Erickson wins second senior Lobstick plaque

Medicine Hat golfer Glen Erickson is the Senior Men’s Lobstick champion for the second time.
Erickson outlasted Weyburn’s Rick Hallberg in a four-hole playoff to claim the prestigious tournament, adding to his win in 2018.
He was sitting in third place going into the final round however the Saskatoon-born Erickson shot the week’s low round of 69 to force a playoff. Repeating the first hole over and over a bogey on the fourth try sealed the win.
Erickson spoke to Golf Saskatchewan about returning to Waskesiu, the win, and playing in a loaded championship flight during the 54-hole championship.
36-hole leader Doug Kozak finished third, Cliff Selander was fourth, while Brad Phelps and Mark Albert rounded out the top-five tying at 226.
Rick Yano was the super-senior winner.
The complete results can be seen here.
Next on OMT schedules:
- Juniors – The Willows Club Junior Open | June 10/11
- Women’s – Saskatoon Women’s Open | June 17/18
- Men’s – Men’s Lobstick | June 13/18
- Senior Men’s – Auto Clearing Senior Men’s Championship | June 20/22

Saskatchewan’s Schellenberg joins Golf Canada in assistant tournament director role

A familiar face around multi-sport games in Saskatchewan has advanced to a golf administrative role on the national level.
Outgoing Regina resident Leanne Schellenberg is one month into her role as the Assistant Tournament Director of the CPKC Women’s Open.
Her experiences in sport administration started at the University of Saskatchewan, and then an she had opportunity to work at the Western Canada Summer Games in Swift Current in 2019 which opened up more opportunities including the post with the national amateur golf organization.
Schellenberg spoke with Golf Saskatchewan from the grandstands of the 18th green in Oakdale, Ont. where the RBC Opens tees off Thursday. Fittingly Schellenberg shared her story in the midst of national recognized Women’s Golf Day.

Fox trots to Northern Ladies win; Blake blasts Evergreen on route to Scotia Wealth Open championship

It was a weekend of firsts for two young Saskatchewan amateur golfers in the north-central region of the province.
In Prince Albert, Lauren Fox of Creighton won her first Ladies Northern Championship on Sunday. After a third place showing in her debut at the event hosted by Cooke Municipal Golf Course last year Fox fired back-to-back rounds of 78 to win by seven strokes over Pauline McDougall of Prince Albert.
McDougall was the senior champion, she edged Kathy Ziglo by a shot, she was third.
The complete results can be found here. The next Order of Merit Tour (OMT) event for the ladies is the Saskatoon Amateur Women’s Championship on June 17 and 18 at Dakota Dunes Golf Links.
Golf Saskatchewan spoke with Fox Monday after the win.

In Nipawin, Regina’s Will Blake tied an Evergreen Golf Course record on Sunday shooting 66 and taking the Scotia Wealth Open by two shots over Jehremy Ryde.
Blake’s round ties fellow Regina golfers Lindsay Bernakevitch and Dean Brown with the record. Over 36 holes Blake finished 5-under par, good enough for the win in his debut at the tournament.
With the win Blake also receives an exemption into the PGA Tour Canada event in Elk Ridge.
A trio of Saskatoon players tied for third including Brock Ochitwa, Chase Pochylko, and Marc Sweeney. The complete results can be seen here.
The next Men’s OMT event is the Lobstick at Waskesiu Golf Course from June 13 – 18.
Golf Saskatchewan spoke with Blake Monday after the win.

Notah Begay III Junior Golf Tour coming to Saskatchewan

For the first time in it’s three-plus years of existence the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship Tour is coming to Saskatchewan in a weeks time.
Begay, an American Indian from Albuquerque, NM. said he started the junior tour to open doors and give more opportunities for junior golfers, so on June 10 and 11 at Dakota Dunes Golf Links on the Whitecap, First Nation near Saskatoon the 36-hole event will take place. To register, click here. The deadline is Wednesday night.
The four-time PGA winner and Stanford alumni joined Golf Saskatchewan this week to talk about why he wanted to start the junior initiative, how excited the group is to come to Saskatchewan, and why juniors should sign up for the event.

College trio returns from DII nationals after excellent rookie years

Over the May long weekend, three college golfers with ties to Saskatchewan wrapped up their freshman seasons at the NCAA DII Championship in Warren, Oh.
Regina’s Luke Cote tied for 75th at 228 (74, 80, 74) while competing for Southern Arkansas University.
Saskatoon’s Alex Swinnerton and longtime friend and Waskesiu Golf Course member Guillermo Salazar played for Indiana University of Pennsylvania and both tied for 80th at 229.
Despite the results the the trio are ecstatic how their rookie college seasons went commending with a national appreance.
The three joined Golf Saskatchewan to discuss the year, the event, and goals for the summer before returning to school in August.

Murray Municipal Golf Course hosts Regina High School Golf Championships

On May 30, almost 50 golfers in the Queen City converged on the Murray Municipal Golf Course to compete for the Regina High School Athletic Association (RHSAA) Golf Championships.
In the girls’ competition Wascana Country Club member Tayla Perry was the winner shooting a score of 89. Sophie Casswell was second at 101, in third with a score of 106 was Kira Dureault-Diabagate.
The full results are here.

