Zaahidali (Ziggy) Nathu Continues To Lead BC Junior Boys At Osoyoos, Jake Scarrow Shoots Course Record 63
Ziggy Nathu Shot A Third-Round (-6) 66 To Extend His Lead At The BC Junior Boys At Osoyoos To Five Strokes Over Callum Davison And Jake Scarrow - Image Credit Alfie Lau
by Alfie Lau
On a day when Zaahidali (Ziggy) Nathu extended his lead to five strokes after 54 holes of the British Columbia Junior Boys' Championship Presented by Canadian Direct Insurance, it was Jake Scarrow who wrote the best story at the Park Meadows Course at the Osoyoos Golf Club.
Scarrow’s bogey-free round of (-9) 63 included nine birdies and no bogeys, as the incoming University of Idaho freshman broke the previous course record of (-8) 64 set by Justin Wurz on April 24, 2010.
Scarrow and Pheasant Glen’s Callum Davison, who shot a (-8) round of 64, are tied for second, at (-10) 206, five strokes behind Nathu, who shot (-6) 66 to sit at (-15) 201 to extend his halfway lead by a stroke.
But the story was the LAB@Northview golfer who made a little bit of history in Osoyoos. “It was my best round ever,” said Scarrow. “I didn’t make any mistakes, I only missed two greens and I made some putts.”
Scarrow, who started the day eight strokes behind Nathu, was motivated by the ground he needed to make up. “I saw what Ziggy shot and I knew I needed to get as close to 60 as I could. I needed to get myself in a position to catch him on the final day,” said Scarrow.
And Scarrow’s strategy came from his practice round reconnaissance with Coach Matt Palsenbarg. “When we played the practice round, (Matt) worked with me on course management. The course is pretty short and I hit it pretty par. So my strategy was to hit driver and leave myself wedges into the par-4s and even some of the par-5s.”
Scarrow started like a house on fire, with birdies on four of his first five holes. He also finished with a flare, with three straight birdies on 15 through 17.
As Scarrow completed his third round, he knew what was at stake. “I’ve never had a course record anywhere and after I made a two-putt birdie at 16, I told myself I just needed one more and I got that at 17. I made a nice up-and-down on 18 and now I’m extremely excited to play the final round. I think there’s a 60 still out there.”
image credit alfie lau
Jake Scarrow Shot At New Course Record Of (-9) 63 At The Park Meadows Course At The Osoyoos Golf Club On Thursday. Scarrow Sits T2, Five Strokes Behind Leader Ziggy Nathu
60 may not even be enough, as Nathu continued his solid and steady play with a (-6) round of 66 which included an eagle, 6 birdies and only two bogeys. “It was a good round,” said Nathu. “I could have gone a little lower, but I’m still pretty happy.”
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. But it won’t be easy, since he’ll be sleeping on a lead for the second night in a row.
“It was a little rough,” said the future University of British Columbia student of sleeping on the lead after Round 2. “I had a restless night, I didn’t get a lot of sleep, and it will probably be more of the same tonight, but I’ll be ready.”
Nathu said the big advantage of playing three very good rounds is he can concentrate solely on his game during the final round Friday. “I had no idea Jake had gone so low and I think Callum dunked his on 18 because I heard the roar, but we’ll be in the same group tomorrow, so I’ll know how they’re doing. It will be nice for me to play my game, control what I can control and if someone makes a run, they’ll have to come a long way.”
As for what it would mean to win this prestigious title, Nathu admits it has crossed his mind. “You can’t not think about it,” he said. “What I will do is try and go out and have no numbers in my head, play the same game I’ve played for three days and if that’s enough, then I’ll think about it afterwards.”
Davison’s round included 7 birdies, one bogey and an eagle on the 18th hole.
Nathu, Davison and Scarrow will tee off at 9:20 a.m. Friday for the final round of the British Columbia Junior Boys' Championship Presented by Canadian Direct Insurance. 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, Harry Bains and Jake Scarrow, at (-24) 192, hold a narrow one-stroke lead over three teams: Henry Lee and Daniel Sun; Patrick Tan and Kamyar Yamini; and Gavin Ciulla and Jaewook Lee, who all sit at (-23) 193
For full results from Osoyoos, please click here