Eaglequest Coquitlam's Director Of  Instruction Shiella Cowan Addresses Her Latest Group Of Young Girls Eager To Learn The Game - Image Credit Ezzabella Hernandez/British Columbia Golf

by Bryan Outram

The CN Future Links Girls’ Club website tells us the program is a developmental golf program essentially designed for girls 7-18 years of age. As members, young girls will develop the skills, attitudes and positive images of themselves as athletes on the golf course, encouraging both self-esteem and a life-long love of the game.

The Girls’ Club was developed to address the huge discrepancy between the numbers of young girls playing golf compared to the number of young boys. It aims not merely to attract girls to the game but also to help retain them longer.

The Girls Club has been held every Monday at Eaglequest Coquitlam since July 4th and is having a very positive affect according to Shiella Cowan, the Director of Instruction at Eaglequest in Coquitlam, who leads the event.

British Columbia Golf And CN Future Links Were On Hand To Help Celebrate The 5th Annual Ribfest In Kamloops With An Interactive Golf Display - Image Credit British Columbia Golf

British Columbia Golf

The 5th Annual Interior Savings Daybreak Rotary Ribfest took place from Friday, August 5th to Sunday, August 7th at Riverside Park in Kamloops. Over those three days people gathered to enjoy live entertainment, vendors, refreshments and of course, award-winning ribs from Champion Ribbers.

All the activities were free to enjoy, including the Family Fun Zone sponsored by Save-On Foods, which featured an assortment of bouncy castles, live family entertainment, face painting, kids games and a very popular British Columbia Golf/CN Future Links interactive golf display.

The View From The 12th Hole At Chilliwack Golf Club, Site Of The 2016 BC Golf Juvenile Boys' & Girls' Championships - Image Courtesy Chilliwack GC

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Phil Jonas believes Chilliwack Golf Club is a perfect choice to play host to the B.C. Boys’ and Girls’ Juvenile Championships. “I would say it is a very under-rated course in terms of how good it is,” says Jonas, a former PGA TOUR member who now teaches out of Hazelmere Golf Club in Surrey.

“If you just look at the scorecard you’d think you’d kill it, but you won’t. I think it is a great course for the juveniles to be playing. You really have to think your way around it.”

Victoria, BC's Naomi Ko Accepts The Canadian Junior Girls Championship Trophy From Golf Canada President Roland Deveau (R) And One Of Canada's Finest (L) - Image Courtesy Twitter

Mary Parsons Finishes Third As B.C. Places Seven Players In Top 11

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

It hasn’t been a great summer in British Columbia, but don’t try telling that to Naomi Ko. She has been so much better than the weather. The 18-year-old Victoria resident’s super summer continued Friday in Shubenacadie, N.S., where she  won the Canadian Junior Girls Championship. 

Ko birdied three of her first five holes en route to a even-par 72 at The Links at Penn Hills and finished the 72-hole event at five-under par. That was good for a four-shot win over Chloe Currie of Mississauga, Ont.

Sam Meek Of Peterborough, ON Is The 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Champion - Image Courtesy Golf Canada 

Courtesy Herb Fung/Golf Canada

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Any memories of inclement weather during the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship were all but forgotten thanks to clear skies and brilliant sunshine during the final round at Clovelly. Sam Meek took advantage of the conditions to earn a come-from-behind victory and claim the national junior title.

With the victory, Meek becomes the prestigious championship’s 78th winner. The history of the competition and the significance of the victory were not lost upon the champion.

“This win means the world,” said the native of Peterborough, Ont. “This is what I’ve strived to accomplish my entire junior golf career. To have my name on the same trophy as some of those winners is incredible. This is the top of junior golf in Canada, so just to be a part of that is an amazing feeling.”

