Dustin Dyck back for Tamarack title defence

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/08/2020 (2125 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The meaning of Dustin Dyck’s Tamarack-winning putt last year suddenly grew tenfold at the start of the 2020 golf season.

His grandparents introduced him to golf as a toddler and instilled a strong passion for the sport right from the start. Some 26 years later, that 20-foot breaking par save to beat Chad Cumming 2 up was the last golf shot his grandmother Cheryl Swain would see him hit.

Swain, who Dyck was incredibly close with and considers a strong mother figure in his life, died on May 19.

“It’s something that I’ll never forget. The winning putt last year in general is my fondest golf memory,” Dyck said ahead of the 87th annual Tamarack, which starts Saturday at Clear Lake Golf Course.

“To have my grandmother see me win a Tamarack last year, aside from meeting my fiancée (Jennifer Meadows) and her saying yes, probably the third most personal, relationship thing that’s happened to me.”

Swain and husband Carmen had a seasonal campsite near Killarney Lakeside Golf Club and showed Dyck the game early. The 28-year-old recalls fond memories growing up on the southwest Manitoba track. He said he played five to six times a week there in his teen years.

The Brandonite first ventured to the Tamarack at age 12 to compete in the junior boys’ division and dreamed of hoisting a trophy ever since. After a handful of runs at the junior crown and steadily creeping closer to the men’s title over eight tries — he lost to Kody Fawcett in the final in 2018 — the ninth run was the breakthrough on a soggy, overcast Sunday morning after play was washed on the Saturday.

His supporting cast outside the proverbial ropes made the win unforgettable. Golf is more than a game for him, and the sense of belonging he feels as a perennial contender at the time-honoured tournament is significant.

“It’s kind of a dream come true. As a child and going through my school, I didn’t have many friends as a kid, throughout the first half of my high school days anyways,” Dyck said.

“To have these people, I’m very aware of where of where I came from and I’m very appreciative of the support and what I have.”

For a while, the chance to defend his crown was in question as COVID-19 concerns led to countless cancellations in the sports scene starting in March. But the event committee rode out the waves and is moving forward without a few of the social events to ensure physical distancing protocols are met.

But on Saturday, the sole focus will be on golf.

Dyck feels a little different entering the tournament than he has in the past for a few reasons. For one, he’s been in the hunt multiple times and finally got the job done. Plus, he picked up a membership at Clear Lake, and has played the 6,309-yard gem more than a dozen times in 2020.

“I’m pretty excited for it. Now that I’ve won, I feel like I can just go out and play my game and not feel like I have to try and prove anything. I already proved it,” Dyck said.

“I’ve played it lots, I know my lines to take, I’m not trying to figure out what my strategy is going to be. I figured out a winning formula now and have been using that strategy the past few years now with more and more success.”

“… I’ve been able to gain more and more comfort as the year goes on with my swing … I feel like I’m about to peak.”

Seeing the Tamarack trophy in the clubhouse each he plays Clear Lake is special for Dyck, who knows he’ll forever hold a piece of history to share with his future family.

While Dyck received a 10-year exemption into the event for winning, that’s all he’s given. The rest is earned, and Step 1 to defend is  36 holes of qualifying on Saturday and Sunday. The top 16 players crack the championship flight, with more than 200 men teeing it up with hopes of finding competitive brackets for their matches throughout the week.

It takes solid golf to have a chance at the title. Jared Jacobson claimed medallist honours with back-to-back 2-under 70s, and the cutoff for top tier in 2019 was 6 over, with just 13 double-bogey-or-worse holes amongst the 16 qualifiers.

Dyck managed to eliminate the big numbers entirely, posting 71 and a 74 to take the No. 7 seed at 1 over.

“Those two qualifying rounds are easily the most nerve-racking rounds I play all year. The first-tee jitters of it, no matter what round,” said Dyck, who believes he’s one of the most aggressive players in the field whether it’s during match or medal play.

“I hit probably the most drivers out of anybody in championship flight, Kody Fawcett would hit driver the same amount as I would, but other than him, I play the course more aggressively.”

Dyck favours the back nine, and doesn’t mind having a bit of ground to make up after a slow front. That was certainly the case in last year’s final. Cumming built a 3-up lead through 12 holes before Dyck came roaring back to win five of the last six to seal it.

“The odd thing with that front nine, what kept me going … is I was driving it well, I was hitting the ball well, the greens were just totally different,” Dyck said.

“The breaks, they weren’t breaking near as much and it benefited someone that’s willing to take some of the line off and give it a hit. Last year Chad made that adjustment seemingly seamlessly. It took me 13 holes to make that.

“… Now looking back at the putts I made to keep myself in it and win holes, it just gives me a ton of confidence.”

NOTES: Half the champion men’s (50-plus) field opens qualifying Saturday, with the other half Sunday and everyone in action for Round 2 Monday … The 18-hole ladies’ and ladies’ scramble qualifying, as well senior men’s and all junior qualifying takes place Monday … Matches run the rest of the week, with finals on Aug. 22.

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @thomasmfriesen