Zaahidali (Ziggy) Nathu Shoots 65, Leads British Columbia Junior Boys In Osoyoos
Ziggy Nathu Of Quilchena Rode A Wave Of Eight Birdies And Only One Bogey To A (-7) Round Of 65 And Now Leads The British Columbia Junior Boys' Championship Presented By Canadian Direct Insurance In Osoyoos - Image Credit BC Golf
by Alfie Lau
Seventeen-year-old Zaahidali (Ziggy) Nathu had the round of his life Wednesday at the Park Meadows Course at the Osoyoos Golf Club, as he carded a (-7) round of 65 to take the lead halfway through the British Columbia Junior Boys' Championship Presented by Canadian Direct Insurance.
Nathu had eight birdies and only one bogey, setting a mark no other golfer could match. Nathu sits at (-9) 135 after two straight under-par rounds in Osoyoos.
“I’m very excited,” said the Richmond native who’s bound for UBC in September. “I hit it well today, I made some putts and it’s a round I’m pretty proud of. It hasn’t really kicked in at this moment what I did, but I have to try and keep it out of my mind, concentrate on the next round and continue to play well.”
Nathu, who came fourth in the golf competition at the BC Summer Games in Nanaimo last year after missing the cut at his first BC Junior Boys, hasn’t won a British Columbia Golf event yet, but he’s in a prime position to break that streak.
“I’ve won a couple of Zone 4 events and I’ve done well in some CJGA and MJT events,” said Nathu. “And I’m looking forward to my first BC Amateur next week.”
Sitting in second place is Seymour Golf & Country Club’s Roy Kang, who shot an afternoon round of (-6) 66 to move to within three strokes of Nathu “I saw what Ziggy did in the morning, so I knew the course wasn’t too hard,” said the 16-year-old Rockridge Secondary School student. “Once I got on the course, I knew I had to focus on my game, play my game and that’s how I finished with a 66.”
image credit bc golf
Roy Kang Of Seymour Golf & Country Club Shot An Afternoon Round Of (-6) 66 To Pull Within Three Strokes Of Ziggy Nathu At The Halfway Point Of The British Columbia Junior Boys' Championship Presented By Canadian Direct Insurance In Osoyoos
Kang said he could have gone even lower. “I missed a couple of putts on the front nine, but other than that, my putting was very solid today,” said Kang. “I hit my drives well and put myself in spots where I could score.”
Kang, who had never played the Park Meadows course prior to his practice round, only played the front nine during practice, choosing to walk the back 9 to scout the course that way. “I’m getting more comfortable on this course and I feel like I can continue to score well here,” said Kang. “I’ve put myself in a good position.”
Alone in third place five shots back is Jaewook Lee at (-4) while tied for fourth are Diego San Pedro of Shaughnessy and Henry Lee of Swaneset, who sit at (-3) 141, six strokes behind Nathu. During the second round, San Pedro shot a (-4) round of 68 while Lee shot a (-3) round of 69.
First-round leader John MacDonald of Nanaimo fell off the pace, as his (+3) second round of 75 has the University of Mississippi bound golfer nine strokes back of Nathu.
The biggest move in the morning flight came from Gavin Ciulla of The Redwoods in Langley. Ciulla’s (-5) round of 67 moved him to (-2) for the tournament and seven strokes behind Nathu.
A cut to Top 70 and ties was made Wednesday night after the completion of 36 holes with 73 players shooting (+8) 152 or better.
The third round of the British Columbia Junior Boys Championship in Osoyoos is on Thursday. 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, Henry Lee and Daniel Sun, with a score of (-16) 128 lead by one stroke over the team of Zaahidali (Ziggy) Nathu and Scott Chu.
ZONE TEAM COMPETITION
In the four-person Zone Team Competition, Zone 4 Lower Mainland team of Roy Kang, Sy Lovan, Diego San Pedro and Alex Francois overcame a three-stroke first round deficit to shoot (-12) for the day and win the competition by six strokes over the Zone 3 Fraser Valley team of Khan Lee, AJ Ewart, Henry Lee and Mitchell Thiessen. Zone 4 finished the 36-hole competition with a (-10) score of 422, while Zone 3 finished at (-4) 424.
For full results from Osoyoos, please click here