Nick Taylor low Canadian at Canadian Open; Lauren Kim impresses at Arnold Palmer Cup; St. George’s wins B.C. Triple A High School Championship
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.
TOP CANADIAN: Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor received the Rivermead Challenge Cup as the low Canadian at the RBC Canadian Open. Taylor, the 2023 champion, closed with a three-under 67 to finish tied for 13th at 13-under par. That was five shots behind winner Ryan Fox of New Zealand who beat American Sam Burns on the fourth hole of a sudden-death playoff. Taylor earned $180,810 and moved up two spots to 14th on the FedEx Cup points list. Taylor has a spot in this week’s U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club near Pittsburgh.
Abbotsford’s Adam Hadwin tied for 27th at 10-under and made $64,353. Hadwin moved up six spots to 114th on the points list.
FAST START: Chilliwack’s Brett Webster had a dream start to his first RBC Canadian Open. Webster, who won a regional qualifier at Squamish Valley Golf Course to earn a spot in the field, birdied his first hole. He made four more birdies in his opening round, including one on the final hole, to open with a solid two-under 68. The start of his second round did not go nearly as well. The Chilliwack Golf Club member opened with a triple-bogey and shot a six-over 76 that left him at four-over par and seven shots shy of the cutline. Coquitlam’s A.J. Ewart, who received a sponsor’s exemption after his fine play on the PGA Tour Americas circuit, shots rounds of 69 and 71 to finish at even-par. Merritt’s Roger Sloan finished 36 holes at one-over par and also missed the weekend.
WORLD BEATER: Surrey’s Lauren Kim beat Kia Romero, the third-ranked player in the world, 2&1 in their singles match at the Arnold Palmer Cup in South Carolina. Kim won three of her four matches at the Ryder Cup-style competition to help the International team defeat the United States 35-25. Kim, currently ranked No. 21 in the world, just completed her sophomore year at the University of Texas. Romero just finished her sophomore year at the University of Oregon.
PREP PROVINCIALS: Vancouver’s St. George’s School won the Triple A B.C. High School Golf Championship played at Shuswap National Golf Course in Salmon Arm. The St. George’s team of Troy Gadalla, Jacky Tang, Curtis Liu, James Giffen and Di Stuart finished the 36-hole event with a team score of 19-over par. That was three shots better than second-place Lord Byng of Vancouver. Kelowna Secondary finished third. Maxim McKenzie of Robert Bateman Secondary in Abbotsford won the individual competition in a tight three-way race. McKenzie finished at seven-under par, one shot better than Oakley Mayner of Kelowna. Jeevyn Lotay of Burnaby Central was third at five-under par.
Mulgrave School of Vancouver won the Double A B.C. Championship played at Big Sky Golf Club in Pemberton. The Mulgrave team of Eric Niu, Ilia Khandemi, Riley Moore, Qaim Burgener and Lucas Lin finished the tournament at 38-over par and five shots ahead of MEI Secondary of Abbotsford. Crofton House School of Vancouver was third. Noah Reddicopp of MEI finished six-under par and won the individual title by six shots over Grace Yao of Collingwood. Eric Niu of Mulgrave was third.
The Single A B.C. Championship played at Gallagher’s Canyon in Kelowna was won by Southridge School of Surrey. The Southridge team of Jayden Zhu, Mandi Wang, Harley Liu, Harvey Liu and Jerry Wang finished at 17-over par and won by 37 shots. Aberdeen Hall of Kelowna was second, while York House of Vancouver was third. Jayden Zhu of Southridge won the individual title with a score of two-under par. Annie Liu of York House was second at even-par. Karley Liu of Southridge and Owen Beaulac of St. Andrews in Victoria tied for third at five-over par.
CLOSE CALL: Vancouver’s Jake Lane tied for 14th at a PGA Tour Americas qualifying school site in San Jacinto, Calif. Lane, who finished at seven-under par, earned conditional status. The top 11 finishers earned exempt status for the North American swing of the PGA Tour Americas circuit and Lane fell two shots short of that mark.
CHIP SHOTS: Nanoose Bay’s Shelly Stouffer will attempt to win her sixth straight B.C. Senior Women’s Championship this week at Whistler Golf Club. The 54-hole competition goes June 10-12. . .Port Coquitlam’s Yejin Kwon tied for 65th at the Epson Tour’s FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship in Battle Creek, Mich.