Brett Webster - Image Credit Jerome Goddard/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The highlight will come when he actually tees it up in the first round of the RBC Canadian Open, but the past three weeks have also been lots of fun for Brett Webster.

Ever since playing his way into the event by winning a regional qualifier May 8 at Squamish Valley Golf Course, the Chilliwack resident has been overwhelmed by all the support he has received.

Coquitlam, BC's A.J. Ewart 

More Ziemer's Notes: UBC, UVic men struggle at NAIA championships; Heartbreak for Kim at NCAA Championship tourney; B.C. juniors impress at North Pacific team matches

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

(May 26, 2025) - The southern swing of the PGA Tour Americas circuit wrapped up in Bogota, Colombia, where Coquitlam’s A.J. Ewart capped a run of solid golf with a tie-for-third finish.

Ewart was pleased with that result but also proud of one other fact about his golf journey through South and Central America. He played in all six events, made all six cuts and did not shoot a single round over par.

“Someone told me that and I didn’t believe them so I went back and checked,” Ewart said over the phone from Bogota. “I shot even a couple of times, but every other round was under par.”

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

(May 23, 2025) - After what seems like the longest month of her life, Leah John finally gets to actually play in the U.S. Women’s Open.

It gets real now for the 25-year-old Vancouver native, who jokes that she has been playing the tournament in her head since earning a spot in the field at a qualifier in Sacramento, Calif., way back on April 21.

“Being a little excited is a real understatement, I have been living it in my mind since I qualified,” John said in an phone interview as she drove through rural Wisconsin en route to Erin Hills Golf Course, the site of the 80th playing of the U.S. Women’s Open.

L-R: Colin Lavers (Coach), Emma Kral, Lillian Zhao, Mandy Wang, Joanna Kim, Jenny Guo, Kaylee Chung, Grace Bell (Asst. Coach)

(May 22, 2025) -  The 2025 North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches are getting underway in Olympia, WA this year and Canada, represented by British Columbia, will be looking to get back in the win column after finishing second last year.

We have a great team to lead us into another top-ranked event and a good chance to bring home Lucille (the trophy).

UBC T'Birds Golf Coach Chris Macdonald - Image Credit Wilson Wong/UBC

More Ziemer's BC Golf Notes: Cooper Humphreys and his University of San Diego teammates advance to NCAA Championship tourney; Sihota wins again on Vancouver Golf Tour

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

(May 19, 2025) - The University of B.C.’s women’s golf team did the expected last week and won the NAIA Championship. Now, the UBC men hope they can do the unexpected.

Unlike the female Thunderbirds, who were ranked No. 1 before winning last week’s NAIA Women’s Championship tourney in impressive fashion, the UBC men are not among the favourites at their national championship tournament.

The Thunderbirds are ranked 10th heading into this week’s event at TPC Deere Ridge in Silvas, Ill. Head coach Chris Macdonald doesn’t think his team is getting the respect it deserves.

UBC Women's Team Celebrate The NAIA Championship - Image Credit: Jaime Crawford/JC Sports Photography

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

(May 16, 2025) - In what was a last hurrah of sorts for four departing seniors, the University of B.C. women’s golf team won another NAIA national championship.

The No. 1-ranked Thunderbirds lived up to their billing as they won going away, topping second-place Keiser University by 24 shots.

UBC was led by third-year Jessica Ng of Vancouver, who won the individual title with a 72-hole score of five-under par.

WHISTLER, BC (March 13th, 2025) —The  Vancouver Golf Tour is pleased to announce the 4th Annual GOLFBC Group BC Women’s Open, a 54-Hole Championship scheduled for June 5-7th at the world-renowned Nicklaus North Golf Course in Whistler, British Columbia. 

For the second straight year the GOLFBC Group BC Women’s Open will be played as an official event on Golf Canada’s She Plays Golf Championship Series.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

COQUITLAM, B.C. (May 12, 2025) - Redemption and a spot in the U.S. Women’s Open. It turned out to be a wonderful day at Vancouver Golf Club for Kelly Tan.

The 31-year-old Malaysian topped the field at a 36-hole U.S. Women’s Open qualifier at the pristine Coquitlam layout and in doing so erased some bad memories from a year ago.

Tan, now a Calgary resident, claimed the lone spot up for grabs in dramatic fashion when she holed a 60-foot birdie putt on her 36th and final hole of the day.

More Ziemer's BC Golf Notes: Taylor top-20s at Truist Championship; Max Osten second at PGA WORKS; Osland fourth on Annika Tour

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

(May 12, 2025) - It’s the Vancouver Golf Tour, but a 21-year-old from Victoria seems to be the guy cashing all the big cheques these days.

Jeevan Sihota is making one statement after another in the early weeks of the VGT’s summer schedule. His win at this past weekend’s Tsawwassen Springs Open was Sihota’s fifth of the season.

He finished this one off in style, closing the 36-hole event on Tsawwassen Springs’ 5,439-yard par-70 layout with a course record 59.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

SQUAMISH, B.C. (May 8, 2025) — Brett Webster already knew that PGA TOUR dreams can come true for junior golfers. He’d seen it happen first-hand with his close friend Nick Taylor, who Webster grew up playing alongside during countless rounds as kids at Ledgeview Golf Club in Abbotsford.

Webster figured that might be as close as he got to the PGA TOUR, having a buddy who has now won five times on golf’s biggest stage.

But now, for one tournament, anyway, Webster is going to share that stage with Taylor. “Pretty unreal, I didn’t expect this,” Webster, a 36-year-old Chilliwack resident, said after winning a RBC Canadian Open regional qualifier at Squamish Valley Golf Course. “I feel like I am speechless.”

