Rodgers wins second senior men’s championship

For the second time in three years Ken Rodgers is the Saskatchewan senior men’s champion. The Tor Hill Golf Course player outlasted Swift Current’s Brent Wotypka in a two-hole playoff Thursday at the Royal Regina Golf Club (RRGC) to claim the 100^th title.

Rodgers had a four shot lead going into the final 18 holes but Wotypka, who plays out of the Elmwood Golf and Country Club in Swift Current wouldn’t make it easy on Rodgers making up the strokes to force the showdown. Rodgers said the victory didn’t come easy.

“The challenge today was playing against really tough competitors,” he said after the win on hole 16. “Brent just hung in there all day, made putts and made it tough on everybody. It felt even more rewarding than a couple years ago coming out of a battle like I came out of today.”

The 18^th hole was the first one the pair played in the playoff. Both hit perfect drives and followed each other onto the green with their second shots. Looking at similar birdie putts they both missed. With about three feet left Rodgers missed again and putted in for bogey. Thinking he had let the championship slip through his hands Wotypka couldn’t drop the par putt either forcing another hole.

“The way Brent putted all day I knew he was making that putt; I couldn’t believe it,” Rodgers said. “I was speechless when he didn’t make it. I felt bad for him but that’s golf, you never know what’s going to happen.”

Rodgers won with a par putt on the par-three 16^th hole.

Colin Coben had the round of the day shooting two-under, 69 to vault himself into third for a bronze medal and national team spot. Rick Hallberg, the 2018 champion was five-over in round three, he finished in fourth and will be the alternate on the team at nationals in Scarborough, Ont. from Sept. 20 – 22.

Three-time senior men’s champion Ken Bradley of Moose Jaw was the Legends (75 +) winner at the event at plus-19.

Rick Hillestad of Saskatoon was the top 65 and older competitor playing from the championship tees with a score of 16-over par. He receives an exemption into the Canadian Senior Championship as well.

The complete results can be seen here.

Kim Walker returns to golf, and the podium

Regina’s Kim Walker took a break from competitive golf but is back and has her first provincial championship since she claimed the 2016 Saskatchewan Women’s Amateur.

The senior championship didn’t start well for the Wascana Country Club member, sitting at nine-over par through the first nine holes but she battled back shooting one-under during the second round and plus-six on Thursday to win by 12 shots over Tammy Bezaire. Walker said the win is special following a long layoff.

“I got off to a really bad start,” she laughed. “It was nice to come back solid and play a really great round Wednesday. It was tough today; I knew Tammy was going to come out strong and I knew she’d have a good day, so I knew I had to keep up with her and play well. It’s great to be back playing again, I’m really happy to be playing and part of this tournament.”

Despite the rough start that included a nine on hole six during day one she knew there was lots of golf left to play.

“I thought I could claw my way back, it’s hard to have a confident swing after having a bad hole like that. I thought just put it behind me, there’s still lots of holes left,” she said.

Walker came into the championship round with a 10-stroke lead over Bezaire, the 2015 champion. Despite the wide margin it wasn’t until the 18^th fairway that she felt the win was coming.

“Having taken a nine myself I know how quickly a five shot swing could happen so; I never took it for granted. When I was driving on 18 I figured I had this in the bag. I think if I played match play with Tammy I’d be fine,” she said.

Bezaire, who hails from Hague, finished comfortably in second at 29-over par to take the silver medal. Swift Current’s Kathy Hopfner edged Regina’s Debra Duncan and seven-time winner Lorie Boyle to claim bronze. Boyle, who was inducted into the Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame in 2017 battled through an injury all week and bypassed a playoff for fourth place and the alternate position on Team Saskatchewan.

All the results can be seen here.

The Canadian Senior and Mid-Amateur Championship will be in Osoyoos, B.C. from Aug. 18 – 20.

