Ziemer's B.C. Golf Notes: Trisha Larsen remembered as golf marketing visionary; Close second for Canada at Women’s PGA Cup; Record round for SFU’s Ferguson; T-Birds, Cascades winners at UBC Invitational
The BC Golf Industry Lost A Special Friend With The Passing Of Trisha Larsen
By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf
The British Columbia golf industry and tourism sector lost a great champion and friend with the recent passing of Trisha Larsen.
Larsen, who was 54, died after a battle with pancreatic cancer. She founded The Web Advisors marketing agency in 2011, but Larsen’s involvement with and promotion of the British Columbia golf industry goes back nearly three decades.
Larsen started working in the golf industry at The Harvest Golf Club in Kelowna in 1994 and later led the sales and marketing team at Predator Ridge in Vernon.
After moving to Vancouver Island, Larsen began doing golf consulting work with the then fledgling Golf Vancouver Island group. It was after moving back to the Okanagan that Larsen founded The Web Advisors and grew the agency into a tourism marketing powerhouse.
“Trisha was a tourism marketing leader in British Columbia, and her impact on golf and destination marketing has been instrumental in the growth of many organizations around the province,” The Web Advisors said in a statement.
“Her energy, insight and drive will be sorely missed by her team and surely felt across an industry she was so passionate about. It is impossible to convey in words the tenacity to do great work that Trisha brought to every effort.. She was truly a special person that cared deeply about all those she worked with.”
Chris Elder first met Larsen when he was on the board of Golf Vancouver Island and Larsen was doing marketing for the organization. Elder joined The Web Advisors in 2013 and is now its managing director. “Personally, I have lost a friend and a mentor,” said Elder, who credits Larsen for helping establish British Columbia as a golf destination.
“Her tenacity, her drive, her passion for golf in this province brought it to where it is at this point,’ Elder said. “I truly know it wouldn’t have the awareness in destination markets like California without the efforts of Trisha.”
Kris Jonasson, chief executive officer of British Columbia Golf, said Larsen made an immense contribution to B.C.’s golf industry. “The golf industry in British Columbia has suffered a huge loss with the passing of Trisha Larsen,” Jonasson said.
“Trisha believed passionately in the quality of golf within the province. She possessed the skills and expertise to share that passion with golfers everywhere. British Columbia Golf offers our deepest condolences to her family as well as the staff at The Web Advisors.”
Larsen is survived by her husband Claus and sons Jared and Cohl. In lieu of flowers, Larsen’s family has requested that donations be considered to your local SPCA or the B.C. Cancer Foundation.
CLOSE SECOND: Richmond’s Christine Wong and her Canadian teammates had to settle for a close second at the 2022 Women’s PGA Cup in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M. The Canadian team of Wong, Calgary’s Katy Rutherford, Emma de Groot of Hamilton, Caroline Ciot of Bromont, Que., and Casey Ward of Mississauga, Ont., finished the 36-hole competition just two shots behind the United States. Great Britain & Ireland was third in the six-team competition that also featured squads from Australia, Sweden and South Africa. Wong tied for fifth in the individual competition at three-over par. That was seven shots behind winner Heather MacRae of Great Britain & Ireland.
RECORD ROUND: Simon Fraser University freshman Izzy Ferguson matched a school record with a three-under 69 in the final round to help the Red Leafs finish in a tie for third at the Dennis Rose Invitational tourney in Waimea, Hawaii. Simon Fraser’s final-round team score of 292 was the second lowest in team history. Ferguson, who opened the 36-hole event with a four-over 76, tied for fifth in the individual competition. Teammate Meera Minhas tied for 10th.
“The strategy for the tournament was to play aggressively and be smart in troubling areas,” said first-year assistant coach Kat Kennedy. “We are a little fatigued from being on the road for a week, but they played hard until the very last hole. “I am so proud of them for the perseverance they showed on the golf course and the support they provided each other. This will give us big momentum heading into the 2023 spring season.” The SFU women began the week by finishing12th in a deep field at the Southwest Airlines Hawaii Pacific Shark Shootout in Aeia, Hawaii. The Red Leafs were led by Shirin Ajarwalla, who tied for 26th.
TOP-FIVE FINISH: Richmond’s Keith Ng, a senior at the University of Hawaii-Hilo, shot rounds of 68 and 71 and tied for fifth on the men’s side at the Dennis Rose Invitational. His teammate, Dustin Franko of Delta, tied for 19th.
CASCADES CLUTCH: The UBC women and University of the Fraser Valley men were the winners at the UBC West Coast Intercollegiate tourney held at University Golf Club in Vancouver.
The UFV Cascades, with a 36-hole team score of 16-under par, edged UBC-Okanagan by one shot to take the men’s team title. The UBC women dominated their competition, winning the team title by 39 shots with a score of 14-under. UBC’s Sonja Tang edged teammate Una Chow by one shot to win the women’s individual competition with a score of nine-under par. Justin Towill of UBC-Okanagan won the men’s individual title with a score of 12-under par. That was five shots better than UBC’s J.P. Kahlert, Eli Greene of UFV and Robin Conlan of the University of Victoria.
THREE AMIGOS: Adam Svensson of Surrey and the Abbotsford duo of Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin are all in the field for this week’s World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba in Mexico. Taylor is coming off a tie for 23rd finish at last week’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship, where he earned $56,550.
PACK ATTACK: Vancouver’s Leah John and her University of Nevada Wolf Pack teammates had quite the tournament in Henderson, Nev., last week. Nevada won the The Clash at Boulder Creek with a team score of 25-under par, 16 shots better than the second-place team from Long Beach State. John, the winner of the past two B.C. Women’s Amateur Championships, tied for third in the 54-hole event at six-under par, three shots behind teammate Victoria Galley.
FOR SALE: Hillview Golf Course, a popular 18-hole executive layout in Vernon, has been listed for sale at $5.25 million. Hillview, which sits on a 48-acre parcel of property within Vernon city limits, features a 25-stall driving range and a 2,500-square-foot clubhouse.
CHIP SHOTS: This is a big week for Stuart Macdonald of Vancouver and Richmond’s Chris Crisologo, who are both in the field for the final stage of the Korn Ferry Tour qualifying school that goes Nov. 4-7 in Savannah, Ga. . .Langley’s James Allenby won the Vancouver Golf Tour’s first event of its winter season, firing a one-under 71 at Golden Eagle’s North Course in Pitt Meadows. Ilirian Zalli of Vancouver and Tanvir Kahlon of Pitt Meadows tied for second after both shot 73s. Burnaby’s Leo Harper was the low amateur with a one-under 71.