Big Canyon Country Club reigns supreme again at the Jones Cup
Erika Ilagan had two special guests of honor following her round in the 24th annual Jones Cup community golf tournament on Wednesday.
Her parents, Conrad and Elen, came out from Westminster to watch her represent Big Canyon Country Club.
Ilagan, a professional, said it had been at least a decade since they had watched her play in a tournament.
“It really meant a lot that they were here and able to watch and enjoy the afternoon,” she said. “That was pretty special.”
Her parents watched her turn into a hero as the day unfolded.
Ilagan sank birdie putts on the final two holes, including a 25-footer on No. 18, to help Big Canyon edge host Newport Beach Country Club for the championship.
Big Canyon finished at 17-under-par in the two best ball format, a stroke better than Newport Beach. It is the tournament-best 11th Jones Cup title for Big Canyon, the first since 2018.
Ilagan earned the inaugural Gordon Bowley Celebration Award for the tournament MVP, named after the longtime Jones Cup volunteer who died earlier this year. Golfers also wore “GB” pins in Bowley’s honor.
Bowley would have enjoyed Big Canyon’s heroics on the final hole. Ladies champion Olivia Slutzky also made a shorter birdie putt of about six feet on No. 18 to help secure the title.
“We all pushed each other, just to be comfortable and let it go,” Ilagan said. “Put your best roll on it and see what happens, that’s really all you can do. The whole team just did that throughout the whole afternoon. It was fun to see everyone get into that zone and hit quality shots.”
Mesa Verde Country Club finished third at -11, followed by Shady Canyon in fourth at -9. Defending champion Santa Ana finished fifth at -6.
Ilagan had five birdies for Big Canyon, which tied for the team lead with senior men’s champion Will Tipton. Men’s champion Jordan Nasser and Slutzky each had three birdies, and team captain Robert Pang added two.
Pang said he was on cloud nine after the victory, giving a big hug to Nasser. He said Nasser is one of his best friends, and was on the USC men’s golf team when Pang was an assistant professional at Los Angeles Country Club.
“It was a total team effort, just super, super fun,” said Pang, who won the Jones Cup for the seventh time overall. “We enjoyed the walk in the park today. The energy was good, the teamwork was good. Wow. How do you actually put it into words what fun we just had? What a way to enjoy five-and-a-half hours.”
The back nine turned into a battle between Big Canyon and Newport Beach. The host club, which teed off last, got birdies by professional Andy Alderdice and senior men’s champion Todd Roberts on par-three No. 17 to take a one-stroke lead.
But Big Canyon, the group directly in front of Newport Beach, responded with the two birdies on No. 18 to take back the lead. They then watched as Newport Beach missed birdie putts on the final hole, at least one of which it needed to make to force a playoff.
Newport Beach men’s champion Blair Walsh, a former kicker in the NFL, saw his final putt veer just wide of the hole.
“I liked the read and it’s kind of right edge,” Walsh said. “I hit a similar putt in the club championship to win it, so I thought it had the same type of movement, but it really didn’t … Being competitive in a different sport was fun. I’m used to having a lot more people watch me, though. An NFL crowd is a different feeling than it is having people watching you play golf.”
Team captain Robin Shelton and ladies champion AiLam Newkirk also contributed for Newport Beach, with Newkirk recording an eagle on the par-five No. 5. Alderice and Roberts had four birdies each.
Professional Mike Fergin made a team-best five birdies for third-place Mesa Verde, including two on the first two holes.
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