BROMONT, Que. – The second day of the 2016 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship saw Team Ontario capture the R. Bruce Forbes Trophy after reclaiming their province’s 2015 team title with a 15-under 273 showing. Team Alberta’s Jordan Irwin carded a 65 through persistent winds at Golf Château-Bromont to sit alone atop the leaderboard.
Matthew Sim (Oakville) led the Ontario contingent – including Ryan Kings (Kitchener) and Charles Fitzsimmons (London) – with a 5-under 67 performance.
“It’s my first time on Team Ontario and it’s just been so much fun. It’s nice to bring this title back,” said Sim, a University of Waterloo alumnus. “Playing with a team is different because there’s a little more pressure behind it that you definitely feel, but it’s just like university golf.”
The 29-year-old recorded a single bogey through his six-birdie day to sit T2 at 8-under in the individual standings alongside 18-hole co-leader Jacob Peterson of Montréal.
Kings carded a bogey-free 68 to claim a share of fourth at 7-under alongside Philip Arci (Vaughan, Ont.) and two-time Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion Garrett Rank (Elmira, Ont.). The 39-year-old Kings enjoyed the novelty of representing his home province alongside the people against whom he typically competes.
“I’ve never played on a golf team before so it’s nice to form some camaraderie with the guys. I loved representing Ontario and I hope I can do it again next year.”
First-round co-leader Jordan Irwin (Banff) shot 65 to lead Team Alberta to a runner-up result. Irwin and teammates Paul Briske (Calgary) and Gerry MacDonald (Chestermere) finished five strokes behind the leaders with a combined 10-under 278.
Irwin recovered quickly from a bogey on his first hole with a trio of birdies through Nos. 3 to 8 and an eagle on the par-5 9th. A 3-under back nine vaulted the 2016 Alberta Mid-Amateur champion into a four-stroke advantage in the overall standings at 12-under 132.
“I didn’t hit the ball as well as I would have liked, but my putter was solid and my misses were pretty good,” said the 31-year-old. “I didn’t think about the cut all day, which is rare. I’m just going to keep trying to play well, work hard at every shot and enjoy it.”
Three-time Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion Dave Bunker of Woodbridge, Ont., and Darren Shaw of Stoney Creek, Ont., lead the 40-and-over Mid-Master division at 6-under 138. Bunker claimed the Mid-Master title in 2015 at Abercrombie Country Club in New Glasgow, N.S.
The 2016 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion will receive an exemption into the 2017 RBC Canadian Open hosted by Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., from July 24 to 30.
A total of 70 players finished 149-or-better to advance to the final two rounds of the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship. The third round will see the first groups tee off from holes 1 and 10 at 7:30 a.m.
Additional information from the tournament can be found here.