Glencoe Invitational still going strong in its 24th year

Amateur golfers vie for Glencoe Invitational title Golfers will be at the Glencoe Club on Thursday for the first day of a big tournament. Glenn Campbell reports.

The Glencoe Invitational remains one of the best amateur tournaments in Canada and past winners include some high-profile golfers who found success as professionals.

Graham Dalaet was the top golfer in 2005 and Mackenzie Hughes won the title in 2011. The Invitational was one of the stepping stones for both getting onto the PGA tour.

Etienne Papineau won the event last year and says it’s definitely the highlight of his young golf career. “It was great. I was really happy because I wanted to win this event so bad.”

Papineau says the invitational is his favourite golf tournament and having his name on the trophy means a great deal to him. “A lot of good players won this event and adding my name to this list is just awesome.”

Max Sekulic plays out of the Glencoe Golf and Country Club. He’s riding a high heading into the Invitational, having just won the Alberta match play tournament at River Spirit Golf club.

Sekulic says beating the two-time defending champ Brendan MacDougall in that event gives him a lot of confidence. “Winning is all about seeing yourself doing it,” said Sekulic. “Having a win under my belt is huge because it gives you confidence that you can do it when it matters.”

MacDougall grew up playing golf at the Glencoe and he knows all about the history of the event and who the past winners are. Winning the Invitational would be a dream come true for him. “It would be everything,” explained MacDougall. " I see that board everyday walking past it."

"Just having my name on it would be something incredible."

MacDougall, Papineau, Sekulic and the rest of the field will tee it up starting Thursday. The tournament wraps Saturday.