The weather shines on tHE TOUR cHAMPIONSHIP

giving players a fantastic finish to the season

Gravenhurst, ON (September 29, 2014) - What an amazing way to end a fantastic season! This past weekend, The 2014 GTA AM Tour Championship, held at the award winning Muskoka Bay Club, crowned this season's Tour Champions. What a difference a week makes Last week, toques, sweaters and double gloving was required to make it through the day of competition. This week, it would be the exact opposite, as the two days would be two of the best of the summer of 2014....  Our amazing host for the event, Muskoka Bay Club is an award winning creation, designed by acclaimed architect Doug Carrick. Mr. Carrick used the rolling and rocky Muskoka landscape that is resplendent with natural features of mammoth rock ridges, wetlands, beaver ponds and an established boreal forest. He used these features to deliver a stunning golf course, with dramatic elevation changes, breathtaking vistas and a rare combination of playability and challenge, with a bit more emphasis on the challenge aspect!. The course conditions greeting players were outstanding! The greens were fast and undulating and the fairways were firm, fast and lush. The first day of competition would start with a splash!!! However, not a splash of Fall colours (which, for the record, were in full visual force..!), This splash was of Mark Young getting soaked with a cooler full of ice water from his team, similar in fashion to the treatment received by some of the best coaches after a victorious game or at the end of a tremendous season. No one would deserve it more than Mark!!!!

After the first day of competition, Tour Players were treated to a delectable dining experience in the Muskoka Room of the Muskoka Bay Club; a unique dining venue with spectacular views and an incredible menu. The party, hosting all four Flights and several of the Tour's fantastic sponsors, provided the opportunity to gather and relax and to share stories while soaking up a bit of Muskoka. The evening was hosted by Mark Young, Canadian Golf Tours Inc. President. Mark started the evening with an elegant speech thanking the Tour Players for their continued support of the Tour, recognizing several of the wonderful Tour sponsors in attendance and lastly his fantastic Tour Team that helped to make every event run seamlessly. The crowd was then treated to a special, three minute video presentation created by the team at Tour Sponsor Capture Scratch, specifically created to highlight the some special player and Tour Team moments throughout the 2014 season. To finish off the evening, the moment players had been waiting for all season, the draws of the season long contests were conducted.

Mark Young wrapped up the evening wishing all players success for day two of the Tour Championship, bringing to a conclusion an outstanding evening. Players departed, and, for those who first day failed to go as planned continued celebrating a great year for the remainder of the evening. For for those within reach of a victory it was early to bed to dream of the last competitive day of the 2014 Tour season.

Tour Championship Results

In the Championship Flight, capping off a fantastic season, John Harrington (Ajax, ON)tied the GTA AM Tour record of eight victories in one season; one short of a GTA AM Tour Grand Slam, having won two of the three Majors during the season.  John, headed to day two with a five stroke lead, having completed the first round carding a 75. He was tested in day two but was able to fend off his challengers with a round of 78 for a two-day total of 153 and a two stroke victory. To determine second and third, card matching was required as two were tied with matching two day totals of 155. Peter Willis (Aurora, ON), who had six Tour wins this season, complementing his win at the GAO Public Player Championship. and John Husband (Burlington ON)  who had two top three finishes on the GTA Am Tour season. It was Peter who would  finish in second place, carding a 75 on day two over John who placed third, having  shot a 76 in his second round.

In the A-Flight,players were set to do battle to the end. On day one, Muskoka Bay would show its teeth and the scores reflected the challenges presented by the tough course with only two players shooting a round lower than 84. When all the scores were in, Mike Reynolds (Toronto, ON) captured his first win of this Tour season to take home the Tour Championship trophy. Mike headed into day two with a one shot lead having scored a 78 on his first round; one of only two to score in the seventies. On day two, Mike continued to roll it true and scored well as he finished his day two round with a 79, for a two day total of 157. Alone in second, last week's second place finisher, Rick Wright (Markham, ON), had a weekend to remember. Rick would start day two six strokes off the lead, having finished day one with an 84. He would then go out on day two to have the round of his life, shooting his personal best of 74. Rick's round came with very little troubles, scoring three birdies, ten pars and five bogies. Congratulations Rick on the amazing finish of 158!!! Alone, in third, taking home two cases of Mill Street Beer and two dozen TaylorMade balls by capturing his fifth top three finish on the season was Mike Hubbs (Hamilton ON) who finished his weekend with rounds of 84 and 79 for a two day total of 163.

The B-Flight provided us with the tightest leaderboard, after the first day of competition, as nine players were within five strokes, chasing round one co-leaders Paul Dermody (Markham ON) and Mark Armatage (Barrie ON) who were tied at 83. Day two did not come easy as Paul struggled and slipped off the leaderboard. However, for Mark, it was a "stay the course" round with his continued steady play, turning in a round of 85, for a two day total of 168, besting the field by four. Bob Chapman (Ajax ON), last year's Tour Champion, started the day three strokes off the lead and would finish in second to take home a TaylorMade Spider Blade Putter and two dozen TaylorMade Preferred golf balls thanks to the doubling of  prizing in the Tour Championship. Bob would be one of six players to turn in a round in the 80's on day two, carding an 86 for a two day total of 172 to best his last year two day total by two strokes. Alone, in third, scoring his third top three finish of the season, was Brian LaForge (Barrie ON) who played to a two day total of 173, having played calm and even keeled to card an 86 and an 87.

In the C-flight Krish Nair (Toronto, ON) shook off the bad memories of last year where he ended up finishing second in a one hole playoff in the 2013 Tour Championship. This year, Krish made it an outstanding Tour Championship by winning the C Flight to take home $500 in an Ultra 94 Preferred Pricing Gift Card and his first win of the season. Krish, would head into day two five strokes off the lead having finished day one with a 93. Krish did what he does best, playing it straight up the middle, keeping it safe and sinking his putts with confidence. As a result, he found himself alone on top, bettering his first day score by one for a round of 9, and a two day total 185. Alone, in second, Jay White (Huntsville, ON) played an up and down two days of golf that saw him scoring well for a stretch only to have his efforts unfold one hole at a time, carding a couple of big scores as he played his rounds with scores of 92 and 94 to finish one stroke back of Krish with a two-day total of 186. Finishing in third, round one leader Bob Sikorski (Toronto ON) would not have the Monday he set out to. Bob, would start round two with a one stroke lead, having finished day one with an 88. Bob played it steady throughout the day, only to see the win slip through his fingers on the final hole, taking a quadruple bogie to finish his day with a 99 for a 36 hole total of 187. 

Another one of the many ways to win on Tour is through Net Score competition. The net score competition is based on the net scores of all the players who did not place in the top three, gross winning positions in their respective Flights. The top two net winners at each event receive two dozen TaylorMade golf balls and two cases of Mill Street beer. This week's winners were Carl Thompson with a two-day Net total of 138 and Matt Ward with a two-day total of 139.

The winners of the closest-to-the-pin from this week's event the Tour Championships were Peter Willis and John Farrugia winning a dozen TaylorMade golf balls. Also, at every event, there is a Mazda Hole in One hole, where all players shoot at a chance to win a $2,500 sponsor product shopping spree. This week's winners of the Hole in One closest to the pin were John Husband and Rick Wright. Along with these prizes, Petro-Canada, TaylorMade and Mill Street Brewery products are awarded to the top 3 finishers in each of the four Flights. The Tour also awards a draw prize at each event for a $50 certificate redeemable at the Mill Street Brew Pub; the winners of this week's Mill Street Brewery Certificate were John Harrington and Bob Sikorski.