Roxburgh Successfully Defends B.C. Senior Men's Title; Lindbjerg Wins Super-Senior Championship
July 24, 2014 - (British Columbia Golf) Doug Roxburgh added to his collection of titles with a second consecutive win at the 2014 British Columbia Golf Men’s Senior Championship finishing 5-under par at Christina Lake Golf Club, while Gudmund Lindbjerg took home top honours in the Super-Senior Championship after a two-hole playoff victory, finishing at 1-under par.
RESULTS | PHOTOS (Day 3) | VIDEO
Midway through the final round of competition it appeared that the defending champion had all but secured a victory. He began the day with a 1-stroke advantage and two birdies over the first nine holes had him four shots ahead of the nearest competitor.
Following the turn, however, Roxburgh ran into some trouble getting out of the left-hand greenside bunker on number 10 and double-bogeyed for the first time in the Championship.
The trouble didn’t end there, though, as a second double-bogey on the 12th left the Marine Drive Golf Club member tied at (-5) with Lance Lundy.
“I was playing quite well, very comfortable on the front nine and then hit a couple of sloppy shots on the back nine starting on the 10th hole and just let Lance and some others right back into it,” said Roxburgh.
“I just had to work hard to make some pars coming in. That’s golf, and I’m fortunate to get away with this one, I think.” The veteran competitor showed his composure after the glitches, making par for the remainder of his round. His experience, combined with a little bit of luck allowed him to capture the top spot.
Lundy made a surge for the title and even briefly led after he capitalized on Roxburgh’s struggles with a birdie of his own on 11, but unfortunately would concede his lead with two late bogeys finishing second at 4-under-par (212).
Jim Shaw, of Mission, was also briefly tied with Roxburgh and Lundy at (-5) with only a few holes left to play. Shaw was 1-under at the turn and played consistently, making par for nine holes in a row until closing out his round with back-to-back bogeys. He finished at (-3) in third place.
The trio of Roxburgh, Lundy and Shaw were to represent British Columbia at the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship at Capilano Golf and Country Club in West Vancouver on August 26 – 29, 2014.
Super-Senior Championship
The Super-Senior Championship came down to a playoff for the title after four-time, back-to-back B.C. Senior Men’s Champion, Lindbjerg, and tournament low scorer, Kent Brown, each finished at 1-under. The pair both made par on 18 and headed to number 10 for the second hole of the playoff. Each hit drives straight down the middle of the fairway, but Brown’s second shot found the left bunker and he ultimately bogeyed the hole.
Lindbjerg made his two putts for par and the win, saying, “I just take it shot by shot and play [a playoff] like an ordinary game because if you start getting into your mind and think ‘don’t hit it there, hit it there’, you’re in trouble - right there. Kent smoked his drive probably a hundred yards past me on the first hole and I had to hit a rescue in and he hit a six iron so it was a little intimidating, I knew I had to whop one on ten.”
Ray Henry finished behind Brown in third, as the only competitor under par for the day, with his best showing of the Championship, a 1-under-par 71, finishing (+2) (218).
Best-Ball Competition
This year a Best-ball competition conducted over 54 holes replaced the club team format. Players made up their own two-man teams from the field, identified prior to competition. Brown and Brian De Biasio held on to win the competition despite being (+1) for the day. The team finished (-17) (199) after recording the lowest score on day two (62). Lindbjerg and John Gallacher finished a single stroke behind at (-16) carding 19 birdies between them. Lundy and Norm Bradley rounded out the top three at (-14) combining for an eagle and 14 birdies over three rounds.
The competitors faced weather conditions from extreme heat to tough wind and rain that briefly halted play on day two. Christina Lake Golf Club was to be commended for the incredible course conditions despite the unavoidable. Crews worked late into the night on Wednesday to clear away a number of broken trees and debris and were back again as early as 3:30am the following morning to prepare the course for the competitor’s final day of play. Participants continually remarked on the exceptional conditions of the course and the hospitality of the club.
Zone 2 Wins Team Competition - July 23, 2014
Prior to the start of competition, zones selected four-man teams to represent them, the low three of four scores making up the team score for the day. Zone Two won the Team Championship finishing (+7) after 36 holes of competition. Bradley, David Cameron, and Russ Bentley of Kelowna and Len Filek of Summerland improved their first round score by three strokes to come from behind and secure the win by a single shot. Zone Four conceded their lead with a second round score of a nine-over-par (225(, finishing (+8) for the Championship. Zone Six finished in third at (+15).