Amateur championships tee off next week

Elmwood Golf Club is hosting the Saskatchewan amateur golf championships next week.

The Saskatchewan provincial amateur golf championships will begin next Tuesday (July 6) in Swift Current at the Elmwood Golf Club.

The Women’s Amateur Championship and Men’s Mid-Amateur (25 +) Championship will be played over 54 holes with the winners being crowned on Thursday. The Men’s Amateur Championship will be four days with a cut after three rounds.

Steve Ryde is the manager of championships for Golf Saskatchewan. He said the province’s top amateur players are in for an exciting week.

“Registrations for all the tournaments have been coming in for a couple months and every field is full of quality players, past and present champions, and players set to take that next step. The golfers will see course that has hosted championships in the past plus the Elmwood Golf Club and the City of Swift Current have all the necessities to make this a great week. At the end we will recognize several champions for their great play and look back on a fantastic week of golf and comradery,” he said.

Golf Saskatchewan is back at Elmwood for a provincial event for the second consecutive year. Mike McEvay is the new general manager at the course. He said having the best amateurs in the province challenge his course in his first year is compelling.

“Absolutely it’s exciting, we get to see some of the best players in the province come to play the facility and see what they can do here,” McEvay said earlier this season. “It’s an opportunity to see how the superintendent can get the course ready and see how tough the course can play with the best players in the province. It’s exciting times right now, there’s a lot of buzz and it’s not just from the people coming, it’s the members and the public as well. These are exciting times, especially during the pandemic to be able to host something like this is something I look forward to.”

The deadline to register for the championships is 5 p.m. Friday. The details on all three tournaments, including the fields can be found here.

Players to watch:

Women’s Amateur Championship –

Brooklin Fry – The reigning junior and women’s amateur champion comes in as the favourite. Has two impressive wins already on the Women’s Order of Merit Tour this season.

Ella Kozak – The Yorkton youngster is coming off a Maple Leaf Junior Tour win at Elmwood, finishing ahead of Fry for the first time this season.

Autumn Neiszner – The 2019 junior champion and Keiser University commit was second last week on the MJT and eager to win another Saskatchewan title.

Kim Walker – The 2019 senior women’s Saskatchewan champion returns to the competitive field in 2021 after not playing on a provincial level in 2020. The Wascana Country Club veteran was the 2016 Saskatchewan amateur champion.

Lorie Boyle – A Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame inductee, Boyle also brings a wealth of experience and lengthy list of championships, the Moose Jaw resident knows how to win.

Men’s Amateur Championship –

Ty Campbell – The reigning champion and recent college graduate has continued to play great golf. He placed tied for third in Nipawin at the Scotia Wealth Open and is coming off a win at the Saskatoon Amateur.

Kade Johnson – The 2018 winner went toe-to-toe with professional Phil Jonas earlier this year in Nipawin to just fall shy of the win. The Yorkton product is always in the hunt.

Danny Klughart – Back-to-back mid-amateur champion is always near the top of leaderboards including a third in Nipawin this year.

Josh Nagy – Nagy has another year of college golf under his belt and his last trip to Swift Current was a 2020 junior championship.

Payton Ochitwa – Currently tied for seventh in the OMT standings, Ochitwa is quietly finding himself in the hunt at every event this year.

Mid-Amateur Championship –

Danny Klughart – The trophy has been in the Prince Albert product’s hands for a couple years.

David Stewart – A two-time amateur winner and the 2015 mid-am winner took last year off provincial events to focus on his education, Stewart is back and excited to chase another trip to nationals.

Ty Wright – A mid-am winner in 2016, Wright is already a Hall of Fame inductee and has a Mid-Masters Championship (2019) on his resume.

Scott Thompson – Back-to-back amateur winner in ‘09 and 2010, Thompson was in the hunt last year in Warman at The Legends in this event.

Justin Wood – The 2016 amateur winner is a contender every year in both the amateur and mid-amateur field.