Golfers bundled up and ready for conference championship

By Ryan McCracken on September 27, 2018.

rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com @MHNMcCracken

It’s been an uncharacteristically cold start to the Alberta Colleges Athletics Conference golf season, but that hasn’t stopped the Medicine Hat Rattlers women’s golf team from thriving.

The squad enters this weekend’s ACAC golf championship in Red Deer after taking home the team title at the North Regional in Lac La Biche earlier this month —the lone event so far this season with last weekend’s South Regional cancelled due to snowy weather in Edmonton. While there’s no snow in Red Deer’s forecast for the weekend, temperatures are expected to hover around the four-degree mark, making for another frigid weekend on the links.

“It’s been crazy. I had been playing a lot all summer and it was 30 degrees, sunny, beautiful weather —not playing in three pairs of pants and four shirts,” said Rattlers golfer Sierra Zukowski. “It’s just so much different, even how your swing mechanics break down. You have to really stay loose, you have to know the ball is going to be going 10-to-20 yards shorter and you have to factor all that in when you’re making club selections. It makes the game a lot harder.”

Despite the conditions, the second-year Rattler put up a stellar showing at the North Regional, taking third place in the individual event with an 83-86-169 while combining with teammate and champion Becky Martin to win the team event.

“She really broke out and felt comfortable. I think that’s Year 2,” said Rattlers golf coach Trevor Moore. “She really just showed the depth on the women’s side. We have four women coming into this, all of whom have at least one year of nationals experience if not more.”

Zukowksi added she was paired up with a first-time golfer in her opening round at the North Regional, which kept her on the course and in the cold for roughly six hours.

“I just had to really be mentally tough throughout it and really just stay focused on my game and not what was going on around me,” said Zukowski. “I ended up doing that pretty well obviously, I ended up with a good score and I was really proud of myself after that round. I didn’t know how I’d be able to play in those conditions.”

This weekend will also serve as a lead-up to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association championship, which will be hosted by the Rattlers from Oct. 16-19 at Desert Blume. The women’s squad currently sits second in the national rankings, setting up what Zukowski says is sure to be a “once in a lifetime” opportunity.

“It’s not very often, especially in a place like Medicine Hat, that we would be stacked up this well, especially with the national championships in our home city,” said Zukowski. “I’m not exactly sure how things are going to pan out, no one is, but I have high hopes for us and I’m really proud of what we’ve done already.”

Moore added the team’s depth — which includes Nicole Schultz and Ciara Bonogofski competing alongside Martin and Zukowski — will prove vital as they push toward the national championships

“Depth is what every coach wants in every sport at every level. To bring it home and nationals and have that depth is just an awesome thing,” said Moore. “It is a game of timing, and when you don’t quite have the depth you need, there’s always that fear that at the wrong time two players have an off day. Then it becomes problematic. This just allows options and things to sort of take care of themselves. You have a little more time to relax and not be too panicky, be patient.”

The Rattlers men’s squad will be looking to climb the ranks after finishing last in the North Regional team event.Rattlers second-year golfer Kent Lesko —who finished 25th at the North Regional with a 90-93-183 —says the squad has been putting in a lot of practice after being held off the links in Edmonton and he’s excited to see how that translates at the ACAC championship.

“Considering that we didn’t get to play last weekend and how much work we’ve had to put in, and knowing the competition that’s out there, it’s going to be exciting to see if our work has actually paid off,” said Lesko. “I’m just excited to get going.”

Moore noted that Matthaus Taylor — who withdrew from the North Regional in the middle of the second round due to undisclosed reasons after getting within striking distance of the podium with a first-round 78 — will be back in action this weekend.

“He’s without a doubt the leader on the men’s side, scoring and off the course,” said Moore. “The things he’s bringing into play to put the team together and really bring them on the same page is awesome. I’m looking for him to break through this weekend, really settle himself in.”

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