Third time the charm for Ochitwa at Men’s Lobstick

After two finals losses including last year, Payton Ochitwa has his first Men’s Lobstick Championship.
The Saskatoon product was the eighth seed in the championship flight bracket, and tied for 18th overall in the Lobstick Open to start the week, the former Saskatoon Golf and Country Club player and staffer went to work on the field.
He defeated Jay Smith, Shaun Dunphy, Cory Selander, Shawn Loney, and finally Scott Mackay in the final match on Saturday.
To see the complete results from the Men’s Lobstick click here.
He spoke to Golf Saskatchewan following the victory in Waskesiu.
Sweeney wins Lobstick Open; Selander ties course record on day one

Marc Sweeney of Saskatoon is the winner of the 2025 Men’s Lobstick Open.
The Saskatoon product fought from behind on day two Tuesday at Waskesiu Golf Course with a solid 66 holding off Danny Klughart by one shot.
Ryan Wells and Scott Mackay tied for third.

After day one everyone in the field of 80 players was chasing Prince Albert’s Cory Selander. The Cooke Municipal Golf Course member tied Shawn Strelau’s course record of 63 in round one on Monday. Selander shot 76 in the second round and tied for fifth with Connor Scissons.
Selander is the top seed in the Lobstick bracket in the championship flight. In his first match on Wednesday afternoon he takes on his father Cliff Selander.
For complete results and details about the Lobstick which wraps up Saturday can be found here.
Johnson looks back on Canadian University Championship; Vikes claim silver medal

Myles Johnson has returned to Saskatchewan for the summer with some extra luggage from his second year at the University of Victoria.
The Martensville product and Vikes golf team member competed in the Canadian University/College Championship at Rivershore Golf Links in Kamloops, B.C. from June 3 to 6, the team claimed the silver medal and Johnson placed 47th overall.
The Riverside Country Club member opened with an 85 in the first round , but responded nicely over the final three days shooting 73, 78, and 76 moving up 21 spots on the leaderboard on the final day.
UBC won the men’s championship. Johnson was the only Saskatchewan player in the field of 97 players from.17 different schools.
He spoke with Golf Saskatchewan following the event and his plans for the summer before heading back to Victoria in August.
Walker wins Ladies Northern; Ziglo takes senior title

Two familiar faces in the Saskatchewan golfing circuit are champions again following the 2025 Ladies Northern in Prince Albert on the weekend.
Regina’s Kim Walker outlasted the elements, and 59 other players in the field to capture the title on Sunday (June 8) at Cooke Municipal Golf Course.
The Wascana Country Club member had to battle for the win, both Kim Brown and Lauren Fox pushed for 36 holes tying for second just two strokes behind Walker’s 157 (77, 80).
Saskatoon’s Kathy Ziglo won the senior division after rounds of 83 and 79, the Saskatoon Golf and Country Club member was fourth overall.
Rounding out the top-five was Rosetown’s Sue Skinner, the Delisle Valleyview Golf Club player won the first flight with a 36-hole score of 169.
To see the complete results from the championship click here.
With the win Walker takes the early lead on the Women’s Order of Merit Tour (OMT). Next on the schedule is the Saskatoon Women’s Open on June 16 and 17 at The Willows Club. To register click here.
Walker spoke after the win on Sunday in Prince Albert.
Hallberg wins first Senior Lobstick; Grolla takes Super-Senior plague

The first Lobstick of the season is in the books at Waskesiu Golf Course, and Rick Hallberg has his first Senior Men’s Lobstick championship.
After a couple near misses in recent years, the Weyburn product and proud Golf Kenosee member outlasted the field, and Brad Phelps in the final group on day three to win the coveted plague.
Hallberg posted rounds of 70, 75, and 73 to edge both Phelps and last year’s champion Paul Briske by a pair of strokes.
Hallberg spoke to Golf Saskatchewan after the win on Thursday.
Winning the Super-Senior category for the first time was Saskatoon player Milt Grolla. He carded stellar rounds of 76, 75, and 76.

To see all the results from the week click here.
The next event for Waskesiu is the Men’s Lobstick that begins on June 9.
The Women’s Order of Merit Tour (OMT) gets underway this weekend at Cooke Municipal Golf Course in Prince Albert with the Ladies Northern Championship.
To see the OMT schedules and standing click here.
Degelman launching junior camps under Schmatlz’s ‘Tourpath’ brand

Current collegiate player Carter Degelman is launching a series of junior golf camps under the tutelage of longtime professional Clinton Schmaltz in Saskatoon.
“Tour Path Junior Camps” will begin next week (June 10 – 12) at Moon Lake Golf and Country Club.
Degelman currently plays golf at Dominican University of California. The idea for the camps came about when Degelman was home from school seeking summer employment. That’s when he decided to reach out to his longtime coach to see if the camps were a possibility.
“When I was a kid there wasn’t many camps for younger kids,” he told Golf Saskatchewan. “There are quite a few now in the city. I wanted to start something like that, I work with Clinton and I wanted to build it off a brand, he had the idea that we go this route.”