Price is Wright in Mid-Master’s Championship

A relatively new championship to Golf Saskatchewan, the mid-master’s category for players over 40 was implemented in 2018 allowing for the top three players to receive an exemption into the Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship.

Regina’s Tyler Wright was the winner with a score of three-over par. The 2016 Saskatchewan Mid-Amateur champion outlasted Brad Phelps and Colin Coben by three shots to be eligible for his first national appearance since 2017.

Phelps and Coben were forced to play a playoff to decide second and third place. Phelps, who plays out of Holiday Park Golf Club in Saskatoon defeated Delisle’s Coben on the second playoff hole to claim silver. Despite Coben being eligible for the senior championship he entered the mid-master’s category as well. He is eligible for the national mid-amateur as well as the senior nationals.

The mid-master results can be found here.

The national team rosters will be released in the near future.

Regina’s Kim Walker had the round of the day at the Saskatchewan Senior Women’s Championship on Wednesday at the Royal Regina Golf Club (RRGC).

The Wascana Country Club member followed a 12-over par first round with a sparkling one-under during the second round of the 54-hole championship for women over 50 years of age. Walker bogeyed the first hole but got the stroke back with a birdie on hole five. Even through the front nine she bogeyed 12 and 15 dropping to two over for the round. Walker eagled the par five 17^th and added another birdie on 18 to finish with a score of 70.

She now sits eight strokes ahead of first round leader, Tammy Bezaire of Hague. Bezaire shot 83 on Wednesday and sits comfortably in second place at 19-over. Sue Skinner of Rosetown is tied with Regina’s Debra Duncan for third.

Seven-time champion Lorie Boyle from Moose Jaw is in fifth at 28-over par.

The leaderboard can be seen here.

The 56^th senior women’s champion will be crowned Thursday. The women groups will start teeing off at 10 a.m.

100^th Senior Men’s Championship

2017 senior men’s champion Ken Rodgers has put himself in a solid position to become a two-time winner of the championship.

The Tor Hill Golf Course player was two-under par after the first round, he wasn’t as precise during the second round of the event at the RRGC but his two-over, 73 is good enough to sustain a four-stroke lead over Swift Current’s Brent Wotypka. The Elmwood Golf and Country Club member was just a stroke back after round one but dropped back with a second round of 76.

2018 senior champion Rick Hallberg is in the hunt at six-over par, he’s in third place. Warren Sandbeck of Strathmore, Alta. is in fourth place at plus-seven. Colin Coben of Delisle and Saskatoon’s Rick Hillestad round out the top-five tied at eight-over.

The complete results can be seen here.

Mid-Master’s Championship (40 +)

In the mid-master’s division at the event, Tyler Wright of Regina sits atop the leaderboard with the slimmest of margins.

Wright, who plays out of the Wascana Country Club, shot an even 71 on Wednesday to overtake Brad Phelps for the lead. Wright’s overall score of two-over par is a shot ahead of fellow Wascana member Ryan McNall and Phelps. McNall posted a plus-two, 73 during the second round while Phelps shot four-over par.

Three players are tied for fourth place, Darryl Czuy, Scott Allan, and Hallberg are all tied at plus-six going into the championship round on Thursday.

The leaderboard can be found here.

The top three players in the 40 and over age group will be exempted into the Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship in Toronto later this summer.

The men’s tee times begin at 7 a.m.

Day one of the provincial senior and mid-master championships have concluded at the Royal Regina Golf Club.

In the 100^th Senior Men’s Championship, 2017 winner Ken Rodgers is off to a great start keeping his card bogey free on route to a two-under, 69 on Tuesday. The Tor Hill Golf Course member birdied the second hole and the 12^th, he parred every other hole on the course playing at approximately 6,300 yards.

Swift Current’s Brent Wotypka is right on Rodger’s tail, the Elmwood Golf and Country Club player is a stroke back at one-under par. Reigning senior champion Rick Hallberg is tied for third with James Tsakas of Regina. The pair each carded first round scores of plus-two, 73.

