WHISTLER B.C. - Mary Parsons received the big cheque, but it was a 14-year-old amateur who stole the show at the GolfBC Group B.C. Women’s Open at Nicklaus North in Whistler.
Clara Ding of White Rock birdied the final hole to win by a single shot and earn an exemption into this summer’s CPKC Women’s Open on the LPGA Tour...
The 18th hole at Nicklaus North, which normally plays as a par 4, was turned into a par 5 for the event and Ding arrived at the tee knowing a birdie would win it. “I hit a really good drive and had like 155 (yards) in and hit a pretty good approach to about 35 feet,” Ding said. “I lagged it to about a foot and then tapped it in.”
Ding, a member of Golf Canada’s NextGen team, is more than a little excited to earn a spot in her first LPGA Tour event. The CPKC Women’s Open goes Aug. 21-24 at Mississauga Golf & Country Club. “It’s going to be a really good experience and I am going to take it all in and learn as much as I can,” she said.
Ding finished the 54-hole event at eight-under par. That was one shot better than amateurs Katie Cranston of Oakville, Ont., and former Langley resident, Clairey Lin. The top six spots in the tournament went to amateurs. That meant Delta’s Mary Parsons, who finished seventh at even-par, received the $15,000 first-place cheque.
Parsons said the money will help cover some expenses this summer as she plays the Epson Tour in the United States. “I would have wished to be the overall champion, but the silver lining is that it’s a nice paycheque to help out for the rest of the year,” said Parsons, a former B.C. Junior Girls champion.
Parsons won the pro division by seven shots over Casey MacNeil of Sudbury, Ont. Richmond’s Christine Wong finished third at 10-over.
For the final standings, leaderboards and purse distribution from the GolfBC Group BC Women’s Open, please click here.