THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, September 15, 1999 Sutton cruises to anticlim actic Bell Canadian Open victory By Kathy Yanchus SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER It might have been the most suc cessful Bell Canadian Open ever staged at Glen Abbey, but there was something awry in Sunday's final. It wasn't the weather because, as is often the case with the Open, Mother Nature smiled down upon the Jack Nicklaus designed championship course granting perfect conditions. The course? Thanks to the wizardry of superintendent Dean Baker, not a chance. Considering the heat and Photos by Peter C. McCusker LEFT PHOTO: Hal Sutton won the big prize, $450,000 (U.S.). RIGHT PHOTO: David Sutherland gets out of a bunker on the 18th. He finished in a four-way tie for third with a 281, good enough for a $120,000 payday. humidity which preceded the Open and the downpour which drenched the course during Thursday's first round, the links were in mint shape. Glitches? Hardly. The new partner ship between Bell Canada, the Royal Canadian Golf Association and ClubLink Corporation resulted in a polished, seamless event. Talent? There was plenty of that. Crowds? They were average. It was the electricity. There was no buzz in the air, no bounce in people's steps as they travelled from one hole to the next. As Hal Sutton, with a comfortable three-stroke lead, finally came to the 72nd and final hole, there was no mass scurrying to the 18th green to watch the final putts unfold. Sutton had a six-shot lead going into the back nine and any thoughts of a tight, down-to-the-wire finish quick ly vaporized when challengers Lee Janzen, who actually led the tourna ment going into the final round, and Paul Azinger, folded. In the end, throughout the after noon, the leaderboard simply blared the widening gap between Sutton and his only real competition of the day, Dave Paulson, who was happy to "escape" Glen Abbey with a 69 and a second-place finish. "I wish Jack Nicklaus designed every course. I would be a very rich man," said Paulson. "I just read his courses well. This is the best round of golf I've played and I shot 69. That tells you how tough this course is." Even Sutton, who picked up $450,000 (U.S.) for his efforts, admit ted it was pretty well over after his . . . . W u f u o l 1 9 9 9 GM C YU K O N 1 9 9 9 GMC SIERRA 1999 GMC SIERRA EXTENDED CAB KERR CADILLAC PONTIAC O n ly a t . .. ENTIRE INVENTORY TO MOVE N O W !!! N 'T DELAY!!! CA D ILLA C PONTIAC BUICK 845-1681 410 South Service Rd., W., Oakville (Just W. of Dorval I)r.) 4-- HAM. SERVICE RD. \r KERR V 4WYECROFT RD. three consecutive birdies on 4, 5 and 6. "You don't know how hard it is to play with a lead like that," he said. "Your mind starts to wander. You fight things off in your head, like what will happen if you win." Keeping his head down was the only way Sutton knew how to deal with the pressure and it kept him focused, peaceful and "in control of my game." "I always say in order to finish first, you have to play well and get the breaks. And you have to be patient," said Sutton, who earned his 11 th career PGA tour win with the victory in Oakville. "The breaks were with me today." ClubLink president Bruce Simmonds, who welcomed Glen Abbey into the company's growing golf portfolio earlier this year, couldn't have been more pleased with his com pany's first venture into the champi onship tournament. "We were delighted with the tour nament. There was great weather, a great field," said Simmonds. "We wish the final nine could have been a little more exciting..." But in terms of logistics, crowd appreciation and course conditions, Simmonds felt the Open was an exceptional event. He also took great pride in many employees joining the already longstanding Open volunteer base. The event goes down in the history books as the largest single Open ever conducted at Glen Abbey in terms of corporate support and general rev enues, according to Stephen Ross, executive director of the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) which puts on the tour ney. The RCGA used to own Glen Abbey until selling it to ClubLink earlier this year, and they still main tain their national headquarters there. They have also decided to run next year's Open at the Abbey, likely in its usual time slot of the last few years, beginning on the Labour Day Monday (Sept. 4-11th). Although Sunday's figures were average at Glen Abbey Saturday's marked the largest in terms of gross revenue ever at Glen - Abbey. Ross attrib uted these num bers to the "tremendous field, good media and marketing plans and the golf course was in terrific shape." Most corpo rate sales were completed prior to Canadian Mike Weir's PGA Tour win in Vancouver the week before the Open. "I think the Open is just rec ognized as a world class event," said Ross. "The event Optimist hockey skills The Optimist Club of Oakville's annual Tri-Star Hockey Skills Contest will be held at River Oaks Arena this Saturday (Sept. 18th), 10:30 a.m. to 1:20 p.m. Here's a chance for boys and girls from six to 13 years old to practice their hockey skills before the season starts. Tri-Star Hockey calls for three skills to be tested. These are shooting, stick handling and skating. Each contes tant takes five forehand and (Cont. to page D4) m odeb o j l c i By Kathy Yanchus 1999 GMC YUKON 1999 GMC SIERRA 1999 GMC SIERRA EXTENDED CAB 4--HAM. SERVICE RD. r KERR V4 WYECROFT RD. Optimist hockey skills modeb ojlc