Merritt, BC's Roger Sloan Has His Golf Game In A Groove Of Late. And, Yes, He Does Know Something About Liverpool's Fab Four, Despite What Peter Kostis Thinks - Sloan Image Credit Alfie Lau/BC Golf (Beatles Image Used With Consent)

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Roger Sloan wasn’t born Yesterday. Of course he knows who the Beatles are. Sloan, the 32-year-old Merritt product who is wrapping up a successful season on the PGA TOUR, laughs when the subject of the Fab Four is broached. “That is a funny story,” Sloan says.

It was at the John Deere Classic earlier this month when CBS golf analyst Peter Kostis suggested on air that Sloan, who was in contention that week, didn’t really know anything about John, Paul, Ringo and George. Sloan says that could not be further from the truth.

Doug Roxburgh Will Be Going For B.C. Senior Men's Championship Number Five This Week In Vernon - Image Credit Jurgen Kaminski (JKam Photos)/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Doug Roxburgh will be seeking his fifth B.C. Senior Men’s Championship this week at Vernon Golf Club. The 67-year-old Roxburgh won last year’s championship by 10 shots at Big Sky Golf Club in Pemberton and will be looking for his third straight Senior Men’s title.

The 13-time B.C. Amateur champion served notice earlier this month at Big Sky that his game is in solid shape. Roxburgh finished the 117th playing of the B.C. Amateur at Big Sky with a one-over 73 on a course that was set up at about 6,900 yards for the final round. And Roxburgh said that round could have been much better. “I played well,” he said. “I had good looks at birdie on the last three holes and didn’t make any of them.”

BC's Chris Crisologo (Inset Left) And Tristan Mandur (Inset Right) Have Each Qualified For Next Month's Prestigious U.S. Amateur

Richmond’s Chris Crisologo has played his way into next month’s United States Amateur Championship. Crisologo earned one of two available spots at a 36-hole qualifier at Palouse Ridge Golf Club in Palouse, Wash. Crisologo fired rounds of 72 and 67 to finish one-under par for the day. That was six shots behind medalist Joe Highsmith of Lakewood, Wash.

The 119th playing of the U.S. Amateur goes Aug. 11-18 at the Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. Crisologo, a member of Canada’s National Amateur Team and the 2018 B.C. Amateur champion, will be joined in the U.S. Amateur field by fellow British Columbian Tristan Mandur of North Cowichan.

The Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Council (I∙SPARC) is pleased to announce the 2019 BC Indigenous Provincial Golf Championships will be hosted in partnership with xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam First Nation) at the Musqueam Golf & Learning Academy from August 16 - 18, 2019 in Vancouver, BC.

Indigenous youth golfers are invited to attend this 3-day event sanctioned by the British Columbia Golf Association.

Please note this event will also serve as a talent identification event to identify athletes to form a "Team BC Development Squad" to train for and pursue participation in the 2020 North American Indigenous Games held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, from July 12 to 18, 2020.

The 2019 Canadian Amputee and Disabled National Open (CADNO) will be held in Okotoks, Alberta at the River’s Edge Golf Club August 13 – 16, 2019. The event will be a 54-hole tournament open to all amputees and people with qualifying disabilities.

British Columbians are being invited to share their views on how we should observe time in our province. Most areas of B.C. currently “spring forward” into Daylight Saving Time during summer months and “fall back” to Standard Time in the winter.

British Columbia Golf believes that continuing to change our clocks bi-annually is of particular benefit for recreational activities including, of course, golf.

Please read on and take the online survey if you wish to make your voice heard on the subject.

Young Vancouver Golfers Tiffany Kong (L) And Angela Zhang (R) Are Heading To Princeton University And Dartmouth College To Play Golf And Study This Fall - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Tiffany Kong and Angela Zhang aren’t just good golfers, they are also excellent students and that combination has the two Vancouver friends heading to the Ivy League.

Kong is off to Princeton University in New Jersey this fall, while Zhang is bound for Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. Both are beyond excited about what lies ahead and delighted they will be seeing one another on the course as they begin the next phase of their lives.

Lauren Kim Tees Off On The 18th Hole At Seymour GC En Route To Qualifying For The U.S. Women's Amateur - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

She is one of Canada’s rising young golf talents and 13-year-old Lauren Kim now has a spot in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. 

Despite a double-bogey finish, the Surrey resident carded a one-over 73 Tuesday at Seymour Golf & Country Club in North Vancouver to earn one of four spots available at a sectional qualifier for one of the most prestigious events in amateur golf.