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

(May 6, 2025) - Golf has a way of testing a player’s resolve and Stuart Macdonald is proud of the way he handled a stretch where he had been playing well but not seeing much in the way of tangible results.

Heading into last week’s Tulum Championship in Mexico on the Korn Ferry Tour, Macdonald had made six of his previous seven cuts but had finished no better than a tie for 56th.

Macdonald stayed patient and positive, feeling he was close to breaking through. Turns out he was right.

More Ziemer's BC Golf Notes: Macdonald loses in playoff on Korn Ferry Tour; Ewart top-10s in Peru; Anna Huang earns U.S. Women’s Open spot

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Maxim McKenzie had five birdies in his final round at the NextGen Pacific Championship, but it was one particular par that stood out. “I made a 30-foot putt for par on 11 and that one felt good,” said McKenzie. “That kind of kept the momentum going.”

The 17-year-old Chilliwack resident closed with an impressive four-under 66 at Abbotsford’s Ledgeview Golf Club to win the Junior Boys division by three shots over Nanaimo’s Manpreet Lalh.

“It feels really good,” McKenzie said. “I am definitely very proud of the way I played. I was solid this week, stayed patient and stuck to my game plan.”

More Ziemer's Notes: Leah John qualifies for U.S. Women’s Open; Taylor, Hadwin finish strong again in New Orleans; Dylan Bercan wins Pacific West Conference Championship; Future of Maple Ridge Golf Course in jeopardy

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

(April 28, 2025) - A round of golf is seldom completed without some adversity and for Meera Minhas that came at the start of the back nine at Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Club when the Simon Fraser University junior made three straight bogeys. It was at that point Minhas had a little talk with herself. “I made three birdies in a row after bogeys on 10, 11 and 12,” she said.

“I fought my way back and was telling myself ‘you are not going to let this go, you are going to really grind it out.’ So that’s what I did.”

Via Press Release

GLENVIEW, Ill. (April 23, 2025) – Two students from Victoria, British Columbia, have been awarded the Evans Scholarship — a full housing and tuition university grant offered to golf caddies — following a selection meeting interview held Feb. 19 at Victoria Golf Club in Victoria, B.C.

Connor Meir (above centre-left) and Joe Harris (above centre-right), both of Victoria, caddied at Victoria Golf Club. They are flanked in the above image by Guy Crozier (left) and Jenny Dobell right), who are the Western Golf Association Directors at Victoria Golf Club.

This fall, the two young men will begin university as Evans Scholars, with their awarded schools to be announced this spring. The Evans Scholarship is valued at more than $125,000 over four years.

More Ziemer's Notes: Surrey council rejects redevelopment plan for The Hills At Portal; Taylor-Hadwin team up once again in New Orleans; Jeevan Sihota makes it three straight wins on Vancouver Golf Tour; UBC, SFU head to conference championships

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

(April 21, 2025) - Lots of birdies and very few mistakes added up to a record-setting performance for Vancouver’s Vanessa Zhang, who went wire-to-wire to win the Ivy League Championship at Royal Palm Golf Course in Naples, Fla.

Zhang, who is completing her first season at Harvard University, made it look easy as she recorded rounds of 68, 67 and 70. Her 11-under total set an Ivy League Championship record and beat the field by five shots.

Global News sports broadcaster Jay Janower was on hand at Riverway Golf Course for the announcement that the Golf Burnaby facility will be hosting two British Columbia provincial amateur golf championships over the next two years. The BC Amateur is scheduled for Riverway in July of 2026 with the BC Women's Amateur being held there in 2027.

Janower took the time to speak with BC Golf CEO Kris Jonasson and Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley about the exciting prospect ahead for Golf Burnaby as they prepare to host the province's two premier amateur golf championships at their world-class facility. 

See the Global News story HERE.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Peter Sorokovsky will never forget his first day on the job as superintendent of Golf Burnaby’s four-course portfolio.

Sorokovsky had been hired after spending several years as assistant superintendent at Northview Golf Club in Surrey, where he had learned some things while helping oversee a massive slit drainage project. It didn’t take him long to realize that he was going to have to put that knowledge to work in a big way in Burnaby.

“I distinctly remember my first day of work with Golf Burnaby and I still have a picture I took that day of the foreman standing in the middle of the 10th fairway at Riverway in late January of 2007 and he has his rubber boots on and he is at least ankle-deep in muddy water and the grass is six inches long,” Sorokovsky says. “And I’m like, oh, no, what did I just step into.”

Turns out he had stepped into a great opportunity. Thanks to support from management at Golf Burnaby and the City of Burnaby, Sorokovsky and his staff were allowed to do the work necessary to turn Riverway into what it was intended to be: the crown jewel of Burnaby’s golf collection and one of the top municipal courses in the country.

Sport BC is proud to be partnering with members of the Regional Sport Alliance to deliver FREE sport philanthropy workshops for people working or volunteering in amateur sport.

Please use the links below to register for the one of the two upcoming Vancouver sessions: April 30th or May 22nd.

Additional Notes: Taylor finishes Masters with birdie barrage; UBC women win in Southern Oregon; SFU women a close 3rd in California; Megan Osland 3rd on Annika All Pro Tour

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

(April 14, 2025) - There’s a new sign out front, the nines have been flipped and considerable work has been done to get it in playing shape. Now all Point Roberts Golf & Country Club needs are golfers.

The course, which has been shuttered for the better part of two years, is reopening on April 18, and general manager Tracy Evans hopes British Columbia golfers will put aside all the tariff talk and fall back in love with the course.