Ritchie claims Tamarack men’s medal

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This article was published 22/08/2022 (1280 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WASAGAMING — It was like an NHL announcer was on the call for each shot Nolan Ritchie hit.

Whack. “Yes sir!” Whoosh. “Be the right club.” Tap. “Go in.”

The 20-year-old Brandon Wheat King piled up seven birdies and an eagle throughout two 2-under 70s to claim men’s medallist honours in the 89th annual Tamarack golf tournament on Sunday.

Sportsnet contributor Ken Wiebe played alongside Ritchie, his father, Darren, and Jason Falk in one of the most entertaining groups at Clear Lake Golf Course.

“It’s pretty cool to have Wieber in our group,” Ritchie said. “He’s a great cheerleader on the side riding with him.

“He’s just trying to pump me up and make sure I’m ready to go for the next shot.”

Wiebe, playing in his first Tamarack, knew his role once the youngster was tied for the clubhouse lead after Day 1.

“I’m not trying to pretend like I’m the caddie but part of my role is to make sure things are of a jovial nature,” said Wiebe, whose exuberant calls at his and his playing partners’ golf balls could be heard from two holes away.

“They used to call me the ‘Chief Chirper’ when I played centre field. The joke was even when I played for Stonewall, you could hear me in Altona.”

Nolan Ritchie cruised into the championship flight and has a chance to win his first Tamarack trophy since claiming the junior crown in 2020. He missed 2021 as he was at Philadelphia Flyers camp.

While it was his first two-day qualifying weekend, he’s no stranger to the track in Riding Mountain National Park. It was just like any other round with his old man, who he started beating about five years ago and only occasionally loses a father-son match.

“It’s pretty cool,” Darren said after finding out Nolan had the No. 1 seed. “You’re always proud of your kids. He conducts himself really well and we really enjoy watching not just the golf but hockey too.

“… For him to go around and make it look pretty easy, it’s a lot of fun for us as a group.

“… Obviously we’re not anywhere near that so it’s nice to watch him hit good shots.”

Nolan posted 3-under 33 on the front and 37 on the back both days, going 4 under on the par 5s and even on the rest of the course. He made three birdie putts of a combined eight feet on the front Sunday afternoon. Needless to say, his ball striking was as good as anyone’s in the field of 200-plus.

“The ball sounds different when Nolan hits it and it’s fun to be in a group where basically every time he tees off he has a chance for birdie,” Wiebe said.

“He has such a great demeanour and even though he’s a quiet guy, he’s got a great competitive spirit and that’s the family trait as well. It’s awesome to be part of it.”

Just making the championship flight was a daunting task this year. Players woke up on Sunday knowing 3-over 147 might not be good enough.

Jarod Crane, last year’s runner-up, knew he was safe with just two bogeys all weekend, posting 1-under 71 to get to 3 under and the clubhouse lead for a few hours.

“Enough to get in, I think,” Crane said after dripping a par save over the lip on the ninth hole.

“Hit it good, made no putts in two days so need the putter to heat up and that’s probably what would make the difference.”

Crane’s cards were anomalies compared to the guys around him that rattled off five birdies a day. He knows it could be a shootout come Tuesday.

Even the guys that made a five-for-two playoff at 3 over were making birdies in bunches.

“That’s the thing, you either make birdies or you’re not going to win matches. You got to have the mindset that … ‘I gotta make six birdies today and that’ll give me a chance.’ If you don’t do it, you’re going to be wiped out.”

The round of 16 starts on Tuesday.

Today features the second round of champion men’s qualifying — Dale Murray leads at 2-over with the projected cut around 10 over — with the lone junior, women’s scramble and senior men’s qualifying rounds also taking place.

For full results, see Page B2.

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