GOLF SASKATCHEWAN SWITCHES DATES, COURSES FOR WOMEN’S AMATEUR EVENT
Provincial championship moves from Willows to The Legends, from July 21 to 23
While Saskatchewan’s junior golfers continue to play competitive golf, there’s been a bit of a blip in Golf Saskatchewan’s provincial championship schedule.
Thursday was supposed to be the start of the 2020 Amateur Women’s provincial championship at the Willows Golf and Country Club and the start of Golf Saskatchewan’s 2020 championship schedule.
Instead, the event has been rescheduled for July 21-23 and moved to The Legends Golf Club in Warman to be held in conjunction with the Saskatchewan Amateur and Mid-am men’s provincial championships at the same time.
“With the COVID-19 items and people being comfortable, with some anticipated lower numbers, it did make sense to potentially piggyback so it has been moved to the Legends to play coinciding with the Amateur Men’s and Mid-amateur Men’s,” Golf Saskatchewan executive director Brian Lee explained Thursday.
“It just seemed to be a very good fit and The Legends was very accommodating and our group is looking forward to going out to The Legends in two weeks time.”
Also, the Saskatchewan senior men’s and women’s golf championships will be moved from
Prince Albert’s Cooke Municipal to Yorkton’s Deer Park.
Meanwhile, junior golfers continue to be busy during these COVID times.
Another Maple Leaf Junior Tour event wrapped up this week, this one at Tor Hill in Regina.
It’s a final tune-up prior to the Saskatchewan Junior golf championships next week, July 14-16, at the Elmwood Golf Club in Swift Current.
At Tor Hill, Wawota’s Theoren West emerged as the junior boys winner — perhaps a bit of a surprise — with a two-round score of 147 (73-74).
Sarah Grieve, of Saskatoon, won a second straight MLJT tournament. She finished on top at 153 with rounds of 75 and 78.
Yorkton’s Ella Kozak topped the under-15 girls category with a two-round score of 167 (86-81).
Cort Tunall of Kindersley captured the juvenile boys’ crown with rounds of 76 and 72. Max Regier of Saskatoon was the top bantam boys golfer at 152 (79-73), while Jack Maharaj won the pee wee boys category with a two-day score of 164 (79-85).
DECHAMBEAU EATING UP PGA TOUR
You know what they say: You are what you eat.
Bryson Dechambeau is certainly putting his driver where his mouth is on the PGA Tour.
What’s more impressive?
Just how much food Brayson Dechambeau consumes? Or how long he hits his drives?
A lot has been said about his daily calorie intake. Basically, all this guy does is eat, slurp down protein shakes and golf.
Breakfast typically consists of four eggs, five pieces of bacon, toast and two protein shakes, followed by a mid-day peanut butter and jelly sandwich, protein energy bars, two more protein shakes or one every six holes of golf during a practice round, plus additional snacking during the day. And for dinner? Steak, potatoes and two shakes.
That’s a whole lot of shaking going on.
But, hey, whatever floats your boat or large intestine.
It seems to be working, Dechambeau, who captured the PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic this past weekend, AVERAGED 350.6 yards per measured drive off the tee at the Detroit Golf Club. He had 16 drives surpassing the 350-yard mark, one likely reaching the air space of Windsor, Ont.
He gained 6.67 strokes off the tee and, overall this season, his diet-induced length has helped him gain 1.113 strokes off the tee.
CANUCKS TOPPING THE LEADERBOARD
A pair of Canadians, Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor, are among the leaders at the Workday Charity Open at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, where Hadwin fired a 6-underpar 66 and Taylor a 67.
Mackenzie Hughes (70), David Hearn (71), Corey Conners (71), Roger Sloan (68) are the other Canadians in this week’s field.
Canada’s Brad Fritsch and Michael Gligic both came up short in their Monday qualifying bid despite a 64 by Fritsch and 66 by Gligic.
Don’t expect to see Saskatchewan’s Graham Delaet on the PGA Tour any time soon.
Delaet has been granted a major medical extension. He accepted the PGA Tour’s option, which has been offered during the hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to reset terms of his medical extension to the beginning of the 2019-20 season.
He has 24 tournaments remaining and 266.483 Fedex Cup points left to hunt down once he returns.
LONG PAUSE FOR CHAMPIONS TOUR
The Champions Tour — for senior golfers age 55 and over — has been on a long pause but is scheduled to resume play later this month with the Us$2-million Ally Challenge, July 31-Aug. 2, at the Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club in Grand Blanc, Mich.
That’s followed by the $2.8-million Bridgestone Senior Players Championship slated for Aug. 13-16 at the Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.
There are four more tournaments scheduled for September, four in October and culminating with the $2.5-million Charles Schwab Cup Championship Nov. 5-8 at the Phoenix Country Club.
PREZ CUP, RYDER CUP RESCHEDULED
The Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup have been rescheduled and will now be played one year later than originally planned.
The 43rd Ryder Cup, scheduled for Sept. 22-27, at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisc., has been rescheduled for Sept. 21-26 in 2021.
All subsequent Ryder Cups after Whistling Straits will also shift to odd years.
The Presidents Cup, initially slated for Sept. 30-Oct. 3, 2021, at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N. C., will now be played Sept. 19-25 in 2022.
The Ryder Cup, which began in 1927, brings together the top tour professionals from the United States and Europe in match play. The Presidents Cup is a series of men’s golf matches between the United States and an International Team representing the rest of the world minus Europe.
LPGA LOOKING AT JULY 31 RE-START
The LPGA women’s tour is set to resume July 31 after nearly a six-month shutdown.
LPGA players are preparing to tee it up at the $1-million Drive On Championship, the first of two consecutive events in Toledo, Ohio.
It’ll be the first LPGA tournament since the $1.3-million ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, which ended Feb. 16 in Seaton, South Australia.
JOSEPH MAIORANA/USA TODAY SPORTS