The younger set is taking over men?s golfing in Manitoba.
Seventeen-year-old Jesse Skelton, of Bel Acres, won the Manitoba Golf Association?s club champions tournament last weekend, fashioning rounds of 68 and 76 at Gimli?s Links at the Lake course.
Skelton’s combined score of 144 will entitles him to be known for the next year as the best male golfer at all of the province’s clubs. He was two shots lower than Dave Michaleski of Larters whose rounds of 70-76-146 earned him the runner-up position.
This has been a banner season for young Skelton who has just started Grade 12 at Winnipeg’s Silver Heights Collegiate. Earlier this summer, he won his first Manitoba Junior Golf Championship plus two other junior tournaments.
Skelton’s 68 was the lowest individual score recorded over the two rounds at the par 72 Links layout. With a year of junior eligibility still remaining, he looked like a future professional in the men’s field composed of golfers of all ages.
The PGA tour, however, is not on his agenda.
After high school, I plan to go to the University of British Columbia to study architecture, he said. Golf is primarily a hobby, but I would like to be one of the best amateurs in Canada. And you can play year-round in B.C.
Skelton’s caddy was his father Rik while another youthful competitor — B.J. Neufeld, the Links club champion — enlisted father Chris to tote the bag. Although the Neufelds are notable mostly as a curling dynasty, B.J finished a respectable fourth, with scores of 77 and 75 for a 152 total.
Allan Wheeler, of Rossmere, and Keith Fawcett, of Selkirk, were first and second, respectively, in the senior men?s division.
The women’s provincial club champion was Judi Lidstone, of Elmhurst, with rounds of 72-77-149. Alicia Michalchuk, of Larters, was runner-up, while former Matlock cottager Noreen Stewart. of Southwood, took the senior ladies title edging Anette Durica, of Niakwa.
Lidstone’s performance showed her familiarity with the Gimli course. The former Winnipeg and District ladies titlist had previously played at Links in Manitoba Mixed Championships.
The course is in good shape and there are big improvements every time I come out here, Lidstone said. ?The only drawback is that the greens are slower than in the city.
The criticism of the greens was echoed by Skelton.
They were so slow that it was hard to putt, he said. Maybe they don?t cut them down enough.
Besides Neufeld and Fawcett, there were nine other Interlake golfers competing in the club champions tournament.
They were Ted Chop, Links; James Rousse, Bernie Majewski, both South Interlake; Kelly Burnett, Teulon; Rob Erickson, Selkirk; Beverly Sigurdson, Hecla; Cely Santos, South Interlake; and Bev Ostash and Charlene Fox, both Selkirk.
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