Will anyone stop 16-year-old Brooklin Fry on the Saskatchewan Women’s Order of Merit Tour (OMT) this year?

The Shell Lake product picked up her second win of the season this past weekend taking the Sangster’s Saskatoon Women’s Open by 10 strokes at Moon Lake Golf and Country Club. The victory followed up her win at the Ladies Northern in Prince Albert earlier this month.

Fry, the reigning amateur and junior women’s champion shot rounds of 73 and 71 in the event finishing at even-par. Yorkton’s Ella Kozak was second at plus-10. Sarah Grieve of Saskatoon rounded out the top three at 13-over par.

Regina’s Kim Walker was the senior women’s champion holding off Lorie Boyle by five shots, Walker finished at plus-15.

All the results can be found here.

The next stop on the OMT for the women’s division is the Saskatchewan Amateur Championship on July 6 to 8 at Elmwood Golf Club in Swift Current.

Procyshen; Hallberg claim Crocus titles

On the men’s side of the Order of Merit Tour it was Matt Procyshen taking the Crocus Men’s Open at the Weyburn Golf Club on June 13.

The former Yorkton resident who now plays out of the Saskatoon Golf and Country Club posted an opening round score of 75 before carding a stellar 67 on day two to win the 36-hole tournament by five shots.

Tyler Mryglod was second at 147 (73, 74). Joel Miller and Peter Wild tied for third place at 6-over, 148.

The final results can be viewed here.

The Men’s Lobstick at Waskesiu is the next event on the OMT Tour, that’s currently underway. For live scoring click here.

In the senior age group at the Crocus it was hometown product Rick Hallberg winning the championship.

Hallberg fired rounds of 74 and 69 for a 1-over, 143 over the weekend to secure an eight shot win over Regina’s Stu Innes.

Kelly Mutter was third at 153.

The senior results are here.

The Auto Clearing Senior Men’s Championship is next for the senior men, that takes place June 22 – 24 at Moon Lake Golf and Country Club.

La Ronge’s Jerry Christiansen wanted to be Tiger Woods, today he is hoping to have the same impact in a different way.

The self-taught PGA of Saskatchewan member saw Woods on television when he was a kid and instantly became enamored with the 82-time PGA Tour champion. From there Christiansen became a fixture at Eagle Point Resort playing upwards of 72 holes a day. He had a solid junior career before attending the University of British Columbia as a member of their golf team. Christiansen went on to play mini tours in America and had his golf game take him to Thailand, South Africa, and Australia. He now offers weekly camps in La Ronge for juniors in hopes of providing experiences like the ones he has gotten through the sport.

“Coming from La Ronge it really opened my eyes to the world and everything else and I wouldn’t have gotten those opportunities without playing golf. I’m grateful for everything that golf gave to me. That is a big part of the reason I am doing this program,” he said.

For most junior golfers they get their start in the sport through their parents or grandparents. Christiansen’s parents did not play the game, not many did in the north when he was young. Christiansen said without a mentor or someone to look up on the course he submersed himself in reading to get better at the game.

“I read a lot of books,” he said. “That’s how I got most of my information. I didn’t get lessons or anything like that, I just read a lot of golf books when I was coming up. That’s where I learned to play the game.”

After professional stints in Elk Ridge and The Legends Golf Course in Warman this past January Christiansen decided to return home and give back to the game that has given him so much. He started a weekly junior camp on Mondays, free of charge. His goal was 25 kids, he is averaging about 60 a week. One key component for Christiansen was making sure any kid that wanted to be part of the camp could by offering the opportunity free of charge.

“I really wanted to make a point of it being accessible to absolutely anyone. In the near future I’d like to move to a point where we provide transportation as well. It really is most the most accessible program to everyone,” Christiansen explained.

He added that the camps could become more structured if kids wish to continue to develop. Christiansen said a tiered (bronze, silver, gold) structure might be possible in the future.

Each week he works with a group at a certain time providing instruction in a safe manner and then a volunteer will take the kids onto the course for nine holes while he works with another group. This continues all Monday afternoon. Now a few weeks in despite the long day and work load he admits seeing the kids faces makes it all worthwhile.

“Oh, my goodness, that’s all I really wanted to do is expose these kids to hitting that golf shot you know, the one that people hit and they are hooked. I’m just trying to get that moment for each of the kids,” he said.

ON THE COURSE

Christiansen has had a strong start on the course this year to go along with giving back to the game.

He tied for third at the Scotia Wealth Open in Nipawin on June 5. Tuesday at Waskesiu Christiansen picked up his second Lobstick Open win in a row. He outlasted Phil Jonas and Shaun Dunphy winning by a pair of shots at Waskesiu.

