Langley’s Amy Lee Shakes Off Late Trouble And Wins B.C. Junior Girls Championship
Amy Lee's Win Completed Her 'Triple Crown' Of BC Junior Golf - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf
By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf
PRINCE GEORGE — Amy Lee began the day three shots back and by the time she arrived at the 17th tee she had a three-shot lead and seemed to have the B.C. Junior Girls Championship in her back pocket.
But a double-bogey on that par 4 17th hole at Prince George Golf & Curling Club made for a tense finish to the championship for the 15-year-old from Langley.
“No. 17 really got me startled, I have to admit,” said Lee, who rebounded nicely with a birdie on the final hole and won the championship by three shots.
Lee’s troubles on 17 started when her drive headed right and settled into some long rough. Her second shot ended up on the edge of the pond fronting the left portion of the green.
“I had no stance and I had to play my next shot out left-handed, but then it rolled off to the other side of the green and left me with a tough putt,” Lee said. She three-putted from there for her double-bogey.
Lee told herself to remain calm and she rebounded just the way she had hoped. She struck a perfect drive on No. 18, followed it with a solid approach shot and then pitched the ball to about 20 feet below the hole.
After examining the putt from both sides of the hole, Lee stepped up and calmly rolled it into the hole for her birdie. She reacted with an emphatic fist pump when the ball dropped into the hole, but Lee still wasn’t sure if she’d won. “I honestly didn’t know,” she said. “I was just happy with the birdie because it was a good long putt.”
The result became clear when fellow competitor and friend Rebecca Lee of Surrey rushed the green and soaked her with some bottled water.
The win completed a Triple Crown of sorts for Lee, who just completed Grade 9 at Walnut Grove Secondary in Langley. She had already won the B.C. Bantam and Juvenile titles. This one, she said, was the most meaningful.
“It definitely holds a very special place in my heart because last year I was second and it was more painful because I was first and then I kind of dropped out,” she said. “This time, I was able to climb up the ladder because my first round, I don’t know what happened.”
_____________________________________________________________________________
British Columbia Golf would like to thank all of this week's sponsors and supporters of the BC Provincial Junior Championships for helping to make this such a successful event:
Monday - Col Juicery @coljuicery
Tuesday - Origins Kitchen @theexplorationplace
Wednesday - Col Juicery @coljuicery
Thursday - Ristretto Coffee House @ristretto.coffeehouse.pg
& of course - Tourism Prince George
____________________________________________________________________________
That first round was an uncharacteristic five-over 76 that had Lee chasing the leaders all week. She recovered nicely, shooting even-par 71s in the second and third rounds that at least put her in touch with third-round leader Jenny Kwon of Vancouver.
Lee finished the event at six-over par, three shots ahead of Kim and West Vancouver’s Grace Aoting Yao. The Prince George layout proved to be a challenge for the junior girls. There was only one round in the 60s — a three-under 68 by Yao in the second round — all week. “Some of the pin positions were challenging during the week,” Lee said.
Kim had the best final-round score, an even-par 71 that included four birdies. But a pair of back-nine bogeys, including one on the 18th hole, ended her chances. “I had it today,” said Kim, who is heading to Oregon State University this fall to play her collegiate golf. “It was there for me.”
Kwon still had her lead through nine holes of the final round, but the 14-year-old had a difficult finish to her final round and ended up fifth at 12-over par. Campbell River’s Dana Smith was fourth at 10-over. Lee, Kim and Yao will represent British Columbia at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship, which goes July 24-27 at Hampton Golf Course in Hampton, New Brunswick.
A two-player best-ball event was also contested at Prince George. The team of Manu Gandhi of North Vancouver and Grace Aoting Yao of West Vancouver won with a score of 25-under. That was two shots better than the team of Ethan Posthumus of Coquitlam and Jaden August of Pitt Meadows.
Click HERE for complete final scoring.
CHIP SHOT: The 2024 B.C. Junior Boys & Girls Championships are scheduled to be played at Gallagher’s Canyon Golf & Country Club in Kelowna.