THUNDER BAY – Someday, Winnipeg’s Jeri Lafleche would like to follow in the footsteps of Brooke Henderson.
Canada’s top female golfer, a 13-time winner on the LPGA Tour, won her first major at 18, taking the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in 2016.
Lafleche is just a year younger and knows her game needs a lot of work to get to Henderson’s level, but she’s shown this week that she’s got plenty of golfing chops.
The 17-year-old fired a 1-over 73 on Saturday at Whitewater Golf Course and holds a three-shot lead heading into the third and final round of the 2024 Next Gen Prairie Championship, an event that’s brought some of Canada’s top junior golfers to Thunder Bay.
Lafleche birdied the short par 4 17th hole on Saturday, resulting in a two-shot swing that opened up her three-stroke lead, after Calgary’s Olivia Johnson, 15, bogeyed the hole.
“I’ve done my best so far and I’m looking forward to tomorrow,” LaFleche said, coming off a 3-over 75 in Friday’s opening round.
“As long as I can keep ball striking as well as I am, it’ll be a good day.”
Lafleche said finding the fairway was key to her round on Saturday.
“My driver was good today. I think I missed one, maybe two fairways. Being on the fairway on this course is key.”
Johnson, who opened with a 4-over 76 to sit one back of the lead entering second-round play, said she was happy with her game and that she’s in a position to possibly take the championship and earn a berth at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship next month in Vancouver.
“I think I played pretty good today. I think I could have made a few more putts, but overall it was pretty good,” Johnson said.
Calgary’s Sela Ogada sits in third place, eight shots off the pace. Toronto’s Juantia Beatrix Tandoc is fourth, at 13 over par, while King City, Ont.’s Sarah Du rounds out the top 5 with a 14-over 158.
In the junior boys event, being played simultaneously at Whtewater, a pair of Thunder Bay golfers are in contention as second-round play progresses.
Nathan Hoogsteen is 1-over through 16 and is just four off the lead, held by Saskatoon’s Ryan Mosher, who is currently 3-over for the day and 1-over for the tournament.
Thunder Bay’s Nathan Lepore is a shot behind Hoogsteen at 6-over through 34 holes, and has an even par round going through 16 holes on Saturday.
