Saskatoon man finds right combo to claim Masters pool

Saskatoon's Roy Pavely is the 2019 Masters pool champion.

Saskatoon’s Roy Pavely found the right combination of ten golfers and won the 2019 Rotary Club’s Masters pool.

Pavely selected Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler, Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Marc Leishman, Hideki Matsuyama, Fransesco Molinari, and Tiger Woods. In total, the group collected $5,624,355 which landed the $5,000 first place prize. The retired Bridge City resident said there wasn’t a real formula behind his selections.

“There’s not much of a story behind how I picked,” Pavely laughed. “Just a case of how they have been playing and where they rank.”

Pavely has been entering the Rotary Club of Saskatoon’s annual fundraiser for almost a decade and has finished as high as eighth and 14th in years past. He said he’s also finished near the bottom too. Going into Sunday’s final round Pavely figured he had a decent shot but there was no way to really know where you stand.

“That Tony Finau had me worried there. I think him and Schauffele tied so it worked out good for me,” he said.

Pavely used to play the game often but he admits it’s harder to get out to the course. He said he likes to participate in the pool for a couple reasons.

“I used to be an avid golfer, I don’t have quite as much energy as I used to, but it makes watching the tournament that much more interesting and I think the money goes to a great cause,” he said.

Ray Salmon finished in second place and wins $1,000. His team was almost $154,000 back of Pavely’s. In third place, Avis Hardy will receive $500. Paul Watson, Bryan Renwick, Roger Huston, Woody Milne, and the Klassen family round out the prize winners taking home $100 for finishing in the top eight.

All the winners and standings can be found on the Rotary Club’s website.