Fry cooks up another tournament win
Brooklin Fry has another championship to add to her impressive resume.
Fry, 17, finished the 36-hole Saskatoon Women’s Open at the Saskatoon Golf and Country Club on Sunday with a six-shot win over Kathy Ziglo. The Shell Lake product said she hasn’t played much golf this year so her even par round on the second day on route to the win felt great.
“It feels pretty good,” Fry said. “Especially shooting a 72 on the last day which was only my third round of the whole year so that definitely gives me some confidence going into the rest of the year.”
Fry shot 77 in the opening round on Saturday. Round one leader Dianne Bethune placed third at 156, Ziglo carded a two-day score of 155 (78, 77).
Fry and Ziglo have competed at the top of leaderboards for the last few years. The three-time junior women’s champion said the opportunity to play and learn from Ziglo and her career is always memorable.
“I always have a blast playing with Kathy and I look up to her so being able to play with her is awesome,” she said.
Saskatoon’s Sarah Grieve continues her strong start to the season with a fourth place finish, Laura Small of Saskatoon rounded out the top five.
The complete results can be seen here.
Buglass steps away from volunteering
After three decades of giving back to golf in Saskatchewan, and Canada, Pat Buglass is stepping away from volunteering with Golf Saskatchewan.
Buglass, a 2020 Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame inductee, has worn many hats within the organization including being the last president of the Saskatchewan Ladies Golf Association, a course rater, referee, and many other service committees.
The most satisfying part of any volunteering is the people you meet. You get to know people from all parts of Saskatchewan and Canada. Buglass is also a Long Term & Exemplary Volunteer Service award recipient.
“I have had the opportunity to visit many communities that I wouldn’t have stopped in if not for Golf Saskatchewan. You realize how proud they are of what they have accomplished building a golf course on the barren prairie or carved out of the forest.”
PAT BUGLASS
Buglass worked her last event in August of 2021 when she officiated the Rosebowl Championship at Katepwa Beach Golf Club. Golf Saskatchewan Executive Director Brian Lee has worked alongside Buglass for almost 20 years, he said her contributions to the sport not only in the province but nationwide.
“Knowing Pat for almost 20 years, she’s one of the hardest working and dedicated volunteers an organization could ever ask for. I can’t thank Pat enough for her dedication and her friendship.”
BRIAN LEE
Swinnerton speaks about NextGen championship
“Team Saskatchewan” is back from Ste. Anne, Manitoba with a championship and plenty of memories after the NextGen Prairie Championship.
Alex Swinnerton won the boys division with a rain-shortened score of 3-under par, 141 at Quarry Oaks after the third round was washed out by weather. The Saskatoon product was the only player under par and won by four strokes.
Swinnerton spoke to Golf Saskatchewan Monday after returning to Saskatoon.
Regina’s Luke Cote had the only other subpar round, that was a 71 in Saturday’s second round. Cote finished in fifth place at 5-over par. Darien Herlick of Weyburn had a strong couple days as well placing fourth at 4-over par.
Max Regier of Saskatoon also cracked the top-10 at 9-over par.
In the women’s event, Yorkton’s Ella Kozak was the top local. Coming off an impressive performance at the Scotia Wealth Open, the 16-year-old placed fourth at 9-over par. The winner was Amy Seung Hyun Lee of Langley, British Columbia at 2-over par.
Hallie Crozier of Regina was ninth at 23-over par, Autumn Neiszner, also from Regina was 11th at 31-over par.
The complete results can be seen here.
Swinnerton continues to lead at NextGen
Saskatoon’s Alex Swinnerton still has the lead at the NextGen Prairie Championship in Ste. Anne, Manitoba.
The Waskesiu Golf Course member backed up his opening round of 71 Friday with a 70 during the middle round of the three-day event. Swinnerton leads Matthew Javier by four shots going into Sunday’s final round.
“It was tough, lots of tough pins out there,” Swinnerton said after the round. “I just tried keeping the ball in play and make birdie when I can and make sure I get that two putt for par.”
Weyburn’s Darien Herlick shot 76 on Saturday, he’s in fourth place, seven shots back of Swinnerton.
