Kevin Carrigan cranked it up a notch at the turn on Sunday, recording a 32 on the back nine on his way to a 3-under 67 to claim his second straight Zone 5 city amateur championship, this time at his home course at Royal Colwood.
Along with the Leo Derman Memorial Trophy, the 28-year-old earns an exemption into PGA Tour Canada’s Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by Times Colonist, set for June 4-7 at Uplands Golf Club.
Carrigan played the event last year and missed the cut.
“Absolutely, I will play it for sure,” Carrigan said of the opportunity. “The trophy here is huge, the competition is huge and anything you play at your home course, you want to play in and play well, but certainly the Bayview Place Island Savings Open is the big nut, as it were.
“It’s always nice to win, too,” added Carrigan, who was three back, tied for third entering the second and final round. “I’m happy. It wasn’t my cleanest game of golf, but at the same time I hit a lot of great shots and didn’t make any foolish mistakes. Any time you’re under par out here off the back tee boxes is a good score.”
Fighting a bad neck, Carrigan had some work done by his girlfriend, Lauren Suras, a personal trainer, who helped prepare him physically and got him through the day. He finished with four birdies and an eagle.
“I had a hot start on the back nine,” said Carrigan, who birdied Nos. 10 and 11 before a bogey on 12, then birdie on 13 and the eagle on 14 for a 4-under stretch over five holes. “That was the bulk of my round.”
Carrigan, who is already exempt into the B.C. Amateur — set for July 14-17 at Fairview Mountain Golf Course in Oliver — opened with a 2-over 72 on Saturday before racing back for the win. His 139 total was four shots better than runner-up Tristan Mandur, a 17-year-old playing out of Arbutus Ridge Golf Club who shot rounds of 72-71.
First-round leader Dylan Bell, also of Royal Colwood, could only cobble together a 76 and finished third at 145, one stroke up on junior clubmate Josh Miller and Brock Holland of Olympic View.
“It was a little bit of a struggle,” said Bell, who immediately found himself in trouble Sunday after an opening 1-under 69 on Saturday (the only round under par). “I hit it long and right on the first hole and after that I hit it 30 feet by and missed it. The next hole I hit a bit of a snap hook into the bush and made another bogey.
“I’m a little disappointed. I guess it’s my best finish [at the city amateur], but I really wanted that spot for the PGA Tour Canada event. But this is a good learning experience,” added the 20-year-old, who finished 20th at the B.C. Amateur last season.
Carrigan, Bell, Holland and Miller will form the Zone 5 team at the B.C. Amateur. Mandur has a conflicting event that week so surrendered his spot. A total of 19 players will move on to Oliver.
CHIP SHOTS: Cody Britz of Royal Colwood made a hole-in-one on the 182-yard fourth hole in Round 1 on Saturday. Jeff Riches of Gorge Vale and Keaton Gudz, a junior at Royal Colwood, finished at 147, just ahead of five-time Zone 5 champ Craig Doell of Victoria Golf Club and junior Cam Bourque of Uplands at 148.
