Shelly Stouffer Wins Fifth Straight B.C. Senior Women’s Championship
By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf
Shelly Stouffer has made it five in a row and you can’t help but get the feeling she’s far from finished winning B.C. Senior Women’s Championships.
The 54-year-old Nanoose Bay resident beat the field by five shots at Sun Peaks Golf Course near Kamloops. Stouffer finished the 54-hole competition with a four-over 77 in the final round that left her at eight-over for the tournament.
And in case you are wondering, winning does not get old.
“No, it’s always fun to win,” Stouffer said. “I’m just going to keep trying to do this as long as I can.”
It turned into a two-woman race at Sun Peaks. Hall of Famer against Hall of Famer as Stouffer and Jackie Little of Procter battled it out.
Stouffer began the day with a four-shot lead, but Little had clawed back to within a shot through eight holes. Little’s double-bogey on the par 4 ninth hole gave Stouffer some back-nine breathing room. “Jackie was playing well,” Stouffer said. “She gave me a run on the front nine. She was one-under before doubling No. 9.”
Sun Peaks was playing host to its first British Columbia Golf Championship and Stouffer said it presented a stern test to the players. “It was very narrow,” she said. “You really couldn’t relax much on it. You had to pick your targets and commit to them and as soon as you weren’t committed, it was trouble.”
Stouffer has been on a tear since turning 50. Her biggest win came at the 2022 U.S. Senior Women’s Championship in Alaska, where she became the first British Columbian to win a United States Golf Association championship. She has added Canadian Senior and Mid-Amateur wins to her resume.
“To all those golfers out there, 50 is awesome,” Stouffer said with a laugh. “It’s a whole new world. You get to play in so many cool events. It’s a lot of fun. It gives you a new life as a golfer.”
Denise Walker of Victoria finished third at 22-over. Stouffer, Little and Walker will represent British Columbia at the Canadian Senior Women’s Championship, which goes Aug. 27-29 at The Club at North Halton in Georgetown, Ont.
A field of 70 players competed at Sun Peaks. Three separate championships were contested. The Senior event was open to players 50 and over. The Super-Senior category was open to players 60 and older, while the Super Super Senior division was for players 70 and over.
Little, a winner of multiple British Columbia Golf and Canadian championships, defended her Super Senior title. She beat Vancouver’s Holly Horwood by 12 shots. Horwood defended her Super Super Senior Championship by seven shots over Phyllis Laschuk of Vancouver.
The Zone 6 team of Stouffer and Josee Deslauriers of Parksville won the 36-hole Zone competition by 22 shots over the Zone 1 team of Little and Leslie Weaver of Cranbrook.
A net better-ball competition was also held during the Sun Peaks event. The team of Beverly Hillstrom of Delta and Susan Lu of Port Moody won with the score of 24-under, three shots better than the second-place team of Angela Lee and Jacquie Chase, both of Campbell River.
CHIP SHOTS: Stouffer will be competing close to home at the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, which goes July 11-13 at Crown Isle Golf Resort in Courtenay.
Click HERE for complete final scoring.