STARING IT DOWN
George Janson watches his shot during the Saskatchewan Senior Men’s Golf Championship at the Willows on Thursday.
The Saskatchewan Senior Women’s Golf Championship saw two former winners stage a see-saw battle in the final round where the lead changed hands a couple of times.
In the end Moose Jaw’s Lorie Boyle prevailed to defeat defending champion Tammy Bezaire from Warman by two strokes to win her record seventh title at The Willows Gold and Country Club.
“It was a great battle today,” said Boyle. “The competition we’ve seen this week was the best that I’ve seen. Everyone was here and it could have been any of those first 15 players that could have been here in this spot.”
Boyle and Bezaire came into the final round tied for the lead.
Boyle was able to grind out a three-shot lead after the front nine before Bezaire came alive with two birdies on the next four holes. Boyle, meanwhile, had three bogeys over the same stretch to leave Bezaire up by two going into the 15th hole.
But momentum swung back to Boyle on 15 when she holed a tough birdie putt while Bezaire bogeyed the hole.
“I had a downhill slider to the right and I thought, ‘Oh dear just get me close,’ and it went in the hole. That was a big swing because we got two strokes on that hole,” Boyle said.
Boyle would go on to birdie 16 while Bezaire bogeyed to give her a two-shot advantage that she would not relinquish.
Boyle shot a final round of 76 for a three-day total of 235 while Bezaire was right with her shooting a final round 78.
Past champion Jo-Anne Schiller was third while Denise Wilson (also a past champion), Ann Kirkland and Kathy Hopfner tied for fourth.
“I thought I played OK,” said Bezaire of her final round. “I just had a couple of little hiccups, but other than that it was OK. Lorie is a tough competitor.”
“She is such a good competitor,” Boyle said of Bezaire. “We are always bumping each other up.”
SENIOR MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
After several close calls over recent years, including a runner-up finish in 2012, Saskatoon’s George Janson emerged for his first-ever Senior Men’s Golf Championship. His 4-under 212 total was one better than runner up and fellow Saskatonian David Bird.
Janson led from wire to wire after an opening round 66 that he followed with a 72 on Wednesday and 74 on Thursday.
See Sports Report for the top women’s and men’s results.