Regina’s Travis Fifi and Saskatoon product David Stewart are the low shooters for local golfers on day one of the Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship in Victoria, B.C.

Fifi and Stewart both shot opening round scores of 72 leaving them in a tie for 23^rd. Prince Albert’s Brett Henry sits in a tie for 39^th position at plus-3. Saskatchewan mid-amateur champion Mike Herperger of Humboldt is in a tie for 63^rd place after carding a 5-over, 76.

Colin Coben is in 81^st place after firing a six-over, 76, that leaves the Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Famer in a tie for 23^rd in the mid-master (40 +) division.

Shaun Dunphy, Brad Phelps, and Mitchell Matichuk are all in a log-jam at plus-7, they are in 90^th place. Phelps also qualifies in the mid-master division, he is tied for 30^th.

Ken Rodgers fired an 11-over, 81, the Regina golfer is in a tie for 135^th, in the mid-masters he’s 44^th.

Shawn McNall is tied for 117^th at plus-9, Scott Thompson is in a tie for 135^th at plus-11. Jason Mohr and Taylor Afseth both shot 85, their 15-over leaves them in a tie for 151^st.

Saskatchewan sits in sixth place in the inter-provincial competition.

Online scoring and Wednesday’s tee times are available here.

Saskatoon’s Anna Young is ready for her “dream to come true.”

The five-time Saskatchewan Amateur Women’s champion is preparing to play in her first ever LPGA event, fittingly in her home province. Young, 24, received a sponsorship exemption into the CP Women’s Open earlier this season. Speaking at a media conference Tuesday at the Wascana Country Club, she said the event is a moment she’s been waiting a long time for.

“It’s pretty awesome, I am so excited to be here. My first LPGA event in my home province, this is a dream come true,” Young said.

She won her last provincial amateur event in 2015, following her amateur career she turned professional and currently plays on the Symetra Tour in the central United States. She has two professional wins on her resume. Young said she is familiar with the Wascana course growing up in Saskatchewan but seeing the club set up for a Tour event is neat.

“I am so excited to be here, it’s really cool to see the stands and everything. I’ve come up a couple times to play the course and familiarize myself. It’s really cool to see it as normal and now there is stuff everywhere, it’s really cool,” she said.

Prince Albert’s Danny Klughart is caddying for Young during the event. The two became good friends in their early teens playing junior golf events together in Saskatchewan. Klughart is missing the Canadian Mid-Amateur Men’s Championship this week to honour a long-time pact between the two.

“We would travel to tournaments, our parents were friends, so we travelled together,” Young said. “We became pretty good friends and I always joked that he was going to caddy for me at my first LPGA event and now he is.”

Young will play in the Pro-Am on Wednesday teeing off at 10:30 a.m. The first round of the tournament begins Thursday morning. She said she’s looking forward to testing her game against the world’s best.

“When I was a junior I played in women’s events, when I was an amateur I played pro events. I jumped one step ahead just to try and get ready. It’s nice I will finally get a chance to compare my game to the best in the world and see how close and how far I am and what needs to be better,” she said.

Young hopes her Saskatchewan roots are beneficial, she said the wind can cause some players some trouble. She hopes that’s an advantage through out the week. She said whatever her result is in the Open, she’s thankful her debut is in her home province.

“Saskatchewan is a very supportive province, I’ve had a lot of people come up to me and tell me they are rooting for me,” she said.

You can hear Young’s complete media conference audio below.

Wascana Country Club superintendent Chad Fawcett is being honoured for his work ahead of the 2018 CP Women’s Open.

On Tuesday, Fawcett was presented with the National Tournament Recognition Award. The 33-year-old has supervised the grounds crew for four seasons in Regina. He said receiving the award was a nice touch.

“It’s pretty special,” he told reporters at the CP Women’s Open media centre. “A lot of work has gone into this. This year in particular with the tough year we’ve had, it hasn’t been the easiest year to grow grass. To host an event like this makes me and my staff feel pretty proud.”

Fawcett oversees a crew of 17 seasonal staff and five full-time, year-round employees. This week he will utilize approximately 10 volunteers. The crew does have experience hosting marquee events, last year the Canadian Mid-Amateur Men’s Championship was held at the Wascana. Fawcett said the course will play similar.

“The rough got a little longer this year just because mainly we had a little more precipitation. A little more fertilizer went on the golf course this year just to spruce it up a bit. Playing conditions will be similar, the greens should be the same firmness as last year,” Fawcett said.

