For the past four years of trying, Thornbury resident Wenda Recoskie wished to make it to a national golf championship.
And this month, that wish came true.
Recoskie, along with her teammates Wanda Brown (Recoskie’s twin sister), Mary Hanna and Katy Smithson, placed fourth at the RBC PGA Scramble National Final held at Cabot Cape Breton in Nova Scotia Oct. 5 to 9. Their team was the top all-female team in Canada at the amateur tournament after qualifying at both the local and regional levels this past summer.
“Dreams do come true and this was an example of it,” said Recoskie in an interview with CollingwoodToday. “This tournament was huge for us because most of the ladies who made this tournament – none of us are spring chickens and we competed against very young guys.”
A golfer for the past 30 years, Recoskie said the team had tried together for the past four years to qualify, but didn’t make it past the local stage.
This year, things were different.
The team beat out 12,000 golfers across Canada this year who also competed for a national spot. All teams at the national tournament are paired with a golf pro.
“That is huge. We are on top of the world,” said Recoskie. “We were so excited just to be there. It’s beautiful.”
When approaching the tees, each team had to select a song to be played. Recoskie’s team played Hit Me With Your Best Shot by Pat Benatar.
“We had fun with the moment,” she said. “Just being there, we felt like winners. We were all emotional.”
Recoskie said she’s an advocate for women’s participation in golf. Following the tournament, the rules state that her team of four cannot compete again for three years.
“If you have a women’s team, you should be looking up the RBC Scramble. If we can do it, you can do it,” she said.