Live Scoring & Round-by-Round Wrap-Ups From 115th BC Amateur
2016 BC Amateur Champion Nolan Thoroughgood Is Seen Here Teeing Off Recently In The Junior Boys Championship At Squamish GC - Image Credit Jurgen Kaminski (JKam Photos)/BC Golf
The 115th version of the British Columbia Amateur teed off today at Morgan Creek Golf Club in Surrey with defending champion Nolan Thoroughgood, who became the youngest winner in the history of the event last year at age 15, along with 13-time champion Doug Roxburgh just two of the names vying for the title.
The BC Amateur Championship is open to 156 amateurs who are exempt or qualified through their zone or the Sunday Supplemental Qualifier on July 16th. Keenan Flemming was the medalist at the Qualifier held at The Canal Course at Northview GC, you can see the complete list of qualifers and scores here.
The format is a 72-hole gross stroke play competition with cut to low 70 and ties after 36 holes.
For live scoring and other information CLICK HERE.
There will be daily wrap-ups from the tournament posted here from BC Golf's Brad Ziemer.
Round One - Six-Way Tie For Top Spot At B.C. Amateur Championship
Chris Crisilogo (Shown Here), Ian Kim, Mac Keats, Scott Kerr, Taylor Durham And Jacob Koppenberg Opened The B.C. Amateur With Four-Under 68s At Morgan Creek Golf Course In Surrey - Image Credit Jurgen Kaminski (JKam Photos)/BC Golf
By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf
Chris Crisilogo didn’t have his 'A game' Tuesday, but it was still good enough to grab a share of the first-round lead on what is a crowded leaderboard at the B.C. Amateur Championship. The Simon Fraser University standout had to do his fair share of scrambling to record a four-under 68 at Morgan Creek Golf Course in Surrey that left him tied for the lead with SFU teammate Scott Kerr of Vancouver, Ian Kim of White Rock, Victoria’s Mac Keats, Taylor Durham of North Vancouver and Jacob Koppenberg of Bellingham.
“I hoped to get a little more out of the round, but I have been struggling with my ball-striking for the last bit,” said Crisilogo. He had his moments Tuesday, like when he chipped in for eagle on Morgan Creek’s par 5 second hole.
But there were other points where he found trouble. Crisilogo had to take an unplayable on the par 4 fifth hole and that led to one of his two bogeys on the day. “I just grinded it out and tried to post a decent number,” he said.
Crisilogo entered the tournament -- the 115th playing of British Columbia’s premier amateur event -- as one of the clear favourites. It is a tournament he desperately wants to win and this may be his last chance as Crisilogo could turn pro next spring when he completes his collegiate career at SFU.
“There are a lot of good players in the field and you just try to put yourself in a spot that gives you a chance to win the tournament,” Crisilogo said. “That's what everyone is looking for after day one, day two and day three. The course is playing fair. It's in awesome shape, the ball is rolling true on the greens. There is nothing to complain about on the golf course.”
The 20-year-old Kim has been playing out of Morgan Creek the last while and he used that home course advantage to effectively navigate his way around the Tom McBroom layout. He had six birdies and two bogeys in his round. “I think I was just able to stay out of trouble for the most part,” said Kim.
“I didn’t hit crazy good shots, but I didn’t put it in the wrong places and we made some smart decisions out there. I didn’t really make anything outside about 20 feet. I was solid. I didn’t miss anything that was close, but I could have made a lot more putts.”
image credit jurgen kaminski (jkam photos)/BC Golf
13-Year Old Jeevan Sihota Had The Low Nine Of The Day With A 31 On The Back Side
Kim, a graduate of Earl Marriott secondary in White Rock, just completed his first year at the University of Michigan. He transferred there after two years at the University of Idaho. “There were lots of highs and lows,” Kim said of his first year at Michigan. “I went from winning a college event to basically coming dead last. But I learned a lot about myself, how to handle myself in certain situations and how to overcome certain errors that I make on the golf course.“
I finished the school season pretty poorly. But I felt like it was all there and I just had to put the pieces together. I work with (instructor) Brett (Saunders) here at Morgan Creek and working hard on getting my swing more sound and knowing my misses and how to overcome them.”
