A berth to the Canadian Junior Girls' Golf Championship was on the line.
For Crystal Zamzow of Swan River, she knew plenty of work was ahead as she entered the second day of the Elmhurst Invitational five strokes behind Addison Kartusch. Zamzow was in full-on chase mode after an opening round that saw her drain three birdies in a row on holes four, five, and six.
That five-stroke deficit quickly turned into an eight-stroke deficit just more than 40 minutes after the start of Sunday's final round. Six holes into the final round, Crystal was still eight strokes back of Addison, who appeared to be well on her way to a championship and an automatic berth to the national championships.
At this point, Crystal wasn't worried about the leaderboard; she was more focused on playing her game. That mindset allowed the Swan River native to go on a run that will likely never be forgotten on the Manitoba junior circuit.
After back-to-back birdies on the final two holes on the front nine, Crystal trimmed the deficit to just four. Still facing a daunting task, Zamzow made three straight birdies on holes 11, 12, and 13. Kartusch made birdie on 13 and all of a sudden, Zamzow was just two strokes back and after Addison made a double bogey on the 16th hole, Crystal had eliminated the once-upon-a-time eight-stroke deficit that she faced just a few hours prior.
Then on 18, Zamzow found the bunker with her approach shot and she was in a tricky spot with not much green to work with. What followed was one of Crystal's best-ever bunker shots and considering the spot she was in, it was one of the best ones you may ever see.
"Considering the spot I was in, I was just hoping to get it on the green and go from there," said Zamzow. "It felt great to see it fall in the cup for the win."
Thanks to that magical shot from the greenside bunker on one of Manitoba's top golf courses, Zamzow is now New Brunswick bound as she will tee it up in the Canadian Junior Girls Championship from July 24 to 27.
It's awesome to have a solidifed spot for that event," said Zamzow. "Making the trip all the way to New Brunswick will be an incredible experience and I am certainly looking forward to it."
Crystal is now off to the Teulon Golf & Country Club from July 3 to 5 to play in Golf Manitoba's Junior Girls Championship, an event that she will enter as one of the favourites.
"It was a great confidence boost at Elmhurst to know that I can win and compete with everyone else," ended Zamzow. "I just have to take it shot by shot and we will see what happens."
Her 69 on day two of the Elmhurst Invitational also marked the first time that Zamzow has shot under par in a round.