| B.C. Open [message #982883] |
Thu, 27 April 2006 19:47 |
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B.C. Open
July 20th- 23rd
En-Joie GC, Endicott, New York
Live on USA
Purse: $3,000,000
Last Champion: Jason Bohn
After bouncing around for years on mini-tours and spending five years on the
Canadian Tour, Bohn closed with a second straight 6-under 66 in last year's
B.C. Open for his first PGA TOUR victory with all the Sportsbook odds
against him.
"You don't really expect when your first win is going to come," said the
32-year-old Bohn, who finished at 24-under 264. "I hadn't played that well
this year. I missed a lot of cuts, and I haven't seen that many great things
come out of my game. And then this week I kind of got turned around."
Bohn, in only his second year on TOUR, had six birdies in a bogey-free round
and won $540,000 in becoming the 13th player to make this tournament his
first triumph.
"It's just amazing," said Bohn, who made birdie at Nos. 16 and 17 to take a
one-shot lead. "I couldn't have asked for it to come out in a better
scenario, my best friend on TOUR with me all day."
The previous tournament record in relation to par was 22 under, set in 2001
by Jeff Sluman and Paul Gow. The tournament record score was 265, by Calvin
Peete in 1982. He finished 19 under when the course at the En-Joie Golf Club
played to a par 71.
Bohn edged his playing partner, Ryan Palmer (67), and J.P. Hayes (66), John
Rollins and Australian rookie Brendan Jones (68). Jones, who held a one-shot
lead entering the final round, rallied with three straight birdies at the
finish, but his erratic play -- he had three bogeys -- cost him a shot at
the title.
Ben Crane (64), Michael Allen (64) and Mathias Gronberg (66) of Sweden were
in a group two shots back. The victory was not devoid of drama. Fresh from
the birdies that had given him a one-shot lead, Bohn watched Palmer drive
into the trees on the right side of the 18th fairway, and promptly followed
suit.
"The tee shot at 18 was really important for me. I really wanted to step up
and hit a good tee shot," Bohn said. "I hit it left one day into the water.
I kind of gassed it at the end."
Palmer's ball kicked back to the edge of the fairway, and although Bohn was
under the trees, he had a decent shot at the green.
"I thought maybe when Jason hit in the trees that I had a chance," said
Palmer, who won the Funai Classic two years ago as a rookie, in his 34th
start.
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