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Vanderham takes tour title, moves into ladies

It鈥檚 a happy ending for Cara Vanderham who finished her season taking tour champ title at Wolf Creek last month. 鈥淚鈥檝e played the tour since I started competing.

It鈥檚 a happy ending for Cara Vanderham who finished her season taking tour champ title at Wolf Creek last month.

鈥淚鈥檝e played the tour since I started competing. It was my first competition and five years later I got to win it, so that鈥檚 kind of cool,鈥 said Vanderham, 18, of the McLennan Ross Sun Junior Golf Tour.

And the win didn鈥檛 come easily. Vanderham, who was already enjoying her victory, went to grab a bite and get ready for some interviews when she was told she tied for 78 with one other player.

鈥淚t was so crazy,鈥 she said of having to quickly hop back out to the 15th hole, and regain her composure for a sudden-victory playoff against Carolyn Lee of Calgary.

It only lasted one hole. Vanderham won.

Vanderham, who just graduated from high school, is taking a year off and may look into scholarships for schools next year.

鈥淚f it happens, great, I鈥檒l go for it. If not, I鈥檒l continue to play anyway, even if it鈥檚 just for fun,鈥 she said of the sport that she鈥檚 played for 10 years, and doesn鈥檛 plan to give up any time soon.

She just started playing in the ladies amateur league and competed in a tournament in July.

鈥淚t鈥檚 great to be playing ladies,鈥 said Vanderham of the experience. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just more mature, I鈥檓 with older women with more experience and who are really serious.鈥 She said in the junior tour there were about nine girls and she was the oldest. Now she鈥檚 mixed in with women of all ages and said there鈥檚 a lot more to learn from everyone.

She said the sport doesn鈥檛 typically draw the attention of many girls.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of younger girls coming up, which is great to see. I think sometimes girls might be intimidated by the sport because there are so many boys playing it. But they shouldn鈥檛 be,鈥 she said hoping more girls in Innisfail give it a try. 鈥淧eople may think, oh, it鈥檚 not cool, it鈥檚 not exciting, but it is.鈥 She said it takes a lot for a person to learn the skills, but the rush of winning and even competing, is worth it.

Vanderham shot 75 in Innisfail and 77 in Olds over the summer during McLennan Ross events and won the ladies club championship overall for Innisfail Golf Club for the second year in a row, shooting 79-81 there.




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