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Waterdown ON - After a delayed start to the season, the Golden Horseshoe Area Golf Tour (GHT) 2014 schedule is winding down.  The season has featured some great golf and the GHT will be ending it's regular season this Monday at Hidden Lake Golf Club in Burlington ON. 

The GHT's top players are confirmed to play this Monday and those within the top 16 point leaders will be jockeying for position heading into the first of two playoff rounds.  Alf Callowhill (Clublink Academy at Rattlesnake Point), Ed Maunder (Deerfield GC) and Jim Kenesky (Golf Genius Software) sit one, two, three on the current GHT Order of Merit. Each one will have a chance to receive a bye into the John H. Davis Cup Finals on Tuesday October 14 at Glendale G&CC in Hamilton ON... 

Those players finishing 2 through 16 on the GHT Order of Merit after Monday's round will advance to the first round of the John H. Davis Cup Playoffs on Tuesday October 7 at Blue Springs Golf Club in Acton ON .  The qualified players will compete in a single round stroke play event and the top 7 finishers will join the GHT Order of Merit Winner in the John H. Davis Cup Finals.  

On The Bubble

14. Jeff Lunn (Dundas Valley G&CC) 26.00pts *
15. Ken Ward (Lowville GC) 20.00pts *
16. Bradlee Ryall (Braeben Academy) 19.20pts
17. David Moro (Hidden Lake GC) 19.00pts
18. Josh Chambers (Lowville GC) 18.00pts *
18. Andrew Ross (Oak Gables GC) 18.00pts
20. John Davis (Joshua Creek Driving Range) 17.00pts *
*  confirmed to play Sept 22

To follow the action from Hidden Lake online please visit HERE 
To view current GHT Order of Merit please visit HERE

About the GHT

Back in 1985 three young assistant professionals by the names of Sandy White, Ian Bernette, and Tony Page had an idea that consisted of local golf professionals coming together to form a tour.  The tour was originally started as "Assistants Only" but soon after was opened to all area PGA of Canada Professionals.  The tour was designed to allow local golf professionals an opportunity to get to know their fellow colleagues and to have fun doing what the do best "play golf".  The tour is to be credited for many friendships developed over the past 20 years.  The Golden Horseshoe Tour is home of the John H. Davis Cup, which is decided each year by the order of merit winner.  John Davis has been a recognized name within our industry for many years.  He was the Head Golf Professional at Burlington Golf & Country Club for over 30 years and turned Master Professional in 1976.  The name "Davis" still lives on in our tour not only from the salute by our year end trophy but also by his two sons, John Davis (Joshua Creek Golf & Tennis) and Jefferson Davis.

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Hamilton ON - King's Forest Golf Club in Hamilton ON was the site of GHT Event #3 on Monday June 9 and Conor O'Shea (Piper's Heath) took advantage of ideal scoring conditions.  With afternoon rain on Sunday and very little wind throughout the day on Monday it made for slightly easier course conditions then seen in the past.  

O'Shea has an aggressive style of game and it showed as he made 7 birdies and 4 bogies en route to a round of three under par 69.  He steadied the ship with three straight birdies on holes 8-9-10 to get to 4 under par for his round.  Back to back bogies on the tough 12th and 13th holes dropped him to 2 under par heading into the home stretch.  A birdie on the par 5 fifteenth hole and 3 closing pars helped to seal the win for O'Shea...   

Jim Kenesky (Golf Genius Software) dug into the archives to recall a round from 1998 and used a similar game plan to shoot a 2 under par 70 and claim second spot alone.  "I shot 68 here in a 1998 highschool golf tournament and recalled many of my plays from that day to navigate the course today." Kenesky stated.  Kenesky made his mark on the par 5's, playing them 5 under par with an eagle on the fifteenth.  On the par 5 finishing hole Kenesky had 20 feet for a second eagle and a tie for the lead, but missed and settled for a birdie 4 and the solo runner up finish.

