YORKTON - Ella Kozak’s final Saskatchewan Junior Women’s Championship started with a 2-under par, 70 Tuesday at the Yorkton product’s home club, Deer Park Municipal Golf Course.
She has an eight shot lead over Calgary’s Sela Ogada and a 12 stroke cushion over Chloe Wills of Kyle. Wills leads the under-17 age group; Tayla Perry from Regina is second the age division at 11-over par. Niya Friesen of Swift Current is third in the under-17 category.
Ogada is the leader of the under-15 age group, Saskatoon golfer Grace Odnokon is second in the age group, Sienna Taylor, also of Saskatoon is third.
Round two of the three-day, 54-hole championship will began at 7 a.m. on Thursday at Deer Park.
In the men’s championship, Aricin Franklin (pictured above) leads the overall under-19 field of 60 players, also at 2-under par.
The Riverside Country Club member and reigning under-15 champion has a one shot edge on Nipawin’s Cole Taylor. Taylor was the only other player playing from the championship tees to shoot under par. Darien Herlick (Weyburn) and Zostrianos Giordani-Gross of Brandon are tied for third at even par.
Lucas Sturgeon of Saskatoon was the other golfer in the field to post a red number on day one, he shot the low round of the day 4-under par, 68. He leads the under-15 age division by eight shots over Austin Nesbitt of Pilot Putte. Swift Current’s Matty Schmeiss is third, nine shots back of the age group lead.
Franklin is the under-17 leader as well as the overall round one pacesetter. Dane Giesbrecht (Warman) is second, Ryan Mosher of Saskatoon in in third place.
There are five under-13 players in the field as well, Jun Lee of Regina is on top after an opening 2-over par, 74 on day one. Emmett McDougal of Prince Albert sits in second, Yorkton’s Zac Hall is third.
A dozen under-12 players are also in Yorkton competing in the Junior-Junior Championships, that event is 36 holes over two days, used as an introduction to competitive golf.
