LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - If it hadn't been for a well placed tree and a lucky bounce the outcome of the Deh Cho Open Golf Tournament could have been different.

Eric Menicoche drives his ball from the tee box of hole six at the Seven Spruce Golf Course during the Deh Cho Open Golf Tournament. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

Fifty-four people on 27 teams competed in the one-day, 19-hole tournament on June 25 in Fort Simpson. The team of Kele Antoine and TG Wilson emerged from the fairway with the lowest score, a 67, which is five under par.

Wilson partially attributed the team's win to luck. While playing hole one for the first time, Antoine hit his ball into the bush. Wilson's ball followed suit but bounced off a tree and landed back on the fairway.

"I knew I was in trouble," said Wilson describing his reaction as the ball headed into the woods. "I just got lucky."

Wilson said the team's real strength comes from the fact that he and Antoine have played golf together for approximately 12 years.

"It was a good team effort. We complement each other pretty good," he said.

The team started the tournament with back-to-back birdies on holes four and five, which also helped build confidence, said Wilson. He complimented the Deh Cho Friendship Centre on its excellent organization of the event.

Following just two points behind, second place went to Paul Simon and Owen Rowe with a 69.

The team didn't cinch any eagles but had quite a few birdies. Simon said he had a number of long birdie putts while Rowe made some good drives. Rowe also made a chip to birdie on hole seven.

"We had lots of fun," said Simon. "That's what this was all about."

Third place in the tournament went to Mark Gillis and Rylan Hardisty-Gillis at 77. While the tournament recognized the lowest scores, the team with the highest score received its entry fee back.

Lorayne Menicoche-Moses and Celine Antoine rounded out the day with a score of 117. The tournament marked Menicoche-Moses' second time on the Seven Spruce Golf Course this year, while Antoine was on her third.

"I had a really wonderful time," said Menicoche-Moses, adding she received a lot of encouragement from other golfers during the event.

This is the 12th year the Deh Cho Friendship Centre has organized the Deh Cho Open. It was developed as a way for the centre to connect with different groups and people that don't normally come to the centre, said Aaron McNab, the centre's executive director.

"It went over pretty good," McNab said about this year's tournament.

Individual award winners at the event included Rowe and Maggie O'Neill, who took the prizes for the longest drive in the men and women's categories, respectively, and Steve Gooderham and Erin Wyatt, who won the closest-to-the-pin contest.

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