UXBRIDGE/WATERLOO— The Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) Investors Group Junior Spring Classic wrapped up on May 18 after three days at Wooden Sticks Golf Course in Uxbridge and Grey Silo Golf Course in Waterloo. When all was said and done it was Max Sear who captured the boys’ title while Alyssa Getty took home the girls’ championship.
At the junior boys’ event, taking place May 16-18 at Wooden Sticks Golf Course, a tremendous final round by Golf Canada Development Squad member Trevor Ranton put the pressure on second-round leader, Team Ontario’s Sear. Waterloo’s Ranton carded a six-under (66) during the final round moving him to seven-under for the tournament (68-75-66-209). That meant Sear had to finish the round at two-under to force a playoff or better for the win. Unionville’s Sear was up to the task and finished two-under 70 (69-70-70-209) and forced the playoff.
During the playoff it was Sear, the York Downs Golf & Country Club member, who was able to pull out the win with a par on the first extra hole to win the Investors Group Junior Boys’ Spring Classic.
Ranton, the Whistle Bear Golf Club member, still had a strong showing this week. He followed up his win at the CN Future Links Pacific Championship last weekend with the Junior Spring Classic silver medal.
After his win Sear spoke about his tournament. “It felt good out there today,” said Sear. “I started off slow but got going on the back nine. I felt good all day. Trevor and I are good buddies and if I had to go up against someone, in a playoff, I’m glad it was him because we both enjoy the pressure. I wanted to see him do well but at the same time I also wanted to beat him. We both played well today, so it was a lot more fun for everybody.”
Completing the top three were London’s Jackson Bowery and Waterloo’s Tyler Douse who both finished even for the tournament. Bowery, the Team Ontario member from the Green Hills Golf Club finished 70-73-73 for a total of 216. As for Douse, from Westmount Golf & Country Club, his tournament scores were 70-71-75 for a total of 216.
Capturing the Juvenile Division was Aurora’s Jack Simpson. Simpson, from the Beacon Hall Golf Club finished the tournament at five-over (74-68-79- 221). Thanks to his low second round, Simpson was able to build up a big lead and rode it right through the final round to win the Juvenile Championship.
Over at the junior girls’ event at Grey Silo Golf Course, for the third day in a row a new name topped the leaderboard but this was the round where it counted. Ruthven’s Alyssa Getty came into the round just one shot off the lead. After 18 holes, the Team Ontario and Kingsville Golf & Country Club member was two-over (73) for the day, bringing her tournament total to six-over (71-75-73-219) good enough for a one-shot victory.
The victory was extra sweet for Getty who fell just short last year. “I’m really excited that I played well this year and gave myself a chance to win. I am proud that I came out and got it done. I think my bad shots didn’t get me into a lot of trouble, so I stayed around even and kept it consistent. I was proud how I handled the pressure and happy overall with how I played.”
Finishing second was second-round leader, and fellow Team Ontario member Chloe Currie. The Port Credit native and Mississaugua Golf & Country Club member finished the day at four-over (75) bringing her total to seven-over (72-73-75-220).
Taking the bronze medal, and making it an all-Team Ontario sweep of the medals, was Richmond Hill’s Monet Chun. Chun, the Summit Golf & Country Club member, led after round one and finished the day four-over 75, to end the tournament 10-over (69-79-75-223).
About the Investors Group Spring Classic
The Investors Group Junior Spring Classic Championship is a 54-hole stroke-play competition contested annually over the Victoria Day long weekend that features many of Ontario’s best male and female junior golfers. The field of competitors gained entry to the competition through a qualifying process earlier in the season. For more information and complete results see the tournament page at:
http://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao15/event/gao1514/index.htm
http://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao15/event/gao1515/index.htm
The GAO would like to thank the members, volunteers and staffs at both Wooden Sticks and Grey Silo for their support over the course of the weekend.
Investors Group Junior Boys’ Spring Classic Photos
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Investors Group Junior Girls’ Spring Classic Photos
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CAMBRIDGE— The Ontario Women’s Champion of Champions kicked off the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) Women’s schedule on May 14 at Galt Country Club in Cambridge. Also being run in conjunction was the inaugural Senior Women’s Champion of Champions.
