Local Pro Poje Puts Champions Tour Experience In Perspective
Tsawwassen Springs Head Professional Murray Poje Teed It Up Wth The PGA TOUR Champions At The Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship - Image Credit Bryan Outram/British Columbia Golf
By Bryan Outram
The 2016 Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship saw many of the top names from the PGA TOUR Champions grace the fairways of Victoria, BC’s picturesque Mountain Course at the Bear Mountain Resort.
The likes of two-time Masters Champion Bernhard Langer, former U.S. Open champions Lee Janzen, Tom Kite and Scott Simpson and several other major winners including Mark Calcavecchia, Ian Woosnam, Mark O’Meara, Vijay Singh, Larry Mize and World Golf Hall of Fame member Colin Montgomery were on hand to vie for the US$2.5 Million purse.
Those were just some of the names that Tsawwassen’s Murray Poje was teeing it up with this past weekend after he made it through local qualifying to earn a spot in the field with these legends of the game who now make their living playing 3-round, no-cut golf but can still ‘golf their ball’ as the saying goes.
So, what was it like for the Head Golf Professional from Tsawwassen Springs to rub shoulders with these guys, who are ‘Still Good’?
“Well it is an experience, right? I mean this is just fun. I probably played my best few games qualifying at Ledgeview and then won a playoff here at Bear Mountain last Tuesday to get in. So it’s kind of like a minor-leaguer going to the majors, right? So it’s a bit nerve-wracking, it’s like taking a couple of steps up. But it’s a lot of fun, just the experience.”
Poje, who moved to Tsawwassen from Nanaimo at age 10 and has made it his home base ever since, has been a professional for a long time and is a previous BC PGA champion, so how does competing with players who have these kind of resume’s compare?
“I mean these guys do this full time, 52 weeks a year and in their life….I mean, there’s so many legends here, I mean that is their life, that’s their job and they’re very good at it,” said Poje.
The first round pairing saw Poje playing with Jean Van de Velde, the man from France still best know for his meltdown at Carnoustie in the 1999 British Open where he squandered a 3-shot lead on the final hole and lost in a playoff.
Was there even a thought from Poje to bring up that subject that surely haunts Van de Velde to this day?
“No, no…” began Poje, “You know, I played so bad yesterday (in the first round shooting an 11-over 82) and he was kind of like patting me on the back saying, ’no worries’ you know.’ It’s just good I have another job so I’m not too worried about it, but it’s the experience, to be doing this is great, it’s fabulous.”
And to further shed some light on the next level that these Champions Tour players are able to play at, Poje had this to say after opening with an 82 followed by a 79, “This course is just too tough for me. These guys seem not to miss many shots, they know exactly where it’s going and they don’t miss many. I miss every other one, so ..(chuckles)
But, asked if he was still looking forward to his third round, one of the perks of playing the no-cut senior circuit, he said, “Yeah, just to see who you play with. I mean we (he and playing partner/competitor Fran Quinn) were supposed to play with Stadler (Craig - the ‘Walrus’) today but he withdrew but that would be kind of fun right?”
As it turned out Poje played in the first group off on Sunday with Steve Schneiter of the U.S. and turned in his best round of the three with a 2-over 73.
Keeping the whole experience in perspective the very likeable Poje said, “The whole thing was just a blast, other than the golf…mine that is, everything was great. You can’t take it too seriously.”