If there’s one word that describes this year’s Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, it’s history.

Hosted by The Royal Ottawa GC in Gatineau, Que., and co-hosted by Eagle Creek GC in Dunrobin, Ont., it marks the first time the renowned championship — any of Golf Canada’s national championships, actually — has taken place in two separate provinces.

“It’s also interesting in that it’s the first time the drinking age has been different at both clubs too,” says Adam Helmer, Golf Canada’s director of rules and competitions, with a hearty chuckle.

Joking aside, Helmer says he is thrilled to have this year’s Canadian Amateur at such a historically important club like The Royal Ottawa. He’s eager for this year’s championship to begin.

“It’s such a storied club. This is where the Canadian Amateur began, and where Golf Canada began. We’re really excited to return,” he explains.

The history of The Royal Ottawa is robust, and it’s no wonder the club will be hosting a number of events to celebrate its 125th anniversary throughout the summer. It will have a kick-off event on April 15 (it’s around that date the club was founded in 1891), and over Canada Day weekend, the club will host its reciprocal clubs and ‘Royal’ affiliate clubs from around the world (there are five in Canada).

First established as the nine-hole Ottawa GC near the city’s current downtown core, the club moved to the Quebec side of the border not long after that, quite close to where a casino now stands. It moved to its current spot in 1903 and opened in 1904. It received its Royal designation from King George V in 1912.

Head professional Paul Carrothers says he approached Golf Canada (then the Royal Canadian Golf Association) in 2006 to say that the club’s 125th anniversary was approaching and they wanted to host the Canadian Amateur. The club also hosted the inaugural Canadian Amateur in 1895.

“At the time they were booked up to 2012, but we got slotted in for 2016. At the same time, we took the 2010 Canadian Mid-Amateur as part of the deal,” Carrothers explains.

Meanwhile, Eagle Creek — a Ken Venturi design (the Hall of Famer’s only Canadian layout) — is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

“It’s the biggest event in Canada for amateur golf, and we’re proud to co-host,” explains Ryan Little, Eagle Creek’s director of operations. “It’s the signature event for our 25th anniversary.”

Built through 230 acres of forest, the course features large greens and challenging, yet receptive holes. Water is a big part of the challenge at Eagle Creek, while the course sits just over 7,000 yards in length.

“Eagle Creek is one of the top courses in the region and this is an awesome opportunity to get the name out there and put on a good show for the players,” says Little. “I think the players are going to see a completely different course then what they’re seeing at The Royal Ottawa. It’s very remote, parkland-style. It’ll be really exciting.”

The Royal Ottawa, which also hosted the 1906 and 1911 Canadian Opens, sits at just over 6,600 yards, and although it’s not long by modern standards, it boasts some of the toughest greens in the area.

This year’s Canadian Amateur champion, according to Carrothers, will likely be a wizard around the greens.

“They have to be a putter, and they need to have a good short game. You’re dealing with very fast, small greens that are subtle in their breaks, but can play havoc if you don’t put the ball in the right spot,” he explains. “You could easily have four or five putts.”

Both clubs are also excited to offer opportunities to their members to play in the championship.

Golf Canada has given The Royal Ottawa three automatic entries, one of which is going to its current club champion. It will host an open event for members in June, along with another event in the summer that will reward both winners with a spot in the championship.

The Royal Ottawa is also hosting a pre-qualifier for the event, and “hopefully there will be some local representation there as well,” according to Carrothers.

There is one exemption from Eagle Creek already locked in, and the club is hosting a qualifier for all ClubLink members this summer for another spot.

“We want to really get our membership behind all of this. It’s a great opportunity for them,” says Little.

The field expanded to 240 players in 2010 as part of an effort to get an ‘A’ ranking for the event, according to Helmer. The ranking was established at the same time the World Amateur Golf Rankings were formalized, and Helmer says the Canadian Amateur is “pretty close.”

“The exemptions are the big carrot. Having the RBC Canadian Open exemption helps, and our U.S. Amateur exemption helps too,” he explains.

The Canadian Amateur is sandwiched between the Western Amateur and the U.S. Amateur, and right before that is the Porter Cup. That makes four huge amateur events in North America all happening around the same time.

