Rosetown’s Sue Skinner is still in the top-20 at the Senior & Mid-Amateur Championships in Bromont, Quebec.

Skinner followed up her opening round score of 83 with an 86 on Wednesday in round two of the event at Golf Château Bromont. She sits alone in 20th position at 23-over par.

Dianne Bethune of Saskatoon is tied for 29th at the 54-hole championship. The Holiday Park Golf Course member shot 88 in round two, she carded an 86 on day one. She’s at 28-over par.

Regina’s Shannon Scott carded a 96 Wednesday, couple that with an 89 in round one she sits at 39-over par. Scott is tied for 54th.

Robin Acton of Lloydminster is 40-over par. She has a 91 and 95 on the leaderboard so far in the event. Acton is tied for 57th.

Shelly Stouffer of Nanoose Bay, British Columbia leads the championship at five-over par.

The full results can be seen here.

Bethune will tee off for round three at 6:20 a.m. Saskatchewan time Thursday. Skinner starts her third round at 7 a.m. Acton and Scott will be in the same group, they begin their rounds at 7 a.m. as well, they begin on hole 10, Skinner tees off on hole one.

Austin Nesbitt is just 10 years old but already has high expectations for his golf future.

The Wascana Country Club junior member said he started playing golf at three years old when “someone put a club in his hand” and he admittedly hasn’t put it down since. Four years later the Pilot Butte resident competed in a Drive, Chip and Putt event in the United States and now he’s a fixture on the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Mini Tour. Nesbitt said there’s several factors that go into his love for the sport.

“I like challenging myself, pushing myself to be better than I was the day before. I like travelling and meeting new friends, stuff like that,” he explained to Golf Saskatchewan following his first MJT National Championship experience.

Nesbitt said competing in tournaments gives him a chance to see where he stacks up with other players.

“I like seeing how other kids play and seeing if my hard has paid off when I play with them,” he said.

Nesbitt routinely wins his age group within Saskatchewan on the MJT Mini Tour, but he placed tied for seventh in his age group at the national event at Tsawwassen Springs in Tsawwassen, British Columbia on Aug. 19 and 20. Nesbitt said he’s very pleased with his finish.

“That was definitely was one of the best things of the summer so far, not one of, probably the best thing all summer,” he said. “My goal was top-10, the first day I had lots of nerves and the second day I just played my game. I focused and shot one of the best rounds of the year. That’s why I am happy with it.”

Nesbitt shot 82 and 71 at the championship. While there he placed third in the Little Linkster Swing Contest and was given one of the MJT Booster Juice Bounceback Awards for best improvement in score in round two from round one.

The MJT Mini Tour is hosted at the Junior Tour venues over the summer and are one day events. Golf Saskatchewan hosted the Junior Junior Championship alongside the provincial juniors in Moose Jaw earlier this year. Nesbitt won his age group in his multi-day event debut. He said learning to play on consecutive days was important for his development.

“That was lots of fun doing a two-day event, I learned a lot from that experience, and it’s paid off,” he added.

Nesbitt said he is looking forward to playing more 36-hole events next year and has lofty goals ahead.

“I am definitely going to keep going with this. My plan is to play more junior events next year, the two-day events. I ultimately want to play college golf and make the PGA TOUR. That’s one thing I’ve always wanted to do,” he said.

Nesbitt added that he has great coaches in his dad Jeff, and Jeff Chambers in Swift Current.

Rosetown’s Sue Skinner is off to a solid start at the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur & Senior Championship in Bromont, Quebec.

Skinner opened the four-day championship with a 10-over, 83 on Tuesday at Golf Château Bromont. She is tied for 17th going into Wednesday’s second round. Skinner will tee off at 7:20 a.m. Saskatchewan time.

Dianne Bethune of Saskatoon also started on steady ground in round one. The Holiday Park Golf Course member carded an opening round score of 13-over, 86. She sits in a tie for 26th. Her tee time is 9:40 a.m. on Wednesday.

Shannon Scott, playing out of the Royal Regina Golf Club, is tied for 37th thanks to her opening round score of 16-over, 89. She starts her second round at 8:10 a.m. Wednesday.

Lloydminster resident Robin Acton played bogey golf in round one putting together a productive 18-over 81, she’s tied for 47th. Acton will tee off for round two at 7:10 a.m.

Clermont, Quebec golfer Marlene Desbiens leads the championship at three-over par.

