The 2024 Saskatchewan Amateur Championships began Tuesday at the Royal Regina Golf Club.

Highlighting the day was Carlisle’s Gerhard Groenewald (pictured) getting his first hole-in-one in Canada. The ace came on hole 14.

In the women’s championship, 14-year-old Sela Ogada is the first round leader after shooting a 1-over, 73. The Calgary product sits two shots ahead of fellow Calgarian and defending champion Emily Cornwall.

Regina’s Alex Schmidt is in third place.

The Mid-Amateur Championship is for players 25-years-old and over, the leaders are tied at 12-over par. Edmonton’s Darcy Garbutt and Langenburg’s Chelsea Kinoshita sit atop the leaderboard.

Abra Thompson (Saskatoon) and Deb Duncan (Regina) sit at 14-over par, tied in third place.

The Women’s Amateur Championship leaderboards and draw for Wednesday’s round two can be seen here.

In the men’s championships, local Royal Regina Golf Club player Luke Cote leads the way after a sparkling 64 on opening day

Jehremy Ryde of Saskatoon sits in second place behind Cote at 6-under par. In third is Kye Fisher of Edmonton, he is at 5-under par.

Ryde is the leader in the Men’s Mid-Amateur (25+) Championship, Derek Kopp, also of Saskatoon was the only other mid-amateur to shoot under par on day one, he’s 1-under.

Ryan McNall (Regina) and Kyle Wiebe (Madison) are tied for third at even par.

The Women’s Championships and Men’s Mid-Amateur (25+) will conclude after 54 holes on Thursday, the Men’s Amateur Championship is a 72 hole event, the top 25 players will make the cut and compete on Friday for the trophy.

To see the details including the field, tee times, and leaderboards click here.

With the excitement of the Saskatchewan Amateur Championships beginning Tuesday at the Royal Regina Golf Club, veterans and young players alike are focused on the national amateur championship at Riverside Country Country and the Saskatoon Golf and Country Club in August.

David Stewart is a two-time Saskatchewan Amateur Champion and made it to the third round of the then match-play format event in 2007, the last time Riverside played host to the event. RBC Canadian Open champion Nick Taylor won the event that year, the next year the event was a stroke play championship.

The combination of the Royal Regina Golf Club’s 125th anniversary, and the Canadian Amateur Championship returning to the province created a provincial sellout in jus three days, including Stewart returning to the Royal where he won the 2008 Saskatchewan Amateur Championship.

He sat down with Golf Saskatchewan to look back on the national amateur, the excitement of this year’s event, and the importance of showcasing Saskatchewan again to the national golf community, and beyond.

Meanwhile in Regina, 160 players will compete between the Saskatchewan Amateur and Mid-Amateur (25+) Women’s Championships and the Men’s Amateur and Mid-Am for 54-holes starting Tuesday at 7 a.m.

The men’s amateur is a four-day event that will conclude Friday, the other championships will be awarded on Thursday evening, weather pending.

To see all the Saskatchewan Amateurs details, click here for the women’s event, the men’s details are here.

For more information on the Canadian Amateur Championship click here.

For Yorkton’s Ella Kozak, a storybook ending to her junior career in Saskatchewan.

Kozak, 18, won her second, and last Saskatchewan Junior Championship on Friday at her home golf course, Deer Park Municipal. She won with a score of 211 (70, 69, 72), that’s the lowest score posted over 54-holes in the history of the championship.

Kozak will be joined by Grace Odnokon (Saskatoon) and Niya Friesen (Swift Current) at the Canadian Junior Girl’s Championship.

She spoke with Golf Saskatchewan following the trophy presentation.

For Saskatoon’s Ryan Mosher, the outcome wasn’t as evident as Kozak’s 13 shot victory. Mosher bounced back from an opening round 74, posted the lowest round of the day on Thursday with a 69, then closed the event with a 2-under par, 70 edging Max Regier by a shot.

Mosher, 16, admitted he wasn’t 100 percent sure of the win when he putted out on 18 with a par, but once the group of Regier, Mosher, and Aricin Franklin (Saskatoon) confirmed their scores, Mosher was the under-19 and under-17 Saskatchewan champion.

Mosher, Regier and Franklin will make up Team Saskatchewan at the Canadian Junior Boy’s Championship, Aiden Walker (Regina) will also attend the event because Mosher had received an exemption with his win at the NextGen Prairie Championship.

He spoke about the win, his first provincial title.

All the results can be found here.

A storybook ending for Ella Kozak Friday in Yorkton as the Deer Park Municipal Golf Course member wrapped up her junior career with her second Saskatchewan Junior Women’s Championship.

Kozak, 18, carded rounds of 70, 69, and 72 to win the event by 13 shots over Calgary’s Sela Ogada.

