Marine Drive’s James Fahy Grabs Halfway Lead At B.C. Amateur Championship
B.C. Amateur Halfway Leader James Fahy
By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf
ABBOTSFORD (July 10, 2024) — James Fahy has apparently decided the road to follow at the B.C. Amateur Championship is Route 66. The 32-year-old Marine Drive Golf Club member fired his second straight four-under 66 at Ledgeview Golf Course to grab the halfway lead at the 122nd playing of the B.C. Amateur. He is more than a little surprised to be leading.
“We’ll see what happens,” Fahy said. “I am kind of waiting for things to get a little loosey-goosey. Golfing at 32 is very different than 22.”
Fahy, who has a one-shot lead on defending champion Cooper Humphreys of Vernon, doesn’t play as much golf as he used to. He has a busy work life as an investment adviser and only manages to squeeze in four or five rounds a month. He hasn’t played in a B.C. Amateur since 2015.
“I feel like I am the oldest one on the driving range by quite a margin and I am not even that old,” Fahy said with a grin. “I am glad to see some familiar faces and excited to see some of the young talent that is out here and happy to participate. The fact that it is local this year allowed me to come here and do my thing.”
Although he has opened the tournament with two identical rounds, Fahy said they really weren’t. “I would say today was a little bit different than yesterday, but the same result,” he said. “It was a little more scrambly today from the start. I made some really good up-and-downs, some putts for par and saves that kept me in it. It wasn’t easy to start the day, but I found a groove and got hot there to start the second nine and just kind of kept it together.”
Fahy said it helps that Ledgeview has a similar feel to his home club, Marine Drive. Both are not long, but demand precise shot-making. “This is pretty similar in the sense that you have to be good off the tee and can’t be afraid of being aggressive. You know what the shot is and you have to execute and thankfully I have been executing the past two days and the flatstick has been working.”
Humphreys also shot 66 in his second round to move to seven-under. The 19-year-old is happy to be well positioned heading into the final two rounds considering he hasn’t had his best stuff. “I like it,” Humphreys said. “I haven’t felt awesome the first two days so I am excited for the next two.”
Humphreys finished his round with a nice up and down for birdie on his final hole, the par 5 ninth. “Today I was patient,’ he said. “I was getting kind of frustrated out there because nothing was falling in and over the ball I just didn’t feel awesome today. But I stayed patient and it worked out in the end.”
Humphreys, who is heading to the University of San Diego later this summer to begin his collegiate golf career, won last year’s B.C. Amateur at Morningstar Golf Course in Parksville by eight shots.
First-round leader Mackenzie Bickell shot a one-over 71 in his second round and is solo third at five-under. Alex Walker of Chilliwack is fourth at four-under. He shot an even-par 70 in the second round.
The field was cut to low 70 and ties after the second round and it fell at seven-over par. A 36-hole zone competition concluded on Wednesday. The Zone 4 team of Dylan Bercan Tyson Turchanski and Adam Karim, all of Vancouver, won with a score of even-par.
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