“We’re hoping our combination of The Royal Ottawa/Eagle Creek, and Toronto Golf Club in 2017 will help translate our championship into an ‘A’ ranking,” Helmer states.

Whatever the ranking, the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship continues to play an important role in Canadian golf history. And this year’s championship will no doubt provide another chapter.

Capital city clash This article was originally published in the May 2016 edition of Golf Canada Magazine. To view the full magazine, click the image to the left.

SHIPPAGAN, NB – Darren Ritchie of St. John is one of six new members who will be inducted into New Brunswick’s Sports Hall of Fame June 4, 2016.

“These dedicated, sports-minded New Brunswickers are being recognized for athletic excellence and leadership in promoting active living in our province,” said Tourism, Culture and Heritage Minister Bill Fraser. “Their commitment to sport inspires individuals and families to take part in physical activities in their communities for better health, improved quality of life and a stronger province.”

Ritchie is the first and only Maritimer to win the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship (1992). His match play victory over Mike Weir was made even more impressive by the fact that he had been diagnosed with malignant melanoma just three months prior to competing. From 1990 – 1992 Ritchie placed either first or second during twelve provincial golfing competitions.

Ritchie and the other five members will join the hall when it holds its induction ceremony at Centre des congrès de la Péninsule acadienne de Shippagan on June 4. The inductees will bring the total number of honourees to 249.

“We are proud to announce that these 5 distinguished athletes and 1 sports builder are to be inducted into the hall of fame,” said Clem Tremblay, chair of the hall’s board of governors.

The other inductees are Patty Blanchard (running); David Foley (soccer); Kevin Foran (hockey); Bernard DeGrâce (officiating) and Eldridge Eatman (running).

For more info, visit www.nbsportshalloffame.com.

Billy Kennerly won the 111th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship co-hosted by Weston Golf & Country Club and Lambton Golf & Country Club. The native of Alpharetta, Ga., shot a final-round 2-under 70 to finish six strokes clear of his nearest competitor.

“It’s really nice to win, especially the Canadian Am,” said the graduate from Clemson University. “It’s a huge tournament and a national championship is always nice. On top of that, to win where Arnold Palmer won his first tournament, that’s really special and something I’ll never forget. I’m honoured to be the Canadian Amateur champion.”

Kennerly began the day with a front-nine 38, but settled in with four birdies across his final nine holes to complete the tournament at 12-under 275. “I got off to a slow start,” the 22-year-old explained. “I wasn’t quite putting my best and I just wasn’t quite hitting the ball where I needed to hit it. On the back nine, I just hit better and made a couple of adjustments with my putting which really made a big difference in my scoring.”

With the victory, Kennerly has secured a spot into the 2016 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont. The 107^th playing of Canada’s National Open Championship is set to take place July 18-24, 2016. “That’s a really big honour,” added the winner. “I’m looking forward to next year, I can’t wait.” Kennerly is slated to compete in the 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Ill.

Three players finished 6-under 281 to claim shares of second. Garrett Rank entered the third round tied for 13^th place. An eagle and five birdies propelled the Elmira, Ont., native up the leaderboard. “I got off to a great start. After having a bad start yesterday when I was 3-over through three, today I was 3-under through three, so that led to some good momentum going forward. Overall, it was a really good day.”

Rank claimed victory at the Investors Group Ontario Mid-Amateur Championship before representing Canada at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games and competing in the 2015 RBC Canadian Open. “It’s been a busy summer, my game has been close. I’ve been able to play in some really cool events and it was a good experience moving forward. It was nice to get a good result here this week.”

From August 25-28, the reigning Canadian Mid-Amateur champion will defend his title at Abercrombie Golf Club in New Glasgow, N.S. “I’m really looking forward to that. It’s a big opportunity to get into the RBC Canadian Open again next year. I have the U.S. Amateur Championship next week, so hopefully I can take my momentum here and try to get into match play, and then move on from there.”

