Moose Jaw’s Lorie Boyle was a stroke better than Jo-Anne Schiller of Lloydminster on Saturday setting up a potential dramatic finish in the 55^th Saskatchewan Senior Women’s Championship at the Harbor Golf Club and Resort.

Schiller, the defending champion carded a 76 Friday in round one, she shot 81 on Saturday, regained the stroke with an 80 on day two to go with her 77 during the opening round in Elbow. Melfort’s Judy Sefton is still in the conversation in third-place at plus-20, 162 (82, 80).

Senior’s Day 2 Results:

T1. Jo-Anne Schiller, Lloydminister G & CC, *76-81-157 +15
T1. Lorie Boyle, Golf SK Public Player, *77-80-157 +15
3. Judy Sefton, Melfort Golf & CC, *82-80-162 +20
4. Robin Acton, Lloydminister G & CC, *83-82-165 +23
T5. Sue Skinner, Rosetown G&CC, *85-81-166 +24
T5. Ann Kirkland, Saskatoon G&CC, *80-86-166 +24
7. Maureen Bowerman, The Legends GC, *88-87-175 +33
8. Shari Forsythe-Hohm, Deer Park Municipal GC, *90-88-178 +36
9. Angela Prystay, The Legends GC, *101-98-199 +57

The complete Championship results can be found here.

In the 100^th Saskatchewan Amateur Women’s Championship, Saskatoon’s Carla Odnokon (pictured above) continued her strong play tying Chloe Sies of Melville and Shaunavon’s Hannah MacNeil with the low round of the day at 78. Odnokon retained her four-shot lead going into Sunday’s final round of the centennial event sitting at plus-8, 150 (72, 78). Sies sits alone in second-place at plus-12, 154 (76, 78).

Defending champion Brooke Hill of Regina is five strokes back in third-place.

Amateur’s Day 2 Results:

1. Carla Odnokon, Saskatoon G&CC, *72-78-150 +8
2. Chloe Sies, Melville Regional Park GC, *76-78-154 +12
3. Brooke Hill, Wascana CC, *76-79-155 +13
4. Ella Kozak, Deer Park Municipal GC, *78-80-158 +16
5. Hannah MacNeil, Willows G & CC , *81-78-159 +17
6. Kimberly Brown, Golf SK Public Player, *81-79-160 +18
7. Carrie Lambden, Saskatoon G&CC, *87-82-169 +27
8. Kayla Sawchuk, Cooke Municipal GC, *81-89-170 +28
9. Veronika Duchscherer, Nipawin Evergreen G&CC, *94-105-199 +57

The Championship leaderboard can be found here.

The final round will tee-off at 9 a.m.

Day one of the Saskatchewan Amateur Women’s and Senior Women’s Championships are in the books; recent Saskatoon Amateur Women’s winner Carla Odnokon is the first-round leader in the Amateur, defending Senior’s champ Jo-Anne Schiller has a one-stroke lead in the Senior field.

Odnokon played consistent for all 18 holes, carding a 36 on the front nine and the final nine for a 72, one-over par. She said overall the day went well.

“I was striking the ball well, I made some good shots, it was a nice day. All around it turned out well,” she said.

Defending champion Brooke Hill of Regina sits in a second-place tie with Chloe Sies of Melville at plus-5; four back of Odnokon. Ella Kozak, 12, fired an impressive 78 to sit in fourth place. Odnokon said her game will need to be better if she wants to hold off the field during the weekend.

“I need to attack the greens a little bit better, I wouldn’t say my approach shots were great today. I want to figure out the greens a little bit more too and make some more putts,” she said.

Schiller (pictured above) carded a pair of birdies on the front nine to go with a trio of bogeys, the Lloydminster product finished with four bogeys in a row from holes 15 to 18. Moose Jaw’s Lorie Boyle sits in second-place at 77 (plus-6), Ann Kirkland of Saskatoon rounds out the top three at 80.

The middle round of the 54-hole event begins at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Harbor Golf Club and Resort at Elbow.

The Amateur results are here; the Senior’s scores can be found here.

Saskatoon’s Anna Young is now a two-time professional golf tour champion.

The former Riverside Golf Club member won the New Hope Oklahoma Championship on June 23 in Indian Springs. The event was a mini-tour tournament managed by the Women’s All Pro Tour. The five-time Saskatchewan Women’s Amateur Champion said it was fantastic to collect her second professional tour victory.

