Guillermo Salazar was born and raised in Calgary, but with a family cabin at Waskesiu, it was Saskatchewan’s junior golf scene and events that shaped him into an excellent college player and graduate.

Salazar, 23, attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania alongside long-time friend and fellow Waskesiu junior Alex Swinnerton.

He played in two Saskatchewan Junior Championships and placed in the top five both times. Salazar was also a fixture in Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) events due to spending every summer in Prince Albert National Park.

His college career including a win and many top 10 results over four years with the Crimson Hawks.

Salazar graduated with an accounting degree and has accepted a job in Austin, Texas. He will remain an amateur and investigate tournaments in the Austin area.

Salazar spoke with Golf Saskatchewan following his graduation earlier in May.

Following a strong junior career originating at the North Battleford Golf and Country Club, Colby Friedrich admitted he really couldn’t choose between hockey or golf, fortunately he had the opportunity to do both.

Friedrich, 24, recently graduated from the University of Providence with a degree in education while completing for the men’s golf team and captaining the men’s hockey team as well.

He began his college career in Medicine Hat, had success at the provincial and national collegiate level before the opportunity arose from the Argo in Great Falls, Montana.

He was joined by Regina’s Adam Husli with the Argos, Husli also transferred to the school and played for both teams too. Husli has one more year left.

Providence’s golf schedule wasn’t overly hectic, they averaged about five events each year Friedrich’s run. More success came on the ice including a national championship appearance.

Friedrich will remain in Great Falls and begin his teaching at an elementary school in the city. He said the job allows some freedom to golf, and take up some coaching opportunities with his alma mater.

He joined Golf Saskatchewan to talk about his collegiate career.

The Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) hosted their lone three-day, 54-hole event in Saskatchewan over the May long weekend in Swift Current.

Over 125 players battled a snowstorm and unideal conditions at Elmwood Golf Club from May 16 to 18 with several repeat winners from the first tournament of the season earlier this month.

Alyxa Melsted of Wynyard has her second straight victory of the season. After winning the under-15 women’s age group in Estevan, the 13-year-old won again with a score of 252. She shot 798, 90, and 84 to take the age group. Natalie Maunula of North Battleford was second at 264 (89, 87, 88).

Eva Gedak of Estevan was third at 294 (97, 98, 99).

Reigning Saskatchewan amateur women’s champion Chloe Wills is back after her first year of college golf and now has her first MJT win of the year. The 18-year-old from Kyle shot 74, 86, and 77 to hold off a pair of players in the 15 to 19 women’s division.

Grace Odnokon was the winner in Estevan, she tied for second with Warman’s Tina Liu, they both finished at 244, seven shots back of Wills.

Hudson Deibert continued his strong play in the under 13 men’s age group. The 11-year-old Royal Regina Golf Club junior shot 76, 78, and 77 outlast Cohen Bridge of Corman Park by eight shots. Bridge carded rounds of 81, 75, and 83.

Keaton Kreklewich is a back-to-back winner this season. The Melville product took his second under-15 men’s championship of the season holding off a pair of Alberta golfers. The 14-year-old signed for rounds of 76, 75, and 71 for a total of 222.

McGrath, Alta. product Jace Hansen was second (227) and Cooper Roberge of Lloydminster rounded out the top three at 229 with rounds of 73, and back-to-back 78’s.

The lone non-Saskatchewan resident to take a title was Calgary’s Jeevin Dhaliwal who won the under-17 men’s category with a score of 221.

Ayden Melsted had a great weekend, placing second in the age group. The Wynyard Golf Club member shot 69 in the first round, the only player in the entire field to break 70 during the championship. He added a 77 and 78 to finish three strokes behind Dhaliwal. Bennett Love of Red Deer, Alta. also made the podium with a score of 225.

A familiar face found himself at the top of the leaderboard in the most competitive age group, the under-19 men’s category.

Ryan Mosher of Saskatoon was a one-shot winner over a pair of players in the division.

Mosher posted ronds of 74, 72, and 71 for a score of 217, just ahead of Aricin Franklin (Saskatoon) and Lyndon Kuryvial (Taber, Alta.).

