North leads past champs into masters semifinals

WASAGAMING — Bruce North is playing golf with a heavy heart and a lighter perspective on the game this year.

The seven-time Tamarack men’s champion is back in the masters men’s semifinals after a 3-and-2 victory over Rod Lindenberg on Wednesday, though it was tough to stay fully focused.

While he worked his way through Clear Lake Golf Course, his wife delivered a eulogy he wrote at his brother-in-law’s funeral.

“Here’s the absolute reality of it. I lost five friends since December that I was involved in a eulogy,” North said. “Being out here is an absolute pleasure. Yes, you focus and you try your best, but at the end of the day, it really is not that important at all.

“It does give you a greater appreciation for the lucky privilege of being out here and playing golf on a beautiful golf course and with great people, really nice people.

“Having said that, we’re all competitors, and we love to zero in and try to put out our best golf.”

It’s safe to say North has done that so far this week. He’s 6 under through three rounds after shooting a 4-under 68 on Monday to earn the top seed in the championship flight for the 50-and-older division.

Lindenberg led the match early, though, after a nice birdie on the par-5 13th hole, their fourth of the day.

“It gets the nerves going, I tell ya. As an old man, you worry more than you do as a young man. It’s not fun being down,” said North, who retook the lead a few holes later and never gave it up.

“I was striking the ball very solidly, and I have been for quite a while now, so that kind of carried the day.”

The 69-year-old from Carman truly has nothing left to prove in this game, having won provincial titles, plus Tamarack junior and masters crowns.

Golf is secondary for North. Tamarack is an opportunity to hang out with close friend Scott Hetherington, whom he considers the best caddie around.

“The Tamarack’s a chance to cement old friendships and honestly, also an opportunity to make new friendships. You’d think at 69 I know most of the people now, but I had not played with Ron Maier, and we had a wonderful time, a wonderful gentleman,” North said.

“Rod and I have seen each other lots of times, but it was fun to play with him today, he’s a really nice gentleman, and it was a good match. It could have gone either way.”

North is set to face another past masters men’s champ, Dale Murray, who beat Darren Penny 3 and 1.

“That’ll be a tough one, but you know what, I look forward to it,” Murray said. “He’s a very good golfer, and it’ll be fun.”

It wasn’t the prettiest match, but the Gilbert Plains native’s putter heated up at the right time as he drained a couple of long ones to close out the match.

“We took turns giving each other a hole, not too many, but it was a tough match. If I didn’t make some of those putts, we’d be going to the last hole,” Murray said.

“Keeping the ball in play and chipping and putting is what it comes down to.

“Everybody in the masters hits it straight, so it comes down to chipping and putting.”

On the other side of the bracket, Keith Fawcett beat Chris Patrick 3 and 1, while Darren Graves defeated Murray Lindenberg 4 and 3.

While four players remain in the hunt, there won’t be a new name on the trophy, as all four men have won it since it was added to the 92-year-old tournament.

Graves won the masters title 10 years ago, with Fawcett capturing it a few years later.

HAMM DROPS FISHER IN JUNIOR EVENT

Brayden Hamm proved distance isn’t everything on a day when most of the longer-hitting juniors dominated.

The 15-year-old pulled ahead early, stayed ahead most of the afternoon, and downed Kaeson Fisher 2 and 1.

“(It was) a lot of fun,” Hamm said. “He hits it further than me, but I just had a good short game.”

Hamm faces medallist Jaxon Jacobson in Friday’s semifinals — which are both all-Brandon battles — after the Brandon Wheat King outlasted Kolton Matthews 2 and 1.

Hamm isn’t concerned about playing the guy who fired the only sub-70 round in qualifying.

“Just play my own game, don’t worry about what he’s doing,” Hamm said.

On the other side of the draw, No. 6 seed Hunter Oakden made quick work of Kolby Lavich, 6 and 5, while second seed Cole Temple needed all 18 to eliminate Ben Sparling 1 up.

The semifinals tee off today at 7 a.m.

FERGUSON, POPPLE ADVANCE IN SCRAMBLE

Sherri Ferguson and April Popple beat Val Giesbrecht and Carla Milne 1 up in the ladies scramble quarterfinals on Wednesday morning.

Dorelle Fulton and Kandis Matthews ousted Rachel Cody and Julia Reimer 7 and 6.

Scores from the other two matches weren’t reported.

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Clear Lake head professional Matt Nylen and his team of Lawson Yates, Kody Fawcett, Derek Solman, and Greg Misener won Tuesday night’s Tam Scram (Tamarack Scramble) in a playoff after shooting an 8-under 28.

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Chris McCannel aced the par-3 sixth hole during his fifth-flight match win on Tuesday.

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