“It is great to have a little more money in the bank, but I think what I am more excited about is that I’ve been working on a couple more things in my game and my swing and it finally all came together,” Young told Golf Saskatchewan. “I still made some mistakes, but I came back from them which I am really proud of. I was very patient, I’ve needed to do that, I am glad I could let myself do that.”

Young, 24, shot 68, 74, 73 for a three-round total of 215, four shots better than the rest of the field. The victory earned her $5,000. The former University of Florida Gator has a third-place finish on the tour this year as well. She said her eyes were opened when she first relocated to the United States to pursue a golf career.

“Having a good short game and having a good outlook on the game and being realistically positive is important coming out of Saskatchewan. As terrible as the weather is sometimes I feel I have an advantage now than if I would have grown up anywhere else,” she said.

Young is on the Symetra alternate list meaning her schedule fluctuates, she is not guaranteed to be included in tournaments but does qualify through certain event criteria. She will play in this weekend’s event in Ohio and tee-off just after 2 p.m. Friday. Back home, Golf Saskatchewan will hold their Amateur Women’s Championship in Elbow this weekend with 12-year-old Ella Kozak in the field. Young said it’s great to hear of upcoming talented female golfers.

“Another young one is playing, and she is shooting in the 80’s, I am already pumped for her,” Young said.

She is continuing to work at claiming a position on the LPGA, the Symetra Tour is considered a developmental tour equivalent to the Web.com Tour on the men’s side. Despite the uncertainty Young plans to keep working hard towards her end goal.

“I fell like I am playing really well, I just want to get out to the tour I want to be on,” she said.

Photos courtesy Brandon Bradford and Rick Eades.

Rule 1-1 My group allows “Gimmies”

QUESTION:

Dave’s group allows players to pick up the ball, without holing it, when it is “inside” the leather. What is the rule for allowing “gimmies”? Are they allowed under the rules of golf?

ANSWER:

The rules of golf do not permit the use of “gimmies.” Rule 1-1 states the game of golf consists in playing a ball from the teeing ground into the hole by a stroke or successive strokes in accordance with the rules. Additionally, in stroke play, if a player fails to hole out and does not correct the error prior to playing a stroke from the next teeing ground, he shall be disqualified – see Rule 3-2. In match play, if the putt has not been conceded, (Rule 2-4) the player shall lose the hole.

In recreational play, this process happens every day. It only takes a couple of seconds to tap it in the hole. Remember, even the professionals have missed a six inch putt.

Tap it in and reward yourself with the satisfactory sound. Don’t be like Dave!

Regina’s Brooke Hill will be considered one of the favourites heading into this weekend’s Saskatchewan Women’s Amateur Championship, the Wascana Country Club member is the defending champion.

A little bit of a self proclaimed late bloomer, Hill spent plenty of time at the course with her father who was a teaching professional when she was young. She didn’t know up until high school if golf was something she would pursue. Eventually the game landed her at the University of Illinois Springfield, even then she wasn’t sure if competitive golf was in her future.

“It took a while for me to feel comfortable in a competitive setting,” Hill admitted. “Even when I went away to college I wasn’t quite convinced, but eventually you get into a groove and I realized I could compete with the best.”

In her junior year of college Hill played a tournament in 1 degree Celsius with 60 kilometre per hour wind and rain. In a field of over 100, one golfer finished sub-80 while Hill shot an 80 with nothing over a bogey dotting her scorecard. She said that was when she realized she could handle just about anything on the course. Winning last year’s Amateur Championship was a “life-long” goal of Hill’s and she said it assisted in her final year of university golf experience wise. She said going into the 100^th anniversary event this year will have a different touch.

“I just graduated in Illinois and am now done with collegiate golf. I will always try to come back to Saskatchewan and play competitive golf in the summer but, I feel like my focus has shifted. That being said, I can rely on my competitive experience and can’t wait to get out there and compete,” she said.

The 54-hole event begins Friday at Harbor Golf Club and Resort. The historic tournament will finish on Canada Day. Hill said to be involved in the centennial version of the championship will have a defined feel.

“The 100th anniversary will be very special and I’m greatly looking forward to the little things Golf Saskatchewan may do to make it feel that way. It’s a representation of how far women’s golf has come in this province, and hopefully we can continue to grow our great championship for many years to come,” she said.

Saskatoon’s Roman Timmerman is making an early case for Saskatchewan’s best Amateur golfer right now. The 19-year-old won the Great Western Brewing Saskatoon Amateur Championship on Monday at the Riverside Country Club.

