LACOMBE — Brady McKinlay put together one of his best rounds of the season at the perfect time.
The 15-year-old Lacombe native fired a one-under par 70 to win the Jordan Brand Memorial tournament Wednesday at the Lacombe Golf and Country Club, the latest stop on the McLennan Ross Junior Tour.
“This course has been in my head the last couple of years, especially in tournaments, so this was nice to finally get a good score,” said McKinlay, who is going into Grade 11 at Lacombe Comp in the fall.
McKinlay is comfortable shooting in the 70s, but “going this low isn’t something you do every day.”
McKinlay comes from a golf family and learned the game at an early age.
“My whole family is a golf family and I just started to pick up clubs and it went from there,” he explained. “I started to play tournaments when I was 10 or 11 but started to be more serious about them the last couple of years.”
McKinlay competes on the McLennan Ross and the Maple Leaf Junior tours and is entered in the provincial junior championship, which runs next Tuesday to Friday at the Cottonwood Golf and Country Club in De Winton.
“It’s my first time going and even if I don’t do that well it will be a great experience,” he said.
Overall McKinlay’s year has been good with three solid finishes on the Maple Leaf Tour and tied for sixth in the born in 2000-01 division in the McLennan Ross stop at Innisfail Tuesday.
He has a solid short game and putts well, which will keep him in most tournaments.
“You can’t score well when you’re double chipping and three putting,” he said. “It’s been good playing here this year as the greens have been mint.”
McKinlay still plays some hockey but sees his future on the links.
“I’m more committed to golf,” he said. “I’d like to go to college when I graduate. I’ll continue to play and see where it takes me.”
Jordan Williamson, who plays out of Balmoral, won the born in 97-99 flight and was second overall with a 71. Logan Hill of Red Deer, who won at Innisfail Tuesday, shot a 74 and was third overall and second to Williamson.
Sam Hamelin of Stettler’s Pheasantback course, was fourth overall and second to McKinlay in his flight with a 75.
Kaiden Nicholson of the Edmonton Country Club (2000-01 flight) was fifth at 76. Brendan Grabo of Lacombe (2000-01) tied for eighth at 81 with Layne Bensmiller of Rocky Mountain House (97-99) tied for 12th at 84 with Rylen Plante-Crough of Innisfail.
Mark Janes of the Red Deer Golf and Country Club won the born in the 2002 and later flight with an 87, which left him 18th overall. Clay Pederson of Lacombe and Cole Bergheim of Red Deer tied for second at 88 with Alex Gerrard of Innisfail fourth with a 94.
Brooke Brezovski of Sturgeon won the girls title with a 97, one stroke ahead of Maggie Peterson of the Edmonton Golf and Country Club.
The Tour stops in Turner Valley Monday and will be in Carstairs Tuesday and Olds Wednesday. The McLennan Ross will be in Ponoka July 18 with the Tour Final Aug, 29 at Wolf Creek.