Richard Scott

Scott, who entered match play as the 52nd seed, knocked off five higher-seeded opponents en-route to the finals. The 21-year old saved his best golf for the final with one of the most convincing victories in the 101-year history of the Canadian Men’s Amateur.

The 10&8 victory is among the most convincing wins in the history of the event, joining the likes of the legendary George S. Lyon (12&11 in 1898 & 1905) and C. Ross Somerville (11&10 in 1930).

With amateur sensation and fellow National Amateur Team member James Lepp of Abbottsford, B.C. as his caddy for the final round, Scott came out blazing to start the match and found himself 3-UP through the first 10 holes.

Snyder would battle back to gain his composure and looked to get the match back to 2-DOWN on 17 with a chip from the deep woods on the par-3 17th that rolled to within inches of the cup. In stealing back the momentum, Scott would calmly drain a 12-foot heartbreak birdie putt to win the hole to get back to 3-UP. Sensing an opportunity slip through his fingers, Snyder would then bogey the 18th hole to fall 4-down at the match’s halfway point.

Scott would continue his torrid pace in the afternoon, chipping in for birdie on the 20th and 22nd holes to take a commanding six-hole lead. The chip-ins would tell the story of the day as Snyder continued to struggle to get on track while Scott played his best golf of the week. Scott would seal the match with a birdie on the 28th hole of the day to claim his second career Canadian Men’s Amateur title.

By advancing to the final, both Scott and Snyder have earned exemptions into the 2005 Bell Canadian Open, September 5-11 at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club. Both players have very strong ties to the historic Shaughnessy club with Scott returning to the site of his 2003 Canadian Amateur victory and Snyder getting the opportunity to compete with stars of the PGA Tour on his own home course.

“It’s always special to win a national championship and to win my second is just an incredible feeling,” said Scott, who earlier in the season helped lead the University of Georgia Bulldogs to the NCAA Division I team title. “I played really relaxed today and just tried to draw on some of my match play experiences. This will be my third Canadian Open and Shaughnessy has a lot of special memories for me so it’s going to be great to get back and hopefully put in a good showing.”

For Snyder, though disappointed with the loss, his silver lining will come in September when he gets a dream opportunity to compete in the Bell Canadian Open on his home course.

“It’s a little bit disappointing to get this far and come up a bit short but I’ve got to be happy with how I played this week,” said the 20-year Snyder, a member of the University of Oregon golf team. “If I wasn’t playing, I would have been away at school and probably wouldn’t have been able to get home to watch. Now I’ll have the best seat in the house so I’m really looking forward to representing Shaughnessy and enjoying the experience.”

With the victory, Scott, who is one of only 71 champions in the championship’s 101-year history, becomes the 12th multiple winner of the Earl Grey Cup. Among the notables include Canadian Golf Hall of Famers George S. Lyon, Moe Norman, Nick Weslock, C. Ross Somerville and Doug Roxburgh.

The victory also gives Scott’s home club - Kingsville Golf Club - bragging rights for 2005 Amateur golfing supremacy. Last week, fellow Kingsville member Laura Matthews of Essex, Ont. took home the Canadian Women’s Amateur title making the club home to both the 2005 men’s and women’s amateur champions.

About the Royal Canadian Golf Association The Royal Canadian Golf Association is the governing body of golf in Canada, representing close to 400,000 members nationwide. In addition to providing core services such as the Rules of Golf, handicapping, support of turfgrass and environmental research, and BMO Financial Group Future Links, Canada’s national junior golf program and supporting the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum, the RCGA also conducts Canada’s most prestigious golf championships. The Bell Canadian Open and BMO Financial Group Canadian Women’s Open attract the best professional golfers in the world, while six regional junior championships, 10 national amateur championships and the BMO Financial Group Canadian Women’s Tour showcase the best of Canadian golf.