Canadian Junior Boys Championship Heads To Cataraqui Golf & Country Club
The 79th Playing Of The National Junior Championship Is Set Go July 31st At The Cataraqui G&CC In Kingston ON, With A Large Contingent Of Players From BC Taking Part Including Coquitlam's A.J. Ewart (L) And Duncan's Callum Davison (R) - Images Credit British Columbia Golf
Courtesy Golf Canada
KINGSTON, Ont. – Cataraqui Golf & Country Club will welcome the nation’s best young golfers for the 2017 Canadian Junior Boy Championship. The 79th playing of the tournament will take place between July 31-Aug. 3 and will consist of 156 of many of the nation’s best junior golfers, including all four members of Team Canada’s Development Squad.
Included in that field are 29 players from British Columbia including Team Canada Development Squad member A.J. Ewart and Callum Davison, (both pictured above) who is 3rd in the Future Links Order of Merit.
Cataraqui was designed by famed Canadian golf course architect, Stanley Thompson, and boasts one of the best courses in the entire country and the only one in the surrounding area ranked on SCOREgolf’s 2016 top 100 Canadian courses (No. 91). Overlooking Lake Ontario and currently enjoying its centennial year, the course features rolling fairways and small breaking greens designed to challenge players’ shot making skills.
“Our tremendous staff has worked very hard and the course is in great shape. The community of Kingston is extremely excited to host an event of this calibre,” said Jay Gazeley, COO of Cataraqui Golf & Country Club. “We look forward to hosting this strong field through what is sure to be a great week of golf.”
The Canadian Junior Boys Championship has served as a significant milestone in a number of professional and amateur careers. Before playing on the PGA TOUR, Abbotsford, B.C., native Nick Taylor captured the 2006 Canadian Junior Boys title. Other champions include Canadian Golf Hall of Fame members Doug Silverberg, George Knudson, Gary Cowan and Doug Roxburgh.
“Golf Canada is pleased to head to Kingston to hold our annual Canadian Junior Boys Championship,” said Tournament Director Akash Patel. “We have received a very warm welcome here and truly appreciate the support and commitment of the staff. Cataraqui will be a great platform to showcase the talents of Canada’s best junior golfers.”
In 2016, Sam Meek, from Peterborough, Ont., shot an opening-round 66 that eventually propelled him to a two-shot victory and finished at 3-under for the tournament. The 18-year-old returns in hopes of becoming the championship’s eighth back-to-back winner and its first since Mitch Sutton accomplished the feat in 2008-09.
In order to be eligible to participate in the championship field all entrants must be under 19 years of age. This year’s field will consist of the defending Canadian Junior Champion – both Junior and Juvenile – the Team Canada Development Squad members, the current Junior Club Champion/Host Club exemption, the top six finishers in all Future Links, driven by Acura regional championships and those players earning a spot through their respective provincial championship.
NOTABLES:
Sam Meek of Peterborough, Ont. - The 18-year-old is the event’s defending champion and is coming into the tournament with two top-5 finishes at the Ontario Men’s Amateur (T4) and the U.S. Amateur Qualifying Cedar Spings (T5). In 2016 he had three top-10 finishes included a solo second at the Future Links, driven by Acura Quebec Championship.
Kelvin Lim of Thornhill Ont. - Lim currently ranks at the top of the Future Links, driven by Acura Order of Merit. This season the 15-year-old won the Golf Ontario Junior Boys Spring Classic (U19), finished second at the USGA U.S. Junior Qualifying and T2 at the AJGA Bluegrass Junior Championship.
Thomas Giroux of Georgetown, Ont. - He finished second at the Future Links, driven by Acura Ontario Championship earlier this year. The 18-year-old has finished in the top-25 in all seven of his events this season and in the top-10 in five of them. He is currently second in the Future Links, driven by Acura Order of Merit.
Chandler McDowell of Springbrook, Alta. - The 17-year-old is a member of Team Canada’s Development Squad and has finished in the top-10 in all but two of his eight events this season. His highest finish in 2017 was second place at the CJGA Humber College PGM Western Championship.
Callum Davison of Duncan B.C. - His five top-5 finishes this year see the 17-year-old sitting in third in the Future Links, driven by Acura Order of Merit standings. He finished in the top six in two Future Links, driven by Acura events this season – Prairie and Quebec.
