Wes Heffernan was getting used to the uncomfortable feeling of always playing the bridesmaid.
The consummate runner up at the PGA of Alberta Championship finally took matters into his own hands this year at River Bend Golf and Recreation Area.
Heffernan bested the field of 90 professionals and assistant pros at the two-day tournament, but not without playing some of his best golf, including a course record 63 on Monday and a 67 Tuesday to earn the win. His two-day total of 14-under-par was six better than David MacComb who finished second.
“This is my fourth year playing this event and I’ve finished second the last three years, every year by one shot. At the Assistants, I’ve finished second every year that I’ve played it as well,” Heffernan said.
” I guess that’s 0-for-six. A lot of second-place finishes the last few years. A lot of it has to do with Riley Fleming and Dustin Ridson playing some really good. I’ve been playing good, just never quite good enough.”
Even with the course record Monday, Heffernan still needed some stellar play in the final round to hoist the trophy.
He struggled to open the day, had a double bogey on the third to fall back to the pack at eight-under. Matt Mah actually overtook Heffernan at one point and Riley Fleming also moved into a share of the lead at eight-under through the course of the day. The 42-year-old then cashed in an eagle and back-to-back birdies to pull away from the field in the middle of his round.
“I started off pretty poorly. A couple of three-putts early. A couple of really short putts. Everyone caught me all of a sudden, I think I was maybe even trailing for a while. I was hitting it well so I kept plugging away,” Heffernan said.
“That’s kinda been my career if I don’t putt well I don’t play well. I just accepted I missed the putts and kept going. Made eagle on eight and kind of took control of the tournament right there.”
The Calgary product collected a $5,700 cheque for the win and said it’s been the constant pushing of players like Ridson and Fleming that have forced him to up his game.
“I was chasing Dustin for a year then chasing Riley. Three years ago I shot 15-under at Millwoods and lost. Last week I shot 1o-under and lost,” he said.
“It’s just you keep trying to do that and hopefully, like this week, I won. It just shows you, you have to shoot two rounds of 66 almost every tournament to win, it’s pretty cool.”
Host pro Phil McCluskey was also in the field, he fired a 71 Monday and 72 in the final round. In his first season as the head pro at River Bend McCluskey said it was a thrill to have the rest of the pros and assistants out to play and he hopes to continue the partnership with PGA of Alberta.
“It’s something I hope we can continue. It’s awesome for us. I think everybody enjoys the facility,” he said.
McCluskey added that especially with the tough winter the course had, it was a credit to the greens staff for getting it in the condition it was for the event this week.
Email sports tips to Byron Hackett
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