A beautiful day greeted the golfers as they teed off beginning at 7:30 am (or 0730 hours) here at the Gage Golf & Curling Club.
The clear morning provided good scoring conditions for the pre-event favorite, and 2014 & 2016 NB Junior Boys Champion, Calvin Ross of JH Sports at Kingswood. The defending champion would open the 2017 Golf NB Junior Championships with the Royal Oaks Golf Club’s, and 2016 NB Junior Boys Teammate, Sam Reid despite their very different scorecards.
Ross would start his round solidly parring his first seven holes of the competition before making back to back bogeys at eight and nine would see him make the turn with a two over par (+2), 37, Canadian Forces built 6,100 yard par 71 layout. Reid would find a completely different way to match Ross’ two over par 37 outward nine. He would bang in bogeys on one and two, six and seven before holing out for eagle on the par four 9th, turning his day around.
Reid and Ross would ride the momentum created by Reid’s hole out as the pair would combine for five birdies and an eagle, offset by only two bogeys to post a combined five under par on their inward nines. Ross would birdie #11, #14, #15 and #16 to go with a bogey on the par five 12th, while Reid would birdie #11, bogey #14 and card his second eagle of the day on the par five 15th to close out his round.
When the dust settled, Ross would hold the first round lead with a one under par (-1), 70, while Reid would remain on his heals after scratching together his even par (E) round of 71.
In third position is the Westfield Golf & Country Club`s Lynden Breen. Breen would fire a three over par (+3), 38, on the front nine thanks to bogeys at the 3rd, 4th and 7th. Breen would make three birdies on the back side, but bogeys at #14 and #18, combined with a double bogey on the par four 16th would cost him another shot on the back and see him enter the clubhouse with a four over par (+4), total of 75, five shots back of round one leader Ross.
Tied for fourth position, with five over par (+5) 76’s through 18 holes is 2017 Bouctouche East Coast Junior Boys Champion, Stuart Earle of Westfeild and the Gowan Brae Golf & Country Club’s Ben MacDonald.
In the Junior Girls division, all eyes are on 2014 & 2015 NB Junior Girls Champion Laura Jones of the Country Meadows Golf Club. Fresh off her 2017 Bouctouche East Cost Junior victory, that saw Jones post an even par (E), 144, over the two days, showed up to Gage looking to become the first junior girl since recent NB Sports Hall inductee, Kim Adams from 1996 to 1998 and Kristi Roach (Vienneau) from 2000 to 2002, to claim three NB Junior Girls Titles.
Jones would struggle mightily on the front nine, bogeying the 1st, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th to make the turn with a five over par (+5), 40, and in a three way tie for second with the Gage Golf & Curling Club’s Sarah Holt and JH Sports at Kingswood’s MacKenzie Scott. Despite the trio’s struggles, they would all keep nine hole leader Laura Wesselius, of JH Sports and the Petitcodiac Valley Golf & Country Club in their sights. Wesselius would battle the “Bogey Bug” herself, making five of them on her opening nine, but a birdie on the par three 6th would pull her a shot clear of the chase pack through nine holes.
The back nine would provide a significant switch in fortunes for both Wesselius and Jones. While Wesselius would struggle with four bogeys and two double bogeys to card a first round twelve over par (+12), 83, Jones would bookend her back nine with birdies on the par four 10th and 18th to offset bogeys at #13 and #17 to shoot an even par (E), 36, for an 18 hole total of five over par (+5), 76, to leapfrog Wesselius and take a seven shot lead into Thursday`s second round.
Two back of Wesselius, and all alone in third position, is Sarah Holt of the host Gage Golf & Curling Club. Holt would follow her five over par (+5), front nine with a nine over par (+9) back nine to post a first round 85, two clear of Mackenzie Scott in fourth and three clear of Fox Creek’s Julie Gauvin in fifth.
In the Pee Wee Boys Division it is 2017 Bouctouche East Cost Junior, Pee Wee Division, Champion Olivier Dallaire of Golf Bouctouche holding a three shot lead over Westfield’s Jack Bailey and a seven shot lead over the Gowan Brae Golf & Country Club’s Nicholas Colton who sits alone in third position.
Dallaire would post three bogeys and a double bogey on the front, along with two bogeys and two double bogeys on the back to post a first round eleven over par (+11), 82, on the day, while Bailey would battle through an up and down round that consisted of two birdies, on #5 and #8, four bogeys and six others to card his first round fourteen over par (+14), 85.
Rounding out the top three is Nicholas Colton of Gowan Brae, who would use seven pars, six bogeys and five others to keep himself in the hunt entering Thursday’s final round with a first round eighteen over par (+18), 89.
The second round of the 2017 Golf NB Junior & Pee Wee Championships will get under way at 8:00am on Thursday July 8th off of both the 1st and 10th tees.
For more information on the 2017 Golf NB Junior Championships including results and tee times please CLICK HERE.
For more information on the 2017 Golf NB Pee Wee Championship including results and tee times please CLICK HERE.
For more information on Gage Golf & Curling Club please CLICK HERE.
Golf New Brunswick (Golf NB), a not for profit organisation founded in 1934, is the official governing body for amateur golf in New Brunswick. In January of 2006, the New Brunswick Golf Association (NBGA) officially merged with the New Brunswick Ladies Golf Association (NBLGA), resulting in one united governing body for amateur golf in the province. Programs offered by Golf NB to its 10,000 members include: 12 provincial events, rules of golf education, course rating and handicap services, junior golf development programs and member club marketing initiatives.