TAMARACK: Oakden rides roller coaster into junior final
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Free Press subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $20.00 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.00 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
WASAGAMING — Hunter Oakden couldn’t ask for a better birthday present.
The Brandonite won a Tamarack golf tournament semifinal on Wednesday, turned 15 today and will play for the junior trophy his father, Dean, captured in 1990 on Saturday.
Oakden defeated No. 2 seed Cole Temple 1 up at Clear Lake Golf Course, as medallist Jaxon Jacobson dropped Brayden Hamm 4 and 3.
Hunter Oakden beat Cole Temple 1 up on Wednesday to advance to the Tamarack golf tournament junior final. (Thomas Friesen/The Brandon Sun)
“I feel good. I think it’ll be a fun day. I’ve played with him the last two days and it’s been fun,” Oakden said.
“Me and Jaxon kind of have the same friends so it’ll be good, everyone out there watching.”
Oakden’s path to the final was anything but routine. He birdied the first and third holes to stay tied but missed a few putts and found himself 2 down through six holes against a steady lefty who hasn’t made many mistakes all week.
Temple led by two at the turn, then Oakden caught a fortunate break after shanking his approach shot on the 10th hole. He got up and down for par, then took advantage of two Temple bogeys to tie it up.
Oakden rolled in a big birdie on the 13th hole to take his first lead. However, it was short-lived as Temple canned a 45-footer for eagle on the 14th.
Temple pulled ahead on the 15th, then Oakden hit the shot of the day.
From a less-than-perfect spot 50 yards short of the 16th green, he hit a low pitch that bounced up and nestled four feet away from the pin.
“I had a crappy lie from the rough, it was kind of hard pan so I just threw a low one in there, tried to stop it on the front third of the green,” Oakden said.
He pulled ahead once more with a routine wedge to the middle of the 17th green, when Temple missed long and made a rare double-bogey.
From there, Oakden made two smooth swings to find the middle of the 18th green and close it out.
Jaxon Jacobson has reached his first Tamarack junior final. (Thomas Friesen/The Brandon Sun)
Jacobson left no doubt that he belongs in his first-ever Tamarack final. He birdied three holes in a row to make the turn 3 up and kept his foot down.
Jacobson had a chance to finish the match 8 under and 6 up with five holes to go but three-putted the 14th green from 10 feet to keep Hamm alive. They halved the 15th with bogeys — Jacobson’s lone dropped shot of an otherwise stellar round — to end it.
“He played great. Every hole I felt like he was within birdie range and I felt if I was going to win a hole, I’d have to make a birdie,” Jacobson said.
“It was pretty much all around a good game. I didn’t put myself in any bad spots. (Wednesday) my putter wasn’t too hot and (Thursday) I finally figured it out, especially the second half of the front nine, carried on to the back so it was just an all-around good game.”
» tfriesen@brandonsun.com
» Instagram: @thomasfriesen5