Roger Sloan’s first hole as a member of the Web.com Tour didn’t go so well, but the Merritt golfer managed to pull it together in time to post a solid number.
Sloan, 25, shot one-over 71 to open the Web.com Tour’s Panama Claro Championship in Panama City on Thursday. He is tied for 53rd ahead of today’s second round, with the top 70 and ties surviving to play the weekend.
Sloan played his way onto the Web.com Tour, America’s second-best professional golf tour, through PGA Tour qualifying school. This is his first tournament as a member of the Web.com Tour, although he did appear in a tournament last year.
Sloan opened Thursday’s round with a double-bogey six. He bounced back with a birdie on the second hole and made the turn in one-over 36.
He made bogey on his 10th hole, but was back to even on his round before another double-bogey on the 15th hole. He finished par-birdie-par to post the one-over-par number.
Americans Mark Anderson and Andrew Loupe lead after shooting 64 on Thursday. Richard Scott of Windsor, Ont., the only other Canadian in the field, also opened with a 71.
* * *
The TRU WolfPack women’s soccer team will be passing down some knowledge to young players at its annual benefit soccer clinic on April. 13.
The WolfPack, the two-time defending provincial champion, and head coach Tom McManus will welcome players between the ages of five and 17 to Hillside Stadium. Admission, recommended at $10 per player, is by donation, with proceeds going to a charity to be determined.
There will be two two-hour sessions available — the first at 10 a.m., the second at noon.
For more information, email Larry at lread@tru.ca.
* * *
The South Kamloops Titans senior girls basketball team will look to book a trip to its third straight provincial AAA championship at the Okanagan championship today and Saturday.
The Titans will play host to the four-team event. The first game is tonight, 6 o’clock, with South Kam taking on either the West Kelowna-Mount Boucherie Bears or the Penticton Lakers. The other game will be played at 7:45 p.m.
The Okanagan final is scheduled for Saturday at 2:45 p.m. The winner will move into provincials in Langley from March 6-9, while the loser will head to Merritt for a challenge game next week.
The Titans are the No. 1 seed at Okanagans after an undefeated zone season. South Kam is the top-ranked team in the province, but the Kelowna Owls, who are seeded second at Okanagans, are ranked sixth in B.C.
South Kam won provincials last season, and was third in 2011.
* * *
A 7-0 run in the fourth quarter helped the South Kamloops Titans past the St. Ann’s Crusaders 36-27 in Grade 8 boys basketball action Wednesday.
The Titans led 9-6 early, but St. Ann’s came back to lead 23-15 at the half. The Crusaders held on to a two-point lead after three quarters, but South Kam battled back to win.
Ben MacDonald and Samad Twemlow-Carter each scored 11 points for the Titans. Quinn Adam had 11 points for St. Ann’s, and Kordell Primus had eight.
The Titans were to play their first playoff game on Thursday against the Merritt Panthers.
* * *
Jeremy Strachan had 10 points as the Brocklehurst Broncs Grade 8 boys basketball team knocked off the Valleyview Vikings 35-24 on Wednesday.
Mitchell Mathieson also had seven points in the victory. Brayden MacLean led Valleyview with 14 points.
* * *
Six young bowlers from Falcon Lanes in Kamloops will compete at the Youth Bowling Canada provincial championships in Kelowna and Vernon on March 2.
Ava Loehr, in bantam girls, Mason Carusi, in junior boys, and Brooklyn McCourt, in junior girls, all will compete in singles events.
Isabel Loehr, Madison Ursulak, and Tricia Eustache and coach Della Lyons are to compete in the combo girls event.
* * *
Kelly Olynyk of Kamloops has been named to the 2013 Capital One Academic All-American Division I men’s baseketball first team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
The 7-foot-0, 238-pound Olynyk, who plays for the Spokane-Gonzaga Bulldogs, graduated in December with a 3.53 GPA and now is enrolled in the MBA program.
Olynyk is averaging 17.9 points and 6.9 rebounds for the Bulldogs, who are 26-2 and No. 3 in the AP rankings.
