Lauren Kim Tees Off On The 18th Hole At Seymour GC En Route To Qualifying For The U.S. Women's Amateur - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

She is one of Canada’s rising young golf talents and 13-year-old Lauren Kim now has a spot in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. 

Despite a double-bogey finish, the Surrey resident carded a one-over 73 Tuesday at Seymour Golf & Country Club in North Vancouver to earn one of four spots available at a sectional qualifier for one of the most prestigious events in amateur golf.

The National Junior Golf Development Centre (NJGDC) initiative was established to recognize facilities that offer a first-class experience for children aged 5-18. NJGDC support and run nationally endorsed programs, having trained and certified PGA of Canada golf coaches, they are also linked to schools in their surrounding communities.

All facilities meet the minimum national standards for the delivery of junior golf programs, coaching, and instruction. All of the parties involved are dedicated and committed to making these locations state-of-the-art facilities that offer a welcoming atmosphere for juniors of all levels.

(Canadian Golf Hall of Fame)

Courtesy Golf Canada

It is with great sadness that Golf Canada, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame Museum as well as the entire golf community mourns the loss of Margaret (Sutcliffe) Todd, who passed away July 15, 2019 at the age of 101.

Born May 31, 1918 in Montreal, Todd was a pioneer in Canadian women’s golf. A natural at the game, she won three British Columbia Amateur titles, two Canadian Women’s Senior titles and played on a host of teams, including Canada’s first international team to Great Britain. She also won the Victoria Golf Club championship an astonishing 14 times.

The first five legs of the British Columbia Golf Fantasy Golf Tour Challenge are in the books and we have our up to date group of qualifiers for the Grand Prize final event in the PGA TOUR FedEx Cup Championship.

Next up...The Open Championship.

The contest is easy, fun, flexible...and free. Pick your team in any, or all, of four remaining qualifying tournaments through the summer. If you finish in the top 10% of entrants in any one of them you are immediately qualified for the season-ending Championship playoff.

Emerge victorious there and you will be crowned BC Golf Fantasy Challenge champion. And that title comes with a terrific golf & stay package from Bear Mountain Resort. 

Roger Sloan's Fine Play Of Late Has Earned Him A Spot On The PGA TOUR For Next Season - BC Golf File Photo (Alfie Lau)

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Merritt’s Roger Sloan is taking the week off. He has certainly earned a little vacation time. Sloan has been on a terrific run in recent weeks that has allowed him to clinch his exempt status for next year on the PGA TOUR. He finished tied for 10th place at the John Deere Classic, where he closed with a two-under 69 on Sunday. Sloan has played his last 12 rounds under par.

Thanks to that solid play, he finds himself 103rd on the FedEx Cup point list. The top 125 at the end of the regular season remain exempt for next year and with only three regular-season events left on the schedule, Sloan is safe.

 Jackson Rothwell Of Victoria Holds The B.C. Amateur Championship Trophy Aloft After His Win At Big Sky GC In Pemberton - Images Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

PEMBERTON -- A nightmarish start to his round ended with a dream finish for Jackson Rothwell, who won the B.C. Amateur Championship the hard way Friday at Big Sky Golf Club.

The 18-year-old Victoria resident hit a wayward drive off the first tee, made double-bogey and lost the lead he had enjoyed since the first round. Rather than bow his head and surrender to the butterflies that were in full flight in his stomach, Rothwell showed plenty of resolve the rest of the way as he battled with Isaac Lee of Pitt Meadows in the 117th playing of the championship.

Thanks to some clutch play on the back nine, Rothwell emerged with a one-shot win that no one really saw coming. Especially Rothwell.  This wasn’t exactly a Cinderella story out of nowhere, but it was close.

16-Year Old Angel Lin Holds The Champion's Trophy After Winning The 2019 B.C. Women's Amateur At Nanaimo Golf Club - Images Credit Kris Jonasson/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Angel Lin is the new B.C. Women’s Amateur champion, even though she is having a little trouble believing it. “Honestly, I don’t really have the words for it,” the 16-year-old from Surrey said. “It is amazing, it is an honour, it is mind-blowing. I think it will sink in on the ferry ride home. I still don’t really believe it yet.”

Lin shot the best round of the day, a one-under 71, at Nanaimo Golf Club on Friday and beat Richmond’s Alisha Lau by two shots for the biggest win of her young golfing life. Lin, who is heading into Grade 12 at Elgin Park Secondary in Surrey, finished the 72-hole event at one-over par. She played the final 36 holes in five-under.

