Mauro ready to test his game against top competition
Amateur championship tourney in town
Alek Mauro is looking forward to the challenge of playing some of the best amateur golfers in the country.
An OFSAA champion while at St. Joseph high school, the 19-year-old Mauro was one of the first area players to earn a spot in this year's 116th Canadian Men's Amateur Golf Championship, which begins play on Monday at Ambassador Golf Course.
“It's obviously going to be a very strong field, but it'll be good to test my game against the best in the country and I'm interested to see how it unfolds,” said Mauro, who is on scholarship at the University of Detroit Mercy. This is the first time the Canadian men's championship has been held in the area. The event was not played last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's event was originally scheduled to be played in Quebec, but Le Club Laval-sur-le-lac and Club de Golf Saint-raphaël opted to pull out and explore the possibility of hosting another year.
After the Windsor Championship stop on the Mackenzie Tour — PGA TOUR Canada was shelved for the second year in a row — Ambassador Golf Club stepped in to take on the event.
“The Canadian Men's Amateur Championship is one of Canada's longest running amateur championships and we couldn't be happier to have it back in 2021,” tournament director Adam
Cinel, who is also Golf Canada's manager of rules and competitions, said in a release. “The golf course is in great condition and will serve as an excellent test for Canada's top players.”
The field will feature 156 players with 148 of those spots already claimed. Several local golfers are set to compete in a field of 77 on Saturday to secure one of the final eight spots in the event. Mauro won't face that pressure after tying for 24th at last year's Ontario Men's Amateur Championship in Otterville to earn an automatic berth in the Canadian championship.
“To get into the Canadian, you have to finish in the top 25,” Mauro said. “Since there wasn't a Canadian championship last year because of COVID, they just used last year's Ontario performance this year.
“The bonus of playing well in one of the biggest tournaments in Ontario is you get to go in the biggest in Canada.”
Mauro is also planning to head back to the Ontario Men's Golf Championship, which is set to be played at Beach Grove Golf and Country Club Aug. 10-13, and now he'll get to play in both events without having to travel.
“It's going to be great this year,” Mauro said. “I get to stay at home this year for the two big tournaments. It'll be a benefit sleeping in my own bed and playing courses I've played so many times before.”
With Ontario now in Stage 3 of the provincial reopening, Adam Wagner, PGA of Canada director of golf operations at Ambassador, said fans are welcome to attend the event.
“It's going good,” Wagner said of preparations. “We'll be able to allow spectators and caddies.”
Admission to the event is free with the Hospice of Windsor and Essex County, which normally benefits from the Windsor Open championship, accepting donations at the gate.