by Jeffrey Reed, Editor, LondonOntarioGolf.com

Photos: St. Thomas G&CC

Eight years after his first Early Bird Tournament championship, Charles Fitzsimmons of Thornhill is again the winner at St. Thomas Golf and Country Club.

Posting rounds of 71-69–140 (-4) at the par-72, 7,000-yard Union course, mid-amateur golfer Fitzsimmons finished four strokes ahead of runner-up Nathaniel Gray Lamont of Guelph. A former Eastern Michigan University and later Ohio University golfer, Gray was T3 with Fitzsimmons after Saturday’s opening round.

Playing under cool, windy conditions at the tough track, Fitzsimmons recorded four birdies and one bogie en route to his second Early Bird title, following his tournament win in 2017. In fact, he was the only golfer in the field to record two rounds under par. His Sunday 3-under 69 was bettered only by Russell Bowie’s Saturday 4-under 68 which had put the Mississauga golfer atop the Round One leaderboard.

“Charles’ 4-under score is very impressive, especially given the windy conditions over the weekend,” said St. Thomas G&CC head golf professional Jake Adams.

A former long-time Western Mustangs standout and much-decorated champion, Fitzsimmons captured the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship in 2021 and ’22. He’s a well-respected sports psychologist and on board with both Golf Ontario and Golf Canada as a team mental performance coach.

“The course was in amazing shape as always – full credit to superintendent Beaudoin and his greens staff,” said Fitzsimmons. “It was set up well to provide a variety of challenges, especially in the tough conditions. Again, full credit to head golf professional Jake Adams and his staff.

“The Early Bird setup is always one of the toughest we see all year, and adding the cold weather and windy conditions made it even harder. It took a lot of physical preparation to get my body ready to play each day and a lot of mental focus to handle the challenges of the course and the competition. There were a lot of great players in the field so I knew I was going to have to play my best to win. My game was solid going into the tournament, but you never know what to expect,” added Fitzsimmons, who said he is “humbled and honoured to be a part of the tournament’s amazing history.”

Fitzsimmons called St. Thomas G&CC “one of my favourite places on the planet!”

2024 Early Bird winner Julian Colavecchia of Toronto finished T25 yesterday.

Nathan Smardenka of Toronto captured the B Flight championship at 6-over 150, four strokes better than Andrew Gradish of Tillsonburg.

For a complete history of the Early Bird and a detailed preview of this year’s event, click here.