SPORTS FLASHBACK 1984: Manitoba Open a $500 payday for rookie pro
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/06/2025 (350 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
While veteran Brandon golfer Dan Halldorson was winning his fourth Manitoba Open this weekend, a Steinbach rookie professional was making a mark of his own. Robin Henderson finished in 11th spot among professionals in the tournament and his 221 was third best among Manitoba pros.
Not bad for a first year professional. The Manitoba Open, in fact, was Henderson’s second tournament as a professional. Earlier this season, he had opened with a 73 in a PGA event, before faltering in the second round.
Henderson was pleased with his play in the Manitoba Open, but said his woods are still giving him trouble. How he hits off the tee pretty well determines how he will golf, he says. This weekend, he must have been hitting good drives, for he opened play with a three-over 75, followed with a one-under 71, and finished with another 75, for a three-round total of 221.
Inconsistent golf on the final day of the tournament prevented him from adding $350 to his $500 payday and moving him up even higher in the standings. Par golf and a 218 would have moved him up to a seventh place finish, worth at least $850.
Henderson got his third round off to a good start, when he birdied the tough third hole at Niakwa, but then he had two bad holes in a row immediately after that. On the back nine, the 10th was a disaster with a triple bogey, but then the Steinbach assistant pro came back to finish strongly, shooting one-under on the final eight holes.
The spotlight in the tournament at Niakwa was on three-time Open winner Halldorson, who sank a 15-foot putt on the first playoff hole to win his fourth Manitoba Open. Halldorson had finished regulation play with a 208, a figure matched by Sandy Harper of Nanaimo, BC.
Top amateurs in the 1984 Manitoba Open included Craig Kindrat of Selkirk and St Charles’ Terry Hashimoto, who won the Steinbach Open this year.
On the pro side of the ledger, Manitoba golfers finishing ahead of Steinbach’s Henderson were Stan Homeniuk of Dauphin and Pat O’Donnell of Pine Ridge.