Local Hogan atop Alberta Amateur
Golf’s Dame Fortune usually plays it only one way when it comes to handing out breaks. The vast majority are bad, whether it’s landing right behind the only tree on the course, the cart path bounce to hell or plugged lies in bunkers.
But Calgary’s Brett Hogan got one of the other variety which allowed him to shoot a bogey- free, five- under 67 and take Monday’s first- round lead in the Sun Life Financial Alberta men’s amateur championship.
Playing No. 17 — one of the tougher holes at the Edmonton Petroleum Golf & Country Club — Hogan’s drive sailed way right. But after a couple of clunks off of the trees, his ball kindly bounced back into the centre of the fairway.
Even then it wasn’t over. Hogan’s approach ended up in the green- side bunker, but he ended up with a favourable lie and was able to get up and down for a very hard- earned par.
“Other than that, it was pretty much a stress- free round,” said Hogan, 21, who ended the day with a two- shot lead over Banff’s Jack Wood, 19, as the kids continue to dominate Alberta Golf’s tournaments.
Evan Holmes ( Earl Grey) and Alexander Smith ( Pinebrook), both of Calgary, are tied for third at 1 under.
“Any time you have five birdies and no bogeys, it’s a good round,” said Hogan, who saw the course for the first time in Sunday’s practice round. “The kick- out on 17 was lucky and so was getting an early tee time before the wind picked up.”
Playing out of Calgary’s Willow Park Golf & Country Club, and now attending the University of Texas at San Antonio, Hogan said the Petroleum Club was very scoreable.
“The entire course is in great shape, especially the greens. If you got it on the green, you had a chance to make every putt because the greens were rolling so good. If you had the line right, the putt was going in,” said Hogan, who finished tied for third in this event in Medicine Hat last year.
Hogan also had a recent thirdplace finish in Calgary’s Glencoe Invitational, where, as the top Albertan in the tournament, he got a spot on next year’s Pacific Coast amateur team.
Wood, runner- up in last year’s Alberta amateur, said he wasn’t going to complain about his 3- under 69, but admitted he did “leave a lot out there. I missed a couple of short putts for birdies and had a lot of lip- outs. But that said, I made a lot of other putts, too.”
Wood punctuated his round with an eagle on the 489- yard 12th hole when he hit driver/ pitching wedge to 10 feet and made no mistake with his putt.
“It was playing downwind, so it was playing short,” said Wood, who attends the University of British Columbia.
As well as the eagle, Wood had four birdies and three bogeys.
“Two of the bogeys were missclubs when I misjudged the wind,” he said.
Tyler Saunders, who won last year’s Alberta amateur by nine shots, shooting 17- under over four days at Medicine Hat’s Desert Blume Golf Club, eagled No. 18 to shoot even par.
“It made for a respectable score,” said the St. Albert golfer. “I was really struggling with my wedge distances, but I think I figured it out over the last couple of holes.”
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