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Gordon F. Kells High School will play host to the 2011 Saskatchewan High School Athletic Association (SHSAA) Provincial Golf Championship on Sept. 22 to 24. More than 125 golfers are expected to take to the Kenosee golf course in hopes of capturing the provincial title for the 2011-12 school year.

Golfers from throughout Saskatchewan will compete at the provincial tournament with up to 12 golfers from each of the 13 districts competing. Districts are required to hold district playoffs prior to provincials to determine the six male and six female athletes they will send to the event.

Hosting a provincial championship is a privilege that only comes along once in a while. The co-commissioners, Trent Johnson from G.F.K. in Carlyle and Nathan Johnson from Estevan, are looking forward to holding such a prestigious event.

Trent said "The south east district is very excited to host this event and bring everyone to such a beautiful part of Saskatchewan. Not only that, but to [be able to] provide the students the opportunity to play one of the most challenging and beautiful courses in all of Saskatchewan."

"The most rewarding aspect of hosting a provincial championship is definitely the home course familiarity, but most of all, it is a chance for our district executive to host such a prestigious event in south eastern Saskatchewan once again. It is not too often that our district gets a chance to host a provincial championship, especially in the golf area."

Golfers will take to the course on Thursday, Sept. 22 when they will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the course through scheduled practice rounds. Friday will kick off with an early registration followed by the opening ceremonies at 9 a.m. Round one of the championship tournament will officially begin at 11 a.m. with a shotgun start. Round two will start on Saturday at 9 a.m. Following the final round of play, the provincial champions will be declared.

A lot of hard work has gone into the planning of this event from a number of individuals. "The co-commissioners of the event are myself and Nathan" said Trent. "We also have the help of a couple of staff members from G.F.K. school, and help from the Golf Kenosee staff, along with all of our sponsors. As of right now, we have almost everything in place and are basically ready for the championship to begin tomorrow."

"For those that would like to volunteer during the days of the competition, please contact Golf Kenosee and talk with Mike Bokitch. A big thank you to all of the SHSAA sponsorship, as well as all of our local sponsorships that provided financial sponsorship to help assist in the costs of the event."