The CP Women’s Open features 89 of the top 100 golfers on the LPGA Tour and will be broadcasted in over 200 countries. The course could be showcased to upwards of one billion viewers. Fawcett said having the Wascana featured throughout the week is exciting to him and the entire staff.

“it’s going to be pretty amazing to everyone. We don’t know what to expect when we see it on television. The golf course itself is different from what you see on tv on a weekly basis. I don’t think there is very many golf courses like this one,” he said.

Tuesday featured the player’s practice round. The second Pro-Am will take place on Wednesday. The tournament will start Thursday morning with the champion being crowned on Sunday afternoon.

REGINA, Sask. (Golf Canada) – Saskatoon native Bobbi Brandon was one of four golfers to claim the final exemptions into the 2018 CP Women’s Open via Monday’s qualifying event at Royal Regina Golf Club.

Brandon, a PGA of Canada Professional who works out of Moon Lake Golf & Country Club, carded a 2-over-par 74 to sit T2 among the 11-player field. This will be Brandon’s second appearance at the CP Women’s Open. She competed in Canada’s National Women’s Open in 1998 at Essex Golf and Country Club in Windsor, Ont., where she missed the cut.

Sweden’s Louise Stahle fired a 2-under par 70 to earn medalist honours.

American Jennifer Hahn (74) and Japanese amateur Kasumi Kuniyoshi (76) earned the final two spots.

Brandon will be the 16^th Canadian in the field at the CP Women’s Open. All are trying to become the first Canadian to win an LPGA Tour event on Canadian soil since Canadian Golf Hall of Fame honoured member Jocelyne Bourassa won La Canadienne in 1973.

Click here for full scores from 2018 CP Women’s Open Final Qualifying at Royal Regina Golf Club.

REGINA – Canadian golfer Alena Sharp will be supporting the Humboldt Broncos this week.

The LPGA Tour veteran has a special golf bag and towel this week for the CN Canadian Women’s Open, featuring the Broncos’ logo.

Sixteen people were killed after the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League team’s bus collided with a transport truck in April.

The Hamilton golfer said she’ll donate the bag to the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatchewan after the event.

Excited to show my support for @HumboldtBroncos and @theSJHL with my new bag for the week @cpwomensopen ! This tragedy really hit home as it did for so many. I will be donating my bag to @PattisonKids after this week. Thanks @rbc for teaming up on this and Ken Hill @jukasaradio pic.twitter.com/LuwCQArcq4

— Alena Sharp (@AlenaSharp) August 21, 2018

Saskatoon’s Josh Nagy is the 2018 Junior Lobstick champion.

Nagy, 16, defeated four other players during the match-play event at Waskesiu Golf Course from Aug. 13 to 17. On day one, the Saskatoon product downed Cole Jenkins. He outshot Mikhail Tait during the second round of the event. Nagy outlasted Alex Swinnerton in round three setting up a championship showdown with Bradley Moser. Nagy and Moser finished one-two at the provincial junior championships earlier this season at Moon Lake Golf and Country Club with Nagy edging Moser by a stroke. He got the best of his Saskatoon counterpart at the Lobstick as well taking the championship match.

Jenkins was the championship flight consolation winner.

You can see all the Junior Lobstick bracket results here.

Yorkton’s Ella Kozak was the runaway winner in the under-15 girls age group at the Maple Leaf Junior Tour (MJT) PGA of Manitoba Junior Championship event late last week.

Kozak, 12, fired a two-round total of 157 (78, 79) in Winnipeg on Aug. 16 and 17 winning her age group by 36 strokes over another young Saskatchewan golfer, Regina’s Autumn Neiszner. The 14-year-old carded a 93 during round one, she shot 100 on day two.

Kozak’s first round featured her first ever hole-in-one.

Two other Saskatchewan golfers were in the field of 67, spread out among seven different age groups. Regina’s Joshua Babcock fired a 159 (81, 80) to finish third in the juvenile boy’s division. Parker Mymyyk of Regina Beach placed 19^th in the same category with a score of 179 (92, 87).

On Aug. 25 and 26 the Elmwood Golf Club will host the Ford Series/Golf Saskatchewan Order of Merit Championship.

The twosome of Kathy Ziglo and Ian Larocque were the lone team to shoot under par on route to the 20^th Mixed Team Championship this past weekend at Elk Ridge Resort.

Ziglo and Larocque combined for a 70 on day of the event Saturday, they shot a 68 on Sunday to win the event by six strokes over Brent Wotypka and and Kathy Hopfner (below) of Swift Current. They were tied with Ziglo and Larocque after day one but faltered during the second round shooting 74.

