Saskatchewan’s four representatives at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship are on their way home.

Brooklin Fry, Sarah Grieve, Carey McLean, and Ella Kozak showed well at the Beach Grove Golf Club in Tsawwassen, B.C. gaining crucial experience for the future.

Fry, 13, the provincial champion shot 38-over for the first two rounds of the event. Grieve, 15, shot 188, she finished at 44-over par. 16-year-old Mclean was 45-over par and Kozak, 12, finished the event at 53-over par.

All four young golfers missed the cut.

Saskatchewan finished eighth in the inter-provincial competition of the event.

When it rains, it pours.

That sentiment isn’t words golfers usually like to mutter but for Taylor Afseth it’s raining buckets. The Saskatoon Golf and Country Club member has unbelievably hit three aces in 12 days, all at different courses. According to Wikipedia, a golfer has a one in 12,500 chance of hitting a trio of hole in ones in their lifetime. Afseth didn’t need two weeks between his first three. He said he’s still having a hard time believing the ball fell.

“I can’t even explain it, it’s just weird,” Afseth said. “I don’t know, three shots no different than any others I’ve hit, and they went in. Expect the unexpected.”

The first came on hole 11 at Dakota Dunes Golf Links during the second round of the Men’s Amateur Championships on July 18. His ace on the 211-yard hole helped vault him up the leaderboard landing a spot in the national mid-amateur championship later this month. He said that was a memorable moment.

“That was special, when it went in I was like, I can’t believe it happened here. When I needed it, in the biggest tournament in the province, that was so special. We were all very excited,” Afseth said.

Afseth picked up his second ace, also during a tournament. He was playing in the Ironman at Silverwood Golf Course in Saskatoon. The 132-yard shot also came on hole 11. Afseth said he never thought the tee shot had a chance to drop in.

“That one I didn’t hit near as well, in the air it looked like it was headed for the centre of the green. The greens were fast, it rolled a long way and went in,” he said.

His most recent hole in one came on hole three at the Rosetown Golf and Country Club on July 30. When the ball hit the cup on the 223-yard par-4, Afseth was speechless.

“I just shook my head, I didn’t know what else to do,” he quipped.

Afseth started playing the game with his grandfather at Turtle Lake and in Saskatoon with his dad. He said he’s been involved in the sport his entire life. When he was young his grandfather took him to a Canadian Junior Golf Association event in South Carolina that was a “really cool experience.” The 25-year-old said the aces are great for his confidence in preparation for his next big event, the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Victoria Golf Club.

“It definitely helps, I’ve hit a lot of shots that have looked like that in the air in the last couple days. It makes you nervous knowing it has a chance to drop and it has been lately. I’m going to try and keep it going,” he said.

The Mid-Am event runs from Aug. 24 to 24.

Golf Saskatchewan has a hole in one club on their website. Luis Nicholas amazingly has two of them at Holiday Park Golf Course this season. Keon Turner, 12, hit one on July 30 at TS&M Woodlawn Golf Club as well.

Colby Friedrich didn’t shoot anything over a bogey Wednesday at the Canadian Junior Boys Championship on route to a solid 78 in round three.

The 16-year-old Battleford product has a three-round total of 228, he is at 15-over par. Friedrich sits in a tie for 65^th place among a field that started at 156. He still falls into “juvenile” age group at the tournament, he is 17^th in his age group. The North Battleford Golf and Country Club member was the lone Saskatchewan golfer to make the cut at the championship.

Friedrich’s fourth and final round at the Medicine Hat Golf and Country Club is on Thursday.

You can follow the online leaderboard here.

Some work will need to be done if any of Saskatchewan’s junior girl golfers will make Wednesday’s cut at the Canadian championship in British Columbia.

After day one of the national event for women golfers under 19 years-old, the team Saskatchewan foursome did fare well at the Beach Grove Golf Club in Tsawwassen, B.C.

Saskatchewan champion Brooklin Fry, 13, shot 89 during the first round of the tournament. The Shell Lake product is in a tie for 105^th place overall, but she sits in 66^th position in the juvenile age group. The juvenile category is under 17 years-old as of Aug. 1. 15-year-old Sarah Grieve of Saskatoon and 16-year-old Carey McLean out of Deer Valley are tied for 123th place at plus-21.  That position jumps to 75^th in the under-17 division.

Ella Kozak, 12, shot a 22-over, 94 during round one, she sits in a tie for 80^th place in the juvenile division.

McLean, the last member of Team Sask. on the course Tuesday is the first on the blocks for round two. She tees off at 10:28 a.m. Saskatchewan time. Grieve will begin her round at 3:28 p.m. and Kozak tees off just 11 minutes later. Fry hits the course at 3:50 p.m.

Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C. leads the event at 3-under through round one. Online scoring is available here.

Colby Friedrich’s national junior golf championship experience will continue for a couple more days.

