NIPIGON – As is the case with any athlete, Hayden Foulds wants to succeed at every task.
However, as the 23-year-old from Nipigon made his way to Kimberley, B.C., with his family for the International Sports Promotion Society HANDA Canadian Blind Golf Open Championship, Hayden wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
“I want to have fun and obviously I want to win, but I also knew that this was going to be my first tournament and that it would be different from anything I’ve done before,” Hayden said.
“Things were a little hectic leading up to the tournament, but once I started golfing, everything was good.”
If there were any nerves, Hayden didn’t show it at the Bootleg Gap golf facility as he earned second place honours in the B1 men’s division.
“There’s always room for improvement, but I thought I did pretty well all things considered,” Hayden said.
“I felt like I was making some of the best shots that I’ve made in the last couple of years and I was making longer putts. I struggled sometimes with the shorter putts and some of my drives weren’t great, but I thought I was playing some really good golf.
“I think a lot of people were really happy with how I did.”
One of those who was excited by Hayden’s showing was his father David, who served as his sighted guide during the tournament.
“It took him a couple of holes to settle in on the first day but after that, he was playing his game,” David said.
“We did notice that Hayden was getting a little tired on the back nine on the second day, especially as it was pretty hot out there, but I thought he played really well. There were a few little things that we learned during the event, such as some of the different rules they have with playing out of sand traps and things like that, but it was a great learning experience for everyone.”
While this was the first time that Hayden had played on a course in British Columbia, David said that Bootleg Gap had some similarities to courses that they’ve been to in Minnesota.
“A few people had said that it was a pretty tough course for blind golfers, especially with how narrow it is,” David said.
With his first major tournament under his belt, Hayden is looking at competing at other events in the future, though he’s taking things one day at a time.
“I think we’re just going to see what the next couple of weeks bring before I make any decision on what’s next,” Hayden said. “Right now, I’m just at home playing with my buddies and having some fun.”