Our Golf Manitoba region will have strong representation this week in Calgary for the 121st playing of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO at Mickelson National Golf Club and Heritage Pointe Golf Club.
Included in the 264 person field are:
Ryan Blair (Elmhurst Golf & Country Club)
Jeff Hunter (Whitewater Golf Club)
Drew Jones (Shilo Country Club)
Kaleb Lambert (Elmhurst)
Lyle MacKenzie (Niakwa Country Club)
Jack Moro (Whitewater)
Evan Nachtigall (Elmhurst)
Rory Neill (Glendale Golf & Country Club)
Tyler Polanski (Elmhurst)
Jordan Walford (Whitewater)
Jones, Lambert and Neill will also represent our province in the 36 hole Willingdon Cup Inter-Provincial Team Championship Monday and Tuesday.
For tee times, click here.
For the opening round leaderboard, click here.
Mickelson National Golf Club and Heritage Pointe Golf Club will both play to a Par 72 with a cut following Tuesday’s second round. The low 70 players and ties will advance to the final two rounds of the national championship at Mickelson National Golf Club.
Mickelson National Golf Club has rapidly become a popular space for recreational and professional golfers since opening its doors in 2020, having already hosted Canada’s elite competitors at the 102nd playing of the PGA Championship of Canada in 2024.
Mickelson National boasts a raw, natural aesthetic, nestling its operations between prairie vistas, rolling hills and snow-capped mountains to accurately capture the course’s identity in Western Canada. Oscillated elevations – including a 90-foot drop between the tee box and the green on the par-4 16th – make the course a championship-level test and force players to get creative with their shot-making choices.
“Windmill Golf Group is honoured to host the 121st Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at Mickelson National Golf Club and Heritage Pointe Golf Club,” said Barry Ehlert, CEO, Windmill Golf Group. “This prestigious event showcases some of the finest amateur golfers from around the world, and we are excited to welcome them to our facilities next week for an exceptional week of championship golf.”
Heritage Pointe Golf Club will serve as the co-host venue to help accommodate the tournament’s larger field and will host play for the opening two rounds of the championship. Heritage Pointe has previously hosted a wide array of professional and amateur events since opening in 1992.
“Heritage Pointe has hosted many large and prestigious golf events over the years, but nothing quite as storied as this special tournament,” said David Robinson, VP of Operations, Heritage Pointe Golf Club. “We look forward to welcoming some of the best amateur golfers from Canada and around the world to southern Alberta for the 121st Canadian Amateur Championship.”
Twelve of the top 500 amateur golfers listed on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) will compete at this year’s Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, with 10 countries represented including Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Hong Kong, China, Mexico, Poland, Republic of China, Republic of Ireland, and the United States.
Justin Matthews of Little Britain, Ont. is currently the lowest-ranked player (WAGR) in the field at No. 89. Matthews is currently playing his final season for the Charlotte University 49ers. At the 2025 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, Matthews finished T10. He was also one of the Canadians who received an exemption into the 2026 RBC Canadian Open, where he finished T29 and earned the Gary Cowan Medal as the low Canadian Amateur in the field.
Along with Matthews, Team Canada members Dawson Lew and Ethan Wilson will be in the field. Lew of Toronto, Ont. (WAGR no. 235) is committed to attend the University of North Carolina in the fall of 2027. Last season, Lew won the 2025 Canadian Junior Boys Championship and finished T5 at the 2025 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship. Wilson of St. Albert, Alta. (WAGR no. 374) is a current team member of the University of Illinois Fighting Illini. At last year’s 2025 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, Wilson finished T18, with his best finish coming in 2024, when he finished T13.
Matthews, Lew and Wilson will be joined by 11 of their Team Canada teammates including Eddie Gui (Aurora, Ont.), Thomas Grenier (Thetford Mines, Que.), Cooper Humphreys (Vernon, B.C.), Matthew Javier (North York, Ont.), Chase Jerome (Ottawa, Ont.), Austin Krahn (Christina Lake, B.C.), Émile Lebrun (Laval, Que.), Maxim McKenzie (Chilliwack, B.C.), Jager Pain (Woodbridge, Ont.), Alexis Rouleau (Montreal, Que.), Spencer Shropshire (Ramara, Ont.), and Eric Zhao (North York, Ont.).
“We are proud and excited to bring the 121st Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship in Calgary next week at two outstanding venues,” said Adam Cinel, Tournament Director, Golf Canada. “We are grateful for the dedication shown by the staff and volunteers at Mickelson National Golf Club and Heritage Pointe Golf Club, whose work in conditioning the golf courses and recruiting volunteers has been exceptional. Their efforts will help create a memorable championship experience for all players in the field.”
The Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship is the third oldest amateur championship in the world, having debuted at the Ottawa Golf Club – now known as The Royal Ottawa Golf Club in 1895. Initially contested as a match play competition, Canadian Golf Hall of Famer George S. Lyon won the Amateur eight times between 1898 and 1914 while fellow Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Sandy Somerville captured six championships between 1924 and 1938.
Canadian Golf Hall of Famer George S. Lyon won the Amateur eight times between 1898 and 1914 and was runner-up two more times. Fellow Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Sandy Somerville made it to the match play final ten times between 1924 and 1938, capturing six championships. Other past champions include Canadian Golf Hall of Famers and four-time winners, Nick Weslock (1957, 1963, 1964, 1966) and Doug Roxburgh (1972, 1974, 1982, 1988). Most recently, two-time PGA TOUR winner Mackenzie Hughes claimed the championship in consecutive years (2011, 2012), while 2023 RBC Canadian Open champion and five-time PGA TOUR winner Nick Taylor claimed the 103rd Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship in 2007.
In addition to the Earl Grey Cup, the winner of the 2026 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship will earn an exemption into the 2027 RBC Canadian Open at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ont. set for June 9-13, 2027. The champion will also earn exemption into the 2026 U.S. Amateur Championship, 2027 U.S. Open Final Qualifying and 2027 U.S. Amateur Final Qualifying.
The 72-hole stroke play competition will get underway on Monday, July 27 and wrap up Thursday, July 30. The national championship will also feature an Inter-Provincial Team Championship that will run concurrently through the first 36 holes of competition. Each day, the lowest three individual 18-hole scores will count towards the team score for players representing provinces. Team Ontario will look to retain the Willingdon Cup (awarded annually to the top province at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship), after winning last year’s title.
(Courtesy Golf Canada)
