Almost 30 of the province’s top golfers will chase the Great Western Brewing 2018 Saskatoon Amateur Championship for three days this weekend in the Bridge City.

The 54-hole event opens on Saturday at the Saskatoon Golf and Country Club (SGCC), Sunday’s round will take place at Holiday Park Golf Club (HPGC) and the final round will be played at the Riverside Country Club (RCC) on Monday. Tournament committee member Michael Kuzma said all three tracks are in top shape heading into the event.

“With the heat and timely rains lately all three of the courses are in fantastic shape, the greens are fast” he told Golf Saskatchewan. “Holiday Park underwent some renovations on some of their holes last year so we’re looking forward to those facelifts. We’re playing the three oldest courses in the city so that kind of cool.”

The tournament is part of the Golf Saskatchewan Order of Merit Tour; the competitors will compete for their share of the $2,500 purse as well. The format also includes an inter-club competition where the four lowest golfers combined scores from the SGCC, RCC, The Willows, and Dakota Dunes will win other prizes. Kuzma said the field of competitors is one of the best in recent years.

“I don’t know if we have ever had such deep field and such a young field. You look at guys like Roman Timmerman (2018 Lobstick champion), Liam Courtney (Lobstick Open champion), Leighton Bearchell, Jehremy Ryde, these are guys all under the age of 30, some in their early 20’s and are more than capable of throwing a 66 or 67 up,” Kuzma said.

He added 2018 Scotia Wealth Open champion David Stewart to the conversation as well as veteran Brad Phelps, plus last year’s champion Justin Wood to the potential winners list.

The players begin teeing off at 11 a.m.

Rule 18-2 – Practice Swing Accidentally Moves Ball in Play

QUESTION:
While making a practice swing, Brenda accidentally moved her ball in play with her club. What is the ruling?

ANSWER:
The answer depends on where the ball lies. If it is through the green, Brenda incurs a one stroke penalty, and must replace the ball to its original position. If she fails to replace the ball, she will incur a total penalty of loss of hole in match play or two strokes in stroke play. Please refer to the Penalty Statement under Rule 18.
Also see (Rule 18-2 and Decision 18-2/20)

By Local Rule à used in all Golf Canada/Golf SK Championships.

Accidental Movement of a Ball on a Putting Green – Rules 18-2, 18-3 and 20-1 are modified as follows:

• When a player’s ball lies on the putting green, there is no penalty if the ball or ball-marker is accidentally moved by the player, his partner, his opponent, or any of their caddies or equipment.
• The moved ball or ball-marker must be replaced as provided in Rules 18-2, 18-3 and 20-1.
• This Local Rule applies only when the player’s ball or ball-marker lies on the putting green and any movement is accidental.

Note: If it is determined that a player’s ball on the putting green was moved as a result of wind, water or some other natural cause such as the effects of gravity, the ball must be played as it lies from its new location. A ball-marker moved in such circumstances is replaced.

Roman Timmerman is the 2018 Lobstick champion.

The 19-year-old Saskatoon product outlasted Mark Sweeney in the championship flight on June 16 in Waskesiu adding to his Junior Lobstick title four years ago. Fresh off his rookie season at the University of Southern Arkansas, Timmerman said he was optimistic heading into the event.

“I think I’ve been playing well going into the tournament, I was pretty confident with my game,” he said. “I’ve played the junior five or six times, I was really familiar with the course.”

Timmerman first started playing golf in Saskatoon with his grandpa at the age of three. In his early teen years his game started to flourish and he began participating in competitive tournaments like the Lobstick. He said there was a time he had to make a choice regarding his athletic future.

“I was still playing baseball in the summer, when I was 16 years-old I quit baseball to focus on golf. That’s when I knew that golf was what I wanted to do,” he said.

His work paid off over the five matches he needed to win to take the Lobstick title. He defeated Justin Blackwell, Russ Robson, Jason Galon, and Greg Swenson on route to the win. He said a victory in the long running tournament was special.

“Winning was my goal going into the tournament was winning obviously. I never thought about what I had to do to win but it was really cool,” Timmerman said.

Timmerman’s next event will be the Great Western Brewing 2018 Saskatoon Amateur Championship starting Saturday. He will also compete in the Saskatchewan Men’s Amateur Championship at Dakota Dunes from July 17 – 19. He played in the Canadian Amateur Championship in Ottawa a couple years ago; he hopes to return to that event this year calling the experience “the best tournament he’s ever played.” Following the season he will return to university and work towards his degree. Once his collegiate career is complete, Timmerman hopes to continue to play the sport competitively.

“I definitely want to see if I can make it somewhere after school is over. I am going to get my education and then try and make it on some tour hopefully,” he said.

With the Lobstick win, Timmerman sits on top of the Order of Merit standings leading into Saskatoon’s championship.

