Past Champion, James Love, holds a slim one shot lead after day one

SUNDRE, Alta. (Alberta Golf) – The 2017 Scott Venturo Rudakoff LLP Alberta Open Championship is feeling like a flashback as James Love sits on top of today’s leaderboard. In 2015, Love made a second day charge to win the event in dramatic fashion. This year it’s a different story. “I got off to a good start. I birdied my first two holes. So that sets the tone pretty easily for the day,” Love said.

It took four birdies on the front nine and three more on the back to secure a one stroke lead over Evan Holmes. The conditions today made for good scoring with 15 players at even par or better.

Love said the course was just working for him, having not played the track since the renovations 10 years ago. “This is a good course here. You want to keep hitting it in front of you, and you want to keep out of the trees. I pretty much did that today.”

A practice round wasn’t even needed, as the Calgarian travelled in from the Kelowna area after playing in the GolfBC Championship on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada event held last week. Love said that he is hoping to keep his momentum going into round two. “You know, I’ve been playing well most of the year. So there isn’t a lot of stuff that I need to do differently. I will hopefully get off to a good start again and keep that rhythm going.”

TOP 10 – ALBERTA OPEN LEADERBOARD

For the full leaderboard, click here.

Evan Holmes is looking for some redemption at the Sundre GC. Having narrowly missed at the Alberta Men’s Amateur four years ago at this same course, he is proving to be a notable contender, as he sits alone in second place and only one shot back of Love.

PGA of Alberta Professional, Craig Gibson, from the Sirocco Golf Club, is in third place at three under par. Notably, Dustin Risdon had it to five under par through 12 holes before a double bogey on 13 stalled his round. He sits three shots back and will surely be a player to keep an eye on in the final round.

Tomorrow’s champion will earn a spot in the ATB Financial Classic on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada. The top 16 amateur players will advance to the Scott Venturo Rudakoff LLP Alberta Match Play Championship the following two days. The Match Play Champion will become the second teammate on the 2018 Pacific Coast Amateur Alberta Morse Cup team.

For photographs from round one of the championship, click here.

The final group will tee off at 1:10 PM.

Follow along using #ABOpen.

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ABOUT ALBERTA GOLF

Alberta Golf hosts 13 annual provincial championships in order to identify the best golfers in various age and gender catergories. A mix of nearly 1,500 pro and amateur golfers compete on high quality member facility courses across the province. Championships are hosted by a core team of staff and over 100 volunteers. The tournaments promote competition, build pride in the community, support charitable giving and inspire future generations of golfers. They also serve as an opportunity for golfers to qualify for national amateur championships.

The Alberta Golf Association was incorporated as a society in 1912 and continues today as a not for profit Provincial Sport Organization (PSO) operating as Alberta Golf. As the PSO, we are commited to realizing the positive impacts of golf on indivudals and communities across Alberta. Our vision is that through golf, Albertans will enjoy a high quality of life, improved health and wellness, a strong sense of community, economic benefits and personal fulfillment.

ABOUT SCOTT VENTURO RUDAKOFF LLP

Scott Venturo Rudakoff LLP is a multi service law firm based in Calgary, Alberta. Since its establishment in 1986, the firm has become one of Calgary’s leading legal service providers, focusing on delivering high quality, efficient solutions for clients. The partners, associates and staff of Scott Venturo Rudakoff LLP come from a wide range of backgrounds, and this experience enables us to offer responsive, effective and creative legal solutions to our clients.

A few special guests could be seen at the Scott Venturo Rudakoff LLP Alberta Open and Match Play Championships Media Day. Seven event competitors’ dads were at the Sundre Golf Club to get in a round with their sons for Father’s Day, including Bob – the father of 2016 Alberta Junior Boys Player of the Year, Brendan MacDougall.

As a Team Alberta High Performance athlete, currently on the High Point University golf team, Brendan explains that even though some days are harder than others, having his family and dad behind him has really helped his career.

“There are always rounds where I know I could have done better. He’s always there after saying, ‘You know what, go get it next time. You’ll be alright.’ He just helps me through.”

Bob has been there to support Brendan and his golf game since the early days.

“He was always a pretty happy kid. He picked up plastic golf clubs pretty much as soon as he could walk. He would spend hours hitting balls in the backyard, and when they went over the fence, I would have to go and track them all down and bring them all back. He thought that was great fun.”