The Battleford product was the lone Saskatchewan representative to make the cut at the Canadian Junior Boys Championship taking place in Medicine Hat, Alta. The 16-year-old shot 77 on day one of the event at the Medicine Hat Golf and Country Club. He fired a 73 during the second round climbing to a tie for 61^st place. Friedrich’s plus-8 was right at the cut line of the 156 player field. He will tee-off at 8:58 a.m. Wednesday for round three of four.

A handful of other Saskatchewan golfers didn’t make the final couple days of the championship. Bradley Moser (Saskatoon) shot 14-over (79, 77); Connor Scissons (Saskatoon) shot 77 and 83. Steven Duchscher (Saskatoon) fired back-to-back 80’s, he tied Scissons at plus-18. Josh Nagy (Saskatoon) finished at plus-19 (79, 82) and Deer Valley’s Cole Obrigewitsch was 22-over after shooting a pair of 82 rounds.

Both Friedrich and Nagy still fall under the “juvenile” age category at the championship, the event is for golfers under 19 years of age. Friedrich is tied for 14^th among the age group which is under 17 as of August 1.

You can continue to follow Friedrich’s rounds here.

In June of last year Loon Lake and District Golf and Country Club lost their clubhouse to a fire. One year later the vision of a new facility tucked into Saskatchewan’s northern forest is becoming a reality.

Construction of a new building that will feature a restaurant, lounge, proshop, meeting room, and 85-seat banquet room got underway at the start of July this year. The building is expected to be complete in November. The course located in Makwa Lake Provincial Park has been using a 60-foot trailer as a clubhouse since the blaze destroyed their facility. Proshop manager Heather Schneider said the golf course traffic hasn’t seen a decline but other avenues of revenue have had to come to a standstill.

“We’ve had to put all our tournaments on hold, we don’t have an eating facility,” she told Golf Saskatchewan. “Everyone is excited to get the clubhouse up and going and getting back to normal.”

The nine-hole, grass green course features lake front views, a waterfall, bunkers and plenty of trees “with lots of balls in them,” Schneider joked. She said superintendent Mik Carey has done a great job with the course in his over ten years at the club. Schneider said the trailer has had a few challenges, but the shape of the course has outweighed any shortfalls.

“It’s been fine, people have been really cooperative. People have adapted to the situation. The golf has been great, both last year and this year we’ve been busy with golfers,” she said.

Insurance is covering the costs of the new facility allowing the club to move along nicely with the rebuild. Schneider said now that there are walls formed and progress is being made excitement is building among campers and the locals.

“Now that they see the clubhouse come up there is an excitable vibe in the air and people are anxious, but golfing has continued as usual,” she said.

The club expects to have the new facility operational in May of next year.

The ladies representing Team Saskatchewan are in British Columbia for the Canadian Junior Girls Championship that opens Tuesday at the Beach Grove Golf Club.

Provincial champion Brooklin Fry of Shell Lake leads the team along with Saskatoon’s Sarah Grieve, Carey McLean of Deer Valley and Yorkton’s Ella Kozazk. Grieve will be first to tee-off, her round begins at 10:28 a.m. Saskatchewan time. Kozak, who has been in B.C. since her appearance at the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship will tee-off at 10:39 a.m. 13-year-old Fry will be on the blocks at 10:50 a.m. and McLean has a late tee time, she will start her round at 3:28 p.m.

The team is coached by Steve Ryde.

All four earned their way to nationals through their performance at the provincial junior tournament held July 9 to 11 at Moon Lake Golf and Country Club.

The national event is four rounds and includes an inter-provincial competition as well.

Online scoring for the championship can be found here.

Team Saskatchewan’s six representatives took on the Medicine Hat Golf and Country Club Monday for round one of the Canadian Junior Boys Championship.

Battleford’s Colby Friedrich and Connor Scissons of Saskatoon lead the group shooting plus-6, 77. That leaves the pair in a tie for 97^th overall. Bradley Moser and Josh Nagy, both of Saskatoon shot 79 and sit in a tie for 116^th place at plus-8. Steven Duchscher, another Saskatoon golfer carded an 80, he sits in a tie for 130^th. Deer Valley’s Cole Obrigewitsch shot an 82, plus-11, that leaves him in a tie for 139^th.

Friedrich tees off first among the group, he begins his round at 7:33 a.m., Scissons starts the second round at 7:41 a.m. Duchscher hits the course at 1:36 p.m., Obrigewitsch tees off at 2:09 p.m… Moser is due on the blocks at 2:20 p.m., Nagy is 11 minutes later at 2:31 p.m.

Saskatchewan is ranked 10^th in the inter-provincial portion of the championship.

Online scoring for the tournament is available here.

SCOREGolf released their annual top 100 course list last week with just one Saskatchewan club making the list.

Saskatoon’s Riverside Country Club came in at 90 on the list. According to Golf Canada, there are over 2050 18-hole equivalent courses in the nation meaning the clubs on the list are ranked in the top 4.875 percentile. Riverside executive director Jana-Lyn Fairbairn said the course is happy with the distinction.

