Team Toba gears up for games
Golf Manitoba is excited to announce that the men’s and women’s teams that will represent Manitoba in the sport of golf at the 2019 Western Canada Summer Games have been finalized. The teams are as follows:
Men
Braxton Kuntz
Noah Fiks
Adam Ingram
Carter Johnson
Trey Ross
Women
Cala Korman
Crystal Zamzow
Armaan Dhillon
Jeri Lafleche
Sarah Farmer
Head Coach
Garth Goodbrandson, PGA of Canada
Manager
Bri-ann Tokariwski, PGA of Canada
The training program for the games started in early January of 2019 when Golf Manitoba selected twenty-five girls and boys ages 16 and under. Training consisted of weekly practices at the Golf Dome, an athlete fitness combine and rules seminars. At the start of the golf season, the training squad also participated on the junior teams that competed in the Mundie Putter and Nassau leagues. As part of the team selection process, the players competed in a number of junior events concluding with the Manitoba Junior Championship. The program has been led by Golf Manitoba’s Director of Player Development and 2018 PGA of Manitoba Coach of the Year, Garth Goodbrandson. Also helping with the program was Elmhurst Assistant Professional Bri-Ann Tokariwski and the University of Manitoba Bison men’s and women’s golf teams.
As a final preparation for the games, the teams recently attended a coaching and preparation seminar that was lead by Team Canada Men’s Olympic Golf Coach and Head Coach of the Men’s National Amateur Team and coach to multiple PGA Tour winners, Derek Ingram.
At the Games, teams will compete in both a 54-hole individual stroke-play event and a 36-hole team event at the Chinook Golf Course August 13-18. More information about golf at the games is available on the Wester Canada Summer Games website.
About the Western Canada Summer Games
The Western Canada Summer Games were officially launched in Regina, August 1975, in a pre-Olympic Games year, along with the decision to hold the Games every four years, one year ahead of the Olympic Games and using the same 23 summer sports disciplines.
The Western Canada Summer Games are intended to provide development opportunities for amateur athletes and to help them advance their skills in a competitive, but friendly environment. The Games also serve to broaden the exposure of talented athletes and provide a training ground for national and international level competitions. Social and cultural elements round out the sporting events for athletes.
This year, over 1,700 athletes, coaches, officials and mission staff from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut will be attending the 10 days of competition. These athletes, ages 13 – 20 years old, are our country’s next generation of national, international, Olympic and Paralympic champions.
For more information about Team Toba and Sport Manitoba’s involvement in multi-sport games, please visit the Sport Manitoba website.
Team Manitoba begins play at the Canadian Women’s Amateur
The 2019 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship is officially underway. This year’s event is being played at the Red Deer Golf & Country Club from July 23-26. Representing Team Manitoba in the inter-provincial competition are Marissa Naylor of Pine Ridge Golf Club, Veronica Vestesnik of Southwood Golf & Country Club and Hannah Diamond of St. Charles Country Club. The team of three will play 36-holes with the best two scores of three counting toward the team total.
Also in the field from Manitoba include Shannon Wales of Glendale Golf & Country Club, Bobbi Uhl of Shilo Country Club and 2019 Diamond Athletic Women’s Amateur Champion Greer Valaquenta who plays out of Southwood Golf & Country Club.
View the leaderboard >> bit.ly/2YccfLV
Colwyn Abgrall wins Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship
WINNIPEG, MB – In a rematch of sorts, Colwyn Abgrall of Southwood Golf & Country Club claimed the 2019 Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship at the Quarry Oaks Golf Course.
After three rounds of 71-71-72, Abgrall found himself in the final group with first round leader and 2019 Match Play Champion Austin Dobrescu who plays out of the Shilo Country Club. The two were no strangers to one another as they met earlier this year in the Match Play Championship Final. But for Abgrall, the outcome was in his favour this time around. Dobrescu made things interesting with a birdie on the 70th hole to tie for the lead at 1-under, however Abgrall made birdie on the 72nd hole to post a final round even-par score of 72 for four-day total of 286 and a two shot victory over Dobrescu; Abgrall was the only player to score under par for the championship.