Prince Albert’s Cory and Kayla Sawchuk (below) won the bronze medal at the event firing a one-over, 145.

The field consisted of 58 golfers, or 29 teams. The format focused on a team game. Each player teed off and proceeded to play their partners’ ball to the green. Once the competitors reached the green they decided on which ball to hole out.

You can see all the scoring results here.

Prince Albert’s Danny Klughart has a long time promise to fulfill to a good friend.

Next week during the CP Women’s Open, Klughart will caddy for Saskatoon’s Anna Young who received an exemption into the event in her home province. Klughart has been friends with Young since their junior tour days over a decade ago. He said Young worked out the deal long ago.

“Anna and I grew up together, we would travel together to the junior tournaments when we were 12 and 13 years-old. Our moms are good friends, she always joked I’d caddy for her at her first LPGA event, so I have to hold up my end of the bargain,” he joked.

Young is currently playing on the Symetra Tour in the central United States picking up her second professional win earlier this season. She is also a five-time Saskatchewan Amateur Women’s champion, her last coming in 2015 at Elk Ridge Resort. Klughart said he is proud of what she has accomplished in the game.

“It’s awesome, she’s really trying to endorse the game,” he said. “She really inspires a lot of junior golfers around the province. Not only them but the women, myself and other players in the province follow her down there. It’s just exciting to see someone so close to home doing so well for herself.”

Klughart has been involved in the sport his entire life, he said he started riding his dad’s cart carrying a putter before advancing to more clubs and lessons as a six-year-old in Prince Albert. He got his first membership at nine and hasn’t looked back. He qualified for the Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship in Victoria, B.C. through the Saskatchewan Men’s Amateur Championship earlier this year but the schedule conflict is keeping Klughart in Saskatchewan. He knows there will be more opportunities to earn a trip to the men’s event and is excited to share the LPGA experience with Young.

“She doesn’t really need me for advice on the course, but I think having someone she’s comfortable and familiar with will keep her relaxed for the week. I hope I can keep her focused when she needs to be and kind of light when she needs to be, I think it will be good,” he said.

Klughart has played the Wascana Country Club on a couple of occasions including the Regina City Amateur. He also caddied for Brad Phelps at last year’s Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship.

He will travel to Regina on Monday night and begin working with Young on Tuesday. During the first of two Pro-Am events coinciding with the tournament Young’s father will caddy for her, that will take place on Monday.

You can hear more from Klughart who spoke with Golf Saskatchewan’s Clark Stork on Friday.

The Lloydminster Golf and Curling Centre recently wrapped up their second girl’s golf camp with rave reviews.

Manager Marty Wheaton has seen a drop in numbers for junior girl’s golf and decided last season he wanted to help try to buck the trend. His first camp was attended by approximately 15 girls, this week his second attempt featured over 30. Wheaton said easing the girls into the sport is a positive approach he’s found successful.

“Introducing them to the game while focusing on a multi-sport facet with the classes,” he explained to Golf Saskatchewan. “We work on hand-eye coordination, some of the rotational muscles that are involved in golf but also introduce them through different sports and games.”

Golf baseball is one unique avenue Wheaton uses. He said it’s essentially tee-ball with golf clubs. He said taking the players minds off the technical focus showed vast improvement in swings.

“It includes running to first base after you hit it, so you see the girls finish on their front side and making sure they are hitting down on the ball. Their technique totally changed from when they were on the range. If you put them in an athletic mode where they just react, it was cool to see the progress,” Wheaton said.

The entrants worked on full swings, grip work, learning knowledge about how the clubs work with certain angles as well. Overall Wheaton said keeping the game fun is important, not just for junior girls but everyone who takes up the sport.

“My big thing is taking baby steps and introducing the game as fun. Hopefully they take it up with their family, we all know it’s a game for a lifetime so starting them young is important,” he said.

Numbers for women golfers both as adult amateurs and youth are struggling. Many junior tours see age groups with just a handful of competitors. Golf Saskatchewan is working on promoting junior girls golf as well and will continue discussions with stakeholders on how to improve the number of participants both competitively and recreationally. The LPGA CP Women’s Open is taking place next week at Regina’s Wascana Country Club. Wheaton said the legacy that tournament could leave is positive for girl’s golf in Saskatchewan.

“I hope it sparks some new blood, we all know we need it. I have a couple juniors going up there to view the event so that’s positive. We don’t usually have the national championships, it’s once in awhile so definitely for the game in Saskatchewan it’s really positive,” he said.

Wheaton is already working on next year’s girls golf camp with hopes of doubling the participation numbers in the third year.