By Dunc Mills:

The largest field of the 2023 McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Tour season , 87 players in total including a terrific total of 23 junior girls, was on hand this morning at the absolutely immaculately groomed Old Central Highlands Golf Club.  With no disrespect to many other fine courses on the Tour, the Olds layout was easily the best-conditioned course the juniors have had the pleasure of competing on so far this summer.  The club is blessed to be located in the heart of some of the finest farmland in the world, but props to the course superintendent and his team for their attention to detail and the overall spectacular conditioning.

What a treat to see the nearly two dozen junior girls on hand today, ranging from Edie Nicholson of Calgary, the 2022 Tour Champion, to some younger girls enjoying the thrill of their very first junior competition.   Nicholson has had a very busy summer so far, with provincial U19s, Golf Canada Next Gen events and club tournaments keeping her agent (translation = mom) fully occupied organizing her competitive schedule.  Nicholson played well in her first McLennan Ross Tour of the summer, firing a steady 77 but Justine Leon of Lakeside GC in Chestermere led the way with a fine 2-over par 74, which was low gross in  the girls’ U15 division and low overall. Leon was even-par with a few holes remaining in her round from the 9 a.m. shotgun start, but a late double bogey derailed her effort to get around in par or less.

Justine Leon

Sophie Dhaliwal of Wingfield GC fired a 76 to capture the U17 flight, a score matched by Alessandra Sunquist of Willow Park from the U15 age group.  Hannah Thomas of The Glencoe paved the way in the U13 flight with an 83. Ally Chieu of Country Hills GCC was the only girl entered in the U19 division as the Tour continues its trend of helping launch the competitive careers of many of the young up-and-comers in Alberta junior golf.

Mateo Kern of Canyon Meadows blistered the Olds course this morning with a fine 3-under par 69, earning him the right to have his name engraved alongside Leon’s on the club’s beautiful permanent Junior Open trophy. Kern circled five birdies in his round, offset by a pair of bogeys. Brooks Newfield of Red Deer GCC shot a nifty 1-over 73 to easily capture the boys U13 division and although that age group played a slightly shorter course, Newfield’s round is notable nonetheless. Four players from the U17 division finished T2 overall  with 2-over 74s: Noah Graham of Calgary GCC, Gavin Wrathall of Lakeside, Noah Kehler of Lynx Ridge, and Beckham Chieu of Country Hills.

Mateo Kern

Boys U15 champion today was Kade Trefanenko from The LInks at Spruce Grove.  Kade’s 76 nipped Parker Stengler of Paradise Canyon in Lethbridge by a single shot in the flight. Brady Bruns of Lacombe joined the crowd on 74, which was good to win the U19 age group.

The Tour moves back north on Thursday to Montgomery Glen GC in Wetaskiwin, a long-standing fixture on the Tour dating back to 1997.  I just hope the course dodged some of the day-long rain the Edmonton area got hit with today, or the kids might be wearing hip waders!