'It was an incredible experience': Sault golfers punch ticket to finals

A team of female golfers from Sault Ste. Marie has punched its ticket to the finals of a national tournament for golfers of all abilities this fall. 

Mary Jean Chartrand, Mary Hart, Jeannine Jefferson, Kaisa Manttari and PGA Pro Travis Spiess of Sault Ste. Marie Golf Club advanced to the RBC PGA Scramble National Final after winning the regional finals for northeastern Ontario in Minett, Ont. Monday.  

The all-female team and their pro will travel to the final round, which will take place at Cabot Cape Breton golf course in Inverness, N.S. Oct. 8-10. 

“It was an incredible experience,” said Hart, speaking with SooToday during a telephone interview Wednesday. “For a women’s team of our age to have been successful down there, we’re having difficulties having words to express it. 

“It’s mind blowing, it’s just crazy.”  

The team initially qualified for this week’s regional tournament in the Muskokas by earning a wild card entry during a local qualifier held at Sault Ste. Marie Golf Club earlier this summer. 

More than 12,000 participants competed across 170 local qualifiers from coast-to-coast during this year’s event.

The excitement is palpable leading up to the finals, which will see the squad from the Sault compete against 20 other golf teams from across Canada over the course of the three-day event.   

“I can’t even describe it,” Manttari told SooToday. “All I have to say is our poor families have to put up with us and our giddiness for the next five weeks.” 

This year’s RBC PGA Scramble saw approximately 1,200 women participate, marking a new record for the golf tournament.