Manitoba amateur: Great Scott, it’s a fine battle we have here

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This article was published 22/07/2009 (6235 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

GREAT Scott, it’s turning into a fine battle at the 2009 Manitoba Amateur Golf Championship.

Scott Markham of Niakwa fired a 4-under 68 on Tuesday at Pinawa Golf Club to vault himself from fourth to second, just three strokes behind Scott Loewen of Pine Ridge, who remained the leader after the second day of the four-day tournament.

Loewen shot a 70 and leads with a 7-under total of 137.

The event moves to Elmhurst Golf Club for action today and Thursday.

"It was a good day, I played well and ended up shooting four-under 68 and I was quite happy with that considering the fact that we had some rain on the back nine. It was a pretty big downpour so it was nice to keep the game together through that," said Markham, 23, in a telephone interview. He has played in this event since he was 14, with his best finish a second-place tie in 2005.

"I made a few birdies today but more than anything it was the continual par saves that sort of kept the round going and kept the momentum going for me.

"That was kind of the objective for the first couple rounds — to not shoot myself out of it, play two solid rounds at Pinawa, a tough, tight golf course and be able to go out to Elmhurst for the last couple days knowing that with a couple more good rounds… maybe have a shot at winning the tournament."

Markham’s 68 was one of just two such scores on the day. The other belonged to former champion Garth Collings, who sat in a third-place tie with Pine Ridge’s Tyler Mancini (72) and Selkirk’s Ben Bandura (72) at 1-under 143 through 36 holes.

Markham said he ended up playing some of his best golf of the day when the weather was at its worst.

"On the fourth hole, which would have been the 15th hole for me, I hit it a bit right off the tee, it was sort of in the thick rough. I chipped it to five feet and made the putt. When I hit that tee shot, it was pouring rain and I managed to make par there and birdie the next hole," he said.

Markham said he had one major plus in his corner — his father David as his caddy.

"It’s great to have my dad on the bag for me," he said, noting his father had battled cancer recently. "Something like that really makes you want to enjoy the time together as much as you can."

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca