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Grant Cation tees off at the No. 1 hole of Alderbrook Golf Yacht Club in
Union re
course’s head golf professional in March. Journal photo Justin Johnson
Thursday, April 14, 2022 - Shelton-Mason County Journal — Page A-23
Sports& Outdoors '
Cation promOted to head golf pro at Alderbrook
cently. Cation, a resident of Alderbrook since 2007, was named the
By Justin Johnson
justln@masoncounty. com
s a youngster, Grant Cation grew up with a
View of the 14th hole at Alderbrook Golf &
Yacht Club.
Fifteen years later, Cation has a different view
of the renowned Union course, one that comes with
an office in the clubhouse and the title of Head Golf
Professional, but says the 14th is still one of his fa—
vorite on the course.
“My favorite hole is either the 18th or the 14th
hole,” Cation wrote in an email interview with the
Journal. “No. 18 of course because of the beautiful
view to end your round, but hole 14 is the hole that
my family lived on, and I have many fond memo-
ries of growing up on that hole and going out to the
green to practice my short gaine or hitting wedge
shots from 100 yards out.”
After four years as an assistant professional un-
der former head pro Sam Smith, Cation was offi-
‘ cially named head pro in March.
“If it wasn’t for Sam, I would have never gotten
into the PGA program and started my path as a
golf professional,” Cation wrote. “I owe him every-
thing. Sam was more than just my boss: he was my
mentor and a great friend. Everything I learned
from him in the last four years is the reason why I
was well-prepared to take over and earn the head
pro position.” . .
Smith, who joined Alderbrook in July 2017, ac-.
cepted the head pro position at Fairwood Golf &
Country Club in Renton late last year.
Cation wrote that while growing up at Alder-
brook, he always had a feeling he’d become the
course’s head professional someday.
“(I thought) it would be a dream to run the golf
see page A-25
Feeling optimistic about the Seattle Mariners
my allergies are doing
great (sarcasm) and it is
officially baseball season.
Every year around this
time, I’m usually excited for
Seattle Mariners baseball.
Usually, that excitement is
dashed by June, but with the
success of last year’s team
and the ofl'season additions
Seattle made, I’m more ex-
cited about this season than ‘
usual.
Let’s start with last year’s
team. The Mariners were pro-
jected to be below .500, but
that didn’t happen.
Seattle was around .500
baseball for the first half of
the season and made 'a run
in the second half of the sea-
son, winning 11 of its last 14
games to get into the‘ hunt for
a wild card spot. They were
in the wild card race until the
It is April, spring is here,
I'm.
MAAlDE
MA'IT'S
MUSINGS
Very last day of the season,
but came up just short as
the Boston Red Sox and New
York Yankees secured the
two wild card spots.
Seeing T-Mobile Park be
packed and excited for the
last six games of the regu-
lar season with a spot in the
playoffs on the line, that’s
something that gives me hope
T for this season.
The Mariners made some
moves in the offseason to
improve the team. Seattle"
signed reigning AL Cy Young
winner Robbie Ray to a
5-year, $115 million deal to
be Seattle’s ace. The Mari-
ners acquired Jesse Winker
and Eugenio Suarez from the
Reds to add more hitting to
the lineup..
Seattle’s farm system,
ranks as one} of the best, and
the young talent of Julio Ro-
, ,driguez, Jarred Kelenic, Lo-
gan Gilbert, Matt Brash and
Cal Raleigh should all get I
significant playing time this
year to develop into the star
players the Mariners hope .
they will turn into and be a
cornerstone for the franchise
for years to come.
All of this combined makes
me the most excited I’ve been
for years for Mariners base-
ball, .but it does come with a
slight caveat.
As I’ve talked about in pre-
vious columns, the Mariners
haven’t been relevant for 20
years and have come cldse to
the playoffs a few times, but
have mostly- been the Detroit
Lions of the MLB. They have
had good players like Ichiro,
Felix Hernandez, Nelson
Cruz, Robinson Cano, but
none of those players have
been able to get the Mari:
ners out of the postseason
drought.
The American League is
not going to be easy to make
the playoffs in. The AL East.
"looks solid once again in a
’ division that produced three
playoff teams last season in
Tampa Bay, Boston and New
York, and Toronto was in the
playoff chase last season until
the end. The Chicago White
Sox look like a solid team and
the Minnesota Twins made
some moves to improve its
chances. Houston is always a
contender in the AL West and
this could be the year Mike
Trout stays healthy and the-
‘Angels play well. The MLB
added an extra wild card
team so that will help the
Mariners chances.
It’s early in the season
and September and October
are far away, but I’m hopeful
this is the year the Mariners
break the curse and make the
postseason. As Michael Scott
says in ‘.‘The Office,” I am '
ready to get hurt again.
:- Matt Baide is a reporter
for the Shelton-Mason County
Journal. He can be rea'ched
at matt@masoncounty.com or
360—426-4412 ’