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Rain halts Jean Duteau Memorial Golf Tournament

For the first time in its 18-year history, not a single golfer finished the Westlock Rotary Club’s Jean Duteau Memorial Golf Tournament.
Golfers battled the rain at the Westlock Golf Course June 9 for the 18th annual Jean Duteau Memorial Golf Tournament. Wishful thinking that the rain would lighten up didn’t
Golfers battled the rain at the Westlock Golf Course June 9 for the 18th annual Jean Duteau Memorial Golf Tournament. Wishful thinking that the rain would lighten up didn’t come to pass for this group of golfers Friday afternoon (l-r) Dwayne Casavant, Chris Mckenzie, Ryan Hoggie and Woody Lewko.

For the first time in its 18-year history, not a single golfer finished the Westlock Rotary Club’s Jean Duteau Memorial Golf Tournament.

Although nearly 100 golfers hit the green at the Westlock Golf Course June 9, the rains were too much and everyone threw in the towel.

Two groups ended up finishing 12 holes while the rest averaged between three and six holes. Because of that, there were no results or actual scores to announce at the banquet that evening.

“But everybody was actually quite enthusiastic and fired up to get out there in the rain because we were on the fence as to whether we should try and reschedule,” said Todd Bayley, Rotary Club golf committee chairman.

“The consensus was absolutely from the golfers ‘No, let’s golf.’ It was absolutely pouring and everybody was geared up and dressed for the conditions and they all wanted to get out and play.”

The tournament was delayed for about half an hour, but after that the golfers went out on their carts. One hundred golfers signed up for the tournament and only two carts did not actually go out, which Bayley said was a success in that way.

“They had a great time,” he said. “I think they were happy everybody went out, got absolutely soaked and came back in, hung around the clubhouse for a while, had a few beverages and just hung out. Even from speaking to everybody at the banquet, it was more of an adventure to get out in the rain and give it a shot.”

Though the rain didn’t necessarily keep people away, it lessened how much everyone could play, adding he had “never seen a golf course with so much standing water on it. I was actually quite surprised the golf course let us go out.”

Although the weather certainly put a damper on things, and no trophies or top scores weren’t given out this year since only a handful of golfers wrote their names on the markers for longest drive, the Westlock Golf Course handed out free nine-hole vouchers to all the players and participants at the banquet.

According to Alberta Climate Information Service, the Barrhead weather station accumulated 23.4 millimetres of rain while the Dapp weather station accumulated 11 mm.

For the last 10 years, Chuck Keller ran the show and from what he could recall, he had never seen conditions like that.

So for newcomer Bayley, it threw in a few unexpected challenges.

“Never say never but for me that really set a bar, especially for myself being the first time I’ve chaired this,” he said. “I don’t think the conditions could get much worse than that.”

No matter the weather, the tournament was all for a good cause.

The tournament was created 18 years ago by then-Westlock Rotary Club president Jean Duteau in support of Special Olympics and his daughter who was a Special Olympics athlete.

It was then known as the Westlock Rotary Golf Tournament but after Duteau’s passing in 2008, the tournament was renamed the Jean Duteau Memorial Golf Classic.

When the Special Olympics program no longer required the tournament’s funding, the funds were designated to the Rotary Club’s youth programs, like the Westlock Gators Swim Club, building playgrounds and sending young members on exchanges across the country.

Bayley said it would be a few days before the final tally from the live and silent auction is drawn up but it was “a real successful night for raising funds.”

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