The National Junior Golf Development Centre (NJGDC) initiative was established to recognize facilities that offer a first-class experience for children aged 5-18. NJGDC support and run nationally endorsed programs, having trained and certified PGA of Canada golf coaches, they are also linked to schools in their surrounding communities.

All facilities meet the minimum national standards for the delivery of junior golf programs, coaching, and instruction. All of the parties involved are dedicated and committed to making these locations state-of-the-art facilities that offer a welcoming atmosphere for juniors of all levels.

(Canadian Golf Hall of Fame)

Courtesy Golf Canada

It is with great sadness that Golf Canada, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame Museum as well as the entire golf community mourns the loss of Margaret (Sutcliffe) Todd, who passed away July 15, 2019 at the age of 101.

Born May 31, 1918 in Montreal, Todd was a pioneer in Canadian women’s golf. A natural at the game, she won three British Columbia Amateur titles, two Canadian Women’s Senior titles and played on a host of teams, including Canada’s first international team to Great Britain. She also won the Victoria Golf Club championship an astonishing 14 times.

The first five legs of the British Columbia Golf Fantasy Golf Tour Challenge are in the books and we have our up to date group of qualifiers for the Grand Prize final event in the PGA TOUR FedEx Cup Championship.

Next up...The Open Championship.

The contest is easy, fun, flexible...and free. Pick your team in any, or all, of four remaining qualifying tournaments through the summer. If you finish in the top 10% of entrants in any one of them you are immediately qualified for the season-ending Championship playoff.

Emerge victorious there and you will be crowned BC Golf Fantasy Challenge champion. And that title comes with a terrific golf & stay package from Bear Mountain Resort. 

Roger Sloan's Fine Play Of Late Has Earned Him A Spot On The PGA TOUR For Next Season - BC Golf File Photo (Alfie Lau)

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Merritt’s Roger Sloan is taking the week off. He has certainly earned a little vacation time. Sloan has been on a terrific run in recent weeks that has allowed him to clinch his exempt status for next year on the PGA TOUR. He finished tied for 10th place at the John Deere Classic, where he closed with a two-under 69 on Sunday. Sloan has played his last 12 rounds under par.

Thanks to that solid play, he finds himself 103rd on the FedEx Cup point list. The top 125 at the end of the regular season remain exempt for next year and with only three regular-season events left on the schedule, Sloan is safe.

 Jackson Rothwell Of Victoria Holds The B.C. Amateur Championship Trophy Aloft After His Win At Big Sky GC In Pemberton - Images Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

PEMBERTON -- A nightmarish start to his round ended with a dream finish for Jackson Rothwell, who won the B.C. Amateur Championship the hard way Friday at Big Sky Golf Club.

The 18-year-old Victoria resident hit a wayward drive off the first tee, made double-bogey and lost the lead he had enjoyed since the first round. Rather than bow his head and surrender to the butterflies that were in full flight in his stomach, Rothwell showed plenty of resolve the rest of the way as he battled with Isaac Lee of Pitt Meadows in the 117th playing of the championship.

Thanks to some clutch play on the back nine, Rothwell emerged with a one-shot win that no one really saw coming. Especially Rothwell.  This wasn’t exactly a Cinderella story out of nowhere, but it was close.

16-Year Old Angel Lin Holds The Champion's Trophy After Winning The 2019 B.C. Women's Amateur At Nanaimo Golf Club - Images Credit Kris Jonasson/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Angel Lin is the new B.C. Women’s Amateur champion, even though she is having a little trouble believing it. “Honestly, I don’t really have the words for it,” the 16-year-old from Surrey said. “It is amazing, it is an honour, it is mind-blowing. I think it will sink in on the ferry ride home. I still don’t really believe it yet.”

Lin shot the best round of the day, a one-under 71, at Nanaimo Golf Club on Friday and beat Richmond’s Alisha Lau by two shots for the biggest win of her young golfing life. Lin, who is heading into Grade 12 at Elgin Park Secondary in Surrey, finished the 72-hole event at one-over par. She played the final 36 holes in five-under.

Jackson Rothwell Will Take A One Shot Lead Into The Final Round Of The 2019 B.C. Amateur At Big Sky GC In Pemberton - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

PEMBERTON -- Jackson Rothwell blitzed the front nine at Big Sky Golf Club, had to scramble on the back nine and emerged with a one-shot lead after Thursday’s third round of the 117th B.C. Amateur Championship. “It was a bit of a roller-coaster,” the 18-year-old from Victoria said. “The front nine was spectacular. The back nine was tough.”

