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Eighteen years of golfing at tournament First Air Open the longest running golf event in Simpson
Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, September 12, 2013
LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
The title in the women's division at the First Air Open all came down to a chip off and a few centimetres over the weekend.
Chris Hewitt, right, putts on hole nine at the Seven Spruce Golf Course during the First Air Open while his teammate Brian Desjardins keeps a close watch on the ball's line. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo
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After the scores were compiled on Sept. 7 at the Seven Spruce Golf Course, the teams of Val Gendron and Caitlin Blyth and Sherri Thomson and Terry Jaffray were tied at 95. The score was coincidental given that the two teams spent the day golfing together over 18 holes.
Many of the other 38 participants in the tournament lined the edge of the green on hole nine to watch the two teams break the tie with a chip off. In the end, the outcome came down to the difference of barely a metre with Gendron and Blyth having a combined distance from the pin of 14.47 metres compared to 15.49 for Thomson and Jaffray.
"It was a fun tournament," said Blyth, who is Jaffray's daughter.
This was only the second tournament that Blyth had played in this season and her first chip off. It wasn't that competitive given that the two teams had golfed together all day, she said.
Blyth said the two teams struggled the most on hole one during their second round. Everyone drove into the bush off of the tee box. Gendron hit the ball out of the woods to keep their team on track, said Blyth.
The difference between the scores of the first and second place teams in the men's division was also minimal.
Kele Antoine and Arnold Hope finished with a 68 while Ryan Petrie and Climate Muyambo had a 69. Third place went to Kevin and Eric Menicoche with a 75 and fourth place to Byron Blyth and TJ Bradbury with a 76.
The tournament, in its 18th year, is the longest running at the golf course. The turn-out was great and so was the weather, said Antoine, who was also one of the event organizers.
Antoine and Hope shot a 33 on their first nine, three under, with four birdies and one bogey among their pars. The one bogey, which happened on hole six, was the result of unlucky bounces and chips and putts that went too far, Antoine said.
On the second nine, they finished with 35 with just one birdie. Both Antoine and Hope contributed to the birdie count.
Hope earned a birdie by himself on hole three, the team's second hole of the tournament, with a drive, two other shots and a chip in. Not to be outdone, Antoine earned back-to-back birdies on his own on holes nine and one.
This was the first time this season that Hope has been part of a winning golf team.
"I'm so, so pleased," he said.
"Kele redeemed my year."
Individual prizes were also awarded during the tournament. Kristen Morrison won the women's longest drive on hole four while Byron Blyth took that distinction in the men's division. John Moreau won closest to the pin.
The largest prizes at the tournament were given out through an elimination draw. For being the second-to-last name drawn, Gordie Thompson won flights for two to Yellowknife. Keyna Norwegian won the grand prize of flights for two to Edmonton, courtesy of First Air.
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