Émile Lebrun records an ace on no. 15 and sits at T3 leading into championship Thursday
CALGARY, Alta. – Dawson Lew of Toronto, Ont. and Tobias Buffam of Calgary, Alta. are tied for the lead at 14-under through three rounds at the 121st Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO. Lew and Buffam hold a three-shot lead over the rest of the field heading into Thursday at Mickelson National Golf Club in Calgary, Alta.
Dawson Lew shot a 5-under 67 carding six birdies on Wednesday. Lew the 2025 Canadian Junior Boys winner’s best finish at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship was last year at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club where he finished T5.
“I had a good stretch on the front birdieing four in a row which helped me get into the right numbers for the round,” said Lew. “I hit a couple close ones on the front which definitely helped.
“Pretty much the same thing, keep committing to every shot, picking good targets off the tees and into the greens and just keep being one hundred per cent on every shot,” added Lew on what he can do to continue success into the final round.
Lew has a chance to be one of eight players who have won both the Canadian Junior Boys Championship and the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship tomorrow. Those players being Nick Taylor, Rob McMillan, Jeff Kraemer, Brent Franklin, Doug Roxburgh, Wayne McDonald, Gary Cowan, and Bill Mawhinney.
“It would mean a lot, obviously calling yourself a Canadian Amateur champ would sound pretty sweet, I’m not going to think about it too much heading into tomorrow, I am just going to keep thinking about giving one hundred per cent to every shot,” said Lew on what it would mean to join that prestigious list of past champions.
Buffam shot 6-under 66 and carded seven birdies, three of those coming on his final three holes to put himself tied with Lew. Buffam looks to add to his amateur resume by winning the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship after winning the 2026 Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship and the U19 Alberta Championship in 2025.
“It was windy out their today, so conditions weren’t easy, I just stayed patient and was fortunate enough to roll in quite a few putts today,” said Buffam.
Buffam is one of 21 players in the field from Calgary; throughout the past three rounds he has had a lot of friends and family come out to cheer him on and expects to see them at the final round tomorrow.
“Getting to play well in my hometown with my friends and family watching feels awesome,” added Buffam.
Team Canada NextGen member Émile Lebrun of Laval, Que. is sitting tied for third at 10-under. Lebrun shot a 6-under 66 and carded five birdies and a hole-in-one on hole no. 15 at Mickelson National on Wednesday. Lebrun’s hole-in-one was his fourth of his amateur career but his first one in nine years.
“I was not expecting it, I was playing pretty good, I think I was two under at the time and looked at the leaderboard and knew I needed something to happen,” said Lebrun. “I was in between a seven iron and an eight iron, I had like 211 yards down wind, so I hit a seven, somehow just hit it perfect landed it short and rolled in the hole.
“The reaction as you can imagine was pretty crazy, I was so excited feels like the last time I made one was a million years ago,” added Lebrun.
Jean-Philippe Parr of St-Célestin, Que. also has an opportunity to become one of the eight previous players to win both the Canadian Junior Boys Championship and the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship. Parr shot a bogey free 1-under 71 to be T3. Parr won the Canadian Junior Boys Championship back-to-back in 2021 and 2022.
Lew and Lebrun’s Team Canada teammate Justin Matthews of Little Britain, Ont. played his seventh tournament round in a row after playing in the PGA Tour Americas Osprey Valley Open last week. Matthews shot a 2-under 70 carding four birdies to sit T5 heading into the final round. Matthews previous best finish at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship was T10 at last year’s championship.
The winner of the Earl Grey Cup will receive direct exemption into several events, including a spot in the field at the 2027 RBC Canadian Open. Additionally, the Canadian Men’s Amateur champion will earn an exemption into the 126th U.S. Amateur Championship, 2027 U.S. Open Final Qualifying, and 2027 U.S. Amateur Final Qualifying. The winner will also be exempt into the 2027 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship and will have the chance to defend their title, if eligible.
For the full leaderboard following the third round of the 121st Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO, please click here.