Finishing in third place was Jordy Lutz of Elmhurst Golf & Country Club who finished seven shots behind of Abgrall on rounds of 74-74-72-73. Abgrall, Dobrescu and Lutz will now represent Golf Manitoba, the province and their homes clubs in the 2019 Willingdon Cup inter-provincial team competition that will take place at the 115th Golf Canada Men’s Amateur Championship August 5-8 at the Glen Arbour Golf Course and The Links at Brunello in Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia.
August will turn out to be a busy month for Abgrall who also recently qualified to compete in the U.S. Amateur that will take place August 11-18 at the Pinehurst Resort & Country Club. Abgrall earned one of two spots in the championship by finishing second in the sectional qualifier held at the Fargo Country Club on July 8, 2019.
Call for volunteers for Players Cup
The volunteer link can be found at http://playerscup.golf/
About the Players Cup: The Players Cup first began as The Manitoba Open in 1919, one of the oldest golf tournaments in North America. Karl Keefer won that year and kicked off a Manitoba tradition that has lasted over 90 years. In 1998 it was renamed the MTS Classic and later the Free Press Manitoba Classic. In 2008 it became the Players Cup we all know today.
The Players Cup joined the newly formed Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada in 2013 and quickly became a premier event on the national circuit that is now the official first step to the PGA TOUR.
The Mackenzie Tour features some of the best up and coming golfers looking to take that step toward their dream of playing on golf’s greatest stage as they compete for their share of the Players Cup’s $175,000 purse. Many Mackenzie Tour champions have gone on to notable careers on the PGA TOUR including 2009 Players Cup Champion Graham DeLaet, Mike Weir, David Hearn, Tony Finau, Nick Taylor and Steve Stricker.
Quarry Oaks Golf Course set to host 2019 Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship
Quarry Oaks Golf Course is set to host the 2019 Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship. 2018 champion Justin McDonald of Breezy Beed Country Club is in the field of 80+ players who will tee it up July 15-18.
All four rounds of the championship will be contested on the Desert-Quarry rotation of the 27-hole facility. According to Head PGA of Canada Golf Professional Darren Hayden, the two courses are very different in look and playability. The Desert is a target based course that puts a premium on accuracy and shot placement. The Quarry nine includes plenty of tree-lined holes and penalty areas that will test the player’s ability to commit to shot execution. Both nines offer an opportunity to play some holes aggressively but at the risk of taking high numbers. Weather conditions are also known to shift quickly during the round which will also test both the patience and endurance of the field.
Hayden also commented that that course is in excellent condition. The greens have been rolling well and have been receptive all year long and the fairways are giving up some roll which will help to soften the 6,641 yard layout. The turning point of the championship could come on the Quarry nine that features the unique island green 6th hole, that will play the 15th hole in the championship. The 167 par-3 island green will put a huge premium on club selection and yardage control.
Hayden said the course set up will be challenging, but fair with daily conditions dictating hole and tee placements.
For more information about Quarry Oaks, visit their website at quarryoaks.ca
For more information about the Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship including live scoring, visit our championship page or follow Golf Manitoba on Twitter.
About Nott Autocorp: Nott Autocorp’s mission is to provide the most comfortable buying experience by delivering affordable luxury and exceptional service in a unique atmosphere. The Nott’s are heavily involved in many community charitable events and understand the importance of strong example of integrity and leadership which has been an underlying principle in their success. Nott Luxury Auto & Art Gallery is located at 1322 Waverley Street (at the corner of Waverley & McGillivray) where you can shop indoors in their 20,000 sq. ft. showroom and view art from local artists. Learn about our Nott Autocorp at nott.ca.
About Golf Manitoba: Golf Manitoba is the governing body for golf in the province of Manitoba and North West Ontario. Its mission is to develop, promote, govern and service the sport of golf in Manitoba and North West Ontario for the benefit of all participants.
Gregoire and Armstrong take junior titles
Mother Nature held back just long enough for Kate Gregoire of Quarry Oaks Golf Course and Jacob Armstrong of St. Boniface Golf Club to capture the 2019 Golf Manitoba Junior Women’s and Men’s Championships.
On a rain soaked final round at Elmhurst Golf & Country Club, Gregoire played her best round of the three day event posting a 7-over score of 80 to compliment her two previous back-to-back rounds of 84 for a 13 shot victory over Mikala Albert who finished at 261 on rounds of 90-87-84. Finishing alone in third place was Cala Korman of Kilarney Lakeside Golf Club who finished at 267 with rounds of 87-89-91. Gregoire, Albert and Korman will make up the 2019 junior women’s inter-provincial team that will represent Golf Manitoba and the province at the 2019 Golf Canada Canadian Junior Women’s Championship being held July 30-August 2 at the Lethbridge Country Club in Lethbridge, Alberta.
