This year’s victory by our Men’s Club Champion, Jay Doyle was quite the feat. Jay is one of the best golfers who ever played at Niakwa and his win as Club Champion marked a couple of very impressive milestones.
Read More>>His 2020 Club Championship was Jay’s 8th – which ties him with another great Niakwa golfer, Don McNeill for the most Men’s Championships. On top of that, his 2020 Championship was a fourpeat for Jay – to go with his wins in 2017, 2018, and 2019. And how about this? Jay has won the Club Championship in four different decades – the nineties, the two thousands, the twenty tens, and now the twenty twenties. He’s Niakwa’s Gordie Howe (minus the elbows).
Besides winning every Club competition there is, Jay has been a key member of, some excellent Mundie Putter teams (for the last few years as captain), including several champion squads. He has represented Niakwa, and has performed very well, at the provincial and national levels in both the Men’s Amateur and Men’s Mid Am. Jay, along with Todd Fanning and the late Tom Wilson, is a former provincial Mid Am Champ.
The man Jay tied for most Men’s Championship, Don McNeill, has been a heckuva golfer, too. Don has also won eight Niakwa Men’s Championship. He also achieved a fourpeat, winning in 1982, 83, 84 and 85. Don represented Niakwa in provincial and national events, but one of his most memorable achievements was qualifying in the British Men’s Amateur through medal play to the match play portion of the competition.
Our Ladies Club Champion this year, Bev Mehmel has also accomplished something unique – winning the Club Championship in the year she’s serving as President of our Board of Governors. When I was Club President my handicap went up 4 strokes.
Bev also did us proud at the Manitoba Senior Ladies in 2020.
The Ladies Championship came down to the final hole with Bev edging perennial champ and keen competitor Bonnie Stephenson. Besting Bonnie in any competition is a achievement in itself. Bonnie has won the Ladies Championship twelve times. She’s also won the Ladies Senior Championship more than once, but being a gentleman I won’t disclose how many times (I’ll just say she’s over 50). Bonnie has competed and done well at many provincial and national events. She’s been a mainstay on any competitive Ladies team that has represented Niakwa.
Our 2020 Men’s Senior Club Championship was played back in July. Ken Warwick battled another veteran, Glen Chiswell for three playoff holes before finals emerging as Champion. This was Ken’s second Senior Championship win and third overall. Ken consistently plays well in Manitoba Provincial Senior Championship and has represented Niakwa, and the province, very well at the National Championship. A worthy champ, indeed.