There is a logjam for fifth place with six golfers tied at four-over par.

The top four senior men win qualify for the Canadian Senior Men’s Championship as well as the super senior division (65 and over) winner.

The complete leaderboard can be found here.

Round two gets underway at 7 a.m. on Wednesday.

Mid-Masters (40 +) Championship

Saskatoon’s Brad Phelps was the lone mid-master’s competitor to shoot under par during round one.

The Holiday Park Golf Course player stroked an eagle and three birdies during his round to finish with a one-under, 70. He’s two shots up on Regina’s Ryan McNall, he carded a round of one-over, 72.

Three competitors are tied for third at two-over, 73. Hallberg, Tyler Wright, and Paul Wagner are tied looking for the final national mid-amateur spot available through the 40-plus age group event. Scott Allan is in the hunt at three-over.

The mid-master’s leaderboard can be seen here.

Senior Women’s Championship

Hague’s Tammy Bezaire has the most breathing room among the championship leaders after round one. She is up by four strokes after day one of the 56^th Senior Women’s Championship.

Bezaire, who plays out of the Valley Regional Park Golf Course sits at plus-seven. Debra Duncan of Regina is in second place at plus-11. Moose Jaw’s Lorie Boyle and Kim Walker of Regina are tied for third at 12-over par.

Bev Bellerose and Shari Forsythe-Hohm round out the top-five at plus-15. The leaderboard can be seen here.

The top three finishers after Thursday’s championship will qualify for the national senior championship.

Day two of the Canadian Amateur Championship was a drastic improvement for the Saskatchewan golfers in Nova Scotia.

Seven of the eight players competing in the event from the province improved during round two with a pair making the cut allowing themselves to play the final couple rounds.

Justin Wood of Unity was the top Saskatchewan player after round one, he was sitting in 60^th place but jumped 24 spots on the leaderboard with a plus-three round on Tuesday. Wood is at plus-seven. Saskatoon’s Roman Timmerman made the cut along with Woods thanks to two-over, 74 during his second round. The Riverside Country Club member sits in a tie for 46^th at eight-over par.

Bradley Moser of Saskatoon will finish the event at 16-over par, 2019 Saskatchewan amateur champion Danny Klughart finished at plus-17. Ty Campbell of Saskatoon was at plus-18, Jehremy Ryde closed his championship at 20-over par. Madison’s Kyle Wiebe ended his tournament at 21-over and Josh Nagy, also of Saskatoon concluded the event at plus-22.

Shaun Dunphy withdrew during round one with an injury.

The team of Klughart, Ryde, and Wood finished in a tie for sixth in the Willingdon Cup (inter-provincial) championship.

The complete results are available here.

For the next three days, the “home of golf” in Saskatchewan will have over 100 of the top senior men and women golfers in the province playing for provincial championships.

The 100^th Saskatchewan Senior (55 +) Men’s Championship and Mid-Masters (40 +) Championship and the 56^th Saskatchewan Senior (55 +) Women’s Championship will be played at the Royal Regina Golf Club from Tuesday to Thursday.

117 men will tee off in the event, the senior women’s tournament will have a field of 23.

The top four players in the senior events are playing for a chance to represent Saskatchewan at the Canadian championships later this summer. The winner of the mid-master championship will receive an exemption into the Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship at the Summit Golf Club in Toronto, Ont.

Weyburn’s Rick Hallberg is the reigning men’s champion, Jo-Anne Schiller of Lloydminster is the defending women’s champion. Carlyle’s Jason Mohr won the 2018 mid-master championship but is not in the event this year.

The men’s leaderboard can be seen here, the women’s championship leaderboard is here.

After day one of the 115^th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship Justin Wood is the top Saskatchewan player in the field.

The Unity product is tied for 60^th in the 266 player field at plus-four. The Saskatoon Riverside Country Club member improved as the day went on, he posted a 40 through the front nine holes but was even par on the back nine.

