By Dunc Mills:

Firsts are fun.

Your first car.  Your first job. Your first win.

We had two ‘firsts’ yesterday at the sold-out McKenzie Meadows Junior Open, held over the well groomed fairways and greens of the McKenzie Meadows Golf Club in southeast Calgary.  Sela Ogada of Sirocco GC in Calgary snagged her first McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Tour win at the tender age of 12, firing a lifetime best score of 77 in the junior girls’ division.

On the boys’ side, Jadan Patel of Woodside Golf Course in Airdrie also took down his first Tour win with a fine score of 1-under par 71.

We had nine junior girls on hand on Monday from the field of 60 players on hand from as far away as Edmonton and Lethbridge. Sela’s score was tops in the U15 flight, and best overall, while Sophie Dhaliwal of Wingfield GC was best in the U19 division with an 80, tying for overall runner-up with Olivia Johnson of Silver Springs GCC.

In the boys’ U13 flight, Bennett Love of the Red Deer GCC had 14 pars on his card but a few doubles pushed his score up to 77, still good to capture his age group by 4 strokes over Brooks Newfield of River Bend GC in Red Deer.  George Matheos of Elbow Springs GCC was third on 84.

The boys’ U15 winner on Monday was Ryan Johnson (77) of Silver Springs as both Johnson siblings ‘cashed’.  Johnson nipped Chase Smith of Cottonwood GCC by a single shot in the flight, with Earl Grey’s Luke Regan completing the podium with an 80.

Scores in the boys’ U17 were a little better overall as we had more lower-handicap competitors on hand in this division.  Mateo Kern of Canyon Meadows looked to be the morning-line favorite on the online betting services   (I’m KIDDING!) based on his 1-handicap. Form held, as Mateo’s 75 topped the age group by two strokes over Carnmoney’s Patrick McLarty with Kyler Beaugrand another shot back in third in the flight with a 78.

Kyler, I can’t read my own scrawl on the starting sheet and I can’t remember your home club!  My bad.

In the boys’ U19 flight, Patel’s 71 was 10 shots clear of runner-up Caden Hudson from Airdrie’s Apple Creek GC.  Patel’s round was a model of consistency, as he sprinkled three birdies around only two bogies to earn his first Tour win. Tyler Brown of Strathmore took third place in the age group with an 83.

The Tour is nicely underway now, with multiple events a week on tap for the rest of the summer.  One great trend I would like to comment on after four events in the books on the 2022 schedule is the wonderful deportment displayed by the kids.  We all know that golf can be very frustrating at times, and it’s a game of mistakes, but I haven’t seen ONE display of excessive temper or poor sportsmanship from any competitor so far this summer.  The kids are out there learning and all trying their best, and they have been great ambassadors for junior golf.  Keep up the good work, players!

Get on the Tour website here and get entered for more McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Tour events over the rest of July and August.  Some events are fuil with a wait list but spots are still open for most of the remaining tournaments on the schedule. Get in on the fun and great competition!