Jake Shuman earned his share of second following a seven-birdie, 4-under final round. Completing the trio knotted in second was Hugo Bernard of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que. The 20-year-old, who also earned a runner-up finish at this year’s Quebec Men’s Amateur Championship, carded three birdies and an eagle for a final round of 69.

Kevin Carrigan shot the low round of the day with nine birdies in a 7-under performance. The Victoria, B.C., native finished in a five-way tie for 6^th place alongside Team Canada Development Squad member Patrick Murphy. The Crossfield, Alta., native and UCLA Bruin led the national team contingent with a combined 4-under 283 showing.

Played in conjunction with the tournament’s first 36 holes is an inter-provincial team championship. The competition saw 12 provincial and territorial teams compete for the Willingdon Cup with Team British Columbia emerging victorious. The squad comprised of Stuart Macdonald (Vancouver), Jared du Toit (Kimberley) and Kevin Kwon (Maple Ridge) combined for a total of even-par 286 to claim a 3-stroke victory.

The Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship is the third-oldest amateur championship in the world. The 2016 edition is set to take place August 8-11 at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club in Gatineau, Que.

Additional information regarding the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship can be found here.

TORONTO – Team British Columbia captured the Willingdon Cup as provincial team champions at the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship hosted by Weston Golf & Country Club and The Lambton Golf & Country Club. The team combined for a total of even-par 286.

“It was a nice little surprise to wake up to,” said Stuart Macdonald of the winning team. “It feels awesome. We’ve joined some good names up there [in the championship’s history]. I know B.C. has had some pretty good runs with the Willingdon Cup. I thought we had a pretty good team this year.”

The native of Vancouver spoke highly of his teammates – Kimberley, B.C., product Jared du Toit and Maple Ridge, B.C., native Kevin Kwon – when reflecting on their time together. “I felt like we had the three best in the province. I’ve played with Jared in the past and we play a lot with each other. I hadn’t really played with Kevin too much. I’ve always seen him up at the top in a lot of B.C. tournaments. I got to know him pretty well and we’re all good friends now. I think we had a lot of camaraderie between the three of us.”

Since 1927, the Willingdon Cup has been awarded to the provincial or territorial team with the lowest scores from the first 36 holes of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship. The top-two daily scores from each round of the twelve three-man teams counted towards the competition.

Finishing in a tie for second place were Teams Quebec and Alberta. Team Canada Development Squad member Étienne Papineau (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.), Hugo Bernard, (Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que.) and Pierre-Alexandre Bedard (Chibougamau, Que) finished with a combined score of 3-over 289. The Alberta squad was comprised of Brett Hogan (Calgary), Andrew Harrison (Camrose, Alta.) and Jack Wood (Banff, Alta.). Defending champion Team Ontario finished in fourth at 11-over 257.

Billy Kennerly opened the day in third, but supplanted the two 36-hole co-leaders with a 3-under 69 performance. “I played really solid today. I was trying to keep it around par, to be honest. It’s definitely a lot firmer out there today than yesterday.”

The native of Alpharetta, Ga., tallied five birdies on the day, including a 3-under 33 across the front nine. The graduate from Clemson University remained poised when asked about the possibility of victory. “It would be a great honour, but of course, we have a lot of golf ahead of us. [Winning] would be a great boost and I feel really good about my game, so we will see how it all goes.”

National Team Development Squad member Patrick Murphy totaled five birdies, including an impressive four-in-a-row on his final four holes to ascend the leaderboard. The Crossfield, Alta., native’s 3-under performance has him in second place at 6-under. A single shot back in third is Ben Eccles, who began the day tied for first. The Australian is 5-under 210 in the competition.

Buoyed by the team-competition win, MacDonald shot the low-round of the day, a bogey-free 5-under 67, to move into a tie for fifth. “I started off solid. I just really kept the ball in play in the fairway and gave myself a lot of opportunities,” said the Purdue University Boilermaker. “I took advantage of the par-5s. The par-5s out here are mostly reachable. So if you can do that, you can get a good number out here. I putted pretty solid. Overall, I’m pretty happy with the round, happy that I can be up on the leaderboard and maybe have a chance tomorrow.”

