The Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame will induct three individuals and a couple teams on Saturday including Otto Huber, a blind golfing phenom.

A hunting accident took the eyesight of the Lipton, Saskatchewan product. Prior to the incident he wasn’t an avid golfer, but he took up the game in his 30’s after meeting a local professional. Huber said he knew he had to continue to be active despite being blind.

“I think I took it up because I was a very active individual and I wasn’t going to sit around and wait for the snow to drop. I had my frustrations, you hit a little ball into the bush, find it or hit another into a hole. It didn’t make much sense, and it was silly,” he joked.

Huber turned out be one of the best golfers in the province winning the provincial blind golfers’ tournament seven times. He was also an advocate for blind athletes organizing tournaments and events while being the president of the western division of the Canadian Blind Golfers Association. He said adding a Hall of Fame induction to his resume is special.

“I’m excited, it’s unreal, I’m so honoured to be inducted,” he said. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

Huber competed in Britain, Japan, and across the United States during his decorated career. Despite his endless achievements Huber said he always had an out clause for bad shots.

“It was frustrating to not have the ball go to where you want it to go, but I have one advantage. I could just look at my coach,” Huber laughed.

Huber, Dean Brown, Kirk McGregor and the 1985 and 1990 Saskatchewan Senior Women’s teams will be inducted at the Royal Regina Golf Club on Sept. 22. Tickets for the banquet are available here until 12 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20.

Melville’s Chloe Sies has wasted no time picking up her first collegiate golf tournament victory.

Sies, 19, was the co-winner of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Women’s North Regional on Sunday in Lac La Biche. Sies, who attends Red Deer College tied with Becky Martin at plus-23 for the win at the Lac La Biche Golf and Country Club. She said winning her first college tournament is a great feeling.

“Honestly, it’s surreal right now,” Sies told Golf Saskatchewan on Monday. “I texted my mom this morning and said can you believe, it was my first start, my first win? It’s so crazy, I can’t believe I actually did that though.”

Conditions at the northern Alberta course were less than ideal. Snow blanketed the area leading up to the practice round on Friday. Sies said the snow melted off in time to play on the weekend. She shot 18-over, 90 during round one but responded with a 5-over, 77 during the second round to tie on top of the leaderboard. Sies said she battled the elements and focused on her own play.

“It was cold, it was windy, it was raining, there was sleet, it wasn’t a fun tournament to play but I took the conditions as they were and played my own game,” she said.

Martin and Sies didn’t have a playoff, the tournament officials determined to leave the event with co-winners. She said winning her first event could set the table for a great first year in Alberta. Sies will compete in another three tournaments this season culminating with the national championship in Medicine Hat in October. She said the expectations are high for her and her teammates.

“I’m hoping so, we have a strong team with both men and women, we’re hoping to go all the way,” she said.

Next up is an ACAC event in Edmonton, Red Deer will host provincials followed by the national event.

DECISION 15/5 – Original Ball Found and Played After Another Ball Put into Play

QUESTION: Dave was unable to find his ball after a brief search, he drops another ball (Ball B) under Rule 27-1 and plays it (not where he previously played from). Dave then finds his original ball within five minutes after a search for it began. Dave lifted Ball B and continued to play with the original ball. Was this correct?

ANSWER: No. When Dave put the substituted ball into play at the spot of the previous stroke with the intent to play a ball under Rule 27-1, he proceeded under an applicable rule. Therefore, rule 20-6 does not apply (known as the eraser rule allowing the player to pick up his ball and proceed correctly), and he must continue with the substituted ball (see Decision 27-1/2). The original ball was lost when Ball B was dropped under rule 27-1 (see Definition of “Lost Ball”).

When Dave lifted Ball B, he incurred a penalty of one stroke under rule 18-2. When he made a stroke with the original ball after it was out of play, he played a wrong ball (see Definitions of “Ball in Play” and “Wrong Ball”) and incurred a penalty of loss of hole in match play or an additional penalty of two strokes in stroke play (Rule 15-3). In stroke play, the player would be disqualified if, before playing from the next teeing ground, he did not correct his error (rule 15-3b).

Although this decision seems hard to believe, it happens almost every week in recreational play. Remember, playing under the rules doesn’t take more time but it will save you a few strokes in the long run.

