THUNDER BAY – Jeff Hunter’s precision game was on point.
The 33-year-old holed out for eagle from 155 yards on the ninth hole on Monday to draw even with Dallas Burgess in the Strathcona Invitational championship final, then, after winning the next four holes, Hunter chipped in from behind the green for birdie on the 14th to capture his second local major title.
The approach on nine was the turning point, Hunter said.
“Golf is a game of bounces. I hit a really good shot in, nice and high, and landed it on the front of the green. That green is rock hard. It just took off rolling toward the pin and I think the flagstick got in the way and helped me out,” he said.
Up one after 10, Hunter got up and down on 11 to go 2 up, after Burgess found trouble and settled for bogey.
Hunter’s tee shot on the short par 4 12th left him about 70 yards further back than Burgess, but his second checked up five feet from the hole. He made the birdie putt. Burgess’ tee shot on No. 13 left him no choice but to punch his ball out into the safety of the fairway, the extra shot the difference as Hunter jumped in front by four with just five holes to play.
Burgess had the advantage on 14, blasting a driver to within striking distance of the postage stamp green.
Hunter played it safe, hitting iron off the teen, then airmailed the green on his approach. Then he calmly surveyed the situation, made up his mind and chipped it in, leaving Burgess with a must-make birdie putt that didn’t fall.
“I got lucky enough that there was a dry spot up on the top of the hill that I could land my ball on. If it was thick rough, then I probably would have been a lot worse off. It came out nice, it landed kind of dead, on top of the hill, and it rolled down in like a putt,” said Hunter, who won the District Open in 2012 and last year’s Better Ball Pro-Am.
The feeling of finally winning the Invitational is amazing, Hunter said.
“I’ve been chasing it for a while, so it’s nice to get the monkey off my back. It’s a lot of golf in the week, so I’m relieved to have won and relieved to be done at the same time.”
Hunter knocked off six-time champion Robert Cumming, Nathan Lepore and lastly Jeremy Kirk, last year’s champion, in Sunday’s semifinal.
Hunter was up two holes early in the match-play contest, but Burgess rallied to win three straight, taking a 1 up lead into the ninth.
Burgess said he didn’t see Hunter’s ball drop on nine, but the resounding cheer that followed told him all he needed to know.
“After that I said, all right, we’re all square after nine, let’s keep going and see what we can do. It levelled out after nine holes.”
The 20-year-old, who curls for Manitoba skip Jordon McDonald and won a provincial junior championship earlier this year, said while disappointing not to come out on top, he’s seeing progress in his golf game.
“It definitely felt like I did a good job playing this week. To make the final, I broke the barrier of the second round finally and was fortunate to beat Billy (Seagris) this morning.”
Dave Jourbert won the senior title and Rollie Turrie captured the masters division.