Mike Bosanko of Cochrane, Alta. and Calgary’s Jalen Apedoe tied for fourth at 225.

For complete results click here.

The next MJT event is June 13 and 14 in Humboldt. To register click here.

Images courtesy Jeff Chambers

Alex Swinnerton is a college graduate after walking across the stage at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP).

The Saskatoon product put together a great college career that including four wins and many other podium and top 10 placings while competing for the Crimson Hawks.

Swinnerton’s junior career included a Saskatchewan under-15 title, and under-17 title and a NextGen Prairie Championship in 2022.

The Waskesiu Golf Course and Riverside Country Club junior continued his success at IUP alongside fellow Waskesiu junior Guillermo Salazar of Calgary, who also graduated earlier this spring.

Swinnerton plans to turn professional with an RBC Open Qualifier in Edmonton first on his list of events for this season.

He spoke with Golf Saskatchewan about his four years at IUP, the success, sharing it with long time friend Salazar, and the future.

Several fantastic collegiate careers closed this week following regional championships.

The four-year careers of Will Blake, Luke Cote, Alex Swinnerton, and Guillermo Salazar all came to an end this week. Blake and Cote spent four years at Southern Arkansas University (SAU) teeing it up for the Muleriders following great junior careers in Regina.

On May 7 to 9 in Big Rapids, Michigan SAU competed in the NCAA Div. II Central/Midwest Regional at Katke Golf Course, the home of the Ferris State Bulldogs golf team. Blake signed for rounds of 77, 75, and 75 to leave himself in 60^th in his final event. Cote tied for 77^th at 230 (78, 76, 76). Carter Bell of Saskatoon was also on SAU’s team, he shot 77, 76, and 73 to tie for 60^th.

The Muleriders as a team were 17^th as a team.

Two more superb scholars will walk across the stage this week following the end of their careers. Waskesiu Golf Course junior graduates Swinnerton and Salazar each had college wins over four years at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP).

The Crimson Hawks were in Johnstown, Pennsylvania at Sunnehanna Country Club for the NCAA Div. II East/Atlantic Regional, also on May 7 to 9. Swinnerton was in the top 10 going into the final round seeking a national spot, but after rounds of 72 and 70, the Saskatoon product shot 76 to land tied for 25^th, fittingly alongside long term pal Salazar of Calgary. He opened with a 76, 69, and 73.

The pair spent summers together playing junior golf at Waskesiu and will end their careers at IUP next to each other on the leaderboard.

The Crimson Hawks were eighth as a team.

Back in late April, another collegiate career ended as Battleford’s Colby Friedrich graduated from the University of Providence in Great Falls, Montana.

Friedrich played his last college tournament on April 28 and 29 in Phoenix, Arizona at Papago Golf Club. He shot 78, 79, and 80 to tie for 19^th at the Frontier Conference Championship.

The Argos were eighth as a team.

Ben Staines of Saskatoon wrapped up his rookie season at Mount Aloysius College on April 26 and 27 in Chardon, Ohio at Sand Ridge Golf Club. Competing as an individual at the Caschera/DiCillo Classic Staines carded rounds of 87 and 85 to place 39^th.

His Mounties’ teammates were fourth in the team standings. The team is in Howey-In-The-Hills, Florida this week for the NCAA Div. III National Championship but Staines in not in the field.

Registration has been open for the 2026 amateur golf championship season in Saskatchewan, and on May 15 the organization will begin processing registrants.

Any player that entered for any of the championships and follow all the criteria (age, HCP Index, Golf Saskatchewan/Canada member, etc.) of the event(s) registered for will be charged on May 15 to the credit card on file with Golf Genius.

As of May 8, the participants registered for the individual (national implications) are:

• Junior Championships (The Legends Golf Club) Warman (113 – 18 Women | 95 Men)
• Amateur Championships (Golf Kenosee) Kenosee Lake (125 – 11 Women | 114 Men)
• Senior Championships/Men’s Mid-Masters (40+) (Meadow Lake Golf Club (Meadow Lake) (40 – 1 Woman | 39 Men)

Registration is also open for the Women’s 4-Ball (Rosebowl at Greenbryre Golf & Country Club on Aug. 18 and 19. The Mixed Championship is in Yorkton at Deer Park Golf Course on Aug. 29 and 30.