The Riverside member pulled ahead of the 28-player field with an opening round of 69 at the Saskatoon Golf and Country Club. Liam Courtney, also a Riverside golfer posted a 69 in round one as well but at Holiday Park on Sunday Timmerman rattled off a 67, Courtney dropped back with a 72. Saskatoon GCC player Taylor Afseth climbed into the conversation also posting a 67 in the second of three rounds. The weather conditions at the Riverside turned the final round into a battle but Timmerman safely shot 75 staying seven strokes up on Afseth for the victory. Timmerman is coming off a win at the Lobstick, he said nothing changed in his game from event to event.

“Really nothing was different, I hit the ball good, hit a lot of greens, minimized my mistakes. I putted decent, basically it was a continuation from Waskesiu,” he said.

Defending champion Justin Wood finished in third place firing 219 (71,74,71), eight strokes back of Timmerman. He said the weather helped him hold off the field on day three. Timmerman said he was a little shocked at the wide margin of victory.

“Conditions were pretty tough the last day, not a whole lot of low scores,” he said. “With the strength of the field the gap was a little surprising but I’m not complaining.”

Timmerman, who leads the Men’s Order of Merit Tour standings won’t be in the field for the upcoming Mine Supply Central Amateur from June 30 – July 2 at the Saskatoon GCC. Ty Campbell, the sixth-place finisher along with Timmerman are travelling to North Dakota for a United States Amateur qualifier event. He said he is playing his best golf going into the tournament.

“I couldn’t be too much happier, I’m playing really good I guess. I couldn’t ask for anything more,” he said.

Beginning Friday at the Harbor Golf Club and Resort, Golf Saskatchewan will crown a champion in the 100^th Women’s Amateur Championship but one golfer is hoping the winner is 12-years-old.

Grade 6 student Ella Kozak, the current U15 Junior Women’s Order of Merit (OOM) leader will play in the 54-hole competition. Kozak started the game young with her dad, not always wanting to go to the course, she was bribed with a bag of chips that “always worked.” Eventually her love for the sport evolved, Kozak said she likes meeting new people and playing in tournaments such as the Future Links and Maple Leaf Junior Tour (MJT). She’s had success at those events, however the humble Kozak feels older competition is the best for her development.

“I don’t know about being a gifted golfer, but I started to play against older players and was able to keep up and I played a couple tournaments in Alberta and Manitoba and was able to play well against tough competition,” she said.

She has a first and second place showing on the MJT tour and a pair of 18^th place finishes on the Future Links tour this season. Most of her events she plays against girls up to 15-years-old, she said playing the Women’s Amateur doesn’t make her nervous.

“I am used to being the youngest, most of the time girls I play with can’t believe I am only in Grade 6 and I know some of the younger ladies in this tournament so that will help me be more relaxed. My dad is caddying for me and he gets really nervous, so I will have to keep him calm,” she laughed.

Kozak said her game is averaging in the 80’s this season and she hopes to continue that pace through the three-round event. With a bright future in the sport ahead of her she said playing golf in college is in her sights despite six more years of school in Yorkton.

“Right now, the goal is to play as many tournaments as I can to get experience and then hopefully I have the opportunity to play college golf and get an education somewhere hot,” she said.

Kozak credits the work of coaches Jason Schneider, Jeff Chambers, and Amanda Minchin as well as Deer Park professional Allan Sauser for her development.

“We are there a lot and Deer Park is a great course to play everyday.”

Thanks to some local volunteers and an initiative through Eagle Point Resort owners Lolita and Wade Mohr; the game of golf’s popularity in the North is growing. This year the course in La Ronge is offering free golf to anyone under the age of 18. The course has clubs, balls, and tees free to use to assist kids getting on the facility after numbers dropped overt the past decade. On June 24 the club hosted a junior golf “warm up” tournament with 24 kids taking part. Organizer Devin Bernatchez said the event went well.

“We had a great turnout of kids who just had a lot of fun,” he said. “We don’t keep score or anything like that, it’s just about keeping the kids busy and getting them out on the course.”

Last year Bernatchez organized a local “open” tournament, over 50 golfers took part across three different age groups. He has a second annual tournament planned for Sept. 15. Bernatchez’s son Dade plays on the Maple Leaf Junior Tour (MJT), Parker Layton, another La Ronge golfer also competes on the Tour. Bernatchez said with the number of players increasing and the work of newly certified coaches Darcy McPhail and Steve Hopper conducting weekly clinics the talent is improving. A few locals took part in the Lobstick at Waskesiu and will enter the Junior Lobstick later this summer. He said the focus isn’t about putting up low scores.

