CANMORE – An 11-year-old prodigy stole the show at the annual Junior Open at Canmore Golf and Curling Club on Monday (July 26) with a record-tying provincial performance.
The family of Lucy Lin, a golfer from Vancouver, stopped in Canmore on the way home to the west coast and inquired if the talented player could register in the one-day tournament.
As it turns out, the extended layover in the Alberta Rockies was well worth the smoky day.
Shooting a day’s best four-under (68) with six birdies, Lin's top overall score at the Canmore course tied Jaclyn Lee for the Alberta Junior Tour’s all-time scoring record for girls.
“It was absolutely amazing; four-under is really good,” said a smiling Lin, a back-to-back Maple Leaf Junior Golf Mini Tour National Champion in 2019 and '20.
“The conditions were really good. Greens were quite fast, though.
“Honestly, I missed quite a few putts. Mostly the short par fives I ran into some trouble so I had some great saves there … some putts drained in and some par fives I just really hit some bombs out there.”
A few days prior, Lin competed at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship in Edmonton. As the youngest competitor on the course, Lin finished in a tie for 12th at 12-over.
When she and her family were driving back to Vancouver, they stopped in Canmore and learned of the sold-out junior open.
“Yesterday (July 25), we came here practicing and someone said there was a junior open here so my mom asked if I could play,” Lin said.
At the Junior Open, a whopping 104 golfers competed – one of the largest junior fields at the local course in recent memory.
Heritage Pointe's Josiah Tong won the junior boys category shooting 1-over (72).
The top local male golfers were Jack Seeger and Charles Greaves, who each shot plus-four (75).
Shooting plus-six (78) was top local female Brynne Davies.