The winner of the 111^th playing of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship will earn the Earl Grey Trophy and gain a prized exemption into the 2016 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., and entry into the 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship at Olympia Fields, Ill. The champion will also be eligible to receive an exemption into the U.S. Junior Amateur, the U.S. Mid-Amateur or the U.S. Senior Amateur, if applicable.

Additional information regarding the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, including tee times and scoring, is available here.

Ben Eccles and Eric Banks share the lead on the second day of competition at the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at Weston Golf & Country Club and The Lambton Golf & Country Club. The day began in very much the same way as the first with clear skies and fair temperatures serving as an ideal backdrop for the resumption of the first round. The picturesque conditions continued throughout the day until second-round play was suspended due to darkness.

Heavy rainfall and the ensuing unplayable conditions halted play on the first day of competition. An early morning start saw players across both host courses complete their opening rounds before the majority of competitors took advantage of strong conditions to finish their second rounds.

When play was suspended, Ben Eccles and Eric Banks had claimed shares of the lead with 7-under performances.

Banks reflected positively on his play through 36 holes. “I thought I played pretty good, but it was a little bit more windy than I expected,” said the native of Truro, N.S. “We played some holes into the wind and I hit some pretty poor chip shots coming in, which is usually one of my strengths, so I will work on that.

“But overall, 3-under is a pretty solid day. I shot 4-under at Lambton yesterday, so I knew I was in a good position to come out today and if I had a good round, maybe be around the top of the leaderboard.

“Despite being deadlocked with Eccles, a product of Victoria, Australia, Banks maintains the need to remain focused on the task at hand. “I’m hitting my driver really good right now. I need to keep doing that and just stay calm. When I made a few bogeys coming in, I was getting a little too hot. So I just need to relax and just keep doing what I’m doing.”

Banks, a graduate of the University of Florida, began the day with four birdies after starting the round on the back nine. Eccles countered with a six-birdie performance, highlighted by a 34 across the front nine. Billy Kennerly was not able to complete his second round, but the product of Alpharetta, Ga., currently holds third-place following a bogey-free 3-under performance through 13 holes.

Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., continues to play through a busy summer which has included representing Team Canada at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games, as well as, a victory at the 2015 Ontario Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship. The reigning Canadian Mid-Amateur champion sits fifth at even-par through 13 holes before play was halted.

Team Canada Development Squad member Patrick Murphy sits tied for sixth place and leads the national team contingent at 3-under 140.

The winner of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship will hoist the Earl Grey Trophy and will be awarded an exemption into the 2016 RBC Canadian Open to be played at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., as well as, entry into the 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship at Olympia Fields, Ill.

Following the first 36 holes of play, the Willingdon Cup will be awarded to one of the 12 provincial and territorial three-person teams in the tournament.

The projected cut is currently sitting at 4-over par. The second round is scheduled to resume at 7:30 a.m. EDT at both courses. The third round is set to begin at 10:30 a.m. at Weston Golf & Country Club.

Additional information regarding the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, including updated tee times and scoring, is available here.

TORONTO – Thunderstorms and the ensuing unplayable conditions have forced the postponement of the opening round of the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at Weston Golf & Country Club and The Lambton Golf & Country Club in Toronto.

While pleasant conditions and cool breezes set the stage for the morning rounds, clear skies quickly gave way to cloud cover and heavy rainfall shortly after 1 p.m. EDT. With inclement weather continuing, play was cancelled at both courses at 5 p.m.

The first round of play will resume on the morning of Tuesday, August 11 at 7:30 a.m. EDT. Round two tee times will be adjusted due to time restrictions resulting from the suspension of the first round.

“Unfortunately, inclement weather and unplayable conditions have delayed the completion of the first round of play,” said Tournament Director Adam Helmer. “We are hopeful that the weather will hold for the ensuing rounds and that we will be able to complete the 72-hole national championship.”

The winner of the Earl Grey Trophy as Canadian Men’s Amateur Champion will be awarded an exemption into the 2016 RBC Canadian Open to be played at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., as well as, entry into the 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship.