Rounding out the top 5 were 2013 John H. Davis Cup Champion Ed Maunder (Deerfield GC) with a one under par 71, Past King's Forest winner Alf Callowhill (Clublink Academy at Glen Abbey) 73, Reg Millage (GAO) and Danny King (Performance Centre at Magna) came in with rounds of 76.  

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Burlington ON - A healing golf course scarred from a tragic winter, intense black flies, thick spring rough, and the hottest day of 2014 couldn't keep Jim Zwolak (Credit Valley G&CC) from shining at GHT Event #2 Lowville. 

The Burlington Ontario based Lowville Golf Club was host to the second event on the GHT schedule and it put up a true test of tough conditions for the field of 21 professionals.  The Course was hit hard by severe winter damage but Zwolak's round of 5 under par 66 became the real talk of the day... 

Zwolak's round featured six birdies with a turkey trot (three birdies in a row) coming on holes 12, 13 and 14. His only blemish came on the final hole where he made his lone bogey of the day.  

Finishing in second place three shots behind, was Conor O'Shea (Piper's Heath) who fired a 2 under par 69.  Last season O'Shea fired a 7 under par 64 on the same layout to capture his only GHT victory of the year.  He got off to a blistering start with 4 birdies in the first five holes, but a stumbling 3 over on the final three holes pushed him into the runner up position.

Rounding out the top 5 were Alf Callowhill (Clublink Academy at Glen Abbey), 2013 John H. Davis Cup Champion Ed Maunder (Deerfield GC), and 2012 Club Professional Champion of Canada Brian Hutton (Trafalgar G&CC) all posted even par 71.  

Other Notes:

Jim Zwolak takes the early lead in the Race to the John H. Davis Cup Full Standings
Brian Hutton sits on top of Senior Order of Merit Full Standings
Ed Maunder still holding on to GHT Money List Full Standings

The GHT would like to Thank Sandy White and the staff at Lowville Golf Club for their hospitality throughout the day.  The next event on the GHT Schedule is set to go Monday June 9 at King's Forest Golf Club in Hamilton ON.

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Milton ON - Ed Maunder (Deerfield GC) is becoming the winningest player in GHT history and he's doing it very quickly.  GHT Event #1 Granite Ridge Ruby took place yesterday and due to an extreme winter and undesirable spring conditions, a small field teed it up to kick off the 2014 season.  

The Ruby course at Granite Ridge Golf Club was in fine shape and Ed Maunder took advantage of the scorable conditions to post a 3 under par 67 and capture his sixth win in the last 9 GHT events.  Maunder's 67 was one shot better then Alf Callowhill (Clublink Academy at Glen Abbey) who posted a bogey free 2 under par 68.  Rounding out the Top 3 were Kyle Gibson (King's Forest) and Jim Zwolak (Credit Valley G&CC) who fired rounds of even par 70.  

The GHT would like to Thank PGA of Canada Professional Jeff Czuba and his staff at Granite Ridge for their wonderful hospitality throughout the day.  The next event on the schedule is set for Tuesday May 27 at Lowville Golf Club in Burlington ON.  

For complete results Click Here  

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Waterdown ON - The Golden Horseshoe Area Golf Tour is proud to announce another prominent partner for 2014.  Adams Golf has agreed to support the GHT Senior Order of Merit and offer the players of the Tour a chance to win an award winning Adams Hybrid at the end of the season.

"The GHT is very excited to bring Adams Golf on board and feel their presence with Champions Tour players only made sense to have them support the Senior Order of Merit."  said Tour President Jim Kenesky. 

Adams Golf will give the winner of the GHT Senior Order of Merit a Hybrid or Fairway Wood of their choice while each member of the GHT will be entered into a draw at the end of the season for a similar prize.  However, to help increase the odds of those players that play a full schedule, each member will receive one ballot for each round they play.

“We are very pleased to be a part of the Golden Horseshoe Area Golf Tour and have the opportunity to support our PGA of Canada Professionals”.  Said Territory Sales and Marketing Manager Scott Payne.

Adams Golf continues to be the #1 Hybrid on Tour and has been apart of the Taylor Made/Adidas family since 2012.

