For the second time in as many weeks I played golf with a pro today.

Last week it was a recognizable name in Fort McMurray, Stuart Anderson, this week, not so much. It would take a die hard golf fan to know the name Mark Baldwin.

Anderson was raised in Fort McMurray, began playing at Miskanaw Golf Club and physically helped build the Fort McMurray Golf Club, site of the inaugural Syncrude Boreal Open. Anderson is a three-time winner on the Canadian Tour, was recently inducted into the Wood Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame and hasn’t put down a club in weeks.

Baldwin, on the other hand, I hadn’t heard of until last night when I saw his name pop up next time mine at the tournament’s draw dinner last night, leading up to today’s Pro-Am, a staple to any major professional golf tournament. Thanks to technology I was able to Google his name from my Blackberry prior to hearing Ray Ferraro speak. 27 years old, born in Laconia, New Hampshire, second year on the Tour, best finish was a tie for 12th last year, tied for 45th last week in Kamloops, that’s about it. But by the time the 6′2″, smooth-swinging up and coming left the table after lunch, I knew a lot more about him, and what life is like on a stepping stone tour like the Canadian Tour.

The threat of rain did nothing to dampen the excitement at the Fort McMurray Golf Club this morning as the sponsors responsible for making this event happen were thanked with a free round of golf with a pro, some complimentary food, jacket and Adidas golf shoes. It is easy to tell, that with only a full day between now and the return of pro golf to this city for the first time in more than 20 years, this tournament will be a success.

For me, the thing I take away most from today’s round, wasn’t the fact that I put a few drives on the fairways and sunk a pair of lengthy birdie putts, it is the effort and dedication this young golfers put into their game in hopes of one day making it to the PGA Tour. I noticed the same thing with Anderson last week. Here is a guy who played four rounds plus practice and a Pro-Am in Kamloops, where he finished second, then lost out in a Canadian Open qualifier, by one stroke, jumped on a plane, flew to Edmonton drove up to Fort McMurray on Tuesday to play in a media golf day. While Baldwin’s story isn’t quite the same, it’s as equally commendable, these guys don’t live a luxurious life. Baldwin won $531.94 dollars last week, take away entry fees, paying his caddie, possibly accommodation, and those six days in BC likely cost him more than his entire pay cheque.

Playing on an injured left knee, Baldwin was patient, helpful and all-around a very cool guy when it came to playing a round with a few weekend warrior radio guys. He offered insight into how he started golf then went on to play at Notre Dame, how to hit a low chip shot from off the green, and over lunch, some pretty crazy stories about his time playing pro in Asia. The amount of time and effort these players put into grinding it out on the Canadian Tour is amazing, and it is the simple things that they appreciate. For example, steak and shrimp for lunch as opposed to hamburgers and hot dogs. That is why it is so important that Fort McMurray supports the players and the tour this week at the Syncrude Boreal Open. There is a tremendous amount of love for this sport in this city and I just hope that the fans, and people who have never seen a guy crush a ball 300+ yards, or hit a wedge 10 feet past the pin and suck it back to tap-in distance, take a few hours between Thursday and Sunday and check this tournament out. Syncrude has committed three years as title sponsor, and it would be amazing to see this event become a player favourite on the Canadian Tour.

For ticket information, tee times and all the other info you need, visit www.syncrudeborealopen.com.

Three Canadian Tour players scheduled to tee it up in the inaugural Syncrude Boreal Open will be well prepared.

Canadians Wes Heffernan and Adam Hadwin, and American Ryan Ellis, have qualified for the 2011 US Open, to be played June 16-19 at Congressional Country Club outside of Washington D.C.

Heffernan, Hadwin and Ellis grabbed 3 of the final 4 spots available yesterday at the Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton, WA.

Fort McMurray last hosted the Canadian Tour in 1988 and 1989 at the Fort McMurray Rotary Classic.

The Canadian Tour has produced some of the best golfers in the world including Mike Weir, Chris DiMarco, Steve Stricker, Stuart Appleby, Arron Oberholser, Michael Campbell, Stephen Ames, Nick Watney, Tim Clark, Spencer Levin and in 2010 Graham DeLaet.  Canadian Tour alumni collectively have won 98 PGA TOUR events including four (4) Major Championships and over $400 million in career earnings.

The Fort McMurray Golf Club one of Fort McMurray’s Premier Championship Golf Courses is carved out of the Borealis Forest and nestled along the banks of the beautiful Athabasca River. Designed by Bill Newis of GPEC Designs as a 6,858 yard par 72 the Fort McMurray Golf Club is ranked one of the must play golf courses in Alberta by the Edmonton Sun and will provide Canadian Tour players with a significant challenge.

The tournament also marks the return of Fort McMurray’s own Stuart Anderson, who will be inducted into the Wood Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame just days before the tournament on June 15, 2011.

(With files from the Canadian Tour.)

The Wood Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame Society has announced the induction of Brian Shantz as the second of four inductees into the Class of 2011.

