McConnell wins Canadian Men’s Senior Golf Championship

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By: The Sun Times

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Those who attended the final day of the 2024 Canadian Men’s Senior Golf Championship at the Saugeen Golf Club were treated to bonus golf as both the senior and super senior finals went into playoff rounds.

Canadian-born Miles McConnell made up four strokes on the leader Sunday to come from behind and win the national championship.

“I am very honoured and happy to have won,” McConnell told Golf Canada. “I was born in Toronto and lived just north of Toronto for ten years before I moved to the States and I am Canadian, so this means a lot to me.

“It also means a lot to me, just the way I won. I was able to come back and make some good shots down the stretch under pressure and a good putt there in the playoff which really means a lot to me because I’ve not always had great success in playoffs like that so I’m very happy.”

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The Tampa Bay resident started Sunday four strokes behind England’s Stephen Jensen. After the front nine, both men were tied one-under for the round, keeping Jensen ahead by four strokes for the tournament.

“I was happy to make the birdies on 10 and 11 and I kind of lost track at that point of where I was. I knew I was a couple back, but I wasn’t sure if I was two or three,” said McConnell.

Jensen gave a shot back with a bogey at hole 16 and McConnell birdied hole 18 to come all the way back and force a playoff.

“I didn’t know for sure where I stood until the seventeenth hole, I asked some people behind the green after we putted and I thought I was two back and they said no, you’re only one back so I thought well, if I can get a birdie on 18 I can get in the playoff and fortunately, I did that,” said McConnell.

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McConnell then birdied the first hole of the playoff to earn the championship.

“I felt better with my swing today than any of the other days so I just stood up on that tee and made one of my better swings, hit a good tee shot and then I couldn’t tell he (Jensen) wasn’t that close to the hole, he had about a 30-foot putt so if I can birdie this again, I’m going to win. I hit a nice shot in there to about ten feet behind the hole and I hit some good putts this week and fortunately, that was another one.”

The Super Senior Division title was also decided by a playoff, with Jack Hall of Savannah, Ga. winning on the second playoff hole to defeat the defending Men’s Senior and Super Senior champion, Doug Hanzel also of Savannah, Ga.

On Friday, Team Alberta came from four back to start the day to win the Inter-Provincial Team Championship for the fourth consecutive time. Alberta was tied for second entering play on Friday but shot a collective 2-under to finish at 1-over to edge the host province by three. Alberta was represented by Brian Laubman of Edmonton, Alta., David Schultz of Calgary, Alta. and Senan Foley of Calgary who shot a 4-under 68 on Friday to help lead his team to the title.

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The Canadian Men’s Senior Championship featured golfers aged 55-and-over and included a Super Senior division for golfers 65-and-over. The Super Senior Championship was contested concurrently over the four rounds of the championship.

In addition to the national championship, McConnell will receive an exemption into the 2025 U.S. Senior Amateur Championship at Biltmore Forst Country Club in Asheville, N.C., August 23-28.

The tournament at Saugeen Golf Club was free to attend and featured a Golf Fest in the Coors Light Gardens at Saugeen Golf Club with interactive games including a golf simulator, bucket golf, disc golf, the Port Elgin Chrysler Hole in One, beat the pro, food and beverages, a silent auction, plus live entertainment on the Bruce Power stage.

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“The 2024 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship, presented by BDO and hosted by Saugeen Golf Club, was a first-class National Championship from start to finish. From the excellent conditions of the golf course to the community involvement, the event was a tremendous success for everyone involved,” said Golf Canada’s Daniel Suppa. “We want to thank all the host organizing committee members for bringing this championship and festival to life and making it one that the players will not soon forget. We are truly thankful and appreciative for all the hard work and dedication that was put into this event. Saugeen Golf Club and Saugeen Shores is a special place that lived up to the hype.”

Event chair Ken Dunlop thanked the Saugeen Shores community, volunteers, sponsors and Saugeen Golf Club staff for a “week full of memories”.

For the final leaderboard visit www.golfcanada.ca

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