Youngsters Shining In Alberta Golf Championship Events

By Gord Montgomery, Senior Writer, Inside Golf

Good training and lots of talent have propelled two young Alberta golfers into the realm of provincial champions.

In both the Men’s Amateur and the Ladies Amateur Championships hosted by Alberta Golf, two youths showed they know not only how to play the game, but also how to handle the pressures of a big competition.

On the women’s side of the coin, 15-year-old Eileen Park from Red Deer Golf & Country Club overcame a small deficit to start the final day of play, going on to post a great round of 3-under par to capture the title. Park, who is no stranger to big-time finishes, hit all 18 greens in regulation at the host site, the River Spirit GC, situated just outside of Calgary. As a result, Park birdied three holes to overtake final-round leader Jenna Bruggeman from the Derrick Golf & Winter Club in Edmonton to capture the win.

On the men’s side, another young player, Brett Jones, 17, playing out of the Glencoe G&CC in Calgary, won a thrilling playoff against Barrett Jarosch. Despite giving up a three-shot lead with nine to play, Jones kept his cool. He went down by two with three to play but managed a sterling comeback to extend the tournament and won with a par on the third extra hole at the Derrick Golf & Winter Club in Edmonton.

15-Year-Old Eileen Park Took Home The Trophy For The Women’s Amateur Championship. (Photo Courtesy Of Alberta Golf)

While the young guns were hard at work, it didn’t mean the older generation of golfers were basking in the shade. At the great Trestle Creek Golf Resort, west of Edmonton, Christopher Thayer enjoyed some Alberta hospitality as he captured this year’s Men’s Mid-Masters title. Thayer, from Denver, CO, and a member of the Alberta Golf Public Players Club, walked away with the title, thanks to three superb rounds of 69-70-72 to finish -5. He won by six strokes over Brian Laubman from the Highlands GC in Edmonton and Tom McKinlay, Jr. from Lacombe who each finished at plus-1 over the 54-hole event.

Returning to the younger players, at the U-19 Championship held in Olds, Ryan Gillis from the Pinebrook G&CC scorched the rural layout finishing at -10, largely thanks to carding a superb 64 on the final day, to win by five shots over Tate Bruggeman from the Derrick G&WC in Edmonton. On the girls’ side, Sarah Armstrong from Desert Blume in Medicine Hat took top honours after edging Tessa Ion from Pinebrook G&CC in a playoff.

Championship golf, hosted by Alberta Golf, continues throughout the summer with several more major tournaments scheduled to tee off in the next couple of months.