Inaugural event focused on networking, empowerment and philanthropy to be held Tuesday, August 21^st at Hotel Saskatchewan

 Tickets and corporate partnership opportunities are now available

REGINA – Golf Canada in partnership with Canadian Pacific (CP), is proud to announce that the inaugural CP Women’s Leadership Summit will take place Tuesday, August 21 at Hotel Saskatchewan in Regina as part of the weeklong excitement of the 2018 CP Women’s Open.

The CP Women’s Leadership Summit will bring together like-minded businesswomen from across the country for a day of networking, empowerment and philanthropy. The Summit will also raise awareness for the CP Women’s Open, with attendees receiving access to the tournament during the week as a thank-you for their participation.

The keynote speaker for the inaugural CP Women’s Leadership Summit will be Canadian Olympic hockey legend Hayley Wickenheiser. The five-time Olympic hockey medalist and Saskatchewan native will join a confirmed list of participating panelists that includes Joan Hardy, CP’s Vice-President of Grain and Fertilizer; LPGA Tour professional and CP ambassador Lorie Kane; Lesley Hawkins, General Manager with adidas Golf, Canada; and Shannon Cole, Senior Director of Brand Marketing with RBC. Rogers Sportsnet Central Co-Anchor Evanka Osmak will act as the emcee for the event.

“I am thrilled at the opportunity to promote diversity in both business and sport by participating in the first ever CP Women’s Leadership Summit,” said Joan Hardy, CP Vice-President, Grain and Fertilizer. “I engage with a variety of customers across Saskatchewan every day, and I look forward to bringing together a group of women who are leaders in what they do, and discuss what motivates, challenges, and inspires us to work hard and enhance our careers.”

For Golf Canada, introducing the Women’s Leadership Summit as part of Canada’s National Women’s Open Golf Championship aligns with the organization’s commitment to developing a more inclusive culture in Canadian golf.

“Launching the CP Women’s Leadership Summit is an extension of our efforts to encourage more women and girls to engage with golf and use the CP Women’s Open as a platform to bring together like-minded businesswomen in the spirit of networking, idea-sharing and empowerment,” said Mary-Beth McKenna, a member of Golf Canada’s championship management team who is leading the event. “All of our speakers are leaders in their respective industry who will provide participants with an inspiring experience and wide array of perspectives.”

The CP Women’s Leadership Summit begins at 10:00 am on August 21 at Hotel Saskatchewan and will feature networking opportunities, a question-and-answer session with panelists along with a three-course lunch.

For more information about the CP Women’s Leadership Summit, including tickets and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.cpwomensopen.com/wls.

The Acura Future Links event in Portage la Prairie this past weekend featured just one golfer coming in under par; Bradley Moser wasn’t far behind.

The Saskatoon Riverside Country Club member finished tied for second place with Jakob Chicoyne at plus-2, three strokes back of Selkirk’s Wesley Hoydalo at the Future Links, Driven by Acura Prairie Championship. Moser fired rounds of 71, 71, and 69 at the Portage Golf Club for a three-round total of 211. He posted 11 birdies in the 54-hole event to along with a dozen bogeys on route to a one-over par finish.

The performance secured Moser 2,625 points in the Future Links Order of Merit (OOM) rankings. He jumped from the 59th position to 36th in the national rankings.

Moser’s Riverside CC counterpart, Steven Duchscher finished in sixth place overall at plus-12. He earned 1,800 OOM points, he sits in 80th place overall. His weekend in Portage allowed him to move up 21 positions into the top 100.

Willows golfer Andrew Campbell finished a stroke back of Duchscher at 13-over par, Campbell earns 1,650 OOM points. Riverside’s Josh Nagy placed 12th securing himself 1,200 OOM points, Deer Valley’s Cole Obrigewitsch came in a tie for 14th position. That allowed him to collect 1,020 OOM points. Jace Carlisle of the TS&M Woodlawn in Estevan placed in 22nd position (600 OOM points); Cole Nagy of the Saskatoon Riverside tied for 23rd position (510 OOM points); and Jacob Kydd of Regina placed 26th overall picking up 320 OOM points.

The national OOM standings can be seen here. The golfers also received Golf Saskatchewan OOM points for participating, those updated standings can be found here.

Golfers across seven different age groups competed in a Maple Leaf Junior Tour (MJT) event in North Battleford this past weekend leading to low scores and repeat winners.

Regina’s Will Blake continued his strong season with his second consecutive win on the MJT in the bantam boy’s division. The 14 year-old shot a two-day total of 155 (80, 75). Blake finished three under par in his last three holes to win by one shot over Brett Leonard, 13, of Corman Park. Blake said he could feel the pressure from the players behind him.

