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Fernie golf championships fiercely contested

Four club champions crowned and time capsule buried during annual competition
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Four new club champions have been crowned after a tightly contested two-day competition at Fernie Golf Club from August 18-19.

Sixty-five members took part in this year’s club championships, which consisted of two rounds run in a stroke play format with prizes for the lowest gross and net scores.

Fernie Golf Club manager and head pro, Max Sherwood, said there was strong competition in all divisions but particularly the men’s.

“We have several very low handicap male golfers and it came down to the last putt on the 18th hole of the second day to determine who our club champion was,” he said.

After a nail-biting finish, newcomer Evan Cowan was crowned the men’s winner with a combined score of 144.

Hailing from Coaldale, Alta., Cowan grew up on Land-O-Lakes Golf and Country Club before moving to Fernie two years ago.

He said he was very impressed by the quality of the course and humbly accepted his victory.

“I was able to hit my driver really long and make some putts the second day,” he said.

“Everything kind of fell into place”

The senior ladies’ and men’s divisions were also hotly contested, with Ursula Schroeder and Doug Kuntz recording the lowest gross scores.

“I always enjoy the tournaments, it’s just a challenge for me, it makes me concentrate and try hard, sometimes too hard,” said Schroeder.

“Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but I just enjoy being out with everybody, and challenging myself and having fun.”

In the ladies, Bridget Hemsted took a strong lead from the start to successfully defend her title as club champion.

However, she admitted she found the two-day tournament challenging and was feeling the pressure as she entered the second round.

“I don’t play a lot of tournaments but I definitely have a focus for my swing this year having had a lesson and I just tried to stay in that focus… and that helped,” said Hemsted.

The club championships are normally held in July but were moved to August this year to give members more time to practice.

The new champions agreed they would like to see the competition pushed back even further.

“I’d love to see it in September,” said Hemsted.

“If you’re playing year round and you’re able to go down south it makes a bit of a difference than if you stop, ski all winter and then start up again in early May.

“You’re trying to improve your game basically from May to Thanksgiving, so it’s a much shorter time to try and get your game together, and keep it together than if you’re playing it year round.”

2018 Fernie Golf Club championships results

Men 1st flight: winner gross - Evan Cowan, 144; runner up gross - Peter Rosendahl, 145; winner net Scott Smith, 134; runner up net - Dale Nicholson, 135; 2nd runner up net - Bill Fleming, 137.

Men 2nd flight: winner gross - Tyler Fortinm,166; runner up gross - Paul Rogers, 169; winner net - Albie Ruddock, 138; runner up net - Mike King, 144; 2nd runner up net - Jeff Williams, 144.

Senior men: winner gross - Doug Kuntz, 151; runner up gross - Glenn Jaeb, 153; winner net - Dwight Field, 129; runner up net - Jim Henderson, 133.

Ladies: winner gross - Bridget Hemsted, 161; winner net Kathy Jaeb, 144; runner up net - Kathy Pachara, 153.

Senior ladies: winner gross - Ursula Schroeder, 176; winner net - Marilyn Bruschetta, 133; runner up net - Patti Kuntz, 141.

Time capsule burial

Fifty years from now, Fernie Golf Club members will unearth a time capsule containing memorabilia, newspaper articles, scoresheets and a flask of whiskey.

Following the conclusion of the club championships on Sunday, August 19, the winners gathered at the newly-erected commemorative rock on the course, where a time capsule will be buried this week.

General Manager and Head Pro, Max Sherwood, said the ceremony tied in with the club’s 100th anniversary last month.

“We’ll put the results from this weekend plus artifacts and things that are important to the club for people 50 years down theroad to look back, and see what we were all about at this point in time,” he said.

The time capsule is a six-foot long waterproof cylinder that will be sealed shut to ensure it stands the test of time.

Sherwood couldn’t imagine how the club would look when the time capsule is unearthed in 2068.

“We look back 100 years ago and it’s hard to find pictures, it’s hard to find those artifacts,” he said.

“For whatever reason, they get lost or misplaced or not thought to be of importance at the time.

“But 100 years later, they certainly are very important, so we want to take everyday items that we wanted to put in the timecapsule, so people could then enjoy that 50 years from now because a lot of these things probably won’t be around then.”

For senior ladies’ winner and long-time member, Ursula Schroeder, the time capsule burial was significant.

“I’ve been with this course working for the last 40 years, so this course means a lot to me and now I’m just playing, havingfun, and it still means a lot to me,” she said.

“I think it’s a great thing, having done that.”

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The new 100th anniversary commemorative rock at Fernie Golf Club, where a time capsule has been buried. Kimberley Vlasic/The Free Press