Dramatic finishes were par for the course at Whitehorse’s Mountain View Golf Club Championships this past weekend.
The junior title was won in a comeback on the final hole, and the open men’s division went to a playoff between two Yukon champs.
Six-time Yukon golf champ Phil Mullin, who last won the club championship in 2011, took the men’s title in a playoff over current Yukon champ Dan King.
“What a culmination of the weekend! It felt great beating Dan - he’s my best friend - and it was pretty cool it was him and I,” said Mullin. “But it was not an easy weekend.”
The two carded matching 76s and 82s in the two rounds. Mullin bogeyed on 18 while King birdied with a 15-foot putt, placing them in a tie for first and forcing the playoff.
Mountain View’s par-four Hole 1 was used for the playoff. At the start of the day King birdied it and Mullin slipped up with a triple bogey. “Just like that he has a four-stroke lead,” said Mullin.
It was a different story in the playoff. Mullin sent his tee shot down the middle of the fairway while King sliced into the woods. King chipped out but sent his third shot into the bunker next to the green.
Mullin put his second on the green for a birdie putt.
“At that point it was pretty much settled. If he made his putt for bogey there would have been a little bit of pressure ... I had two putts from four feet for the win,” said Mullin, who parred the hole.
“So it was a stress-free finish, but during the day there was a lot of stress going on.”
Ian Wintemute and Jeff Seaman tied for third with combined 160s.
Bryce Anderson has put a lot of time into his game this summer and now has a junior title to show for it.
The 13-year-old captured the junior (under-19) title without a stroke to spare, coming back on the final hole for the win.
Anderson, an accomplished hockey player with the Whitehorse Mustangs rep club, spent his summer going from rinks to links each day.
“I’ve been out there every day, so I guess hard work pays off,” said Anderson. “Usually hockey in the morning and then I head to the golf course all day.”
Anderson took the title with an 84 on Saturday - a stroke off his personal best at the course - and an 88 Sunday.
Second place’s Trever Harris birdied 17 to take a two-stroke lead going into the final hole on Sunday. But Anderson stayed on track with a par on 18 while Harris tripled, giving up the top spot.
Yukon junior champ James McGrath placed third, a shot behind Harris with an 81 and 93 over the two rounds.
Harris and McGrath played for Yukon at the Canada Summer Games a year ago in Quebec.
Tom Amson didn’t play his best over the weekend, but he “played good enough to beat everybody else,” he said.
In his first time playing in the senior division of the club championships, Amson cruised to a six-stroke win with a combined 165 over two rounds.
“I’m pretty hard on myself. I like to shoot in the 70s if I’m going to win a tournament,” said Amson. “Then I feel like I played well. But having said that, I played better than everybody else in the seniors…
“I’m not complaining.”
Amson Opened with an 80 on Saturday for the lowest round for the senior division in the tournament. He eagled 18 on Saturday, but triple bogeyed it on Sunday.
“I think I got a little over-confident then ... long story short, I tripled 18,” said Amson. “But with the triple, I knew I still had room.
“If Vic (Istchenko) could putt, it would be a different story.”
Istchenko, a past men’s and senior men’s Yukon champ, placed second with 85 and 86. Ken Taylor picked up third with 83 and 89 on the card.
Amson, who won his first senior men’s title at the Yukon Golf Championships in July, is currently in Strathcona County outside of Edmonton to play in the Canada 55+ Games this week.
“This would be a great one to top off the season, if I can win here,” said Amson.
“A bunch of great folks. It looks like it’s going to be a fun time.”
Contact Tom Patrick at
tomp@yukon-news.com