To see the complete 2026 schedule and register, click here.      

If you need any assistance, you can contact Manager of Sport & Championships Carson Olson at 306.852.7727 or colson@golfsaskatchewan.org.

The Weyburn Golf Club has stood for over a century (Est. 1919) but is moving into a new era under ‘The Sixty-Seven.’

In late April, the club announced a new partnership with the R.M. of Weyburn No. 67, where the course is located just outside the “Opportunity City.” The naming rights partnership is for 10 years. General Manager Krystle Fedoretz said discussions on a renewed partnership with the rural municipality started approximately two and a half years ago, about a year before she took the role at the club. With a background in municipal governance; she was asked to assist with a grant application, which led to a new business plan. She added that while this all took place, discussions continued leading to the decade long agreement.

“The R.M. of Weyburn No. 67 ended up being the perfect partner for that,” she said. “The partnership provides the course with long term revenue.”

According to the news release, the new name, The Sixty-Seven, pays tribute to the rich agricultural and municipal heritage of the region, grounding the facility firmly within the RM of Weyburn No. 67. The partnership formalizes a collaborative effort to invest in the long-term sustainability and growth of the course, while supporting broader community priorities. The goal is to elevate the golf course experience while ensuring it remains accessible and a valuable recreational asset within the region.

New to the golf industry, Fedoretz spoke with other administrators across the province. She learned Weyburn relied on green fees and members for most of their revenue, while most other clubs’ main income source is sponsorship. The then Weyburn Golf Club turned to updating sponsorship packages leading to the partnership.

Weyburn is a larger Saskatchewan centre with just under 12,000 residents with many recreational facilities. The two hockey rinks are the main attractions like most Saskatchewan communities, but The Sixty-Seven is the hub in the summer months making this agreement for a more viable future more important.

“Yes, we are a golf course, but for the community with so much more. We provide other community groups with the ability to fundraise, we provide recreation, obviously with golf. There’s also the social side of it; we are public club so lots of people use for a social outing. It’s not necessarily about the scores, it’s about connecting with people at the course,” Fedoretz said.

 Open for the season now, Fedoretz said the chatter at the club has been great.

“The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive,” she beamed.

The R.M. partnership is a big step in completing the course’s irrigation system on the back nine holes, a project that began several years with the construction of a new system on the front.

Along with the course naming rights, the rights to the name of the clubhouse were also purchased. Visitors will now see the Jerry Mainil Clubhouse. Hole sponsors are also being sought.

The club’s annual general meeting is coming up on Thursday (May 7) with two spots open on the executive.

Southeast College Collaboration

Another exciting aspect of the rebrand and future according for Fedoretz is the partnership with some business students at Weyburn based Southeast College.

The group of students used the golf course as a case study and according to Fedoretz they came up with “wonderful ideas.” Generating revenue, operational savings, and other financial streamlines. Fedoretz said hearing ideas from younger citizens is a fresh aspect.

“The students are a different generation than me, so they provided us with wonderful feedback. The amount of work and thought they put into it was wonderful and we are looking forward to continuing to work with them and implement some of those ideas,” she added.

Other highlights include hosting the Saskatchewan Oil and Gas Show Tournament which has funded the purchase of some equipment. The Weyburn Young Fellows Club has also helped purchase equipment.

“it’s wonderful to see these groups working with us and giving back,” Fedoretz said.

Season programs

The club has a once a week junior program ran by volunteers with over 100 kids attending each Monday. The Mryglod’s, a long time golf family in the area runs the junior program.

Fedoretz said the ladies club has also revamped their board and program. She said over the last couple years that’s exploded on Tuesday nights.

“We went from minimal numbers and now we are over subscribed, we run out of carts every week,” she chuckled.

To learn more about what’s happening at the course, visit their website.

A season already late to start for Pasquia Golf Course due to extended snowfall in the Carrot River region will be even longer as the club now deals with “devastating” flood water.

