Proteau’s Sixth Mid-Amateur Win An Emotional One

BC Golf Tournament Director Greg Moody Presents The Women's Mid-Amateur Trophy To 2018 Winner Christina Proteau, Her 6th Victory In The Event - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

SICAMOUS -- Christina Proteau has a long list of provincial and national golf titles, so it would be easy to assume that another one wouldn’t mean all that much. That could not be further from the truth. This one meant so much to Proteau, the mother of two young boys who is a Crown prosecutor in Port Alberni.

She fired a one-under par 71 Thursday at Hyde Mountain Golf Course to win her sixth B.C. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship title. The tears she wiped away from her eyes told the story.

Earlier this year, Proteau wrote some goals on her home calendar and reminded herself how long it had been since she had won a provincial or national title. “It has been since 2015, how does that make you feel? That is what I wrote because it has bothered me and I haven’t played my best the last couple of years,” Proteau said.

When she had her two boys -- Jameson is three and a half and Thatcher is eight months -- lots of people told Proteau that her competitive career was probably over, at least for a while. “I had so many people tell me once we had kids this would stop,” Proteau said. “It would be too hard, it would too much work and you are just going to have to take a break. And it is hard and it is a lot of work, but it is so rewarding.”

Proteau finished the 54-hole event at 13-over par. That was four strokes better than Jackie Little of Procter. The championship trophy for the Women’s Mid-Amateur is named after Little and Proteau was clearly touched when Little handed it to her at the awards presentation.

“This is by far the best I have played all year and easily the best I have scored, so it finally came together and fortunately on the right day,” she said. “I thought I would have to shoot under par to beat Jackie.

“Jackie smells blood in the water and she is going to pounce all over you if you give her any opening at all. We have played together almost 20 years and she is my hero and mentor and you have to forget about that a little bit and just play the golf course. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to come out and scrape it around and win.”

image credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

Oh, Look, Jackie Little Won A Senior Women's Event...Who Saw That One Coming?

The Mid-Amateur championship is for players 25 and over. Little, who last week won her sixth B.C. Senior Women’s Championship, did win the Mid-Master title for players 40 and over. Little shot a four-over 76 Thursday and finished at 17-over, which was nine shots better than Alison Murdoch of Victoria

Little began the final round with a one-shot lead on Proteau. “She played well today,” Little said of Proteau. “I don’t feel like I lost it, but I made her work for it a little bit.” Proteau has put together an impressive resume over the years and seems determined to keep adding to it. In addition to her now six B.C. Mid-Amateur titles, Proteau has three B.C. Women’s Amateurs, five Canadian Mid-Amateur Championships and two individual Canadian University titles.

She made five birdies in her round Thursday. Even though she knew she had a comfortable lead, Proteau was battling nerves coming down the stretch. “I hit a 5-iron off the tee on (the par 5) 18th to be safe and I was shaking over my second shot which I hit well. I felt better over the wedge shot. There were a lot of nerves. I knew my lead most of the round, but even a four-shot lead out here is nothing.

“This is incredibly rewarding with the two kids. I kind of keep track of the results that way. It’s pre-Jameson, pregnant with Jameson, Jameson, pregnant with Thatcher and Thatcher. Now Thatcher gets one. It is neat.”

Proteau, who as usual had her husband Jim caddying for her this week, has a busy summer schedule planned. She will play the B.C. Women’s Amateur in a couple of weeks in Golden as well as the Canadian Amateur at Marine Drive Golf Club in Vancouver and Canadian Mid-Amateur and the U.S. Mid-Amateur.

Proteau was looking forward to sharing the gold medal she received with her two sons, who were being looked after by their nanny in nearby Salmon Arm. Jameson is now old enough to understand what a win means.

“He does understand, but the thing is he is excited with and colour of medal. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter but it is neat to think that as they get older they’ll be able think it is something cool that their mom does. She doesn’t just work around the house and earn a paycheque. She does something else too.”

Click HERE for complete final scoring