It’s taken 24 years, but Kathy Ziglo is once again the Saskatchewan Women’s Amateur champion.

Ziglo, 46, took advantage of a mistake on hole 17 by defending champion Carla Odnokon gaining a pair of strokes before birdying the final hole for her first amateur win since 1995. Ziglo said that was the turning point in the round.

“On 16 I missed a shot to let Carla go two ahead,” Ziglo explained. “I was torn between clubs and the air was getting heavy and there was some rain coming. I saw her shot go up and I think the air was heavier than she had planned on, so I picked the higher club and the door opened.”

Odnokon’s double bogey coupled with Ziglo’s par set the veteran Saskatoon Golf and Country Club players up for a one-hole showdown on hole 18. Both hit solid drives but with Odnokon slightly blinded by trees on the right of the fairway at Moon Lake Golf and Country Club she was forced to lay up. Ziglo had a clean shot at the green. Ziglo did fall short but put her chip tight to the hole, Odnokon was left with a lengthier putt. She just fell short for birdie, Ziglo knocked hers down for the dramatic win. Ziglo said coming from behind in the latter stages is more comforting to her.

“I think there always that little bit of extra pressure because people are expecting you to finish. It’s one thing when you are chasing within striking distance, those are a couple tough finishing holes, so I’d like to say I like to be chaser today,” she said.

Ziglo finished with a three-round total of plus-13, 229. Oknokon one back at 230. Saskatoon’s Kim Brown won the bronze medal at 17-over par, 233. The three medal winners were the veterans of the 14 player field. Brooklin Fry, 14, came in fourth and played well within the final group on back to back days. Ziglo said the future is bright for women’s golf in Saskatchewan and she’s happy to get at least one more victory.

“I don’t think people expect it anymore because we’re getting pretty old but at the end of the day it’s fun to win a golf tournament,” she said.

Regina’s Alex Schmidt rounded out the top-five with a 26-over 242.

The complete leaderboard can be found here.

Saskatchewan is eligible to send four players to the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship in Red Deer, Alta. later this summer. Those four names will be announced soon.

Rule 17 – Penalty Areas

Club Touching Ground in Penalty Area

1. Is my club allowed to touch the ground in a penalty area?
2. Yes (Rule 17.1b). – A player can ground her or his club in the penalty area.

Despite shooting seven shots higher during round two at the Saskatchewan Women’s Amateur Championship Carla Odnokon has increased her lead atop the leaderboard.

The Saskatoon Golf and Country Club member shot seven-over, 79 Thursday during the second round of the event at Moon Lake Golf and Country Club but sits four shots ahead of Kathy Ziglo who was three back after the opening 18 holes. The reigning provincial champion said shots didn’t come as easy during the middle round of the 54-hole championship.

“Today was a bit more of a struggle in comparison to yesterday,” she said to Global Saskatoon after the round. “I didn’t strike the ball as well or putt is as well as yesterday and I have some things to work on for tomorrow, but it was fine.”

Coming off a one-over par, 73 during Wednesday’s opening round Odnokon carded eight bogeys and one birdie during round two. She will take the lead into the championship round Friday looking for her second consecutive amateur win. Odnokon said focusing on her own game will be the game plan for the final 18 holes.

“I really am going to focus on what I want to do. I left a lot of strokes out there, so the improvement comes directly from me tomorrow,” she said.

Ziglo remains in second position despite shooting an eight-over par, 80. The Saskatoon Golf and Country club member was four-over par after the first day. She said her second round produced up-and-down moments.

“I hit the ball okay at moments and really poorly in others,” she said. “The putter left me on the back nine, so I have to clean some stuff up for tomorrow.”

Brooklin Fry and Kim Brown were the only players in the 14-person field to improve on their first-round performance. Fry, 14, has gotten herself into third place at plus-14 with a round of 79 Thursday. The 2018 junior girl’s champion said she played well for most of her round.

“My round was pretty good off the start, I was one-over after nine and it got a little rough at the start of the back, but I cleaned it up at the end,” Fry said.

With a chance to make the amateur national team, Fry said her goal wasn’t to finish in the top-three coming into the event but said making the roster would be a great feeling.

“It is definitely not something I was expecting coming into this,” she said. “It would be really awesome to make it. I was trying to get in to the top three, so this is right where I want to be.”

Brown sits in fourth place overall at 15-over par. Ella Kozak rounds out the top-five. The complete leaderboard can be seen here.

The third, and final round tees off at 8 a.m. on Friday.

The defending Saskatchewan women’s amateur champion has the first-round lead at the 2019 tournament.

