The McLennan Ross Sun Junior Tour

Wolf Creek Golf Resort

It's hard to believe that the 2008 Tour schedule is now over!  We had 25 tournaments throughout Alberta ( and Golden, BC) that led up to our 13th Annual Tour Championship today at Wolf Creek Golf Resort, ranked last week by SCORE Golf Magazine as the #20 golf course in all of Canada.  We can see why, as Wolf Creek always poses a great test for the players who have earned their way into the field for the Tour Championship and the "Wolf" was in outstanding condition today for 138 junior golfers from every corner of the province.

It was a serious case of "deja vu" as Chase Teron of Red Deer GCC and the Royal Mayfair's Kaitlin Allan both defended their 2007 Tour Championships.  Last year, Allan survived a sudden-victory playoff with the then two-time defending champion Kelly Amundrud of Calgary while Teron cruised to a relatively easy 3-shot victory.  This year, the tables were turned as Teron ended up tied with Alberta Golf Junior runner-up Shane O'Neill of Sturgeon Valley at 2-over par 72, while Allan's 77 was three shots clear of Cara Vanderham of Innisfail.   Both Teron and O'Neill hit brilliant approach shots the the par-4 5th hole on the West 9 on the first playoff hole, but when O'Neill's 6-footer for birdie slid by the cup, Teron brushed in a 3-footer for his birdie and became the first junior boys' two-time Tour Champion.

Each year, many juniors such as Teron and Allan graduate from junior golf , but there always seems to be dozens of youngsters waiting in the wings with rapidly improving games, eager to earn their share of the headlines. Here is a name to watch with the junior boys - Brennan Swanson of Harvest Hills in Calgary.  Swanson, 14, fired a fine 74 to finish solo third today, and has had several strong finishes this summer on the Tour. Vanderham is possibly the most improved player on Tour this summer, and her runner-up finish in the girls' division is a sign of good things to come with her game as well.

Every year at the conclusion of the Tour schedule, there are so many people to thank.  We want to express our appreciation to our roster of Corporate Partners, without whose generous financial support, the Tour would not exist.  McLennan Ross, Canadian Western Bank, the Edmonton and Calgary Sun newspapers, Koch Automotive Group, Srixon Golf, MacEwan Golf Management, Parcom Marketing Inc., Coca-Cola Bottlers Ltd. and Wolf Creek Golf Resort have all thrown their support behind the Tour, and for that, we are very grateful.  Please don't hesitate to express your appreciation of their efforts by way of emails, phone calls and supporting their products and services.

Our roster of Tour sites is outstanding!  We have prided ourselves in having an excellent selection of Tour venues for the players to enjoy, and these facilities provide their golf courses for free for our use in order to help junior golf development and to grow the game.  Their professional staffs, volunteers, and food and beverage workers all contribute to the tremendous variety and challenge that the Tour courses deliver to the players.

I want to thank the many Alberta Golf Association Rules Officials who have helped out at many tournaments this summer, lending their knowledge and expertise to help raise the professionalism of the events, and help educate the players with the Rules of Golf, along with reinforcing the etiquette and traditions of the game that are so important.  Also , big thanks to my 'highly paid assistant' Doug Gillett who came with me to many tournaments again this summer and helped with scoring, ball spotting, or whatever needed to be done!

Thanks very much to the parents and families of the players.  Obviously, many of the kids aren't old enough to drive themselves to touraments yet, and the moral and financial support of their parents, grandparents and friends is great to see!  Golf can be a game for a lifetime, and these kids are getting a solid footing in golf with this level of support. 

Most of all, I want to thank the kids.  We can have all the corporate support, publicity, fantastic golf courses and PowerAde in the world, but without players, we have nothing.  It takes a lot of courage to get out there, put your game on the line, and battle the nerves of tournament golf.  But the rewards are great, and I hope the kids get more out of the game than they put in.  I look at the results this summer of Tour alumni like Adrienne White, Todd Halpen, Jordan Irwin, Mike Mezei, Nicole Forshner, Dale Vallely, Scott Stiles, Mitch Evanecz and many, many more and think back a few years to when these young men and women were nervous kids cutting their teeth in the world of junior golf.  I don't for a minute think that the McLennan Ross Sun Junior Tour made these men and women into outstanding golfers all by itself.  Their talent and hard work made that happen, but I do think that the Tour helped provide an opportunity for that talent and hard work to get rewarded.  We are just as proud of the thousands of other kids who have come through junior golf in Alberta and are now out in the world as professionals, teachers, business people and parents raising their own families.  Hopefully, some of the life skills they learned in junior golf will help them with their lives.