The only other under-par round of the day besides Swinnerton was Regina’s Luke Cote who vaulted up the leaderboard to fifth after a 71 in round two. He said his round started with some firewords.
“It was a good round, I got off to an okay start birdying the first hole, but then I made a bad triple on the second hole,” Cote explained. “I rebounded after that, made some birdies, kept the ball in play all day. All in all it was a good day on the course.
On the girls side of the 54-hole event, Yorkton’s Ella Kozak is the top Saskatchewan player in fourth place.
Kozak shot 78 on Saturday, after a 75 on Friday the Deer Park Golf Course member sits at 9-over par, 153, seven strokes back of leader Amy Seung Hyun Lee of Langley.
Regina’s Hallie Crozier bounced back with a solid round on day two, she stroked a 91 on Friday but a 76 on Saturday jumped the Royal Regina Golf Club member to ninth at 23-over par.
Points earned at the event will go towards the Canada Summer Games rankings. The complete results and Sunday’s tee times can be found here.
Swinnerton takes first round lead at NextGen event, Kozak one off the lead
Alex Swinnerton is the first round leader after 18 holes of the Golf Canada NextGen Prairie Championship.
The Saskatoon product was the only player in the red shooting a 1-under, 71 on day one of the 54-hole tournament in Ste. Anne, Manitoba at Quarry Oaks.
Weyburn’s Darien Herlick is one shot back of Swinnerton in second place. Saskatoon’s Carter Bell (75) and Assiniboia golfer Davin Karst (76) are the other two locals inside the top ten.
On the girls side, Yorkton’s Ella Kozak sits just one shot off the lead.
The Deer Park Municipal Golf Course player carded a 75 on Friday. Carlee Meilleur of Ontario is the first round leader.
Regina golfers Hallie Crozier is in 12th with a 91 in round one, Autumn Neiszner posted a 92 in the first round, she’s in 13th position.
The complete results and Saturday’s tee times can be seen here.
The event will wrap up on Sunday.
Gnam wins second Senior Lobstick championship
Medicine Hat’s Warren Gnam has his second Senior Lobstick championship after outlasting Rick Hallberg in a four-hole playoff on Thursday.
Playing in his 39th Lobstick tournament and fifth as a senior, Gnam said winning the event is always special.
“It feels good, it’s always nice to get a win. You never know how many chances you are going to get,” he said.
He did so in dramatic fashion beating Hallberg with a birdie on the fourth playoff hole. He said Hallberg was within an inch of winning outright on the 54th hole.
“The three of us [Glen Erickson finished third] were all close all day long, kind of flip-flopped back-and-forth. I had a one shot lead I thought playing 18 and I bogeyed, Rick had about a 15-foot putt for birdie and left it about an inch short, so we tied,” Gnam explained.
Ironically it was a long putt of Gnam’s that gave him the victory.
“We both had chances, we weren’t able to make anything until number four, I made a birdie from just off the green, sunk about a 20-foot putt,” he said.
Gnam shot 74 in round one, 73 in round two and shot the low round of the day Thursday of 70 while Hallberg went 75, 70, 72. Erikson was three shots back at 220 (74, 73, 73).
This is Gnam’s second senior win. He was the Open winner in 1984, his first year in the tournament. He also won the 2007 Saskatchewan Mid-Amateur Championship. Gnam will compete in next week’s Men’s Lobstick that starts on June 13.
Jim Hargreaves (pictured below) was the super senior champion with a 54-hole total of 224 (76, 72, 76).
The complete results can be found here.
NextGen Prairie Championship begins Friday
Over 30 players from Saskatchewan have invaded Quarry Oaks Golf Course in Ste. Anne, Manitoba for the Golf Canada NextGen Prairie Championship.
The first tee time was 7:30 a.m. on Friday.
Points accumulated from the 54-hole event will be used in the process of earning a spot on Team Saskatchewan for the upcoming Canada Summer Games.
To see the complete field click here.
Golf Saskatchewan will have daily recaps of the tournament.
Henderson, Pochylko win Saskatoon High School Championships
Sarah Henderson is this year’s Saskatoon high school girls golf champion.
The 14-year-old shot 87 in the 18-hole event at the The Willows Club on June 1. Alyssa Elliot was second at 103 while Tora Ward won the bronze medal with a score of 105.