Saskatoon’s Carla Odnokon shot one-over, 73 Wednesday at Moon Lake Golf and Country Club giving the 2018 champion a three-stroke lead over Kathy Ziglo. Odnokon told Global Saskatoon after the round that her day was consistent.

“I played well today, hit the ball well. I just took the way I was playing with my short game and the score came out good,” Odnokon said.

The Saskatoon Golf and Country Club player kept her card quite tidy over 18 holes, a double bogey on the second hole was corrected with a birdie on hole three. She hit another bogey on nine before posting eight pars on the back nine and a birdie on 15. She said being the defending champion doesn’t add any pressure.

“I don’t feel like that; I just need to focus on my own game and see what happens at the end. I can’t focus on that, it’s up to me,” she said.

Three other golfers are within seven shots of Odnokon, another two are single digit shots back. With 36 holes to play, Odnokon said there is still plenty of golf left.

“I just need to keep it steady, relax, and play the game that Moon Lake allows us to play,” she concluded.

Ziglo, the winner of the Saskatoon Women’s Amateur Championship earlier this season sits in second place at four-over par. Ziglo had a couple bogeys on the front nine and a double on hole 12 before dropping two birdies in the final four holes. She also said her round was steady on day one.

“I was pretty consistent today,” she said to Global Saskatoon and CTV Saskatoon. “The weather was really good for Moon Lake; the wind tends to really blow out here. It was a good day, I hit the ball well. I hit a lot of greens, had a couple mistakes around the greens but overall it was pretty good,” she said.

The wind did tend to pickup as the day moved along. Ziglo says she plays well in a strong breeze and hopes that becomes a factor moving forward on Thursday and Friday.

“I like the course, I played here in a tournament this past weekend and I played pretty good. I was feeling pretty good but like I said it’s the wind. I like the wind, but we didn’t get it today, I hope it blows the rest of the week,” she said.

Reigning junior girl’s champion Brooklin Fry sits in third place. The Shell Lake golfer was eight-over par after nine holes but shot one-under on the back nine to get back in the hunt. Yorkton’s Ella Kozak sits in fourth place at eight-over, Kim Brown of Saskatoon rounds out the top five at plus-nine.

The complete leaderboard can be seen here.

Round two of the three day championship begins at 8 a.m.

Saskatoon’s Roman Timmerman is getting a late start to the golf season but what a beginning it is.

Timmerman, coming off a solid season at Southern Arkansas University (SAU), won the Reliance Gregg’s Central Amateur over the Canada Day long weekend at the Saskatoon Golf and Country Club. The 20-year-old recently finished his second year with the Muleriders where the school had a record year.

“We were able to qualify for regionals, we didn’t play as well as we’d hoped at regionals and weren’t able to qualify for nationals,” Timmerman told Golf Saskatchewan a day after the Central Amateur victory. “Coming off last year where we didn’t have a lot of success it was nice to really play some good golf and get a couple tournament wins under our belt and carry some momentum into next year.”

Timmerman had to withdraw from the NCAA Div. 2 regionals due to surgery. His injury slowed his start the summer back home in Saskatchewan, the tournament was his first of the season. Timmerman outlasted college teammate Kade Johnson in a six-hole playoff to win. He said sharing the last two years with Johnson at SAU is great.

“We’re both able to play some really good golf and help our team out. It’s awesome to be able to share that with him, he’s one of my best friends, so yeah it’s awesome,” he said.

Both Timmerman and Johnson shot even par over the three rounds. The third day featured two rain delays and over eight hours had elapsed from tee off to completion for the final group. Timmerman said the long layoff for him helped him earn the win.

“I really didn’t have high expectations for myself. I was only able to practice a week before it and I think that helped, not putting any pressure on me. I was able to take the pressure off and just have fun. I was able to play with Kade for the second and third round which was nice, it took a lot of pressure off playing with him because we do it everyday down in the States. I just didn’t put any pressure on myself and enjoyed it,” he said.

He added that the playoff was a fun experience as well knowing there will be some bragging rights in the future.

“It felt like it was going to go on forever,” he laughed. “We just kept parring, after every hole we would just smile at each and shake our heads. It was a lot of fun.”

Timmerman will defend his title at the Scotia Wealth Management Saskatoon Amateur on July 6 and 7. He will then look to defeat Johnson at the Saskatchewan Men’s Amateur Championship where Johnson is the reigning title holder. Timmerman said his approach the Central Amateur will likely carry into the provincial championship.

“To win is the goal I guess, Kade is obviously playing great but if I’m able to win that would be awesome. I’m just going to keep having fun with it, but I’m not putting any pressure on myself,” he said.