You can hear much more from Christiansen below who spoke with Golf Saskatchewan’s Clark Stork last week. *This interview was recorded prior to the Lobstick this week.

The town of Wynyard has a marquee multi-purpose sports facility which is the envy of the region between Yorkton and Humboldt, fortunately for the community along Highway 16, their nine hole golf course is a huge benefactor.

Costing over $8 million the town raised the money themselves without government funding and residents have reaped the rewards since.

Golf Saskatchewan sat down with Co-operative Place Clubhouse Manager Angie Madigan and Superintendent Dale Johnston to discuss the facility and course they call their own.

Lucas Punkari/Prince Albert Daily Herald
Republished with permission

There was little separating Martin Ring, Cliff Selander and Roger Gilhespy at the Waskesiu Golf Course on Thursday evening.

However, it was Mother Nature that had the final say as to who would win the Championship Flight at the 2021 Fountain Tire Senior Men’s Lobstick

A thunderstorm resulted in a playoff being called off after the third extra hole and this year’s title to be shared among the three competitors, who each got their name on the trophy for the first time.

“It got a little scary there at the end,” Selander said. “I’ve played in a bit of lightning before, but up here it’s a different kind of lightning. Your down there by the lake on the third hole and it’s pretty amazing to see the storm there as it started to come through.”

“It would have been nice to have continued on, but the weather just didn’t want to cooperate with us today,” Ring added.

While Selander and Ring have made the drive up from Prince Albert to take part in the tournaments at Waskesiu for years, this week marked the first time Gilhespy had been to the course.

“I was just finishing a round in Chilliwack (where Gilhespy lives) on Sunday afternoon when I got a call from the folks here saying there was a spot open,” he said. “I was pretty happy to jump in my truck and head up here.”

Gilhespy raced up the leaderboard on Wednesday with a three-under par round of 67, which proved to be the best of the week.

“That was just one of those rounds you think about and wish for often,” Gilhespy said. “Everything was working well and my putts were rolling in. It was a lovely day.”

Gilhespy followed up that performance with a round of 73 to finish the week at nine-over par.

Selander, who was tied with Gilhespy for second place in the championship flight going into the final round, saved his best shot of the week for the 18th hole on Thursday as he drained a 40-foot birdie putt to match Gilhespy’s score.

“I knew that I was one shot behind Roger going into that hole and I knew that I had to give the ball a pretty good run if I wanted to have a chance,” Selander said. “I made sure that I hit hard enough and I was able to get it on the right line and it just managed to get in at the front of the hole.”

Ring, who shot a 72 on Thursday, had already finished his round as the final group made their way to the 18th hole.

“Even though I was just ahead of them on the course, I didn’t know where I stood in the standings,” Ring said.

“I was only two shots back going into today, so I knew I had a chance if I could post a good number. I ended up going three-over on the front nine, but I had a strong back nine (which included a birdie on the par-four 15th) and went one-under there.”

Ring and Selander hope to continue their strong play next week as they take part in the Fountain Tire Men’s Lobstick, while Gilhespy plans to return for the 2022 Senior Men’s event.

“The course is lovely and everyone here has been fantastic,” Gilhespy said. “It was definitely an odd finish to the week, but I’m just happy to be in the company of the two fine gentlemen that I tied with.”

Doug Kozak, who led the tournament after the first two rounds, ended up in a tie for fourth with Brad Phelps, who was the runner-up in the 2020 Senior Men’s Lobstick and Men’s Lobstick tournaments.

Rick Hallberg, Rob Karlson and Tony Turay rounded out the Championship Flight.

Defending champion Warren Gnam of Medicine Hat finished second in the First Flight, which was won by Delisle’s Colin Coben.

The other winners from the senior event were as follows:

• Second Flight: Dave Jorgenson and Frank Enns
• Third Flight: Kevin Vollet
• Fourth Flight: Ray Kreinke
• Fifth Flight: Bill Bergeron
• Sixth Flight: Grant McGrath and Larry Wagman
• Seventh Flight: Jamie Harris
• Eighth Flight: Phillip Smith
• Ninth Flight: Rob Friesen
• Tenth Flight: Grant Gudmanson
• Eleventh Flight: Yves Ollivier and Lorne Staples
• Twelfth Flight: Ken Archer
• Thirteen Flight: Bill Boyer
• Fourteenth Flight: Dwayne Schmautz
• Fifteenth Flight: Lee Braaten and Troy Palidwor
• Sixteenth Flight: Ed Collins
• Seventeenth Flight: Kent Gould
• Eighteenth Flight: Patrick Edmunds
• Nineteenth Flight: Carey Krentz
• Twentieth Flight: David Rosom and Chris Schultz
• Twenty-First Flight: Dan Ormsby

Tuffs wins Super Senior event in a playoff

Gary Tuffs road to the Super Senior Championship Flight was a lot different than his previous triumph.

