Estevan's Jayden Dudas has shot up the provincial and national Maple Leaf Golf Tour (MLT) Order of Merit (OOM) rankings this spring.
Jayden, 13, is currently placed third in Canada in the bantam boys MLT OOM rankings and second in Saskatchewan behind Battleford's Colby Friedrich with 762.5 points, which is 57.5 points behind Friedrich and 245 points ahead of Saskatoon's Josh Nagy, 14, who sits third in the province. The third-year golfer earned this ranking by battling through windy, wet and cold conditions to finish second at the MLT season opening tournament at Chinook Golf Club in Swift Current on May 22 and 23 before capturing first place at a blustery Willows Golf and Country Club in Saskatoon on June 4 and 5.
“This year I'm just doing way better (with my) irons,” said Jayden. “I could never play good in a tournament last year and this year it's finally starting to work out.”
Jayden recorded rounds of 72 and 73 (145) for the two-stroke win over Josh (147) in Saskatoon, but noted his score could have been much lower if his putting was better. He said the key to the win was putting his driver in play at all times and not hitting a ball out of bounds.
Two weeks earlier in Swift Current, Jayden finished tied for first with scores of 75 and 79 (154) with Medicine Hat's Ryan Hodgins, 13, forcing the two golfers into a playoff. The wet and windy conditions may have played a part in his loss as wet grips caused his hand to slip and he blocked a driver into the water, settled for a drop and fell by two strokes on the hole.
Jayden said his early success may be due to the continual work he puts in on his game. He said unless there is a thunderstorm you can find him at TS&M Woodlawn Golf Club working on shot shaping at the range, shooting 18 holes or practising his putting with Jordan Spieth and gates drills.
“It's just with an alignment stick lined up to the hole, so there is no arc and it's just straight back, straight through,” he said about the Spieth drill. The gates drill is “like two tees and your putter has to go through it. There is a ball in the middle and you have to hit it without hitting the tees.”
Jayden followed up these showings last Saturday by hitting a Stableford score of 45 at TS&M Woodlawn Golf Club during the Estevan 2016 Saskatchewan Summer Games qualifying tournament to finish one point off the Team South East roster. He said there is still a possibility he'll earn a spot at the Summer Games due to a vacancy on another district team and promises not to let the missed opportunity affect his work in the game.
