REGINA, Sask. (Golf Canada) – Saskatoon native Bobbi Brandon was one of four golfers to claim the final exemptions into the 2018 CP Women’s Open via Monday’s qualifying event at Royal Regina Golf Club.

Brandon, a PGA of Canada Professional who works out of Moon Lake Golf & Country Club, carded a 2-over-par 74 to sit T2 among the 11-player field. This will be Brandon’s second appearance at the CP Women’s Open. She competed in Canada’s National Women’s Open in 1998 at Essex Golf and Country Club in Windsor, Ont., where she missed the cut.

Sweden’s Louise Stahle fired a 2-under par 70 to earn medalist honours.

American Jennifer Hahn (74) and Japanese amateur Kasumi Kuniyoshi (76) earned the final two spots.

Brandon will be the 16^th Canadian in the field at the CP Women’s Open. All are trying to become the first Canadian to win an LPGA Tour event on Canadian soil since Canadian Golf Hall of Fame honoured member Jocelyne Bourassa won La Canadienne in 1973.

Click here for full scores from 2018 CP Women’s Open Final Qualifying at Royal Regina Golf Club.

REGINA – Canadian golfer Alena Sharp will be supporting the Humboldt Broncos this week.

The LPGA Tour veteran has a special golf bag and towel this week for the CN Canadian Women’s Open, featuring the Broncos’ logo.

Sixteen people were killed after the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League team’s bus collided with a transport truck in April.

The Hamilton golfer said she’ll donate the bag to the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatchewan after the event.

Excited to show my support for @HumboldtBroncos and @theSJHL with my new bag for the week @cpwomensopen ! This tragedy really hit home as it did for so many. I will be donating my bag to @PattisonKids after this week. Thanks @rbc for teaming up on this and Ken Hill @jukasaradio pic.twitter.com/LuwCQArcq4

— Alena Sharp (@AlenaSharp) August 21, 2018

Saskatoon’s Josh Nagy is the 2018 Junior Lobstick champion.

Nagy, 16, defeated four other players during the match-play event at Waskesiu Golf Course from Aug. 13 to 17. On day one, the Saskatoon product downed Cole Jenkins. He outshot Mikhail Tait during the second round of the event. Nagy outlasted Alex Swinnerton in round three setting up a championship showdown with Bradley Moser. Nagy and Moser finished one-two at the provincial junior championships earlier this season at Moon Lake Golf and Country Club with Nagy edging Moser by a stroke. He got the best of his Saskatoon counterpart at the Lobstick as well taking the championship match.

Jenkins was the championship flight consolation winner.

You can see all the Junior Lobstick bracket results here.

Yorkton’s Ella Kozak was the runaway winner in the under-15 girls age group at the Maple Leaf Junior Tour (MJT) PGA of Manitoba Junior Championship event late last week.

Kozak, 12, fired a two-round total of 157 (78, 79) in Winnipeg on Aug. 16 and 17 winning her age group by 36 strokes over another young Saskatchewan golfer, Regina’s Autumn Neiszner. The 14-year-old carded a 93 during round one, she shot 100 on day two.

Kozak’s first round featured her first ever hole-in-one.

Two other Saskatchewan golfers were in the field of 67, spread out among seven different age groups. Regina’s Joshua Babcock fired a 159 (81, 80) to finish third in the juvenile boy’s division. Parker Mymyyk of Regina Beach placed 19^th in the same category with a score of 179 (92, 87).

On Aug. 25 and 26 the Elmwood Golf Club will host the Ford Series/Golf Saskatchewan Order of Merit Championship.

The twosome of Kathy Ziglo and Ian Larocque were the lone team to shoot under par on route to the 20^th Mixed Team Championship this past weekend at Elk Ridge Resort.

Ziglo and Larocque combined for a 70 on day of the event Saturday, they shot a 68 on Sunday to win the event by six strokes over Brent Wotypka and and Kathy Hopfner (below) of Swift Current. They were tied with Ziglo and Larocque after day one but faltered during the second round shooting 74.

Prince Albert’s Cory and Kayla Sawchuk (below) won the bronze medal at the event firing a one-over, 145.

The field consisted of 58 golfers, or 29 teams. The format focused on a team game. Each player teed off and proceeded to play their partners’ ball to the green. Once the competitors reached the green they decided on which ball to hole out.

You can see all the scoring results here.

Prince Albert’s Danny Klughart has a long time promise to fulfill to a good friend.

Next week during the CP Women’s Open, Klughart will caddy for Saskatoon’s Anna Young who received an exemption into the event in her home province. Klughart has been friends with Young since their junior tour days over a decade ago. He said Young worked out the deal long ago.

