News

‹ Back to Tournament News

Calgary area pro celebrates one-shot victory with rounds of 66-68 at prestigious event

CALGARY—Calgary’s Eric Locke was crowned king of the PGA of Alberta for 2024 on Tuesday.

The teaching ace from Priddis Greens Golf and Country Club celebrated a one-shot victory at the two-day Cobra Puma Golf and Moblicab PGA of Alberta Championship held at Stony Plain Golf Course.

Locke held off a late charge by defending champion, Wes Heffernen, to take the flagship event on the PGA of Alberta calendar with rounds of 66-68 (-10).

Locke led wire-to-wire against the largest field ever in the history of the PGA of Alberta’s flagship event with 120 pros in the Wild Rose province teeing it up on the 6,800-yard test on the west side of Edmonton.

Taking advantage of stellar playing conditions, Locke carried a one-shot lead over Mitchell Fox (Speargrass Golf Course) and Scott Allred (Elbow Springs Golf Course) into the final 18-hole spin after rattling off a hat trick of birdies to close out his opening round six deep from par. Fox, who has won nearly everything on the table in 2024, and the scrappy Allred posted 67s on the first day with a handful of big names, including Heffernen, carding 68s.

“With Mitch Fox, Sam Kirkness, Wes Heffernan, and Dillon Batsel behind me it didn’t matter that I was at the top because I knew I was going to have to go out there and shoot a number today,” said Locke after winning the first PGA of Alberta Championship in his career. “I didn’t think 68 was going to be good enough, to be honest, and I figured I had to shoot another 66 or better to compete with those gentlemen.”

A head-to-head battle of the heavyweights in Alberta golf ensued throughout Tuesday’s final round on the treelined Stony Plain track. Locke and Heffernen opened with identical nine-hole scores of 33. Mixing together three birdies with a bogey after making the turn, Locke carried a two-shot lead into the final hole where he gave one shot back before signing a card for 68 to secure the victory.

“They made their push early and came out of the gates fast,” added Locke. “But actually, seeing them start to make birdies kind of settled me down because you have to do that too.”

Heffernen (Dynamic Motion Golf Performance Centre) was forced to settle for second place despite firing a 67 for low second-round honours, finishing at -9. Samuel Kirkness (Inglewood Golf and Country Club) and Dillon Batsel (Desert Blume Golf Club) shared third spot on the leaderboard at -8.  Kirkness won the Players Tour presented by Duca del Cosma at the Mill Woods Golf Course earlier this summer. Batsel lost the season-opening event at Picture Butte in a playoff.

The Stony Plain Golf Course has hosted many PGA of Alberta and Alberta Golf events throughout its rich history.

“We were excited to have the opportunity to host the most significant event on the 2024 calendar in northern Alberta,” said Jeff Cuthbertson, Executive Professional, Stony Plain Golf Course. “The course presented a really fair test of golf with chances to score and stretches where players were just looking to hold on. It was a privilege to host the top pros in our province.”

Complete Results:

For more information on the PGA of Alberta calendar of events, please visit https://www.pgaofalberta.com/tournaments/registration/