CANMORE - Stepping onto the first tee, calm and ready to play some golf, Noah Pegram-Hunter shot one under par at his very first tournament. It just so happened to be at zones and his score of 71 has advanced the Grade 12 student from Canmore Collegiate High School to provincials.
Pegram-Hunter has only been playing golf since last year, but hard work and dedication to the game paid off as he placed second overall individually for boys, and, his CCHS boys team scored 218 overall, good enough for second place at zones.
“Surprisingly, I wasn't really nervous at all,” said Pegram-Hunter. “I was just there to get experience from it, but I wasn't expecting to perform like that.”
Starting off with a ball going into the water, Pegram-Hunter bounced back and kept his head in the game, even in the extreme windy conditions they battled.
“The conditions weren't super easy," said coach Tony Brown. "There was a significant amount of wind for a good portion of the round and he kept it steady and he made a bunch of birdies throughout the round that allowed him to end up there at 71."
The brilliant performance at Monday’s (Sept. 18) tournament earned him a spot in the upcoming provincials.
“We're all very, very proud of his achievement. And the rest of his teammates were super happy for him,” said Brown.
On one of Pegram-Hunter's standout holes, he smashed the ball 350 yards off the tee and set himself up for a birdie.
His skill for the game didn’t come out of nowhere though.
“Every single day I was outside, hitting balls watching YouTube videos on how to get better because I just love this game,” he said.
Averaging between 75 and 80, Pegram-Hunter's 71 at zones was his lowest yet. Before that, 74 was the teenage golfer's lowest score.
Not only did Pegram-Hunter and the boys team play an outstanding round, but the girls’ team did as well, scoring a third-place finish with only three girls on the team when most had four leaving more room for error.
Coach Chris Shatzmann also emphasized that in the high school level golf is a collective effort and the support the boys and girls teams gave each other allowed for their top spots.
