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.