In a sense, the North Eastern Junior Golf Tour is not substantially different from the events in which professional golfers compete: to get a win, things have to go together for the athlete in question on the right day.
Monday at the Idylwylde Golf and Country Club, it was just that day for the 16-year-old student of the Catholic secondary school of San Benedetto Joseph Colasimone.
Casting an impressive 78 round, Colasimone made his first touring win of the season, cutting Ben Fowke with a single hit, with Oliver Taillefer taking another hit back at 80.
“It was really cool, especially because Idylwylde has played hard in the past two weeks,” said Colasimone. “In all the heat, the fairways and greens were playing very fast, not to mention the extremely difficult pin positions.
“The pins were stuffed. In the end, it was a lot of fun, but also inspiring. “
Sitting sixth in the Order of Merit ranking of the U17 / U19 boys after two events, Colasimone rose to the lead with a performance that saw three birds and eight pars.
“I felt safer off the tee,” he said. “I haven’t lost a ball for the whole round. Whether he was my driver or three woods or hybrids, I knew that if I could just hit the fairway or put it on the line, I could make a par or a bird.
“Usually, my short game is my strength, not necessarily my putting, but my play. I think this place plays my strengths because I’m not too long off the tee, and the Idylwylde isn’t too long on a course.
“I like a shorter golf course with difficult greens, where perhaps you need to be more precise. This plays in my style. “
Regardless of the result, one can perceive that the 41 young golfers are happy only to be able to do something that appeared very at risk only a few months ago.
“It’s almost a privilege to play now,” said Colasimone. “Golf is one of the few sports we can practice in and this is one of the few tours we can practice. Everyone is so grateful for the tour, because it gives us the opportunity to go out all and compete, go out all and try to improve. “
And while the rush of local talents who accept scholarships offers south of the border shows no signs of slowing down, Colasimone does not seem to see itself on that particular path
“Getting a scholarship in the United States would be fantastic, but in the end, I don’t think I will become a golfer,” he said. “I want to do other things, but I hope golf is still an important part of my life – so I think the best scenario for me is a Canadian university, where I could study something, play golf and have fun with it.”
Thanks to his victory on his home path, Colasimone is currently leading the divisional tour standings with 185 points, with Johnny Slavina (175), Ben Fowke (162.5), Oliver Taillefer (147.5) and Adam Mutuchky (142.5) all chased .
Perhaps surprisingly, that age group cannot boast the race closest to the tour. With a second consecutive triumph, Ryder Coe moved into second place among a crew of four, all less than 15 points apart in the U13 men’s and women’s rankings.
Jackson Feggi still shows the way with 210 points, finishing second in Coe with a round of 99 (Coe shot 88), with Hudson Kelahear tied at 200 points (fourth Monday, round of 102) and Ally Ruston immediately behind 195 (third, round of 101).
Meanwhile, the exceptional U15 shooting battle between Sudbury’s Lea Lemieux and Midland’s Kyllie Ruston has shown no more separation between the girls before their showdown on the scenic route along the shores of Lake Nepahwin.
Both young women scored 92, thereby dividing 175 points of the Order of Merit as they get stuck with 262.5 points each in their tour battle to boast of age group rights.
Another draw would see tour participants Jeremy Lewis and Callum Barron both finishing at 90, seven shots ahead of Jack Anderson, sharing the crown for this event in the U15 boys’ mass.
Finally, Bryden Dilley and Mackenzie Czepla continue to tiptoe in the U17 / U19 women’s quartet, with Dilley beating Czepla with ten shots at the Idylwylde (84 to 94), securing a 25 point lead in the tour rankings ( 275 to 250).
The next stop for NEJGT arrives on July 20 at Parry Sound Golf and Country Club, with Brooklea Golf and Country Club in Midland on August 4, and Tangle Creek Golf in Thornton on August 11, serving as the last two host structures .