A total of 50 players teed it up in the Women’s Champion of Champions event and in addition, 27 women took part in the Senior Women’s Champion of Champions.
After 18 holes three players sat in a tie atop the leaderboard at three-over (74) resulting in a playoff between Aurora’s Mary Ann Hayward, Komoka’s Alex Amos and Ancaster’s Jennifer Lochhead for the Women’s Champion of Champions title.
On the playoff hole, Hayward put her tee shot in the middle of the fairway, while the other two competitors both found trouble on a steep incline. That led to Hayward, from the Club at North Halton, being able to two-putt for par and the win.
The win is one of many for Hayward who is a multiple time Ontario Women’s Amateur and Senior Women’s Champion. She spoke about her round after the exciting win. “It is still early in the season and I haven’t played a lot. I didn’t know what to expect and I played very poorly on the front nine. I got a rhythm going on the back nine so I was pretty happy about that. I hit a good tee shot down the middle on the playoff hole, while the others hit the trouble on the left. That took the pressure off and allowed me to get the win.”
Lochhead, from the Hamilton Golf and Country Club and Amos from the West Haven Golf and Country Club will share the silver medal after their strong performance.
The Senior Women’s Champion of Champions played out in a similar fashion. After 18 holes, three players all shared top spot at 11-over (82). Strathroy’s Jane Hedges McKinnon from Bear Creek Golf and Country Club, Stouffville’s Ivy Steinberg from Granite Golf Club and London’s Sue Postian from Sunningdale Golf Club all went back on the course to determine a champion in a playoff.
It would be Hedges McKinnon who was able to sink her par putt while the other ladies both made bogey, resulting in her capturing the first Senior Women’s Champion of Champions trophy.
“It a great honour to be the first name on this trophy,” said Hedges McKinnon. “I worked hard today to pull in the score that I did. The course played very hard but I really enjoyed it. You had to be patient because the greens were super fast and you could get discouraged if your putt went 20 feet past the hole. When I got to the playoff my opinion was you can only do what you do, so I kept it in the fairway and played it the same way as I did the first time. I had a similar putt and knew it would be fast, I had hit it too hard earlier so I slowed it down and tapped in for par.”
Steinberg and Postian shared the silver medal from the inaugural Senior Women’s Champion of Champions.
The GAO would like to thank Galt Country Club for hosting the 2015 event.
For full results and information from the Women’s Champion of Champions see the tournament page at: http://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao15/event/gao1557/index.htm
For the Senior Women’s Champion of Champions see the tournament page at: http://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao15/event/gao1588/contest/8/leaderboard.htm
About The Ontario Women’s Champion of Champions and Senior Women’s Champion of Champions
Since 2006 the Ontario Women’s Champion of Champions event has been contested annually and features female club champions from Golf Association of Ontario member clubs across the province. Past champions include: Brittany Marchand, Stefani Markovich, Julia Hodgson and Elizabeth Tong. 2015 was the first year that the Senior Women’s Champion of Champions was played.
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TORONTO— It was a beautiful day on May 14 at the Oakdale Golf and Country Club for the playing of the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) 2015 Ontario Men’s Better-Ball Championship. In total, 56 teams (112 players) took part in the 56th running of the event.
It was a great way to kick off the GAO season as after 18 holes, a champion was not decided with three teams finishing at five-under (67). A playoff was needed to determine the winner. The teams of Russell Bowie and Jordan Gregoris, Aidan Dunphy and Benjamin Thompson, and Barrett McCarthy and Mike Crapper all went back on the course to crown a champion.
It would be the team of McCarthy and Crapper who would emerge victorious from the playoff to claim the title of Men’s Better-Ball Champions. McCarthy, from Burlington and the Beverly Golf & Country Club and Crapper from the Hamilton Golf & Country Club needed just one playoff hole to close out the victory thanks to a birdie. McCarthy’s approach shot stuck within eight-feet of the hole and from there they were able to sink their putt for the win.
It is the first GAO championship for either McCarthy or Crapper. McCarthy did finish runner up last season in the GAO Public Player Championship.