An inter-provincial team competition will be played in conjunction with the first 36 holes. Vying for the Willingdon Cup as team champions will be 12 provincial and territorial three-person teams from across the nation.

For additional information on the championship, including adjusted second-round tee times and live scoring, please proceed to the competition’s website.

Warren Sye confessed the other day that he’s not pounding the ball the way he wants to coming into the 2015 Canadian Amateur. A shoulder injury he suffered a year ago has limited the golf game of the two-time national champion.

But you can wager that the 59-year-old Sye will give it his best effort and that as he walks the fairways of Weston his emotions will be evident.

Twenty-five years ago, Sye captured his first Canadian Amateur to get “over the hump.” Back then Weston was his home course. He arrived on the scene having placed third four times and fourth on another occasion in the previous six Canadian Amateur tournaments.

He doesn’t quite recall an “ah-ha” moment, but he does remember a conversation he had with veteran Gary Cowan, who won two U.S. Amateur titles, a Canadian Amateur and a record nine Ontario Amateur crowns.

“I remember he told me that my time would come and that before I know it I’ll enjoy quite a run,” Sye said.

Cowan was right. After graduating from the University of Houston in 1980, where Sye played on the golf team with Fred Couples, Blaine McCallister and future sports broadcaster Jim Nantz, Sye had quite a run, beginning with the 1986 Eisenhower Trophy.

The Eisenhower Trophy is a biennial world amateur team event that dates back to 1958. Canada had never won the prestigious title until Sye and his teammates Mark Brewer, Brent Franklin and Jack Kay Jr. broke through for their brilliant championship.

This was the beginning for an incredible run for Sye on the national stage. Before his big victory at the 1990 Canadian Amateur, Sye reeled off an 11-shot win at the Ontario Amateur in 1988.

Then, after his triumph at Weston 25 years ago, he won the Ontario Amateur four more times in 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1996 and won another Canadian Amateur in 1994 at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club, where he also won the 1991 Ontario Amateur as well as the Ontario father-son with his Dad.

“I had a good run, then the family came,” said Sye, who now has three grown children, two sons and a daughter.

His championship run at Weston 25 years ago began with rounds of 70 and 68 for a six-under 36-hole total and a stroke lead over Arden Knoll of Estevan, Sask.

Sye’s early spectacular play led his Ontario teammates Craig Marseilles, Mike Weir and Cowan to a 19-stroke Willingdon Cup victory for the province’s first title since 1984.

Knoll, however, wasn’t going away. A former hockey player with the Yorkton Terriers and the University of Saskatchewan, he took up golf seriously only six years prior to his run at Weston after four knee operations from hockey injuries. He turned professional a few months later, won on the Canadian Tour, played briefly on the PGA Tour and represented Canada at the World Cup.

Thanks to a third-round, three-under 69, the then 27-year-old Knoll entered the final day with a two-shot advantage over Sye and Jeff Cannon of Don Mills, Ont.

In a sad postscript to the 1990 Canadian Amateur, Cannon was killed in a car accident near Dryden, Ont. the following summer. After his strong showing at Weston, like Knoll, he also turned pro and played the Canadian Tour. But after missing the cut in an event in Regina, Cannon headed home but never made it.

In the final round, Sye rebounded with a hot start. He birdied four of the first five holes before he stumble with a double bogey at No 6 brought him back. The southpaw Knoll, however, struggled on the back nine with double bogeys Nos. 14 and 16.

Sye closed with five consecutive pars for a one-under 71 and seven-under total, two better than Knoll and Cannon, who checked in with final rounds of 75 and 73, respectively.

“I don’t care what anyone says, it’s hard to win at home with everyone following you and pulling for you.”

“It’s a weight off my shoulders, like when I finally won an Ontario Amateur title in 1988.”

Sye had a brief flirtation with the pro game a few years ago, when he attempted to qualify for the Champions Tour. But he has returned to amateur golf and now lives in London in the RiverBend Golf Community. He resides on Moe Norman Way in a neighbourhood that also has roads named Weir Ave., Marlene Stewart St., Ed Ervasti Lane, Jack Nash Dr. as well as Sandy Somerville Dr.

