Four local golfers brought home some hardware from the Cooke Municipal Golf Course in Prince Albert that hasn’t been in Moose Jaw since the early 1990s.
The team from Peacock Collegiate won the bronze medal at high school provincial golf over the weekend. Leighton Bearchell, Nathan Corrin, Brenn Roberge and Avery Bender finished with a combined score of 477 over the two days.
“It was good to bring some hardware home. This was the first time since the new format that Moose Jaw has medaled in golf,” explained Martin Holzer, coach for Peacock. “When it was in the old format, it was once before in the early 90s when they medaled, but there hasn’t been a medal in Moose Jaw since.”
Bearchell finished tied for 10th overall in his final provincial of his high school golf career with a score of 80 in the first round and 81 in the second round for a overall total of 161.
“It was a shaky two days. Whenever I hit it well on the green and had a decent chance at a birdie, I couldn’t make a putt. I wasn’t hitting my irons good and everything was just all over the place,” explained Bearchell. “Maybe a little bit of nerves, but I really wasn’t trying to think about it being my last provincials. I was trying to play good golf and it just didn’t happen for me.”
Roberge finished tied for 17th with a score of 84 after the first 18 holes and 80 after the second day for a total of 164. Corrin finished tied for 24th overall with scores of 87 and 81 and a total of 168. Avery Bender finished tied for 61st with scores of 95 and 97 and total of 192.
“The competition wasn’t bad; I’ve seen better. The kids from PA played well, but I don’t think anyone else played as good as they wanted to,” stated Corrin.
One of the issues the foursome faced were the fast greens. Holzer explained: “The greens were the fastest greens I have seen all year long and that was the hardest thing for the boys to adjust to. The practice round, they weren’t sticking their greens. Then they watered them before the tournament and the greens were extremely fast. Probably twice as fast as what we are dealing with at the Hillcrest.”
Despite the fast greens and the difficulties they faced, Corrin also dealt with a back injury he suffered during the second day.
“The second day…everything was a struggle,” he said. “I think a big thing was the greens.”
Corrin has played at the provincial level before and was hoping for a different outcome.
“I was expecting to come out with a top five, but after the first day, it was just get through the tournament,” he stated. “I don’t think any of us were real happy coming home with bronze, but after the first day, we played ourselves out of first. I think coming home with a medal, none of us were real mad about it.”
For more on this story, read an upcoming edition of the Times-Herald.
