Burnaby’s Luna Lu Beats The Heat And Her Competition To Win B.C. Juvenile Girls Championship
BC Juvenile Girls Champion Luna Lu - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf
By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf
PITT MEADOWS -- The heat was on in more ways than one for Luna Lu in the final round of the B.C. Juvenile Girls Championship.
The 14-year-old from Burnaby not only had to handle the pressure of playing with the lead, she had to deal with the oppressive heat during her afternoon round on Golden Eagle Golf Club’s South Course.
Lu draped a wet towel around her neck much of the day to try and stay cool. As for that other pressure, it didn’t seem to faze her. Lu shot a final round of one-under 69 and won the championship for players aged 16 and younger by seven shots.
Lu, who plays out of nearby Pitt Meadows Golf Course and is heading into Grade 9 at Burnaby North Secondary, finished the 54-hole event at two-under par.
Lu began the day with a two-shot lead and had stretched her cushion to four strokes at the turn. The rest of her round was relatively stress free, especially after she holed a 9-iron from 130 yards for an eagle on the par 4 13th hole. “I saw it go in the hole,” Lu said after her round. “I was really surprised and happy.”
In addition to that eagle, Lu had three birdies in her round that was played in temperatures that topped 40 degrees. “It was so hot,” she said. “This is probably the hottest weather I have ever played in. It was a bit tiring to walk. I used that towel a lot and it really helped me stay cool.”
Although she looked calm on the course, Lu said she was battling butterflies all day. “I was nervous through the whole round. I just tried to think about my next shot, not the result. I just tried to play my own game and not focus on other people. I feel like I played a fairly stable round. I had some trouble off the tee, but then I made some long putts to even it out.”
Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf
(L-R) Silver Medalist Katherine Hao, Champion Luna Lu and Silver Medalist Chelsea Truong
Lu started playing golf about five years ago and said winning the B.C. Juvenile title is huge. “I am really excited and happy. I can’t believe I won.”
Chelsea Truong of Victoria and Katherine Hao of Burnaby tied for second at five-over par. Truong elected to carry her golf bag, despite the heat. “My coach about a year ago suggested I try carrying because it reduces steps and it has taught me how to pack less stuff,” Truong said. “
It was one of my best decisions. I love it. I take so many shortcuts.” Truong closed with a one-over 71 that she called boring. “It was one bogey and 17 pars. It was kind of sad actually.”
A better-ball competition was also contested this week. The team of June Hsiao of Coquitlam and William Tu of Vancouver won with a 54-hole score of 16-under. That was three shots better than the teams of Jagre Knight of Parksville and Matthew Wilson of Nanaimo and Luna Lu and Nathan Szpakowicz of Vancouver.
Click HERE for complete scoring.
CHIP SHOTS: Next year’s B.C. Juvenile Girls & Boys Championships are scheduled to be held at Shannon Lake Golf Course in West Kelowna