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Winnipeg Free Press
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Double repeat as Kartusch and McDonald retain amateur golf titles
It was an exciting case of deja vu for Addison Kartusch and Allan McDonald. The reigning champions of the Diamond Athletic Manitoba Women's Amateur and provincial Men's Mid-Amateur held off some stiff competition to claim their second consecutive titles Friday afternoon at St. Charles Country Club. Kartusch, 18, ended up pulling away for an eight-stroke victory following rounds of 73-70-74 which left her at one-over par for the 54-hole event. Minnedosa's Clara Peake (76-70-79) and Killarney's Cala Korman (76-72-77) finished tied for second. GOLF MANITOBA PHOTO Allan McDonald (left) and Addison Kartusch both repeated as champions in the provincial Men's Mid-Amateur and Manitoba Women's Amateur golf tournaments on Friday at St. Charles. 'It was pretty special to play on my home course,' Kartusch said. 'It was nice to play the way I wanted to and the way I know I could here.' At one point Friday, her lead over Peake was down to a single stroke but Kartusch quickly got her game back in order and stepped on the gas. 'I kind of went back to the basics with my swing and got the rhythm flowing, I felt that produced some better shots,' she said. Kartusch, a talented hockey player who skated for St. Mary's, just finished her first year at Bowling Green State University in Ohio where plenty of valuable lessons were learned. 'It just put it into perspective that I have a lot more golf shots to hit and a lot more tournaments to play in. One tournament does not define who I am,' she said. 'I think I have improved overall as a golfer. Overall I just hit some way better shots this year and consistency of ball striking was better.' Next up: Defending her Manitoba Junior title in a three-day event which begins Monday at Quarry Oaks. As for McDonald, he rebounded from a tough opening-round 75 by shooting 68 on Thursday and 71 on Friday and finishing at two-under par. That left him two strokes in front of Breezy Bend's Eric Johnson (74-72-70). 'It feels good. I've been always under the belief that you're not a champion unless you defend it,' said McDonald, who plays out of Breezy Bend. 'Anyone can have one good year. But we all know how golf is. You can be hot one year and just not there the next year.' The 33-year-old, who also won the event in 2020, said he never felt comfortable with his accuracy off the tee at St. Charles but was able to manage that during the tournament — especially against a deep field which made every shot count. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. 'It's hard to defend. But just happy I could get it done,' he said. Four players finished three shots behind McDonald and tied for third — second-round leader Jeremy Kirk of Thunder Bay (70-72-75), Drew Jones of Shilo (70-75-72), Curtis Markusson of St. Charles (72-72-73) and Patrick Perrin of Elmhurst (69-77-71), who previously won the event in 2023. One of the province's most decorated amateur golfers, Todd Fanning, had the round of the tournament on Thursday with a six-under 66. However, it was book-ended by rounds of 78 and 77, which ultimately left him in ninth spot overall in the 69-player field. X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg Mike McIntyreReporter Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike. Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘The future is really bright'
Addison Kartusch swung a performance that went beyond the scorecard. The Winnipeg product fell just short of the individual win at the NCAA Division I women's golf Mid-American Conference Championship earlier this week, but there was another victory worth celebrating. Kartusch led the charge for Bowling Green State University as the program recorded its best finish ever at a conference championship. The Falcons, who entered the tournament as the No. 4-ranked team, fired 901 strokes between the five-person squad across three days to finish in second place behind conference powerhouse Kent State, which won its 26th straight title. Thomas Friesen / The Brandon Sun Addison Kartusch put together a team-best three-day total of 219 to finish 3-over in the event, tied-second overall at the conference championship. The first-year Manitoban put together a team-best three-day total of 219 to finish 3-over in the event, tied-second overall. 'I have been working really hard on my mental game,' Kartusch told the Free Press. 'I'm gonna be honest, I regressed a little bit in that fact. But also, your mental game is just like your golf game, it's gonna have ups and downs, and I've worked really hard on that with my mental coach and it's really been helping. 