Jackson Rothwell Will Take A One Shot Lead Into The Final Round Of The 2019 B.C. Amateur At Big Sky GC In Pemberton - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

PEMBERTON -- Jackson Rothwell blitzed the front nine at Big Sky Golf Club, had to scramble on the back nine and emerged with a one-shot lead after Thursday’s third round of the 117th B.C. Amateur Championship. “It was a bit of a roller-coaster,” the 18-year-old from Victoria said. “The front nine was spectacular. The back nine was tough.”

Rothwell ended up with a four-under 68 that left him at nine-under par through 54 holes. Isaac Lee of Pitt Meadows is one shot back. Rothwell had a magical streak of four holes on his front nine starting at the par 5 fourth hole. He went birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie and did not have to sink a putt longer than five feet.

Surrey's Angel Lin Had The Low Round Of The Tournament Thus Far In The 2019 BC Women's Amateur At Nanaimo GC - File Photo/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

If Alisha Lau and Phoebe Yue thought they were going to turn the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship into a two-player race, they learned Thursday that Angel Lin had other plans.

Lin, a 16-year-old from Surrey, moved into contention with a tournament-low four-under 68 in Thursday’s third round that left her just one back of Lau and Yue. Lin made six birdies in her trip around Nanaimo Golf Club. She got her round started with birdies on the first two holes and finished nicely by birdieing two of her final three holes.

“The first two definitely gave me some momentum,” Lin said. “On the first hole I hit it to about three feet and on the second hole I think I had about a four-and-a-half footer. So that was a nice way to start.”

North Cowichan's Tristan Mandur, A Former B.C. Junior Boys Champion, Is Tied For The Lead Heading Into The 3rd Round Of The B.C. Amateur At Big Sky GC - Image Credits Jurgen Kaminski/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

PEMBERTON -- It didn’t just rain during Wednesday’s second round of the B.C. Amateur Championship at Big Sky Golf Club. At times, it absolutely poured.

It rained so hard that mudslides could be heard thundering down Mount Currie, which towers over the Pemberton layout, and suddenly par became everyone’s best friend. “I made a couple of big numbers coming in,” said first-round leader Jackson Rothwell, who finished his second round in the worst of the weather.

“I don’t want to blame it all on the rain, but it definitely didn’t make it easy. Your grips get wet, even just standing there in the rain it is tough to keep your concentration. You are trying to keep everything dry. Everybody has got to play in it, but it’s tough to keep focused.”

West Vancouver's Phoebe Yue Had The Day's Low Round Moving Her Into A Tie For The Lead At The B.C. Women's Amateur At Nanaimo GC After Round Two - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

They have each won a B.C. Junior Girls Championship and now Alisha Lau and Phoebe Yue have an opportunity to add a B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship to their trophy collection.

The two good friends are tied for the lead at the halfway mark of the Women’s Amateur at Nanaimo Golf Club. They stand at even par through 36 holes and are four shots ahead of the rest of the field. Yue, a 19-year-old West Vancouver resident who just completed her freshman year at UCLA in Southern California, had the day’s best round. She fired a one-under 71 on Wednesday.

“I am pretty pleased with the round,” Yue said. “I had a couple of birdie putts from inside 10 feet that didn’t go in. Those hurt a little bit, but I am happy with how I played. There were some little mistakes here and there and I could have made some more putts, but I am feeling good.”

Victoria, BC's Jeevan Sihota Will Tee It Up In The 72nd U.S. Junior Amateur At The Famed Inverness Club Next Week - Image Credit Chuck Russell/Golf Canada

TOLEDO, Ohio (July 9, 2019) – The United States Golf Association (USGA) announced tee times for the first two rounds of the 72nd U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, Monday (July 15) and Tuesday (July 16), at 7,339-yard, par-71 Inverness Club.

Victoria, BC's Jeevan Sihota is one of 8 Canadians in the field for the event.

First Round Leader At The B.C. Amateur Championship At Big Sky In Pemberton, Jackson Rothwell, Grimaces As His Eagle Putt Just Misses On The 18th. The Putt Would Have Given Him A 64 On The Day - Images Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

PEMBERTON -- The tournament round of Jackson Rothwell’s young golfing life has given him the first-round lead at the 117th B.C. Amateur Championship. On a hot, muggy day, the 18-year-old Victoria native scorched Big Sky Golf Club with a seven-under 65. "That’s my best tournament score -- so far,” Rothwell said with a smile after his round. “We’ll see if we can go lower tomorrow.”

Rothwell, who finished third at last week’s B.C. Junior Boys Championship at Fairwinds Golf Club in Nanoose Bay, had eight birdies and just one bogey in his round. He has a two-shot lead on Isaac Lee of Pitt Meadows.