“It’s definitely an honour, our turf care team worked really hard getting the conditions top notch. There’s not a lot of western representation, especially the prairie provinces, to be one of the courses recognized is definitely an honour,” Fairbairn said.

The list ranking says “the work of Scottish architect Bill Kinnear, Riverside takes advantage of the natural contours of the land on which it was built with rollicking fairways and wonderful green sites making for a fun round. Stunning views of the Saskatchewan River are available on excellent 18th, which was rejigged by Graham Cooke and Wayne Carleton.” Fairbairn said several Riverside features caught the eyes of course raters.

“The course definitely, the views, just the overall experience at the club I think is top notch. Those are all the things that add up to a really great round and a special day when you are here,” she said.

The list is compiled every other year with assistance from professionals, public players, and members of the media. Riverside was number 84 on the list in 2016, in 2014 the private membership course came in at 88. In 2016 Dakota Dunes Golf Links was the only other Saskatchewan course to make the list. Fairbairn said raters have already visited Riverside preparing for the 2020 list. She is optimistic the club will continue to be recognized among the top courses in Canada.

“It’s exciting to still be on the list, it gets harder and harder, there are more and more incredible courses across Canada. The fact we’re still on the list is an honour,” she said.

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Mackenzie Hughes buried his face in his hands after his 14-foot putt on the 18th hole slowed to a stop short of the hole by a few inches.

The 27-year-old from Dundas, Ont., finished in a season-high tie for eighth place at the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday, and captured the Rivermead Cup as the top Canadian for the second consecutive year.

But that last oh-so-narrow miss on 18 at Glen Abbey was a fitting ending to a week he’d “sniffed” golf greatness, but fallen just short.

“Talking to me right now, I’d say I’m a bit disappointed, just because right at the end there, those par 5s coming in (16 and 18) were both playing downwind, and if you’re out here playing with your buddies, probably birdie them both, but a little tougher in this pressure,” Hughes said.

“Just to kind of get sniffing around the lead here, I know Dustin (Johnson) is a little bit ahead, but if he was to have faltered, and you were to have posted 18 or 19, which wasn’t that out of the question, all of a sudden it looks like a pretty good chance.”

World No. 1 Johnson won the Canadian Open’s final appearance at Glen Abbey, shooting a 66 to go 23 under for the tournament.

Hats off to @MacHughesGolf, who won the Rivermead Cup as the low Canadian at 15 under par ????#RBCCO #OurOpen pic.twitter.com/odPGMUHHVE

— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) July 29, 2018

Hughes, with wife Jenna and nine-month-old son Kenton watching on, began the day in a tie for 13th, and climbed up to fifth before a bogey on 15. He recovered with a birdie on 16, prompting a roar from the crowd when his 21-foot putt rolled in.

The Rivermead Cup was the original Canadian Open trophy, awarded to the tournament winner from 1920 to 1935, until Seagram’s took over sponsorship and wanted its own cup.

Hughes’ strong week is great timing with only two events left on the season to secure a PGA Tour card. Needing to finish in the top 125 in the FedExCup standings, he began the week at 174, but was projected to climb 22 spots to No. 152.

But the Canadian, who grew up about half an hour’s drive down the Queen Elizabeth Way from Glen Abbey, said, with the tour card looming, he felt the pressure on every hole.

“A birdie on 18, and every shot coming in really meant a lot because once you get up to that top five, top three kind of echelon, the points really ramp up,” Hughes said. “I kind of sensed that opportunity coming in and maybe got a little bit tight at the end, I don’t leave that putt (on 18) short ordinarily, so that’s just maybe getting a bit tight.

“I’ve got two weeks left . . . next week I can hopefully keep building on it.”

Fans along the course Sunday hollered “Go Leafs go!” at Hughes, a nod partly toward the Maple Leafs jerseys he wore all week walking up to No. 7. Known as “The Rink,” the seventh hole is circled with hockey boards. Officials wear hockey referee sweaters.

“The Rink’s been awesome, it’s a great addition to this tournament, you kind of feel the additional support, the cheers for myself seemed just a hair notched up, which is pretty cool, and not something we experience very often,” Hughes said. “I had some fun there this week with a chip-in and handing out some Leafs jerseys, so all in all it was a fun week on No. 7.”

Calgary’s Ryan Yip (70) finished at 12 under and tied for 22nd. Roger Sloan (68) of Merritt, B.C., finished at 10 under, one shot ahead of Chris Crisologo (69) of Richmond, B.C., Canada’s only amateur to make the cut. David Hearn (72) of Brantford, Ont., finished at 7 under and in a tie for 61st.

It was a rough day for Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., and Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., who both finished a 4 under and tied for 71st place. Taylor (77) went into the week ranked No. 127 in the FedExCup standings, and needing to improve two spots by season’s end to maintain his PGA Tour card. But he plummeted 42 spots down the leaderboard Sunday, and finished with a double bogey on No. 18, eliciting a groan from the crowd when he hit the ball into the water.