Kartusch on track to repeat as women’s amateur champion

Addison Kartusch has her sights set on a second consecutive provincial title.

The defending Manitoba women’s amateur champion carries a three-shot lead into Friday’s final round of the annual summer tournament, which is being held this year at her home course of St. Charles Country Club.

Kartusch, 18, fired a two-under 70 on Thursday after opening the 54-hole event with a one-over 73 on Wednesday. She’s back in town after finishing up her first year at Bowling Green State University in Ohio and picking up where she left off.

Clara Peake of Minnedosa isn’t going away quietly, at one point grabbing the lead on Thursday. She’s at two-over for the event after rounds of 76-70. Killarney’s Cala Korman is also within striking distance at four-over following rounds of 76-72.

Charmaine Hayden is fourth-overall at 12-over but leads the women’s mid-amateur category. She has a two-shot lead over Southwood’s Rhonda Orr. A total of 21 competitors teed it up this week.

Over on the men’s side, the mid-amateur is being held at the same time with a field of 69 golfers.

Jeremy Kirk (70-72) of Fort William Country Club enters the final round of play with a one-shot lead over defending champion Allan McDonald of Breezy Bend, who opened with a three-over 75 but followed that up with a four-under 68.

“It was a tough day out there, harder than the first day so staying around even was the goal,” Kirk told reporters following his round in hot and windy conditions.

The 27-year-old drove in from Thunder Bay on Tuesday and didn’t get a chance to play a practice round at St. Charles but has clearly felt comfortable.

“I’ve played enough golf in my life where target golf, it helps. I didn’t know where the trouble was so it freed up my mind too,” he said.

“The greens were the hardest thing to learn but I was lucky enough to come out here early that first day and putt around a bit, figure out the greens and just hit the targets.

Kirk played four years of college golf at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks and is eligible to compete in Manitoba because of a joint-affiliation between Golf Manitoba and Golf Ontario for Thunder Bay players.

“It’s stressful when we get out here. But it’s a different type of stress. You want to do well but it’s not like when I was in college or trying to get recruited to college,” he said.

“I’m just out here having fun and come Monday, back to work.”

Right behind Kirk and McDonald is one of the province’s most decorated amateur golfers, Todd Fanning, who had the round of the tournament so far with a six-under 66 on Thursday — including a 30 (six-under) on the back nine. It was quite a rebound from his opening 78.

“There were no signs of it really. Obviously I had a day (Wednesday) I’d like to forget. I made the turn at five-over and vowed to try and get myself back to even par by the end of the tournament,” said Fanning, 57, who credits a range session with his son as helping to get the “evil demons” out of his game.

“I felt pretty good on the first nine. And then on the back nine, for about an hour I just hit perfect golf shots and made the putts I had to. Suddenly I started thinking about going really low. I haven’t had that feeling for a while. It was really fun.”

He previously won the event in 2017 and 2021, joking that math would suggest he’s due again here in 2025.

Curtis Markusson of St. Charles is tied with Fanning, two shots behind Kirk. Several other golfers are lurking including Jordy Lutz of Elmhurt and Drew Jones of Shilo (three strokes back), 2023 mid-amateur champion Patrick Perrin of Elmhurt and Eric Johnson of Breezy Bend (four shots behind) and David Spurr of Elmhurst (five shots back).

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg