Wheeldon used a couple of late birdies Sunday afternoon to win his first National Golf Association Pro Tour event at the Kandy Waters Memorial Classic at Mount Vintage Plantation Golf Club in North Augusta, South Carolina.
Wheeldon, who earned $30,500 for the win, started the final round tied for fourth, but his final round 2-under 70 clinched a one-shot victory over Brian Richey and Patton Kizzire. Wheeldon finished with a 4-under 284 total for the tournament.
The NGA Tour, formerly known as the Hooters Tour, is the top-ranked development tour in the U.S.
“It was a difficult week and a grind all week,” Wheeldon said in a statement. “It feels great to win here with the history of this event. This is my first pro victory, so that feels good. Winning in Augusta feels special. Obviously, it’s not the one that I ultimately want, but it feels great and I’m happy I came out on top.”
After pars on Nos. 16 and 17, Wheeldon calmly rolled in a four-foot putt on No. 18 to join PGA Tour winners Camilo Villegas, Scott Piercy, Zach Johnson and Vaughn Taylor as a podium finisher in the prestigious event.
With the large payday, Wheeldon may have a shot at teeing up with those PGA Tour pros in 2013. Wheeldon currently leads the Race for the Web.com Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am event exemption and is second on the season money standings. The money leader at the halfway point of the season will earn an event exemption to the PGA Tour’s Reno-Tahoe Open.
The NGA Tour returns to action this week with the Milton Martin Honda Classic in Gainesville, Georgia.
College teams battle at the Bear
The Camosun College Chargers golf team returns to action this weekend, and right in their own back yard.
The Chargers will host the third annual Bear Mountain Collegiate Tournament Saturday and Sunday, and they will be looking to defend their title from a year ago.
Head coach John Randle’s Chargers will be joined by Lethbridge College Kodiaks, Grant MacEwen Griffins of Edmonton, the Vancouver Island University Mariners and Douglas College Royals from New Westminster. And Grant MacEwen and VIU will field both men’s and women’s teams.
The Chargers roster includes Kevin Walz, Jared Hundza, Brady Stead, Grant Maskiewich and Kevin Bredy.
Murdoch enters another Hall
Victoria’s Alison Murdoch added another Hall of Fame to her storied golf resumé this week.
The Victoria Golf Club member was named to the Class of 2013 for the Pacific Northwest Golf Association’s Hall of Fame.
Murdoch, who was recently named to the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, has proven herself on both the national and international stage. She has won four Canadian Senior Women’s Championships and two Super Senior titles. She also won the British Senior Women’s Amateur, as well as B.C. and Alberta senior women’s titles. Murdoch has also been named the PNGA senior women’s player of the year five times, and in 2009, was inducted into the B.C. Golf Hall of Fame.
The PNGA Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are set for April 26 in Seattle.
Kasper carries a big stick
Victoria’s Chris Kasper is helping put Ohio Valley University on the map for lacrosse.
Kasper, a Claremont grad and former member of the Victoria Intermediate A Shamrocks, was last week named the Eastern College Athletic Conference rookie of the week after scoring six goals and three assists in two wins by the Fighting Scots, the first two NCAA Division II lacrosse wins in the school’s history.
Ohio Valley, now 2-2 on the season, picked up wins over Notre Dame De Namur University and Lees-McRae College.
Senior slo-pitch set to hit diamond
If you’re over 55 and looking to play some slo-pitch baseball, Victoria’s only daytime league has just the thing for you.
The Greater Victoria Senior Slo-Pitch Daytime League is looking for new players for the upcoming 2013 season. The four-team league plays Tuesday and Thursday morning from May through August at Centennial Park in View Royal.
For more information, call Art at 250-474-3307 or email [email protected].