Age group champions:
12 & under: Jeri Lafleche, Clear Lake Golf Course
13 & 14: Cala Korman, Kilarney Lakeside Golf Course
15 & 16: Sarah Farmer, St. Charles Country Club
17 & 18: Kate Gregoire, Quarry Oaks Golf Course
View complete junior women’s results >>
On the junior men’s side, Jacob Armstrong put together his strongest round of the four-day championship with a 2-under par 69 that included a string of three birdies in a row on holes 13 through 15. Armstrong, who went 5 under on his last 11 holes, moved past 54-hole leader Braxton Kuntz of Breezy Bend Country Club. Kuntz posted a respectable final round of 75 in very difficult conditions to finish just two back of Armstrong at 295. Finishing alone in third place was first round leader Neel Soni who plays out of St. Charles Country Club. Soni also posted a final round 75 to finish 10-shots back at 303. Armstrong, Kuntz and Soni will represent Golf Manitoba, the province and their home clubs at the 2019 Golf Canada Canadian Junior Boy’s Championship being held August 12-15 at Covered Bridge Golf & Country Club in Hartland, New Brunswick.
Age group champions:
12 & under: Terrence Rafferty (on a countback), Southwood Golf & Country Club
13 & 14: Jack Taylor, Elmhurst Golf & Country Club
15 & 16: Braxton Kuntz, Breezy Bend Country Club
17 & 18: Jacob Armstrong, St. Boniface Golf Club
View the complete junior boys results >>
The 2019 junior inter-club championship was also decided during the first two rounds of the junior championship. A new format for 2019 saw teams of three compete over 36-holes. The low two scores for each day would count toward the overall club total. The team from Pine Ridge (Josh Shuster, Ryan Blair and Hayden Chaloner) took the title with a two-day score of 305 beating Breezy Bend (Braxton Kuntz, Tazio Cianflone and Jordan McDonald) who posted 311.
Valaquenta and Johnson claim victory at the 2019 Diamond Athletic Women’s Amateur and Men’s Mid-Amateur Championships
It took an extra hole but Eric Johnson is the 2019 Diamond Athletic Men’s Mid-Amateur Champion. Johnson, who plays out of Breezy Bend County Club, made a par on the first hole of a sudden death playoff against Todd Fanning of Niawka Country Club. Johnson fired a final round 69 for a three day total of 208. Fanning shot a final round of 68 to also finish at 208 to earn a spot in the playoff against Johnson. Mike Tibbs of Breezy Bend finished alone in third place shooting a final day round of 72 to finish two shots back at 210. Johnson, Fanning and Tibbs will make up the provincial team that will represent the province at the 2019 Golf Canada Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship that will take place August 20-23 at the Summit Golf Club in Toronto, Ontario.
View the men’s final leaderboard >>
Greer Valaquenta of Southwood Golf & Country Club is the 2019 Diamond Athletic Women’s Amateur Championship. Valaquenta played steady golf over three days on rounds of 73-78-75 for a 3 shot victory over Hannah Diamond of St. Charles Country Club. Finishing in third place and just four shots back was Marissa Naylor of Pine Ridge Golf Club.
Hannah Diamond, Marissa Naylor and Veronica Vetesnik will form the team that will represent Manitoba in the 2019 Golf Canada Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship being held July 23-26 at the Red Deer Golf & Country Club in Red Deer, Alberta. Based on her primary residency not being in the Golf Manitoba district, Valaquenta is ineligible to play on team Manitoba.
View the women’s final leaderboard >>
For more information:
Jared Ladobruk
Executive Director
Golf Manitoba
jared@golfmb.ca
204-925-5729
Diamond Athletic Women’s Amateur & Men’s Mid-Amateur round 1 re-cap
The first round of the 2019 Diamond Athletic Women’s Amateur & Men’s Mid-Amateur is in the books in what turned out to be a sunny but windy day at the Selkirk Golf & Country Club.
