The Victoria Golf Club team of head professional Lindsay Bernakevitch and club champion Erik Swinburnson shot a 5-under 65 to win the 2015 PGA of B.C. Tournament of Champions on Monday.
The winning pair made just one bogey during their round, making birdie on their final hole for the championship win on the Mountain course at The Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort in Victoria.
“The pins were tough and the greens were firm, but we didn’t have a lot of stress during the round. We never even came close to making a team bogey except for one,” said Bernakevitch.
“It’s always fun to play on a team where you feel like you have some support out there,” Bernakevitch said of his partner Swinburnson. “Erik made a lot of very timely putts with a couple birdies late in the round. We were pretty relaxed all day, but you definitely feed off of each other.”
Bernakevitch has been a golf professional since 2004, working at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver for 10 years before joining Victoria Golf Club in January 2014. For his amateur win on Sunday, Swinburnson walked home with a set of Srixon Z 545 irons.
Defending champions Jason Giesbrecht and Kevin Carrigan of Royal Colwood Golf Club in Victoria finished in shared second alongside Greg Pool and Geoff Butt of Marine Drive Golf Club in Vancouver. The teams finished just one stroke behind the winning pair from Victoria Golf Club at 4-under 66.
The one-day event featured 38 teams from clubs across British Columbia, each consisting of the club’s head professional and club champion.