Peake chases women’s amateur title

Clara Peake is back from her best college golf season yet.

She posted one top-10 finish after the next early, and claimed her first NCAA Division II tournament victory in the spring.

While she’s in a much smaller field this Sunday and Monday, it may be the Binscarth native’s toughest test of 2026.

Peake is teeing it up in the Golf Manitoba women’s amateur alongside two-time defending champion Addison Kartusch, who gets to compete at her home St. Charles Country Club for the second year in a row.

Peake and Kartusch played all three rounds together last year, so she’s been able to learn a few things through observing.

“It was cool to see. She really knows her way around that place, but I’m excited for this year again,” Peake said.

“I get to golf against people I enjoy golfing with and I want to do my best to show them what I can do.”

The two are playing together on Sunday afternoon, along with Killarney’s Cala Korman, who’s back from another season at Weber State University in Utah.

Peake has transferred twice throughout her collegiate career, starting at Redlands Community College and winning two junior college events before making the jump to NCAA Division I golf at the University of North Alabama.

However, she struggled to crack the lineup there and transferred to Northwest Missouri State University last year.

She feels she has finally found her fit.

“I loved it,” Peake said.

“I love my coach, I love my team, it’s a really nice place to be. I had a great year and I’m excited for my next year there.

“The atmosphere and coaching staff, I settled right in and they helped me through so much, from where I’d been in previous years, it was a breath of fresh air.”

Peake finished in the top 10 in her first three events, all 80-plus-player fields.

She took a bit of a step back before the fall slate wrapped up in October, but came back strong in March. Peake tied for second at the Midwest Intercollegiate Invite, then bounced back from a disappointing T41 showing in a big way.

She went wire-to-wire at the Spring Regional Preview, firing rounds of 70, 72 and 69 to finish 5-under par and win the 90-player tournament at Shangri-La Country Club in Oklahoma.

“That one definitely felt the best. It was a stronger field, more competition and I felt like I played really good golf and finished under par. I don’t know if I’ve done that before,” Peake said.

“I wasn’t even hitting the ball that good going in there. I wasn’t feeling that confident going in there. But the course set up really well for my game and the putter was just hot. It didn’t really miss all weekend.”

Peake wound up 24th of 100 at the NCAA Central Regional to end her junior year in May.

She has eased off in terms of competitive events, as most college players do in the summer, but has been eager to compete for the provincial title.

Peake travelled to Gilbert Plains for two practice rounds last week before the event was moved due to flooding.

“I was a little disappointed. I was excited to have it out there, a new course that’s really fun to play. I went out for practice rounds and everything, but what can you do?” Peake said, adding it was a quick turnaround to refocus for the event, which is starting four days after it was originally scheduled.

“I’m glad they told us pretty quick, and it’s nice I’ve already played (St. Charles) a few times, so it wasn’t too bad.”

Typically, three-round events when played over two days in college feature the first two rounds on Day 1.

However, with the short notice to change venues, it made more sense to play the first round Sunday afternoon, after previously booked member tee times, then play twice on the typically less busy Monday.

Golf Manitoba needs to finish the event before Tuesday, which is Round 1 of the provincial junior boys and girls championships at Pine Ridge Golf Club.

In addition, it needs to determine qualifiers for the Canadian women’s amateur, which is less than three weeks away.

So it’ll be a long day, but a type of day all the top players in the field are used to.

“It’s more about mental preparation,” Peake said.

“If I go in there and know I’m going to play 36 holes, it’s not as bad as if I were to go to play expecting one round and having to play 36.”

Meanwhile, the men’s mid-am has been moved to Steinbach’s Quarry Oaks Golf Course on July 21-22.

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com