Alabama’s Shelton completes wire-to-wire victory at Gallagher’s

Robby Shelton will be leaving Kelowna with fond memories from his wire-to-wire victory at Gallagher’s Canyon, hanging on to win the GolfBC Championship on Sunday for his first Mackenzie Tour, PGA Tour Canada title.

A native of Wilmer, Alabama, Shelton closed with a 2-under 69 for a total of 19-under 265, which was one stroke better than a trio of fellow Americans tied for second place — Camarillo, California’s Johnny Ruiz (66), Danville, California’s Cody Blick (66) and Ridgeway, Virginia’s Adam Webb (67).

Shelton, a former standout at the University of Alabama, capped his tournament in style by rolling in a seven-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to avoid a playoff.

The win also thrust Shelton to the top of the Order of Merit standings through three events, in position to earn Web.com Tour status for the 2018 season.

“It means a lot. Just to win anywhere is so exciting. Just to know that my game’s there and to finally get one done feels great,” said Shelton, who started Sunday with a three-stroke lead over Webb. “I still have to play well the rest of this season, but to get a win early on is huge and does a lot for my confidence.”

With a total score of 13-under par in a tie for seventh, West Vancouver’s Seann Harlingten finished as the top Canadian on the leaderboard, earning Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week honours and a $2,500 prize.

Jared du Toit of Calgary, now residing in Kimberley, finished tied for ninth in his second event as a pro and earned an spot in the field at the Players Cup, July 3-9 at Pine Ridge Golf Club in Winnipeg.