Westminster, Colorado's Jennifer Kupcho, The Defending Canadian Women's Amateur Champion Has A Two-Shot Lead After Round One - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

Vancouver’s Tiffany Kong And Naomi Ko Of Victoria The Low Canadians After First Round Of Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Jennifer Kupcho’s round started with a bogey after she shanked her wedge approach shot from the middle of the fairway. Things got a little better after that. Actually, much better.

The 21-year-old from Westminster, Colo., began defence of her Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship title with a record-setting seven-under 64 Tuesday at Marine Drive Golf Club.
“I actually shanked my approach shot on my first hole and made bogey,” a smiling Kupcho said after her round. “I just missed the putt for par. I birdied the next hole and it kind of went well from there.”

That is something of an understatement.

After that opening bogey on the par 4 10th hole -- her first of the day -- Kupcho went birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie, par, par, birdie to shoot a six-under 29 on her front nine.

British Columbia's Top Junior Girls Will Trying To Make It Four In A Row At The 2018 Canadian Junior Girls Championship At Beach Grove GC Next Week. Surrey's Susan Xiao (Inset) Was The 2017 Champion - Images Courtesy Beach Grove/Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer/British Columbia Golf

TSAWWASSEN, B.C. -- British Columbia has a little streak going at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship, one its players hope to extend at Beach Grove Golf Club.

The last three Canadian Junior Girls Championships have been won by B.C. players. Susan Xiao of Surrey won it last year, Naomi Ko of Victoria was the 2016 champion and Michelle Kim of Surrey captured the title in 2015. 

“This is home turf and the B.C. girls have to represent and do well and have some fun out here,” says Vancouver’s Tiffany Kong, one of a large number of strong B.C. players who will compete in this year’s championship, which goes July 31-Aug. 3 at Beach Grove.

Defending Champions Quebec Have Returned The Willingdon Cup (Right) Which Appeared Slightly Worse For Wear At A News Conference Hosted By Course Owner Ming Hui - Image Credit Bryan Outram / Courtesy BC Golf

Vancouver Island's Duncan Meadows Golf Course Will Challenge Canada's Best Amateurs Plus Players From 13 Other Countries Around The World In The 114th Canadian Men's Amateur Championship

By Jeff Sutherland/Inside Golf

Following on hosting a number of both provincial and national championships, the course located in the Cowichan Valley 50 km north of Victoria has recently undergone tweaking to test competitors August 6th to 9th. 

The layout has been gradually lengthened to more than 6800 yards with new tees added on three holes… most recently on the par three 16th that will make the signature hole play almost 200 yards. 

A visit to Duncan Meadows in late July showed a course that is going to present a test reminiscent of that seen at this year's Open Championship at Carnoustie. Balls will definitely be able to run.

Reprsenting BC This Week At The 52nd Pacific Coast Amateur In San Francisco Are From L-R: Lawren Rowe, Nolan Thoroughgood And Henry Lee - File Images

The 52nd Pacific Coast Amateur Championship tees of this week on Tuesday, July 24th at the famed Olympic Club in San Francisco. This is the 8th Pacific Coast Amateur Championship to be held at The Olympic Club.

All players will be vying for the individual Ed Updegraff Trophy, named after the longtime volunteer and standout amateur golfer who played on three Walker Cup teams (1963, 1965, 1969), won the inaugural Pacific Coast Amateur title at Seattle Golf Club in 1967 and was the 1999 Bob Jones Award recipient from the USGA.

Taking place concurrently with the first and second rounds will be the battle for the Morse Cup, a 36-hole stroke play team competition using predetermined rosters representing the 15 member associations of the Pacific Coast Golf Association. The defending champions of the Morse Cup are the contingent from the Southern California Golf Association.

The 2018 BC Amateur Champion, Richmond's Chris Crisologo, Will Be Teeing It Up At Glen Abbey In The RBC Canadian Open Next Week Due To A Sponsor's Exemption - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Chris Crisologo thought he would be playing the Olympic Club in San Francisco this week as part of the prestigious Pacific Coast Amateur tourney.