The complete results can be found here.

The 2021 Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) made its final stop in Saskatchewan over the weekend at Warman’s Legends Golf Club.

Wawota’s Theoren West was the low shooter of the 36-hole event which caps the 18-year-olds season with another victory. West shot 70 during round one on Saturday before he blistered the 6700-plus yard set up to the tune of a 66 on Sunday. He edged Regina’s Will Blake by three strokes for the win in the junior boys category.

Blake was a shot lower than Kindersley’s Cort Tunall at 139 in second, Tunall carded a 140 with back-to-back 70’s to claim bronze.

Juvenile Boys

Tommy Danielson of Saskatoon was the winner in the juvenile boys division with a score of 137. Danielson shot 70 on day one and 67 in round two. He held off Weyburn’s Darien Herlick by three shots.

Herlick carded a 71 and 69. Saskatoon golfer Max Regier placed third after a pair of 71 rounds.

Bantam Boys

Dane Giesbrecht used his home course advantage to give him a leg up and another MJT title.

The 14-year-old shot 75 Saturday and 70 on Sunday for a 36-hole total of 145, a two shot victory over Elias Haukeness. The Buena Vista product shot 77 in round one, a tidier 70 on day two.

Russell Quinn of Wainwright, Alberta placed third in the division with a score of 152 (78, 74).

Peewee Boys

Saskatoon’s Aricin Franklin is making a name for himself on the MJT this summer. The 12-year-old Saskatoon golfer picked up his third win of the summer in the peewee boys age group.

Franklin posted a 79 in round one and a 73 in his second round. His 152 was three shots better than fellow Saskatoon golfer Lucas Sturgeon. Sturgeon went 77, 78 at the event to claim the silver medal.

Rounding out the top-three was Jayden Chernoff of Estevan, he finished with a 158 (82, 76).

Under-15 Girls

Tayla Perry of Regina has found herself at the top of the under-15 girls leaderboard several times this summer.

The 12-year-old ran away with the age group win with rounds of 83 and 88 in Warman on the weekend. Her 36-hole score of 171 gave her a 12 shot victory over Chloe Wills of Kyle.

Wills shot rounds of 86 and 97.

Niya Friesen of Swift Current was third at 185 (90, 95).

15-19 Girls

Saskatoon’s Sarah Grieve will cap her MJT season within Saskatchewan’s borders with a win.

Grieve carded a 76 in round one and a 74 on Sunday to secure a seven shot victory over Symone Ripley, also of Saskatoon. Ripley posted scores of 80 and 77.

Hallie Crozier of Regina was third at 175 (89, 86) to round out the top-three.

The complete results can be found here.

The MJT National Championship will be held in Surrey, British Columbia from Oct. 8 – 11.

All photos courtesy Jeff Chambers.

The top female Canadian amateur golfers over the age of 25 will head to Golf Château Bromont in Bromont, Que., from Aug. 31 to Sept. 2 for the 50th installment of the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship.

In the 85 player field are Saskatoon’s Dianne Bethune (Holiday Park Golf Course), Royal Regina Golf Club member Shannon Scott, Robin Action of Lloydminster and Sue Skinner of Rosetown. Bethune will start her first round at 7:20 a.m. on Tuesday, Acton will tee off at 9:20 a.m. Skinner begins her round at 9:50 a.m. and Scott will be the last local player on the course at 10:40 a.m.

The Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship is a 54-hole stroke play event, with a 36-hole cut to the low 70 players and ties. In the event of a tie at the end of three rounds, there will be a hole-by-hole playoff immediately following completion of 54-holes. The Mid-Amateur division will run concurrently with the Mid-Master division for players 40 and older, the Senior division for players 50 and older, and the Super Senior division for players 60 and older.

The field includes eight of the top ten over-25 women on the Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), including top-ranked Canadian and defending champion Judith Kyrinis. The Thornhill, Ont., product also won the event in 2016, both times claiming the Mid-Amateur, Mid-Master and Senior titles and was inducted into the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame in 2019.  She became just the seventh USGA Champion from Canada when she won the 2017 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur at Waverley Country Club in Portland, Ore.

Other notables in the field include Ontario Golf Hall of Fame member Terrill Samuel, who won the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship in 2015, where she too claimed the Mid-Amateur, Mid-Master and Senior titles.