Chloe Wills of Kyle was third in the overall championship, but did claim her second straight under-17 Saskatchewan championship with a score of 18-over par through three rounds.

Ogada won the under-15 category.

In the Junior Men’s Championship, it was Saskatoon’s Ryan Mosher battling back from behind to edge Max Regier, also of Saskatoon by one shot for the overall under-19 championship.

Aricin Franklin was third in the championship.

Mosher was the under-17 winner as well.

Lucas Sturgeon of Saskatoon took the under-15 title and Jun Lee of Regina was awarded the unbder-13 trophy.

The complete results of the championships held from July 3 to 5 in Yorkton at Deer Park Municipal Golf Course can be found here.

The top players continued to set the pace at the 2024 Saskatchewan Junior Championships in Yorkton.

Aricin Franklin of Saskatoon posted his second straight 2-underpar, 70 at Deer Park Municipal Golf Course, the 15-year-old leads the Junior Men’s Championship by three shots over Ryan Mosher and Cole Taylor.

Mosher, from Saskatoon, posted the low number of the day from the championship tees on the men’s side carding a 69 on Thursday. Nipawin’s Taylor shot an even-par 72 to remain in second place where he stood after day one.

Franklin is also on top of the under-17 men’s leaderboard.

Max Regier of Saskatoon is in the hunt at 144, four shots off the pace, Darien Herlick of Weyburn rounds out the top five, the Golf Kenosee member shot 75 in round two, he’s at 147.

In the under-15 division Lucas Sturgeon of Saskatoon continues to lead after his second consecutive 4-under par 68. Swift Current’s Matty Schmeiss is second in the age group after posting a 5-over par, 77 for the second day in a row. Pilot Butte golfer Austin Nesbitt sits in third in age division.

Five golfers are in the under-13 men’s category, Jun Lee of Regina is in the lead. Prince Albert’s Emmett McDougall is in second, Kellen Hunter of Casa Rio sits third.

In the Women’s Junior Championships Ella Kozak of Yorkton continues to lead. The Yorkton product shot 69 during the second round on her home course, a shot lower than the day prior when she opened with a 70.

Kozak will go into the final day with a 10 shot cushion over Sela Ogada of Calgary. Chloe Wills of Kyle sits in third place overall, 18 strokes behind Kozak.

Wills is the leader of the under-17 age group.

Ogada is tops in the under-15 division.

The complete results and Friday’s draw for the championship round can be found here.

The final group of junior men will tee off at 1:20, the trophy presentations will be held at approximately 6 p.m. weather permitting.

Ella Kozak’s final Saskatchewan Junior Women’s Championship started with a 2-under par, 70 Tuesday at the Yorkton product’s home club, Deer Park Municipal Golf Course.

She has an eight shot lead over Calgary’s Sela Ogada and a 12 stroke cushion over Chloe Wills of Kyle. Wills leads the under-17 age group; Tayla Perry from Regina is second the age division at 11-over par. Niya Friesen of Swift Current is third in the under-17 category.

Ogada is the leader of the under-15 age group, Saskatoon golfer Grace Odnokon is second in the age group, Sienna Taylor, also of Saskatoon is third.

Round two of the three-day, 54-hole championship will begin at 7 a.m. on Thursday at Deer Park.

In the men’s championship, Aricin Franklin leads the overall under-19 field of 60 players, also at 2-under par.

The Riverside Country Club member and reigning under-15 champion has a one shot edge on Nipawin’s Cole Taylor. Taylor was the only other player playing from the championship tees to shoot under par. Darien Herlick (Weyburn) and Zostrianos Giordani-Gross of Brandon are tied for third at even par.

Lucas Sturgeon of Saskatoon was the other golfer in the field to post a red number on day one, he shot the low round of the day 4-under par, 68. He leads the under-15 age division by eight shots over Austin Nesbitt of Pilot Putte. Swift Current’s Matty Schmeiss is third, nine shots back of the age group lead.

Franklin is the under-17 leader as well as the overall round one pacesetter. Dane Giesbrecht (Warman) is second, Ryan Mosher of Saskatoon in in third place.

There are five under-13 players in the field as well, Jun Lee of Regina is on top after an opening 2-over par, 74 on day one. Emmett McDougal of Prince Albert sits in second, Yorkton’s Zac Hall is third.

A dozen under-12 players are also in Yorkton competing in the Junior-Junior Championships, that event is 36 holes over two days, used as an introduction to competitive golf.

For complete information on the Saskatchewan Junior Championships including all leaderboards and Thursday’s tee sheet can be found here.

Silvester Tan is the 2024 Central Amateur champion.

Tan, 23, shot back-to-back 74’s at the Saskatoon Golf and Country Club (SGCC) over the Canada Day long weekend before posting a competition career low 64 on July 1 to win the event by five strokes over Greg Swenson.

