With the 2017 season in full swing, Alberta Golf has already conducted its Scott Venturo Alberta Open Championship and Alberta Junior & Juvenile Championship U19 & U17 qualifier events. Starting today, and extending to the end of the week, over 250 competitors will compete in qualifiers, across five zones, in order to claim their spot into the Sun Life Financial Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship to be held at the Ponoka Golf Club, July 18th to 21st.

2017 Men’s Amateur Qualifier hosts include: Heather Glen Golf Club (Calgary), Whitecourt Golf & Country Club (North), Old Golf Club (Central) and Vulcan Golf Club (South).

Evan Holmes has been competing in the Men’s Amateur event for a few years now, and is the defending Champion.

“Just a big exhale of relief, really,” Holmes said of his reaction after winning the 2016 Sun Life Financial Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship at Innisfail Golf & Country Club. “It was a lot of hard work paying off. Probably since Sundre (2013 Amateur), it’s been the tournament that I’m always looking forward to every year, to work a little bit harder to get.”

Ah yes, Sundre, site of the Alberta Men’s Amateur in 2013.

If you’re not familiar with the gut-wrenching details, Holmes owned a commanding nine-shot lead after three days at that event, only to be leapfrogged in the final round and lose by one.

At Innisfail, he fired four straight rounds in the 60s, finishing three shots up at 15-under 273.

“I would obviously rather have two Alberta Ams than one,” Holmes said. “But now that I have won one, it’s definitely a monkey off my back.”

All of this month’s qualifiers including, the Senior Men’s, will finish on June 13th. The deadline to register for the Senior’s competition is June 5th.

View all of the leaderboard results to see who will be competing in the various Alberta Golf Championships this season starting on June 20th. The Alberta Men’s Amateur Qualifying Calgary begins today.