ROCHESTER, Michigan - Junior Thomas Giroux of the Oakland University Men's Golf team has been named a 2019 Ontario Order of Merit winner. Giroux was placed second among Ontario amateurs. 

Giroux is now eligible for the coveted Ontario Male Player of the Year Award, which will be chosen by a selection committee and announced at a later date.

"Thomas played in some high level events in 2019, highlighted by his win at the prestigious Glencoe Invitational," said Oakland Men's Golf head coach Nick Pumford. "It's special to see him ranked so high amongst his peers, and this should give him a lot of confidence going into 2020."

The final standings for the Provincial Order of Merit were recently released by Golf Ontario, recognizing Ontario's top amateur golfers for 2019.

Thirty-one year old Garret Rank sits atop the Amateur Men standings. Rounding out the top-five behind Giroux is Charles Fitzsimmons, Matthew Anderson and Sam Meek. 

Giroux, a Georgetown, Ontario, native, was an All-Horizon League Second Team honoree a season ago, averaging 74.35 per round. Giroux finished the 2018-19 season tied for sixth in Oakland's career stroke average at 74.60. 

Golf Ontario maintains an Order of Merit Rankings system that allocates points for performance in Golf Ontario, Golf Canada, USGA and many other sanctioned events throughout Ontario, Canada and internationally to determine the top ranked athletes in the province of Ontario each year.

For more information on the Order of Merit, visit gao.ca/excelling-performing/order-of-merit-rankings/. 

The Golden Grizzlies concluded their fall slate on October 22 at the Musketeers Classic in Cincinnati, Ohio, and return to the links on March 2 at the Colleton River Collegiate in Bluffton, South Carolina.