A pair of wire-to-wire victories took place Thursday at the North Battleford Golf and Country Club as the 2017 Gold Eagle Provincial Senior Golf Championships wrapped up.
Regina’s Ken Rodgers and Lloydminster’s Jo-Anne Schiller took the lead in the first round Tuesday and never looked back as they went on to capture the men’s and women’s crowns respectively.
This marked the first time that Rodgers had won the event in three attempts. He finished in fourth place in Moose Jaw two years ago and came home in third last summer in Saskatoon.
“I had been in the top ten at most of the tournaments that I was playing at this year so I felt like I was playing fairly well coming into the event,” said Rodgers, who regularly plays at the Tor Hill Golf Course in the provincial capital.
“This is such a great course here in North Battleford as when you make good shots, you get rewarded for it.”
Rodgers got things started with a bang in the opening round as he shot a three-under par 69 that proved to be the lowest score of the entire event in both divisions.
He followed that up with a pair of one-over 73’s in the following two days to finish the tournament at one-under 215, which put him 12 strokes ahead of Regina’s Rick Ledingham.
“I hit the ball off the tee really well on Tuesday,” Rodgers said. “I missed a few greens but I was able to have a really sharp short game to get through the day bogey free.
“The key to being consistent for me at a tournament like this is having confidence. If I know the yardage that I need to hit, it really helps a lot. I had my wife (Jill) out there helping me and that extra information allows you to make better decisions out on the course.”
David Curniski and Dave Wilson of North Battleford finished in a four-way tie for third place with Keith Silvernagle of Biggar and Brent Wotypka after posting a three-day score of 13-over 229.
Curniski, who started the final round in seventh place, moved up the standings by posting a one-over 73 to match Rodgers and David Bird of Saskatoon for the low round of the day Thursday.
It was a tough finish for Wilson’s tournament, however, as he wrapped up the week with a 11-over 83 after starting the final round just four strokes behind Rodgers.
Other local golfers in the event were Lloyd Hartl (tied for ninth), Doug Flasch (18th), Robert Cooke (tied for 20th), Herb Weinmeyer (tied for 22nd), James Town (tied for 29th), Neil Lampitt (tied for 32nd), Garry Flichel (tied for 39th), George McGregor (tied for 41st), Brian Lampitt (tied for 41st), Wendell Houk (tied for 41st), Edward Iwanchuk (tied for 49th), Michael Zaychkowsky (52nd), Warren Williams (53rd), Richard Terry (57th), David George (tied for 59th) and Merv Aubichon (61st).
While Rodgers cruised to his championship, it was a tightly contested battle for Schiller in the women’s event.
The Lloydminster Golf and Country Club member held a one-stroke lead after the first round Tuesday but was tied for the top spot with seven time and defending provincial champion Lorie Boyle of Moose Jaw heading into the final round.
Schiller saved her best performance for Thursday as she shot a tournament best round of six-over 80 to win the title by three strokes over Boyle and Hague’s Tammy Bezaire thanks to a three-day total score of 24-over 246.
“I was swinging good and I was putting good, though I did have a couple of holes that didn’t go so well,” Schiller said.
“My first nine holes went really well today. I shot a 38 on the front nine, which made up for the second round when things didn’t go as well.”
This marks the second time that Schiller has won the provincial senior women’s title, as she previously took home the crown eight years ago in Yorkton.
“Back then I think I had more of a lead when the tournament ended, but it was really great to have so many good golfers be in the mix this time around,” Schiller said.
Rosetown’s Sue Skinner finished in fourth place with a score of 250 while Cheryl Reichel and Ann Kirkland were five shots back in a tie for fifth.
North Battleford’s Cheryl Hartl ended up in 11th place.
Both Rodgers and Schiller will now go on to compete at their respective national championships.
Schiller will travel to Little Rapids, N.L. for the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship on Aug. 22-24, while Rodgers will compete at the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship in Kahnawake, Que. from Sept. 11-14.
