Defending champ Lafleche leads women’s amateur

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This article was published 10/07/2023 (1104 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG — Jeri Lafleche enters every golf tournament trying to beat the field and needing to beat her sister.

The Clear Lake Golf Course member almost had mixed emotions walking off Pine Ridge Golf Course with a 7-over 79 to sit tied for the Golf Manitoba women’s amateur lead. Jewel Lafleche was a few holes back at just 8 over through 12.

The 13-year-old fell back to the middle of the pack with an 88, still remarkable on an incredibly tough day that didn’t yield a single score below par in the women’s event or men’s mid-amateur of 82 players.

“I definitely want to beat her one day and get close to her,” Jewel said of battling her sister, the defending women’s amateur champion.

“It’s good, knowing what she does. I … see how she does it and I try to do the same thing.”

“Little scary,” Jeri chuckled at the thought of Jewel’s first time beating her in a round. “Let’s hope that doesn’t happen for a while but yeah, it definitely keeps me a little more motivated.”

The sisters play out of Niakwa Country Club in Winnipeg and spend weekends at Clear Lake. They’re regulars in the Tamarack golf tournament, even though it dropped the junior girls’ event and lumped them in with the boys. Jeri reached the semifinals last year and keeps getting better.

Her standards rise with her game, so a birdie-free score felt bad until leaving the scoring tent to find out it was the low round of the day.

“I did not think I was going to be at the top,” Jeri Lafleche said. “I wasn’t playing my best so I didn’t think I was going to be anywhere near but that wind (Monday) was brutal and the greens were rolling pretty quick.

“It definitely changes your perspective of what’s a good round out here in conditions like this.”

Jewel, who just finished junior high, already has a terrific mentality for tournament golf.

“I’ve been doing it for so long that I’m kind of just used to it now so it’s a lot of fun,” she said.

“Whenever I have a good shot, take in that and make that the good part of it. when I have a bad shot, knowing it doesn’t really matter too much and just carrying on.”

• • •

Charmaine Hayden didn’t make a birdie either but played rock solid for most of the day to tie Jeri Lafleche at the top.

She’s been a mainstay on Golf Manitoba leaderboards for years but made big strides in her game this year. Hayden said the key is enlisting trusted help.

“Having a coach is really helpful,” Hayden said of Sean Murray, her coach out of St. Charles Country Club.

She also has a well of knowledge to draw from at home now with her husband Darren, the Quarry Oaks Golf Course head professional she married within the last year. But it’s important to find a balance there.

“I try to put Sean first and foremost,” she said. “I try to ease off of Darren because he’s a golf pro for a living, so I don’t want him to have to be a coach when we’re playing as well. I want him to enjoy his round.

“So I take what Sean says and I often run things by Darren as well just to get a second opinion and then I decide just from experience and what I feel like I need to take what I can and use what I want to.”

Swan River’s Crystal Zamzow is tied for third with Addison Kartusch after shooting 80. Binscarth’s Clara Peake sits three off the lead in fifth.

• • •

Brandon’s Drew Jones overcame a broken driver in Sunday’s practice round and three straight double-bogeys to fire a 2-over 74 and sit one shot off Ryan Terdik’s lead.

Jones birdied the second and third holes before the trouble came.

“They were just basic doubles where I had to chip out and with these greens, I didn’t get up and down. It’s just easy to make doubles,” said the Shilo Country Club member.

“I didn’t really get bothered by it at all, just kept moving forward and knew I was a swing away from a good round.”

Jones got a replacement driver head after his practice round and planned to keep working with it but realized his Plan B is still pretty good.

“I was two under bogey-free for the rest of the round so played really solid, fairways and greens, put the driver in the bag and hit four-wood and hit it really well,” Jones said.

Neepawa’s Chris Sitko rolled three birdies en route to an 8-over 80 and is tied for 24th with Shilo’s Brad Pardy.

The event continues today and ends on Wednesday.

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