Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Metcalf swings to fourth Simon title

Trevor Metcalf wasn’t exactly faltering, but his luck changed for the better when his caddy arrived on the Northland Dodge Simon Fraser Open course Sunday afternoon at the Prince George Golf and Curling Club.
JD_62858web.jpg
Trevor Metcalf of Vanderhoof sinks a putt on No. 5 during Sunday's second round at the Northland Dodge Men's Simon Fraser Open at Prince George Golf and Curling Club. Metcalf won the tournament for the fourth time in five years, finishing the two-round event at four-under.

Trevor Metcalf wasn’t exactly faltering, but his luck changed for the better when his caddy arrived on the Northland Dodge Simon Fraser Open course Sunday afternoon at the Prince George Golf and Curling Club.
Or would it be more accurate to say, his caddies?
Metcalf’s wife Sydney, 20 weeks pregnant with their first child, joined him on the 11th hole and he responded with back-to-back birdies. That solidified his lead over Brian Magrath, but it was still a three-way race for the championship with defending champion Tyler Robertson also in the mix.
All three were striking the ball well and it wasn’t until the par-4 17th hole that Metcalf took advantage of Magrath’s tough luck on the putting green to pull away from the rest of the field. Metcalf and Robertson both reached the green in two and Magrath followed suit to land three feet from the pin. But the clubhouse leader after Saturday’s opening round lipped out with his birdie attempt, then missed his second putt and had to settle for bogie while Metcalf two-putted for par and a two-stroke lead.
The 30-year-old from Vanderhoof finished up by matching Magrath’s birdie on 18 to clinch his fourth Simon Fraser Open title in five years, carding a four-under 69-68-137.
The heavy-hitting Metcalf’s strategy was to swing for the fences whenever possible, and it worked.
“On this course, because it is so open, I can drive it a long way and I jut miss on the side where you can miss,” said Metcalf. “It’s forgiving. On a lot of the other courses, like Aberdeen, it’s a little tighter, I just don’t hit as many drivers.
“Hole 11 and 12 were the difference. I made a long putt on 12, probably 25 feet, just a big sweeper, and on 11 I hit to about six inches (away). That was exciting for me having (Sydney) there. She showed up on 11 and I think I had four birdies and bogey from 11 on.”
Metcalf caught Magrath on No. 6 and had a one shot lead after the front nine Sunday.
Magrath, 47, has played in his hometown tournament close to 30 times and this was his best showing. He said he was a bit stressed about having the lead after the first round but was able to put that behind him and played about as well as he could on Sunday.
“Trevor was solid down the stretch and I tried to give him a run but faltered on 17 and credit to him, he played solid,” said Magrath, who shot 68-71 to end up three-under. “That was actually one of the most fun rounds I’ve had out there. I was just out there trying to play my normal game and keep it together and just have fun and that’s what I did. This was the first time I’ve ever been in the final group and to be quite honest I’m ecstatic with second.
“They were hitting some long bombs out there today and I was just trying to play my own game and it worked out well for me. I was able to hit a few shots and put some pressure on and it worked out and unfortunately I came up short in the end.”
The 21-year-old Robertson was pretty much even with Metcalf and Magrath, drive-for-drive, but couldn’t match their short-game accuracy down the stretch and finished third overall (69-71) for a two-under 140.
“Trevor played really good, it’s hard to beat a guy when he hits the ball as far as he does and hits it as straight as he did today,” said Robertson, “He made a couple putts on the back nine and it was tough to catch him.
“That putt for Brian on 17 is probably one of the toughest putts on this course. It broke a lot and I think he just hit it too hard and he ended up missing the other one and that was his downfall.”
Robertson is heading into his fourth year attending Camosun College in Victoria on a golf scholarship, which gives him the advantage of playing pretty much year-round.
“It’s so nice, I’ll come back from Christmas in January and I’ll be out there playing, it’s the best, I love it,” said Robertson, who plays between 150 and 175 round per year.
Keenan Hopson was four strokes back to finish fourth (70-71-141).
Seventeen-year-old Cody Bailey, who won the Simon Fraser Junior Open in July, carded a one-under 70 on Saturday which grouped him with the leaders Sunday and he shot 73 Sunday to end up tied for fifth with Wyatt Brook (74-69) and Blair Scott (73-70), each totaling 143.
“Tyler and Trevor are great players and I love playing with them and that was my first time playing with Brian and he was solid all day,” said Bailey. “I was trying to catch them and made too many mistakes. It was a day where you had to go low. The course played long but the pins were pretty easy and those three guys played well today.
“I had a lot of confidence, especially after the first day when I shot one-under and was two back and I thought I was in a good spot but today I just couldn’t get anything rolling.”
Bailey also plays major midget hockey as a right winger for the Cariboo Cougars and says it’s been difficult keeping up his training schedule while maintaining his golf game. He’s hoping to get in a couple more golf tournaments before hockey season starts.
Ninety-five entered the tournament, up from last year’s 86 total. The men’s open was shortened this year from three rounds to two to try to get more golfers involved who have to work during the week.
In other PGGCC news, 16-year-old Natasha Kozlowski, who won her first Ladies Simon Fraser Open title last weekend, is in Kelowna this week for the B.C. juvenile women’s championship. The three-round event started on Monday. Kozlowski finished 31st at the B.C. women’s amateur championship a month ago in Golden and placed 24th in the junior women’s provincial championship in Kimberley.