Amateur champ makes a name for herself at 19

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This article was published 04/07/2019 (2572 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was a name few people recognized at the beginning of the week.

But when Golf Manitoba’s Diamond Athletic Women’s Amateur Championship concluded on Thursday at Selkirk Golf and Country Club after three days of competition, everyone knew who Greer Valaquenta was.

The 19-year-old was born in North Carolina, lives in Florida during the winter months and occasionally spends her summers in Winnipeg, where her family is originally from and still owns a home. Her parents, three younger siblings and four dogs are living in Winnipeg this summer and golf-wise, it appears to be a good decision, as Valaquenta captured the women’s amateur title on Thursday.

Valaquenta finished at the top of the leaderboard with a 7-over-par total of 226 after three rounds. Despite entering the final day not feeling 100 per cent, the Southwood golfer shot a 75, which was tied for the best score of the day.

“I was not feeling great when I got up,” Valaquenta said. “I get this headache right behind here, and it wreaks havoc with me. But I battled through it and I said, ‘You’re not going to let this defeat you.’”

With the women’s amateur being only Valaquenta’s second Golf Manitoba tournament, she wasn’t sure who she was up against. One name she was familiar with is Charmaine Mackid, who entered the third round tied for the lead with Valaquenta. Mackid, who golfs out of Breezy Bend, beat Valaquenta by two strokes last week to win the City & District Championship at Carman. But it was a different story on Thursday, as Mackid shot an 80 to finish the tournament at 12-over-par 231, which dropped her down to fourth place.

“It does get to you a bit mentally,” Valaquenta said about entering the final round tied with a familiar foe. “And you know, I always go into another tournament going ‘OK, we’re going to do the best we can on the first day and see how it plays out.’ The past is in the past. And in the future, you don’t know what’s going to happen and all you can control is the present.”

Valaquenta said the pressure of playing with the lead didn’t get to her too much.

“I get nervous before the round. And then after I hit my first shot, it clears up. And then I get a sort of apathy as I go on. And I know there’s a lot at stake, but it’s also kind of like I’m just watching myself play. It’s not really me hitting the ball. So, I sort of take a step back from it a little.”

Mackid said she had a busy June and didn’t get to practise much, but overall, she was pleased with a top-five finish despite struggling with her putting on the final day. She was impressed with what she saw from the tournament champion.

“She’s very methodical, just a very simple player,” Mackid said. “You can tell she has a lot of good mechanics in her game. She’s got a lot of the basics down pat and she’s very consistent. It was great to watch her play, and I’m glad we’ve got someone new on the scene. The more women we have, the better.”

Finishing second was 24-year-old Hannah Diamond of St. Charles. Diamond shot a career-best round of 73 on Wednesday to put her in the final group on Thursday. Diamond shot a 3-over-par 76 in the final round to put her at 10-over-par 229 to finish three strokes behind the lead. It was an impressive turnaround for Diamond after she finished the opening day with six straight bogeys.

“I think I just honestly went into yesterday just thinking the lead is still out there,” said Diamond, who golfed for three years at the University of Victoria.

“It was kind of my mentality all day, for sure. And I knew my game was there too, which is important. I kind of lost focus and lost my stroke obviously at the end of the first round. I realized I’m not going to let that happen again and pushed through it.”

The event was something special for Diamond because the main sponsor is her family’s business — Diamond Athletic Medical Supplies Inc. It also sponsored the Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship this week, also at the Selkirk course.

“Just in general, like women’s golf kind of gets pushed away sometimes. So it’s kind of nice for us to be putting some funds towards that as well,” Diamond said.

Finishing in third place at 11-over-par was Marissa Naylor of Pine Ridge.

One of the title contenders was disqualified after the opening round. Shilo’s Bobbi Uhl signed an incorrect score card. She shot a 76, but her card was marked as a 75.

The top three finishers earn spots at the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship in Red Deer, Alta., later this month.

Golf Manitoba is unsure if Valaquenta will be allowed to compete in the event, as there is a rule where you must be a resident in your golf organization’s area for a minimum of six months.

Golf Manitoba executive director Jared Ladobruk said they will reach out to Golf Canada to see if they will allow Valaquenta to participate.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31