Oakden dominant in Tamarack junior title defence
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WASAGAMING — There was simply nothing anyone could do to stop Hunter Oakden from defending the Tamarack golf tournament junior title this year.
The Brandonite celebrated his 16th birthday with a 4-and-2 victory over Jaxon Jacobson at Clear Lake Golf Course on Saturday, beating the Brandon Wheat King for the second straight year.
While Oakden ended his fourth round with a cumulative score of 18-under par, he tipped his cap to Jacobson for making him earn it.
Hunter Oakden defended his Tamarack golf tournament junior title at Clear Lake Golf Course on Saturday. (Thomas Friesen/The Brandon Sun)
“It feels great. We battled for almost all the front nine,” Oakden said. “I had to make putts all day and he answered on the back nine.”
Oakden posted the only bogey-free round in all non-scramble qualifying, a 4-under 68. He made quick work of Brody Pomeroy, going 6 and 5, and defeated Brayden Hamm 3 and 2, in a phenomenal match in which one of the two birdied or eagled nearly every hole.
Jacobson shot 75 in qualifying, but was 7-under par when he finished off Cash McCallum 8 and 7 in the quarterfinals. Jacobson defeated Soren Milne 4 and 3 to cruise to the final.
Oakden made his third bogey of the week on the first hole, but didn’t drop another shot. He came close on the seventh, but drained a long putt from about eight feet off the green to save par and halve the hole, remaining 1 up.
He won the next two, and pulled ahead by four with a birdie on the 12th hole.
Jacobson birdied the 13th to narrow the gap, and they halved the par-5 14th with birdies.
“He brought me out of my comfort zone on hole 14. I wanted to maybe lay back a bit but I hit driver and had to force a birdie just to tie the hole,” Oakden said.
“My birdie on 12 was big because he takes advantage of the par 5s.”
Oakden was 3 up with three to play and narrowly missed driving the 16th green with a two-iron, another slightly more aggressive play than he would normally make.
“In qualifying and my first two matches, I hit a four-iron on 16, but I knew par probably wasn’t going to do it,” Oakden said. “It would have, but it was still nice to make a birdie.”
» tfriesen@brandonsun.com