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Taber Junior Open

BY DUNC MILLS

Taber Golf Club has conducted a Junior Open for many years, but their 2020 edition was the first time the event has been included on the McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Tour schedule.  Judging from the outstanding hospitality on display from the host club organizers, I doubt this will be the last time we have Taber on the Tour schedule!

A fairly late addition to the 2020 Tour, the Taber event gave juniors in the southern part of the province the opportunity to compete in a well-run tournament with the additional opportunity of earning qualifying spots for the upcoming Tour Championship at Wolf Creek Golf Resort on August 28th. With another Tour event coming up Thursday morning at the Edmonton Petroleum Club, John Burns from Alberta Golf was on site today to help General Manager Kirby Schmitz and his team with the administration of today’s tournament. From all reports, the community really got behind the event, with fabulous prizes donated by the business community and several on-course volunteers including the Chief of Police!  We had about 50 juniors on hand this morning from as far away as Medicine Hat and Calgary, and when the word spreads about how well the players were treated, you can rest assured that the 2021 Taber Junior Open will have a larger and even stronger field of competitors.

The play today was outstanding.  Three junior boys finished tied for Low Gross Honours with 3-under rounds of 69.  Zach Haydamack, Brennan Tailfeathers and Jaden McIntyre finished in the dead heat, but as time did not permit a playoff, the three youngsters were declared Tri-Champions. Josiah Tong of Heritage Pointe finished solo 4th with a 1-under 71.  With the Tour Championship coming up in just over two weeks, spots in the field are a valuable commodity. New qualifiers today included the tri-champions, Lyndon Kurvial (75) from the flight for boys born in 2006 & later, and Wild Card Qualifiers Braeden Van Dusen (73) and Braden Stahl (75).  My apologies to the players but I don’t have home clubs from very many of the kids today.

Brennan Tailfeathers (L) with Andrew Makarchuk of the Taber GC

Zach Haydamack (R) with Andrew Makarchuk of the Taber GC

Jaden McIntyre with Andrew Makarchuk of the Taber GC

In the junior girls’ division, the host club’s Alanna Makarchuk was best of the six competitors on hand this morning, firing an 89 and punching her ticket to Wolf Creek.

Girls winner Alanna Makarchuk with Taber GM Kirby Schmitz

The Tour swings back into action at 7 a.m. on Thursday at the Edmonton Petroleum GCC featuring arguably the deepest and largest junior girls’ field on the Tour in at least ten years.  We have 25 junior girls registered to compete tomorrow, featuring players like Kaitlyn and Alexa Wingnean, Jenna Bruggeman, Brooke and Belle Brezovksi, Tour winner Olivia Leung and a host of young girls chomping at the bit to take their place in the upper echelons of girls’ junior golf in Alberta in the coming years.

OVERALL TOP TEN:

T1. Jaden McIntyre                              69 *

T1. Zach Haydamack                           69 *

T1. Brennan Tailfeathers                    69 *

4.  Josiah Tong                                      71

5.  Braeden Van Dusen                        73

T6. Braden Stahl                                  75

T6. Lyndon Kurvial                             75

8.  Ethan Meyer                                   76

9. Brandon Lailey                                 77

10. Owen Burzminski                          78

*  Players were declared Tri-Champions.

The following players finished in the top 6 and ties in each age group, earning Titleist Order of Merit ranking points.

 

BOYS BORN IN 2001-2003

T1. Jaden McIntyre                             69 Q

T1. Brennan Tailfeathers                     69 Q

3. Braeden Van Dusen                        73 WC

4. Ethan Meyer                                     76

5. Owen Burzminski                             78

6. Alex Nekich                                       79

 

BOYS BORN IN 2004-05

1. Zach Haydamack                          69 Q

2. Josiah Tong                                   71

3. Braden Stahl                                 75 WC

4. Brandon Lailey                              77

5. Alex Makarchuk                             79

6. Spence Matson                              80

 

BOYS BORN IN 2006 & LATER

1. Lyndon Kurvial                              75 Q

2. Jackson Wesley                             78

T3. Kerrick Norrie-Asquith             81

T3. Jalen Apedoe                               81

5. Cameron Lailey                             82

T6. Payton Stahl                                84

T6. Solomon Tong                            84

 

JUNIOR GIRLS

1. Alanna Makarchuk                      89 Q

2. Kristine DIxon                             95

3. Brooklyn Kirton                            110

4. Abigail Froom                               111

5. Jasmine Lazari                             121

6. Courtney Froom                           134

TITLEIST ORDER OF MERIT AS OF AUGUST 11TH

    Alberta Golf | Juniors Sponsors

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