“The kids just love to golf, we have had such great support from the parents and kids, it’s so much fun for them,” Bernatchez said.

The next MJT event is June 30 and July 1 in Saskatoon at Moon Lake.

100 years in the making, the Harbor Golf Club and Resort is prepared to host a monumental tournament in Saskatchewan. The course at Elbow, on the banks of Lake Diefenbaker will welcome the province’s best amateur golfers for the 100^th annual Amateur Women’s Championship and the 55^th annual Senior Women’s Championship. Head professional and pro shop manager Mark Patterson said the staff has worked hard to bring the course back from a tough winter, a late start in growth due to the cold spring, and the malfunction of one of their pumps.

“The conditions with all that being said are in pretty good shape. I think when the ladies get here they are going to enjoy the facilities. They will enjoy the course and the set up,” Patterson said.

As of 1 p.m. Tuesday 17 golfers (eight/amateur; nine/seniors) were entered in the event. The deadline to register is 5 p.m. Both tournaments feature the returning champions from last year. Regina’s Brooke Hill is the Amateur winner, Jo-Anne Schiller of Lloydminster is the reigning Senior champion. Also, in the field is last year’s Junior Women’s winner Chloe Sies of Melville, 12-year-old Ella Kozak of Yorkton will compete as well. Patterson said hosting the prestigious event is an honour.

“Harbor is really excited to have the opportunity to host the province,” he said. “Hopefully out of this we get return business and to spread the word about what we have here in Elbow.”

The amateurs will play 5,720 yards, the seniors tournament will play 5,439 yards long. The tournament will begin at 10 a.m. om Friday. The championship is 54 holes and the winners will be crowned on Canada Day. Patterson is the President of PGA of Canada said it’s great for a small-town club to be selected for the centennial event.

“From that position with the PGA of Canada and having the event like this is a feather in the facility’s staff and ownership. We’re going to brag about this for a very long time,” he said.

You can follow along with the scoring online, click here for the amateurs, the senior’s results are here.

For the first time since being a junior golfer, Kipling’s Carson Harcourt is a tournament champion.

The 20-year-old Minot State University student was the lone golfer to finish under par (one under) during the 36-hole event at the Tor Hill Golf Club in Regina on the weekend. Harcourt stroked a two over par during round one, sitting two shots back of Tyler Zaba after the opening round, Harcourt had the low round of 69 over the final 18 holes to edge Yorkton’s Kade Johnson by a single shot. Zaba shot 75 on day two leaving him in third place at three over. Johnson was even for the event. Harcourt said he hit two bad shots off the tee over the two days but battled through the miscues.

“On the first day I hit one out of bounds and that resulted in a quadruple bogey,” he told Golf Saskatchewan. “That was tough to come back from. On the final day I hit one in the bush and that resulted in a bogey, I was able to minimize the damage. It seemed whenever I was on the green putting for birdie I was making it. That really helped, after you take a quadruple it’s tough to come back from.”

Harcourt grew up playing at the Kipling Golf Course before becoming a member at nearby Golf Kenosee. When he was 12-years-old he joined a Golf Saskatchewan team led by Phil Gross. Several tournament wins followed during his junior career including his last ever event. He said being victorious on the Men’s Order of Merit Tour (OOM) was a big confidence boost.

“It feels pretty good, I haven’t won since my last junior event at the Wascana Country Club, that was a couple years ago. It was a good field and it makes me realize I can play with these guys and win tournaments in the future and win college tournaments in my future too,” he said.

The win earns Harcourt 500 OOM points, Johnson picked up 400 points. Zaba collected 350 for his third-place finish.

The full results can be found here along with the OOM standings.

The Senior Publinx champion was Rob Schneider, the Tor Hill member shot 146 (72, 74) for a four-stroke victory over Ken Rodgers, also of the Tor Hill. Mike Hammer, another Tor Hill member placed third with a nine over 151 (76, 75). The win was Schneider’s first OOM event of the season, he picked up 500 OOM points with the win, he sits in sixth place overall. Lionel Fauchoux sits in top spot.

The results from the senior’s event and OOM standings can be seen here.

The next OOM event for both the men and seniors is the Mine Supply Central Amateur Senior Men’s Division from June 30 – July 2 at Saskatoon Golf and Country Club.