‘One of the best junior golfers in Manitoba’

Being a dual-sport athlete allows Camryn Thomas the opportunity to experience the best of both worlds.

Following a strong season with the Rink Hockey Academy U18 Prep team that included a trip to the league semifinal, Thomas has shifted her attention to the links and is ready to attack the golf season.

“I like that it’s competitive, but it’s very different from hockey,” Thomas said on Monday at Pine Ridge Golf Club, where Golf Manitoba held its third annual media day. “(Golf) is very individual and you kind of have to rely on yourself. And you can push yourself as hard as you want to push.

“It provides a good balance. It’s nice to get outdoors. I really enjoy it.”

Thomas, a Winnipegger who turned 16 earlier this month, is already off to a strong start to the golf season, posting a win in the age 15 to 19 Maple Leaf Junior event held earlier this month at Kildonan Park Golf Course.

Over the weekend, Thomas shot 76 at Scotswood Links in the qualifying round for the Golf Manitoba match play championship to tie for second with Charmaine Hayden of Breezy Bend, eight shots behind medallist Jeri Lafleche of Niakwa.

The match play portion of the tournament gets underway on Thursday at the Whispering Winds of Warren, culminating with the championship final on Sunday.

“I bring my competitive edge, especially in match play,” said Thomas. “With the constant back and forth, keeping your focus in the moment really helps.”

Thomas, who plays out of St. Charles Country Club, was out at Pine Ridge to get a look at the Donald Ross design that will host the Golf Manitoba girls and boys championships, presented by the Alex and Peggy Colonello Foundation from July 7 to 9.

With Addison Kartusch of St. Charles aging out from the junior ranks, the chase for the provincial championship is wide open, with Thomas among the top contenders expected to vie for the title.

“I’ve got some good competition, especially from the girls on Team Manitoba,” said Thomas. “We’ve got a good rivalry going. It should be good. It will be a tough battle, but hopefully it goes well.”

Golf Manitoba provincial team head coach Sean Murray has been impressed by Thomas’ work ethic as she’s improved her game dramatically, especially for someone who is still relatively new to the sport.

“She’s the type of person that when she goes into something and dives into it, she doesn’t want to be average or OK at it — she wants to excel at it,” said Murray, who has been working with Thomas for three years.

“You saw that at RHA with hockey and now with golf. She’s definitely one of the best junior golfers in Manitoba now.”

Murray has seen significant growth in Thomas’ driving ability over the past several years, to the point where it’s now a major strength in her game.

“She’s been driving the golf ball really well this year. Last year, it was a little bit of a downfall of her game,” he said. “She hits it far. She’s in the gym with hockey and it’s definitely translating into golf.”

Another thing that’s translating from hockey to golf is Thomas’ competitive nature — though she’s also learning to allow herself some grace when things aren’t going quite as smoothly.

“It’s with resiliency and accountability and things like that,” said Murray. “She’s newer to golf, so she was really hard on herself, wanting to excel last year and maybe she wasn’t quite there. This year, you see her demeanour on the course and it’s about resetting and having that next-shot mentality, which is great.”

Thomas shared a similar assessment when asked for a personal scouting report of her strengths, adding that her putting is improving, along with her ability to put the ball in play consistently off the tee.

Kartusch, who is the two-time Golf Manitoba female player of the year, continues to serve as an inspiration to many others across the province, especially Thomas.

“I kind of look up to her a bit as a role model,” said Thomas. “She’s great to play with, great to learn off of and get tips from.”

Seeing Kartusch playing so well in her first two seasons of NCAA college golf at Bowling Green State University, to go along with her success both locally and in Golf Canada events, is something Murray leans into on the coaching side as well.

“I use Addie as an example for both the girls program and the boys program, about how she practices and how she goes about her practices, with how she structures it and what she does,” said Murray.

“Knowing that (Kartusch) isn’t a junior anymore and knowing that the title is vacant, it is up for grabs. Everyone is proud to say that they know Addie and it gives them something to strive towards.”

Golf Manitoba executive director Jared Ladobruk believes it should be another fun summer of competition on a wide variety of golf courses around the keystone province.

“We’ve got a great schedule of courses that are hosting us this year – we’re heading out all over the place and we’re looking forward to some good golf,” said Ladobruk, who is encouraged by the continued growth of the sport. “It is (on the rise). Our metrics are growing, our membership is growing and our number of rounds posted every year is growing.

“It’s not just here, it’s across the country and it’s exciting to see where it’s going to take us. Golf is in a good spot right now.”

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