Sunflower Classic continues to grow

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Published on Thursday, September 14, 2017

Eoin Devereux 
The Neepawa Banner

A dominant round from a pair of Brandon golfers has ensured that this year’s edition of the Sunflower Classic golf title will reside within the Wheat City. The duo of Judy Prange and Jayne Troop scored a combined 88 points on Saturday, Sept. 9 to top the field of over 100 competitors.

The event, which was hosted at the Neepawa Golf and Country Club, was scored under the net stableford scoring format. Stableford consists of players scoring one point for a bogey, two for par, three for a birdie, four for an eagle and five for an albatross. The team with the most accumulated points after 18 holes wins. Prange and Troops’ 88 points was four better than the second place team of Janet Wilcox McKay and Helen Forsyth.

After the event, Prange noted that herself and Troop have competed in the Sunflower for several years, finishing third in 2016. She said that while this is a wonderful tournament year in, year out, this year’s competition was something special.

“I don’t recall as many teams involved in previous years, as there where [this year]. On top of that, there were many very good players out there. It’s great to be able to play in an event like this, that challenges you to be a better player. That’s why we enjoy playing in the Sunflower every year. It’s a great course and it’s a tournament that brings out the best in everyone involved,” stressed Prance.

Sunflower Classic co-chair Barb Reid did confirm that this year’s number of participants increased by 10 golfers, compared to 2016. She added that they are very pleased with how quickly the tournament has been able to establish itself within the region.

This was the fourth year of the Sunflower, which replaced the Cornucopia Classic. The day was revamped  with more emphasis placed on the fun and the variety of prizes.

Sunflower Classic Leaderboard

1st: Judy Prange/Jayne Troop, 88 points
2nd: Janet Wilcox McKay/Helen Forsyth, 84 points
3rd: Mary Lou Hunter/Janice Langston, 81 points
4th: Wanda Austin/Sandy Williams, 80 points
5th: Carolyn Learmonth/Carla Richardson, 77 points
6th: Shauna Danulyk/Cheryl Roscoe, 76 points
7th: Lynn Curtis/Amanda Naughton-Gale, 76 points
8th: Dianne Wahl/Cheryl Forsyth, 74 points
9th: Shannon Hockin/Lorraine Hockin, 73 points
10th: Jean Ungarian/Cathy Bass, 73 points