We live on a small island, but it's not too small to have microclimates. On Saturday, April 7, while rain and wind were lashing most of us, there was a patch of blue sky on the south shore, hanging right over our public golf course.
Whether the planners of our course were brilliant, or just lucky, that patch of land is often blessed with the best weather available on any given day.
As a result, The Island Masters golf tournament took place as scheduled, with a field of 36 players.
Our Island Masters takes place on the same weekend as that other Masters tournament in the U.S.
Americans consider it the premiere event in golf, although the Europeans and, well, pretty much everyone else, might put it behind The Open, golf's original — but not American — championship. But let's agree that The Masters is at least the second most prestigious golf tournament of the year.
The Island Masters basks in that reflected glory and steals from The Masters shamelessly, starting with the rewarding of the coveted gold jackets (well, yellow really) to the winners. Yes, their jackets are green. But, following their lead, ours are also made of a fabric never seen before or since on a piece of clothing.
Our other theft is even more brazen: the actual scores of the Masters players. Our players pick the name of a Masters pro from a hat, and that player's Saturday score is combined with our own player's score. The total is used to determine the winners. So you can play well and lose, or play badly and win, depending on the day's performance of your professional partner.
The 2018 winners of the Island Masters gold jackets are: Men's winner - Harry Taylor (partnered with Rory McIlroy); Women's winner - Melissa Roocroft (partnered with Justin Rose); and Junior winner Mattias Blomberg (partnered with Russell Henley). Other winners on the day: Women's Long Drive - Heather Coulthart; Women's Closest to the Pin - Christine Roocroft; Men's Long Drive - Dan Nakamura; Men's Closest to the Pin - Shane Fitzpatrick.
The Clubhouse celebrations continued over pizza, beer, and wine into the wee hours of the late afternoon. Outside, the wind howled and the rain pelted down, but we no longer cared. The gods of golf — and our microclimate — had done their job.
The Bowen Island Golf Club is a public golf course - everyone welcome. For information about future events, please visit our website www.bowengolf.com.