Saskatoon’s Roman Timmerman is tied in 97^th place at six-over par. Kyle Wiebe of Madison carded a round of plus-nine, 81. He is in a tie for 147^th. Brad Moser shot 83, he sits tied for 180^th. Ty Campbell is in a tie for 199^th place at plus-12.

Saskatchewan amateur champion Danny Klughart shot 13-over, he’s in a tie at 205^th. Jehremy Ryde of Eston is tied for 227^th with a round of 87. Josh Nagy shot 20-over par; he’s tied for 253^rd place.

Shaun Dunphy was forced to withdraw early in round one with an injury.

As a team, Saskatchewan is in sixth place for the Willingdon Cup race. Klughart, Ryde, and Wood are the three scores taken into account.

Round two will begin Tuesday morning. Results and tee times can be seen here.

HAMMONDS PLAINS, N.S. – The world’s best amateur golfers are set to compete in the 115th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship in Nova Scotia at both Glen Arbour Golf Course and The Links at Brunello from August 5-8.

The championship was first held in 1895, making it one of the most storied sporting events in Canada and the third oldest amateur golf championship in the world. Glen Arbour will play host to 264 players from 12 countries over four stroke play rounds, while The Links at Brunello will co-host for the first two rounds prior to the 36-hole cut.

“Golf Canada is delighted to be back in Nova Scotia to conduct the 2019 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at two terrific venues,” said Adam Helmer, the Tournament Director. “We are confident both Glen Arbour Golf Course and The Links at Brunello will challenge some of the top amateur golfers in the world as they vie for exemptions into two prestigious national championships.”

In 2018, Zach Bauchou of Forest, Va. defended his championship by winning at Duncan Meadows Golf Course in Duncan, B.C., by a three-stroke margin. Bauchou is the 22nd American to capture the Canadian Men’s Amateur crown and made his pro debut at this year’s RBC Canadian Open.

Current PGA TOUR players Mackenzie Hughes (Dundas, Ont.) and Nick Taylor (Abbotsford, B.C.) are both winners of the event. Taylor won it in 2007, while Hughes won back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012.

“We are thrilled to be hosting this strong field at Glen Arbour Golf Club and welcoming this prestigious championship to our course,” said Mike DeYoung, General Manager of Glen Arbour Golf Club. “The golf course is in tremendous shape and we look forward to seeing some of the world’s top amateur competitors take to the fairways.”

“The Links at Brunello and our members are excited to be the co-host for the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship,” added Miles Mortensen, General Manager of The Links at Brunello. “Our staff has been working tirelessly to prepare for the competition and we are proud to showcase our course and our community.”

A full field of competitors will compete for the Earl Grey Trophy and the title of Canadian Men’s Amateur champion, including Team Canada’s Josh Whalen of Napanee, Ont., who was the low Canadian in 2017, Brendan MacDougall of Calgary, who finished in a tie for 16th in 2018 and Chris Crisologo of Richmond, B.C., who is the reigning South American Amateur champion.

An inter-provincial team championship will be played in conjunction with the first 36 holes of the competition, with three-member teams vying for the Willingdon Cup. Team Québec, consisting of Hugo Bernard (Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que.), Joey Savoie (La Prairie, Que.) and Julien Sale (Gatineau, Que.) shot a combined 10 under par to capture Québec’s second straight team championship in 2018.

The field will be reduced to the low 70 and ties for the final two rounds contested at Glen Arbour.

Glen Arbour Golf Course is one of Atlantic Canada’s and Halifax’s premiere golf destinations. Designed by renowned Canadian golfer and course architect Graham Cooke, the course previously hosted the 2005 CP Women’s Open, as well as the TELUS World Skins Game, the Mike Weir Miracle Golf Drive and the first Wayne Gretzky & Friends Tournament.

The Canadian Men’s Amateur Qualifier will be played at Glen Arbour Golf Course on Aug. 2 – a minimum of five spots into the tournament will be awarded. Additional information can be found here.

