Silo Golf Course, for the third day in a row a new name topped the leaderboard but this was the round where it counted. Ruthven’s Alyssa Getty came into the round just one shot off the lead. After 18 holes, the Team Ontario and Kingsville Golf & Country Club member was two-over (73) for the day, bringing her tournament total to six-over (71-75-73-219) good enough for a one-shot victory.

The victory was extra sweet for Getty who fell just short last year. “I’m really excited that I played well this year and gave myself a chance to win. I am proud that I came out and got it done. I think my bad shots didn’t get me into a lot of trouble, so I stayed around even and kept it consistent. I was proud how I handled the pressure and happy overall with how I played.”

Finishing second was second-round leader, and fellow Team Ontario member Chloe Currie. The Port Credit native and Mississaugua Golf & Country Club member finished the day at four-over (75) bringing her total to seven-over (72-73-75-220).

Taking the bronze medal, and making it an all-Team Ontario sweep of the medals, was Richmond Hill’s Monet Chun. Chun, the Summit Golf & Country Club member, led after round one and finished the day four-over 75, to end the tournament 10-over (69-79-75-223).

About the Investors Group Spring Classic

The Investors Group Junior Spring Classic Championship is a 54-hole stroke-play competition contested annually over the Victoria Day long weekend that features many of Ontario’s best male and female junior golfers. The field of competitors gained entry to the competition through a qualifying process earlier in the season. For more information and complete results see the tournament page at:

http://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao15/event/gao1514/index.htm

http://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao15/event/gao1515/index.htm

The GAO would like to thank the members, volunteers and staffs at both Wooden Sticks and Grey Silo for their support over the course of the weekend.

Investors Group Junior Boys’ Spring Classic Photos

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Investors Group Junior Girls’ Spring Classic Photos

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CAMBRIDGE— The Ontario Women’s Champion of Champions kicked off the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) Women’s schedule on May 14 at Galt Country Club in Cambridge. Also being run in conjunction was the inaugural Senior Women’s Champion of Champions.

A total of 50 players teed it up in the Women’s Champion of Champions event and in addition, 27 women took part in the Senior Women’s Champion of Champions.

After 18 holes three players sat in a tie atop the leaderboard at three-over (74) resulting in a playoff between Aurora’s Mary Ann Hayward, Komoka’s Alex Amos and Ancaster’s Jennifer Lochhead for the Women’s Champion of Champions title.

On the playoff hole, Hayward put her tee shot in the middle of the fairway, while the other two competitors both found trouble on a steep incline. That led to Hayward, from the Club at North Halton, being able to two-putt for par and the win.

The win is one of many for Hayward who is a multiple time Ontario Women’s Amateur and Senior Women’s Champion. She spoke about her round after the exciting win. “It is still early in the season and I haven’t played a lot. I didn’t know what to expect and I played very poorly on the front nine. I got a rhythm going on the back nine so I was pretty happy about that. I hit a good tee shot down the middle on the playoff hole, while the others hit the trouble on the left. That took the pressure off and allowed me to get the win.”

Lochhead, from the Hamilton Golf and Country Club and Amos from the West Haven Golf and Country Club will share the silver medal after their strong performance.

The Senior Women’s Champion of Champions played out in a similar fashion. After 18 holes, three players all shared top spot at 11-over (82). Strathroy’s Jane Hedges McKinnon from Bear Creek Golf and Country Club, Stouffville’s Ivy Steinberg from Granite Golf Club and London’s Sue Postian from Sunningdale Golf Club all went back on the course to determine a champion in a playoff.

It would be Hedges McKinnon who was able to sink her par putt while the other ladies both made bogey, resulting in her capturing the first Senior Women’s Champion of Champions trophy.

“It a great honour to be the first name on this trophy,” said Hedges McKinnon. “I worked hard today to pull in the score that I did. The course played very hard but I really enjoyed it. You had to be patient because the greens were super fast and you could get discouraged if your putt went 20 feet past the hole. When I got to the playoff my opinion was you can only do what you do, so I kept it in the fairway and played it the same way as I did the first time. I had a similar putt and knew it would be fast, I had hit it too hard earlier so I slowed it down and tapped in for par.”

Steinberg and Postian shared the silver medal from the inaugural Senior Women’s Champion of Champions.