Ryan McNall continued his torrid season finishing in a tie for third place behind the college pair. He shot 219, as did Justin Wood. Ty Campbell was fifth at four-over par. All the results can be seen here.

McNall upped his lead atop the Order of Merit standings with the third place showing.

The Maple Leaf Junior Tour (MJT) and MJT Mini Tour stopped in Saskatoon at the Moon Lake Golf and Country Club for an event this Canada Day long weekend.

In total 92 junior golfers participated in the two events that included a junior golf clinic conducted by five-time Saskatchewan women’s amateur champion Anna Young.

The overall low score was a tie, Will Blake, 15, and Josh Nagy, 17, each shot a two-round total of 151 over 36 holes. Blake continued his strong season winning the juvenile boy’s (15 -16-year-olds) by four strokes over TJ Baker of Prince Albert. Estevan’s Jayden Dudas was five shots off the pace claiming the bronze medal in the juvenile category.

Nagy, coming off his win at the Future Links event in Yorkton was six strokes ahead of Chase Gedak to claim the junior boy’s (17-18-year-old) division. Micah Tangjerd of Saskatoon finished in third place with a total of 163.

Both the juveniles and juniors played the event at 6,711 yards.

In the bantam boy’s (13-14-year-olds) division, Saskatoon’s Alex Swinnerton fired rounds of 78 and 76 to win the age group by eight strokes over fellow Bridge City golfer Max Regier. Winnipeg’s Scott Miner was third at 163.

The peewee (12 and under) boy’s winner was Strathmore, Alta.’s Parker Riou. He posted rounds of 77 and 83 for a total of 160, nine shots ahead of Warman’s Dane Giesbrecht. Calgary’s Leyton Arthur was third at 173.

Autumn Neiszner continued her strong season with another win, the Wascana Country Club player won the 15-18 girls age group with a score of 169, ten ahead of Saskatoon’s Sarah Grieve. Symone Ripley of Saskatoon placed third at 213.

Ella Kozak of Yorkton was the lone competitor in the under-15 age group, the Deer Park member shot 178 (91, 87).

All the results of the junior event can be seen here.

Mini Tour recap

Poppy Hudye Baranskey, 10, shot 110 to sit atop the 9-10 girls age group of the Mini Tour portion of the event. She was eight shots better than Saskatoon’s Grace Odnokon and 13 ahead of Madison Elliot, also of Saskatoon.

Kyle’s Chloe Wills was the lone girl in the 11-12 age group, she carded a 122.

In the under-eight age group Austin Nesbitt of Pilot Butte was the low shooter, he scored an 86. Melville’s Keaton Kreklewich was just three strokes back at 89. Peyton Olynick of Saskatoon placed third with 96.

Saskatoon’s Lucas Sturgeon shot 80 to claim the boy’s 9-10-year-old group.

In the 11 and 12-year-old boy’s age group Coben Taylor is taking home a gold medal. The Saskatoon golfer stroked a 90, seven less than second-place Lyndon Ross. Ayden Ross of Swift Current finished in third at 106.

All the Mini Tour results can be seen here.

The next Saskatchewan MJT event is July 22 and 23 at Dakota Dunes Golf Links.

Saskatchewan juniors are getting set for the provincial championships that take place at Nipawin’s Evergreen Golf Course from July 9 to 11.

A little south of Prince Albert and east of Saskatoon you will find one of Saskatchewan’s most beautiful regional parks and another “hidden gem” golf course near Wakaw.

Established in 1965, Wakaw Lake Regional Park is supported by five surrounding rural municipalities. The park features all the amenities you’d expect from a Saskatchewan regional park including camping, boating, fishing, marina, a beach, swimming, playground, mini golf and a breath taking nine-hole golf course.

“This is one of those hidden gems,” said Gord Asmussen, the golf club president. “People come out from Saskatoon, Prince Albert, southern Saskatchewan, what they find here is one of the nicest golf courses in the province, especially for nine-hole courses. The views and the vistas they get off some of the tee boxes are second to none.”

The course plays between 5,442 yards 6,310 yards over 18 holes and spread across three sets of tees. Long sloping fairways, elevated tees, water hazards and mature tree lines make for a challenging round at Wakaw Lake according to Asmussen.

“I think you get to use every club. The starter is a short par-five, then you have a short par-four guarded by water on the left and trees on the right. The par-threes are reachable for almost all golfers, there is a 590-yard par-five so that challenges even those big ball hitters. There is a little bit of everything. There is one dogleg par-four guarded by trees, it’s a challenging little course,” he said.