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Waterdown ON - The Golden Horseshoe Area Golf Tour (GHT) is pleased to announce their roster of Partners for the 2014 season.  This year will feature a nice package of partner product to overall winners in respected divisions.  The GHT had four main partners last season and has now increased the roster to seven for the upcoming year.  

"The Tour is very thankful that both the new and returning companies see value in creating a relationship with the GHT." Jim Kenesky President of the GHT stated. "Our overall John H. Davis Cup Champion is in for a nice package this year along with our Senior Order of Merit winner and the Regular Season Order of Merit leader.  This day in age, as a small area tour we understand that cash is not king and creating In Kind relationships is the way to build a long lasting partnership with sponsors and players.  In the long run it creates sustainability and credibilty from both sides."

The companies and businesses below have agreed to the following for the 2014 season....

John H. Davis Cup Champion:  $300 account credit
Senior Order of Merit Champion:  $200 account credit

About CaddyPro Golf Products
Caddypro Golf Products is an Edmonton Alberta based company which has been in business since 1997. We have a North American Licensing Agreement with the NHL and have been selling our licensed product mainly to retail outlets, golf stores and golf courses across Canada.

Caddypro also supplies golf courses and retail outlets across Canada with brand name golf accessories.  Our NHL licensed products are all very high quality and manufactured specifically for us.  All of our NHL licensed products have been through the NHL Quality Review and approved by them for distribution under our current licensing agreement.

CaddyPro Golf Products Sales Contact: Peter Grant peter@petergrant.ca

GHT Order of Merit Winner:  Cobra Golf Bag and Puma Shirt $300 Value

About Cobra Puma Golf:

Cobra Puma Sales Contact:  Ron Murray  rm1salesagency@sympatico.ca

Official Tour Management and Scoring Software
GHT Membership:  Members get one ballot for every week played. Draw for $500 facility credit.

About Golf Genius Software:
Golf Genius Software offers affordable, fully-featured cloud-based software for organizing and managing golf events, leagues and trips. Our products save time and eliminate hassles for PGA professionals, event organizers, league managers, amateur and professional associations and trip captains, enabling them to deliver a greatly enhanced experience to their golfers.

Golf Genius Software Sales Contact:  Jim Kenesky  jim@golfgenius.com

John H. Davis Cup Champion: 
2015 Great Lakes Tour Membership
GHT Order of Merit: 
(2) Two Southern Ontario Open Exemptions to the first two not otherwise exempt players off the GHT Order of Merit.

About NGA - Great Lakes Tour
With Over 15 years of experience, NGA- Great Lakes Tour has quickly risen to become the countries largest professional tournament provider. We currently conduct over 20 competitive tournaments across Ontario.

Founded in 2001 the Great Lakes Tour was founded to serve as a vital training ground for some of Canada’s best touring professionals. It has also provided countless competitive outlets for various players, both professional and amateur. More than 4,000 players from around the globe have competed for more than $4-million in prize money.
 


The Great Lakes Tour’s on-going mission is to provide the aspiring player quality tournament environments to enhance their growth and gain valuable, hard-to-come by experience. Players will enjoy the authentic TOUR-like atmosphere at all Great Lakes Tour produced events.  Whether your goal is to win your club championship, or to eventually make it to the PGA Tour the Great Lakes Tour provides every player that opportunity.

In Dec 2013, a strategic partnership between the NGA Tour and Great Lakes Tour was formed which would allow Canadian professionals to play on both tours and will serve as a place to learn and grow within professional golf, hopefully leading to further advancement the PGA Tour.

The National Golf Association's NGA Professional Golf Tour, formerly known as the NGA Hooters Pro Golf Tour dates, back to 1988 with Rick "TC" Jordan as its owner and founder. Jordan envisioned a golf tour that would provide professional golfers an opportunity to compete in a professional atmosphere as well as achieve financial success, The NGA Tour continues to grow and be recognized as one of the top professional tours in the world, third in North America to the PGA Tour and Web.com Tour.