Finishing in the tie for second place were the teams of Mississauga’s Bowie and Aurora’s Gregoris along with Whitby’s Dunphy and Scarborough’s Thompson. Both teams had solid rounds, but just came up short to the eventual winners.
After receiving the trophy the winners talked about what made the difference during the round and what it was like to head into a three-team playoff. “I was actually pretty excited and ready to go,” said McCarthy.
“When we were walking off our last hole we said we weren’t sure five-under would be good enough and that we wish we could have had a couple more holes. Then everything happened so quickly with the playoff and we really didn’t have time to get nervous,” added Crapper.
“It wasn’t until the last few holes that we thought we had a chance,” said Crapper. “We didn’t give ourselves a lot of chances today, we got up and down a lot but we finished strong and that was the difference.”
For full results and information see the tournament page at: http://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao15/event/gao151/contest/1/leaderboard.htm
About The Ontario Men’s Better-Ball
The Ontario Men’s Better-Ball Championship has been played since 1959. All but two of the championships have taken place at Oakdale. The tournament is open to teams whose members both have up-to-date Golf Canada Handicap Factor of 8.4 or less at the time of online registration through the completion of the championship and each team’s combined Handicap Factor must not exceed 12.8 at the time of online registration through the completion of the championship. Previous winners of the event include: Gary Cowan, Bill Morland, Nick Weslock, Kelly Roberts, Warren Sye, Bill Swartz and Albin Choi.
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The GAO has learned that 2002 Ontario Golf Hall of Famer Ed Ervasti has died at the age of 101. Ervasti was raised in Michigan near Detroit but moved to London in 1965. He has an impressive list of accomplishments in the game of golf including: Michigan Amateur Champion (1949), Ontario Senior Amateur Champion (1971, 1985, 1987), Ontario Senior Champion of Champions Winner (1971), Canadian Senior Amateur Champion (1976), Canadian Seniors Golf Association Champion (1971, 1976-80), North and South Senior Amateur Champion (1978, 1983), International Senior Tournament Champion (1979), American Seniors Golf Association Champion (1975, 1980, 1983, 1985), and World Super Senior Champion (1994).
In addition to being an Ontario Golf Hall of Famer, Ervasti was inducted into the Highpoint Country Club (North Carolina) Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame in 1989. Ervasti also served as the Canadian Seniors Golf Association president from 1986-87.
The GAO sends their sympathies to his family.
The GAO was saddened to learn of the passing of former Ottawa Valley Golf Association representative, on the GAO board, Don McGee. The GAO sends it’s condolences to his family.
Obituary from Capital Memories
Don peacefully completed his final round on May 11th, after a short battle with kidney cancer in the arms of his loving wife Cilia.
Don loved everything golf and will be missed by his wife of 42 years, Cilia, sister Cheryl (Mike), brother Doug (Trish); predeceased by his sister Faye (Dick), mother Beryl (Walls) and father Charles McGee. Don will be missed by his mother in law Marg, brother in law Ken (Karin), brother in law George (Junko) and his nieces, nephews and great nephews.
Don retired from the National Archives of Canada in 2006 after 35 years of dedicated service to the federal government.
Don was a long time director of the Ottawa Valley Golf Association. In the past he also served as a director for the Golf Association of Ontario and Golf Quebec.
Many thanks to the Palliative Care team, and all his nursing staff at the Ottawa General Hospital.
Friends may gather to pay their respects at: Falcon Ridge Golf Club 4750 High Road, Ottawa on Friday May 15th from 1 to 4.
Donations to the Ottawa Hospital Foundation or the Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated.
QUALICUM BEACH, B.C. (Golf Canada) – The first event of Golf Canada’s competitive season concluded in the same way it unfolded – with a pair of Team Canada Development Squad members atop the leaderboards as Trevor Ranton and Grace St-Germain claimed victory at the 2015 CN Future Links Pacific Championship.