The field also includes Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Mary-Ann Hayward, a four-time Canadian Women’s Amateur Champion (1993, 1996, 1999, 2004), a three-time Canadian Women’s Senior Champion (2010, 2011, 2013), and the 2008 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Champion. On the international level, Hayward was also the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Champion in 2005.

The course, designed by architects Howard Watson and Graham Cook, features spectacular views of Mont Bromont. The course layout for the championship will be played at a maximum length of 5,965 yards, par-73.

The winner of the Senior division will receive an exemption into the 59^th U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at The Lakewood Club in Point Clear, Alabama from September 10-15, 2021 and the 4^th U.S. Senior Women’s Open at NCR Country Club (South Course) in Kettering, Ohio from August 25-28, 2022.

Additional information, including the full field and tee times, is available here.

The dynasty continues for Kathy Ziglo and Ian Larocque in the Saskatchewan Mixed Team Championship.

The Saskatoon pair won the 36-hole championship for the seventh time on Sunday at Candle Lake Golf Resort. During day one of the two round event, the twosome battled rain and extremely wet conditions and shot a fantastic 65, during a much nicer Sunday they cruised to a two-over, 75 to win the event with a score of six-under, 140.

Saskatoon’s Ellanne Krainyk and Colton McAllister (above) placed second in the tournament with a two-round score of 147 (72, 75).

Coming in third place was Regina’s Crystal and Brett Piero (below). The couple opened the event with a 70 on day one, round two they carded a 78 to finish at two-over par.

Prince Albert players Andrea and Martin Ring were the winners of the Low Net category with a score of nine-under par.

The mixed event was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19. 39 teams took part in the tournament.

The complete results can be found here.

To say that this season has been a whirlwind for Saskatoon’s Chase Pochylko is an understatement, especially the month of July.

Pochylko, 17, is the lone male player from the province to compete in both the national junior boys and men’s amateur championship this year. He said competing in the Canadian Junior Boys Championship was a very attainable goal, the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship was a nice surprise after a top-10 finish at the provincial event.

“My goals for the year were to get to the junior nationals and that was accomplished,” he said. “I wasn’t really thinking about the Canadian Am, that came as a surprise. Definitely a bucket list item.”

Pochylko played well at the amateur, just missing the cut by a stroke. He shot back-to-back rounds of 74 at the Ambassador Golf Club in Windsor, Ontario. He said showing well at the championship was good for his confidence, and experience.

“I was really happy that I could actually compete at that level. Obviously, I wasn’t anywhere near the top of the leaderboard, but I just made my own way out there,” Pochylko said.

He had higher expectations for his trip to the Montreal area for the junior championships at Vallée du Richelieu – Le Club. Pochylko made the cut and ended the 72-hole championship in a tie for 69^th place at 24-over par. He said the week in Quebec was positive.

“The was a really good experience competing against the top of the top juniors in the country. To get that experience and play a different course. It was much different than what we normally play in Saskatchewan in tournaments. It was a great experience to play at that level,” he added.

Overall, the stretch of events took Pochylko from Swift Current to Mosse Jaw to southern Ontario and Quebec. He said the summer was quite chaotic at some points.

“My mom was out there with me the whole time, she kind of kept me in one piece, kept me controlled out there” he admitted. “She kept me fed, it was really good.”

With a successful year under his belt, and another year of junior eligibility Pochylko has high expectations for next season. He wants to win the junior provincials as well as the amateur title. He knows those are lofty goals but feels this season will build him towards that type of success.

“I kind of had peaks and valleys in my golf game this year which is the reason why I didn’t do as well as I would have liked at the juniors, my swing wasn’t doing as well as I would have liked. Next year what I am going to start doing is more lessons to keep my game the best I can,” he said.

Pochylko currently leads the Junior Men’s Order of Merit standings with the last event this weekend in Warman. He’s not in the field for the Maple Leaf Junior Tour tournament. He expects to play at the MJT National Championship in Surrey, British Columbia in October.

You can hear more from Pochylko below in his discussion with Golf Saskatchewan’s Clark Stork.

After missing out on last year’s championship flight final, Kim Brown regained her spot as the top golfer at the Fountain Tire Ladies Lobstick tournament at the Waskesiu Golf Course.

Brown, who grew up in Prince Albert and now calls Saskatoon home, captured her fifth title in the last seven years on Friday as she defeated three-time champion Kathy Ziglo of Saskatoon.

