Written By Jeffrey Reed
I was only 18 years old–the same age as many of the Junior Boys competitors–when I covered my first Junior Tyson Tour event in 1980. I don’t remember who I interviewed in 1980 for a story aired on AM 1410 CKSL. Father Time took its toll on that radio station, too, when it went silent in 2016.
I do, however, remember interviewing 2003 Masters Tournament champion Mike Weir when he won the Tyson Tour’s Les Thomas Memorial Tournament in 1986 and again in ’87. As the story goes, while hundreds of youngsters dined on hot dogs and Coke at Fanshawe Golf Course post-round, Weir was all alone on the practice green honing his skills. I was witness to that event. We all know how that story unfolded.
This year marks the 59th season for the Tyson Tour (est. 1968)–Canada’s oldest junior golf tour, and an important part of Canadian golf history. It was founded as a not-for-profit organization operated by local PGA of Canada professionals. Former London Free Press sports writer, Bev Tyrrell, established the Tyson Tour as, the Tysons Tour. It borrows its name from the Ty in Tyrrell, and the son part from Bev’s twin boys, Tim and Tom.
A decade later, in 1978, Tyrrell left London for a sports writing post with The Winnipeg Free Press. In 1972, when Fred Kern was hired as Thames Valley Golf Course’s head golf professional, he began to play a big role in assisting Tyrrell with Tysons Tour operations. Kern would be the Tour’s convenor from 1978 until 2009, two years after his retirement from the City of London municipal golf system.
“I was awed by the beautiful setting,” quipped Kern upon his first visit to Thames Valley GC. “I thought, what a perfect setting to introduce new golfers to the game.” Mike Olizarevitch, a Fanshawe Golf Course employee for 49 years–head pro for 39 years–called Kern “an excellent teacher who thoroughly enjoyed working with junior golfers and overseeing the Junior Tyson Tour.”
Tyrrell started the Tour in order to provide local junior golfers with tournament competition–a stage where they could measure their improvement. Harold Kewley was the Tour’s inaugural champion during the four-event loop staged at East Park Golf Gardens, Strathroy Country Club, Fanshawe and Thames Valley. This year, the Tour offers nine regular-season stops–including the two-day Les Thomas tourney–plus the season-ending championship invitational at Sunningdale Golf and Country Club on August 18.
Launched in 1981, the Les Thomas event honours the former Golf Ontario director and commissioner of London’s Public Utilities Commission who died that year. Thomas was passionate about developing junior golfers. After all, his son, Ian, who played out of London Hunt and Country Club and competed on the Tyson Tour, was the Canadian Junior Boys champion in 1965 and Ontario Junior Boys champ in ’67.
For a complete 2026 schedule plus leaderboards, visit juniortysontour.com.
Award-winning writer Jeffrey Reed has covered Middlesex County sports since 1980.
He is publisher and editor of LondonOntarioSports.com. Reach him at
jeff@londonontariosports.com.
