ACAC Golf Championship Review
by ACAC Sports Writer Curtis J. Phillips
It came down to the final hole at the 2016 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Golf Championships yesterday at the Lac La Biche Golf & Country Club, to determine who would be the women's singles champion.
In a 16-player field, Medicine Hat College Rattlers teammates Becky Martin and Danielle Blackmer had finished the opening round Saturday with Martin at 80, four better than Blackmer's 84.
Approaching the final hole Sunday, a par-four 338-yard, which has the back tee box overlooking Lac La Biche Lake, Blackmer faced a tough blind tee shot where you need to drive left to right to stay on the fairway.
Blackmer, who only four holes prior had double-bogeyed, managed to regorup, making par on the long dog leg hole, finishing at 84. A two-day total of 168.
Martin now only needed a final par if she were to win the 2016 ACAC women's golf title.
She had already pared 16 holes on the course....11 of them on Saturday.
Martin, with several years of NCAA golf experience behind her, had opened Sunday with a four over par on the second hole.
Heading to the final hole, she needed a par once again. She had only recorded three par in the previous eight holes.
Calmly she made par, giving her a one-stroke victory 167-168 to become champion and the first Rattler to swing to a women's golf crown.
"I am not too sure if she (Martin) was even aware of the score at that time," said a proud Rattlers coach Trevor Moore. "Both girls were probably oblivious to what was going on as they were concentrating on their own game. But it was special for them to be No. 1 and No. 2 at the end of the day."
MacEwan earned silver this time around and Red Deer Queens bronze.In women's team competition the Rattlers broke the stranglehold that the MacEwan University Griffins had held winning the last five womens' team banners.
"It means a lot to win the women's title as MacEwan has won it every year since I have been coaching," said Moore, of the Rattlers first-ever women's team golf banner. "It shows parity in the conference. Every year you win a championship it is harder-and-harder to defend. That says a lot of their program."
Of the streak ending, Griffins coach Jodi Campbell surmised: "There is no question we have worked hard for that success. We have had the luxury the last couple of years to have that success and this year came up against what we knew would be a tough Medicine Hat team. We wanted our girls to go out there and do their best and that is what they did."
Of the play Red Deer College Queens' Shaye Leidenius with a two-day total of 172 (89 – 83) for third place, Red Deer coach Scott Bergdahl said: "She had a poor day yesterday (Saturday) as she did not trust herself which is uncommon for her. She did not trust her putting and as a result her scores were higher. Today she went out with a lot of confidence and it showed.
"It was a cold and windy day. It was crisp," said Bergdahl. "They had super-fast greens and it was tough for everybody."
Kassidy Turcotte of Concordia University of Edmonton Thunder, who was tied for third after Saturday with Leidenius, each at 89, shot 87 Sunday to finish at 176 for fourth spot.
Defending champion Elizabeth Stewart of the MacEwan University Griffins finished in the No. 8 slot at 192.
MacEwan University Griffins held the top three positions in men's competition after the first 18 Saturday with Barrett Belland, 71, Joshua Gorieu, 75 and Christian Solkowski with a 76.
On the final round yesterday, the No. 1 and No. 2 spots would remain the same with Belland winning the title coming in with a 79 for a two-day total of 150. Gorieu was two strokes back at 152 (75-77).
For Belland it was a clean sweep of ACAC golf tournaments as he had also captured the South Regional and North Regional.
Belland was also the only competitor, male of female. to record an eagle on the weekend on the par 5 Hole No. 7 at 506 yards.
Solkowski faltered with a round of 89 Sunday to finish at 165 for an 11th spot in the 37-men field.
Placing third overall was teammate Brett Hawken who came back for an opening round of 81 to score an impressive 74 Sunday for 155.
Hawken was the 2012 ACAC Men's Golf individual champion.
"The guys were absolutely pumped about that," said Campbell. "After winning the North and South Regionals they had a target on their back this weekend and they wanted to do really well. It was icing on the cake."
MacEwan won men's team gold with University of Alberta Augustana silver and bronze to Red Deer College.
It is the seventh men's team title for MacEwan since ACAC men's golf entered in 1987.
The respective schools will now be sending teams to the 2016 PING CCAA Golf National Championships to be held October 17-21, 2016 in Prince Edward Island and hosted by Holland College.