Darren Zary
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
You could say that Aricin Franklin is obsessed with golf.
Not that it’s a bad thing.
Call it a healthy obsession.
“I mean, I play every day and I stay out for as long as I can usually,” admits Franklin, who, at age 15, is one of the youngest competitors at this week’s Canadian Amateur men’s golf championship being played at his hometown Saskatoon Riverside Country Club and Saskatoon Golf and Country Club.
“I’d say it’s an obsession, but I love what I do when I’m here.”
Franklin is loving what he’s doing as one of 25 players from Saskatchewan competing in the Canadian Amateur, which features a field of 264 golfers from 12 countries around the world.
“It’s really cool,” said Franklin. “It’s great. I’m pretty young to be here. There’s a lot of really, really good talent here, coming from Canada and all over the world. I’m just here to soak up the experience and hopefully play well.”
Franklin played hockey, just like so many Canadian boys, but gave it up prior to last season.
“Pursuing golf,” he says, “it’s a little harder to do both.”
Franklin finds golf — a nerve-racking game for most — relaxing.
“I just like how it’s just calming,” he says. “It can be calming. Sure it can get a little not calming but, most of the time, it is. It’s you against yourself. You can only rely on your own stuff. You don’t have to rely on teammates. It’s just something I love to do.”
Franklin hopes to capitalize on his home-course advantage. He’s been a member of Riverside for three years and used to have a membership at SGCC when he was younger.
So he knows both courses well.
“I’d say it’s quite a big advantage just knowing where you can miss, but I think a lot of the guys will catch on pretty quickly and it’ll be fun to watch a lot of the really, really talented young people here, talented amateurs and all that,” he says.
“Both courses are playing really tough. I’ve definitely got to hit the fairways (off the tee). Other than that, I aim to play well.”
You can score well at both courses if everything falls into place, off the tee and on the green.
“Just let it happen,” says Franklin.
“My game right now is pretty good. I’ve had a pretty good month of July. If I can just clean up my putting on the green, everything else has been very, very good recently.”
Franklin was tied for seventh (70-73-71-69) at the Saskatchewan Amateur to qualify for the Canadian Am. He was third overall (70-70-81) and second among juvenile golfers (age 15-16) at Saskatchewan provincial juniors.
He placed second (68-77) among juvenile boys at the MJT series event at the Moon Lake Golf and Country Club.
He also recently competed in a world Stars of Golf event in Las Vegas.
Subhead: GOLFING SINCE AGE 5
Franklin has been playing tournaments for four years and playing golf since he was 5.
He is hoping to attain a golf scholarship someday.
“The goal is to go to college, hopefully a pretty school, get a good scholarship and see where it takes me after that,” he says. “My long-term goals for myself are just to come back to this event at one point and hopefully win it, have a good college career and hopefully turn pro.”
When Nick Taylor won the Canadian Amateur when it was last held in Saskatoon back in 2007 at Riverside, Franklin wasn’t even born yet.
He is hoping to be a part of some new history to be made this week in Saskatoon.
“Hopefully yeah,” says Franklin, who is taking the Canadian Amateur in stride.
“I’m trying to go into it with pretty much no expectations, but I’d love to make the cut in such a strong field, being probably one of the youngest people in the field would be quite the accomplishment.”
CHIP SHOTS: Saskatoon teenager Max Regier, who works in the back shop at the Saskatoon Golf and Country Club, took spot in Friday’s qualifier with a 4-under-par 68 at Riverside. Carter Bell (71), Noah Kozack (73), Justin Kowal (73), Brad Pardy (75), Will Blake (75), Guillermo Salazar (75), Ethan Miller (76) and Carter Degelman (76) also qualified with Wade Huber (76), Karter Ambrosichuk (77), Travis Fifi (77) and Jesse Gibson (77) as alternates.
dzary@postmedia.com