Co-host The Links at Brunello, located in Timberlea, N.S., was voted as one of Canada’s top 25 golf courses by Golf Digest in 2018. Designed by Thomas McBroom, the course was opened in 2015 and is regarded as one of the region’s finest.

In addition to claiming the title of 2019 Canadian Men’s Amateur champion, the winner will earn exemptions into the 2019 U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in Pinehurst, N.C. and the 2020 RBC Canadian Open at St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Toronto from June 8-14.

The champion will also be eligible to receive an exemption into the U.S. Junior Amateur, the U.S. Mid-Amateur or the U.S. Senior Amateur, if applicable.

NOTABLES

Josh Whalen, Napanee, Ont.
Whalen returns to the Canadian Men’s Amateur with unfinished business. The Kent State alumnus finished third with four under-par rounds in 2017, but missed the cut last year. He enjoyed a strong 2018 season that saw him earn top-5 finishes at the Flagstick Open and the Argentinian Men’s Amateur Championship. He enters the tournament ranked No. 623 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

Canon Claycomb, Bowling Green, Ky.
Claycomb has represented the United States on the international stage on numerous occasions, including most recently as a member of the 2019 Wyndham Cup team. He was the youngest member of the 2017 Junior President’s Cup team. The 17-year-old was the winner of the 2017 PING Invitational, and is the 61^st-ranked player on the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

Chris Crisologo, Richmond, B.C.
Crisologo made a name for himself at the 2018 RBC Canadian Open, winning the Gary Cowan Award as the low amateur at the event. Currently studying at Simon Fraser University, he won three tournaments in 2018 – the Concordia Invitational (NCAA), the South American Amateur and the British Columbia Amateur. This season, Crisologo won the South American Amateur in February.

Noah Goodwin, Corinth, Tex.
Ranked No. 67 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Goodwin is entering his junior year at Southern Methodist University. The highlight of his junior career was winning the 2017 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. Goodwin won the Rolex Junior Player of the Year in 2016 and 2017, becoming only the fifth player ever to do so, joining an exclusive club that includes Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

Brendan MacDougall, Calgary
As a sophomore, Calgary’s MacDougall captured the Big South Conference Championship as a member of High Point University by a convincing six strokes and added four top-20 results for the Panthers. He followed his collegiate season with a T16 result at the 2018 Canadian Men’s Amateur and a victory at the Alberta Match Play Championship. In 2016, MacDougall lost in a playoff at the Future Links, driven by Acura Western Championship.

Christopher Vandette, Beaconsfield, Que.
One of the brightest prospects in Canadian golf, Vandette recently placed third at the 2019 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup. As a 16-year-old, he made the cut of the 2018 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship and was in a tie for 7th following the opening round after posting a 68.

More information on the 2019 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship can be found here.

The national experience is over for both Brooklin Fry and Autumn Neiszner in Lethbridge.

The two Saskatchewan golfers showed great this week at the Lethbridge Country Club making the cut at the event.

Fry, 14, concluded the event Friday finishing in 63^rd place at plus-33. The 2018 Saskatchewan junior champion has had a busy couple weeks playing both the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship and junior nationals. She also qualified to represent the province at the Western Canada Summer Games (WCSG) in Swift Current later this month, but a schedule conflict is keeping her off the squad. At one point in the event, Fry was as high as 10^th on the leaderboard.

Neiszner, 15, qualified for the national junior championship after winning the provincial event in Nipawin in July. Unfortunately, a wrist injury, that kept the Wascana Country Club member from playing in the Saskatchewan Women’s Amateur Championship flared up Friday forcing her to withdraw from the national event. Neiszner is scheduled to represent Team Saskatchewan at the WCSG.

Emily Zhu of Richmind Hill, Ont. won the event at a sparkling 13-under.

Brooklin Fry and Autumn Neiszner, along with 68 other junior women continue to chase a national golf championship in Lethbridge.

