Regina’s Autumn Neiszner has her first university golf tournament on her resume at Keiser University.

Neiszner competed in the SEU 2021 Fall Invitational for the Seahawks ‘B’ team at the Grasslands Golf and Country Club in Lakeland, Florida on Sept. 20 and 21. She improved in every round of the 54-hole tournament finishing at 29-over, 245 with rounds of 86, 82, and 77. Neiszner placed 23^rd overall in her debut.

The Seahawks ‘A’ team, the defending National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics women’s golf champions won the event with a team score 895, two strokes ahead of Southeastern University. The ‘B’ team placed fourth overall.

The next action for the Seahawks is the FAU Invite at PGA Village in Port St. Lucie, Florida on Oct. 4 and 5.

North of the border, Saskatoon’s Symone Ripley has begun her college golf career with the Okanagan Heat. The Heat competed in the Cascades Invitational at the Chilliwack Golf Club on Sept. 20 and 21. Ripley shot 22-over, 165 over 36 holes to finish in 21^st place.

The team will compete in the Dinos Invitational at Priddis Greens Golf and Country Club on Sept. 25 and 26.

Reigning Saskatchewan amateur champion Roman Timmerman started his senior season at Southern Arkansas University.

Timmerman continued his strong play with a eighth place tie in his season debut for the Muleriders in the NSU Classic at the Muskogee Golf Club in Oklahoma. He shot 72 in round, followed that with a sparking 65 (school program all-time low) in round two and 73 in the final round to finish at three-under par.

As a team the Muleriders placed fourth out of 18 squads. Their next action is Sept. 27 and 28 at the MSSU Fall Invitational in Monkey Island, Oklahoma.

Saskatoon’s Caden Loeppky is making the most of his rookie season at Waldorf University. Loeppky has already played in three events since starting his career with Warriors.

In a one-day tournament on Wednesday Loeppky shot 11-over, 82 at the Simpson Invite in Indianola, Indiana. He finished in a tie for 19^th at the Indianola Country Club.

Prince Albert’s TJ Baker competed this week for the University of Arkansas at Monticello at the Derrall Foreman Invitational.

Baker tied for 43^rd with a score of two-over, 218 (73, 73, 72) over 54 holes. As a team the Weevils placed ninth out of 10 squads. Their next event is the Battle for the Belt hosted by Henderson State in Hot Springs, Arkansas on Oct. 4 and 5.

Over in Ontario, LeRoy golfer Carter Timmerman was on the course at the Crimson Ridge Golf Club in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario from Sept. 20 to 22. The first year Sault College player was competing in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association Championship.

Timmerman shot rounds of 88, 83, and 95 to finish the 54-hole event at 50-over par. He finished in a tie for 32^nd.

As a team Sault placed third in the Div. II flight at plus-191.

Several players from the province will be competing from Sept. 25 to 27 in various locations across the United States and British Columbia.

For more information on Saskatchewan’s student-athletes click here.

Three Saskatchewan golfers will make the cut and play two more days at the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship in La Malbaie, Quebec.

After being tied for third at the conclusion of round one on Tuesday, Weyburn’s Rick Hallberg slipped 12 spots down the leaderboard to 14th position, well under the cut line. The Golf Kenosee member followed his opening round of 73 with a 79 on Wednesday at Club de Golf Le Manoir Richelieu. Hallberg sits at eight-over, 11 shots under the cut.

Saskatoon’s Rick Hillestad and Prince Albert player Martin Ring will join Hallberg for the third and fourth rounds. Hillestad shot 77 and 82, he’s tied for 54th place at 15-over.. Ring chopped seven shots off his opening 84 with a 77 on Wednesday. He made the cut on the line at 17-over.

Chuck Hainsworth, Lavern Arndt, Brent Wotypka, Paul Grimes, and Don Monson all missed the cut at the championship. Hainsworth finished at 22-over (83, 83), Arndt was 24-over (82, 84), Wotypka was 27-over (87, 84), Grimes shot 90 and 86 to concluded the event at 32-over, Monson was 37-over (85, 96).

Hallberg will tee off at 6:40 a.m. Saskatchewan time for round three on Thursday. Hillestad begins at 6:30 a.m. and Ring will begin his third round at 7:30 a.m.

The complete results can be seen here.

Round one of the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship is in the books at Club de Golf Le Manoir Richelieu in La Malbaie, Quebec.

Weyburn’s Rick Hallberg, the two-time reigning Saskatchewan senior men’s champion shot 73 on Tuesday and is tied for second place, just a shot behind the leader. The Golf Kenosee member steadily moved himself around the 6,300-yard course carding a couple birdies, a trio of bogeys with the rest pars.

