Ziemer's B.C. Golf Notes: Four new inductees to join B.C. Golf Hall of Fame; Svensson ties for 21st at John Deere; Close call for Lauren Kim at U.S. Women’s Open
By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf
Four new inductees, each with a long list of playing accomplishments, will be welcomed this fall into the B.C. Golf Hall of Fame.
Craig Doell of Victoria, Brian DeBiasio of Qualicum, Shelly Stouffer of Nanoose Bay and the late Ron Willey of Nanaimo will be inducted at a dinner Oct. 26 at Marine Drive Golf Club in Vancouver.
Doell, DeBiasio and Stouffer all expressed delight at being selected to join the Hall of Fame. “I am thrilled to be selected to the B.C. Golf Hall of Fame and to have my name in there with so many great players is amazing,” said Stouffer. “I never played golf as a junior, so to be recognized now for my accomplishments is pretty cool.
“Also, to know two of the other three inductees is special. I have known Craig since playing on the UBC golf team in the 1990s, and I have played on several B.C. teams with him. I have gotten to know and have played with Brian in the last couple of years. They are both great people and it will be an awesome experience to celebrate with all the inductees and my family in October.”
We don’t have the space here to list all of the playing records of the inductees, but in the last four years Stouffer has became a dominant senior women’s player. Last summer, she became the first British Columbian to win a United States Golf Association title, capturing the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship. She has won the last four B.C. Senior Women’s Championships and has also won two Canadian Senior Women’s Championships and one Canadian Mid-Amateur title.
Doell’s long list of playing accomplishments include three Canadian Club Champions Championship titles and numerous B.C. and PNGA mid-amateur championships. “Obviously, this means a lot,” Doell said of being named as an inductee. “It’s a great recognition for the success and time spent playing in a lot of golf tournaments. It’s very fulfilling and I was very excited to receive that recognition.”
As much as he cherishes his many years of individual competition, Doell said all of the Willingdon Cup and Morse Cup teams he played on were equally important. “All the good friendships you make being on those various teams have been awesome,” Doell said. “You become friends for life.” One other remarkable part of Doell’s lengthy playing record are the 18 club championships he has won at his home course, Victoria Golf Club.
DeBiasio spent much of his life in the Kootenays and competing in top amateur events meant a lot of trips to the Metro Vancouver area and Vancouver Island. “Living in the Kootenays and trying to compete in the province, especially in the old days when everything was down on the coast or on the Island, I put on a lot of miles,” he said. “For all the hard work that went into it and all of the support that I’ve had, this is a real nice reward.”
DeBiasio’s game blossomed as a mid-Amateur player. His biggest win came at the 1998 Canadian Mid-Amateur in Bathurst, N.B. “My best results were through my 40s and early 50s,” said DeBiasio, who just turned 70. “The big thing for me was I didn’t win a ton, but I was always right there. I was proud of my consistency and how I competed.”
Willey, who passed away in 2017 at the age of 81, won the 1959 B.C. Amateur title. He represented Canada in South Africa at the World Amateur Golf Championships and later partnered with Johnny Johnston at the Americas Cup to defeat Jack Nicklaus and former PGA TOUR commissioner Deane Beman. After turning pro in 1962, Willey worked as a club pro in Idaho, California and British Columbia.
He did stints as head pro at Marine Drive Golf Club and University Golf Club in Vancouver. He won the 1985 CPGA Senior Championship. Later in life, Willey brought the Nevada Bob’s Golf and Tennis franchise to Canada.
Willey, Stouffer, DeBiasio and Doell will become the 45th, 46th, 47th and 48th members of the B.C. Golf Hall of Fame, which has also inducted two teams.
(To view each inductee's playing record please visit: RECORD)
OH DEERE: Surrey’s Adam Svensson tied for 21st at the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Ill. Svensson completed the event at 13-under par, eight shots behind winner Sepp Straka, and made $84,138. The Abbotsford duo of Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor both missed the cut. Taylor is heading across the pond to play in this week’s Scottish Open at North Berwick Golf Club.
SO CLOSE: Surrey’s Lauren Kim missed the cut by a single shot at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links. The 17-year-old was done in by a rough back nine in Friday’s second round. Kim birdied the first three holes of the second round to get back to even-par and that is where she stood when she made the turn to the back nine. But she played her final nine holes in seven-over par to just miss out on the weekend.
BIG PAYDAY: Former UBC T-Bird Andrew Harrison earned $25,000 for winning the inaugural Mickelson National Invitational tournament in Calgary. The Camrose, Alta. native sunk an eight-foot birdie putt on the final hole to edge Calgary’s Ryan Yip by one shot. Harrison finished the 54-hole event at nine-under par. The top B.C. finishers were Kaleb Gorbahn of Smithers and Victoria’s Jeevan Siohota, who tied for sixth at five-under par. Each made $1,750.
AMATEUR HOUR: Delta’s Jace Minni has played his way into this summer’s U.S. Amateur Championship. Minni shot rounds of 66 and 70 at a qualifier at The Home Course in Dupont, Wash., to finish third and grab one of five spots into the U.S. Amateur, which goes Aug. 14-20 at Cherry Hills Country Club in Village, Colo. Minni, who just completed his junior year at Gonzaga University in Spokane, is playing in this week’s B.C. Amateur Championship at Morningstar Golf Course in Parksville.
BACK IN PLAY: After a one-week break, the PGA Tour Canada circuit resumes this week in Bromont, Que., for the Quebec Open. British Columbians in the field include Jared du Toit of Kimberley, A.J. Ewart of Coquitlam, Chris Crisologo of Richmond, Jake Lane of Charlie Lake, Henry Lee of Coquitlam and Lawren Rowe of Victoria.
’WACK ATTACK: Brendan Dillon of Vancouver Golf Club shot a pair of 68s and won the Vancouver Golf Tour’s Chilliwack Men’s Open at Chilliwack Golf Club by one shot over Steven Lucuyer of Seymour Creek Golf Centre. Dillon earned $4,500, while Lucuyer took home $3,000. Kevin Stinson of Cheam Mountain, James Allenby of Langley Golf Centre, Zach Olson of Chilliwack Golf Club and David Hansen of The Home Course in DuPont, Wash., tied for third at six-under par. Each made $1,537.
CHIP SHOTS: Nanoose Bay’s Shelly Stouffer shot a two-under 70 and won the Cowichan Ladies Open by four shots over Karen Kloske and Allyssa Herkel. . .Rob Tadey and Brian McDonald of Fairview Mountain Golf Club won the PGA of BC Pro-Assistant Championship at St. Eugene Golf Resort. Their two-day Scramble score of 21-under was two shots better than the Point Grey Golf & Country Club team of Dave Zibrik and Josh Legge. . .This summer’s Vancouver Open at the three City of Vancouver courses will include an Adaptive Golfer division. The Vancouver Open goes Aug. 17-19, with a pro-am scheduled for Aug. 16.