No one could dethrone Trevor Ranton’s reign over the Junior Boys division. After opening with a course record of 7-under 65 and following with a second round of 3-under, the Waterloo, Ont., native carded a final round of 2-under 70 to complete the wire-to-wire win. When asked about his play over the past three days, Ranton credited his quick start as a key to his success. “I was pretty happy with (my performance). Right from the start, I was playing well. I started the tournament off with two straight birdies, so I felt comfortable on the course. I was hitting a lot of good shots and making a lot of putts.”
The first year Development Squad member will now set his sights upon the CN Future Links Ontario title – a competition in which he finished T2 in 2014. “If I can keep my putter hot like this week, I’m sure I’ll have a good chance again.”
Henry Lee of Coquitlam, B.C., finished runner up with a bogey-free final round of 3-under. Tony Gil – a member of the national team Development Squad – opened the back nine with four straight birdies to claim third place. Development Squad members Étienne Papineau and A.J. Armstrong took fourth and sixth place respectively, while teammate Patrick Murphy completed the tournament T18. A.J. Ewart finished in sole possession of fifth.
Grace St-Germain birdied the second playoff hole to win the Junior Girls title in exciting fashion. The extra session was only necessary after fellow Development Squad member Michelle Kim notched a pair of birdies in her final three holes to move to 2-over par and force the playoff. “I hit a pretty nice drive. After hers went in the water, I tried to stay calm and play it smart. It was a lot of fun,” said St-Germain of the second extra hole.
“I’ll try to play as well as I played this week for the rest of the summer and try to take what I did well here and incorporate it into the rest of the tournaments,” added St-Germain when asked about her outlook for the season ahead.
Tiffany Kong and Euna Han finished in a tie for third place at 2-over 220. Development Squad member Alisha Lau completed the tournament in sixth place while teammate Naomi Ko tied for the best Junior Girls round of the day at even par to climb into a tie for seventh.
The Pacific edition of the CN Future Links Championships was the first of six junior-aged tournaments presented by Golf Canada in partnership with CN. The CN Future Links Ontario Championship – the next in the series – will be contested at Pine Knot Golf and Country Club in Dorchester, Ont. from May 22-24.
The top six Junior Boys from each CN Future Links Championship will earn exemptions into the 2015 Canadian Junior Boys Championship, to be held from August 3-6 at Summerlea Golf and Country Club in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Qué. The top six finishers on the Junior Girls side in each CN Future Links Championship will earn the right to join their peers at the 2015 Canadian Junior Girls Championship. Deer Park Municipal Golf Course in Yorkton, Sask. will host the tournament from August 4-7.
TORONTO— The 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games are quickly approaching with the opening ceremonies scheduled for July 10. Making it’s debut at the 2015 Pan Am Games will be golf, July 16-19 at Angus Glen Golf Club, south course. The debut of golf comes at a exciting time for the sport, as it will also be making it’s return to the Olympics after a 112-year hiatus in Rio in 2016.
The Pan Am competition will feature a men’s and women’s individual stroke-play competition, to be contested over four rounds (72 holes), along with a mixed team competition. Both the men’s and women’s fields will be made up of 32 competitors and will be open to both amateurs and professionals.
Nation’s may enter a maximum of two competitors per gender. As the host nation, Canada automatically qualifies a full team of four athletes. All other athletes will qualify through the Official World Golf Ranking and Women’s World Golf Rankings (and if necessary) the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of April 28, 2015. All nations that qualify in the men’s and women’s singles events will also qualify for the mixed team event.
The course itself, Angus Glen, is one of Canada’s most prestigious courses that has hosted numerous noteworthy tournaments including a pair of Canadian Opens. Just last year, Angus Glen hosted the inaugural World Junior Girls Championship in preparing for the 2015 Pan Am Games.
The Pan Am competition will no doubt set the stage for the world’s best golfers to compete in Rio during the 2016 Olympics. Golf has previously been an event at the Olympics, in 1900 in Paris, France and in 1904 in St. Louis. Canadian George S. Lyon won the gold medal in 1904, so Canadian golfers will be looking to defend the gold in 2016.
Golf was attempted in both 1908 and 1920 but was not run due disputes or lack of interest. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) then mandated that a sport be participated in at least 40 countries to have Olympic eligibility. It was only until the 212th IOC Session in 2009 that IOC members voted to reinstate golf for 2016.
