Victoria, BC's Jeevan Sihota - Image Credit: Bernard Brault/Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The Latin American portion of the PGA Tour Americas circuit concludes at this week’s Inter Rapidisimo Golf Championship in Bogota, Colombia, where Victoria’s Jeevan Sihota must make the cut to secure his playing privileges for the tour’s North American swing.

Sihota enters the tournament ranked 61st on the Fortinet Cup points list. The top 60 players after this week’s event will be exempt for the nine Canadian events and one U.S. tournament on the North American swing that begins next month in Victoria.

Matthew Wilson File Photo - Image Credit Chuck Russell/Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Matthew Wilson wants to end his junior golf career on a high note and the Nanaimo native is off to a terrific start. Wilson kick-started his final round with a pair of chip-in eagles on his front nine at Summerland Golf Club and won the NextGen Pacific Championship by one shot over Joshua Ince of Surrey.

“I have put in a lot of work this off-season and one of the things I really wanted to do, especially with this being my last year of junior golf, is get my game in a good spot to win a lot of golf tournaments,” Wilson said.

Team BC Practices Prior To The 2023 North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches

This year will be the 36th edition of the North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches (NPJLTM) and represents an opportunity for BC to win their 7th consecutive event, equalling a record set many years ago by the Washington Golf Association.

The competition had been cancelled for 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Team BC having won the previous five events played, from 2016 - 2019 and 2022, 2023.

The Oregon Golf Association will be playing host this year as the tournament is being held at Emerald Valley Golf Course in Creswell, Oregon. 

British Columbia's Gary Pike - Image Courtesy PNGA

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Gary Pike made his PNGA Lamey Cup debut last year and is delighted he will be back for a second opportunity to play in the annual Ryder Cup-style competition featuring teams from the British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and Idaho golf associations.

“It was a blast,” says Pike, a Victoria resident who won the B.C Mid-Master Championship last spring. “You are representing British Columbia and it’s a pretty cool experience. The event was very well run and meeting other players there was fun. It was a real privilege to play.”

BC's Stuart Macdonald And His Caddie, Father Rob, With The Diners Club Peru Open Trophy - Image Courtesy PGA TOUR Americas

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

When it was over, after Stuart Macdonald had tapped in a short putt to win the Diners Club Peru Open, he accepted congratulations from his two playing partners and then hugged his caddie. And wouldn’t let go.

Macdonald’s caddie was his dad, Robert, who after battling a serious illness, had travelled from Vancouver to South America to carry his son’s bag.

Stu Macdonald will never forget that emotional father-son embrace that followed a win that could change his professional golfing life.

The Okanagan Golf Club, Quail Course - Image Courtesy GolfBC/Okanagan GC: Bear & Quail

British Columbia Golf is holding a Player Development Camp at The Okanagan Golf Club on May 19th and 20th, 2024.

For details and a link to registration, please click on this link: 2024 Regional Interior Camp at Okanagan Golf Club 

The UBC Men's & Women's Golf Teams Were Both Victorious In The Warrior Invitational - Image Credit Toby Kerr (UBC Communications)

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Officially, the University of B.C. women’s team has won two straight NAIA golf championships. But factor in the two years UBC was forced to miss the national tournament because of Covid, the Thunderbirds have won the last three national titles they have been able to compete in.

Don’t bet against them making it four straight when the NAIA Championships go May 14-17 at TPC Deere Run in Silvas, Ill.

Images Courtesy: BC Sports Hall Of Fame 

Help Us Open The Door For The Next eneration Of Indigenous Athletes & Coaches With A State Of The Art Virtual Reality Experience

For immediate release
April 15, 2024

Vancouver, BC – The Indigenous Sport Gallery at the BC Sports Hall of Fame is the largest known permanent gallery in the world dedicated to Indigenous sport and with the unveiling of one of the most comprehensive digitization projects in sports history, it can now be experienced through virtual reality by visitors from across British Columbia and across the world.

The Digital Indigenous Sport Gallery (DISG) is designed to increase the accessibility of the Indigenous Sport Gallery and highlight the accomplishments and contributions of Indigenous athletes, coaches and builders who have had a profound impact on sport history and culture – and bring their stories to life.

Ledgeview GC, Site Of The 2024 BC Amateur - Image Courtesy Ledgeview GC

We hope you are all enjoying the off-season and are ready for a packed summer of golf. Please see the information regarding the 2024 British Columbia Golf Provincial Championships below.

As the 2024 golf season nears, we are eager to host our Provincial Championships across British Columbia.

New Zealand's Amelia Garvey Tees Off On No. 10 At Vancouver Golf Club - BC Golf Image

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

There just seems to be something about Kiwis and Vancouver Golf Club. New Zealand’s most famous golf export, Lydia Ko, has won a pair of LPGA events at the Coquitlam layout and now Christchurch native Amelia Garvey has produced a little magic of her own.

Garvey dominated a 36-hole U.S. Women’s Open qualifier, shooting rounds of 69 and 71 to finish four shots clear of the field. “I guess I should have called Lydia for some advice,” Garvey said. “I didn’t know she had won on this course.”

Adam Niles Wins RJGA Palm Valley Classic In Goodyear, Ariz. - Image Courtesy Josh Brown/WNMU Assistant Athletics Director

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Back in the fall of 2020, Adam Niles finished second in his first event at Western New Mexico University and remembers thinking that maybe collegiate golf wasn’t going to be as tough as he thought it might be.

