July 20, 2005
Shot stroke of good luck
13-year-old wins Cherry Festival Hole-in-One
By
Herald staff writer
If Leland Yanick's performance in the National Cherry Festival Hole-In-One golf tournament is any indication of things to come, he has quite a future in the game.
The 13-year-old scored a hole-in-one to earn a spot in the final closest shot competition, where he took top honors - the youngest winner in the history of the tournament held at Bay Meadows Golf Course in Traverse City.
"The crowd just erupted when he got it in," said Leland's father Mark Yanick of his qualifying round shot.
The 73 yard hole-in-one came on the second to last ball in a bag of 25 balls.
"I used a pitching wedge for the one that went in - and I wore the lucky shirt that my aunt gave me," said Leland who earned a golf trip at the Garland Resort in Lewiston for the shot, along with a chance to participate in the final closest shot competition.
"He was the last qualifier so he shot last. He had three shots and got the winner on the third shot, the last shot of the day," Mark said.
The ball landed just 6 feet 10 inches from the pin on the par-three, 165 yard hole nine. That winning placement earned the youngster a trip to Las Vegas.
"It was pretty exciting. It's cool to play in a tournament," said Leland who hopes to play for the Traverse City West Senior High golf team and eventually turn professional. The eighth-grader at Traverse City West Junior High, started playing the game at the age of seven and plays at least five times a week.
"If you know the game of golf, some days it can be real easy. But it's not always easy, some days it's a real challenge. Either way, it's fun," he noted.