Kade Johnson has been invited to a prestigious national golf tournament in Florida on Nov. 9-10 following an outstanding year on the course.
"I am very excited to go to Florida," says Johnson. "I've never been to Florida and am looking forward to it. It will be nice to go somewhere warm when the snow starts to fall."
This is the second year in a row Johnson has been invited to the tournament, but last year it took place in Arizona.
"It was a good experience last year and it should be this year too," says the Yorkton native. "It's good to get to go out on a course in November when I normally wouldn't be able to."
Johnson, who turned 15 in August, feels this was his best year on the course thus far in his young golf career. He thrived in several tournaments including capturing a pair of second-place finishes in the 2013 Jr. Golf Provincial Tournament and the Maple Leaf Jr. Golf Tournament.
"I'm happy with how the year went," he says. "I think this is my best year yet. I played better and better as the year went on and played some really good rounds."
Johnson will be up against some of the best junior golfers from around the world in Florida. Since he only gets to hit the course roughly six months of the year because of Saskatchewan's long winters, Johnson knows it won't be easy with some players having a climate advantage over him.
"It would be nice to golf more, but that's part of living in Canada," he says. "I try to make up for it by working hard and golfing as much as I can during the season. I golf pretty much every day at Deer Park and go in a lot of tournaments. I also have a coach that helps me improve during the season."
Weyburn native Graham DeLaet's success as a professional golfer gives Johnson hope that he too can make it on the big stage despite the obstacles that come with living in the prairies.
"He's someone I look up to and hope to do what he has done," says Johnson. "He shows that you can still make it even if you can only golf six months a year. You just need to work hard in summer and do the best you can."
