Birdie putt in playoff seals deal for James
Darryl James tapped in a three-foot birdie on the first playoff hole Tuesday to snare his first PGA of Alberta seniors crown.
The National Golf Academy instructor at Mccall Lake closed the 36-hole tournament with a three-under-par 69 at Priddis Greens to catch defending champion Scott Allred of Elbow Springs at 143 for the 36-hole event.
Allred, who finished with a 73, left his 12-foot birdie putt sitting on the lip of the cup in the playoff to concede the $1,100 winner’s cheque from the purse of $7,500.
Gord courage of the hamptons finished solo third in the 35-man field at 144, one shot in front of Country Club’s Tom Greiner.
Low round of the day belonged to Dan Cameron, also an instructor with the National
. Golf Academy, with a 68 to shoot into a cash position at 148.
Elsewhere:
• Mike Fahey and Landon Sjogren won the recent PGA of Alberta Pro-Junior South, edging Greg Griffith and Geoff Fry of Fox Hollow. Kevin Niznik and Jason Allred of Earl Grey were third.
• Matt Codd of Red Deer is low Albertan after the first round of the Canadian junior men’s championships at the Osprey Ridge course in Bridgewater, N.S.
Codd matched par 71 to trail two Ontario lads and one B.C. boy by one shot in the opening round of the fourday affair.
Calgary’s Emmett Oh was two shots off the pace while Brett Hogan, also of Calgary, had a 74. Matt Williams of Pinebrook and Pat Murphy of Crossfield were in at 75.
• Tournament favourite
Brooke Henderson of Smith Falls, Ont., carved four shots off par on the back nine to take the opening round lead in the Canadian junior women’s championships at River Spirit.
Henderson finished with a round of 68 on the par 72 layout just west of Calgary to lead Brogan McKinnon of Mississaugua, Ont., by one shot. Taylor Kim of B.C. was at 71 with five other golfers at 72.
The Glencoe club’s Jennifer Ha was low Albertan with a 73, losing three shots to par on her back nine after getting to two-under through the opening nine holes. Other Calgarians in the hunt include Ella Williams at 77 and Sabrine Garrison, Sydney MacDonald and Christie Lin, all with 78s.
The tournament wraps up Friday.
• Willow Park’s Kim Car
rington won her second Canadian Mid Master title during last week’s national amateur at Lethbridge Country Club.
Carrington, a multi-time provincial team member, finished in a tie for 67th with a 72-hole score of 320 but it was enough to top the 40-and-older group. Inglewood’s Cheryl Newman finished third in the Mid Master.
The championship was dominated by Thailand’s Ariya and Moriya Jutanugan, the former finishing at 14-under 274 to defeat her sister by five shots and earn an exemption into the U.S. women’s amateur.
Low Albertan was Nicole Zhang of Silver Springs, who finished in a tie for 17th for the second straight year.
Other top Alberta finishes had reigning Alberta amateur champion Jocelyn Alford of Earl Grey tied for 45th, Chelcia Petersen, Christie Lin and Andrea Kosa, all of Calgary, at 48th, 56th and 61st, respectively.