“I knew Brett was one up on me (on 18) so I knew I had to make birdie at least. I was lucky enough to hit it tight and make an eagle. It feels very good to win back-to-back events. I have to give credit to Brett, Alex (Swinnerton, of Saskatoon, 80-77) and Cort (Tunall, of Kindersley, who finished with three straight birdies, 82-77) as they all played very good and put lots of pressure on me.”

Griffin Wilson of Swift Current was victorious in the junior boy’s division for the third time in three weeks. The 17 year-old was able to hold off Warman’s Parker Noln-Ens by two strokes; Brayden Nestman of Avonlea finished in third at 163, five back of Wilson. Wilson said he didn’t have his best weekend but he found a way to win.

“I didn’t play the way I wanted to but grinded it out on the final day and won.”

In the juvenile boy’s category, Battleford golfer Colby Friedrich, 16, fired 80 and 81 over the two-days securing a five-stroke win over Estevan’s Chase Gedak. Cole Jenkins of Prince Albert fired 170 to round out the top three. Friedrich said being on his hometown course helped his game.

“It feels good to win again, especially at my home course. I’ve been struggling to win so the break through is nice,” he Friedrich.

Weyburn’s Darien Herlick won the peewee boy’s age group with a 171 (79, 92) over second place golfer Dane Giesbrecht of Warman. La Ronge athlete Dade Bernatchez placed third.

Edmonton’s Dakota Smith took the collegiate division with a 157 (78, 79).

On the girl’s side, two different age groups were represented, Shell Lake’s Brooklyn Fry, 13, shot an impressive 172 (87, 85) to outlast Yorkton budding star, 12 year-old Ella Kozak by 11 strokes in the U15 category. Finishing in third place was Regina’s Autumn Neiszner.

In the 15 – 18 girls’ age group Deer Valley’s Carey McLean shot 91 and 87 to pick up an 11 stroke victory over Sarah Grieve of Saskatoon. Moose Jaw’s Raylyn Schmidt placed third.

You can see all the results as well as the latest Order of Merit (OOM) standings here.

The next tour stop in Saskatchewan is the MJT Golf Saskatchewan OOM Series presented by Ilta Grain at Moon Lake Golf and Country Club in Saskatoon, June 30 and July 1, where exemptions into the MJT International Players Championship presented by Miura Golf in Jasper, Alta. are on the line.

With files from the MJT’s Elaine Denton.

When the LPGA descents upon Regina’s Wascana Country Club (WCC) later this summer, 92 of the top 100 players on tour will be in the field including Canada’s Brooke Henderson.

The 20 year-old, six-time tour winner was in Regina Monday, along with Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Lorrie Kane to help launch the unofficial countdown to the Aug. 20 – 26 event. Henderson said she’s excited to be back on home soil and looks forward to the CP Women’s Open every year.

“It’s amazing,” she said. “To play in your national open, to be in front of your hometown crowd, everything about it is so special and meaningful. I’m a proud Canadian, to have people from all corners of the world come play here, it’s cool to show the ladies what our country is all about.”

Among the players chasing the $2.25 million USD purse is nine of the current top-10 money leaders and the last 10 CP Women’s Open champions. Henderson will compete in her eighth Canadian championship. She said the commitment from her competitors will make the event a must-see.

“It’s an amazing field, it’s going to be world class,” the Smith Falls, Ont. product beamed. “It’s going to be the best women’s golf in the world; it’s going to be a lot of fun to showcase our games in Regina.”

The Wascana hosted the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur last year with great success. Chief Executive Officer Greg Dukart said the host committee has been preparing for the LPGA event for a couple years. He said the magnitude of the tournament is exciting for the club and province.

“A lot of people don’t know how big this is. The LPGA is expecting over 500 million households to tune in on the Golf Channel, that’s potentially over a billion people. To see tiny Regina, tiny Saskatchewan, let alone the WCC, that’s remarkable,” Dukart said.

Ticket sales have surpassed last year’s tournament in Ottawa, Dukart predicted between 50,000 and 70,000 people to attend. The LPGA is offering free tickets to anyone 17 and under. He said despite the work going into the course for the event the lasting legacy is hopefully a new wave of golfers.

“We hope to grow the next generation of Saskatchewan golfers. We hope a lot of young people come out with their parents and picking up the sport, that’s what we want to see,” he said.

The CP Have a Heart campaign will continue to benefit an outside community partner. This year the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation will receive a financial contribution. Golf Canada executive director Laurence Applebaum (pictured below) said the partnerships making CP Women’s Open event a success are key each year. He said the tournament travels coast to coast giving fans across Canada the chance to witness the best the LPGA has to offer.

“We’ve gotten into a rhythm of West and East, being in Ottawa last year was a smashing success. Early indication has us exceeding those numbers in Saskatchewan at the Wascana. Who knows, we may come back to Saskatchewan, so far it’s been wonderful,” Applebaum said.

Volunteers are still needed for the week, information on positions and tickets can be found here.

