Gross, Kartusch on verge of claiming provincial junior golf crowns

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/07/2024 (799 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s going to take a special effort to catch Zostrianos Gross.

The Shilo teen got into red figures again on Thursday, carding a 1-under par 71 to take a commanding six-shot lead into the final round of Golf Manitoba’s junior men’s provincial championship, set for Friday at Niakwa.

Terence Rafferty of Winnipeg has the best shot at catching the leader, sitting alone in second at 2-over par on the tournament. Payne Wood is in third at 3-over par.

After firing a 3-under 69 on the strength of a pair of birdies and two eagles in Wednesday’s opening round, Gross kept his foot on the gas, draining four birdies in a six-hole stretch on Day 2.

Things got shaky on the back nine as he dropped a shot on three straight holes, but he regained control to close out the day.

A new champion will be crowned on Friday regardless of how things shake out. Teerawut Boonseeor of Thailand, who joined on a whim and won last summer, is not taking part in this year’s tournament.

Meanwhile, Addison Kartusch is 18 holes away from her second junior women’s championship after carding a 3-over par 75 on Thursday.

The St. Charles teen holds a five-shot lead over host-course member Jeri Lafleche, who sits alone in second after registering a consecutive 3-over 75. Cala Korman is in third place at 9-over par.

Kartusch cooled off from her first round 2-under par 70, during which she poured in eight birdies, and battled some early turbulence before settling into Thursday’s round. She was 7-over par after taking a quadruple bogey on the third hole but found her stroke again, recording four birdies and an eagle over the last 15 holes.

Kartusch, playing in the last Manitoba junior event of her career, is seeking her third win on the provincial circuit this summer, which she began with the match play championship and continued last weekend at the women’s amateur.

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jfreysam