Collings eyes fourth Amateur title

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/07/2010 (5798 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HE admits to liking the sound of “defending champion,” especially at the age of 52, but Breezy Bend’s Garth Collings said his history-making Manitoba Amateur win last summer isn’t on top of his list.

“I’d have to say the first one felt the best,” he said of the first of his three Amateur titles in 1987, 23 years ago. “Winning anything is great, but that first one has something extra.”

Collings, in outlasting a field of younger competitors at Pinawa and Elmhurst last July, became the oldest-ever Manitoba Amateur champ, and now also holds the record for length of time between the first and most recent title.

The defence of his crown begins today at his home course, Breezy Bend Country Club, against 119 rivals.

Collings, Manitoba’s 2009 golfer of the year for the fifth time, thinks the home game will add pressure he doesn’t need.

“Actually, I think there will be more on me,” Collings said. “Yes, I know the course but with all due respect, I’d almost prefer it (the championship) was somewhere else. Look at the mid-am a few years ago at Breezy. I didn’t play that well, well enough I guess, and finished third.”

Collings chose not to play last week’s Players Cup at Pine Ridge, though he was the first choice for the amateur exemption offered by organizers of the Canadian Tour tournament.

“The biggest factor was work — I had to work (last) week,” he said. “Less of a factor was that I haven’t been real happy with my game lately. I’m just not driving with any consistency to make me happy.

“So in reality, I’m happy to have had a few days away from golf to clear my head.”

It’s likely that there will be as many challengers for the title as there were in 2009, when Collings edged Scott Borsa — now the assistant pro at Carman — by a single shot.

Niakwa’s Scott Markham and Pine Ridge’s Scott Loewen finished in a tie for third on a final day at Elmhurst when many players had a run at the trophy but stumbled badly.

Markham, a tidy and methodical player, accepted the invite to play the Players Cup last week and even though he shot 85-80 to miss the cut, he said he didn’t regret the entry.

“I think any time you have an opportunity like this to have a benchmark to work off of, like where do I stand against guys who are competing professionally, it’s an opportunity worth taking, regardless of how you play,” Markham said.

He suggested he didn’t bleed over every shot last week at Pine Ridge, knowing what kind of competitive “grind” was coming this week.

“Going into the Amateur, maybe the amount of grind that you’re willing to have… I don’t think you’re as prepared to grind as hard once you get to a stage where you just want to enjoy it and work on some shots.

“But it’s worth beating yourself up over. I look at it like a (practice) exam at school. You want to figure out where your mistakes are and adjust accordingly.

“This was a great preparation tool to get ready for the amateur. Am I happy I missed the cut? No, but there are positives.”

Markham will not be the only player trying to find that first-time Amateur magic, but he says he’s ready to try.

“I’ve been playing great and coming out of this I’m still hitting a lot of great shots,” he said. “What are my expectations? To win. I’ve been close before.”

The 72-hole championship winds up Thursday.

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca