Moose Jaw’s Hillcrest Golf Club is set to host the Saskatchewan Junior Women’s and Junior Men’s Championships this week beginning Tuesday.

Over 90 junior golfers in various age groups will converge on Moose Jaw for the 54-hole event that will conclude on Thursday. Golf Saskatchewan Tournament Director Steve Ryde said the interest shown in the junior provincials this season is fantastic to see.

“Golf is very popular these days and with almost 100 juniors making their way to Hillcrest this year the excitement is building,” Ryde said. “Many of these young golfers are playing in their first event and are looking for experience, others are vying for a trip to nationals. Our organization is just beaming at the registration numbers and we can’t wait to put on a great event alongside the Hillcrest staff and volunteers.”

New to the championship this year is the Junior Junior division. Over 20 beginners have signed up and will play a shortened (36 holes) version of the event. This will give younger players their first taste of competition and hopefully increase their interest in playing tournament golf going forward.

“The Junior Junior has had lots of interest and we’re looking forward to trying this new program to help continue to build the game at the grassroots level,” Ryde added.

The Hillcrest is also excited about bringing a championship back to the City of Moose Jaw for the first time since the Senior Championships in 2015. The course has made several upgrades since then including a brand-new clubhouse to serve their members and players on a daily basis but as well be able to welcome an event of this size. General Manager Jasmine Cameron said the event will be a highlight for their venue this summer.

“Hosting the Junior Championships will by far be one of the major highlights for our course this year and we very much look forward to seeing all of the top young up and coming golfers right here at our beautiful facilities,” Cameron stated “We have a committee of enthusiastic member volunteers who will provide the junior golfers with a top shelf experience. Having seen our own junior program expand over the past few years we are excited to involve our junior members both as players and as volunteers for the event, we anticipate great Junior Championships held right here in Moose Jaw.”

The reigning junior women’s champion is Brooklin Fry, Josh Nagy won the men’s event last year, the Saskatoon product has aged out so a new champion will be crowned.

For a list of the players and more information visit the event website.

Saskatoon’s Max Regier has come a long way from the sand greens of Pike Lake Golf Course where the 15-year-old first picked up the sport. He has found himself winning tournaments and posting scores alongside Saskatchewan’s best amateur players.

Regier’s grandparents have a cottage near the course in the provincial park southeast of Saskatoon so that’s where he first played the game. Regier enjoyed playing golf so he moved onto a more structured junior program at Wildwood Golf Course and eventually over to Saskatoon Golf and Country Club (SGCC) where he works during the summer months. Regier competed in his first tournament on the Maple Leaf Junior Tour (MJT) halfway through the 2018 season and he hasn’t looked back.

“I have always been pretty competitive when it comes to sports, I always wanted to get better,” he said to Golf Saskatchewan when asked about beginning on the Order of Merit Tour (OMT). “With golf there is never a limit, you can always keep pushing yourself and getting better. It’s just fun to be with your friends, to be outside, doing something I love.”

Back in 2019 when Golf Saskatchewan held the provincial amateur championships at SGCC a then 13-year-old Regier got his first taste of top-notch amateur golf. He has wanted to play in the event ever since. Last week he entered his first Amateur Men’s Championship and did much more than show up in Swift Current at the Elmwood Golf Club. Regier opened the championship with a 78 but rebounded with a sparkling 67 on day two. The Willows Golf and Country Club member carded a 72 during the third round that left him well below the cut line. He finished with a 71 on the final day to leave himself I a tie for 10^th place. He said all his goals were met last week.

“My main goal was to make the cut,” he explained. “I knew it would be tough, but it worked out in the end. I played pretty well.”

His round of 67 on Wednesday is a career best. He said he remained focused and made the right shots when he had to.

“I started off pretty solid, just making putts and getting up and down when I needed to. I think it was around the 11^th and 12^th holes I made some really good pars that got me settled in and comfortable and ready to make some birdies. After the par on 13 I had a lot of good chances at making birdies. Pretty perfect in the last five holes, making the putts, hitting the shots I needed to. It is pretty awesome,” Regier said.

