Turner, Martens, Creighton crowned C of C champions
Brennan Turner continued his awesome summer of golf Saturday at the St. Catharines Golf and Country Club.
The 14-year-old member at Rockway Vineyards carded a 75 to record a two-shot victory in the junior boys division at the 75th Walt McCollum Niagara District Champions of Champions.
The Grade 10 student at E.L. Crossley won every event he played at in the under-15 division of the Niagara Junior Golf Tour and finished 27th at the Ontario bantam championship. On Tuesday morning, he and his E.L. Crossley teammates will head to Timmins to compete in the provincial high school championships.
Saturday was his first-ever appearance in the Champions event and he was excited to win.
“It felt pretty good and I got off to a pretty good start. I was three under after two and I kind of fell off a little bit but it felt good to finish on a high note.”
His start included an eagle on the 10th hole thanks to an eight-foot putt. On the 11th hole, he drove his ball to within seven feet of the cup and lipped out for another eagle.
On pace to shoot 27 under par, Turner came back to earth a little bit.
“Shooting really well was a little bit on my mind but I had a tough par 3 right after it and I went four over on the next three holes. It was a rough stretch and it went from really good to really bad.”
But his score would hold up at the end of the day.
“It feels really good to be a rookie in this and come out with a win. My mindset was just to play my best. I had only played this course twice and I haven’t put up really good scores.”
His previous best on the course before Saturday was an 81.
“My skill level has improved and I had a bit more knowledge of the course.”
He feels he has made good progress in his game this summer.
“The biggest thing now is my maturity level. It’s being a bit smarter on the course, not being so aggressive, laying up more and just keeping the ball in play.”
Turner, who hits it 275-280 yards off the tee, knows what his next step needs to be.
“My short game needs to improve a bit. I think that will take me to the next level if my short game can be elite.”
Rounding out the top five in the junior boys division were Sawmill’s Will Burleigh (77), Cherry Hill’s Eli Perng (78), Lookout Point’s Ben Shaver (80), Twenty Valley’s Jack Hanna (80) and Port Colborne’s Kayden Grenier (80).
MARTENS RULES MEN’S DIVISION
Twenty Valley’s Joel Martens made a successful debut Saturday at the St. Catharines Golf and Country Club in the men’s division of the Walt McCollum Niagara District Champions of Champions.
The 32-year-old Beamsvillle resident fired a two-under par 70 to record a one-shot victory.
The utility locater is a former, long-time golf pro at Twenty Valley and teaching pro at GOLFTEC in Hamilton before getting out of the business to have a better work/life balance and spent more time with his two young daughters. He regained his amateur status in 2023 but ‘didn’t do so well’ at the Twenty Valley club championships. It was a different story in 2024 as he won his club title and the Champions title.
“It’s incredible and it was really fun. I wasn’t expecting much coming out here but my game held up.”
His low expectations were because it is late in the golf season and he hadn’t been playing as much lately.
“But I put a little practise in before and let er out. I didn’t really want to push too much and I just played.”
No one had to tell Martens the significance of winning a Champions crown.
“It’s surreal and amazing. I have been a part of golf in Niagara for almost my whole life. Watching all the guys who I saw play in this tournament for years, it is just amazing to be a part of it.”
He struck the ball really well to record the victory.
“I drove it fantastic, the irons were really good, I putted horribly on the front nine but I found a way to make a couple putts on the way back in. If I didn’t drive it as well as I did, I don’t think I would have played as well.”
His turning point came on the 14th hole.
“I hit an eight iron in on the par 5 and it almost went in before rolling to six feet away. It was the first birdie putt I had made all day and then hit a five iron to within five on the next hole, a par 5, and rolled it in for an eagle,” he said. “That kind of kick-started it and then I knew where I was on 18. I had about a 12-footer and I knew one under was the lead and that’s where I was. I knew I had to make the putt to have a chance and I rolled it in.”
He was thrilled when the putt dropped.
“It felt pretty great and it was a little relief because I hadn’t really seen anything go in the hole all day,” he said. “To see it go in was pretty awesome.”
Rounding out the top five in the men’s division were Cherry Hill’s Kristopher Boyes (71), Bridgewater’s Nolan vonKalckreuth (73), Port Colborne’s Marcel Mariage (77) and Sawmill’s Brett DeBastiani (77).
CREIGHTON TOPS SENIORS
Adam Creighton remains unbeaten at the Walt McCollum Niagara District Champions of Champions golf tournament.
The 59-year-old member at Cherry Hill was finally to able to play in last year’s event after retiring from a 23-year career as a scout with the Boston Bruins. He promptly tied for first in the senior men’s division with Yogi McKay from the St. Catharines Golf and Country Club and this Saturday was the solo winner in the 75th version at the St. Catharines Golf and Country Club. He carded a one under par 71 to record a two-shot victory over Twenty Valley’s Mike Baines.
“It is a nice tournament and I really enjoyed it this year. The weather was a lot better than last year and Cameron (St. Catharines head pro Thin) puts a good event on. It is kind of special to come back and be able to play,” he said. “A lot of work goes into it and it’s a great event.”
Last year, Creighton had an excellent season, winning the Ontario senior championship and tying 20th at the Canadian senior championship. He followed that up with another strong campaign in 2024, placing second at the Ontario seniors, tying for 16h at the Canadian seniors and finishing third at the Senior Porter Cup at the Niagara Falls Golf and Country Club in Lewiston, N.Y.
“It was a pretty good year and I did OK. Listen, I just like to play and if I play well, it doesn’t really matter if I win. I am just happy that I am playing good and if someone plays better and beats me, that is just the way it goes.”
He described his play Saturday as ‘just OK.’
“I hit some good shots but I didn’t play great and I didn’t play bad. I didn’t make any big mistakes, I three-putted once and I missed a short putt on one hole. But any time you are around par it is always good.”
Creighton won a club championship at Lookout Point four times but could never play in the Walt McCollum Niagara District Champions of Champions because of hockey commitments.
“I think of all the times it didn’t work out for me,” he said.
Rounding out the top five in the senior men’s division were McKay (74), Lookout Point’s Ian Penney (74) and Rockway Vineyards’ Mike Petro (75).
