John MacDonald Leads British Columbia Jr. Boys After One Round
John Macdonald Of Nanaimo Leads The British Columbia Junior Boys Championship After Round 1 In Osoyoos. Macdonald Shot A (-3) Round Of 69 And Leads Four Other Golfers By One Stroke - Image Credit Alife Lau
by Alfie Lau
The only thing hotter than the steaming sun at the Osoyoos Golf Club Tuesday was Nanaimo golfer John MacDonald.
The 17-year-old shot a (-3) round of 69 at the Park Meadows Course for a one-shot lead after Round 1 in the British Columbia Junior Boys' Championship Presented by Canadian Direct Insurance.
MacDonald leads a foursome of golfers only one shot back: Patrick Tan of Marine Drive and Ole Hatlelid of Beach Grove, who each shot their (-2) rounds in the morning; and Ziggy Nathu of Quilchena and Jackson Thornley of Marine Drive, who shot their 70s in the afternoon flight of golfers.
“My putting was definitely on today,” said MacDonald, who’s just graduated from Dover Bay in Nanaimo and is headed to the University of Mississippi this autumn. “I hit a couple of approach shots tight and it was a good day for me.”
MacDonald said he’s working on the mental side of the game with his coach Matt Cella. “My goal is to stay focused on my targets and keep doing the same things I did today,” said MacDonald. “I’ll get to play in the morning when it’s a little bit cooler.”
Chasing MacDonald are golfers with a solid pedigree. Tan got off to a hot start, shooting a (-4) front nine 32 which included five birdies, including his first three holes and four of the first five holes. His only blemish on the front side was a bogey at the 8th.
On the back 9, Tan, who turns 18 on Wednesday, could manage only one birdie, at 16, and made three bogeys, at 10, 15 and 17. “I got off to a really good start but I’m a little disappointed in my finish,” said the future Carnegie Mellon University (in Pittsburgh, PA), student.
“I gave myself a lot of good opportunities and I’m pretty happy with my score today. The longest putt I made, I think, was 15 feet,” said Tan. “I got a bit tired on the back 9 when it just got hotter and hotter."
Meanwhile, Hatlelid, who got off to a hot start with birdies on three of his first five holes, finished his round with a total of five birdies and only three bogeys. After a bogey on the par-4 eighth, he got it as low as (-4) for the day after back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11.
image credit alfie lau
Ole Hatlelid, Left, And Patrick Tan, Right, Shot Morning Rounds Of (-2) 70 At Osoyoos And Trail First-Round Leader John Macdonald Of Nanaimo By One Stroke Heading Into The Second Round Of The British Columbia Junior Boys' Championship Presented By Canadian Direct Insurance
He would give those strokes back at 13 and 17, but his first-round score had him tied with Tan as the best of the morning flight of competitors.
“I’ll take a 70 all the time,” said the Southwestern Oklahoma State student who turns 19 in September. “It would have been nice to get it in lower, but I missed a couple of putts. It was pretty hot out there, but I’m used to playing in this type of heat.”
Hatlelid said he’s looking forward to the second round on Wednesday. “I just need to stay on the lead, play some solid golf and make some more putts.”
Thornley, 17, was also happy with his (-2) round. “I hit my approaches close and made some putts,” said the Point Grey Secondary graduate who’s headed to UBC in September. “I got off to a good start and I hope I can keep on building on it.”
Nathu, best known for his long hair and beard, has cut his hair shorter because of the heat. But his golf game is as hot as ever. “I stayed calm and kept with it,” said Nathu.
“The highlight of my round was an eagle on 4, when I dumped it from 100 yards with a 53 degree wedge. It was a hot day and I think it will be a little easier tomorrow when I play in the morning.”
Another notable occurrence came when Marine Drive’s Trevor Yu had an unforgettable memory from his opening round even par 72.
On the 149-yard 13th, the future Oregon State Beaver used a pitching wedge to make his first ever ace. “It feels great,” said Yu. “It was pretty sweet because on the par-3 third, I made double, so to get it back to even on the par-3s was great.”
Almost as important to Yu was he’s only two strokes behind the leaders. “I’ve got a plan and I’ll try to stick to it tomorrow,” said Yu. “If I can put up a good number, then I’ll be in the mix for the last couple of rounds.”
The second round of the British Columbia Junior Boys Championship in Osoyoos starts at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Spectators are welcome to attend this free event and cheer on the next wave of great British Columbia golfers.
BEST BALL COMPETITION
In the two-man Best Ball Competition, Patrick Tan and Kamyar Yamini are tied with Gavin Ciulla and Jaewook Lee with (-9) rounds of 63.
ZONE TEAM COMPETITION
In the four-person Zone Team Competition, the Zone 3 Fraser Valley team of Khan Lee, AJ Ewart, Henry Lee and Mitchell Thiessen, with a score of (-1) 215, holds a three-shot lead over the (+2) 218 score of Zone 4 Lower Mainland team of Roy Kang, Sy Lovan, Diego San Pedro and Alex Francois.
For full results from Osoyoos, please click here