Golf has given this pair a lot of unforgettable times.

“He always just been there for me. He’s always been willing to drive me to practice or tournaments whenever I need to. It’s always fun to spend time with him on the road, and it’s always some of the greatest memories that I have.”

Bob, a recreational golfer himself, loves to get out on the course with his family. Even though he may not always win against Brendan, he got his once in a lifetime chance to shine a few years ago against the all-star.

“I was playing with Brendan, my wife and Jon Fisher who at the time was the general manager at the Willow Park Golf and Country Club. I hit my tee shot, and it was right into the sun. We couldn’t really see it. The people who had vacated the green in front of us, and who were on the next tee box, knew we couldn’t see it because they knew that we weren’t really reacting to it. One of the players came off the tee and said, ‘It’s in the hole! It’s in the hole!” They were yelling back at us. My wife hugged me, Jon gave me a high five and Brendan did nothing. Then my wife said, ‘Aren’t you going to congratulate your dad?’ and he said, “Yeah, I guess so…but I would have rather have had the hole in one myself.’”

Brendan has still yet to get his hole in one, but with the way he’s been playing over the past two years, his dad may not hold the title much longer. Placing 1st at the 2016 CN Future Links Western Championship, T2 at the 2016 Alberta Junior Championships and 4th at the 2017 Glencoe Invitational, Bob says Brendan’s top ranking ability comes from his attention to detail.

“He is a thoughtful player he’s a smart player. So he understands risk and reward. He’ll play a course in a very thoughtful manner.”

The talent runs in the McDougall family. Brendan’s 16-year-old sister, Madison, is a World Class Competitive Irish dancer. With both of his children living an active life, Bob is always there to watch them grow and do what they love.

“It’s lots of fun. We’ve always encouraged both the kids to have fun at the pursuits that they have and to do their best. If they’re doing their best they are probably having fun, and if they’re having fun they’re probably going to do their best. It’s really that simple.”

Happy Father’s Day from Alberta Golf to all of the dads out there.

This year, Alberta Golf was able to award a combined total of $5,900 of Athlete Assistance to 21 deserving golfers. Funding was given to those who will attempt to make their mark this season and compete in regional, provincial, national and international events.

Multiple-year award winner, Matt Williams, says that “funding from Alberta Golf has allowed me the opportunity to compete in Canada’s national championships in year’s past. My primary golf goal is to play my way onto the Canadian Men’s National Team. This goal has me really focused and working harder and smarter than I ever have before.”

Matt Williams in 2014 as a Team Canada athlete.

The Team Alberta High Performance Squad member is a shining example of the self-driven enthusiasm and hard work that so many of this year’s award winners demonstrate across the province.

“A couple years ago I really struggled with golf and wasn’t sure if it was something I would want to pursue long-term, but since then I feel I have rebounded, and I certainly have a whole new appreciation for golf when I am playing well. It’s nice when golf is fun. My dad always wanted me to be a hockey player when I was younger, and while I took it pretty seriously for a while, golf eventually took over.”

Not only does he continue to raise the bar for himself on the course, but he is also a full-time student. As a University of Houston teammate, he must balance the day-to-day challenges of being a competitive amateur golfer, while completing an accounting degree. His hard work is paying off. Williams was a part of Golf Canada’s National Development squad for two years, and he is currently Alberta’s top ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

We can’t wait to see what’s next for all of this year’s recipients, and we will be cheering them on! Congratulations to the following 2017 Athlete Assistance recipients:

• Matt Williams
• Brendan MacDougall
• Ethan Choi
• Evan Holmes
• Kenna Hughes
• Max Murchison
• Lauren Diederichs
• Jack Wood
• Andrew Harrison
• Sang Won Kim
• Susan Thomson
• Joan Wilson
• Owen Murray
• Jeff Murdoch
• Ethan Palmer
• Cody Adolph
• MacKenzie Baustad
• Mandy Wong
• Alex Large
• Ryan Hounjet
• Mitchell Fleming

To learn more about the Alberta Golf Athlete Assistance program, click here.

You’ve heard the boilerplate reasons to maintain an accurate handicap factor.

“Level playing field.” “Track your progress.”

Blah, blah, blah.

Here’s the real reason.

Don’t be a cheater. Be a real golfer. An honest golfer.

