Stockton Sports Commission Classic
Brookside Country Club, April 16-22, 2007
SUNDAY: STOCKTON -- After more than a few tries before finally tasting champagne, Canadian Wes Heffernan is getting this winning thing down pat.
The Calgary native sank a four–foot birdie putt on the final hole to cap off a 5-under 67 Sunday and, with a 20-under 268 total after four treks around Brookside Country Club, held on for a one-shot triumph over Americans John Ellis (67) and Joe Lanza (67) at the Northern California Classic.
Finishing two strokes back was overnight leader Adam Speirs of Winnipeg (70), 2006 money winner Stephen Gangluff (69) and rookie Spencer Levin (67).
Sunday marked the second straight near-miss for both Ellis and Levin, who were part of a four-man playoff last weekend in San Jose.
It took six long years before Heffernan finally grabbed that elusive first win late last summer at the Montreal Open Players Championship. Now he has two souvenirs for the trophy case in his past five starts and sits on the pole position in the early season Rolex Order of Merit standings.
“I was chasing pretty well all day long,” said Heffernan, who had missed the cut in all three previous trips to Brookside prior to this week. “This was my nemesis course, but it worked out well this time.”
After a 13-event dry spell, Canadians have now won three of the past five events—Heffernan twice and Stuart Anderson at the Canadian Tour Championship last September.
Teamed with Heffernan for the first all-Canadian Sunday final pairing since Rob McMillan and Jon Mills at the 2003 MTS Classic, Speirs answered any doubts on how he would react to the pressure with birdies on three of his opening six holes. Speirs stayed one step ahead on the front side and turned with a one-shot edge over Levin.
There was no shortage of drama on the back nine as those within striking distance made one final push. At one point, three were tied for the lead, with two others one back. Ellis got to 20-under and had his first lead of the week standing on the 15th tee. Clinging to the lead at the par-3 17th, Ellis double-bogeyed allowing Heffernan, playing two groups back, to sneak onto the top perch.
Speirs, the fourth-year player sleeping on a 54-hole lead for the first time in his career, had a look at birdie on 17 but couldn’t get the putt to drop. Up ahead, Ellis and Lanza both salvaged birdie on the final hole to pull even and put the heat on Heffernan. With a playoff looming for the second straight week, Heffernan made a six-foot knee-knocker for par on 17. Minutes later, he knocked his second shot into the grandstand, took the drop and got up and down with the clutch birdie putt to scrawl his name on the $16,000 US winner’s check.
“I knew I just had to make birdie on 18,” he added. “That is all it came down to. There were some nerves coming down the stretch, especially with that par putt on 17, but I thought I handled it well.” “You’ve got to hand it to Speirsy. He had never been there before and he gave it everything. Sometimes, you have to be in that position to learn from it.”
In Montreal, Heffernan held off Brock Mackenzie in extra holes and wanted no part of overtime Sunday. In fact, the up and down Heffernan made on the final hole Sunday was almost a carbon copy of the same one he made to get into the playoff last summer.
”Montreal-that is exactly what I was thinking,” laughed Heffernan. “In the rough, needing to make birdie, and I just wanted to get it close enough to give myself a chance.”
“But my main goal is to win the money list this year. This helps. Usually it takes me a while to play myself into shape, so to get one under the belt early on should go a long way.”
SATURDAY: STOCKTON -- On a day known in the professional golf world as “moving day”, Canadian Adam Speirs did a whole lot of movin’ Saturday.
Beginning the day four shots back of the leaders, the Winnipeg native posted his second consecutive 7-under 65 at Brookside Country Club and has the outright lead at 16-under 200 with one day to go at the Northern California Classic.
Calgary’s Wes Heffernan carded a 65 of his own and is one off the lead along with overnight leader Stephen Gangluff (70). Sophomore Joe Lanza also made a charge Saturday, firing a 64 to get to 14-under with Canadian Graham DeLaet and Americans Hoyt McGarity, John Ellis and Bret Guetz. Three others are three back of Speirs. Turning at 3-under, Speirs kicked into another gear on the homebound nine, reeling off four birdies in a five-hole stretch starting on ten. Following an opening-day 70, Speirs has responded at a 14-under clip over his last 36 holes. And he won’t be turning off the switch Sunday. “I won’t be gunning for the top three, I can tell you that,” said Speirs. “I’m going out to win. So far, so good. I’m happy where I am, but there’s 18 more to go.” “I’m excited. I wish we could go out there again right now, but I guess I have to wait until tomorrow.”
Heffernan, who earned his first Tour title after several near-misses in Montreal last summer, make up the final group Sunday. It will mark the first time Canadians have been in a Sunday afternoon final pairing since Rob McMillan and Jon Mills squared off in McMillan’s hometown at the 2003 MTS Classic in Winnipeg. Speirs may be heading into uncharted waters Sunday, but he is looking forward to seeing if can answer the bell with the Sunday pressure. After making five of 12 cuts in 2006, Speirs, who had a career-best T7th at this event a year ago, is poised for his biggest payday.
