Even par for Wood on opening day of Junior Boys tournament
His opening round at the provincial Junior Boys Championship supported that notion.
An even-par 72 has the Winnipeg teen tied for second place after Monday's first round at Quarry Oaks.
GOLF MANITOBA PHOTO
Payne Wood had the cleanest scorecard on the first day of the Junior Boys Championship golf tournament, recording 18 straight pars Monday at Quarry Oaks.
It's not his first time near the top of the leaderboard. Wood played in the final pairing en route to a solo-second finish in last year's event.
The St. Boniface member has also improved in each of his last three outings in this tournament, finishing tied-28th in 2022 and tied-14th in 2023 before ending one shot away from the winner's circle in 2024.
Entering Tuesday's second round tied with Liam Comaskey and Ryder St. Laurent, and one stroke off the lead held by Shilo's Spence Mott, Wood has all the experience he needs to stay in contention for another provincial title.
'A little bit, yeah,' Wood said about whether he's thought about how he's been improving his finishes in this tournament. 'I don't try to think too much of where I'm at, but I know what I'm capable of doing, and if I do that, I know I'm gonna be pretty high on the leaderboard. So it's mainly just sticking to a game plan and not worrying about what other people are doing around me, because I know if I play good golf, I'll be right up there.'
Close behind the four golfers who stayed out of plus numbers is Gavin Carver, who shot a 1-over 73; Nathan Hoogsteen, who recorded a 2-over 74; and a five-way tie for seventh place at 3-over between Ty Brewster, Terence Rafferty, Ethan Bayluk, Brady Comaskey and Tanner Gross.
No one finished with a cleaner scorecard in the opening round than Wood, who recorded 18 straight pars on the Oak and Desert nines of the 27-hole track. Like any round, there were a few putts he wished he could have back, but he also holed a few crucial par saves to maintain a solid score.
'There's some holes where I definitely could have made a putt for birdie, but other holes I had to fight for par a little bit, like those testers — five, six footers — that I had to make kind of kept me in it and kept the momentum going, too,' he said.
'But I didn't really give myself any short birdie putts where I should have capitalized on. So obviously I can't be mad with making 18 pars — even par, that's a good spot after the first day, but going into tomorrow, I know I can make more putts.'
The three-day event wraps up on Wednesday in Steinbach.
Mott fired a 1-under 71 on the strength of three birdies and a chip-in eagle on the par-5 seventh hole.
'It went good. I played really solid,' said the Westman teen. 'I started making a lot of putts. Just kept it in play, I didn't really give myself any chance of making big numbers.'
The 18-year-old admitted he's had a rough start to his summer that included failing to qualify for the Match Play Championship and missing the cut at the NextGen Western Championship.
His putting in particular has been, in his words, horrendous, which led him to buy a new flat iron recently in search of results. The new stick is already paying dividends.
What has also helped is managing his expectations. Mott enters this week without any, despite being one of the most experienced players in the field. Like Wood, he returns to the Junior Championship after a career-best finish in 2024, when he finished 12th.
'I definitely didn't have the most confidence, especially with the driver and the putter, which were the two main ones that kind of kept my scores back a bit,' he said. 'And I was also chasing birdies, like trying to force them, and today I just tried letting them come to me instead of forcing something good to happen, and it just kind of kept the big numbers away.'
NIC ADAM / FREE PRESS FILES
Jeri Lafleche navigated a turbulent front nine to take a 1-under lead on the first day of the Junior Girls Championship golf tournament at Quarry Oaks.
Meanwhile, Niakwa's Jeri Lafleche navigated a turbulent front nine to a 1-under 71 and the lead in the Junior Girls Championship.
Lafleche recorded two pars, three birdies and four bogeys on the opening nine but found some consistency on the way in with seven pars and a pair of birdies.
'I'm happy with the way things ended,' she said. 'I think my game plan was good. I'm gonna try to change a few things going into tomorrow, but it was a good start.'
Lafleche trailed reigning champion Addison Kartusch for most of the day, but a double-bogey, bogey finish ended the St. Charles teen's round on a sour note as she carded a 1-over 73. The two golfers hold a sizeable lead over the rest of the field heading into Tuesday's second round.
Camryn Thomas is the closest at 8-over.
Lafleche, a junior bantam champion and two-time women's amateur winner, is seeking her first Junior Championship title. She has finished solo second in the event in each of the last two years, her closest call coming last year when she ended three shots back of Kartusch, whom she also lost to in this year's match play event.
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A win in her final crack at the junior title is weighing on her mind this week.
'I think with it being my last year to play, I definitely want to finish on a high note,' said Lafleche.
'I know my finishes in the past have been decent, but there's been some unforced mistakes that have maybe cost me it. But yeah, it's definitely a thought in my mind that I want to make sure I win this one before time runs out.'
joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca
X: @jfreysam
Joshua Frey-SamReporter
Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh.
