IKPIARJUK/ARCTIC BAY
Canadian hero Terry Fox knew about adversity, so it's fitting that a fundraising golf tournament held in his honour requires participants to golf in conditions that would challenge the best professional golfers.

Curtis Willie, Levi Barnabas, Rex Willie, Tagoo Willie, Lionel Willie, Jack Willie, Koonark Enoogoo, and Daniel Aola competed in five inches of snow at the 2014 Terry Fox Memorial Golf Tournament in Arctic Bay Sept. 14. - photo courtesy of Jack Willie

"It's always snowing when there's this tournament because we get snow in September and Terry Fox is in the second week of September," said Tagoo Willie, who beat seven others to win the Sept. 14 tournament for the second time. "It's a lot harder with the gravel and ground being harder when it's frozen. The ball is harder to control when you're putting. You can hardly control the way you want it to go. The gravel is too hard for the ball."

His brother Jack Willie has also won the tournament multiple times.

"We use a golf tee for every stroke until we go to 15 foot range within the hole, then we stop using the tee," said Jack. "Most of it's rough, rocky, so that's why we use tees."

This year's tournament participants played through five inches of snow. Despite the fact Jack says white balls are visible, Tagoo and others used coloured balls this year as they are easier to see.

The eight-hole Victor Bay course, with four holes out and four holes back, has its challenges. The average round is about 40 strokes, and the best round Jack has heard of was 29 strokes. Tagoo won the tournament with 39.

"There's one, the fifth hole, we call it Devil Hill," Tagoo explained.

"Because it's on a little mountain - right on top of it. The rest are quite easy."

To win, he simply stayed focused on playing as though it was just another day on the course.

"I wasn't trying to pressure myself to win," he said. "That makes it harder when I'm thinking too much of winning. That's when I start making bad hits. I was just trying to keep myself calm."

The tournament started about eight years ago with a trophy sponsored by the Taqqut Co-operative. Due to the snow, the tournament is the last time golfers go out each year.

Considering the conditions and challenges, we asked Tagoo if he thought PGA (Professional Golfers' Association of America) players would come out to give him and his brother a run for their money.

"I'm not sure," Tagoo joked, "with the flight costs, I don't think that's going to happen.

Plus, it's a charity fundraiser, so the only payout is to the Terry Fox Foundation. Players pay $10 each to participate, and with a local woman adding $10 to the pool this year, the event raised $90 for the charity, which funds cancer research.