Tough conditions and high scores were the order for weekend as Terrace's Scott Rigler repeated as the Smithers Northern Men's Open champion.
Rigler shot rounds of 75, 74 and 76 for a nine-over-par total en route to hoisting the trophy for a second year in a row and a fourth time since 2018.
On Monday, Rigler teed it up in the last group with Chris McGuiney (a new challenger from Prince George), 2022 champion Joel Veenstra and Jeffrey Groenhyde.
McGuiney started the final round just one stroke after consecutive 75s on Saturday and Sunday, but fell off the pace quickly with a bogey at the first hole and double bogeys at the sixth and seventh holes. He got one stroke back with a birdie on the 10th hole, but from there a string of five bogeys and a double would relegate him to third place.
Veenstra led the tournament after a one-over-par 73 in Round 1, but struggled on Sunday putting up a 78 in Round 2. That left him two shots back and well within reach of Rigler to begin the final round. But like McGuiney, Veenstra also struggled on the front half of the course, uncharacteristically putting four bogeys on his scorecard.
At the turn, Rigler's lead was four. Veenstra would get back to within two with a birdie on 13 after Rigler bogeyed the 11th, but with a bogey on 14 and double on 15, the 2022 champ saw his chances for a second title evaporate.
Rigler's three-day total of 225 was three strokes greater even than last year's 222, which was the highest winning score anybody can remember.
The tournament hosted 91 players this year from as far west as Prince Rupert and as far east as Prince George.
