Zamzow, Soni junior champions

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This article was published 13/07/2020 (1381 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SELKIRK — Crystal Zamzow captured her first provincial junior women’s golf crown Tuesday afternoon, but before she’s done the 14-year-old from Swan River could have multiple titles in her collection.

A final round 84, her poorest of the 54-hole event, was enough to eke out a two-shot victory over Selkirk’s Mikyla Albert, who shot an 83 Tuesday at Selkirk Golf and Country Club.

Killarney’s Cala Korman carded an 85 and was another shot back with a 243 total.

In men’s play, Neel Soni of St. Charles completed a wire-to wire victory, closing with an even-par 70 and a 2-under 208 total to edge a hard-charging Braxton Kuntz of Breezy Bend by one shot.

Zamzow’s path to glory wasn’t without pitfalls.

She started the day two shots ahead of Korman and three clear of Albert but bogeyed the first four holes on Tuesday’s back nine and followed that with a pair of double bogeys before settling down to par her final three holes.

“I was very nervous,” admitted Zamzow, who opened with a 79 Sunday and added a 77 Monday for a 240 total, 30-over par. “We all shot the same on the front, so it was OK, but the back, man, you know, we all didn’t play like we did the first two days. I guess it was pressure or whatever we were all feeling…

“I guess this is the big one where we would have gone to Quebec but can’t go anywhere. But it’s still nice to win the trophy.”
– Crystal Zamzow on the cancellation of all national golf championships due to COVID-19

“I kept it down to just bogeys and doubled the two holes, which was — well what do you do? — it wasn’t too bad and then parred the last three to finish strong.”

The victory — she called it the biggest of her two-year competitive career — was bittersweet. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the cancellation of all national golf championships and Zamzow will not be leading her provincial team to nationals.

“I guess this is the big one where we would have gone to Quebec but can’t go anywhere,” she said. “But it’s still nice to win the trophy.”

The 18-year-old Albert, a member of the University of Manitoba golf team in her final season of junior eligibility, was in the hunt again but earned runner-up honours for the second consecutive year.

A freak injury to her right knee, suffered when she bent over to pick up a golf glove during last week’s women’s amateur, made it painfully difficult to get around the course.

“You win some, you lose some and you can’t win everything but you can sure as hell try, right?” said Albert, who wore a knee brace throughout the tournament. “Tearing my MCL didn’t really help.”

Tuesday’s round would have been pressure-packed without the injury.

“I felt it,” said Albert. “For hole one, I had butterflies that wouldn’t go away. Hole seven I definitely felt it. And then coming up in the back on 16, 17 and 18, I could hear my heart beating. So trying to calm that down was a little tough.”

Albert perservered through the pain but has been ordered off the golf course for at least two months. A scheduled MRI may make surgery necessary.

Still, she paid tribute to the new champ.

“As much as I really wanted to win this tournament, playing in Selkirk, which is basically my home, I’m glad to watch someone deserving,” said Albert. “And she played her butt off.”

Meanwhile, the 17-year-old Soni held a five-shot lead on Kuntz with six holes to play but the 2019 junior runner-up birdied Nos. 12, 13, 14 and 16 to pull even at 2-under with two holes left.

Both players parred 17, setting up a dramatic final hole in which Kuntz pushed a five-foot downhill putt past the hole.

Kuntz bogeyed the hole and Soni didn’t miss with his short par putt to cement his first provincial junior championship.

“I felt pretty comfortable today,” said Soni, who opened with a 2-under 68 Sunday and followed up with a pair of 70s. “I think I did a good job of just sticking to my own game and even though I made some mistakes, didn’t get too caught up in that and just focused on the next shot and the next hole.”

Kuntz could only wonder what might have been had he been able to force a playoff.

“I did the same thing on 17 as well,” said Kuntz. “I hit it five feet past the hole and had a pretty severe downhill putt. I made that one but to put myself in that situation on both of the last two holes, I mean, with all the people watching and stuff it’s definitely not the best scenario.”

Both players are keen to continue their good play at the provincial men’s amateur, which opens Thursday at Minnewasta Golf and Country Club in Morden.

“I have the amateur in two days or so, so I’m really looking forward to that and I really want to play well at that,” said Kuntz, who closed with a 68 Tuesday.

Rossmere’s Carter Johnson was four shots back of Soni after a final round 70. Noah Fiks of Pine Ridge and Scott Miner of St. Boniface were tied for fourth, seven shots back after matching 74s.

“I was very confident and feeling pretty in control of my game, so being able to have a good first round and followed up with two more rounds of even par was definitely really good,” said Soni.

 

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14