NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Redcliff golfer Ryan Werre tees off on Hole 10 Tuesday to start his opening round at the 2024 Alberta Open championship hosted a the Desert Blume Golf Course this week. The three-day event got underway Tuesday with 100 golfers teeing off.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Medicine Hat’s golf talent represented itself with pride through the first round of the locally held Alberta Open.
The three-day Alberta Open hosted at Desert Blume Golf Club teed off Tuesday, with 100 golfers vying for the title, featuring both professional and amateurs. The region was featured well atop the leaderboard, with six local golfers in the top 20 after the first round.
Redcliff’s Ryan Werre finished the day in a three-way tie for first place, shooting a five-under 67. The local amateur is tied with two professionals, Wes Heffernan and Mitchell Fox, both of Calgary.
Werre, who won the Blume’s club championship last week, says he’s been playing well as of late and carried the momentum into his round.
“It was one of those things where I just tried to stay out of my own way and just treat it like another round at Desert Blume,” Werre said. “Just commit to my shots, and I played really well. I was never in trouble and I plotted my way around, so it was fairly stress free.”
Werre says the course conditions played at a level they were made for, rising to the occasion of the tournament.
Five Medicine Hat golfers rose to the challenge as well with top-20 scores through Day One.
Local pro Dillon Batsel (Blume) and amateur Jordon Forsythe (Blume) were in a three-way tie for fourth with an opening round of 68, good for four-under par.
Ryan Hodgins (Med Hat G&CC) finished in a five-way tie for 15th with a one-under par round of 71.
Werre was proud of the showing from local golfers through the opening round and he is cheering for continued success as the event carries on.
“I’m super, super proud of all the local guys who qualified and it’s a tip of the cap to Desert Blume, too, because we have a really good core group of players at the Blume,” Werre said. “Our casual rounds throughout the week, there’s a lot of good players that tee it up, so it’s good to see those guys throw their hat in the ring.
“I know stroke play golf isn’t the most fun thing for a lot of people, and it shows that the guys in town are truly good players.”
The Alberta Open is the first provincial event the Blume has hosted since the Alberta Senior Men’s championship in 2022, won by local golf legend Kelly Risling. Trevor Ellerman, general manager of Desert Blume Golf Club, says they enjoy having the province’s top talent on display and ready to enjoy the course.
“It’s nice to see how the course goes and how the staff deal with everything; so far everything’s been going well,” Ellerman said. “The course held up its end of it, it’s in great condition with a little bit of wind. The greens got pretty quick out there today, so it seems to be holding up. It’s playing a little bit trickier and tougher than maybe we thought it might.”
Ellerman is also competing, shooting an opening round 80 to sit plus-eight and tied for 82nd. He’s expecting scores across the field to lower as out-of-town golfers get more accustomed to the course.
“We just want the best players who are playing good to be able to show up at the leaderboard, and that’s what’s happening right now,” Ellerman said.
Round two of the tournament tees off today at 8 a.m., with the full flight of golfers before the competition gets trimmed up with the 60 lowest moving on to championship Thursday. Werre looks to make a push to remain atop the leaderboard with two more rounds left and says he’ll look to keep his focus on just playing golf the way he knows how.
“I’m just going to keep on trying to make birdies and not worry too much about the leaderboard until Thursday,” Werre said. “Just try to go out and shoot a number and then see where we stand going into Thursday, then hold on tight for the last round.”
Local results
Wyatt Bishop (Blume) and Adam Antkowiak (Blume) each shot a 73 for a one-over par finish, tied for 19th with five other golfers.
Mike Valk (Blume) and Owen Bruins (Blume) both shot a 74, two-over par round, sitting tied for 26th.
Mark Hutchings (Blume) and Lucas Ortega (Cottonwood) each shot an opening round of 75, sitting in an 11-way tie for 37th with a three-over par round.
Ryan Vallely (Connaught) and Bolan Burzmnski (MHG&CC) both shot 77 in their first rounds, sitting in an 11-way tie for 49th at five-over par.
Jason Mohr (Blume) sits tied for 60th with a six-over par opening round, shooting 78.
Corey Eakins (Connaught) shot an eight-over par opening round of 80 and is in a four-way tie for 73rd.
Sam Bratvold (MHG&CC) finished the first round in 83rd after a 10-over par round shooting 82.
Lanny Seefried (Blume) finished in a three-way tie for 84th with an opening round of 84, 12-over par.