“Anna and I grew up together, we would travel together to the junior tournaments when we were 12 and 13 years-old. Our moms are good friends, she always joked I’d caddy for her at her first LPGA event, so I have to hold up my end of the bargain,” he joked.

Young is currently playing on the Symetra Tour in the central United States picking up her second professional win earlier this season. She is also a five-time Saskatchewan Amateur Women’s champion, her last coming in 2015 at Elk Ridge Resort. Klughart said he is proud of what she has accomplished in the game.

“It’s awesome, she’s really trying to endorse the game,” he said. “She really inspires a lot of junior golfers around the province. Not only them but the women, myself and other players in the province follow her down there. It’s just exciting to see someone so close to home doing so well for herself.”

Klughart has been involved in the sport his entire life, he said he started riding his dad’s cart carrying a putter before advancing to more clubs and lessons as a six-year-old in Prince Albert. He got his first membership at nine and hasn’t looked back. He qualified for the Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship in Victoria, B.C. through the Saskatchewan Men’s Amateur Championship earlier this year but the schedule conflict is keeping Klughart in Saskatchewan. He knows there will be more opportunities to earn a trip to the men’s event and is excited to share the LPGA experience with Young.

“She doesn’t really need me for advice on the course, but I think having someone she’s comfortable and familiar with will keep her relaxed for the week. I hope I can keep her focused when she needs to be and kind of light when she needs to be, I think it will be good,” he said.

Klughart has played the Wascana Country Club on a couple of occasions including the Regina City Amateur. He also caddied for Brad Phelps at last year’s Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship.

He will travel to Regina on Monday night and begin working with Young on Tuesday. During the first of two Pro-Am events coinciding with the tournament Young’s father will caddy for her, that will take place on Monday.

You can hear more from Klughart who spoke with Golf Saskatchewan’s Clark Stork on Friday.

The Lloydminster Golf and Curling Centre recently wrapped up their second girl’s golf camp with rave reviews.

Manager Marty Wheaton has seen a drop in numbers for junior girl’s golf and decided last season he wanted to help try to buck the trend. His first camp was attended by approximately 15 girls, this week his second attempt featured over 30. Wheaton said easing the girls into the sport is a positive approach he’s found successful.

“Introducing them to the game while focusing on a multi-sport facet with the classes,” he explained to Golf Saskatchewan. “We work on hand-eye coordination, some of the rotational muscles that are involved in golf but also introduce them through different sports and games.”

Golf baseball is one unique avenue Wheaton uses. He said it’s essentially tee-ball with golf clubs. He said taking the players minds off the technical focus showed vast improvement in swings.

“It includes running to first base after you hit it, so you see the girls finish on their front side and making sure they are hitting down on the ball. Their technique totally changed from when they were on the range. If you put them in an athletic mode where they just react, it was cool to see the progress,” Wheaton said.

The entrants worked on full swings, grip work, learning knowledge about how the clubs work with certain angles as well. Overall Wheaton said keeping the game fun is important, not just for junior girls but everyone who takes up the sport.

“My big thing is taking baby steps and introducing the game as fun. Hopefully they take it up with their family, we all know it’s a game for a lifetime so starting them young is important,” he said.

Numbers for women golfers both as adult amateurs and youth are struggling. Many junior tours see age groups with just a handful of competitors. Golf Saskatchewan is working on promoting junior girls golf as well and will continue discussions with stakeholders on how to improve the number of participants both competitively and recreationally. The LPGA CP Women’s Open is taking place next week at Regina’s Wascana Country Club. Wheaton said the legacy that tournament could leave is positive for girl’s golf in Saskatchewan.

“I hope it sparks some new blood, we all know we need it. I have a couple juniors going up there to view the event so that’s positive. We don’t usually have the national championships, it’s once in awhile so definitely for the game in Saskatchewan it’s really positive,” he said.

Wheaton is already working on next year’s girls golf camp with hopes of doubling the participation numbers in the third year.

Golf Saskatchewan is returning to Elk Ridge Resort for the final provincial championship of the season.

The highly-touted 18-hole course will host the 2018 Mixed Team Championship beginning Saturday. Elk Ridge director of golf, Travis Schmidt said the course is in pristine shape for the 36-hole event.

“It’s in really good shape right now,” he told Golf Saskatchewan. “We had some timely rain late in the spring, it was pretty dry in the first part of the season. We got some rain in late June and it’s in great shape right now.”

