Three members of the University of Guelph’s golf team received a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Liam Fischer, Beck Ljungberg and Caleb Patry watched the preliminary round of the 2025 Masters in Augusta, Ga., last week after previously attending and participating in the Players Championship to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Fischer said it was a dream come true.
“As soon as we got on the property, we were just in awe,” Fischer said.
He said they touched the grass and watched the players hit golf balls at the range for about half an hour before the round began.
The trio, who go by the nickname the Ontario Boys, initially won tickets to the Players Championship in a social media giveaway.
They traded turns at the wheel as they embarked on a road trip to the tournament, which included a stop at a Walmart in Jacksonville where they bought golf shirts and scribbled Ontario Boys on them. Patry said their nickname came from PGA Tour player Joel Dahmen.
The group caught the attention of players and fans and were invited by The Golf League, a partner of the PGA Tour, to play a round of golf at the TPC.
The trio were interviewed on NBC’s Golf Channel after their round, which caught the attention of Canadian golf pro Corey Conners.
After Patry jokingly said a trip to the Masters would top their experience in Florida, Conners provided them with tickets. Upon seeing the players up close, Patry said it “definitely pushes you to get better.”
Fischer, Ljungberg and Patry are part of the Gryphon golf team. The team is preparing to play in the Canadian University/College Championship in Kamloops, B.C., in June.
“We have 11 guys who could go out there and shoot even par, but ultimately there’s five guys who have been playing the best this year. We really hoping that they can get it done, and we fully believe that they can,” Ljungberg said.
Ljungberg said the experience in Augusta has inspired them.
He said the biggest lesson they learned from the trip was to just say yes — a mantra of theirs — and you never know where it could lead.
Ljungberg said it’s a motto they plan to follow from now on.
“It’s really awesome to see everything that’s transpired, and the support that we’ve gotten as just three guys going on a trip down to Florida,” he said.