The top professional and amateur golf talent in the province descended upon the Sundre Golf Club last week during the 2017 Scott Venturo Alberta Open Championship.
"We were really excited to host it," said Scott Shouldice, Sundre Golf Club's head pro.
"It went really well," he told the Round Up.
"Everyone loved the golf course, and the conditions were very good this year."
The local course had never before hosted the event, which saw 96 contestants come from all over the province to compete. Following the first two days of the tournament ó June 19-20 ó the 15 highest ranked players proceeded to compete throughout two more days of finals on June 21-22.
The course proved to offer a stiff challenge that put the golfers' skills to the test, with none of the top players scoring more than five under, said Shouldice.
Claiming the championship among the amateur players was 19-year-old Brendan MacDougall, a member of the Team Alberta High Performance Squad who defeated Emmett Oh.
"The top seed from the Alberta Open Championship defeated four opponents on the way to his eventual victory," said an Alberta Golf Association press release.
"It was awesome," McDougall reportedly replied when asked how he felt about coming in first.
"It was kind of just a wave of relief that went over me that said ëIt's finally over ó I can go take a break!'"
Dustin Risdon, from McCall Lake, took top spot among the pros after finishing the final day with five under.
Also competing against the province's top golfers was Sundre's own Dane Thorogood, the course's general manager who tied for a 57th-place finish. Additionally, Morgan Black, who works at the Coyote Creek Golf and RV Resort, tied for 21st place, according to results posted online.
The championship offered the Sundre Golf Club ó and by extension the community ó some great exposure and publicity, said Shouldice.
