Alberta Junior Tour hits RedTail Landing
Alberta Golf (Nisku) –
By Dunc Mills
A busy four-events-in-four-days week got off to a rousing start today at Redtail Landing GC at Nisku. Situated by the new horse race track near the Edmonton International Airport, today’s tournament featured some solid play from over 40 juniors on hand from across Alberta, and highlighted by the Tour’s first sudden-victory playoff of the 2019 season.
Reid Casavant of Westlock made a sensational greenside bunker shot to a foot on the first hole of the playoff and his resultant par was good for the victory over Devin Kucy of Camrose. Both players fired excellent rounds of 3-over par 75, considering the strong winds that buffetted the Redtail Landing layout, site of last summer’s Sun Life Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship. Jaiden Webber of the Royal Mayfair and Broadmoor’s Jarrett Bossert finished T3 a shot back on 76. Spencer Florchuk of Stony Plain completed the Top Five a further stroke back with a 77.
Reid Casavant (R) accepts congratulations from Devin Kucy (L) after capturing the Redtail Landing Jr. Open in a sudden death playoff.
Casavant, Webber and Florchuk were among the new qualifiers today for the season-ending Tour Championship coming up on August 23 at Wolf Creek Golf Resort. Other qualifiers today included Glendale’s Evan Couch (80) from the flight for boys born in 2005 & later, and Couch’s clubmate Ethan Wilson (78) who snagged a Wild Card spot.
Six junior girls were in the field today, and chalk held. (That’s a horse racing term, which seems appropriate because players could watch the thoroughbreds doing their morning workouts on the race track next to the 5th fairway.) Jayla Kucy of Camrose, the 2018 girls’ Tour Champion, won her third 2019 event in three starts with an 81, four shots clear of runner-up Brynne Davies of Earl Grey GCC in Calgary. Suriya Suleman of the Royal Mayfair earned the Tour Championship spot up for grabs with her third-place finish.
The Tour heads an hour south down the QEII tomorrow for the Ponoka Junior Open, one of the four remaining charter members of the Tour dating back to 1996. Two more tournaments in the Calgary area are featured later this week; McKenzie Meadows GC in Calgary on Wednesday for an 8 a.m. shotgun start and then east to Strathmore on Thursday for a 9 a.m. lid-lifter. Entries are still open for both Calgary events, so give the courses a call to get in some good junior golf competition this week.
Boys Born in 2000/01/02
1. Devin Kucy, Camrose – 75 PQ
T2. Jaiden Webber, Royal Mayfair – 76 Q
T2. Jarrett Bossert, Broadmoor – 76 PQ
4. Spencer Florchuk, Stony Plain – 77 WC
5. Connor Kurysh, Glendale – 80
6. Ethan Couch, Glendale – 81
Boys Born in 2003 & 2004
1. Reid Casavant, Westlock – 75 Q
2. Ethan Wilson, Glendale – 78 WC
3. Rory Wutzke, Camrose – 81
4. David Stang – 85
5. Kaiden Wolfe, Ponoka – 87
6. Brody Theophile, Stony Plain – 92
Boys Born in 2005 & Later
1. Evan Couch, Glendale – 80 Q
T2. Peter Hlushak, Stony Plain – 84
T2 Carson Devlin, Windermere – 84
T4. Jace Shannon, Forestburg – 87
T4. Sahaj Klair, Redtail Landing – 87
6. Scott Levey, Belvedere – 89
Girls
1. Jayla Kucy, Camrose – 81 PQ
2. Brynne Davies, Earl Grey – 85 PQ
3. Suriya Suleman, Royal Mayfair – 101 Q
4. Mikayla Wood, Redtail Landing – 105
5. Eva Hogue, Edmonton CC – 108
6. Arianna Kibria, Edmonton Petroleum Club – 121
These are the Top Six and ties from each flight. These players all earned Titleist Order of Merit ranking point.
Q = Player qualified for Tour Championship at Wolf Creek Golf Resort on August 23.
WC – Wild Card qualifier for Tour Championship
PQ = Player had previously qualified for Tour Championship.
