{"id":62634,"date":"2025-08-11T23:55:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T23:55:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/62634\/"},"modified":"2025-08-11T23:55:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T23:55:08","slug":"first-nation-golf-prodigy-swings-a-win-at-junior-world-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/62634\/","title":{"rendered":"First Nation golf prodigy swings a win at junior world championship"},"content":{"rendered":"

At two years old\u2013not long after he learned to walk \u2013 Connor Hanska learned to swing a golf club.<\/p>\n

The 9-year-old athlete from the Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation in southern Manitoba recently returned from the Champion of Champions World Championship in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n

The young golfer said he practices \u201calmost every single day\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy favourite part is that it\u2019s just fun playing hole after hole,\u201d Connor said.<\/p>\n

The tournament brought 250 of the world\u2019s best junior golfers from over 40 countries to the Lough Erne Resort at the end of July.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are thousands of kids that compete for those spots every year, so for him to be one was just really amazing,\u201d his father, Doug Hanska said over Zoom.<\/p>\n

At the end of the three-day world championship, Connor scored 10th in his age category.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo place top ten, for us as parents, it\u2019s pretty surreal,\u201d his father Doug Hanska said. \u201cWe\u2019re still taking it in and trying to process it here, and [to] him, you know, it\u2019s just another round.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raising a prodigy<\/p>\n

Doug Hanska said Connor inherited his love for golf from a young age.<\/p>\n

\u201cI myself used to play competitive golf within Golf Manitoba,\u201d Doug said over Zoom. \u201cHe kind of grew up on the golf course.\u201d<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take long for his dad and fellow golfers at the Oak Island Resort to realize they had a prodigy on their turf.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t even realize how good he was until the guys were like, wow, you know, you might have the next Tiger Woods on your hands there,\u201d Doug said. \u201cEven as a six-year-old, he qualified for the Canadian Golf Nationals.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s when we realized, well, hey, he\u2019s pretty special on the greens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leading up to the tournament in Northern Ireland, the course became a second home.<\/p>\n

A local and online sensation<\/p>\n

With over 3,000 followers on TikTok, Connor has attracted a global fanbase.<\/p>\n

After qualifying for the Champion of Champions tournament, sponsors eagerly supported him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had multiple organizations reach out to us, and they wanted to help him with his journey,\u201d Doug said. \u201cIt just was like a ripple effect.\u201d<\/p>\n

At home in Birdtail Sioux, he\u2019s become a local celebrity.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom picked us up from the airport and was bringing us home, and she stopped at the local ice cream shop,\u201d Doug said. \u201cEven there, people recognized him right on the spot and were like, \u2018hey, weren\u2019t you supposed to be in Ireland?\u2019, and started asking him about his trip.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aside from his stellar swing, Connor\u2019s positive attitude keeps him grounded on the green.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis sportsmanship, it\u2019s the highest I\u2019ve seen out there,\u201d Doug said. \u201cWin or lose, he\u2019s always encouraging kids to try their best.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked what advice he\u2019d give to aspiring golfers, Connor kept it simple.<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep your head up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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