NGA - Great Lakes Tour Contact: David Brisson djb@david-brisson.com

John H. Davis Cup Champion:  2 week supply of Meal 53
GHT Membership:  Each Member of GHT will receive sample of Meal 53 throughout season

About Raw Convenience
Years ago, Dr. S. K. Kim introduced his Saeng Shik products to Korea. Growing up with gout and tuberculosis, he dreamed of living a pain-free and healthy life. No matter what treatments he took, he realized that Western medicine was not working for him and he needed an alternative. To find an answer, he turned to his roots and travelled to a monk village to learn from the monks that healed his ancestors long ago (monks that never seem to get sick!). Turning his energy to learn the ancient secrets of healing from the monks, he observed that the monks didn’t have a secret. What he saw was that the Korean monks maintained their health and vitality through eating a well balanced diet of whole grains, vegetables, fruits and sea plants. The only important difference that he saw was that whenever possible, they ate their food in its natural state: uncooked, and pure. They called this food Saeng Shik, which literally translates to “living food”. Healed of his ailments completely, Dr. Kim now had a new goal; to bring what he had learned and bring this ancient monk principle to the world.

Dr. Kim realized that eating raw, unprocessed foods was not palatable to our modern tastes and inconvenient for our hectic lifestyles. The philosophy was counterculture to how we eat in the modern world. Searching for a solution, Dr. Kim dedicated his time to studying health and medicine; devoting the rest of his life to learning Eastern and Western medicine. He eventually earned a Masters degree in Food Processing Technology as well as a PhD in Biotechnology; studies that led him to develop a new freeze drying method that preserved whole, organic foods to their closest natural state possible. Now, with the right tools in his hands, Dr. Kim developed formulas of complete meals that were healthy, balanced, convenient and great tasting for all people to enjoy. With these new products, he finally introduced Saeng Shik to the Korean market in 1988. Now, 20 years later, Freshfest Whole Foods is proud to bring Dr. Kim’s Saeng Shik philosophy and revolutionary products to the North American market.

Raw Convenience Contact: Brian Hutton  bwhutton@sympatico.ca

John H. Davis Cup Champion:  2-3 piece Apparel Package
Senior Order of Merit Champion:  2-3 piece Apparel Package

About Trimark Sportswear
Trimark Sportswear, a member of Polyconcept, is a leading developer and manufacturer of logo'd apparel for the Canadian and U.S. promotional industries. Trimark has been supplying high quality apparel for over 35 years. Trimark sells logo'd apparel across 9 different categories; Polos, Active Tops, Woven Shirts, Sweaters, Knits and Fleece, Vests, Jackets, Pants, and Bags & Accessories. From technical polo's to 3-in-1 winter jackets, we have apparel to suit multiple needs with a wide colour and size offering combined with deep inventory. Trimark Sportswear has a very strong reputation, combined with an extensive distribution network.


Trimark Sportswear Sales Contact:  Ron Murray  rm1salesagency@sympatico.ca

John H. Davis Cup Champion:  Beer and Gear Package
GHT Membership:  Triple Bogey Beer samples throughout the season

About Triple Bogey Brewing and Golf Company
A light and refreshing premium lager dedicated to the great game of golf.  Founded in 2013 and brewed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada under the watchful eye of Geoff Tait (The guy that brought you the crazy collections of Quagmire) and a few of his buddies.

We have scoured the fairways to figure out what the golf fan is looking for in a beer. Cool, crisp and easy drinking were all popular suggestions and we listened!  Our extended aging also creates the smoothest refreshing lager. For the first time saying Gimme a Triple Bogey is actually a good thing!


Triple Bogey Brewing & Golf Company Contact:  Geoff Tait  geoff@triplebogey.com

Waterdown ON - The Golden Horseshoe Area Golf Tour had a wonderful season in 2013 with many of our players doing some great things locally, provincially, and nationally.  Last season we recapped the year with our Top Ten Stories of 2012 and this year we are doing the same for 2013.

