The final round of the 55th Ontario Public Amateur Championship presented by Baka Mobile from Tangle Creek Golf & Country Club saw interesting finishes all around.

The men’s Gross and ‘A’ Flight divisions were won by none other than Tangle Creek’s very own Josh Taylor, who had two very impressive rounds of play, shooting 2-under-par-70 yesterday and 4-under-par-68 today.

Taylor finished nine strokes ahead of runner-up, Brett Wira of London and 11 ahead of Toronto’s Paul Sobottka in both ‘A’ Flight and total Gross play. Overall, Taylor shot 138-6-under-par in both competitions while Wira shot 147 and Sobottka 149.

Jenna Power of Hornby Glen Golf Course captured both the women’s Gross and Net titles, shooting 87-par in Net play in the final round to finish two strokes ahead of runner-up, Loren Gabel of Cambridge.

Power shot 85-97 for a two-day total of 182 in gross play and 75-87 for 162 in net competition. Meanwhile, Gabel shot 92-86 for 178 in Net and 95-89 for 184 overall.

In the ‘B’ Flight division, Glencoe’s Jamie Howe took the reigns on the back of an impressive final round, where he shot 68-4-under-par in B Flight Net to finish six strokes ahead of Mike Vieira of Whitby. In Gross play, Howe shot 79 in the final round and both he and Vieira shot a two-day total of 159 in the overall competition.

The ‘C’ Flight division was decided in a playoff, where Joseph Smith of Alliston knocked off Whitby’s Steve Stone. Stone shot 72-even-par in C Flight Net play in the final round, which allowed him to rally from five strokes behind to allow a playoff. In the end, Smith, who shot 75-par in Net competition in the second round, prevailed after a nine-hole grind.

CLICK HERE for all final results.

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The 2024 Ontario Public Amateur Championship presented by Baka Mobile heads to Tangle Creek Golf & Country Club August 29 – 30.

The event will see 109 public golfers, the most in Ontario Public Amateur Championship history, compete in four sperate flighted divisions.

The men will play in three flighted divisions—the ‘A’ flight division will compete in Gross competition, while flights ‘B’ and ‘C’ play in net competition with the option for ‘B’ flight golfers to compete in the overall championship. The women will compete in their own division, with both gross and net competitions.

Tangle Creek Golf & Country Club is no stranger to hosting Golf Ontario championships, having previously hosted events such as the 2019 Ontario Junior Boys Championship and last year’s Ontario Men’s & Senior Men’s Match Play Championship.

First played in 1958, the Ontario Public Amateur Championship has provided great opportunities for public players of either the Golf Ontario Public Player Program and of semi-private golf courses to compete in a competitive tournament with gross and net flights. This allows high-handicap players to compete with players in their handicap grouping.

Past champions include Ontario Golf Hall of Famer Dave Bunker (2009, 2010), Robert Mclean (2021), Arnold Johnson (2011, 2015), Peter Willis (2014), Gail Pimm (2015) and Nobelle Park (2022).

Both rounds will see morning tee-offs between 8-9:30 a.m. and afternoon times between 12:30-2 p.m., each on first and 10th tees.

CLICK HERE for all first-round pairings and start times.

PLAYERS

Notable players include:

Tangle Creek Golf & Country Club’s own, Bradley Greenside, who won the 2023 Ontario Men’s Champion of Champions.

Defending men’s Ontario Public Amateur champion, Paul Sobottka.

Michael Naus, who won the 2022 Ontario Men’s Public Amateur Championship.

QUOTES

Rob Watson, Tournament Director: “The Ontario Public Amateur Championship has served as a great opportunity for public players across the province to play in a competitive field. With about 110 players making up the field, as well as a course that brings plenty of hole-by-hole challenges in Tangle Creek Golf & Country Club, competition at this year’s event promises to be fierce.”

Richard Edmonds, General Manager – Tangle Creek Golf & Country Club: “It’s an honor and pleasure to be able to host such a prestigious event at our club. Our team has worked tirelessly to ensure that the experience this week will be world class. The course is in immaculate shape and will test all golfers’ abilities. I would like to thank Golf Ontario and all the Volunteers that have dedicated their time to organizing this event.”

FAST FACTS

Championship Venue: Tangle Creek Golf & Club

Championship Dates: August 29 – 30

Field: 107 players (‘A’ Flight: 42,  ‘B’ Flight: 36,  ‘C’ Flight: 27  Women’s Overall: 2)

Format: 36-hole, stroke play

Leaderboard Link: 24′ Ontario Public Amateur Championship Event :: Tournament Results (golfgenius.com)

Fun Fact: Mill Run Golf Club in Uxbridge has hosted the Ontario Public Amateur Championship nine times, a tournament record.

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