BURNABY — Alex Zhang already knows he’s going to have a special end to his summer when he heads off late next month to Harvard University to begin his collegiate golf career. The 17-year-old Richmond native would love to arrive in Boston as a B.C. Amateur champion.
“That would be amazing,” he said. Zhang fired a six-under 65 in Tuesday’s second round to grab a share of the lead at the halfway mark of the 124th playing of the B.C. Am at Burnaby’s Riverway Golf Course. He and Vernon’s Ryan Vest are at six-under par through 36 holes. Zhang said his round Tuesday seemed to come easy.
“I think everything kind of clicked today,” said Zhang. “Overall, it was just a good day. I hit 15 greens today, so I had a lot of chances.” He converted quite a few of those chances. His round included six birdies and an eagle on Riverway’s par 5 13th hole. “I had about 240 (yards) in and I hit a three-iron to about 15 feet and made the putt,” he said.
Vest fired a four-under 67 to share the lead at six-under. “Conditions were calmer this morning and I also played the par 5s four shots better today,” said Vest, who helped UBC-Okanagan win last month’s Canadian University and College Championship. “It was an effortless day, to be honest. I hit a lot of greens. I just have to keep doing the same things. I am feeling very confident right now.”
Zhang, a former Canadian Junior and Juvenile Boys champion, is excited about beginning his collegiate golf journey. “Obviously, the school speaks for itself. But Harvard’s golf program is also really solid. I really enjoyed speaking with the coach and the team made it to (NCAA) regionals this year. So I’m excited to join a good team.”
Zhang and Vest lead Kelowna’s Finley Dober by one shot. Dober, who won the B.C. Junior Boys Championship earlier this month, shot a five-under 66 in the second round. He and Zhang were paired together the first two days. “He got me by one today,” Dober said of Zhang. “I think we kind of fed off one another.” Dober, who is heading into his second year at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, had four birdies and an eagle in his round. That eagle came on the par 5 third hole. “I was 265 out and I hit a four-iron to about two or three feet,” he said.
Two out-of-province players — Xiao Yang (Bryan) Luo of Mississauga and Paxton Maxwell of Magrath, Alta., — share fourth place at four-under par. Luo, a recent University of Toronto graduate, matched Zhang’s six-under 65 in the afternoon wave. Maxwell, who is heading to the University of Missouri this fall after beginning his collegiate golf career at Utah Valley University, fired a four-under 67.
The 156-player field was cut to the low 70 and ties following Tuesday’s second round. The cut fell at seven-over par and 75 players survived to play out the week.
A 36-hole Zone competition was won by the Zone 4 team of Alex Zhang of Richmond, Dustin Franko of Delta and Forrest Van Alstine of Vancouver. Their 36-hole score of three-under was four shots better than the Zone 5 team of Luke Bernakevitch, Owen Croft and Milan Sangha, all of Victoria.
Click HERE for complete scoring.