MacPherson and Cullen win 2025 Pro-Pro Championship in hole-by-hole playoff
September 10, 2025
Kelowna, BC (PGA of BC) - Clark MacPherson and Killian Cullen (both Point Grey Golf & Country Club) won the 2025 Pro-Pro Championship presented by Sundog Eyewear, Blue Tees Golf and Golf Trends in a hole-by-hole alternate shot playoff at Kelowna’s Tower Ranch Golf Club.
Professionals competed in a first-round best-ball competition and a second-round alternate shot format, earning Stableford points throughout the event. Tower Ranch Golf Club served as a formidable and arduous test, with spectacular views, shots from every elevation, and fast, unpredictable greens that demanded precision and gentle touch.
In the first-round best-ball competition, MacPherson and Cullen compiled seven birdies and an eagle to post 45 Stableford points. This was good for a share of the first-round lead, as Groove4Golf’s Ryan Stugis and Finlay Young matched their total with seven birdies and an eagle of their own. The teams were paired together in the first round and, due to their status as co-leaders, were paired again for the second-round.
While the best-ball competition saw teams pile up birdies, the alternate shot format demanded steady, mistake-free golf to avoid catastrophe. Through 14 holes, MacPherson and Cullen had maintained an even-par pace for 28 points. At that point, Stugis and Young were two-over for the day, two points back of the leaders with four holes to play. Both duos made birdie on 15, but on 16, MacPherson-Cullen made bogey while Stugis-Young made birdie to seize a share of the lead. A birdie on 17 pushed the Point Grey team back into solo first with one hole to play. However, an untimely bogey on 18 by the MacPherson-Cullen duo and a par by Stugis and Young forced the hole-by-hole alternate-shot playoff, with both teams earning 81 Stableford points through 36 holes.
The playoff began on the par-5 17th. Young teed off first, ending up in the middle of the fairway. Cullen did the same, finding the fairway with an impeccably placed tee shot. With a blind approach, Stugis sailed his shot right of the hole, while MacPherson’s blind approach travelled on his desired line, settling in the front greenside bunker. Stugis’s shot came to rest in the penalty area, just beyond the cart path. Stugis and Young elected to take relief from the penalty area, thus incurring a one-stroke penalty. Now on their fourth stroke, Young’s shot travelled directly towards the hole and settled an estimated 15 feet above the pin. Cullen's bunker shot came to rest right beside their competitors’, giving the Point Grey pair a shot in hand.
Stugis stepped up to the par putt, knowing that he would likely have to sink it to stay alive in the playoff. The putt rolled just right of the hole, leaving Young with a short putt for bogey.
MacPherson’s putt was struck with precision and restraint, coming to rest an inch or two left of the hole. With Cullen’s tap-in for par, the duo sealed the first Pro-Pro Championship title in 13 years.
Cullen said their conversation just before he teed off on the first playoff hole was short. MacPherson leaned over to him and simply said “Driving range.”
“That gives me a good cue to just let it fly from there. I was angry about the bogey on 18, so it got me juiced up for the playoff,” said Cullen.
MacPherson pointed to their contrasting styles of play as a factor in their team success.
“We didn’t put ourselves in a lot of trouble in best-ball. We really didn’t have a lot of stressful holes Monday but today was a little more stressful. Alternate shot is something that neither of us have played competitively ever, but it was so much fun,” said MacPherson.
“Killian hits the driver so well that it puts us in a good position. I can make some putts here and there, chip in where I could, so we ham-and-egged it as best as we could.”
The pair were awarded $3,000 for their victory. Stugis and Young won $1,900 for their runner-up finish. Dave Zibrik (Point Grey Golf & Country Club) and Lindsay Bernakevitch (Victoria Golf Club), who won the last Pro-Pro Championship in 2012, and Clay Stothers (Okanagan Golf Club) and Justin Towill (Harvest Golf Club) tied for third place with 79 Stableford points, winning $1,350 each. Conner Kozak and Sam De Sira (both Okanagan Golf Club), and Craig Titterington (The Redwoods Golf Course) and Mike Belle (Burnaby Mountain Golf Club) tied for fifth place, taking home $850 each.
There was a Skins competition held during both rounds. Congratulations to the following teams who won Skins this week: Kozak and De Sira, Tom Monaghan (McCleery Golf Course) and Bob Rawlings, Stothers and Towill, and Miles Palahniuk (Tower Ranch Golf Club) and Keith Martin (Sunset Ranch Golf & Country Club).
The PGA of BC extends its sincere thanks to Presenting Sponsors Sundog Eyewear and Blue Tees Golf, represented by BC Sales Representative Jeff Kraemer and General Manager Corey Austin, for their valued sponsorship and contributions to this week’s tournament.
Our appreciation also goes to Presenting Sponsor Golf Trends and BC Sales Manager Steven Schnarr and Vice President Lynn Sage, whose support and participation were integral to the success of the event.
The PGA of BC would like to thank Supporting Sponsor Hard T and Lovely Day Beverage Co., along with Director of Sales Sean Cromie, for generously providing complimentary Hard T beverages to our competitors Monday. Your support added an extra touch to the event and was greatly appreciated by all in attendance.
Thank you to Referees Brian Schreiner and Les Chimko for their efforts in upholding integrity and fairness in competition.
Finally, the PGA of BC is grateful to Palahniuk, Superintendent Jason Carleton and the entire Tower Ranch team for their warm hospitality and contributions in making this week’s tournament a success.
Please click here to view the full leaderboard. Please click here to watch a recorded livestream of the hole-by-hole playoff.