Brock Ochitwa and Brent Ryan prepare for the final round of match play at Waskesiu Golf Course. (Facebook/Waskesiu Golf Course)

By Rob Mahon

Men's Lobstick at Waskesiu

Full field brings fierce competition to men’s lobstick at Waskesiu

Jun 19, 2023 | 12:00 PM

Less than a week after the end of the senior men’s lobstick, Waskesiu Golf Course was host to another Lobstick tournament. This time, they even got a little helping hand from the weather.

The men’s lobstick took place at Waskesiu from June 12 to June 17. Golfers competed in both individual stroke play and two-man match play categories.

“Once qualifying was done on Monday and Tuesday, we let the guys play and go mano-a-mano until there was one guy standing,” said Paul Schatz, PGA of Canada head professional at Waskesiu Golf Course. “This year, competition was strong as well. The final group made it to hole 17 before we crowned a champion in match play.”

Rain from last night rendered the course briefly unplayable this morning, but there were no such concerns during the tournament. They also dodged the weather that forced crews to work from midnight right through to the opening shotgun on the eve of the senior event.

“We had better weather than we did for the seniors, and kind of a first in a while where nothing dampened spirits,” Schatz said. “It was also the first time in a few years we got to do the banquet again.”

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According to Schatz, the return of the banquet was well received as people enjoyed being able to socialize as part of what is a highly social sport. The good spirits that came from the return of the banquet translated to the course as well.

“The best thing about it, even though it’s a fierce competition, the camaraderie and the sportsmanship displayed by all competitors,” Schatz said. “I followed around the final group and I have nothing but praise for those two young guys in the final for how they acted on the golf course. It makes you happy to see it.”

The young guys in questions were Brock Ochitwa and Brent Ryan, with Ochitwa the ultimate winner. In the stroke play event at the start of the week, it was Phil Jonas, turning in impressive rounds of 68 and 67 to secure the win.

“In the past little bit, the tournament has grown, and we are at capacity,” Schatz said. “This year, we had 20 odd people on the wait list looking to get in. It’s a great event.”

Schatz added he knew of competitors from Toronto, Calgary, and British Columbia who made the trip for the entire week to play in the tournament.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP