The way some golfers bark at galleries and angrily hurl clubs hither and yon, you’d think their very existence depended on coming in as much under par as possible.
Well, Derek Ingram knows better. The Winnipeg resident put together a remarkable year last season on the Manitoba PGA tour—and was honoured with the circuit’s top award as Player of the Year.
But birdies and bogeys don’t mean near as much anymore since Ingram’s two-year-old son was born.
“Having a good mental game helps in golf, along with a healthy dose of perspective,” said Ingram, who shot a one-under 71 to finish in a tie for fifth, two strokes behind winner Rob Doucette, at the MPGA’s stop at Kitchen Creek Golf Club here Monday.
“It’s not like this is life or death. My wife and I had our baby two years ago, and now all I look forward to is getting off the course and seeing my son,” he remarked.
“I play and practice much less than I ever did, and I’m probably twice the player.”
Ingram won his first competition of the season last year, and went on to two more victories. He finished in the top seven of every tournament he played in.
This year has presented its share of obstacles—the biggest occurring a month ago when Ingram tore ligaments in his ankle.
He was off his feet for two weeks, then lost more practice time as he went to Kobe, Japan as head coach for the Canadian junior golf team, which finished fourth at the world championships.
Despite the layoff, Ingram feels he is playing as good as he was at anytime last year—but realizes there is always room for improvement.
“I want to work on getting my tee ball more into play as well as work on my wedge play,” said Ingram, who owns an outdoor heated practice facility for golf in Winnipeg, which stays open year-round.
Monday’s round started off fabulously for Ingram, who charged out of the gate to sit at five-under after five holes. It was a dream beginning that ended up backfiring.
“I got to five-under and it kind of hit me what I was doing,” said Ingram. “I started trying too hard.
“I lost a ball on No. 7, and then had a double bogey on the 16th,” he recalled. “I still had birdie chances at 17 and 18, but just couldn’t convert them. It was still a good day.”
Ingram enjoyed the Kitchen Creek layout—despite the presence of almost rock-hard fairways and greens due to the serious lack of precipitation in the area this year.
“This is certainly as good as any other course we’ve played on the tour, and better than average,” lauded Ingram, who added half-jokingly the only problem was “there were too many challenging holes.”
“The par-threes here are fantastic. You can hit anything from a pitching wedge to a three-iron playing them,” he noted. “You really can try out all the clubs in your bag.
“And the greens here, while a little firm, are in good condition and are nice to putt on.”
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