The Saskatchewan Junior Men’s Championship starts Tuesday at Moose Jaw’s Hillcrest Golf Club. Regier enters the 54-hole tournament as the reigning under-15 champion. He will now compete in the under-17 age group but has his eyes set on the overall win.

“Of course, I’d like to win again and play as well as I can and hopefully win again. I think if I have a really good week I have a chance of getting up there for sure if I play like I did last week,” he added.

Regier said the sport has become his passion and he hopes to use golf to help get an education and has his sights set on a professional career.

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

A week that will go down in history for golf in Saskatchewan. Saskatoon’s Roman Timmerman finished the 2021 provincial amateur championship at Elmwood Golf Club in Swift Current at 26-under, 262, to break Graham DeLaet’s 15 year old record in the event.

A wire-to-wire win, Timmerman shot rounds of 65, 63 (Elmwood Golf Club tournament record), 68, and 66 to win his first amateur championship by 11 strokes over Danny Klughart. Timmerman said the win is one he’s been chasing for quite some time.

“Unreal man, it feels awesome, a lot of hard work has gone into this,” he said. “I feel like the last few years I’ve been close. Just seeing Kade (Johnson), Ty, (Campbell), and Danny, all those guys have that success it really motivated me and I’m unbelievably happy.”

The championship comes with a trip to the Canadian Amateur Championship in Windsor, Ontario later this summer as well as an exemption into the Elk Ridge Open in September. Timmerman said playing in a Mackenzie Tour event will be a dream come true.

“Like I said, that was a goal of mine to play on the Canadian Tour so I can’t wait to get that start and see what the pro life is really like,” he beamed.

Finishing in third place was Campbell with a 72-hole score of 13-under, 275.

The complete results can be seen here.

Ella Kozak is the 2021 Saskatchewan Women’s Amateur champion.

The 15-year-old Yorkton golfer took the lead into the final round on Thursday at Swift Current’s Elmwood Golf Club and needed every shot to claim the win. Kozak was pushed by Autumn Neiszner all the way to the 54th hole but Kozak’s final hole par and round of 77 was enough to edge Neiszner by a shot. She said winning the championship is a special moment.

“It feels really good,” Kozak said after the victory. “It was a battle out there. Overall I won and it feels really good to have the trophy and come back to provincials being the champion.”

Kozak battled from behind after round one to take the lead at the 36-hole mark of the championship. With a two shot lead on the final hole she admitted there was some nerves.

“I was pretty nervous but I tried to zone out like what I usually do when I’m in that situation and it ended up being okay. It was close but I won.” she said.

Kozak’s win gets her into an exemption in the Canadian Amateur Women’s Championship in Spruce Grove, Alberta from July 27 – 29.

Neiszner will join Kozak at nationals as will both Alex Schmidt and Brooklin Fry who tied for third at provincials.

The complete results of the championship can be seen here.

Klughart wins third straight Saskatchewan Mid-Amateur Championship

For the third straight year Prince Albert’s Danny Klughart is the Saskatchewan Men’s Mid-Amateur champion.

Klughart led wire-to-wire this week in Swift Current to claim the win with a three round score of 8-under, 208. North Battleford’s Scott Thompson placed second three shots back. Klughart said after the round that holding onto the trophy is something he’s proud of.

“Obviously you try to defend your title, it feels pretty special to do it three times. I was very was humbled to get the first one so to get three in a row feels pretty good,” Klughart said.

With the win Klughart receives an exemption into the Elk Ridge Open in September. The tournament is a newly announced stop on the MacKenzie Tour.

Klughart will head the Saskatchewan contingent to nationals from Aug. 24 – 27 in Fort McMurray. Thompson claims the silver medal, Saskatoon’s MIchael Smith placed third at 1-under par.

The complete results can be found here.

Timmerman moves one round closer

Saskatoon’s Roman Timmerman continues to have a stranglehold on the Men’s Amateur Championship.

Timmerman followed his record round of 63 with a solid 4-under, 68 on Thursday leaving himself with an eight shot lead over 2020 champion Ty Campbell. Klughart is in the hunt for his second am win at 8-under.

2018 winner Kade Johnson sits fourth at 7-under, Thompson is fifth at 5-under.

The complete results can be seen here. The final round begins at 8 a.m. on Friday.

A round to remember for Saskatoon’s Roman Timmerman on Wednesday at the Men’s Amateur Championship.

Timmerman built a three-stroke lead during day one of the four-day event but his strong play in the first round was only a precursor to a tournament record score at Swift Current’s Elmwood Golf Club. The Riverside Country Club player notched seven birdies and a couple eagles leading to a 9-under, 63. Timmerman has ballooned his lead at the championship to seven shots over 2020 winner Ty Campbell. He said the golf course is playing into his hands.

“I feel like this course suits me well,” he said after the round. “Things are good, clicking right now. I feel like around here if you are hitting driver good you have a lot of wedges and I felt like my wedge game has been pretty good this week. Hopefully I can continue the next couple days.”

Lost in the excitement of Timmerman’s round was a pair off 66’s from Campbell and 2018 champion Kade Johnson. Campbell sits in second place at 9-under par, Johnson jumped 11 spots into fourth place at 5-under par. Danny Klughart sits in third at 6-under following a 2-under, 70 on Wednesday.

Four other players are tied for sixth at 2-under. The complete results can be found here.

The tournament will resume at 7:06 a.m. on Thursday. The final round will be played Friday.

Kozak takes over Women’s Championship lead

Yorkton’s Ella Kozak is the new leader of the Saskatchewan Women’s Amateur Championship.

Kozak splashed in four birdies with the same number of bogeys to finish at even-par 72 during the second round of the 54-hole championship giving her a two-shot lead at 8-over par. Kozak leap frogged first round leader Alex Schmidt after the Regina golfer posted an 8-over, 80 during the middle round.

Reigning champion Brooklin Fry went five shots lower on day two to push herself into a tie for third with Autumn Neiszner. She shot 77 Wednesday falling back one place on the leaderboard.

Symone Ripley of Saskatoon and Regina’s Kim Walker sit tied for fourth at plus-19.

The final round goes Thursday in Swift Current beginning at 10:06 a.m.

The full women’s results can be seen here.

Klughart still maintains Mid-Amateur Championship lead

Danny Klughart is a round away from a third straight Saskatchewan Mid-Amateur Championship victory.

The Prince Albert resident shot 2-under, 70 on Wednesday which allowed the back-to-back champion to hold onto a two-stroke lead over Michael Smith of Saskatoon. Smith has posted consecutive rounds of 70 at the Elmwood Golf Club in Swift Current.

Scott Thompson (North Battleford) and Tyler Wright (Regina) sit in a tie for third place at 2-under par, four strokes behind Klughart.

Brett Henry rounds out the top five at even par.

The championship round will tee off on Thursday beginning at 7:06 a.m.

The complete results can be found here.

Regina’s Alex Schmidt has taken the early lead in the Saskatchewan Women’s Amateur Championship.

The Royal Regina Golf Club member sits six shots ahead of both Autumn Neiszner and Ella Kozak after round one of the 54-hole championship being played in Swift Current at the Elmwood Golf Club. Schmidt was steady through the opening round posting four birdies and six bogeys paving the way for a 2-over, 74.

Neiszner (Regina) and Kozak (Yorkton) are tied at 8-over, 80 going into the second of three rounds.

Reigning champion Brooklin Fry of Shell Lake sits in fourth at plus-9. Saskatoon’s Sarah Grieve, Kim Walker of Regina and Moose Jaw golfer Lorie Boyle sit tied for fifth place at 10-over, 82.