'I think that's how I got to where I was this past week.' Kartusch, like many first-year college golfers, faced a steep learning curve this season as she left home and was forced to adapt to new surroundings. Her game suffered early on. 'Just learning how to exist in your new environment, I think, is definitely a tough thing, and it really does affect you,' she said. As is the case with many programs, golfers at Bowling Green must earn their spots in tournaments. Players are rewarded for top finishes by receiving 'exemptions' into future events, while the remaining team members play against each other for a select number of spots in each tournament. It promotes an environment where players are constantly in healthy competition. Someone who is not playing well won't see many opportunities, however. Kartusch played in two tournaments last fall. 'Your mental game is just like your golf game, it's gonna have ups and downs.'–Addison Kartusch 'It's different, it's something new, and something that I just had to learn from,' she said. 'It definitely is a learning curve, because it's a different environment compared to just signing up for tournaments and going to play some tournament golf.' Kartusch refound her stroke at the perfect time, firing 71-76-72 to finish one shot back of Ball State University's Jasmine Driscoll. 'The first day, our assistant coach, Noah Barth, walked with her, and after the round, he was like, 'Erin, that was the easiest 71 I've ever watched,'' said Falcons head coach Erin Fahey. 'They were talking about where to hit it. She would hit it there. And it was just kind of one of those things where I'm not going to say it seemed easy for her, but everything was kind of clicking.' Blustery conditions pumped up the average score by more than two strokes on Day 2. Kartusch managed the course as well as she could have, carving out one birdie and 12 pars. 'It was gusting around 45 kilometres per hour, so it was like a normal Manitoba summer day,' she quipped. Favourable conditions on the final day allowed Kartusch to chase more flagsticks. A clean round produced one birdie and 16 pars. 'She's a freshman, and I'm very happy she's only a freshman, and I'm very happy that we'll get to have her for the next three years.'–Erin Fahey 'On the last five holes, I gave myself a lot of good birdie chances, just the putts weren't dropping. And, hey, that's all I can do, and I know that,' she said. 'I'm proud of myself no matter what.' After a rough fall, Kartusch began to adjust to her environment, while a few tweaks to her swing have allowed her to strike the ball more consistently as the weather has improved. 'For us, that means the future is really bright,' Fahey said of Kartusch's resilience. 'She came into my office one day and was like, 'I'm gonna work hard. I'm gonna be one of our top players.' Like, looked me right in the eyes and said that, and I was like, 'This is awesome, go after it.'' Kartusch's performance improved in each tournament this spring. She finished tied-11th at the Dolores Black Falcon Invitational earlier this month, and the recent runner-up has her feeling solid about her game again. During Elections Get campaign news, insight, analysis and commentary delivered to your inbox during Canada's 2025 election. 'She's a freshman, and I'm very happy she's only a freshman, and I'm very happy that we'll get to have her for the next three years.' Other Manitobans continued to make their mark on U.S. programs as the collegiate golf season nears an end. NIC ADAM / FREE PRESS Addison Kartusch led the charge for Bowling Green State University as the program recorded its best finish ever at the conference championship this week. On Wednesday, Brandon product Zostrianos Giordani-Gross, who attends Miles College (Alabama), earned a solo runner-up at the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NCAA Division II) championship after firing rounds of 73-74-74 to finish 5-over on the tournament. Giordani-Gross, in his first year of post-secondary school, won the men's Division II Championship at the Arcis HBCU Golf Championship in February. He finished inside the top 15 four times this season. Cala Korman of Killarney, who attends Weber State University (Utah), finished 10th at the Big Sky Conference Championship earlier this month after carding rounds of 80-70-68 to finish 5-over on the event. The second-year player recorded four finishes inside the top 10 this season. Joshua Frey-SamReporter Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh. Every piece of reporting Josh produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