After defeating Blair Sterling by six shots in 2019, the Coleville product went to a playoff with Doug Anderson before capturing his second title in the last three years.

“I was a little fortunate today,” Tuffs said. “When you look at this field, there are so many good golfers that could have won it.”

Unlike the senior championship flight, the super senior playoff didn’t last long as Tuffs tapped in for par on the par-four first hole and watched on as Anderson’s long par putt attempt slid past the hole.

“My iron shot sailed a little more than I thought it would and it ended up on the back of the green,” Tuffs said. “I choked up on my chip and I just had a couple of inches left for that par putt.”

Ray Field, who was tied for the lead with Tuffs going into the final round, ended up three shots back in third place.

Jim Scissons and Doug Piper rounded out the top five, with Bob Klotz, Blair Sterling and Bill Lewis making up the rest of the championship flight.

The other winners from the Super Senior category are as follows:

• First Flight: Fred Smith and Bob Beebe
• Second Flight: Eugene Hritzuk
• Third Flight: Doug Mader
• Fourth Flight: Randy Barkway
• Fifth Flight: Bob Martin and Ken Shaw
• Sixth Flight: Merv Aubichon
• Seventh Flight: Gary Fitz

Friday is the last day to have nomination forms for the 2021 Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame (SGHF) submitted.

Last year with the induction of five individuals the enshrinement list grew to 59 people.

Once elected to the Hall of Fame, nominees are officially inducted at a special ceremony by the Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame. The honoured member’s portrait is then enshrined at the Golf Saskatchewan office and available for viewing on the Golf Saskatchewan website.

Each category has certain criteria to be filled before induction will be approved by the committee. For the player division nominees must:

1. Be an adult, female/male/individual, of any race, colour or creed, not necessarily living at the time of consideration.
2. Be at least, 40 years of age (unless already deceased) at the time of consideration.
3. Be a resident, or former resident with substantial connections to Saskatchewan.
4. Be an amateur or professional golfer during the period of accomplishments; and
5. Be a person who has brought recognition to Saskatchewan primarily through excellence in golf championship play at the international, national, regional, and/or provincial level.

For distinguished service individuals they must meet the following terms:

1. Be an adult, male/female/individual, of any race, colour or creed, not necessarily living at the time of consideration.
2. Have resided and provided a minimum of 10 years of distinguished service in Saskatchewan when most extraordinary contributions to golf were made.
3. Have made a significant contribution to golf in Saskatchewan. However, service to other national, regional, provincial, state or local golf associations may be considered.
4. Be selfless and have devoted service “Above and beyond the call of duty.”

If you wish to nominate someone for induction visit the SGHF website and download the entry form.

In 2020 the induction banquet was cancelled due to COVID-19. The 2021 ceremony is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 18 at Riverside Country Club in Saskatoon.

Details to follow after updates are communicated from the Government of Saskatchewan and the Re-Open Phases.

Shell Lake’s Brooklin Fry has her first tournament win of the season as she claimed the Ladies Northern at Prince Albert’s Cooke Municipal Golf Course on Sunday.

The reigning junior and amateur women’s champion was able to hold off four-time Northern winner Kim Brown and Ella Kozak by just two strokes to claim the title. Fry posted rounds of 75 and 77 for a 36-hole total of 152. The 16-year-old said there was some early season jitters, but she was happy with the win.

“It felt pretty awesome,” she told Golf Saskatchewan. “It definitely put some confidence back under my belt again to start off the year. I was nervous just because it was the first tournament of the year and it’s been a while since I’ve competed, so I got a bit to excited.”

Fry’s 75 on Saturday gave her a one-shot lead over Kozak, Brown, Autumn Neiszner and Kathy Ziglo. She was able to hold off the field on the final day to secure her first victory at the historic tournament that had 63 players in the field. She said picking up the victory early in the season allows her to believe she can win every event she plays.

“Winning this tournament definitely boosted my confidence and I think if I stick to my game and focus one shot at a time I have a chance,” she said.

Fry has full slate of events scheduled for this summer including defending her junior and amateur wins in July. One event she is really looking forward to is the Ladies Lobstick near the end of August. She finished second last year and hopes to improve on that finish later this year.

