For as much as the final day of competition at the Sudbury Ryder Cup all boils down to that “mano a mano” classic individual showdown that is a match play golf event, the truth is the first two days are all about the pairings.
Yes, the Timberwolf Golf Club nine came through in the crunch, securing 6.5 of a possible eight available points on Sunday, pulling away with an 11 – 7.5 victory over the Idylwylde Golf & Country Club (with Lively Golf Club at 5.5) - but to a man, they will laud the importance of the dynamics of the pairings on the first two days of play.
Doubles team play on Friday (at the Idylwylde) and Saturday (at Timberwolf) might feature a slightly different template (best ball vs alternate shot, etc.), but the chemistry within both settings remains critical.
“I think it’s less about the format and more about who gels with who,” suggested Scott Whalen, a five time Ryder participant (four times with Timberwolf) and one of seven members of the championship winning team who have all been part of the 2024 – 2026 three-peat.
“Jay (Jewett) and Matt (Dumontelle): that’s basically a pairing every year because they gel so well together,” continued the 37 year-old who captured the city high-school crown in both 2005 and 2006 while representing St Charles College.
“Joey Kremer and I have typically been a pairing – and we gel together well. Alex Fowke and Logan West – they are probably going to be a pairing for many years because they seem to gel.”
Joining Whalen as part of the three-peat club for Timberwolf are Matt Dumontelle, Jay Jewett, Kyle Lekun, Joey Kremer and siblings Alex and Ben Fowke, with Logan West and Nolan Blum rounding out the roster in 2026.
Just playing the Sudbury Ryder on multiple occasions is clearly a benefit, garnering experience from the local July tradition that pits the three local golf clubs noted above in a head to head matchup based loosely on the USA – European showdown that has become must-watch TV.
Still, Whalen noted that there are also a few other key takeaways for returnees to the scene. “I think you start to get used to the guys on the team, become more comfortable with the pairings,” he said. “We definitely have that on our team.”
A 31 year-old who hails originally from the Muskoka region but has called Sudbury home for the past decade or so, Nolan Blum was participating in his second Ryder tournament, part of the 2023 Timberwolf team that was overtaken on day three by a Lively crew that capitalized fully on home course advantage that year.
While pretty much all who participate have played some individual match play battles, the notion of then expanding to a group of four doubles match play format is something of a Ryder mainstay.
“Every format brings its own unique challenges,” said Blum, who edged Idylwylde newcomer Ethan Burton on the final hole Sunday for a 1-up triumph. “In the pairings, you can lean on your partners a little bit. There’s some strategy with who you pick to send out together.”
Cracking the roster of a well-tenured bunch who were coming off back to back wins turned out to be all that Blum could have asked for – and more. “We’ve got a great group of guys at Timberwolf who play together all the time,” he said. “It’s awesome any time I get a chance to tee it up with the boys.”
“There’s always pressure coming down to the end – but that’s the fun of it, to put yourself in these positions. That’s what it’s all about.”
In fact, part of the fun of covering the event on an annual basis lies in having the chance to observe how first-timers adjust to the environment after working so hard to make their way on to the team, proudly donning club colours.
Not only was Ethan Burton joined by Ryan Di Salle and Tommy Vlahos as freshman on an Idylwylde team that was looking to recapture the hardware they last hoisted in 2021 (closing out of a four-year run of their own at that time), but the two former Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School teammates (Burton and Di Salle) also went two for two in picking up pairs victories on Day 1 and Day 2 of the duel.
“We’re good buddies; we have good chemistry,” said Di Salle, just 18 years old and coming off his first appearance in the Championship Flight of the Idylwylde Invitational last summer. “We both have the same type of temperament and energy. We’re both competitive and fiery on the golf course.”
While the format of the Ryder is likely the most glaring curveball that is thrown in the direction of 24 or so of the city’s top golfers, even the three-day rotation of courses is something that is seldom seen in any other tournament around.
“I’ve played them all – but never done it one day after the other and the next,” said Di Salle. “I am obviously very comfortable at the Idy – but I have never been great here (Lively). At (SDSSAA) cities, I struggled. I played okay, but not up to what I would like.”
“The layout gets me. It might be shorter (than the Idylwylde), but I find it plays longer.”
In other golf news of note, Camden Poirier of the Idylwylde has qualifed for the Ontario Junior Boys Match Play Championship taking place from July 20th to the 22nd at Smugglers Glen Golf Course in Lansdowne. Poirier is also one of three local boys who will represent Northern Ontario at the Ontario Summer Games, joined by Ryder Coe and Carter Baron as well as Manitoulin Island golfers Noah Thorpe and Rylan Carrick.
The Northern Ontario girls team features the Sudbury troika of Lia Gallo, Elliott Boyles and Amy Smith, with Dan Smith coaching the girls team and Robbie Coe guiding the young men.
