Raoul Ménard won the first ever Elk Ridge Open. Jeff D'Andrea/paNOW Staff.

By Jeff D’Andrea

First one in the books

Ménard main man at inaugural Elk Ridge Open; Yorkton’s Johnson cracks top-five

Sep 11, 2021 | 5:01 PM

History was made twice this week at Elk Ridge.

Up until Saturday, the Elk Ridge Resort had yet to host a Mackenzie Tour— PGA Tour Canada event, and Raoul Ménard had never played in one.

But with how much the course was praised by organizers and the field of players alike, and how Ménard dominated the scores, it would have been hard to guess that neither had been done before.

Ménard, who hails from Ange-Gardien, Que., was never out of the top spot at the Elk Ridge Open. After the second day Friday, Ménard had a five-stroke lead on the rest of the field. He went on to shoot nine-under-par through three rounds, four strokes better than runner-up Sebastian Szirmak from Toronto.

“It feels great honestly. I’ve been working hard for a while and to cap it off like that… I played well the first two days and got it done today. I’m relieved but I’m really happy about it. Looking forward to the future, too.”

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It wasn’t all smooth sailing though for Ménard, who said he felt Szirmak nip at his heels throughout Saturday’s round. After a slow start, Szirmak was just two strokes back of Ménard at the turn.

“I had a five-shot lead, but it’s always in the back of your mind— you don’t want to mess up. I got off to a slow start, but I just told myself to keep going and keep with the game plan, and just be patient,” Ménard said. “I found my rhythm and was able to shoot an under-par round, which was my goal coming into today. It was fun.”

Yorkton’s Kade Johnson shares a laugh with the crowd after he finished his tournament in a tie for fifth place. Jeff D’Andrea/paNOW Staff

Yorkton’s Johnson cracks top five

For the third time this year, Yorkton’s Kade Johnson finished in the top 10 at a Mackenzie Tour event. Johnson finished tied for fifth with ‘Taeksoo Kim from Meridian, ID at three-under-par.

With a large crowd horseshoed around the 18th green blew Johnson away. He said he was glad to have a strong finish in front of the Saskatchewan crowd.

“It means a lot, for sure. The first two events, there weren’t many people in attendance. Then you come to Saskatchewan, and it shows how invested people are in sports. It meant a lot to me, being a Saskatchewan guy, to be near the top of the leaderboard. I was definitely really proud of it,” Johnson said.

How the rest of the Sasky boys did

Along with Johnson in the second-last group was Swift Current’s Brennan Rumancik. Rumancik shot a 79 on Saturday, finishing in a tie for 32nd at seven-over-par.

Air Ronge’s Jerry Christiansen finished in a tie for 36th at nine-over-par. Christiansen’s best round was on Friday where he shot a 71. He registered 74 for his other two rounds.

A pair of Saskatoon amateurs finished in a tie for 40th, as Josh Nagy and Tayden Wallin both were 10-over-par after three rounds. Nagy was very consistent throughout the tournament, shooting a 72 on opening day before a pair of 74’s. Wallin shot 73, 72, and 75.

Just behind them was Lloydminster’s Clint Schiller who finished in a tie for 43rd at 11-over-par. Schiller had a 76 after day one, and settled down with a 71 on Friday, before finishing with a 74.

Alex Swinnerton, the 17-year-old amateur from Saskatoon, started out the tournament with a stellar 68 and found himself one shot out of the lead after the first round. Swinnerton finished his tournament with a pair of 79’s, to finish at 226— 16-over par.

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Jeff.dandrea@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW