Photo courtesy of Connaught Golf Club

By Scott Roblin

Club Champs

First-time winners highlight 2019 Connaught Club Championship

Jul 21, 2019 | 8:22 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Sunday was a day of firsts at Connaught Golf Club as the big winners were crowned for the 2019 Club Championship.

The two-day tournament produced a handful of familiar faces as champions, but it was two first-time winners earning much of the spotlight.

For men’s division winner Corey Eakins it wasn’t just his first Club Championship title, but his first appearance in the two-day tournament.

After shooting a 79 on Saturday and trailing leader Neil Maser by a single stroke, Eakins turned around his game on Sunday to fire a one-over, 73 to pick up the 2019 championship trophy.

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“I played pretty good in the first round, three terrible swings that got me in trouble off the start,” said Eakins. “Today was just kind of just ‘steady Eddie’ all around.”

While the stage may have been daunting to some, Eakins added he just tried to stay in the moment and play the best golf he could without any expectations.

“I didn’t have any to be honest,” he said. “I had a couple goals of just trying to hover around par and see what happens, but really didn’t have any expectations. So, I think that kind of helped to be honest.”

It was another first-time champion in the senior ladies division, which was captured by Lenore Richdale with a two-day score of 166.

Shooting an 82 on Saturday, Richdale was able to hold onto the senior ladies title with an 84 which was capped off with a clutch two-put on hole nine at Connaught.

“It’s been amazing,” said Richdale. “First time, not really sure what the hell happened. But, it was a great course, great camaraderie, just good golf.”

Golfing in a foursome that included ladies champion Pat Hall, Richdale joked about her new senior division crown alongside her longtime friend.

“It’s kind of surreal,” she said. “I kind of feel funny that I’m the senior champ when the champion is majorly older than me.”

With Becky Martin out of the field due to her recent win at the Alberta Amateur Open, Hall said the door was open to take the ladies championship with a two-day score of 158.

Richdale said her friendship with Hall extends off the putting green and was thrilled to win her first Connaught title alongside her pal.

“Pat and I are best buds,” she said. “We golf together all the time, help each other, she’s gotten me through a lot of tough times on the golf course, helped my swing. I’ve got a serious back issue and I just work with what I have, and she just encourages me.”

There was no catching Jim Duce in the senior men’s ranks, going wire to wire over the weekend to win the Connaught championship with a combined 148 score.

As for the junior division, it was Truman Bartman firing the low scores on both Saturday and Sunday to come away with the championship trophy.