OH CANADA! (REDUX): JORDAN IRWIN BECOMES SECOND CONSECUTIVE CALGARY RESIDENT TO WIN PACIFIC COAST AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Jordan Irwin of Calgary, AB, shot 9 under par to win the Pacific Coast Amateur Championship. Photos by Eric Yaillen.

By Robert D. Thomas

VICTORIA, B.C., CANADA, August 8 — In a scene eerily reminiscent of last year, Jordan Irwin rallied from three shots down with nine holes to play at Royal Colwood Golf Club to become the second Calgary, AB winner of the Pacific Coast Amateur Championship, edging Ryan Hallisey of Granite Bay, Calif. by one shot. Mike Knight came back from a two-shot deficit with seven holes left last year at San Diego (Calif.) Country Club to become the first Calgarian ev er to win the title last year

The 23-year-old Irwin, who was a co-leader after the first round, shot an even-par 70 today and finished with rounds of 65-68-69-70 — 271, 9 under par. The 20-year-old Hallisey, who had led after the second round (when he tied the course record with a 62) and again after the third, incurred a two-shot penalty on the 10th hole, shot 73 today and finished at 69-62-68-73 — 272.

Defending Canadian Amateur champion Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, BC; Derek Tolan of Boulder, Colo., who led after nine holes today; and 2008 Southwestern Amateur champion Matt Hoffenberg of Simi Valley, Calif. tied for third at 274; Hoffenberg’s 4-under-par 66 tied for low round of the day.

Irwin, Hallisey and Tolan were in the final group for the second consecutive day but Hallisey struggled on the front nine, making four bogeys and two birdies to fall a shot behind Tolan, who birdied par-4 eighth hole to take the lead.

Irwin, meanwhile, posted eight pars and a bogey and was three shots behind Tolan making the turn. “It was frustrating,” said Irwin later. “I felt like I was hitting good shots that were ending up in bad places. So I just tried to be patient and figured something good would eventually happen.”

Things went from bad to worse for Hallisey on the 430-yard 10th hole. As he began his swing for an approach shot from the left rough, he knocked a branch down and, under Rule 13-2, incurred a two-shot penalty, which led to a double-bogey 6. “It was stupid on my part,” said Halisey later. “The branch shouldn’t have even been in my intended swing path but I took the club back too far inside. It’s disappointing, but I can’t blame losing on that. I had my chances today and just didn’t get it done.”

Three shots down at that point, Hallisey hung in and chipped away at the deficit. Tolan’s approach on No. 10 ended in an awkward lie in a greenside bunker and his explosion shot bounced 20 feet past the hole, resulting in a bogey. On the 11th hole, Hallisey drained a 15-foot putt for birdie 2 to pull even with Irvin and Tolan rolled in a 12-foot par putt to maintain a two-shot margin.

On the 442-yard 12th hole, the toughest on the course, Tolan made bogey 5 from the back fringe and Irwin pulled to within one shot of the lead by knocking his approach to within seven feet of the flagstick (although his birdie putt slid over the edge of the hole).

Irwin finally pulled into a three-way tie for the lead on the 398-yard 13th hole despite pushing his drive into the right rough. He cut his approach shot around a tree and barely carried a water hazard, then nearly canned a 25-foot uphill birdie putt only to watch it roll over the front edge of the hole. Tolan, meanwhile, pulled his approach shot left of the green and failed to get up and down for par to create the deadlock.

After all three players made birdie 4 on the 491-yard 14th hole, Hallisey fell out of the tie by three-putting the 15th hole and Irwin seized the lead for good when he rolled in a downhill 35-foot putt for a birdie 2 on the 16th hole. “I felt like I was owed that one after all the putts that had burned edges,” said Irwin after his victory.

Needing to make birdie to tie, Tolan pushed his drive on the 389-yard 17th hole wide right and watched in dismay as the ball finished either out of bounds or lost in deep bushes. “The last two holes set up hard for me,” he explained later. “They’re into a strong left-to-right wind and I got the ball up in that wind and it just kept carrying and carrying.” Tolan ended up making triple-bogey7 and Irwin was seemingly home free.

However, after splitting the fairway on the 448-yard finishing hole, Tolan barely escaped disaster when pull-chunked his six-iron approach shot. “All I was trying to do was hit the right side of the green,” said Irwin, “but I laid the sod over it.” His ball stopped a yard from a cart path that would have carried the ball down a hill into a thick grove of trees. Irwin finally breathed a sigh of relief when Hallisey left a 35-foot birdie chip shot short of the flagstick, after which Irwin two-putted for bogey and his one-shot win.

“This is definitely the biggest win of my career,” said Irwin, who won five NCAA D-1 tournaments while playing for the University of Houston. “It’s a great springboard into the Canadian Amateur next week and the U.S. Amateur the week after. Plus, it’s great to have Calgarians win this tournament back to back.”

Taylor, who will defend his Canadian Amateur title next week in Lethridge, AB, was the only player to break par in all four rounds (69-68-68-69). The 18-year-old Hoffenberg (he turns 19 Monday) rallied from opening rounds of 72-70 with consecutive 66s to tie for third.

After opening with rounds of 67-69, Knight wasn’t a factor in trying to become the first player since Billy Mayfair in 1987-88 to win consecutive titles. Knight finished tied for 36th at 6 over par for 72 holes. Nonetheless, said Brent Ellenton, executive director of the Alberta Golf Association, “the back-to-back wins show the depth of talent coming out of our province and the wins will be inspirational for our guys back home.”