There were many stories to choose from and it just goes to show that the GHT is full of talent that can compete at all levels.  One player gave us a record breaking season where some statistics were off the chart.  In June, Many GHT members played in the PGA of Canada Championship and it was a highly seeded individual that grinded out a Quarterfinal appearance.  We saw a hole in one on a par 4 in the Pro/Junior Golf Classic.  GHT members captured 3 PGA of Ontario Championships.  2013 also saw the playing of the Inaugural Club Car Cup in which the team from the Golden Triangle Tour was victorious, however a certain GHT member went 6-0 for the matches.  

The list was made not only by relevance of the event, but the story behind it.  Please continue reading and let us know what you think of this year's stories...

#10  Conor O'Shea Shoots 64 at Lowville For New Course Record

Lowville Golf Club allows for players to get birdies early in their round and then hold on coming down the stretch.  Conor O'Shea played the first fourteen holes 6 under par and played the final four holes 1 under par to card a 7 under score of 64.  However, Jim Kenesky playing his home course managed to play the first 12 holes in 8 under par, which included 2 eagles and 4 birdies and had the surrounding groups whispering talk of 59.  But an unlikely stretch of 5 straight bogeys dropped Kenesky to 3 under for the day leaving O'Shea the runaway winner at Lowville and setting a new course record.

#9  Mark MacDonald Goes 6-0 at Club Car Cup

2013 saw the inaugural Club Car played.  The event featured two teams of 12 players from both the Golden Horseshoe Tour and Golden Triangle Tour (Kitchener-Waterloo) compete in a Ryder Cup format.  The event saw Better Ball matches on day 1 followed by Singles Matches on Day two.  Each match was a nassau scored match, 1 point for front nine, 1 point for back nine, and 1 point for overall match.  The first team to 27.5 points won the Cup.  Mark MacDonald compiled a record of 6-0 during the matches for team GHT and was the point leader for the losing side.  MacDonald put together a very quiet and impressive season on the GHT and earned his way on to the team.  Going 6-0 makes Mark a player to watch in 2014.  The team from the Golden Triangle Tour took home the Club Car Cup 30.5 to 23.5.   

#8  Ed Maunder Makes 41 Birdies Over 8 Events and Finishes with a 68.3 Scoring Average

Ed Maunder had one of the greatest seasons statiscally on the GHT compiling 41 birdies over 8 events for a 5.1 average per round.  With a scoring average of 68.3, he was a full 4 shots better then the next players that played a complete 8 event schedule.  Maunder truly had a remarkable season, and the statistics back up the overall results.

#7 Jim Kenesky Wins PGA of Ontario Assistants' Spring Championship

#6  Ron Kenesky Aces Par 4 5th hole to Capture Pro Junior Golf Classic

Hole in One's are never easy, especially when your hitting a driver to a green over water and trees to a tight back right flag location on a 317 yard par 4.  However, Ron Kenesky beat the odds by hitting a perfect tee shot directly at the flag and holing it out for an unlikely ace on the 317 yard par 4 5th hole at Southern Pines G&CC in Mt. Hope, ON.  The hole in one gave him 16 points in the modified stableford event and eventually it would be the difference as he won the Pro/Junior Golf Classic by 7 points over Brett Walker.

#5  Dan Greenwood Goes to Quarterfinals in PGA of Canada Championship

The PGA of Canada Championship sees the top 64 ranked players via the PGA of Canada Player Rankings compete for the National Title.  The 2013 playing of the PGA of Canada's National Championship saw five GHT members compete at the prestine Magna Golf Club in Aurora, ON.  They were Brian Hutton (#6), Reggie Millage (#10), Conor O'Shea (#37), Ed Maunder (#39), and Dan Greenwood (#57).  As the 57th seed, Dan Greenwood from Heron Point Golf Links showed his strong determination as he fought through 3 rounds before finally being taken down by the number one seed Brian McCann in the Quarterfinals.  The highlight of the week for Greenwood came on the 18th hole in the 3rd round against John McCann (#41) where he was one down with one hole to play and made an unlikely 40 foot birdie putt to force extra holes.  On the 20th hole Greenwood pured a mid iron on the tough par 3 to about 15 feet and two putted to win the match.

