August 21, 2024
SURREY, BC (PGA of BC) - Lindsay Bernakevitch once again etched his name into the history of the PGA of BC Championship, securing his second title in dramatic fashion. Despite the pressure of a missed short putt to clinch the victory on the final hole, the Victoria Golf Club Director of Golf displayed resilience and poise, triumphing on the first playoff hole against Kevin Stinson and Andy Lin, who tied Bernakevitch at 7-under par after 36 holes. This victory saw Bernakevitch lift the William Thompson Trophy as PGA of BC Champion for a second time, having also won the title in 2011.
The 2024 Axis Insurance PGA of BC Championship presented by GOLFTEC was held on the pristine grounds of Morgan Creek Golf Course. The field of 120 competitors battled over two rounds to take their place among an elite list of past champions.
Bernakevitch fired a 68 on Monday to sit two strokes back of Round One leader and 2023 champion Zach Olson (Chilliwack Golf Club). Round Two was a tightly contested clash, with Bernakevitch, Stinson (Cheam Mountain Golf Course), Lin (Pacific Golf Academy), Luke Bogdan (Cheam Mountain Golf Course), Jonnie Motomochi (Morgan Creek Golf Course), and Olson all holding a share of the lead at different points of the competition Tuesday.
With Stinson in at 7-under and Lin putting on the 18th hole to finish at 7-under, Bernakevitch needed a short putt for par to win the Championship. As he stood over the ball, seconds from tapping the putt, the blaring sounds of a car horn erupted in the near distance to break the crowd’s silence of anticipation. Bernakevitch’s putt rolled wide right, and he tapped in for bogey to tie Stinson and Lin, a sudden-death playoff on the horizon.
The three competitors headed to Morgan Creek’s challenging first hole, a par-4 dogleg to the right, with water in front of the green. Bernakevitch, Stinson and Lin each flew their tee shots to the middle of the fairway. On their approaches, both Stinson and Lin ended up short of the green in the rough, while Bernakevitch’s approach shot settled on the green above the hole. Stinson and Lin's chips for birdie both came to rest an estimated 12-15 feet from the hole. Bernakevitch rolled his putt for birdie and the victory downhill, with the ball trickling towards the hole as the large crowd waited in suspense for the putt to drop, only for the ball to stop an inch from the hole, giving him a tap-in for par. Lin’s putt for par rolled past the hole, Stinson’s par putt just missed, and Bernakevitch clinched the sudden-death playoff victory.
“That first hole is one of the trickiest holes out here. I found a swing key on the range Monday, and I was like ‘Just ride it.’ I was focused on my process and that swing thought,” said Bernakevitch. “On the second shot, you couldn’t really feel the wind, but Kevin and Andy both got a little gust and came up short. I ended up switching clubs and just made sure I got it there with a chance to make a putt.”
“I won the Championship back when I was much younger and playing a lot more golf. It’s really nice to feel like you can still do it. It’s a thrill to play in tournaments. We had such a cool gallery today following us around and we felt special, like we were playing in the big leagues. It’s just a thrill to compete, to play well in competition. There’s nothing like it.”
Despite coming up just short in the playoff, Stinson and Lin demonstrated their all-star abilities this week to finish tied as runners-up. Bogdan’s 6-under total earned him fourth place, while Bryn Parry (Seymour Creek Golf Centre) and Motomochi shared fifth at 5-under par for the tournament.
In addition to Bernakevitch’s victory, there were several highlights this week. During Round One, Bogdan, Parry and Doug Morgan (Richmond Country Club) were grouped together. On the par-5 13th hole, all three competitors made an eagle, a feat that Bogdan said he had never witnessed in his life. Another highlight of the tournament was the hometown support for Morgan Creek’s Motomochi. A huge, enthusiastic gallery of friends, family and club members followed Motomochi’s group Tuesday to cheer him on, lending the Championship an additional feeling of gravity and prestige.
This year, the Association introduced a new Regional Team competition for the Championship. Teams made up of the top four golfers on each regional tour’s Order of Merit standings represented their region, with the best three Round One scores from each team counting towards the competition. Congratulations to the Lower Mainland Regional Team on their victory: Lin, Stinson, Carson Kallis (Pacific Golf Academy) and Curtis Baldwin (Meadow Gardens Golf Club). The team’s cumulative score of 3-under par was enough to outlast the Vancouver Island Regional Team by one stroke. Thank you to Nike Golf, who provided each competitor with Regional Team uniforms, for their support.
The PGA of BC extends our gratitude to title sponsor Axis Insurance, whose continuous support of the Association over the years is greatly appreciated. We also thank our presenting sponsor, GOLFTEC for their patronage of the event, and their kind presence on the first tee throughout the competition.
Thank you to Competition Advisor and Senior Referee Jack Croucher, and Referees Brian Schreiner, Joe Trofananko and Trevor Brown, for their tireless efforts this week.
Finally, thank you to Morgan Creek Head Professional Tom Doull, Superintendent Alan Ayres, the entire Morgan Creek team, and the large contingent of volunteers from the Morgan Creek community, for their diligence and graciousness in hosting a spectacular, world-class event.
For the full leaderboard, please click here.
