Ella Kozak’s final Saskatchewan Junior Women’s Championship started with a 2-under par, 70 Tuesday at the Yorkton product’s home club, Deer Park Municipal Golf Course.
She has an eight shot lead over Calgary’s Sela Ogada and a 12 stroke cushion over Chloe Wills of Kyle. Wills leads the under-17 age group; Tayla Perry from Regina is second the age division at 11-over par. Niya Friesen of Swift Current is third in the under-17 category.
Ogada is the leader of the under-15 age group, Saskatoon golfer Grace Odnokon is second in the age group, Sienna Taylor, also of Saskatoon is third.
Round two of the three-day, 54-hole championship will begin at 7 a.m. on Thursday at Deer Park.
In the men’s championship, Aricin Franklin leads the overall under-19 field of 60 players, also at 2-under par.
The Riverside Country Club member and reigning under-15 champion has a one shot edge on Nipawin’s Cole Taylor. Taylor was the only other player playing from the championship tees to shoot under par. Darien Herlick (Weyburn) and Zostrianos Giordani-Gross of Brandon are tied for third at even par.
Lucas Sturgeon of Saskatoon was the other golfer in the field to post a red number on day one, he shot the low round of the day 4-under par, 68. He leads the under-15 age division by eight shots over Austin Nesbitt of Pilot Putte. Swift Current’s Matty Schmeiss is third, nine shots back of the age group lead.
Franklin is the under-17 leader as well as the overall round one pacesetter. Dane Giesbrecht (Warman) is second, Ryan Mosher of Saskatoon in in third place.
There are five under-13 players in the field as well, Jun Lee of Regina is on top after an opening 2-over par, 74 on day one. Emmett McDougal of Prince Albert sits in second, Yorkton’s Zac Hall is third.
A dozen under-12 players are also in Yorkton competing in the Junior-Junior Championships, that event is 36 holes over two days, used as an introduction to competitive golf.
For complete information on the Saskatchewan Junior Championships including all leaderboards and Thursday’s tee sheet can be found here.