Recovering from hip surgery, Kirk McGregor jokingly attributes 500,000 “bad swings” to the issues but honestly the long-time golfer likely hit more fairways than hazards during his decades old career.

McGregor will be honoured for his golf career on Sept. 22 when he’s inducted into the Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame at his home course, the Royal Regina Golf Club, McGregor has played out of the club for 40 years. He said he had to work hard for low scores during his competitive career.

“I was more than a grinder than a skilled player. I don’t mind that at all, that’s what I was,” McGregor said. I’ve had a wonderful life of golf and I’m thankful for it.”

He said it all started at the Wascana Country Club where his mother purchased him a membership in his early years. A junior golf highlight was playing at Winnipeg’s St. Charles Country Club when he was 15-years-old. He said experiences growing up were key contributors in his life on and off the course.

“My golf experiences, the events and championships have influences on you but there’s also life skills. As I said, I was just blessed by having these kinds of opportunities.”

He will be inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside Otto Huber, a blind golf phenom, Regina’s Dean Brown, and the 1985 and 1990 Saskatchewan senior women’s teams. He said it’s special to be enshrined with the 2018 class as well as joining the other inductees.

“It’s a huge honour to join legends like Jim Scissons, Joanne Goulet, and Doug Mader in the Hall, it’s a wonderful experience. To have it at the Royal Regina where I spent the last 40 years is great,” he said.

McGregor will have friends and close friends at the induction gala later this month. Through the presentation ceremony we will learn more about his career. Putting aside the stats and accomplishments, McGregor said he wants to be remembered for his outlook on the game.

“Winning and doing well is fun and nice but it’s temporary,” he said. “I just want people to think I was good to play with and that I am a good guy.”

Tickets for the gala are still available by calling 306.975.0850 or online.

The Southern Arkansas University Muleriders have their first tournament win of the season in NCAA Division II golf.

Saskatoon’s Timmerman carded a 54-hole total of 204, 12-under at the GAC Preview in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Timmerman shot an opening round of 67, his second round, played on the same day was even better at 6-under, 66. The final round was played Sept. 11, Timmerman carded a 1-under, 71 to place second overall. Yorkton’s Kade Johnson was third at 11-under for the event. The reigning Saskatchewan Amateur Champion fired back-to-back 69’s during rounds one and two. Johnson shot 67 during the final round to finish at 205.

As a team, the Muleriders shot a course record total of 35-under par, three strokes lower than SE Oklahoma who finished second in the eight-team tournament.

Johnson and Timmerman will be in Monkey Island, Okla. on Sept. 24 and 25 for the Missouri Southern Fall Invitational in their next competition.

“Where Champions Are Crowned”

Although it’s the marketing tagline for Duncan Meadows Golf Course on Vancouver Island, site of the recent men’s Canadian Amateur Championship, it could be adopted by any of the scores of courses across Canada that play host each year to provincial and national championships.

Ming Hui, owner of Duncan Meadows, says the course hosted its first event, the B.C. Mid-Amateur Championship, in 1999. Since then, the course and its members have welcomed a veritable spectrum of tournaments: provincial junior and amateur championships, Future Links events, the Canadian University/College Championship, the Canadian Women’s Tour, and even an American Junior Golf Association tournament where, says Hui, a young Paula Creamer set the women’s competitive course record before heading off to LPGA Tour stardom.

“The overall experience is fabulous,” Hui says. “Although the members have to give up their course for a few days, it’s a positive experience for everyone. It’s good for our course because it gives us exposure and visibility and it’s good for the game overall.”

At any given time, Golf Canada is in contact with hundreds of courses in order to secure sites over the next three to five years for the 30 or so tournaments they conduct each year, says Adam Helmer, Golf Canada’s director of rules, competitions and amateur status.

“Lots of advance notice and excellent communication is key,” he says. “Once a course hosts an event, they realize it is a positive and lasting experience for all concerned. Some courses want to showcase major changes, celebrate a significant anniversary or get more recognition. Others may target a specific championship because they have strong players in that category and it never hurts to have local knowledge.”

Phil Berube, executive director and CEO of Alberta Golf, agrees. “We are very fortunate in that many clubs in Alberta see this as an opportunity to showcase their facility and demonstrate good will for the golf community.” He says the key is a “partnership” between the golf association, the members and staff of the host club, and the players themselves.

