Joey Payeur
Jonny Lundon was less a golf coach and more a NASCAR crew chief.
But his team went ahead and made history without him, anyway.
The Muskie boys’ golf team bagged its first-ever NorWOSSA title by winning the final league tournament of the season last Wednesday at Beauty Bay Golf Course in Kenora.
Fort High finished with 27 points after a second-place showing in the season-opener in Dryden and then back-to-back first-place finishes, including their clinching triumph in Kenora with a combined team score of 346.
The Sioux Lookout Warriors ended up in second place with 18 points, followed by the St. Thomas Aquinas Saints of Kenora in third (17).
All three teams now advance to the NWOSSAA championship this Friday (Sept. 30) in Geraldton, where they’ll vie for the right to move on to the OFSAA boys’ golf championship Oct. 11-13 in Port Elgin.
And where was Lundon while all the excitement was going on?
“We got a rock in the tire on the way out there and the tire was pancake-flat when we finally got to the golf course,” he recounted.
“So I was getting the tire changed in town while the boys were out on the course, and I didn’t really even get to see them play.”
In his absence, the Muskies had four golfers finish in the top 10 individually in the 31-player field.
Kendyn Faragher and Sheldon Kelly Jr. each crafted season-best rounds of 84 to tie for fourth—seven strokes behind Owen Stebnitsky (Saints), whose winning mark of 77 was the only sub-80 round in NorWOSSA play this season.
Faragher’s effort gave him a total of 261 points to put him third overall behind Jacob Lugli of the Dryden Eagles (287), who finished second in Kenora with an 82, and Nodin Carlson of St. Thomas Aquinas (264), who was third after carding an 83.
Kelly Jr., who missed the tournament in Red Lake the previous week, wound up placing 15th overall with 157 points.
“Sheldon was 11 shots better than his first round and he looked quite happy coming off the course,” noted Lundon.
Meanwhile, defending NWOSSAA silver-medalist Tyson Morrisseau and Muskie teammate Kaleb Bruyere both posted rounds of 89 to tie for seventh in Kenora last Wednesday.
“Tyson was not really happy with his game, but the rest of the guys stepped it up and got it done,” Lundon said in reference to those like Bruyere, who had his lowest round of the season by seven strokes.
Bruyere nailed down 10th place in the points standings with 204 while Morrisseau managed 13th (175) despite not playing the season-opener in Dryden earlier this month.
Cole Kowalski carded a 96 at Beauty Bay—his highest score all season—that left him in a tie for 14th place with Keith Wrolstad (Dryden).
But Kowalski’s earlier accomplishments mean he was still able to collect seventh spot for the year with 213.
While those five will comprise the Muskie team competing at NWOSSAA, a sixth rep also may make an appearance.
Mikel Ward finished with a 105 in Kenora to sit in 21st place.
But the 38 points he got for his placement was enough to push him up to 123 points.
That left him in 20th place overall to lock up the fifth and final NWOSSAA berth reserved for those not considered part of a qualifying team based on their season point total.
But Lundon was uncertain whether Ward would travel to Geraldton.
While not qualifying for Geraldton, Muskie Gord Scott sliced three strokes off his previous round with a mark of 126 to finish 30th in Kenora.
Scott capped the season in 33rd place out of 45 players with 30 points.
Lundon, meanwhile, will continue his new trend of being present only in spirit for the NWOSSAA tourney as work obligations will force him to stay behind.
Instead, teacher rep Chris Sinclair will oversee the Muskie contingent in Geraldton, as well as in Port Elgin if they advance to OFSAA as a team or as individuals.
“I think they have a real chance to get to OFSAA,” Lundon predicted.
“It will take all of them to play well to do it but I think they should be able to get at least to the next stage,” he noted.
