Euna Han and Andrew Spalti Win 2014 B.C. Girls’ And Boys’ Championships
August 22, 2014 - (British Columbia Golf)
Euna Han came from behind to win the 2014 B.C. Girls’ Bantam Championship at Meadowlands Golf Club, while Andrew Spalti held on to win the 2014 B.C. Boys’ Bantam Championship after leading both days of competition.
Han shot a 2-under 68 on the second day to take the lead from her position in third place following the first round, and finishied with a two-day total of 138 (-2) as the only female competitor under par.
The 12-year-old Meadow Gardens golfer bogeyed but a single hole during her final round on the way to claiming the title, and boasted a bogey-free back nine for the duration of the Championship, beating several players her senior while displaying composure beyond her years.
GIRLS RESULTS | PHOTOS | VIDEO
“It felt obviously great, I just tried to play my best the whole round. I didn’t know how [the others] were playing until the last couple of holes. I feel really great about it,” she said of her unexpected victory.
“My putting was working well today, I missed a short putt on 16 but just continued on and forgot about it and I was a bit lucky today, I hit a tree and came back to the fairway, so I was lucky.”
Though it didn’t hurt having a few good bounces on her side, luck likely had very little to do with her round, Han finished 8th in last year’s Bantam Championship at only 11 years old, showing she is a great player even at a young age, and certainly one to watch.
Shirin Anjarwalla, at age 14, led after the first round of the Championship but dropped back to finish in second place shooting 73 (+3) on day two. The Nanaimo golfer started the day with a double-bogey and unfortunately wasn’t able to make ground to reclaim the lead but still finished strong at 1-over par (141) for the tournament.
Burnaby’s Sumie Francois, who is also 14 years old, finished third in her final year of eligibility for the Bantam Championship at 2-over (142) after two days of tough competition. Francois made an eagle on number 11 after four earlier bogeys but was unable to create the momentum she would need to catch the leader.
Last year’s Champion Alisha Lau and Tiffany Kong finished T4th to round out the top five.
Boys Championship
Andrew Spalti 2014 B.C. Bantam Boys ChampionSpalti, 14, led through two rounds to claim the title, shooting 69 both days and finishing 2-under par (138). His second round (-1) was highlighted by five birdies, helping him to hold on to the lead.
This was Spalti’s first year playing in the B.C. Bantam Championship and his final year of eligibility.
BOYS' RESULTS | PHOTOS | VIDEO
“It feels good. Early in the front nine I thought I lost [the lead] and all my group members started making birdies and were coming on strong going to the back but I managed to fight back. I bogeyed the last one but luckily I still locked in the lead,” Spalti said relieved.
“It didn’t help with all the people watching but I tried my best not to notice them and I guess it worked.”
Spalti explained that his putting was one of the strongest points of his game and definitely was the biggest contributor to helping him secure the win.
Earlier this summer, the Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club member missed the cut at the Junior Boys Championship, but showing impressive self-command rebounded to win the Bantam title. Spalti withdrew from the upcoming Juvenile Championship but was planning to return to provincial championships next summer.
Khan Lee played a bogey-free second round making a strong push for the title finishing (-2) on Friday. Lee, 14, finished second with a 1-under par (139) total.
Callum Davison finished with the day’s low score at (-3) to help move him into a tie for third with Daniel Sun, who shot (-2) on Friday. The pair finished even for the Championship.
Novice Championships
The Novice division was added to the Bantam in 2014 for competitors with less experience in provincial competition. Natasha Kozlowski of Prince George finished in first with 91 points, followed by Sienna Kraus with 81 points and Claire Lovan of Surrey with 78 points in third.
On the boy’s side, Tyler Casper won the Novice Championship with 87 points, closely followed by Stephen Pon with 83 and in third, Jerry Li with 76 points.