“There’s not really much to say except it’s devastating to us,” longtime employee and pro-shop Manager Karen Gray told Golf Saskatchewan Monday afternoon. “But we won’t know the damage, the full amount of damage goes and it’s still rising”

An employee since 2014 at the course, and proshop manager since 2020 added that she hasn’t seen this amount of water in her time.

“I have never seen like this before, it has flooded. The gazebo down below on the island has been under water before, but that would happen slow, and it would happen in April, not May,” she said.

The course usually opens on Mother’s Day (weather pending), but Gray said at this point May Long Weekend may also be lost. She said that’s devastating for the club’s bottom line, especially coming the “best season they have ever had” at the course.

“This has been a long winter, a lot of snow, I was so excited to get back to work,” Gray said. “Our season hasn’t even started, and we feel defeated already, especially after last year, a dominant year for us, the best we have ever had in the history of the course.”

“We were raring to go, so this us a big hit,” she added.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom for Gray, she said the community around Pasquia is resilient and once the water does subside, she expects there will be no shortage of help to get the club running for the season.

“I believe completely once the water does descend, we’re going to have a lot of volunteers there helping to get it cleaned up and tuned into shape,” she concluded.

The first Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) Saskatchewan event is in the books as almost 80 junior players converged on TS&M Woodlawn Golf Club.

In the women’s under-15 age group, it was Alyxa Melsted (pictured above) of Wynyard taking the victory. The 13-year-old shot 86 and 81 to win the age category. Callie Glover of nearby Foam Lake was second at 203 (94, 109), and Estevan golfer Eva Gedak was third after rounds of 115 and 103.

Reigning Saskatchewan under-19 and under-17 champion Grace Odnokon was victorious in the 15 to 19 women’s division. The Saskatoon Golf & Country Club member signed for rounds of 81 and 83 to get the win by 11 shots. Yoyo Zhu, also of Saskatoon, was second at 175 (87, 88).

Placing third was Tayla Perry of Regina, the reigning Oder of Merit champion for the age group posted rounds of 95 and 82, to finish just two strokes back of second.

In the uncer-13 men’s category Regina’s Hudson Deibert took the win. He outlasted Mason Wang of Vancouver and Melville Caleb O’Brien in a tightly contested age group. Deibert shot 151, Wang carded a 158, and O’Brien posted a 160.

The under-15 men’s division featured 20 registered players with Keaton Kreklewich of Melville taking the championship. The under-15 Saskatchewan runner-up last year shot 78 and 77 to take the win. Dalton Stephens of Craik and Kellen Hunter of Casa Rio were tied for second at 158, three shots back of Kreklewich. Swift Current’s Jace Munroe was in the hunt as well firing a 159 (76, 83).

The largest category was the under-17 men’s field with 29 players entered. Solomon Tong of Heritage Pointe, Alta. took the win with a score of 139. Austin Nesbitt of Pilot Butte was second thanks to rounds of 72 and 78, Matty Schmiess was third at 151 (78, 73).

In the under-19 men’s age group Saskatoon golfer Griffin Blanch took the title. Blanch opened with a 73 in round one and followed that up with a 79, good enough to hold off Humboldt’s Tryce Wallin and Cruz Symons of Estevan who each finished at 160.

The complete results can be found here. The next MJT event is the Spring Classic hosted at Elmwood Golf Club in Swift Current from May 16 to 18. The tournament is a 54 hole event.

All images courtesy Jeff Chambers.

Thee Sask. juniors take part in NextGen Pacific Championship

A trio of Saskatchewan’s top junior men were in Parksville, B.C. at Morningstar Golf Club over the weekend for the NextGen Pacific Championships.

Leading the way was reigning Saskatchewan under-19 and under-17 champion Aricin Franklin of Saskatoon. He opened with a 76 in the first round on May 1, Franklin shot a round two low of 71 in the second round and finished with a 72, just four shots back of the winner.

Sturgeon, also of Saskatoon posted an 81 in round one, bounced back beautifully with a 72 in round two, and he capped the event witha 76, he tied for 20th.

Hunter tied for 30th at 231 (77, 78, 76).