Every piece of reporting Josh produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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Winnipeg Free Press
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Kartusch, Mott claim junior links glory
That Spence Mott was able to make a pressure-free swing from the 18th tee box might've even surprised him after the way his day unfolded. The Shilo teen watched his one-shot lead turn into a three-stroke deficit by the third hole earlier in the day before he weathered a roller-coaster final round in the junior men's provincial championship. Yet, by the end of it, Mott had reclaimed the game that had him leading the tournament through 18 and 36 holes, respectively, and swung easy to a par on the last hole to cap a six-shot victory at Quarry Oaks on Wednesday. Golf Manitoba photos Spence Mott (left) had an up-and-down round Wednesday while Addison Kartusch repeated her women's triple-crown triumph from last year. 'It feels nice to win again. It's been a while,' the 18-year-old said. Mott, who began the event with consecutive rounds in red figures, finished 71-68-75 for a two-under 214 three-day total. Meanwhile, Addison Kartusch captured the junior women's title for the second year in a row and third overall in her career. Mott will lead Team Manitoba at the Canadian junior boys championship in Bathurst, N.B., Aug. 12-15. Kartusch will do the same at the Canadian junior girls championship in Sainte-Marie, Que., Aug. 13-16. Windy conditions toyed with players all day. Mott recorded 14 holes of birdie or better in the tournament, but his first Wednesday didn't come until the seventh hole. At that time, he was two shots off the pace set by Payne Wood, who began the day one stroke back of Mott. 'I felt more relaxed after I made a big number and just told myself to do what I've been doing the whole week. I've been playing good, so I just told myself to 'Relax,'' said Mott, who triple-bogeyed the par-5 second hole. 'Course management out here was a big thing. And definitely for me, attitude has been a big problem before — get one big score on the card, and the whole round goes downhill from there. We've been working on bringing it back instead of letting it go downhill even more.' The Westman resident returned the favour on the early swing with a momentum shift of his own shortly after as he birdied the par-5 ninth while Wood tripled. Golf Manitoba photo Addison Kartusch Mott's lead increased after the par-4 13th, as Wood carded a triple-bogey to put him in third place, four strokes back of the lead and two behind host course member Ty Brewster, who quietly hung around all day. Mott's advantage became sizeable down the stretch, as he parred the par-4 14th while Brewster scored a double-bogey and Wood bogeyed. All of the sudden, he had a four stroke lead that he would not relinquish. 'After hole 13, Payne started making big numbers — making triple and then a few bogeys coming in — so I knew after 13 if I made pars and birdies that I was pretty safe,' he said. Kartusch ended her provincial junior career in historic fashion, as the St. Charles teen repeated her triple crown in provincial tournaments, winning the women's match play, amateur and junior championships in the same summer. The 18-year-old became the first Manitoba woman to accomplish the feat last year, and she rewrote history again with her latest triumph. 'It just shows that all my hard work has paid off, and a lot of patience,' she said. Kartusch, who began the day seven strokes back of 36-hole leader Jeri Lafleche, led a fierce charge in the final round, carding a bogey-free 4-under 68 to win by five. Her rounds of 73-75-68 were good for a three-day total of 216 at even-par. 'It feels good. I know I can play good tournament golf, so it was nice to be able to do that this summer again,' said Kartusch, who plays NCAA Division 1 at Bowling Green State University. 'Obviously, I hit it well, but growing up in the prairies, you play with a lot of wind, practise with a lot of wind. And down at Bowling Green, our home course, you always have a lot of wind, so it's something that I found a tad easier to adjust to over time, and I know that I can play good golf in bad weather.' The biggest swing of the day came shortly after the turn, as Lafleche went triple-bogey, double-bogey on the par-5 11th and par-3 12th, respectively, while Kartusch parred both holes to assume a three-shot advantage — her first lead since the 16th hole in the first round. Golf Manitoba photo Spence Mott 'I kind of just waited until my last putt on 18 to relax, I guess, and think about it because, ugh, it's golf, you never know what's going to happen so I just stuck to my process and was very patient today,' she said. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Brewster finished solo runner-up in the junior men's tournament at four-over (220) while Terrence Raffert, Ryder St. Laurent and Wood tied for third at 6-over (222). Brewster's score won the 15 and 16-year-old division, while St. Laurent topped the 13 and 14-year-old category. Lafleche ended solo second in the junior women's at six-over (222), while Payton Oakden finished third at 26-over (242). Jewel Lafleche won the 15 and 16-year-old category at 27-over (243), while Angelina Sitarz (55-over, 271) paced the 13 and 14-year-old division. Joshua Frey-SamReporter Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh. Every piece of reporting Josh produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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Winnipeg Free Press
08-07-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Even par for Wood on opening day of Junior Boys tournament