Keats, a 24-year-old who just completed his studies at Camosun College in Victoria, posted his round late in the day. “I got off to a great start birdieing my first hole, which was the (par 4) 10th and is one of the tougher holes out here,” Keats said. “I didn’t hit driver or 3-wood all day. I just hit 2-iron and I hit all 14 fairways today. I hit a lot of greens because of that and made a lot of putts.”
Koppenberg, 30, had a roller-coaster first round that included four birdies, four bogeys and two eagles. “It was an odd round,” he said. “A few too many bogeys.” Kerr, a 20-year-old who has just started his collegiate career at SFU, made eight birdies in his round that started with a double-bogey.
Durham, a 23-year-old recent BCIT graduate, was playing in the final group of the day. He had five birdies and bogey in his round. Like Crisilogo and Kerr, he is a member at Marine Drive Golf Club.
Kaleb Gorbahn of Smithers, Jake DuVall of Victoria and Trevor Yu of Vancouver are just one shot back of the leaders after opening with three-under 69s. Gorbahn, who is heading into his his senior year at the University of Nevada-Reno, hit 17 of 18 greens but bogeyed both of the par 5s on Morgan Creek’s back nine (his front side).
He rebounded with four birdies for a 32 on the front side. DuVall, a 23-year-old who played his collegiate golf at Southwest Oklahoma State University, shot a 32 on the back nine to record his 69.
“I had a good early birdie on 10 on the back where I hit it to a foot,” DuVall said. “That kind of got me going in a bit of a rhythm. I had another tap-in on the par 5 13th and chipped in for birdie on 16. And then the (par 5) 17th was pretty short so I had 7-iron in for my second shot and I two-putted for birdie. It was a good start to the tournament.”
The best nine of the day was shot by 13-year-old Jeevan Sihota of Victoria, who toured the back side in 31 shots. He made six birdies -- including five in a row -- and one bogey on the back nine. “I hit two in the water and just couldn’t get anything to go,” Sihota said of his 39 on the front nine.
He credited his dad, Jas, who was caddying for him, with helping him settle down. “My dad kind of calmed me down,” Sihota said. “He said 'we’re still in this, we can go low on the back nine.' So that’s what I did. I hit a bunch of great shots and made a bunch of nice putts. I left a couple out there but that’s okay.”
Sihota, who won the Future Links Pacific Championship this past spring at Chilliwack Golf Club, finished second in his age category last week at the IMG Academy Junior World Championships in Carlsbad, Calif.
Carson O’Keefe of Creston, Isaac Lee of Pitt Meadows, Connor O’Dell of Maple Ridge and 2016 B.C. Junior champion Tristan Mandur of Mill Bay, also shot 70 on Tuesday.
Vancouver’s Doug Roxburgh, the 13-time champion who is playing in his 51st B.C. Amateur, opened with an even-par 72.
Click HERE for complete scoring
CHIP SHOTS: Twenty players in the 155-man field broke par in Tuesday’s first round. . .The field will be cut to the low 70 and ties after Wednesday’s second roud
Round Two - Border No Barrier For Jacob Koppenberg At B.C. Amateur 
Bellingham Resident Jacob Koppenberg Has A One-Shot Lead Over Jake DuVall Of Victoria (PIctured Here) Through Two Rounds Of The B.C. Amateur At Morgan Creek Golf Club - Image Credit Jurgen Kaminski (JKam Photos)/British Columbia Golf
By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf
All Jacob Koppenberg needs is a Nexus pass and he’ll be all set. Crossing the border to get to Morgan Creek Golf Course has been about the toughest part of the first two days of the B.C. Amateur Championship for Koppenberg, a 30-year-old Bellingham resident.
Actually, that hasn’t been bad, either. “I was maybe 10 minutes going home last night and I was the only car going through this morning,” Koppenberg joked after he grabbed the lead at the halfway point of the 115th playing of the B.C. Amateur. “This feels just like home. I'll have to start playing up here more often.”
Koppenberg fired a five-under 67 in Wednesday’s second round to move to nine-under through 36 holes. He has a one-shot lead over Jake DuVall of Victoria. Koppenberg’s only bogey came on the par 4 11th hole, but he followed that up with three straight birdies and then eagled the par 5 17th hole for the second straight day. “It was a pretty drama-free round,” he said.
