OLIVER, B.C. — A course-record, eight-under-par 64 in Thursday's third round gave Finley Dober a six-shot lead at the B.C. Junior Boys Championship, and the 18-year-old from Kelowna held firm from there.
Dober finished the 72-hole event at six under par with a total of 282 (75-68-64-75), three shots clear of fellow Kelowna player Joshua Laverdiere (285) at Nk'mip Canyon Desert Golf Course.
It was a familiar number for Dober. At last year's B.C. Junior Boys at Quilchena Golf & Country Club, he also posted a 64 — the low round of the tournament — that included a 30 on the back nine. That final-round charge fell short in 2025 against Austin Krahn's wire-to-wire performance, but it served notice of what was to come. This time, the 64 landed in the third round rather than the fourth, and the result was a lead that held through Friday's close.
A wide-open race through 36 holes
The championship was anyone's to take entering the third round. Jay You, a 15-year-old from Langley, held the lead at five under par after rounds of 71 and 68, with Tyson Morton of Dawson Creek and Troy Gadalla of Vancouver close behind at two under. Dober sat at one under, very much part of the conversation but far from in control of it.
Then came the third round.
While the rest of the contenders were posting scores in and around par, Dober caught fire. The course record he set across a desert layout that had been testing the field all week moved him to nine under through 54 holes and opened a six-shot cushion over You and Morton, who were tied for second at three under.
Laverdiere's final-round charge
Dober carried that six-shot lead into Friday's final round. A three-over 75 left the door slightly ajar, and the player who walked through it furthest was Laverdiere. The 17-year-old from Harvest Golf Club had been steady but unspectacular through three rounds at one over par, sitting 10 shots off the pace. His four-under 68 on Friday — the lowest score of the final round — vaulted him past everyone except the champion and into solo second at three under (285).
Gadalla, who plays out of Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club, finished solo third at one under (287) with the most consistent card in the field — rounds of 71-71-73-72, never more than one shot either side of par.
A standout showing from the next wave
You and Morton shared fourth at even par (288). At 15, You had led the championship outright after 36 holes before fading with a 74 and a 75 in the final two rounds. His performance underlined the depth of young talent coming through the province's junior ranks.
Morton's route to the top five was notable in its own right. The 17-year-old from Dawson Creek Golf Club made the trek from the Peace Region to the South Okanagan and produced four competitive rounds, including a one-under 71 in the third round.
Jeevyn Lotay of Burnaby finished sixth at one over par (289) after a strong second half. The 16-year-old from Marine Drive Golf Club opened with rounds of 77 and 74 before finding his form with a 68 and a 70 in the final two rounds — a 13-shot improvement.
Luke Bernakevitch of Victoria, the reigning B.C. U17 Boys champion, finished seventh at two over (290), while Ewan Baldwin of Langford, who earlier this season qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur at Saucon Valley Country Club, tied for eighth at three over (291).
Top finishers earned qualifying spots for the Canadian Junior Boys Championship at Wascana Country Club in Regina, Sask., in August.
Better ball and zone competition
The Kelowna duo's dominance extended beyond the individual championship. Laverdiere and Dober teamed up to win the 72-hole better ball at 28 under par (260), six shots clear of the Vancouver Island pairing of Baldwin and Bernakevitch (266). Ryu Shiina of Courtenay and Kobe Menzies of Vernon shared third with Morton and Trip Turnbull of Taylor at 18 under (270).
For Dober, it was a second consecutive better ball title — he and Oakley Mayner captured the event at Quilchena last year.
Morton and Turnbull also claimed the zone competition for Zone 8 North, combining for a 36-hole total of four over par (147-145) to top the field's zone pairings. It capped an outstanding week for the Peace Country contingent.
The better ball field featured several family pairings, including Isaiah and Noah Reddicopp of Abbotsford (T10 at nine under), Haarjun and Jeevyn Lotay of Burnaby (T12 at eight under), and Luke and Matthew Dodson of Grand Cayman (15th at two under).
Nk'mip delivers
The championship's return to Nk'mip Canyon Desert Golf Course for the first time since 2022 — when James Lee won the first of his two consecutive B.C. Junior Boys titles — proved a fitting stage. Owned and operated by the Osoyoos Indian Band, the par-72 layout divides into two distinct nines: the desert-dominated Canyon Nine and the more lush Grove Nine, each demanding different skills and temperaments. Only three players finished the 72-hole championship under par, with two more at even.
"Todd has almost the same crew as he did when we came in 2022, which is a testament to the culture he's created here," said Jerome Goddard, BC Golf's director of rules and competitions, singling out superintendent Kelsey Harder, who took over the grounds operation three years ago. "The work that has gone into this place is so noticeable."
Todd Tweedy, director of golf at Nk'mip, said the event was a highlight of the season. "I love hosting these events and seeing the next generation of golfers," Tweedy said. "It is a special property, thanks to the band and my team. Kelsey and the grounds crew are fantastic getting this course ready for the kids."
Goddard also recognized the officials who kept the championship running, including Zone 4 chair Greg Moody, through whose zone many of the field qualified, and tournament rules chair Ken Olestiuk. "He is an incredible leader in golf and someone I have learned a lot from," Goddard said of Olestiuk.
Dober, for his part, made sure to acknowledge the people behind the scenes. "Thank you to the Nk'mip staff and the grounds crew for the great course, the rules officials and the members for letting us have the course," he said at the closing ceremony. "Thanks a lot for the week."
The bigger picture
The B.C. Junior Boys Championship is one of the province's most important development events — the place where the next generation of competitive golfers tests itself against the best in British Columbia and earns the opportunity to represent the province nationally.
The strength in this year's field ran deeper than the leaderboard's top line. Players from every corner of the province — from Dawson Creek to Victoria, from Kelowna to Burnaby, from Powell River to Langford — converged on the South Okanagan to compete, a testament to the reach of B.C.'s junior golf pathway and the depth of talent developing across its zones. A 15-year-old leading the championship at the halfway mark, family pairings competing together in the better ball, and a Peace Country duo winning the zone competition all point to a sport that is growing from every corner of the province.
For Dober, the title caps a season of steady progress. The road ahead leads to Wascana Country Club in Regina and the Canadian Junior Boys Championship in August.
The 2026 BC Golf Championship season continues. Full results from the 2026 BC Junior Boys Championship are available here, and photos from the event can be found here. View the 2026 Championship Schedule here.