Shantz started playing hockey in Fort McMurray at the age of five and would advance up the minor hockey league ladder eventually playing for the hometown Junior “A” Fort McMurray Oil Barons of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. In 1987-1988 Shantz was fourth in league scoring with 34 goals and 80 assists over 57 games.

His talents did not go unnoticed, as he signed with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League for the 1988-1989 season. He ended up third on the team in scoring that year with 62 goals and 33 assists in 62 games.

The following season the Blazers would make it to the Memorial Cup where the Oshawa Generals defeated the Kitchen Rangers 4-3.

During his tenure with the Blazers Shantz scored 33 goals and added 53 assist in 62 games during the 1988-1989 season and  netted 39 goals while recording 75 assists in 71 games the next year.

Shantz re-joined the Oil Barons in 1990-1991 and would play in the AJHL All-Star Game, in a season where he scored 26 goals and added 55 assists to finish third in the league scoring race.

In 1992 Shantz turned pro, signing with the Erie Panthers of the ECHL. During the next 11 years he would pack and unpack while wearing the sweaters of 13 different franchises.

It may sound like a lot of teams but you must add into the equation that Shantz also played for four different teams – Edmonton Sled Dogs, Oakland Skates, Oklahoma Coyotes and Vancouver Voodoo – in the professional Roller Hockey League which ran after hockey season had concluded.

The majority of his career though was spent with the San Antonio Iguanas of the Central Hockey League where he played from 1994-1996 and 1998-2001. He also played 26 games with the San Antonio Dragons of the International Hockey League in 1996-1997.

Aside for his time in San Antonio, Shantz also suited up for the Tulsa Oilers of the CHL from 1993-1994; the IHL’s Utah Grizzlies in 1995-1996, the Quad City Mallards of the COHL in 1996-1997, the Fort Wayne Komets of the IHL in 1996-1997, the WPHL’s Shreveport Mudbugs in 1997-1998 and the Corpus Christi Icerays along with the Tulsa Oilers to wrap-up in 2001-2002.

But it was with the Iguanas that he made his mark, winning back-to-back Ken McKenzie Trophy’s for the top scorer in CHL.

From his centre position the 5’9” dynamo scored 39 goals and added 80 assists during 66 games in 1994-199, following that up with 54 goals and 85 assists in 64 games the next season (still the CHL scoring record), a season in which he was awarded the Bill Levins Trophy for CHL MVP.

Shantz, 40, currently resides in San Antonio where he continues to develop the sport of hockey while also holding a career as a real estate agent.

Of his induction, Shantz said, “Being inducted into the Wood Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame is a tremendous honour. Playing for the Oil Barons and being inducted to their Hall of Fame was always a childhood dream and was a stepping stone to playing professional hockey. I am excited to return to Fort McMurray and very proud to be named one of the inductee’s for 2011.”

The Wood Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame Society has announced the induction of Stuart Anderson as one of four inductees into the Class of 2011.

Born in Calgary in 1978, Anderson moved to Fort McMurray at the age of three. The son of a golf fanatic, Anderson picked up a club for the first time at eight, just three years later he won his first junior tournament at the Links of Spruce Grove Golf Course. Anderson continued to fine tune his game on the fairways and greens of the Miskanaw Golf Club and even had a helping hand in the construction of the Fort McMurray Golf Club.

 His dreams of becoming a professional hockey player were dashed in the middle of his Grade 10 year at Westwood High School, when his family moved to Arizona. It was in the Grand Canyon State where Anderson helped lead the Red Mountain High School Golf Team to a 5A State Championship in 1996. Two years later Anderson received a full scholarship to Illinois State University where he won three NCAA tournaments before graduating in 2000.

Anderson made his professional golf debut in 2001 on the Canadian Golf Tour, shooting rounds of 76-75 to miss the cut at the Myrtle Beach Open. Four tournaments later and Anderson was cashing his first cheque, winning $300.00 for a 71^st place finish at the Telus Edmonton Open.

 Anderson captured his first Canadian Tour title in April of 2005, finishing -17 at the Foster Farms California Classic and taking home a cheque worth $24,000. The following year he was victorious at the Canadian Tour Championship, winning $25,600. His last and most lucrative victory came at the 2009 Desjardins Montreal Open, where he shot a -21 to earn $32,000.

Anderson considers 2009 the highlight of his career so far, as on top of winning on tour, he qualified for the PGA Tour’s RBC Canadian Open, barely missing the cut, and along with Graham DeLaet, represented Canada at the World Cup of Golf, finishing 25^th.

The closest he’s come to earning his PGA Tour card came two years earlier when he missed out on the final stage of Qualifying School by just two strokes.

Anderson says this summer will certainly be a memorable one, as in June he will be inducted into the Hall of Fame just a week before teeing it up in the inaugural Syncrude Boreal Open at the Fort McMurray Golf Club, “It’s going to be really special for me. When I was a kid and those professionals came up I caddied both years and it just widened my eyes to something more and hopefully I can open some kids eyes up in Fort McMurray seeing that they can do it as well.”

Anderson, now 33, currently resides in Sooke, BC with his family.