DuVall, a 23-year-old who played his collegiate golf at Southwest Oklahoma State University, played in the final group of the day and matched Koppenberg’s 67 to move to eight-under. “I had another good start today,” DuVall said. “I made a good up and down out of the bunker for par on 10 (his first hole) and that kind of settled me down,“ DuVall said.
“I had a good drive on the par 3 13th and hit a good 6-iron to about 25 feet and rolled it in for eagle. . .it was pretty stress-free again today, just keeping it in play, hitting fairways and greens and giving myself a lot of chances to make birdies.”
DuVall doesn’t think he will be bothered by being in contention. “I think I was tied for fourth through two rounds last year at this tournament so it is something that I am comfortable with and something I look forward to.” Koppenberg played in Monday’s supplemental qualifier at Northview Golf Club’s Canal course to earn a spot in this week’s field.
He is trying to get his game in shape after recently qualifying for next month’s U.S. Amateur Championship. “I've got this one and the Washington State Amateur coming up,” he said. “I figured these two tournaments should kind of at least give me an idea of where the ball is going.”
Right now, the ball is going right into the hole and Koppenberg hopes that continues over the final two rounds. “I'm guessing the course is going to get tougher,” he said. “I just assume they'll start putting some of the tees back and get the pins a little tougher. Now I'm familiar with the golf course and I know the holes where I have to hold back on and the ones I can kind of go for. I think I just want to keep the foot down and keep going.”
Koppenberg played his collegiate golf at Western Washington University and graduated in 2010. He turned pro for a while, but regained his amateur status. He and his wife Camille are expecting their first child, a boy, in January.“ Life is about to change,” he said with a smile. “I have to get my golf in now.”
Ian Kim of White Rock and Jeevan Sihota of Victoria share third place at six-under par. Kim shot a two-under 70 Wednesday, while the 13-year-old Sihota fired a four-under 68. Sihota made seven birdies Wednesday and two of them came via chip-ins from off the green on the third and fourth holes.
He finished his round by stuffing a 7-iron from 158 yards to within inches of the cup on his final hole, the par 4 ninth at Morgan Creek. Sihota won the Future Links Pacific title this past spring and last week finished second at the IMG Academy Junior World Championships in Carlsbad, Calif.
He insisted he won’t feel any real pressure being in contention to start Thursday’s third round.“I have been in these situations lots of times and I just have to try and do the same thing tomorrow,” he said. “I just have to go out and execute.”
Click HERE for complete scoring
CHIP SHOTS: The 36-hole cut to the low 70 and ties fell at seven-over 151. . .The leaders will tee off at 9:30 a.m. in Thursday’s third round.
Round Three - Koppenberg, DuVall Bend But Don’t Break At B.C. Amateur Championship
Victoria's Jake DuVall (L) And Bellingham, Wa.'s Jacob Koppenberg (R) Will Play Friday's Final Round With 13-Year-Old Jeevan Sihota, Also From Victoria - Image Credit Bryan Outram/British Columbia Golf
By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf
For a while Thursday, it looked like it was going to be a two-man race to finish at the B.C. Amateur Championship. Maybe it still will be, but when Jacob Koppenberg and Jake DuVall stumbled slightly on the back nine at Morgan Creek Golf Course in Thursday’s third round, it brought a handful of other players back into the tournament.
Despite their back-nine adventures, Koppenberg and DuVall somehow both managed to shoot one-under 71s on Thursday, so nothing really changed. Koppenberg, a 30-year-old from Bellingham, still has the one-shot lead he had on DuVall when the day began. Koppenberg sits at 10-under through 54 holes, while Duvall, a 23-year-old from Victoria, is nine-under.
But the pack behind them crept closer, led by impressive 13-year-old Jeevan Sihota of Victoria, who sits at seven-under. Richmond’s Chris Crisologo and Kevin Carrigan of Victoria moved to six-under after both shot three-under 69s.
It should be an interesting final round. DuVall finished his round by bogeying three of his final four holes. He was most upset with his bogey at the par 5 17th, a hole that has yielded bushels of birdies and a handful of eagles this week. DuVall boomed a drive on 17 and only had an 8-iron into the green. But the wind was swirling and he pulled his approach shot slightly into the water hazard that fronts the green.
