Jason Kerr
Northern Advocate
While it wasn’t the result he was hoping for, the experience Dade Bernatchez gained was more than worth the trip.
Bernatchez placed 15th out of 20 golfers in the Junior Boys category at MJT National Championship Invitational Tournament in Kissimmee, Florida in November. However, Bernatchez said he was just happy to for the chance to play.
“I got lucky,” the Sucker River product said in an interview with the Northern Advocate. “I wasn’t supposed to go, but somebody jammed out.”
Normally, the top three Saskatchewan finishers from the Maple Leaf Junior Tour qualify for the tournament. Bernatchez had a strong start to the summer, and was sitting near the top of the standings before he was forced to miss the final two tournaments.
That caused him to drop out of the top four. He was ecstatic when another golfer dropped out and he got an invite to the championship in Florida.
“It was a blast,” Bernatchez said when asked about the experience. “I haven’t been there in a while. It was a fun time.”
Bernatchez competed against 17 and 18-year-old golfers from across Canada at the tournament. He finished with a three-round score of 240 (78-84-78).
Austin Krahn of Christina Lake, B.C. won the tournament with a three round total of 202 (64-68-70) while Brae Rogalczyk of Innisfail, Alta. finished second (65-69-73-207).
Bernatchez said he was happy with his performance considering work duties kept him from hitting the course as much as he would have liked in the lead-up to the tournament.
“I was golfing when I was busy with work and stuff,” Bernatchez said. “I couldn’t really find the time to go, but I did pretty good (in Florida). It was a fun, good experience, and hopefully I can keep golfing.”
The last year as Bernatchez’s final one on the junior circuit. He closed it out by winning the Junior Lobstick at Waskesiu Golf Course in August.
He plans to keep golfing at a few mid-amateur tournaments this summer, and hopes they can be stepping stones to bigger tournaments in the future.
“That’s my goal, to just go and play in one of those and hopefully play another couple of big tournaments this summer,” he said. “I thought of it (trying to turn pro) after I won at the Lobstick. The head pro there, his name’s Paul Schatz, hired me to work with him for a good month at the golf course in Waskesiu. He was telling me what I would have to do to become a golf pro.
“I was interested … and I think it would be a cool career, for the summer anyway.”
@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca
