Defending Champion John Gallacher Tees Off At Shuswap Lake Estates Golf Course As He Attempts To Go Back-To-Back In The BC Senior Men's Championship -Image Credit Brad Ziemer

Doug Roxburgh Tied With Three Others For First-Round Lead

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

BLIND BAY -- It is as much about the camaraderie as the competition. The field for this week’s B.C. Senior and Super-Senior Men’s Championships at Shuswap Lake Estates Golf Course in Blind Bay numbers 144. Most know they have no chance of winning, but that doesn’t matter.

They are here to play with old friends and maybe meet some new ones. Toasts will be made in the bar after their rounds. Stories will be told. They will celebrate their birdies and lament their bogeys or those dreaded others.

Marine Drive Member Chris Crisologo Was The Medallist At His Home Course In The Historic First U.S. Amateure Qualifier To Be Held In Canada - Image Credit Bryan Outram/British Columbia Golf

By Bryan Outram

Vancouver, BC - July 18, 2016 - The historic first U.S. Amateur Qualifying event to be held in Canada at Marine Drive Golf Club produced club member Chris Crisologo as its medallist with the 2nd qualifying position going to William Deck from Kelowna.

Two alternate spots were won by two more members from the host club, Jackson Thornley and Conrado Pederes, who beat yet another Marine Drive member, Jordan Lu, in a playoff.

On a day with weather befitting a marathon qualifier, Marine Drive GC member Chris Crisologo was the medallist shooting rounds of 65-69 for a 6-under par score under blue skies and a hot July sun in Vancouver.

It's 50 And Counting For Doug Roxburgh As He's Saluted For Competing In His 50th Consecutive BC Amateur At Pheasant Glen GC Last Week. Doug Is Seen Here Speaking With Dawn Chubai From City TV's 'Breakfast Television' At The Dinner Celebration Held In His Honour At Marine Drive Golf Club  - Image Credit Bryan Outram/British Columbia Golf

by Brad Ziemer

Langley’s Adam Cornelson Earns Spot In RBC Canadian Open

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Number 50 didn’t end quite the way he would have liked, but that didn’t seem to matter Sunday night when a dinner was held at Marine Drive Golf Club to honour Doug Roxburgh’s golden anniversary milestone.

Roxburgh, a 13-time winner of the event, joked that he would have liked to have taken one less stroke at last week’s 114th B.C. Amateur Championship at Pheasant Glen Golf Resort in Qualicum Beach. He missed the 36-hole cut for only the third time in 50 appearances. All three cuts were missed by a single shot.

Delta's Mary Parsons Holds The Winner's Hardware After Her Victory In The 2016 BC Junior Girls Championship At Big Sky GC In Pemberton - Image Credit Bryan Outram/British Columbia Golf

By Bryan Outram

Mary Parsons coolly rolled in her 6th birdie putt of the day on the par 5 18th and final hole of the tournament at Big Sky Golf Club on Friday to put the finishing touches on her 6-shot victory in the 2016 BC Junior Girls Championship. Parsons finished at even par (288) for the 4 rounds. 

Finishing tied for 2nd were Tiffany Kong and Hannah Lee, with halfway mark leader Sumie Francois coming in 4th and 13-year old Akari Hayashi rounding out the top 5.

The win wasn’t without its up downs along the way, but Parsons’ perseverance proved to be the difference in the end.

Nolan Thoroughgood Is The Youngest BC Amateur Champion At Age 15 In The History Of The Event - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/British Columbia Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

QUALICUM BEACH -- History was made at the 114th playing of the B.C. Amateur Championship. Twice. The tournament began with the legendary Doug Roxburgh teeing it up in his 50th straight B.C. Amateur. It ended Friday with the championship trophy being raised by the event’s youngest ever winner.

Nolan Thoroughgood, a 15-year-old Victoria resident who was competing in just the second four-round tournament of his young life, played with the poise of a seasoned veteran at Pheasant Glen Golf Resort. He closed with an even-par round of 72 for a 72-hole total of seven-under par to win by two shots over another promising junior, 17-year-old A.J. Ewart of Coquitlam.