But Crisologo, the new B.C. Amateur champion from Richmond, got an offer he couldn’t refuse. The 22-year-old received a sponsor’s exemption into this week’s RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club. It will be the first PGA TOUR appearance for Crisologo, a member of Canada’s National Amateur team who just finished a standout collegiate golf career at Simon Fraser University.

The Last Three British Columbians To Win The Canadian Women's Amateur Championship From L-R: A.J. Eathorne, Tracey Lipp And Jessica Potter - Images Courtesy Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer/British Columbia Golf

The 105th playing of the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship begins Tuesday at Marine Drive Golf Club inVancouver. As the last three British Columbia women to win the event, Jessica Potter, A.J. Eathorne and Tracey Lipp each has a little piece of the tournament’s rich history. British Columbia Golf's Brad Ziemer asked them to reminisce about the tournament and what winning it meant to them. We begin with the most recent British Columbian to win the event:

Jessica Potter captured the title in 2006 at Moncton Golf & Country Club in New Brunswick. To say that win came as a surprise to the then 20-year-old Potter would be an understatement.

The World's Best Women Amateur Golfers Will Be Vying For The Duchess of Connaught Gold Cup (Inset) At Vancouver's Venerable Marine Drive Golf Course Next Week - Images Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

VANCOUVER -- The women’s course record at Marine Drive Golf Club is 68 and chances are you may be familiar with the player who set that mark.

Here’s a hint: she’s Swedish and has 72 LPGA Tour wins. That’s right, Annika Sorenstam holds that record at Marine Drive, which way back in 1992 co-hosted the World Amateur Team  Championships in Vancouver where Sorenstam won the individual title.

Sorenstam’s record has stood for the last 26 years, but some think it could finally fall when an exceptionally strong field gathers for the 105th playing of the Canadian Women’s Amateur  Championship, which goes July 24-27 at Marine Drive.

British Columbia Golf President Patrick Kelly Presents Doug Roxburgh With His Fourth BC Senior Men's Trophy At Big Sky GC In Pemberton - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

PEMBERTON -- Winning never gets old and neither, it seems, does Doug Roxburgh. The British Columbia golfing legend just keeps winning. At age 66, Roxburgh captured his fourth -- and second straight -- B.C. Senior Men’s Championship at Big Sky Golf Club in Pemberton.

Those four Senior titles go along with his 13 B.C. Amateur championships, four Canadian Amateur titles and a Canadian Senior championship. He is also a past B.C. Junior and Canadian Junior champion. Those, of course, were a long time ago.

With A Seven-Shot Lead Going Into The Final Round, Doug Roxburgh Is Looking Pretty Good To Capture His Fourth B.C. Senior Men's Title At Big Sky GC In Pemberton - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

PEMBERTON -- The wind whipped through the Pemberton Valley on Wednesday afternoon, but Doug Roxburgh didn’t even flinch. Roxburgh remained rock steady as he fired a one-under 71 to take a seemingly insurmountable seven-shot lead into Thursday’s final round of the B.C. Senior Men’s Championship at Big Sky Golf Club. 

“The wind really came up,” Roxburgh said. “I guess that is what often happens here in the afternoon. On some holes it added at least a club and you had to play a little defensive on some holes. There is a lot of water near the greens and off the tee and you kind start steering the ball. It was definitely challenging, but I hit a lot of good shots today.”

Vancouver's Doug Roxburgh Is In A Familiar Place At The Top Of The Leaderboard In A British Columbia Golf Championship - Golf Canada File Image

By Brad Ziemer/British Columbia Golf

Doug Roxburgh came within one shot of shooting his age in Tuesday’s first round of the B.C. Senior Men’s Championship at Big Sky Golf Club in Pemberton.

Roxburgh, the defending champion, fired a five-under 67 to grab a three-shot lead on two other past champions, Harry Ferguson of Invermere and Sandy Harper of Nanaimo.

