Staff Canada NextGen member Justin Matthews lurks in third; Staff Quebec carries three shot lead into ultimate spherical of Inter-Provincial Staff Championship
GATINEAU, Que. – Thomas Grenier of Thetford Mines, Que. fired an 8-under 62 at Rivermead Golf Membership to smash the earlier course file and carry a one-shot lead into the second spherical of the one hundred and twentieth Canadian Males’s Beginner Championship, introduced by BDO, in Gatineau, Que.
Grenier made six birdies, an eagle, and didn’t drop a single shot to say the bottom rating within the course’s 116-year historical past. His 8-under 62 on Monday can be the bottom single-round rating to ever be recorded on the Canadian Males’s Beginner Championship, the earlier file belonging to a number of gamers at 64.
Gamers from 13 completely different nations descended on Rivermead Golf Membership and The Royal Ottawa Golf Membership to kick off the 2025 Canadian Males’s Beginner Championship. The double-field format pinned half of the full discipline at every course, with hotter situations within the Ottawa-Gatineau area prompting decrease scores because the morning wave labored into the again finish of their respective rounds.
Grenier, who started his spherical on Rivermead Golf Membership’s tenth gap, was a part of the morning wave to have aligned their sport completely with the nice and cozy climate. Teeing off at 8:27 a.m. EDT, Grenier rapidly reeled in birdies on the tenth and twelfth to vault right into a tie for second at 2-under par. The 18-year-old added birdies on the par-four fifteenth and par-five seventeenth to double his rating and take his first outright lead of the match, taking part in his again 9 and not using a blemish and dominating the course along with his irons.
Following his spherical, Grenier credited his brief sport to assist him seize the early lead, although his play along with his driver – significantly on the fourth gap – was the membership most answerable for etching his eight-under 62 within the course’s historical past books and main the match after 18 holes.
His drive on the 307-yard par-four latched onto the inexperienced, setting him up for an eagle putt to advance his lead additional. Unfazed by the quickening greens, Grenier transformed, draining his putt from 15 ft to get to 6-under par earlier than ending his spherical with two extra birdies.
“I had the velocity all day, so I used to be capable of make some putts,” mentioned Grenier. As for turning into the latest recipient of the course file at Rivermead Golf Membership, Grenier casted a short smile earlier than including a fast sentiment on his accomplishment. “It’s very good, it’s my first course file,” he added.
Regardless of beating out the earlier course file by three strokes, Grenier wasn’t the one one to have a historic opening spherical at Rivermead on Monday. Andre Zhu of Richmond Hill, Ont. rolled in seven birdies and an eagle of his personal to card a 7-under 63 and pull inside a single shot of Grenier.
The 2 helped prepared the ground for his or her respective provinces within the Inter-Provincial Staff Championship as nicely, with Staff Quebec main Staff Ontario by three strokes heading into Tuesday’s ultimate spherical. Grenier’s spherical was buoyed by a 2-under 68 from Staff Canada NextGen member Antoine Jasmin of Blainville, Que. and an even-par 70 from Émile Lebrun of Laval, Que. to steer at 10-under.
Their closest chasers had been largely led by Zhu’s 7-under 63 to open play, with even-par rounds from Eric Zhao of North York, Ont. and Dawson Lew of Toronto, Ont. preserving Staff Ontario in competition for the Willingdon Cup.
Within the battle for the Earl Gray Cup, Staff Canada NextGen Justin Matthews of Little Britain, Ont. sits three photographs off the tempo following a five-under 65, whereas his teammates Jager Ache of Woodbridge, Ont. and Ethan Wilson of St. Albert, Alta. sit in a tie for fourth and eighth respectively.
Matthews is the lowest-ranked Canadian within the discipline on the World Beginner Golf Rankings (WAGR) at no. 225. His chase for the highest spot of the leaderboard on Tuesday will likely be rivaled by Alexis Leray of Boulogne-Billancourt, France (no. 135 WAGR), who boasts the third-highest rank within the discipline and shot a 3-under 67 to remain in competition.
Fifteen gamers are inside 5 photographs of the lead heading into Tuesday’s second spherical. Notably, every of the highest 5 finishers on Monday performed at Rivermead Golf Membership regardless of the course taking part in tougher within the opening spherical.
The winner of the Earl Gray Cup will obtain a direct exemption into a number of marquee occasions, together with a spot within the discipline on the 2026 RBC Canadian Open. Moreover, the Canadian Males’s Beginner champion will lock up a spot within the a hundred and twenty fifth U.S. Beginner Championship, set for August 11-17 on the Olympic Membership in San Francisco, Calif. and will likely be absolutely exempt from native qualifying for the 2026 U.S. Beginner and 2026 U.S. Open. The winner may also be exempt into subsequent 12 months’s Canadian Males’s Beginner Championship and can be capable to defend their title, if eligible.
For the person and inter-provincial crew leaderboards following the opening spherical of the one hundred and twentieth Canadian Males’s Beginner Championship, introduced by BDO, please click on right here.
