NANOOSE BAY, B.C. — Olivia (Jing Yuan) Li entered Friday’s final round at Fairwinds Golf Club with two provincial titles within reach. By the end of the day, both belonged to her.
The 12-year-old from Richmond closed with an even-par 72 to finish at three-over 147, winning both the B.C. U15 and U13 Girls championships. On the boys side, White Rock’s Daniel Moon followed a silver-medal performance at the BC Summer Games two weeks earlier with the U15 title, while Vancouver’s Ziping Chen fired the low round of the championship, a two-under 69, to win U13 and climb to second in the U15 field.
The 79-player championship was played over 36 holes August 6 and 7 following an August 5 practice round. Fairwinds has been a familiar stop on BC Golf’s provincial championship schedule, most recently hosting the B.C. Women’s Senior Championship in 2022.
Five closing pars seal it for Li
Li began Friday one shot behind U15 leader Quorra Mi of Burnaby. Mi had opened with a two-over 74, with Li, Meiyi Li of West Vancouver and Queenie Tsao of Vancouver all one stroke back at 75.
Olivia Li dropped a shot on No. 3 before responding with birdies at Nos. 4 and 6 to make the turn in 35. Another birdie at the 12th moved her to two under for the day before a double bogey on the par-5 13th brought her back to even.
It was an understandable place to give shots back. No. 13 finished as the hardest hole of the championship, playing to an average of 6.17 strokes.
Li did not drop another. Five straight pars brought her home in 72 and gave her a two-shot U15 victory over Meiyi Li, who also closed with a 74 to finish at five-over 149.
The same 147 total put Olivia four shots clear in U13.
Her success against the older field was not new. In April, Li played in the Girls 15-19 division of a Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour event at Tsawwassen Springs, closing with a 68 before defeating 16-year-old Lilian Zhao in a three-hole playoff.
Joanna Lin of Vancouver made the biggest move of Friday’s final round. The 11-year-old followed an opening 80 with a one-under 71, the lowest girls round of the championship, to climb eight places in the U15 standings. Lin finished third in U15 at seven-over 151 and second in U13.
Lin, too, had already tested herself at the top of an older field this season. She tied Quorra Mi for the Girls U15 lead at an MJT event at Morgan Creek in April before Mi won on the first playoff hole.
Lucy Li of Vancouver finished third in U13 at 10-over 154.
At the prize presentation, Olivia thanked Fairwinds, the referees and volunteers, her coaches, family, friends and playing partners. Then she added one more.
“Lastly, I would like to thank myself for being able to play a really good round today and yesterday,” she said.
Moon converts strong summer form into provincial title
Moon came to Fairwinds just two weeks removed from another run at a provincial podium.
At the BC Summer Games at Shannon Lake Golf Club, the 14-year-old shot rounds of 70 and 71 to finish at one-over 141, two strokes behind boys champion Tiger Zhao. Moon had been one shot off the lead after the opening round.
This time, he was the player everyone else had to catch.
Moon opened Fairwinds with a one-over 72 to take a one-shot lead over Justin Lu of West Vancouver and Cameron Lewall of Comox. He followed with a one-under 70 on Friday to finish at even-par 142 and win by three.
The victory added to an already strong season. Moon won the MJT Bantam Boys division at Morgan Creek in April with rounds of 69 and 66, then picked up another win at GreenTee Country Club in May.
Chen made sure the final margin did not come easily.
The 12-year-old began Friday five shots behind Moon in the U15 standings and two behind Hayden Soohyun Lee of Vancouver in U13. Chen birdied the opening two holes to immediately erase that U13 deficit.
Bogeys at Nos. 3 and 4 brought him back to even for the round, but he did not drop another shot. Birdies at Nos. 7 and 11 completed a two-under 69, the only round below 70 all week.
Chen moved six places up the U15 leaderboard to finish second at three-over 145 and overtook Lee to win U13 by nine shots.
It continued a season in which Chen, despite being 12, has regularly competed in older boys fields. He was runner-up in the MJT Bantam Boys division at Northview in March and tied for third behind Moon at GreenTee in May.
James (Chenrui) Qiu of Surrey shot matching 74s to finish third in U15 at six-over 148. Lee was runner-up in U13 at 12-over 154, with Victoria’s Moris Henwood one stroke back in third.
Moon, Chen and Qiu also left Fairwinds with another provincial championship already on their calendars. As the top three finishers in U15 Boys, all three earned exemptions into the 2027 B.C. Junior Boys Championship.
A first for the Owen sisters
There was another championship decided alongside the four individual titles.
Sisters Malia and Aria Owen combined for net rounds of 60 and 58 to win the Net Better Ball competition at 24-under 118, six shots clear of Addison Vaughan and Ryan Oliver.
BC Golf Director of Rules & Competitions Jerome Goddard noted a small piece of history during Friday’s prize presentation, pointing out that it was the first time a sibling duo had won the event.
Precision over power at Fairwinds
Before the championship, Fairwinds Head Professional Travis Bush had described a course that demands “creativity, patience, and precise shot-making,” rewarding thoughtful strategy over raw power.
The scores backed him up.
Across 157 completed rounds, only three were under par: Chen’s 69, Moon’s 70 and Lin’s 71. Olivia Li’s closing 72 was the only other even-par round.
Goddard credited superintendent Steve Pearson and his team for the condition of the course, noting that BC Golf staff had been especially impressed by the attention to detail. He also singled out the Fairwinds membership, many of whom volunteered throughout the championship and have supported junior championships, PGA events, zone competitions and community events at the club. “This place is not the facility it is without its membership,” Goddard said.
Bush and director of operations Julie Hazelwood led the club's hosting team. The championship's volunteer referees — rules chair Kathy Black, Michael Cook and Sandy Wade — drew particular recognition from Goddard, who spoke at Friday's prize ceremony about the commitment the role requires. "It takes hours and hours to become a certified referee, to get the privilege to work with you athletes," he said. It was Black's first championship as rules chair after earning her national certification.
The Bigger Picture
The U15 and U13 Championship sits near the beginning of British Columbia Golf's competitive pathway, and what happened this week at Fairwinds shows why that pathway matters. The championship's structure gives very junior players their own division while also placing them in the full field — letting younger competitors measure themselves against older peers rather than wait. This year, two 12-year-olds in Olivia Li and Ziping Chen didn't just win U13 but finished first and second, respectively, in their U15 divisions, a sign that the pathway is doing what it's meant to do: surface talent early and give it room to compete.
There was progression away from the leaderboard, too. Black’s first assignment as rules chair followed rules education and practical experience, while Fairwinds members continued to provide the volunteer support provincial championships rely on.
Keeping those next opportunities visible, for players and for the people who support the game, is a vital part of development across the sport.
The 2026 BC Golf championship season continues. Full results from the 2026 BC U15/U13 Championships are available here, and photos from the event can be found here. View the 2026 Championship Schedule here.