Jeff Hunter has endured enough torment from his siblings on his inability to beat Evan Littlefield in a golf tournament.
On Sunday he did something about it.
Hunter, runner-up to Littlefield at the recent Whitewater Invitational, birdied his final two holes at Whitewater Golf Course to claim his first local major. His two-day 142 total was good enough for a one-shot win over Littlefield, whose errant tee shot on No. 18 proved to be his downfall.
"The best thing about it is my brothers aren't going to bug me tonight because Evan beats me every time by a shot. Yeah, first place feels better than second."
He can point to a pitch shot from the rough on 18, a shot he rolled to within five feet to set up his birdie-winning putt.
“That was one of the better shots of the day,” said Hunter of the stroke -- also thankful for a bit of fortune on his second.
“I got lucky. I hit a shot that was going toward the bush and I caught a tree and dropped. I guess you’ve got to take the most of your opportunities.”
Winning that first major still hadn’t sunk in just moments after his round of four-under 68 was complete.
“I don’t know how it feels,” said Hunter, a Core Golf Academy student who finished second at the recent Better Ball Pro Am with partner and teacher Dustin Wilson.
“I’ll let you know tomorrow.”
Littlefield, who shot 71 at Strathcona Golf Course on Saturday to hold a one-shot lead over former Canadian Tour pro Walter Keating Jr., said the golf gods just weren’t with him on the finishing hole.
“Yeah, I just kind of hit a weak drive out there to the left. I made a good par after that, I hit the rest of the shots really well. But it just wasn’t enough,” Littlefield said.
Hunter just had the better day, he added.
“A 68 out here is an unbelievable score. It’s really good for him,” Littlefield said.
If 68 was good, how great does an eight-under 64 sound? That’s what a charging Robbie Untinen shot on Sunday, setting a new course record in the process.
Unfortunately for Untinen, however, was the 81 he shot on Saturday, leaving him three shots out of the lead when all was said and done.
“I had nothing to lose at all and Just kind of got it together and hit a couple of good shots and a couple of putts,” he said, after turning in a scorecard that included nine birdies and just one bogey on a calm, but warm Canada Day afternoon.
Keating Jr. led at the turn, but a lost ball on 12 turned his day around and he had to settle for a three-over 147 and a tie for fourth with the always-in-contention Robert Cumming.
Littlefield, playing in the final group, and Hunter, in the next-to-last threesome, went back-and-forth most of the day.
They entered the 14th hole at even par for the tournament, with Littlefield nailing a 12-foot birdie putt to take a one-shot advantage.
Both golfers scored pars on 15 and 16.
On 17 Hunter’s approach stopped eight feet from the cup, a putt he drained to join Littlefield atop the leaderboard. Littlefield left himself about 17 feet, but slid the putt low and walked to 18 tee all square.
Next up on the local major schedule is the Strathcona Invitational, scheduled for the long weekend in August.
