As a three-time champion, it should be no surprise that Bryn Parry walked away with the 2019 TaylorMade and adidas Golf PGA of BC Championship once again.
But the margin of victory surprised even Parry himself as he finished seven-under-par for the two-day tournament at Whistler Golf Club. The Seymour Creek Golf Centre pro shot the low score on both days, besting Victoria's Lindsay Bernakevitch and Cheam Mountain's Kevin Stinson by six strokes.
"This course is really difficult. I think I played a whale of a round today," he said. "I was really proud of [my score]. When you shoot a score like that, you're going to separate a little bit."
Things were close after Round 1, with Parry carrying just a two-stroke advantage over a handful of competitors, including Fairmont Chateau Whistler's Padraic O'Rourke. Parry, however, came out blazing in Round 2, birdieing his first three holes to extend his advantage en route to shooting 66 on the day.
"I made a really good putt on the first hole for birdie, hit a good shot on two and made birdie, and the third hole was a par-five. I hit it to about five feet and made that," he said. "I jumped ahead early and sometimes when you start like that, you get your confidence to a high, and you can play and have some fun with it.
"It went my way today."
When the tournament was last held at the local course in 2010, Parry placed second, and though it's challenging, he tends to find a way to score well.
"I love coming up here to play," he said. "The golf course was absolutely perfect. I know it's been windy up here, so they put exactly the right amount of water down and just got it dialled in for us. It was a treat to play."
O'Rourke, meanwhile, slipped from a tie for second at the midpoint to a tie for 12th after struggling on the first five holes, finishing at three-over-par for the event.
To start the tournament, O'Rourke had an early tee time and managed to avoid the wind early on.
"[On Day 1], I played very solid for about 10 holes. My putter was pretty good yesterday without ball-striking being amazing," he said. "It was probably a round, even, where I left a couple of shots out there."
Though he hasn't been playing much this summer, O'Rourke felt confident heading into the second and final round before things slowly fell apart.
"I felt pretty comfortable, actually," he said. "I just got off to a rocky start. The first five holes were a bit of a shock. I was four-over after five and was really struggling.
"I shot a 74 (three-over). It was not what I was hoping for, but it could have been a whole lot worse."
Other locals were: Nicklaus North's Mike Nedoszytko (54th); Whistler Golf Club's Alan Kristmanson (71st); and Fairmont Chateau's Matthew Hillhouse (96th).
Nedoszytko was appreciative of the opportunity to compete close to home.
"To have this championship in Whistler, it's pretty special," he said. "The golf course is in phenomenal shape and it goes to show how good the golf in Whistler is."
However, with the course having narrower fairways than his home course, Nedoszytko had some struggles and acknowledged his first-ever Championship was a learning experience.
Meanwhile, Kristmanson had his plate full as a competitor and host.
"I struggled personally but I had two great pairings both days. We had a lot of fun and the course played really tough," he said. "It's been hot and windy, which dries the golf course out and makes conditions really challenging.
"The good players can handle it and the ones that are struggling don't."
For full results, visit www.pgabc.org.
