Amateurs set to tee it up at The Legends
The Legends in Warman is set to host provincial golf championships for the first time since 2016.
The 109th Saskatchewan Men’s Amateur, the 34th Mid-Amateur, and 102nd Saskatchewan Women’s Amateur Championships will tee off on Tuesday.
General Manager Davidson Matyczuk said the course is thrilled to welcome back provincials to the city.
“We’re really excited,” he told Golf Saskatchewan. “The course is in great shape, so we were looking forward to hosting if it was going to happen and were definitely excited when championships were allowed under the current golf guidelines outlined by the Saskatchewan Health Authority and the Government of Saskatchewan. Our volunteers and membership has also stepped up leading up to the event and the week of.”
The amateur men’s field was capped at 100 participants due to 10-minute tee time mandates but without national spots on the line the event will still be very competitive. 57 players will compete for the Mid-Am event that is open to players 25 years old and up. 12 women will challenge for the ladies’ championship. Matyczuk said the course will provide a tough test for the 112 players across three championships.
“It depends on the conditions with the wind, wind is always the biggest challenge out here. If it picks up the scores will go up but if the weather cooperates we will see some good scores. The player that stays consistent and avoids big numbers will have a chance. Whoever putts the greens well, controlling your speed and getting the ball in the right spot and adjusts will have the best shot,” Matyczuk explained.
Familiar faces such as Colin Coben, Tyler Wright, David Stewart, Brad Phelps, Mike Herperger, Rich Hallberg and Ken Rodgers are not in the field but there is still plenty of star power. Reigning amateur and mid-amateur champion Danny Klughart will play with 2018 amateur champion Kade Johnson and two-time junior champion Josh Nagy for the first two rounds. 2016 winner at The Legends, Justin Wood is also in the field that begins teeing off at 6:40 a.m. on Tuesday. College players Roman Timmerman and Jace Carlisle will look to make noise as will 2019 runner-up Jehremey Ryde.
On the lady’s side, reigning champion Kathy Ziglo will take on an up-and-coming group of women amateurs. Brooklin Fry, the 2018 and 2020 junior girl’s champion will push for a second straight championship win. 2019 junior champion Autumn Neiszner is excited for her first amateur event. Lauren Fox, Alex Schmidt, Ella Kozak, and Sarah Grieve are also searching for their first amateur win after junior success.
The mid-amateur and women’s event will crown champions on Thursday after 54-holes, the men’s amateur is a four round championship concluding on Friday with a cut line on Thursday after the third round.
The women’s amateur begins at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. Information on the competitors, tee times and leaderboard can be found here.
The men’s amateur and mid-amateur information can be seen here.
Golf Saskatchewan crowns junior champions
The 2020 Saskatchewan Junior Championships have wrapped up at Swift Current’s Elmwood Golf Club.
Josh Nagy picked up his second junior title adding to the Saskatoon product’s 2018 victory. Nagy got better as the week went on shooting 75, 71, 67 for an eight shot win.
Jayden Dudas of Estevan finished in second place with a 54-hole score of 221.
Alex Swinnerton (below) of Regina placed third over at 224. That score earned Swinnerton the under-17 championship.
Max Regier (below) of Saskatoon is the 2020 under-15 champion with a score of 219.
Warman’s Dane Giesbrecht (below) is the 2020 under-13 champion with a score of 225.
Shell Lake’s Brooklin Fry also has her second junior championship. Fry sizzled over three days taking the girl’s under-19 and under-17 championship after carding rounds of 79, 71, 73. Her second round of 71 is an unofficial Elmwood women’s competitive round record. She was 10 strokes better than reigning champion Autumn Neiszner. Sarah Grieve of Saskatoon was third.
Fry was also victorious in 2018.
Yorkton’s Ella Kozak (below) is the 2020 under-15 champion with a score of 237.
The complete results of the junior girls is here, the boy’s results can be found here.
Nagy responds on day two; Fry opens lead in junior girl’s field
Moving day featured two familiar faces on the Saskatchewan junior golf circuit Wednesday at Swift Current’s Elmwood Golf Club.
