Vancouver's Leah John Is The 2021 B.C. Women's Amateur Champion - image credit Jerome Goddard/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

SUMMERLAND -- A win is sometimes that much sweeter when it has been preceded by so much hard work and occasional setbacks. Perhaps that’s why Leah John seemed so delighted with her win Friday at the116th playing of the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship at Summerland Golf Club.

Like that noted philosopher Ringo Starr, John knows better than most that moments like this one don’t come easy.

Perseverance paid off for the 21-year-old Vancouver resident, who plays out of Marine Drive Golf Club and collegiately at the University of Nevada. John had come oh so close on a couple of previous occasions at British Columbia Golf championships.

Leah John Has Grabbed The Lead After Round 3 At The BC Women's Am - image credit Brad Ziemer

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

SUMMERLAND -- The wind can really howl at times in Reno, where Leah John plays her collegiate golf at the University of Nevada. 

So when it began to blow hard in Thursday’s third round of the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship at Summerland Golf Club, John didn’t get flustered. Far from it. The 21-year-old Vancouver native flourished in a stiff wind that blew especially hard on the back nine.

John matched the low round of the tournament with a three-under par 71 and will take a two-shot lead over Jennifer Gu of West Vancouver into Friday’s final round of the 116th playing of the championship.

With the 2021 British Columbia Junior Championships starting June 29th, the host venue, Morningstar Golf Club in Parksville on Vancouver Island, are prepared to offer a solid challenge to the top junior golfers in the province. 

In the video below Director of Golf John Randle, with the help of junior Brendan O'Brien, previews the difficult par 5 9th hole at his club in advance of the British Columbia Golf Boys & Girls Junior Championships.

Jennifer Gu Continues To Lead The BC Women's Amateur After Round 2 At Summerland GC - Golf Canada/CRussell/file photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

SUMMERLAND -- Jennifer Gu is a bit of a free spirit so when things got off to a shaky start in the second round of the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship, she decided to try something a little different to snap out of it.  After a pair of sloppy bogeys to open her day, Gu planted herself down on the third tee block and . . . did some yoga. 

“I did some Sun Salutations,” the 18-year-old West Vancouver native said with a smile after her round.

“It’s kind of like a circuit of stretches, but is very calming. . .I was doing anything to keep me calm. The heart was pulsating a little bit. Hey, it’s the B.C. Am, kind of a big deal out here.”

In the latest episode of the ModGolf Podcast, show creator and host Colin Weston talks to former PGA TOUR regular, BC's Richard Zokol. 

Nicknamed 'Disco Dick' after playing a 1982 PGA TOUR event wearing a Sony Walkman, two-time tour winner Zokol joined Colin to share how listening to music on course to calm his hyperactive mind helped sow the seeds that led to the creation of MindTRAK Golf.

West Vancouver's Jennifer Gu Leads The BC Women's Amateur After Round One At Summerland GC - image credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

SUMMERLAND -- Summerland Golf Club is set up as a par 74 for this week’s 116th playing of the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship, but Jennifer Gu tried not to pay attention to that number in Tuesday’s first round. 

The 18-year-old West Vancouver resident had a rather simple formula she tried to follow and it seemed to work wonderfully as recorded a three-under 71 to grab the early lead. “I did not look at the pars on any of the holes,” Gu said after her round.

“I just tried to get the ball in the hole as quick as possible because I know the par 5s are very gettable and if I maybe think of a hole as a par 5 I will play it a little different, which I don’t want to do. I just want to get the ball in the hole as fast as I can.”

Angela Arora, Shown Here After Winning The BC Junior & Juvenile Titles Last Year, And Christine Wong With Her Winner's Cheque, Both Had Terrific Peformances At The Glencoe Invitational - Images Credt: BC Golf/Facebook/CWong

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Angela Arora cruised to her win, while Christine Wong had to sweat a little en route to her victory at Calgary’s Glencoe Invitational.

Arora, the reigning B.C. Junior & Juvenile Girls champion from Surrey, won the women’s amateur division at Glencoe by nine shots. She fired rounds of 77, 69 and 70 to finish the 54-hole event at even par. Katy Rutherford of Calgary was second, while Jennifer Gu of West Vancouver and Yeji Kwon of Port Coquitlam tied for third at 12-over.

Wong won the female pro division, which was contested for the first time at Glencoe, to earn $15,000. Wong won by two shots but had to survive some anxious moments early on the back nine in Saturday’s final round.

Coquitlam, BC's Henry Lee Had A Very Solid Collegiate Career At The University Of Washington - Image Courtesy @UW_MGolf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

His collegiate golf career is over, but Henry Lee will never forget the five years he spent playing for the University of Washington Huskies. “I will always remember how much fun we had as a team,” Lee says.

“Golf is a very individual sport, but college is an exception because you play as a team. I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything and I just gained so much as a person, as a player. They taught me so much along the way in terms of helping make me the best version of myself. They really transformed me.”

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

British Columbia Golf’s championship season tees off June 22-25 when Summerland Golf & Country Club plays host to the 116th playing of the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship. 

A new champion will be crowned as Vancouver’s Michelle Liu, who at age 13 became the youngest winner of the championship last summer at Campbell River Golf Club, is not defending her title.

It would not be surprising to see another teenage winner hoist the Flumerfelt Cup as the field includes several top junior players.

