Jarrett McNeal normally teams up with pro shop cohort Kyle Wiebe for glory in the annual Spall Cup.
This year, McNeal combined with one-time Vancouver Canucks prospect Stefan Schneider and won the two-ball, best-ball tournament with a three-under 68 Saturday at the Spallumcheen Golf & Country Club. The duo pocketed $125 gift cards from the pro shop.
McNeal, a 28-year-old school district custodian who pulls the odd Saturday shift at Spall, gave major props to the powerful Schneider, also 28.
“Stefan was a great partner,” said McNeal. “He made all the par-three birdies and I made some pars when he was in trouble so we ham and egged it pretty good. He hits it a long way. On No. 5, which is about 500 yards from the whites, he hit five-wood and 52-degree sand wedge. That was ridiculous. He hit to within eight feet and just missed an eagle putt.”
Schneider spent three years in the American Hockey League, one with the Manitoba Moose and two with the Chicago Wolves. He works for his father, Dave, at H&L Glass.
McNeal birdied the 18th hole for his third Spall Cup. He previously drank from the Cup with Wiebe in 2013 and 2014.
There were 22 teams with Ron Nolan and Dave Gray second in the first flight at 69, followed by Paul Reid and Ralph Johnson at 69. Low net honours went to Dave Haverty and Don Helm at 71.
In flight two, the champions were Dave Bissell, a recent new member of the 60th Birthday Club, and Jeff Work, at 72. Doug Kuhn and Bob Davidson were runners-up at 74, followed by Charlie Briskham and Garney Howard at 75. The low net prizes went to Kuhn and Davidson at 62.
The third flight low gross title went to Bob Slonski and Bill Lukacs at 74, two strokes better than Wayne Brown and Grant Cooper. Jim Arthur and Don Jones took third at 77 and first low net at 63.
Meanwhile, George Cunningham had his dad, Tracy, carrying his bag Father’s Day as made his pro debut by winning the $200,000 Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada GolfBC Championship stop Sunday at Gallagher’s Canyon in Kelowna.
Cunningham, whose mom Julie followed her son every step of the way around the course on a hot afternoon, followed his 9-under 62 Saturday with a final-round 66 to win by two strokes over 24-year-old Zach Wright of Phoenix. Cunningham, a 22-year-old University of Arizona graduate who turned pro just three weeks ago, pocketed $36,000 cheque and a huge trophy.
Vernon’s Conner Kozak, an assistant pro at the Okanagan Club in Kelowna, missed the 36-hole cut with rounds of 69 and 75.