The tournament for the Olympics, much like the Pan-Am games will be stroke play for both men and women over 72 holes. In the event of ties, playoffs will be used to determine medal winners. In both the men’s and women’s event, the top 15 world-ranked players will be eligible for the Olympic Games, regardless of the number of players from a given country. Beyond the top 15, players will be eligible based on world ranking, with a maximum of two available players from each country that does not already have two or more players among the top 15 to a maximum number of 60 players in total in the competition. The field size will be larger at the Olympics with 60 participants on both the Men’s and Women’s side.
With both the debut of golf at the 2015 Pan Am Games and the return of golf to the Olympics it really is an exciting time for the sport. With some of the best golfers in the world in Toronto this summer, there is no better time to see the stars of our sport shine.
UXBRIDGE— The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) was pleased to hold it’s annual Ontario Hall of Fame induction ceremony on May 6 at Wooden Sticks Golf Course in Uxbridge. Bob Breen, Doug Carrick, Edie Creed and Bill Kerr were inducted as the class of 2015, while Garry McKay was the recipient of the Lorne Rubenstein Media Award.
GAO president Chris Osborne began the evening by introducing the great class of 2015. “When I joined the GAO, I was told I could play lots of golf and meet many cool people. I haven’t seen much of the golf, but I have met many great people and that echoes here tonight. What I like most about golf is it is enjoyed by great people. On behalf of our board, staff, volunteers and Hall of Fame Committee thank you all for coming out and let’s induct this great class.”
The ceremony began with the presentation of the Lorne Rubenstein Media Award to McKay. McKay, who has covered golf for more than 40 years, has written for a number of news publications, golf magazines and hosted golf radio programming. He is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America, the International Network of Golf and is currently the past-president of the Golf Journalists Association of Canada.
“I want to congratulate all of the inductees, they have all had amazing careers,” said McKay. “There are so many people I want to thank, but I really need to thank all of the people in this room because all golfers have great stories and I wouldn’t have had a great career if I couldn’t tell your stories.”
Bob Breen excelled at golf capturing the Ontario PGA Hunt Trophy as a junior, a feat he would go on to do again three times as a senior. He turned pro in 1960 and went on to have tremendous success. He captured 15 victories on the Ontario PGA Tour and another three on the Canadian Tour. Breen also participated in the Canadian Open on 10 occasions, played on the American Tour, where he won the Bahamas International, the Florida tour, where he was a four-time winner, the South American Tour and events on the PGA Tour.
Accepting on behalf of Breen, who passed away in August of 2014, was his son Blair Breen who was visibly emotional about the honour his father was given. “I’m sure that back in the 1950s, when my dad started playing golf he would have never imagined this moment, being inducted into the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame. It is a true honour for him and his legacy to Ontario golf.”
Doug Carrick entered the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame in the builder category. A renowned course designer, Carrick has designed 25 courses in Canada and another four internationally. In addition, he has been involved in the renovations of 45 courses. His courses have earned him numerous awards and have hosted multiple professional events.
“I was traveling in Austria when I received a call from GAO Executive Director Steve Carroll telling me I was to be inducted into the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame and I can tell you I was completely stunned.” said Carrick. “I’d like to thank all of my clients over the years for putting their trust in me to design and remodel their golf courses.”
Edie Creed had tremendous success as an amateur golfer as a member of the Oakdale Golf and Country Club. Her list of accomplishments is long and includes being a 37-time Club Champion at Oakdale. Creed also won the York District Championship in 1982. It was as a senior competitor where Creed made her mark on the game. She captured the Canadian Senior Women’s Championship three times (1979, 1981 and 1982). She also added five Ontario Senior Women’s Championships (1978, 1981-83 and 1986).
Creed talked about her inspiration in golf, her husband Eddie. “I’m honoured to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. I got started in golf all because of my husband Eddie. He always encouraged me to practice and I listened to his advice. While I don’t play golf anymore, my memories are as sharp as the tee, my friendships as long as the fairway. This induction is my eagle.”
