Alberta Golf (Crossfield) – By Dunc Mills

The beauty about junior golf, and golf in general for that matter, is the variety of palettes from which golfers get to paint their  performances.  After yesterday’s fantastic scenery in Canmore with the Three Sisters Mountains staring down on the kids at the Canmore GCC layout, the McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Tour today moved a half hour north of Calgary to Crossfield’s Collicutt Siding GC.  Despite the lack of rain for weeks in the Calgary area, the grounds crew at Collicutt Siding had the course in remarkably good shape for a sold out field of 54 juniors.  Presenting a more ‘links’ style to the players with wide fairways and wind sweeping across the prairie, the course offered up a different, but no less challenging test for the kids.

Sebastian Berube, 15, of Priddis Greens GCC in Calgary, earned his first Tour win of the season with a fine score of 1-under par 71.  Paired with Kole Keenas, 16, of Strathmore, the defending champion from the 2020 Crossfield event,  Berube had been ahead all day until the duo got to their 18th hole in the shotgun start.  Berube was cruising along at 3-under par with a three stroke lead at that point and was perhaps prematurely polishing his trophy acceptance speech.  But we require the competitors to play all 18 holes and a last hole double bogey made the final result a nail-biter.  Keenas posted an even-par 72 in defence of his 2020 title to finish a single shot back in solo second. Jalen Apedoe, 12, of Serenity GC, and Reid Williamson, 16, of Olds, finished T3 on 74.  Both Berube and Keenas qualified for the season-ending Tour Championship at Wolf Creek Golf Resort with their efforts today.

In the junior girls division, Sophie Dhaliwal of Calgary’s Wingfield GC ( formerly known as Silverwing) shot a steady 77 this morning, two shots clear of Olivia Hoffman of Stewart Creek, to take low gross honours over 11 other junior girl competitors.  The turnout of junior girls remains very strong this year (22 yesterday in Canmore) after a surge of interest with girls and junior golf in general last year during the COVID pandemic. The number of girls competing along with many fresh new faces in the boys division bodes very well for the future of the game in Alberta. Dhaliwal had previously qualified for Wolf Creek, but Hoffman’s play today earned her a spot in the Tour Championship field.  Other Tour Championship spots  went to Aliyah Hull (88) from the girls U13 flight, and Carla Van Remmen of Pinebrook (83) from the girls’ U17 division.

Sophie Dhaliwal (L) and Sebastian Berube (R) 

Other boys Tour Championship spots today went to:

Jaiden Rudyk , Woodside , U13

Mateo Kern, Canyon Meadows, U15

Trey Smith, Speargrass GC, U19

Jake Gococo, Willow Park, U15 (Wild Card)

The Tour caravan moves north of Red Deer the rest of this week for the Montgomery Glen Junior Open on Wednesday in Wetaskiwin, and the only 36-hole event on the 2021 schedule Thursday and Friday at Goose Hummock Golf Resort just north of Gibbons.