In the senior boys competition Martin Collegiate student-athlete Jack Bechard held off schoolmate Casey Brown for the golf medal. Bechard shot 70, Brown a shot back at 71. Coming in third place was WCC player Jon Kozak at 74.

The junior boys winner was Jordan Heller (Pictured above middle/left) of Campbell Collegiate. Heller parred the course shooting 72. Aidan Walker (middle/right) carded a 78 to claim silver, Ryden Amberson (middle w/medal) of Miller High School was third with a 79.
The complete boys results can be seen here.

Matichuk claims Regina Dental Group Men’s City Amateur

Regina’s Mitch Matichuk is the 2023 champion of the Regina Dental Group Men’s City Amateur that occurred over the weekend.
With round one played at Matichuk’s home course of the Royal Regina Golf Club and day two hosted by the Wascana Country Club, the 30-year-old forced a playoff with fellow RRGC member Will Blake on the 36th hole before winning his first Queen City amateur title.
Shawn McNall also of the Royal was third, Wascana player Drayjon Sparvier was fourth. Andrew Zaba and Wade Huber tied for fifth place.
The complete results can be seen here.
Matichuk spoke with Golf Saskatchewan the day after the win.

Schmidt joins Golf Saskatchewan as manager of championships and rules

Following a fantastic five year college career at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Id, Regina’s Alex Schmidt is joining Golf Saskatchewan.
Schmidt, 22, won twice while competing for the LC Warriors and had several other top-five finishes.
Following her graduation she returned to Regina and will begin her position with Golf Saskatchewan on May 29.
She spoke with the organization ahead of her first day.

King of aces, Willows Club member drops ninth hole-in-one

Saskatoon’s Cory King feels there is some luck on his side when it comes to golf, but karma might be a wild card in the deck as well.
In early May, The Willows Club member became the first player of the 2023 hole-in-one club with an ace at a Saskatchewan course.
King is also behind the Pink Wig Foundation, started in honour of his girlfriend Tracy Dinh, who succumbed to cancer at the age of 26 in May of 2012.
Dinh was an avid golfer and her parents still play at The Willows Club today.
King spoke with Golf Saskatchewan’s Clark Stork about his remarkable string of aces that began when he was 16 years old to how the sport of golf has allowed him to cope with Tracy’s loss, keep her memory alive, and his love for the sport.

Danielson and Crozier pick up first MJT wins of the season

Regina’s Hallie Crozier has her first Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) win of the season.
The 18-year-old Ferris State commit won the 15-19 girls age group at this past weekend’s 54-hole, three-day MJT event at Swift Current’s Elmwood Golf Club. A member at Royal Regina Golf Club, Crozier carded back-to-back rounds of 74 before finishing with a 76 for a three round total of 224.
Camrose. Alta. golfer Jayla Kucy was second at 245 (78, 86, 81) while Chloe Wills from nearby Kyle took third place at 252 (89, 85, 78).
In the under-15 girl’s division, it was Aliyah Hull from Chestermere. Alta. taking the top spot at 244 (81, 82, 81), just a shot better than Tayla Perry of Regina. The Wascana Country Club (WCC) junior member shot 79 on day one, 82 in the second round, and 84 on the final day on Monday.
Saskatoon’s Grace Odnokon was third at 248 (81, 87, 80).

On the boy’s side the winning ways continued for Pilot Butte golfer Austin Nesbitt.
Nesbitt, 11, won his second straight MJT event Monday taking the category by eight shots over Humboldt’s Tylan Wallin. Nesbitt shot 72, 76, and 79 during the tournament played at just over 5,900 yards for the peewee division. The WCC finished at 27, Wallin had 235 (76, 74, 85).
Assiniboia’s Caydin Karst was third at 277 (98, 87, 92).

Aricin Franklin of Saskatoon has his second win of the season too after taking the bantam boys division again. The Riverside Country Club player held off a trio of out of province golfers for the win with a score of 228 (75, 74, 79).
Jayden Arnold of Calgary and Harrison Kiziak of Fort Saskatchewan tied for second at 232. In third was Brandon, Man. native Hunter Oakden.
Regina’s Kai Kriekle rounded out the top-five at 239 (81, 79, 79).
In the juvenile boy’s division Warman’s Dane Giebrecht was the top Saskatchewan player finishing in a tie for top spot through 54 holes, but Spruce Grove, Alta. product Peter Hlushak won the category in a playoff. Russel Quinn of St. Albert, Alta. also tied for first at 224.
Saskatoon’s Ryan Mosher and Jack Maharaj as well as Martensville’s Brayden Skene tied for fourth at 226.

The overall winner of the event on the men’s bracket was Saskatoon’s Thomas Danielson. Making his season debut, the Riverside Country Club member went 72, 67, 70, on route to a two stroke win over both Myles Johnson and Chase Pochylko.
Ryan Garbutt of Edmonton was fourth while Max Regier of Saskatoon found himself in the top-five tied with Rocky View County, Alta. athlete Zachary Haydamack at 216.
The complete results can be found here. There was also 29 players competing at the MJT Mini-Tour event held at the same venue on May 20, click here to see the results.
The Saskatchewan Junior Order of Merit (OMT) standings are up to date after a pair of MJT events. The next tournament o the junior OMT schedule is The Willows Club Junior Open on June 10 and 11. To register click here.
