Under the sweltering sun Blair Anderson kept his cool to win the men's Simon Fraser Open in a four-hole playoff.
The 21-year-old had a three-stroke lead heading into Monday's finale of the three-day 2012 Taylormade Adidas Ashworth Simon Fraser Open but struggled on the front nine, which allowed his playing partners Shaun Lees and Will Gilbert to pull themselves back into contention.
"I started very shaky and I was just scrambling the whole front nine. On the back nine I played quite a bit better to finish pretty strong - I had a rough hole on 17 but other than that it was good," said Anderson.
Gilbert narrowly missed joining Anderson and Lees in the playoff when he missed his putt for par on the 18th hole. Anderson and Lees finished the 54 holes tied a one-under par.
On the third hole of the playoff - the eighth hole at the Prince George Golf and Curling Club - Anderson needed all the skill he could muster and a bit of luck to get himself out of a jam.
"I hit my drive way right and one of the guys watching actually came out and found it for me otherwise I don't know if I would've found it," said Anderson. "I didn't really have much so I grabbed the only club I could to not hit the stump right behind me and all I was thinking was to hit it as hard as I can and try and make contact.
"It came out really good, caught a tree just in front of the green and dropped down there," he continued. "From there I hit a chip that just kept going and going and going. I was just off the fringe and made like a 35 footer."
Lees interjects that it was more like a 40-50 yard putt.
"It was freakin' awesome," said Lees.
Anderson, who heads back for his third year at Minot State in North Dakota on Aug. 15, said he knew what he needed to do from there.
"Shaun was on the green in two and I knew that he wasn't going to three putt from where he was, so all I was thinking was that I have to make this," said Anderson. "It wound up dead in the heart [of the hole] and everyone went crazy. It was just incredible."
Anderson made a birdie on the ninth hole after Lees parred to win his second senior men's Simon; his first came in 2008. He also won the junior title in 2008 and 2009.
For Lees, it was the closest he ever came to winning the Simon, but was his third runner-up finish.
"It was bittersweet, obviously," said Lees. "I can't think of a better person to win it than Blair. I'll be back.
"It was a fun tournament and we had a lot of fun," added the 39 year old. "Obviously I would have liked to have won but Blair played better he deserved to win."
Lees shot a 70 during the third day of competition and had the lead but sailed his ball into the water on 16. He ended up with a bogie and finished with a birdie on 17 and par on 18. He said after three second-place finishes, hopefully he's paid his dues and when he plays his ninth Simon he'll walk off the green on top.
Anderson said the four-hole playoff and the last few holes Monday were like something out of a movie.
"It was such an epic finish on the last three holes and the playoff on top of that was just incredible," said Anderson.
