Oregonian Nick Sherwood Hangs On To Win Vancouver Open
Oregon's Nick Sherwood Is The 2018 Vancouver Open Champion - Image Credit VGT
By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf
Nick Sherwood made it more difficult than it needed to be, but he still managed to win the Vancouver Open. The 27-year-old from Oregon arrived at the 18th tee with a four-shot lead in the final round of the Vancouver Golf Tour’s flagship event Sunday at Fraserview Golf Course. He hung on to win by a single shot over Richmond amateur Chris Crisologo.
“That was more drama than what I was looking for,” a relieved Sherwood said. “If I was a spectator that would have been fun to watch, but for me it was more nerve-wracking. I got it done, luckily.”
The drama started when Crisologo, playing in the group ahead of Sherwood, eagled the par 5 18th hole to post seven-under par. Sherwood found the fairway with his drive and had 202 yards to the pin.
He pushed his 5-iron approach shot right, his ball clipped a tree and ended up in the middle of a bush. He took an unplayable, went back to play the shot from the same spot and this time hit a beauty to within about five-feet of the hole. “The second one was perfect,” Sherwood said. “I figured I could at worst make par or bogey going back to hit it again from 202.”
Sherwood lipped out his par putt, but tapped it in for bogey for a one-shot win. Sherwood closed with a three-under 69 to finish the 54-hole event held on the three City of Vancouver courses -- McCleery, Langara and Fraserview -- at eight under-par.
The win was worth $8,000 for Sherwood, who finished second at last year’s Vancouver Open at Northview Golf Club in Surrey. “A win is big,” Sherwood said. “The last win I had was a couple of years ago on the Asian Developmental Tour, so it has been a while for me. So I am going to celebrate accordingly tonight.”
Sherwood has status on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica circuit this year. He leaves for Brazil next week as that tour resumes after a summer break. He said the money and confidence he earned with Sunday’s win should help him in South America. In seven events this year on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica circuit, Sherwood has made only three cuts and about $2,300 US.
Crisologo, a member of Canada’s National Amateur Team and reigning B.C. Amateur champion, shot himself into contention with a seven-under 64 in Saturday’s second round at Langara. He shot a three-under 69 on Sunday, but really couldn’t mount any kind of charge until his brilliant eagle on No. 18.
Crisologo bombed his drive on No. 18 and had only 179 yards for his second shot. His 8-iron approach left him about 12 feet for eagle and he drained the putt. “It was just fun to be out here,” Crisologo said. “This was my first VGT event and it was fun to play on these three golf courses.”
Crisologo missed Sherwood’s troubles on the 18th hole and didn’t realize how close he had come to being in a playoff.” “I had put the clubs away actually,” he said.
Sherwood played his college golf at Oregon State University and was a roommate with Delta’s Jonnie Motomochi. Motomochi, who works out of Morgan Creek in Surrey, now coaches Sherwood and followed him throughout Sunday’s final round.
Sherwood took control of the tournament on the back nine. After managing only a par on the short par 5 12th hole and bogeying the par 3 13th hole, Sherwood made back-to-back birdies on the 14th and 15th holes to give himself some breathing room.
“That was huge for me,” he said. “I knew I maybe had a little bit of a lead at the turn, but then not birdieing the par 5 and then making a bogey on 13, I kind of just re-set myself and said try and play as good as you can.”
Port Alberni’s Greg Palmer finished third at six-under par after a roller-coaster final round that featured three eagles, three birdies, six pars, five bogeys and one double-bogey. “It was a very up-and-down round,” said Palmer, who works at the pro shop at Pheasant Glen Golf Resort in Qualicum Beach. “I got some lucky breaks out there, some unlucky breaks. I made a few putts which always helps.”
One of his three eagles came on the 18th hole. That jumped him into third spot, but received second-place money of $4,500 because Crisologo, an amateur, was second. “That was a big putt,” Palmer said of his eagle on 18. “I think it was about a $3,000 putt, the difference between making and missing that. So it’s pretty big.”
Kevin Stinson of Cheam Mountain in Chilliwack and Evan Holmes of Vancouver tied for fourth place at five-under par and each earned $2,500. Riley Wheeldon of Comox finished sixth at four-under.
Sarah Lawrence of Echo Falls, Wash., and Karishma Thiagaraj of Meadow Gardens Golf Course shared the title in the women’s division. Both players finished the event at nine-over par.