KINGSTON, ON – The 2025 Ontario Women’s and Senior Women’s Match Play Championship wrapped up at the historic Cataraqui Golf & Country Club, where two players emerged victorious after a weekend of high-level head-to-head competition.

In the Women’s Match Play Championship, Avery Nordman of Canadian Golf & Country Club claimed the title after a thrilling final match against Kelly Zhao, securing a 2 & 1 victory.

Entering the bracket as the 8th seed, Nordman battled through each round, including a hard-fought semifinal match against Sadie Wu, before sealing the championship Monday afternoon. 

Over in the Senior Women’s division — making its official debut this year — Nachcha Perkins  (Golf Ontario Players Club – Halton Hill) made history as the inaugural Ontario Senior Women’s Match Play Champion winning 7 & 6. 

Entering the tournament as the top seed, Perkins delivered consistent, composed play throughout the event. Her dominant final match performance against Lise Jubinville secured a decisive 7 & 6 win and imprinted her name in the record books.

For full results, click HERE.

SPRINGFIELD, ON: The 2025 Ontario Men’s and Senior Men’s Match Play Championship saw two standout performances at Tarandowah Golfers Club, as both champions rose to the occasion against elite competition.

Charles Fitzsimmons (Summit Golf & Country Club) claimed the Ontario Men’s Match Play Championship, defeating Peter Blazevic (Greystone Golf Club) 1UP.

This marks Fitzsimmons’ third title at the event, having previously won in 2021 and 2022. With three championships in five years, his reign of dominance at the Ontario Men’s Match Play continues.

On the Senior Men’s side, Mike Kray (RattleSnake Point Golf Club) edged out Dave Bunker (Cherry Hill Club) 1UP to secure the Ontario Senior Men’s Match Play Championship.

Kray entered the tournament as the 8th seed and advanced smoothly through the bracket. In the final, he faced Golf Ontario legend Dave Bunker — a four-time Men’s Match Play champion — making his debut in the Senior Men’s division.

Kray ultimately prevailed, defeating the seasoned champion to become the Ontario Senior Men’s Match Play Champion — capping off an incredible run and writing a memorable chapter in his golf journey.

For final results, click HERE.

The 2025 Ontario Men’s & Senior Men’s Match Play Championship returns to Tarandowah Golfers Club from June 2–5, uniting Ontario’s top 96 amateur golfers for a premier showcase of skill and strategy in a match play format.

Among this year’s competitors, Josh DiCarlo (Men’s Division) and Darren Shaw (Senior Men’s Division) headline the field as the defending champions, both aiming to repeat their impressive 2024 victories.

Tarandowah’s challenging layout has proven to be an ideal setting for this format. “Tarandowah was built for a Match Play Championship,” said Mason Cowan, Coordinator of Competitions at Golf Ontario. “Golfers will need to keep their ball in the fairway to stay out of trouble. Wind can play a major factor into a lot of shots as well. A true links style course, that can pose a challenge for all competitors.”

Cowan also emphasized what he hopes players take from the experience:

“It’s an honour to play best on best, and they’ve earned their way into this event by playing great golf. Tarandowah is a tough course that can test a player’s mental toughness.”

This year’s field is stacked with past champions and rising stars.
In the Men’s division, keep an eye on:
• Cam Pero – 2023 Men’s Amateur Champion
• Charles Fitzsimmons – Two-time past Match Play Champion
• Zachary Smith – 2024 Runner-Up & former Team Ontario athlete

In the Senior Men’s division, top contenders include:
• Dave Bunker – Three-time Men’s Match Play Champion and multi-time Golf Ontario titleholder
• Adam Creighton – 2024 Senior Amateur Champion
• David Greenaway – 2019 Senior Amateur Champion

The match play format adds a unique intensity to the event.
“Match Play is a style of golf that really challenges competitors to maintain mental toughness,” Cowan added. “Players are constantly experiencing highs and lows in a match play round, hole-by-hole. Factoring in the great layout Tarandowah has to offer, this will be another exciting Men’s & Senior Men’s Match Play Championship.”

Ted Pease, General Manager of Tarandowah, also shared his excitement:

“Tarandowah provides a great challenge for all golfers and is truly a top-tier match play venue. The course is in great shape, and we hope all competitors enjoy their experience here.”

Stay Connected

Live Scoring, Pairings & Results: https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/11289510399092771225 

Full Player Roster: https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/11289510362753321323 

For updates, highlights, and live scoring throughout the tournament, follow along @thegolfontario on Instagram, Facebook.

PORT CARLING— Not only did defending champion Dave Bunker need to battle a very worthy opponent, Quinn Vilneff, in the finals of the Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) Ontario Men’s Match Play Championship, but he also had to battle the elements to claim his fourth title.

The tournament, held at the Lake Joseph Club in Port Carling, wrapped up on June 12 after six rounds of matches that began on June 9. What began as 64 players came down to Bunker, from the Brampton Golf Club and Vilneff, from the Essex Golf & Country Club.

