Saskatoon’s Shaun Dunphy shot the round of the day for Saskatchewan golfers at the 114^th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship on Monday.

After the first round of the national championship in Duncan, B.C. the Saskatoon Golf and Country Club member is tied for 11^th spot at minus-2. Dunphy opened with a birdie on hole one at Pheasant Glen Golf Resort. He splattered three more birdies on the front nine to go with just two bogeys taking the turn at 2-under par. Dunphy carded a trio of birdies and bogeys on the back nine leading to a 69.

Kade Johnson, the Saskatchewan amateur champion, is in a tie for 73rd at 2-over par. The Southern Arkansas University student provided day one fireworks with a hole in one on hole seven at Duncan Meadows Golf Course. The Yorkton product peppered three bogeys on his card, he had a double-bogey and a birdie on hole 18 to secure a first round 73.

David Stewart and Justin Wood both finished round one at plus-5, each shooting 76. They are in a logjam at 135^th place. Saskatoon’s Ty Campbell is tied for 172th at 7-over. Saskatchewan mid-amateur champion Mike Herperger shot an 8-over, 79, that leaves him in a tie for 189^th. Liam Courtney is tied for 214^th place after an opening round 81, Keighton McNab and Roman Timmerman, both of Saskatoon are at plus-14, they are in 233^rd position.

The tournament is taking place at two courses for the first two rounds until cuts are made. Defending champion Zach Bauchou is the leader at 6-under.

Click here to find the complete leaderboard and tee times for Saskatchewan’s athletes ahead of round two.

What started as a family business in northern Saskatchewan has flourished into two decades of golf success.

Northern Meadows Golf Club started in 1995 as a small nine-hole course by Frank Sopracolle, his offspring and significant others. Today the facility has developed into a top of the line 18-hole course, RV park, and campground just outside Meadow Lake Provincial Park. Co-owner Ken Olan said they never imagined the course would expand to what it is today.

“We never did no,” Olan told Golf Saskatchewan. “We built eight rental cabins by the clubhouse, we realized people needed a place to stay. We get lots of groups now that come in,” he said.

This week, the family owned course celebrated their 20^th anniversary. Using the “natural landscape” to develop the now 18-hole course Olan said they needed to build a top-notch facility to be sustainable, especially in northern Saskatchewan.

“We always said if we’re going to put a course here we need to be better than others around. We needed to make it a destination and we’ve done that,” Olan said.

Since the inception of the first nine holes in 1998, the club grew and opened another nine holes in June of 2007. This week they celebrated their 20^th anniversary. The course is built on his Olan’s parent’s homestead land and the clubhouse is Olan’s wives’ grandparent’s home they brought in from Goodsoil. He said the course has created a significant community in northern Saskatchewan, as for the next pair of decades, Olan is not clear on what will take place.

‘It’s hard to say, something has to be done,” he said” “It’s no longer a little nine-hole golf course. It has a mind of its own, we just have to steer it,” he said.

Colby Friedrich is happy with the way he performed at the Canadian Junior Boys Championship this week.

The 16-year-old was the lone Saskatchewan golfer to make the cut at the Medicine Hat Golf and Country Club based tournament. The Battleford product shot 26-over par through four rounds, that left him in 71^st place. Friedrich said overall the event was a great endeavor.

“I thought it was a great learning experience,” he told Golf Saskatchewan. “Being at an under-19 national championship there was so many things to learn. I thought it was awesome.”

After carding a 77, 6-over par on day one Friedrich knew he had to be better during round two to make the cut. He played well posting a 73, just below the line which allowed him to play two more rounds. He said his nerves were shot waiting for the competitors to finish the round.

“After the round I couldn’t stop looking at my phone seeing how far I was moving up the leaderboard. I was pretty nervous,” Friedrich said.

The 72-hole event, not including practice rounds piled up for Friedrich he admitted. He said the biggest learning curve was the toll the competition took on his body. Several days in Medicine Hat the weather hovered in the mid-30-degree Celsius range. He said his body couldn’t get enough water.

“It takes it’s toll, especially round two when I knew I had to go out and post a good score. I did but, in the heat, it was a grind, some of the hottest weather I’ve ever played in,” he said.

The championship does include a “juvenile” age category that is for golfers under 17 years of age. Friedrich was 18^th within his age group. Friedrich shared the experience with Josh Nagy, Bradley Moser, Connor Scissons, Steven Duchscher, and Cole Obrigewitsch. He said he hopes to take what he learned this year into another national championship next year.

