Courtesy VIASPORT BRITISH COLUMBIA - As National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2023 approaches on September 30th, a significant opportunity emerges to reflect on how sport can play a pivotal role in bringing people together, regardless of differences in background, ethnicity, and beliefs.

This day, set aside to acknowledge the truths about the history and legacy of residential schools in Canada, prompts us to explore how the world of sport can contribute to reconciliation, education, and social progress.

Recognizing that many of you will already be acknowledging this day of reflection in your own ways, we wanted to share the campaign viaSPORT has created with their networks and for you to share with yours.

Daniel Edward Sabourin - October 6, 1948 - September 26, 2023

(September 29, 2023) PITT MEADOWS, BC - It is with heavy hearts that British Columbia Golf and indeed, the entire golf community, says goodbye to longtime volunteer and highly regarded rules official Dan Sabourin. 

Dan passed away the evening of September 26^th in hospital. Dan would have celebrated his 75^th birthday on October 6. Dan leaves behind his beloved wife and best friend of 53 years, Pat. (Please look here to see Dan's obituary in the Vancouver Sun)

Dan had a passion for golf which started while growing up in Coquitlam, where he became a junior member at The Vancouver Golf Club. He became a competitive golfer, and through competition, found a passion for the rules of golf.

He spent several years working with the Canadian Tour as a rules official. He brought his passion for the game through volunteer commitments at the zone, provincial and national level. He was a positive mentor to many in their rules journey and has been significant in developing many experienced referees.

He was on several committees with both British Columbia Golf and Golf Canada, receiving the Distinguished Service Award from British Columbia Golf in March of this year. “I have known Dan as a colleague and friend for over 30 years. His passing will leave a big hole in the volunteerism world and he will be missed,” said British Columbia Golf CEO Kris Jonasson.

Dan was also an active member of Pitt Meadows Golf Club, serving on the board for many years, including positions on the executive and as club president.

The many people he influenced over the years will miss Dan and his easy going humour. He was a great team player and happy to help wherever he could.

There will be a celebration of Dan's life at Pitt Meadows Golf Club on October 25th, 2023 from 1-3pm.

(Thank you to past BC Golf Tournament Director and longtime colleague of Dan's, Susan White, for her contributions to this tribute)

BC's Kylie Jack - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By viaSPORT British Columbia

Kylie Jack, a gifted and highly accomplished golfer, competed at the British Columbia Indigenous Golf Championship in May 2023. This was BC’s first Indigenous tournament, hosted by BC Golf, and an opportunity for Kylie to help raise awareness about reconciliation through sport.

Kylie’s journey showcases her exceptional athleticism, her deep connection with the community, and staying true to her cultural roots in a sport that has been traditionally very elitist and lacking in diversity.

Click HERE to see complete article on viaSPORT...

ed. note: Kylie also took part in the just completed BC vs Ontario Indigenous Challenge Match at Victoria's Bear Mountain Resort. Read Brad Ziemer's story on that historic event HERE

BC's Harry Ferguson Was Steeped In Emotion After The Inaugural Indigenous Challenge Match - All Images Credit Jeff Sutherland/Courtesy British Columbia Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

VICTORIA — Team British Columbia beat Ontario to win the inaugural Indigenous Challenge Match and Harry Ferguson, like the rest of his teammates, was happy about that.

But Ferguson, a past B.C. Senior Men’s Champion, would be the first to tell you that this two-day event played on the Mountain and Valley courses at the Bear Mountain resort, really wasn’t about who won and who lost.

Moments after winning his singles match 4&3, the 66-year-old Invermere resident got emotional when he was asked to describe what the event meant to him.

BC's Jared du Toit Felt He Was Denied A Fair Shot At DP World Tour Q-School - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

All Jared du Toit wanted was a fair fight and the Kimberley native didn’t feel like he got it at a DP World Tour first-stage qualifying school site in northern Italy.

Du Toit, along with fellow British Columbians Kaleb Gorbahn of Smithers and Stephen Thomas of Vancouver, were on the outside looking in when the 72-hole event was abruptly shortened to 36 holes due to heavy rain.

“I am probably the most angry I have been after a tournament,” du Toit said over the phone from Italy. “At least if you get to play a full event you know you have given it your all and you kind of had a fair shake at it.

