Kurtis Barkley Wins OVGA Men’s Class A City & District Championship In Playoff

Twenty-four players advanced to the third round of the Ottawa Valley Golf Association (OVGA) City and District A Class Championship at Rivermead Golf Club on Monday, June 27.

After a weekend played in the heat at Sand Point Golf Club in Arnprior, a welcoming storm front moved through overnight dropping some needed moisture on golf courses in the Ottawa area. With a threat of further rain, an optimistic group of golfers descended on Rivermead Golf Club in Aylmer, Quebec. Many of them knew that their chances to take the Gerald Lees Trophy – Donated by P.D. Ross home were slim, but they still had a goal.

Four strokes separated the players in the final group of the day and coincidentally they were all winners of a Flagstick Golf Magazine sponsored tournament in 2015. Kurtis Barkley had won the Flagstick Shootout at Smugglers Glen; Dwight Reinhart the Flagstick Open at eQuinelle Golf Club and Golf Quebec Public Player Ryan Sevigny, the Flagstick Brockville Country Club Open.

Kurtis entered the final round at 1 under par, followed by Ryan at 1 over and Dwight at 3 over par from the first two rounds.

As it turned out, Kurtis Barkley, a member at Cedar Glen Golf Club in Williamsburg, Ontario, would emerge as the 2016 OVGA City & District Championship but only after a round of essentially match play golf, including a two-hole playoff.

Kurtis started the day off on the right foot as he birdied the opening par 5, first hole. He would follow that up with another chip-in birdie on the ninth hole and another chip in eagle on the eleventh hole. He would finish his round at even par after a string of bogies on holes 5, 7, 8 and 11.

Ryan started his charge on the short par 4, 4th hole. His drive ended up pin high near the sixth fairway and after assessing his situation he launched a wedge shot into the cup for an eagle. One-putt birdies on 11, 15 and 16 had given him a two-stroke lead heading into the 17th hole over Mr. Barkley and then after two bogies on the finishing holes, they were off to a playoff.

Eagle Creek’s Dwight Reinhart, the 2010 OVGA Match Play Champion and 2016 Golf Quebec Mid-Amateur Champion, couldn’t make up ground on his two fellow competitors on this day and he finished at even par after his three birdies and three bogies game.

In the playoff, Kurtis and Ryan both two-putted for pars on the first playoff hole. On the 2nd playoff hole, Kurtis put the pressure on by hitting the green on the 178 yard, par 3 second-hole while Ryan found the greenside bunker. Ryan was able to extricate his ball but he was left with a testing par putt which he was not able to hole. Kurtis was left with a 16 inch par putt to win the championship after his previous first putt had come up short.

A sense of relief as well as disappointment was naturally evident as Kurtis’ ball dropped into the cup. After shaking hands with his fellow competitor, Kurtis receive a hug from his father Rick who had watched the entire round.

At the awards presentation, after receiving the championship trophy from OVGA President Alex Pugh, the relieved and emotional champion talked about his win – “Words can’t describe the way I feel. I’m finally on top after eight playoff holes over the last two years to get here. I’m pretty happy. Thanks everyone. Words can’t describe what I’m feeling.”

In a follow-up interview, the newly crowned City & District Champion talked about the three-day tournament. “I just played solid all three days. I didn’t do anything fancy. I made a few putts here and there and stuck to my one game. I can’t control what other golfers do so I stick to my own game.”

Kurtis also thanked the Sand Point and Rivermead Golf Clubs and their members as well as the OVGA volunteers and officials for a well-run championship.

When asked about the new weekend format for the OVGA City & District Championship, OVGA Tournament Director Marc Ffrench responded – “The tournament, the presentation, the attendance, the play was way above what we expected to accomplish. We can’t think of a negative response that we received from anybody. Between the host clubs, the players, supporters, club members, it was an absolute thrill. We’re looking forward to next year to build on the momentum from this event.”
In every tournament, there is only one winner but it could be said that apart from 2016 OVGA City & District Champion Kurtis Barkley the entire Outaouais golf community is also a winner after a well run championship administered by a dedicated group of OVGA volunteers.

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/ Joe McLean @FlagstickJoe