“I don’t have many expectations this week, but if the shoulder holds up, who knows,” Sye said.

TORONTO – Francesco Ruffino shot a 6-under 66 at Weston Golf & Country Club in Toronto, Ont., to claim medalist honours at the final qualifying event for the 2015 edition of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship. Michael Boss, Jake McNulty, Charles Corner and Addison Coll captured the remaining four spots available through the qualifier to complete the field for the 111^th playing of the world’s third-oldest amateur championship.

“I’m excited. I’m really looking forward to playing in it,” said Ruffino when asked about the opportunity to join the full field of 264 players in the national amateur competition. Ruffino carded an eagle and five birdies to lead the field of 119 competitors vying for a spot in the championship. With today’s victory, the Bloomfield Hills, Mich., native gained valuable experience and confidence for the tournament ahead.

“I think there are actually a couple of holes that I can play better, but I felt pretty well out there.  I didn’t play great, but I was able to be pretty smart with a lot of my shots,” said the 20-year-old. “I really tried to give myself a lot of birdie looks – a few of them dropped, a few of them didn’t. You can always ask for more, but I’m satisfied with a 66.”

The sophomore at the University of South Florida beamed about the course conditions and welcomes the chance to play them again next week.

“The fairways are pristine, they’re perfect,” said Ruffino. “The greens are great, they roll true. If you hit a good putt, you know it’s going to go in. The rough is long and if you don’t hit it in the right spot, you’re going to get penalized out here. It will be really exciting to see how the rest of the field does in the tournament.”

Michael Boss of Lewiston, N.Y., carded a bogey-free 67 to finish runner-up. Port Perry, Ont., product Jake McNulty notched six birdies en route to a round of 3-under 69. The trio of Charles Corner (Cayuga, Ont.), Addison Coll (Arlington, Va.) and Sam McNulty (Port Perry, Ont.) finished T4 after rounds of 70 and required an extra hole to decide the final two spots in the championship. Corner chipped-in for birdie on the par-4 No. 18 to secure his place while Coll made par to advance.

The 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship will be co-hosted by two storied Toronto clubs – Weston Golf & Country Club and The Lambton Golf & Country Club. The first two rounds will take place on August 10 and 11 across both host courses. Following the championship’s first 36 holes, the field of 264 representing eight countries will be reduced to 70 players and ties. The two final rounds will be contested at Weston Golf & Country Club where one competitor will claim the coveted Earl Grey Trophy as the Canadian Men’s Amateur Champion.

The winner will earn exemptions into the 2016 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., as well as, the 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Ill. The champion will also be eligible to receive an exemption into the U.S. Junior Amateur, the U.S. Mid-Amateur or the U.S. Senior Amateur, if applicable.

An inter-provincial championship will take place in conjunction with the first two rounds of the tournament with three-member teams competing for the Willingdon Cup. Additional information regarding the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship is available here.

Full scorecards and additional details from the final qualifier can be found here.

TORONTO – The 111^th playing of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship will re-visit the roots of Canadian golf in 2015. Lambton Golf & Country Club – the home of the tournament’s most decorated champion, George S. Lyon – will co-host the competition alongside Weston Golf & Country Club, which is celebrating its 100^th year, from August 8-13.

“This year’s co-hosting venues have a long history with the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship and Canadian golf,” explained Tournament Director Adam Helmer. “George S. Lyon, an eight-time winner of this tournament, honed his game at Lambton. Weston saw a young Arnold Palmer win his first Tour victory and has since played a significant part in growing Canadian golf over the past century. Both courses are among Canada’s best and we look forward to seeing our impressive field challenge them.”

The Canadian Men’s Amateur Qualifier is set to take place at Weston Golf & Country Club on August 7. Two days of practice rounds are slated for August 8 and 9 before competitors from eight countries take to both courses on August 10 and 11 for the championship’s first 36 holes. The field will be reduced to 70 players and ties for the two final rounds at Weston as competitors try to claim the historic Earl Grey Trophy. James Beale of New Zealand won the trophy in 2014 after a thrilling three-hole playoff.

