Alberta Open faces rain delay
72 players need to finish their opening round
The Alberta Open closed early as rain, the scourge of Alberta, continued to cause more problems.
As well as shutting down several roads in Edmonton, Tuesday’s opening round of the Alberta Open golf tournament at RedTail Landing Golf Club was suspended for the day.
Only 24 players were able to complete play before rain turned the golf course into soup, making it unplayable.
That left 72 players still out on the course.
One of those fortunate enough to finish was Calgary’s Jesse Galvon who, despite the brutal conditions, still managed to shoot a 4-under, tournament leading 68.
“It was umbrella up, umbrella down,” said Galvon. “It was a real grind out there. You really had to stay composed and stay patient.
“I got soaked. The rain even went through my rain pants and my hat has so much water in it that it feels like it weighs 20 pounds.”
Emmett Oh, also from Calgary, is one shot back.
Two behind is another Calgarian, Riley Fleming, winner of both the Alberta and the B.C. Amateur championships last year.
Wes Heffernan, defending champion and the winner of five of the last seven Alberta Opens, shot a 1-over 73.
After 11 holes, Heffernan was 3-under, but as the conditions rapidly deteriorated he completed his last five holes four over par.
“They blew the horn about an hour too late,” said Heffernan.
The plan for tournament officials now is to have all 72 players, who weren’t able to finish, complete — from where they left off on Tuesday — their opening round on Wednesday morning beginning at 9 a.m.
Some players had just one hole left to play while others were just getting started when the horn blew, suspending play.
“Because of the weather conditions, the rain, we were getting casual water on a number of the greens; we were getting casual water in the landing areas and in the bunkers, which was making it just about impossible to play the golf course,” head rules official Herb Schlotter said.
At best, the Alberta Open will be shortened from a 54-hole event to 36 holes. The second round has already been effectively wiped out. Schlotter said the plan — assuming they can finish the first round on Wednesday — is to then have the players play the final 18 holes on Thursday morning beginning at 7 a.m. with a crossover start. There will be no cut. Galvon not only did his best to battle the conditions, he was also playing his first competitive tournament in almost two years.
“I was just burnt out from playing so much golf at the University of San Francisco where I was on a golf scholarship,” said Galvon, who graduated summa cum laude and made the dean’s list.
“I just needed to take some time away from the game.
“I’ve hardly even practised the last two years. So I didn’t have too many good expectations.”
Despite the inactivity and in spite of Tuesday’s weather, Galvon was almost flawless, hitting 15 of 18 greens and having just one bogey against five birdies. “I hit it really well.” Galvon said he played RedTail Landing for the first time on Sunday and just loved it.
“It fits my eye really well. In my opinion, it’s one of the best designed courses in Canada.
“I hit a lot of two-irons off the tee and just tried to keep the ball in play,” said Galvon, who, in addition to being a sales manager for Randstad Engineering, is also a partner with Calgary Stampeders football player Johnny Forzani in High Heat Gear, a recent startup company that sells heated golf mitts and heated football pouches.
One of the thousands of people in Calgary who had to be evacuated because of the floods, Galvon said he managed to not only safely get out of his downtown condo, which is just two blocks from the Elbow River, he was also extremely fortunate to get his car out of the parking garage before it was flooded with three feet of water.
“I got a knock on my door at 4 a.m. last Thursday telling me I had to evacuate. I said I needed to get my car, but they said there wasn’t enough time,” said Galvon, who went into the garage anyway.
“Five, maybe 10 minutes max, there would have been no way I would have got the car out and my clubs were in the car,” Galvon said.
“If I wouldn’t have been able to get my car and clubs out I don’t know what I would have done. Probably borrowed a set or used a mixed set, but it wouldn’t have been the same because my regular set has been tweaked to my own specifications. Call it fate. Call it luck. But that’s why I’m happy just to be here.”
Getting his clubs out safely wasn’t the only rescue Galvon made on Tuesday. On his final hole, his drive caught one of the fairway bunkers.
“It was in casual water, but there was really no place to drop it, so I just hammered a five-iron out of the muck, chipped up and made par.
“That was a good way to end the round.” STOCK REPORT: The Royal Mayfair’s Mike Belbin won his opening match 3&2 on Tuesday in the 2013 PGA Championship of Canada at the Magna Golf Club in Aurora, Ont.