MHC, Red Deer battling to become first Albertan school to win as CCAA golf championship enters final round

By Sean Rooney on October 19, 2018.

srooney@medicinehatnews.com @MHNRooney

Red Deer and Medicine Hat’s women’s golf teams are on the verge of history at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association championships.

The Queens have a 10-stroke lead on the host Rattlers entering today’s final round at Desert Blume Golf Club, as both fight to be the first from Alberta to win the team title.

“We feel pretty comfortable,” said Rattler Sierra Zukowski. “Red Deer went out there today and shot the rounds of their lives, and we left a lot of strokes out there.

“I think we feel in a pretty good position… anything can happen. It’s a crazy game.”

Zukowski shot an 88 in Thursday’s third round, and her team has done three strokes better each day. But Red Deer’s trio of Shaye Leidenius, Chloe Sies and Bradie Ouelette-Pillman were a combined 8-over par (two scores counting from each hole) to widen the gap in perfect conditions.

RELATED: Team and individual leaderboards

Combined with Medicine Hat’s 13-shot lead over third-place Cegep Andre-Laurendeau of Quebec, it nearly guarantees a women’s side from Alberta will wind up on top.

Four times, most recently in 2012 with MacEwan University, an Alberta team has won bronze at nationals.

Rattlers coach Trevor Moore has seen the quality of women’s play in the province rising for a while. This year he’s got Zukowski, Becky Martin and Nicole Schultz, all of whom have played at nationals before, plus Ciara Bonogofsky who’s moved into a coaching role.

“As a conference we’re pretty proud of that because we’ve done so much to try to grow the women’s side of our conference,” said Moore. “Not only are we throwing numbers out there, we’re throwing quality numbers.”

Martin, after a 3-over 75, is fourth on the individual leaderboard. John Abbott College’s Emily Romancew leads Fanshawe College’s Alyssa Stoddart by two shots and Leidenius by five. Stoddart shot the best women’s round of the week with a 3-under 69 Thursday.

On the men’s side, three Andre-Laurendeau players are in the top five and they’ve got a 10-shot lead on Ontario’s Humber. Laurendeau rookie Laurent Desmarchais shot a course record 6-under 66 Thursday to take a two-shot lead over Humber’s Conner Watt.

“I knew today was perfect weather, I wasn’t going to be able to coast in at even par and hold my lead,” said Watt, who’s now 7-under through 54 holes after a 2-under 70 Thursday. “I kept myself in striking distance, which was the main goal.”

RELATED: Plenty of golfers score better in second round at college golf championships

Sporting a tuque, Watt admitted he came ready for a cooler, windier week in Medicine Hat. While many of the locals are now sporting shorts in the 20-plus degree weather, the big pom on Watt’s head is at this point more superstitious than anything.

“The mornings are cold, about the second hole I learn my lesson when the sun comes out,” he said. “I’m excited to give it all I’ve got, see what happens.”

As for the local men, it was a great day for Matthaus Taylor, whose 5-under 67 wrapped up with a long eagle putt that drew a roar from fans watching the 18th hole.

Taylor’s now alone in seventh spot, notably only five back of bronze medal position.

“Absolutely, I hit it fantastic today, plain and simple,” said Taylor, who felt pretty much any score under par is reachable in the absence of wind and cold, which was the case Thursday. “Today was pretty ideal.”

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