Mary Parsons Is The Third Round Leader In The 2016 BC Junior Girls Championship At Big Sky Golf Club - Image Credit Golf Canada 

By Bryan Outram

The British Open may be taking place across the pond at Royal Troon this week but it was during the third round of the 2016 BC Junior Girls Championship that typical ‘Open’ weather decided to show up at Big Sky Golf Club in Pemberton.

With the leaders just heading into the home stretch of holes on the back nine the wind came howling through the mountains and the rain was coming in sideways.

As it turns out those were ideal conditions for eventual third round leader Mary Parsons, whose 2-under back nine score rescued her from an unsettling 4-over outward nine and staked her to a two-shot lead heading into Friday’s final round.

Nolan Thoroughgood's Three-Round Total Of Seven-Under Par Has Him One Shot Ahead Of Zach Anderson Of Nanaimo - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/British Columbia Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

QUALICUM BEACH -- Nolan Thoroughgood joined the junior program at Royal Colwood Golf Club in Victoria when he was 11 years old. His parents didn’t see much of him that summer. “We live right beside the course so he went over every day that summer,” Garth Thoroughgood said of his son.

“He’d leave the house at 9 and we wouldn’t see him until 9 at night. They spoiled him there and he just fell in love with the game. He gave up hockey two years later and said he is just going to focus on golf.”

That decision seems to be working out just fine. On Thursday, Nolan -- now 15 and heading into Grade 11 at Royal Bay Secondary -- shot a two-under par 70 in the third round of the B.C. Amateur Championship at Pheasant Glen Golf Resort and will take a one-shot lead into Friday’s final round.

Andrew Hennings Shares The Halfway Lead In The 2016 BC Amateur At Pheasant Glen In Qualicum Beach - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/British Columbia Golf

Veteran Doug Roxburgh, Playing In His 50Th Straight B.C. Amateur, Misses The Cut By One Shot At Pheasant Glen

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

QUALICUM BEACH -- The idyllic oceanside town of Qualicum Beach is a popular retirement spot and has what can safely be described as a mature citizenry. It has become decidedly younger this week with the arrival of the B.C. Amateur Championship at Pheasant Glen Golf Resort.

Of the 156 players who teed it up in the 114th playing of the B.C. Amateur, 124 are 24 years old or younger. And 43 of those are 18 and younger. The leaderboard through two rounds is a reflection of that youth. Two of the three co-leaders are 15 and 20. There is a liberal sprinkling of other teens and early 20-somethings fairly high up on the leaderboard.

The exception is ‘old-timer’ Andrew Hennings. He’s 33, which would qualify him as a spring chicken by Qualicum Beach standards. But in this field, he’s one of the old guys.

Burnaby's Sumie Francois Still Holds The Lead After Round Two Of The 2016 BC Junior Girls Championship At Big Sky Golf Club In Pemberton - Image Credit Bryan Outram/British Columbia Golf

By Bryan Outram

Round two of the 2016 BC Junior Girls Championship at Big Sky Golf Club was played under mostly sunny skies with the stunning backdrop of Mt. Currie doing its level best to provide a distraction to the competitors below. 

First round leader Sumie Francois of Shaughnessy G&CC continued her plan of playing conservatively off the tee and but for a balky putter may have been able to extend her 2-shot lead. As it was, her closest pursuer, Delta's Mary Parsons who plays out of Richmond's Mayfair Lakes GC, managed the only under par score of day two with a 1-under 71 to cut into Francois' lead by one shot going into round 3 on Thursday.

Former Junior Star Jonnie Motomochi From North Delta Is Now An Assistant Golf Coach With Oregon State - Image Courtesy Brad Ziemer/British Columbia Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

QUALICUM BEACH -- It wasn’t all that long ago that Jonnie Motomochi had the B.C. Amateur Championship circled on his summer playing calendar. These days it’s still highlighted, but for a different reason. 

Motomochi now scouts the tournament he used to play in.