Residents and golf courses across Southeast Saskatchewan are cleaning up Friday following an intense storm system that dropped tennis ball size hail on much of the corner of the province including Estevan.

Between 30 and 40 trees were knocked down at the TS&M Woodlawn Golf Club during Thursday afternoon’s storm. General manager Amanda Minchin said some greens suffered hail damage and several windows were broken in some of their outlying buildings. In 2014, the Woodlawn suffered massive flooding on the course following a storm. Kinchin said the staff is familiar with severe weather.

“Four years ago we didn’t have the hail; we’re getting really good at moving water,” she said. “We’re getting really good at dealing with severe weather, it’s the same but different at the same time, there’s a lot more tree work this time.”

Thankfully no injuries were reported across the region due to the storms. No tornadoes have been reported by Environment Canada in Saskatchewan, one did touch down in Southwest Manitoba. Minchin said their most important extreme weather protocol is making sure golfers and the staff is safe.

“There is nothing you can do to stop Mother Nature. We have emergency protocols in place for people in the building and on the golf course, that is what we are focused on. The staff did the right thing and got everyone down to the basement and away from the windows, in terms of doing something on the course to prepare for this, there’s nothing you can do,” Minchin said.

The staff is working on the cleanup effort Friday; Minchin said they hope to have the course back open on Saturday.

With golf season in full swing, Wendy Besplug is back on the highway as a volunteer Golf Saskatchewan course rater. The Kindersley, Sask. raised Besplug is also the 2017 volunteer of the year. She has been rating courses for almost 15 years covering every corner of the province. Besplug has been involved in the game her entire life playing with her grandparents and parents in Kindersley and Waskesiu. She said taking up course rating gave her a new perspective on the game.

“You get to know more about the game which helps your own game. Course rating changed my game and the way I played. It taught me to look for other sources of trouble rather than just bashing the ball down the middle of the course,” she said.

In her early years of rating Besplug rated many courses in the North, a highlight for her was seeing family-owned Northern Meadows Golf Club in Goodsoil expand to 18 holes. She has rated the course on three separate occasions. Besplug has toured more southern “prairie style” golf courses in recent years. She said she appreciates everyone of them.

“There is no bad golf course in this province,” she said. “They are all unique to themselves.”

Besplug estimates she’s rated over 60 courses. She averages about five per year, she did have to take a couple years off. She fell ill with West Nile in 2014 and later battled cancer. She has already rated Maple Creek’s course this year with her husband. After all the years driving around the province she said the Southwest town was a new stretch of road.

Looking back on her honour last year of the volunteer of the year, Besplug said the people she has met and the friends she’s made is the payoff. She said the support poured in from the golf community during her illnesses. She said the award was special to her.

“I can remember saying it’s amazing what can happen when you have fun. I watched people like Con Hammer and Moe Martin win the award. To me their hours and hours of dedication was undeniable, I didn’t put myself in that category. I was just having fun,” she said.

Besplug also volunteers at tournaments across the province, she will be assisting at the upcoming senior’s championships. She has served on the executive board and spent some time working in a rules capacity but appreciated the rating aspect. She said she enjoys the junior events and watching the young golfers develop their games as well. Overall, she said volunteering for the organization is a fantastic experience.

“We all have a common interest and that’s the love of golf. The more you can learn about the game, it’s the fact we all have that in common. That is what binds us together, it’s a no-brainer,” she said.

Changes are coming to the Willows Golf Club in South Saskatoon.

Dream Unlimited, the owner of the golf focused community is proposing a third residential development that would see the course transitioned from 27 holes to 18 plus with updates to the clubhouse and other infrastructure. General Manager Wayne Fairbairn says after 25 years the current clubhouse is showing its age and needs to be refreshed.

The timeline of the changes is still to be determined, but Fairbairn couldn’t be more excited for the clubs future. “To have Dream willing to invest into the golf course and clubhouse is pretty exciting.” he said. Dream will begin development on the Islands nine first and while that is happening the course will continue to operate as 27 holes. Once development moves into the other nines is when we will go down to 18 holes.

The Xena portion of the course won’t change Fairbairn explained. The Bridges, Islands and Lakes section of the course is where the development will take place. World renowned designer Doug Carrick plans to use some original fairways and tee boxes but golfers will be treated to essentially nine great new holes.

The Willows hosts a few large-scale tournaments every year including the Synergy 8 and Sask. Party golf tournament. The 36 and 27-hole facility was ideal for those types of events, but Fairbairn said there’s options to keep those tournaments manageable, with a little creativity.

Fairbairn predicted the clubhouse will remain unchanged for the next year at least. While he is unable to provide an actual date, when the alterations do begin, the Willows will enhance the experience of the players and community. The Willows will ensure their members, homeowners and event coordinators are in the know, once they have firmer timelines.