Garth Collings continues to find ways to elevate his golf game.
As we look back at the 2009 season, the most impressive feat was watching a 51-year-old become the oldest player to capture the Manitoba Men’s Amateur held at Elmhurst.
It was the third amateur title for Collings, who hadn’t won the premier amateur event in the province since 1994.
Collings had a runner-up finish in the Manitoba Mid-Amateur, won the Manitoba Mid-Masters, was 10th at the Canadian Mid-Amateur and won the Grey Owl championship for a record eighth time.
That list left Collings with his fifth Manitoba Golfer of the Year award.He doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
“There’s no quit in the old guy,” said Collings. “I’m like that bulldog that latches on and won’t let go. I enjoy golf so much. It’s what I do and it’s a major part of my life.”
Tyler Mancini of Pine Ridge was a double-winner, taking him the Jack Blair Trophy as the men’s match play champ and came up with an even bigger victory by outlasting Collings to bring him the men’s Mid-Amateur crown.
Mancini is planning to turn pro this season and hopes to play on the Canadian Tour.
Jill Hardy won her fourth women’s amateur championship at Selkirk, capturing back-to-back titles for the first time in her career. Tammy Gibson of St. Boniface won the senior women’s title, while Don Jackson won his third consecutive senior men’s title.
Ryan Pitzel of Rossmere won the men’s junior title, while Lindsay Stewart of Selkirk won the junior women’s championship.
It was a breakthrough season for a pair of Manitobans as both Ryan Horn of Dauphin and Matt Johnston of St. Charles took big steps forward on the Canadian Tour.
Horn played his best golf in his home province and ended up tying for second place at the Canadian Tour Players Cup at Pine Ridge, finishing one stroke back.
Unplayable lie
The lefty’s nerves got a workout during the final round and he saw his name at the top of the leaderboard as he played the 15th hole.
The 27-year-old played steady, but a loose drive on the 17th caused him to take a one-stroke penalty for an unplayable lie and resulted in his lone bogey of the round.
He shot a 2-under 69, tied for the low round of the day, and finished at 6-under.
“I had a shot down the stretch and came up a little short,” Horn said after the round. “I’m going to get a nice paycheque and I need the money. I’m going to look at the positives and build off that.”
Playing his third season on the tour, Horn nearly eclipsed his first two years of earnings, as he pocketed $19,687.36 and finished 31st on the Order of Merit money list.
Horn later advanced to the second stage of PGA Tour Qualifying School, but fell short of moving on to the final stage.
Johnston took his first crack at PGA Tour Q-school and will file the experience for future reference after coming up short in the first stage.
After securing a sponsorship with Nike, Johnston finished 57th on the money list, earning $12,536.51 in his second season on the tour.
Johnston made the cut in eight of 16 events and posted his first Top-10 finish at the Desjardins Montreal Open.
A year after winning his first Canadian Tour event at the Greater Vancouver Charity Classic, Adam Speirs of St. Charles struggled with his consistency but did manage to establish a new course record at his home club during the St. Charles Invitational, where he carded a 61 back on Aug. 10.
On the Manitoba PGA Tour, Carman’s Dean North was the Callaway Player of the Year.
A look at the season wouldn’t be complete without noting that local teaching pro Derek Ingram of Elmhurst was named head coach of the national women’s program.
Ingram, who spent five years as an assistant with the men’s program and has worked with Canada’s high-performance program for the past nine years, replaces Dean Spriddle.
“It’s really the No. 1 coaching job in Canada,” Ingram said. “It’s something I’ve been working towards for a long time. I couldn’t be any more pumped.”
Golf fans in the province have plenty to look forward to in 2010 and among the highlights is sure to be the 2010 CN Women’s Open, an event that will be held at St. Charles and should attract the top talent on the LPGA Tour.
The 2010 Canadian Tour Players Cup at Pine Ridge has seen its purse raised from $200,000 to $300,000 but 2009 champion Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., won’t be back to defend the title because he’s graduated to the PGA Tour.
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