Golf just wouldn’t be golf if players could always play their best. Off days are simply a part of the game - a big, insanely frustrating part.
Whitehorse’s Landon Kulych recently got a refresher course on that irritating quality of the sport.
Teeing off with a seven-stroke lead to start the second round of the BCGA Provincial Qualifier at Mountain View Golf Club on Sunday, Kulych watched as his comfortable lead evaporated, opening the door Whitehorse’s Phil Mullin to take the win.
“He let me back in,” said Mullin. “He started off the day double-bogey, triple-bogey, bogey. I bogeyed the first hole but after that I was steady.
“He was shooting himself in the foot any chance he got.
“He lost it on the front nine. On the back nine he beat me by a stroke and managed to keep it interesting.”
With the one-stroke win, Mullin has earned the Yukon’s one spot at the BC Amateur Championship, taking place at the Castlegar Golf Club in Kootenay, BC, July 20 to July 23.
Kulych, who won last year’s Mountain View Championships and qualified for the BC Amateurs in 2008, dropped his lead on the first seven holes of the front-nine, then dropping another two strokes with bogeys on eight and nine.
“Weather wise it wasn’t (bad), but golf wise it was (a bad day) for me for sure,” said Kulych. “I got off to a rocky start, gave a bunch of shots back and couldn’t make up enough ground and ended up losing by one.
“I wouldn’t say one hole in particular, I’d say my putter cost me. I had 11 three-putts. I was actually striking the ball really well, I just couldn’t get it done on the greens.”
Mullin bogeyed on hole-16 to allow Kulych back within a stroke, but held tough on 18, making par while Kulych missed the birdie putt to force another hole.
“He made a bad putt and missed it about a foot to the left,” said Mullin, who finished with a score of 81 on Sunday.
The current Yukon Champion, Mullin also snagged the spot to last year’s BC Amateur open where he came five strokes short of making the cut in the supplemental qualifier in BC.
Still unsure whether he will be able to attend the BC Amateurs, Mullin had a rather nonchalant attitude towards the weekend’s competition - especially after the opening round.
“I was demoralized after the first round,” said Mullin. “I went in today thinking, ‘OK, whatever.’ I had already given up on it.
“Before this weekend started, I was kind of up in the air as to whether I wanted to or not.
“That played into my attitude this weekend: I wasn’t really sure if I’d be going if I did win. So I was like, ‘It’s fine if Landon wins because he will go.’ But at the same time I don’t like losing to anybody.”
If unable to get time off work to attend, the spot will be offered to Kulych.
“Tomorrow I’ll have to speak with the people in charge and see if it’s a possibility,” said Mullin.
Also competing for the spot was Marcel Berrault, who hit a combined score of 186, 30 strokes behind Mullin, and Vic Istchenko, who hit a combined score of 171.
Since the BC Senior Men Championship has not filled up in about five years, a qualifying round was not necessary. Nonetheless, John Taylor and Harry Kulych decided to toss their hats in the ring for fun’s sake. After two rounds, Kulych finished with a combined score of 182, 10 strokes up from Taylor.
“Harry is not going to go, but John is going to be down there, so John’s going to go,” said Mountain View club pro Jeff Wiggins. “He’s not 100 per cent sure, but he’s going to try and make it.
“They could have both gone if they had wanted to.”
Contact Tom Patrick at
tomp@yukon-news.com