West is best so far at provincial juniors

Corner Brookers lead the boys and girls fields heading into final day of competition at Grande Meadows

Matthew Bonnell had the lowest score Tuesday, but fellow Corner Brooker Andrew Bruce continues to top the field after two days of play at 2017 Royal Lepage Newfoundland and Labrador junior golf championships being held at the Grande Meadow course at Frenchman’s Cove on the Burin Peninsula.

Bonnell, who golfs out of the Blomidon club in Corner Brook, shot a 74 on Tuesday, leaving him with a 151 total and a single shot behind Bruce, whose home club is Humber Valley Resort.

Bruce had a 77 Tuesday after an opening-round one-overpar 73. Since Grande Meadows is a par-36, nine-hole course, competitors are playing two rounds each day in the provincial juniors.

In third place in the junior boys division behind Bruce and Bonnell is Michael Simms (160 total) of Clovelly in St. John’s, who only managed an 85 in Round 2, but still sits two shots in front of Ryan Mcneil Lamswood of Harmon Seaside Links in Stephenville and Alex Dolomount of Bally Haly in St. John’s, tied in fourth place with 164 totals.

Some players are young enough to be age-eligible for more than one division, including Simms and Dolomount, who sit 1-2 in the juvenile boys competition. Ethan Efford of Clovelly is third among the juveniles with a 163 total and first in the bantam division where his score also puts him a full 15 strokes ahead of Torbay’s Nathan Young, who also plays out of Clovelly.

In the junior girls division, Taylor Cormier of Blomidon carded an 82 Tuesday for a 170 total and a 15-stroke lead over 2016 juvenile champion Paige Hickey of Corner Brook.

Another Corner Brook golfer, Megan Colbourne, is third.

The provincial junior championship is used the select the three-member male and female teams that will represent Newfoundland and Labrador at the Future Links Atlantic championship July 18-20 in Church Point, N.S., the Canadian junior boys championship July 31-Aug. 3 in Kingston, Ont., and the Canadian girls championship Aug. 1-4 in Cumberland, Ont.

Bruce and Simms, along with Evan D’angelo of Clovelly were members of the NL boys team in 2016. D’angelo, the 2016 provincial champ, is in 14th place at Frenchmen’s Cove.

Hickey, Cormier and Abby Bugden of Corner Brook were on the provincial junior girls team last year.

Despite rain overnight Sunday and fog that delayed the start of play by over an hour on Tuesday, playing conditions were very good for the first two days of competition. Whether that is the case for today, the final day on the provincial junior schedule, remains to be seen as the forecast was calling for drizzle.