Cory Selander is hoping for more of the same.
A year after winning his second straight Men’s Northern title in a playoff and having won three of the last four Northerns, Selander is ready to defend his title this coming weekend at Cooke Municipal Golf Course.
Selander says he has been chomping at the bit to get the tournament underway.
“I’m just excited to finally get going and just get on the course on Saturday morning, so many guys are coming in from out of town and the course is in fantastic shape and I’m excited to see the opportunity.”
It was a neck-and-neck match in the final a year ago as Selander defeated Travis Fehr on the first playoff hole. It was the first confirmed playoff at the Men’s Northern since Rick Genest bested Colin Coben on the fifth playoff hole back in 1996.
Selander will be the first to admit he wasn’t at his sharpest in the final last year, but he says the experience of winning without being at his best was invaluable heading into the 2024 event.
“All experience is good experience as you may remember that final is definitely not our best golf, so I think that’s kind of the main takeaway is that I was able to stay focused and stay committed each shot even though it wasn’t necessarily going my way. It was just a matter of battling through it and trying to get the job done.”
Selander has won three career Northern titles, winning his first over Ashley Ziegeman back in 2019. He bested Ziegeman in a rematch in 2022 before repeating over Travis Fehr last year. In addition, Selander’s father Cliff won the Northern over Brian Bamford in 1990.
In the 103-year history of Men’s Northern, the record for most consecutive wins was set by George Bigelow who won five titles in a row from 1934-1938. The three other most recent repeat champions at the Northern include Brett Henry (2016-2017), Colin Coben (2011-2012) and Ron Stewart (1988-1989).
Selander is looking to join Bigelow this week as the only men to win three or more consecutive Northern titles. Although he is facing the pressure of history, Selander says he isn’t feeling overwhelmed.
“I don’t think there’s any extra pressure. I always put enough of that on myself. I expect highly of myself and I always want to do well. I don’t think that’s any different this week. There may be a bit more of a target on my back from some guys, but I’m excited for the challenge and ready to go.”
The Men’s Northern is the longest running match play tournament in Saskatchewan. Last year, players had to shoot a 72 or better to qualify for the championship flight of the top 16 players.
Selander says he isn’t worried about the match play portion of the tournament until he has finished the qualifying round.
“For me personally, I think all of my focus right now is on that Saturday. Like you said, it’s a very, very difficult round of golf because you kind of know going in what you need to shoot and golf isn’t usually like that. It adds a little bit of a different mindset and makes you focus even more on just shot by shot and staying focused and not getting too far ahead.”
The qualifying round for the 2024 Men’s Northern tees off Saturday at Cooke Municipal Golf Course. The championship match will take place on Monday.
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