North Battleford golfer’s breakthrough summer continues with 2026 Junior Lobstick championship

“So that was kind of motivation to, I didn’t want to have that happen again,” he said. “I played really solid all week, couldn’t have asked for too much more.”

Maunula opened this year’s Lobstick with a 71 in qualifying before advancing through match play to finish first in a field of 160.

(Image Credit: Golf Saskatchewan)

He said he was strong off the tee throughout the week, hitting plenty of fairways and recovering when his approach shots missed their mark. His putting also came through when he needed it most.

“Putting was a struggle closer at the start of the week, but then I made some really clutch putts at the end to kind of help finish the matches off,” he said.

The win became another sign to Maunula that his work is beginning to translate into results.

“This season has been very huge for me,” he said. “In the past, I haven’t had as much success.

“So to finally start to see all the hard work and dedication to the game pay off, it feels pretty amazing.”

The Lobstick championship adds to a strong summer.

In July, Maunula shot rounds of 68, 74 and 69 to finish five-under at the Saskatchewan Junior Boys Championship in Warman. He won the under-17 division, placed second overall and earned a spot on Team Saskatchewan.

Later that month, he shot 68 and 69 to finish seven-under and second at an MJT PLYR Series event at Moon Lake Golf and Country Club.

The results follow signs of his potential from two years earlier.

After Maunula’s 2024 Lobstick performance, coach Clinton Schmaltz called him a golfer with “phenomenal talent” who was “well ahead of his years.”

“He has the potential to be one of the province’s great junior players in the last 25 years if he keeps going in the way he’s going,“ Schmaltz said at the time.

The path to those results started much earlier.

“I’ve been playing pretty much since I could walk,” he said.

He recalled going golfing with his grandfather and father, initially hitting a ball off the tee before putting on the greens. Once he began competing, he realized golf was something he wanted to pursue.

“I started to realize, like, hey, this is something I’m actually pretty good at, and I enjoy putting in the work, like practicing and just seeing the improvement,” he said.

That improvement remains his focus.

Maunula said there are more tournaments ahead this season, including larger events where a win could help his rankings and other opportunities.

His longer-term ambition goes further.

“Biggest goal is to hopefully play professionally somewhere and to just try to help that become a reality, just focus on the little things and the little goals,” he said.

One measure is his scoring average, which Maunula said has dropped by a shot or two over the past two months.

“That’s big progress,” he said.

“Let’s just continue to see that drop, and the wins and everything else should come from that.”

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Kenneth.cheung@pattisonmedia.com

by Kenneth Cheung

North Battleford golfer’s breakthrough summer continues with 2026 Junior Lobstick championship

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