Innisfail will showcase some of its finest talent in the 2016 Sun Life Financial Alberta Men's Amateur Championship.
The event, held at the Innisfail Golf Club July 19 to 22, will feature four local golfers who qualified for the championship earlier this year.
First-time competitor Kyle Neilson brings more than a decade of experience to the event and will give it his best in his first provincial amateur championship.
“We were given a club exemption and we had a three-way playoff from our club championship last year and I won that," said Neilson. “It's my first amateur championship. I've never really played a lot of the Alberta Golf Association (AGA) tournaments until last year when I started playing more AGA events."
The four-day golf championship will welcome about 120 participants from across Alberta. Cuts will be made after the second day with the top 60 golfers continuing on for the remaining two days of the event.
"The thing I'm looking forward to the most is just seeing how I stack up against some of the best players that Alberta has to offer," said Neilson.
Neilson will be joined by fellow Innisfail golfers Colby Massignan, Brandan Lyster and Ron Harder.
Harder is a veteran golfer with more than 30 years on the greens and is no stranger to the provincial amateur golf championship, competing in the event for 11 of the last 14 years.
"It's been good. My best result was in Sundre in 2012 when I came in 18th overall," said Harder.
He is looking forward to participating in his first championship at home.
"I love the competition. Alberta Golf puts on a great event. The golf course will be at its most pristine condition," he added. "They set it up difficult for us so it's a good test of where you're at in your golf game.”
Since the last time the amateur championship was hosted here in 2002, the Innisfail Golf Club has added nine holes and a brand new clubhouse that opened earlier this spring.
“We're proud of our golf course and we're happy to show it off to the province," Harder concluded.
Kyle Neilson, first-time competitor
"The thing I'm looking forward to the most is just seeing how I stack up against some of the best players that Alberta has to offer."
