BC Boys Bantam & Novice Champion For 2021 is Alex Zhang - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Former Canadian Tour winner Eugene Wong of North Vancouver and Surrey’s Adam Svensson, who is off next month to begin his second stint on PGA TOUR, are among the past champions of the B.C. Bantam Boys Championship.

Their play in winning those titles could not have been any more impressive than the performance of new winner Alex Zhang of Richmond.

After opening the 36-hole tournament with a three-under 68, the Beach Grove Golf Club junior member closed witha near flawless round of 67 on Tuesday to win the championship by eight shots at Langara Golf Course.

The win came on Zhang’s final day as a 12-year-old. He turns 13 on Wednesday.

Richmond's Alex Zhang Leads Both The Bantam & Novice Boys Divisions After Round One At Langara - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

These kids get good fast. As Exhibit A, we present 12-year-old Alex Zhang. The Beach Grove Golf Club junior shot a three-under par 68 at Langara Golf Course in Vancouver on Monday to take the first- round lead at the B.C. Bantam Boys Championship for players aged 14 and younger.

The Richmond resident had four birdies and just one bogey and was proud of the way he handled Langara’s tricky greens. “I didn’t have a three-putt,” Zhang said after completing his round in some heavy rain. “My speed control was good. I was pretty happy with my round. The course isn’t too tough, but the greens are pretty tricky. You have to try and leave the ball in the right spots because there are lots of big ridges.”

Katherine Hao of Burnaby shot an even-par 71 and leads the Bantam Girls division.

BC's Roger Sloan Came Through Big To Make The Playoffs And Keep His PGA TOUR Status For Next Year - YouTube Screen Grab photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The biggest week of his golfing life didn’t start quite the way Merritt’s Roger Sloan had hoped. There were more bogeys than birdies in his opening round of the Wyndham Championship and Sloan knew that had to change in a hurry. Thankfully, it did and things turned out better than he could have imagined.

“This was such an incredible week,” Sloan said over the phone after losing in a six-man playoff at the Wyndham Championship. “I had some jitters knowing what had to be done this week when I teed off on Thursday and I think I was three-over through 11 holes and at that point there’s nothing left to lose. That just freed me up a little bit and we were able to play 18-under the rest of the way and get ourselves in a playoff. So a really cool story and just a really cool week here.”

To open Season 10 of The ModGolf Podcast, show creator and host Colin Weston decided to shake things up by doing something he'd been planning for awhile. And that thing is to have Colin step aside from the microphone so that a guest host can take over the controls of the ship.

In this episode former guest Dr. Greta Anderson takes over the hosting duties for an engaging conversation with GolfHers Founder Kelly Hunt to learn about her golf entrepreneurship journey to inspire women to build a career in the golf industry.

Nanaimo's 15-year-old Matthew Wilson Wins The B.C. Juvenile Boys Championship After A Non-Stop Stretch Of Golf This Spring And Summer - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

PITT MEADOWS -- It wasn’t that long ago that Matthew Wilson was having trouble breaking 100 in zone tournaments on Vancouver Island. Back then, the thought of becoming a B.C. champion wasn’t on his mind. He was just happy making a few pars.

My, how things have changed in a relative hurry for the 15-year-old from Nanaimo who is the new B.C. Juvenile Boys champion. Wilson shot a tournament-best four-under 66 in the final round to win the championship for players 16 and under by five shots at Golden Eagle Golf Club’s South Course.

BC Juvenile Girls Champion Luna Lu - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

PITT MEADOWS -- The heat was on in more ways than one for Luna Lu in the final round of the B.C. Juvenile Girls Championship. 

The 14-year-old from Burnaby not only had to handle the pressure of playing with the lead, she had to deal with the oppressive heat during her afternoon round on Golden Eagle Golf Club’s South Course. 

Lu draped a wet towel around her neck much of the day to try and stay cool. As for that other pressure, it didn’t seem to faze her. Lu shot a final round of one-under 69 and won the championship for players aged 16 and younger by seven shots.

