Tambellini wins Wayne Gretzky Classic by 4 shots
CLARKSBURG, Ontario – Roger Tambellini finished with a 2-under-par 69 to win the second annual Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic by four shots over Blake Adams. He shot four consecutive rounds in the 60s and set a new Tournament record of 20-under par. Craig Barlow finished in third place at 15 under and D.J. Brigman, Chris Anderson and Garth Mulroy finished tied for fourth at 14 under.“It all came together for me this week,” Tambellini said while receiving a standing ovation from fans overlooking the 18th green. “That’s what has to happen for any champion.”
This is his third Nationwide Tour win and the largest paycheck of his career ($144,018). His first win was in 2003 at the Albertsons Boise Open and the second came at the 2005 Price Cutter Charity Championship.
With this victory, the former University of Southern California All-American moved from No. 17 on the money list to No. 3 with $250,760. At the end of the year “The 25” leading money-winners earn PGA Tour cards for the 2010 season. Tambellini has played two full seasons on the PGA Tour (2004 and 2006).
Tambellini started the day off strong, making birdies on Nos.1 and 4. But a bogey on the fifth hole and a double bogey on the sixth shrank his lead to just one shot. Despite the stumble, he managed to hunker down and get back into his groove.
“The double bogey derailed me mentally,” he said. “It took me a while to get the feeling back that I had on Thursday when I shot 64.”
He went on to make four birdies in the next nine holes and increased his lead to five with just three holes to play. On the par-5 18th he decided the best play was the safe option.
“I hit 3-wood off the tee,” he said. “I obviously wouldn’t have chosen to lay back as far as I did on any other round but I knew I had a five stroke lead and wanted to protect it.”
In the pro-am competition, the team of former Olympic speed skater Catriona Le May Doan and Nationwide Tour professional Derek Lamley won in a scorecard playoff at net 42-under par. Tournament host Wayne Gretzky and Derek Gillespiefinished in second place.
The first two rounds alternated between The Georgian Bay Club (7,139 yards / par 71) and Raven Golf Club at Lora Bay (7,105 yards / par 72). The final two rounds were played at Georgian Bay.
The final round started at 8:25 a.m. with groups of three going off the first and 10th tees. Threesomes were comprised of either three professionals or two professionals and a celebrity or amateur. Play concluded at approximately 4 p.m. Weather on Sunday was partly cloudy with 19 mph wind gusts and a cool temperature of 60 degrees.
Final-round notebook:
* D.J. Brigman turned in the low round of the day with a 6-under 65. Finishing nearly two hours before the final group, he held the clubhouse lead at 14-under until Tambellini surged in the afternoon.
* The team of Steve Nicklaus and Alex Prugh won the pro-amateur competition at 39-under par.
* Scoring averages: The Georgian Bay Club, first round -0.65, second round -0.29, third round -0.88, fourth round +0.04, cumulative -0.28; Raven Golf Club, first round -1.01, second round -0.89, cumulative -.95.
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