Stung by a wasp on the 15th hole, Jerry Kelly managed to shake it off and find a way to win the 2017 Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship on a cool, damp Sunday afternoon.
His final round of 3-under 68 for a three-day total of 14-under 199 allowed the Wisconsin native to walk off with the top prize of $270,000 US, edging two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen by a single stroke.
Janzen — who had a three-shot advantage with four holes to play — was in control of the tournament until the course stung him with his first bogey of the day on No. 15. After an excellent par save on 16, he double-bogeyed the short par-4 17th, which cost him the tournament.
Australian David McKenzie also had a chance to win — one of four players who held sole possession of first place on the day — but his tee shot on the scenic par-3 14th at the top of the course hit the rocks on the left side of the green and ricocheted out of bounds for his own double-bogey, followed by another double on 17.
After Janzen’s approach shot on the par-5 18th hit a sprinkler head and shot left for what was ultimately a par, all Kelly required was a par of his own on the finishing hole. He tapped in, much to the delight of the large crowd.
It was his second win in four weeks.
“It feels great,” said Kelly, the 50-year-old in his rookie season on PGA Tour Champions. “You always want that validation after you win the first one and to get it so soon — again, I’m very surprised, but I’m just going to keep working hard.”
Kelly out-lasted the field as the lead changed hands several times down the stretch.
“It was crazy. I thought I was three shots back with four to go after that three-putt and I had the mindset to just birdie all four of them coming in. I lipped out one and then I made the second one, and I didn’t need the rest, luckily,” said Kelly, who bogeyed the par-5 13th, which took him out of the race briefly.
It was the 15th that turned everything around, including the sting.
“The shot on 15, that 6-iron around the bunker, that was the shot of the tournament for me,” said Kelly.
The wasp hit him above the chest and fell into his clothing. He was stung reaching for it. It occurred just before he made his birdie putt on the hole.
“I think I got the stinger pretty quick,” he said pointing to his left middle finger.
Meanwhile, Janzen felt the sting of a poor stretch, finishing three-over during the final four holes.
“I had three holes left and 17 is a short hole that, yardage wise, you think is a birdie hole,” said Janzen, who tried to recover from his bogey on 15. “Where that pin was [on 17], it’s so difficult to get it near the hole and I just made a huge error by hitting on the wrong line, which, unfortunately, I just didn’t know any better. I was in a bush and just chipped back out to the fairway and then my ball ran all the way to the back of the green and I three-putted.”
That meant the end of his run, which included six birdies on the first 14 holes.
McKenzie, who is well known in these parts after playing the Canadian Tour a handful of times in Victoria, also had a chance, up by a single stroke after 12 holes. The 14th cost him dearly as did the 17th.
Still, the Tuesday qualifier finished tied for third with a 12-under total of 201 along with American Tommy Armour III, who shot 67 on the day. McKenzie recorded an even-par round of 71. The two were one stroke better than Esteban Toledo and Bernhard Langer at 11-under 202. Rod Spittle was the top Canadian at 9-under 204, tied for seventh.
McKenzie did earn $118,800 US for the week and now qualifies for the field this week at scenic Pebble Beach, California.
“As I said [Saturday], I hit a few bad shots and came out roses. [Sunday] I didn’'t come out roses,” said McKenzie, who began the day tied for the lead with Jerry Smith, who faltered with a 77. “It was a lot of fun. I probably only hit three bad shots on the day, other than that I was happy the way I played.”
McKenzie, who met his wife Julia Roberge, on the airport shuttle into downtown Victoria more than 15 years ago, was hoping to become the first Tuesday qualifier to win a PGA Tour Champions event since Willie Wood managed the feat in 2012.
A total of 8,000 fans came through the gates on Sunday after a spectacular crowd of 11,000 the day previous in the glorious sun. The event week, from Wednesday on, drew a total of 29,000 fans and over the three days of tournament play 23,000 spectators took in the event.
The cool temperatures brought scores up Sunday, an average of 2.77 strokes higher than the day previous. The average on the week was 70.833, the fifth toughest on tour this year and second toughest if you discount major championships.