BC's Eddie Hogan Cup Team: From (L-R) Thomas Verigin, Jaewook Lee, Matt Palsenbarg (Coach), Andy Kim And Isaac Lee

British Columbia Golf has announced their team for the 2016 Eddie Hogan Cup Team Matches to be played from Friday, August 12, 2016 to Sunday, August 14, 2016 at Riverside Golf & CC in Portland, OR.

British Columbia has sent a team every year as a chartered member, for the last 47 years, to this tournament. The competition includes teams from Southern California, Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Idaho, Hawaii and other states. 

The competition is well attended from college coaches from the North Pacific region and is an elite Championship, some of the best junior boys will be at the Eddie Hogan matches and its always an honor to be on this team.

Victoria's Nolan Thoroughgood Has Enjoyed Success In His Home Province This Summer And Hopes To Have Similar Results As He Goes 'National' With His Game - Image Courtesy Brad Ziemer

By Brad Ziemer British Columbia Golf

Nolan Thoroughgood literally travelled from sea-to-shining sea to compete in his first national championship. The 15-year-old from Victoria, who last month became the youngest winner in the 114-year history of the B.C. Amateur Championship, is in St. John’s, Nfld., to compete at this week’s Canadian Junior Boys’ Championship.

Thoroughgood, who also won gold at the recent B.C. Summer Games in Abbotsford, will also compete in next week’s Canadian Amateur Championship in Ottawa. He knows these two events will be a stern test.

Vancouver's Stuart Macdonald Moved Himself Into Contention At The 50th Pacific Coast Amateur Championship With A 10-Shot Second Round Improvement At Seattle Golf Club - Image Courtesy PNGA

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Stuart Macdonald’s round Wednesday at the Pacific Coast Amateur Championship had a little bit of everything. 

We’ll start with the good because there was lots of that. Macdonald carded two eagles in his round at Seattle Golf Club, one of them coming when he holed out from 160 yards on the par 4 12th hole. He also added four birdies.

Then there was the bad, including a four-putt on the par 3 16th green that resulted in a double-bogey. He wasn’t happy about a three-putt that led to a par on the par 5 18th green either.

But when it was done, Macdonald had carded the day’s best score, a six-under 66 that moved him into contention at the 50th playing of the prestigious tourney.

Richmond's Chris Crisologo Has A Lot To Look Forward To On His Golf Schedule Over The Next Month - Image Credit Bryan Outram/British Columbia Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Like a boxer stepping up in weight class, Chris Crisologo is excited about testing himself at the next level. Over the next month, the 20-year-old Richmond resident has three big amateur tournaments on his schedule.

It starts this week at the prestigious Pacific Coast Amateur, which is being played at Seattle Golf Club. After that comes the Canadian Amateur at Royal Ottawa Golf Club and then the U.S. Amateur at Oakland Hills in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

Invermere's Harry Ferguson Saw His Dream Come True As He Won the BC Senior Men's Championship Title At Shuswap Lake Estates Golf & Country Club - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/British Columbia Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

BLIND BAY -- Harry Ferguson had a dream about Thursday’s final round of the B.C. Men’s Senior-Super Senior Championship. Trouble was, he woke up early Thursday morning before finding out how it ended. It turns out there was no nightmarish ending, just a happy one for the 59-year-old oilfield worker from Invermere.

Ferguson beat Gudmund Lindbjerg of Pitt Meadows on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to win his first provincial championship.

British Columbia Golf Is Well Represented At The 50th Pacific Coast Amateur Championship. From L-R: Jack Croucher (Past President), Chuck Gage (Past President), Stuart Macdonald (Team Member), Kevin Kwon (Team Member), Chris Crisologo (Team Member) And David Atkinson (Immediate Past President) - Image Courtesy PNGA

via press release

PACIFIC COAST GOLF ASSOCIATION (Seattle, Wash)- The 50th Pacific Coast Amateur Championship, hosted by the Washington State and Pacific Northwest golf associations, will take place at historic Seattle Golf Club from July 26-29, 2016.

