THUNDER BAY – At 25 years old, Brett Shewchuk has managed to accomplish a feat done by only three other golfers in the 87-year history of the Strathcona Invitational.
Shewchuk captured his third consecutive title in the venerable tournament with a 3&1 victory over former champ Robert Cumming, never trailing in the championship final that ended on No. 17 at the Strathcona Golf Course on Monday afternoon.
“It’s crazy. I never thought I would win one, let alone more than one. This is surreal,” Shewchuk said.
“This is the best tournament of the year. This is the one that I look forward to all summer.”
With the win, Shewchuk joins Inaugural champion Johnny Henry, who won from 1930-1932, and Bob Devine, who took the crown in 1948, 1949 and 1951 when there was no tournament in 1950, with three straight wins. Next year he will be looking to join Barry Caland, who had a monopoly on the tournament from 2007-2010, as the only four in a row champions.
Cumming, who conquered Strathcona in 1996, 2005, 2011 and 2012, more than most understood the significance of Shewchuk pulling off the three-peat.
“It’s tough to win any time,” Cumming said. “Back to back is really tough and for Brett to win three, all the credit to him. He’s a good player.”
After Shewchuk drew first blood on No. 3 when Cumming’s approach struck a tree, the four-time champ answered right back on No. 4 when Shewchuk came up empty on a four-foot attempt.
Shewchuk took lead for good on No. 7 when Cumming slid a three-foot par putt past the cup and doubled the advantage on the next hole when his opponent got into trouble with an errant drive.
“You have to make every hole for your opponent to win and never give him an easy hole,” Shewchuk said. “That was my game plan all day. Try to hit the fairway, hit the middle of the green and hopefully two-putt.”
Cumming, who was 2-down at the turn, had chances to get back in the match with relatively short putts on No. 9 and No. 10 to win each hole but the ball stayed out both times.
“Unfortunately I just couldn’t hit that one shot or make that putt I needed to get me back in the match,” Cumming said.
The match tightened again on No. 12 when Cumming took advantage of a Shewchuk bogey to get back within one.
Shewchuk gained a firm grasp on the lead on No. 14, where both players set themselves up with birdie attempts. While Cumming missed his, Shewchuck capitalized to restore the two-hole lead.
“It was the same in the morning match,” Shewchuk said of his semifinal victory over Jeremy Kirk, a rematch of last year’s final. “I birdied it both matches and it was the turning point in both matches.”
Shewchuk followed that up on No. 15, extending the edge to 3-up with a formidable chip out of the greenside rough to within inches of the pin after taking advantage of a fortunate lie.
“That was incredibly lucky the ball stayed where it did. I’ve never seen a ball hang up in that rough, it always rolls down,” Shewchuk said. “It was actually a much easier chip than if it rolled down the hill. It was a lot better than it might have looked.”
Cumming extended the match at No. 16 with a clutch putt but conceded on No. 17 after coming up empty his lengthy par attempt.
