LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - The fairways of the Seven Spruce Golf Course were full of golfers on June 21 who celebrated Aboriginal Day on the links.

Fifty-one golfers spent the day competing in the annual Deh Cho Open Golf Tournament hosted by the Deh Cho Friendship Centre - a new attendance record for this and every other tournament held at the course.

Darrell Littlechild chips his ball onto the green at hole 5 during the Deh Cho Open Golf Tournament at the Seven Spruce Golf Course. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

"We had 25 teams turn out and I can't remember when we've had more," said Owen Rowe, one of the golfers.

Close scores marked the play during the 18 hole two-person best ball tournament.

In the mixed division the team of Keyna Norwegian and Gabe Buggins tied for first place with Pat Rowe and Erin Allooloo at 77. To decide who would win the prize, the teams went into a chip-off.

On the ninth hole Norwegian and Rowe each chipped towards the hole from 100 yards.

By putting her ball six feet from the hole compared to 15 yards for Rowe, Norwegian took the prize.

Norwegian credited her team's performance on the course to years of experience.

"We play so much together all the time we're used to each other," she said.

Buggins had some good shots, said Norwegian. The team's best hole was No. 4, which they birdied both times.

"Over all we had a good game," she said.

With warm temperatures and a wind to keep the bugs away it was a nice day to be on the course, said Norwegian.

"It's a good way to spend Aboriginal Day," she said.

On the competing team, Erin Allooloo said she and Rowe just played well.

"We had our best game of the whole season," she said.

The tournament was Allooloo's last chance to play on the course before moving with her family to Inuvik on June 23.

"I had to get first for Pat before I left," she said.

Allooloo said the team's best performance came on hole 2, where she made her best drive of the day and won the prize for closest to the pin.

Allooloo also made a long putt on Hole 6 to give the team a birdie.

"I'll miss Fort Simpson," she said.

"Thank you to everybody for making the past three years the best years of my life."

In the mixed division the team of April Bell and Peter Erasmus took second place at 80.

With a score of 86 the teams of Berni Leader and Gordon Thompson and John and Louisa Moreau tied for third place.

Owen Rowe and Travis Hanna won the men's division with 75 followed by Darrell Littlechild and Dave Gargan at 81.

At 82 the teams of Scott Holmes and Scott McIntosh and Kele Antoine and Arnold Gargan tied for third place.

Rowe said he and Hanna put in a joint effort and all-around good play to win first place.

"We stayed in the fairway most of the time," Rowe said.

On the front nine holes, the team shot 36 followed by 39 on the back nine.

The tournament's prize for longest drive went to Scott Holmes for the men and April Bell in the ladies' and junior division.

Kevin Menicoche won closest to the pin for the men.