Richmond's Alisha Lau, A Former B.C. Junior Girls Champion, Leads The B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship By Three Shots After The First Round - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Alisha Lau did not quite know what to expect at the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship, her first significant golf tournament in more than a year. Needless to say she was delighted how things turned out on day one. Lau fired a two-under 70 Tuesday at Nanaimo Golf Club and carries a three-shot lead into Wednesday’s second round.

The 19-year-old Lau has been on the sidelines with a right wrist injury since last summer and eventually had surgery last fall. She sat out her sophomore year at the University of Colorado as a medical redshirt. After a long recovery, which required lots of patience, Lau is happy to be back playing the game she loves.

“This is my first big tournament in over a year so I didn’t really have any expectations,” she said after Tuesday’s round. “I am pretty happy with today’s round, for sure.”

BC's Adam Hadwin Finished 4th On The PGA TOUR This Weekend After Briefly Holding The Clubhouse Lead On The Final Day - File Photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Abbotsford’s Adam Hadwin led the way with a solo fourth-place finish and fellow British Columbians Roger Sloan of Merritt and Adam Svensson of Surrey both tied for 15th at the PGA TOUR’s inaugural 3M Open in Minnesota.

Hadwin had a share of the lead early on the back nine and went on to register his fifth top 10 of the year. He finished the event at 18-under par, three shots behind winner Matthew Wolff of Simi Valley, Calif. Hadwin jumped 12 spots on the FedEx Cup points list to 37th. Hadwin has now registered eight top-five finishes in his PGA TOUR career.

Brycen Ko Made It A Clean Sweep Of BC Junior Titles For The Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club With His Win In The Junior Boys Championship - Images Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

NANOOSE BAY -- Brycen Ko couldn’t have had a worse start or a better finish. The 15-year-old from Richmond began Friday’s final round of the B.C. Junior Boys Championship at Fairwinds Golf Club with a four-shot lead. 

Ko hadn’t made anything worse than a bogey in his first 54 holes and started his final round with a double-bogey. He added a bogey on the third hole and suddenly his four-shot lead was down to a single shot.

But just when it looked like his young nerves might get the best of him, Ko gathered himself and won the championship in fine style when he chipped in for birdie on the 18th hole.

Angela Zhang Is Your 2019 British Columbia Golf Junior Girls Champion - Images Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

NANOOSE BAY -- When her putter finally came to life, Angela Zhang had an inkling she was about to fulfill one of her big golfing goals. The B.C. Junior Girls Championship was high on Zhang’s to-do list this summer and she won it in impressive fashion Friday at Fairwinds Golf Club.

The 17-year-old Zhang, who plays out of Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club, rolled in big birdie putts on the 11th and 14th holes to take control of the tournament. “What happened pretty much all week was that I was fighting with the yips,” Zhang said after her round.

“I could putt everything from 30, 40, or 50 feet within a yard or two, but once it got to within six feet I just yipped everything. So for me drain that five-foot downhill slider meant a lot. That really gave me the confidence to get it going.”

Angela Zhang Of Vancouver Caught Second Round Leader Cindy Koira Of Victoria And The Two Are Now Tied Going Into Friday's Final Round At The BC Jr. Girls Championship - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf 

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

NANOOSE BAY -- It’s not often a player can make up ground on the field without a single birdie, but Vancouver’s Angela Zhang did just that in Thursday’s third round of the B.C. Junior Girls Championship.

Zhang, who began the day seven shots out of the lead, played a steady round that included 16 pars and two bogeys at Fairwinds Golf Club. At the end of the day, she had a share of the lead. “It was steady,” Zhang said of her two-over 73.

“I hit super solid iron shots, but all of my putts edged the hole. I was hitting good putts and hitting great irons, but none of them dropped. Unfortunately, it was just one of those days. But you know what, par on this course is good. You’ll take it any day.”

Richmond's Brycen Ko Will Try To Hold Onto A 4-Shot Lead In Friday's Final Round At The BC Junior Boys Championship - Images Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

NANOOSE BAY -- The B.C. Junior Boys Championship at Fairwinds Golf Club has been all about avoiding the big number. Brycen Ko has done that as well as anyone and that’s one of the main reasons why the 15-year-old Richmond resident carries a four-shot lead into Friday’s final round.

Ko has made his share of bogeys on Fairwinds’ tight layout, where trouble seemingly lurks everywhere. But he has avoided those dreaded others that have destroyed so many rounds of his fellow competitors this week.