The Wood Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame will honour Anderson, and three other inductees to be named later, at the Fifth Annual Induction Dinner June 15, 2011 at the Sawridge Inn and Conference Centre. The event will feature guest speaker NHL legend Lanny McDonald. For tickets call 780-381-1213.

The Wood Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame is located inside the Syncrude Sport and Wellness Centre.

Following back-to-back blow out wins at home to kick start their quest for the Enerflex Cup, the Fort McMurray Oil Barons can complete a sweep of the Steel tonight.

The MOB, who are really using the nickname as a fan pleaser and intimidation factor, hammered St. Albert 5-1 and 7-1 at home last weekend. Game three goes tonight St. Albert.

Despite finishing with a 7-13 record in their inaugural Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference season, the Keyano Huskies Men’s Basketball team has a shot at the playoffs.

Keyano will tip off versus the Concordia Thunder Wendesday night at NAIT in Edmonton, in a one game Wild Card matchup. The Huskies finished fifth in the ACAC  North with 14 points, Concordia four points better. Four of Keyano’s seven wins came in the second half of the season, and all in a row. Beginning with a 105-65 victory over Grand Prairie Regional College on January 21, the Huskies rolled out three more consecutive wins.

Keyano faced the Thunder in Concordia to begin the season back in late October, winning game one 68-65, before being blown out 94-40 the very next day.

On a side note, the women’s hoops team snapped an 18-game losing streak with back-to-back wins at home against Lakeland College last winning, finishing the 2010/2011 season 2-18.

10 weeks ago it was surrounded by over 5,700 fans, TV cameras, a stage, concessions and merchandise tents. It’s condition perfect, and outcome favourable. It’s the outdoor rink at MacDonald Island Park that hosted the Norther Classic, Canada’s first ever outdoor junior hockey game.

Now as the snow continues to fall on Fort McMurray, Mac Island has opened up the rink to the public. Residents are free to strap on their skates and circle the scene of the Oil Barons 4-2 victory over the Drayton Valley Thunder on November 26, 2010.

Ice access is free and the rink will remain open during daylight hours.

The Fort McMurray Oil Barons made it ten straight wins with a 10-2 dismantling of the Drayton Valley Thunder Friday night. Forward Ben Lake led the way offensively with a goal and three assists, while every other MOB player, minus Dylan Seymour and goalie Jesse Kallechy picked up at least a point.

Fort McMurray scored three times in the first and never looked back, adding a pair in the second, before erupting for five third period goals, including two by captain Adam Johnson.

The Barons outshot the Thunder 60-23 and went 4-for-6 on the power play.

Easily the hottest team in the league, Fort McMurray trails Spruce Grove by three points for first in the AJHL North Division.

Expect the MOB to move up the CJHL rankings on Monday, they were ranked 10th in the country on December 20, 2010.

A pair of Blue Jays fly into Fort McMurray today.

Toronto pitcher Scott Richmond is returning to host his third winter baseball camp, and this time is bringing along team mate Jesse Litsch.

Full camp details are online at www.fmmba.ca

With a little over a week left in the month, men across Fort McMurray, likely including some Oil Barons players, the countdown is on until we can rid ourselves of the lip-sweaters we’ve been grown to raise awareness and money for prostate cancer research. But before Movember goes, the makeshift moustaches will provide a bit of extra warmth for the guys making hockey history this Friday.

On November 26th, here in the oil sands city, the first ever outdoor junior hockey game in Canada will be staged. Announced mere months ago, in early September, the Northern Classic is exactly what Fort McMurray needs. A national story that doesn’t involve dead ducks, toxic tailings ponds or drug dealing. It gives players, coaches, staff and fans the chance to return to the grass roots of the game.

The Fort McMurray Oil Barons will host the Drayton Valley Thunder on a regulation-sized rink constructed on a field at MacDonald Island Park. In weeks the site has gone from a leveled off pile of dirt, to a rink that if you used your imagination, would resemble the one if your old backyard, or the pond in your hometown that you likely learned the game on. Standing at the site, its impossible to not feel nostalgic.

With just three days left before puck drop, the game has already made headlines on some of Canada’s biggest sports sites including TSN and Toronto’s the Fan 590 Sports Radio.

It took just 54 minutes to sell out the game’s 5000 tickets, though a chunk were kept aside for corporate sponsors, who then donated them back to Fort McMurray Minor Hockey and both public and catholic school boards to be distriputed to kids. 500 were also shared among local radio stations to give away on air. Single tickets for this winter’s hottest attraction are now being sold online for up to $350 each. The sold out crowd means an Alberta Junior Hockey League attendance record (previously 4,400) will be broken under the stars Friday night.

The Northern Classic also reunites Thunder head coach Fran Gow with Fort McMurray. It was a decade ago when Gow guided the Oil Barons to the 2000 RBC Cup on home ice.

Following days of blistering temperatures touching -4o with the wind chill, Friday’s forecast calls for a comfortable low of -9 and no snow.

Finally, while the game is being played in Fort McMurray, it will represent something truly Canadian.