Ontario roars out to whopping lead

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/08/2011 (5481 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ontario is out to a hot start and a commanding lead in the two-day Willingdon Cup competition at the Canadian Amateur Championship.

The provincial team players were out at Elmhurst on Thursday, where 2010 Canadian Amateur champion Albin Choi of Toronto and teammate Jacob Patte each posted two-under 69s for a four-under team total.

That’s seven better than Alberta after Day 1, and eight better than Nova Scotia.

Manitoba’s team players had a disastrous first round. Derek East’s 76 and Manitoba Amateur champ Jesse Skelton’s 78 were the scores to count.

Manitoba’s team, that also included Am runner-up Josh Wytinck, had only six birdies between them.

Each province counts its best two of three rounds on the day. The trophy will be awarded after today’s team play today at Niakwa.

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Niakwa afforded the honour of the ceremonial first tee shot of the 2011 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship to longtime member Don McNeill, 80.

The former Manitoba Senior champion cracked his shot off the first tee at 7:10 on Thursday morning, and right into the heart of the first fairway.

You’d expect nothing less from the eight-time club champion, who has been a member at Niakwa for 49 years.

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It wasn’t a happy day for most of the 20 Manitoba players at the Canadian Amateur.

Beyond Niakwa’s Todd Fanning landing in the top eight with his 69 on Thursday, there wasn’t much to crow about.

The scoring chart went like this, with Elmhurst rounds marked with an (E): Bret Thompson of Southwood, 72; Scott Markham of Niakwa, 72(E); Adrian Kibsey of Southwood, 72(E); Matt Gray of St. Charles, 75; Dale Goehring of Calgary, 75; Burke Wiebe of Southwood, 75; Aaron Cockerill of Teulon, 76(E); Derek East of St. Charles 76(E); Spencer Harris of Niakwa, 77; Brian Katchnoski of Elmhurst, 77; Eric Johnson of Breezy Bend, 77(E); Jesse Skelton of Breezy Bend, 78(E); Taylor Reilly of Niakwa, 79; Mark Starodub of Selkirk, 79; Ryan Pitzel of Rossmere, 79; Garth Collings of Breezy Bend 80(E); Tyler Friesen of Winkler, 81(E); Josh Wytinck of Pine Ridge, 82(E); Dean Herak of Elmhurst, 84(E).

Best guess is the cut to the low 70 players and ties will fall at about 3- or 4-over today, of course depending largely on the weather, meaning most of the home-province players have some serious work ahead of them.

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca