Wes Heffernan takes home PGA of Canada Championship
Wes Heffernan is one of Calgary's all time great golfers. Until Friday, one championship that he had never won was the PGA Championship of Canada.
That all changed last week at the Beacon Hall Golf Club in Aurora, Ontario.
Heffernan finished the tournament at 10 under par and beat his nearest competitor, veteran Jim Rutledge by five strokes.
Heffernan said it was a satisfying win.
"It's kind of our major. It's our national championship at the PGA level," the 45-year-old said.
"It's as big as it gets in Canada and for me probably the one event that I focus on and try to peak for the most. Being at the start of the year it's tough to peak right away but I did play extremely well so I'm very happy to win it."
IMPRESSIVE NAMES
Heffernan took time to look at the trophy after he won and couldn't help but notice the names that were on it.
Arnold Palmer has his name engraved on it. So does Lee Trevino and Moe Norman.
Heffernan said there's a lot of history to this event.
"The Alberta Open is kind of the same," he said. "It has a storied past too and there's some pretty cool guy s on there like Moe Norman that you just mentioned," he said.
"The PGA Championship of Canada takes it to another level with the PGA tour players. Some of the biggest stars that have played in the game have played in that event."
Heffernan joined Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Moe Norman, among 99 others, as a PGA of Canada champion, recording four birdies and three bogeys to shoot a one under 71, defeating Jim Rutledge by five shots.
GREAT RUN FOR CALGARIANS
Heffernan is the third straight Calgarian to win the title. Dustin Risdon won the Championship in 2019. The event was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID. In 2021, Riley Fleming took home the title.
Heffernan said he and Fleming really push each other and they make each other better golfers.
"It's really cool and specifically Riley won everything last year so in all of our events I'm always chasing him and trying to beat him. He's really tough to beat so it's helped me a lot trying to chase him down and I was lucky enough to win this year."
BUSY START TO THE YEAR
It's been a busy year so far for Heffernan. He also played in the Canadian open won a few weeks ago by Rory McIlroy.
Heffernan said even though he didn't make the cut it was good for his game because he got to go up against some of the best golfers in the world.
"I hadn't played (The Canadian Open) in 11 years. Rory actually won the last event that I played in 2011. I think for me specifically it really helped me win the tournament last week because I was able to play under those kinds of conditions against five or so of the best players in the world."
Heffernan is going to take some time to relax and then get prepared for three big events coming up: the Alberta PGA Championship, the Alberta Assistants Championship and the National Assistants Championship.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.