Orillia's Spencer Shropshire has cemented himself as one of Canada's top young golfers after clinching the juvenile division crown at the Canadian Junior Golf Championships near Calgary on Friday.
Heading into the tournament, Shropshire, 16, was hoping for a top-25 finish, but he knew he had what it took to win.
"I didn't expect to win, but I knew it was possible," he said.
He played a solid first couple of rounds, sinking almost all his most challenging putts. He was 12 under par after the first two days of the tournament.
"I actually felt pretty confident the whole week," he said. "I didn't really feel any nerves, which is good."
Going into the final day, Shropshire glued his eyes to the leaderboard. He knew the whole time where he stood in comparison to those chasing his top spot. He held on to win by two strokes.
"When I got to the last hole, I had a four-shot lead. I knew it was essentially over," he said.
On the final hole, he says, he took the opportunity to enjoy the moment.
"It's my biggest win so far," he said.
Shropshire says the tournament was a culmination of all of his hard work throughout the year.
"It was awesome," he said. "The whole year has led to that moment, so I'd say it was pretty fulfilling."
While most of his friends and family were back home in Orillia during the event, his grandmother was with him to celebrate the win.
"It was pretty sick," he said. "Some tears were shed."
When Shropshire left the course, his phone was inundated with calls and texts from his biggest fans back home.
"That's what you work so hard for," he said. "When you win, it feels awesome to share in that with family and friends."
The Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School student hopes his impressive victory will get him some more looks from Division I schools in the NCAA.
"I'm sure it'll unlock a lot of doors for me in future," he said. "To know I can compete with the best is huge for my confidence."
There is little time for Shropshire to indulge in his victory; he is back on the links Sunday in Timmins, where he is competing for the U17 Golf Ontario juvenile championship.
"I flew in this morning, landed at 6:30, and got to the range around 10," he explained. "I'm just trying to refocus for tomorrow."
He expects to be in contention on the final day of his next championship tournament. He says the key to victory will be repeating his performance from last week's tournament.