Oh, I am sure your intentions are good. You stand on the first tee and when asked what your handicap factor is, you say, “Well, I usually shoot about xx.” Then you go and shoot xx minus 10.

There’s no polite way to say this. You cheated. And you are no doubt a little embarrassed. As an unintentional result, there will be whispers of “sandbagger” when your name is mentioned subsequently.

I have no doubt your intentions were honourable and so are you. But because you didn’t have a verifiable factor, you cheated your fellow competitors (who hopefully had a Golf Canada handicap factor) of the opportunity to compete equitably.

If anyone has a passion for this topic, it’s Craig Loughry, Golf Canada’s Director of Handicap and Course Rating. Only he would call the handicapping system “cool.”

“The obvious cool part of handicaps is allowing golfers of any ability to have either a fun, friendly match with a friend or relative or a serious competition with anyone. Look at the alternative. Otherwise, the higher-handicapped player would be slaughtered in a gross stroke-play event or worse, they enter into a heated negotiation on the first tee as to how many strokes each should get.”

Loughry points out that the Golf Canada handicap system provides for golfers who play from different tees in the same event to compete on an equitable basis.

And there are many other advantages to maintaining an accurate and official Golf Canada handicap factor over other informal and unapproved score tracking systems, including being able to observe your progress (or lack thereof) over the course of years.

Consider yourself a “real golfer”?

You’re not if you don’t maintain an accurate Golf Canada handicap factor.

And if we meet on the first tee, you’re not getting any strokes from me.

The dream of every athlete is to go out on top, to go out a winner.

It’s a feat so rarely accomplished because you only get one chance at it. You only get one last tournament.

But on Sunday at the 2017 Canadian University/College Championship Kat Kennedy did just that.

As she watched her final putt drop, Kennedy walked off the green and into the arms of her teammates after a dominating 15-stroke victory in the individual women’s division, leading her University of British Columbia Thunderbirds to its second consecutive title at the event.

And she did so at her final event at the end of her university golf career.

“It feels amazing to end my last tournament of my university career on a high note and with such a good team,” said Kennedy, after securing herself and her team at the top of the leaderboard. “It feels awesome right now.”

The 22-year-old science student from Okotoks, Alta., has hung up her Thunderbirds’ gear after successfully defending her 2016 title and plans to finish her undergrad degree next year.

Like most collegiate athletes, Kennedy’s commitment to the golf team has allowed her to pursue a higher education, but the time commitment to her sport means she must pick up a few more credits in her fifth year.

“I love golf,” she said. “I love the game. I just want to keep playing as long as I can. I still have one more year left, so I have some time to decide what I want to do next. Right now, I’m going to focus on school and keep playing and improve my game as best as I can.”

The weather was not kind to Kennedy and the other players during the championship, which was held from May 29 – June 1. Two thunder delays, constant rain and a windy, cold final round lashed out at the field. But there behind Kennedy for every shot sat her parents, Tai and Len, on tiny portable stools they carried with them as they followed her around.

The two are, of course, her biggest fans and have traveled to every Canadian tournament she has played in as well as many down south in the United States. They are so committed to their daughters play that they don’t even take a hole off – even during the six-degree, extremely windy final round on June 1.

“Never,” said Tai, when asked if she was going to warm up for a couple of holes in the clubhouse after Kennedy made the turn. “She always wants us to be there. With some kids they always want their parents to stay away, but for us she’s always like, ‘I’m glad you’re here.’”

For Tai, golf isn’t just a game that her daughter plays for a way to go to university. It’s a part of her that has contributed to her growth as a human being.

“It keeps her grounded,” she said. “I’m really happy that she’s on the golf team. She works very hard and strives for the best. That’s what she tries to do every day: become a better person.”

Follow Kennedy for a couple of holes and you can see what Tai means.

Whether she’s lining up for a shot, walking to her ball or retrieving it from the cup, there is a constant laser-like focus in the way she carries herself. Even when she was leading by over a dozen strokes heading down the final fairway, that focus never wavered.

Tai doesn’t know where that work ethic comes from. “That’s just her,” she says. But it’s a major part of the reason that she has never missed a tournament in her Thunderbirds’ career – a goal she set for herself when she first joined the team.

Like many student-athletes, Kennedy started to excel at golf at a very young age. It wasn’t long until she was carding better scores than her father, Len.