Hallberg will tee off for round two at 10:40 a.m. Saskatchewan time on Wednesday.

Saskatoon’s Rick Hillestad is tied for 17^th place after the opening round of the event. Hillestad is five-over par.

Lavern Arndt of Furdale is in a tie for 77^th after the Riverside Country Club golfer shot 10-over, 82 Tuesday.

Saskatoon Golf and Country Club member Chuck Hainsworth is 86^th overall at 83. Martin Ring of Prince Albert opened with an 84, he’s tied for 97^th.

The Willows golfer Don Monson shot 13-over, 85 in the first round, he’s tied for 109^th. Swift Current’s Brent Wotypka carded a 15-over, 87 and sits in a tie for 124^th going into the second round.

Paul Grimes of Arcola is tied for 146^th at 18-over par.

The complete results and tee times for round two can be found here.

LA MALBAIE, Que. – The 2021 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship, conducted by Golf Canada, will be contested at Club de Golf Le Manoir Richelieu in La Malbaie, Quebec from Sept. 21-24.

Eight Saskatchewan golfers will compete in the 156 player field including Martin Ring (Prince Albert), Rick Hallberg (Weyburn), CHuck Hainsworth (Saskatoon), Don Monson (Saskatoon), Lavern Arendt (Furdale), Brent Wotypka (Swift Current), Rick Hillestad (Saskatoon), and Paul Grimes (Arcola).

The 72-hole stroke play tournament will crown first Canadian Men’s Senior Champion since Gene Elliot captured the title in 2019. The tournament was not played in 2020 due to COVID cancellations.

“We have every expectation that Canada’s top senior golfers will provide for an exciting competition set against the backdrop of the St-Lawrence River and stunning Charlevoix region,” said tournament director Dan Hyatt. “The panoramic views coupled with significant course upgrades make Club de Golf Le Manoir Richelieu worthy of the associated accolades and will challenge the skills of our competitors.”

Practice rounds take place Monday, Sept. 20. Championship play will be conducted Tuesday, Sept. 21-24 with 18 holes of stroke play each day. Following the opening two rounds, the field will be reduced to the low 70 players and ties. The champion receives an exemption into the 2022 U.S. Senior Amateur championship to be contested at Saucon Valley Country Club, in Bethlehem, Pa.

A 65-and-over Super Senior Championship will run simultaneously throughout the championship, with a winner being crowned after 72 holes of play. In 2019, Lars Melander of Oakville, Ont., claimed victory after a final round of 1-under-par 70 helped him to secure the title and hoist the Governor’s Cup.

Interprovincial team competitions that are usually played concurrently with national championships will not be contested in 2021 due to the increased complexity involving group travel.

Club de Golf Le Manoir Richelieu was inaugurated by U.S President William Taft in 1925 and is known for having won numerous awards. Originally designed by English golf architect Herbert Strong, the course has since been significantly upgraded under renowned architect Darrell Huxham. The addition of a new nine brings the total to 27 world class holes of golf.

Additional information, including a full list of competitors, can be found here.

Kindersley product Brody Istace has been busy south of the border this Autumn.

Istace began his senior season with the Columbia International University (CIU) Rams on Aug. 30 and 31. The school hosted a ‘four-ball’ tournament at the Columbia Country Club. Istace, along with his partner William Fletcher shot 67 during the first round, the pair carded a 73 in the second round to finish tied for fourth at the event.

From there the squad headed to St. Simons Island, Georgia for the 2021 Coastal Georgia Fall Men’s Invite at Sea Palms Resort. Istace placed 49^th at the 54-hole tournament with a final score of plus-26, 239 (85, 76, 78).

 As a team the Rams placed eighth out of 14. Their next event is the NCCAA South Region Championship in Anderson, South Carolina on Sept. 27 and 28.

2019 Saskatchewan junior champion Jace Carlisle is getting into his first action at a new school. Originally committing to Lake Superior State University, the Estevan product has since relocated to Post University in Waterbury, Connecticut. Carlisle competed as an individual in the California University of Pennsylvania Invitational on Sept. 5 and 6. He tied for 31^st at plus-seven for the 54-hole tournament.

The next action for the Eagles is Sept. 20 and 21 at the Southern New Hampshire University Penmen Fall Invitational.

Prince Albert’s TJ Baker has opened his sophomore season with the University of Arkansas at Monticello Weevils.

Baker picked up a top-20 result at the GAC Preview at the Lake Hefner Golf Club in Oklahoma City on Sept. 13 and 14. He finished in a tie for 17^th with a total of 221 (80, 71, 70).