Bill Kerr captured the 1945 CPGA Championship, a feat he would go on to replicate in 1960. He also won two Miller Trophy Match Play Championships in 1944 and 1945, another feat he would duplicate while in Quebec in 1947 and 1950. Throughout his career, Kerr played in six Canadian Opens and the 1961 Masters Championship. He was a five-time winner on the Quebec PGA Tour, the 1956 Bermuda Goodwill Champion, and the 1963 and 1964 CPGA Senior Champion. In addition to his contributions to the game as a head and touring professional, Kerr also served as a two-time President of the Quebec Golf Association and President of the CPGA from 1955-1958.
Accepting on his behalf were Rob Kerr and Bill Kerr III. “Our family is honoured to accept this great award for my father,” said Rob. “He had the chance to play with many great players and also the opportunity to teach many people about the game of golf and he really enjoyed that. It is difficult to have a professional career while running a golf course but he was a determined individual and was able to have a pretty decent career.”
With that the 2015 class entered the hall capping off an excellent Hall of Fame Day celebration.
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Legendary Canadian golf writer Lorne Rubenstein has generously donated two sets of his gently used Miura Irons to the Golf Lab. In turn, The Golf Lab would like to put these in the hands of two (2) lucky, young junior golfers.
To Enter:
Entrants must be between the ages of 12 and 18.? Junior Golfers will be asked to write a 500-word essay describing what golf means to them. Along with the essay, they are asked to submit a current report card, and resume, outlining their current golfing accomplishments.
Applications are to be dropped off at The Golf Lab’s Satellite Location located at DiamondBack Golf Club (13300 Leslie St, Richmond Hill, ON) on Saturday May 23rd or May 24th between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Winners will be notified on June 1st and will receive a free fitting from one of the Golf Lab Professionals; to ensure the Miura irons are perfect for them.
CAMBRIDGE — The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) was pleased to present the inaugural NXTee Peewee Preview Tournament on May 2 at Puslinch Lake Golf Club, in Cambridge. The event was a wrap up to the NXTee Youth Golf Training pilot project, funded in part by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, which offered off-season training to golfers 12-years-old and under. Participants from the program along with other young players teed it up in a scramble format that gave them a chance to see the course that will host the GAO’s Inaugural Peewee Championship Aug. 6-7.
“This event was a big success!” Said Mike Kelly, GAO Managing Director of Sport. “We had lots of parents, kids, coaches and teams take part and even Corey Conners starting the players off the first tee. It was a great opportunity for the GAO to get parents and kids on the course together and an excellent way to engage and keep them in golf.”
Conners was no doubt a big hit as the players were able to take pictures and ask the 2015 Masters participant questions on what it is like to be a professional player.
In total, 58 players took part in the event. The participation numbers were a welcome sight to NXTee Head Coach Doug Lawrie. “What I really like is that we had participation from as far as Lindsay and London. We had great support from golf development centres, which shows the recognition of the importance of the NXTee program. Seeing the kids participate, who were part of the pilot project this winter, really is a testament for how this program can help kids move forwards and figure out what is next for them in the sport.”
Lawrie also stressed the importance of grassroots youth programming at the provincial level to work with national programs like CN Future Links in relation to Golf Canada’s Long Term Development Plan. “What has been shown is that provincial golf associations can use programs like NXTee because it helps kids find their way in golf and map out a pathway recreationally or competitively. I think it is a great way to get them involved in the sport at an early age.”
The event also served as a building block towards the GAO Peewee Championship by allowing potential competitors to get an early look at the course that will be hosting the event. “Puslinch Lake has hosted our Ontario Bantam Championship in the past, so it is a logical move to hold our Ontario Peewee Championship here,” added Kelly. “It will be a fun and fair set up for everybody and will showcase the talents of these young kids. We owe a big thank you to the Ontario Ministry of Culture Tourism and Sport who helped get the NXTee program off the ground, which will lead into our Peewee Championship.”
While the event put the emphasis on fun and working as a team, and did not award winners, some of the teams finished with impressive scores including -5 and -3 on the boys’ side and -1 and even-par on the girls’ side.
NXTee Peewee Preview Photos
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