Sy Lovan (R) Was The Medallist While Chris Crisologo (L) Took The Second U.S. Amateur Qualifying Spot At Pitt Meadows GC In A Playoff. The Two Were Teammates On The SFU Men's Golf Team, With Crisologo Graduating This Year - Image Credit David Atkinson/BC Golf

Simon Fraser University Clan Men's Golf Team standouts Sy Lovan and Chris Crisologo took the two available spots at a U.S. Amateur Qualifier held at Pitt Meadows GC on Monday in what turned out to be a very long, hot day at the 'Pitt'. 

The scheduled 36-hole qualifier stretched into a 41-hole marathon for Crisologo who had to play 5 extra holes with UBC Golf Team member Zaahidali (Ziggy) Nathu before determining the 2nd qualifiying place.

BC Golf Legend Doug Roxburgh Goes For His Fourth B.C. Senior Men's Title This Week At Big Sky Golf Club - File Image

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Doug Roxburgh is looking for another senior moment. Fresh off his 52nd straight B.C. Amateur Championship appearance, where he made the cut for the 50th time, Roxburgh this week defends his B.C. Senior Men’s Championship title at Big Sky Golf Club in Pemberton. A huge field of 168 players will play in the 54-hole event that begins Tuesday.

“It is going to be a fun week,” Roxburgh said. “I just like playing competitions. Big Sky is a great course, you have to hit every club in the bag and it will be a good challenge.”

Mitchell Baldridge Holds The Macan Cup After His 36-Hole Final Match Win Over Vancouver, BC's Trevor Yu (Inset) In The Pacific Northwest Men’s Amateur Championship - Image Courtesy PNGA

DuPont, Wash. – Mitchell Baldridge of Edgewood, Wash. defeated Trevor Yu of Vancouver, B.C. 2-up in the 36-hole final match to win the 117th Pacific Northwest Men’s Amateur Championship, held this week at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash.

In the tight pressure-packed match, Baldridge never trailed. He won the first hole with a par, and was able to go 2-up a couple of times during the day, but Yu continually came back. Yu birdied the long par-4 13th hole in their afternoon round (their 31st hole in the match) to square the match up, but three holes later, the long-hitting Baldridge birdied the par-5 16th (34th hole of the match) to go 1-up.

Richmond's Chris Crisologo Holds The Bostock Trophy As The 2018 B.C. Amateur Champion - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

KAMLOOPS -- His last win had come some 11,000 kilometres from home and was beginning to feel like a lifetime ago. Actually, it had only been seven months since Chris Crisologo travelled to Buenos Aires, Argentina and won the South American Amateur Championship.

That was a huge win for the talented 22-year-old from Richmond, but so was the one he earned Friday at Rivershore Golf Links in Kamloops.

In a way, it might even be bigger for Crisologo, a young man who is proud of his British Columbia roots and was absolutely delighted to hoist the Bostock Trophy as the 2018 winner of the B.C. Amateur Championship.

Now That She's Got Her Hands On The Flumerfelt Trophy As The B.C. Women's Amateur Presented By Maui Jim Champion, The19-year-old Delta Resident Will Turn Her Attention To The Canadian Women’s Amateur Later This Month At Marine Drive Golf Club In Vancouver - Image Credit Greg Moody/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

It wasn’t until Mary Parsons clutched the Flumerfelt Cup as B.C. Women’s Amateur champion that the significance of what she had accomplished really began to sink in.

“I saw a few of the names and I was just thinking like those are some pretty amazing players and to have my name on it with them means a lot,” Parsons said after her convincing win at Golden Golf Club.

Richmond's Chris Crisologo Hit All 18 Greens In Regulation En Route To A 7-under 65 And The 3rd Round Lead In The B.C. Amateur At Rivershore Golf Links - BC Golf File Image/ Credit Jurgen Kaminski (JKam Photos)

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

KAMLOOPS -- Chris Crisologo thinks he is finally finding his form and that could be bad news for the rest of the field at the B.C. Amateur Championship.