Henderson spoke with Golf Saskatchewan ahead of travelling to Manitoba for the NextGen Prairie Championship. The grade 9 Holy Cross student talked about her start in golf, joining the MJT, winning the Saskatoon title and more.
Pochylko adds to resume
Aden Bowman’s Chase Pochylko has added another win to his impressive junior career.
Pochylko held off Alex Swinnerton and Max Regier by a stroke in the boys championship, Pochylko won with a 68.
Carter Degelman took home the bronze medal with a score of 73.
Pochylko is competing in the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour Future Stars Invitational in Edmonton this weekend.
Pochylko also spoke with Golf Saskatchewan after the win.
All the medal winners can be found here. Pankratz has more photos available here.
Royal rules Regina high school championships
The 2022 Regina High School Athletic Association (RHSAA) championships belong to a pair of Royal Regina Golf Club members.
Hallie Crozier and Hunter Kutcher are the winners of this year’s championships that took place on May 31 at Murray Golf Club in the Queen City.
Crozier shot 40 through the front nine on a blistery day in Regina building a solid lead before a steady 47 left the 17-year-old six strokes ahead of Sung Park. Alex Sutherland was third with a score of 100.
The complete results can be seen here.
Crozier spoke to Golf Saskatchewan about her start in golf, working to get better, the win, and goals for the future.
Kutcher added the win to his impressive junior resume that includes the 2021 Saskatchewan junior championship.
He held off fellow RRGC member Luke Cote by six shots winning with an 18-hole score of 77.
Owen Kirk was third at 88. The complete results can be seen here.
Kutcher spoke with Golf Saskatchewan about the win, his recent weekend at the Scotia Wealth and playing with Phil Jonas, and his goals for this summer.
Kyler Kohli was the junior boys winner after shooting an 83.
Nagy wins Scotia Wealth Open; Ziglo back on top at Ladies Northern
Saskatoon’s Josh Nagy has his first “amateur” win after claiming the Scotia Wealth Open at Nipawin’s Evergreen Golf Course on Sunday.
The two-time Saskatchewan junior champion shot 71 and 73 on the weekend, his even score was a stroke better than Ty Campbell, Alex Swinnerton, Kade Johnson, and Kevin Dietz. Nagy said adding the highly coveted win to his resume felt great.
“This is kind of my first amateur win, I haven’t won anything since junior,” he said after the trophy presentation. “It feels great, the field was really tough, I’m just excited.”
The Scotia Wealth Open is an event that allows professionals and amateurs to compete for the same championship. Nagy said holding off the top players across the province was rewarding.
“Not just the amateurs like Roman and everyone like that but throw in Ty and Kade who are now pro Phil Jonas, Kevin Dietz, everyone like that, it’s definitely a little tougher than we get at the Amateur Championship, so it feels great right now,” Nagy said.
The winner of the tournament was awarded a sponsor exemption into the upcoming Elk Ridge Open. Nagy is already in the PGA Tour Canada event for the second year. The Scotia Wealth Open organizing committee decided on a playoff involving the four players tied for second, Campbell birdied hole 18 to secure his spot in the Open.
A notable finish in 52nd spot was Yorkton’s Ella Kozak. The 16-year-old shot 82 and 78 for a 36-hole total of 160.
The complete results can be found here.
Ladies Northern
Saskatoon’s Kathy Ziglo won the Ladies Northern in Prince Albert for the seventh time and first since 2014.
Ziglo fought back from a three-shot deficit behind Sarah Grieve on day two to claim the trophy and start off the 2022 Women’s Order of Merit (OMT) with a win. She shot 82 in round one Saturday why Grieve posted a 79, Ziglo carded another 82 while Grieve shot 86 allowing the veteran a one-shot win.
Creighton’s Lauren Fox and Saskatoon’s Carrie Verishagen tied for third at 167. Fox shot 82 and 85, Verishagen shot 86 in round one and came back with an 81 on day two to climb the leaderboard.
Saskatoon’s Dianne Bethune was the senior champion with a score of 167 (83, 84), just three strokes back of the overall championship.
The complete results can be found here.