Latest news with #SaskatchewanAmateur


Calgary Herald
2 days ago
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
'Copy-and-paste': Saskatoon mother-daughter share similar golf trajectory
Article content People say Grace Odnokon is a carbon copy of her mom, Carla Odnokon. If so, Grace hopes to someday duplicate her mom's Saskatchewan Amateur golf championship win from back in 2018. Article content At 15, Grace has plenty of time on her side. Article content 'I'm pretty much the copy-paste version of her,' quips Grace, who won the Saskatchewan provincial junior girls championship earlier this summer at the Lloydminster Golf and Country Club. Article content Article content Article content Advantage, mom. Article content 'When you see her, she looks a lot like me,' Carla said. Article content 'She's got some skills, thanks to her coaches, and her swing, I think, is stronger. She has a big, strong base, so she can grow with that. The short game? She's got to work there.' Article content Grace counters by one-upping her mom: 'I hit it further, though, so I will take that.' Article content She admits her short game needs work; so does her scoring consistency throughout her rounds. If she has a bad shot, she wants to make sure she can recover better. Article content Carla isn't just somebody to copy. She's somebody for Grace to look up to, especially after seeing her mom win the title in 2018. Article content 'It's cool,' Grace says. Article content 'She's also my golf idol.' Article content The Saskatoon mother-and-daughter golfers competed in t his year's Saskatchewan Amateur women's golf championship at the Humboldt Golf Club. Article content Article content Grace outperformed her mom this time, placing fourth overall with rounds of 84-72-75. Carla finished seventh, carding scores of 86-76-78. Article content Article content Being able to play in the same tournament is a rare treat for them. It happened at the Saskatchewan amateurs last year, and they've played a couple of partner tournaments together. Article content 'It's so much fun playing against her — I like it,' says Grace, who was asked if she would like to be in the same group as her mom on the final day. Article content 'Hmmm, depends on whether I'm playing better than her or not,' she replied with a laugh. Article content Grace qualified for the upcoming Canadian Women's Amateur championship this week in St. John, N.B., but chose not to go, while Carla has qualified for the Canadian Women's Mid-Amateur championship next month in Lachute, Que.


Ottawa Citizen
2 days ago
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
'Copy-and-paste': Saskatoon mother-daughter share similar golf trajectory
Article content People say Grace Odnokon is a carbon copy of her mom, Carla Odnokon. If so, Grace hopes to someday duplicate her mom's Saskatchewan Amateur golf championship win from back in 2018. Article content At 15, Grace has plenty of time on her side. Article content 'I'm pretty much the copy-paste version of her,' quips Grace, who won the Saskatchewan provincial junior girls championship earlier this summer at the Lloydminster Golf and Country Club. Article content Pretty much everything except for golf's short game, however. Article content Article content Advantage, mom. Article content 'When you see her, she looks a lot like me,' Carla said. Article content 'She's got some skills, thanks to her coaches, and her swing, I think, is stronger. She has a big, strong base, so she can grow with that. The short game? She's got to work there.' Article content Grace counters by one-upping her mom: 'I hit it further, though, so I will take that.' Article content She admits her short game needs work; so does her scoring consistency throughout her rounds. If she has a bad shot, she wants to make sure she can recover better. Article content Carla isn't just somebody to copy. She's somebody for Grace to look up to, especially after seeing her mom win the title in 2018. Article content 'It's cool,' Grace says. Article content 'She's also my golf idol.' Article content The Saskatoon mother-and-daughter golfers competed in t his year's Saskatchewan Amateur women's golf championship at the Humboldt Golf Club. Article content Article content Grace outperformed her mom this time, placing fourth overall with rounds of 84-72-75. Carla finished seventh, carding scores of 86-76-78. Article content Article content Being able to play in the same tournament is a rare treat for them. It happened at the Saskatchewan amateurs last year, and they've played a couple of partner tournaments together. Article content 'It's so much fun playing against her — I like it,' says Grace, who was asked if she would like to be in the same group as her mom on the final day. Article content 'Hmmm, depends on whether I'm playing better than her or not,' she replied with a laugh. Article content Grace qualified for the upcoming Canadian Women's Amateur championship this week in St. John, N.B., but chose not to go, while Carla has qualified for the Canadian Women's Mid-Amateur championship next month in Lachute, Que.


Calgary Herald
6 days ago
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Corey Bailey, with new Broncos cap and baby Brooks in tow, wins Sask. mid-Am golf title
Article content HUMBOLDT — Over a decade had passed since Corey Bailey last handed in a winning Golf Saskatchewan scorecard. Article content A lot has changed since then. Article content Bailey has gone from a provincial champion teenager, to a short-lived college golf career, to a proud dad of a 14-month old toddler. Article content Back in 2014, Bailey was a 17-year-old teen from Shaunavon when he captured the provincial junior boys golf championship at the Evergreen Golf Course in Nipawin. Article content Article content Now, at age 28, he is a first-time Saskatchewan mid-Amateur champion (for men 25 years and older) at the Humboldt Golf Club. Article content Article content 'It's really fulfilling and I'm just so happy,' said Bailey, who calls Swift Current home. 'I've got to thank my lovely girlfriend (Alexa Wandler) for letting me practice and work on my game. I really appreciate her. She's my rock. She holds down the fort for me.' Article content Wandler was on hand to watch along with the couple's 14-month-old son, Brooks, decked out in a white Masters caddie jumpsuit. Article content 'I picked it up the local restaurant here in town and I thought it would be a good touch for today — maybe a lucky charm,' offered Bailey, who wore the hat for the very first time Thursday on his way to a two-shot victory over Humboldt hometown favourite Paul Raycroft. Article content Article content 'I knew it was going to be tough. I heard, from a few people, how good he (Raycroft) is, and how far he hits the ball. It's all true. He's a really good player. It sucked that things didn't go his way but it was tough out there with the wind and tournament golf is tough.' Article content Article content Bailey — who will continue on Friday searching for his first-ever Saskatchewan Amateur title — finished the mid-Amateur portion at 7-under-par (64-71-74—209). Article content Raycroft finished two strokes back at 5-under (70-64-77—211), settling for second among the mid-Amateur male golfers. Article content 'Just sticking in the present and taking each shot at a time (was the key),' Bailey said when asked what the key was to his win. Article content 'The front nine was tough. I just kind of stayed with it through the back nine and hit some good shots coming in.' Article content After winning his junior title in 2014, Bailey went down south to attend college and play golf for a year in the Phoenix area at South Mountain Junior College.