Burnaby's Luna Lu Leads The Ladies At The BC Juvenile Championships At Golden Eagle GC - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf 

By Brad Ziemer/British Columbia Golf

PITT MEADOWS -- Par has proven to be a very good score through two rounds of the B.C. Juvenile Boys and Girls Championships.

Golden Eagle Golf Club’s South Course has presented a stiff test to a field that includes some of this province’s best young players. While not long, visually it can be quite intimidating. There seems to be trouble nearly everywhere. The leaders have managed to avoid most of those ever-present penalty areas and not taken any of the big numbers that can easily be had if you stray off line.

The leaders of both the boys and girls divisions stand at one-under par through 36 holes. No one has gone lower than 68 on the par-70 layout.

Image Courtesy Golf Canada

For Immediate Release

(August 10, 2021) - Golf Canada is committed to providing the highest level of competition for amateur golfers of all abilities and is proud to announce the inaugural Canadian All Abilities Championship will be conducted September 22-24 at Humber Valley Golf Course in Toronto.

The national golf championship will be contested as a 36-hole competition and will feature a maximum of 84 players from across Canada with neurological, intellectual, sensory and physical impairments.

Originally scheduled to launch in 2020, but delayed due to restrictions from the pandemic, the All Abilities Championships supports Golf Canada’s commitment to create a more inclusive and respectful sport environment across the Canadian golf community.

The British Columbia Chapters of the LPGA Amateurs are holding a Two-person Bestball Strokeplay event at Vancouver's University Golf Club to celebrate Summer and the launch of BC's LPGA Amateurs Association after being delayed due to Covid-19.

See the poster below for details. For further information please email playgolf@britishcolumbiagolf.org 

Victoria, BC's Willy Bishop Is In This Week's Canadian Jr. Boys Championship - Image Credit Duncan O'Brien/fairwayvision.com

SAINTE-JULIE, Qué. – The Canadian Junior Boys Championship is set for Aug. 9-12 at Vallée du Richelieu - Le Club in Sainte-Julie, Que.

The 156-player field includes five of seven Team Canada National Junior Squad members; Félix Bouchard (Otterburn Park, Qué.), Jean-Philippe Parr (St-Célestin, Qué.), Malik Dao (Notre-Dame-Ile-Perrot, Qué.), Owen Mullen (Shortts Lake, N.S.), and Willy Bishop (Victoria, B.C.).

“We are delighted to have the Canadian Junior Boys Championship running again,” said tournament director Adam Lloyd. “The team at Vallée du Richelieu has worked incredibly hard in preparation for this week and it shows with the excellent course conditions.”

BC's Roger Sloan Is Inching Closer To Full Exempt PGA TOUR Status For Next Season - YouTube Image

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Merritt’s Roger Sloan recorded his first top 10 of the season Sunday, but will need another strong finish at this week’s final regular-season event to secure his full exempt status for next season on the PGA TOUR. 

Sloan finished sixth at the Barracuda Championship in Truckee, Calif., and moved up six spots to 131st on the FedEx Cup points list. He needs to move inside the top 125 to remain fully exempt for the 2021-22 season. This week’s Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C., completes the PGA TOUR regular season.

Sloan and many others in the field will have a lot riding on their play in Greensboro. Sloan has momentum on his side. He has been playing well of late, having made five straight cuts and eight of his last nine.

For Immediate Release

[Parksville, BC, August 4, 2021] It was a double eagle celebration as members of Morningstar Golf Club kicked off their 30th anniversary with the announcement that the course was no longer in receivership and that the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) pension fund (operating under Realcor Golf Inc) has been awarded ownership of the Parksville property.

With a real sense of optimism and pride, Morningstar is poised to resume its status as one of the premiere courses on Vancouver Island. “We’re excited about the future,” says Barrie McWha, who serves as General Manager.

The ‘New Sagebrush’ Conjures Images Of Persevering In The ‘Old West’ - All Images Credit Bryan Outram/iG/BC Golf

By Doug Hastie, British Columbia Golf

Sagebrush. The word can conjure different emotions and visuals. For me it brings up Western films... a lone figure going across an expansive desert with nothing but the occasional train track or homestead coming into view. 

Perseverance, grit, toughness, and beauty come to mind. 