The last provincial championship at Elk Ridge was in 2015 when Anna Young won her fifth, and final Saskatchewan Women’s Amateur Championship. In 2014 Colin Coben won the Senior Men’s Championship there as well. Schmidt said the course is ecstatic to welcome back another tournament.

“We’re really excited, we haven’t had a provincial tournament here for a few years so we’re really excited to have Golf Saskatchewan back at Elk Ridge,” he said.

The field will consist of 58 golfers, or 29 teams. Defending champions Aaron and Kate Robinson are in the competition looking to defend their title they won last year at the Willows Golf and Country Club. Golf Saskatchewan director of tournaments, Steve Ryde said Elk Ridge is a great venue for the mixed championship.

“The rules officials and Golf Saskatchewan staff are eagerly anticipating the event up north. Elk Ridge Resort is a world class facility that provides a wonderful atmosphere not only for golf but any special occasion. As for the course itself, the turf conditions are always top notch, the tree lined holes are intimidating to say the least. The eventual 2018 champions will have their work cut out for them,” Ryde said.

The format of the tournament focuses on a team game according to Ryde. Each player tees off, the teammates proceed to their partners ball and plays it to the green. Once on the green, the teams decide which ball to proceed with alternating shots until that ball is holed.

The groups will tee off for round one at 9 a.m. Saturday, the champions will be crowned Sunday. Online scoring is available here.

Saskatchewan’s mid-amateur champion is hoping for better results for the province than they showed at the national amateur event.

Mike Herperger will lead a contingent of 13 Saskatchewan golfers in to the Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship in Victoria, B.C. from Aug. 21 to 24. Herperger finished at plus-18 over two rounds in Duncan, B.C. at the Canadian amateur. He said overall the experience was positive despite the result.

“It was awesome, it was disappointing with what I shot but I still got to see a bunch of things. I got to follow behind Kade (Johnson) who played awesome and Dave (Stewart). We finished top-five in the all the provinces, so it was good to see that,” Herperger told Golf Saskatchewan.

This year’s mid-amateur is taking place at the Victoria Golf and Country Club. Herperger said the team is hoping to build off last year’s tournament that featured heartbreak for Saskatchewan.

“I wish I could have helped the team in Duncan and gone a little lower, but overall we were happy. Looking to the mid-am now there was a three-foot putt missed to win the tournament last year so we’re hoping we can build off that,” he said.

Johnson and Shaun Dunphy were the lone Saskatchewan golfers to make the cut at this year’s amateur. Herperger said the entire group took some valuable lessons from the tournament.

“I think to stay patient. We went out right out of the gates and wanted to fire low and I don’t think that’s the best way to go at. Take your missed putts if you do miss them, make your shots when you can,” he said.

Joining Herperger will be fellow team Saskatchewan members Stewart and Mitchell Matichuk. Matichuk is replacing Jehremy Ryde who is out with an injury. The province has ten exemption spots as well, those will be filled by the following players.

-Shawn McNall
-Taylor Afseth
-Brett Henry
-Shaun Dunphy
-Travis Fifi
-Scott Thompson
-Brad Phelps
-Colin Coben
-Jason Mohr
-Ken Rodgers

Rule 3-2 Maximum score for a hole.

QUESTION: What is the maximum score a player may have for a hole?

ANSWER: The Rules of Golf do not set a maximum score for a hole; the ball must be holed (see Rules 1-1, 2-1, and 3-2).

In match play only, your opponent may concede your next stroke – see Rule 2-4.

The Golf Canada Handicapping System specifies a player must adjust their scores under Equitable Stroke Control prior to posting those scores for Handicapping purposes. Any adjustments for ESC are made after the round is completed. As an additional idea, Golf Saskatchewan suggests a format change to something like the Stableford or modified Stableford format (Rule 32-1b). Under this format, points are awarded based on you score. It keeps the pace of play and a player does not have to continue if she/he is having a bad hole. You simply pick up your ball and you receive 0 points or negative points based on the system.   

QUESTION: What score do I post for a hole not played?

ANSWER: If a player does not play a hole or plays it other than under the Rules of Golf (except for preferred lies), their score for that hole for handicap purposes shall be par plus any handicap strokes the player is entitled to receive on the hole. When recording this hole score, precede the score with an “X”. This concept can also apply to a hole with a temporary green or tee which renders the hole substantially different from its usual form.

Example: A player with a Course Handicap of 10 receives a handicap stroke on the first 10 allocated handicap-stroke holes. If the player does not play the sixth allocated stroke hole because of construction on the green, the player shall record a score of par plus one for handicap purposes.