Ward and Johnstone aren’t pleased with tourney

Despite making it to the final round of the Manitoba Amateur championship, local golfers Greg Ward and Brian Johnstone aren’t thrilled with the end result.
“My golf swing left me,” said Johnstone. “I had two nines and an eight and I didn’t get any better on any other hole,” he added.
Johnstone had a four day total of 328, leaving him tied with Brad DePape of Breezy Bend Country Club for 62nd place finish.
During the four-day tournament, Johnstone carded a 75, 80, 79 and finished off with a 94 in the fourth round, leaving him 40 strokes behind championship winner, Kevin Kotyk of Rossmere Country Club.
“On my first day, I only shot one bad hole. The second and third day I putted well but didn’t shoot too well. On the fourth day, I didn’t play well at all,” noted an obviously disappointed Johnstone. “The fourth day nothing went well, I was all over the map . . . it was just one of those days where nothing went well,” he added.
Johnstone noted he will be working on improving his technique with his irons.
Ward, who placed considerably higher than his counterpart, admitted he didn’t play too bad but could have played a better game.
“I played good. Considering I have only been to two of these tournaments and this is the best showing yet,” he said.
Ward, who held a fairly consistent score of 76, 74, 76 and 76 during the four-round amateur tournament tied for eleventh place with Donovan Sired of The Wildwood Club in Manitoba.
Ward walked away from the tournament with a final score of 302–14 strokes behind championship winner Kotyk.
“As far as golf is concerned, I’m kinda happy with placing. But I could’ve putted better,” said Ward. “It felt like I left my putter in Nova Scotia.”
Ward has already begun practising for next year’s tournament because he didn’t get as close to winning as he had hoped.
“Next year, I hope to make the team . . . I am basically saying I will make the [Willingdon] team next year,” enthused Ward.
He added being in tournaments like this give him a chance to gain experience. “Every big tournament like this I learn a lot and gain more experience,” noted Ward.
“Patience was my biggest improvement–I have been working hard on the mental aspect of my game. During the tournament I never got upset if I double bogeyed,” he explained. “Everyday of the amateur championship it would take me a while to warm up to the front nine . . . I started to feel more confident with the course as the day went on.”
“It [playing poorly on the front nine] didn’t discourage me because I knew I would pick up my game on the back nine,” Ward noted.