Calgarian survives tense final for win
Brett Hogan takes Alberta men’s amateur tournament title
Calgary’s Brett Hogan called his victory in the Sun Life Financial Alberta men’s amateur “something you dream about.”
But for a while it looked like that dream was going to be a nightmare for the Willow Park GC member.
Hogan held an eight- shot lead going into Thursday’s final round at the perfectly groomed Edmonton Petroleum Golf & Country Club. So what could possibly go wrong?
Plenty. Because golf is a diabolical, frustrating, nerve- racking, infuriating sport where anything can and usually will go astray.
“It’s hard to play with a big lead,” said Hogan, who ended up winning by three shots over Andrew Harrison, the 18- year- old Camrose kid who refused to go away. “You have to constantly stay in the moment and not get ahead of yourself which, sometimes, isn’t easy to do.
“I was hitting the ball well, putting well. I had to keep reminding myself that I had been playing well.”
As it turned out, the shortest hole on the course — the 131- yard 13th hole, which is the Petroleum Club’s answer to the short little par- 3 12th hole at Augusta, Ga. — almost ended up costing Hogan the tournament.
With Harrison, 18, having cut the lead to five with three straight birdies on holes 10, 11 and 12, both he and Hogan, 21, sailed their balls over the back of the green, leaving themselves with almost impossible pitches up a steep, slippery slope to a very small landing area.
Going first, Hogan’s pitch with a 60- degree lob wedge was long again.
“As soon I hit it, I knew it was going into the water,” Hogan said of his shot, which caught the downslope and raced into the drink. “It was one of those ‘ Uh oh’ moments.”
Forced to go to the drop area, Hogan’s fourth shot left him about eight feet to the pin while Harrison was sitting two after safely pitching to about 10 feet. If Hogan missed his putt and Harrison converted his, it would have been a three- shot swing and Hogan’s lead would have dwindled to just two shots.
“Who knows what would have happened then,” said Harrison, who had 19 birdies over the four days. Instead, the opposite happened for just a one- shot swing.
“I thought I had made my putt,” said Harrison. “But it cut across the front edge at the last moment.”
And Hogan? He rammed his putt firmly into the back of the cup to save a double- bogey.
“I don’t know if you can have a good double, but this was one of them,” said Hogan.
“Those were two big putts,” said Harrison. “If I would have made my putt and he missed, it would have put a lot more pressure on him.”
Instead, Hogan was able to collect himself and get the victory.
“I wasn’t nervous at the start of the round, but I got a little nervous on No. 13,” said Hogan, who finished the four- round tournament 7- under, despite shooting a 4- overpar 76 in Thursday’s final round.
“I just focused on one shot at a time and that calmed me down. I knew if I played well — barring something really crazy — I should be able to close it out,” said Hogan, who was almost flawless in the first three rounds, posting scores of 67, 69, 69.
“Coming into the final round down nine shots, I didn’t give myself a chance,” said Harrison, who closed with a 2- under 70. “I sure didn’t expect to be in the middle of it. I played really well ( Thursday). All of my four bogeys were because of mis- clubbing. I made up seven shots over the last 14 holes, but it wasn’t enough.”
Banff’s Jack Wood also closed with a 70 to finish third. Defending champion Tyler Saunders of St. Albert was never in contention and ended up seventh.
Hogan, Harrison and Wood will form Alberta’s Willingdon Cup team for next month’s Canadian men’s amateur tournament at Toronto.
Harrison also earned a spot on the 2016 Pacific Coast amateur team joining, Hogan and Patrick Murphy — the latter two qualifying because of their results at the Calgary Glencoe Invitational and the Alberta match play championship.
CHIP SHOTS: Willow Park’s Kim Carrington cruised to a 10- shot victory in the Calgary Senior Ladies Amateur on Thursday at Turner Valley GC. The 50- year- old shot rounds of 77- 75 to finish ahead of super seniors champion 66- yearold Gaylene Donald ( 80- 82) of Silver Springs.