Idylwylde Invitational returns to Sudbury
Some of the province's best golfers will put it all on the line this weekend as the oldest match play tournament of its kind kicks off at Sudbury's Idylwylde Golf and Country Club.
This weekend marks the 73rd annual 'Idylwylde Invitational' and everyone looked grateful to be back on the links.
"It's such a great format with the match play qualifier with a tight bracket of 16 for the championship flight, it's always contested," said Idylwylde golf professional David Bower.
"We have always a playoff, generally speaking, for those last spots in which is awesome. We have a few spectators out there."
The tradition of the tournament is a long and storied one and it's one many in the club are proud of.
"It's an incredible history at this event -- the list of champions is incredibly impressive and includes a lot of the great amateur players that have played in Canada throughout the years," Bower said. "It's really created a name for the Idylwylde in Ontario."
Golfers were eager to hit the greens and fairways for their shot at some pretty impressive hardware.
"I grew up ball spotting on the 12th hole and just watching all the people come through, so to be able to be a part of it -- much less a champion -- is pretty cool for me considering I was just a little runt just a handful of years ago," said past champion Tristan Renaud.
Renaud, who's originally from Sudbury and is now studying in Texas, said it's comforting to be hitting the links again.
"I would say, because it's a long event and you have to get through all the different pieces of it, you have to get through the Friday and then from then on make sure you have match after match," he said. "It's a marathon, not a sprint."
Berk Keaney sits on the tournament committee and will also be playing in the coming days. He said it's nice to see everyone back after the long pandemic.
"It's so cool to get back together with old friends, renew acquaintances who come up here every year for the tournament," said Keaney. "There's still competitive golfing -- some of the other flights with the other golfers -- and then as we go down and get to the higher scores, there's more of the beer cart, laughing and having fun -- it's a great combination, a hybrid event, for sure."
"It's so great to see it back, we're all excited to be part of it, from the staff to the members, it's an exciting thing to have," said Bower. "Everybody from past Ontario amateur champions, some of the best players that have played in Ontario to all the way down to guys who are 25, 30 handicappers who are just down to have some fun."
Half of the 176 participants are members here at Idylwylde; the other half are golfers who have come from across the province.
The threat of rain also isn't getting anyone down. The tournament will wrap up on Sunday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Statistics Canada reports real GDP up 0.6% in January as Quebec strikes end
Statistics Canada says real gross domestic product grew 0.6 per cent in January, helped by the end of public sector strikes in Quebec in November and December.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Ukrainian child asylum seekers in St. John’s get class of their own
Roughly 50 children will gathered in a St. John’s classroom for the first time on Saturday for unique lessons on Ukrainian language, culture and history.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.