Crisologo, whose play was not up to his high standards during a recent four-week trip to Europe with Canada’s National Amateur Team, went on a back-nine birdie binge in Thursday’s third round of the B.C. Amateur at Rivershore Golf Links.

A back nine 30 that included four birdies and an eagle on the 18th hole propelled Crisologo to a seven-under 65 that has him at the top of the leaderboard at nine-under par.

Delta's Mary Parsons Will Take A Commanding 13-shot Lead Into Friday's Final Round Of The 2018 B.C. Women's Amateur Presented By Maui Jim At Golden Golf Club - Image Credit Jurgen Kaminski (JKam Photos)/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Thirteen is not everyone’s lucky number, but Mary Parsons is feeling okay with it. Parsons shot her first over-par round of the week Thursday, but her lead at the B.C. Women’s Amateur Presented by Maui Jim Championship increased to a baker’s dozen at Golden Golf Club.

The 19-year-old Delta resident shot a two-over par 74 and stands at two-under 214 through three rounds. Christina Proteau of Port Alberni and Hannah Lee of Surrey are tied for second at 11-over. Proteau shot a 74 Thursday, while Lee recorded the day’s best round, an even-par 72.

It Was 'Home Sweet Home' For Brent Pound As He Played Rivershore Golf Links In Round 2 Of The B.C. Amateur Like Somebody Who'd Been There Before...Several Times Before - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf                                

        13-time Winner Doug Roxburgh Makes The Cut For The 50th Time In 52 Appearances At B.C. Amateur Championship

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

KAMLOOPS -- Rivershore Golf Links was once home for Brent Pound, who literally grew up on the course he says he has probably played a couple thousand times. On Wednesday, Pound put all that local knowledge to good use as he grabbed a share of the second-round lead at the 116th playing of the B.C. Amateur Championship.

The 26-year-old, still a resident of Kamloops, but now a member at Kamloops Golf & Country Club, fired the low round of the day -- a five-under 67 -- that moved him to eight-under par and into a tie with Patrick Murphy of Calgary.

“I lived on the third hole from when I was 12 to 19,” Pound said. “I made double-bogey on that hole yesterday. You’d think I would have an advantage on it, but apparently not. I got my (par) four today and ran off to the fourth tee.”

Delta, BC's Mary Parsons Has Built Herself A Commanding 10-Shot Lead At The Halfway Point Of The 2018 B.C. Women's Amateur Presented By Maui Jim Championship - Image Credit Jurgen Kaminski (JKam Photos)/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Mary Parsons’ biggest opponent at the B.C. Women’s Amateur Presented By Maui Jim Championship may be complacency. Parsons fired her second straight two-under par 70 Wednesday at Golden Golf Club and carries a 10-shot lead into Wednesday’s third round of the 72-hole event.

Perhaps the only person who can beat Parsons is herself. The 19-year-old Delta resident vows not to let that happen. “I think I am not going to be as stressed out on the course because I’ve got this kind of lead, but I am still going to try and play aggressive and try to shoot another low number,” Parsons said. “That is my mindset going into the next day.”

Canadian And B.C. Golf Legend Doug Roxburgh (Inset Being Inteviewed By Brad Ziemer) Has High Praise For This Year's Site Of The B.C. Amateur, Rivershore Golf Links - Course Image Courtesy BCgolfguide.com/Inset BC Golf File Photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

KAMLOOPS -- Doug Roxburgh, a soft-spoken guy not given to hyperbole, is effusive in his praise of Rivershore Golf Links, the site of this week’s 116th playing of the B.C. Amateur Championship.

“I love this golf course,” Roxburgh says of Rivershore. “For me, it is one of the top three in the province with Capilano and (Royal) Colwood. I really like the variety of holes, the water, the sand. It is a really good test of golf. And it’s totally fair.”