Kartusch on a roll at junior girls championship

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This article was published 10/07/2024 (761 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Addison Kartusch, who can’t seem to be stopped this golf season, set a personal best with eight birdies Wednesday to lead after round one of the Golf Manitoba Junior Girls Championship.

Finishing with a 2-under par 70, the teen out of St. Charles is five strokes ahead of second place Jeri Lafleche of Niakwa.

It was a blazing Wednesday, with temperatures reaching 29 C. It is only getting hotter for the 85 competitors in the combined Junior Boys and Junior Girls tournaments, who will have to deal with 30-degree-plus weather for the final two rounds in the tournament which runs through Friday at Niakwa Country Club.

“Finishing 2-under is not really what I would want with eight birdies,” Kartusch said after her round. “I don’t think any golfer would want that. But it was a grind today. So I’m just happy I bounced back after my tough stretch of four or five holes.”

Kartusch birdied the first three holes then bogeyed holes four, five, six and 10, with a double bogey on the ninth. On the back nine, she turned things around, adding four more birdies to bring her score down to 70.

“The stretch of four, five bad holes… it was tough,” said Kartusch who had a masterful putt on the 18th to birdie the last hole. “I just told myself, ‘I’m still in it, let’s go.’ I kind of put that let’s go mindset into my golf and I just dialed it in.”

“I just tried to stay calm, and knew that I had many holes left in front of me.”

Kartusch opened the Manitoba Golf competition season with a win at the 2024 Match Play Championships on June 2. She followed that up with another impressive performance last weekend, earning a six-stroke victory over Lafleche to win the Diamond Athletic Women’s Amateur Championship in Minnedosa.

“Today it was definitely my putting,” said Kartusch on the biggest strength in her game. “And my driver, was definitely hitting my targets, definitely hitting my lines with my putts. I feel very confident with my reads, which I’m able to hit them. So, I think that if I play to my strengths, which are good for me right now, then I’ll keep going.”

The defending champion for the Junior Girls is Crystal Zamzow of Swan River, who is 10-over after round one.

On the boys side, there will be a new champion as Teerawut Boonseeor of Thailand, the 2023 champion, is not taking part.

Leading the way after round one is Zostrianos Gross of Shilo, who carded two eagles and two birdies to card a 3-under par 69.

“I feel good,” Gross said. “I just kind of trusted out there. I’d say just trusted God to keep me in peace and just smooth, smooth through my shots, that was basically my swing focus the whole time. Just lining up and let my swing take the rest.

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Gross is the only player in the boys section under par, three strokes ahead of second-place Terence Rafferty of Southwood, who finished at even par.

“I probably learned a lot about my swing rhythm-wise. Lately, I’ve really been experimenting with rhythm,” said Gross. “Just trying to really be smooth, and that really started clicking today.”

“Same game plan,” said Gross who will try to extend his lead Thursday, with Round 2 for the Junior Boys teeing off at 8:12 a.m.

For the Junior Girls, Round 2 begins at 7:30 a.m. as the 14 players will try to beat the heat.

zoe.pierce@freepress.mb.ca