Each camp is three hours long and directed to kids from about five to 12 years old. Degelman admits three hours playing golf can be overwhelming for kids that age, so breaking up the itinerary is something they will do to keep the attendees engaged.
“We want to have a fun environment for kids to learn basic skills, but also have games that have other aspects to give them a break,” Degelman said.
He’s currently promoting the camps through Saskatoon’s elementary schools hoping to fill all seven scheduled weeks over the summer. Degelman said golf teaching opportunities are plentiful as the game has grown immensely since he started. He said growing the game is important to most players and feels this camp is another piece in doing so in Saskatoon.
“We are all doing the same thing, we want to give the kids the best experience possible and that’s our goals for these camps,” he concluded.
To register for the camps reach out to 306.270.7344 or visit them on Instagram.
Lloydminster Golf & Curling Centre hosts MJT stop; players prep for Sask. Championships

Over 90 junior golfers with many planning to attend the Saskatchewan Junior Championships took part in the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) event in Lloydminster this past weekend.
In the junior women’s age groups, both Youran Zhu and Tayla Perry picked up their second championships of the MJT season.

Perry took the 15 to 19 age group with a 36-hole score of 158 (82,76), holding off Sarah Henderson of Saskatoon. Henderson was three strokes off the lead at 161, Kyle’s Chloe Wills also made the podium in third with rounds of 81 and 85.
Zhu won the under-15 age category with a two round score of 174 thanks to rounds of 82 and 92. Natalie Maunula of North Battleford was second at 195.

The under-13 men’s division was won by Hudson Deibert of Regina. The 10-year-old outlasted Cohen Bridge (Corman Park) and Caleb O’Brien (Melville) to win the age group by five strokes.

Austin Nesbitt has another bantam (under-15) win on his impressive junior resume. The Pilot Butte product shot 75 and 79 for a 10 shot win over Cooper Roberge of Lloydminster and Lumsden’s Ryker Schmidt.
Mason Kuryvial of Taber, Alta. placed fourth, a shot behind the runners-up.

Taking the overall championship was Sucker River junior Dade Bernatchez who collected his first overall MJT win. Bernatchez shot 80 in round one and 78 in the second round just getting past Regina’s Aiden Walker by two shots.
Walker opened with an 83 and responded with a 77 on day two but couldn’t quite track down Bernatchez. Placing third in the under-19 age group was Graydon Vogelsang of Saskatoon, he was at 161 (78,83).

Regina’s Kai Kriekle who plays at the Wascana Country Club tied Preston Buchner for fourth overall, but Kriekle’s 163 was enough to claim the under-17 division that plays the same yardage as the under-19 division.
Plenty of pressure was behind Kriekle over the two days, Cohen Hepburn of Saskatoon and Finn Silver from North Battleford each posted scores of 164 to tie for second in the age category.
For complete results of the event click here.
Next up on the Saskatchewan Junior Order of Merit Tours (OMT) is the NextGen Prairie Championship in Warman at The Legends Golf Club from June 13 to 15.
To see the updated OMT standings click here.
All photos courtesy Jeff Chambers
Sturgeon leads Sask. contingent at Alberta NextGen; Hunter and Mosher earn Junior Championship exemptions

A heartbreaking finish for Lucas Sturgeon at the NextGen Western Championships over the weekend at Trestle Creek Golf Resort in Entwistle, Alta.
The Saskatoon Golf and Country Club junior opened the event with a 73, shot 68 in the middle round Saturday and closed with a 75, good enough to force a three-person playoff that was won by Chase Lassman of Edmonton.
Sturgeon earns an exemption into the Canadian Junior Boys’ Championships alongside Casa Rio’s Ethan Hunter and Saskatoon’s Ryan Mosher who tied for sixth overall at 219, just three shots back of the winnner.
Aricin Franklin (Saskatoon), Brady Guenther (Saskatoon), Shae Maunula (North Battleford) and Hudson Heistad (Avonlea) all made the cut and played all 54 holes. Franklin tied for 12th at 223 (71,75,77), Guenther tied for 31st at 229 (76,73,80), Maunula was 34th with a score of 230, Heistad was 43rd at 235.
Three Saskatchewan junior women were in the field.
Grace Odnokon of Saskatoon just missed the cut shooting 81 and 84, Niya Friesen from Swift Current was near the number as well carding rounds of 85 and 81. Onion Lake golfer Ada Dillon shot 84 and 86, the cut line was 163.
To see more on the NextGen Western Championship including the full results click here.
The NextGen Championship schedule continues to roll through western Canada with its next stop at The Legends Golf Club in Warman for the playing of the NextGen Prairie Championship. The tournament will run June 13 – June 15 with a practice round preceding the action on June 12.
Danielson runs away from field at MNP Northeast Open

Tommy Danielson has his first big amateur championship after putting on an impressive 36-hole display on the weekend at the MNP Northeast Open in Nipawin.
The Riverside Country Club member tied for fourth at the event last season and right from the first tee in 2025 Danielson wanted more.
He parred the opening two holes at Evergreen Golf Course startig Saturday, went on to birdie the next seven and finish the round tied for lead at 5-under par with Kyle Weibe of Madison.
The wind picked up for day two, but Danielson continued his strong play at one point pushing his score to 11-under par before closing the event 8-under and a five shot win over Shaunavon’s Corey Bailey.
Phil Jonas was the top pro in third place. The complete results can be found here.
Mackay wins Regina City Amateur; takes early lead in Order of Merit race

Scott Mackay is the 2025 Regina City Amateur presented by Zaba Financial champion.
The Royal Regina Golf Cub member shot back-to-back 73’s on May 24 and 25 at Murray Golf Course and the Wascana Country Club and held off Cole Zawislak and Drayjon Sparvier in a playoff to win his first city am and earn 500 points on the Order of Merit Tour (OMT).
To see the full results click here.
Mackay spoke with Golf Saskatchewan about the win and his thoughts going into the MNP Northeast Open this weekend and Saskatchewan Amateur Championships in Humboldt in mid July.