ABBOTSFORD (July 9, 2024) — They are college teammates and good friends, but Mackenzie Bickell and Hudson LaFayette are always trying to beat one another. Nothing has changed now that school is out for the summer.

Humphreys in good form as he readies for B.C. Amateur title defence; Barker wins Ogopogo in record-setting fashion; Stinson prevails at Chilliwack Open

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Victoria’s Jeevan Sihota recorded the biggest win of his young pro career at the Mickelson National Invitational in Calgary.

The 20-year-old earned a $30,000 payday after finishing the 54-hole event at 12-under par, one shot better than runner-up Brady McKinlay of Lacombe, Alta. “It’s been a while since I had my last win, so it feels good,” Sihota said in a telephone interview.

Sihota was tied for the lead heading into the final round and after bogeying his first hole, he played flawlessly the rest of the way. He closed with a six-under 66.

Find direct links to everything champsionship here...

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

KELOWNA (July 05, 2024) — Along with her 14 clubs, Amy Lee has four letters that accompany her nearly every time she tees it up. WAAC is a South Korean golf apparel brand and that acronym stands for Win At All Costs.

It has become something of a golfing mantra for the 16-year-old Langley resident, who seems to be winning every time she plays. Lee didn’t just successfully defend her B.C. Junior Girls Championship, she lapped her competition at Gallagher’s Canyon Golf & Country Club. Lee won by 18 shots. That’s right, 18 shots.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

KELOWNA, B.C. (July 5, 2024) - Austin Krahn won the B.C. Junior Boys Championship and for that he can thank his putter.

The 16-year-old Christina Lake resident made one clutch putt after another in the final round at Gallagher’s Canyon Golf & Country Club and emerged with a hard-fought two-stroke victory over Ryan Vest of Vernon.

“The putter was really good today,” Krahn said. “I can’t think of one putt that I hit poorly today. It was just perfect all day long.”

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

KELOWNA — He already has two British Columbia Golf Championships and Austin Krahn is looking to add a third at the B.C. Junior Boys Championship.

The 16-year-old Christina Lake resident, a two-time winner of the B.C. Indigenous Championship, fired a three-under 69 at Gallagher’s Canyon Golf & Country Club to grab the 54-hole lead at eight-under par.

Krahn leads Vernon’s Ryan Vest and Maxim McKenzie of Chilliwack by two shots. “I hit the ball beautifully today,” Krahn said.

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.”

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

KELOWNA — Amy Lee isn’t trying to just beat the girls. Halfway through the B.C. Junior Boys & Girls Championships, the 16-year-old Langley resident has set herself a new goal beyond just defending the Junior Girls title she won last summer in Prince George.

“I was talking with my parents last night and again this morning and I told them my goal is to beat the boys,” Lee said with a wry smile. “My goal is to beat the leader of the boys. That is my new goal. Hopefully, by the end of the week I can have a lower score than the boys.”

That is a lofty goal for Lee, who seems to be beating the field wherever she plays.

Shelly Stouffer Has Her Eye On A 5th Straight B.C. Sr. Women's Title - BC Golf File Photo

SUN PEAKS RESORT — Shelly Stouffer will take a four-shot lead into the final round as she attempts to win her fifth straight B.C. Senior Women’s Championship.

Stouffer fired the low round of the tournament — a one-over 74 — on Wednesday and the Nanoose Bay resident sits four-over par through two rounds of the 54-hole event at Sun Peaks Golf Course.

There really is only one player with a realistic chance of catching Stouffer. That would be fellow B.C. Golf Hall of Fame member Jackie Little of Procter.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

KELOWNA — They take their junior golf seriously at Gallagher’s Canyon. And it’s just not a one-week thing, with the B.C. Junior Boys & Girls Championships being held this week at the scenic layout located about 10 minutes from downtown Kelowna.

Peter Hopley, the longtime general manager at Gallagher’s, is a big junior golf booster and is proud his club is playing host to a tournament he has a personal history with. Hopley’s eldest son, Matt, was a regular participant a few years ago and his youngest son, Markus, is playing this week.