“She started to pass me on the course when she was about 14 or 15,” said Len, (not at eight like Tai teased). “It made me feel really proud. She taught me real early to keep my mouth shut when making a bet with her. Don’t say you’ll give her 50 bucks to make a long birdie putt because she’ll put it in.”

As for her next step, Kennedy is still unsure.

She is going to finish her science degree next year while training and working on golf by herself. When she completes her education she is going to decide if she is ready to go pro or not.

In a true testament to her character that the game of golf helped build, she was permitted to play for the team in her fifth year, but she turned down the offer because she felt that it would be unfair to take away that spot from someone else.

Now that she’s done, Tai and Len are ready to retire their trusty stools they always carry around when following her, and they can watch as their daughter takes the next step.

“Golf put her through university,” said Tai. “I’m happy she’s going to get her degree and an education. That’s the main thing. Now I guess I have put this stool on Kijiji.”

Sure, Jordan Bean would love to brag that he consistently bombs drives past his older brother, Matt.
He doesn’t though. Not many do.

“He likes to rip at the golf ball,” said 16-year-old Jordan of Matt, two years his senior. “Even now, I’m not as far as him and I probably won’t ever hit it as far as him. Growing up, he was outdriving everybody in his own age group.

“But it was good to be able to throw the chirps out if I ever did outdrive him.”

Golf is a gentleman’s game, but the occasional barb and wisecrack is, uh, par for the course in this case of sibling rivalry.

Matt and Jordan are regulars at Canmore Golf and Curling Club, a charming and community-minded hangout in the Canadian Rockies, just a few minutes from the entrance gates to Banff National Park.

But every course has its own set of Bean brothers (or sisters), siblings who never seem to tire of cranking shots on the range and stick together like the Velcro flap on a golf glove.

“If I’m going to practise, I’ll definitely ask him what he’s doing and sometimes I’ll even call him if he’s out and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to practise’ or ‘I’m going to play. Do you want to come?’” Matt said. “And he’ll always say, ‘Yeah, pick me up,’ basically wherever he is. It’s generally something that we do together.”

Puck was their early passion, but the Beans got hooked on birdie-hunting together, with both crediting Jason Schneider’s junior program at Wildwood Golf Course in Saskatoon for sparking an increased interest in tournament play.

In fact, when the family moved back to the mountain town of Canmore after five years on the prairies, Matt stuck with Schneider — still an assistant professional at Wildwood — as his coach.
The brothers improved together, too.

“They were extremely hard-working, extremely dedicated. They spent a lot of hours here,” Schneider recalled. “They always strived to be better, and they always wanted to have that belt at home.”
That’s a boxing analogy, and these matches have become slugfests.

Today, Matt’s handicap factor is +1.5. He just completed his freshman season with the men’s golf program at Minot State University in North Dakota.

Jordan, a lefty who will graduate from high school in 2018 and also hopes to tee it up at the post-secondary level, is a scratch, and he gets one or two strokes off big bro.

“We’ll go on family golf holidays, too, and that’s an opportunity for all four of us to get out and golf together,” said their proud father, Martin Bean. “Usually, (wife) Barb and I are in one golf cart and the boys in the other, because they’re playing from the same tees and we’re a little bit further forward.”

There are not many sports that can bring a family of four together in that fashion.

“We didn’t really get to play hockey together, and it was always one of us being at the rink at this time and the other being at the rink at another time,” Matt said. “So we definitely got a lot closer when we started playing 36 holes a day in the summer and you spend eight hours on the course together. It seemed like there was always something to talk about, because you get your breaks from talking when you’re hitting your shots. So it’s definitely helped bring us together.”

Echoed Jordan: “We strive off each other, to try to beat each other. And I think it’s made us way better golfers than we probably could have been alone.”

Let’s not forget though, these kids can play. Matt finished in a tie for second last summer at the Alberta Junior Boys Championship,

crafting a three-round tally of two-over 215 in crummy conditions at the weather-shortened showdown.

Jordan closed with a red number — a one-under 70 on what turned out to be the last day — and wasn’t many notches down the leaderboard, T16 at 11-over 224. He checked in fifth among juvenile-aged competitors that week.

If one Bean has signed his scorecard and the other is still on the course in a tournament lap, they’ll often loop back with buddies to offer encouragement. It’s telling that one of Jordan’s favourite golf memories is a match that he lost, and not to his big bro.

