Posted On: Tuesday, August 15, 2017
INNISFIL, ON - The PGA of Canada - Ontario Zone was at the beautiful National Pines Golf Club near Barrie for the 2017 Assistants Championship.
The Assistants Championship finished similar to the 2017 TaylorMade Ontario Zone Championship, with Thomas Keddy of OslerBrook Golf Club near Collingwood (left in photo) etching his name into the Earl Morris trophy. Keddy left his mark on both Championships making 2017 a year to remember.
The Aug. 8-9 championship is notorious for garnering some of the PGA of Canada - Ontario Zone's best players and this year was no different. Keddy headlined the week by winning his second consecutive PGA of Canada - Ontario Zone major championship. Keddy finished the tournament with eleven birdies on his way to a 6-under 138 (69-69).
"It was great playing out there today," Keddy said after the round. "They had us playing back today and with a few more tricky pins it was a good test for a major championship. We had a really good group but I managed to make another double today so it wasn't a totally clean round. I was two or three shots back when I made the double, but the finish at the TaylorMade Ontario Zone Championship gave me the confidence to finish strong today."
"I think confidence plays a huge role in how you perform, especially under pressure," Keddy continued. "If you've been there before, and felt that pressure before, you can expect yourself to keep it going or dig yourself out of a hole. I think I just knew that I have been playing well, and when I wasn't playing great today, I knew that I could play well enough to win."
Keddy was only over-par on three of his thirty-six holes, with his only bogey coming on the eighteenth hole of the second day. It was an impressively clean couple of days and more than worthy of his second major championship in 2017. Nick Kenney (The National Golf Club of Canada) made Keddy sweat all day long. Kenney and Keddy shared the lead for a large portion of the day and on the eighteenth tee Kenney was only two back. Keddy managed to keep his wits about him dropping the ball in the hole one-shot ahead of Kenney for the championship.
Keddy, as he did at the TaylorMade Ontario Zone Championship, gave all of the credit to his late grandfather who passed away earlier this year. He promised him he would win his first career tournament. Not only did he deliver on his promise, but he doubled down honouring his grandfather with two 2017 major championships.
With this win Keddy secures his spot on the PGA of Canada - Ontario Zone Assistants team who will be competing against other zone teams in the PGA Assistants Championship of Canada on Sept. 17-20 at Richmond Country Club in Richmond, BC.
Other golfers from BruceGreySimcoe and there results were:
10th - G.W. King of the Academy at the Georgian Bay Club (76-73)
T-20th Andrew Day of Whispering Hills Golf Club (82-73)
39th Wesley Furlong of National Pines (85-88)
For full results, click here