NCAA crowns golf champions

By Bernie Puchalski - September 24, 2021

Notre Dame’s Michael Martel and Denis Morris’ Ben Hebert carded 77s Friday at Twenty Valley to top the boys division at the Niagara Catholic Athletic Association golf tournament.

Blessed Trinity’s Mya Mackey topped the girls division with a 99 and Blessed Trinity (Cole Thompson 78, Caleb Shorthouse 80, Hudson Mielko 81, John Kingdon 82, Ben Kelly 82) won the boys team title.

As a Grade 9 student at Denis Morris in 2019, Ben Hebert was low man on his team at the NCAA golf championships helping Denis Morris advance to the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Athletic Association championships.

On Friday, he took the next step, tying Martel for low medalist honours. The 16-year-old Thorold resident came in to the tournament on a high after finishing fourth overall this past summer in the under-19 division of the Niagara Junior Golf Tour.

“I definitely felt that I could have been better,” the Lookout Point member said. “I had a strong set of rounds but some people just had better days at those tournaments.”

He was pleased with how his game developed this summer.

“I didn’t win any tournaments but I had some really good rounds and I shot my personal best at Willodell. I shot 69 so I was happy with that,” he said. “I have been working with my coach, Travis Glass, and he has really helped me the last few years to become the golfer that I am today.”

Hebert is planning to do winter training with Glass.

“We are going to work on swing speed and trying to hit the ball farther so we are ready for the upcoming season,” he said. “I need to improve everything. I could definitely work on my putting and I am really looking to fine-tune my game  so I am ready for the upcoming Golf Ontario season.”

He is also planning to compete in some American Junior Golf Association events.

“I am looking forward to playing well in them because I know those are the ones that the college scouts are looking to find good players at.”

Hebert won the junior boys championship at Lookout Point and was scheduled to play in Saturday’s 72nd Annual Walt McCollum Niagara District Champion of Champions golf tournament at Niagara National Golf and Country but the tournament was postponed because of wet conditions.

“I was really looking forward to playing well that day and I had a lot friends playing as well. But I understand if the weather calls for it to be moved, that’s just the way it is.”

Playing at Twenty Valley would have been good practice for that event.

“It was pretty wet but the greens were quite dry and they were rolling pretty well,” he said. “It was lift, clean and place so we had that going for us.”

Michael Martel’s first round of high school golf was definitely interesting, the Grade 10 student at Notre Dame said.

“The first five holes were a rocky start and then I was even from then on.”

Nerves weren’t the issue.

“I didn’t come in thinking this was a big tournament,” the 15-year-old Fonthill resident said. “When I am playing GAO (Golf Association of Ontario) it is a different story. It was exciting to play because I haven’t played a tournament in over a month.”

He blamed the layoff for his slow start.

“It is difficult to transition back into it after being away from it for so long,” he said.

Martel finished second overall in the under-19 boys division on the Niagara Junior Golf Tour this past summer and won two events.

“At the beginning, I had a lot to work on,” he said. “It was nice gaining the distance I gained over the winter but I was working on accuracy over all other things. And I feel my short game got a lot better,” he said.

That short game continues to be a work in progress.

“I need to work on my short game a lot more,” he said. “Today that was a struggle and it took me almost nine holes to figure out the greens. I have to keep working hard and I will get there.”

To further sharpen his game this winner, Martel will be training multiple times a week at John White’s training facility at Brock Golf.

“Eventually the goal is to go to a Division 1 school and that has been the ultimate goal since I started playing.”