Danny Klughart won the Sask Am and Mid-Am's in Saskatoon Friday morning. Submitted photo/Golf Saskatchewan

By Jeff D'Andrea

For dad

P.A.’s Klughart wins Sask Am’s and Mid-Am’s

Jul 19, 2019 | 2:06 PM

When Danny Klughart won both the 108th SK Amateur / 33rd SK Mid-Amateur Men’s championships at the Saskatoon Golf and Country Club, he thought about conversations he had with his father Garry.

Before Garry passed away last year to cancer, they both talked how much they wanted to win the Sask Amateurs, and how sweet that would be to add to their trophy collection.

Klughart was very close in the past to winning it, as he finished as the runner-up in both 2017 and 2015 before getting his paws on the trophies this year.

“I wanted to win one of these things so bad, because when my dad was still alive, him and I talked about two tournaments we really wanted to win. One of the Saskatchewan Amateur and the other was the Northern here in Prince Albert. So it’s nice to finally win one of them,” Klughart said. “I think he’d be very proud.”

Klughart and Eston’s Jehremy Ryde were tied for the lead at -7 after three complete rounds, and needed a playoff to decide the victor. They hit their tee shots on hole 18 to begin the playoff on Thursday afternoon, but had to leave the course due to the storm in Saskatoon.

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“There was a big plow wind. Jehremy and I were starting our playoff hole. We were walking off the 18th tee and it was getting ugly outside. We weren’t sure if it was going to hold off,” Klughart said. “We got halfway up the fairway, and then we were basically looking for cover. There was probably 30 people watching and us playing, and we all sprinted to the clubhouse to kind of get to safety. It was pretty scary, actually. Some big branches came down on the 18th hole.”

Both balls were marked on the fairway, and play carried on Friday morning. Klughart won the hole and became champion.

With the victory, Klughart is now qualified for both the Canadian Amateur in Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia Aug. 5-8, and the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship Aug. 20-23 in Toronto. But Klughart has already taken off two weeks to golf this summer, using those weeks to win this tournament and the Men’s Lobstick in Waskesiu back in June, and isn’t sure if he can get the time off.

“I’m hoping to play both of those, but I need to get the okay with the boss from work first,” Klughart said. “I’ve taken a lot of holidays, so hopefully he understands.”

Klughart became the first golfer representing the Cooke Municipal Golf Course to win the Saskatchewan Amateurs. Martin Ring did so back in 2014, on Cooke.

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Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW