McCreith goes wire-to-wire to win SportsKlub Open
- SportsKlub Staff
- Aug 17
- 3 min read
Updated: 6 hours ago
Josh McCreith fires a 76 at Lake St. George, holding off Jesse Bremner and Austin Patrick after taking a two-shot advantage into the back nine
Josh McCreith grabbed the lead early and never gave it back, carding a 76 to capture the 2026 SportsKlub Open at Lake St. George Golf Club.
But the final four-shot margin doesn't quite tell the story of a round in which Jesse Bremner and Austin Patrick remained within striking distance for much of the afternoon.
McCreith was the steadiest golfer in the field from the opening tee, avoiding the big numbers that hurt several of his challengers and making the turn with a two-stroke advantage.
Through four holes, McCreith had opened with rounds of 5-4-5-4, putting him at 18. Patrick was two shots behind at 20, while Bremner sat at 20 as well after opening 6-4-5-5.
McCreith continued to give his pursuers few opportunities on holes five through nine.
He played the five-hole stretch in 21 strokes, including three consecutive fours to finish the front nine, and made the turn with a 39. Bremner and Patrick were deadlocked for second at 41.
It left the SportsKlub Open very much up for grabs entering the back nine, with only two strokes separating first from third. Shawn McManus was next at 44 after an adventurous opening nine that included one of the shots of the day. McManus made a 2 on the second hole, bouncing back immediately after opening with an eight.
Liam MacDougall reached the turn at 47, Rob McMinn at 48 and Connor Woodbeck at 53.
The tournament began to tilt McCreith's way after the turn.
McCreith opened the back nine with a four before taking a six on No. 11 and responding immediately with another four on No. 12.
Bremner went 5-6-5 over the same three-hole stretch, while Patrick's push suffered its biggest setback with a 6-7-4 sequence. That stretch gave McCreith some breathing room. Still, Bremner wasn't finished.
One of the best holes of his afternoon came at No. 16, where he recorded a 3, giving him a late opportunity to put some pressure on the leader.
McCreith answered. After a five on No. 16, he delivered perhaps his biggest hole of the tournament with a 3 on No. 17. With the finish line in sight, McCreith followed it with a four on the 18th to close out a back-nine 37. The result was a 39-37 split and a tournament-winning 76.
Bremner finished his round with a 39 on the back nine and an 80 overall, four strokes behind McCreith. Patrick, who had started the day firmly in the championship conversation and was tied with Bremner just two back at the turn, finished with a 42 on the back for an 83.
The leaderboard behind the top three featured plenty of memorable moments of its own.
McManus' two on No. 2 was the lowest individual hole shown on the scorecard, while MacDougall matched the feat with a 2 on No. 17 late in his round.
McManus reached 85 through 16 holes, while McMinn was at 88 through 17. MacDougall completed the course with a 97 and Woodbeck finished at 99.
But the day belonged to McCreith.
His advantage was never overwhelming early. At the turn, two golfers were only two shots away. A mistake or two on the back nine could have completely changed the tournament.
Instead, McCreith kept putting fours and fives on the card, weathered the six at No. 11 and came up with a three on No. 17 when the tournament was nearly his.
It was enough to make him the 2026 SportsKlub Open champion.
With the victory, Josh McCreith becomes a two-time Green Jacket champion, adding the 2026 SportsKlub Open to his growing résumé on the Rick Grant Landscaping Orillia Golf Tour.
The tour now heads back to Settlers’ Ghost Golf Club on Monday, Oct. 5 for its next stop. Players can register at sportsklub.ca/joingolf
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