June 20, 2023
Chilliwack, BC (PGA of BC) - The 2023 PGA of BC Assistants’ & Seniors’ Championships at Chilliwack Golf Club wrapped up this evening with a thrilling and electric finish. Steven Lecuyer (Seymour Creek Golf Centre) emerged victorious in the Assistants’ field, shooting a 67 today to finish the event at 9-under par, winning by one stroke. Rob Anderson (Kelowna Golf & Country Club) topped the Seniors’ Championship as the last man standing in a three-way playoff.
Lecuyer started the day tied for third place, with hopes of overtaking first round leader Cory Renfrew (Modern Golf Vancouver). Through four holes, he had already made a bogey and those hopes appeared nearly dashed. Over his final 14 holes, Lecuyer unleashed a barrage of pinpoint putts with scorching precision as he made six birdies, including a clutch two on the par-three 17th.
“To be honest, I didn’t hit it very well today, but I scrambled like crazy. The last two days, I haven’t given up and the putter really saved me,” said Lecuyer. “I tried to find something on the range this morning and I thought I did, but it’s kind of hard to translate out on the course when you’re trying to stay in contention. I struggled from tee to green, but it must have freed up some energy for my short game to excel.”
Renfrew finished in the runner-up position among Assistants, carrying his strong play over from yesterday. Despite the narrow loss to Lecuyer, he exhibited masterful poise and precision, especially coming off another impressive performance last week to finish top-20 at the PGA Championship of Canada. Kevin Stinson (Cheam Mountain Golf Course) won the PGA Championship of Canada, while Nate Ollis (Cordova Bay Golf Course) finished inside the top five. Stinson and Ollis, along with Jake Scarrow (Gorge Vale Golf Club) finished tied in third place at 6-under.
The Seniors’ Championship saw a tough battle to the end, as Anderson, Chad McAdie (Cheam Mountain Golf Course) and Greg Forbes (Black Mountain Golf Club) each finished the two-round event at three-under. The competitors then continued to the first tee, where they began a sudden-death playoff. Following a monster four-wood in, Anderson stood over his forty-footer for eagle, decided he’d had enough golf today, and buried the Championship clincher. This was Anderson's second victory in the Seniors' Championship, winning the title two years ago.
“My round started a lot better than it did yesterday. I continued decently through the rest of the front nine, although I left a couple out. I just kept grinding and grinding from there. Pretty thankful for my final putt, that was crazy!”
Anderson teed off this morning in third place, three strokes back of round one leader Greg Forbes (Black Mountain Golf Club). The pair were neck-and-neck all day, with Forbes holding a consistent one- or two-shot lead. However, Anderson potted his fourth birdie of the day on the 17th to reach three-under, tying Forbes and McAdie, who followed up an inconsistent first round with an eight-birdie 66 to pace the Seniors’ field in round two. The trio went head-to-head in a playoff, where Anderson’s eagle emphatically sealed his victory.
Today saw several top finishers in the closest to the pin competition. Jim Pringle, Austin Bosquet, Sean Hay and Brian McDonald were the Maui Jim KP winners. Thank you to Maui Jim for their support.
The PGA of BC would like to extend our appreciation to our sponsors with whom the Championships wouldn’t be possible. Thank you to Rolo Golf and President Ryan Gobeil for the incredible polos each competitor received, and for their presence and passion all tournament. We would also like to thank Replay Golf Supplies and President Lee Burgham for their generous support of the event. Finally, we would like to thank Chilliwack Ford and General Manager Paul McManus for sponsoring refreshments for all competitors.
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