Thunder Bay District Golf Association-TBDGA

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The 2026 District Better-Ball Championship is in the books! After opening with a stellar 63 at Chapples, Hunter & Kirk battled through a windy final round at Strathcona to claim the championship by two shots (63-69). With conditions challenging all day, only three teams managed rounds in the 60s.

Johnstone & Payne made things interesting early, birdieing three of their first four holes this morning en route to a matching 69. However, clutch birdies by Hunter & Kirk on holes 15 and 16 proved to be the difference, allowing them to hold off their playing partners and secure the victory. The teams of Moro & Merritt and Shewchuk & Lahtinen tied for third in the First Flight with matching scores of 66-70.

The Second Flight was dominated by Cho-Chu & Erwin, whose impressive rounds of 67-67 not only earned them the flight title but vaulted them into a tie for second overall. The Anderson brothers (68-71) finished second in the flight by birdieing the 18th hole, and edging fellow FWCC duo Ar**no & McIlwain by a single shot (67-73).

The Third Flight ended in a three-way tie between Pietila & Pietila, Van Elburg & Van Elburg, and Kubinec & Warren. The father-son team of Pietila & Pietila (68-76) claimed the title on the first playoff hole and earned bragging rights.

The Fourth Flight saw a phenomenal performance from Anttonen & D’Angelo, who posted 68-73 to win by 11 shots over Wright & Mintenko. Blais & St. Jean rounded out this flight’s podium.

A tremendous turnout saw 42 teams compete over two days. Thank you to our title sponsors, Mallon’s and Play It Again Sports, and to our host clubs, Chapples Golf Course and Strathcona Golf Course, for their support of this year’s championship.

With their victory, Hunter & Kirk earn an exemption into the 2026 Ontario Men’s Better-Ball Championship at Oakdale Golf & Country Club this October, where they will look to improve upon their seventh-place finish province-wide from a year ago.

A full leaderboard and skins results can be found on our website.

A wonderful afternoon celebrating excellence in golf at the Thunder Bay District Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make it such a memorable event, and a special thank you to Golf Thunder Bay for hosting the ceremony and serving as the home of our Hall of Fame.

Congratulations to our inductees once again:

Ken Hanley – A dominant force along the North Shore, Ken captured the Terrace Bay Open 14 times, the Marathon Open 13 times, the Geraldton Open 11 times, the Manitouwadge Open 3 times, and was our 1990 District Amateur Champion. Beyond his remarkable playing accomplishments, Ken dedicated countless hours to growing and promoting the game throughout the North Shore communities.

Peter Lovis – One of the most accomplished competitors in district history, Peter is a 4-time District Amateur Champion, 3-time District Open Champion, 6-time Better Ball Champion, North Shore Open Champion, 2-time Stokaluk Shootout winner, and a 3-time Club Champion.

Barry Caland – Barry’s extraordinary record includes 37 district victories, highlighted by 7 Strathcona Invitational titles, 4 District Amateur Championships, 2 District Opens, 4 Better Ball Championships, and 3 Thunder Bay CC Invitational victories.

Congratulations to Ken, Peter, and Barry on their well-deserved induction into the Thunder Bay District Golf Hall of Fame. Your achievements and contributions have left a lasting mark on golf in Northwestern Ontario.

Register now for the 2026 AON District Open. This year’s event will be played at Fort William Golf & Country Club on July 4 and then Whitewater Golf Club on July 5.

Entry forms can be completed on our website at www.tbdga.com/schedule. Registration will close on Sunday, June 28, 2026 at 6:00 PM EST. The field is expected to fill fast. Entry fee is $180.

Players will be flighted prior to the event. Rules, tee times, and skins information will be posted on our website shortly after the entry deadline.

What a fantastic day to launch the first ever Junior Spring Open. Perfect conditions, a great golf course at Whitewater, and an incredible group of juniors made for a day that really showcased the future of the game. It was especially exciting to see so many new faces stepping into competitive junior golf for the first time yesterday. Events like this are all about giving young players a chance to experience tournament play, meet other juniors, and start building confidence in a supportive environment.

A huge thank you goes out to all the volunteers who helped the day run so smoothly, and especially those who went above and beyond supporting scorekeeping, player flow, and helping introduce these younger athletes to competition the right way. Their involvement was outstanding and really speaks to the culture we’re building in junior golf.

We are also extremely grateful to our sponsors, Pizza Hut and Whitewater Golf Course, for their support in making this inaugural event possible.

Champions on the Day:

U11 Champion: Palmer Hutton (44 for 9 holes)
U15 Champion: Shea Skillen (81 via countback over Carter Kaskiw)
U17 Champion: Zach Stevenson (79)
U19 Champion: Nathan Hoogsteen (74)
Junior Girls Champion: Grace Burton (84)

A big congratulations as well to those who have qualified to represent the TBDGA at provincial champions later this summer:

Ontario Junior Boys: Dylan Wilson, Peyton Staal
Ontario Juvenile Boys: Zach Stevenson, Nathan Forester
Ontario Bantam Boys: Carter Kaskiw, William Holmes
Ontario Junior Girls: Grace Burton

Others competing in Manitoba and representing the TBDGA include Cameron Hole, Aiden Grady, Shea Skillen, Dylan Wilson, Matthew Sacchetti, and Grace Burton.

Overall, a great day of golf, great energy across the course, and a strong start to what we hope will become a staple event on the junior calendar.

Congratulations to Hayden Hickey and Nathan Lepore on earning provincial spots at our qualifier today, proudly presented by Half-Way Motors!

Hayden earned low-man honours with an impressive 71, highlighted by three consecutive birdies on holes 5 through 7. Nathan was right on his heels with a strong 72, making for a great battle throughout the day.

A big thank you to for hosting the event and presenting the course in outstanding condition.

Tee times for the Pizza Hut Junior Spring Open are now available on our website and at the link below. We are excited to host such a large group of junior players this Sunday at Whitewater!

https://www.tbdga.com/assets/uploads/Draw_for_2026_Junior_Spring_Open.pdf

www.tbdga.com

UPDATE: Golf Manitoba has reserved two (2) spots for TBDGA players in the Manitoba Men’s Amateur Championship. As a result, we will be incorporating a local qualifier into our June 6 event. Players already registered will have the option to declare for Ontario or Manitoba. Players seeking to qualify for the Manitoba Amateur must do so through either our June 6 event or a qualifying event held in Manitoba.

Registration for our local qualifier will be re-opened for the next 24 hours, closing June 2 at 6:00 p.m. The registration link is included below.

https://www.tbdga.com/2026-ontariomanitoba-mens-amateur-qualifier-presented-by-half-way-motors

Kicking off the Golf Thunder Bay season with a great first event. Plenty of talent on display and lots of golf still to come!

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