Submitted by CanTour Communications John Berkovich
ST. CATHARINES, Ont. – James Love parred the first playoff hole to defeat Lucas Lee and captured the $250,000 Canadian Tour Championship.
It is the Calgary native’s first Canadian Tour title and considering he was thinking of quitting the game just two months ago, a validating victory.
Both players finished the tournament at 11 under 269.
Jim Rutledge closed with a 66 to grab a share of third spot at ten under 270 with James Hahn who came home with a 67, and Alan McLean who managed an even par 70.
Sharing sixth spot at nine under 271 are Wes Heffernan (69) and Scott Gibson who shot 71.
Both Mitch Gillis and Mark Lawless fired 67 to share eighth spot at 272 alongside Luck Hickmott and Graham DeLaet who closed with 71s.
Love, who seemed to be the player no one seemed to be watching until the end, bogeyed No. 4 but then scattered four birdies across the rest of his card.
Lee bogeyed the first hole but then grinded out nine consecutive pars before trading a bogey and birdie at 11 and 12.
With Love already in the clubhouse, Lee birdied No. 16 to catch Love but he gave it back at 17.
Standing in the 18th fairway in regulation, Lee nailed his approach to 3 feet and sank the putt to force a playoff.
In the playoff, Love found the light rough with his tee shot while Lee split the fairway and had only 86 yards to the pin.
Both players missed the green with their second.
Love missed pin high left, 25 feet from the hole, while Lee hit it over the green and faced a delicate downhill chip of 50 feet.
Running his chip 15 feet past the hole, Lee failed to convert and with Love within tap-in range, it was all over.
“I said ten (under) at the start of the week and it was 11 under,” said Love.
“Like every other day, I got off to a bad start with an early bogey at the fourth but I wasn’t worried about it.
“The par saves at seven, eight, and nine were big because it settled me down but I felt like I gave one away at 15.
“I hit it right in front of the green in two but made an awful chip and made par.
“I thought my putt at 16 for eagle was going in but it didn’t break where I expected it to.
What had been his nemesis hole all week turned out to be the winning one for Love.
Barely missing his birdie putt that would have got him to 12 under, Love was forced to wait for over an hour before the playoff began.
“I missed the fairway by 30 yards at 18 all week so I hit an iron off the tee in the playoff and put it in the light rough,” said Love. “I looked at my caddie and said, ‘I’ll take it.’
Take it he did.
“I’m a little emotional right now,” continued Love, who earned $40,000 with the win.
“The first few months of this year were really tough. I wasn’t even sure if I could or would keep playing. My parents and a few close friends out here have been really supportive.
“You’re out on the road and not playing well, and you wonder if this is what you should be doing.”
Immediately after winning, a teary-eyed Love placed a call home and spoke with his parents.
“There was a lot of yelling and celebrating back home,” said Love.
“They have stuck with me through a difficult year. This is my life and they are the ones who have let me do this.
“I starting believing in myself again and finished fourth at the Jane Rogers a few weeks ago; it helped a lot.
“This is a lonely game and for the first six months of this year, I didn’t believe in myself at all.”
“I travel with Graham (DeLaet) and he kept telling me I was a very good player but you start to wonder. This win means everything to me.”
The lead changed hands several times over the course of the afternoon, and at one point, four players were tied at 10 under par coming down the stretch.
McLean bogeyed the first two holes and although he got them back at the next two, he, like playing partner Scott Gibson, didn’t have his best stuff.
Gibson birdied No. 8 from 40 feet and moved to 11 under par to take the lead, but bogeys at 12 and 16 derailed his chances.
Behind him, Andrew Parr, playing in the last group, had moved it to 12 under with a birdie at three.
However, a four-putt green at No. 4 for triple-bogey six seemed to take the wind out of his sails.
Although he didn’t win the tournament, Graham DeLaet did take home a couple of bonuses on Sunday afternoon.
His $7,000 payday keeps him atop the Order of Merit and gives him an exemption into second stage of
PGA TOUR Q-School. DeLaet also won the Canadian Division of the Canadian Tour Bursary.
Although he missed the cut, Byron Smith managed to hang on to second spot on the Order of Merit to earn an exemption into second stage.
He also captured the International Division of the Canadian Tour Bursary.
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