The 43rd Pacific Coast Amateur will be played August 4-7 at The Gallery at Dove Mountain in Marana, Ariz.

For complete scores, click HERE.

RYAN HALLISEY OF GRANITE BAY, CALIF. SHOOTS 68 TO LEAD PACIFIC COAST AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER THREE ROUNDS

Ryan Hallisey of Granite Bay, Calif. shot a 68 in the third round to maintain his one-stroke lead going into the final round of the Pacific Coast Amateur.

VICTORIA, B.C., CANADA, August 7 — Ryan Hallisey of Granite Bay, Calif. ended the third round of the 42nd Pacific Coast Amateur Championship right where he started: one shot atop a crowded leaderboard. The 20-year-old University of Nevada rising junior shot 2-under-par 68 today at Royal Colwood Golf Club and heads into tomorrow’s final round a shot ahead of Jordan Irwin of Calgary, AB and Derek Tolan of Boulder, Colo.

All three played in the final group and each shot 68. Hallisey is at 11-under-par 199 over the 6,683-yard, par-70- layout, while Irwin and Tolan are at 10 under par. The trio will play in the final group again tomorrow. Tomorrow’s tee times begin at 8 a.m. off of the first and 10th tees, with the lead group teeing off of No. 1 at 9:57 a.m.

Low scores abounded today at the venerable layout, which was designed in 1913 by Vernon Macan. The top 10 players broke par, as did three of the next five players (overall, 24 did so). Graham Hill of Forest, Ont. was one of five players who tied for low round of the day, 4 under par 66, and is in fourth place at 7 under par, a shot in front of Lindsay Reynolds of Christina Lake, BC. Four golfers, including reigning Canadian Amateur champion Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, BC, are tied for sixth at 5 under par...MORE

RYAN HALLISEY SHOOTS 62 TO LEAD PACIFIC COAST AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER TWO ROUNDS

Ryan Hallisey of Granite Bay, Calif. birdied his last five holes and tied Royal Colwood's course record to take the lead at the midpoint of the Pacific Coast Amateur.

VICTORIA, B.C., CANADA, August 6 — Ryan Hallisey of Granite Bay, Calif., tied the competitive course record at Royal Colwood Golf Club with an 8-under-par 62 today to take a one-shot over Derek Tolan of Boulder, Colo., at the midway point of the 42nd Pacific Coast Amateur Championship.

Hallisey opened with a 69 yesterday over the venerable layout (it was designed by Vernon Macan in 1913).  Today he made eight birdies and 10 pars and his 9-under-par 131 is a shot ahead of Tolan, who shot 65 today.  Co-first-round leader Jordan Irwin of Calgary, AB followed his 65 yesterday with a 68 today and is in third place at 7-under-par 133, a shot ahead of Jarin Todd of Woodinville, Wash.

The 20-year-old Hallisey, a rising junior at the University of Nevada who won last year’s Northern California GA Amateur, tied the competitive course record at Royal Colwood set by Craig Doell in 2006 (ironically, Doell was also competing today; he’s tied for 38th after rounds of 72-71)...MORE

WASHINGTON STATE GA RALLIES TO WIN MORSE CUP COMPETITION AT PACIFIC COAST AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Richard Lee, Jarin Todd, and Dan Whitaker of Washington State GA combined to win the Morse Cup at the Pacific Coast Amateur.

VICTORIA, B.C., CANADA, August 6 — With Richard Lee and Jarin Todd leading the way, Washington State Golf Association rallied to defeat two-time defending champion Pacific Northwest GA by two shots to win the annual Morse Cup team competition, held concurrently with the first two rounds of the Pacific Coast Amateur Championship.

With the best two of three scores each day counting, Washington State GA overcame a five-shot deficit, shooting 137-133 — 270, while the PNGA could manage only an even-par 140 and finished at 272.

Lee posted a 6-under-par 66 today and Todd finished with 67; Dan Whitaker’s even-par 70 wasn’t even needed for the team total.  PNGA could have tied or overtaken Washington State but Andrew Putnam finished bogey-quadruple bogey.

The win was Washington State’s third in the last five years.  The PNGA had won the last two Cups and was bidding to become the first association since Northern California won four titles in the 1990s.

For Morse Cup team scores, click HERE.

View the Morse Cup photo gallery HERE.

TWO CANADIANS LEAD PACIFIC COAST AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER FIRST ROUND

James Allenby of BC (above) shares the lead with Jordan Irwin of Calgary, AB in the first round of the Pacific Coast Amateur Championship.

VICTORIA, B.C., CANADA, August 4 — James Allenby of Langley, BC, and Jordan Irwin of Calgary, AB, each fired rounds of 5-under-par 65 and share a two-shot lead after the first round of the 42nd Pacific Coast Amateur Championship at Royal Colwood Golf Club in Victoria.

Defending champion Mike Knight of Calgary and recently crowned BC Amateur champion Eugene Wong of North Vancouver head a quartet who finished at 3-under-par 67 over the 6,683-yard parkland layout, which was designed in 1913 by Vernon Macan.

Allenby and Wong led the way as the Pacific Northwest Golf Association took a five-shot lead after the first round of the Morse Cup team competition. With the best two of three scores from a pre-selected trio counting for the team total, the PNGA — which is seeking its third consecutive Morse Cup title — finished at 8 under par, five shots ahead of the Washington State GA. Alberta is in third place, another shot back...MORE