A young golfer from Barrhead has qualified to compete at the final tournament of the 24th McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Tour, an annual series of 25 tournaments that runs throughout the province each summer.
Seth Properzi was one of about three young golfers from Barrhead who took part in the Junior Golf Open hosted on Aug. 14 at the Barrhead Golf Club.
Seth finished third in his age category for boys born in 2005 or later. However, Seth indicated that he qualified to take part in the final tournament of the McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Golf Tour because the top two golfers in his age category had already qualified for the event.
That means Seth will be headed to the Wolf Creek Golf Resort at Ponoka this Friday, Aug. 23.
Starting young
At the age of 14, Seth has been playing golf for well over a decade now. He started very young, as his grandma and grandpa used to take him and his siblings for golfing weekends to Flatbush; his grandparents even cut a special set of clubs for Seth and his siblings to use.
Having played for so long, Seth said golf is “kind of like a natural talent,” which is partly why he enjoys it.
But while Seth has played lots of informal rounds of golf, the Junior Golf Open on Aug. 14 was the very first time he had ever entered a competitive tournament.
Because the event was being held locally, Seth said he entered because “I thought it would be fun to play in a competitive tournament.”
Unfortunately, because this was his first time actually competing, nerves got the better of him. Seth ended up shooting a 101 over 18 holes, and he normally shoots around an 85.
His older brother Abraham, who plays on the Barrhead Composite High School golf team, also entered in the Aug. 14 tournament. He shot a 98, but his age category was extremely competitive; the two golfers who finished ahead of him ended up shooting a 91 and an 81 respectively.
While Seth has golfed at Westlock, Barrhead, Athabasa, Flatbush and Fawcett, he has never played at Ponoka before.
Seth indicated he will be practicing hard to prepare for the Ponoka tournament, which will include practicing his drive at the family farm near Barrhead. He will be just one competitor amidst a field of about 40.
While it isn’t technically a provincial championship, Seth said there is no higher tournament for junior golfers in Alberta.
According to a website for the McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Golf Tour, its purpose is to provide young Albertans with the opportunity to develop their golf game through a series of co-ordinated tournaments.
While the events are meant to be challenging enough for the elite level junior golfers, it’s also meant to give young golfers who are just starting out their first exposure to well-organized tournament competition.