#4 Ed Maunder wins 5 out of 8 Events  

Never in the history of the GHT has any player won more than half the events on a schedule.  Reg Millage won 3 out of 5 events played in 2008.  Ed Maunder played every event on the schedule in 2013 and won 5 out of 8 events.  Included in those wins were the back to back wins to finish off the season at Beverly G&CC and Rattlesnake Point Sidewinder.  Maunder won the first two events of the season at Greystone GC and Trafalgar G&CC shooting a combined total of 10 under par.  His other win came in the middle of the summer at Chedoke Civic Golf Course.  He won and dominated on arguably the toughest playing golf courses all season.  His relative to par for the five wins was 18 under par shooting 67-66-68-65-71.

#3 Conor O'Shea wins PGA of Ontario Match Play Championship

#2 Alf Callowhill Wins PGA of Ontario Assistants' Championship

#1 Ed Maunder Beats the Odds to win the John H. Davis Cup and Validate an Amazing Season

After a successful 2012 and a reformatting of the GHT schedule to include a point race building up to a two round playoff series for the John H. Davis Cup.  This season the committee made another change to the format.  The new format included the first 6 events as the Regular Season.  The player that accumulated the most points at the end of the Regular Season received a bye into the final playoff round.  That player was Ed Maunder.  However, in a twist to allow for more drama and an "anyone can win" playoff format, the only way Ed Maunder could take home the John H. Davis Cup was by winning the final event of the season at Rattlesnake Point Sidewinder Course.  The "Elite 8" competed in a single round stroke play event with the medalist taking home the John H. Davis Cup.  The day was cold and windy with gusts up to 60km/h and not to mention some very wet conditions from overnight rain.  the final 8 players in the playoffs came to Rattlesnake Point with the same chances to win, yet the odds on favourite was Maunder having won 4 of 7 events.  In the end, Maunder validated a great season by capturing the final event of the season on what was arguably the toughest playing conditions and against the best 7 players of the 2013 season.  Maunder fired an impressive one under par 71 to beat Alf Callowhill by 2 shots and win The John H. Davis Cup, his 5th event of the season, and the GHT Money title.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:


Milton ON - With rain soaked course conditions and winds blowing up to 60km/hr, Rattlesnake Point Golf Club Sidewinder in Milton ON was playing it's toughest.  However, Ed Maunder found a way to deal with the adverse conditions and battle his way to a one under par 71, a two shot win, and the John H. Davis Cup.  

Maunder made 5 birdies and 4 bogies to card his 71.  His up and down round was 2 shots better then 2011 John H. Davis Cup Champion and current PGA of Ontario Assistant's Champion Alf Callowhill.  Maunder seemed to hover slightly under par all day, while Callowhill never saw his round go below par on route to one over par 73.

The win for Maunder gave him his 5th out of 8 events this season, the most all time in a single GHT schedule.  Maunder is also the first player to earn over $3000 with a total of $3040.00....

With the win, Maunder captures the John H. Davis Cup.  With a new playoff format in place, that sees 8 players get into the finals and compete in a one round stroke play event with the winner taking home the Cup.  This format left the door open for anyone to win, but Maunder did what he did all season and that's win.  The player standings from the John H. Davis Cup final round can be seen below.

2012 PGA of Canada Club Professional Champion Brian Hutton took home the CaddyPro Senior Order of Merit with 111 points.  John Davis finished in second with a total of 62 points.  The Senior Order of Merit was a point race contested over all 8 events and saw seven players over 50 years of age compete in the division.

Another season on the Golden Horseshoe Area Golf Tour has concluded in record breaking fashion.  
"Eddie had a wonderful season and he's such a great player to have compete on the GHT.  What he did this year from a win total and scoring average perspective was truly impressive and should not go unnoticed." says GHT President Jim Kenesky. "The lineup of golf courses were the best in years and not easy to score at such a consistent pace.  Ed earned every ounce of the John H. Davis Cup."

