COURTENAY, B.C. — Andrew Pinette started Thursday's final round five strokes off the lead and tied for eighth. He finished the day as the only player in the field under par for the championship.
The 58-year-old Surrey resident birdied his first four holes at Crown Isle Resort & Golf Community, including a deuce on the par-3 fourth, to turn a distant position into an outright lead. He then played the remaining 14 holes in even par for a 4-under 68.
It was the lowest round of the week, and it carried him to a 1-under total of 215 and a one-stroke victory at the 2026 BC Men's Senior Championship in Courtenay.
"It's a community of great people and it's so much fun to play," Pinette said at the prize presentation. "I also want to thank my buddy Paul for missing the putt on the last hole. It let me beat him."
That buddy was Paul Hogben of Seattle, whose birdie try on 18 did not fall, leaving him one stroke shy at even par. Hogben posted rounds of 76, 71 and 69 for a 216 total. His closing 69 was the second-lowest round of the championship, but it was not enough to overcome Pinette's runaway start.
The title is Pinette's second BC Senior crown, following his 2023 victory at Williams Lake.
A championship that kept reshuffling
The final-day drama was the product of a leaderboard that refused to settle.
Jim Lightbody of Crescent Beach opened the championship with a 2-under 70, the low round on Tuesday, to lead by one stroke over a group at 1-under that included Mark Heinrich of Langley, John Gallacher of Burnaby and John Gordon of Victoria.
Lightbody cooled to a 76 in round two and dropped into a tie for sixth, clearing the way for Ryan Mulhern of Vancouver.
Mulhern paired a first-round 72 with a 70, one of three co-low rounds on Wednesday alongside Mike Mannion of Victoria and Walter Kraakman of Deroche, to reach the 36-hole mark at 2-under and two strokes clear of the field.
BC Senior Men's Provincial Team L-R: J. Stephen Watson, Andrew Pinette & Greg Koster
Mulhern could not sustain the momentum in the final round. He posted a 79 and fell into a tie for fifth at 5-over 221.
Courtenay's Greg Koster closed with a 72 to finish alone in third at 1-over, posting rounds of 74, 71 and 72 for a 217 total. J. Stephen Watson of Nanoose Bay was equally steady, carding 73, 73 and 72 to finish alone in fourth at 2-over 218.
Pinette, Watson and Koster were named to the British Columbia interprovincial team and will represent the province at the Canadian Men's Senior Championship, September 7 to 11 at Niakwa Country Club in Winnipeg.
Gallacher takes the super senior title
In the super senior division for players 65 and older, 75-year-old John Gallacher of Burnaby captured the championship with rounds of 71, 73 and 78 for a 6-over total of 222.
Gallacher sat one stroke off the super senior lead after the opening round, then moved to the top after round two and carried a two-stroke advantage into Thursday. His closing 78 tightened the race considerably, but he held on to win by one.
BC Men's Super Senior Champion, John Gallacher
Doug Roxburgh of Vancouver, one of the most decorated amateur golfers in BC history, closed with a 74 to finish one stroke back at 7-over. The 74-year-old Canadian Golf Hall of Famer and 13-time BC Amateur champion climbed from a tie for 10th after the opening round to finish alone in second.
Lightbody, Gordon and Lance Lundy of Pemberton shared third place at 9-over 225.
"It's really great to see everybody, all the competitors," Gallacher said. "The senior events are always so much fun. It's nice to see all the old friends and a bunch of new ones, and all the young guys coming to play at this event."
More hardware
The better ball competition went to Kerry Grittner of Chilliwack and Mark Heinrich of Langley, who combined for an 18-under-par total over 54 holes.
Zone 6, represented by Koster, Brian DeBiasio of Courtenay and Watson, captured the zone team title. The competition was contested over the first two rounds.
The week also produced a pair of holes-in-one. Chris Jung aced the 157-yard 16th hole during round two, while Brian Russell found the bottom of the cup on the seventh hole in Thursday's final round.
Crown Isle's staff, members and volunteers provided the stage for the championship. At the prize presentation, BC Golf recognized director of golf Jamie Moran, superintendent Colin Stairs and the grounds crew, along with the golf operations and food-and-beverage teams, rules officials and volunteers who supported the event throughout the week.
The championship was played on the Unceded Traditional Territory of the K'ómoks First Nation.
After Crown Isle's turn as host, the BC Men's Senior and Super Senior Championship will travel to Creston Golf Club in 2027, bringing the province-wide gathering to another BC golf community.
The Bigger Picture
The BC Men's Senior Championship has always been as much about community as competition, and this year's edition at Crown Isle made that case as well as any.
More than 150 players travelled to the Comox Valley from across British Columbia and beyond, with the field stretching from Dawson Creek to Victoria and including competitors from Alberta, Washington state and as far away as Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. They spent three days doing what they return to do each year: grinding over four-footers, ribbing one another at dinner and renewing friendships built through decades in the game.
BC Men's Amateur Golf Legend, Doug Roxburgh
The super senior field alone tells a story worth paying attention to. Sixty-two players aged 65 and older entered the championship this year, with 59 completing all 54 holes. When a 75-year-old is lifting the trophy and a 74-year-old Hall of Famer is chasing him to the wire, the case for meaningful competition at every age and stage makes itself.
That opportunity is central to BC Golf's championship pathway. It is not only about finding the next elite junior or preparing players for national and collegiate competition. It is also about ensuring golfers can continue testing themselves, representing their communities and competing for provincial titles throughout their lives.
Pinette's closing 68, Gallacher's victory at 75 and Roxburgh's charge at 74 are different expressions of the same idea: competitive golf does not disappear when a player moves beyond the traditional development years. The pathway keeps going, and so do the relationships that keep players connected to the sport and to one another.
That is what a sport for life looks like in practice: a 58-year-old champion producing the round of the week, a 75-year-old lifting a provincial trophy, a Hall of Famer still chasing him to the final green and more than 150 players making the trip because the competition, friendships and sense of belonging still matter.
The 2026 BC Golf championship season continues. Full results from the 2026 BC Men’s Senior & Super Senior are available here, and photos from the event can be found here. View the 2026 Championship Schedule here.