Allen McGee builds on OVGA record with seventh-straight victory,
Arnprior member wins record seventh consecutive district golf title
Dreams can come true. Allen McGee’s did. Three shots off the lead after two rounds of the Ottawa Valley Golf Association men’s A Class championship, McGee envisioned a birdie-birdie start on Wednesday to get himself into contention.
It turned out even better than that. McGee birdied the first four holes, and, about the time the fog lifted from the area around Royal Ottawa, he was on his way to a seventh consecutive district men’s stroke-play championship.
“There were too many (good) golfers in Ottawa to even think about that,” the Arnprior member said after extending what was already a record string of titles.
“Over the seven years, it has been different (challengers), and some of them have been the same people,” he added. “To keep winning it is definitely a dream, and I never thought it was attainable.”
Those four consecutive birdies and another on No. 7 sent McGee on his way to a 4-under-par 67 and a 214 total for rounds at Royal Ottawa, Dragonfly Links and Renfrew.
Rideau View’s Chris Collins (69-217) and Adam Kingsbury (73-219) were second and third, respectively.
Second-round leader Nicholas Brisebois, the OVGA junior stroke- and matchplay champion from Kanata, birdied No. 2, but bogeyed three other holes on the front nine to fall back. He ended up with a 76 for fourth place at 220.
Collins played with McGee in the penultimate group, so he had a front-row view of the defending champion’s charge.
“Showing up, I had a number in my head,” said Collins, who also finished second to Cedar Glen’s Kurtis Barkley in the OVGA match-play championship at Mississippi in May.
“I thought 70 would give me a good shot to win. I did myself one better and still I came up three short.
“That’s why (McGee) is a seven-time champion now.”
Playing in the final group, Kingsbury came closest to challenging the bid for seven in a row, getting within two strokes after McGee made a bogey on the par-4 13th hole.
However, McGee made a nifty flop shot from rough left of the green leading to a birdie on the par-5 14th, and the Rideau View golfer could only manage a par.
Kingsbury’s challenge ended after he missed the 15th green with an approach shot, pitched to the back of the slick putting surface and threeputted for double-bogey.
“I said to everyone (Wednesday) morning, ‘Look out for Al because he’s going to go low,’” Kingsbury said. “I just knew it was going to happen.
“When he was four under through four, we just laughed and said, ‘Well, we have to go and play a flawless round of golf.’
“Up until the 15th fairway, I thought I just had to make a couple of birdies and who knows.”
Barkley (79) and Rideau View’s Timothy Sullivan (76) tied for fifth at 224.