Andre Zhu and Team Canada NextGen member Isaiah Ibit enter final round two and three shots off the pace
GATINEAU, Que. – Declan O’Donovan of Sydney, Australia fired a 6-under 64 on Wednesday to claim the top spot of the leaderboard at the 120th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO. O’Donovan’s lead caps off a busy round of international talents soaring into contention at The Royal Ottawa Golf Club in Gatineau, Que.
O’Donovan pulled in front of Jager Pain of Woodbridge, Ont. and Andre Zhu of Richmond Hill, Ont. on the 14th hole, converting on his fifth birdie putt of the day as the 36-hole co-leaders dropped shots.
An eagle at the scorable par-5 fifth electrified O’Donovan’s round on Wednesday, leading to six additional birdies and helping the Australian climb four places to hold the outright lead at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.
“It honestly put a kick in my step which was very nice,” commented O’Donovan of his early eagle to get the ball rolling on his round. “I went on a nice string of birdies on some tough holes later on,” he added.
The Australian – ranked no. 352 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) and one of five competing in the field – wasn’t the only international player to catch fire and make a charge on moving day. His 6-under 64 on Wednesday overtook Noa Auch-Roy of Lyon, France for the lowest score of the day, with the latter negating a trio of bogeys with eagles on Nos. 1 and 5 before playing his back nine 4-under par and rising 19 places.
Auch-Roy will open Thursday’s final round four strokes off the pace and in a tie for fourth alongside Calen Sanderson of Newtown, Pa. – who was able to claw his way into contention. Pain rounds out the trio at 6-under after following up three birdies in his first four holes with a 3-over finish on his back nine to close with an even par 70 on Wednesday. Zhu, who co-led the tournament alongside Pain after 36 holes, will tee off on Thursday alongside O’Donovan in the final group. Zhu carded a timely birdie on the par-4 16th to help recover from a double bogey at the pivotal 14th hole to move into the final grouping.
Team Canada NextGen member Isaiah Ibit of Orleans, Ont. led the Canadian charge throughout the third round and will open his quest for the Earl Grey Cup on Thursday after firing his lowest round of the tournament. Ibit birdied Nos. 16 and 18 to get to 7-under for the tournament, finishing his round at 3-under 67 to pull within three shots of O’Donovan.
O’Donovan, Zhu and Ibit will all tee off in Thursday’s final group at 10:10 a.m. EDT.
The Royal Ottawa Golf Club played nearly two strokes easier than Tuesday’s second round, prompting lower scoring and charges from various players that started their round outside the first page of the leaderboard on Wednesday. Cloudy conditions surrounded the Ottawa-Gatineau region throughout the third round and is expected to linger into Thursday.
As for the 54-hole leader, excitement stands as the only emotion O’Donovan has felt since exiting the 18th green on Wednesday, with a chance to come out victorious in less than 24 hours at one of golf’s oldest amateur championships
“I love playing golf and playing in different countries, this is another great opportunity,” commented the 22-year-old.
“There’s a lot of opportunity ahead of me but regardless of what happens tomorrow I’m still going to be playing golf the next day so as long as I stick with that mindset and stay aggressive, I’ll be very happy with whatever the result is.”
Thursday’s winner will receive a direct exemption into several marquee events, including a spot in the field at the 2026 RBC Canadian Open. Additionally, the Canadian Men’s Amateur champion will lock up a place in the 125th U.S. Amateur Championship, set for August 11-17 at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif. and will be fully exempt from local qualifying for the 2026 U.S. Amateur and 2026 U.S. Open. The winner – as well as the top 20 finishers – will also be exempt into next year’s Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship and will be able to defend their title, if eligible.
To view the full leaderboard after 54 holes, as well as scheduled tee times for Thursday’s final round of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO, please click here.
