More Ziemer's Notes: Strong field gathered for B.C. Women’s Amateur, Mid-Amateur Championships; Taylor top-20s at Travelers; Macdonald finishes 10th on Korn Ferry Tour
The first sign that it just might be Megan Osland’s week came in her opening round of the St. Louis Women’s Championship on the Annika Women’s All Pro Tour. The Kelowna native started her back nine of that first round with seven straight birdies.
“Never done that before,” Osland said with a laugh in a telephone interview. “That’s my longest birdie streak. I think my previous best was five in a row. I think it may also have broken the record for the longest birdie streak on the Annika Pro Tour as well.”
Osland’s first-round 65 gave her an early lead and she hung around the lead the rest of the way. It came down to the 72nd hole, where Osland rolled in a clutch 15-foot putt for birdie to beat China’s Siyan Chen by one shot.
“My approach from about 155 yards landed right next to the pin and rolled to about 15 feet,” Osland said. “The girl who I was tied with left her birdie putt about one foot short, so I knew I had my putt to win. It was a down-hill slider and I made it.”
Osland, who won with a 72-hole total of eight-under par, earned $12,500 US for the win. She also moved into third spot on the tour’s Callaway Race to Qualifying points list.
That’s important as the top five players on that list at the end of the season earn a pass to the second stage of LPGA Qualifying School. “To not have to go to first stage would be really nice,” Osland said. Tournament organizers played a recording of O Canada during the trophy presentation.
“They had a speaker set up and someone from the gallery had told them, ‘you guys should play O Canada,’ so when I came up to get my trophy they were playing O Canada. It was just hilarious.”
Osland, who played her collegiate golf at San Jose State University, didn’t have much time to celebrate after her win. She was set to make the drive to Metamora, Ill., the site of this week’s Children’s Hospital of Illinois Championship.
STRONG FIELD: With storied Victoria Golf Club as the venue, it should come as no surprise that this week’s B.C. Women’s Amateur and Mid-Amateur Championships have attracted strong fields. Langley’s Amy Lee, who won last year’s Women’s Amateur championship at Balfour Golf Course, is back to defend her title. Surrey’s Aram Choi will defend her Mid-Am title for players aged 25 and older. Lee, who also won the B.C. Junior Girls title last year, will have her hands full defending her title.
Players to watch include Una Chou, Jessica Ng and Bo Brown of the NAIA and Canadian champion UBC Thunderbirds, 2023 B.C. Women’s Amateur champion Chelsea Truong of Victoria, Dana Smith and Meera Minhas of the Simon Fraser University Red Leafs, NextGen Prairie champion Maggie Zhang and former B.C. Junior Girls champion Angela Arora. The 54-hole competition runs June 24-26.
TOP 20 FOR TAYLOR: Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor closed with a one-over par 71 and tied for 17th at the Travelers Championship, a $20-million Signature event on the PGA Tour played in Cromwell, Ct. Taylor’s six-under total left him nine shots behind winner Keegan Bradley. Taylor earned $252,562 and is now 16th on the FedEx Cup points list. Abbotsford’s Adam Hadwin had a miserable final round, as he closed with a five-over 75 to fall into a tie for 57th at three-over par.
Hadwin earned $43,750. He now stands 112th on the points list and must finish the season inside the top 100 to retain full status for the 2026 PGA Tour season. Hadwin and Surrey’s Adam Svensson, who currently sits 167th on the points list, are both in the field for this week’s Rocket Classic in Detroit. Hadwin lost in a playoff at the 2023 Rocket Classic.
TOP-10 FINISH: Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald, who recently became a dad for the second time, finished 10th at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open. Macdonald’s 11-under total left him six shots behind winner and fellow Canadian Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S. Creighton shot an 11-under 59 in the third round. Macdonald moved up four spots to sit 34th on the Korn Ferry Tour points list. His wife Carly delivered a baby girl, Kennedy, earlier this month. Merritt’s Roger Sloan tied for 51st in Wichita and now sits 130th on the points list. Players must finish inside the top 75 to retain status for next year.
COURSE RECORD: Nathan Leonhardt of the Tour Development Academy fired a 12-under 61 to set the course record at Quilchena Golf & Country Club in Richmond during a G&G Tour event. Leonhardt’s round consisted of 11 birdies, an eagle and one bogey. “It was truly an incredible day,” Leonhardt told the PGA of BC. “Golf has brought me a lot of highs and lows through my life, but this was a special moment that I will never forget. Growing up in Richmond makes it even more meaningful.” Leonhardt worked last year as the golf consultant on the Owen Wilson golf comedy series called Stick that was shot in the Vancouver area and is now on Apple TV.
OMAN BOUND: University Golf Club head pro Josh Legge is leaving the Vancouver course to lead golf operations at the La Vie Club in Muscat, Oman.
“La Vie is quickly positioning itself as one of the premier golf destinations in the Middle East and I feel very fortunate to be a part of its continued growth,” Legge posted on social media. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity and challenges that lie ahead in Oman.”
CZECH IT OUT: Vancouver’s Anna Huang tied for 17th at the Czech Ladies Open on the Ladies European Tour. Huang completed the event at 11-under par, six shots behind winner Casandra Alexander of South Africa. Huang earned 4,016 Euros and now stands 49th on the LET Order of Merit with 20,002 Euros. Huang is in the field for this week’s Amundi German Masters in Hamburg.
CHIP SHOTS: Dustin Franko of Delta fired rounds of 68 at Kings Links and 67 at Capilano to win the Vancouver City (Zone 4) Amateur. Franko’s seven-under total was three shots better than Riley Edwards of Richmond Country Club. Point Grey’s Nasheel Kassam was third at two-under par... Vancouver’s Leah John tied for 46th at the Epson Tour’s Island Resort Championship in Harris, Mich. . .Jake Lane of Meadow Gardens fired a five-under 67 to win the Vancouver Golf Tour’s Riverway Open in Burnaby by two shots over James Allenby of Langley Golf Centre and Dustin Franko of Morgan Creek.