Founded in 1900 with a 1996 redesign by Arnold Palmer, Seattle Golf Club has a history well deserving of hosting the Pacific Coast Amateur's 50th installment, including the 1952 U.S. Amateur, 1961 Walker Cup, 1981 U.S. Senior Amateur and three Pacific Coast Amateurs (1967, 1987, 1999).

A world-class roster of amateur competitors will be taking part in the 72-hole, four-day stroke play competition in the hopes of raising the Dr. Ed Updegraff Trophy as champion. Without a defending champion, following Aaron Wise's departure to the professional ranks, the trophy and accolades coupled with victory are up for grabs.

Lance Lundy Of Big Sky GC Had The Low Round Of The Day With A 3-under 69 But He Trails The Leader Gudmund Lindbjerg By 5 Shots Heading Into The Final Round - Image Credit Brad Ziemer

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

BLIND BAY -- Gudmund Lindbjerg’s four B.C. Senior Men’s titles came in four straight years. Now, five years after winning his last one in 2011, he finally has a chance to claim No. 5. The 67-year-old longtime Pitt Meadows Golf Club member shot his second straight 70 Wednesday and will take a two-shot lead into Thursday’s final round of the B.C. Men’s Senior and Super-Senior Championship at Shuswap Lake Estates Golf & Country Club.

Shuswap Lake Estates Golf & Country Club General Manager Wendy Barker (On The Left, With The Course's Resident Dog, Charlie) And Course Superintendent Jen Rozek - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/British Columbia Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

BLIND BAY -- Every day is Ladies Day at Shuswap Lake Estates Golf & Country Club. That’s because the women are in charge at the club, which this week is playing host to the B.C. Senior and Super-Senior Men’s Championship. They’re everywhere here.

The general manager is Wendy Barker. The course superintendent is Jen Rozek. Heck, even the pro shop’s resident dog, a five-year-old Shih tzu Bichon named Charlie, is a female. “We’re very proud of the fact that we have so many women here,” says Barker, whose father, Jack Barker, bought the course and surrounding property in 1977.

Defending Champion John Gallacher Tees Off At Shuswap Lake Estates Golf Course As He Attempts To Go Back-To-Back In The BC Senior Men's Championship -Image Credit Brad Ziemer

Doug Roxburgh Tied With Three Others For First-Round Lead

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

BLIND BAY -- It is as much about the camaraderie as the competition. The field for this week’s B.C. Senior and Super-Senior Men’s Championships at Shuswap Lake Estates Golf Course in Blind Bay numbers 144. Most know they have no chance of winning, but that doesn’t matter.

They are here to play with old friends and maybe meet some new ones. Toasts will be made in the bar after their rounds. Stories will be told. They will celebrate their birdies and lament their bogeys or those dreaded others.

Delta's Mary Parsons Holds The Winner's Hardware After Her Victory In The 2016 BC Junior Girls Championship At Big Sky GC In Pemberton - Image Credit Bryan Outram/British Columbia Golf

By Bryan Outram

Mary Parsons coolly rolled in her 6th birdie putt of the day on the par 5 18th and final hole of the tournament at Big Sky Golf Club on Friday to put the finishing touches on her 6-shot victory in the 2016 BC Junior Girls Championship. Parsons finished at even par (288) for the 4 rounds. 

Finishing tied for 2nd were Tiffany Kong and Hannah Lee, with halfway mark leader Sumie Francois coming in 4th and 13-year old Akari Hayashi rounding out the top 5.

The win wasn’t without its up downs along the way, but Parsons’ perseverance proved to be the difference in the end.

Nolan Thoroughgood Is The Youngest BC Amateur Champion At Age 15 In The History Of The Event - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/British Columbia Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

QUALICUM BEACH -- History was made at the 114th playing of the B.C. Amateur Championship. Twice. The tournament began with the legendary Doug Roxburgh teeing it up in his 50th straight B.C. Amateur. It ended Friday with the championship trophy being raised by the event’s youngest ever winner.