“I have a couple tournaments lined up for the summer before the Lobstick and I think that will give me lots of practice to improve from last year. I am already looking forward to the Lobstick and competing there, it’s one of my favourite tournaments and I always have a blast.”

The full results of the Ladies Northern can be found here.

Phil Jonas is the 2021 Scotia Wealth Open champion.

The 59-year-old PGA of Saskatchewan member outlasted Kade Johnson Sunday at Nipawin’s Evergreen Golf Course to win by a stroke and take his first championship in the province. Jonas, a four-time Senior PGA major competitor relocated to Saskatoon early last year.

He said after the round that Johnson pushed him through 36 holes.

“I was good for the first seven or eight holes and then I struggled coming in, I didn’t make any putts. My irons weren’t too sharp, I struggled. Kade made a few birdies, he made it tough on me. I actually didn’t know where I stood, I’d lost track, but it turned out okay. Really good golf course, this was a lot of fun,” he said.

The two were paired together the first day of the event as well, both shot 68 to sit tied for first. Jonas jumped out to a five-shot lead just three holes into the second round, but Johnson did turn his game around on the back including birdies on 12, 13, and 14 closing the gap to just a stroke. Johnson had a chance to force a playoff but came up shy with his birdie putt on 18. Jonas parred to claim the title.

“This course isn’t easy, a lot of good amateurs,” Jonas said about the strong field in the tournament that allows both professionals and amateur players. “I think Saskatchewan players need to prouder of how good they are when they play in other provinces. What I’ve seen this week and what I’ve seen at Saskatoon Golf and Country Club, I’m really impressed. I’m glad in my advancing years I am able to sneak this one out.”

The complete results can be found here.

Scotia Wealth returns after one-year hiatus

Not to be lost in low-key celebration of Jonas’ win was the fact the event was back on the Order of Merit schedule after being cancelled due to COVID-19.

The tournament is a highlight for many pros and top-end amateurs and is reflected on as the official start of the competitive golf season in Saskatchewan. Chair Dean Prosky said it was great to have the Open back in 2021.

“It’s just nice to be back, to see the guys, it’s nice to get the event going again. I think the guys really missed it. There were some tournaments last year, but it’s nice to see everyone again after two years. It is great to the golf talent we have, Saskatchewan golf is in a great place,” he said.

The field had 84 players entered this year including many former champions and college players as well as Saskatchewan’s top professionals. Having Jonas’ name added to the trophy will add some luster to its history.

“It’s great, there is a lot of guys that you’d like to see win, Kade is going to win this event one year for sure. It’s great to have Phil on there, he’s had a great career playing tour golf so it’s nice to have him on there. It’s kind of a who’s who that’s won this event so it’s nice to have his name on there,” Prosky added.

Due to interprovincial travel restrictions and other complexities related to COVID-19, Golf Canada has announced additional changes to its championship schedule for the 2021 season.

Provincial restrictions had previously forced the cancellation of U.S. Open Local and Final Qualifiers, in addition to the NextGen Pacific, NextGen Western, and NextGen Ontario Championships. With continued pandemic-related uncertainty, the remaining NextGen Championships – NextGen Prairie (Quarry Oaks, June 10-13), NextGen Quebec (Club de Golf Hemmingford, June 27-30), and NextGen Atlantic (Dundarave Golf Course, July 12-15) – will also be cancelled and the 2021 NextGen National Junior Orders of Merit will not be awarded. In some cases, these NextGen events would have conflicted with provincial junior championships around Canada that are being delayed and rescheduled.

The two NextGen Fall Series Championships in September will proceed as scheduled. Each field will feature 99 junior boys and girls and exemptions into the 2022 Canadian Junior Championships will be awarded.

• NextGen Fall Series East | September 16-19 | Hollinger Golf Club, Timmins, Ont.
• NextGen Fall Series West | September 23-26 | Myrtle Point Golf Club, Powell River, BC

Golf Canada National Amateur Championships are still scheduled to proceed but will only move forward after approval from regional and provincial health authorities. Operational plans for amateur competitions have been adjusted to incorporate rigorous health and safety protocols. Final decisions about the feasibility of conducting national championships will be made approximately four to six weeks prior to the start of each championship. The safety of championship competitors, tournament staff, volunteers, and host site members will remain the top priority guiding these decisions.

