SFU Freshman Denby Carswell Made His University Debut In Style - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Simon Fraser University golf coach Matt Steinbach suggested before the fall season began that members of his men’s team would be playing with a bit of a chip on their shoulders. They might want to leave it right there.

The SFU men are off to a fabulous start to the new year, having won their first two events for the first time since joining the NCAA. The Red Leafs opened the fall season with a win at the Bishop Invitational at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash., and then last week followed that up with a win at the Western Washington Invitational at Bellingham Golf & Country Club.

In this episode of the ModGolf Podcast, show creator and host, Colin Weston, speaks with Steve Tooshkenig, CPGA Golf Professional and inspirational Indigenous Speaker.

"Walk in that good way, helping and sharing your journey so those before you can smile."

- Steve Tooshkenig

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British Columba Golf wishes all who are observing Yom Kippur a peaceful and fulfilling day of reflection. 

Yom Kippur is the culmination of the high holidays, a period of 10 days of repentance. These dates fall during the Hebrew month of Tishrei, which typically overlap with September or October in the Gregorian calendar. In 2023, Yom Kippur begins on the evening of September 24 and ends in the evening of September 25.

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.

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.

Globe’s Top Club Fitter Offers Over 60,000 Head & Shaft Combinations in Canada

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SEPTEMBER 16, 2023 (Willowbrook, IL) – Custom golf club fitter Club Champion announces the opening of its new fitting studio, located at Ace Performance Center, 5660 Cedarbridge Way, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada.

This studio marks the first fully Club Champion-branded store in Canada after their acquisition of Tour Experience Golf (TXG) in 2022. The studio is open and accepting fitting appointments.

Mike Weir Will Captain The International Team In The 2024 Presidents Cup At Royal Montreal - Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Golf Canada 

John Chidley-Hill/ Canadian Press

SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 - Canadian golfing legend Mike Weir is counting the days until he can again hear the roar of a Presidents Cup crowd.

Weir, from Brights Grove, Ont., was doing site inspections and meeting key organizers of the 2024 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal Golf Club on Tuesday. He said that although the 12-on-12 tournament will feature some of the best players on the PGA Tour, the atmosphere is on an entirely different level than the top men’s circuit.

“There’s roars, there’s not just pops,” said Weir, who is the first Canadian to captain the International team. “It’s a whole different experience, not only for the players, but the fans, the fans are more engaged.”

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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.

As we celebrate international 'Thank A Golf Superintendent Day' here is a tribute put together by Chilliwack Golf Club to honour their hardworking crew.

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.

SFU Red Leafs Golf Coach Matthew Steinbach - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

There was a time not that long ago when Simon Fraser University golf coach Matthew Steinbach would have been delighted to have his men’s team inside the top 25 of the NCAA Division II pre-season rankings.

But when this season’s rankings were recently released with the SFU men tied for 23rd, Steinbach couldn’t help feeling like his team wasn’t getting the respect it deserved.

“There’s a belief within the program that we belong in the top 10 on the national stage,” Steinbach said in an interview. “I was disappointed with that (ranking) and we have a little chip on our shoulder because of it. Sometimes I think we get neglected as the only Canadian school in the NCAA.”

In the latest edition of the ModGolf Podcast, show host and creator Colin Weston speaks with Isaiah Mwesige, CEO of the AFRIYEA Golf Academy, regarding the rise of the game in Uganda and what Mwesige is doing to help facilitate that growth. 

"I was trying to use my real life experience and what I went through when I was younger. I used some strategies of being in the same position as all those kids who come from families who do not have access into the game of golf. I did some research and discovered that there was a need for a golf academy to create a pathway for these kids to learn and play the game."

- Isaiah Mwesige, CEO of The AFRIYEA Golf Academy

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.

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's Lauren Kim Can Still Look Back On A Pretty Successful Summer Despite Missing The Cut In The CPKC Women's Open - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Lauren Kim is not going to let some struggles at Shaughnessy spoil what has been a super summer for the Surrey teen.

Like all of the other amateurs — and many of the pros — competing at the CPKC Women’s Open, Kim didn’t perform as well as she had hoped in the LPGA Tour event.

“Honestly, I don’t really know what happened,” the 18-year-old said after finishing 10-over through two rounds and missing the cut. “It was more just technical (swing) stuff than mental stuff. It just didn’t happen this week. I was a little disappointed, but finished off pretty strong, so I am okay with that.”

Canada's Brooke Henderson Had A Nice Bounce Back Round Of 68 In Round 2 Of The CPKC Women's Open - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

It was difficult to know who was more relieved, Brooke Henderson or the organizers of the CPKC Women’s Open.

Suffice to say everyone was delighted when Henderson, the face of this tournament, rebounded with a bogey-free four-under 68 in Friday’s second round and comfortably made the cut.

Henderson drives ticket sales at this event and her early departure would have left a huge void at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club.

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.

New Zealand's Lydia Ko Is Trying Win Her 3rd CPKC Title In Vancouver & 4th Overall - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Lydia Ko is back in Vancouver and that got her to thinking about how important the city has been to not only her golf career, but her life. 

Ko won her first LPGA Tour event at the age of 15 way back in 2012 at Vancouver Golf Club and then returned to the same course three years later and won again.

“I had my first LPGA Tour win in Vancouver and I think that is where everything kind of started,” Ko said Wednesday after playing in the CPKC Women’s Open pro-am at Shaughnesy Golf & Country Club. “Who knows, if I didn’t win or play that event maybe I might have not got the opportunities along the way. It’s always going to be a very special place for me.”

Vancouver's Victoria Liu Will Have Her Dad Miles On The Bag When She Tees It Up In This Week's CPKC Open At Shaughnessy G&CC - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer. British Columbia Golf

Victoria Liu was on the driving range early Wednesday afternoon at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club, which is not unusual. Shaughnessy has become a second home of sorts for the Vancouver resident, who is heading into her third year of collegiate golf at Princeton University.

But this was a little bit of a different range session.

To her left, Lexi Thomson was hitting balls, and a couple of spots to her right, Brooke Henderson was warming up.

It was a ‘this isn’t Kansas anymore’ type of moment for Liu, who on Thursday afternoon will tee it up in her first L:PGA Tour event at the CPKC Women’s Open.

LPGA Tour Rookie Star Rose Zhang Was A Hit With First Nations Youth At Her Clinic At Musqueam Golf & Learning Centre - Image Credit: Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The first question came from nine-year-old Constanza Ordaz, who asked Rose Zhang something all frustrated golfers would like to know. “What does she do when she misses something, when she misses a shot,” the youngster asked Zhang. “What do you do?”

Zhang and everyone who had gathered at the Musqueam Golf and Learning Centre chuckled at Constanza’s question. “I wish there was a thing so you couldn’t miss on the golf course,” Zhang said. “But it’s frustrating. Golf is hard.”

Before she set foot for the first time on Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club, the site of this week’s CPKC Women’s Open, Zhang dropped by the Musqueam Golf Centre on Tuesday morning for a clinic organized by Golf Canada and the British Columbia chapter of the First Tee.