Justin Brisbane CANMORE
Flying saucers, pylon heads and chill foursomes lingering in the woods: true signs the Big Bear disc golf tournament has returned to Canmore.
Kris ‘Kris P’ Pereira crushed the field to win his second straight Big Bear title, shooting 193 over four rounds on Sunday (May 20) at the Canmore Nordic Centre.
“I lucked out this year. My main competition didn’t have a good start.”
Facing pressure as the favourite going into the event, Pereira kept things simple, using his home course advantage while improving his putting.
“I didn’t worry about anybody else. I just kept it simple and treated it as another round of golf,” Pereira said.
Years of playing ball in Kingston, Ont. paid off for the Canmorite whose unmatched long drives allowed him to lead from start to finish. An improved short game sealed the deal.
He’s got plenty of dates planned on the British Columbia and Alberta tour, and has a lot of disc golf ahead this summer.
Paul Forand finished second amongst the elite, followed by world-ranked Mark Dakiv.
“I know every inch of this course and used that to my advantage. I just tried to go for pars,” Forand said.
Dakiv is ranked 17th in North America and is Pereira’s main rival. He makes sure he plays the Canmore course often.
“I love this course. It’s one of the best in Alberta. You really have to stay out of trouble and Kris really did that well. He knows this course quite well.”
Banff’s Chris Lee won the Advanced division, shooting 211. Again, home course advantage helped him win. He’s usually on the course five days a week, but saved his best round for the tournament.
“There were a lot of local lines played today,” Lee said. “It was the best round I’ve ever shot.”
Behind Lee, recently retired biathlete Aaron Neumann and Mike Minifie went to a playoff for second place, with Neumann coming out on top.
“As an athlete, you’re competitive and that crosses over well,” Neumann said. “This is only my second year, but I got 100 rounds in last summer.”
The sport attracted competitors from across Alberta and British Columbia, including 12-year-old Cormac Hergott. He finished third in the novice division.
“It’s fun, but challenging. There are a lot of obstacles on this course, so you have to keep your head in the game,” Hergott said.
Casey Murphy defeated Carmyn Scott in the women’s final, while Ziggy Gaguen won the master’s division in a playoff over Glen Oliver and Mike Squires.