The field of 264 competitors will be competing for exemptions into the 2016 RBC Canadian Open to be played at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., as well as, the 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Ill. The champion will also be eligible to receive an exemption into the U.S. Junior Amateur, the U.S. Mid-Amateur or the U.S. Senior Amateur, if applicable.

Team Canada’s Austin Connelly of Irving, Texas and Blair Hamilton of Burlington, Ont., will be among the Canadian contingent vying for the championship. Connelly is Canada’s highest-ranked amateur at No. 16 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking. The two national team members are coming identical 1-under performances at the 2015 RBC Canadian Open which saw them recognized as co-recipients of the Gary Cowan Medal for low amateur honours.

Reigning Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion and 2015 Ontario Mid-Amateur champion Garrett Rank will continue a busy summer. The Elmira, Ont., native represented Canada at the Toronto 2015 Pan-Am games alongside Connelly and also competed in Canada’s National Open Championship.

All six members of Team Canada’s Development Squad will round out the national team contingent in the competition. Étienne Papineau of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., is looking to build upon a successful summer that has seen the 19-year-old capture the Alexander of Tunis trophy and the Quebec Men’s Amateur Championship – two legs of Golf Quebec’s prestigious Triple Crown. Teammate Trevor Ranton is hoping to carry forward momentum after claiming the 2015 CN Future Links Pacific Championship and winning the Golf Association of Ontario’s Investors Group Junior Boys’ Championship.

Rico Hoey of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., returns to the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship looking to improve upon a T6 finish in last year’s event. The No. 74-ranked amateur finished runner-up at the 2015 Saguaro Men’s Amateur Championship. Fellow Californian Eli Cole of Beverly Hills hopes to become a two-time winner of this event to go with his 2013 title.

An inter-provincial championship will take place in conjunction with the first two rounds of the tournament with three-member teams competing for the Willingdon Cup. Team Ontario claimed the competition in 2014 with Chris Hemmerich (Kitchener, Ont.), Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.) and Taylor Pendrith (Richmond Hill, Ont.) combining to shoot 9-under 275, eight strokes clear of Team Alberta.

A minimum of five spots into the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship will be awarded through the championship’s qualifier on Friday, August 7 at Weston Golf & Country Club. Pairings and start times can be found here.

Admission to the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at Weston Golf & Country Club and Lambton Golf & Country Club is free during tournament week. Additional information regarding the championship is available here.

Winnipeg, Man.  – James Beale claimed the 2014 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship title after rolling in a long birdie putt on the third playoff hole at Elmhurst Golf and Country Club.

The New Zealand native finished 72 holes tied atop the leaderboard alongside Team Canada’s Taylor Pendrith and California’s Jonathan Garrick at 6-under par. The trio battled it out over three holes before Beale’s 22-foot birdie putt found the bottom of the cup on the par-4 18th hole. 

“Honestly I don’t know if it’s good or bad but the thought went through my mind just as I was standing over it that this is for the win,” said Beale when describing his winning putt. “As I looked at the hole I just kind of stroked it and tapped it down there and it just tracked towards the hole and I couldn’t believe it.”

The 21-year-old carded a final-round 1-under 69 and drained a clutch par-putt on his 72nd hole to earn his spot in the three-man hole-by-hole playoff for the national championship title.

“It’s surreal it’s definitely something I’ve dreamed about, I didn’t think it would happen so soon,” he continued. “I’ve been working on my game hard and 2014 is the first year where I’ve really started to feel like I get everything out of my game.”

With Beale’s victory he earns an exemption into next week’s U.S. Amateur Championship and also the 2015 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont. 

“Just added benefits, it’s amazing,” he stated. “I wasn’t thinking about that stuff when I was out there but to get off and realize that I’m in the U.S. Amateur and the Canadian Open a PGA Tour event, it doesn’t get much better than that, I’ll have to reconsider turning pro next year so I can play in that one.”

Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont. carded a final round 4-under 66 to finish tied for second alongside Garrick of Atherton, Calif. Team Canada’s Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont. finished at 5-under 277 in a tie for fourth with New Mexico’s Sam Saunders.