In the 94th annual Junior Boy’s Championship 2018 winner Josh Nagy of Saskatoon found his groove shooting 1-under, 71 to climb into the lead heading into Thursday’s final round of the event. Nagy was five shots back of Battleford’s Colby Friedrich after round one.
Friedrich dropped back to a tie for third after posting a score of 80 in the second of three rounds of the championship. Jayden Dudas of Estevan matched Nagy’s score of 71 to vault himself into second at plus-5.
Alex Swinnerton will join the other three players in Wednesday’s final group in a race for the 2020 junior trophy.
Wawota’s Theoren West is in the hunt at 7-over par for the event, Cole Nagy sits in sixth at 8-over.
The full leaderboard can be found here.
Fry sizzles during round two
Shell Lake golfer Brooklin Fry was also in the red on day two shooting 71 after an opening round of 79 on Tuesday.
Fry, the 2018 junior girl’s champion opened a seven stroke lead over reigning champion Autumn Neiszner of Regina. The pair were tied after round one.
Saskatoon’s Sarah Grieve is tied for second place with Neiszner at plus-13 after shooting a solid 77 Wednesday.
The full results can be seen here.
The championship round will begin at 8 a.m. on Thursday.
Juniors play well despite windy weather
The last two Saskatchewan junior women’s champions are the day one leaders at the 2020 event in Swift Current.
2019 winner Autumn Neiszner and 2018 champion Brooklin Fry (pictured below) both shot opening rounds of 7-over, 79 at the Elmwood Golf Club in the 70th edition of the provincial championship.
Neiszner started strong shooting one-over par on the front before carding 44 on the back nine holes in very blustery conditions Tuesday.
Fry was the polar opposite shooting even par on holes 10 to 18 to climb into a tie going into Wednesday’s second round.
Lauren Fox is third at plus-14. The complete results can be found here.
Friedrich posts lone round in the red
Battleford’s Colby Friedrich (above) is the first round leader on the junior boy’s side of the event.
The North Battleford Golf and Country Club player posted a stellar 2-under, 70 despite wind gusts of 50 kilometres an hour and periodic rain during the first of three rounds in the championship.
There is a logjam behind Friedrich, Saskatoon’s Chase Pochylko and Josh Nagy, Regina’s Hunter Kutcher, and Kindersley’s Cort Tunall are all tied for second at plus-3, 75.
Five other players are tied for sixth at plus-5.
The full leaderboard can be seen here.
Round two of the 54-hole championship begins at 8 a.m. Wednesday.
Junior provincials tee-off in Swift Current
The Saskatchewan Junior Championships will begin on Tuesday at Swift Current’s Elmwood Golf Club.
43 players will compete for the junior boy’s provincial championship, six girls are registered in their event.
Elmwood has already played host to a Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour event this season with success. General Manager Sheldon Reinhart said the course is eagerly awaiting the provincial competition.
“We are extremely honoured to be hosting the Saskatchewan Junior Golf Championships,” Reinhart said. “Our golf course is in the best shape its ever been and we are excited to host competitors from all over the province this week. We are ready for a safe championship played under the current rules that the Saskatchewan Health Authority have allowed to operate under.”
Tee times will be placed 10 minutes apart starting at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. Rounds two and three of the 54-hole championship will begin at 8 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. The tee times and results for the boy’s 94th championship can be found here, while the information for the 70th girl’s championship is located here.
The juniors are the first stop on the 2020 provincial championship schedule. Golf Saskatchewan Tournament Director Steve Ryde said getting players back on the course to compete and be safe was the organization’s goal heading into the event that included a practice round on Monday.
“Golf Saskatchewan has worked very closely with the Government of Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Health Authority, and other golf industry stakeholders to outline how championships can be played safely and competitively at various courses. The entire team at Elmwood Golf Club has also been fantastic to work with leading up to what should be a great week of junior golf,” Ryde said.
Regina’s Autumn Neiszner is the defending female champion, last year’s junior boy’s champion Jace Carlisle aged out last year. 2018 champion Josh Nagy is in the field after missing last year’s event due to a scheduling conflict.
Greenhills Golf Resort lives up to it’s name
Greenhills Golf Resort in Greenwater Provincial Park definitely adheres to their name.
