A 16-year-old Saskatoon golfer has etched her name into Saskatchewan golf history, joining her mother as the first mother-daughter duo to win the Saskatchewan Amateur Women’s Championship.
Grace Odnokon has won three provincial titles in the past two weeks.
After winning the under-17 and under-19 championships, she captured the Saskatchewan Amateur Women’s Championship last Thursday.
“I struggled a lot in the front nine the last day, so I came back on the back, and that felt really good to win,” Grace said in an interview with CTV News.
Her victory puts her name alongside her mother, Carla Odnokon, who won the provincial amateur title in 2018. Grace says sharing a place on the championship trophy with her mother has been a longtime goal. Carla was by her daughter’s side for the victory, serving as her caddy.
“It was really exciting,” Carla said. “She played really well, and I just tried to keep her calm and keep moving forward, and I think it worked.”
Carla Odnokon, formerly Carla Dobchuk, brings plenty of experience to the bag. She played NCAA golf at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, won 13 collegiate tournaments and was inducted into the university’s athletics hall of fame in 2012.
She also believes her daughter has surpassed her.
“She is better than I was, so that’s exciting. It’s great to watch,” she said.
Over the past year, Grace has continued to develop her game.
“I’m a lot more confident now, and I’m able to get it a lot out closer to the hole,” Grace said.
“She’s hitting some great shots into the green. She continues to work on her strength and conditioning so she’s able to hit the ball a long way, a lot further than me,” Carla added.
The mother-daughter duo is now in Mississauga, Ont., where Grace will look to carry that momentum into the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at the Toronto Golf Club, with her mother back on the bag as her caddy.
