Vernon’s Paul Reid won a three-man playoff in the Murray GM Men’s Invitational Open Sunday at the Merritt Golf Course.
Reid, one of several Spallumcheen Golf & Country Club members who turn the weekend into a camping/golf excursion, earned pars on both playoff holes to win a set of TaylorMade irons.
Cory Torbohm, a Salmon Arm golfer formerly of Merritt, three-putted on the second playoff hole to settle for second. Brett Martin of Kamloops, who also finished at 144, bogeyed the first playoff hole.
“I’ve never been in a playoff like that so it was big-time for me,” laughed Reid, playing in the tourney for the third time. “It was just consistency. I didn’t really do anything outstanding. I just didn’t three-putt and I didn’t get into any trouble.”
The smooth-swinging Reid, who turns 50 in a few weeks, carded rounds of 73 and 71. A two handicap, he plans to exchange the irons and buy something nice for his wife. A club champion at Spall, it was Reid’s first tournament title.
Merritt is a well-manicured nine-hole course with plenty of challenges. The Nicola River winds through the course and comes into play six times.
Dave Haverty of Spall won some expensive bakeware for winning the second flight low gross at 74-74-148, while clubmate Doug Hiebert won the third flight at 81-79-160. Jeff Parker was second low net in the third flight at 138.
Ayton Moffat of Merritt was the overall low net champion at 131.
