HUNTINGTON -When Ian Patrick Archer started the Bettinardi Classic four years ago, he hoped to provide a fun tournament that showed itself to be a tune-up for the West Virginia Open.
On Sunday, the Bettinardi Classic’s final round provided Open-type excitement as Philip Reale ran off three straight birdies to end the tournament in a one-shot victory over Will Evans at Esquire Country Club in Huntington.
“It was a great weekend and had lots of excitement,” Archer said following the event. “We all had a blast out there. This is always a lot of fun.”
Reale’s victory came after a back nine in which he shot a bogey-free back-nine in which he birdied five holes, including the last three.
Reale trailed Evans by a stroke after 16 holes, but the 17th is where the tournament’s hands changed for good.
Reale was able to birdie the par-4 17th, while Evans suffered his lone bogey on the day to go from leading by a stroke to trailing by a stroke.
Evans was able to birdie the 18th, but so, too, was Reale which gave him the title.
Each shot a 7-under 65 with eight birdies and one bogey on a hot Sunday at Esquire in which players attacked pins and scores went low.
Cam Roam finished a consistent weekend with a 6-under 66, which included an eagle on No. 12. That was enough to leave him in third place just two strokes behind Reale and one behind Evans at 9-under.
Those three top finishers are no stranger to being atop the leaderboard in West Virginia’s top competitions on the final day.
Archer said with the West Virginia Open less than 10 days away, everyone was focused on locking in for some tournament golf, which can be a physical and mental drain.
“They were all fired up and ready to get some reps in,” Archer said. “Those guys are ready to go any time. They love it.”
Archer said there were 39 participants in the two-day event, which may have been more except for its being played on the same weekend as the Member-Guest tournaments at Sleepy Hollow and Guyan Country Club this weekend.
Still, the tournament continued to draw some of the top names in West Virginia golf with players looking to bolster their stance with WVGA points on the line.
Archer said the fact that WVGA executive director Brad Ullman counts the tournament toward those within the Player of the Year standings speaks to the tournament’s strong following from around the state and beyond.
“We had guys from everywhere — Bridgeport, Clarksburg, Wheeling, Morgantown — who showed up to play in it,” Archer said. “The fight for Player of the Year is really tough. It came down to the last tournament of the year last year and the year before that. It just takes it off with getting the big names.”
Archer added that the West Virginia Open qualifier at Esquire Country Club is set for Tuesday, which means that it also provided a tune-up for players who are seeking to qualify for the Open, which will be June 23-25 at Pete Dye Golf Club in Bridgeport.
“I actually scheduled it around that,” Archer said. “I thought it may get a couple more players, too.”
The tournament is unique in that professional players and amateurs can all take part, as opposed to most events which have gone to an amateur-only format.
That trend will continue in the future, according to Archer.
“There’s really not much else for pro guys to play in except for The Open, so we want to make sure we keep that,” Archer said. “They were really pleased at how I set it up as a Pro-Am. You look and Phil is an amateur, but he won it. The amateurs are right there with the pros. It’s great competition.”
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June 14, 2021 at 06:30AM
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Reale wins Bettinardi Classic in exciting finish | Sports - Huntington Herald Dispatch
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