GATINEAU, Que. – A field of 264 players will descend on The Royal Ottawa Golf Club and Rivermead Golf Club in Gatineau, Que. July 26-31 for the 120th playing of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO.
Sixteen of the top 500 amateur golfers listed on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) will tee off at this year’s Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship and battle across two historic sites for the top spot of the most prestigious men’s amateur event in the nation. All ten provinces and one territory will be represented at this year’s event, joining a list of 17 States and 13 additional countries Argentina, Australia, England, Finland, France, Hong Kong, China, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Republic of Korea, South Africa, United States, and Venezuela will all be represented by a member in the field.
Justin Matthews of Little Britain, Ont. (no. 225 WAGR), Ethan Wilson of St. Albert, Alta. (no. 453 WAGR) and Isaiah Ibit of Orleans, Ont. (no. 491 WAGR) headline a notable field of Team Canada members competing in Gatineau, with Matthews leading the way as the highest-ranked Canadian in the field.
The trio will be joined by seven of their teammates on the Team Canada NextGen squad, led by recent B.C. Men’s Amateur and B.C. Junior Boys champion, Austin Krahn (Christina Lake, B.C.) as well as Antoine Jasmin (Blainville, Que.), Braxton Kuntz (Winnipeg, Man.), Charlie Gillespie (Calgary, Alta.), Cooper Humphreys (Vernon, B.C.), Jager Pain (Woodbridge, Ont.), and Matthew Javier (North York, Ont.).
The Canadian contingent will be rivaled by a competitive batch of international talents led by Japanese duo Taisei Nagasaki of Miyazaki, Japan (no. 73 WAGR) and Kaito Sato of Saitama, Japan (no. 129 WAGR). The two finished second and first respectively in this year’s Japanese Amateur Championship and will be joined by Australian Jye Halls of Mollymook Beach, Australia (no. 580 WAGR) who claimed the Australian Amateur Championship in 2025.
Ten other international players ranked in the top 500 of WAGR include Alexis Leray of Boulogne-Billancourt, France (no. 135 WAGR), Hector Gonzalez Cramer of Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico (no. 260 WAGR), Easton Johnson of Kansas City, Mo. (no. 318 WAGR), Declan O’Donovan of Sydney, Australia (no. 348 WAGR), Ben Gregg of Dallas, Texas. (no. 373 WAGR), Mao Matsuyama of Aichi, Japan (no. 415 WAGR), Veikka Viskari of Espoo, Finland (no. 482 WAGR), Andrew Riley of Palm Coast, Fla. (no. 490 WAGR) and Seonghyeon An of Seoul, Republic of Korea (no. 497 WAGR).
In addition to Krahn, the following provincial men’s amateur winners will compete in next week’s national championship including, Luke Cote (Saskatchewan), Brett Jones (Alberta), Émile Lebrun (Quebec), Isaac MacNaughton (Nova Scotia), Evan Nachtigall (Manitoba), Nick Ritchie (New Brunswick), and Eric Zhao (Ontario).
“We are incredibly proud and excited to begin the 120th playing of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at two historic courses next week in Gatineau,” said Golf Canada Tournament Director, Adam Cinel. “We appreciate the efforts from the staff and membership of both The Royal Ottawa Golf Club and Rivermead Golf Club, who have recruited ample tournament volunteers, and are working tirelessly to deliver a memorable championship for all 264 players competing next week.”
The Royal Ottawa Golf Club will host all four rounds of the 120th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship and add a record tenth Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship to its storied 134-year history. The Royal Ottawa Golf Club last hosted the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship in 2016 where Hugo Bernard of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que. won the national championship.
“When approached by Golf Canada to host this internationally renowned men’s amateur championship, the Board of Directors felt it was in keeping with our storied tradition of support of amateur golf that we accept. But it was with direction that we provide an unrivalled experience for players, volunteers, spectators and officials, regardless of whether they are here for one day, or are competing for the Earl Grey Cup at the final round,” said Greg Richardson, General Manager of the Royal Ottawa Golf Club.