“It was awesome, just spending time with the guys. It was a great experience, meeting a couple new guys. I was able to show myself what I need to work on and hopefully I can come back next year, make the cut and play better the last two days,” he said.

Friedrich will take a couple weeks off before the Junior Lobstick in Waskesiu. He will finish the competitive season at the Maple Leaf Junior Tour Championship at the Elmwood Golf Club in Swift Current.

Saskatchewan’s four representatives at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship are on their way home.

Brooklin Fry, Sarah Grieve, Carey McLean, and Ella Kozak showed well at the Beach Grove Golf Club in Tsawwassen, B.C. gaining crucial experience for the future.

Fry, 13, the provincial champion shot 38-over for the first two rounds of the event. Grieve, 15, shot 188, she finished at 44-over par. 16-year-old Mclean was 45-over par and Kozak, 12, finished the event at 53-over par.

All four young golfers missed the cut.

Saskatchewan finished eighth in the inter-provincial competition of the event.

When it rains, it pours.

That sentiment isn’t words golfers usually like to mutter but for Taylor Afseth it’s raining buckets. The Saskatoon Golf and Country Club member has unbelievably hit three aces in 12 days, all at different courses. According to Wikipedia, a golfer has a one in 12,500 chance of hitting a trio of hole in ones in their lifetime. Afseth didn’t need two weeks between his first three. He said he’s still having a hard time believing the ball fell.

“I can’t even explain it, it’s just weird,” Afseth said. “I don’t know, three shots no different than any others I’ve hit, and they went in. Expect the unexpected.”

The first came on hole 11 at Dakota Dunes Golf Links during the second round of the Men’s Amateur Championships on July 18. His ace on the 211-yard hole helped vault him up the leaderboard landing a spot in the national mid-amateur championship later this month. He said that was a memorable moment.

“That was special, when it went in I was like, I can’t believe it happened here. When I needed it, in the biggest tournament in the province, that was so special. We were all very excited,” Afseth said.

Afseth picked up his second ace, also during a tournament. He was playing in the Ironman at Silverwood Golf Course in Saskatoon. The 132-yard shot also came on hole 11. Afseth said he never thought the tee shot had a chance to drop in.

“That one I didn’t hit near as well, in the air it looked like it was headed for the centre of the green. The greens were fast, it rolled a long way and went in,” he said.

His most recent hole in one came on hole three at the Rosetown Golf and Country Club on July 30. When the ball hit the cup on the 223-yard par-4, Afseth was speechless.

“I just shook my head, I didn’t know what else to do,” he quipped.

Afseth started playing the game with his grandfather at Turtle Lake and in Saskatoon with his dad. He said he’s been involved in the sport his entire life. When he was young his grandfather took him to a Canadian Junior Golf Association event in South Carolina that was a “really cool experience.” The 25-year-old said the aces are great for his confidence in preparation for his next big event, the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Victoria Golf Club.

“It definitely helps, I’ve hit a lot of shots that have looked like that in the air in the last couple days. It makes you nervous knowing it has a chance to drop and it has been lately. I’m going to try and keep it going,” he said.

The Mid-Am event runs from Aug. 24 to 24.

Golf Saskatchewan has a hole in one club on their website. Luis Nicholas amazingly has two of them at Holiday Park Golf Course this season. Keon Turner, 12, hit one on July 30 at TS&M Woodlawn Golf Club as well.

Colby Friedrich didn’t shoot anything over a bogey Wednesday at the Canadian Junior Boys Championship on route to a solid 78 in round three.

The 16-year-old Battleford product has a three-round total of 228, he is at 15-over par. Friedrich sits in a tie for 65^th place among a field that started at 156. He still falls into “juvenile” age group at the tournament, he is 17^th in his age group. The North Battleford Golf and Country Club member was the lone Saskatchewan golfer to make the cut at the championship.

Friedrich’s fourth and final round at the Medicine Hat Golf and Country Club is on Thursday.

You can follow the online leaderboard here.

Some work will need to be done if any of Saskatchewan’s junior girl golfers will make Wednesday’s cut at the Canadian championship in British Columbia.

After day one of the national event for women golfers under 19 years-old, the team Saskatchewan foursome did fare well at the Beach Grove Golf Club in Tsawwassen, B.C.