The team will compete in the 30^th Derrall Foreman Intercollegiate Invitational hosted by Delta State at the Cleveland Country Club in Cleveland, Mississippi on Sept. 20 and 21.

Estevan golfer Chase Gedak is back with the Weevils this season as well after taking some time off to recover from an injury.

Caden Loeppky (pictured above) made his college debut for Waldorf University on Sept. 11 and 12 at the Mount Mercy Invitation in Marion, Iowa. The Saskatoon golfer tied for 69^th at 25-over par. He carded rounds of 87 and 82.

Loeppky just completed another tournament on Saturday as Waldorf took part in the Clarke University Fal Classic at Eagle Ridge in Galena, Illinois. He tied for 57^th with a 36-hole score of 35-over, 179 (91, 88).

The Simpson Invitational in Indianola, Iowa is next for the Warriors on Sept. 22.

Regina’s Alex Schmidt has started her senior year at Lewis-Clark State College on the right foot.

The Royal Regina Golf Club member finished sixth overall and had a Warriors team low score of 159 (81, 78) at the UBC Invitational on Sept. 13 and 14. The team placed third.

They return to action on home soil when Lewis-Clark hosts the Warrior Invitational at the Lewiston Golf and Country Club on Sept. 27 and 28.

To learn more about Saskatchewan’s student-athletes click here.

Several other players have events scheduled for Sept. 20 and 21. Golf Saskatchewan will have more on those tournaments later in the week.

Chaplin’s Holly Knudsen has played golf for most of her life, but it wasn’t until later that college could be an option, and she couldn’t be happier.

“I didn’t really take it too seriously when I was young, my dad really loves golf, so he had all us kids golf. It was more of a casual thing like getting out to play with dad. As I got into high school, we would get out more often, I did actually play on my school team in my senior year of high school otherwise it was just a casual thing,” Knudsen explained.

After graduating from school, the now 21 year-old attended the University of Saskatchewan but admittedly the facility wasn’t for her, so she took some time off to plan her next step. On some advice from her dad and coach in Swift Current she eyed the Minot State University Beavers golf program.

“I was just talking to my dad one day because I was trying to figure out what my next move was going to be, he was saying based on your scores you could play college golf if you wanted to,” Knudsen said. “I was like, that would be great, I didn’t think that was an option. I went and saw Jeff Chambers at Elmwood (Golf Club) and he said it was a real possibility. He got me in touch with the coach and it took off from there.”

Knudsen is now two events into her second season on the Beavers women’s golf team. She said everything is going great and she’s ecstatic to be playing the sport at the college level.

“Overall, it’s really good,” she added of her rookie year. “We didn’t get a fall season, but we got a spring season, we played five events which was good. It was a learning curve, I didn’t quite play how I wanted to but yeah, I love it here.”

The Beavers have two competitions under their belts so far this season, an exhibition event in Jamestown, North Dakota and the BSU Invite in Bemidji, Minnesota. Knudsen said she’s off to a good start and excited for what the year will bring.

“Our first event we went to I actually got second-place, so it went really good. I didn’t play quite as good in our last one we just got from, I was a little disappointed, but I am getting some practice in before our next event to try and get back to where I want to be,” she said.

The Beavers next event is Sept. 27 and 28 in Winona, Minnesota for the Watkins Invitational.

In the classroom Knudsen is studying finance.

You can hear more from Knudsen below as she spoke with Golf Saskatchewan’s Clark Stork this week.

To see all of Saskatchewan’s student athletes currently playing college golf, click here.

A trio of Saskatchewan born post-secondary education students are recipients of the Pat Fletcher Foundation annual scholarships announced Monday by the organization.

The Pat Fletcher Foundation, whose purpose is to provide financial assistance to deserving young Canadian students on their journey to obtaining a university degree, announced the awarding of 23 new scholarships from across Canada.

We are so proud of this year’s recipients. They demonstrated leadership and character in their submissions, and we wish them the best of luck as they head back to university and college this fall,” said Ted Fletcher, Founder and Chairman of Mint Green in a news release. “These are outstanding young people – hard-working, well-rounded leaders in their communities. They share our desire of “making a difference” and we are proud to have
played a small role in helping to shape their future.”

The Saskatchewan recipients are Tenesha Pompu of Carrot River, Landon Sosnowski of Prince Albert, and Shellbrook product Hunter Tremblay. Pompu and Sosnowski are both University of Saskatchewan students, Tremblay studies at the University of Victoria.

