Windy conditions at Fairview Mountain Golf Club in Oliver didn’t stop Pen High Laker golfers from having a strong showing during South Okanagan High School Golf League action Wednesday.
Declan Riddle and Jordan Simpson shot six over par 78 for the win.
“I was quite happy with my score as the windy conditions required a lot of focus throughout the round,” said Simpson. “It just took one careless swing out there to result in a really high number on a hole. It happened to two of the other golfers I played with, each had an eight that was caused by a careless swing.”
Simpson won the “Green Hat” given to the player with the overall best results in all six rounds of league play.
In third was Laker Jackson Coates finishing with eight-over par 80. Cam Gunning and Cam Davie of the Lakers tied for fourth with a score of 83, while Princeton’s Mike White shot 85. The Lakers won the team event with a score of 319.
“Considering the extremely windy conditions, the scores by the Pen Hi golfers were very good,” said Lakers coach Gord Barnes.
The league’s Valley Championship is on May 16 at Vernon’s Predator Ridge. The Lakers have a mix of players who can qualify for provincials, something that Barnes said hasn’t happened in more than 15 years. Barnes said that part of that is the ebbs and flows of sports, but the real reason is the Junior Program at Penticton Golf and Country Club has really supported the Juniors recently.
"The Junior Program, led by club professional Jeff Hollman, has really been successful in getting more kids golfing," said Barnes.
The Lakers coach added if the team can score 310 to 315 range at the valleys, which is possible, that should be good enough to qualify.