Last year, Scott Blackstock hit a 65 on the final day of the Estevan Oilfield Technical Society’s golf tournament but for at least half the tournament this year, most of the golfers were satisfied to just keep the ball moving forward.
The OTS went through with an 18-hole and 36-hole event this year again although Friday and Saturday in the three-day event alternated between heavy rain, voracious wind and lightning.
“The weather conditions Friday turned out better than Saturday,” said organizer Rick Rohatyn, who watched the horn to get people off the course get blown at 6 p.m. Friday due to lightning in the area. “We had about 158 people registered on Friday but several people never finished the game…
“We had an hour delay to see what would happen and we just never got back on the golf course. We gave the option of getting on the course Saturday morning and finishing. Everybody got nine holes, and everybody came back and finished.”
Saturday’s problem was a win that started in the morning and just never dissipated throughout the day. Many of the top golfers under normal conditions were stuck with big numbers on their scorecards in the blustery conditions.
“Anthony Melle was low qualifier on Friday with a 74, and that’s great scoring,” Rohatyn said. “He was tied by Richard LaMontagne. That was good playing in those conditions. Saturday didn’t produce those kind of scores.”
The members of the OTS were great and easy to get along with, Rohatyn said, and understood the conditions around the tournament.
“We’ve had so much experience that we just keep it flowing, keep it moving,” he said. “Just people not finishing the rounds is what happens and you can’t blame them in those conditions.”
Melle, meanwhile, had a great day staying mostly out of the effects of the bad weather Friday and then returning Sunday when conditions were much better to get a three under par 69.
“I was thankful because I teed off at 7:30 (a.m. Friday) and the weather wasn’t overly bad,” said Melle. “It was really windy at hole eight and we had kind of overcast for 16 and 17 and then it was really windy. I had fortunate weather but we had a good group of guys and had fun.”
Friday or Saturday’s rounds are just about placing to make sure you have a chance to win Sunday, Melle said. He used the great weather conditions to get three birdies on the front nine Sunday and even an eagle on the back nine.
The 2014 and 2016 OTS tournament winner Melle, who appreciated the time off work and sponsorship from employer Baker Hughes, edged friendly rival Nolan Rohatyn on the 18th hole Sunday.
“Nolan and I play a lot together and it’s always fun,” Melle said. “We always push each other all the time. He had a tough one at 18 and we were both tied at 18 with minus-2 and I was fortunate enough to birdie and he had a bad lie going into the rough there and he put it a little bit long. I don’t like to winning it that way but I’m happy to win and had a really good back nine both days.”
For the rest of the 36-hole winners, Kreston Martindale won the first flight with a score of 73, Jim Larter won the second flight with a score of 79, Kaiden Antoniuk wa the third flight winner (80), Dan Isley won the fourth flight (82), Tom Blondeau won the fifth flight (88), Kim Harbourne won the sixth flight (87), George Gebkenjans won the seventh flight (90) and Derek Helm was the eighth flight winner (94).
In the 18-hole part of the tournament, Warren Waldegger won the championship flight with a score of 79. Other flight winners were first flight winner Tyler Werner (85), second flight winner Riley Hengen (88), third flight winner Conrad Meili (91), fourth flight winner Greg Wock (95), fifth flight winner Sean Sali (99), sixth flight winner Brett Latoski (101), seventh flight winner Sam Bakala (105) and eighth flight winner Cory Kittleson (112).
