Team Ontario leads inter-provincial team championship over
Team B.C. by two
Innisfail, Alta. – Matthew Javier and Austin Krahn find their names atop a stacked leaderboard following the opening round of the 2024 Canadian Junior Boys Championship, presented by BDO at Innisfail Golf Club in Innisfail, Alta.
After sitting at even par through his opening nine holes, Team Canada NextGen member, Matthew Javier of North York, Ont. got on a roll collecting seven birdies including four consecutive to start his second nine to card a 29, good for a 7-under 65.
“I hit the ball really good all day. On the back putts started dropping. Got off to a good start on hole one, made a ten-footer, two putt birdie on two, threw a dart on three and up and down for birdie on four and just made a lot of putts coming in,” said Javier who took the early clubhouse lead at Innisfail on Wednesday.
The 17-year-old has said that his putting has been the key to his success so far this season, but that hasn’t always been the case. Javier has had a strong season with two provincial tournament wins including the 2024 Ontario Men’s Amateur Championship in late June.
Contending at the Canadian Junior Boys Championship is not new for Javier, having been part of Team Ontario’s Inter-Provincial Team Championship winning side and finishing tied for fourth in the Junior division and solo third in the Juvenile division last year in North Bay, Ont. That experience is something he will draw on this week in Innisfail.
“I was in the second last group, so I was right there and when you get into situations like those and you get into them again…just the experience of being in that situation helps you the next time and gives you confidence,” he added.
Tied in the lead for the Silver Cup is Austin Krahn of Christina Lake, B.C. Krahn also began his round on the back nine Tuesday morning and recorded two birdies to start. After making the turn he made three consecutive birdies and eventually closed his round with two more to move to 7-under (65).
“I just hit the ball really well today, every swing felt good, and I felt really confident over every shot. There are a couple tricky holes out here where you have to commit to different lines and every swing, I hit to where I wanted to and there were a couple holes today where I was a little out of play but got it up and down and able to save pars and after that the putter was rolling good today,” said Krahn who finished after Javier.
The 17-year-old has enjoyed a successful season thus far, winning the B.C. Indigenous Championship in June for the second consecutive year along with the B.C. Junior Boys Championship in early July.
Krahn says he plans to stick to his game plan which he created during practice rounds earlier this week.
“Hitting the same clubs off the tee that I plotted out and don’t get too scared over tee shots and commit to the ones you decided you’re going to and just stay patient and try to make some putts. It’s a four-day tournament, there’s still lots of golf left so don’t need to make birdies on every hole out here, just make some pars and wait for the birdies to fall.
Spencer Shropshire of Ramara, Ont. is currently alone in third following a 6-under 66 on Tuesday. The 16-year-old also leads the Juvenile division by one-shot over Canadian Junior Boys defending champion, Alex Zhang of Richmond, B.C. Zhang became the 11th player in tournament history to win both the Junior and Juvenile divisions last year.
Zhang is in a three-way tie for fourth in the Junior division along with Team Canada NextGen teammate Isiah Ibit of Orleans, Ont. and Nathaniel Yoo of North York, Ont. all at 5-under (67).
Team Ontario leads the battle for the Junior Boys Inter-Provincial Team Championship following the opening round over Team British Columbia by two shots. The defending champions shot a combined 8-under on Tuesday led by Isiah Ibit, the lone returning player from last year’s championship team. Teammates Gabriel Mainella of Markham, Ont. and Jager Pain of Woodbridge, Ont. both recorded rounds of 3-under 69. Team B.C. sits with a combined score of 6-under and was led by Austin Krahn along with teammates Manpreet Lalh of Nanaimo, B.C. (1-over) and Ryan Vest of Vernon, B.C. (3-over). The host province, Team Alberta sits at 2-under to round out of the top three. The two lowest scores of three count towards the team score each day. The team championship will be awarded following Wednesday’s second round.
The Junior and Juvenile championship rounds are played concurrently over four rounds. The 156-player field will be cut to the low 70 players plus ties in the Junior division and a minimum of ten players in the Juvenile division following Wednesday’s second round.
The Junior champion of the Canadian Junior Boys Championship earns an exemption into the 2025 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship as well as the 2025 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship.
For the leaderboard following the first round of play at the 2024 Canadian Junior Boys Championship, presented by BDO, please click here.