The full results can be found here. The second round begins Wednesday at 12:06 p.m.

Timmerman leads amateur

Saskatoon’s Roman Timmerman shot the round of the day in Swift Current with a 7-under, 65 to take the early lead at the Saskatchewan Men’s Amateur Championship.

Timmerman started strong shooting three birdies in his first six holes before he put together a string of five straight birdies on the back nine holes to open a three-stroke lead on Prince Albert’s Danny Klughart. Klughart sits at 4-under par. A trio of players are tied for third place after the opening 18 holes including Ty Campbell (Saskatoon), Mike Valk (Medicine Hat), and Chase Pochylko (Saskatoon), they are all 3-under par.

The Men’s Amateur is four rounds, the second round gets underway at 7 a.m. on Wednesday.

The complete results from round one can be found here.

Klughart seeks third straight mid-am

Prince Albert’s Danny Klughart has a good start on the defense of his Saskatchewan mid-amateur championship.

The two-time defending champ is once again in the lead of the 25 and over age group in Swift Current at the Elmwood Golf Club. Klughart didn’t begin his opening round on a good note with a double-bogey on the second hole and another bogey on hole five, but the Cooke Municipal club champion rattled off six birdies in the final 13 holes to finish at 4-under, 68.

Michael Smith of Saskatoon sits in second place at 2-under par, David Stewart, also of Saskatoon is in third place at 1-under.

Regina’s Tyler Wright and Scott Allan of Saskatoon are tied for fourth at even par.

The full results are available here.

Round two of three will tee off Wednesday at 7 a.m.

The Maple Leaf Junior Tour (MJT) was in action again this weekend in Estevan at TS&M Woodlawn Golf Club. The tournament was originally scheduled for May but was pushed back to this past Friday and Saturday due to COVID-19 concerns.

This was the second MJT event of the season on Saskatchewan soil. Last week the Tour was in Swift Current at the Elmwood Golf club.

15 – 19 Girls

It took a playoff, but Yorkton’s Ella Kozak (pictured above) has her second straight win of the season. Both Kozak, 15, and Autumn Neiszner of Regina tied at 154 after two rounds but Kozak won the event. Sarah Grieve was in the hunt at 157 (82, 75) to finish in third-place, three shots back.

U-15 Girls

For the second straight MJT event Chloe Wills of Kyle, Saskatchewan is the under-15 girl’s winner. Wills, 13, posted rounds of 97 and 88 to win the group by nine shots over Tayla Perry of Regina. Sarah Henderson was the third competitor in the age group, she shot 205 (105, 100) over the 36-hole tournament.

Peewee Boys (U-12)

Jayden Chernoff used home course advantage to win the peewee boy’s group by three strokes over Lucas Sturgeon. Chernoff, 12, carded rounds of 86 and 74, good enough for the win. Sturgeon was three shots lower than Cole Silverson of Regina who placed third with a score of 166 (86, 80).

Bantam Boys (U-15)

Warman’s Dane Giesbrecht is the bantam winner on the weekend. The 13-year-old needed a playoff to edge Elias Haukeness after they both tied at 156. Kerr Cudmore of Wawota rounded out the top-three with a two-day total score of 159 (80, 79).

Juvenile Boys (15 – 16)

Max Regier went low on day two of the tournament to win the juvenile boy’s division by a handful of shots. Regier, 15, carded a 77 on day one but rebounded with a stellar 69 in the second round. His 146 total score was five better than fellow Saskatonian Tommy Danielson. Ryan Chernoff of Estevan placed third at 157 (74, 83).

Junior Boys (U-19)

The lowest overall shooter was Theoren West of Wawota. West, 18, was steady over both rounds posting scores of 74 and 71 just good enough to hold off Saskatoon’s Jackson Wingert by a shot. Will Blake of Regina fills out the top three under-19 boys category with a 36-hole total of 149 (77, 72).