Christopher Vandette of Beaconsfield, Que. - The 15-year-old won both of his first two events of the season: the CJGA Quebec Junior Open and the Future Links, driven by Acura Ontario Championship. He also finished tied for third at the Future Links, driven by Acura Quebec Championship and T5 at the USGA Junior Qualifying at South Kent, Conn.
A.J. Ewart of Coquitlam, B.C. - Member of Team Canada’s Development Squad who ended his 2016 season at the top of the Future Links, driven by Acura Order of Merit. Last season, the 17-year-old had two victories and was runner up in five of his 13 events.
Carter Graf of Sylvan Lake, Alta. - In May of 2017, Graf won the PGA Alberta Junior Masters which helped him reach No. 6 on the Future Links, driven by Acura Order of Merit. The 16-year-old has five top-10 finishes this season.
Max Sekulic of Rycroft, Atla. - The 17-year-old member of Team Canada’s Development Squad recently won the Alberta Junior Championship and finished in second after a playoff loss at the Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship. He also won the PGA of Alberta Junior Masters in 2016.
Peyton Callens of Langton, Ont. - The current member of Team Canada’s Development Squad had a terrific 2016 season with seven top-3 finishes in eight events that included three wins: the Ontario Junior Boys Championship, the Future Links, driven by Acura Prairie Championship and Golf Ontario’s Junior Spring Classic.
FAST FACTS:
- The first championship was held in 1938, which was won by James Hogan
- Current Canadian Golf Hall of Famers who won the championship include: Doug Silverberg, George Knudson, Gary Cowan and Doug Roxburgh
- In 1970, the 16-and-under Juvenile Championship was added to the Championship, which runs concurrently with the competition, with the winner receiving the Jack Bailey Trophy
- Nine golfers have won both the Juvenile and Junior titles: Jim Rutledge, Jeff Makahon, Rob McMillan, Jesse Collinson, Dustin Risdon, Gord Scutt, Rafael Lee, Mitch Sutton and Charles-Eric Belanger
- There is a Junior Inter-Provincial Team championship that is held in conjunction with the first 36 holes of the tournament, which has been held since 1959
- The Junior champion earns an exemption into the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship
- 2016 champion: Sam Meek
- 2016 interprovincial champion: Alberta
- Current PGA TOUR player Nick Taylor captured the title in 2006
- London, Ont., product Mitch Sutton was the last player to win the event in back-to-back years in 2008 and 2009
More information on the event including tee times can be found here.
2017 Canadian Junior Championship - B.C. Players entered:
- Cole Bowering, Vancouver
- Wyatt Brook, Kamloops
- Sean Buckles, North Vancouver
- Michael Crisologo, Richmond
- Callum Davison, Duncan
- A.J. Ewart, Coquitlam
- Keenan Flemming, Sechelt
- Aidan Goodfellow, Parksville
- Keaton Gudz, Victoria
- Matt Hopley, Kelowna
- Andy Jang, Langley
- Andy Kim, Langley
- Khan Lee, Langley
- Willis Lee, Langley
- Tristan Mandur, Mill Bay
- John Morrow, Tsawwassen
- Keith Ng, Richmond,
- Zach Ryujin, North Vancouver
- Jeevan Sihota, Victoria
- Andrew Spalti, Vancouver
- Daniel Sun, Surrey
- Nolan Thoroughgood, Victoria
- William Tindle, Coquitlam
- Nicholas Torry, Comox
- Joel Veenstra, Smithers
- Thomas Verigin, West Vancouver
- Cole Wilson, Kelowna
- Christian Zalli, Vancouver
- Ilirian Zalli, Vancouver
ABOUT THE COURSE:
- Established in 1917
- Ranked on SCOREgolf’s 2016 top 100 Canadian courses at No. 91
- Par 70, 6,544 yards
- Designed by famed Canadian golf architect Stanley Thompson
- Has hosted many professional and amateur events including: The Ontario Open, Ontario Ladies Amateur, Canadian PGA Senior Championship, Women’s Eastern Provinces Championship and the Men’s 36 Hole Whig Standard Championship
- Marlene Stewart Streit (World Golf Hall of Fame Member), Moe Norman, Jerry Anderson, Graham Cooke, Warren Sye, Jocelyne Bourassa and Mary Ann Lapointe are all champions of past events at the club
More information can be found here.