Jesse Teron doesn’t have to follow in his brother’s footsteps, he’s making is own mark in the junior golf ranks in the province.
Jesse’s older brother Chase, who is attending the University of Victoria on a golf scholarship, was one of the top juniors in the province last season, placing 13th in the provincials and tying for 24th at the Canadian championships.
He also became the first back-to-back winner of the McLennan Ross/Sun Junior Tour championship and received a $1,000 scholarship from the Maple Leaf Junior Tour.
Jesse Teron was solid last season and is proving to be among the elite 14-year-olds this season, as evident with two wins in three starts on the Canadian Junior Golf Association tour.
His latest victory came Sunday at the CJGA stop at River Bend Golf Course.
The younger Teron doesn’t live in his brother’s shadow, yet he credits him with his development.
“We play together when we can and we have a friendly battle,” he said.
“It goes back and forth . . . it’s good as it forces us to be better.”
Teron comes from a golfing family and got into the sport when he was three years of age.
“My whole family played and it was something I enjoyed growing up,” said Teron, whose uncle, Bob McArthur, is the head teaching pro at Heritage Pointe in Dewinton.
McArthur acts as Teron’s coach and works with the youngster a couple of times a week during the winter.
Teron is also a recipient of the Alberta Sports Development Council bursary and works with a physical trainer and a mental coach, who he credits for his continuing improvement.
“They help a lot,” he said.
“My strength and conditioning has improved a lot even since last year and it shows on the course. As well I work with Doug Swanson on the sports psychology side and I’ve noticed a difference on the mental side. It makes a difference in being able to handle different situations during a round.”
Teron spends as much time as he can during the spring and summer on the golf course while during the winter he hits balls twice a week at the Collicutt Centre and does strength and conditioning three-five times a week.
Teron understands his game and knows his strengths and his weaknesses.
“My ball striking and short game are my strengths while consistency is something I need to continue to work on,” he explained.
Teron, who plays out of the Red Deer Golf and Country Club, attends Grade 9 at Hunting Hills and can’t wait until next year when he can play for the school’s golf team.
“That will be great,” he said. “I couldn’t play this year because I was in Grade 9, but it’ll be fun playing for the school.”
During the summer Teron will continue to play on the CJGA tour as well as the McLennan Ross tour.
“I also will play some on the Future Links and try to qualify for the provincial championship,” he said. “That’s one of my main goals along with hopefully qualifying for the nationals.”
Teron is one of a group of young golfers in the city about the same age It includes Carson Kallis, John Miller and John Sinclair.
“We’re all know each other and enjoy competing against each other,” said Teron, who doesn’t have any real plans for the future other than receiving a golf scholarship after Grade 12.
“Hopefully I get a chance to go to university somewhere,” he said. “Other than that I don’t have any real plans.”
Teron isn’t sure what his next tournament will be, although he does plan on attending the CJGA event at Wolf Creek, June 20-21.
Contact Danny Rode at drode@www.reddeeradvocate.com