USGA Agronomist Larry Gilhuly Talks To Kids From Pitt River Middle School During A First Green ‘Links As Labs’ Program At Redwoods Golf Course Demonstration On Oct. 2 - Image Credit Alfie Lau

by Alfie Lau

Up until now a field trip to a golf course would usually mean swinging some clubs and learning some golf etiquette. No longer.

24 wide-eyed Grade 7 and 8 students from Pitt River Middle School stepped off a school bus and onto a real-life science lab.

And that lab was The Redwoods Golf Course in Langley on Oct. 2 as the Western Canada Turfgrass Association (WCTA), in partnership with the First Green Foundation, launched the first program in Canada that brings environmental education to grade 5 and up students using golf courses as environmental learning labs.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OCTOBER 14, 2015

Richmond, BC (PGA OF BC) - On Wednesday October 14, 2015 at the River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, the PGA of British Columbia recognized the proud achievements of its members at the 2015 PGA of BC Awards Celebration.

Sixteen awards were presented Wednesday night, preceded by a special presentation by the ALS Society of British Columbia. The PGA of BC has supported the Society for 10 years with its Golfathon for ALS fundraisers across the province, and has raised just shy of $1.2 million for the duration of the program.

RICHMOND, BC (PGA of BC) - The PGA of BC is proud to announce the recipients of both the 2015 Forestar Golf Community Leadership Bursary, as well as the Jim Gibson Scholarship.

This recognition program is designed to honour individuals in the golf community that exhibit qualities such as volunteerism, selflessness, passion, and dedication to the game.

The Forestar Golf Community Leadership Bursary recognizes an individual who demonstrates an extraordinary desire and passion to to use their abilities to make a difference in the lives of others, setting an example of "giving back" with which all PGA of BC members are proud to be associated.

B.C.'s Jared Du Toit (Shown Holding The BC Men's Amateur Trophy Has Been Nominated As The PNGA Men's Player Of The Year - Image Credit Alfie Lau

Courtesy Tom Cade and PNGA

At the end of each golfing season, the Pacific Northwest Golf Association selects the region’s Players of the Year in eight different categories: Men’s, Women’s, Mid-Amateur Men’s, Mid-Amateur Women’s, Senior Men’s, Senior Women’s, Junior Boys’, and Junior Girls’.

The players are voted on by the PNGA Championship Committee, and this committee extends to the NWGMA one vote in each category as part of the process.

Below are the nominees in each of the eight categories.

Victoria's Cory Renfrew Was The Low Monday Qualifier For The PGA TOUR's Season Opening Frys.com Event - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

courtesy Herb Fung/ Golf Canada

Victoria native Cory Renfrew posted a 7-under 65 to earn medalist honours at the Monday Qualifier for the Frys.com Open – the season-opening event on the PGA TOUR.

The 29-year-old collected eight birdies en route to a four-stroke victory over runners-up Ben Geyer, Eric Hallberg and David Bradshaw. The quartet completed the full field of 144 hoping to notch a win at Silverado Country Club in Napa, Calif.

Toni Taylor Shows Female Golfers Some Finger And Wrist Exercises At Richmond Country Club During A Women With Drive Workshop On Oct. 6 - Image Credit Alfie Lau

by Alfie Lau

All throughout the province, for most of September and October, women golfers have been getting together with certified PGA of Canada or LPGA coaches in Women With Drive, Get In The Game workshops funded by British Columbia Golf and the Golf Canada Foundation Women’s Fund.

“We’ve organized clinics all throughout the province which will enhance opportunities for women to gain interest and develop their golf skills so that we can continue to grow women’s golf,” said Debbie Pyne, the managing director for player development for British Columbia Golf. “We’ve had clinics all throughout the province and they have been well attended.”

Christina Proteau Has Advanced To The Quarterfinals Of The U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur For The Second Straight Year - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

courtesy Joey Flyntz (USGA)

CHOUDRANT, La. – Christina Proteau, 32, of Port Alberni, B.C. advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, for the second straight year, which would have been hard to imagine after she shot a 15-over 87 in the first round of stroke play.

Proteau, a prosecutor for the province of British Columbia, rebounded with an even-par 72 in the second round to make match play and has posted three impressive wins.

