Van Dornick captures fourth Alberta senior title in a playoff
Laubman and Griffith join Van Dornick on Team Alberta for the Canadian Senior Championship
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. (Alberta Golf) – With a heat warning in effect and temperatures hovering in the mid-30 degrees at the Henderson Lake GC, the final round of the 2017 Guardian Capital Alberta Senior Men’s Championship needed two extra holes to name a champion. Frank Van Dornick of the Camrose GC outlasted Brian Laubman and Ken Griffith over the course of two playoff holes to capture his fourth Alberta senior crown.
Van Dornick had the best round of the day, firing an even par round of 70 that was two shots better than anyone else in the final round. He said “today was probably my best outing. The whole round, the whole week has been a struggle with putts and reading the greens and getting the weight right. Today I guessed right a couple of times. It added up to an even-par round. That’s about as good as I could have done today.” Van Dornick got off to a nice start by birdieing his first hole of the day and making an eagle on the par five third hole. He went on to say that “I was just going to try and go out and play as good of a round as I could today. I had no thoughts about winning. No thoughts about a playoff. Nothing. I just wanted to play a decent round of golf.” That mindset paid off for the now four-time Alberta senior champion. He got himself into a playoff and never looked back.
“To get into a playoff and to be successful you are very lucky. The fellow I ended up beating, Brian Laubman, is a very good friend of mine. We had a lot of fun.” It was Laubman’s first Alberta senior championship. The 55-year-old former Alberta amateur and mid-amateur champion was looking to add the senior title and lay claim to the elusive Alberta triple-crown. Of the playoff, Van Dornick added that “we both just said, lets try and make birdie and end it as fast as we could. Unfortunately for Brian, he blocked his shot a little on the second playoff hole and made bogey. It is what it is, we enjoyed it, we are good friends and we would have been happy if either one of us won.”
Van Dornick’s previous three senior titles came in 2009, 2012 and 2014. This year he not only claimed the senior championship but also the super senior division for those aged 65 and over. “The super senior is my inaugural on that. I was hoping at some point in my competitive days I could win it once. So to win my first time out, that is one less thing I have to worry about in the future. Winning today was very, very special for me. To win the senior event and then to top it off with the super senior title. I am extremely happy about that.”
Van Dornick, Laubman and Griffith form the Alberta Interprovincial Senior Men’s Team. The team will compete at the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship, September 11-14th at the Kanawaki Golf Club in Montreal, Quebec.
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ABOUT ALBERTA GOLF
The Alberta Golf Association was incorporated as a society in 1912 and continues today as a not for profit Provincial Sport Organization (PSO) operating as Alberta Golf. As the PSO, we are commited to realizing the positive impacts of golf on individuals and communities across Alberta. Our vision is that through golf, Albertans will enjoy a high quality of life, improved health and wellness, a strong sense of community, economic benefits and personal fulfillment.
Alberta Golf hosts 13 annual provincial championships in order to identify the best golfers in various age and gender catergories. A mix of nearly 1,500 pro and amateur golfers compete on high quality member facility courses across the province. Championships are hosted by a core team of staff and over 100 volunteers. The tournaments promote competition, build pride in the community, support charitable giving and inspire future generations of golfers. They also serve as an opportunity for golfers to qualify for national amateur championships.
ABOUT GUARDIAN CAPITAL
At Guardian, we prize the stability of our clients, our employees and our financial resources. Placing the needs of our clients first has led to long-lasting relationships. A growing client base has allowed us to consistently hire the best and brightest. And this combination of satisfied clients and exceptional team members is what will allow us to maintain our significant financial strength in the decades to come.
CONTACT
Anthony Stirling
Tournament Director
Alberta Golf
(p) 403-999-2615