Rothwell ended up with a four-under 68 that left him at nine-under par through 54 holes. Isaac Lee of Pitt Meadows is one shot back. Rothwell had a magical streak of four holes on his front nine starting at the par 5 fourth hole. He went birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie and did not have to sink a putt longer than five feet.

Surrey's Angel Lin Had The Low Round Of The Tournament Thus Far In The 2019 BC Women's Amateur At Nanaimo GC - File Photo/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

If Alisha Lau and Phoebe Yue thought they were going to turn the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship into a two-player race, they learned Thursday that Angel Lin had other plans.

Lin, a 16-year-old from Surrey, moved into contention with a tournament-low four-under 68 in Thursday’s third round that left her just one back of Lau and Yue. Lin made six birdies in her trip around Nanaimo Golf Club. She got her round started with birdies on the first two holes and finished nicely by birdieing two of her final three holes.

“The first two definitely gave me some momentum,” Lin said. “On the first hole I hit it to about three feet and on the second hole I think I had about a four-and-a-half footer. So that was a nice way to start.”

North Cowichan's Tristan Mandur, A Former B.C. Junior Boys Champion, Is Tied For The Lead Heading Into The 3rd Round Of The B.C. Amateur At Big Sky GC - Image Credits Jurgen Kaminski/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

PEMBERTON -- It didn’t just rain during Wednesday’s second round of the B.C. Amateur Championship at Big Sky Golf Club. At times, it absolutely poured.

It rained so hard that mudslides could be heard thundering down Mount Currie, which towers over the Pemberton layout, and suddenly par became everyone’s best friend. “I made a couple of big numbers coming in,” said first-round leader Jackson Rothwell, who finished his second round in the worst of the weather.

“I don’t want to blame it all on the rain, but it definitely didn’t make it easy. Your grips get wet, even just standing there in the rain it is tough to keep your concentration. You are trying to keep everything dry. Everybody has got to play in it, but it’s tough to keep focused.”

West Vancouver's Phoebe Yue Had The Day's Low Round Moving Her Into A Tie For The Lead At The B.C. Women's Amateur At Nanaimo GC After Round Two - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

They have each won a B.C. Junior Girls Championship and now Alisha Lau and Phoebe Yue have an opportunity to add a B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship to their trophy collection.

The two good friends are tied for the lead at the halfway mark of the Women’s Amateur at Nanaimo Golf Club. They stand at even par through 36 holes and are four shots ahead of the rest of the field. Yue, a 19-year-old West Vancouver resident who just completed her freshman year at UCLA in Southern California, had the day’s best round. She fired a one-under 71 on Wednesday.

“I am pretty pleased with the round,” Yue said. “I had a couple of birdie putts from inside 10 feet that didn’t go in. Those hurt a little bit, but I am happy with how I played. There were some little mistakes here and there and I could have made some more putts, but I am feeling good.”

Victoria, BC's Jeevan Sihota Will Tee It Up In The 72nd U.S. Junior Amateur At The Famed Inverness Club Next Week - Image Credit Chuck Russell/Golf Canada

TOLEDO, Ohio (July 9, 2019) – The United States Golf Association (USGA) announced tee times for the first two rounds of the 72nd U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, Monday (July 15) and Tuesday (July 16), at 7,339-yard, par-71 Inverness Club.

Victoria, BC's Jeevan Sihota is one of 8 Canadians in the field for the event.

First Round Leader At The B.C. Amateur Championship At Big Sky In Pemberton, Jackson Rothwell, Grimaces As His Eagle Putt Just Misses On The 18th. The Putt Would Have Given Him A 64 On The Day - Images Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

PEMBERTON -- The tournament round of Jackson Rothwell’s young golfing life has given him the first-round lead at the 117th B.C. Amateur Championship. On a hot, muggy day, the 18-year-old Victoria native scorched Big Sky Golf Club with a seven-under 65. "That’s my best tournament score -- so far,” Rothwell said with a smile after his round. “We’ll see if we can go lower tomorrow.”

Rothwell, who finished third at last week’s B.C. Junior Boys Championship at Fairwinds Golf Club in Nanoose Bay, had eight birdies and just one bogey in his round. He has a two-shot lead on Isaac Lee of Pitt Meadows.