THUNDER BAY – Back-to-back-to-back birdies on the back nine Sunday delivered Jeremy Kirk a second AON District Open golf title.
The 24-year-old outlasted first-round co-leader Jamie DePiero, who was tied for the lead when he stepped to the 18th tee, only to leave his approach short, three-putt from the lower level of the two-tier green and settle for bogey to fall a shot back of Kirk's one-under, 143 total.
Kirk was a shot back entering the final round of the 36-hole event, after firing a one-over 73 on Saturday under sweltering conditions at Whitewater Golf Course.
“I made a few putts on the back nine. My caddy gave me a few good reads and I was fortunate enough that they went in,” Kirk said.
His comeback began on the 12th, the first of three straight birdies that ultimately decided the tournament, which concluded at Fort William Country Club.
“I made a long one on 14, a double-breaker up the hill and it was right in the middle – a good thing,” Kirk said.
Kirk's only other local major came three years ago, a District Open win that earned him a spot in the final Staal Foundation Open, a Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada event played at Whitewater from 2014 to 2018.
The second was even sweeter, he said.
“This one's a little bit better. We had a lot of the local pros back in town this year and it feels good to come out on top.”
One of those pros, Evan DeGrazia, who has status on this year's revamped Mackenzie Tour, finished fifth with a five-over 149 total, three shots behind third-place finisher Evan Littlefield, one of four first-round co-leaders, and two behind fourth-place Casey Niemi, who wound up with a three-over 147 score.
Another former touring pro, Walter Keating Jr., equalled DeGrazia's 149, matching his second-round score of one-over 73. Jack Moro also finished at 149, overcoming Saturday's heat to fire an even-par 72.
For Kirk, the pressure of a one-shot win is what he lives for on the golf course.
“I love the tight matches. It's sort of what keeps me going,” he said.
For DePiero, it was a disappointing finish.
“I hit a good shot coming in, just another two feet it would have been on the upper level. Putting from the lower tier is tough to judge the speed and I just hit it a little too hard and three-putted,” he said.
The next local major, the Strathcona Invitational, will be played on the August long weekend.
