Nipawin, Sask. —Kye Fisher and Cala Korman won their respective divisions to claim the NextGen Prairie Championship, fueled by JOURNIE Rewards at Evergreen Golf and Curling Club in Nipawin, Sask.
The 54-hole stroke play competition marked the fourth tournament in the NextGen Championship series and featured a starting field of 67 male and female golfers. There was a total of 52 boys and 15 girls competing.
Going into the final round tied for first, Fisher of Leduc, Alb., shot a 5-under 67 in Sunday’s final round to secure first place in NextGen Prairie Championship and a spot in the Canadian Junior Boys Championship.
Fisher and Seth Mottershead-Yee were tied for the lead heading into Sunday at 1-under. On Sunday, Fisher carded six birdies including three straight on holes four through six on his way to a 67 to pull ahead for the win. Mottershead-Yee shot 2-over 74 during the final round on Sunday to finish second in the NextGen Prairie Championship.
“I’m super happy, Golf Canada always hosts great events this was definitely a hump I wanted to get over. I definitely played it a little bit safer on the back nine, I didn’t hit it as close as I hit on the front nine. I knew the course record was in play so I wanted to get that down,” said Fisher.
Korman, of Killarney, MB, shot a final round 1-under, 71 on Sunday to win the Junior Girls division by three shots over Hallie Crozier of Regina. Korman trailed Addison Kartusch after Friday’s opening round by three shots. She was able to pull within two of Kartusch and one shot behind Crozier heading into Sunday’s final round. “I changed my routine, I was a little too aggressive off the tee, so adjusting that really helped,” said Korman regarding changes following Friday’s opening round. On Sunday, Korman recorded five birdies to pull ahead of Crozie and Kartusch and earn the championship. Korman is excited to win and advance to the Canadian Junior Girls Championship next month.
In the Junior Boys division, the top six players earn exemptions into the 2023 Canadian Junior Boys Championship, August 14-17, at North Bay Golf and Country Club Ltd. in North Bay, Ont.
| 1 | Kye Fisher (Leduc, AB) |
| 2 | Seth Mottershead-Yee (Spruce Grove, AB) |
| 3 | Cayden Kwan (Unionville, ON) |
| T4 | Tommy Danielson (Saskatoon, SK) |
| T4 | Kenny Taylor (Edmonton, AB) |
| 6 | Luke Cote (Regina, SK) |
The top six players in the Junior Girls division have earned exemptions into the 2023 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, July 24-27, at Hampton Golf Course in Hampton, N.B.
| 1 | Cala Korman (Killarney, MB) |
| 2 | Hallie Crozier (Regina, SK) |
| 3 | Addison Kartusch Winnipeg, MB) |
| 4 | Chloe Wills (Kyle, SK) |
| 5 | Sela Ogada (Calgary, AB) |
| 6 | Jeri Lafleche (Winnipeg, MB) |
About the NextGen Championships, fueled by JOURNIE Rewards
The NextGen Championships, fueled by JOURNIE Rewards is a high-performance junior golf series which totals eight competitions. From May to July, six championships will take place across Canada where the region’s best junior golfers will compete to earn exemptions into their respective 2023 national championships. Two additional Fall Series events will be hosted to close the season. NextGen Championships provide junior players an opportunity to develop and showcase their skills at the highest level of tournament golf.