History would say Payne Wood is due for a breakout. His opening round at the provincial Junior Boys Championship supported that notion. An even-par 72 has the Winnipeg teen tied for second place after Monday's first round at Quarry Oaks. GOLF MANITOBA PHOTO Payne Wood had the cleanest scorecard on the first day of the Junior Boys Championship golf tournament, recording 18 straight pars Monday at Quarry Oaks. It's not his first time near the top of the leaderboard. Wood played in the final pairing en route to a solo-second finish in last year's event. The St. Boniface member has also improved in each of his last three outings in this tournament, finishing tied-28th in 2022 and tied-14th in 2023 before ending one shot away from the winner's circle in 2024. Entering Tuesday's second round tied with Liam Comaskey and Ryder St. Laurent, and one stroke off the lead held by Shilo's Spence Mott, Wood has all the experience he needs to stay in contention for another provincial title. 'A little bit, yeah,' Wood said about whether he's thought about how he's been improving his finishes in this tournament. 'I don't try to think too much of where I'm at, but I know what I'm capable of doing, and if I do that, I know I'm gonna be pretty high on the leaderboard. So it's mainly just sticking to a game plan and not worrying about what other people are doing around me, because I know if I play good golf, I'll be right up there.' Close behind the four golfers who stayed out of plus numbers is Gavin Carver, who shot a 1-over 73; Nathan Hoogsteen, who recorded a 2-over 74; and a five-way tie for seventh place at 3-over between Ty Brewster, Terence Rafferty, Ethan Bayluk, Brady Comaskey and Tanner Gross. No one finished with a cleaner scorecard in the opening round than Wood, who recorded 18 straight pars on the Oak and Desert nines of the 27-hole track. Like any round, there were a few putts he wished he could have back, but he also holed a few crucial par saves to maintain a solid score. 'There's some holes where I definitely could have made a putt for birdie, but other holes I had to fight for par a little bit, like those testers — five, six footers — that I had to make kind of kept me in it and kept the momentum going, too,' he said. 'But I didn't really give myself any short birdie putts where I should have capitalized on. So obviously I can't be mad with making 18 pars — even par, that's a good spot after the first day, but going into tomorrow, I know I can make more putts.' The three-day event wraps up on Wednesday in Steinbach. Mott fired a 1-under 71 on the strength of three birdies and a chip-in eagle on the par-5 seventh hole. 'It went good. I played really solid,' said the Westman teen. 'I started making a lot of putts. Just kept it in play, I didn't really give myself any chance of making big numbers.' The 18-year-old admitted he's had a rough start to his summer that included failing to qualify for the Match Play Championship and missing the cut at the NextGen Western Championship. His putting in particular has been, in his words, horrendous, which led him to buy a new flat iron recently in search of results. The new stick is already paying dividends. What has also helped is managing his expectations. Mott enters this week without any, despite being one of the most experienced players in the field. Like Wood, he returns to the Junior Championship after a career-best finish in 2024, when he finished 12th. 'I definitely didn't have the most confidence, especially with the driver and the putter, which were the two main ones that kind of kept my scores back a bit,' he said. 'And I was also chasing birdies, like trying to force them, and today I just tried letting them come to me instead of forcing something good to happen, and it just kind of kept the big numbers away.' NIC ADAM / FREE PRESS FILES Jeri Lafleche navigated a turbulent front nine to take a 1-under lead on the first day of the Junior Girls Championship golf tournament at Quarry Oaks. Meanwhile, Niakwa's Jeri Lafleche navigated a turbulent front nine to a 1-under 71 and the lead in the Junior Girls Championship. Lafleche recorded two pars, three birdies and four bogeys on the opening nine but found some consistency on the way in with seven pars and a pair of birdies. 'I'm happy with the way things ended,' she said. 'I think my game plan was good. I'm gonna try to change a few things going into tomorrow, but it was a good start.' Lafleche trailed reigning champion Addison Kartusch for most of the day, but a double-bogey, bogey finish ended the St. Charles teen's round on a sour note as she carded a 1-over 73. The two golfers hold a sizeable lead over the rest of the field heading into Tuesday's second round. Camryn Thomas is the closest at 8-over. Lafleche, a junior bantam champion and two-time women's amateur winner, is seeking her first Junior Championship title. She has finished solo second in the event in each of the last two years, her closest call coming last year when she ended three shots back of Kartusch, whom she also lost to in this year's match play event. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. A win in her final crack at the junior title is weighing on her mind this week. 'I think with it being my last year to play, I definitely want to finish on a high note,' said Lafleche. 'I know my finishes in the past have been decent, but there's been some unforced mistakes that have maybe cost me it. But yeah, it's definitely a thought in my mind that I want to make sure I win this one before time runs out.' X: @jfreysam Joshua Frey-SamReporter Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh. Every piece of reporting Josh produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