“It’s always a nice feeling to be able to take this trophy home,” said Brown, who previously won the tournament in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019. “The Lobstick tournament is always a great week and I really love being up here at Waskesiu.”

After earning the top seed in the championship flight by defeating Moose Jaw’s Lorie Boyle and Shell Lake’s Brooklin Fry in a playoff on Tuesday, Brown continued her strong play in the match play portion of the tournament as she earned victories over Saskatoon’s Dana Kidd and Dianne Bethune.

“I felt like the playoff was sort of where I got into my groove, which I stayed in for the next couple of days,” Brown said. “That really got me into the mind frame that you need to do well in the tournament.”

Brown had built up a four-hole advantage after just six holes in Friday’s final, but had to hold off a hard-charging Ziglo on the back-nine.

Her lead was cut down to one after Ziglo made a par on the par-four 15th, but Brown was able to seal the deal by getting her approach shot on the par-four 17th to just a few feet from the hole, which Ziglo would later concede.

“It was nice to get that cushion early on, but I know that Kathy is going to bring her very best in a final and I couldn’t take anything for granted,” said Brown, who faced Ziglo in the 2015, 2018 and 2019 championship flight title contests.

“I just tried to stay steady for the rest of the day. I had a few hiccups there in the middle but I was able to pull it together and made a good tee shot on (the par-three) 16 and I was able to carry that over to 17.”

“I started off a little slow and you never want to give Kim a bit of a head start as she doesn’t make a lot of mistakes,” Ziglo added. “I just started grinding away there as the match went on and I tried to win one hole at a time.

“I missed an uphill birdie putt on 11 that would have allowed me to put some pressure on her and I also missed a putt on 13, but once she made that great approach shot on 17, I knew it was pretty much over.”

While Ziglo was unable to repeat as Lobstick champion, she was just pleased to be back at Waskesiu after surviving a battle with COVID-19 that had her in the ICU last December.

“Flip, I might not have even been alive for this,” Ziglo said.

“I wasn’t able to play three days in a row this year and I was worried that I wouldn’t make it through the tournament as I was starting to have trouble breathing and I was losing my strength. Thankfully, it all turned out okay.

Ziglo, who previously won the tournament in 2012 and 2014 before her triumph last summer, defeated Fry in a rematch of the 2020 final and followed that up with a semifinal win over 2016 champion Abra Thompson of Saskatoon.

“I think Brooklin is someone that I’ll always have to make sure that I’ll have to play hard against for the rest of my life,” Ziglo said. “She’s a great kid and a great golfer.

“Neither Abra or I played great in the semifinal, but I was able to do what I needed to do in order to stay ahead of her during our match.”

The rest of the results from Friday’s finals are as follows:

·  Championship Flight Consolation: Dana Kidd over Brooklin Fry

·  First Flight: Denise Hersikorn over Megan McKenzie

·  First Flight Consolation: Tammy Bezaire over Rosie Charles

·  Second Flight: Donna Morin over Maureen Bowerman

·  Second Flight Consolation: Heather Torrie over Andrea Ring

·  Third Flight: Kelly Kreinke over Shelia Palmer

·  Third Flight Consolation: Rose Halbach over Cheryl Reichel

·  Fourth Flight: Lorna Gilbert over Cheryl Dougan

·  Fourth Flight Consolation: Elaine Carriere over Jeanette Bear

·  Fifth Flight: Lynn Braaten over Arlene Segin

·  Fifth Flight Consolation: Cindy Pittman over JoAnn Doepker

·  Sixth Flight: Ruth O’Carroll over Karen Cumbers

·  Sixth Flight Consolation: Janet McElligott over Carol Spanks

·  Seventh Flight: Angela Prystay over Kris Gunn

·  Seventh Flight Consolation: Bronwyn Cowan over Susan Snell

·  Eighth Flight: MJ Chuey over Deb Young

·  Eighth Flight Consolation: Nancy Penner over Carole Rucks

·  Ninth Flight: Deb Krawchuk over Margo Marushak

·  Ninth Flight Consolation: Mary Page over Karen Drewitz

·  Tenth Flight: Adriana Lacoursiere over Elaine Noonan

·  Tenth Flight Consolation: Amber Thomas over Joanne Seitz

·  Eleventh Flight: Karen Cottrell over Judy Reynolds

·  Eleventh Flight Consolation: Sheree Selin over Kathy Pringle

·  Twelfth Flight: Joan Sanderson over Maxine Beck

·  Twelfth Flight Consolation: Terri Kachur over Nikki McGregor

·  Thirteenth Flight: Cheryl Sutton over Lisa Yuel

·  Thirteenth Flight Consolation: Bernice Paulhus over Kristie Steel

Story originally published by the Prince Albert Daily Herald. Authoured by Lucas Punkari. Republished with permission.

