Grant Numrich has his game back on track.
After struggling at the provincial junior championship this past week, the Red Deer golfer fired a tournament-record 69 at the Innisfail Junior Open to win the McLennan Ross Junior Golf Tour event on Tuesday.
“I fixed some of my struggles from junior provincials last week,” said Numrich, 18. “I hit the ball well off the tee today and was able to give myself some chances to make birdie which I capitalized on.”
Numrich finished the day with six birdies, four on the front and two on the back, and three bogies to out pace his nearest competition on the day, Jeremy Rietze of Lacombe, by three shots. Bryce Kopec (Alberta Springs) was third in the junior boys division with a 3-over-75.
This is the second tournament win of the summer for Numrich, having earlier won a Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour event in Olds.
He is building his golf resume into the fall when he and Rietze will join the Red Deer College golf team, where he will be taking business administration, including playing at the Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship July 20-23 at the Edmonton Petroleum Club.
At the Alberta Golf Junior Championships last week at Henderson Lake Golf Club in Lethbridge, he finished in a tie for 28th after posting a four-day score of 27-over-307.
“I’m just working on my consistency,” he said.
“I’m really working on my game for (the amateur championship) and hoping it that it will come around nicely for then.”
Numrich is just the latest McLennan Ross Junior Golf Tour player to make the jump to the college ranks.
“There’s been a number of young people to have played on the McLennan Ross Tour over our 20 years that have gone on to play professionally,” said tour director Dunc Mills. “But I’m just as proud of a lot of these kids that will never play for money but will learn thing through junior golf that are helping them in their business careers and in their lives and raising families of their own.”
Innisfail’s Jace Ouellette won the 15-16 boys division with a 2-over-74, while Liam McKeen (Gull Lake) was second with a 7-over-79 and Chase Broderson (Lacombe) was third at 9-over-81.
Brady McKinlay (Lacombe) won the U15 boys division with an 8-over-80 with Thomas Sluka (Camrose) in second two strokes back and Red Deer’s Cole Bergheim in third at 11-over-83.
Calgary’s Lauren Cheung won the girls division with a 12-over-84, six shots better than Innisfail’s Courtney Dickson and Nikki Norlin.
“We had perfect scoring positions and the kids played well,” said Mills, noting they had 51 kids finish the day.
Other Central Alberta results include Brandon Maxwell (Pine Hills) finishing sixth in the junior boys division with an 8-over-80, Jordan Williamson (Balmoral) seventh at 11-over-83 and Brayden Bystrom (Sylvan Lake) 11th at 20-over-92.
In 15-16 boys, Taylor Dobbs (Innisfail) was fifth at 16-over-88, Brody Kopec (Balmoral) was sixth at 19-over-91, Sam Narowski (Innisfail) was tied for seventh at 20-over-92 and Tanner Smith (Alberta Sprigs) was 9th at 22-over-94.
In U15 boys, Tyler Watt (Innisfail) was 6th at 14-over-86, Jordan Siwak (Red Deer) was tied for seventh with Denver Smith (Innisfail) at 15-over-87, Brendan Grabo (Lacombe) was tied for 9th at 18-over-90, Ben Narowski (Innisfail) was 11th at 19-over-91, Chase Giannioudis (Red Deer) was 12th at 20-over-92, Blair Korver (Red Deer) was 15th at 24-over-96, Mark Janes (Red Deer) was 16th at 24-over-99, Daniel Nieth (Red Deer) was 17th at 29-over-101, Joe Kelly (Innisfail) was 19th at 30over-102 and Ethan Meding (Innisfail) was 21st at 39-over-111.
Rounding out the girls division was Clare McMahon (Balmoral) in fifth at 22-over-94 and Bradie Pillman (Innisfail) at 41-over113.
The tour is back in action today at the Lacombe Golf Club.