“As our 10th time hosting the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, including the first ever such event in 1895, we don’t take lightly the fact that this is a Canadian record for an event that has routinely been hosted by top clubs such as The Royal Montreal Golf Club, Toronto Golf Club and The Hamilton Golf & Country Club. With our partners at Rivermead Golf Club, we look forward to welcoming top amateurs from over 12 countries, several of whom will undoubtedly go on to have successful careers on the PGA Tour,” he added.
Playing as co-hosts to accommodate a larger field at this year’s event, Rivermead Golf Club is also located in Gatineau and just a few hundred metres from the north shore of the Ottawa River. Initially unveiled as a 9-hole course, the property was expanded to 18 holes in 1915 before being completely renovated in 1989 by Ken Skodacek and Ken Venturi to create the course’s current outstanding championship layout. In 2023, the Club completed a five-year course improvement project under the guidance of Jeff Mingay.
Throughout its history, Rivermead has hosted many championships, including the 1920 Canadian Open, the 1925 Ladies’ Canadian Amateur Championship, the CPGA Championship in 1932 and 1959, and the CN Canadian Women’s Tour in 2005 and 2010. Of special pride to Rivermead members is the link to the RBC Canadian Open through the Rivermead Cup. The Rivermead Cup was awarded to the winner of the RBC Canadian Open until 1935. Since 1936, the Rivermead Cup has been awarded to the low Canadian at the RBC Canadian Open.
Established in 1895, the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship is the third oldest amateur championship in the world. The tournament was first contested as one of the newly formed Royal Canadian Golf Association’s (RCGA), now known as Golf Canada, first orders of business in 1895 at the Ottawa Golf Club.
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.
The winner of the 2025 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship will earn an automatic exemption into the RBC Canadian Open set to return to TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley (North Course) In Caledon, Ont. in 2026 as well as spot in next year’s Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship if eligible.
Additionally, this year’s amateur champion will lock up a spot in the 125th U.S. Amateur Championship, August 11-17 at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif. and will be fully exempt from 2026 U.S. Open local qualifying and U.S. Amateur local qualifying.
The 72-hole stroke-play competition will get underway on Monday, July 28 and wrap up Thursday, July 31. The national championship will also feature an Inter-Provincial Team Championship that will run concurrently through completion of the first 36 holes. Each day, the lowest two of three individual 18-hole scores will count towards the team score for players’ respective provinces. Team British Columbia will aim to keep the Willington Cup (awarded annually to the top province in the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship) in their possession and feature Maxim McKenzie of Chilliwack, B.C., Dustin Franko of Delta, B.C. and Krahn in their squad. Practice rounds will precede the tournament and take place on both host sites July 26-27.
For the full list of the field competing in the 120th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, please click here.
GOLF CANADA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Golf Canada annually conducts more than 30 golf competitions and qualifiers nation-wide – including 11 National Amateur Championships – which play host to more than 3,000 domestic and international athletes from all corners of the world. In partnership with our host clubs, thousands of volunteers, provincial golf associations and our proud sponsors, Golf Canada is dedicated to supporting player development through world-class competition since our inception in 1895. Officiated by certified Canadian Rules of Golf officials, Golf Canada’s amateur competitions are fully compliant with golf’s international governing bodies and include marquee events such as the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships as well as the Canadian Junior Girls and Junior Boys Championships. Golf Canada’s amateur championships are proudly supported by BDO Canada, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Titleist, FootJoy, Coca-Cola, Sport Canada, and Levelwear. For more information and scheduling visit www.golfcanada.ca/competitions-calendar/.
ABOUT GOLF CANADA
Golf Canada is the National Sports Federation and governing body for golf in Canada representing over 360,000 golfers and 1,522 member clubs across the country. A proud member of the Canadian Olympic Committee, Golf Canada’s mission is to increase Canadian participation and excellence in golf. By investing in the growth of the sport and introducing more participants of all ages to the game, our vision is to be a world leader in golf. For more information about what Golf Canada is doing to support golf in your community, visit www.golfcanada.ca/.
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