Justin Wood will return to Saskatoon with a national top-three finish at the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship in Fort McMurray.

The former Unity resident is the highest placing Saskatchewan player at the championship since 2017 when Tyler Wright was fifth at the Wascana Country Club.

Wood went 72, 73, 74, 74, to finish the week at 293, plus-five, six shots behind the winner, Charles Fitzsimmons of London, Ontario.

Kindersley’s Kyle Wiebe will finish in 12th place, all alone at 12-over par.

David Stewart carded a 74 on the final day, he tied for 16th.

Jehremy Ryde of Saskatoon shot a solid 73 in the final round, he tied for 19th at 17-over.

Prince Albert’s Danny Klughart will finish in a tie for 25th at 20-over par, Brett Henry, also of the Gateway City was shot behind at 21-over par. Henry was tied for 28th.

Scott Thompson (North Battleford) placed 37th at 25-over.

Regina’s Jason Klemenz jumped five spots on the leaderboard Thursday after carding a 78, he will finish in 38th.

Former Saskatoon resident Taylor Afseth, now of Victoria, B.C. will finish in 47th at 29-over par.

Michael Smith of Saskatoon was steady over his final three days of the tournament including a 78 in the final round. He was 51st at 30-over par.

Rick Hallberg (Weyburn) shot 12-over in round four, the Saskatchewan Mid-Masters and Senior Champion returns home with a 52nd place finish.

Shaun Dunphy carded an 80 on Thursday, he’s tied for 53rd at 33-over.

Regina’s Travis Fifi concluded the championship at 35-over after his 80 on Thursday, he tied for 59th.

Birch Hills golfer Jeff Whitfield posted an 83 during his final round, he tied for 69th at 46-over par.

Complete results can be found here.

*We will hear from some of the players next week including Wood after his outstanding performance.

Saskatchewan golfers are being found near the top of leaderboards from the oilsands of Alberta all the way to the Atlantic Ocean this week.

At the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship in Fort McMurray; Saskatoon’s Justin Wood is tied for second-place going into Thursday’s final round. He shot 74 on Wednesday in round three of the 72-hole tournament, he sits at three-over par. Edmonton’s Neil Thomas is the new leader of the national championship at one-under.

Prince Albert’s Danny Klughart and Brett Henry, as well as Kindersley’s Kyle Wiebe are all inside the top-20, tied in 19th place at 13-over par.

David Stewart of Saskatoon is in 24th, he has shaded at least four strokes off each round, his 72 on Wednesday was the lowest round of the day for the Saskatchewan contingent.

Jehremy Ryde shot 80 in round three, he’s sitting at 16-over, tied for 32nd.

Scott Thompson (North Battleford) and Rick Hallberg (Weyburn) are 19-over par, that’s good enough for a tie of 39th.

Regina’s Jason Klemenz is tied for 43rd at 20-over par, Michael Smith of Saskatoon tied for 53rd at 24-over par.

Shaun Dunphy carded a 79 on Wednesday, he’s tied for 57th at 25-over. Regina’s Travis Fifi is 27-over after his 78 on Wednesday, he it tied for 61st.

Birch Hills golfer Jeff Whitfield posted an 86 during his third round, he’s 35 over par, tied for 71st.

Complete results can be found here.

Saskatchewanians chasing MacKenzie Tour win

The Prince Edward Island Open is turning into quite the professional debut for Kade Johnson.

The Yorkton product made the switch to profesional earlier this month and is competing in the event, alongside 2011 Saskatchewan Amateur champion Troy Bulmer.

Johnson opened the 72-hole event with a 71 on Tuesday, in round two the Deer Park Golf Course member shot 68. He sits five-under par, all alone in fifth-place going into round three.

Bulmer, who now plays out of Vernon, British Columbia has shot 71 and 70 through the first in 36 holes. He sits in a tie for seventh at three-under.