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<\/p>\nMaunula said the course layout allowed him to play more conservatively and he did not have to take as many risks as he might on other courses.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cYou\u2019re going to put one of the wedges close enough to make birdie. So you don\u2019t have to play too aggressive. You can kind of play it from 100 to 150 yards out. You\u2019re going to make birdies just because of the course. It\u2019s a fairly gettable course. So, kind of helped my game.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finishing in the top three ensured Maunula\u2019s spot with Team Saskatchewan, so he did not want to take too many risks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goal is just to try to guarantee top three, don\u2019t do anything down that\u2019s going to lead to not getting there. So just try to play, just play smart, make your birdies when you\u2019re there, try to eliminate bogeys and doubles. That was kind of the mentality.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The national tournament is in Regina from Aug. 10-14, where Maunula is looking to have a good showing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPut up some respectable scores. Last year I went and I didn\u2019t have the showing I wanted. I ended up missing the cut. So, this year to go there and make the cut and show what I\u2019m capable of would be awesome.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After missing the cut last year, Maunula said there is extra motivation this year, but he does not want to put too much pressure on himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you get in your head from the start, it\u2019s going to be a grind. If you just kind of get out there and play golf and just kind of lose the nerves and just have fun, you\u2019re always going to play better. Just staying relaxed and just playing golf will help for sure.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shae\u2019s sister, Natalie Maunula, 14, also won the girls U15 age group, shooting 33-over on the weekend. She won her age group by seven strokes and finished sixth overall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt pretty darn good. The first day I struggled a bit. I felt like the weather was so nice. I almost had a lot of pressure on myself to compete well, though I didn\u2019t end up performing as well as I would have liked,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe next two days I improved. I improved over each day, which was very nice. Yeah, I pretty much just stayed consistent and tried to play my best.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Playing with the lead for most of the tournament added pressure for Natalie, but she said she felt better as she became more familiar with the course.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt obligated to keep (the lead), which I ended up doing, which was very helpful. I definitely got more used to the course, more used to the speed of the greens, more used to where I should hit my ball. Getting used to the course helped a lot.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
When asked about any great shots she hit, Natalie mentioned a par save during the final round.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was hole 15. I hit my drive straight into the fescue, which was not very good. I ended up finding it and I punched out to the fairway, and I was about 124 with wind at my back. So, I 3\/4 of the nine iron and I stuck the ball to about two feet, and I was able to tap it in for par, which was really nice,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t really see the green. I could only see the flag. So I hit it. I\u2019m like, that looks like a pretty good line. Then I walked up and I\u2019m like, oh, wow, that\u2019s really close.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After the win, Natalie will travel to Bath, Ont., to participate in the U15 nationals from Aug. 24-27.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s my first time ever competing in a national tournament like that. I\u2019m going to practice a lot to make sure I\u2019m ready. It just means so much to me that I\u2019m going to be able to do that at 14 years old,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just looking to play my best, play consistent, and just try and place as well as possible. A win will be a stretch because I haven\u2019t been golfing for as long as a lot of these girls have. But my goal is to just take it one shot at a time. If I have a bad hole, just push that to the back of my mind and just keep going.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Both Shae and Natalie are strong supporters of each other, so it was special for both of them to earn victories.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy brother is probably my biggest source of support,\u201d said Natalie.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is always very, very happy for me. I like to talk to him like saying, how did you do? Which holes did you get birdies on? Then we can talk about how we thought the course was and what we can do better for the next day.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shae echoed those thoughts, talking about how they could debrief after their rounds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were both pumped for each other. After each round, we\u2019d just make sure to tell each other we did good, just try to motivate each other as much as we can,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s put in a lot of work. She\u2019s been playing good lately. So, it was really good to see her hard work paying off.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Five other golfers represented the Battlefords at the tournament.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finn Silver, U19 \u2014 12-over, T18 in age group, T23 overall\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hayden Solomko, U17 \u2014 23-over, 17th in age group, 42nd overall\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nic Burnett, U17 \u2014 38-over, 29th in age group, 65th overall\u00a0<\/p>\n
Josh Iverson, U19 \u2014 40-over, 37th in age group, T68 overall\u00a0<\/p>\n
Braxon Lavertu, U19 \u2014 45-over, 38th in age group, 71st overall\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2014\u00a0<\/p>\n