LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - From wigs and feather boas, to tiaras and costume jewelry, golf apparel was turned on its head as women took over the Seven Spruce Golf Course for the It's Pink Golf Fore the Cure Tournament.

Thirty-four women participated in the ladies-only event in Fort Simpson on Aug. 7. The tournament encouraged women to have some fun while golfing and raise money for breast cancer research at the same time.

All-female participants in the It's Pink Golf Fore the Cure Tournament formed a pink ribbon, the international sign for breast cancer awareness, on the fairway of the Seven Spruce Golf Course before teeing off. - photo courtesy of Roger Pilling

"Everyone was having a great time," said Karen Simon, one of the organizers.

The idea for the tournament developed last year when a group of women wanted to hold a women's event at the golf course. The group, including Simon, Alexa Tsetso, Kelley Andrews-Klein and Brenda Moreau, decided to register the event with Golf Fore the Cure, a program developed by Golf Canada and the Canadian Cancer Society.

Although there has been one other breast cancer fundraising tournament at the course before, this was the first Golf Fore the Cure event in the territory and the first all-women's tournament in Fort Simpson, Simon said. Each team was asked to raise money for breast cancer research. Teams found sponsors, filled out pledge sheets and even held bake sales in the lead-up to the event.

Each participant was also encouraged to wear pink on the tournament day.

After six hours on the course that included a lot of cheering, screaming, laughing and good-natured fun, the team of Val Gendron, Wendy Groat, Gloria Buboire and Eileen Pilling finished in first place at 78, six over par for 18 holes.

When asked what led to the win, Gendron responded, "our 75-year-old grandma was working for our team."

Eileen Pilling always had a straight shot that kept the team on the fairway, said Gendron. The team also bought two good drives.

A monetary donation to the tournament allowed teams to have male volunteers, who were on hand, make their drives for them. Gendron's team birdied the first hole during their first nine as a result of a long drive by Owen Rowe, followed by a chip by Pilling and a putt by Buboire.

Other male volunteers included Darrell Littlechild, T. G. Wilson, David Lawson, Shane Thompson, Trevor Kjeldsli and Jermaine Gargan. For an extra donation, some of the men removed their shirts and drove topless.

The whole tournament was a lot of fun and there was no pressure to compete, Gendron said.

Second place went to the team of Kathy Tsetso, Malo Antoine, Kim Hardisty and Alexa Tsetso after they won in a chip-off against Kelley Andrews-Klein, Brenda Moreau, Louisa Moreau and Karen Simon. The two teams had tied at 79 leading to the chip-off.

"I loved it. It was awesome," Antoine said about the tournament.

The team emerged at the top of the competitors by being consistent, she said. Alexa Tsetso also assisted by having a steady game when the rest of the team faltered, Antoine said. Other award winners included Lee Scobie for the longest drive and Lorayne Menicoche-Moses' team for closest to the pin.

The total amount raised by the tournament is still being calculated. Teams have until Aug. 13 to submit their donations. Based on the success of this tournament the plan is to make it an annual event, Simon said.

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