British Columbians scripted some terrific golf stories in 2025. Brad Ziemer looks back at five of the best:
1. Taylor Takes Title In Hawaii
Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor began 2025 in style by making the Sony Open in Hawaii his fifth PGA TOUR title. Taylor won the event in dramatic style. He chipped in for eagle on the 72nd hole to force a playoff with Nico Echavarria of Colombia. He then won that playoff on the second extra hole. Taylor’s last three wins — the 2023 RBC Canadian Open, the 2024 WM Phoenix Open and the Sony Open — have come in playoffs.
“It’s kind of like a match play situation,” Taylor said after his Sony win. “I always enjoyed match play when I was growing up and I had success as well just trying to hit each shot at hand.” Taylor has joined some exclusive Canadian company. Only two Canadians — Mike Weir and George Knudson with eight wins apiece — have more PGA TOUR victories than Taylor. Taylor’s career PGA TOUR earnings now total nearly $24 million.
2. Ewart Earns PGA TOUR Card Winning Q-School
A.J. Ewart’s win at PGA TOUR qualifying school in December provided a nice bookend to the British Columbia golfing year. Ewart, a graduate of Gleneagle Secondary in Coquitlam, played near flawless golf as he fired rounds of 66, 67, 67 and 66 to win by two shots.
Ewart was the epitome of calm, cool and collected at Q-school, regarded as one of the most pressure-packed events in professional golf. “It wasn’t easy, but I made it easy on myself,” Ewart said.
“I was able to completely block out all the noise and just play a golf tournament and try to win a golf tournament. I don’t know how I did it, but I just didn’t let myself get to that point where I was thinking about it. And here we are.” The Barry University graduate earned full status on the 2026 PGA TOUR and will begin the season in mid-January at the Sony Open, where fellow British Columbian Nick Taylor will be defending his title.
3. John Joins LPGA Tour With Strong Q Series Showing
Vancouver’s Leah John played her way on to the LPGA Tour by tying for 10th at the LPGA’s Q Series finale in Alabama. The two-time B.C. Women’s Amateur champion grabbed the first-round lead with a brilliant eight-under 64 and never looked back. It looked easy, but it wasn’t. “Hands down, the hardest week I have ever gone through,” said John, who graduated from the University of Nevada in the spring of 2024. “All I can say is that it was so challenging, so emotional. I think I cried every day.”
John spent most of 2025 playing on the Epson Tour and earned her first win on that circuit this past summer. Her solid play on the Epson Tour earned John a pass to final stage, where she cashed in on that opportunity to earn her LPGA Tour card. John hopes her story can inspire others. “I am really excited to have a place where it feels like I can do that,” she said. “I would love to inspire kids.”
4. Christina Lake's Krahn Crowned Three Times In Three Weeks
Christina Lake’s Austin Krahn had a special three-week stretch that saw him win the B.C. Junior Boys, B.C. Amateur and B.C. Indigenous Championships. Krahn defended his Junior Boys title at Quilchena Golf & Country Club in Richmond, where he birdied five of his final six holes to finish the 72-hole event at 17-under par. That was good for a two-shot win. Krahn followed up that win with an impressive victory the following week at Bootleg Gap Golf Course in Kimberley, where he captured the 123rd playing of the B.C. Amateur Championship in dramatic fashion.
Krahn pulled off one of the best shots in B.C. Amateur history when his eight-iron from 175 yards, with the ball nestled in some thick rough, landed three feet from the pin on the 72nd hole. His tap-in par allowed Krahn to defeat Chilliwack’s Maxim McKenzie by one shot. Krahn then headed to St. Eugene Golf Course in Cranbrook, where he easily won his third straight B.C. Indigenous Championship.
“It’s been a special three weeks,” Krahn said. “Three provincial championships in a year is phenomenal, let alone in a span of three weeks. It’s really, really special.” Krahn played those three events in a combined 37-under par. Nine of his 10 rounds (the Indigenous Championship was a 36-hole event) were in the 60s. The lone exception was a 70 in the third round of the B.C. Junior Boys.
5. T-Bird Women Soar To Another NAIA Title
Four departing University of B.C. seniors capped a remarkable run by winning yet another NAIA Women’s Golf Championship. It was the third NAIA title for seniors Grace Bell, Una Choi, Elizabeth Labbe and Bo Brown. It was junior Jessica Ng of Vancouver who led UBC to its win in Michigan.
Ng won the individual title with a 72-hole score of five-under par. The Thunderbirds won the tourney by 24 shots over runner-up Keiser University. The UBC women followed up that NAIA win with yet another victory at the Canadian University-College Championship at Rivershore Golf Links in Kamloops.