Ziemer's B.C. Golf Notes: Svensson a career-best sixth at Barbasol; Ewart, Arora qualify for respective U.S. Amateurs; B.C. Amateur field set after qualifier; Katherine Hao wins Alberta Women’s Amateur; Barker wins big at Ogopogo
BC's Adam Svensson - Image Credit Bernard Brault/Golf Canada
By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf
Any disappointment Surrey’s Adam Svensson feels over a stumble down the stretch at the Barbasol Championship should be tempered with the knowledge he has secured his PGA TOUR status for next year.
After contending all week, Svensson finished a career-best solo sixth at the Barbasol. Svensson was done in when he only managed to par the easy par 5 15th hole in the final round and then took a double-bogey on the par 4 17th when he was forced to take an unplayable lie after an errant drive.
Svensson finished the event at 19-under par, six shots behind winner Trey Mullinax.
He jumped 11 spots on the FedEx Cup points list to 88th and with just four regular-season events remaining, Svensson has clinched a spot in the playoffs and his full status for the 2022-23 season.
Svensson also earned $134,125 to push his season’s winnings to nearly $1.1 million.
While Svensson has much to celebrate following his third top 10 of the season, fellow British Columbian Roger Sloan has lots to worry about. Sloan missed the cut at the Barbasol by one shot. He has not made a cut in his last eight starts — seven missed cuts and a withdrawal — and now sits 181st on the points list.
He will need a big finish to remain exempt and may have to head to the three-event Korn Ferry Tour Finals to try and hang on to his PGA TOUR playing privileges.
Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor travelled across the pond to play in the Genesis Scottish Open, where he tied for 55th at five-over par, 12 shots behind winner Xander Schauffele. Taylor made $23,280 and dropped six spots to 120th on the FedExCup points list. Taylor remains exempt through the end of the 2022-23 season as a result of his win at the 2020 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, but needs to remain inside the top 125 to secure a spot in the playoffs.
BOGEY-FREE: Coquitlam’s A.J. Ewart earned a spot in next month’s U.S. Amateur Championship in impressive fashion. Ewart tied for first at a 36-hole qualifier at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash. at nine-under par and did not have a single bogey on his scorecard. The 122nd playing of the U.S. Amateur goes Aug. 15-21 at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J.
Meanwhile, Surrey’s Angela Arora has played her way into the U.S. Women’s Amateur. Arora shot an even-par 70 and tied for fourth at a qualifier at La Rinconada Country Club in Los Gatos, Calif., where six spots were up for grabs. The U.S. Women’s Amateur goes Aug. 8-14 at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash.
Arora, a member of Golf Canada’s national junior team, is competing at this week’s PNGA Women’s Amateur Championship at Salishan Golf Links in Gleneden Beach, Ore.
FIELD SET: The field for this week’s playing of the 120th B.C. Amateur Championship was filled at a qualifier at Christina Lake Golf Club. Mitchell Krahn of the host club topped the field by five shots with a three-under 69. Twelve other players also played their way into the B.C. Amateur, which goes Tuesday through Friday (July 11-15) at Christina Lake.
TOP 10 IN SCOTLAND: B.C. Junior Boys champion James Lee finished ninth at the Scottish Boys Under 16 Open Championship. Lee, who lives part of the year in Whistler, completed the 54-hole event played at Bishopbriggs Golf Club in Glasgow at three-over par. That was eight shots behind winner Finlay Galloway of Scotland.
The 15-year-old Lee, who lists his home course as San Francisco’s Olympic Club, won the B.C. Junior title earlier this month at Nk’Mip Canyon Desert Golf Course in Oliver. Lee is playing this week in the English Boys’ Under 16 Stroke Play Championship at Sherwood Forest Golf Club in Nottinghamshire.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME: Burnaby’s Katherine Hao got quite the birthday present as she won the Alberta Women’s Amateur Championship on the day she turned 15. Hao, who plays out of Point Grey Golf & Country Club, shot rounds of 70, 72 and 69 at Canmore Golf and Curling Club and her five-under total beat the field by seven shots.
BARKER WINS BIG: Vernon’s Bryce Barker registered a convincing win at the annual Ogopogo tourney at Kelowna Golf & Country Club. Barker was 14-under par over 54 holes and won by six shots over Troy Bulmer of Saskatoon.
NORTH & SOUTH: Yeji Kwon of Port Coquitlam, Lauren Kim of Surrey and Michelle Liu of Vancouver and Victoria Liu of Vancouver all have spots in the 120-player field at this week’s 120th North & South Women’s Amateur Championship in Pinehurst, N.C. Two rounds of stroke play will be contested on Pinehurst No. 2 and Pinehurst No. 4. The top 32 players advance to match play, which will be played on Pinehurst No 2.
NORTH TO ALASKA: Procter’s Jackie Little has qualified to play in the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship. Little tied for second at a qualifier at Fairwood Golf & Country Club in Renton, Wash., where she shot an eight-over 79. The U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur goes July 30 - Aug. 4 at Anchorage Golf Course in Alaska. B.C. Senior Women’s champion Shelly Stouffer of Nanoose Bay has a spot in the championship by virtue of making it to the semi-finals of last summer’s event.
LIN SECOND: Vancouver’s Lucy Lin, a 12-year-old who plays out of Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club, finished second at the Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship. Lin completed the 72-hole event at four-under par, five shots behind the 14-year-old winner, Carlee Meilleur of Bath, Ont.
JUNIOR CHAMPS: Nathan Szpakowicz of Point Grey and Elise Liu of Quilchena were the winners at the inaugural Marine Drive Junior Invitational. Szpakowicz’s two-under total in the 36-hole event was two shots better than runner-up George Zhou of the Pacific Golf Academy. Liu finished at one-under and edged runner-up Meera Minhas of Vancouver Golf Club by one shot.
WACK ATTACK: Steven Lecuyer of Seymour Creek Golf Academy fired two rounds of 67 and his 10-under total edged James Allenby of Langley Golf Centre by one shot to win the Vancouver Golf Tour’s Chilliwack Open at Chilliwack Golf Club. Lecuyer earned $4,000, while Allenby made $2,700. Oliver Tubb of Vancouver, Kevin Spooner of Capilano, Kevin Stinson of Cheam Mountain and Ilirian Zalli of Fraserview shared third place at eight-under par and each took home $1,400.
PRO-ASSISTANT CHAMPS: The Chilliwack Golf Club team of Ryan Totani and Zach Olson captured the PGA of BC Pro-Assistant Championship played at Crown Isle in Courtenay. With a team total of 16-under par, Totani and Olson edged three other teams by two shots. They split a first-place cheque of $3,200.