Sekulic Goes Low to Win Canadian Men’s Amateur

Entering the fourth and final round of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, held this week at Windsor, Ontario’s Ambassador Golf Club, Rycroft, Alberta’s Max Sekulic had put together a respectable three round total of 201 (-12), but still found himself in a tie for fourth place, three strokes off the lead held by Kingston, Ontario’s Noah Steele.

Sekulic would go on to fire a final round 5-under 66, to claim the historic Canadian title by two strokes over British Columbia’s A.J. Ewart

His four-round total of 267 is just one stroke off the stroke play scoring record for the Canadian Amateur, set by William Bachou in 2018. Taking place annually (save for 1915-1918 and 1940-1945) each year since 1895, the Canadian Amateur Championship adopted a stroke play format for the first time in 1969, through 1994, resumed the original match play format in 1995, before reverting to stroke play again in 2008.

“It means the world to me,” said Sekulic. “You get your name on a trophy with a bunch of good players and your name’s permanent on that thing. It means a lot for all the people back in Rycroft and The Glencoe Golf & Country Club, where I spend my time in Canada.”

Sekulic, a redshirt junior at Washington State, quickly erased his initial three-stroke deficit in his first three holes, with a birdie on the par 4 second, followed by an eagle on the par 5 third. He was able to shake off a bogey on the par 3 fifth with a birdie on the front side’s other par 3, the eighth, to make the turn at 33, three-under on the day.

After starting the day strong, Sekulic was able to match the effort on the inward nine, carding birdies on three of his last four holes, for a final round 66, catapulting him up three spots on the leaderboard at the end of the day.

Ewart, who began the day in solo third place with a three-round total of 200 (-13), finished in second after an up-and-down final round 69 that featured six birdies, but also four bogeys.

Rounding out the top five were Coquitlam, British Columbia’s Henry Lee and Calgary, Alberta’s Brendan MacDougall, both members of the Canadian National Amateur Golf team, who finished in a tie for third, three strokes behind Sekulic. Steele, who began Thursday’s round in the lead, finished with a two-over-par 73 in his final round, slipping to a tie for fifth place with Charles Fitzsimmons(London, Ontario) and Christopher Vandette (Beaconsfield, Quebec.)

Talk about overcoming adversity… @Maxsekulic was told by coaches he wasn’t good enough to play on the team. Transfers schools, plays well and makes this to become the Canadian men’s amateur champion. He will be teeing it up at the @PGATOUR Canadian open next summer! Let’s gooo!! pic.twitter.com/s9WyPKbnoP

— Adam Veenstra (@AdamVeenstra) August 5, 2021

As the Canadian Amateur champion, Sekulic will get his first taste of the PGA Tour next year, with an exemption into the RBC Canadian Open. He also receives an exemption into next year’s U.S. Amateur Championship.

“It’s honestly a little bit career changing. I get to have a PGA TOUR start,” Sekulic told Golf Canada.