Ottawa Citizen
6 days ago
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Kyle teenager Chloe Wills wins Saskatchewan Amateur women's golf title
Article content HUMBOLDT — Chloe Wills has ditched the hockey stick. Article content For now on, it's golf sticks only. Article content Golf, golf and more golf. Article content The newly crowned Saskatchewan Women's Amateur golf champion — just 17 — will soon be heading south of the border to attend college in Springfield, Missouri, and focus on NCAA Div. 2 golf at Drury University. Article content 'It's getting close,' pointed out Wills, a native of Kyle, who flies out August 8. Article content Article content But, for now, she can celebrate an 'unexpected' provincial women's golf championship at the Humboldt Golf Club. Article content Article content 'It's great — it's really exciting,' says Wills, who prevailed Thursday with a one-shot victory over runner-up Ella Kozak of Yorkton. Article content 'I wasn't really coming here expecting to win. I was just hoping to have three solid rounds, which I was able to do. The greens were rolling great. The course played to my advantage.' Article content Wills finished at 1-under-par over the three-round tournament with scores of 70-74-72—216. Article content Kozak had rounds of 74-72-71—217. Article content Wills had been playing hockey, as a forward, for the Swift Current AA Wildcats and, before that, back home in Kyle until the pee wee (U13) ranks, but she is now only focusing on golf. Article content It's a family sport. Article content 'My dad (Curtis Wills) has always been a golfer and he took my brother and I out when we were younger,' offered Wills, whose family has golf memberships at both Saskatchewan Landing and Swift Current, where they've taken junior group lessons, as well as doing a bit golf at home in Kyle. Article content Article content Wills started doing tournaments at age 11. Article content Article content 'Once I started being competitive,' she said, 'I really started to enjoy it.' Article content Winnipeg's Charmaine Hayden (77-76-74—227) placed fourth in the Saskatchewan Amateur, followed by Saskatoon's junior-aged Grace Odnokon (84-72-75—231). Article content Hayden captured the mid-Amateur women's crown for 2025, finishing six shots better than Chaplin's Holly Knudsen. Article content Article content Article content Article content


Ottawa Citizen
6 days ago
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Corey Bailey, with new Broncos cap and baby Brooks in tow, wins Sask. mid-Am golf title
Article content HUMBOLDT — Over a decade had passed since Corey Bailey last handed in a winning Golf Saskatchewan scorecard. Article content A lot has changed since then. Article content Bailey has gone from a provincial champion teenager, to a short-lived college golf career, to a proud dad of a 14-month old toddler. Article content Back in 2014, Bailey was a 17-year-old teen from Shaunavon when he captured the provincial junior boys golf championship at the Evergreen Golf Course in Nipawin. Article content Article content Now, at age 28, he is a first-time Saskatchewan mid-Amateur champion (for men 25 years and older) at the Humboldt Golf Club. Article content Article content 'It's really fulfilling and I'm just so happy,' said Bailey, who calls Swift Current home. 'I've got to thank my lovely girlfriend (Alexa Wandler) for letting me practice and work on my game. I really appreciate her. She's my rock. She holds down the fort for me.' Article content Wandler was on hand to watch along with the couple's 14-month-old son, Brooks, decked out in a white Masters caddie jumpsuit. Article content Bailey's matching Broncos hat — Humboldt Broncos, not Swift Current Broncos — was also along for the winning ride. Article content 'I picked it up the local restaurant here in town and I thought it would be a good touch for today — maybe a lucky charm,' offered Bailey, who wore the hat for the very first time Thursday on his way to a two-shot victory over Humboldt hometown favourite Paul Raycroft. Article content Article content 'I knew it was going to be tough. I heard, from a few people, how good he (Raycroft) is, and how far he hits the ball. It's all true. He's a really good player. It sucked that things didn't go his way but it was tough out there with the wind and tournament golf is tough.' Article content Article content Bailey — who will continue on Friday searching for his first-ever Saskatchewan Amateur title — finished the mid-Amateur portion at 7-under-par (64-71-74—209). Article content 'Just sticking in the present and taking each shot at a time (was the key),' Bailey said when asked what the key was to his win. Article content 'The front nine was tough. I just kind of stayed with it through the back nine and hit some good shots coming in.' Article content After winning his junior title in 2014, Bailey went down south to attend college and play golf for a year in the Phoenix area at South Mountain Junior College.