Since establishing the Foundation in 1985, The Pat Fletcher Foundation has awarded 565 scholarships, for a total of $800,000 to young Canadian golfers – giving them the opportunity to develop and reach their highest potential.
The scholarship recipients include students from every province in Canada who go on to pursue their education at top schools both in Canada and the U.S.

“While my father was always very passionate about the sport of golf, he was equally passionate about the importance of education. He took a genuine interest in working with junior golfers to help them reach their full potential, both on and off the golf course,” Fletcher added.

The Foundation’s website, www.patfletcher.com includes the current list of recipients.

Blaine Fagnou never set out to be a golf course superintendent, now he’s a Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame inductee.

The longtime Elk Ridge Golf Resort employee sat down with Golf Saskatchewan after the Mackenzie Tour – PGA Canada Tour Elk Ridge Open concluded on Saturday.

Fagnou discussed his start, his time at Elk Ridge and his induction into the Hall of Fame alongside his mentor Bruce Klaassen.

Many non-profit organizations use golf tournaments as fundraisers allowing groups to provide services and support to their clients they support in their fields and Spinal Cord Injury Saskatchewan Inc. (SCI) is no different.

SCI couldn’t host a tournament in 202 due to COVID-19 but on Aug. 7 the organization was able to host a tournament at Mark’s Nine Golf Course near Prince Albert. Executive Director Launel Scott said the day turned out fantastically.

“It was really good because obviously the golfers were anxious to do it,” Scott said. “We had more teams than we could accommodate actually at the end of it. We really lucked out again with a great day, the rain was looming, but it turned out great. It was a perfect day.”

The event raised approximately $25,000 that will go towards supporting SCI’s 1,100 clients province wide in areas such as rehabilitation, education and employment, awareness, and inclusion, as well as systems navigation. Scott added that the money raised will assist in the organization expanding services to not so accessible areas of the province.

“One of the priorities that we’ve had and it’s shown up in our strategic plan is to increase our engagement and connections to people who are Indigenous living with physical disabilities, particularly in the north. We are looking to commit new funds and the funds from the tournament to allow us to reach out more. We’ve been doing things virtually, but we also have the goal to set up a physical satellite office as well,” Scott explained.

One of the people that participated in the golf tournament was Karthik Babu Menon, SCI’s client service coordinator. Babu Menon had never golfed before due to living with his disability but that didn’t stop him thanks to one of three SoloRider golf carts Golf Saskatchewan stocks across the province.

“You know what, I thought when I was holding the club in my hands it was really satisfying. For a person who has never played golf in my entire life it was really satisfying,” he said.

SoloRider carts are made to travel anywhere on a golf course while allowing people living with disabilities to play. The SCI group used the cart that is housed at Saskatoon’s Wildwood Golf Course. Babu Menon said getting a chance to play the game was special.

“Within that one day I have created a niche in my mind that golfing is a good activity to get around, get to know people, and socialize. After being stuck at home for one and a half years getting onto the golf course and socializing was great fun,” he beamed.

Golf Saskatchewan has a new SoloRider at the North Battleford Golf and Country Club. One was also housed at the Royal Regina Golf Club but has since been returned to the provincial organization with plans in place as to where the cart can be utilized at a more southern course. For now, Babu Menon said he encourages others to give the cart and sport a try.

“When I talk to our clients, I always tell them if there is something you want to do to just to get away from boredom golfing is a good learning experience. I don’t have the particular words, it’s just a great overall learning experience when you play for the first time,” he added.

SCI is now planning for their third annual tournament in 2022.

Yorkton’s Kade Johnson is continuing to record strong finishes on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada circuit including a top-five placing Saturday at the inaugural Elk Ridge Open.

Playing in the second last group, alongside Saskatchewanian Brennan Rumancik, Johnson started round three strong with a birdie but carded a six and seven on the next two holes. He found his groove with three birdies before a bogey on nine. Johnson’s scorecard was all red on the back with four birdies and and no bogeys. He was two-under 68 when the smoke cleared and a tie for fifth.

He spoke to Golf Saskatchewan after the round.

Rumancik shot a nine-over 79 in round three, the Swift Current golfer tied for 32nd at 217. Air Ronge product Jerry Christiansen tied for 36th at 219 (74, 71, 74).

Saskatchewan amateurs Josh Nagy (Saskatoon) and Tayden Wallin (Humboldt) both shot 220 over the 54-hole event, they tied for 40th.

Lloydminster’s Clint Schiller was 43rd, he carded rounds of 76, 71, and 74.

After making lots of noise, and memories with his 68 in round one, Alex Swinnerton made the cut and finished his first professional event in a tie for 53rd with a 226.

The complete results can be found here.