He made bogey, while Koppenberg birdied to pull even. Duvall’s bogey on 18 allowed Koppenberg to regain the lead. “The wind got up the last few holes and I hit a couple of loose shots and if you are out of position you can make bogeys pretty fast out here,” said DuVall, who recently finished his collegiate golf career at Southwest Oklahoma State University.
“I made a pretty bad bogey on 17. It’s not a hole you want to make a bogey on. But overall, one-under for the day, I can’t really be too upset because I am still in a good position.”
Koppenberg feels much the same way. He made back-to-back bogeys on the 14th and 15th holes and had to chip in for par on 16 to avoid three in a row. He righted the ship with a birdie on 17. “It was was one of those rounds that you usually have in a four-day tournament where things don’t go right,” he said.
“It was going okay the front nine, but it still wasn’t comfortable for me. I was kind of struggling. I birdied both the par 5s, but I was just kind of getting by. It caught up to me on the back side.”
image credit bryan outram/British Columbia Golf
Victoria's 13-Year Old Jeevan Sihota, Seen Here Chipping Onto The 18th Green At Morgan Creek With His Caddy, Father Jaz, Looking On - Will Play In The Final Group On Friday
DuVall and Koppenberg will play Friday’s final round with Sihota, who also shot a one-under 71 on Thursday. “I hear he's going into the eighth grade,” Koppenberg said with a laugh. “I don’t know what we are going to talk about tomorrow because it has been a long time since I was in the eighth grade. I can’t remember what I was shooting when I was his age. Not what he's shooting, that’s for sure.”
Sihota wasn’t particularly pleased with his round Thursday and felt like he missed cashing in on some good birdie opportunities. After making seven birdies in Wednesday’s second round, he only managed three on Thursday. He bogeyed the 18th hole. “It was a little bit of a disappointing finish,” he said. “Hopefully things go really well tomorrow and somehow I can get it done.”
Crisologo and Carrigan are now lurking four shots back and well within striking distance of the lead. Crisologo, who is heading into his senior year at Simon Fraser University, is having a solid summer. He has qualified to play in next month’s U.S. Amateur Championship.
Crisologo played his final three holes in three-under, thanks in large part to an eagle on the par 5 17th. “That finish kind of helped out,” Crisologo said. “I was hitting it a little bit better today. I had a stretch of holes where I was hitting it close, so that was a positive. You just want to put yourself in position and give yourself a chance and see where it goes from there. Obviously these guys are playing great golf, so hopefully we can try and catch them tomorrow.”
Carrigan, 31, won last year’s B.C. Mid-Amateur Championship and has had some close calls in past B.C. Amateurs. “I like to think there is a six-, seven- or eight-under par out there,” Carrigan said. “Maybe I can find it.”
A sub-plot to Friday’s final round will be the race for the three-man Willingdon Cup team. The top three British Columbians will represent B.C. in the Willingdon Cup competition at next month’s Canadian Amateur Championship in Toronto. “I haven’t been on a Willingdon Cup team yet,” Crisologo said. “Obviously, playing in this tournament everyone wants to finish in the top three and make that team. That is one of the goals.”
Click HERE for complete scoring
CHIP SHOTS: Victoria’s Keaton Gudz, the 2014 B.C. Junior champion, had the day’s low round, a four-under 68 that left him alone in sixth place at five-under par. . .Thirteen-time winner Doug Roxburgh of Vancouver, who is playing in his 51st B.C. Amateur, shot a six-over 78 Thursday and is tied for 38th place at seven-over par.
Final Round - DuVall Prevails In Playoff To Win 115th B.C. Amateur Championship
The 2017 British Columbia Amateur Champion, Jake DuVall, Holds The Bostock Trophy Over His Head After Winning The Title In A Playoff Over Washington's Jacob Koppenberg - Image Credit Bryan Outram/British Columbia Golf
By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf
It may have been the biggest fist-pump in the 115-year history of the B.C. Amateur Championship.
Victoria’s Jake DuVall was more than a little excited when he rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to beat Jacob Koppenberg of Bellingham at Morgan Creek Golf Course in Surrey.
