Eastern Michigan Athletics
Hill Bows Out of the Canadian Amateur Championship
8/17/2007 11:58:44 AM | Men's Golf
Senior-to-be falls in the final four round to No. 8 Nick Taylor
SASKATOON, Sask. –– Eastern Michigan University men's golfer Graham Hill's (Brights Grove, Ontario-Northern Collegiate (Indiana (Pa.)) stellar run through the 103rd Annual Canadian Men's Amateur Championship came to an end Thursday afternoon at the Riverside Golf and Country Club. Hill, ranked fourth in the tournament, fell to No. 8 Michael Knight 1-up.
Hill and Knight were back and forth all-day long and neither was able to take control through the first 17 holes. On the 18th, Hill pulled his approach shot into the left greenside bunker, while Knight hit the middle of the green leaving him a 25-foot putt for birdie. Hill was away and hit his bunker shot 18 inches past the hole. Knight put his birdie putt six inches short and Hill conceded his par leaving only Hill’s short putt to halve the hole and extend the match.
Hill’s putt lipped out giving Knight the victory and a spot into the final-match against third-seeded Nick Taylor.
Earlier in the morning, Hill defeated No. 12 Mitchell Gills, 4&2, to advance into the final four. Hill's other victories in the tournament came against Scott Genoway in the first round (1-up), Charles Fitzsimmons in the second round (1-up) and Zach MacDougal (4&2) in the third round.
The prestigious national event runs from Aug. 10-17 and will crown Canada’s top male amateur golfer. The championship consists of both stroke and match play. The stroke-play portion of the event was played over 36 holes. The field was then reduced to 64 players after 36 holes qualifying for the match play portion of the championship.
As part of the RCGA’s Pathway to Champions, the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship will also see a pair of exemptions earned into the 2008 Canadian Open. Both the champion and runner-up will compete against the PGA Tour’s finest next July when Canada’s national Open championship returns to Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.
A complete list of players, starting times and post-round results for the 103rd playing of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship can be found at www.rcga.org.
ABOUT THE ROYAL CANADIAN GOLF ASSOCIATION
The Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) is the governing body of golf in Canada, representing 377,000 members at 1650 clubs across the country. Some of the RCGA’s core services include the Rules of Golf, handicapping and course rating, support of turfgrass and environmental research, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum and CN Future Links, Canada’s national junior golf program. In addition, the RCGA conducts Canada’s most prestigious golf championships. The Canadian Open and CN Canadian Women’s Open attract the best professional golfers in the world, while six regional junior championships, 10 national amateur championships and the CN Canadian Women’s Tour showcase the best of Canadian golf. For more information please visit www.rcga.org.
