Looking Back
Alberta Golf's John Burns got wet to help retrieve equipment for Ontario's Sarah Gallagher at the 2020 Alberta Ladies Amateur.
Gutting it Out Competition checklist: 14 clubs in the bag, check...rangefinder, check...a dozen ProV1’s,,,,,check,,, swim trunks, check... scuba gear, check. Wait a minute, golf round or afternoon swim? For Sarah Gallagher, 16, and playing in the Alberta Golf Ladies Amateur Championship at Lakeside Greens in Chestermere last July, round two of the provincial championship turned into both. Competing against many of the top female golfers in Canada, the Burlington, ON junior fired a stellar opening round of 1-over par 72. Gallagher started her second round with two bogies in her first three holes, but then settled in with a string of pars, despite the inclement weather. Not bad at all, considering the gale force winds and driving rain that greeted the competitors that day. Then, the unthinkable! On the Par-5 12 th hole, while chipping to the green, disaster struck! A large gust of wind literally picked up her cart and deposited it into the pond just right of the green. Clubs, cart, rangefinder, phone…. all submerged under three feet of water. With the help of her fellow players, Gallagher gathered what she could find and resumed play. She retrieved the essentials to finish the round, but her phone and rangefinder were seemingly lost forever.
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The Alberta Golfer 2021
Resumed play?? Yes, resumed play. Sheer willpower and determination (or perhaps simple stubbornness) kicked in and Sarah played on. Now when we think of gutting out a finish, perhaps visions of Tiger Woods hobbling on a torn ACL and fractured left leg in the 2008 US Open comes to mind For Sarah, gutting out her finish after going for a swim that July morning simply meant doing the best she could despite the adversity. By the way, Sarah finished 15 th in the tournament as the weather shorted the championship to just two rounds. The entire experience was certainly representative of her determination and mental toughness. When asked via Zoom months later, Sarah conceded, “Quitting was never really an option. I was cold, soaked and upset at what had happened, but wanted to represent myself the way my dad had taught me...never give up.” Sarah’s father Mike admits he was “..worried growing up. Sarah may have been a bit of a princess,” as they both chuckled at the reference. “Seeing how she handled the challenge that day makes me proud of the person she’s become.” Mike said. Two hours after the incident, both the rangefinder and the phone were located and retrieved from the pond by Alberta Golf’s John (Aquaman) Burns!
By John Burns
The equipment was initially in working order, but later succumbed to the submersion. The future bodes well for Sarah. The grade 12 student carries a 4.0 grade point average and is a member of the Ontario Golf Association -Team Ontario. She has her sights set on college in the US, all of which will continue to test her ability to gut out finishes. Sarah’s story parallels the story of the 2020 golf season in Alberta. More than ever, we focused on simply playing golf. Whether practicing on the range, or getting out on the course, we were altogether grateful just to be able to get outside. The year that almost wasn’t renewed our love of the game. It renewed our appreciation for the great outdoors and reaffirmed in our minds how blessed Albertans are for the number of courses at our disposal. If only briefly, golf helped divert our attention and refreshed our spirits. Sarah Gallagher played through adversity, but then didn’t we all? Despite what this world threw at us, despite how good we may or may not be at playing golf, the fact is, we played. We’re all in our own way gutting it out, and that’s what really counts.
