Burlington's Werynski caps off high-school golf career with second OFSAA medal

About halfway to the hole, Ty Werynski knew it was going in.

He likely didn’t need to sink the 25-foot putt, but what a way to cap his high school golf career. When the birdie putt fell, it earned the Corpus Christi senior his second Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations medal.

Werynski, who won the gold medal in the high school division two years ago, took the silver medal in the open division Thursday with his playoff victory over St. Andrew’s College’s James McNair.

“I was so happy for him,” said Corpus Christi coach Ryan Kohen. “To see that last putt at OFSAA drop, that’s special.”

The 17-year-old entered the second and final round in eighth place after an opening round 72 that included an eagle and three birdies at the Ambassador Golf Club in Windsor. Though Ancaster’s Lucas Smith blazed his way to a 65 and a four-shot lead, Werynski tried not to concern himself with the competition.

“I just wanted to put the lowest score I could,” he said. “That’s all I can do.”

Shaking off an early bogey in the final round, Werynski got on a roll. Despite the windy conditions, he was consistently keeping his drives in the fairway and capitalizing by hitting greens. He made a birdie on the fourth hole, kicking off a run of five over the next nine holes.

Werynski would be the only golfer to break 70 on the day, shooting 69. Though Smith’s lead proved to be much to overcome, Werynski did pull into second place with a two-day total of 141. McNair needed a birdie on 18 to force the silver-medal playoff.

Werynski, who committed to the University of Memphis next year, came into the high school season with his game in top form. In August he was runner-up at the Ontario Junior Match Play Championship, winning five straight matches and then taking the championship match to the final hole.

Werynski wasn’t alone on his second-day charge at OFSAA. Corpus Christi finished the opening day in eighth place, but rallied to finish tied for third. William Finnerty, who had three birdies on the front nine on his way to a 76, and Jakob Bjorklund each improved by four shots while Kiefer Sharman knocked 14 shots off his opening round to finish with an 80.

“They absolutely came together on the second day,” Kohen said. “It was a very special group. They were like a family. Their focus was making third. They knew that was in their reach and they bonded over that.”

“We knew we didn’t play our best and left a lot of shots out there (in the first round),” Werynski said.

Corpus Christi made up a seven-shot deficit to tie Toronto’s Crescent School for third with a two-day score of 466 to force a playoff. This time the playoff would not go the Longhorns’ way. Crescent School took the bronze on the first playoff hole, narrowly denying the Longhorns their first OFSAA team medal since winning bronze in 2017.

The Corpus Christi team, all in the senior year, posted a comfortable 11-stroke victory over St. Thomas More to win the GHAC championship at Piper’s Heath in Milton to qualify for OFSAA. The tournament featured another highlight by a Burlington golfer as Nelson’s Ryan Dallimore had a hole-in-one on the 145-yard sixth hole.

At the OFSAA girls’ golf championship at Batteaux Creek Golf Club in Collingwood, Nelson’s Natasha Korman finished tied for fifth in the open division. She shot rounds of 72 and 76 for a two-day total of 148, four shots off the lead.

Korman, like Werynski, made the final of the Ontario Junior Match Play Championship in August. She was edged by Shauna Liu on the second extra hole in the final.