The GAO would like to thank Galt Country Club for hosting the 2015 event.

For full results and information from the Women’s Champion of Champions see the tournament page at: http://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao15/event/gao1557/index.htm

For the Senior Women’s Champion of Champions see the tournament page at: http://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao15/event/gao1588/contest/8/leaderboard.htm

About The Ontario Women’s Champion of Champions and Senior Women’s Champion of Champions

Since 2006 the Ontario Women’s Champion of Champions event has been contested annually and features female club champions from Golf Association of Ontario member clubs across the province. Past champions include: Brittany Marchand, Stefani Markovich, Julia Hodgson and Elizabeth Tong.  2015 was the first year that the Senior Women’s Champion of Champions was played.

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TORONTO— It was a beautiful day on May 14 at the Oakdale Golf and Country Club for the playing of the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) 2015 Ontario Men’s Better-Ball Championship.  In total, 56 teams (112 players) took part in the 56^th running of the event.

It was a great way to kick off the GAO season as after 18 holes, a champion was not decided with three teams finishing at five-under (67). A playoff was needed to determine the winner. The teams of Russell Bowie and Jordan Gregoris, Aidan Dunphy and Benjamin Thompson, and Barrett McCarthy and Mike Crapper all went back on the course to crown a champion.

It would be the team of McCarthy and Crapper who would emerge victorious from the playoff to claim the title of Men’s Better-Ball Champions. McCarthy, from Burlington and the Beverly Golf & Country Club and Crapper from the Hamilton Golf & Country Club needed just one playoff hole to close out the victory thanks to a birdie. McCarthy’s approach shot stuck within eight-feet of the hole and from there they were able to sink their putt for the win.

It is the first GAO championship for either McCarthy or Crapper. McCarthy did finish runner up last season in the GAO Public Player Championship.

Finishing in the tie for second place were the teams of Mississauga’s Bowie and Aurora’s Gregoris along with Whitby’s Dunphy and Scarborough’s Thompson. Both teams had solid rounds, but just came up short to the eventual winners.

After receiving the trophy the winners talked about what made the difference during the round and what it was like to head into a three-team playoff. “I was actually pretty excited and ready to go,” said McCarthy.

“When we were walking off our last hole we said we weren’t sure five-under would be good enough and that we wish we could have had a couple more holes. Then everything happened so quickly with the playoff and we really didn’t have time to get nervous,” added Crapper.

“It wasn’t until the last few holes that we thought we had a chance,” said Crapper. “We didn’t give ourselves a lot of chances today, we got up and down a lot but we finished strong and that was the difference.”

For full results and information see the tournament page at: http://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao15/event/gao151/contest/1/leaderboard.htm

About The Ontario Men’s Better-Ball

The Ontario Men’s Better-Ball Championship has been played since 1959. All but two of the championships have taken place at Oakdale.  The tournament is open to teams whose members both have up-to-date Golf Canada Handicap Factor of 8.4 or less at the time of online registration through the completion of the championship and each team’s combined Handicap Factor must not exceed 12.8 at the time of online registration through the completion of the championship. Previous winners of the event include: Gary Cowan, Bill Morland, Nick Weslock, Kelly Roberts, Warren Sye, Bill Swartz and Albin Choi.

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The GAO has learned that 2002 Ontario Golf Hall of Famer Ed Ervasti has died at the age of 101. Ervasti was raised in Michigan near Detroit but moved to London in 1965. He has an impressive list of accomplishments in the game of golf including: Michigan Amateur Champion (1949), Ontario Senior Amateur Champion (1971, 1985, 1987), Ontario Senior Champion of Champions Winner (1971), Canadian Senior Amateur Champion (1976), Canadian Seniors Golf Association Champion (1971, 1976-80), North and South Senior Amateur Champion (1978, 1983), International Senior Tournament Champion (1979), American Seniors Golf Association Champion (1975, 1980, 1983, 1985), and World Super Senior Champion (1994).

In addition to being an Ontario Golf Hall of Famer, Ervasti was inducted into the Highpoint Country Club (North Carolina) Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame in 1989. Ervasti also served as the Canadian Seniors Golf Association president from 1986-87.

The GAO sends their sympathies to his family.