Sloan posts season-best finish at Wyndham Championship; Wyatt Brook cherishes Willingdon Cup win; Lauren Kim knocked out in Round of 16 at U.S. Women’s Amateur; Ames repeats at Boeing Classic

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.

He came close with a tie for seventh finish that moved him to 75th, just short of where he needed to get. Fellow British Columbians Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor, both of Abbotsford, had no such worries about making the playoffs.

By Mike Massaro/Golf Canada

Saskatoon, Sask. (August 6, 2024) – The battle for the Willingdon Cup came down to the wire as Team British Columbia pulled away from Team Ontario to claim the Inter-Provincial team title at the 119th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO in Saskatoon, Sask.

Team British Columbia was led by Wyatt Brook of Heffley Creek, B.C. who shot a 4-under 68 on Tuesday to help push his team to a collective 9-under, four shots clear of Team Ontario.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf (August 6, 2024) •  Nick Taylor ties for 30th in Paris; Stuart Macdonald ties for 7th on PGA Tour Americas; Lauren Kim fifth at Canadian Women’s Amateur

By: Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

REVELSTOKE, B.C. (July 25, 2024) - Befitting a golf course that was once a horse-racing track, Steve Savage made his move at the clubhouse turn.

Savage holed out for eagle from 118 yards on the par 5 ninth hole at Revelstoke Golf Club and rolled in a 20-foot birdie putt on the long par 5 10th hole to break away from the pack and take control of the B.C. Senior Men’s Championship.

The 62-year-old Vancouver Golf Club member then hung on down the stretch to win by a nose — make that one shot.

By Keirsten Spade/Golf Canada

Vancouver, B.C.(July 23, 2024) – Humid and sunny conditions continued into round two of the 2024 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, presented by BDO making for another exciting day.

With a stellar performance, Team British Columbia secured the coveted title of this year’s Inter-Provincial Team Championship at Marine Drive Golf Club in Vancouver, B.C. 

Team British Columbia was represented by Ha Young Chang (Surrey, B.C.), Amy Seung Hyun Lee (Langley, B.C.) and Chelsea Truong (Victoria B.C). 

Click HERE for complete story...

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

After they collected their gold medals at the B.C. Summer Games golf competition, the winners really weren’t looking to celebrate. They just wanted to catch up on their sleep.

The 44 juniors who played in the 36-hole competition at Meadow Gardens Golf Course spent two nights in their own ‘athletes village.’ Their digs were the hard classroom floors of local schools. And teenagers being teenagers, not much sleep was had. “Definitely not,” laughed Langley’s Ryan Leprieur, who won the boys’ individual title.

“Sleeping on the floor of a school classroom isn’t ideal to say the least. They gave us a little foam pad and a blanket. That’s about it.”

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

ABBOTSFORD (July 12, 2024) - There is a certain symmetry to Cooper Humphreys becoming the first player to successfully defend his B.C. Amateur Championship in nearly 20 years and doing it at Ledgeview Golf Course.

The renowned Abbotsford layout has produced an impressive list of fine players, including the likes of Nick Taylor, Adam Hadwin, Ray Stewart and James Lepp. It was Lepp who last repeated as B.C. Amateur champion when he won his last of four straight B.C. Ams in 2005.

Humphreys most definitely has some Lepp in him. Like Lepp in his heyday, the 19-year-old Vernon resident can make the game look easy.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

KELOWNA (July 05, 2024) — Along with her 14 clubs, Amy Lee has four letters that accompany her nearly every time she tees it up. WAAC is a South Korean golf apparel brand and that acronym stands for Win At All Costs.

It has become something of a golfing mantra for the 16-year-old Langley resident, who seems to be winning every time she plays. Lee didn’t just successfully defend her B.C. Junior Girls Championship, she lapped her competition at Gallagher’s Canyon Golf & Country Club. Lee won by 18 shots. That’s right, 18 shots.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

KELOWNA, B.C. (July 5, 2024) - Austin Krahn won the B.C. Junior Boys Championship and for that he can thank his putter.

The 16-year-old Christina Lake resident made one clutch putt after another in the final round at Gallagher’s Canyon Golf & Country Club and emerged with a hard-fought two-stroke victory over Ryan Vest of Vernon.

“The putter was really good today,” Krahn said. “I can’t think of one putt that I hit poorly today. It was just perfect all day long.”

 Winning the B.C. Amateur can be a stepping stone to success in golf and all of the past five champions are living proof...

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.”

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Shelly Stouffer’s Drive for Five will come at high altitude. Sun Peaks Golf Course near Kamloops is playing host to the B.C. Senior Women’s Championship, where Stouffer will attempt to win her fifth straight title.

The mountainside layout should provide the big-hitting Stouffer with even more length. Sun Peaks markets itself as British Columbia’s highest-elevation golf course. “Our signature hole is the par 4 16th, which is the highest tee deck elevation in all of B.C. at 1,333 metres,” says Lauren Fine, golf operations manager at Sun Peaks.