Asked if he will take the occasional glance at the leaderboard to see if he is holding his own, Speirs was candid. “I’m not sure if I’ll leaderboard watch, I’ve never had a reason to in the past,” said Speirs with a laugh. “Every time I look at a leaderboard, it has been to see if anyone I know is up there.”
FRIDAY:
STOCKTON -- It wasn’t tough to determine who had the upper hand Friday during the second round of the Northern California Classic. Suffice to say it wasn’t Brookside Country Club.
With ideal scoring conditions all day, the scenic 6,741-yard layout was at the mercy of the field and with the dust now settled, overnight co-leaders Stephen Gangluff (65) and Josh Geary (65) take a 13-under 131 total into the weekend.
Americans Eugene Smith (64) and Kevin Pom Arleau (64) are hot on the leaders’ heels, one shot back. Lee Curry of Ottawa posted a 65 and is in the house at 11-under along with American Bret Guetz (65). Aussie sophomore David Walker equalled the course record with a 9-under 63 to get to minus-10. Sixty-two players were 4–under 140 of better to make the 36-hole cut. Of the top 19 players on the leaderboard, 17 managed a round of 67 or better Friday. Seven others including Canadians Derek Gillespie (66) and Graham DeLaet (67) are nine shots in the red. Pom Arleau is also making a name for himself in just his second start, two weeks after joining the Canadian Tour at Qualifying School in San Diego. Gangluff three-putted his opening hole, the par-5 10th, for his lone bogey of the week. From that point on, it was business as usual for the three-time Canadian Tour champion. “I hit it well, putted it well, can’t complain,” said Gangluff. “Hopefully it stays with me the rest of the week.” “The course is in great shape and the conditions were perfect. You knew there would be a lot of low numbers today.”
Smith was helped along with an eagle on the par-5 fourth when he knocked a 4-iron from 218 yards to ten feet. “I probably hit the ball as well (Thursday) but couldn’t get the putts to drop,” admitted Smith. “That weather was just perfect and it was there for the taking. There are so many great players out here, anyone can take it low. It can come from anywhere.” “I’ll need to keep it up on the weekend.” It has been an impressive return for Gangluff, who is making his first start since winning the Rolex Order of Merit title on the strength of two triumphs last season. Once again, he finds himself in a familiar spot.
“I’m just going to go out and play my own game,” reasoned Gangluff. “I’m not going to be worried about anything else. It has worked so far. Just stay focused and go with what the golf Gods give you.”
THURSDAY: STOCKTON -- It is just like old times for Stephen Gangluff.
Making his first start of the Canadian Tour season, the defending Order of Merit champion fired a 6-under 66 Thursday and shares the early lead at the Northern California Classic with New Zealand rookie Josh Geary and American freshman Brett Melton. Eight others, including Canadians Stuart Anderson and James Love, are one stroke back with 19 players in a logjam at minus-4.
Gangluff, who holds conditional status on the Nationwide Tour this year, posted a 4-under 32 on his front side on his way to a bogey-free round, thanks in part to a 35-foot birdie on the par-4 fifth. “It was pretty much a cruise control round,” said Gangluff. “I played really well today, and actually had a couple more looks on the front side that I couldn’t get to drop. Hopefully the rest of the week goes the same way.” American Brian Guetz was 5-under before a four-putt double bogey on the par-5 seventh. If the four whack wasn’t tough enough, consider Guetz had a birdie putt from three feet seconds earlier. “I told my caddie that’s as helpless a feeling I’ve had in this game since I was 12,” laughed Guetz. “That thing just wouldn’t go in. It’s a little harder to swallow when you have a short one for birdie, but we’ll forget about it and get back at it tomorrow.”
After his Order of Merit win gave him an exemption into the second stage of the three-tiered PGA Tour National Qualifying Tournament last fall, Gangluff cleared the second-stage hurdle and secured a conditional Nationwide card for 2007. Breaking into the Nationwide ranks has been another matter altogether. Gangluff has yet to earn a start on that circuit chasing the Monday qualifying route. This week, he has returned to more familiar surroundings. Gangluff has won three times on the Canadian Tour, including victories in Edmonton and Niagara Falls last season.
“It’s just great to get back into playing tournament golf again,” said Gangluff. “When you are trying to Monday qualify, you are just trying to make as many birdies as possible in 18 holes. Out here, you’ve got four days. I need to get back into the groove and get that confidence going. When I get a start out there I’ll be fine.” Just weeks after nailing down his second Tour title last September at the Canadian Tour Championship, Anderson went to work in the Alberta oil fields in the off-season, spending his winter working in sub-zero temperatures, a far cry from the California coast in spring.
“It was very humbling to be out there in minus-40 degree weather, freezing in a parka,” admitted Anderson. “I needed to step to the tee and get going. It’s a 
different approach for me now. I’m not going to worry about the past and get upset about a missed putt.”
“I’ll always have that fire, but I’ve learned to control it. Once you win, you want to win every week. But you need four great days and some luck. In the past, one shot could ruin my whole round. That won’t happen again.”
For information on the Canadien Tour go to www.cantour.com