SEPTEMBER 20, 2021
VICTORIA, BC (PGA of British Columbia) – Royal Colwood Golf Club showed its teeth in Monday’s opening round of the Nike Golf PGA of BC Club Professional Championship presented by Oakcreek Golf & Turf LP, as just two players sit under par with 18 holes left to play Tuesday.
Defending champion Brad Clapp (Ledgeview Golf Club) and Padraic O’Rourke (The Fairmont Chateau Whistler Golf Club) each posted 1-under-par 69s on the challenging A.V. Macan-designed layout. They sit two strokes up on the field heading into the final round of the 36-hole championship, which is open to Head, Executive and Head Teaching Professionals within the Association.
Clapp, who is looking to become the first back-to-back winner of this event in a decade, reached 3-under through 10 holes Monday before giving a couple of shots back on the way home.
“I hit my first 10 greens in a row and was just trying to keep that roll going because you’re not going to hit it close to every one of these pins,” said Clapp.
“It’s just a difficult golf course. You have to be in the right spots, especially with the way they have these greens rolling and some of the pin positions out there. You forget how narrow some of these fairways get, especially with the overhangs of the trees; it becomes a lot more necessary to be on the right side of the fairway and the right side of the hole. When you’re not there, any one swing has a bogey looming.”
The 34-year-old Executive Professional said he’s not looking too far ahead of himself with nine players sitting within four strokes of the lead.
“There are a lot of good players and anyone can go low any day,” said Clapp, who also has PGA of BC Championship and Assistants’ Championship victories to his name. “Good start, but I’m going to need at least (today’s round) or a few lower tomorrow to seal the deal.”
O’Rourke said he didn’t feel he had his best ball-striking round but felt comfortable on Royal Colwood’s speedy greens and was “content” with his round of 69, which included 15 pars on his scorecard.
“I hit a lot of greens but I was a long way from the hole, so it was a bit of a grind, for sure,” he said. “I just managed my ball around pretty nicely even though I wasn’t hitting it great.
“I started hitting the ball a bit better the last six or seven holes … If I can carry that on for tomorrow, that would be good.”
O’Rourke, 38, has put himself in the mix for PGA of BC titles on multiple occasions in the past but is still seeking his first Association crown. He was quick to acknowledge how meaningful a victory Tuesday would be to him.
“I would mean a lot,” he said. “But I need to be careful and not let that emotion get ahead of me tomorrow. One shot at a time – that old adage – for tomorrow is going to be crucial for me, because if I get ahead of myself I’m going to shoot a couple of snowmen, for sure.”
Clapp and O’Rourke will be joined in the final group by Kyle German (Bald Eagle Golf Club), who carded a 1-over 71 to hold down third place at the tournament’s midway point. Having started out 3-over through his first four holes, the 48-year-old bounced back nicely with four birdies the rest of the way.
“I always say A.V. Macan is my favourite course designer tee to green, but the green complexes make me want to tear my hair out,” German said with a laugh. “I didn’t think 71 was going to be good enough (to be in the final group) but I’ll take it, for sure. It’ll be fun tomorrow. It’s always fun to play this track. It’s hard and frustrating, but it’s a blast.”
German won the PGA Head Professional Championship of Canada in 2008 but is looking for his first win in a PGA of BC event in more than a quarter-century. His other triumph came in the 1995 Pro-Assistant Championship alongside Murray Poje.
“It’s been a long time,” he said. “There are a bunch of great players on (the Dick Munn Memorial Trophy) and it’s your zone, it’s your provincial event, so it always means a lot. It’s tough to put into words, but it would be an honour and privilege and I’d be really proud to win.”
Mark Kitts (Shadow Ridge Golf Club), who captured the title in this event two years ago, is alone in fourth place after a 72 that included an eagle hole-out on the par-4 13th. He’ll be paired with Lance McCullough (The Ridge Course at Cordova Bay) and Adam Blair (Talking Rock Golf Course), who both turned in 73s and are in a five-way tie for fifth place at 3-over.
Others who finished at 3-over Monday include 2016 Club Professional Champion Dave Zibrik (Point Grey Golf & Country Club), Russ Latimer (Black Mountain Golf Club) and James Presnail (Shadow Ridge Golf Club).
CLICK HERE to view all scores and Round 2 tee times. Tuesday’s final round will begin at 10:40 a.m., with the final group set to tee off at 12:37 p.m.
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About NIKE Inc.
NIKE, Inc., based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world’s leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Converse, a wholly-owned NIKE, Inc. subsidiary brand, designs, markets and distributes athletic lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. Nike Golf is distributed in Canada by the Mint Green Group. Click here for more information.
About Oakcreek Golf & Turf LP
Oakcreek Golf & Turf LP is Western Canada’s full-service distributor of Toro Commercial Turf Care Equipment, Toro Golf Irrigation Equipment and Yamaha Golf Cars, plus all additional related products. It proudly offers the very best quality products and professional service and support to golf courses, municipal parks, independent landscapers and private clients. Oakcreek Golf & Turf LP has been in business since 1969 and currently employs approximately 100 people throughout the year at its six locations throughout Western Canada. For more information, visit www.oakcreekgolf.com.
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Eric MacKenzie
Communications & Marketing Manager, PGA of BC
(604) 303-6766
eric@pgabc.org