Neepawa hosting national golf event
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- Published on Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Photo by Eoin Devereux. Junior golfers from across the country are gathering in Neepawa this weekend for the 2016 CN Future Links Prairie Championship
Submitted
Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press
Canada’s top junior golfers will be in Neepawa this weekend for the 2016 CN Future Links Prairie Championship. The event, scheduled for June 9-12 at the Neepawa Golf and Country Club, features a field of 57 junior golfers from across the country, competing in the 54-hole stroke play event. It is the fourth of six events in the national junior series.
Tournament director Dan Hyatt said the CN Future Links Championships are conducted in partnership with CN in an effort to support and develop junior golfers across Canada.
“Golf Canada is excited to see the field compete at Neepawa Golf and Country Club,” said Hyatt. “This scenic track winds around the river to offer fantastic views for spectators and players alike. Neepawa will present an excellent chance for these players to strengthen their games.”
Neepawa Golf and Country Club pro and manager Landon Cameron noted that heading into the weekend, the course is in very good shape and should serve as a great challenge for the golfers.
“We’ve hosted many regional and provincial events over the past few years, but being a part of a national competition such as CN Future Links, we’re extremely honoured,” said Cameron. “We always look forward to putting our course on display to the best players around. I think we will hold up well. [The course is] in excellent shape right now and I’m sure players will enjoy the challenge.”
Three competitors from last year’s top-10 will return in a bid to capture the Junior Boys title, led by Keaton Gudz from Victoria, B.C., who finished tied for fourth at the 2015 competition held at Cooke Municipal Golf Course in Prince Albert, SK. The 17-year-old will be joined by Carson Harcourt of Kipling, SK., and William Comeau from Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, QC, who are looking to build upon their respective seventh and tenth place finishes.
Shirin Anjarwalla, of Nanaimo, B.C., represents one of three returning players in the Junior Girls division. The 16-year-old, who finished third last year, will see a familiar face in the field in Winnipeg product Rebecca Kuik, who claimed 13th. After recording a 14th-place result at her home club last year, Kayla Sawchuck of Prince Albert, SK., completes the contingent of returnees looking to make good on lessons learned throughout the past year.
The players will begin on Thursday, June 9 with a practice round, before the competitive rounds start on Friday. The top six scorers in the Junior Boys division will gain entry into the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship, held August 1-4 at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, NL. A hole-by-hole playoff will determine exemptions in the case of ties. All players in the Top-six of the Junior Girls division, including ties, will earn exemptions into this year’s Canadian Junior Girls Championship, hosted by The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, NS, from August 2-5.
