Hadwin Looking To Continue His Vegas Roll; Crisologo Aces First Q -School Test; Kim Shines In College Match Play Event; Zalli-Jacob Win 79th B.C. Match Play Championship

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

(October 14, 2024) - The UBC-Okanagan men’s team didn’t just win the Canada West Golf Championships, they dominated the competition. The Heat capitalized on home-course advantage to post a team total of 24-under par and beat the field by 17 shots at Okanagan Golf Club’s Bear Course in Kelowna.

Second-year player Ryan Gillis led the way, winning the individual title with a 36-hole score of nine-under par. UBC-Okanagan teammates Thomas Lemay and Andrew Rouble joined Gillis on the podium. Heat coach Clay Stothers was obviously delighted with the performance of the men’s team.

“I couldn’t imagine us winning by 17 shots and having three players on our team coming first, second and third,” Stothers said. “It was a surreal, magical couple of days when everything kind of lined up nicely.”

Reigning Canadian Senior Women's Champion Shelly Stouffer - Image Credit Bernard Brault/Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Shelly Stouffer has been waiting almost a year to enjoy one particularly nice perk she received for winning last summer’s Canadian Senior Women’s Championship.

The wait is finally over. Stouffer is ready to cash in her exemption and tee it up at this week’s U.S. Senior Women’s Open in Kettering, Ohio. Stouffer acknowledges she may feel a little star-struck this week.

The 120-player field is chock-full of LPGA Tour legends.

BC's Ha Young Chang Won A Regional Drive, Chip & Putt Competition At Pebble Beach - Image Courtesy Minku Chang

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Surrey teenager Ha Young Chang is counting the days until she visits Augusta National Golf Club for the finals of the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship. She figures to be spending a lot of those days at the driving range and practice green.

“I am really excited,” says Chang, a Grade 9 student at Elgin Park Secondary. “I have always watched it on TV. I know I’ll be a little nervous.”

BC's Adam Svensson - Image Credit Bernard Brault/Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Any disappointment Surrey’s Adam Svensson feels over a stumble down the stretch at the Barbasol Championship should be tempered with the knowledge he has secured his PGA TOUR status for next year. 

After contending all week, Svensson finished a career-best solo sixth at the Barbasol. Svensson was done in when he only managed to par the easy par 5 15th hole in the final round and then took a double-bogey on the par 4 17th when he was forced to take an unplayable lie after an errant drive.

Svensson finished the event at 19-under par, six shots behind winner Trey Mullinax.

Vanessa Zhang third at Canadian Juniors; Royal Colwood plays host to this week’s Canadian Women’s Amateur; Ziggy Nathu wins Golden Ears Open

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf (July 29, 2024)

Adam Svensson’s push for the PGA TOUR playoffs just got more difficult. The Surrey native entered the final round of the 3M Championship in Blaine, Minn., tied for sixth and in great position to move inside the top 70 on the FedEx Cup points list.

But a four-over 75 in the final round dropped Svensson down into a tie for 37th. Instead of moving up the points list, Svensson fell two spots from 79th to 81st. The top 70 players qualify for the PGA TOUR playoffs and with just one regular-season event remaining, Svensson will likely need at least a top-five finish to crack the top 70.

Abbotsford, BC's Nick Taylor - Image Credit Bernard Brault/Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Nick Taylor has always been happy to give back to his home town, so when organizers of this past weekend’s Western Golf Expo at Abbotsford’s Tradex facility asked for a favour, Taylor was happy to oblige.

Taylor lent his support to the show by appearing opening day via Zoom from his Scottsdale home for an interview with Vancouver Golf Tour commissioner Fraser Mulholland and Sportsnet 650’s Randip Janda.

BC's Nick Taylor Putted Brilliantly At The WM Phoenix Open - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Nick Taylor did more than win the WM Phoenix Open in dramatic fashion by birdieing three of his final four holes and then adding two more in a sudden-death playoff with Charley Hoffman.

Taylor served notice that he is right now Canada’s best male player and, quite frankly, a world-class talent who seems to have that ability to rise to the occasion and perform at his best in the big moments.

From L-R: BC's Nick Taylor, Adam Hadwin & Adam Svensson - Images Credit Golf Canada/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

One is comfortably inside the top 30, while the other two are looking to move inside that magic number as the PGA TOUR playoffs head to Olympia Fields, Ill. for this week’s BMW Championship.

Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor who tied for 24th at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, now sits 16th on the points list and seems a lock to remain inside the top 30 and qualify to play in his first Tour Championship next week in Atlanta.

Fellow British Columbians Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford and Adam Svensson of Surrey have a little more work to do this week as they currently reside outside that magic top 30 number.

 BC's Nick Taylor Has Qualified To Play In His 4th U.S. Open - Image Credit Marcus Oleniuk/Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor is heading back to the U.S. Open and will have some British Columbia company as Roger Sloan of Merritt also advanced from a final qualifier in Dallas. 

With 13 spots up for grabs at the Dallas site, Taylor tied for sixth at nine-under par in the 36-hole qualifier. Sloan had to do some extra work.

He had to survive a six-man playoff for the final two spots after tying for 12th at seven-under. Sloan birdied the second playoff hole after sticking a wedge from 102 yards to three feet.

Abbotsford's Nick Taylor Is Shown Here Playing In A Vancouver Golf Tour Event At The University Of The Fraser Valley In His Hometown - Image Courtesy VGT

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Nick Taylor shot four rounds in the 60s at the AT&T Byron Nelson tourney in Dallas and showed some positive signs that he is snapping out of a mid-season funk on the PGA TOUR.

Rounds of 69, 68, 69 and 69 left Taylor at nine-under par and tied for 32nd place. For Taylor, it’s as good as he has felt on the golf course in a long while. The Abbotsford native recently endured six straight missed cuts and admitted in a telephone interview Sunday night that he has been frustrated by his play.

“I was very frustrated and it was hard to stay positive,” Taylor said. “It went on long enough that doubt starts to creep into your mind and you start playing to almost make cuts. It gets in your mind when you get off to a tough start in a round and you’re like, here we go again. So I feel like it is behind me and I feel like this week I took a big step in the right direction.”

Kimberely, BC's Jared du Toit Was Alone In 3rd Heading Into The Final Round But Had A Tough Sunday At The Bayview Place DCBank Open Falling To 23rd Overall. He Was Still The Low Player From BC - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The Canadian drought continues on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada circuit. There were plenty of Canadian flags on the leaderboard heading into the weekend, but not many left when the final round of the Bayview Place DCBank Open was completed Sunday at Uplands Golf Club in Victoria.

Texan Sam Fidone, who had a two-shot lead heading into Sunday’s final round, closed with a bogey-free five-under 65 and won by five shots with a 72-hole total of 19-under par. Calgary’s Wes Heffernan was the only Canadian in the top 10. Heffernan, who shot a 68 on Sunday, finished tied for sixth at 11-under. That earned him the weekly bonus of $2,500 from Freedom 55 Financial for being low Canadian.

Kimberley’s Jared du Toit, who began the day alone in third place, struggled to a five-over 75 Sunday and finished tied for 23rd place at six-under par. Manitoba’s Aaron Cockerill (T14 at eight-under) and Ontario’s Taylor Pendrith (T23) were the other Canadians inside the top 25. A Canadian hasn’t won on the Mackenzie Tour since Langley’s Adam Cornelson won at Uplands in 2016.

Tower Ranch GC - Image Courtesy BCGMA

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Vernon businessman Gurjit Jhajj’s timing could not have been much better when he got into the golf business by purchasing Sunset Ranch in Kelowna about five years ago.

The ensuing COVID-19 pandemic gave golf a boost and brought new players to the game. Sunset Ranch, like most other courses, has benefitted.

That got Jhajj, owner of Durali Properties Ltd., thinking about adding a second course to his company’s portfolio. He did not have to look much farther than just down the road.

BC's Jonnie Motomochi Caddied For Yu Liu In The CPKC Women's Open - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Back in 2003, Delta’s Jonnie Motomochi made headlines when at age 12 he became the youngest player to compete in the Canadian Amateur Championship, which was held that year at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club.

Motomochi was back at Shaughnessy last week, but this time he wasn’t playing. Motomochi caddied for China’s Yu Liu at the CPKC Women’s Open. “A kid that I coach, his dad knows her dad, they used to practise at the same course in Beijing,” said Motomochi, who coaches at Morgan Creek Golf Club in Surrey.

“Her caddie got Covid so they gave me a call Monday night. “It was a great experience. She’s a really good player, so it’s been fun. I didn’t say much, I didn’t do much.”

