by Tyler Mawhinney survived a turbulent final round Thursday at Riverside Golf Club in Saskatoon, Sask., and hit what he called the best shot of his 16 years to claim a come-from-behind victory at the 119th Canadian Amateur Championship.
The Fleming Island High School freshman, who was the Class 3A state individual champion last fall to lead the Golden Eagles to the team title, hit an 8-iron from 178 yards on the par-4 17th hole and chipped in for a 69 that left him one shot ahead of defending champion Ashton McCulloch of Kingston, Ont., at 15-under-par 273.
“It’s starting to sink in, but I’m proud that I was able to finish after some great golf,” Mawhinney said in his post-round press conference.
Mawhinney, the 2023 Times-Union boys high school player of the year and Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Golf, won the Earl Grey Cup for winning a national amateur championship that is just five years younger than next week’s U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine National in Chaska, Minn. — where Mawhinney has earned a spot in the field, if he accepts it.
“A couple of people have said to me, ‘I’ll see you at Hazeltine,’ so I guess that’s what’s next, but we’ll find out when we get there,” he said.
Mawhinney recovers after a triple
Mawhinney started the day with a one-shot lead and appeared on the verge of a rout when he birdied his first hole and eagled his second.
But he made a triple-bogey 7 on the par-4 third hole and play was on, with three other players besides Mawhinney and McCulloch holding part of the lead going into the final round.
After his triple bogey, Mawhinney fell back to within one shot of McCulloch. He regained the lead with a birdie on No. 8, lost it again with a bogey on No. 10, then birdied No. 12 to regain the lead.
Another bogey a hole later dropped Mawhinney into a tie for the lead with Rylan Shim of Centreville, Virginia.
Mawhinney then hit a 3-wood off the 16th hole and faced a 205-yard second shot. He reached the green and two-putted for birdie and another one-shot lead.
“The best shot I ever pulled off”
Then came his tee shot on the par-3 17th hole. He had 178 yards to the flag and adjusted for a downhill, downwind shot. He aimed with an 8-iron.
The result?
“It’s the best shot I’ve ever made in my life,” said a player who made a hole-in-one in the first round of the 3A state tournament.
The ball never left the flag and fell 12 inches from the hole. Mawhinney chipped in for birdie and made par on the final hole to hold off McCulloch’s final birdie and still win. McCulloch finished with a 69.
Shim (69) and Braxton Kuntz (71) are tied for third at 12 under par.
Mawhinney earns spot at Canadian PGA Tour event
Mawhinney gets some perks for his win in addition to a spot in the U.S. Amateur. He is exempt from the PGA Tour’s RBC Canadian Open at TPC Toronto and is exempt from local qualifying for the 2025 U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur.
For now, the Junior Players Championship on Labor Day weekend and his junior year at Fleming Island await him.
“We couldn’t be more proud of Tyler,” Eagles coach Bruce Cloud said. “He’s the Canadian amateur champion. It’s really special.”
This article was originally published on Florida Times-Union: Fleming Island’s Tyler Mawhinney wins Canadian amateur championship
