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A record number of competitors and a new name boosted an annual Windsor-Essex golf tradition this week.
Hundreds of young golfers flooded Windsor’s Roseland golf course for the 96th annual Essex-Kent Junior Golf Tournament.
More than 160 golfers ages eight to 16 took part in the three-day tournament aimed to get youth on the links and interested in the sport.
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“We had a full field for the first time in over 10 years,” Dave Deluzio, Roseland’s general manager and head golf professional, told the Star Thursday. “The kids had a great time.
“We lucked out with great weather and exceptional course conditions.”
The event featured three different courses at Roseland, with players aged eight to nine playing on a tyke short course on par three, a novice nine-hole course for players ages 10 to 12 on the championship course; and an 18-hole course for seniors ages 13 to 16.
Austyn Wills beat Andrew Baker on the final hole to take home the championship title. Mason Grant beat JJ Wills to win the novice division title and Lucas Musyj out scored Jace Maythem to win the tyke division.
“Event’s like this don’t happen, where things are free of chare and kids can come out and play regardless of ability or how long they’ve played for,” Deluzio said.
“Roseland has become the hub for junior development and junior golf. I’m really proud of that and I look forward to keeping the junior golf surge in our community.”
According to Deluzio, out of the hundreds of players who participated in three-day tournament, only 10 were girls. He said the board is hoping to get more girls involved at a young age.
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“With the support of the Roseland board and the Essex-Kent committee, we worked on a name change,” Deluzio said.
The tournament was called the Essex-Kent Boys Junior Golf Tournament for 90 plus years. It’s now called the Essex-Kent Junior Golf Tournament.
“It’s now more inclusive for junior players, especially as we get into the nine-hole and championship divisions,” said Deluzio.
In the past, girls teed off from the same place as the junior boys, which made it challenging to compete. However, now, girls have a choice to play the forward tees while the boys play the middle tees, according to Deluzio.
“I think those changes catch up to what we’re trying to do with junior development and and what we’re trying to do at Roseland,” Deluzio said. “I definitely see a championship match in the future where there is a female playing out for the title.”
For more information about the Essex-Kent Junior Golf Tournament, visit ekgolf.ca.
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