JUNIOR GOLFER BRYCE BURRIDGE WINS 2026 JEFFREY REED COURAGE AWARD
14-YEAR-OLD LONDONER HONOURED FOR COURAGE ON, OFF GOLF COURSE
Photo (L-R) Bryce Burridge with LondonOntarioSports.com publisher and editor Jeffrey Reed.
January 9, 2026 (London, ONT) – LondonOntarioSports.com (est. 2015), London’s Trusted Source for Sports News & Information, announces 14-year-old golfer Bryce Burridge of London as winner of the 2026 Jeffrey Reed Courage Award. Burridge is the youngest recipient of the Heart Award, presented since 2016 to a Southern Ontario athlete who demonstrates courage on and off the playing field.
Jeffrey Reed, London Majors 2000. Photo: LondonOntarioSports.com.
LondonOntarioSports.com publisher and editor Jeffrey Reed, and his wife, Elizabeth, established the Courage Award, presented by the web publication, in order to allow local athletes the opportunity to inspire countless others with their stories of courage. Jeffrey is a disabled athlete who was given little chance to walk properly, and was told he would never be able to play competitive sports because of numerous skeletal deformities. Yet Jeffrey pitched and coached – at age 39 – with the London Majors of the Intercounty Baseball League, and later became a golf teaching pro and brand ambassador. He sported a plus-handicap index before worsening disabilities and sports injuries prematurely ended his golf career.
One of the most accomplished local junior golfers in recent memory, Bryce has faced much adversity en route to the winner’s podium. In September 2023, his mother, Dawn Marie, died of cancer at age 53. Bryce suffered a debilitating injury in 2024 when he broke his collarbone playing hockey. And with reading and writing difficulties, he has taken the initiative to work with a tutor and TVRA guidance department to achieve his ultimate high school grades.
Despite his challenges, Bryce has kept his eye on the prize, winning numerous golf tournaments in Canada and the U.S. while making local golf history. A Grade 10 student at London’s Saunders Secondary School, Bryce became the first Grade 9 TVRA student athlete to win the boys’ golf championship in 2024. He captured back-to-back titles in 2025. Sporting a +4.1 handicap index, he captured the 2025 Ontario Boys U15 golf championship in a playoff, and won the ‘25 WOSSAA boys’ golf championship while helping the Sabres capture the team title. Also in ’25, he finished T7 at OFSAA, T26 at the Canadian U15 Boys championship and second at the Florida-hosted U.S. Kids Golf PGA Golf Club Invitational
“Bryce may be the youngest Heart Award winner, but he has the heart of a lion and an incredible story which will now inspire a larger audience,” said Jeffrey. “Bryce has excelled in the classroom and, working with mentors, has already accomplished amazing feats on and off the golf course. After his mother died in 2023, he relied even more on golf for a sense of normalcy while fighting ferociously with the heart of champion. He also fought back from a broken collar bone suffered while playing hockey, put his skates on the shelf and decided to focus 100-per-cent on golf. LondonOntarioSports.com is fortunate to be able to share Bryce’s story, and we congratulate him on winning the 11th Annual Jeffrey Reed Courage Award.”
Bryce Burridge. Photo: Golf Ontario.
At age 3, Bryce had already shown golf skills well beyond his years. He played in his first tournament at age 5. Yet he wasn’t a child prodigy in the style of Tiger Woods. In fact, Bryce has worked tirelessly to hone his skills on the golf course, which in recent years has proven to be a blessing to both him and his family – his dad, Rick, and his older sisters, Chloe, 22, and Meghan, 20.
In the classroom, Bryce has shown much initiative for someone his age as he has reached out for assistance to achieve the best high school grades possible – he is anything but complacent, on and off the golf course. Said Bryce, “I continue to work very hard in the classroom, and I’m getting good grades.” Rick said that he’s “very proud of Bryce. Some of us have to work harder to achieve things in life, but we get to the same spot because of the hard work.”
Bryce’s best days on and off the golf course are ahead of him, and he’s working hard in preparation for a bright future. In fact, his work ethic alone stands out amongst the crowded leaderboard of life. And a solid foundation provided by his loving family adds to his championship demeanour. Said Rick, “We’ve had a couple of very tough years since I lost my wife to cancer. Golf initially took a back seat, obviously. But we did play locally as much as we could. Hopefully, we’re all coming out of it stronger as a family. And without a doubt, golf helped us heal.”
“My (2025) U.S. Kids golf tournament experience and the organization has helped me grow into the golfer I am today,” said Bryce after posting rounds of 71-70—141 (-3) at The Fortress in Frankenmuth, Michigan. In 2024, Bryce also won at that event, and won at the Notah Begay III event – staged by Dickson Golf which is supporting Bryce’s golf journey. He’s also backed by TaylorMade Golf Canada.
“We’re also fortunate to have the support of so many local golf people,” said Rick. Those supporters include Bryce’s home club, Highland Country Club; Sunningdale Golf and Country Club where Bryce’s swing coach, Mark Elliott, offers instruction; Bob Martin and Bob’s Golf Range; Colin Robertson of Robertson Golf Academy; and Joe Barnes of Fanshawe Golf School. London Hunt and Country Club also reached out and invited Bryce to play that club for the first time when he returned from Golf Canada’s 2025 Boys U15 Championship.