Finding the appropriate number and type of facility is a formidable task for Golf Canada and the provincial associations. Although smaller provinces conduct a relative handful of competitions, Ontario runs more than 50 qualifying events and two dozen championships.

“It’s a very compact season and it’s difficult to schedule them all in during Ontario’s short summer,” says Rob Watson, Golf Ontario’s coordinator of next generation and competitions.

Some provincial associations offer nominal remuneration to host clubs and that has made the experience more palatable for some courses, but there’s much more to the equation. While British Columbia, for example, does so, the association “works with host clubs to help them understand the local economic impact of hosting an event as well as revenue opportunities for food and beverage as well as local sponsorship,” according to Kris Jonasson, CEO of British Columbia Golf.

Golf Canada, says Helmer, is working toward a new hosting model that would leave behind a “lasting legacy” commemorating their contribution to the game. That legacy could include donating Golf In Schools kits to local schools or some other support for growing the game locally.

One of the most memorable events during my 30 years at my club was when I volunteered last year for a Future Links tournament that had a Special Olympics component. We have hosted a men’s Ontario Amateur and some other events over the years and, with our centennial coming in 2019, our club is pursuing another significant championship. An unspoken motivation could be that we’ve got a very good golf course that we’re sick of being referred to as a “hidden gem.”

No matter what your motivation, reach out to your provincial association or Golf Canada to see what’s involved in hosting an event.

If for nothing else, do it for golf.

Most golfers with a knack for the game are on their local course in early school aged days, Regina’s Dean Brown considers himself a “late bloomer.”

Brown, 46, didn’t take up the game on a regular basis until he was nearing his teenage years when he started playing at a par-3 course in the Queen City. By 15 he joined the junior program at the Royal Regina Golf Club and hasn’t looked back. Brown, the general manager of the Royal Regina will be inducted into the Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame later this month. He said the honour wasn’t expected.

“When I got the call I was shocked,” Brown told Golf Saskatchewan. “I always thought something like this is for people that are winding down their career. I feel like I have more left.”

Brown likely does have more to be accomplished being in just the mid-40’s. He’s played many professional events during his career across several tours. He was a member of the 1995 Willingdon Cup team. He’s also an eight-time PGA Saskatchewan Zone Champion and the Assistants’ Champion nine times between 2001 and 2018. Most recently he was able to take part in a Pro-Am at the CP Women’s Open in his home city. He said he hopes to be thought of as more than one of the province’s best professional calibre golfers.

“I hope people remember me as a good golf professional, a good coach. I want them to remember me for what I gave back to the game,” he said.

Brown attended university in the southern United States on a golf scholarship before returning to Regina to work at the Royal Regina. He will be inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside Royal Regina member Kirk McGregor. He said the group including Otto Huber, McGregor, and both the 1985 and 1990 Saskatchewan Senior Women’s teams is an honour to be a part of.

“I’ve known Kirk for years being a member at the Royal Regina, Otto’s accomplishments are exceptional, and the women were great for golf in the province. I never would put myself in their or the current inductees in class,” he said.

You will be able to learn much more about Brown’s career and the rest of the inductees at the gala on Sept. 22 at the Royal Regina. You can purchase tickets by calling 306.975.0850 or online.

MAYNOOTH, Ireland – Denmark, bolstered by the stellar play of 17-year-old identical twins Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard, held off a surging field to win its first World Amateur Team Championship at 39-under-par 541 by one stroke over the USA.

The Danes claimed the Eisenhower Trophy in their 25th appearance as Nicolai Hojgaard, the 2018 European Amateur champion, posted a 7-under-par 66 and his brother Rasmus fired a 6-under-67 for a team total of 13-under-par 133 on the par-73 O’Meara Course. Teammate John Axelsen posted a non-counting 4-under 69. Previously, in 2010, Denmark had claimed the silver medal.

“It means a lot,” said six-time Danish captain Torben Nyehuus. “Everybody is watching. It’s just amazing. I was with the team in 2010 when we came in second, so this is just amazing. It’s pretty nice to go one better.”

Nicolai notched five birdies in his final nine holes and Rasmus logged three as they took the lead from a tightly-packed leaderboard. Four teams, Denmark, USA, Spain and New Zealand, were tied at 34-under as the last groups made the turn.

