White great out of the gate

David White didn’t set any expectations entering this week.

The St. Charles golfer knew he had the game to keep up with a talented field across four days, but wouldn’t go so far as to say he’d be in the hunt for a title.

So the 59-year-old walked away in great spirits after an opening round three-under 69 has him leading the Canadian senior men’s championship at Niakwa on Tuesday.

It was a terrific display of resilience in blustery conditions for White, who was one shot clear of Scotland’s Ronnie Clark, the only other player to reach red figures.

“It was a tough day out there. Sometimes golf goes well for you, sometimes it doesn’t,” White said after the round. “The putts were dropping early for me, and a little bit of fortunate luck on the back nine, as well. I just kept trying to grind it out on a tough day. Really, really happy with that round. Taking me out of my comfort zone a little bit, but that’s all right. We’ll test it out tomorrow.”

While it’s far too early to engrave White’s name on the John Rankin Memorial Trophy, it’s worth noting that a Manitoban has never won the 55-plus tournament in its 64-year history.

The top of the leaderboard also includes White’s group mate J. Stephen Watson of British Columbia (even), Ontario’s Don Martone and Americans Carlos Aranda and Greg Sato (one-over) and a nine-way tie for seventh at two-over par.

White finished third in the provincial championship at Breezy Bend in July to secure a spot in the event. He is making his fourth start at the national tournament. He’s never made the cut, missing by one shot twice.

“Golf is a funny game. I have a game good enough to shoot a 69 like that in tournaments,” he said. “It doesn’t show up for everybody, and even today, getting onto the first tee and put my tee in the ground, all of a sudden, I stood up to hit the drive, and your hands start to shake.

“So it’s a different game, and you hope that your good game can come out, and you hope that you can get the fortunate bounces, and that’s what happened today.”

White capitalized on his morning tee time quickly, rolling in four birdies en route to a bogey-free 33 on his front nine — when the wind was at its calmest. As he made the turn, the gusts grew. He stumbled at the par-3 second hole (his 11th) with a bogey and again at the par-4 third (his 12th) with a double-bogey.

White weathered the conditions thereafter and avoided dropping a shot for the rest of his day. He even holed out from the par-4 seventh (his 16th) fairway for eagle.

He ended his day with a terrific up-and-down at the par-3 ninth, where players were hitting into the teeth of the wind. After chunking his tee shot 50 yards short of the green, he stuck a wedge shot to six feet and calmly sunk the putt.

“I have to be honest, of course I know I’m three-under. I know a 69 just feels so much better than a 70. And when we stood up on that ninth hole, 215 yards into that 60-kilometre wind, I had no club for the shot,” White said. “I don’t carry a three or a four-iron anymore, so I tried to hit a really low shot, and I hit it fat and made a terrific par from 50 yards from the green. It was terrific.”

White, who is one of 13 Manitobans in the tournament, also did the heavy lifting for Team Manitoba in the first half of the inter-provincial team championship. Also on the team are Niakwa members Todd Fanning and Jay Doyle, two of five members of the host course.

Doyle and Fanning shot six-over 78s, putting Manitoba at 3-over for the event, one shot back of British Columbia and four shots clear of the reigning champions, Ontario. Only the first two rounds of the tournament count toward the inter-provincial championship.

“It’s so terrific that a bunch more guys got in. It’s great to see, and it’s just so fun to play a national event, and to be on the Manitoba team with Jay and Todd. I just wanted to contribute one score, so I’m done,” White quipped. “These guys got to win it tomorrow now that I gave them a score.”

Fanning, the two-time reigning provincial champion, is perhaps one of the favourites this week, but admits he didn’t have his best stuff on Day 1. He carded two birdies but was sunk by eight bogeys in his round.

“Disappointing score, there’s no question about that,” said Fanning. “You’re looking for better out of the gate, and with the conditions the way they were, you’re not out of it by any means, but that’s a pretty big hole, for sure.

“The way the course was set up, it was still receptive, and we’re used to the wind in Winnipeg. So nobody that plays out of Winnipeg has any excuse other than to look in the mirror, and that’s what I gotta admit today.”

The decorated 58-year-old is making his third start in the tournament, and first in two years after missing last year’s event to attend his niece’s wedding.

His focus for the last two years has been on this week, knowing it would be at his home course.

“If you don’t have a tidy short game, you’re gonna miss enough greens when it’s windy like this that you got to rely on your short game, and I just didn’t have it today,” Fanning said. “So that was it in a nutshell. But my good friend shot 69, so we’re right in there as a team.”

White will tee it up for Round 2 at 1:40 p.m. Fanning will start his round at 2 p.m.

The field will be cut to the top 70 players, including ties, after Wednesday. Additionally, a minimum of five super seniors (65-plus) will make the cut, as well as any super seniors within 10 shots of the division leader.

The other 10 Manitobans finished: David Kuik of Niakwa (76), Blair Neal of Rossmere (79), Ken Warwick of Niakwa and Jason Groshak (81), Ben Bandura and Dale Coulter (82), Cornell Ruddock of Southwood (83), Dan Scanlon (85), John Mackinnon of Pine Ridge (86) and Karl Loepp (92).

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