Round three of the 72-hole Canadian Junior Girls Championship has concluded at the Lethbridge Country Club.

Fry, 14, posted a round of 13-over, 85 on Thursday landing her in a tie for 55^th at plus-21. Neiszner, the Saskatchewan champion shot 12-over par during round three, she is tied for 67^th at plus-30.

The pair will conclude their national championship experience on Friday.

Yanjun Liu of Vancouver will take a two-stroke lead into the championship round at minus-11.

The leaderboard can be seen here.

It’s a feat that has likely been accomplished by several people in Saskatchewan, or maybe teeing off at 100 different courses in the province is a rarity but, Melville’s Jake Stolar is getting close.

A member at the Melville Regional Park Golf Course for 45 years, the former railway employee has used his travel time to his advantage over the years playing 87 different clubs in Saskatchewan heading into this season. As Stolar nears the century mark, he said reaching the milestone wasn’t a set goal.

“I don’t think I ever had the plan that I was going to play 100 golf courses,” Stolar told Golf Saskatchewan earlier this summer.

Along with being a member in Melville for nearly half a century he also operated the proshop for seven seasons. Stolar said bug to visit other courses picked up at that point.

“I started collecting logoed golf balls, selling logoed golf balls, it just kind of snowballed. I have always travelled out of town, I probably play more different golf courses in a season than an average golfer plays period,” he said.

Stolar said he routinely visits over 20 different courses a year, that includes trips with golf buddies outside the provincial borders. He had recently returned from a four-day trip to Alberta when the interview was conducted. When he was working on the rail lines his work took him to Watrous and the Biggar area consistently so he’s familiar with the clubs in those small communities. As the years have passed and Stolar is retired there is plenty to keep him going back to the course, and the Saskatchewan highways.

“Probably the cold beer,” he laughed. “I enjoy the comradery, the friends you make over many years and the challenge of new courses. If I had to play the same nine-hole course day after day I’d quit. I like the different courses; I’ve never played a bad one yet. To quote Arnold Palmer, my favourite one is the one I’m playing this afternoon.”

He does have some courses that do stand out among his travels. Several nine-hole courses are near the top of his list.

“Katepwa is very nice, beautiful conditions all the time,” Stolar boasted. Kelvington is another favourite, my son-in-law is a member there. Another beautiful nine-holer is Willowbunch. It’s very nice and one more is The Creek at LeRoy. LeRoy is really nice; I like it and have taken friends there and they’ve enjoyed it.”

When it comes to 18-hole favourites, Stolar spreads his thoughts from one end of the province to the other.

“I feel Golf Kenosee and Whitebear is the best one-two punch in Saskatchewan for playing two good quality golf courses,” he said. “Whitebear is a little harder for the average Joe. I also favour the northern courses, I really like North Battleford, I like the Cooke in Prince Albert, the Evergreen in Nipawin is one of everyone’s favourites. I like Dakota Dunes and a new find for me last year was Northern Meadows at Goodsoil, a really special place.”

Honourable mentions for Stolar are close to his home in the Parkland region that include Deer Park in Yorkton, Good Spirit Lake Golf Course, and Madge Lake in the Qu’Appelle Valley. Despite travelling to many “hidden gems” and top-notch facilities and being on the regional park board for over two decades, Stolar would be remised if he didn’t plug his home course in Melville.

“It’s a hard golf course,” he explained. “The people we get here, they may play it once, especially mediocre golfers. They will lose six or eight balls and say screw it, I’m not going back there, I shot 105 and lost eight balls. Then the next guy likes it because it’s a very challenging course. The reason we don’t get the traffic it’s a very difficult course but on the other side it’s a great place to learn how to play because I can go to any golf course in the world and handle what it throws at you.”

Stolar had plans to head south again this season and knock at least three more courses of the list, those being Moose Creek at Oxbow, Carnduff, and Carlyle. That would put his total over 90.

He expects to surpass the 100 mark sometime next summer.