“We were playing in a match-play tournament in Waskesiu and were paired up together, but we weren’t playing each other,” Jordan said. “I was dormie on No. 18 and knew I wasn’t going to win after I hit my drive a million miles off to the side. Matt was trying to come back in his match. If he lost, I would have to play him the next day, so I was cheering for him to come back, I’ll tell you that much.

“He managed to win by winning the last four straight, and it was one of my favourite moments to watch him play. It was just fun to cheer him on and see him succeed in that tournament aspect. “That’s one that I remember the most.”

Without a doubt, there will be many more memories. Realizing the PGA Tour is “far-fetched,” Matt will major in elementary education, a background that will also come in handy if he pursues a career as a teaching pro.

Jordan has time to ponder his options, but he’s leaning toward business or engineering.

“And being an elementary school teacher,” Matt pointed out, “I’d have my summers off to play golf.”

As long as Jordan lives nearby, he’ll never have trouble finding a game.

“I guess the rounds have become a little bit more serious. We tend to be a bit more focused than we were when we were little,” Jordan said. “But even then, it’s very similar to when we were smaller. We play for a milkshake or something now. But honestly, it’s just us two kids going to the course and having fun and playing together.”

This article was originally published in the Family Issue edition of Golf Canada Magazine. Click here to view the full magazine

With the 2017 season in full swing, Alberta Golf has already conducted its Scott Venturo Alberta Open Championship and Alberta Junior & Juvenile Championship U19 & U17 qualifier events. Starting today, and extending to the end of the week, over 250 competitors will compete in qualifiers, across five zones, in order to claim their spot into the Sun Life Financial Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship to be held at the Ponoka Golf Club, July 18th to 21st.

2017 Men’s Amateur Qualifier hosts include: Heather Glen Golf Club (Calgary), Whitecourt Golf & Country Club (North), Old Golf Club (Central) and Vulcan Golf Club (South).

Evan Holmes has been competing in the Men’s Amateur event for a few years now, and is the defending Champion.

“Just a big exhale of relief, really,” Holmes said of his reaction after winning the 2016 Sun Life Financial Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship at Innisfail Golf & Country Club. “It was a lot of hard work paying off. Probably since Sundre (2013 Amateur), it’s been the tournament that I’m always looking forward to every year, to work a little bit harder to get.”

Evan Holmes of Calgary captured the 2016 Sun Life Financial Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship in 2016 at Innisfail.

Ah yes, Sundre, site of the Alberta Men’s Amateur in 2013.

If you’re not familiar with the gut-wrenching details, Holmes owned a commanding nine-shot lead after three days at that event, only to be leapfrogged in the final round and lose by one.

At Innisfail, he fired four straight rounds in the 60s, finishing three shots up at 15-under 273.

“I would obviously rather have two Alberta Ams than one,” Holmes said. “But now that I have won one, it’s definitely a monkey off my back.”

All of this month’s qualifiers including, the Senior Men’s, will finish on June 13th. The deadline to register for the Senior’s competition is June 5th.

View all of the leaderboard results to see who will be competing in the various Alberta Golf Championships this season starting on June 20th. The Alberta Men’s Amateur Qualifying Calgary begins today.

Ken Darlington shot a 100 a couple of weeks ago at Riverside. Then he shot a 99.

So what’s so interesting about that? Well, how about this: Darlington is 100 years old and those two rounds were the 339th and 340th time he has shot his age.

“It’s miraculous that a guy is still playing golf at 100 let alone still shooting his age,” said Dunc Mills, a rules official of the Alberta Golf Association.

“That’s incredible.”

“Good heavens. I had no idea I had shot my age that many times,” replied Darlington. “I’ve been lucky.”

Lucky? Hardly. A guy who shoots his age 340 times is not lucky; he’s just that good.

While Darlington, who seemed to shoot his age just about every round when he was approaching his 90s, didn’t know the extent of his achievements, it was Stu Orr, president of the Riverside Senior Men’s League where Darlington plays, who uncovered all of the numbers.

“At Riverside alone Ken played 1,367 rounds and shot his age 280 times. That means every time Ken tees up his ball he shoots his age or better more than 20 per cent of the time.

“Amazing. Absolutely amazing,” said Orr, who said he saw somewhere on the internet that the percentage of golfers that shoot their age is just 0.0000089.

“I’m not sure how to say this but near as I can figure it means not many,” laughed Orr, who believes that the reason Darlington shoots his age so often is because of his chipping.

