Match play draws some of Ontario's best amateur golfers

The oldest match play tournament in Canada is set for another exciting weekend on the links beginning Friday night.

The 68th edition of Idylwylde's Men's Invitational Tournament kicks off Friday night when 192 local, provincial and national golfers vie for one of 64 seeds in match play Saturday and Sunday.

Chair Robbie Coe said Wednesday the event has become not only a premium tournament in the North, but one that has a strong reputation across the country.

"It's also nationally recognized because of the calibre of players that we attract," Coe said.

"There's not a lot tournaments that run match play. So the best players from colleges that are on scholarships like to come up because the Ontario Amateur, the Canadian Amateur, the U.S. Amateur are match play tournaments."

With match play, the top seeds from Friday will play one-on-one each hole. Winners are determined by who wins the most holes, rather than the total number of strokes.

Kyle Rank, who won last year, said the format is particularly helpful for someone like him who doesn't play as many tournaments as he used to, so his game is less consistent.

"My golf game is there some days and not the next, like most people's," Rank said Wednesday.

"I like the match play (format), because you can blow up on a hole and it only costs you one hole. If you're in a stroke play event, if you make a big number on one hole, that can be the end of it.”

It also allows duffers to take more risks, since a bad score on a single hole doesn't doom your chances of winning.

"So you can go for it on a few holes if you really need to. And that bodes well for my game now, because sometimes it's kind of inconsistent."

Rank played the Invitational several times before finally winning last year. He said gradually getting to know the ins and outs of the Idylwylde course gave him a definite advantage.

"It's a golf course that I think, the more you play, the more comfortable you get,” he said. “You learn that there's certain areas where you can miss a shot and it's not as penalizing as other places ... And last year I got lucky and played really well when I needed to.

“So I'm excited to get up there. I can't wait. It's always a highlight of my summer. I don't play in too many golf tournaments anymore, so to get to play three days in a row in a facility like that, it's pretty awesome."

Jason Picco, 20, is playing in the tournament for the second time, but he said he grew up watching players such as six-time champion Vince Palladino.

"I'm pretty excited about it,” Picco said. “This is my home course. I kind of grew up around this event, so it's nice to be a part of it now.

He's been a competitive golfer since he was 13, although he's been golfing since he was 10.

"It's such a fun atmosphere,” he said. “Even if you don't play well, it's always a good time.

"And there's a lot of great players around here. It's one of the reasons why I'm really keen on playing this tournament. There's a lot of good competition. And match play is just really fun to play."

While he'd like to win, Picco's more immediate goal is to do well enough Friday to qualify for the rest of the weekend.

"I think anything can happen from there, since it's match play."

Coe said they have a new sponsor, Scotia McLeod, which has agreed to back the tournament for the next four years. It will help guarantee the city and the club will continue to enjoy top flight golf for years to come – from future pros to what he calls the 'trunk slammers.'

"They say a trunk slammer is a golfer on the PGA tour, if he doesn't make the cut on Friday, he puts his clubs in the trunk, slams it and is off to the next tournament," Coe laughed, when asked to explain the term.

"We always attract probably 20 college kids that are scratch players. But the majority are trunk slammers that get to participate in the tournament alongside kids that could potentially turn pro."

Several former champions will be on hand Friday, including Palladino and Ryan Hagger.

Registration goes Thursday evening, with a hole shootout and long drive contest beginning at 6 p.m.