Tyler Lowey
Morning Star Staff
Home-field advantage took one day to set in, but it helped Mackenzie Barrie tear up the back nine and capture the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour Ford Series 15-19 girls division title Tuesday at Predator Ridge Golf Resort.
Barrie works at Predator Ridge as a junior camp instructor and spends a lot of time working with former LPGA tour pro A.J. Eathorne.
“It absolutely helped,” said Barrie, a Seaton grad. “They were a lot trickier greens that I thought they would be. I was able to take a lot of chances knowing where the ball was going to roll.”
Barrie carded a 79 on day one and improved by 10 shots on day two, winning the division by one stroke.
“I really struggled with my putting on the first day. The greens were really fast,” said Barrie. who started the back nine with an eagle on 10, a birdie on 11 and another birdie on 15.
Barrie captured the B.C. Cup at the Green Acres Golf Course in Richmond last week.
These two titles put a bow on her summer as she prepares to head to the University of Wyoming for her third year with the Cowgirls where she will be leaned on as one of the veterans on the team in Laramie.
“I want to push the freshmen to excel and be a great leader,” said Barrie, who is studying to become a kinesiologist. “I also want to keep up my solid grades.”
Vernon’s Brandon Chai finished tied for second in the Juvenile boys division after carding a 77-77-154. He hit two birdies in the first round.
Parker Wadsworth tied Chai with a 74-80-154. Wadsworth sunk one birdie on the first day and two more on the second.
Dexter Weiten sat eight shots back of Wadsworth and Chai after he recorded a 77-85-162 with a birdie on the fourth hole in round one.
Ryan Vest had no problem with the 13th hole, as he birdied it both rounds to place second, two shots back of the lead, in the Pee Wee boys division with a 77-76-153.
Braeden Cooper drained birdies on 12 and 15 to push him into fourth after a 78-75-153 in the Bantam boys division.
Austin Bosquet improved by six strokes in round two to place sixth in the Junior boys division. He started the second round with a birdie on the first hole to finish 81-75-156.
Predator Ridge golfer George Wilkins captured the Mr. Lube Long Drive competition in the Bantam boys division, while Vest won it in the Pee Wee class, along with the Sligo Closest-to-the-Pin competition.
