Gates, Howard qualify for Ontario men’s amateur
Qualifying tourney held at Kawartha Golf and Country Club
This is Jaden Gates’ last kick at the cat — so he says.
The 35-year-old 15-year Kawartha Golf and Country Club member qualified for his third Ontario men’s amateur championship at the qualifying tournament at the club Monday. He joined Peterborough Golf and Country Club’s Zac Howard as the only other local qualifier among 10 in the 58-player field for the provincial final at Richmond Hill Summit July 10 to 13.
Gates, who qualified for the amateur when he was 23 and 24 in 1999-2000 and a student at Sir Wilfrid Laurier University, joined Howard with 73s. KGCC was one of 13 clubs across the province to host qualifying affairs. The 73 mark was on the bubble. The next five in the rotation advanced to a final qualifying tournament and the following two were named alternates.
Gates, a Peterborough math teacher at St. Peter’s Secondary School and a school hockey coach, said he didn’t attend qualifiers the past 11 years mainly because of work commitments but decided to try again this year mainly because of a baby. He and his wife Laura are expecting their first child in September.
“Things will change a lot with our family growing and I won’t be able to play at this level,” said the easy-going Gates, a scratch golfer. “(Smiling) I will be pretty busy for the next 10 years (being a father). That’s why I decided to go to the qualifier this year. I had the time. I’m looking at it as my last shot.”
Gates didn’t make the cut in one his previous amateurs and didn’t go to the other because of weather.
“I’m a better player now,” he said. “I will try to play my game. I drive the ball well and my short game has gotten better. I’m looking forward to it.”
In his 73 Monday, he scored two birdies and four bogeys with three of the overs occurring on the first three holes of the back nine. He finished strongly with birdies on the 13th and 17th holes. He recorded an even front.
“I actually golfed fairly well except for those three holes (1012),” he said. “I was pretty solid with few mistakes. I was fairly consistent overall. It also helped I knew the course. I knew where to hit it and where to miss it. Course knowledge helps.”
Other local golfers Monday included KGCC’s Tyler Stone and Mitchell Ahrens, who shot 76; Luke Shaughnessy, Cameron Head and PGCC’s Mitchell Holden who fired 81; KGCC’s Matt Arsenault and Jonah Allen-McLean who came in with 82, and an under-the-weather Ryan Ahrens, whohad90.
KGCC’s Marc Savard registered but was a no-show.
Kingston’s Eric Macrow and Peter Sauerbrei topped the field tied at 69.