“I feel wonderful,” said Nicolai. “This is a dream come true for all of us. I had a tough start to this tournament, so I was just trying to play some good rounds to help the team. I did that the last two rounds so this is perfect. This is the biggest team event we could have won and to do it with Rasmus is perfect. But, also with John, John is a great friend and we are all having fun. This is just wonderful.”

The USA used a strong finish by University of Texas freshman and 2018 U.S. Amateur semifinalist Cole Hammer (7-under 66) and University of Southern California senior Justin Suh (4-under 69) to pass Spain for the silver medal at 38-under-par 542.

“It says a lot,” said Hammer, the 2018 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball champion. “It speaks a lot to the way our team jelled and how much fun we had together. When you are having fun playing golf, good things happen. To medal in my first international competition, especially on a stage as big as this, is really special.”

Spain took the bronze medal at 36-under 544. New Zealand, which held the lead through 36 and 54 holes, was fourth at 545, followed by Norway, Italy and Thailand tied for fifth at 548; England in eighth at 549, Canada in ninth at 550 and host Ireland and Germany tied for 10th at 553.

Although there is no official recognition, Spain’s Alejandro “Alex” Del Rey was the low individual scorer at 23-under 267. He and England’s Matthew Jordan shot the low scores in the fourth round at 8-under 65.

The Canadian squad carded a final-round of 10 under par to climb into sole possession of 9th place overall. The trio finished at 30 under par, with Joey Savoie of La Prairie, Que., leading the way at 13 under. Fellow Quebec native Hugo Bernard finished at 11 under par while Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., closed out at 7 under par.

9th of 72 in the ⁦@IGFgolf⁩ #WATC2018 ⁦@CartonHouseGolf⁩ this year. Not what we wanted but super proud of the effort! ⁦@Hbernard63⁩ ⁦@savoiejoey⁩ #Grank ⁦@wavephysio⁩ represent ⁦@TheGolfCanada⁩ and themselves with class! Congrats men! ??? pic.twitter.com/Ap2V8Y8oj1

— Derek Ingram (@dingramgolf) September 8, 2018

Last week, the Canadian women’s team rallied back from T39 to finish in 7th place.

In 29 appearances at the World Amateur Team Championship, Canada has captured the Eisenhower Trophy on one occasion (1986) and earned runner-up honours five times. In 25 appearances at the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship, Canada has earned runner-up honours four times.

The 32nd World Amateur Team Championship for the Eisenhower Trophy and the 29th Women’s World Amateur Team Championship for the Espirito Santo Trophy are set for Hong Kong in 2020.

Click here for full scoring.

American Brady Exber is the 2018 Canadian Men’s Senior champion.

The Las Vagas, Nevada golfer stroked a four-day total of 278 at the Gowan Brae Golf Club in Bathurst, New Brunswick to win by seven shots.

Saskatchewan’s top golfer was Weyburn’s Rick Hallberg. The Golf Kenosee player fired a 304 over the 72-hole event that concluded Friday evening. Hallberg at one point had climbed into fifth place, Saskatchewan’s senior champion played great finishing in a tie for 22^nd overall.

Regina’s Ken Rodgers finished in a tie for 43^rd at plus-19, Colin Coben of Delisle cared a 23-over, good enough for a tie in 61^st.

As a team, Saskatchewan finished just two shots off the lead and placed fourth overall.

Saskatoon’s Tony Turay, Biggar’s Keith Silvernagle, and Stu Innes of Regina also took part in the tournament.

The complete leaderboard can be found here.

Flirting with a potential top-five finish at the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship, Weyburn’s Rick Hallberg slipped to a tie for 17^th at the event in Bathhurst, New Brunswick Thursday.

Hallberg started the day in a tie for fifth overall at plus-3, his stellar play continued during round three at the Gowan Brae Golf Club until the Golf Kenosee player completed his round with bogeys on holes 15 and 16. He then picked up an eight on the par-3, 17^th. Hallberg is at plus-9 for the tournament.

Regina’s Ken Rodgers carded an 8-over, 80 on Thursday, he’s tied for 54^th place. Colin Coben of Delisle is tied for 63^rd at plus-18. Team Saskatchewan with Hallberg, Rodgers, and Tony Turay finished in a solid fourth-place in the inter-provincial championship portion of the event. That part of the tournament is over the first two rounds.

Las Vegas, Nevada golfer Brady Exber is the leader at 11-under-par. The championship concludes Friday.

Online scoring is here.