Victoria's Bear Mountain Will Host The Inaugural Indigenous Challenge Cup  

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Christina Spence Proteau has lots of great memories from this past spring’s inaugural B.C. Indigenous Championship played at Nk’Mip Canyon Desert Golf Course in Oliver.

She’ll never forget winning the event, one that she also chaired and helped organize, but what really stood out for Spence Proteau was the tournament’s spirit.

The Port Alberni native had never seen so many smiles at a golf tournament. Participants seemed proud to be there and recognized they were helping plant the seeds for an event that will continue to blossom in the years ahead.

Lucas O'Dell Led The UFV Cascades To A Win In Their Season Opener At Okanagan GC’s Bear Course

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

One of the first things Connor O’Dell did when he was appointed the new golf coach at the University of the Fraser Valley was convince his cousin, Lucas O’Dell, to return home and play for the Cascades.

That decision paid early dividends when Lucas won the individual title and helped the Cascades capture the team event at the season-opening Battle of the Bear tourney in Kelowna.

Lucas, a Maple Ridge native, transferred to UFV after spending his freshman year at The Master’s University, a NAIA school in Santa Clara, Calif. He fired rounds of 67 and 68 at Okanagan Golf Club’s Bear course to win the individual competition by six shots over teammates Jackson Jacob and Eli Greene.

The Cascades won the men’s team title by 28 shots over the University of Victoria.

Image Credit British Columbia Golf/JKamPhotos

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THIS CAMP IS NOW SOLD OUT. 

The 2023 TEAM British Columbia Performance Camp is coming soon to Mayfair Lakes G&CC in Richmond.

This annual program event is open to all juniors for possible selection. Please see below for details and links to registration and contacts. 

Kamloops Golf & Country Club - Image Courtesy Golf Canada 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kamloops, B.C. – The 2023 Canadian All Abilities Championship, presented by BDO is set for September 14-15 with a field of 44 amateur golfers competing at The Kamloops Golf and Country Club in Kamloops, B.C.

The third playing of the national championship will be contested as a 36-hole competition and will feature players with neurological, intellectual, sensory, and physical impairments.

There are four different divisions in the Canadian All Abilities Championship that players will compete in, regardless of disability classification: Women’s Gross Stroke Play; Women’s Net Stableford; Men’s Gross Stroke Play; and Men’s Net Stableford.

2023 Golf Hall of Fame Tickets Now on Sale

Tickets for the 2023 Golf Hall of Fame of BC Induction/Dinner are now on sale.

Join us for an evening celebrating 4 great golfers and their numerous achievements in golf.

Delta, BC Resident Yi Cao - Image Credit PGA Tour Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Delta resident Yi Cao earned his Korn Ferry Tour status the hard way. All Cao did was finish first and second in the final two events of the PGA Tour Canada season to grab the fifth and final graduating spot on the Fortinet Cup points list.

Cao closed the season-ending Fortinet Cup Championship at Country Hills Golf Club in Calgary with a five-under 66 that moved him into solo second place at 17-under par. He holed a chip for eagle on the par 5 17th hole to move into second place.

Cao had entered the tournament ninth on the points list and his big finish in Calgary, which came on his 32nd birthday, was enough to move him into fifth on the points list. The top five players all earned some status on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour and all get a pass through to the final stage of this fall’s PGA TOUR qualifying school, where the top five finishers will earn their PGA TOUR cards.

Vancouver BC's Stuart Macdonald - Image Credit Bernard Brault/Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald will be on the bubble when the PGA Tour Canada circuit completes its season at this week’s Fortinet Cup Championship in Calgary.

Macdonald missed the cut at last week’s final full-field event, the CRMC Championship, in Brainerd, Minn. In doing so, he dropped from fourth to fifth on the Fortinent Cup points race.

The top five on the list after this week’s event at Country Hills Golf Club in Calgary will earn status on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour. Macdonald must hold his position or improve it in order to earn one of those five coveted cards.

In 2007, driven by the desire to improve the health and well-being of BC’s Indigenous people, several prominent provincial Indigenous organizations came together to develop a social legacy from the Cowichan 2008 North American Indigenous Games—a legacy that would lead to transformative change in the health and well-being of Indigenous people across the province.

Today, the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity & Recreation Council (I·SPARC) is a provincial organization established with the purpose of improving the health outcomes of Indigenous peoples by supporting and encouraging physically active individuals, families, and communities.

