Grace Odnokon could see it coming.
Although she’s just 15 years old, the Saskatoon resident was confident in her ability to win the provincial U19 junior women’s golf championship, which she accomplished July 10 in Lloydminster.
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“Honestly, it’s what I was going for,” Odnokon said after her six-shot victory on Lloyd’s city course. “I knew I could, and I was just waiting for it to happen.
“This is a really special moment.”
Now, she has more targets in mind, approaching the Canadian junior
women’s championship Aug. 13-16 at Sainte-Marie, Que.
“My goal mainly, for nationals this year, is to make the cut,” said Odnokon, going into Grade 11 this coming school year.
She ranked her provincial achievement as that much more rewarding because it came on a Lloydminster course that’s not easy for anyone to master, junior and senior golfers alike.
“It is a really challenging course overall,” said Odnokon, who doesn’t turn 16 until November. “I thought I played to the best of my abilities on it. There were some hiccups here and there, but I thought I did pretty well.
“I’m really happy. I practised a lot before this.”
Odnokon scored 83, 75 and 80 for a three-day total of 238, six shots ahead of Regina’s Tayla Perry (85-79-80—244) and eight in front of Kyle’s Chloe Wills (80-80-86—246).
Wills, 17, was the junior women’s leader after each of the opening two rounds, including a four-shot advantage entering the last day.
Even experienced golfers like Wills could attest to the demands of the Lloyd track last week.
“The course was playing tough,” she said after the final round. “The rough got me in some trouble, for sure. It was thick. The first two days were pretty good. I struggled a bit the last day, a couple of rough holes.”
It’s not always comfortable playing as the leader, Wills said.
“The last day, especially, it’s hard to not get into my own head. I kind of knew what (score Odnokon) was at, too, so that made it tough.”
Wills’ accomplishments as a golfer have earned her a U.S. college
scholarship. Next month, she begins her NCAA Division 2 career in Missouri.
Wills leaves for college within a few weeks, so she won’t be able to attend the junior nationals in Quebec.
“I have to be there Aug. 12,” she said of her Springfield, Mo., move to college. “I go a bit early for orientation and stuff.
“The (recruiting) process was a lot, definitely a lot more stressful than I thought it would be. Lots of talking to different people.
“Both nationals and Canada Games are being played after I’m gone, but it’ll be a good experience (going to college).”
The Lloydminster provincials gave Wills and her younger brother Jace an opportunity to spend the week with their cousins, Carson and Drew Mazzei. All four of them played in their respective divisions, as the junior men’s
tournament was played in concert with the junior women’s event.
“That was great,” Chloe Wills said. “We got to stay with our cousins. It was a good time.”
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