Driving down highway 5A from Kamloops last week towards Sagebrush - the golf course, the land and the sky brought me to this state of mind.

Roger Sloan Needs A Solid Finish To His Season To Maintain His PGA TOUR Status - BC Golf file photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

After a one-week Olympic break, the PGA TOUR begins its stretch run this week with some players having more to play for than others.

Roger Sloan of Merritt has a lot on the line with just two regular-season events remaining -- this week’s Barracuda Championship in Truckee, Calif. and the season-ending Wyndham Championship the following week in Greensboro, N.C.

Sloan stands 137th on the FedEx Cup points list and must move inside the top 125 to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs and, more importantly, secure his exempt status for next season on the PGA TOUR.

2021 BC Senior Men's Champion Michael Kennedy - BC Golf Photo

By Bryan Outram, British Columbia Golf

North Vancouverite Michael Kennedy's goal to start the day in the final round of the BC Senior Men's Championship was just to put in a good performance and have a shot at maybe making the BC Senior Men's Provincial Team. He most certainly accomplished both...and more.

He started the day 3 shots back of 36-hole leader and defending BC Senior Men's Champion Norm Bradley but a bogey free 2-under par front nine by Kennedy closed the gap to one and helped set the stage for some real excitement in the home stretch.

Gibson, BC's Mike Mannion had been the closest pursuer to Bradley after a pair of 2-under par rounds of 70 saw him just one back going into the final round. It created an, 'It's anybody's tournament' feel, with the back nine promising to be a battle to the end. It more than delivered.

Former Executive Director Of Ontario Para Network, Laura Wilson, Will Help Support The National Sport Federation’s Commitment To Creating A Safe, Diverse, And Welcoming Environment Within The Organization And Across The Sport

Courtesy Golf Canada

LAURENCE APPLEBAUM (GOLF CANADA)

Courtesy Golf Canada

________________________________________________________________________________________

It was a transformative moment for our organization.

A virtual town-hall with staff in the summer of 2020 to talk about the tragic and senseless murder of George Floyd and reflect on what we were seeing and experiencing in the world around us. The team shared an honest and emotional conversation, and I was incredibly moved by the personal sharing, thoughtful insights on racial injustice, and the conviction that everyone brought to the call.

Many followed up with a willingness to play a role in what comes next for Golf Canada—a shared commitment to be an organization of impact that could lead through action. I look back to that moment as a catalyst for the important steps needed to make our organization and our sport reflect the multi-cultural diversity, inclusiveness, and acceptance that we all want as Canadians.

It was that commitment that led to the creation of Golf Canada’s Diversity and Inclusion Alliance and a vision for who we want to be in this important space.

Norm Bradley Is The 36-hole Leader In The 2021 BC Senior Men's Championship -  Image Credit Jurgen Kaminski (JKam Photos)/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

KIMBERLEY -- A couple days after he won last year’s B.C. Senior Men’s Championship, Norm Bradley found himself on the receiving end of a playful jab from two-time PGA TOUR winner Dave Barr. Both are members at Kelowna Golf & Country Club and Bradley was walking by the first tee as Barr was just about to begin his round.

“He was standing on the tee and as I walked by he said, ‘So, you can’t play with a lead, eh,’" Bradley recalled with a chuckle after his second round Wednesday at Bootleg Gap Golf Course. “That was just a funny line, but he was also making a point. Playing with a lead is not easy.”

Kimberley's Bootleg Gap Golf Course is receiving high praise from many players who are seeing it for the first time; Three players are tied for first-round lead Including John Gallacher (Inset)

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

KIMBERLEY -- John Gallacher recently turned 70 so the fact he shot a four-under 68 to share the lead after Tuesday’s first round of the B.C. Senior Men’s Championship at Bootleg Gap Golf Course was noteworthy. But Gallacher, a two-time B.C. Senior Men’s winner from Burnaby, was more interested in talking about the golf course than his impressive play.

“I think this is the best course we have been at since the Canadian Senior was at Capilano (in 2014) or maybe since I have been a senior,” Gallacher said of Bootleg Gap after his round, which left him tied with Jim Shaw of Sooke and defending champion Norm Bradley of Kelowna.