“This is huge,” an elated DuVall said. “I have never really won any big tournament anywhere near the stature of this one. It kind of gives me belief going forward into golf, thinking about turning pro, that I can do it in pressure situations and I am really excited.”
The 23-year-old DuVall exchanged chest-bumps with several of his Victoria-area buddies as he walked off the green to accept the historic Bostock Trophy. DuVall won the playoff after missing a five-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to win the championship.
“I have never been that nervous in my life,” DuVall said of that missed putt. “I have never been in a situation like that. I played that hole perfectly. But I knew even if I missed it we would be playing more, so that helped.”
DuVall, who plays out of Uplands Golf Club, and Koppenberg both finished at 12-under par. DuVall closed with a three-under 69 on Friday, while Koppenberg shot a 70. Koppenberg, a 30-year-old member of Bellingham Golf Club who has a spot in next month’s U.S. Amateur Championship, looked like he was going to run away with the tournament on the front nine.
He birdied four of his first seven holes to move to 14-under and had a four-shot lead. But things changed on the back nine, where he made bogeys on the 10th, 13th and 15th holes. “I hit a chip on 10 that hit a sprinkler head and it kicked straight right,” Koppenberg said.
“On 13 I hit a good shot in and left myself an impossible chip and on 15 I hit a good shot in and it ran a foot off the green into someone’s footprint. It could have gone one way or the other. If I could have got one break it may have saved me a shot, but that is just how it goes. It’s golf.”
Koppenberg had a 20-foot look for birdie on the playoff hole, but it just missed on the low side. He had a feeling that DuVall would make his putt. “Once I missed, I just had a feeling,” he said. DuVall said he wasn’t nearly as nervous the second time around on 18. “It was crazy how much less nervous I was on that last one on the playoff than I was for the one in regulation,” he said.
DuVall played his collegiate golf at Southwest Oklahoma State University and is taking a year to work on his golf. “I am kind of contemplating whether I should turn pro this fall or just stay amateur and play the Mackenzie Tour Q-school next spring as an amateur. I will probably do that.”
DuVall and Koppenberg finished one shot ahead of Victoria’s Kevin Carrigan, who shot a five-under 67 to move to 11-under. It was the second time Carrigan has finished one shot back at a B.C. Amateur. “I was super happy with the way I played today,” said Carrigan, last year’s B.C. Mid-Amateur champion. “I stayed in it the whole way and made lots of birdies. I was doing everything well. I just came up a little short. I was very proud of myself and how I played all week. I honestly didn’t think I was coming here to win so it is a delightful surprise.”
As a consolation prize, Carrigan will join DuVall and Richmond’s Chris Crisologo on B.C.’s Willingdon Cup team at next month’s Canadian Amateur Championship in Toronto. “This is the fifth time I have qualified for the Willingdon Cup team,” said Carrigan, who has won three Canadian Mid-Amateur championships. “And that means a lot because I know how important it is in the history of B.C. golf. It's a 100-year-old event, we measure good players in the province based on how many Willingdon Cups they have played in.”
Crisologo, who is about to begin his senior year at Simon Fraser University, sunk a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to grab the final Willingdon Cup spot. He finished solo fourth at eight-under par after shooting a two-under 70 on Friday. “I had an idea I needed to make that putt,” Crisologo said. “I haven’t been on a Willingdon Cup team so that was obviously one of my goals coming into the tournament. So it means a lot for sure.”
Zach Anderson of Nanaimo finished tied for fifth at seven-under with 13-year-old Jeevan Sihota of Victoria. Anderson fired a six-under 66, the low round of the tournament, on Friday, Sihota closed with an even-par 72.
CHIP SHOTS: Vancouver’s Doug Roxburgh finished tied for 54th at 14-over after shooting a seven-over 79 on Friday. . .Defending champion Nolan Thoroughgood of Victoria closed with a four-under 68 and finished 17th at one-over par. . . Next year’s B.C. Amateur will be held Rivershore Golf Links in Kamloops. . . Sihota and Tristan Mandur of Mill Bay won the two-man best-ball competition with a four-round score of 29-under.
For complete final scoring CLICK HERE