Kowalyshyn captures junior title
Sierra Kowalyshyn just keeps on winning.
The 14-year-old Stoney Creek resident fired an 86 to capture the junior girls title at the 74th Walt McCollum Niagara District Champions of Champions golf tournament Saturday at St. Catharines Golf and Country Club.
The title comes on the heels of the overall girls U19 points championship on the Niagara District Junior Golf Tour this summer where she finished with 310 points, edging out fellow Sawmill golfer and defending champion Casey Kenney by just six points.
“I’m pretty proud of that. I’m super happy and worked really hard this year so when I played competitions it really paid off,” Kowalyshyn said.
Kowalyshyn, who was competing in her first Champion of Champions, placed first in a small field of only four golfers. Sofia Reid of Lookout (92), Hazel Templeman of Brock (98) and Brianna Buchanan of Whiskey Run (116) also competed.
Kowalyshyn said the conditions were far from ideal.
“It was definitely super windy and super cold so that kind of affected the distance of the ball a little bit. Overall, I didn’t play great but I tried my best and did OK,” she said. “Nothing was really working out the entire day. My irons, I just could not hit them, and my short game was just kind of all over the place.”
With her game sputtering, Kowalyshyn went back to the basics.
“I just kind of keep trying to learn in my lessons from my coaches and why I practice and hopefully sometimes I fix it and sometimes I don’t,” she said.
Kowalyshyn, who attends Grade 9 at Bishop Ryan Catholic Secondary School in Hamilton, will compete for the school at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) championship this week in Collingwood.
“I have OFSAA this week so that’s my focus. Practice the next couple of days and hopefully come out on top there,” she said.
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