The Golden Horeseshoe Area Golf Tour will be entering it's 30th season in 2014 and promises to keep improving the player experience.  "I am extremely excited about the upcoming 30th season and the future of the GHT.  We have some unique ideas going forward that will help promote participation and increase payouts."  says GHT President Jim Kenesky.  "I understand we have many PGA of Canada professionals in the Hamilton/Halton region and I guarantee there will be something for everyone to play for while keeping the social aspect alive.  The new scoring software provided by Golf Genius Software has given us the opportunity to create many different events within one tournament.  It's going to be a great 2014 season"   

The GHT would like to thank all the host courses and players for supporting the Tour in 2013. Though the season is over the GHT still has the Two Man Team Event remaining on the schedule.  The Two Man Team Event is set to on Tuesday October 15 at Hidden Lake Golf Club and will feature teams comprised of two GHT Members or one GHT Member with one PGA of Canada Member playing in a 6-6-6 format.  

Waterdown ON - With Four wins, nearly double the money of the nearest player on the Underground Golf 2013 Money List, a 67.9 scoring average, and 5.14 birdies per round, it's easy to say Ed Maunder has the hot hand going into the Golden Horseshoe Area Golf Tour's final playoff round on Monday.

The new shootout format will make for some interesting story lines, but if Ed Maunder continues his GHT dominance on Monday at Rattlesnake Point Golf Club in Milton, he will raise the John H. Davis Cup for the first time.

Last season, heading into the finals, Maunder was winless but had the most consistent season of all the players, never dropping out of the top 5 in any event.  With one tournament remaining on the schedule, Maunder was knocking on the door in second place behind Yong Woo Kim.  However, a disappointing round of 76 at Glencairn dropped Maunder to third place.  Yong Woo Kim maintained his lead defeating Fraser McIntyre by 6.60 points.

This season Maunder got a bye into the GHT Elite 8 Finals as the Regular Season leader of the CaddyPro Order of Merit...  

Maunder got wins at Greystone, Trafalgar, Chedoke, and most recently Beverly G&CC.  No player has won 4 times in a single season.  The closest to that feat was Reg Millage in 2009 who played in only 5 events, won three times and was second and third in the other two events.

However, all the wins and all the statistical gems may be for not as the GHT Elite 8 will compete in a single round low gross shootout for the John H. Davis Cup on Monday at Rattlesnake Point.  The full list of players competing for the John H. Davis Cup are as follows:

• 1. Ed Maunder - 67.9 scoring avg, $2615.00 (1st), 4 wins, 36 birdies, 67 pars
• 2. Brian Hutton - 2012 PGA of Canada Club Professional Champion, 71.7 scoring avg, $1205.33 (3rd)
• 3. Mark MacDonald - 72.7 scoring avg, $807.83 (7th), 17 birdies, 59 pars
• 4. Kyle Gibson - 75.2 scoring avg, $475.33 (12th), 16 birdies, 54 pars
• 5. Alf Callowhill - 2013 PGA of Ontario Assistant's Champion, 72.2 scoring avg, $1415.33 (2nd), 1 win
• 6. Conor O'Shea - 2013 PGA of Ontario Match Play Champion, 70.3 scoring avg, $1197.50 (4th), 1 win
• 7. Bradlee Ryall - 69.3 scoring avg, $690.00 (9th), 16 birdies, 43 pars, 4 events played
• 8. Jim Kenesky - 2013 PGA of Ontario Assistant's Spring Champion, 71.4 scoring avg, $1162.50 (5th)

Looking at the list of players, there are two players that stand out as statistical underdogs.  Don't let the stats trick you.  Mark MacDonald of Blue Springs put together his best season on the GHT and has become a very consistent player over the last two seasons.  Kyle Gibson of King's Forest made his way into the playoffs via some high rolling rounds that saw him threaten leads in the last two events played, not to mention he hits it a mile and can make birdies as quick as anyone.

