Defending boys champ wins third tourney in a row
Victory doesn’t leave a bitter aftertaste, just a healthy hunger for more of the same.
Ethan Bennett knows all about that after topping the leaderboard at three different golf tournaments - for the second year in a row.
Whether that victory streak is extended to a career-high four all depends on how the 17-yearold from Stoney Creek fares on the fairways at today’s Niagara District Junior Golf Tour stop at Sawmill.
If Bennett was on top of game as much as he was Tuesday, when he won the boys under-17/under-19 division at a tour stop at Legends’ Battlefield layout, or last week, when he took both the junior boys and club championship at Twenty Valley, there’s a good chance the latest winning streak will continue.
“I was playing really consistent, I didn’t miss too many fairways,” he said after his second win on this year’s tour and first since topping the division at Grand Niagara.
“I got a couple of bad breaks, but I didn’t let them get to me. I’m just staying focused and playing consistent.”
Given how much time he’s been spending swinging a club, Bennett doesn’t expect the quick turnaround of competing at two tour stops in as many games will hurt him all that much.
“I’ve played the last few days in a row with club championships, so I think tomorrow is going to be the fifth straight day,” the Gannon University-bound golf scholarship recipient said with a chuckle. “I’m pretty used to it by now.” Tomorrow’s venue is also boosting Bennett’s confidence.
“Sawmill’s a course I’ve always liked and played pretty well at,” he said.
‘Three-mendous’ summer so far
Taylor Simoneau’s swan song on her final year on the Niagara District Junior Golf Tour may not by topping the charts, but it has been topping the leaderboard on a regular basis.
The St. Catharines Golf and Country Club member’s victory Tuesday at Legends’ Battlefield layout was her third of the summer, and the third of her four-plus seasons on the tour.
Adding distance and precision to her shots from the tee has added confidence to her game.
“I’m just hitting the ball more solid overall and giving myself more good chances to make birdies,” she said. “Even if I do have mistakes here and there I may not have birdies to fall back on, but I am confident I can get some of the shots back if I give some of them away.”
Simoneau, who this fall will be studying psychology and sports marketing at Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., will be back at it today when the tour stop make its annual stop at Sawmill in Fenwick.
“It can be tough and tiring to do that,” she said. “It’s four or five hours of just straight concentration, trying to keep focused, but usually if you get some rest and just relax a little bit when you’re done, you’ll be OK.”
Simoneau said going into a tournament after a victory doesn’t necessarily mean there’s less to think about than there would be forgetting about a loss in her last round.
“It’s probably the same,” she said. “After a success, you’re trying to think about what you did right and you can take that to the next time.”
“You’re going to try to remember how it felt and bring it with you for the next round.”
Two stops remain on this year’s tour after today’s event at Sawmill. St. Catharines Kids Golfing for Kids is taking place from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. Sunday at St. Catharines Golf and Country Club with a final and season-ending banquet at Beechwood on Monday, Aug. 21.