Jensen wins playoff in Poole’s final junior tour event

OAK ISLAND — Noah Jensen was among the last names Gary Poole announced at the Westman Junior Golf Tour on Tuesday afternoon.

Nineteen holes later, the Brandonite was the last man standing.

Jensen defeated Ethan Irwin in a playoff to claim the 17-and-under division title at Oak Island Resort.

He didn’t know it when he teed off, but found out when accepting his trophy that Poole would be stepping away from the tour he started in 2001.

“It was pretty nice, because I’ve been playing it since I was 10 years old. I’ve known Gary for a while; I’ve helped him out with lessons, so seeing him, no matter what, helping out the kids was pretty special in his final year,” Jensen said.

“It’s pretty nice to be able to play good enough. Ethan was playing pretty good, striking the ball pretty well, so it’s nice to win against the good competitor he is.”

Jensen trailed early as Irwin made two solid par saves to open his round, but tied it up with a par on the third hole.

They stayed tied through 11 when Jensen took the lead on a slick, breaking par putt on the par-3 12th. Two holes later, Jensen extended it to two with another par on the next par three.

He had a chance to end it after a great tee shot into the par-3 16th, but Irwin replied with a perfect chip to save par, and Jensen three-putted.

Jensen saved par on the 17th but hooked his tee shot on 18 into the trees, opening the door for Irwin to force the playoff.

It only took Jensen one hole to seal the win by lagging the longest putt possible to three feet before sinking it on the next shot.

“It was a pretty great putt just to get it close,” Jensen said. “To make the putt after that was pretty good.”

The other divisions — which both consist of stroke play events rather than match play — were both runaways, as has been the case for a few years now.

Russell’s Wickus Pieterse accumulated enough points to enjoy a victory lap in the 14U division, shooting 12-over 84. Brandon’s Easton Adams also had the 12U title locked up going into Tuesday, and carded an 83.

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Poole and his wife, Gisele Charette, spent one more summer afternoon handing out prizes for overall performance, longest drive and closest to the pin.

After more than a quarter of a century, Poole is passing the tradition on to Austin Dobrescu of Evo Golf, who got his competitive golf start in this very tour.

The Brandonite went on to play NCAA Division I golf at Chicago State, winning a tournament, then capturing the Golf Manitoba match play title before turning professional and making a cut on what’s now the PGA Tour Americas.

Dobrescu now runs his indoor golf facility in the Wheat City and puts significant emphasis on growing the game at the junior level, through his junior camps, a partnership with the Western Canada Hockey Academy and more.

And he’s not the only one to go from the WJGT to the industry. Minnedosa Golf and Country Club head pro and general manager Patrick Law and Clear Lake Golf Course head pro Matt Nylen spent their summers learning through the tour, along with a few more who have since left the business.

A handful more have competed at various post-secondary levels, including Erickson’s Bobbi Uhl, Carberry’s Joel Baron and Glenboro’s Josh Wytinck, and more recently Killarney’s Cala Korman, Binscarth’s Clara Peake and Neepawa’s Hayden Delaloye.

The past three Golf Manitoba junior boys champions, Zostrianos Giordani-Gross, Spence Mott and Hunter Oakden, competed earlier in their junior golf careers as well.

“All I started it for was to give them somewhere to play, some competition, to have some fun and make friends,” Poole said.

“When I grew up, we would go to Glenboro for a nine-hole golf tournament and that was sort of all there was. There was a real lack of anything for the kids and I felt there was a chance to do something for the game and promote it.”

Poole said the courses donate the tee times, which allowed him to keep costs down with the majority of the entry fees going to prizing.

Along with Poole’s decision to hand over the keys, he said he’s retiring from his work as a golf professional at the end of the season, capping a 40-year run.

His favourite memory?

“The kids having fun,” Poole said. “Every year they come back and meet their buddies again, haven’t seen them all winter and get to meet some new friends and have fun.

“It’s been a great run.”

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com