Article By Gord Montgomery / Image Credits Jeff Sutherland - Courtesy www.insidegolf.ca

 If you’re not one that believes in premonitions, those eerie feelings that something is about to happen before it actually does, than you just may want to sit down and have a chat with Jason Groshak and Johan De La Rey.

After all, a feeling the latter had about a $30 investment the pair made that turned into not only a trip to Scotland as the 2008 International Pairs champions for Western Canada, but the chance to play one of the most famous golf courses in the world, Carnoustie, while there, came true.

The two teamed up to score a total of 45 points in an 18-hole tournament at the lovely Crown Isle Resort in Courtenay, B.C., edging out a pair of competitors from Bear Creek GC in Grande Prairie, AB., who recorded 44 points in the modified Stableford scoring system.

The tourney win was all set up by good feelings both winners had as they competed at the club level at their home course, Myrtle Point Golf Club, in Powell River, B.C.

“I honestly have to say we’ve played a bunch of golf together over the past couple of years and I thought we had a really good chance to win if we played the way we could and if we played that way today,” Groshak said quietly after the event wrapped up, noting the entirety of their accomplishment had yet to fully sink in.

That was easy to say but getting to this point was anything but easy, De La Rey chimed in.

“Initially we had three weeks in succession of nine hole playoffs,” at their own course, he explained.

“Each week there was a winner and we were the closest runners-up, so we made up the fourt team to make it to the (final) playoff. Then we had the playoff and of those four teams we had the best score which qualified us to come here.”

That being said, it was De La Rey who had the feeling, that premonition, he and his partner were going to shoot lights out at the final stage of qualifying.

“I just had this feeling for the last month, after we won the wild card spot at our club, that we were going to do well,” he noted.

That’s exactly what the winners did in walking away with the top prize in the tournament and becoming one of three Canadian teams that will make the trip to the home of golf next fall, to compete in an even bigger event.

At the Western final, the pair felt they had somewhat of a home field advantage even though they weren’t on their own track.

The wet weather that softened the golf course, which played to 6,300 yards, was nothing the pair hadn’t seen before and they knew how to deal with the effects of threatening rain all day long, whereas some of the Alberta and Manitoba competitors struggled to stay afloat given the conditions.

“We’re used to playing in these kinds of conditions. We play year round and particularly from November to March, these are the conditions we play in,” De La Rey noted. “It did give us a slight edge,” the five-handicapper said.

The winners said they play a similar style, more or less just bombing away and taking what comes from that. “Usually one of us gets it in play,” De La Rey commented.

That’s exactly what they did, especially on their closing holes as they birdied four of the last five they played to come charging from behind to earn the victory.

While they played those holes in four under par, the Wild Rose Country runners-up played them in three over par, making all the difference at the end of the day.

As for what they’d achieved with the win, and the chance to represent Western Canada at the International Pairs World Championships next fall, both said it was somewhat overwhelming at that point and time.

“I think it’s a huge opportunity for which I’m certainly grateful,” De La Rey said about his investment paying off in this way. “I definitely will make the most of it.”

“Same for me,” Groshak added. “It’s unbelievable. It’s amazing. To pay $30 and get a trip to Scotland and the chance to play some of the most prestigious golf courses in the world.

We’ll have a year to reflect and see what’s going to happen, but it’s going to be an amazing experience, that’s for sure. Especially after that presentation yesterday,” where the Canadian champs from last year, from Alberta, spoke about their adventures at a pre-tourney banquet from their trip to Scotland. “That got me excited about this, for sure. It’s phenomenal. It really is.”

In all, 29 teams took part in the final stage of the Western Canadian International Pairs tournament, which is owned by Inside Golf’s Jeff Sutherland.

He said he couldn’t have hoped for anything more in his first year of involvement with the event, "This was our first year and we are very gratified to have had many of the competitors call it one of the better experiences of their golf careers."

Jeff Hebner, a member of the pair representing Twin Willows GC in Edmonton summed up a lot of the sentiments being expressed.

"It was an exceptional deal," said Hebner, "I am going to talk to friends of mine at other clubs. I can't believe why they are not part of it."

Sutherland was also impressed with how seamlessly Crown Isle handled their end of hosting the tournament.

"The staff here at Crown Isle did a superb job. The food was superb, the course is fair but demanding and the top quality accommodations right on the first fairway could not be beat.

"Then you add in the convenient WestJet (the event's  presenting sponsor) flights to Comox that put players on Crown Isle's first tee literally minutes after landing and you can see why we will be back here next year. "

Players were also able to enjoy a long drive clinic from Lisa 'Longball" Vlooswyk who also handled Master of Ceremonies duties for the gala dinner.

One of the highlights of the evening was a presentation from the Alberta pair from Rivers Edge GC who won last year's Final held in Niagara Falls.

Head Professional Mike Engelhardt and member Warren Martz talked for more than 10 minutes about their experience last month in St. Andrews where they represented Canada.

"It was a tremendous experience," recalled Engelhardt of the competition where they finished a respectable 16th out of 30 teams from around the world.

With the success of the first year, plans all already being finalized for the 2009 competition with courses already calling to sign up.

For more information, visit www.internationalpairs.ca


Gord Montgomery is a sports reporter/photographer in Spruce Grove, Ab. He can be reached at noraltagolf.gmail.com.