Canada's Casey Ward Was The Medallist In The 29th U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur, Just The Second Canadian To Earn That Honour - Image Courtesy USGA

courtesy Joey Flyntz USGA

Casey Ward, 25, of Picton, ON followed Saturday’s round of 2-over 74 with a 2-under 70 on Sunday to earn stroke-play medalist honors at the 29th U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, being conducted at the 6,061-yard, par-72 Squire Creek Country Club.

Ward was joined in the match play portion of the tournament by two British Columbia golfers, Christina Spence Proteau and Shelley Stouffer.

Ward is the second Women’s Mid-Amateur medalist from Canada and first since Mary Ann Hayward, the 2005 Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, did so in 1998. Entering the day two strokes behind Sarah Davison, Ward posted four birdies and two bogeys on the day to record the low round of stroke play.

British Columbia Golf's nomination committee is currently seeking individuals who have an interest and passion in engaging British Columbians in the sport of golf.

Following is the Memorandum that has been issued to Member Clubs, Zone Committees and Volunteers from Chair Michelle Collens and the Nomination Committee.

Nick Taylor Was The Lone Rookie To Win On The PGA TOUR This Year - Image Courtesy PGA TOUR

Abbotsford, B.C.'s Nick Taylor has been named a finalist for PGA TOUR rookie of the year.

A graduate from the Web.com Tour a year ago, Taylor won his first PGA TOUR title in just his fourth start at the Sanderson Farms Championship. 

The former top-ranked amateur in the world went on to finish 101st in FedEx Cup standings and 93rd on the tour money list ($1,072,360), recording one top-10 finish and two top 25s with 17 made cuts.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Northwest Golf Media Association Announces Annual Awards

(September 29, 2015) - Seattle, Wash. – At the 16th annual awards luncheon of the Northwest Golf Media Association (NWGMA), Kent “Cookie” Gilchrist of Vancouver, B.C. will be honored with the 2015 NWGMA Distinguished Service Award, the Association’s highest honor.

Also being recognized at the luncheon will be Steve Kealy of Seattle, Wash., the longtime golf course superintendent who has been selected to receive the Association’s Local Legend award. The luncheon will be held at historic Tacoma Country & Golf Club in Lakewood, Wash. on October 8.

BC And Canadian Amateur Golf Great Doug Roxburgh - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

British Columbia Golf Editors, With Acknowledgment To Brad Ziemer (Vancouver Sun)

British Columbia Amateur golf legend Doug Roxburgh was competing at Egg Harbor Township in New Jersey for the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship this past weekend and despite a tough start managed to get through to the match play portion of the tournament.

Roxburgh counts no fewer than 13 British Columbia Amateur titles to go along with his 4 Canadian Amateur wins and is a member of both the B.C. and Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.

Team Canada's Junior Girls Pose For A 'Selfie' At The Junior World Championships In Ottawa - Image Credit Alfie Lau

by Alfie Lau

Scoreboards rarely tell the real story of a golf tournament and for five British Columbia girls who were selected to play at The Marshes for the World Junior Girls Championship, that could not be more true.

While South Koreans and Scandinavians dominated the top of the leaderboard, the Canadian girls, led by Alisha Lau, Kathrine Chan and Euna Han on Team Canada 2 and Hannah Lee, Tiffany Kong and Ontario’s Grace St-Germain on Team Canada 1, were the hometown favourites who bravely played on despite their golf games not being at their peaks.

The Five Members Of Team Canada Who Flew From BC To Play At The Marshes Were, From Left, Tiffany Kong, Alisha Lau, Kathrine Chan, Hannah Lee And Euna Han - Image Credit Alfie Lau

by Alfie Lau

It was a chilly final day for the World Junior Girls Championship at The Marshes in suburban Ottawa, but nothing could cool down Hye-Jin Choi and the South Korean girls.

Choi walked away with the individual title, with a stunning (-7) round of 65 to finish at (-12) 276, seven strokes clear of Denmark’s Cecilie Bofill. Choi shot under-par for all four of her rounds and salted away the title early, making four birdies on the front nine to stake herself to a comfortable five-stroke lead over Bofill as they made the turn.

Bofill shot a credible (-3) round of 69 to finish solo second at (-5) 283, three strokes clear of Sweden’s Filippa Moork, who finished third at (-2) 286.

