Champion Kevin Carrigan (cred. Susan White)
NANAIMO, British Columbia -- In the end, Kevin Carrigan won by six shots, but it was more of a struggle than you might think. Carrigan, who had a nine-shot lead to start Thursday’s final round of the B.C. Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, saw his huge cushion slipping away after a disastrous beginning to his back nine.
“It didn’t feel like I was going to win by six after I had made three consecutive bogeys and splashed one into the water,” the 29-year-old Victoria native said. “I was thinking that the wheels had fallen off and I didn’t know where they had gone.”
After bogeys on the 10th, 11th and 12th holes, Carrigan then doubled the par 3 13th at Nanaimo Golf Club. Fortunately, he was able to birdie the par 5 14th hole to steady things and he parred the final four holes to post a five-over 77 that left him at four-under for the 54-hole tournament. He finished six shots ahead of Victoria’s Scot Kral and Greg Bismeyer of Mission.
“I definitely learned some stuff today,” said Carrigan, a 29-year-old member of Royal Colwood Golf Club in Victoria. “It’s the first time I have won a tournament when I haven’t played three solid rounds of golf. I guess the fact there wasn’t anybody close after two rounds, I maybe got complacent or something like that."
I came out of the gates and bogeyed three of the first four holes and I’m thinking ‘oh my gosh, here we go.’ It’s one of those games. I always tell the juniors I work with no matter how bad it gets, it can always get worse, so just bear down and try to finish your round. I was fortunately able to do that not playing my best golf.”
The B.C. Mid-Amateur, which is open to competitors 25 and older, was held at the same time as the Mid-Master Championship, which is for players 40 and over. Bismeyer, a 54-year-old retired Vancouver police officer, took the Mid-Master title after closing the tournament with a solid round of one-under 71.
Greg Bismeyer Of Mission, B.C. Finished As Runner-up In The Mid-Amateur But Took Home The Mid-Master Trophy After A Final Round 1-under 71
“It was a bit of roller-coaster round,” Bismeyer said. “It was some bad shots, some good shots and I strung three birdies together on 14, 15 and 16. Then the nerves get going on 17 and 18. It was fun.
“I have made a couple of provincial teams but this is my first championship. It feels awesome. I am very proud. There are some great people here playing this event and it’s just a lot of fun. This is a dream come true. You play for so many years and see other people win and now I have done it.”
Bismeyer finished one shot ahead of Victoria’s Craig Doell and Nanaimo’s Sandy Harper in the Mid-Master category. Bismeyer and Kral will join Carrigan on the three-man team that will represent B.C. at the Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship, which goes Aug. 23-26 in Bromont, Que. “I've to got to run it by the necessary powers,” said Carrigan, who works as a financial advisor.
“It's always fun travelling and playing golf. I have kind of taken a step back this year, but at the same time it's tough to pass on an opportunity to represent the province and go out and play a beautiful golf course.”
Kral, who played his collegiate golf nearly 20 years ago at the University of Washington, shot an even-par 72 on Thursday to grab a share of second place. Harper, Doell and Brent Wilson of Victoria tied for fourth in the Mid-Amateur competition at three-over par.
Carrigan has now won two B.C. Mid-Amateur titles. He is also a two-time winner of the Canadian Mid-Amateur championship. “This is a provincial championship,” Carrigan said. “It's stuff like this that gets you into the hall of fame and that kind of stuff. Not to mention playing a great golf course with tons of great competitors. . .Doing that makes me feel pretty good.”
Carrigan and Doell captured the two-ball championship that was also contested during the event. They finished with a score of 21-under par. That was eight shots better than the teams of Harper and Shelly Stouffer and John Gallacher and Gudmund Lindbjerg.
View results for British Columbia Mid-Amateur
ABOUT THE British Columbia Mid-Amateur
54-hole stroke play with Mid-Amateur (25 and older)
and Mid-Master (40 and older) divisions. Maximum
handicap index 18.0 women; 9.0 men.
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