Photo courtesy of Scott Roblin

By Scott Roblin

Winning Streak

Slower summer still paying dividends for Desert Blume Club Champion Werre

Aug 19, 2019 | 1:02 PM

DESERT BLUME, AB – Ryan Werre might not compete in as many tournaments as he used to, but that hasn’t stopped the 27-year-old from racking up the trophies this summer.

Werre has been one of the region’s most consistent golfers with victories both locally and around the province, despite cutting back on his schedule.

Most recently, Werre was the runaway winner at the Desert Blume Golf Club Championship over the weekend cruising to a 10 stroke victory to win the title at his home course.

“It’s always nice to do it when it means something,” said Werre. “It’s easy to come out for men’s league or something and play well, but in a tournament when it counts it’s a totally different ballgame. So, it’s nice to do that.”

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Werre got out to a five shot lead after shooting a 68 on Saturday and was able to glide down the stretch with a one-under, 71 on Sunday to finish on top.

Entering the stretch drive of the golf season, the Redcliff product said he’s found a groove where anything he hits seems to be dropping at the perfect time.

“I’ve had a few decent rounds the last few weeks so I didn’t really work on anything, I just wanted to play golf,” he said. “I started pretty good, I was three under through nine and just kept it going to finish it off pretty good [Saturday]. Today, I just stayed steady, made a bunch of pars, and that’s all I had to do.”

Sunday’s victory at Desert Blume was Werre’s third trophy of the 2019 season, winning a Sirocco Men’s Open title in Calgary back in June and capturing the Redcliff Men’s Open title last month.

The former University of Texas at San Antonio golfer added he’s made peace with his game, noting he’s reached the point where he knows his strengths and limitations.

“I just have to keep it super simple,” said Werre. “I don’t work on my swing anymore, it is what it is. I know my tendencies and I just play away from my big miss. Like I said, just chip and putt well, I feel like I putt better than most.”

While not the competitive golfer that he was even a few years ago, Werre arguably has become a more consistent player over the last year getting the chance to focus on a handful of tournaments.

And, that’s set the stage for a run at the amateur level again next year.

“I find that I’m more grateful when I go out and play tournaments because they don’t come around as often,” said Werre. “I got my amateur status back now, so next summer I want to play in the Alberta Amateurs, Alberta Mid-Amateurs, stuff like that. Play in tournaments that I know that if I play well, I’ll have a chance to win.”

Werre will close out the 2019 season over the Labour Day long weekend, teeing off at the Southeastern Open at Connaught Golf Club.

Adam Antkowiak finished as runner-up to Werre in the men’s division, shooting a three over, 75 on Sunday to end his tournament at five shots over par.

He was followed by Jordon Forsythe and Jon Seitz who took home third and fourth place finishes, respectively.

Clara Patzer easily captured the ladies title at Desert Blume, winning by 29 strokes over Alison Dunning, Jackie Meyer, and Kay Taylor in the final group on Sunday.

As for the senior men’s championship flight, Rick Withers added onto the 74 he shot on Saturday with a 79 in his final round to win by 11 shots over Pat Craney.