Very little of junior golf is about GOLF, per se.  Junior golf is about things like honesty, friendships, comittment, accountability, fun, integrity, dependability and so many other life skills that will help these kids throughout their lives.  Not that there is anything wrong with pounding a ball 300 yards down the middle, too!

We are already thinking ahead to next year.  We have had discussions with some possible new sites for the 2009 schedule. We are actively seeking out new corporate partners willing to invest in Alberta's young people. We hope to have most, if not all, of the 2009 schedule firmed up before Christmas, so keep watching the website for news throughout the fall.

NOW,,on to the Results from the Tour Championship!

* = won tournament on first hole of sudden-victory playoff.

OVERALL TOP TWENTY:

1. Chase TERON                                                  Red Deer GCC            72 *

P2. Shane O'NEILL                                              Sturgeon Valley           72

3. Brennan SWANSON                                         Harvest Hills               74

T4. Ryan MOORE                                                Ponoka                      75

T4. Brett Van Den BOSSCHE                               Country Hills               75

T4. Jace JAMES                                                   Lethbridge CC            75

T4. Zak GRIFFITH                                              Lacombe                    75

T4. Derek FIELD                                                 Calgary Elks                75

T9. J.D. MORRICAL                                           Red Deer                    76

T9. Joel SHACKLETON                                      Ft. Saskatchewan         76

T9. Ian LAUZON                                                Calgary GCC               76

T9. Chad RECHLO                                              Sturgeon Valley           76

T9. Jeremy VOLD                                               Cottonwood                 76

T9. Jesse TERON                                                Red Deer GCC            76

T15. Kevin PIPER                                              Sandpiper                     77

T15. Liam WOLFE                                             Calgary GCC                77

T17. AJ MARK                                                  Pioneer Meadows          78

T17. Matthew NESSELBECK                            Elbow Springs               78

T17. Mac KEATS                                              Bearspaw                      78

T20. Robby BALHARRY                                   Canmore                       79

T20. Mike BRADY                                            Cochrane                       79

T20. Matt GROSSI                                            The Hamptons               79

T20. Brodi LOCKHEART                                  Grande Prairie               79

T20. Myles RINDAL                                          Red Deer GCC              79

T20. Gerald SLADE                                           Calgary GCC                79

T20. Lance WESOLOWSKI                              Canal at Delacour           79

T20. Matt WILLIAMS                                       Pinebrook                     79

JUNIOR BOYS BORN IN 1989/90/91

1. Chase TERON                                              Red Deer GCC              72 *

P2. Shane O'NEILL                                          Sturgeon Valley             72

T3. Ryan MOORE                                           Ponoka                          75

T3. Brett van den BOSSCHE                            Country Hillls                 75

T3. Jace JAMES                                              Lethbridge CC                 75

T6. J.D. MORRICAL                                      Red Deer GCC                76

T6. Joel SHACKLETON                                 Ft. Saskatchewan             76

T6. Ian LAUZON                                           Calgary GCC                   76

T6. Chad RECHLO                                        Sturgeon Valley                76

JUNIOR BOYS BORN IN 1992/93

T1. Zak GRIFFITH                                        Lacombe                       75

T1. Derek FIELD                                           Calgary Elks                   75

T3. Jeremy VOLD                                         Cottonwood                    76

T4. Kevin PIPER                                          Sandpiper                        77

T4. Alex RAKOWSKI                                   Edmonton Pete. Club       77

T4. Liam WOLFE                                         Calgary GCC                   77

JUNIOR BOYS BORN IN 1994 AND LATER

1. Brennan SWANSON                                Harvest Hills                   74

2. Jesse TERON                                          Red Deer GCC                76

3. Matt WILLIAMS                                     Pinebrook                       79

4. Troy STEWART                                    Calgary Elks                     81

5. Hayden DAWES                                     Stony Plain                      84

JUNIOR GIRLS

1. Kaitlin ALLAN                                       Royal Mayfair                 77

2. Cara VANDERHAM                              Innisfail                            80

T3. Candace DECHANT                           Glendale                           81

T3. Evann PARKER                                  Pinebrook                        81

5. Mandy WONG                                    Bearspaw                           83

6. Kirsty MacDONALD                           Banff Springs                      84