Less practice but more fire. And get comfortable with a putter. Those are a few of the goals Burnaby’s Leo Harper has put down for next year’s golf season.
Of course, he admitted it likely won’t be less practice, but he will be ratcheting up the intensity in training with an aim of carving his name on tours like the Maple Leaf Junior series. It’s all part of the plan.
While he says the past season wasn’t blotted with highlights, the fact he was chosen as co-winner of the Dylan Reichelt Memorial Award, a $2,000 prize for achievements in junior and juvenile boys order of merit point leaders on the Maple Leaf Junior Golf tour, said otherwise.
“It feels really good,” he said of the honour. “I’m happy I won it and honoured, but I feel really bad for the (Reichelt) family.”
Dylan Reichelt died in a car accident in 2011. The family created an award that honoured their son and helps teen golfers in B.C. pursue their dreams in a sport Dylan loved.
Harper won his for the juvenile division tally, while Vernon’s Brandon Chai collected it for his performance in the junior merit points competition.
Take the B.C. Juvenile championships. Two solid rounds of par-72 and 73 had him in vying for second. But like many of the players at Nelson’s Granite Point Golf Course in August, the third and final round was a day in the rocky rough, with Harper firing a six-over 78. But because others around him also imploded in a scrambly day on a tough course, he still finished tied for third overall.
A week later at the B.C. Bantam championships, Harper was in fine form with rounds of 68 and 69 and ended just one-stroke back of Victoria’s Jeevan Sihota for the title. The only better round he shot came at Pitt Meadows’ Swaneset, when he posted a 67 from the red tees.
“(The bantam championship) was probably my best round, at Christina Lake,” recalled Harper. “The mental part and having confidence in my shots has improved. It’s the biggest (obstacle) for sure, the mental part.”
He’s also pleased with his short game.
“I’d say my wedges is what I’m most happy with. If I have an inside-150 yards straight away shot (and) it’s a green-light birdie shot, I’m not thinking about what bad could happen,” he said. “My putting is not as consistent. I went through three putters and it’s frustrating at times.”
The Burnaby Mountain student picked up the game at the age of eight with some encouragement from his father.
“My dad got me into the game and brought me to Seymour Creek driving range. He can’t golf – he loves golf but he just watches my game,” said the teen.
Friend and fellow Burnaby rival Andy Luo, meanwhile, was named the MJT’s bantam boys player of the year.
Two likely highlights for the Burnaby North student were a pair of 70s he shot on the MJT tour. In March, it came on the second day of the MJT Vancouver junior championships, propelling him to a four-stroke win over Harper.
At the end of May he carded 70 again, this time on the first round at Swaneset en route to an incredible 12-shot victory.
“Me and (Luo) are good buds and he did great this year,” said Harper. “There’s competition in a tournament but we’re all just trying to have some fun. No one is winning thousands of dollars. Obviously if you’re under-par it’s a better day,” added Harper.
