18 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR:JONKUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2012 World Junior Challenge no challenge for local golfer By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLEBEAVERSTAFF Kyle MacDonald had been to winter tournaments in previous years, though the top results he was able to produce on the golf course in the summer had always eluded him. No doubt, MacDonald was at a disadvantage against golfers from warmer climates who had the benefit of playing year-round. But there was one other factor in play. MacDonald simply thought those golfers were better than him. "When I went to those tournaments, I used to think of everyone at the top being at the level of a PGA player -- that every shot they took was perfect." That changed this season when MacDonald went to the Doral-Publix Junior Golf Classic in Florida in the week before Christmas. The 13-year-old shot an opening-round 76 and found himself just two shots off the lead in a tournament that had golfers from 10 different countries among the top 25. "That was a big eye opener," he said of playing in the lead groups. "I saw that I strike the ball just as well or better than everyone else. My confidence went way up." That confidence paid off with a second-place finish in a field of 78 golfers at the Doral event and a victory a week later at the Canadian Junior Golf Association World Junior Challenge. Layoff provided opportunity to work on mechanics MacDonald is coming off a successful summer on the links. He qualified for the U.S. Kids/Teen World Championships in Pinehurst, N.C. He finished 20th, earning him a spot on the international team for a Ryder Cup event against the top American players. MacDonald won his match to help the international team take the event for the first time. MacDonald got another chance to play in a similar event. He won the Nike Golf Junior Series qualifier to earn a spot on the Canadian team for the Stephen Ames Cup against Trinidad & Tobago in August. But it had been more than a month since MacDonald had been on a course before heading to Florida. He didn't look at that as a disadvantage, instead seeing it as an opportunity to fine-tune his mechanics. "I may have had a slight advantage," said the St. Vincent Grade 8 student. "I wasn't thinking about where the ball was going, just about my club position in my swing." The week after the Doral-Publix, MacDonald played in the CJGA World Junior Challenge, leading the boys 14-under division from wire-to-wire after an opening-round 75. EASY VICTORY: Kyle MacDonald follows through on a shot at last month's Canadian Junior Golf Association World Junior Challenge in Palm Harbor, Florida. The 13-year-old carded a three-round score of 224 to win the boys 14-under division by 10 shots. MacDonald also finished second overall at the Doral-Publix Junior Golf Classic the previous week. PHOTO COURTESY MIKE KERR / CANADIAN JUNIOR GOLF ASSOCIATION A good mental approach turned out to be just as important as his swing mechanics in that round. He was just oneover on the front nine but triple-bogeyed the 10th. "Going into the tournament, I had the goal of playing one shot at a time and not letting my mind overthink things," he said. "I didn't want to get too high or too low because it ends up costing me shots." Two holes after the triple bogey, he birdied the 12th and went on to finish even par on the final eight holes, refusing to let a good round slip away. Despite carding a 77 on Day 2, MacDonald increased his lead from one shot to three. Then, on the final day, MacDonald removed any doubt with a one-over round of 72 that gave him a whopping 10-shot victory. His three-day total of 224 would have finished tied for third in the 15-19-year-old division. As impressive as his final round was, MacDonald said it could have been even better. "It was almost something really special," he said. "With a few breaks the front should have been a 30 (instead of 36) with the number of putts that lipped out." Still, MacDonald was thrilled with his play, saying he's never hit the ball better than he did in those two tournaments. He still sees room to improve, though, which is what he'll work on in the coming months as he prepares for some important qualifying tournaments in April and May. Intermediate Hornets stinging opposition in recent action Slowly but surely, the Oakville intermediate AA Hornets are inching back towards the .500 mark. Oakville has won two of three games in 2012, earning a 3-0 win over the Mississauga Chiefs last Tuesday and downing the Brampton Thunder 3-1 Friday before falling 7-1 to the undefeated Toronto Aeros Saturday. The Hornets (8-12) have won four of their last six contests and now sit 12th in the Provincial Women's Hockey League standings. Victoria Bach scored for Oakville in each of its past three games. The 15-year-old sophomore is now tied for sixth in the league goal-scoring race with 12 markers. Amanda Pereira and Shanelle Doucette had the Hornets' other goals in their shutout win over the Chiefs last week. Goaltender Laura Corcoran was the story of the contest, however, stopping all 32 shots she faced as Oakville prevailed despite being outshot 32-16. Heather Platt, Melani Moylan and Bach had first-period goals in Friday's win over Brampton at Joshua's Creek Arenas. Camille Leonard turned in the Hornets' second strong goaltending performance in a row, making 29 saves and carrying a shutout into the late going. Bach's powerplay goal was the only offence Oakville could muster against the Aeros Saturday. Corcoran took the loss in net despite making 34 saves. The Hornets are only scheduled to play one game over the next week, a visit to the Burlington Barracudas Friday.