Another 11 Saskatchewan student-athletes were scattered across the United States as the spring college season winds down with potentially regionals for some schools.

Regina’s Luke Cote was the highest finisher of the week with a sixth overall showing at the Gac Championships in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma on April 19 to 21 while competing for Southern Arkansas University (SAU). The reigning Saskatchewan amateur champion shot 73, 75, and 72 at The Club at Forest Ridge to lead the Muleriders to a third-place finish. Cote was just six strokes behind the winner.

Carter Bell of Saskatoon tied for 20^th for SAU, he carded rounds of 76, 73, and 78, Regina’s Will Blake was tied for 39^th after back-to-back rounds of 77 and a 79 in the final round.

The SAU trio will find out Sunday (April 26) if the team will compete in Regionals. If not, Cote and Blake’s tenure at SAU will come to an end.

Another pair of excellent collegiate careers are ending with Waskesiu junior graduates Alex Swinnerton and Guillermo Salazar. The duo has been mainstays at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) over the last four years. The Crimson Hawks did not have their best week in Bedford, Pennsylvania for the Bedford Springs Invitational on April 20 and 21 at Bedford Springs Resort. Salazar, who hails from Calgary, Alberta, but spent his summers in Waskesiu tied for 44^th after signing for rounds of 74 and 79. Saskatoon’s Swinnerton carded a 79 and 76 to finish in a tie for 56^th.

IUP was 11^th as a team. The Crimson Hawks expect to be invited to the NCAA DII Atlantic/East Regional from May 7 to 9 at the Sunnehanna Country Club in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

Saskatoon’s Ben Staines was also in the field in Bedford competing as an individual alongside the Mount Aloysius College Monties. Staines shot 80 and 86, he was tied for 89^th.

Mount Aloysius will be in Chardon, Ohio on April 26 and 27 for the Caschera/DiCillo Classic at Sand Ridge Golf Club in their next event.

Cole Taylor’s junior season at Park University concluded this week at the GSAC Conference Championships in Lompoc, California at La Purisima Golf Course on April 20 and 21. The Nipawin, Saskatchewan product shot 79, 80, and 78 to leave himself in a tie for 24^th.

Park was seventh in the team competition. Taylor was awarded with his first All-Conference Team honour thanks to two top 10 and a top 5 finish this year.

Ella Kozak’s first season with the Div. 1 University of Idaho Vandals wrapped up at the Big Sky Conference Championship in Litchfield, Arizona at Wigwam Golf Course on April 21 and 22. After posting back-to-back rounds of 73 in the first two rounds, the Yorkton, Saskatchewan resident carded an 81 in the third round landing in a tie for 28^th place overall.

The Vandals were sixth overall, which were ranked in the conference going into the event.

The rookie season for reigning Saskatchewan amateur women’s champion Chloe Wills at Drury University. The Kyle, Saskatchewan native was in Peru, Indianna on April 17 to 19 for the GLVC Tournament at Rock Hollow Golf Course. She shot 77, 75, and 85 for a solid tie for 22^nd overall.

The Panthers were seventh as team missing out on the final day matchplay round that would have allowed them to compete for a medal.

The Hannibal-Lagrange University Trojans were in action on April 20 and 21 including Swift Current’s Ayden Ross. Hannibal-Lagrange was in Melbourne, Arkansas at Copper’s Hawk Golf Club for the American Midwest Conference Championships.

The Elmwood Golf Club member played fantastically, posting rounds of 79, 76, and 79, leaving Ross with a tie for 15^th place overall. The team was fourth.

The event put an end to Ross’ rookie year in Missouri.

Justin Miller of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and the Southwestern Community College (SCC) Spartans also had an event this week. SCC was in Plymouth, Indianna for the NJCAA Div. II National Championships at Swan Lake Resort.

The Riverside Country Club member was competing for the Spartans ‘B’ team and shot rounds of 81 and 84 leaving him in a tie for 60^th.

Miller’s team was 12^th, his teammates competing on the ‘A’ team were fifth.

The Spartans will now prepare for the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Championships at Whispering Creek Golf Course in Sioux City, Iowa starting May 3.