Nolan Thoroughgood, a 15-year-old Victoria resident who was competing in just the second four-round tournament of his young life, played with the poise of a seasoned veteran at Pheasant Glen Golf Resort. He closed with an even-par round of 72 for a 72-hole total of seven-under par to win by two shots over another promising junior, 17-year-old A.J. Ewart of Coquitlam.

Mary Parsons Is The Third Round Leader In The 2016 BC Junior Girls Championship At Big Sky Golf Club - Image Credit Golf Canada 

By Bryan Outram

The British Open may be taking place across the pond at Royal Troon this week but it was during the third round of the 2016 BC Junior Girls Championship that typical ‘Open’ weather decided to show up at Big Sky Golf Club in Pemberton.

With the leaders just heading into the home stretch of holes on the back nine the wind came howling through the mountains and the rain was coming in sideways.

As it turns out those were ideal conditions for eventual third round leader Mary Parsons, whose 2-under back nine score rescued her from an unsettling 4-over outward nine and staked her to a two-shot lead heading into Friday’s final round.

Nolan Thoroughgood's Three-Round Total Of Seven-Under Par Has Him One Shot Ahead Of Zach Anderson Of Nanaimo - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/British Columbia Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

QUALICUM BEACH -- Nolan Thoroughgood joined the junior program at Royal Colwood Golf Club in Victoria when he was 11 years old. His parents didn’t see much of him that summer. “We live right beside the course so he went over every day that summer,” Garth Thoroughgood said of his son.

“He’d leave the house at 9 and we wouldn’t see him until 9 at night. They spoiled him there and he just fell in love with the game. He gave up hockey two years later and said he is just going to focus on golf.”

That decision seems to be working out just fine. On Thursday, Nolan -- now 15 and heading into Grade 11 at Royal Bay Secondary -- shot a two-under par 70 in the third round of the B.C. Amateur Championship at Pheasant Glen Golf Resort and will take a one-shot lead into Friday’s final round.

Andrew Hennings Shares The Halfway Lead In The 2016 BC Amateur At Pheasant Glen In Qualicum Beach - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/British Columbia Golf

Veteran Doug Roxburgh, Playing In His 50Th Straight B.C. Amateur, Misses The Cut By One Shot At Pheasant Glen

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

QUALICUM BEACH -- The idyllic oceanside town of Qualicum Beach is a popular retirement spot and has what can safely be described as a mature citizenry. It has become decidedly younger this week with the arrival of the B.C. Amateur Championship at Pheasant Glen Golf Resort.

Of the 156 players who teed it up in the 114th playing of the B.C. Amateur, 124 are 24 years old or younger. And 43 of those are 18 and younger. The leaderboard through two rounds is a reflection of that youth. Two of the three co-leaders are 15 and 20. There is a liberal sprinkling of other teens and early 20-somethings fairly high up on the leaderboard.

The exception is ‘old-timer’ Andrew Hennings. He’s 33, which would qualify him as a spring chicken by Qualicum Beach standards. But in this field, he’s one of the old guys.

Burnaby's Sumie Francois Still Holds The Lead After Round Two Of The 2016 BC Junior Girls Championship At Big Sky Golf Club In Pemberton - Image Credit Bryan Outram/British Columbia Golf

By Bryan Outram

Round two of the 2016 BC Junior Girls Championship at Big Sky Golf Club was played under mostly sunny skies with the stunning backdrop of Mt. Currie doing its level best to provide a distraction to the competitors below. 

First round leader Sumie Francois of Shaughnessy G&CC continued her plan of playing conservatively off the tee and but for a balky putter may have been able to extend her 2-shot lead. As it was, her closest pursuer, Delta's Mary Parsons who plays out of Richmond's Mayfair Lakes GC, managed the only under par score of day two with a 1-under 71 to cut into Francois' lead by one shot going into round 3 on Thursday.