Pereira sinks his talons into Country Hills course
California native notches first tour win at ATB Financial Classic with 26-under
Just moments after sinking a short par putt to clinch victory at the 2018 ATB Financial Classic, Corey Pereira autographed his glove for a young fan.
The keepsake came with a word of warning, though.
“It’s a little sweaty, I’m sorry,” Pereira told the over-the-moon kid.
While most of the spectators and volunteers were shivering in a chilly wind, you can understand why the 23-year-old Pereira was still perspiring as he put the finishing touches on his first victory in the birdies-for-bucks business.
His pals on the Mackenzie TourPGA Tour Canada certainly made him work for it.
Pereira rolled to a four-round total of 26-under 258 on the Talons Course at Country Hills.
Take a second to chew on that … twenty-six blows below par, at a 72-hole shootout.
Even still, that was only good enough for a one-stroke buffer. Lee Hodges had an opportunity to force a playoff, but his birdie try on No. 18 just missed, leaving the sweaty-palmed Pereira with a short putt to seal the deal. “I would have liked to leave it a little closer,” said Pereira, who fired a 4-under 67 in Sunday’s last lap. “I mean, it was still, like, two feet and downhill, with some wind …
“But it just felt like all my hard work was paying off. And I know how cheesy that may sound, but it really did feel incredible.”
For part of Sunday afternoon, Pereira was just like a gazillion other golf fans.
He had just stumbled to his first bogey of the day — one of only five squares on his scorecard all week — on No. 11 when the horn sounded at Country Hills due to a lightning storm.
During a delay that lasted upwards of 90 minutes, Pereira was mostly glued to the TV in the clubhouse, pulling for You-Know-Who at the PGA Championship at Bellerive.
“Watching Tiger (Woods), and rooting for him, I wanted to see him win sooooo bad,” Pereira said.
“I tend to try to take notes from Tiger because I think he just handles pressure so well. So any way I can emulate Tiger, I try to do that.”
Tiger couldn’t get it done Sunday.
Pereira did.
The smooth-swinging righty from Mission Viejo, Calif., capped a special week that also included an ace on No. 6 and a share of the course record — a sizzling 9-under 62 — on the 7,209 Talons track at Country Hills.
It was also a slice of redemption after he tumbled out of contention during the final round of the 2017 ATB Financial Classic on the same setup.
“Last year, I think I had a share of the lead and I shot 43 on my back nine here. Nothing short of a meltdown,” Pereira said. “We had very similar conditions this year. I got pulled in this year (for a delay), I got pulled in last year. It just felt like déjà vu, and I was glad I handled it better.
“To be honest, everything went my way this week. It’s not often that you can say that in golf, so I’m really savouring it.”
HEFFERNAN LEADS LOCALS
Calgary’s Wes Heffernan has only made three starts on the Mackenzie Tour this season.
He has twice earned the Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week honours, and the $2,500 bonus that comes with it. That’s quite a batting average. The 41-year-old Heffernan, a longtime tour pro and now an instructor at Golf Canada Calgary Centre, signed for a four-round total of 13-under 271 at Country Hills, tied for 15th on the leaderboard and one stroke better than the next best Canuck.
“I think I started 12 shots off the lead (Sunday), so obviously I would have to shoot about 52 to win, and that’s out of the question,” Heffernan said after closing with a 5-under 66. “So my goal suddenly became to win the top Canadian award.”
Mission accomplished, but Heffernan — a proud member at Silver Springs — was left to wonder what could have been if his flat stick had behaved a bit better.
He was the runner-up at the 2017 ATB Financial Classic.
The difference was on the dance floors.
“I played better this year than last year,” Heffernan said. “I think I told you last year — that’s probably one of the best putting tournaments that I’ve ever had. This week, I hit 68 greens in regulation, and could not get the ball in the hole.
“It was awesome ball-striking, but terrible putting … You want to be in contention when you hit the ball like that.”
Jared du Toit (Glencoe) finished tied for 26th at 10-under, while Scott Secord (Country Hills) settled for a tie for 49th at 4-under.