Bracketed between the ages of roughly 19 and somewhere in the neighbourhood of 27 or 28 is arguably the deepest group of young male golfers that Sudbury has seen at any particular point in time.
Every couple of weeks, pretty much every summer now, someone from this collection of talent will step forward and do something special, something particularly noteworthy.
Sunday afternoon at the Idylwylde Invitational, it was time for Johnny Svalina to shine.
With much of the afore-mentioned local golf community among the large throng on hand, following every shot, the 19 year-old junior at Wagner College and graduate of Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School etched his name in immortality, earning a hard fought playoff hole win in the championship flight final opposite North Bay standout Ryan Neil.
And as has been the case with most of these ultimate matchups, the grind of a very, very long weekend and the realization of exactly what is at stake tends to create an ebb and flow to the ultimate showdown, the ensuing chaos only serving to heighten the level of drama for all those on hand.
Yesterday was no different as the roller-coaster match careened through the final nine holes – and beyond.
Racking up comfortable victories, each one by a count of 5 & 4 versus Evan MacLean, Cory Vaillancourt and Ryan Bastien through the opening three rounds of match play after carding the second lowest qualifying score on Friday (71), Ryan Neil took early control of the final, up two holes as the tandem hit the seventh tee.
By the time they were kicking off the back nine, however, it was Svalina one up with three straight holes to his credit. Few knew the fun was only just beginning.
Missed opportunities on both sides of this battle marked the next five holes, the scoreboard remaining unchanged as both players missed putts they would dearly have loved to have back.
Neil jumped on a miscue to deadlock the match all square on the 15th hole with Svalina salvaging his par thanks to a great chip from just off the left of the 16th green to keep things even.
With the pressure mounting, Svalina would pull up just a few inches short of cresting his uphill putt on 17th, the back roll opening the door for the graduate of the Radford University Highlanders program to head to eighteen with the lead.
Veering off to the left with his tee shot, however, Ryan Neil was in trouble from the start of what he hoped to be his final hole of the weekend, the ensuing lie (ball sitting flush to a fallen branch or something of the like) not doing him any favours – not to mention leading to a discussion with tournament officials over whether the ball had moved at his address or not.
In the end, Johnny Svalina stayed calm, earning the par he needed to force a 19th hole – marking the 11th time the 76 year-old Sudbury summer golf tradition would require a playoff to decide matters – and the second time in just four years after Don Martone bested Rob Cowan in 2021.
Four shots in to the first extra hole, Neil appeared to be in better shape, a few feet short of the front of the green but attacking the hole from below while Svalina was eyeing a tricky shot just off the back of the green.
Though his final round was, by his own admission, far from perfect, the touch chip shot that Svalina offered was spectacular, leaving himself a shot at par - which made all the difference in the world when Neil slid his putt to the left.
“It was a grind out there,” acknowledged Svalina, capturing the tournament in his fourth attempt after never breaking 80 in his qualifying round prior to his 74 score on Friday. “I hit so many bad shots that I would love to have back – but it doesn’t matter now.”
“The ball is in the hole.”
Svalina is coming off a very encouraging sophomore NCAA season with the Wagner Seahawks (he appeared in five tournaments, highlighted by a 73-74 showing at the Roar EE Invitational in Kingston (New York).
Despite his youth, Svalina battled his way through lead-up matches that went right down to the wire, eliminating Mike Moraco 1 up in the round of sixteen, punching his ticket to the final four with a 19th hole win over Conor Gaudet in the quarter-finals and beating Jacob Lacko 2 up in his morning semi-final.
“I woke up this morning extremely happy to even be playing on Sunday,” said Svalina. “I knew I was in tight; Ryan Neil is one hell of a golfer.”
At his side throughout the weekend was caddie Pierson Sobush, an absolute godsend in the words of Svalina, especially when it came to navigating the emotional teeter-totter of this prized event.
“There were a lot of highs out there, but also a ton of lows when I was on the verge of not believing,” suggested Svalina. “Even back to Friday in the qualifier and making three birdies down the stretch.”
“I have to really thank my caddie.”
And for as much as a post-championship embrace with his father (John) was clearly quite meaningful, so too was the presence of the Sudbury golf entourage still tackling early adulthood.
“I think this helps bring us together even more,” noted Svalina of the very special bond shared by so many who love to compete head to head but also are fully supportive when their buddies move on and they do not.
“I grew up watching Tristan Renaud (2017 champion – youngest golfer ever to win the tournament) and he did this and for me to do this and follow in his footsteps is amazing,” said Svalina.
“I hope every single one of my buddies has a chance to do this some day.”
Some were doing it, or came close to doing it, a flight or two below as Jason Picco of the Idylwylde captured the second flight, beating Sault Ste Marie native Frank Kucher while Alex Fowke (Timberwolf) lost in the first flight final to Jake Tilleczek from Barrie.