With that being said, there is 150 campsites in the park so the course plays family friendly.

“Everybody can play,” Asmussen said. “With the campground here we have a lot of people come out and camp and golf as a family.”

In recent years the course has had flooding issues along their picturesque second hole, but they have alleviated the water issues by installing a 16-inch pipe under the fairway that drains from the bottom of a north hill into a holding pond. The pipe continues along the course and drains into the lake. The work was completed last year, and the stakeholders could not be happier with how the work turned out. Park administrator Rick Kindrachuk said project, led by long-time superintendent Dean Hildebrandt has worked amazingly.

“It was a worthwhile venture,” he said. “The water hazard has added not only some beauty and a challenge to the course, but it’s also taken care of our drainage problems as well.”

The club has over 200 members from nearby Wakaw and the surrounding RM’s and communities. They feature weekly men’s and ladies’ leagues and have junior golf programs in place. There is a full service, licensed clubhouse and the course recently purchased a new beverage cart. The drainage issue was the number one factor for the board of directors that manage the course, but other upgrades are being undertaken. They have built or expanded on five of the tee boxes plus the crew and volunteers built a potentially problematic bunker off the right side of the ninth green.

Kindrachuk said the partnership the golf club board has with the operating body of the park works great and allows for seamless work with everyone involved.

“The park works extremely well with the golf club. We have much more here than the course but with a nine-hole facility as beautiful as this one it looks after itself and we can focus on other things,” he said.

The course also features several tournaments through out the year led by their men’s event that sells out every year and has a waiting list.

For more information on Wakaw Lake Golf Course click here.

Rule 12: Bunkers

Loose Impediments and Movable Obstructions in Bunkers

May I remove a loose natural object (loose impediment) in a bunker? What about an artificial object?

A loose natural object is a loose impediment and may be removed anywhere on the golf course (see Rule 12.2a). But, you’ll want to be careful that your ball does not move if you move a loose impediment or you will get one penalty stroke and must replace your ball. An artificial object is an obstruction. If it’s movable, it may be moved anywhere on the course, including in bunkers and penalty areas (these may include the rake, a can, towel, etc.)

Remember the Rules Matter!

The TaylorMade M5 has now been in the golf bag of the last two Major Champions. Tiger Woods and Brooks Koepka have trusted the performance of the M5 to lead them to victory. TaylorMade has taken the same tour-level performance and built it for every golfer. Thanks to the speed tuning resin of the Injected Twist Face of the M5 driver. Everyone is promised industry-leading ball speeds for more distance and better forgiveness on mishits.

Key Features

• Each M5 driver club head is tested to ensure that it is at the legal limit for ball speeds and distance.
• Twist Face helps players improve accuracy by reducing the gear effect experienced by strikes in the toe and heel of the driver club face.
• The Inverse T-Track of the M5 offers the maximum amount of custom fit ability to tailor make each driver to golfers of all swing types and skill levels.

TaylorMade M5 Driver Detailed Review

Design and Technology

The TaylorMade M5 driver is created with a multi-material, carbon composite crown to give engineers more freedom to move weight into better positions of the club head. The club face of M5 features more recession in the high toe and the low heel sections to help players find more fairways on their worse strike. Hammerhead 2.0 technology helps retain ball speeds across the face, especially in the lower part of the club head. All of this forgiveness combines with the speed tuned resin-injected club head for maximum ball speed and distance characteristics.

The constant advantage of TaylorMade’s flagship driver model is the freedom for club builders and players to dial in their exact launch, spin, and shot shape preferences. The Inverse T-track of the M5 driver helps players optimize the center of gravity of the club head to give them more weight exactly where they need it most. A center of gravity built for your golf swing can lead to more distance and more protection from your frequent misses. Players that struggle with a slice can move more weight to the heel for a draw-bias design. Golfers that cannot see their driver going left can move the weight into the toe section and help them eliminate the left side of the golf course.

I have always been a fan of TaylorMade drivers. Used by some of the best players in the world, TaylorMade metalwoods continue to be validated on some of the most difficult golf courses. The M5 is my favorite TaylorMade driver in this year’s cycle. I was able to achieve my ideal ball flight quickly by adjusting the weights to help suit my swing. The M5 provided me with some of my longest drives ever thanks to higher launches and lower spins. The M5 looks, sounds, and feels like a better players driver. The sound is muted and a pleasure to hit. The contrast of the grey to black is easy to align and inspired me with confidence standing over my tee shots.

