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Canmore golf team outduels competition in Ladies Classic

The Canmore team shot 12 under par to win the Ladies Classic.

CANMORE – Being on home turf wasn’t an X-factor for local golfers and Alberta Golf’s Ladies Team Classic winners, Kelly Smith and Mary-Anne Kamenka.

Strategy and a bit of clutch shooting were needed to outduel 27 other teams at the rec series event on Monday and Tuesday (Aug. 19-20) at the Canmore Golf & Curling Club course.

Shooting a nifty 12 under par (back-to-back 66 rounds), it was the Canmore duo’s first victory as a team, which they were pretty excited about achieving in their Rocky Mountain backyard.

“We tried to stay relaxed and we relied on each other and smart thinking,” Smith said. “The greens were extremely fast, so you had lower clubs coming in so when it hits the green it’ll roll a bit but not over, so we really had to think today. Even though this is our home course we really had to think.”

Kamenka added pin placements in the two-day event were “incredibly challenging” to overcome, making things almost brand new on a familiar course.

“It made it a different course for us, too … it was real challenge but it was fun,” Kamenka said. “But when we came in we didn’t want to try too hard and we just wanted to play our own game and do whatever we could.”

Starting Tuesday’s second round, the local duo was tied for third at six under and four strokes behind round one leaders Krystal Alwood and Shelley Marler Pearson of Carnmoney Golf, who fell to sixth place after round two.

“Coming into the second round, we were trying not to force shots,” Smith said.

Slowly but surely, the Canmore team chipped away at the lead and inched back into contention over the 18 holes, which a pair of clutch eagles by Kamenka on the ninth and 15th holes highlighted the comeback.

“I didn’t look at the score at all, I just tried to play and so did Kelly and it worked out a lot better,” Kamenka said. “I thought we were over par and out of it.”

It was Smith and Kamenka’s second time entered in the tournament and the first time a Canmore team has won since it started in 2016.

Marilyn Toews and Linda Labbe of Carstairs Golf finished in second at 10 under and Weny Wiltzen and Leslie Kriz of Red Deer Golf finished third at nine under.

For a full list of results, visit www.albertagolf.org.


Jordan Small

About the Author: Jordan Small

An award-winning reporter, Jordan Small has covered sports, the arts, and news in the Bow Valley since 2014. Originally from Barrie, Ont., Jordan has lived in Alberta since 2013.
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