All the results can be found here.

The next Saskatchewan stop on the MJT is July 26 and 27 at Moon Lake Golf & Country Club.

*All photos courtesy Jeff Chambers.

The Saskatchewan provincial amateur golf championships will begin next Tuesday (July 6) in Swift Current at the Elmwood Golf Club.

The Women’s Amateur Championship and Men’s Mid-Amateur (25 +) Championship will be played over 54 holes with the winners being crowned on Thursday. The Men’s Amateur Championship will be four days with a cut after three rounds.

Steve Ryde is the manager of championships for Golf Saskatchewan. He said the province’s top amateur players are in for an exciting week.

“Registrations for all the tournaments have been coming in for a couple months and every field is full of quality players, past and present champions, and players set to take that next step. The golfers will see course that has hosted championships in the past plus the Elmwood Golf Club and the City of Swift Current have all the necessities to make this a great week. At the end we will recognize several champions for their great play and look back on a fantastic week of golf and comradery,” he said.

Golf Saskatchewan is back at Elmwood for a provincial event for the second consecutive year. Mike McEvay is the new general manager at the course. He said having the best amateurs in the province challenge his course in his first year is compelling.

“Absolutely it’s exciting, we get to see some of the best players in the province come to play the facility and see what they can do here,” McEvay said earlier this season. “It’s an opportunity to see how the superintendent can get the course ready and see how tough the course can play with the best players in the province. It’s exciting times right now, there’s a lot of buzz and it’s not just from the people coming, it’s the members and the public as well. These are exciting times, especially during the pandemic to be able to host something like this is something I look forward to.”

The deadline to register for the championships is 5 p.m. Friday. The details on all three tournaments, including the fields can be found here.

Players to watch:

Women’s Amateur Championship –

Brooklin Fry – The reigning junior and women’s amateur champion comes in as the favourite. Has two impressive wins already on the Women’s Order of Merit Tour this season.

Ella Kozak – The Yorkton youngster is coming off a Maple Leaf Junior Tour win at Elmwood, finishing ahead of Fry for the first time this season.

Autumn Neiszner – The 2019 junior champion and Keiser University commit was second last week on the MJT and eager to win another Saskatchewan title.

Kim Walker – The 2019 senior women’s Saskatchewan champion returns to the competitive field in 2021 after not playing on a provincial level in 2020. The Wascana Country Club veteran was the 2016 Saskatchewan amateur champion.

Lorie Boyle – A Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame inductee, Boyle also brings a wealth of experience and lengthy list of championships, the Moose Jaw resident knows how to win.

Men’s Amateur Championship –

Ty Campbell – The reigning champion and recent college graduate has continued to play great golf. He placed tied for third in Nipawin at the Scotia Wealth Open and is coming off a win at the Saskatoon Amateur.

Kade Johnson – The 2018 winner went toe-to-toe with professional Phil Jonas earlier this year in Nipawin to just fall shy of the win. The Yorkton product is always in the hunt.

Danny Klughart – Back-to-back mid-amateur champion is always near the top of leaderboards including a third in Nipawin this year.

Josh Nagy – Nagy has another year of college golf under his belt and his last trip to Swift Current was a 2020 junior championship.

Payton Ochitwa – Currently tied for seventh in the OMT standings, Ochitwa is quietly finding himself in the hunt at every event this year.

Mid-Amateur Championship –

Danny Klughart – The trophy has been in the Prince Albert product’s hands for a couple years.

David Stewart – A two-time amateur winner and the 2015 mid-am winner took last year off provincial events to focus on his education, Stewart is back and excited to chase another trip to nationals.

Ty Wright – A mid-am winner in 2016, Wright is already a Hall of Fame inductee and has a Mid-Masters Championship (2019) on his resume.

Scott Thompson – Back-to-back amateur winner in ‘09 and 2010, Thompson was in the hunt last year in Warman at The Legends in this event.

Justin Wood – The 2016 amateur winner is a contender every year in both the amateur and mid-amateur field.

For the last 10 years anyone around Eagle Point Golf Course in La Ronge has likely seen Dade Bernatchez playing the sport he loves, now they are likely seeing his name on leaderboards and in winning circles.

Bernatchez, 14, took up the game at four years-old when his dad and “Kimosom” (Cree for grandfather) traveled into La Ronge from Sucker River, about 20 minutes north of the community. He said the difficulty of the sport was the biggest draw when he took the game up.

“It’s the hardest sport in the world,” he told Golf Saskatchewan. “It wouldn’t be fun if it were too easy. If it was easy it wouldn’t be fun at all, it’s very hard and I really like that.”

Bernatchez played at Eagle Point developing his game to the point he wanted to start competing around the age of 10. When he was 12, he won a Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) event in Warman allowing him to take part in the MJT National Championship in Florida in 2019.

Since then he has picked up a couple more victories in his age group on the MJT and started the 2021 season with a championship in his first tournament as a bantam aged player. He said the win felt great, especially with some distress along the way.

“You can’t be a good competitor if you can’t overcome adversity. On hole 12 on Sunday in Swift Current I took an eight. I could have lost the tournament right there, after that eight I just tried to get back in it. I thought I blew it but I came back and made a few birdies and overcame adversity. I am happy about my win. I need to practice and if I can stay humble I can win a lot more tournaments. I need to shoot consistently all the time,” he explained.

Bernatchez is now setting his sights on his first run at Saskatchewan provincials in Moose Jaw later in July. He has high hopes for the event and his success going forward.

“My goal is to try my best, shoot consistently, make putts, stay in the fairway, and have fun,” he added.

A large part of Bernatchez’s success can be tailored back to his association with his mentor Jerry Christiensen. Christiensen grew up in La Ronge, played collegiate and professional golf and is now one of the top professionals in the province. He holds weekly golf camps at Eagle Point with upwards of 60 kids taking part. For Bernatchez, he said seeing all the other kids trying the sport is positive.

“It’s good to see lots of kids golfing now. It feels great when I go see Jerry, he’s a pro and I like learning from him. Whatever he tells me to do I do and it really helps my game. I look up to him, and I’d love to play professional golf like him,” Bernatchez said.

Ty Campbell is adding a Scotia Wealth Management Saskatoon Men’s Amateur win to his growing list of victories.

The Saskatoon product shot a lights out 63 on Saturday at Dakota Dunes Golf Links followed by a solid 69 at The Legends Sunday to win the tournament by five strokes at 12-under par. The reigning Saskatchewan Amateur champion said the event is one he wanted to be able to win.

“It feels pretty good,” he said. “I’ve played this event quite a few times and I’ve always wanted to add this one to the win resume and I finally did. It’s nice.”

Campbell did get some pressure from Kade Johnson on the second day of the event, Johnson was three shots better on Sunday in Warman, but the gap was too much to overcome after Campbell’s brilliant play during round one.

“Everything seemed to come pretty easy that day. I don’t think I really did anything special. I just hit fairways, I hit greens, made birdies when I needed to and a few extra. It was fun,” Campbell added.

Not to be lost in Campbell’s 9-under round was Justin Wood carding a splendid 64. Wood was ten shots higher the second round to finish in third at 6-under. Campbell said even with his hot start a win wasn’t secured especially playing two different courses in one event.

“I like playing at two different courses, it’s fun. If you have a bad first day you can reset a little easier. The two courses did play pretty similar as far as the greens. They rolled really well and were in great shape. It’s kind of nice to see something different. One day you can have it at a course and not a the other, so you have to show up at both,” he concluded.

The complete results can be found here.

Campbell moves into second place on the Men’s Order of Merit standings. With Johnson’s showing over the weekend the Yorkton product sits in top spot with the provincial championships next on the schedule.