Corey Conners
Top male amateur golfers from Austria, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Taiwan and the United States will vie for national golf supremacy at the 109th Canadian Men's Amateur Championship.
The championship will be contested August 6-9 at both Royal Colwood Golf Club and Gorge Vale Golf Club in Victoria, B.C.
"We are thrilled to bring Canada's most prestigious amateur golf championship to Victoria," said Adam Helmer, Tournament Director for the Canadian Men's Amateur. "We have an exceptionally strong field this year and both golf courses will certainly challenge some of the world's top amateur players this week."
The winner of the Canadian Men's Amateur Championship will earn exemptions into both the 2014 RBC Canadian Open at Royal Montreal Golf Club, as well as the 2013 U.S. Amateur Championship at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts from August 12-18. Additionally, the winner is eligible to receive exemptions into the U.S. Amateur Public Links, U.S. Junior Amateur, U.S. Mid-Amateur & USGA Senior Amateur Championship, if applicable.
The 252-player field is led this year by Team Canada's Taylor Pendrith, 22, of Richmond Hill, Ont., Corey Conners, 21, of Listowel, Ont., Eric Banks, 20, of Truro, N.S., Garrett Rank, 25, of Elmira, Ont., Justin Shin, 21, of Pitt Meadows, B.C., and Chris Hemmerich, 20, of Kitchener, Ont.
A member of the Kent State University Golden Flashes, Pendrith valuted to No. 44 in the world, after capturing the prestigious Porter Cup by five strokes over a strong contingent of amateurs. His teammate at Kent State, Corey Conners, will enter the week ranked No. 43 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings [WAGR] after making his PGA TOUR debut at the 2013 RBC Canadian Open.
Also representing Team Canada's National Squad is Garrett Rank, the 2012 U.S.Mid-amateur runner-up and 2012 Canadian University/College Individual Champion.
Headlining Team Canada's Development squad's strong presence is, Adam Svensson, 19, of Surrey, B.C., currently No. 113 in the WAGR. As a freshman at Barry University, Svensson was awarded the Phil Mickelson Award as the top freshman in NCAA Division II golf this season. Joining Svensson will be teammates, Hugo Bernard, 18, of Mont-St-Hilaire, Que., Kevin Kwon, 18, of Pitt Meadows, B.C., Matthew Scobie, 18, of Ajax, Ont., Matt Williams, 17, of Calgary and Mark Valliere, 18, of Courtenay, B.C.
In addition, three-time Canadian Men's Mid-Amateur champion, Dave Bunker of Woodbridge, Ont., will join the field along with local favourite and 2012 Canadian Men's Mid-Amateur Champion, Kevin Carrigan, 27 of Victoria, a recent participant at the 2013 RBC Canadian Open.
This year's championship will also feature 46 international players vying for the historic Earl Grey Trophy, including No. 124 on the WAGR, Joaquin Lolas of Peru, and Ben Geyer No. 202 on the WAGR of Arbuckle, Calif.
An Inter-Provincial Team Championship for the Willingdon Cup will take place in conjunction with the first two rounds, with three-member teams competing towards an overall team total. Team Ontario captured the title in 2012, finishing 10 strokes ahead of Team New Brunswick. This year also marks the first time in the history of the Men's Amateur Championship that Team Yukon will be competing for the Willingdon Cup.
M.J. Morin carded a 3-under 67 during Saturday's Final Qualifier at Royal Colwood Golf Club to pace the final nine qualifiers into the field. Morin of Bakersfield, Calif., carded six birdies and closed with a bogey-free 5-under 30 back nine to earn the top position into the prestigious tournament.
Earning the remaining eight spots into the championship were, Brett Moore of West Kelowna, B.C., Jaesung Choi of Surrey, B.C., Jesse Pedersen of Kamloops, B.C., Geoffrey Butt of Vancouver, Conrado Paderes of Vancouver, Cole Shaw of Victoria, Jerry Christiansen of Air Ronge, Sask., and Zachary Belitsky of Victoria.
For a full field list as well as starting times, live scoring and post-round results for the 109th playing of the Canadian Men's Amateur Championship, click here.