Ziemer's B.C. Golf Notes: Mary Parsons, Yeji Kwon earn Q-school promotions
By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf (August 6, 2024) • Nick Taylor ties for 30th in Paris; Stuart Macdonald ties for 7th on PGA Tour Americas; Lauren Kim fifth at Canadian Women’s Amateur
REPEAT NOT REPEATED: Mary Parsons didn’t want it to be deja vu all over again. Thankfully, it wasn’t. Her season on the Annika Women’s All Pro Tour had a much sweeter ending than the one the former B.C. Junior Girls champion experienced last year. The Delta native finished third at the season-ending Heritage Classic in Wichita, Kan., this past weekend and moved up two spots to finish fourth on the tour’s Callaway Race to Qualifying Program.
The top five receive a pass into the second stage of LPGA Tour Q-school and also get their Q-school entries paid. “Last year, I was in the same position, sixth place heading into the final event, and I missed the cut, so I kind of did myself in that way and had to go to Stage 1,” Parsons said in a telephone interview. “This feels great.” READ FULL STORY HERE
HONOUR OF A LIFETIME: Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor finished his Olympics with a two-under 69 that left him in a tie for 30th in Paris. Taylor completed the 72-hole event at four-under par. “The honour of a lifetime to represent Canada as an Olympian and one of the greatest experiences of my career,” Taylor posted on X (formerly Twitter). “The atmosphere at Le Golf National was electric and a great test. Wish the golf could have been a little better, but I enjoyed every moment and my game feels primed to go.”
Canadian teammate Corey Conners tied for ninth at 12-under. American Scottie Scheffler won gold with a brilliant nine-under 62 in the final round that left him at 19-under par. That was one better than silver medallist Tommy Fleetwood of Great Britain and two shots better than bronze medallist Hideki Matsuyama of Japan.
Taylor and fellow British Columbians Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, Adam Svensson of Surrey and Roger Sloan of Merritt are all in the field for this week’s Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C., which is the final regular-season event on the PGA TOUR.
WHEN I’M 64: Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald closed with a six-under 64 and tied for seventh at the PGA Tour Americas’ BioSteel Championship in Windsor, Ont. Macdonald completed the event at 21-under par. That was seven shots behind South African Barend Botha, who won for the second straight week.
Macdonald now stands ninth on the Fortinet Cup points list. The top 10 players on the points list at the end of the season earn exempt status on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour. Four events remain on the PGA Tour Americas schedule, which resumes Aug. 15-18 at the Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open in Waskesiu Lake, Sask.
AMATEUR HOUR: Surrey’s Lauren Kim put up a spirited defence of her title before finishing fifth at the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Royal Colwood Golf Club in Victoria. Kim, who is heading into her sophomore year at the University of Texas, was the only player in the field to break par all four days and completed the event at five-under par.
That was three shots behind winner Yurang Li of Fullerton, Calif. Vancouver’s Anna Huang tied for seventh at two-under par. Huang and Kim both have spots in this week’s U.S. Amateur Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.
SENIOR MOMENT: Shelly Stouffer of Nanoose Bay is also in the field for this week’s U.S. Women’s Amateur. The five-time B.C. Senior Women’s champion is coming off a tie for 40th finish at the U.S. Senior Women’s Open at Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh. Stouffer finished the event at 15-over par. American Leta Lindley closed with a seven-under 64 and won with a score of nine-under par.
RUNNING BACK TO SASKATOON: B.C. Amateur champion Cooper Humphreys of Vernon, James Fahy of Vancouver and Wyatt Brook of Heffley Creek will represent British Columbia in the Willingdon Cup inter-provincial team competition at this week’s 119th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship in Saskatoon.
A field of 264 players will compete at Riverside Country Club and Saskatoon Golf & Country Club. The field will be cut to the low 70 and ties after the second round. Ontario’s Ashton McCulloch, who won the 2021 B.C. Amateur Championship at Storey Creek in Campbell River, is the defending champion.
RECORD ROUND: Kevin Stinson, the head teaching pro at Cheam Mountain in Chilliwack, shot a course record 11-under 60 at Nicklaus North Golf Course in Whistler last week during a G&G Tour event. Stinson’s round included nine birdies and an eagle. He needed just 28 strokes to play the back nine at Nicklaus North. Stinson’s round was the lowest in the history of the G&G Tour, which is open to Lower Mainland PGA of BC pros.
ACROSS THE POND: Kimberley’s Jared du Toit has a spot in the field for this week’s Asian Tour International Series event in England. The $2-million US tournament is being played Aug. 8-11 at Foxhills Golf Club (Longcross Course) in Surrey, England. Several LIV players are in the field, including Thomas Pieters, Peter Uihlein, Richard Bland, Ian Poulter, Branden Grace, Graeme McDowell and Jason Kokrak.
JIM DANDY: Victoria’s Jim Rutledge finished third at the PGA of Canada Seniors Championship in Bromont, Que. Rutledge’s 54-hole total of 15-under par was nine shots back of winner Alan McLean of Echo Valley Golf Club in London, Ont. McLean, who successfully defended the title he won last year, shot a 12-under 60 in the second round. Rutledge was looking to match Moe Norman’s record of eight Seniors championships.