Saskatchewan’s defending senior men’s golf champion has picked up right where he left off at the 99^th edition of the event.

Regina’s Ken Rodgers is the first-round leader at the championship taking place at Golf Kenosee. The 59-year-old Tor Hill member sits one stroke ahead of Rick Hallberg of Weyburn. Doug Kozack and Keith Silvernagle are tied for third place, a pair of shots behind Rodgers at 75.

Rodgers opened his round with back-to-back birdies, he bogeyed both hole seven and eight before earning a stroke back on hole nine. At one-under through the front nine, Rodgers birdied hole 10, scattered another bogey on the back nine and a double bogey on 15 to finish his round at one-over 73.

Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Famer Colin Coben opened the 54-hole event with a four-over, 76, he sits in fifth place.

In the Mid-Master’s category Hallberg is in second-place behind Rodgers. The Golf Kenosee member has a two-shot cushion over Carlyle’s Jason Mohr and Coben who sit tied for third place.

Shayne Amberson and Ron Swan are tied for fifth at five-over, 77.

The leaderboard can be found here.

The Senior Men’s Championship and Mid-Master’s are being played simultaneously at Kenosee Lake. Players can enter both championships if they fall within the qualifying age groups.

Golfers will begin teeing off at 8 a.m. Wednesday morning.

For the past several years the Wakaw Lake Golf Course has been dealing with flooding on holes two and seven, but the issues have since been rectified with great success.

Spring runoff from the hills overlooking the Northeast Saskatchewan resort community’s course flowed through the two holes as well as into the campground. Superintendent Dean Hildebrandt designed a plan to work with the water and use it to the course’s advantage. Last year the staff constructed a “water feature” on two, essentially a holding pond that fixed the flooding and developed the hole into a scenic, challenging par-4. Hildebrandt said the outcome of the work has been exceptional.

“We wouldn’t be able to have carts out there for a day or two and we had puddles of water as well,” he said. “Our number two was 280-290 yards and it was pretty easy, so we thought let’s put a water feature that can catch the runoff and make it a better hole.”

Since the construction of the system, that includes an underground drainage pipe plus an overflow pipe when the pond fills in the early season or after significant rainfalls. Hildebrandt said the improvements have been well received by both members and the public.

“They love it. We had a tournament on the weekend and I played with a guy who used to live here 20 years ago and hadn’t played here for about 15 years, he couldn’t believe how nice it is. That’s the type of comments we’re getting from everybody,” he said.

Hildebrandt said the staff is constantly trying to improve the nine-hole, grass green course. Work to expand the white block tee boxes is a future project as well as replacing some aging trees along the number nine green with a bunker. He said with over 220 members, 700 cabins and the campground traffic at the lake the course continues to do well allowing them to consistently upgrade the course.

“The place is doing well financially so it allows us to do stuff every year when we want to do stuff like that. It’s really good,” he said.

Golf Kenosee at Kenosee Lake is set to host over 60 players in the 99^th Saskatchewan Senior Men’s Championship and Mid-Master’s Championship this week.

The Senior’s Championship is for men 55 years-old and over, the Mid-Master’s Championship, a new event for Golf Saskatchewan is for players 40 years-old and up. The competitors can play in both championships if they meet the age requirements. Proshop manager Brent Lothian said the golf course is pristine for the three-day, 54-hole event.

“The course is in fabulous shape this year,” Lothian said. “We were a little worried with it how it started in the spring but Kelvin (van Winkoop, superintendent) has done a great job getting everything tuned up for us. Everyone that plays tells us how scenic the course is, how wonderful the course is, it will be a good challenge for the players.”

14 players will compete for the Mid-Master’s title, 50 players are entered in the Senior’s Championship. Aside from the tournament trophies, the players are competing for Order of Merit (OMT) standings points. Rick Hallberg, playing his home course this week is the standings leader. He is coming off a victory at the Mercator Financial Southwest Senior Men’s Championship in Swift Current on July 11.

