156 of Canada’s top junior golfers to compete over 54 holes in Belleville with exemptions into the Canadian Junior Boys and Girls Championships up for grabs
The road to the 2025 national junior championships continues with the NextGen Ontario Championship set to kick off on Thursday, May 8 at Black Bear Ridge Golf & Resort in Belleville, Ont.
156 players – 111 boys and 45 girls – will make up the starting field and have the option of participating in a practice round ahead of the tournament on Wednesday, May 7. The 54-hole stroke play event will get started on Thursday and run until Saturday, May 10 – where the field will be reduced to approximately 70 players. The top eight players in the Junior Boys division will earn exemptions into the 2025 Canadian Junior Boys Championship, presented by BDO, taking place August 12-15, at Gowan Brae Golf & Country Club in Bathurst, N.B. The top eight players (including ties) in the Junior Girls division will earn exemptions into the 2025 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, presented by BDO, August 13-16, at Sainte-Marie Club de golf in Sainte-Marie, Que. If a tie for eighth place in the Junior Boys division occurs, appropriate players will enter a playoff to determine the tournament’s final exemption.
Jager Pain of Woodbridge, Ont. carded rounds of 67 and 70 through his final 36 holes to clinch last season’s NextGen Ontario Championship at Firerock Golf Club in Komoka, Ont., and will begin his title defence on Thursday as the lone NextGen Team Canada member in the Junior Boys division. Bode Stephen of Kingston, Ont., who took home the NextGen Atlantic Championship last summer in a playoff will also compete in the Junior Boys division.
Team Canada NextGen member Nobelle Park of Oakville, Ont. highlights the field from the Junior Girls division competing in Belleville. Park enjoyed a successful 2024 campaign, with 10 wins that included the top spot of the podium at the Canadian U15 National Championship last August at the Elmira Golf Club in Elmira, Ont.
Opening its doors in 2005, Black Bear Ridge Golf Course has hosted professional championships on the PGA Tour Canada and several provincial amateur events including the 101st playing of Golf Ontario’s Men’s Amateur Championship in 2023. Originally envisioned to be the home for his family hunting lodge, builder and designer Brian Magee was encouraged to transform the land’s rolling acreage into a golf hotbed by 18-time major champion and family friend, Jack Nicklaus.
“Black Bear Ridge Golf & Resort is honoured to host the NextGen Ontario Championship as part of our ongoing commitment to supporting junior golf and nurturing the next generation of Canadian talent,” said Cale Flair, Vice President of Black Bear Golf & Resort. “We’re proud to welcome these elite young players to experience everything that makes Black Bear Ridge special—from our championship-calibre layout to the warm, inclusive atmosphere our guests, members, and team help create.”
Featuring a 628-yard par-5 and a terrain exceeding 5,100 yards in length, Black Bear Ridge demands length from players while rewarding the longest and most patient hitters able to navigate the neighboring bunkers and hazards on selective greens. Combining sport with outdoor recreation and luxury living options, the course provides an exceptional test of golf while serving to restore and inspire its guests on and off the tee box.
“Our beautiful parkland layout with a tighter tree-lined front nine and more open back nine, with ample elevation changes and challenging water features, demands thoughtful strategy and discipline. Players will need to bring precision off the tee, a sharp short game, and steady composure across all three days to find success here. We’ve seen how Black Bear Ridge shapes strong, competitive golfers—and we’re excited to see who rises to the occasion this week,” added Flair.
To follow the live leaderboard of the NextGen Ontario Championship, click here
About the NextGen Championships
The NextGen Championships are a high-performance junior golf series which totals six competitions. From May to July, six championships will take place across Canada where the region’s best junior golfers will compete to earn exemptions into their respective 2025 national junior championships. NextGen Championships provide junior players an opportunity to develop and showcase their skills at the highest level of tournament golf.