Lai OFSAA girls golf champ

   The grade nine St. Joe's Rams athlete takes gold in a playoff

  October 19, 2025

By Rob J. Ross

BRAMPTON, Ont. - Andrea Lai is the 2025 OFSAA girls golf champion.

The Grade nine golfer from St. Joe's won the open division gold medal in a playoff October 16 at Lionhead golf club.

"I feel great about winning OFSAA. It was such a fun time playing and I'm glad my game came together," said Lai. "This is a pretty great accomplishment, definately top three for sure."

Lai and Adrianna Salalila of Lakefield College school, finished two rounds of 18 holes, tied in top spot at three-over 147 in the open division.

On the playoff hole, Lai made par, while Salalila took one more stroke for a bogey.

"I was really just keeping my mind clear really, not over thinking it," Lai said. "I just tried to roll it as close as I could. It was a challenge for sure."

Fourth after day one, with a two-over 74, Lai trailed by three strokes, co-leaders Salalila and Mona Zhao from Our Lady of the World Catholic Academy in Richmond Hill, both at one-under 71. Eliana Rabo from Richmond Hill St. Theresa sat third, with a one-over 73.

Four birdies on day two brought Lai even with Salalila. Lai actually made up three strokes on the par four hole five, with a par, while Salalila carded a seven.

Lai shot one-under over the final nine holes, including hole 16 with the greens on an island.

Zhao finished third with a two day total of five-over 149 (71,78) and Rabo, tied sixth (73,81).

Lai and Phoebe Li from Richmond Hill St. Theresa, shared the day two best score of one-over 73. Li finished tied 13th overall.

The daughter to Alvin and Shailine and sister to Avyanna, started playing golf at age four and entered her first tournament two years later.

Her career highlights have been named an AJGA junior all-star and playing at the Canadian Junior Women's tournament in August.

Lai only celebrated OFSAA gold for a few hours, before heading to her next tournament, a Junior Players Tour (JPT) stop in Niagara Falls, at Ussher's Creek Course, October 17-19.

Carrying momentum from OFSAA, Lai won the junior girls division (U19) by seven strokes, with rounds of 71-74-72, for a one-over 217.

The graduate of St. Anne's elementary closes the 2025 season with a tournament, the Notay Begay Nationals, later this month in Louisiana.

Lai is the first golfer from WOSSAA to win gold since Taylor Kehoe from Strathroy District in 2017.

Isabella Portokalis won gold in 2016, with Haley Barcley taking silver for a second consecutive year.

In 2012, Brooke Henderson (Smith Falls High) won OFSAA, with Courtney Tolton (Stratford St. Mike's) placing second.

Robin Doig, out of South Huron, shared first place in 2011, after finishing fourth in 2009 and third in 2008.

Haley Brown (2006, 2008) out of York Region, is the only two-time OFSAA champ. Jasmine Ly won in 2017 and placed second in 2018 and 2019.

Sarah Gallagher (Burlington Hayden) won OFSAA, when Pine Knot in Dorchester hosted the provincial championship in 2020.

    GIRLS OFSAA RESULTS                                        BOYS OFSAA RESULTS

OFSAA round up

St. Joe's Melissa Gillies placed 36th in the high school division, carding a two day total of 61-over 205 (98-107).

"It's a great experience. I'm really happy to be here," Gillies said. "Not my best performance, but I'm here. Definitely a hard course, but it's good to have a challenge."

In her first year playing 18 holes, after competing in B flight with nine hole events, Gillies learned the importance of the short game and how to get the best score when in trouble on a hole.

From WOSSAA in the high school division, Exeter South Huron's Lulu Stuckless placed tied 19th (92,98), while London Central's Taryn Vasarhelyi was tied 55th (115,103).

Alissa Lawrence from Aquinas won with two round total of 18-over 162 (83, 79), one shot better than Olivia Lee of Garth Webb high school.

At OFSAA boys golf in Lindsay, Andrew Sudicky from Dutton, with Saunders secondary school, placed fourth in the team standings.

Sudicky playing with an injury from hockey had two day scores of 80 and 79, for a share of 31st spot, in the open division.

"It was so much fun," said Sudicky. "It obviously sucked to play with a separated shoulder and have one of my teammates play through a sprained wrist, but we toughed it out and played well."

Teammate Bryce Burridge led Saunders, placing tied seventh in open with rounds of 74 and 75. Kaden LeClair was tied 23rd (91,81) and Jack Bennett, tied 29th (81,94), in the high school division.

Nathan Wolfkamp, from St. Marys DCVI, was tied 23rd (75,81).
 

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