Kozak wins Florida golf event

SOUTH FLORIDA / YORKTON - There might still be snow on the ground locally, but Yorkton golfer Ella Kozak is already back on the links. 

And, she is back to her winning ways topping the South Florida Kickoff event March 19-20, which is part of the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour.  

Kozak shot an opening round 76, then followed that with a second day 77, for a plus-nine 153 tops among girls 14-18. It was an 11 shot margin over her nearest rival Skye Braun from Scarsdale, NY. 

The event was held at the Madison Green Country Club in West Palm Beach, FL. 

Kozak said the difference for her on the weekend was her short game, adding the course had a lot of tight fairways, and hazards, so precision was a key. 

“The short game was kind of a requirement,” she told Yorkton This Week Monday. 

As it turned out chipping and approach shots and putting have been areas Kozak has been working on in recent weeks as she has attended the Henry Brunton Golf High-Performance Residential Academy in Florida. 

“I’ve seen a lot of growth in my game since being here,” she said, adding that is particularly true of her short game. 

“Really this weekend, (in the tournament), I saw that shine through. It saved me a few times.” 

Kozak, 16, has been training for several weeks, having switched schooling to online learning so she can work it in around a schedule that has her focused on golf nearly everyday. 

The intensive training has been helping, and Kozak said she will be in Florida a few more weeks before heading home to Saskatchewan where she has a busy schedule of golf events on the schedule for summer.