Tee it up Canada Contest!

WIN $5,000 towards a golf experience ANYWHERE in Canada. 

Enter for your chance to win… CLICK HERE

Entry deadline: July 13, 2021 at 9:00 pm ET

Image Credit: Austin Kirk/www.flickr.com/photos/aukirk/

Take A Kid To The Course is a Canada-wide initiative encouraged by the National Golf Course Owners Association Canada to bring juniors and families to golf courses across the country. Take A Kid To The Course allows for a FREE round of golf for youth under 16 when accompanied by a paying adult at participating courses across Canada.

The program officially gets underway July 5th. Golf facilities around the province will be announcing their participation and whatever other promotions they may attach to the Take A Kid To The Course initiative.

With the 2021 British Columbia Junior Championships  starting June 29th, the host venue, Morningstar Golf Club in Parksville on Vancouver Island, are prepared to offer a solid challenge to the top junior golfers in the province. 

In the video below Director of Golf John Randle and General Manager Barrie McWha welcome players to the upcoming event and provide some insight into the course itself, with the help of junior Brendan O'Brien.

In 2020, Golf Canada partnered with First Tee to launch First Tee – Canada. Together, the partnership will bring First Tee’s youth development emphasis to strengthen Golf Canada’s junior golf activities – previously conducted under the Future Links brand – that reach kids in communities, schools, and golf facilities.

Golf Canada will serve as the national headquarters of First Tee – Canada. First Tee chapters are being established in markets across Canada to deliver programs in their respective regions, with First Tee British Columbia being the first out of the gate.

From Left To Right, BC's Chris Crisologo, Callum Davison And Jared du Toit Took The Top 3 Spots In The Forme Tour Q-School - Image Courtesy Forme Tour/Twitter

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Duncan’s Callum Davison will be bringing his mom and dad along for the ride as he plays the new Forme Tour this summer after winning last week’s qualifying school in Washington state. 

The 20-year-old former B.C. Bantam Boys champion topped the field at the Home Course in DuPont, Wash., with a 72-hole score of 13-under par. He earned a full exemption to the eight-event Forme Tour which starts later this month in Athens, Ga.

“This is huge,” Davison said of being fully exempt. “It just frees me up. I don’t have to worry about Monday qualifiers or the reshuffle. I will be able to play and do my thing. I don’t have to worry about if I am getting in (a tournament) or not.”

Image Courtesy PGA TOUR

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada circuit has released an eight-event schedule for Canadian-based players that concludes with tournaments in Kelowna and Victoria in late September and early October.

The schedule touches both coasts as it includes two tournaments in Prince Edward Island in late August and early September.

The schedule begins July 29 - Aug. 1 with the Mackenzie Investments Open in Blainville, Que. It concludes Sept. 31 - Oct. 3 with the DCBank Open presented by Times-Colonist at Uplands Golf Club in Victoria.

The GolfBC Championship at Gallagher’s Canyon in Kelowna goes Sept. 23-26. The tour’s regular Vancouver-area event will not be played this year.

Prince George Golf & Curling Club Pro Ann Holmes Put Together A Girls Only Golf Camp On A Pro-D Day That Was Well Attended - Image Courtesy CKPGTODAY.ca

PRINCE GEORGE – The next generation of female golfers got an exclusive opportunity on Friday, June 4th as School District 57 (Prince George) had a Pro-D Day.

Ann Holmes, one of the golf pros at the Prince George Golf and Curling Club and a British Columbia Golf coach, put on a 'girls only' golf camp with two sessions taking place that day.

The ' Cedar Hill Birdie Bunch' Were Just One Of The 112 Teams That Entered The BC Golf Women's Golf Day 'Cloud Scramble' - Image Courtesy Cedar Hill Birdie Bunch

Between May 25th and Tuesday, June 1st, coinciding with International Women's Golf Day, British Columbia Golf ran a 'Cloud Scramble' for teams put together across the province. Players created their own team, played at the location of their choice and submitted results. Prizes were done on a draw basis with the focus of the event to get out, participate and have fun.

It appears that's exactly what happened as participation was terrific with over 100 teams entering. 

Former BC Amateur Champion Jared du Toit Is Looking To Compete On The New Forme Tour - Images Credit BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

As a fully exempt member of the PGA Tour LatinoAmerica circuit, Kimberley’s Jared du Toit could have played in this week’s event in Florida. Instead, the former B.C. Amateur champion is joining a few other British Columbians at the new Forme Tour qualifying school at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash.

“It was kind of a tough decision, but I felt like it was the better move for me to have something for the summer, ideally,” du Toit said. He’ll be hoping to be one of a select few to earn status at Q-School, which runs Tuesday through Friday.

Fees Have Been Set And Reservation Requests Are Now Being Taken At Newly Refurbished And Re-Opening Sagebrush Golf Club - Image Credit Bryan Outram/British Columbia Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Its new website is up and running and Sagebrush Golf Club has begun taking reservation requests as the Merritt-area course prepares to re-open in mid-July following a seven-year hibernation. 

Rather than tee times, Sagebrush will be offering what it is calling ‘Day Adventures.’ For $275, visitors can play as much golf as they like. They’ll also get on-course refreshments and lunch at the club’s Hideout retreat located between the 12th and 13th holes, where they can even do a little fly-fishing.