White, MacLean top junior tour stop at Lookout
Things went from good to great for Emily White Monday at Lookout Point.
The 18-year-old thought she had tied her career best score with a 77, but she was informed after her round that she had actually fired a 75.
“It’s a different course and different pars here and I just wasn’t aware of it,” White said. “I was just trying to focus and not worry about my score.
“I’m shocked. It is the best round ever for me.”
The score was good enough for her to record a four-stroke victory over Megan Miron on the Niagara Junior Golf Tour’s fourth stop.
“I kind of had a feeling this morning when I was on the range,” she said. “I had a few mishits and then I had a weird feeling. You know when you have that weird feeling? I had that.”
She also was given a boost of good luck when she ran into PGA pro Keagan Bradley’s father, Mark, yesterday while she was working at Queen Victoria Place in Niagara Falls.
“He was wishing me good luck today and I just had this good feeling,” White said.
But it takes more than a good feeling to win at tricky Lookout Point.
“I hit it well off the tee and that is one of my weaknesses,” she said. “I only missed one fairway today and I am pretty proud of myself.”
It was her second career win on the Niagara Junior Golf Tour and her first round in the 70s on the circuit this season. Her last victory came in 2018.
“I have been going to the range more, practising and working on my short game,” she said. “That has been good for me because I am doing a lot better around the greens.”
She is motivated by her father John, Beechwood’s head pro and the long-time junior tour organizer.
“He is such a huge inspiration for me and I just want to do better,” she said. “And when you have a bad round, it doesn’t feel good.”
This fall, the 18-year-old will be entering her second year at Brock, where she is studying kinesiology and playing golf. She was Brock’s rookie of the year last season, won the Niagara College tournament and placed fourth in another event.
“I want to break 80 more often,” she said of her goals for the upcoming university season. “I am not worried about other competition, I am just trying to improve myself. I find that I get distracted when I worry about other people.”
MACLEAN TOPS BOYS DIVISION
Ben MacLean made the most of one his few starts on the Niagara Junior Golf Tour.
The 15-year-old Niagara Falls resident, who primarily plays in Golf Ontario, Golf Canada and Canadian Junior Golf Association events, carded a 69 at Lookout Point Monday to win the under-19 division on the Niagara Junior Golf Tour by five strokes over R.J. Derhodge.
“I putted pretty well today,” said the scratch handicapper at Lookout Point and the St. Catharines Golf and Country Club. “Inside 10 feet, I was pretty on.”
The Grade 10 student at A.N. Myer hit 15 greens in regulation on the way to winning again on the local junior tour. He wasn’t sure how many career wins he has recorded.
MacLean has a couple of CJGA victories on his resume and he placed third at last year’s provincial bantam championships. He also placed third at this year’s Future Links Ontario at Tangle Creek Golf and Country Club in Thornton.
He is hoping to land a golf scholarship.
Next stop on the tour is an 8 a.m. shotgun start Wednesday at Grand Niagara.
Below are the leaderboards from Monday’s tournament at Lookout Point:
Under-19 girls: Emily White 75; Megan Miron 79; Payton Bennett 81; Sasha Baker 90; Casey Kenney 97; Mya MacKey 107; Alexis Anderson 110; Jade Gracie 116.
Under-19 boys: Ben MacLean 69; R.J. Derhodge 74; Matthew Martel 75; Blake Pingue 76; Johnny Romak 80; Jared Sloan 80; Deryck Burke 81; Cian Burke 81; Jake Keen 81; Stefan Serroul 81.
Under-15 boys: Isaiah Ellis 71; Sammy Rootes 74; Nathan Freure 84; Kian Blair 89; Hudson Mielko 94; John Kingdon 95; Liam Kirk 96; Christian Rotundo 119; Declan Whittard 125.
Under-13 boys: Michael Martel 80; Will Burleigh 99; Elliott Christopher 104; Levi Moyer 104.
Under-11 boys: Ben Julie 92; Trent Clarke 100; Lucas Sartor 105.
