After weeks of district and regional events, the field is set for the Saskatchewan High School Athletic Associations’ (SHSAA) provincial golf championships taking place at TS&M Woodlawn Golf Club in Estevan Friday and Saturday.
The Woodlawn hosted the championship two years ago and was approached by the SHSAA to once again welcome the event. Head professional Amanda Minchin said despite heavy precipitation levels of late the course should play well for the competitors.
“The course is still in great shape,” Minchin said. “The greens in my unbiased opinion are awesome. They are running just like they were mid-summer. We have had a lot of rain in the last three weeks, the course is wet. We have a couple holes that are still trying to drain but overall it looks amazing.”
North Battleford hosted the event last year and had a heavy dump of snow on the first day of the event. According to the Weather Network, as of Thursday afternoon, Friday is expected to see a high of 10 degrees with a 40 per cent chance of rain and Saturday the high is expected to be eight with rain. Minchin said the elements will play a factor but shouldn’t hinder the players experiences.
“Hopefully the weather cooperates okay with them, it doesn’t look like it’s going to be awesome weather but, hopefully it’s not a heavy rain and two degrees or anything. Hopefully the kids enjoy the course and I think they will,” she said.
Almost 100 students will be competing in the event. Estevan product Jace Carlisle won the boys champuionship last year, he’s now playing golf in college at Lake Superior State University. Creighton’s Lauren Fox was the 2018 girl’s champion. Minchin said even without Saskatoon golfers participating the field is stacked with strong players.
“I think this is a provincial event, it’s a big deal,” she said. “The kids that have come for practice rounds are out there, they are excited, yeah this is a big event.”
Not only will the Woodlawn be hosting the high school event for the second time in three years their club is a fixture on the Saskatchewan leg of the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour. Minchin is a big promotor of junior golf and is excited to once again welcome everyone to the Energy City for the weekend.
“We’re happy to have the kids here, the coaches, teachers, parents, we hope they enjoy their few days with us. We wish them good luck and we want them to have fun,” she added.
The 36-hole tournament begins Friday morning.