Cody Slover (USA) Photo Juan A. Parada
Cody Slover of United States sank a twenty-footer for eagle at the 72nd hole for a thrilling victory at the Pacific Colombia Tour presented by Helm Barranquilla Open on Sunday.
A round 71 secured a winning aggregate of 1-under par 287 and a one-stroke lead over Chile’s Benjamín Alvarado, 70. The US $100,000-dollar event was co-sanctioned by the Tour de las Americas and the Canadian Tour at the extremely windy Country Club de Barranquilla.
“This win is kind of validating you know, because of all the stuff I have been working on over the past few years and all the trials I’ve gone through to get to here. It’s finally paying off and I can see it now, so it’s nice,” said the Canadian Tour’s Slover after claiming his first career win in four and a half years as a professional.
Outright leader by one stroke at the start of the day, Slover’s path to the title got off to a rocky start. After paring the first two holes, he went bogey, double-bogey, bogey between the third and the fifth to slip behind.
“Instead of just making and error and moving on I kept making it worse and worse. Fortunately, I made some birdies coming in, got through it and then the eagle was nice to cap it off there on 18,” added the 26-year old from California.
He carded three birdies, one bogey and the clinching eagle at the last to turn things around. His efforts in Barranquilla’s severe wind were rewarded with a check for US $18,000 that got him to the top of the Canadian Tour’s Order of Merit – which started its 2011 season here this week. Slover’s win was also the first by a Canadian Tour member in an event co-sanctioned with the Tour de las Americas.
Following an impressive wire-to-wire win at the Chile Open that started the TLA season three weeks ago, Chile’s Benjamín Alvarado had this one slip away from him right at the end. The 25-year old emerged as the solo leader after making four birdies and one bogey on the front nine. However, a bogey on 17 and a missed fifteen footer for eagle on 18 proved costly.
Trailing the winner by four strokes the solo third belonged to Mexico’s Oscar Serna, who closed the day with an even-par 72. Another stroke behind the fourth spot was shared by the leading Colombian Julián Colmenares, 75, Mexico’s Alex Quiroz, 73, and Argentina’s César Monasterio, 72, and Julián Etulain, 75.
The Tour de las Americas and the Canadian Tour are now headed to Colombia’s capital city of Bogota to co-sanction the Tour Championship Pacific Colombia Tour presented by Helm. The US $130,000-dollar event is scheduled to begin Thursday at the Club Campestre Guaymaral.