Richmond’s Kathrine Chan Shot The Low Round Of The Six Canadian Players During Round 3 Of The World Junior Girls At The Marshes In Ottawa - Image Credit Alfie Lau

by Alfie Lau

South Korea’s Hye-Jin Choi, who was the first-round individual co-leader, shot a (-2) round of 70 and now sits at (-5) 211, one stroke ahead of Sweden’s Filippa Moork, who had the round of the day Thursday, a (-4) round of 68 which has her at (-4) 212 for the tournament.

Hannah Lee Hits Her Opening Tee Shot During Round 3 Of The World Junior Girls At The Marshes On Thursday - Image Credit Alfie Lau

by Alfie Lau

For the five British Columbia girls playing for Team Canada at the World Junior Girls just outside of Ottawa, it hasn’t gone like they would have liked on the golf course. But that doesn’t mean they can’t have some fun as they experience a week in Canada’s capital.

The team is staying in the luxurious Brookstreet Hotel, which overlooks the course and is filled with business travellers. That’s because all around the course are the Canadian and worldwide head offices for massive tech companies like Wilan and Huawei.

This is the world of Sir Terry Matthews, who owns The Marshes and many of the buildings and land all around this area in Kanata, approximately 25 kilometres from downtown Ottawa.

Richmond’s Alisha Lau Talks With Coach Mike Martz After Round 2 Of The World Junior Girls At The Marshes In Ottawa. Lau Is The Top Canadian And Martz’s Team Canada 2 Is The Top Canadian Squad In The Tournament - Image Credit Alfe Lau

by Alfie Lau

On a day when many international players broke par and tamed The Marshes during Round 2 of the World Junior Girls Championship, Team Canada 1 and 2 had a tough day on the links.

Richmond’s Alisha Lau is the top Canadian after her second-round (+2) 74 has her at (+6) 150 for the tournament. Her Team 2 teammate Kathrine Chan also improved on her opening round 79 with a (+3) 75 which included two birdies in her final three holes.

Richmond’s Alisha Lau Turns 16 In October And Is On The Radar Of Many College Coaches Looking To Add To Their Teams In Upcoming Years - Image Credit Alfie Lau

by Alfie Lau

They’re not hard to miss: coaches sporting hats and golf shirts with their school logos on them scouting 44 of the best u-19 female golfers in the world.

The World Junior Girls Championship at The Marshes in suburban Ottawa is a great place for coaches to see top 100 amateur golfers such as South Korea’s Hye-Jin Choi (#51 in the most recent World Amateur Golf Rankings), Italy’s Carlotta Ricolfi (#56) and Australia’s Karis Davidson (#74) and Hannah Green (#49).

But every golfer in the field is a potential recruit, simply because girls mature at different ages and someone currently ranked 610 right now might be a top 100 player within a couple of years.

Number 610 is Canada’s top-ranked player, 17-year-old Grace St-Germain of Orleans, ON, who was offered multiple scholarship offers before she decided on Daytona College in Florida.

Team Canada 2 Coach Mike Martz, Far Left, And Team Canada 1 Coach Ann Carroll, Far Right, Are Happy Round 1 Of The World Junior Girls Is In The Books And Are Hopeful Their Teams Can Rebound With Three Rounds To Go At The Marshes In Ottawa - Image Credit Alfie Lau

by Alfie Lau

For Ann Carroll and Mike Martz, it was just one round of four. 

While their squads, Carroll’s Team Canada 1 and Martz’s Team Canada 2, trail other countries after Round 1 of the World Junior Girls at The Marshes in Ottawa, they’re both optimistic that things will change with three rounds to go.

“It was a good day because I saw a lot of fight back in my team,” said Martz. “Euna had a tough start and then she made some birdies to get it back and I’m pretty happy for her.”

Tiffany Kong Of Vancouver Had The Low Score For Team Canada 1 With A (+3) Round Of 75 - Image Credit Alfie Lau

by Alfie Lau

The sun was shining, but when the wind picked up, it blew up the scores of the six Canadian girls playing in the World Junior Girls Championship at The Marshes in suburban Ottawa.

The best Canadian scores came from Vancouver’s Tiffany Kong and Coquitlam’s Euna Han, who each carded (+3) scores of 75. Kong is on Team Canada 1 and her teammates Hannah Lee of Surrey, at (+5) 77 and Grace St-Germain of Orleans, ON, at (+6) 78, were also undone by the winds, which blew entirely differently than during their practice rounds on Sunday and Monday.