The Okanagan Golf Club team of head pro Rick Crowson and assistant professional Clay Stothers shot a two-day total of 18-under 126 to claim the 2015 G&G Golf and Callaway PGA of BC Pro-Assistant Championship.
The tournament was played July 7 at Tower Ranch Golf & Country Club in Kelowna.
Played over the course of two rounds, best ball was the format for Round #1, followed by scramble format for Round #2. The winning pair shot two bogey free rounds, including a string of six birdies in a row on the front nine.
“We didn’t take it too competitively,” said Stothers, the 2014 PGA of BC Teacher of the Year, in a post-round interview. “Rick played well when I played bad, and I played well when Rick played bad so it was a perfect team scenario.”
“We went out there with no expectations,” Crowson, the new Head Professional at Okanagan, continued. “We had both been playing well coming into the tournament so we thought hey, we’re local guys. Let’s give it a try.
“I think the guys we got to play with over the past two days helped a lot too. The Black Mountain team [consisting of Russ Latimer and Tyrel Griffith] were really great guys to play with, so the whole atmosphere was very calm and we never really had any nerves.”
Defending champions, Russ Latimer and Tyrel Griffith of Black Mountain Golf Club, finished in shared third alongside Rob Anderson and Jamie Stevens of Kelowna Golf & Country Club and Golden Golf Club’s Graeme Kreiner and Brent Firminger.
Claiming second place and a cheque for $1,500 was Victoria Golf Club’s Lindsay Bernakevitch and Connor Taiji, who finished just one stroke behind the champion team after a sizzling 12-under par 60 in round 2.
For their first place finish, The Okanagan team cashed the $2,250 grand prize.
