Cairns rallies, wins his third Michigan PGA Professional Championship

Cairns rallies, wins his third Michigan PGA Professional Championship
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 ROCHESTER – By Greg JohnsonBrian Cairns at age 49 has learned to finish golf tournaments in the proper fashion, as in a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole of the Katke course at Oakland University to take his first lead of the tournament.
   “With the age and the experience there’s a certain peace,” he said after winning the 93rd Michigan PGA Professional Championship presented by Club Car, Mercedes-Benz and OMEGA Wednesday.
  “This is good, just a good feeling. I birdied four of the last five holes, and that’s the way to finish.”
   The closing 3-under-par 69 for 7-under-par 209 earned him the Gilbert A. Currie Trophy for the third time in his career (1996, 2000 and 2013), the $6,000 first-place check and sends him off to the PGA Professional National Championship once again. The top nine finishers who were otherwise not exempt earned spots in the national championship for club and teaching professionals next may in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
    Cairns, a professional from Fox Hills Golf & Banquet Center in Plymouth, rushed from six shots back, but his rally was late and for a while overshadowed by the rally defending champion Scott Hebert fashioned. Hebert, who has won six of the last eight Michigan PGA Professional Championships, shot a 66 with nine birdies in the first 14 holes and had just 23 putts for his round. He posted his 6-under-210 total and watched the final groups finish.
   “I didn’t push it any more than I normally do, I just made more putts,” said Hebert, who is exempt for the national championship as the 2008 winner. “I had just 23. I don’t think I’ve ever had just 23. Where I goofed up was on the last three holes. They are all possible birdies and not to make one in there, well, it’s just not good enough to win.”
   Matt Pesta of Beacon Hill Golf Club Chesterfield, co-leader starting the final round with Jack Seltzer, was at 8-under-par through 12 holes of play, but carded a pair of double-bogey 6 scores at Nos. 13 and 17 to shoot 73 for 211 and third place.
   Brent Goulding, the head pro at Prestwick Village in Highland, was 9-under-par with six holes to play but made five bogeys on the way in for a 73 and 212. Gary Lewandowski of St. Ives Golf Club in Stanwood also finished at 212 with a closing 72.
  Cairns, Pesta, Goulding and Lewandowski will be joined at the national championship by Frank McAuliffe of the Kendall Golf Academy at Miles of Golf in Ypsilanti, who shot 67 for 213, Ron Beurmann of the Country Club of Jackson, who shot 71 for 214, David Tokarsky of Saginaw Country Club, who shot 71 for 214, Christopher Johnson of Thousand Oaks Golf Club in Grand Rapids, who shot 71 for 216 and Tom Harding of the Kendall Golf Academy, who shot 74 for 216.
  Cairns said he didn’t know the scoring situation until standing on No. 18 tee.
  “We had been passing scoreboards and saw the lead at 9-under at one point,” he said. “Once I heard that I had a chance, I was jacked up. It was time to finish with a birdie.”
  He said the final putt had one-cup of break and his older brother and caddie Kevin agreed.
  “It was a perfect one cup,” Cairns said. “And it’s perfect to win this. This is the pinnacle of the (Michigan PGA) section. This is what I really want to win every year. To me this is bigger than the (Michigan) Open, bigger than everything else.”