Golf Kenosee last hosted a provincial championship event in 2014. Lothian is in his first year as the proshop manager, but he said the staff and facility is looking forward to an exciting week.

“It’s awesome to see something like this, I couldn’t believe how full the parking lot is. Everyone is excited, the event is bringing other people and not just the players. Golf Kenosee is really happy to be hosting,” he said.

The first group will tee-off at 8 a.m. Tuesday, results can be found here.

Saskatchewan’s amateur women’s golf team has landed in Vancouver, B.C. for the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.

Provincial champion Carla Odnokon of Saskatoon will lead the team along with Melville’s Chloe Sies, Brooke Hill of Regina and Yorkton’s Ella Kozak at the national championship taking place at Marine Drive Golf Club. Odnokon said the foursome just finished their practice round Monday afternoon. She said the team is looking forward to the week ahead.

“We feel relaxed, we played our practice round and now we’re just waiting for the reception tonight,” Odnokon said from Vancouver. “We’ve got some good weather, now we’re just getting ready for tomorrow.”

Odnokon won the Saskatchewan championship earlier this season at the Harbor Golf Club and Resort at Elbow. She said attending the national event is exciting for her and the rest of the team.

“There’s a lot of young ladies that are coming up on their college days to play, there is a lot of nice swings on the driving range. It’s a deep field here from what I understand so it’s awesome,” she said.

The four-day championship begins Tuesday morning. Kozak, 12, is the first Saskatchewan golfer to tee-off, she will start at 7:25. Hill, 22, starts her first round at 8:09 a.m., Sies, 19, begins at 8:31 a.m., and Odnokon, 38, hits the blocks at 8:42 a.m. She said the experience of the event at one of the nation’s top venues will be special.

“I think we’re just going to enjoy this. If we learn something along the way like how to make a shot better or how other players prepare, great, but really we want to have fun. The course is beautiful, you can’t complain. We can’t worry about what others are shooting, we’re going to do what we do best,” Odnokon said.

The results of the tournament can be found here.

Rule 17-1 – Attending Flagstick When Ball Off Putting Green

QUESTION: Dave’s ball lies off the putting green. May he ask to have the flagstick attended?

ANSWER: Yes, the provisions of Rule 17-1 apply regardless of the location of the ball, provided the attending does not unduly delay play.

Remember, the rules of golf matter.

66 was the magical number Thursday for the Saskatchewan Men’s Amateur and Mid-Amateur Champions.

Yorkton’s Kade Johnson stroked back-to-back 66’s including the final round to win his first Saskatchewan Amateur Men’s Championship Thursday at Dakota Dunes Golf Links. Johnson, 19, said the win felt great.

“It feels unbelievable. I got off to a tough start today, but I battled through. I had a good back nine, it kind of turned around on hole six and it kept going. It feels awesome,” Johnson said.

The Deer Park Municipal Golf Course member, who plays at Southern Arkansas University didn’t have his best day during round one when he shot 75. Johnson rebounded in round two setting himself with a shot at the championship going into the final 18 holes.

“I thought I was playing really well, I just didn’t make any putts. I just played a little bit smarter and battled through,” he said.

Johnson’s three-round total of 207 was two shots better than Humboldt’s Michael Herperger who also fired 66 in the championship round to take second place. David Stewart led the first two days of the tournament but couldn’t hold off Johnson and Herperger in the final round. Stewart, 32, finished in third with 210.

Herperger’s (above) score vaulted him over Stewart for the Mid-Amateur championship. Herperger came from a 10^th place tie after the second round to win the over-25 title.

“It’s awesome, I’m at a loss for words,” he said. “It’s been great this week at the Dakota Dunes.”

Johnson wasn’t eligible for the Mid-Am due to his age, Jehremy Ryde finished third behind Stewart. Herperger, a Humboldt product said the win is extra special following the Broncos bus crash in April.

