Wins boost confidence ahead of junior championships

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This article was published 27/06/2023 (1165 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CRYSTAL Zamzow likened it to a normal day at her home course, but her final round at the Elmhurst Invitational on Sunday was anything but routine.

The Swan River teen started the day five shots off the pace held by Addison Kartusch, one of the province’s brightest young golfers and no stranger to leading a tournament. And three straight bogeys to open the day didn’t help Zamzow’s cause, either, dropping the 17-year-old eight strokes behind with 15 holes to play.

“I was like, ‘Well, whatever. Play my own game, have some fun, make the most of it,’” Zamzow said, adding she simply wanted to post a respectable number.

That she did, pouring in a personal-best seven birdie putts in the last 14 holes to card a four-under-par 69 and capture the Elmhurst Invitational’s junior girls division by one stroke. Zamzow’s finest shot of the day came in the most dramatic fashion at the 18th, when she holed out from a green-side bunker for birdie to clinch the victory.

The celebration was delayed, though, as Zamzow maintains she “had no idea what (she) was at” at that moment. It took one of her playing partners, Jeri Lafleche, to suggest she had won.

“I had no idea what Addison was at,” she said. “(Lafleche) goes, ‘Does that secure it?’ I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’ (Kartusch) still got up and down on the last hole, which is really impressive. I only beat her by one — that took some character, for sure.”

Carding a 69 was also a personal best for Zamzow and a much-needed shot of confidence heading into the rest of the season — including the Manitoba junior championship, which begins Monday in Teulon — having returned to the winner’s circle for the first time in a year.

“It was crazy. I wasn’t thinking about anything,” said Zamzow, who finished with a two-day total of 149 after an opening-round 80. “I’m just hitting the ball and the putts just kept rolling in. We were laughing, having fun — it felt like a normal day at home playing, so it was really nice.

“It felt really good to have one under the belt for this year. It’s been a while since I’ve won a big one so that was really nice, especially at a new tournament.”

It’s also sure to boost the teen’s resumé when talking to colleges. Zamzow, who will start Grade 12 in the fall, has drawn some interest from programs south of the border but has yet to commit anywhere. Her avenues as a stellar multi-sport athlete are open (she was the runner-up at the Manitoba High School Athletic Association’s badminton provincials in May) but she’s made her intention to pursue golf clear.

Yet, her path as a golfer has been challenging at times as a rural player. Though Zamzow works with Golf Manitoba’s junior program when she can, those sessions can be sparse with a five-hour commute to Winnipeg.

“It’s hard to be driving five hours back and forth all the time when I’m playing hockey and badminton and doing other things, as well. But I have my mom with me all the time, which helps coach a lot for some simple things, and our head pro (at Swan River Golf Course), Clint Weir, has helped me out a couple of times, she said.

“I still have some access to things but not as much as I would in the city, for sure.”

Zamzow’s victory wasn’t the only one that came down to the wire. Marco Trstenjak outlasted fellow Elmhurst member Ryan McMillan to capture the men’s division title for a second time. Trstenjak carded consecutive rounds of 69 to edge McMillan by one stroke.

Fewer fireworks were required for the junior boys division, with St. Charles’ Grady Chuback making his case as the next young homegrown product to keep an eye on. Chuback, 17, fired a rock-solid 73 — after an opening round 69 — to run away with the title by eight strokes.

“It was really exciting for me,” said Chuback, who finished with four birdies in his final round. “Before the tournament that confidence definitely wasn’t there, so I wasn’t really sure what was going to happen. Especially going into the junior (championship), I didn’t know, so this really helped.”

It’s Chuback’s second win in 2023. The first came in his first start of the season in Florida, in April. The teen agreed he held a new sense of excitement heading into this year’s events, as they won’t include phenom Braxton Kuntz, who has graduated from the junior category.

Chuback was the runner-up in last year’s junior boys championship and watched Kuntz nearly set a course record at St. Charles in his final round, en route to a consecutive title in the event.

Now, Chuback could find himself as the man to beat.

“I do think that there’s some opportunity out there,“ said Chuback, who will play for the University of British Columbia men’s golf team this fall. “I mean, there are still some really good players out there that are competitions and that I do have to worry about when I go into competition, but I do think this year, there’s some hope that I can do well.”

jfreysam@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jfreysam