Trainor tops among area golfers
Published Wednesday July 23rd, 2008
BATHURST - With every hole he played on the Gowan Brae Golf and Country Club course, the better Colin Manning was feeling.
"There's something about this course. It fits my eye well," said the 18-year-old Moncton Golf and Country Club player after turning in a score of 2-over-par 74 in the opening round of the 54-hole CN Future Links Atlantic championship here yesterday.
His scorecard revealed some puzzling numbers but Manning was still feeling just swell.
Over the day he recorded five birdies, six pars and seven bogeys, not what you could describe as a consistent game.
"I made a bunch of mistakes but I made up for a lot of them with birdies," he said. A major reason the long-hitting Manning liked the course was because it appears to fit his driver.
"I hit a big, high draw and most of the holes fit me well I find," he said.
In Round 1 he hit two of Gowan Brae's par fives in two and two-putted for easy birdie.
With his 74, Manning, who earned a spot on the New Brunswick junior interprovincial team at Fredericton last week, is tied for fifth on the leader-board.
James Holland of New Minas, N.S., is the leader with an even-par game of 72 while Matt Layden of the Fox Creek Golf Club in Dieppe, Eric Locke of Digby and Aiden Javed of Kingston, Ont., are tied for second at 1-over-par 73.
Manning, Eric banks of Truro and Brodie McGregor of Stratford, P.E.I. share fifth.
Top Fredericton-area golfer in the field on Day 1 was Andrew Trainor with a 77, good for 15th place overall. Calvin and Kyle Blacquier of Fredericton were among a group tied for 22nd with a 78.
Trevor Drisdelle was another stroke back with 79, tied for 33rd position. Other Frederictonians include Stefan Bielecki, tied for 48th with an 84 and Phillip Soicher in 62nd position after shooting a first round 90.
New Brunswick junior champion Stephane Boudreau of Dieppe was 6-over-par 78. Boudreau had a solid game going and was 2-under-par on his front nine. However, he was 7-over-par over his last seven holes.Boudreau's biggest breakdown came on the 243-yard, par 3, 17th when he recorded a seven.
Wind from the Bay of Chaleur, which is always a major factor at Gowan Brae, was relatively calm in the early morning but got stronger and stronger as the day progressed.
Boudreau hit three-wood off the tee and gusting winds ate up his drive. His ball wound up un-playable in water. He hit a second ball off the tee and eventually recorded a seven.
Irene Jung of Bedford, N.S. fired a first round 80 to lead the junior women's field. Oromocto's Bobbi Wilson had an 89 and sits in ninth place.
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