TST #2 Pressure Proof
Sunset Ranch | May 25, 2025
By Twlv Stix Tour Staff
There’s a kind of silence in golf that doesn’t ask to be filled. It’s the silence before the swing, the moment before the crowd leans forward, the pause when a putt rolls and the group holds its breath.
At Sunset Ranch, we had all of it. And more.
The second stop on the Twlv Stix calendar arrived under an Okanagan sun that made it clear: this wasn’t a warm-up lap anymore. At 9:30 AM it was already 24 degrees, and by noon, the greens were dry, slick, and drawing comparisons to concrete. Pins were tucked, shadows were short, and doubles came easy. This wasn’t just a golf tournament—it was survival with scorecards.
And this wasn’t just any stop on the schedule—it was the first major of the season. More points were on the line in the Twlv Stix Full Season Race—presented by Executives Property Management. Every swing at Sunset carried extra weight.
But through the pressure, one player stayed calm from the start.
Ashton Love, in just his second event of the season as a full member, took command early at Sunset Ranch. At 2-under through the first 10, he looked unbothered by the course’s reputation for chaos. Even after a triple bogey on 14 let the field back in, Ashton never surrendered the lead.
But 18 had its own drama queued up.
Andy Abreo, playing just ahead, had been trailing Ashton by two for most of the day. Standing 100 yards out on the par-5 finisher, he needed a moment—and delivered. A smooth wedge to five feet. Then the putt—buried it. A little fist pump. He knew what it meant: one shot back with Ashton still having to finish.
Now just off the green, Ashton had cleared the creek in two. Just a chip and two putts to win. But Sunset’s greens were hard, fast, and not in the mood to cooperate.
His chip landed gently…but didn’t stop. It rolled and kept rolling—off the back. Suddenly, this wasn’t a closing ceremony. It was a test.
He chipped back on. Three feet for the win. Miss it, and Andy’s birdie forces a playoff.
He stepped in. One breath. Stroke.
Dead center.
Then, finally, the smile.
Ashton Love was your Twlv Stix Gross Division champion. A new name, a steady hand, and a reminder that pressure doesn’t care how long you’ve been around—it only asks if you’re ready.
In the Net Division, the storyline swung as wildly as the leaderboard.
Evan Koppa showed up with one thing in mind—back-to-back wins. And for most of the day, he looked like he was going to do it solo. He played to his number, never rattled, and planted himself at the top.
While others chased birdies or blew up trying, Koppa kept the gas steady and the mistakes small. After winning Black Mountain, he came into Sunset and backed it up—making it clear that last month was no fluke. He’s not just playing well. He’s becoming a problem.
But the drama was far from over.
Andy Abreo, who had hovered a couple shots back, closed his round with back-to-back birdies—17 and 18—clutching his way into a share of the lead and sending a message that Gross isn’t the only place he’s dangerous.
And then, out of nowhere, came Tony Eden.
For most of the afternoon, Tony looked out of it—until it was discovered that a couple of his hole scores had been entered wrong in the live app. For hours, it seemed like he was out of the race, two strokes behind and fading quietly. But once the numbers were corrected?
Just like that—he was tied for first.
It was a jolt to the leaderboard—and a reminder to the rest of the field: the app can lie, but the scorecard is king.
What started as a one-man show turned into a three-way standoff at even par: Koppa. Abreo. Eden.
Beyond the winners, a few names continued to shape the season.
Taylor Campbell, last year’s Net Champ, sharpened up with a 4th-place Gross finish—a quiet return to form that could mean he’s heating up.
Bruce Kristinson? Another top-5. That consistency now puts him atop the Twlv Stix Full Season Race.
Beyond the numbers, Twlv Stix did what it always does—it built something bigger than a leaderboard.
Fifty-eight players teed it up—our biggest field to date. Veterans returned. First-timers tested the waters. And a few Sunset Ranch members wandered over to see what the action was all about. They gathered near 18, drawn by the noise—cheering, chirping, and that familiar tension of a match on the edge.
They watched a near mix-up get saved by a gallery calling out switched balls. They watched putts drop and momentum shift. But more than that, they saw what’s taking shape out here—a tour with real stakes, and even better camaraderie.
Two events down.
One tour shaping up.
Next stop: Penticton Golf & Country Club – June 1st
This season’s moving fast. Keep up, or get left behind.
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