The Smoky River Regional Golf Course in McLennan is the place to be this weekend as dozens of golfers prepare to compete for bragging rights at the YL Country Tournament of Champions qualifier. "We're expecting anywhere from 80 to 90 golfers for the two-day golf tournament," says president Ivan Thomas, adding that upwards of 40 participants have registered for the prestigious event to date. "It's definitely one of our biggest tournaments of the year." The tournament, which also represents the Smoky River Golf Course Society's annual open event, takes place on the weekend of July 26 to 27 with competitors playing 18 holes on each day. An added bonus for golfers interested in teeing it up during the weekend event is a free round of golf (nine holes) on Friday evening. "We're offereing a complimentary round of golf to all registered participants in the tournament on the evening of July 25," Thomas explains. "It's a great way to attract golfers while giving them the opportunity to get in a practice round prior to the start of the tournament." Another incentive to register for the opening club tournament this weekend is the wide variety of prizes which will be up for grabs. They range from longest drive for men and women (on the 6th hole), closest to the pin (4th hole) and longest putt on hole number nine. There's also a hole-in-one grand prize for the first round on the Par 3 second hole. That grand prize is a free two-year lease on a 2008 Ford Focus, courtesy of Monahan Ford in High Prairie. Golfers (both men, women and juniors) of all ages are encouraged to register in advance by contacting the clubhouse at 780-324-3661. Final registration begins at 7:30 a.m. July 25 with the tournament commencing at 8:30 a.m. Participants will play 18 holes of golf on Saturday (in groups of four) and are responsible for marking their own scorecard. All scorecards are to be submitted in the clubhouse upon completion of the opening round. "After the first round is finished we'll be dividing up golfers into different flights based on their individual scores," says Thomas. The top dogs in each flight will receive an invitation to the 2008 YL Country Tournament of Champions being held later this summer. Action resumes Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. with the highest scoring flights hitting the links first followed by the next lowest flight. The last flight of the morning to tee off is the championship flight. Various door prizes will also be available at the tournament in addition to a shared purse of approximately $1,000 in cash, which is being split among the winners of each respective flight. The entry fee for the YL Country tournament is $80 per person and includes a roast beef supper on Saturday afternoon following the opening round. Additional dinner tickets are available to the public for $12.50 each. In related news, Thomas says the grass greens are recovering nicely after being re-seeded earlier this summer. Another improvement is the enclosed deck and perimeter landscaping, which received a beautification boost thanks to a gracious donation of several hundred dollars worth of plants from Fern's Greenhouse. "It's a significant improvement," says Thomas. To register or for more information, contact the clubhouse at 780-324-3661. Power carts can't be reserved for the tournament and are available on a first come, first served basis.