A solid junior career landed Motomochi a golf scholarship to Oregon State University, where he played for the Beavers. Now he helps coach them.

Kelowna's William Deck Is (Pictured Here) Is Tied For The First Round Lead With Roy Kang At The BC Amateur Being Played At Pheasant Glen GC In Qualicum Beach - BC Golf Photo

13-Time Winner Shoots Two-Over 74; William Deck Of Kelowna And Roy Kang Of North Vancouver Share Lead With Six-Under 66s

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

QUALICUM BEACH -- It rained on Doug Roxburgh’s parade. The 13-time champion finished the first round of his milestone 50th straight B.C. Amateur Championship in a downpour early Tuesday afternoon at Pheasant Glen Golf Resort in Qualicum Beach.

It made for a soggy ending to what Roxburgh described as day when he didn’t have his best stuff. He finished with a two-over 74, which left him eight shots behind co-leaders William Deck of Kelowna and North Vancouver’s Roy Kang.

Burnaby's Sumie Francois Was The Only Player To Break Par In The Opening Round Of The 2016 BC Junior Girls Championship At Big Sky GC In Pemberton - Image Credit Kris Jonasson

By Bryan Outram

After round one of the BC Junior Girls Championship at Big Sky GCin Pemberton it’s 16-year old Sumie Francois in the lead after firing the only sub-par round of the day, a 2-under 70. Francois, who plays out of Shaughnessy G&CC, holds a two shot lead over last week’s runner-up from the BC Women’s Amateur, Delta’s Mary Parsons, who posted an even par round of 72.

This is Francois’ first time playing Big Sky and she carded four birdies and two bogies in a round where she stuck with mainly 3-woods and hybrids off the tees in a conservative approach she employed saying, “I do hit my driver pretty far and I didn’t want my misses to be big ones.”

Along With Bernhard Langer (Pictured), Rocco Mediate, Lee Janzen And Jesper Parnevik Have Also Committed To The PGA TOUR Champions Pacific Links Championship - Image Courtesy SportBox

Victoria, B.C. (July 11, 2016) – World Golf Hall of Fame member Bernhard Langer committed to play the 2016 Pacific Links Championship, to be contested on Bear Mountain Golf Resort’s Mountain Course in Victoria, British Columbia, the week of September 19-25, 2016. The event will feature a US$2.5 million purse, with 81 players competing for a winner’s share of $440,000.

Langer, a two-time winner of the Masters Tournament, has notched 28 career titles on PGA TOUR Champions, which ranks third all-time behind Hale Irwin (45) and Lee Trevino (29).

Merritt's Roger Sloan, Shown Here At A Recent Media Outing At Bear Mountain GC In Victoria, Sits In 38th Spot On The Web.com Money List - Image Credit Bryan Outram/British Columbia Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Surrey’s Adam Svensson recorded his first top-10 finish on the Web.com Tour on Sunday at the LECOM Health Challenge tourney in Findley Lake, N.Y. Svensson closed with a three-under 69 to finish at 13-under par and tied for ninth place.

Svensson earned $15,000, which moved him to 65th from 81st on the Web.com tour money list. That move is significant as the top 75 players on the money list qualify for the Web.com Tour Finals in September. 

Merritt’s Roger Sloan also had a good week. Sloan shot a five-under 67 to finish tied for 14th place at 12-under. Sloan moved to 38th on the money list. He had started the week 44th.

Pheasant Glen Golf Course In Qualicum Beach Is The Site Of The 114th B.C. Amateur This Week - Image Courtesy Facility

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Doug Roxburgh has always said that one of the things he has most enjoyed about competing in the B.C. Amateur Championship is travelling the province and playing courses that are new to him. It seems fitting that when Roxburgh tees it up Tuesday in his 50th straight B.C. Amateur Championship it will be on a course that he had not played until Monday’s practice round.

Pheasant Glen Golf Resort in Qualicum Beach isn’t exactly new, but it is to Roxburgh. The course dates back to the early 1990s, when it opened as an executive-length layout.