For my tests, I outfit the higher lofted, 10.5-degree M5 club head with a Tensei CK Pro Orange shaft 70TX version. I adjusted the hosel setting to sit open and play around 9.25-degrees. Moving the weight slightly into the toe side helped me reduce my left miss and allowed me to swing aggressively without fearing my drives would end up out of play. In total, the M5 could instantly go into my golf bag. Validation on the course led me to more comfort as my practice and play continued. If you are a golfer in the market for a new driver this season, M5 has to be on your list.

Golfers looking for more forgiveness will enjoy the performance of the larger 460 cc version and players that want a different shape and even more penetrating ball flights may find a better fit with the 435 cc option.

The 460 cc M5 is available in three lofts. 9, 10.5, and 12-

Specs

The stock shaft offerings for the M5 are the Mitsubishi Tensei CK Orange, non-pro version, and Project X HZRDUS Smoke. Both shaft models are available in 60-gram and 70-gram weight options in regular, stiff, and extra-stiff flexes. TaylorMade’s full custom shaft line up is available and can be ordered at various upcharge costs. Golf Pride’s popular Multi-compound, or MCC, grips come standard but several options can be custom ordered for no additional charge.

Conclusion

The M5 driver is one of the highest performing drivers in this year’s testing lineup. The M5 excels at giving players the ability to adjust their club to their delivery position. Seeing your favorite ball flight more often can give you more confidence and help you shoot better scores. Technology like Injected Twist Face, Hammerhead 2.0, and the Inverse T-track create more opportunities for you to out driver your competition and help you make more birdies. As more data is collected showing us how important getting the right driver for each golfer is becoming, this is the year to upgrade your equipment and the M5 should be at the top of your testing list.

Author Bio

Paul Liberatore was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. He has been an avid and passionate golfer for over 30 years, and loves learning and increasing his knowledge on the game. While still in college, Paul co-founded the AccuHit Company with his father and helped it to become one of the most recognized golf training aids in the world. A lawyer by day, his true passion is his website Golfers Authority which delivers the very latest in golf equipment reviews, buyer guides, tips, and advice that helps players take their golf game to the next level.

The Citizens Golf Club in Moose Jaw held the inaugural Saskatchewan Sand Greens Amateur and Open Championships in 1936.  The next year the name of the course changed to Lynbrook Golf Club and they continued to host the event for many years.

The Eilers’ Trophy for the competition was donated by Walter Eilers of Regina.

1936, Aug. 12-13: Amateur winner: Kemp Healy, Moose Jaw; 3&2 over Lawrence Gusa, Moose Jaw.  Open:  Jimmy Ubukata, Moose Jaw and Tommy Ross, Regina tied at 152 after 36 holes, and agreed to split the $25 purse.  (Open entry: 7 pros)

1937, July 5-6: Amateur winner: Donald McDonald 4&2 over Adam Thompson.  Open winner: Hugh Fletcher, 145 for two-rounds.

1938: winner: Byron McDonald

1939, Sept. 3: Orv McGowan tied with Lynbrook clubmate Burt Sallstrom at 153 after 36 holes, but finally won after nine extra holes. (45 holes in one day!) (67 entries)

1940: no tournament

1941, Sept. 1: Orv McGowan, 73, won over Win Herget, 76, both Moose Jaw players.

1942-43-44: no tournament

1945, Sept. 29-30:  Amateur winner: Howard Bidwell.  Open winner: Hugh Fletcher; both scored 75 on final day.  (85 golfers from Regina and Moose Jaw entered)

1946, June 29-July 1: winner: Art Gault, 144; runner-up: Howard Bidwell

1947: Orv McGowan, winner for the third time.

1960: Lynbrook Golf Club: winner: Ray Marsh, M.J

1 961: Swift Current, Elmwood Golf Course: winner: Alex Kozakavich, 147

1962:  North Battleford Golf and Country Club: winner: Bob Beranek, North Battleford

1964:  Melfort Golf Club

1969: winner: Tony Wiebe, M.J.

1971: winner: Tony Wiebe, M.J.

1972: Lynbrook GC: R/U: Doug Craig, M.J.

1975: Senior winner:  Clarence (Boy) Ashworth

1979: Lynbrook GC: runner-up Doug Craig, M.J.

1983: Lynbrook GC: winner: Tony Wiebe, M.J., 203; R/U: Mark Abert, 206

1988: R/U: Fred Collins Jr, M.J.

Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame members Doug Mader and Ron Dosdoll are two of the province’s most successful sand green golfers. You can read more about their accomplishments here.

*Years not listed a championship was not held. Records are incomplete following 1988.

The publication was produced by local golf historian Lori Harvie.