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Red Deer, Innisfail to host high school golf provincials next week

Nearly 150 of the best golfers across the province are set to hit the links in Central Alberta next week for the Alberta Schools Athletic Association Golf Championships.
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Cole Bergheim won silver for Hunting Hills High School at the 2018 Central Alberta Schools Athletic Association 3A/4A Golf Championships. (Contributed photo)

Nearly 150 of the best golfers across the province are set to hit the links in Central Alberta next week for the Alberta Schools Athletic Association Golf Championships.

Monday, the high school boys play at Innisfail Golf Club and the girls will tee off at Alberta Springs Golf Resort. In round two, the groups will swap courses.

“It helps get the kids aware of it, our high school golf season is quite short,” said tournament chairperson Dale Henderson, adding it is the third time the school has hosted the ASAA Golf Provincial Championship.

“We do it in the fall, we basically have three weeks. We have a tryout, zone tournament and provincials.”

Locally, the Hunting Hills Lighting boys are in the hunt for a medal on the provincial level, after winning the central zone championship earlier this week. The Notre Dame Girls captured the zone title on the girls’ side.

“Hunting Hills boys are quite strong and our boys, if they play to their capability, should be reasonably close,” said Henderson, who coaches the Notre Dame Cougars team.

“Our girls won zones and I think they have a shot at a medal if they play fairly well.”

Alex Gerrard had the top score for the Lighting with a 71 in qualifying, while Cole Bergheim fired a 75.

Leading the way for the Cougars was Tanika Samuels, who shot an 86 at zones. Notre Dame’s Natalya Watson had a 92 and Megan McCullough shot a 96.

Thirty-two male and female players total from Central Alberta will compete at provincials.

Any boys individual player who shot 76 or lower in zones is eligible to complete, while in the individual girls’ competition if they shot 90 or lower they also qualified.

Shay Anderson of Wm E. Hay, Central Alberta Christian High School’s Nathan Linker, H.J. Cody’s Logan Graf and Josh Paulgaard all made it as individuals. Hunting Hills’ Austyn Joseph, Brooklyn Wiens, Morgan Fuller and Alyssa Hughes also made it through on the girls’ side.

The team competition allows each team to count the three best scores for each hole of the 36-hole competition.

“It’s a real team attitude because even if I have a bad hole and I’m out of the individual, I can still help my team on every other hole,” Henderson said.

Both the boys and girls will have a shotgun start at 10 a.m. on Monday and Tuesday.



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Byron Hackett

About the Author: Byron Hackett

Byron has been the sports reporter at the advocate since December of 2016. He likes to spend his time in cold hockey arenas accompanied by luke warm, watered down coffee.
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