The 21-year-old Kamloops native chuckled as he recalled that memory following his first collegiate win at last week’s RJGA Palm Valley Classic in Goodyear, Ariz.

“It has been a long time coming,” Niles said in a phone interview. “As a freshman I came second in my first event and that kind of set the expectations pretty high. After that, it was like, okay, maybe I can actually do this and compete with the guys out here. I have just been trying to get better each day I have been here.”

Shauna Wilton Becomes The Third Woman To Lead The Organization Since The Amalgamation Of The BCGA & The BCLGA

For Immediate Release

Delta, BC - April 9, 2024 - British Columbia Golf, BC's Provincial Sport Organization (PSO) for golf, is pleased to announce the election of its newest president, Shauna Wilton. Wilton was officially elected by the BC Golf Board on April 6th and succeeds Greg Moody, who will remain on the board as past president.

Wilton, the third woman to hold the position of president with the Association since the amalgamation of the BCGA and the BCLGA in 2004 said, "It’s an honour to work alongside the board, staff and volunteers to positively influence the sport I love so much."

A lifelong participant in sport and an avid recreational golfer, Wilton brings a wealth of related professional experience to her new position.

BC's Lauren Kim Tees Off On The 1st Hole At Augusta National In The Final Round Of The ANWA - Image Credit Chloe Knott/Augusta National

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Her scorecard, which Lauren Kim will undoubtedly cherish for the rest of her life, shows that she made a two on Augusta National Golf Club’s par 3 16th hole.

Kim will always remember how close that two was to being a one.

“I had the crowd roaring,” the 18-year-old Surrey native said of her tee shot that landed on the slope right of the pin and then slowly rolled down toward the hole.

Golf Canada Launches Season-Long Campaign That Highlights The Many Health Benefits of The Sport

- New Golf and Health campaign website along with Golf Canada mobile app enhancements to focus on the sport’s positive physical, mental, and social benefits for participants -

Oakville, Ont. – Golf Canada is highlighting the physical, mental, and social benefits that the sport can provide on Canadians through its brand-new Golf and Health campaign.

The campaign – Golf, It’s Good for You – launched leading into World Health Day April 7. All of the World Health Organization’s key criteria for health enhancing physical activity can be achieved through the sport of golf and Golf Canada is prioritizing communicating health as part of its strategic plan.

BC's Stuart Macdonald - Image Credit Bernard Brault/Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

It was a great day to be a Purdue Boilermaker. That included the guys who bounce an orange ball around a basketball court and another who chases a little white ball around a golf course.

On the day the Purdue Boilermakers advanced to their first Final Four appearance at the NCAA basketball tourney in nearly half a century, one of the university’s alma mater was having himself a nice day on the links.

Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald, who played his collegiate golf at Purdue, closed with a four-under 67 to finish tied for third at the PGA Tour Americas’ Totalplay Championship at Atlas Country Club in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Ledgeview GC, Site Of The 2024 BC Amateur - Image Courtesy Ledgeview GC

With the 2024 golf season getting underway throughout much of the province, British Columbia Golf would like to remind those who wish to enter that registration for our 2024 championship events is now almost completely open. 

Please find details below.

BC's Lawren Rowe - Photo Credit Chuck Russell/Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Lawren Rowe of Squamish closed with the low round of the day, a five-under 67, and the former University of Victoria standout tied for seventh at the PGA Tour Americas’ debut event, the Bupa Championship at Tulum in Mexico.

The PGA Riviera Maya course played tough all week. The 36-hole cut was five-over par and only 11 players finished the event under par. Rowe was one of those 11 as he completed the tournament at one-under par.

Clay Feagler of The Woodlands, Texas won the event on the fourth hole of a sudden-death playoff after finishing at four-under par.

BC's Shelly Stouffer Is Being Inducted Into The Pacific Northwest Golf Hall Of Fame - File Photo

For Immediate Release

Tacoma, Wash. – For the seventh time in Northwest golf history, the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA) and the Pacific Northwest Section PGA (PNWPGA) will conduct a joint Hall of Fame ceremony to honor inductees from each organization. This combined Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held at Seattle (Wash.) Golf Club on April 27, 2024.

Their respective Halls of Fame recognize those who have distinguished themselves through outstanding playing accomplishments as well as contributions to the game in the region.

Being inducted this year for the PNGA are Shelly Stouffer of Nanoose Bay, B.C..; Dr. Jack Lamey of Bellevue, Wash.; and Bon Stein of Seattle, Wash. The PNWPGA will be inducting Doug Doxsie of Issaquah, Wash.

Jeff Sutherland, Long-Time Publishing Partner To British Columbia Golf Has Officially Joined The Association’s Staff As Director, Communications

Effective March 1st, Jeff Sutherland has started a new position as team leader for the Communications Department. The department is one of four operational groups in a revamped organizational structure for the Association that represents more than 60,000 amateur golfers across the province.

This hire takes place at a time when British Columbia Golf is looking to expand its communications with members and all golfers across the province. In support of that goal, the Board has formed a committee to provide direction and governance.

BC's Lauren Kim Will Tee It Up At Augusta Next Month - Kim Photo Couresty Golf Canada/BBrault

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Surrey’s Lauren Kim had to pinch herself a couple of times to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, that she really was walking the fairways of Augusta National Golf Club.

“It was kind of unbelievable that I was even there,” Kim said of her recent visit to the legendary layout. “I didn’t think I would ever be playing at Augusta.” The really good news is that the 18-year University of Texas freshman will be playing it again very soon. Hopefully, twice.