An 18-hole gem carved into the forest and hills of east-central Saskatchewan the resort course promises a memorable round. Greenhills recently welcomed Golf Saskatchewan for two days of lessons under PGA of Canada Professional Steve Ryde with 25 golfers of all ages taking part.
While there, Golf Saskatchewan sat down with General Manager Ed Bergen to learn more about the 65 year old course.
Nipawin’s Evergreen, a must play in northeast Saskatchewan
Home to arguably the province’s top tournament in the Scotia Wealth Open and conditions hard to top Nipawin’s Evergreen Golf Course is a must play.
Golf Saskatchewan sat down with new Evergreen President Kevin Duscherer and discussed just what makes their club one of the best in the province.
Grieve wins again; up and comers rule Regina
Sarah Grieve has had a great start to the Saskatchewan junior golf season as the Saskatoon product picked up her second straight Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour win on Tuesday at Tor Hill Golf Course in Regina.
Grieve posted rounds of 75 and 78 over Monday and Tuesday that allowed her to stay seven strokes ahead of Autumn Neiszner who posted back-to-back rounds of 80.
Binscarth’s Clara Peake was third in the 15 -19 girls group.
Yorkton’s Ella Kozak (above) placed third overall in the girl’s category with a two-day total off 167 (86, 81). Kozak won the under-15 girl’s division.
Junior Boys
Wawota’s Theoren West, 17, was the event’s overall winner with a 36-hole score of 147 (73, 74).
West held off reigning provincial junior champion Jace Carlisle who finished six strokes back at 153 in the junior boys age group.
Noah Parent was third with back-to-back rounds of 78.
Juvenile Boys
Kindersley’s Cort Tunall held off a fierce field to win the juvenile title. Tunall’s two-day total of 148 (76, 72) was just a shot back of West despite playing in a year under age group but the same 6,390 yards.
Regina’s Luke Cote was second in the juvenile boys division just a shot back of Tunall. Tommy Danielson of Saskatoon was third with a score of 150 (71, 79).
Bantam Boys
Max Regier is an MJT winner this week.
Regier, 14, carded rounds of 79 and 73, three shots ahead of Kindersley’s Keaton Cote to win the bantam age division. Darien Herlick. who won the same age group in Swift Current at the first MJT event of the season in late June placed third with a score of 157 (80, 77).
Peewee Boys
Jack Maharaj has won again.
The 11-year-old Saskatoon golfer has won his in group in back-to-back events.
Maharaj won the peewee boys division by three shots over Elias Haukeness with a 36-hole score of 164 (79, 85).
Haukeness finshed with a score of 168, Estevan’s Jayden Chernoff was third at 180.
Complete results can be found here.
The MJT Mini Tour was also in Regina on Sunday, the tour played an event at the Joanne Goulet Golf Course.
The winners were:
Girls 9-10- Sienna Taylor (Saskatoon)
Girls 11-12- Poppy Hudye Baranesky (Saskatoon)
U8 Boys- Keaton Kreklewich (Melville)
Boys 9-10- Shae Maunula (North Battleford)
Boys 11-12- Oliver Matyczuk (Saskatoon)
Next up on the junior schedule is the provincial championship in Swift Current at Elmwood Golf Course. Registration is now open here.
All photos courtesy Jeff Chambers
Greenhills Golf Resort hosts lessons
Over the weekend of July 4 and 5 Greenhills Golf Resort in Greenwater Provincial Park hosted two days of golf lessons.
PGA of Canada Class A Professional and Golf Saskatchewan Manager of Sport Steve Ryde conducted the lessons over the weekend. 25 people from as young as six to seniors took part in the instruction at the beautiful resort club.
For more information on your club hosting lessons contact Ryde at sryde@golfsk.org or call 306.290.4880.
Honouring the Hall of Famers – Mr. Doug Mader
In honour of marking the 10-year anniversary of the Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame, Golf Saskatchewan is featuring the members that have been enshrined.
Doug Mader was enshrined in 2011 with just one other player at the Wascana Country Club.
Mader is a two-time Men’s Amateur runner-up, the first ever Saskatchewan Mid-Amateur Champion and was a member of nine Willingdon Cup teams.