Hometown Favourite
Rod Spittle made his move to the top of the leaderboard Thursday at the Mr. Lube PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada presented by Adams Golf.
The Niagara Falls, Ont., native sits at six under par thru 36 holes and leads his close friend and fellow Champions Tour player Jim Rutledge by a shot heading into Friday’s final round at Lookout Point Country Club in Fonthill, Ont.
“I hit 17 greens today but missed a few putts inside six feet out there,” Spittle said about this second round 4-under-par 68. “But to shoot 68 out there today, I’m awfully happy.”
Scott Allred of Elbow Springs, Alta., sits alone in third at one under and will play in Friday’s final group with Spittle and Rutledge. Ken Tarling, Marc Girouard and Norm Jarvis are T4 at even par. Daniel Santierre, Brian Hutton, David Wettlaufer and Hocan Olsson round out the top 10.
Jarvis successfully defended his Super Seniors Championship title on Thursday, besting Olsson by two shots.
Rutledge on the other hand still has work to do if he hopes to win his second-straight (and third since 2010) PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada.
The Victoria native admitted his troubles off the tee kept him from securing his place atop the leaderboard after 36 holes.
“My round was pretty scrappy today,” Rutledge said. “I hit three or four bad drives out there and had some really poor swings with my driver. I kept trying to hit it, but maybe I should have backed off a little and not hit it.”
In 14 Champions Tour starts this season, Rutledge ranks 56th in driving accuracy with nearly 66 per cent of fairways hit. Spittle on the other hand ranks 25th on the Champions Tour in driving accuracy, hitting almost 72 per cent of fairways.
However, finding fairways at Lookout Point Country Club is only one half of the equation to posting a good score. Built in 1922 by famed golf course architect Walter J. Travis, the golf course sits high on the Niagara Escarpment and features some of the trickiest greens in the country.
Spittle says the golf course is playing the best he’s ever seen it play.
“What a great venue we have here. The golf course is in great shape and is a great test for the PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada,” he said.
“I’d be fibbing if I didn’t tell you how much fun I’m having around here this week—to see folks who may have played with my dad when he was here or people who I might have played with 20 or 30 years ago is very fun,” Spittle said about his experience of coming home for the week. “Walking around the fairways I can’t help but think about my dad because we just had so much fun together out here.”
Attendance to the Mr. Lube PGA Seniors' Championship of Canada presented by Adams Golf is free and spectators are encouraged to attend during tournament play. For directions to Lookout Point Country Club, CLICK HERE.
The PGA Seniors' Championship of Canada was first played in 1938 as a division of the Canadian PGA Championship. In 1973, the Seniors' Championship became an independent event and has stayed that way ever since. Among the Canadian golf legends to win this championship are Stan Leonard, Moe Norman, Bob Panasik, Al Balding and Jim Rutledge. Norman won this championship a record seven straight years from 1979 to 1985, while Balding stunned the golf world by winning the championship at age 76 in 2000.
For the complete scoreboard, CLICK HERE
For complete coverage of this year's Mr. Lube PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada presented by Adams Golf, visit pgaofcanada.com, twitter.com/pgaofcanada, youtube.com/thepgaofcanada and facebook.com/pgaofcanada
The Niagara Falls, Ont., native sits at six under par thru 36 holes and leads his close friend and fellow Champions Tour player Jim Rutledge by a shot heading into Friday’s final round at Lookout Point Country Club in Fonthill, Ont.
“I hit 17 greens today but missed a few putts inside six feet out there,” Spittle said about this second round 4-under-par 68. “But to shoot 68 out there today, I’m awfully happy.”
Scott Allred of Elbow Springs, Alta., sits alone in third at one under and will play in Friday’s final group with Spittle and Rutledge. Ken Tarling, Marc Girouard and Norm Jarvis are T4 at even par. Daniel Santierre, Brian Hutton, David Wettlaufer and Hocan Olsson round out the top 10.
Jarvis successfully defended his Super Seniors Championship title on Thursday, besting Olsson by two shots.
Rutledge on the other hand still has work to do if he hopes to win his second-straight (and third since 2010) PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada.
The Victoria native admitted his troubles off the tee kept him from securing his place atop the leaderboard after 36 holes.
“My round was pretty scrappy today,” Rutledge said. “I hit three or four bad drives out there and had some really poor swings with my driver. I kept trying to hit it, but maybe I should have backed off a little and not hit it.”
In 14 Champions Tour starts this season, Rutledge ranks 56th in driving accuracy with nearly 66 per cent of fairways hit. Spittle on the other hand ranks 25th on the Champions Tour in driving accuracy, hitting almost 72 per cent of fairways.
However, finding fairways at Lookout Point Country Club is only one half of the equation to posting a good score. Built in 1922 by famed golf course architect Walter J. Travis, the golf course sits high on the Niagara Escarpment and features some of the trickiest greens in the country.
Spittle says the golf course is playing the best he’s ever seen it play.
“What a great venue we have here. The golf course is in great shape and is a great test for the PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada,” he said.
“I’d be fibbing if I didn’t tell you how much fun I’m having around here this week—to see folks who may have played with my dad when he was here or people who I might have played with 20 or 30 years ago is very fun,” Spittle said about his experience of coming home for the week. “Walking around the fairways I can’t help but think about my dad because we just had so much fun together out here.”
Attendance to the Mr. Lube PGA Seniors' Championship of Canada presented by Adams Golf is free and spectators are encouraged to attend during tournament play. For directions to Lookout Point Country Club, CLICK HERE.
The PGA Seniors' Championship of Canada was first played in 1938 as a division of the Canadian PGA Championship. In 1973, the Seniors' Championship became an independent event and has stayed that way ever since. Among the Canadian golf legends to win this championship are Stan Leonard, Moe Norman, Bob Panasik, Al Balding and Jim Rutledge. Norman won this championship a record seven straight years from 1979 to 1985, while Balding stunned the golf world by winning the championship at age 76 in 2000.
For the complete scoreboard, CLICK HERE
For complete coverage of this year's Mr. Lube PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada presented by Adams Golf, visit pgaofcanada.com, twitter.com/pgaofcanada, youtube.com/thepgaofcanada and facebook.com/pgaofcanada