However, it's hard to count out the likes of Brian Hutton the highest ranked GHT member in the PGA of Canada Player Rankings (9th).  Alf Callowhill the 2011 John H. Davis Cup Champion and 2013 PGA of Ontario Assistant's Champion.  Conor O'Shea the 2013 PGA of Ontario Match Play Champion and one of the most explosive talents on the GHT. 

Consistent Players such as Jim Kenesky and Bradlee Ryall will also give Maunder and the rest of the Elite 8 some cause for concern as their names always seem to be close to the top of the leader boards when the GHT gets together for an event.  Both players struggled coming down the stretch at Beverly, but held on to what would be the final two spots in the GHT Elite 8. 


When it's all said and done and the winner takes home the John H. Davis Cup, one thing is certain... they will have earned their spot on the trophy.  Stay tuned throughout the day on Monday for live scoring and twitter updates.  It's sure to be a great final round of the GHT Season.   

Waterdown ON - The 2013 Golden Horseshoe Area Golf Tour (GHT) has been dominated by one individual.  However, this can all change in the new playoff format for the Race to the John H. Davis Cup.  

Ed Maunder (Deerfield Golf Club) is on a record setting pace this season in both scoring average and prize money earned.  Not to mention he lead the Caddy Pro Order of Merit by 36 points at the end of the regular season that concluded on August 15.  His 119 points were almost equal to the total points Yong Woo Kim accumulated after 8 events last season to capture the title.

The 2013 edition of the GHT Playoffs for the John H. Davis Cup sees a change in format.  This year the top 16 players from the Caddy Pro Order of Merit will duel it out in two rounds of stoke play with a twist.  The twist is as follows, in the first round of the playoffs on September 16th at Beverly Golf & Country Club, spots 2 through 16 on the Order of Merit (Ed Maunder gets a bye into the finals as the Regular Season point leader) will play in a one round stroke play event with the low 7 players qualifying for the finals on October 7th.  In the finals, the 8 qualified players will then compete in another single round stroke play event with the lowest gross of the 8 players taking home the John H. Davis Cup....

"The Change in format was put in place to create a little more excitement and incentive for a player to get in the playoffs."  Says GHT President Jim Kenesky.  "Last year only 4 competitors were in line to win the John H. Davis Cup at the start of the playoffs.  So this year we decided that if a player makes it to September 16th, you should still have a chance to win it all." 

If this change was implemented last year, Ciaran McAleavey (Glen Abbey) would have qualified as the 14th player.  He then went on to win the final two events of the season and under the new format would have been crowned the John H. Davis Cup Champion.  However, he ended 5th which was the highest finish possible based on his points earned.

"Once the players see how this plays out, I think their feedback will be extremely positive." Kenesky says. "It may result in a benign finish with those we expect taking home the Cup.  But, I'm confident there will be some surprises as we come down the stretch at Glencairn.  Also, with the addition of live scoring from Golf Genius Software the results will be available minutes after play is complete."

The TOP 16

• Ed Maunder (Deerfield GC)
• Alf Callowhill (Glen Abbey Academy)
• Jim Kenesky (Golf Genius Software)
• Brian Hutton (Trafalgar G&CC)
• Brett Walker (Hidden Lake GC)
• Conor O'Shea (Piper's Heath)
• Jim Zwolak (Glen Abbey Academy)
• Mark MacDonald (Blue Springs)
• Bradlee Ryall (Braeben Academy)
• Reg Millage (The Golf Lab)
• Mark Napier (Glen Abbey)
• Jeff Lunn (Glendale)
• Kyle Gibson (King's Forest)
• John C. Davis (Joshua Creek)
• Ciaran McAleavey (Glen Abbey)
• Stephen Marshall (Golf Town Hamilton)

Beverly Golf & Country Club is a solid golf course that will bring all the players onto an even playing field.  With it's shortish length and tight landing areas, it will see most of the Top 16 playing from similar positions and does not favour the long hitter.  

The GHT Playoffs for the John H. Davis Cup will be exciting and fun to watch unfold.  Check in often on Monday Spetember 16 for up to the minute scoring and results from the day.  View scores by visiting Event Scoring.