Hadwin Looking To Continue His Vegas Roll; Crisologo Aces First Q -School Test; Kim Shines In College Match Play Event; Zalli-Jacob Win 79th B.C. Match Play Championship

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The UBC-Okanagan men’s team didn’t just win the Canada West Golf Championships, they dominated the competition. The Heat capitalized on home-course advantage to post a team total of 24-under par and beat the field by 17 shots at Okanagan Golf Club’s Bear Course in Kelowna.

Second-year player Ryan Gillis led the way, winning the individual title with a 36-hole score of nine-under par. UBC-Okanagan teammates Thomas Lemay and Andrew Rouble joined Gillis on the podium. Heat coach Clay Stothers was obviously delighted with the performance of the men’s team.

“I couldn’t imagine us winning by 17 shots and having three players on our team coming first, second and third,” Stothers said. “It was a surreal, magical couple of days when everything kind of lined up nicely.”

Zalli survives first stage of DP World Tour Q-school; Lauren Kim fifth in sophomore debut; UBC men, women win season-openers; Svensson ties for 13th at Procore Championship

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Both are seasoned competitors who enjoyed considerable success in their junior golf careers, but Matthew Wilson and Vanessa Zhang will tell you that teeing it up in their first collegiate event felt a little different.

For starters, they are no longer just playing for themselves. They are now part of a team. And then there are those long 36-hole days to start tournaments.

So it felt different, but that certainly did not prevent Nanaimo’s Wilson and Vancouver’s Zhang from making impressive collegiate debuts.

Golf Canada

(September 11, 2024) - The chase for the remaining PGA TOUR cards for the 2025 season begins Thursday at the Procore Championship.

Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., is one of the players hunting to stay on the tour in the FedEx Cup Fall mini-season, and he’s using every tool at his disposal to secure one of the 55 remaining full cards or 25 spots with conditional status for next year. That includes relying on analytics to help him better strategize on the course.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

PRATTVILLE, AL (September 09, 2024) - Leah John seems to be getting the hang of this professional golf thing.

The 24-year-old Vancouver native, who only graduated from college this past spring, headed out on her pro golf journey this summer not quite knowing what to expect.

The two-time B.C. Women’s Amateur Champion hoped she could prove to herself that her game was ready for the next level.

Mission accomplished.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

TORONTO,ON (September 09, 2024) - The PGA Tour Americas season ended in the worst possible way for Stuart Macdonald.

The Vancouver native’s final round turned into an absolute nightmare as he dropped from seventh to 11th on the Tour’s points list and missed earning exempt status on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour by one spot.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

BRAINERD, Minn (September 2nd, 2024) - Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald took a big step toward securing a promotion to the Korn Ferry Tour with a tie for 12th finish at the PGA Tour Americas’ CRMC Championship in Brainerd, Minn.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

VANCOUVER, B.C. (AUGUST 25, 2024) - It was a five-foot putt, the kind Delta’s Jace Minni has spent countless hours practising on the putting green while imagining he needed to sink each one for a big win.

This time it was for real and Minni rolled it in to win the Odlum Brown Vancouver Open. “It was probably half a ball outside right,” Minni said of his winning birdie putt on Fraserview Golf Course’s 18th green.

“I have practised my putting so much this past year. I’d be on the putting green going, ‘this is a putt to win, this is a putt to do it,’ and now it finally came to fruition.”

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

(August 19, 2024) - In one week, A.J. Ewart has gone from relying on sponsor’s exemptions to get into PGA Tour Americas events to now being tantalizingly close to earning Korn Ferry Tour status.

The 25-year-old Coquitlam native changed his professional golfing life in a big way with an impressive wire-to-wire win at the Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open. That victory moved Ewart up to 14th spot on the PGA Tour Americas’ Fortinet Cup points list.

Three events remain and the top 10 on the points list at season’s end earn Korn Ferry Tour status for 2025.

SNOQUALMIE, Wash. (August 12, 2024) - A naturalized Canadian from Trinidad and Tobago, 60-year-old Stephen Ames, won his third PGA Tour Champions title of the season and ninth overall at the Boeing Classic.

