OFSAA golf report: Ben strikes again
A.N. Myer’s Ben MacLean capped a fantastic season of golf by winning the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations championship by two strokes.
The Grade 12 student at A.N. Myer carded a matching pair of 70s at Glen Eagle Golf Club in Bolton to add another tournament victory to his already impressive resume.
The OFSAA triumph followed on the heels of his four-stroke victory at the Golf Ontario Junior Super Camp. MacLean fired rounds of 71, 64 and 65 at the Ambassador Golf Club in Windsor. MacLean was second on Golf Ontario’s Order of Merit coming into the event and his victory allowed him the claim that honour as well.
“I have had a pretty good season so far,” understated MacLean.
His season included: ninth at the Ontario Spring Classic; second at the Ontario junior championship; fourth at the Canadian junior championship; and, fifth at the Team Canada selection camp, which earned him a spot on the national team.
“Normally I find that I have one good week and then you are kind of lost the next week and you don’t play as well but I feel that I was very good this year at staying consistent,” the Cherry Hill member said.
That consistency was the product of a lot of hard work on mechanics and getting stronger that MacLean put in in the wintertime.
“We were stuck in a lockdown and I we didn’t get out of it until the end of May so my season started pretty late compared to most of the kids in Canada that I was playing against,” the 17-year-old said. “But all the work I put in in the offseason in getting technically better and stronger paid off.”
Winning OFSAA was an added feather in his cap.
“The Golf Ontario events rank higher for me but it is definitely pretty cool to win OFSAA.”
He is excited about taking the next step in his golf progression.
“Everything I did this summer and last winter has made be better and I am going to continue with that kind of stuff,” MacLan said. “I am not going to change much but I want to continually get stronger and maybe fix a few things in my game. Technically I am pretty good but it’s learning more about the game and getting better in that way.”
Many of MacLean’s competitors go to the United States to play more tournaments but his season is now done.
“I have never been big into that. I have always stayed in Canada but maybe next summer I will go down to the States and do a couple of events.”
MacLean will be heading to the States next fall to play NCAA Division 1 golf.
“The coach kind of knows that I am going there but I haven’t made it official yet,” he said. “I will be making a post about it in the next couple of weeks.”
Making that choice is a load off of MacLean’s mind.
“I came into this season a bit worried about whether I was going to get any offers based on how I played the previous year but I had a pretty good season and I ended up getting offers from Kent State, Michigan State, Penn State and others.”
His final decision was based on a number of factors.
“It was the past history of the program and the coaches that are there right now. Also, school in the States is definitely pretty expensive so you have to base decisions on what is financially doable for your family.”
MacLean wasn’t the only Niagara golfer to medal at OFSAA. Sir Winston Churchill’s Morgan Daly finished second in the high school boys division with rounds of 71 and 83. The high school division is for players who didn’t compete in a provincial or national event in the previous 12 months.
Also in the high school division, Blessed Trinity Cole Thompson tied for 11th with an 83 and 80; Blessed Trinity Hudson Mielko tied for 14th with an 81 and 83; Blessed Trinity John Kingdon tied for 17th with an 86 and 80; and, Blessed Trinity Caleb Shorthouse tied for 20th with a 90 and 78
At the OFSAA girls golf festival at Sawmill, Sir Winston Churchill’s Casey Kenney (81-81) and Port Colborne’s Mikayla Lacey (82-80) tied for fifth in the open girls division. Skylar Kew won the event by six strokes after carding rounds of 76 and 75
Blessed Trinity’s Mya Mackey came third in the high school girls division with rounds of 93 and 88. Saint Francis’ Alexis Alderson tied for fifth with rounds of 91 and 95. Saint-Jean-de-Brébeuf’s Emma Leitch finished in a tie for 10th after carding rounds of 97 and 93. Blessed Trinity’s Maddisan Wickman finished in 21st place after rounds of 113 and 114.
