A number of the area’s young golfing talents put on a dazzling display last weekend during the annual Club Championships at the Innisfail Golf Club.
Cara Vanderham, 18, shot 160 over the two rounds Aug. 13-14 to win the H&R Block Trophy as the junior girls club champion and the OK Tire Trophy as the overall ladies club champion. Combined with her wins at the Innisfail Junior Open and the Olds Junior Open earlier in the week, Vanderham is now “in a league of her own,” club pro Jim Boomer said. Willow Park’s J.T Kelly was named the low gross winner after he carded a 71 at the Innisfail Junior Open on Aug. 8.
“She’s probably somebody that’s going to contend on a provincial level as a golfer for some time,” he said of Vanderham’s performances. “It’s nice to see the juniors come along.”
Boomer said he was also impressed with the play of 14-year-old Brendon Howard, who shot a 75 on day one of the tournament en route to the Richard Cope Trophy, presented to the junior men’s low net score.
“That was really neat to see,” Boomer said, adding he was also impressed with the continued improvement of Innisfail’s Courtney Dickson. “It’s generally the kids that impress you.”
Innisfail golfer Ron Harder’s two-day score of 145 was good for the Jack McGibbon Trophy as the men’s club champion and the Dick Percy Trophy as the overall men’s club champion.
“He hadn’t won the club championship before, even though he’s a very good player,” Boomer explained. “It’s nice to see him break through.”
One of the tournament’s biggest feel good stories was the play of Ron Dean, Boomer said. Dean battled back from an off-season heart attack to win the Newman Trophy as the club’s senior men’s champion.
“That was pretty nice,” Boomer said. “The word was not good on him back in the mid-winter.”
The other winners from the championships’ junior ranks include: Kaleb Denham as the junior men’s club champion with a score of 159; Willie Mulligan as the junior men’s low gross with a score of 176, and Brody Hollsworth at the junior men’s second low net with a score of 154;
In the senior division the winners include: Janet Mackenzie as the senior ladies club champion with a score of 177; Evelyn Black as the senior ladies low net with a score of 145; Ken Oxtoby as the senior men’s third flight low gross; Bob Zinken as the senior men’s third flight low net; Wayne Barber as the senior men’s second flight low gross; Brian Ruhle as the senior men’s second flight low net; Art Wiebe as the senior men’s first flight low gross; Dennis Wall as the senior men’s first flight low net; Doug Cook as the senior men’s championship flight low gross; Doug Parr as the senior men’s championship flight low net; and Wayne McQuaid as the senior men’s low net champion with a score of 140.
The other winners in the men’s division include: Jeff Radics as the second flight low gross; Brian Corrigal as the second flight low net; Neil Dixon as the first flight low gross; Jack Rondeau as the first flight low net; Matt Berry as the championship flight low gross; Chris Fisher as the championship flight low net, and Bryan Baker as the men’s low net champion.
In the ladies division, the other winners include: Kathy Corrigal as the first flight low gross; Heather Taylor as the first flight low net; Monique Lemoine as the championship low gross; Darlene Dean as the championship flight low net; Karen Emshey as the ladies club champion with a score of 170, and Carolyn Tulloch as the ladies low net champion with a score of 142.