“It has beautiful views of the valley. It’s a downhill, slight dogleg left and some players can drive the green on that hole.”

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

In what is a B.C. first, two all-girl teams have won British Columbia High School Golf Championships.

The girls from Vancouver’s Crofton House School captured the Double-A Championship played at Pheasant Glen Golf Course in Qualicum. Up the road in Nanoose Bay, the York House School all-girls team from Vancouver was winning the Single A provincial title at Fairwinds Golf Course.

This is the first year that Crofton House, which is an all-girls private school, has had a golf program. Nothing like starting out on top.

(Vancouver, BC, May 21, 2024) – Registration is open for She Plays Golf Festival, a citywide celebration of golf for women and girls taking place across the Greater Vancouver Area alongside the GOLFBC Group BC Women’s Open from June 17 – June 22, 2024.

The weeklong festival features inclusive programming for women and girls who are recreational golfers or exploring the sport for the first time. Host partners include First Tee BC, and Province of British Columbia, supporting Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Doug And Janet O’Mara Crossed The Century Mark Of Their Epic Golf Journey Deep In The Amazon Rainforest In Manaus, Brazil

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Doug and Janet O’Mara really didn’t set out to play golf in 100 different countries. It kind of just happened.

The Whistler couple love to travel and are also avid golfers. After a number of different trips to all corners of the globe, it suddenly occurred to them that they had played a lot of golf in a lot of different places. So they started counting.

Ledgeview GC, Site Of The 2024 BC Amateur - Image Courtesy Ledgeview GC

We hope you are all enjoying the off-season and are ready for a packed summer of golf. Please see the information regarding the 2024 British Columbia Golf Provincial Championships below.

As the 2024 golf season nears, we are eager to host our Provincial Championships across British Columbia.

Shauna Wilton Becomes The Third Woman To Lead The Organization Since The Amalgamation Of The BCGA & The BCLGA

For Immediate Release

Delta, BC - April 9, 2024 - British Columbia Golf, BC's Provincial Sport Organization (PSO) for golf, is pleased to announce the election of its newest president, Shauna Wilton. Wilton was officially elected by the BC Golf Board on April 6th and succeeds Greg Moody, who will remain on the board as past president.

Wilton, the third woman to hold the position of president with the Association since the amalgamation of the BCGA and the BCLGA in 2004 said, "It’s an honour to work alongside the board, staff and volunteers to positively influence the sport I love so much."

A lifelong participant in sport and an avid recreational golfer, Wilton brings a wealth of related professional experience to her new position.

Shayain Gustavsp Is In Scottdale To Experience The WM Phoenix Open -  Image Credit: Shayain Gustavsp

Editor's Note:This week, BC's Golf contributor, Shayain Gustavsp ('Coach Shayain' to many of her students and social media followers), has flown south to take in the very unique spectacle that is the WM Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, Arizona. Shayain will be posting daily observations from the 'Greatest Show on Grass' offering a wide-eyed Canadian's perspective on both the golf and the party-like atomosphere that surrounds the TPC Scottsdale's Stadium Course.

By Shayain Gustavsp (Special To BC Golf)

Heading to the Waste Management Phoenix Open, I was buzzing with the excitement of a snowbird fleeing the chill, ready to soak up Scottsdale's desert sun. Yet, Mother Nature had a twist in store, swapping my sunhat for a tuque as Vancouver's signature drizzle followed me to Arizona.

Who knew the desert could feel like a brisk day by the Pacific? Thank goodness for my stash of Lululemon layers – a shoutout to my Canadian roots and a lifesaver for weather-whiplashed golf enthusiasts like me. Lesson learned: even in the land of cacti, layering is key!

Michelle Liu (L) And Vanessa Zhang (R) Are Ivy League Bound - Image-Golf Canada/Harvard Athletic Comm. 

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

They have been longtime classmates, junior golf rivals and national debate team partners. Now Vanessa Zhang and Michelle Liu are going to be college teammates.

The two talented Vancouver teens are heading to Harvard University next fall to chase their golfing and academic dreams. Not necessarily in that order.

Yes, golf is important to both Liu and Zhang, who are in Grade 12 at Crofton House, a private school on Vancouver’s west side. But a big part of Harvard’s appeal are the opportunities the Ivy League institution offers on the academic side of things.

Jared du Toit Tees Off In 2022 RBC Canadian Open - Bernard Brault/Golf Canada Photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Jared du Toit has his Asian Tour card and now just has to sort out what that means.

On the surface it looks like a terrific opportunity for the 28-year-old Kimberley product, who tied for 12th at the final stage of the Asian Tour qualifying school last week in Hua Hin, Thailand. “I think it’s a good opportunity,” du Toit said over the phone from Thailand.

“I don’t really know how it is all going to shake out.”