On the men’s side, Eric Johnson and Mike Tibbs of Breezy Bend Country Club sit atop the leaderboard fashioning 1-under par rounds of 70. Curtis Markusson of St. Charles Country Club shot an ever par round of 71 to sit alone in third place. Breezy Bend is all over the top of the leaderboard with defending champ Justin McDonald shooting a one-over par round of 72 to sit in a tie for third with Dwayne Heinrichs of Bel Acres. Lurking just a few shots behind are club mates Garth Collings and Jesse Skelton, also of Breezy Bend, matching cards with 2-over par rounds of 73. Also in a tie for sixth and shooting 73’s are Ben Bandura of Elmhurst Golf & Country Club and Ryan Terdik of Pine Ridge Golf Club.
In the Women’s Amateur, Greer Valaquenta of Southwood Golf & Country Club shot a two-over round of 73 to sit alone in first. Marissa Naylor of Pine Ridge is in second with 77 and Charmaine Mackid, of Breezy Bend, is in third shooting a seven-over par round of 78. 2018 defending champion Camryn Roadley of Southwood opened with an 84 to sit 11 shots back and in 8th place.
Round 2 goes tomorrow at Selkirk staring at 8am.
MacKid, Valaquenta & Zamzow take titles at Carman
Charmain MacKid of Breezy Bend Country Club took top honours in the 2019 City & District women’s golf championship held June 22 & 23 at the Carman Golf & Curling Club. MacKid, on rounds of 80 and 77, edged Greer Valaquenta of Southwood Golf & Country Club for a two stroke victory. Marissa Naylor of Pine Ridge Golf Club finished alone in third place shooting a two day total of 165 and eight shots back of MacKid. With the win, MacKid has won back-to-back City & District titles.
City & District Full Results >>
In the Junior Boy’s Bantam Championship, Feanor Valaquenta of Southwood Golf & Country Club was the overall junior champion on rounds of 77 and 81 for a 168 total. Valaquenta finished just two shots ahead of Jack Taylor of Elmhurst Golf & Country Club and ten shots ahead of Lorien Valaquenta also of Southwood.
In the Junior Girls’s Bantam Championship, Crystal Zamzow of Swam River Golf & Country Club shot rounds of 92 and 87 for a six shot victory over Cala Korman of Kilarney Lakeside Golf Club.
In the Junior Bantam 13 & 14 girl’s age division, first place went to Armaan Dhillon of Elmhurst Golf & Country Club. In the 12 and under girl’s division, first place went to Jeri Lafleche of Clear Lake Golf Course.
In the Junior Bantam 13 & 14 boy’s age division, first place went to Grady Chuback of St. Charles Country Club. Lorien Valaquenta of Southwood Golf & Country Club was the 12 & under boy’s champion.
First Golf Manitoba major of the year tees off July 2-4
The 2019 Golf Manitoba major championship season tees off July 2-4 with the Diamond Athletic Men’s Mid-Amateur & Women’s Amateur Championships. Both events will be contested at the Selkirk Golf & Country Club.
Selkirk Golf & Country Club has hosted many Golf Manitoba events and championships and will be a great test of golf. The course plays anywhere from 5761-6520 yards, to a Par of 71 for Men and 73 for Women. Almost every fairway is tree lined and calls for accurate tee shots. The green speed will be a test for the field traditionally running at a speed of 10 on the stimp meter and are known for their many undulations.
Both defending champions will lead the 95+ player field. Justin McDonald of Breezy Bend will defend his 2018 Mid-Amateur title and Camryn Roadley of Southwood Golf & Country Club will defend her 2018 Women’s Amateur title.
Diamond Athletic is the host sponsor for 2019 and with that brings some event enhancements including an increased travel honouraium for those players who qualify to represent Team Manitoba in the Golf Canada Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship and the Golf Canada Women’s Amateur Championship as well complimentary access to the Selkirk practice facility for all competitors during the competition.
For more information about the Diamond Athletic Men’s Mid-Amateur and Women’s Amateur including scoring, please visit our competitive schedule page at golfmb.ca.
About Diamond Athletic Medical Supplies:
Diamond Athletic Medical Supplies is a local family-run supplier of athletic and medical supplies and has been in business since 1946. Diamond Athletic is located at 75 Poseidon Bay, Unit 185 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Learn more at diamondathletic.com.
For more information:
Jared Ladobruk
Executive Director
Golf Manitoba
204.925.5730
jared@golfmb.ca