Bohn takes first USPGA Tour title

BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2005 BC Open | Wrap | 18 Jul 2005

While it may only be in relative terms that a PGA Tour player can be termed a battler, certainly if there was a category for such, Jason Bohn might fit into such. A professional for thirteen years, Bohn first joined the USPGA Tour in 2004 after several years on the Nationwide Tour and prior to that, various mini tours.

Today Bohn changed the perception that is Jason Bohn and will have gone a long way to changing the perception that he has of himself. He is now, after all, a winner on the USPGA Tour. He took advantage of the opportunity that an event such as the B.C. Open provides by winning against a lesser field than he has typically experienced in his second year on the USPGA Tour, but he had to shoot 24 under to do so.

Bohn is likely best remembered for his Nationwide Tour win in 2003 and the 58 he shot in a Canadian Tour event, the Bayer Championship in 2001. Now those events can be put aside and his name will be forever associated with this win in Endicott, New York. The victory comes just a month after the birth of his first child, his son Conner, so the summer of 2005 is a good time in the life of Jason Bohn.

Bohn is in his second year on the PGA Tour after having just failed to regain his full status last season. He returned to the Q School in December and finished 9th thereby getting back playing privileges for 2005. His highlight in year one was when 6th at the Buick Championship, his only top ten and this year things were not looking a lot better, missing half of his 16 cuts. With earnings of just US$264,000 up until this week he was struggling but when he arrived at the En-Joie Golf Club in Endicott in central New York State he reflected back on some good memories from last year when 21st here, one of his better finishes.

In a week where an opening round of 64 would only offer a four way tie for third, it was clear that whoever won would need to go low and go low they did. Bohn lost ground with his second round 68 but after a third round 66 he was back within one of the 54 hole leader, Australian, Brendan Jones. An early birdie today only kept him in touch with a field that was going mad in scoring terms. Such was the congestion of the leaderboard that when the final group reached the 5th hole today, there were twenty four players within three shots of the lead. Bohn was one of them and when he birdied the 8th and 9th to move to 21 under he had become a serious challenger.

Perhaps the most credentialed of those in contention, J.P. Hayes, would soon join the battle as did Ryan Palmer and John Rollins. When Ben Crane, who had made the biggest move of those in contention, made a birdie at the 17th he had set the mark at 22 under but clearly it was going to take more than that. It did, two more to be exact.

Bohn birdied the 16th and 17th and moved to 24 under and barring accidents at the last he appeared to control the outcome. That accident nearly came with a wayward tee shot but he managed to shape his second shot low through a gap some fifty yards ahead and then saved par from the rough at the left hand greenside. He holed a snaky 7 foot putt after his playing partner and close friend, Ryan Palmer, missed from 15 feet which would have tied him with Bohn.

The only player left then on the course who could alter the outcome was Brendan Jones but by then he needed a miracle. Jones had birdied the 16th to get to 21 under and almost holed a seven iron at the 17th to move to 22 under. He drove it just left at the last and when he had pitched to 17 feet it was all over as far as the winner was concerned. Not so for Jones however and when he holed his birdie putt he had joined, Hayes, Palmer and Rollins at 23 under, just one back.

For Jones this was a big week. He had taken the fifty four hole lead into the final day but struggled early. His final finishing burst of three consecutive birdies made him a lot of money and might have important ramifications later in the year. He will be disappointed not to have won but he will be proud of his strong finish.

Paul Gow was the next best of the Australians in 26th place after his last round of 66. His opening round of 72 was never going to get the job done on this course but he did well from that point on.

Grant Waite was 31st, Bradley Hughes was 38th, his best finish of a tough year, Gavin Flint in his USPGA Tour debut did well to make the cut and finish 48th, John Senden was 59th and Steve Allan 71st.

The USPGA Tour heads to Milwaukee this week for the US Bank Championship of Milwaukee.