Born in Australia, Tan played all his junior golf in the country before moving to the United States for college. Recently graduated, his father is in Saskatchewan, so Tan joined the SGCC for the season.

His first event was the Scotia Wealth Open in Nipawin, Tan tied for seventh.

With the Central Amateur win Tan received an exemption into the 2024 Canadian Amateur Men’s Championship being played at the club and Riverside Country Club in August.

Golf Saskatchewan spoke with Tan the day after the championship.

In the senior division of the amateur, SGCC Warren Proctor picked up the win, also a five-shot gap between first and second.

Brian Humble was second.

The complete Central Amateur results can be found here.

The first Saskatchewan provincial golf championship of the season will tee off Wednesday.

The 2024 Junior Women’s and Men’s Championship will be held at Deer Park Municipal Golf Course and be played over 54-holes and three rounds, concluding on Friday afternoon.

Deer Park has been a constant supporter of junior events over the course’s history. The under-19 championships were last held in Yorkton in 2015. Golf Canada hosted a Future Links event in 2018 as well. Head Professional Al Sauser said the course always enjoys bringing championship caliber events to Yorkton.

“The golf course is obviously in good shape as we get ready for the juniors,” Sauser said. “We are looking forward to this championship out here, it’s always fun.”

In 2015 the overall champions both hailed from Prince Albert, Brooke Hobson was the junior women’s champion while Cory Selander won the junior men’s event. New under-19 champions will be crowned this year with Sarah Armstrong (Medicine Hat) and Luke Cote (Regina) aging out of junior play.

The field will have 106 players from across Saskatchewan and few from the prairie provinces, national spots are on the line as well. Three junior women will be able to earn spots at the Canadian Junior Girls Championships, and one player will qualify for the Canadian Bantam (under-15) Championship through the Saskatchewan championship. Four quota spots are available for the junior men for the Canadian Junior Boys Boys Championships and the under-15 as well. Golf Saskatchewan Executive Director Brian Lee said having an event at Yorkton’s Deer Park, no matter the age or skill levels is exciting.

“Deer Park has been a focal point of Golf Saskatchewan and Golf Canada for championships, and we expect Al and his staff will have the course in marquee shape, like always. The new clubhouse is an added amenity for all the players, and we simply can’t wait to see some great golf, introduce some younger players to competitive golf, plus watch future champions make their mark on the sport,” Lee said.

The practice round for the championships will occur Tuesday, the first group will tee off at 7 a.m. on Wednesday.

For complete details on the 2024 Saskatchewan Junior Championships click here.

About Golf Saskatchewan

Golf Saskatchewan hosts 12 championships each season with players from as young as 5-years-old all the way to competitors in their 80’s competing and playing the ‘greatest social game on earth.’ From the first week of July to the final weekend in September, Golf Saskatchewan hosts individual events with national implications to more casual team, handicapped events. Provincial golf championships provide positive life experiences for players while developing their skills in high level events.

Hallie Crozier has her first amateur championship after taking the Regina Ladies Open (RLO) on Tuesday at Tor Hill Golf Course.

After opening the 36-hole event on Monday with a 77 at the Murray Golf Course, Crozier carded a 72 at Tor Hill on the second day to win by 14 shots over Lorie Boyle and Kim Walker.

Fellow Regina players Autumn Neiszner and Crystal Piero tied for fourth place at 24-over par.

With the win Crozier collects her first points of the season on the Saskatchewan Women’s Order of Merit (OMT) earning 500 for the win. Walker, who won the senior category at the RLO remains on top of the standings.

Boyle took the super-senior title.

All the results can be seen here.

Golf Saskatchewan spoke with Crozier following the tournament victory.

Also in the Queen City this past week, the 2024 Publinx Championship was held at Tor Hill.

Regina golfer Ryan McNall was the winner of the two-day tournament. The Wascana Country Club member shot 73 and 68 to hold off the field of 24 and win by two strokes over Ty Zaba.

Dallas Lequyer of Carlyle was third, Derek Schneider and Wade Huber rounded out the top five of the amateur leaderboard.

In the senior Publinx Championship it was Mark Folk taking the overall championship with a 36-hole score of 148 (77,71).

Both Rob Schneider and Ron Swan pushed Folk at the top of the leaderboard, but each fell a shot behind and tied for second place.

Stu Innes and Jason Ottenbreit rounded out the top five at 150.

The complete Senior Publinx results can be seen here.

The Lynbrook Golf Club went back to their roots with the course’s 100th anniversary celebration tournament on June 15.

Over 70 players gathered for the Tombstone on an overcast Saturday in Moose Jaw to honour a century of play at the club.

Golf Saskatchewan was on hand for the anniversary and spoke with current Lynbrook President, and long time Moose Jaw promotor Deb Higgins about the return of the Tombstone, the history of Lynbrook, and the special day celebrating the centennial.