It Was A Clean Sweep For UBC Golf At The Canadian University/College Championships - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The University of B.C. women’s team put quite the exclamation mark on its perfect season at the Canadian University/College Championship in Bromont, Que.

The T-Bird women won the event by a whopping 98 strokes to cap a season in which they won all 12 events they played, including the NAIA Championship. The UBC women have now won the past five Canadian championships and 15 in the event’s 18-year history.

It was a perfect week for UBC, which swept both team titles at the Canadian championships as well as the two individual crowns.

The UBC Men's & Women's Golf Teams Were Both Victorious In The Warrior Invitational - Image Credit Toby Kerr (UBC Communications)

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Officially, the University of B.C. women’s team has won two straight NAIA golf championships. But factor in the two years UBC was forced to miss the national tournament because of Covid, the Thunderbirds have won the last three national titles they have been able to compete in.

Don’t bet against them making it four straight when the NAIA Championships go May 14-17 at TPC Deere Run in Silvas, Ill.

UBC's Women's Golf Team Finished 3rd At This Year's NAIA Championship

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

You can’t win them all, which the University of B.C. women’s golf team discovered last week in Illinois. The Thunderbirds entered the NAIA national championship tourney at TPC Deere Run looking for what, officially, would have been a three-peat.

Unofficially, they were attempting to win their fourth straight title. In addition to their 2022 and 2023 crowns, the T-Birds also won the national championship in 2019. The event was not played in 2020 because of the Covid pandemic and UBC was not permitted to travel to the tournament in 2021.

BC's Victoria Liu Will Play In The CPKC Canadian Women's Open In August - BC Golf Photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

A record-setting round helped Victoria Liu play her way into the CPKC Women’s Open and the 20-year-old is more than a little excited about teeing it up in her first LPGA Tour event an her home course.

“I play out of Shaughnessy so it’s very exciting,” Liu said after winning the Glencoe Invitational in Calgary. “I was really hoping to get to play in that tournament and so I’m happy I have earned a spot.”

Liu, who just finished her second year at Princeton University in New Jersey, opened the Glencoe with a course record eight-under 64 that she called the round of her life.

Uplands Golf Course In Victoria, BC - Image Courtesy Uplands GC

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Keith Dagg has been a key organizer of Victoria’s annual pro golf tourney for more than 40 years and he will tell you it hasn’t always been easy to secure enough corporate sponsorship to keep the tournament running.

“I started this in 1981 and we’re still going,” Dagg says with a hint of pride in his voice. The tournament that has been a labour of love for Dagg will kick off the Canadian portion of the new PGA Tour Americas circuit early next summer.

Victoria's Jeevan Sihota Will Make His Pro Debut This Week At Uplands GC - Golf Canada Photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

After a two-year hiatus, PGA Tour Canada is back and tees off its new season this week in Victoria at Uplands Golf Club. The $200,000 Royal Beach Victoria Open presented by Times Colonist is the first stop of an 11-event schedule that will touch down in seven different provinces as well as the state of Minnesota.

British Columbia has two events this season. The GolfBC Championship at Gallagher’s Canyon Golf & Country Club in Kelowna goes Sept. 1-4. 

The Victoria event features a strong British Columbia contingent, including 18-year-old Jeevan Sihota of Victoria. The former junior standout from Victoria will make his pro debut at Uplands after earning conditional Tour status at a qualifying school at Crown Isle Golf Resort in Courtenay earlier this spring.

North Bellingham GC - image courtesy North Bellingham GC

Taylor top-10s at Genesis Invitational; Jessica Hadwin pokes fun at her husband; SFU men start spring season in impressive fashion

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

(February 17, 2025) - Golf course operators south of the border in Whatcom County will be nervously examining their tee sheets in the coming weeks to determine what effect the threats of tariffs and Canada becoming a “51st state” will have on their businesses.

With snow on the ground last week and courses closed, it was too early to say what effect U.S. President Donald Trump’s tough talk regarding Canada is having on golfers who regularly play Whatcom County layouts.

But with polls showing that many Canadians are vowing to avoid travel to the United States, it seems likely that Bellingham and Blaine-area courses like Loomis Trail, North Bellingham and Shuksan could be hurt. Those courses rely heavily on play from British Columbians.