“He chips it to five feet from the pin and then he putts it in. And here I am four-putting.

“And he can still hit his driver 200 yards. And straight.

“Ken is my hero. He’s also a fantastic person. He’s as easy going as anyone you’ve ever met.”

Jim Dove, 90, who regularly picks up Darlington and then plays with him, believes Darlington’s success is his lob wedge.

“He’s deadly from 60 yards. He doesn’t get to most par 4s in two so he has to rely on his lob wedge.

“Ken and I hit our tee shots about the same distance and our second shots are usually within 10-12 feet of each other too.

“But then Ken gets out his lob wedge and it’s all over.”

Orr and Dove and several other friends of Darlington were going to hold a surprise 100th birthday party for Darlington a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, Darlington’s health prevented him from attending.

“My heart has been acting up and I’m short of breath,” said Darlington, who was born in Essex, England and came to Canada with his family in 1928. “I also get so tired. What can I say? I’m getting old.”

Working for the government in the agricultural department, Darlington said he never really took up the game until he retired in 1985.

“Before that I might have played one or two rounds a year.

“But then I met Jim Dove and some of his friends and Jimmy asked if I would come out golfing with them. I guess I must have liked it because we used to play about four times a week,” said Darlington, who has had a heart attack, quadruple bypass surgery, a detached retina and has an artificial aorta.

“Lucky,” he said again.

“I’ve had a lot of fun.”

Originally published in the Edmonton Journal – May 28th, 2017 

Marilyn O’Connor with her husband Don (photo credit Kamloops This Week)

Marilyn (Palmer) O’Connor was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame on May 26th in Red Deere, AB. The Induction Banquet welcomed over 600 people from across North America to celebrate the provinces iconic athletic contributors. It not only focused on those that have made a lasting impact, but it also highlighted the importance of community sport. 

Growing up with a golf course as her backyard, how could Marilyn (Palmer) O’Connor be anything other than a golfer? And with talent, positivity and an amazing work ethic, how could she be anything other than a champion?

O’Connor learned the game at the hip of her father, the golf professional at the Kamloops Golf and Country Club. From a young age, she was out on the course working hard to perfect her game, and that hard work paid off. The teenager won her first BC junior championship in 1963 and never looked back.

“It’s often that first prize that you win as a kid that motivates you to keep playing,” says Marilyn O’Connor. “What it comes down to is I just always really loved the sport. That’s what motivated me over the years.”

O’Connor has turned that love into an impressive resumé over the past several decades. She has 26 provincial championship titles in BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan, five Alberta senior titles, and a Canadian senior championship. O’Connor is a two-time Vancouver city champion, fourteen-time Calgary city champion and an eight-time Calgary senior champion.  She has also been part of provincial or Canadian teams 52 times and competed in the World Cup six times and the Commonwealth Games four times, winning in 1979.

O’Connor’s success inspired many young girls learning the game, but it was her generous nature, talent, and encouragement of fellow golfers on and off the links that colleagues remember.

“You could not find a nicer person, a more talented player, and I really believe she raised the bar for golfers in this province,” says Judy Forshner, head golf professional at the Glencoe Golf and Country Club. “She’s a phenomenal individual. I feel fortunate to have met her and watched her play.”

After O’Connor married Don O’Connor in 1978, she moved to Alberta and continued golfing in Calgary. However, her golf career changed after starting a family. She still played high-level tournaments but she didn’t compete internationally as much.

“We had a fifth wheel and we’d go to tournaments and I’d play golf while my husband, who was so great, would take the kids and do the camping things,” she says. “My golf in Alberta has been a family affair.”

Today she continues to golf with her family, not for titles but for pure enjoyment of the game. After all, that’s what it has always been about for O’Connor.

“I’ve never played the game for recognition. I’ve played because I love to play. But when you are recognized, it’s very nice,” she says.

She has been recognized for her impressive accomplishments with inductions into the Kamloops, Canadian Golf, BC Golf, Alberta Golf, and the Pacific North Golf Association Halls of Fame. And this May, she will be inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.

“It takes in all sports and athletes who have been exceptional in a multitude of endeavours, so to be included is very special for me,” she says.

With a career spanning over 40 years and provincial, national and international championships, Marilyn O’Connor will be right at home at the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.

Marilyn O’Connor – For the Love of the Game

This article was originally published in the 2017 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.