He won four times on the PGA Tour. “This stage right now, this is all icing on my cake, so I’m just enjoying this and I’m going to take it as long as it goes,” Ames said.

By: Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

(August 12, 2024) - A spirited playoff push by Surrey’s Adam Svensson fell just short at the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship.

Svensson entered the final regular-season event at No. 82 on the FedEx Cup points list and needed to move inside the top 70 to qualify for the lucrative three-event playoffs.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Mary Parsons didn’t want it to be deja vu all over again. Thankfully, it wasn’t. Her season on the Annika Women’s All Pro Tour had a much sweeter ending than the one the former B.C. Junior Girls champion experienced last year.

The Delta native finished third at the season-ending Heritage Classic in Wichita, Kan., this past weekend and moved up two spots to finish fourth on the tour’s Callaway Race to Qualifying Program.

Vanessa Zhang third at Canadian Juniors; Royal Colwood plays host to this week’s Canadian Women’s Amateur; Ziggy Nathu wins Golden Ears Open

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf (July 29, 2024)

Adam Svensson’s push for the PGA TOUR playoffs just got more difficult. The Surrey native entered the final round of the 3M Championship in Blaine, Minn., tied for sixth and in great position to move inside the top 70 on the FedEx Cup points list.

But a four-over 75 in the final round dropped Svensson down into a tie for 37th. Instead of moving up the points list, Svensson fell two spots from 79th to 81st. The top 70 players qualify for the PGA TOUR playoffs and with just one regular-season event remaining, Svensson will likely need at least a top-five finish to crack the top 70.

• Opening Ceremonies will commence at 6:45 a.m. MT on the 18th tee at Earl Grey Golf Club
• Opening round groupings and tee times now available
• Download the Golf Canada App for your full CPKC Women’s Open Tournament Experience

GROUPINGS AND TEE TIMES FOR OPENING ROUNDS OF CPKC WOMEN’S OPEN
Groupings and start times for the opening two rounds of the 50th playing of Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship on Thursday, July 25 and Friday, July 26 are available online here.

FIELD FOR THE 2024 CPKC WOMEN’S OPEN
Click here for the full current list of competitors competing in the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open, July 23 – 28 at Earl Grey Golf Club in Calgary.

Click HERE for the CPKC Women's Open Leaderboard

MOBILE APP EXPERIENCE
Experience the CPKC Women’s Open like never before by downloading the Golf Canada Mobile App on your iOS or Android device. Essential features include a live map, leaderboard & pairings, tickets, breaking news, and special events.

Plus, use the Golf Canada Mobile App to enhance your experience while playing! Find golf courses, track your game, set up matches against friends, access GPS yardages and more. Click here to download.

ABOUT THE CPKC WOMEN’S OPEN
The stars of the LPGA Tour will challenge for the CPKC Women's Open from July 23-28, 2024, at Earl Grey Golf Club in Calgary, Alta. Through its CPKC Has Heart program, title sponsor CPKC will once again make a substantial donation to the host community of Canada's National Open Golf Championship by supporting the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation.

The 2024 CPKC Women's Open is proudly sponsored by CPKC, BDO, Audi, RBC, theScore, Levelwear, Titleist, FootJoy, Hilton, Sleeman Clear 2.0, Think Turkey, The Keg, Johnsonville, Cayman Islands, Masi, Celebrity Cruises, STALK&BARREL, Matt & Steve’s, Pepsi, Connect Hearing, Waste Management, Rolex and is supported by Calgary Tourism.

For information visit www.cpkcwomensopen.com/.

Leah John top-10s on Epson Tour and also gets CPKC exemption; New B.C. Senior Men’s champion to be crowned in Revelstoke: Marine Drive plays host to Canadian Junior Girls Championship

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf (July 22, 2024)

Mary Parsons’ first professional win came with a bonus she really wasn’t expecting. Along with the $10,000 first-place cheque for winning the Kathy Whitworth Championship in Trophy Club, Tex., on the Annika All Women’s Pro Tour, Parsons knew she was also getting a spot in an Epson Tour event in late August.