At this time, Golf Canada is able to announce the following changes to its National Amateur Championship schedule:

• Interprovincial team competitions that are usually played concurrently with national championships will not be contested in 2021. The increased complexity associated with team competitions – including group travel and the involvement of non-playing team captains – will not allow for them to proceed this year.
• The Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship will move one week later in July and is now scheduled to be hosted by Edmonton Petroleum Golf & Country Club in Edmonton, Alta. from July 26-30. The Canadian Women’s Amateur was last held in Edmonton in 1993. The previously scheduled host, The Royal Montreal Golf Club, has agreed to welcome this national championship in 2025 or 2026, after hosting the Presidents Cup in 2024.
• The Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship will remain in its current date and is now scheduled to be hosted at the Ambassador Golf Club in Windsor, Ont. from August 1-5. The championship—which was previously contested at two courses with a 264-player field—will be reduced to a 156-player field and be contested at one course. The previously scheduled hosts, Le Club Laval-sur-le-Lac and Club de Golf Saint-Raphaël, will explore the possibility of hosting the championship in a future year.
• The Canadian Junior Girls Championship will move one week earlier and is now scheduled to be played at Leduc Golf Club in Leduc, Alta. from July 19-23. The previously scheduled host, Club de Golf Sainte-Marie will play host to this championship in 2025 or 2026.
• The Canadian Men’s Senior Championship is now scheduled to be contested at Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu in La Malbaie, Qué. from September 20-24. The previously scheduled host, Ken-Wo Golf Club in New Minas, N.S. will host in 2025.
• The Canadian University/College Championship has been postponed to October. A host course and date will be confirmed in the near future.
• The Canadian Junior Boys Championship will remain at Club de Golf La Vallée du Richelieu in Sainte-Julie, Qué. from August 8-12. The Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship and the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur & Senior Championship will also remain as scheduled. Fort McMurray Golf Club will host the men from August 23-27 and Golf Château-Bromont will host the women from August 30-September 2.

A complete list of Golf Canada’s competitions is available here.

North Battleford’s Ron Inkster cannot wait to get back on the golf course. Thanks to SaskSport’s ‘Adaptive Sport Grants‘ and Golf Saskatchewan Inkster can utilize a new SoloRider cart that will be housed at the North Battleford Golf and Country Club (NBGCC).

Inkster was on hand on Wednesday at the club when Golf Saskatchewan delivered their third cart of the provincial fleet. He was an avid golfer at the NBGCC before Multiple sclerosis began to limit his mobility six years ago. However, with the SoloRider at his home course Inkster was able to swing again.

“It’s very good, it seems very good to drive,” he said after testing the one-person cart out. “Hitting will take a little bit of practice but at this point in time that’s what I will do is practice.”

Inkster admits he was never a competitive player but enjoyed playing the game on a social level. His wife Zelda was on hand for the delivery and stated it will be great for Ron to get “back with the boys.” Inkster could not hide his excitement for a return to the links as well.

“I have been more a social golfer, and this will be helpful for me to go out with people once in a while, hit the ball, and hopefully not lose too much money,” Inkster joked.

Golf Saskatchewan has a SoloRider at the Silverwood Golf Course in Saskatoon, and the other is available for use at the Royal Regina Golf Club. NBGCC head professional Dana Johnson said he’s excited for Inkster and others to have the option of the cart at his club.

“It makes me so happy for a gentleman like Ron who missed the game of golf for so many years unfortunately and now he’s able to take part again, I am so proud to see him out and I’m so happy for him. You can see the gleam in his eye, he has that golf bug back, it’s great,” Johnson said.

Brian Lee is the executive director of Golf Saskatchewan. He seconded the notion of Inkster’s excitement after the test run of the SoloRider.

“It’s basically a rejoining of some resemblance of normal for a number of folks that may have thought golf was over or time with their friends and family were gone, now this gives them an opportunity to come back. It may not be exactly the way they used to play but they get to be part of the game. Hopefully this will be used at the NBGCC for years and decades to come,” he said.

Randall Kaeys with Spinal Cord Injury Saskatchewan Inc. He added how important initiatives such as the SoloRider placement is too people with injuries.

“Adaptive technologies – like the SoloRider – allow persons with spinal cord injuries and other physical disabilities to stay active within the community, and to continue with activities that may have been enjoyed pre-injury. These adaptive technologies also allow individuals with SCI and other physical disabilities to enjoy new experiences and participate in inclusive activities,” he said.

The SoloRider is available for other clubs in the region to utilize, the same for the carts in Saskatoon and Regina. Anyone interested in more details or availability of the SoloRiders can call Golf Saskatchewan at 306.975.0850.

Ron Stewart is a three-time Saskatchewan amateur champion and has also won the Prince Albert Northern six times.

In 2013 he was honoured for his career with an induction into the Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame.

Stewart and his son David are also one of two father-son tandems in the province’s history to win the Saskatchewan Amateur Championship.

Stewart recently say down with Golf Saskatchewan to discuss his career that spans close to five decades.