The Burridge family is extremely sports-oriented. Rick is a long-time golfer. Both Chloe and Meghan have reached the elite level as gymnasts – Meghan is now an artist/athlete with Cirque du monde, Studio Cirque and Le Petit Cirque. Said Rick, “Bryce saw how his sisters worked hard at their sports for 30 hours a week, so that has helped him along the way. And he’s doing what he loves to do.” Added Bryce, “I’m enjoying all of the friendships I have playing golf and enjoying a sport I love.”
Other notable finishes for Bryce in 2025 included: first place, Michigan State U. Invitational; fifth, Under Armour World Championship; and fifth, AJGA All-Star Classic at Quail Creek CC. He has numerous 2026 events on his radar, including the Myrtle Beach-hosted Ontario Players Invitational in March; Ontario NextGen tournament in May; and both the Ontario U17 Boys and Junior Matchplay events.
A promising minor hockey player with his Bantam AA team before breaking his collarbone, Bryce now focuses on golf. Today, he aspires to play on the PGA Tour – but said his favourite golfer is another lefty, LIV golfer Bubba Watson. “I love how Bubba shapes the ball,” Bryce explained. “I can do the same thing. And I love to drive the ball straight down the fairway 300 yards. The driver is definitely my favourite club, but I work hard at my iron and wedge game, and with my putter.”
Bryce Burridge. Photo: AJGA.
When they’re not hopscotching from one golf course to another, the Burridge family enjoys putting at home and hitting golf balls into their simulator in the garage. During the winter months, Bryce hits 200 balls each day in addition to practicing his putting. Competing against junior golfers in the U.S. who can play golf during the entire year can be challenging, Bryce said, but his formula and work ethic have been a great one-two punch thus far. He said, “We show up at tournaments two days early so I can practice on the grass, and putt 100 balls. Then, I go out and try to win.”
Bryce did not compete on the Junior Tyson Tour in 2025, but in ’24 he won the only Tyson Tour event he entered, at Tarandowah Golfers Club. What does the future hold for Bryce? He aspires to play NCAA Division I golf, of course, with Texas, Georgia and Wake Forest at the top of his list. And, of course, his long-term goal is obtaining his PGA Tour card. Until then, Bryce is living in the moment.
“I’m very surprised and honoured to receive the Jeffrey Reed Courage Award,” said Bryce. “I’ve read Jeff’s story about playing for the London Majors and about becoming a golf professional. It is very inspiring. So thank you for allowing me to be the youngest winner of the Courage Award. I never thought I would have the opportunity to inspire others at such a young age, but I am happy to have the opportunity.”
“Bryce’s father calls him ‘a fighter – he works hard for everything he achieves,’” Reed added. “As a disabled person, I live that life every day. Very few people thought my dream of pitching for the London Majors would ever come to fruition, and few believed I would ever become a skilled golfer. But like Bryce, I worked harder than everyone else, worked with mentors and never stopped chasing my dreams.”
LondonOntarioSports.com will honour Bryce with the Jeffrey Reed Courage Award on Friday, April 17 at RiverBend Golf Community in London. Ticket purchases will be available soon – watch LondonOntarioSports.com and its social media platforms for details.
Jeffrey Reed Courage Award Winners – Biographies at https://londonontariosports.com/jeffrey-reed-courage-award-bios/
2016 Chelsea Zavitz
2017 Ali Vlasman
2018 Danielle Austin
2019 Claire Linton
2020 Preston Swan-Merrison
2021 Amanda Lynn Mayhew
2022 Madison Wilson Walker
2023 Natashia Stasiuk
2024 Nick Heffernan
2025 Chris Lauzon
2026 Bryce Burridge
Read Jeffrey Reed’s story of hope and determination – Diamond Dream – at https://londonontariosports.com/community/diamond-dream/diamond-dream-jeffrey-reeds-inspirational-story/.
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For more information and images, please contact:
Jeffrey Reed, Publisher & Editor, LondonOntarioSports.com 519/643-6334 jeff@londonontariosports.com
Rick Burridge 519/673-9399 rburridge@pemnet.com
About the Jeffrey Reed Courage Award
Est. 2016 by Jeffrey and Elizabeth Reed, and presented by LondonOntarioSports.com, the Jeffrey Reed Courage Award is presented to a Southern Ontario athlete – any age, any ability – who inspires others with their courage on and off the playing field. A disabled athlete with numerous skeletal deformities, Jeffrey beat the odds as a pitcher and coach with the London Majors of the Intercounty Baseball League. Later, he became a golf teaching pro and brand ambassador before his disabilities and sports injuries ended his career in 2020. LondonOntarioSports.com presents each Courage Award winner with a commemorative plaque, a place on an annual plaque and a biography on the Courage Award wall of fame at LondonOntarioSports.com (est. 2015), London’s Trusted Source for Sports News & Information.
