Whitehorse Daily Star

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Photo by Marcel Vander Wier

ON A ROLL – Landon Kulych putts during the Yukon Golf Championships earlier this month. Kulych was part of the winning foursome at last Saturday’s charity pro-am.

Hospital the true winner at Skookum golf pro-am

With an assist from Skookum Asphalt, golfers drove, chipped and putted $45,000 towards Whitehorse General Hospital on Saturday.

By Marcel Vander Wier on July 29, 2015

With an assist from Skookum Asphalt, golfers drove, chipped and putted $45,000 towards Whitehorse General Hospital on Saturday.

The Yukon Hospital Foundation’s sixth annual Skookum Asphalt Charity Pro-Am Golf Tournament was held under sunny skies at Mountain View Golf Club – a picture-perfect day among two weeks of steady rain.

A total of 93 players from the Yukon, British Columbia and Alberta teed off, and the golf was followed by an awards ceremony, live auction and dancing.

Sixteen professional golfers from the Canadian Professional Golfers’ Association also took part in the event.

Up against a strong field of golfers, Team Rodal Placers – Landon Kulych, Ron Kulych and Maurice Winter with professional Russ Latimer – took home first place, earning round-trip flights courtesy of Air North.

The group shot a collective 133.

“The assumption is that it’s really tense and serious, but all the pros that come to this event are amateur-first people,” said Landon Kulych, the men’s champ at the 2015 Yukon Golf Championships.

“They’re all out there making sure each of us have the best time possible. There’s lots of laughs, tips and golf lessons. It’s really light-hearted and fun for the most part.”

The score is the combination of the pro’s game and the three amateur players’ scramble (best ball) score, Kulych explained.

“The three of us shot 11-under par and our pro shot an even-par 72, which was pretty good for the afternoon round.”

The Mountain View Golf Club team – Tom Wiggins, Terry DeForrest, Jim Thompson and local pro Jeff Wiggins – was just one stroke behind at 134. Three teams finished tied for third with a score of 137.

Reigning professional champion Chris Toth from Alberta’s Stony Plain Golf Course once again took top prize for the pros, shooting a two-round 141, or three-under.

Sam Young, representing Riverside Golf Club in Edmonton placed second, pencilling in a 143, while Kent Fukushima of the PGA Tour of Canada and Russ Latimer from Kelowna’s Black Mountain Golf Club finished tied for third at 149.

Yukon Hospital Foundation president Karen Forward said Skookum Asphalt is owed many thanks, as are the many sponsors, players and volunteers.

“More than $370,000 has been invested in Whitehorse General Hospital, thanks to this tournament,” she said in a press release.

“We are so grateful to the companies that come forward to sponsor the event, to donate auction items and to everyone that comes out to participate that day.”

Last year, nearly $60,000 was raised via the pro-am.

Skookum Asphalt once again chipped in $30,000 to the cause, said the company’s division manager Chris Simons.

Supporting the hospital foundation, is a no-brainer, he said.

“It’s for everybody in the territory. It’s something that gives back to the community and the whole territory.”

Established in 2005 to support quality health care in Whitehorse, the foundation invests in equipment that will enhance local health-care capacity.

Most recently, it raised $2 million in support of a MRI machine for the local hospital. This machine went into operation in January 2015.

This year’s proceeds will help purchase two maternal/fetal monitors, which are used to assess a baby’s health status during labour.

The devices will assist Yukon clinical teams in the birth of 400 new babies per year.

In addition to the pro-am, the foundation hosts several fundraisers throughout the year in support of the best possible health care locally.

The Northwestel Festival of Trees is next on the calendar, slated to begin Nov. 19.

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