The final round was a soggy affair with rain falling on the competitors throughout the round. Woodbridge’s Bunker held a lead as they began the back nine, but Vilneff made Bunker work for it, forcing him to attempt a four-foot putt on the 14th hole, which the 50-year-old Bunker missed. That brought Amherstburg’s Vilneff back to all square. The 23-year-old Vilneff would get up and down on the 15th to take the lead. After the pair were even on the 16th, Bunker squared the match on the 17th hole, setting up a winner take all situation on the 18th. Both players played the hole similarly with their tee and approach shots. They both found the green in two and both had an eight-foot putt for birdie. After Vilneff pushed his right, Bunker stepped up and drained his to win his second straight and fourth Ontario Match Play title.

“I knew the weather was going to be bad today and the bugs, but you just have to try and focus the best you can,” said Bunker about the conditions. “It is a long week and you need to be prepared to play lots of holes if you go far. I just got fortunate that things went my way. I got some good breaks and that’s what you need to make it to the final match.”

Bunker added that he wasn’t thinking about repeating as champion. “I wasn’t thinking too much about last year or repeating. It was more about how each match went. How I played each hole and how I was going to play the next.”

The road to the finals, for Bunker, included wins over Connor Denning (6&5), Cole Kent (3&2), Jordan Gregoris (2&1), Raymond Oh (1up) and Jeff Crowe (4&3). As for Vilneff he defeated Arjun Walia (6&4), Greg Mullins (7&5), Charles Corner (3&2), Nicholas Ross (1up) and Luke Moser (5&3).

Bunker will now take the momentum from this win and turn his attention to the U.S. Senior Open, June 25-28, in Sacramento, California after he qualified on June 1.

About the Ontario Men’s Match Play Championship

Established in 1986, the Ontario Men’s Match Play Championship is contested annually and features 64 of Ontario’s best amateur golfers that have qualified through one of five qualifying tournaments held earlier this season, or who have gained an exemption into the event.  Notable former champions include Ontario Golf Hall of Fame member Ian Leggatt, David Hearn and David Byrne.

The Golf Association of Ontario would like to thank Clublink and The Lake Joseph Club for their continued support of the Ontario Men’s Match Play Championship.

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PORT CARLING, ON— Experience paid off for Dave Bunker as he won his third Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) Match Play Championship, June 3-6, at the Lake Joseph Club in Port Carling. The Woodbridge resident defeated Dundas’ Nicholas Ross 4&3 in the final round.

The 49-year-old Bunker was able to take a 3up lead after the front nine, but Ross, the Hamilton Golf and Country Club member, looked to cut the lead when he chipped in for birdie on the 10^th hole. However, Bunker, the third seed in the tournament, also chipped in ending any momentum swings. The 19-year-old Ross would go on to take the 11^th hole, but Bunker won the 13^th and 14^th holes giving him a 4up lead with four to go. Ross, the 20^th seed, knew he had to win out to force a playoff and found the green on the par-three 15^th, while Bunker’s shot landed in the rough. However, Bunker chipped to within a foot forcing Ross to sink his ten-foot putt to keep the match going. He pushed his putt just right and Bunker, the Brampton Golf Club member, won the match and the Championship.

“It’s fantastic!” said Bunker after the win. “I really played well this week, I hit the ball well, kept it out of trouble and it was a good, fun week.”

Bunker knew that one of the biggest moments in his win came with the double chip-in on the 10^th hole. “Nick chipped in from the fringe and then I chipped in as well, both for birdies. That kind of kept me going. I did make a mistake on 11 and he won the hole, but it could have been two holes won by him.”

Getting to the final, let alone winning it, is no easy feat in a match play event. The field for the men began with 64 competitors. For Bunker, after winning his way through the first three rounds, he defeated Kingston’s Jesse Hogan in the quarter-finals and Toronto’s Turner Southey Gordon in the semis.

“I played really steady,” said Bunker. “I know this golf course really well so I know where to hit tee shots, I know where to hit approaches. It’s a golf course that if you start hitting it left and right, you lose golf balls so if you keep it in the fairway and make pars you are doing really well.”

As for Ross, his road to the finals included a quarterfinal win over Mississauga’s Eric Flockhart and a semis victory against Woodstock resident Spencer Dunseith.

For Bunker, it is just another GAO championship to add to his collection. He is a former Ontario Amateur Champion, Ontario Mid-Amateur Champion, as well as a Canadian Mid-Am and Mid-Masters Champion.

Recently, he had the opportunity to represent the GAO at the Manuel Prado and Carlos Raffo Cups in Lima, Peru, something Bunker says helped him in preparation for this season. “I think I maybe got a head start because I was preparing for Peru and then had a week in sunny, warm weather, and played a course in great condition. That’s what a lot of people in Toronto couldn’t do. I’ve been working hard on things so I was happy that I was able to hit the ball well this week and that my short game was good too.”

Now, Bunker will turn his attention to the Investors Group Mid-Am June 20-23 at the nearby Taboo. Bunker says that there isn’t much preparation he is focusing on but that he did get a chance to go over and check out the course this week as he looks for yet another GAO title.

Established in 1986, The Ontario Men’s Match Play Championship is contested annually and features 64 of Ontario’s best amateur golfers that have qualified through one of six qualifying tournaments held earlier this season, or who have gained an exemption into the event.  Notable former champions include Ontario Golf Hall of Fame member Ian Leggatt, David Hearn and David Byrne.

The Golf Association of Ontario would like to thank Clublink and The Lake Joseph Club for their continued support of the Ontario Men’s Match Play championship.