CRANBROOK — Austin Krahn was wearing his familiar sunglasses when he finished his first round of the B.C. Indigenous Championship at the St. Eugene Golf Resort.
Those shades were notably absent when the B.C. Amateur and Junior Boys champion began his early-morning round in a heavy downpour.
“It was awfully dark and it was pouring when we started,” Krahn said with a laugh. “It was kind of a disaster. I put them on about the fourth hole. It started to clear up after about four holes and it was a pretty beautiful day after that.”
That rain didn’t seem to bother Krahn, who went about his business and fired a six-under 66 to open defence of the championship. “I birdied two and three, so it was a great start to the round,” he said. “Two is a par 5 so I got it up close to the green and chipped it close and made putt and on No. 3 I hit a good wedge shot from about 90 yards to like three feet.”
Krahn and playing partner Hunter Zadawa of Kimberley were first off the tee Tuesday and raced around the course in just over three hours. “You have to realize that everything is going to be twice as difficult,” Krahn said of the difficult conditions to start the round. “You have to go in with that mindset that it is just going to be a grind. Don’t get too impatient and keep to the process.”
Golf hasn’t seemed like much of grind of late for the 17-year-old Krahn, who is coming off his win at last week’s B.C. Amateur Championship at Bootleg Gap in Kimberley and his Junior Boys win the previous week at Quilchena Golf & Country Club in Richmond. His last nine competitive rounds read like this: 66-69-68-69-67, 66, 70, 68, 67.
Given his recent form, Krahn arrived at the Indigenous Championship as a heavy favourite to win the event for the third straight year. Krahn said he feels no pressure as this tournament has a different meaning to him. “Honestly, in this tournament I’m just here to have some fun. I’m here to see the people I met over the last couple of years and have some fun.”
Krahn has a five-shot lead on Cody Bailey of Prince George and John Monture of Caledon, Ont., who both carded one-under 71s. “I am very happy with my round, especially with the weather we had this morning,” the 24-year-old Bailey said. “I’m glad I am chasing Austin. I know he’s the guy to beat. It’s pretty amazing what he has been able to do the last two weeks at 17 years old.”
Monture, a member of the Mohawk Six Nations of the Grand River band in Ontario, is a past Ontario Indigenous champion who has played against B.C. in two previous Indigenous team matches between the two provinces.
“I love golf and we had come to play in the first Indigenous team matches at Bear Mountain and loved it and we got the invite and I asked my wife, what do you think,” Monture said. “With three kids we are not super flexible, but we made it work with our parents and I was able to get sponsorship back home. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here.”
Bailey, Monture and Krahn will play together in Wednesday’s final round of the 36-hole championship. “I played with Austin two years ago and I hear he has come a long way since then,” said Monture, whose wife Shanda is caddying for him. “It will be fun to play with him"
A total of 59 players — 41 men and 18 women —are competing in what is the third B.C Indigenous Championship. The women’s division seems to be wide open as past winners Christina Proteau of Port Alberni and Kylie Jack of West Kelowna are not In the field.
Joan Hinkey of Nanoose Bay (above) emerged with a two-shot lead after opening with an 11-over 83. “I feel pretty good, but I didn’t play that well today,” Hinkey said. “I hit some good shots and made a few putts. Not as many as I’d like to, but it was a tough day out there.”
Hinkey, who is a regular participant at the B.C. Senior Women’s Championship, played in the first two B.C. Indigenous Championships. “I love this tournament, the people are so friendly and the camaraderie is great,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun. It’s a great game in a great environment.”
Hinkey said she won’t be dwelling on the fact she has the lead during Wednesday’s final round. “I never expect to win, but I always want to do well.” Michelle Palmer of Williams Lake sits second after her 85 that included a birdie on the par 3 seventh hole. “I kind of hammered the putt but I was kind of lucky it dropped right into the hole,” she said.
Lesley France of Nanoose Bay sits third after shooting a first-round 88.
A net Stableford event is also being contested. Josh Charles of Victoria leads the men’s competition with 42 points, one more than Caden Oliver of Coldstream. On the women’s side, Gloria Morgan of Enberby leads with 36 points. Joan Hinkey of Nanoose Bay is second with 33 points.
The top four men’s and women’s gross finishers and the top four men’s and women’s net Stableford finishers will qualify to play for Team British Columbia in its annual Indigenous team match play competition against Ontario in September.
St. Eugene is located on the territory of the Ktunaxa Nation and the resort is owned by the four Canadian Ktunaxa bands and the Shuswap Indian band.
The St. Eugene Golf Course, designed by Les Furber, opened in 2000. A former residential school located at St. Eugene has been transformed into a hotel.
“To our knowledge, this is the only project in the country where a First Nation reclaimed a former Indian residential school and turned it into a economic engine and resort for future generations,” the resort says on its website.
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