“It means a lot to me, it hit very close, I did this for a lot of people, I hope they can come to Nationals with me,” Herperger said.

Golf Saskatchewan changed their Amateur and Mid-Amateur format this year, in year’s past the tournaments were held at separate venues and times. Over 120 golfers competed for four spots in the national championships.

Johnson, Herpeger, and Stewart plus Ty Campbell who won in a playoff to secure a spot on Team Saskatchewan will play at the Amateur Championship. Herperger, Stewart, Ryde and Mitchell Matichuk, also a playoff hole winner will compete in the National Mid-Am Championship later this summer.

A complete recap of the tournaments can be found here.

The second round of the provincial Men’s Amateur and Mid-Amateur Championships didn’t start well for David Stewart but the result is still the same, the top of the leaderboard.

Stewart, 32, mishit his opening drive on hole one at the Dakota Dunes Golf Links Wednesday but managed to save par assisting in the Saskatoon resident’s four-stroke lead going into the third and final round of the tournament. Stewart carded a trio of birdies and one bogey on the front nine, the Saskatoon Golf and Country Club member picked up another pair of birdies on the final nine holes to finish with a three-under, 69. He had a one-shot lead over Roman Timmerman going into round two after firing a 68 on opening day. Timmerman, 19, now sits tied for second place, four shots back along with Yorkton’s Kade Johnson. Johnson had the day’s low round at 66, combining that with Tuesday’s 75, the Deer Park Golf Municipal Golf Course member and Timmerman sit at 141.

Jehremy Ryde of Eston also made up ground during round two, he posted a two-under 70, dropping his overall score to 142, five back of Stewart. Prince Albert’s Danny Klughart is tied with Ryde in fourth place.

Six golfers are tied for sixth position at 143; Dan Lambert, Scott Thompson, Mitchell Matichuk, Mike Herperger, Liam Courtney, and Justin Wood are all in the running for the championship that will conclude Thursday.

The tournaments top three players will represent the province at nationals, as well as an alternate.

Round three gets underway at 7:06 a.m., the final group of Stewart, Johnson, and Timmerman tees off at 12:57 p.m.

The complete results of both the Amateur and Mid-Amateur Championships can be found here.

David Stewart continues to play great golf.

The two-time Saskatchewan Order of Merit Tour (OMT) winner this season sits a stroke better than Roman Timmerman in the Men’s Amateur Championship and a pair of shots ahead of Jim Born in the Mid-Amateur (25 years-old and up) after the first of three rounds at Dakota Dunes Golf Links.

Stewart, 32, carded one birdie on the front nine and eight pars, the scorching heat didn’t slow down the Saskatoon Golf and Country Club member on the back nine. He birdied hole 10, hit a bogey on number 12 before rattling off birdies in three of the final four holes to finish with a four-under, 68.

Timmerman, 19, also has two victories on the OMT this season. The Riverside Country Club golfer was the early leader with a one-under, 71 before Stewart verified his card at the scorer’s table. Like Stewart, Timmerman was one-under on the front nine. He picked up an eagle on hole 16, that was followed by a bogey and a birdie to cap his round.

Born, who plays out of the Lloydminster Golf and Country Club is tied for third place with Saskatoon’s Marc Sweeney at two-under, 70. Behind the top three sits five golfers tied at 71, nine competitors are tied for 10^th place at even-par 72.

Players entered either the Amateur Championship, or the Mid-Amateur; or they can compete for both titles. A complete list of the leaderboards can be seen here.

The first of 42 groups will tee-off at 7:06 a.m. Wednesday for the second round of the 54-hole tournament.

Despite being “frustrated” with not currently playing on the PGA Tour, Weyburn’s Graham Delaet is using the time off to his and his family’s advantage.

Delaet hasn’t competed on the tour since last October but he said being home with wife Ruby and their twins, Roscoe and Lyla has been a blessing.

“The golf part is frustrating, but our kids mean more to me than anything in the world. That has been the one nice thing about being at home a lot is spending time with the kids and family,” Delaet told Darren Zary with the Star-Phoenix. The 36-year-old was in Saskatoon along with Ruby for their fifth annual fundraising event for their namesake Foundation. Delaet said the Graham Slam charity golf tournament has raised over $1.5 million and provided special memories for young golf fans.

“It is super neat for these kids to be able to play in something like this, Ryder Cup type format and meet a PGA Tour player. That would have meant a lot to me as a teenager,” he said.

Delaet has been dealing with a back issue that kept him from not being able to build on his over $11 million in career winnings. Delaet is seeking to play another three to four years at least, that will allow his children to experience a portion of his career, something “to make them proud of me,” he said.

For now, he said there is no timeline on his return to the tour.

“We’re basically in the stage to find out what the problem is and what the next step is. I’m going different places, seeing different doctors and trying to put it all together and see what the next step is,” he said.

The eight-year PGA Tour professional won the Saskatchewan Men’s Amateur Champion in 2005 and 2006. Golf Saskatchewan made a $1,500 towards the Graham and Ruby Delaet Foundation this past week in Saskatoon. Golf Saskatchewan executive director Brian Lee said the organization was happy to give back to the province’s youth.

“It was with great pleasure Golf Saskatchewan donated to the Graham Slam event with proceeds towards the Ronald McDonald House. We hope these funds will assist in making the lives of Saskatchewan people better,” Lee said.

This week’s Saskatchewan’s Amateur Men’s Championships will have some southern flair back in the field of over 120 golfers.

Former Saskatoon resident Torrie Coghlin has entered the championships for the first time since 2015. Coghlin moved to Alabama in 2004 to play golf. He now calls the state home, along with his wife Sarah and daughter Jenna. Coghlin, the mid-amateur champion in 2010, and two-time runner-up started the trash talking among the Saskatchewan men’s golf fraternity with a Facebook post filled with predictions of events on and off the course. He said the post has been a hit among the competitors.

“It was all just stereotype fun,” he laughed about the post. “It’s the truth which is funny, I like that kind of comedy. It was basically to give everyone a chuckle.”

Coglin won the Alabama Mid-Amateur Men’s Championship in 2013 as well. He said he tries to come back to Saskatchewan once a summer to play in a tournament. He added that with both the Men’s Amateur Championship and Mid-Amateur (+25) Championship being played at the same time at Dakota Dunes Golf Links the choice was easy.

“With both tournaments at a great venue, I thought it would be a great choice. I can stay at my parents’ place, my daughter can come up, if I go somewhere else I must travel and all that. This year was a no-brainer,” he said.

Coghlin’s post did throw light-hearted predictions on the early favourites but he couldn’t decidedly pick a winner. Having been gone for 14 years he said many of the top younger players he’s never met. He said he’s excited to see the likes of Roman Timmerman, Carson Harcourt, and Kade Johnson play. Coghlin said he will compete for his second championship but the comradery of the players is above the results.

“When I play in the State tournaments in Alabama you finish your tournament and go home. Here, you stick around, hang out, see how everyone did, have a beverage or two, have some laughs. I think it’s pretty unique,” he said.

Golf Saskatchewan decided to play both the men’s tournaments together to make it easier for participants who wish to play for both championships. Everyone will tee-off from the same blocks. Manager of sport and tournaments Steve Ryde said the Dunes will play three great rounds.

“Dakota Dunes is a championship links style venue that will challenge every aspect of one’s golf game. The eventual champions will emerge with their mental and physical game tested to the utmost extreme,” he said.

Regina’s Tyler Wright is the defending amateur champion. He’s not entered into the tournament this year. Brad Phelps of Saskatoon won last year’s mid-amateur tournament. He tees off at 12:12 p.m.

The first group will tee-off at 7:06 a.m. and the final group will take the course at 1:06 p.m. The results and groups can be found here.