By Dunc Mills:

The recent hot August weather continued this afternoon as 55 junior golfers from as far away as Edmonton and Lethbridge stopped in at the Strathmore Golf Club for today’s stop on the McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Tour.  The kids played in the heat of the day as temperatures reached 32C with a stiff breeze making conditions even more challenging.  When play had concluded, Kole Keenas, 17, had posted a superb 3-birdie, no-bogey 69 to earn the title of Strathmore Junior Boys’ Champion.  Keenas had called the Strathmore layout his home course for years, but he now plays out of  Country Hills GCC in Calgary.  Bogey-free rounds are rare commodities in most players’ careers, and this was an especially outstanding achievement given the heat, strong winds, and challenging hole locations. Keenas ‘ round was the Low Overall Gross score and tops in the U19 age division.

Ottavio Lutterotti of Lethbridge Country Club fired an excellent round of even-par 72 to finish 2nd overall and took the U17 age group in the process. Tobias Buffam of Valley Ridge GC, also competing in the U17 flight,  was two shots further back in third place overall with a 2-over 74.

The two younger boys’ flights were captured by Jackson Wesley of Paradise Canyon Golf Resort in Lethbridge, who posted a 4-over par 76 to win the U15 division, while Bennett Love of the Red Deer GCC took top honours in the boys’ U13 age group with a 78.

Bennett Love U13 Boys Low Gross

We had a nice group of 11 junior girls on hand today, including some youngsters getting their first taste of competitive junior golf.  The conditions were a challenge for some of these youngsters, but that’s part of the learning process these kids seem to revel in as they launch their junior golf careers. Full marks to all the boys and girls who were getting their first exposure of junior golf competition today.

We were concerned about the weather forecast that indicated some late afternoon thunderstorms might come through the Strathmore area in the early evening, and erring perhaps on the side of caution, we cut short the junior girls’ competition to nine holes from the originally planned full round of 18 holes.  Young Hannah Thomas, 12, of The Glencoe, bested all the older girls, firing a fine 5-over par score of 41, edging her clubmate Charlotte Mix by a single shot.  Mix’s score was best in the U15 division while Hannah’s round was good for both the overall Low Gross title as well as tops in the U13 flight.

Olivia Johnson of Silver Springs , competing in the U15 age group, was third overall with a 7-over 43, while Edie Nicholson of Willow Park came out ahead in the girls’ U17 division with a 44.  We want to thank the entire girls’ flight for their cooperation and understanding of our decision to cut their round short to nine holes.

The Tour moves back north next week for three events.  The always-popular Stony Plain Jr Open goes on Monday with a strong field entered, followed up on Tuesday in Westlock for a new host site on the Tour schedule, and the third event in three days on Wednesday in Wainwright.  We believe last-minute entries are available for both the Westlock and Wainwright tournaments.  Contact Jackson Meier of Alberta Golf to check on entry availability.