There are some very specific crtieria as to how you can get to be one of the 156 who qualify to compete in the B.C. Amateur...

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

KELOWNA — Oakley Mayner feels right at home at Gallagher’s Canyon Golf Course and it showed in Tuesday’s first round of the B.C. Junior Boys Championship.

The 17-year-old has played Gallagher’s more times than he can count the past few years and feels like his intimate knowledge of the course gives him an edge over many of his fellow competitors.

Mayner certainly put it to good use in the first round when he fired a four-under 68 to take a one-shot lead.

The Nanoose Bay resident recovered nicely as she played solid golf the rest of the way. Stouffer finished her round with a birdie on the par 5 18th hole and recorded a three-over 76.

The trophy being sought after by the competitors this week has a storied history that stretches back to the 1800s...

(Excerpted from an article by Michael Riste/BC Golf Museum) - It could be argued that the BCGA only happened as a result of a tug-of-war over the B.C. Amateur...

Sloan T31 at Rocket Mortgage; Parry, Kim win PGA of BC titles;
                                              Towill makes 1st PGA Tour Americas cut                                                

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

A solid freshman season at the University of Tennessee was followed by just a so-so sophomore campaign and Angela Arora felt like she needed a change. A fresh start.

So the soon-to-be 20-year-old from Surrey decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal and see what happened. The former B.C. Junior and Juvenile Girls champion feels like she hit a jackpot of sorts by accepting an offer to join the University of Arizona in Tucson.

“I am excited, I am very excited,” Arora said in an interview. “I just decided to go on the portal and honestly I was talking to a bunch of schools and Arizona stood out.”

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Shelly Stouffer’s Drive for Five will come at high altitude. Sun Peaks Golf Course near Kamloops is playing host to the B.C. Senior Women’s Championship, where Stouffer will attempt to win her fifth straight title.

The mountainside layout should provide the big-hitting Stouffer with even more length. Sun Peaks markets itself as British Columbia’s highest-elevation golf course. “Our signature hole is the par 4 16th, which is the highest tee deck elevation in all of B.C. at 1,333 metres,” says Lauren Fine, golf operations manager at Sun Peaks.

“It has beautiful views of the valley. It’s a downhill, slight dogleg left and some players can drive the green on that hole.”

Svensson top-20s at Travelers; Crisologo top British Columbian at PGA Tour Americas’ Canadian opener; Lauren Kim tees it up in British Women’s Amateur

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Ellie Szeryk began the final round of the GolfBC Group B.C. Women’s Open with a seven-shot lead and didn’t quite know how to handle it. “I have never had a lead like that before,” Szeryk said.

“In college, I would have a one-shot lead and I would have Ingrid Lindblad, the world No. 1, right behind me. So it was a little nerve-wracking today just dealing with some emotions. It was a really big learning experience for me.” And one the 22-year-old handled with relative ease.

Nanaimo’s Manpreet Lalh And Jason Yu Of Vancouver Earn Spots In U.S. Junior Amateur

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Luna Lu fired her career-low competitive round and that meant everyone else was playing for second place at a U.S. Junior Girls qualifier at Riverway Golf Course in Burnaby.

Lu, a former B.C. Junior Girls champion, shot a bogey-free six-under 66 to win the qualifier by five shots and earn a spot in the U.S. Junior Girls Championship, which goes July 15-20 at El Caballero Golf Club in Tarzana, Calif.

Recently British Columbia Golf Writer Brad Ziemer, already a Golf Canada Distinguished Service Award recipient, received another accolade with an award from the Golf Journalists Association of Canada for his feature story last year on stroke survivor Brad Thomas who took part in the inaugural All Abilities Championship of BC. We are reposting the story here to recognize the accomplishments of both Brads, well done gentlemen - ed.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

It was Jan. 22, 2014 and Brad Thomas was at home, chatting on the telephone, when he suddenly felt a strange sensation.

“It just came out of nowhere,” Thomas says. “I had a really weird feeling, like pins and needles, that went right up my body. Then 15 seconds later, I was unconscious on the floor.”

Thomas’s life changed forever that day, a month before his 60th birthday. The massive stroke he suffered should have killed him, doctors have told him.