Zamzow will not be denied

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This article was published 05/07/2023 (1141 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TEULON — Crystal Zamzow waited three long years to win another Manitoba junior women’s golf championship.

On Wednesday afternoon, she wasn’t going to be denied.

The 17-year-old from Swan River fired a closing round two-under 70, the lowest round of the event, to earn her second provincial junior crown.

Zamzow’s plus-5 221 total for the 54-hole event was seven shots ahead of runner-up Jeri Lafleche of Clear Lake. Zamzow was clinical when asked to appraise her performance.

“It means a lot to win again after a two-year drought and I’m really happy to play some good golf today,” said Zamzow, who incredibly won the 2020 title as a 14-year-old and followed that with second-place finishes in 2021 and 2022. “I kept the ball in play. Didn’t have any issues. Hit greens and if the putts were gonna drop, they did. I didn’t force anything.”

Zamzow’s mastery of the Selkirk Golf Course and Country Club layout three years ago came as a bit of a surprise.

“The first one was really cool because I was so young and didn’t expect anything of it,” said Zamzow, who estimates her length off the tee — 30 to 40 yards longer — is the biggest difference in her game. “But this one feels a lot better — to play a lot better and feel really close and win.”

Cala Korman was 11 shots behind Zamzow in third place after a 72 Wednesday. Defending champion Addison Kartusch of St. Charles Country Club closed with an 82 Wednesday and was fourth, another three shots back.

Did Zamzow ever reflect on winning it all as a 14-year-old?

“I wonder about it a lot,” said Zamzow, chuckling. “I played my two record rounds my first two rounds that that year. I was 79, 77 the first two days and then had an 84 before finishing but it was really good for 14-year-old me, so I was very happy.”

Jeri Lafleche, who lead the event after an opening round 74 Monday, felt she was in contention until late.

“I think it came to the back nine today of the last round,” said Jeri Lafleche, 16. “I just didn’t have my best round and she was up on me by three and a total of five. And by then I definitely was just trying to kind of get back to my game a little but it was a tight match.”

Zamzow, Jeri Lafleche and Korman all qualified for the Canadian junior women’s championship, slated for July 24-27 in Hampton, N.B.

“It’s a different tournament than the ones that we play here,” said Jeri Lafleche, who will be making her third appearance at nationals. “It’s four days and there’s definitely a lot more competition. But being in it before, you kind of know what you’re getting yourself into and what you have to do.”

In the men’s event, Teerawut Boonseeor’s sensational play continued Wednesday on his way to a wire-to-wire victory.

The smooth-swinging 14-year-old from Bangkok, Thailand closed with a one-under 71. His 215 total over 54 holes was good enough to turn a three-shot lead into an eight-shot victory over both Carman’s Ryan Orchard and 17-year-old Grady Chuback of St. Charles.

Orchard finished with a 73, three shots better than Chuback and earned second place on a countback.

Southwood’s Terence Rafferty shot a 74 and finished fourth, seven shots behind Boonseeor.

“Today I started very good and on the back nine I know I had a couple shots lead so I just don’t push it too hard,” explained Boonseeor, who was using the event as a warmup to play in the upcoming U.S. Junior championship in South Carolina. “I just played consistently.”

Boonseeor plays all year at home in Thailand but he and his family try to visit relatives in Manitoba every few years. His stepfather, Wyatt Stitt, is from Manitoba and has family here.

“It was very good,” said Boonseeor of the victory. “I wanted to win because all my cousins (are) here. I can brag to them that I won a big event.”

For Chuback, who was a runner-up to Braxton Kuntz in 2022, a provincial title wasn’t to be.

“It was a lot of fun playing with him,” said the 17-year-old Chuback. “He kept his game going, he wasn’t distracting. He was really a great guy to play with and he was really good to watch.”

Chuback wasn’t satisfied with the overall performance.

“The first day was good, but the second day I couldn’t hit a fairway and the third day couldn’t make a putt,” he said. “So it just kind of alternated but it is what it is. You just have to move on.”

Orchard, meanwhile, had one regret Wednesday.

“Yeah, missing a two-footer on the 11 (for par),” said Orchard. “That one hurt.”

The top three Manitoba men — Orchard, Chuback and Rafferty — qualified to represent Manitoba at the Canadian junior men’s championship, scheduled for Aug. 14-17 in North Bay, Ont.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14