Young Golf Stars
Generation next
They’re young, bright and extremely talented
Canadian golfers have been getting a lot of well-deserved press recently. Names such as Stephen Ames, Mike Weir and Dawn Coe-Jones are familiar to golf fans north and south of the border, not to mention legendary maverick, Moe Norman. With several already established world-class courses and an increasing number of PGA professional-designed courses, Western Canada in particular is quickly becoming a favourite golf destination—and creating the next generation of world-class golfers.
There are several up-and-coming junior golfers in Western Canada who are creating quite a lot of buzz in the Maple Leaf Junior Tour (MJT) and the Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA). GolfWest spoke with some of these young sensations about their games, their wins and their aspirations for the future. They are all diverse players but have some striking similarities: they are all articulate, bright, engaging youths with a strong sense of their own strengths.
JESSIE GIBSON: The teenager came within inches of hitting a hole-in-one at the age of four, and hasn’t looked back since—photo courtesy CIGA
Jessie Gibson » Saskatoon
Power on the plains
Jesse Gibson is a name you may be hearing a lot in the next few years. The 16-year-old ball striker from Saskatoon, Sask-
atchewan, has been getting his share of attention from both the MJT and the CJGA.
“(Jesse has) put up some very impressive scores this year,” said Rick Betts, the director of media relations and communications for CJGA. “For whatever reason, we tend to have one or two kids each year from Saskatchewan who shoot the lights out.”
Gibson certainly qualifies. He’s already had a strong start out of the gate this season with a playoff win—with a two-day score of 154—at the MJT season opener, the Saskatchewan Junior Championship at Deer Valley Golf & Estates, and qualified for a position on the MJT Team Canada to play in the China Junior Open later this season. His win at Holiday Park Golf Club in May at the CJGA Mizuno North America Cup qualifier and Junior Worlds qualifier featured a season low round of 65 (-7) and a tournament low total of 136 (-8). He qualified to play in the China Junior Open last year as well, but opted out for the best of reasons—he had final exams to write.
Gibson’s first-place finish in May comes on the heels of a very successful 2007 season, where he was part of Team Canada in St. Andrews in Scotland, which took top honours in match play against the U.S. and Scotland junior teams. He has represented Team Saskatchewan in various inter-provincial tournaments as well.
Gibson has been playing golf since he was three years old. One of his earliest memories is coming inches away from the Holy Grail of golfdom—a hole-in-one—at the tender age of four.
Gibson is an all-around player; he knows his strengths and he knows where he needs to improve.
“I hit the ball a ways,” said Gibson. “I’ve got a good putting game; putting’s probably my best. I always work on everything because it all has to be good to work in tournaments.”
In his young career, Gibson has logged some impressive scores; he shot 65 at Holiday Park Golf & Country Club last year in a CJGA tournament that ranks as one of his favourites.
“I was eight under after 11 holes with an eagle,” he said. “Putting was awesome because the greens were amazing; that helped me. That was the strongest part of the weekend—just roll the ball in the hole and make lots of birdies.”
Gibson hopes to continue making birdies, and plans to work toward a golf scholarship that will allow him to get an education, improve his game and, of course, eventually turn pro.
Carson Kallis: This junior phenom has already played for Team Canada twice at
St. Andrews, Scotland.—photo courtesy CIGA
Carson Kallis » Red Deer
A strong competitor
Carson Kallis from Red Deer, Alberta, remembers his first tournament this year—the CJGA Nike Golf Junior Series at River Spirit Golf Club in Calgary—as one of those rounds where everything comes together after a shaky start.
“I started out with three bogeys,” said Kallis. “And after that, I started hitting every shot and making lots of putts, and played the next 13 or 14 holes playing really well. On the fifth hole, I hit my drive into a little swamp and had to take my shoes off to hit the shot. (I) ended up making birdie on it—a par 5.”
Kallis got his start in golf at a par 3 course, Aspen Grove, in Kelowna, B.C., when he was seven years old. Although no one else in his family plays the game, they’ve all been supportive of him as he travels across the province, the tournament circuit and the world playing golf. He was part of several international teams with the CJGA—he played on Team Canada at the Euro Junior Golf Cup in St. Andrews, Scotland, in 2006 and 2007—as well as several other junior teams.
“I’ve been on Team Alberta with Alberta Golf for the Western Juvenile Team and Team Alberta going to the Junior America Cup,” said Kallis. “When you get picked, it’s a pretty good feeling knowing you’re among the top players and those organizations want you to be on their team.”
Kallis is pragmatic about his future.
“Hopefully, I’ll keep golfing,” he said. “I still have two years left of high school, so if I can keep getting better . . . and get recognized, I can get scholarships down in the States. (I’ll) continue playing down there until maybe I’m good enough to make a living out of it, but that’s a long way away.”
Jocelyn Alford: Jocelyn is one of the CJGA’s strongest female competitors.—photo courtesy Jocelyn Alford
Jocelyn Alford » Calgary
Playing to win
Eighteen-year-old Jocelyn Alford from Calgary, Alberta, only started playing golf four years ago.
“My entire family are really big golfers but when I was younger, I really wasn’t that interested in it,” said Alford. “It seemed like a lame thing to do. But my brother started going out more and he’s a really competitive golfer and I wanted to be like him so I started playing.”
So far, so good. Alford is one of CJGA’s strongest female competitors, recording a second-place finish at the CJGA Junior Worlds Qualifier in May with two rounds of 79 and 75. And as part of first-place Team Canada in Scotland last year, she shot a personal best of one over par, 73.
“It was really great,” said Alford. “We got to play with girls from the U.S. and Scotland and we went over to Scotland and stayed not even three blocks from St. Andrews. That was when the Women’s British Open was going on, so we saw Annika (Sorenstam) and Natalie Gulbis. It was a lot of fun, actually. We stayed in Toronto for a week at a development camp and then we went over to Scotland for a week. Canada won and I won five out of my six matches, so it was great.”
Alford is still inspired by her brother; he’s one of her favourite golfing buddies and he helps her maintain her competitive spirit. But as far as a career in golf goes, Alford is keeping her options open. Of primary importance after graduating this spring is the pursuit of a post-secondary education. She plans on working on improving her skills—she’s got a great iron game, she said, and her long and short games are becoming more consistent—and won’t rule out a career at this point.
“Everyone wants to make it as a golfer,” she said.