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Golf starts in Simpson

Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, June 5, 2008

LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - The fairways on the Seven Spruce Golf Course were full of action on May 31 as golfers pulled out their clubs for the opening day tournament.

A total of 19 teams participated in the tournament that was run as a two-person scramble.

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Dave Walsh keeps an eye on his target while putting on the green of the ninth hole during the Opening Day Tournament. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photos

"It was quite a good turnout for the start of the year," said Roger Pilling, the tournament's organizer.

The tournament is always held on the last Saturday of May to encourage people to buy their club memberships, said Pilling.

The tournament is free to people who have their memberships, which are good from June 1 to May 31 of the next year.

Mainly sunny conditions, temperatures above 18 degrees and low numbers of insects made for ideal conditions.

"The weather was great," he said.

However that did little to speed up the tournament. Instead of finishing the 18 holes in the usual 4.5 hours golfers finished after six hours on the course.

"I think everyone was out there just having a good time," said Pilling.

The team of Owen Rowe and Kele Antoine won the men's division with a finish of four over par. Only two strokes behind them was the team of Dan Deschamps and Chris Hewitt with six over par.

The division win was the result of just keeping the ball on the fairway and in play, said Kele Antoine.

In 18 holes the team only lost one ball. Antoine said he and Rowe had an all around good play with some nice drives.

"We didn't have any fancy lucky shots but we worked hard and got the ball in the hole," he said.

The team's best performance was a birdie on the third hole, their second last hole of the game. Being on the course wasn't all about winning but about being part of the first tournament of the season, said Antoine.

"I try to get out for every tournament," he said.

In the women's division the title went to the team of Maggie O'Neill and Sheila Pollard with a finish of 25 over par.

Pollard gave her partner full credit for the win.

"Maggie played awesome," she said.

Between the two of them Pollard said the team had some strong drives.

John and Louisa Moreau took the mixed division with 16 over par.

Prizes for the longest drive went to Dan Deschamps for the men and Keyna Norwegian for the women. Robert Byatt took the men's prize for closest to the pin while Lee Scobie claimed it for the women.