The Aboriginal Sport, Recreation and Physical Activity Partners Council (Partners Council) of BC is pleased to announce the 2016 BC Aboriginal Provincial Golf Championships will be hosted in partnership with Talking Rock Golf Course and the Little Shuswap Band from August 7th-9th, 2016 in Chase, BC.

Aboriginal youth golfers are invited to attend this 3-day event sanctioned by the British Columbia Golf Association. Please note this event will also serve as a talent identification event to identify athletes to form a "Team BC Development Squad" to train for and pursue participation in the 2017 North American Indigenous Games held in Toronto, Ontario, from July 16 to 23, 2017.

Mill Bay's Tristan Mandur (L) Accepts The Bower Trophy As 2016 BC Junior Boys Champion From British Columbia Golf President Patrick Kelly - Image Credit Bryan Outram/British Columbia Golf

By Bryan Outram

It was home, sweet home for Mill Bay's Tristan Mandur as he calmly rolled in a 5-foot par putt on the 72nd hole at Arbutus Ridge Golf Club, his home course, for a one-shot victory over Coquitlam's A.J. Ewart in the 2016 British Columbia Junior Boys Championship.

"it feels incredible, I mean, to win it on my home soil it means even more. I've worked really hard this year and it feels good for it to pay off, " said Mandur following the trophy presentation.

Jisoo Keel Cruised To A Comfortable 6-Shot Win In The BC Women's Amateur At Beach Grove Golf Club - Image Credit Chinami Hancock/British Columbia Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Jisoo Keel didn’t save her best for last, but she really didn’t need it. The 20-year-old former Coquitlam resident began Friday’s final round of the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship at Beach Grove Golf Club in Tsawwassen six shots ahead of the field. When the day ended, nothing had changed and Keel was hoisting the AC Flummerfelt Cup.

Keel closed with a one-over 73 -- her highest round of the week -- to finish the 72-hole event at eight-under par. Delta’s Mary Parsons, who also shot 73 on Friday, was second at two-under.

Isaac Lee Of Pitt Meadows Fired His Third Straight Round Of Even Par 70 To Tie For The Lead With A.J. Ewart Going Into The Final Round Of The 2016 BC Junior Boys Championship - Image Credit Bryan Outram

By Bryan Outram/British Columbia Golf

The third and penultimate round of a golf tournament is often referred to as "moving day" in many golf circles as players attempt to put themselves in a good position to contend going into the final round and of course, hopefully, win.

Thursday's round 3 at the 2016 BC Junior Boys Championship took on more of a "try-desperately-to-hang-on-to-what-you've-already-got-and-don't-fall-off-the-map day" as players searched for answers to the thick rough and the tricky greens at the Arbutus Ridge Golf Club, host of this year's championship in Cobble Hill.

To that end, it would appear that Pitt Meadows' Isaac Lee, who plays out of Swan-e-set Bay Resort, seems to have the best recipe for success so far, which would be to simply shoot par. After his 3rd consecutive round of even par 70 Lee finds himself in the final group on Friday with 3rd round leader A.J. Ewart and host club member Tristan Mandur.

Somewhat quietly playing his way into the final group, Mandur also carded an even par 70, which included three birdies to go along with three bogies. Mandur sits at 1-over for the tournament.

Coquitlam’s Jisoo Keel Will Take A Six-Shot Lead Into Friday’s Final Round - Image Credit Brad Ziemer

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Nicole Bird jokes that she is looking for the next Graham DeLaet. That would be the female version, of course. Bird is one of a handful of U.S. college golf coaches who have spent the week in Tsawwassen assessing the talent at the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship at Beach Grove Golf Club.

Bird is heading into her 10th season as women’s golf coach at Boise State University, where DeLaet played his collegiate golf before becoming one of Canada’s top pros. “Besides Graham, we have had a few other Canadian men as well, so I am trying to kind of break into that a little bit,” Bird said.

Many of the young women competing at Beach Grove this week have already committed to a U.S. school. “But there are probably eight or 10 others who haven’t,” Bird said.