Vancouver's Jenny Kwon Added The BC Bantam Title To The Juvenile Girls Trophy She Picked Up At Highland Pacific Last Week  - BC Golf photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

In case you were wondering, winning never gets old. Just ask Jenny Kwon.

The 14-year-old from Vancouver completed a magical month of August by winning the B.C. Bantam Girls Championship at Cedar Hill Golf Course in Victoria. It followed by six days her win at the B.C. Juvenile Girls Championship at Highland Pacific Golf Course in Victoria.

Kwon began her August by capturing the PNGA Junior Girls Amateur Championship at North Bellingham Golf Course in Washington state.

BC Bantam Boys Champion, Jaden August - BC Golf Photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Jaden August had to grind a little harder than he imagined on the 18th green in the final round of the B.C. Bantam Boys Championship.

The 14-year-old from Pitt Meadows had a two-shot lead as he walked onto the green at Cedar Hill Golf Course in Victoria. But when playing partner Luke Van Alstine of Vancouver rolled in a 30-foot putt for birdie, August’s lead was cut in half.

“I had a decent length putt that I had to two-putt,” August said. “I hit my first putt a little past the hole and I had about four feet left. I knew that was for the win. To be honest, I don’t remember too much what I was thinking standing over it. I was kind of in my own little world there. I was a little nervous.”

Jenny Kwon Leads After Round One At The BC Bantam Girls Championship - BC Golf File Photos

British Columbia Golf Report

VICTORIA — Just days after winning the B.C. Juvenile Girls Championship, Vancouver’s Jenny Kwon is well positioned to add the B.C. Bantam Girls title.

The 14-year-old Kwon shot an even-par 67 in the first round of the event for players aged 14 and under at Cedar Hill Golf Course in Victoria.

BC's Jonnie Motomochi Caddied For Yu Liu In The CPKC Women's Open - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Back in 2003, Delta’s Jonnie Motomochi made headlines when at age 12 he became the youngest player to compete in the Canadian Amateur Championship, which was held that year at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club.

Motomochi was back at Shaughnessy last week, but this time he wasn’t playing. Motomochi caddied for China’s Yu Liu at the CPKC Women’s Open. “A kid that I coach, his dad knows her dad, they used to practise at the same course in Beijing,” said Motomochi, who coaches at Morgan Creek Golf Club in Surrey.

“Her caddie got Covid so they gave me a call Monday night. “It was a great experience. She’s a really good player, so it’s been fun. I didn’t say much, I didn’t do much.”

BC Juvenile Boys Champion Austin Krahn With Highland Pacific GM Jeff Palmer - BC Golf Photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

A couple of other players shot lower rounds, but no one was more consistent than Austin Krahn at the B.C. Juvenile Boys Championship.

The 16-year-old Christina Lake native shot three straight sub-par rounds at Highland Pacific Golf Club in Victoria and earned his second provincial championship of the season.

“This week I minimized my mistakes,” Krahn said. “It was all about keeping it consistent and I think I only had six bogeys on the week. It was just pars all round and then I dropped in a couple of putts for birdies. I just kept my rounds really solid.”

BC Juvenile Girls Champion Jenny Kwon With Highland Pacific GM Jeff Palmer - BC Golf Photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

When it was suggested to Jenny Kwon that she has had an impressive month of August, the 14-year-old added something of a qualifier.

“I have a lot of places for improvement, but mostly yes, I think so,” she said. These kids are never satisfied. All Kwon has done this month is win the PNGA Junior Girls Amateur and now the B.C. Juvenile Girls Championship.

The Vancouver resident, who plays out of Beach Grove Golf Club in Tsawwassen, outlasted Elsa Wu of Maple Ridge by a single shot to win the Juvenile crown for players aged 16 and under at Highland Pacific Golf Club in Victoria.

Former BC Junior Girls Champion Luna Lu - BC Golf Photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

They battled their nerves along with an exceptionally tough golf course. Teeing it up a LPGA Tour event was a new experience for five of the six British Columbians playing in the CPKC Women’s Open at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club.

“I think on a scale of one to 10 on the first tee I was like an eight or a nine,” was how Burnaby’s Luna Lu described her nerves early in Thursday’s opening round. “And then after about nine holes I was like maybe 5 or 6.”

The 16-year-old former B.C. Junior Girls champion carded a five-over 77, joining a large percentage of the field who were over par for the day.