The players matched bogies at the 16th and Kohler played the final two holes in even par as Cilley’s bogey at the last gave the champion his two-shot victory.
“I got off to a slow start and the course was set up a lot more difficult than the first two days,” said Kohler. “Jimmy played great the whole day and kind of turned it into match play. He just kept chipping away and chipping away. We got to 18 and I was 1up. I made a mess of it but made a 50-footer for par that was probably going off the green, probably pretty lucky. But yeah, it was a fun day.”
Kohler joins elite company as a back-to-back winner and he knows what a grind this event is. “These guys are so good, that’s what makes this so special. It feels great to win though, especially on a great golf course,” he added.
While the final two battled it out, Harvin Groft posted the round of the championship with a 5-under 67. His round included seven birdies and he ended the 54-hole event in solo third place. Craig Steckowych finished his week with a round of even par 72 to take home fourth place and Cam Salo and James Pleat rounded out the top-5.
The win caps an eventful year for Kohler. He finished third at the Vermont Open and was an alternate at his US Open local qualifier and ultimately made it to the final round of qualifying held in Columbus, OH. He was also the first alternate for the US Amateur and made the quarterfinals of the New Hampshire Amateur, ultimately losing to champion James Pleat 5 and 4.
A total of 29 players survived to make the 36-hole cut and Montcalm Golf Club proved to be a stout test of golf throughout the week. Groft’s final round was made even more impressive due to it being the only sub-70 round posted all day. Just three players were below par (Groft, Cilley, and Salo) on the day.
