By Gord Montgomery for British Columbia Golf

January 2, 2025 (KAPALUA, Hawaii)  -  Taking advantage of sunny skies and light winds, Adam Hadwin rocketed to the top of the leaderboard in early action at the Sentry Tournament of Champions with a 6-under 67 on the par 73 layout. But while his standing didn’t last through the day, he still ended up tied for seventh. Thing is, he noted there’s a long way to go.

Abbotsford, BC's Hadwin is one of four Canadians in this year‘s event. He started quickly, plateaued a bit in the middle of his round, then finished strong.

Capilano hires its new superintendent from within, now looking for new head pro; British Columbians blanked at Asian Tour Q-school; Anna Huang earns status on Ladies European Tour

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

It was a lost opportunity, one that had weighed heavily on Stuart Macdonald in recent months. After a fine season on the PGA Tour Americas circuit, the Vancouver pro had come agonizingly close this past fall to earning a promotion to the Korn Ferry Tour.

Ten Korn Ferry Tour cards were handed out when the PGA Tour Americas season ended in early September and Macdonald fell from 10th to 11th in the final event of the season. It’s not a stretch to say he was devastated.

But Macdonald’s story has a happy ending. You could call it a Christmas miracle of sorts.

VIA MEDIA RELEASE

OAKVILLE, Ont. – What began as a marketing initiative to highlight an iconic winning moment at the RBC Canadian Open, will now take its permanent place in tournament history.

Golf Canada, in partnership with title sponsor RBC is pleased to announce that the reimagined tournament logo celebrating Nick Taylor’s historic win as the first Canadian champion in 69 years, will now become the tournament’s permanent mark.

“Team RBC Ambassador Nick Taylor’s historic winning putt will forever be an iconic moment in Canadian sports history and one of the most thrilling plays at our country’s national championship,” said Mary DePaoli, EVP & Chief Marketing Officer, RBC. “It is only fitting that Nick leaves a lasting legacy on the tournament logo and we continue to be very proud of the mark he’s made on Canadian golf.”

Golf Canada via PGA TOUR Communications 

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – (December 16, 2024)  - The PGA TOUR announced the 2025 PGA TOUR Americas schedule, which features 16 tournaments contested across eight countries, beginning in March and culminating in September at the Fortinet Cup Championship contested at Morgan Creek Golf Course in Surrey, British Columbia and where Korn Ferry Tour membership will be awarded to the top 10 finishers on the season-long Fortinet Cup standings.

For the second consecutive season, the top 10 players in the final Fortinet Cup standings will earn Korn Ferry Tour membership for the 2026 season. A $225,000 USD purse will be contested for at each of the 16 events, totaling a $3.6 million USD pot for the season. Additionally, a $100,000 bonus pool will be shared among the top 10 players, with $25,000 awarded to the points leader, courtesy of Fortinet.

Click HERE to see complete story & schedule. 

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

(December 9, 2024) - The second stage of PGA TOUR Q-school wrapped up last week and its long list of casualties included British Columbians Stuart Macdonald of Vancouver, Chris Crisologo of Richmond and A.J. Ewart of Coquitlam.

For them and so many others, PGA TOUR regular Joel Dahmen had some words of encouragement he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “For every player who didn’t get thru 2nd stage this year, keep your head up,” Dahmen said in his post. “I never got through myself. Keep believing.”

(December 2, 2024)  - Yeji Kwon sailed through her first qualifying school test and now hopes she can ace the final exam.

That would be the final stage of the LPGA Tour’s Qualifying Series, which goes Dec. 5-9 in Mobile, Ala. The 18-year-old Port Coquitlam resident earned her spot in the final stage back in late October when she tied for 10th at second-stage qualifying.

That finish has earned her good Epson Tour status for 2025, but the former Canadian Junior Girls champion doesn’t want to settle for that.

The PGA TOUR wrapped up its 2024 season at last week’s RSM Classic on St. Simons Island in Georgia, where Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor didn’t play but got some good news anyway.

Taylor managed to hang on to his spot inside the top 60 on the Fed Ex Cup points list — finishing 60th — and that means he can add a couple of lucrative Signature events to his 2025 PGA TOUR schedule.

Players finishing 51st to 60th on the points list earned invitations into two California Signature events, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on the Monterey Peninsula and the Genesis Championship at Riviera Country Club in suburban Los Angeles.

The 2024 season was a mixed bag for the four British Columbians who had PGA TOUR status. Here’s how we grade their play in 2024:

In addition to earning exempt status on next year’s European Challenge Tour at qualifying school last week, Vancouver’s Ilirian Zalli brought home some memories that will last a lifetime.

One in particular stands out for the former B.C. Junior Boys champion. It happened when Zalli and his caddie — his father Gentian — were about to begin the third round of the final stage of the DP World Tour Q-school in Spain. Standing on the first tee was two-time Masters champion José Maria Olazábal.

“He was caddying for his nephew and we were paired with him the third and fourth rounds, so my dad was really excited to meet him and pass the flagstick back and forth to José,” Zalli said with a chuckle in an interview. “That was fun for me, too. José cleaned my golf ball a few times on the greens. I didn’t even ask him. It was a little hard to believe, to be honest with you.”

(November 11, 2024) - In his 10 years on the PGA TOUR, Nick Taylor has collected more than just his four wins and millions of dollars in prize money. He has also gained considerable perspective.

That comes in handy this time of year, when Taylor is battling to remain in the top 60 on the FedEx Cup points list and gain entry into a pair of Signature events in 2025.

“I have definitely sweated out different scenarios in my time on Tour and this isn’t one of them,” Taylor said in a telephone interview. “I am not out here battling for my card like some guys are.”

(November 4, 2024) - Fraser Mullholland has had a front-row seat to Ilirian Zalli’s development as a professional golfer, so the Vancouver Golf Tour commissioner was not surprised to see Zalli advance to the final stage of the DP World Tour Q- school.

“He just continues to prove to himself and to us that he is not afraid of the moment and is fully confident in his abilities,” Mullholland said of Zalli, a former B.C. Junior Boys and Vancouver Open champion.

Zalli shot four rounds in the 60s and breezed through his second-stage Q-school site in Girona, Spain.

Yeji Kwon advances to final stage of LPGA Tour Q-school; Amy Lee commits to University of Texas; Zalli in Spain for second stage of DP World Tour Q-school

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

(October 28, 2024) - When Dylan MacDonald reflects on his time as a UBC Thunderbird, he’ll undoubtedly remember being part of NAIA and Canadian championship teams. He will also never forget one very special week in Bremerton, Wash.

Last week at Gold Mountain’s Olympic course, MacDonald played what he called the best golf of his life and won the UBC Men’s Invitational tourney with a three-round total of 17-under par.

That broke the UBC program scoring record for a 54-hole event and MacDonald’s final round of eight-under 64 matched the school’s single-round record.

“This was definitely the best golf I have ever played,” MacDonald said in an interview.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

(October 21, 2024) - Much of the focus of the PGA TOUR’s fall season is centred on players trying to fight their way into the top 125 or stay inside that magic number to retain their playing privileges for 2025.

But there’s another race that gets less attention and Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor is in the thick of it. Players who finish the fall season 51st to 60th on the FedEx Cup points list earn a couple of nice perks in 2025.

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

(October 14, 2024) - 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.