By Dunc Mills:

The McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Tour has been stopping at Henderson Lake GC in Lethbridge since 1997, and today was one of the most pleasant days we have ever had for weather.  Warm sunny skies and light breezes greeted 58 juniors from across southern Alberta with one player from Edmonton and another from Kansas City, Missouri!  I think that kid has an early lead for  the “Long Distance Award” for the season.

After only two junior girls were  on hand for the season-opening event on Tuesday in Barrhead, we were pleased to see a strong field of eight junior girls this morning in Lethbridge.  Aliyah Hull of Willow Park fired a terrific 75 to easily capture both the Girls’ U15 age division and the Overall Low Gross Championship. Her Willow Park clubmate Alessandra Sundquist was a distant 13 shots back in runner-up with an 88.  Kyra Tovee of Carnmoney GCC captured the combined Girls U19/ U17  age group with a 93.

Aliyah Hull Girls U15 Champion

Kyra Tovee U17 Girls Champion

The entry numbers and the talent in the Junior Boys division was spread fairly  equally over the U15, U17 and U19 age groups, but this is certainly not to ignore the two Boys’ U13 participants, as Spencer Forsyth of Paradise Canyon’s 99 was good for first place in the youngest age group.

Low Gross winner in the U15 flight was 14 year-old Parker Stengler who made the trip across town from Paradise Canyon Golf Resort well worth his while. Stengler  fired a 5-over par 75, 9 shots clear of runner-up Brayden Gunn of Lethbridge CC.  Jacob Taylor made his trip from Gleniffer Lake Golf Resort near Red Deer worth his while with a 3rd-place finish on 86.

Parker Stengler u15 Boys Champion

Boys’ U17 winner this afternoon was 16-year-old Landon Kuryvial of Taber, whose 4-over 74 was not only tops in his age bracket, but good for a 1-stroke margin of victory for the Overall Low Gross Championship over the aforementioned Parker Stengler.

Landon Kuryvial U17 Boys Champion

Jackson Johnson of Lethbridge CC was silver medalist in the U17 flight with a 76, with Ottavio Lutterotti of Lethbridge CC and Jackson Wesley of the Public Player Club finishing T3 in this age division with matching 77s.

The U19 division also featured some strong play, led by Jeremy Hart of Sirocco GC with a 76, one shot clear of Seth Murphy of the Public Player Club. Zaeden Trinh of Paradise Canyon was third in this flight with an 81.

Jeremy Hart U19 Boys Champion

FULL FLIGHT WINNERS HERE

Taryn Sanderson Girls U19 Champion

Madison McCauley U13 Girls Champion

Spencer Forsyth U13 Boys Champion

Two events will be featured on Monday, July 10th, one in southern Alberta at Calgary’s McKenzie Meadows GC, and another tournament scheduled at the Grande Prairie GCC to give juniors in the more northern reaches of Alberta a McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Tour event a little closer to home.  Two Tour events are featured later in the week in the Edmonton area,  with tournaments at Camrose on Wednesday and Mundare’s Whitetail Crossing GC on Thursday.  These events will give some of the newer tournament players their time to shine as most of the province’s top players and McLennan Ross Tour alums will be competing in the Alberta Golf U19 Championships at the Turner Valley GC from Tuesday through Thursday.

There are many more McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Tour competitions coming throughout the rest of July and August. Please visit the Tour website at www.albertagolfjuniors.org for entry information.