Posted On: Wednesday, October 16, 2019
G.W. King with his family after victory at Player of the Year championship.
After G.W. King of the Georgian Bay Club won the PGA of Ontario Player of the Year Championship, he was quick to credit his wife - fellow GBC pro Meg Chapman - for his success.
“I am an extremely lucky man and am so grateful to have Meg in my life. She is my best friend, my coach, and someone I can always rely on for love and support. She is the reason I am the man I am today," he stated in a PGA of Ontario interview after his win.
King fired rounds of 68-67 at Grand Niagara Golf Club to win the two-day championship with Meg and their children in attendance.
"It feels great to end the year with a win against some of the best players in our Association. It was even more special to have my family there to share it with,” he said.
It was a come-from-behind victory for King, who was tied for 3rd after the first day of the championship, which is the final event in the Chase for the Breenie Cup, a season-long Player of the Year points race.
Round 1 saw Bill Walsh leading the field at 66 (-6), making seven birdies on the day and only one bogey. Trailing by one shot was Ron Kenesky at 67 and King was tied with recently crowned Match Play Champion Victor Ciesielski at 68.
Slowly but surely, King kept climbing to the top in the second round. He posted six birdies and one bogey in his final round.
Consistency seemed to be the name of the game in this Championship. It's how Walsh took the lead in Round 1, and it's the reason King could keep pushing hard against the field. The winds were high and it was tough to make shots that wouldn't otherwise be difficult. Players were clubbing up by two and still not making the distances they were expecting.
When asked about his play this week, King shared, "I had very little expectations going into the event because I haven't really played that well most of the year. The best part of that struggle was it allowed me to play golf the best way I know how. Thankfully my game fit the course at Grand Niagara well. I hit the ball well both days and made a lot of great putts which I haven't been doing this year."
"Getting to play in the final group is something I have only done a couple times. It was really helpful to know where I stood with the two guys ahead of me. I knew if I could make up some shots early in the last round, I'd be in a good position to have a chance to win."
At the scoring table, player after player said how trying the course was and how the windy conditions augmented the challenge. King agreed: "Because of the tough conditions, by the back nine I knew my score probably had me in the lead. I didn't know for sure what the guys in front were doing so I had to just keep playing each hole well and not become too conservative."
The only other player from BruceGreySimcoe in the event was Terry O’Brien of Cedar Links in Barrie and he finished tied for 20th after shooting 78-76.
The Senior Division of the POY Championship was won by Danny King at 72 on Monday, who finished tied for 5th overall, nine strokes behind King.
Gord Burns of Gord Burns Golf School finished tied for 3rd and won the Breenie Cup and the PGA of Ontario’s Player of the Year honours.
For full results, CLICK HERE