But the Delta native is also receiving something much bigger than that. Parsons was informed after her win that she has a spot in this week’s LPGA Tour event, the CPKC Women’s Open in Calgary. “I am very thrilled,” Parsons said over the phone. “It will be my second LPGA start. I played back in 2019 as an amateur. It will be exciting to play an LPGA event as a pro now. I will try to keep it rolling and see what I can do.”

Yeji Kwon gets first pro win; Nathan Ward seeks to defend title at B.C. Mid-Amateur Championship; Hadwin, Taylor head to Open Championship

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

DELTA, B.C. (July 15, 2024) - Shelly Stouffer saved her birdies for when she really needed them in the final round of the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship.

The Nanoose Bay resident began the final round with a three-shot lead — thanks in no small part to a four-under 68 in the second round — but that cushion had evaporated by the time she and American Catherine Matgranga had reached the 16th tee at Crown Isle Golf Resort in Courtenay.

Matgranga, a Fort Worth, Tex., resident had birdied the 14th and 15th holes to pull even. Stouffer hadn’t made a birdie all day. The momentum seemed to be on the Texan’s side.

Humphreys in good form as he readies for B.C. Amateur title defence; Barker wins Ogopogo in record-setting fashion; Stinson prevails at Chilliwack Open

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Victoria’s Jeevan Sihota recorded the biggest win of his young pro career at the Mickelson National Invitational in Calgary.

The 20-year-old earned a $30,000 payday after finishing the 54-hole event at 12-under par, one shot better than runner-up Brady McKinlay of Lacombe, Alta. “It’s been a while since I had my last win, so it feels good,” Sihota said in a telephone interview.

Sihota was tied for the lead heading into the final round and after bogeying his first hole, he played flawlessly the rest of the way. He closed with a six-under 66.

Sloan T31 at Rocket Mortgage; Parry, Kim win PGA of BC titles;
                                              Towill makes 1st PGA Tour Americas cut                                                

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

A solid freshman season at the University of Tennessee was followed by just a so-so sophomore campaign and Angela Arora felt like she needed a change. A fresh start.

So the soon-to-be 20-year-old from Surrey decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal and see what happened. The former B.C. Junior and Juvenile Girls champion feels like she hit a jackpot of sorts by accepting an offer to join the University of Arizona in Tucson.

“I am excited, I am very excited,” Arora said in an interview. “I just decided to go on the portal and honestly I was talking to a bunch of schools and Arizona stood out.”

Svensson top-20s at Travelers; Crisologo top British Columbian at PGA Tour Americas’ Canadian opener; Lauren Kim tees it up in British Women’s Amateur

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Ellie Szeryk began the final round of the GolfBC Group B.C. Women’s Open with a seven-shot lead and didn’t quite know how to handle it. “I have never had a lead like that before,” Szeryk said.

“In college, I would have a one-shot lead and I would have Ingrid Lindblad, the world No. 1, right behind me. So it was a little nerve-wracking today just dealing with some emotions. It was a really big learning experience for me.” And one the 22-year-old handled with relative ease.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

His first qualifying school was everything Justin Towill thought it might be, a nerve-wracking, emotional roller-coaster that left him physically and mentally drained.

It was the longest four days of Towill’s golfing life and it wasn’t quite over when the Kelowna native holed his final putt at Crown Isle Golf Resort in Courtenay. Towill now had to watch the leaderboard and wait.

The 23-year-old had finished the 72-hole test at seven-under par and stood solo 10th. The top nine players earned exempt status for the North American swing of the PGA Tour Americas circuit.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Adam Hadwin’s third-place finish at the Memorial Tournament booked him a spot in next month’s Open Championship at Royal Troon and also put Hadwin in great position to join fellow Abbotsford native Nick Taylor at the Summer Olympics in Paris.

Canada’s two-man Olympic golf team will be determined by the Official World Golf Ranking after this week’s U.S. Open Championship in Pinehurst, N.C.