Saskatchewan champion Brooklin Fry, 13, shot 89 during the first round of the tournament. The Shell Lake product is in a tie for 105^th place overall, but she sits in 66^th position in the juvenile age group. The juvenile category is under 17 years-old as of Aug. 1. 15-year-old Sarah Grieve of Saskatoon and 16-year-old Carey McLean out of Deer Valley are tied for 123th place at plus-21.  That position jumps to 75^th in the under-17 division.

Ella Kozak, 12, shot a 22-over, 94 during round one, she sits in a tie for 80^th place in the juvenile division.

McLean, the last member of Team Sask. on the course Tuesday is the first on the blocks for round two. She tees off at 10:28 a.m. Saskatchewan time. Grieve will begin her round at 3:28 p.m. and Kozak tees off just 11 minutes later. Fry hits the course at 3:50 p.m.

Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C. leads the event at 3-under through round one. Online scoring is available here.

Colby Friedrich’s national junior golf championship experience will continue for a couple more days.

The Battleford product was the lone Saskatchewan representative to make the cut at the Canadian Junior Boys Championship taking place in Medicine Hat, Alta. The 16-year-old shot 77 on day one of the event at the Medicine Hat Golf and Country Club. He fired a 73 during the second round climbing to a tie for 61^st place. Friedrich’s plus-8 was right at the cut line of the 156 player field. He will tee-off at 8:58 a.m. Wednesday for round three of four.

A handful of other Saskatchewan golfers didn’t make the final couple days of the championship. Bradley Moser (Saskatoon) shot 14-over (79, 77); Connor Scissons (Saskatoon) shot 77 and 83. Steven Duchscher (Saskatoon) fired back-to-back 80’s, he tied Scissons at plus-18. Josh Nagy (Saskatoon) finished at plus-19 (79, 82) and Deer Valley’s Cole Obrigewitsch was 22-over after shooting a pair of 82 rounds.

Both Friedrich and Nagy still fall under the “juvenile” age category at the championship, the event is for golfers under 19 years of age. Friedrich is tied for 14^th among the age group which is under 17 as of August 1.

You can continue to follow Friedrich’s rounds here.

In June of last year Loon Lake and District Golf and Country Club lost their clubhouse to a fire. One year later the vision of a new facility tucked into Saskatchewan’s northern forest is becoming a reality.

Construction of a new building that will feature a restaurant, lounge, proshop, meeting room, and 85-seat banquet room got underway at the start of July this year. The building is expected to be complete in November. The course located in Makwa Lake Provincial Park has been using a 60-foot trailer as a clubhouse since the blaze destroyed their facility. Proshop manager Heather Schneider said the golf course traffic hasn’t seen a decline but other avenues of revenue have had to come to a standstill.

“We’ve had to put all our tournaments on hold, we don’t have an eating facility,” she told Golf Saskatchewan. “Everyone is excited to get the clubhouse up and going and getting back to normal.”

The nine-hole, grass green course features lake front views, a waterfall, bunkers and plenty of trees “with lots of balls in them,” Schneider joked. She said superintendent Mik Carey has done a great job with the course in his over ten years at the club. Schneider said the trailer has had a few challenges, but the shape of the course has outweighed any shortfalls.

“It’s been fine, people have been really cooperative. People have adapted to the situation. The golf has been great, both last year and this year we’ve been busy with golfers,” she said.

Insurance is covering the costs of the new facility allowing the club to move along nicely with the rebuild. Schneider said now that there are walls formed and progress is being made excitement is building among campers and the locals.

“Now that they see the clubhouse come up there is an excitable vibe in the air and people are anxious, but golfing has continued as usual,” she said.

The club expects to have the new facility operational in May of next year.

The ladies representing Team Saskatchewan are in British Columbia for the Canadian Junior Girls Championship that opens Tuesday at the Beach Grove Golf Club.

Provincial champion Brooklin Fry of Shell Lake leads the team along with Saskatoon’s Sarah Grieve, Carey McLean of Deer Valley and Yorkton’s Ella Kozazk. Grieve will be first to tee-off, her round begins at 10:28 a.m. Saskatchewan time. Kozak, who has been in B.C. since her appearance at the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship will tee-off at 10:39 a.m. 13-year-old Fry will be on the blocks at 10:50 a.m. and McLean has a late tee time, she will start her round at 3:28 p.m.

The team is coached by Steve Ryde.

All four earned their way to nationals through their performance at the provincial junior tournament held July 9 to 11 at Moon Lake Golf and Country Club.

The national event is four rounds and includes an inter-provincial competition as well.

Online scoring for the championship can be found here.