Bellevue, WA's Ian Siebers Was Named PNGA Junior Boy's POY For The 2nd Straight Year - Image Courtesy PNGA

For Immediate Release

Federal Way, Wash. – The Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA) has announced the 2019 Players of the Year for the region. Those honored include Men's Player of the Year, Joe Highsmith of Lakewood, Wash.; Women’s, Ellie Slama of Salem, Ore.; Men's Mid-Amateur, Reid Hatley of Hayden Lake, Idaho; Women's Mid-Amateur, Gretchen Johnson of Portland, Ore.; Senior Men's, Pat O’Donnell of Happy Valley, Ore.; Senior Women's, Lara Tennant of Portland, Ore.; Junior Boys', Ian Siebers of Bellevue, Wash.; and Junior Girls', Gihoe Seo of Mercer Island, Wash.

Click here for a list of playing accomplishments of this year’s recipients, and here for a complete history of all past PNGA Player of the Year recipients. 

For Immediate Release

(4 November 2019, St Andrews, Scotland and Liberty Corner, N.J., USA): The World Handicap System (WHS) is ready to be launched from January 2020 and will provide golfers with a unified and more inclusive handicapping system for the first time.

Though many countries are planning to adopt the new system in January, the system will go live in other parts of the world throughout the year to accommodate different implementation plans and variations in the golfing calendar.

(Delta, BC) – British Columbia Golf has announced their 2019 PNGA Player of the Year nominees. These are the players nominated for their respective categories for the PNGA annual awards this fall. 

The category nominees are as follows: Men’s, Chris Crisologo of Richmond; Women's, Mary Parsons of Delta; Men's Mid-Amateur, Mike Aizawa of Richmond; Women's Mid-Amateur, Nonie Marler of Vancouver; Senior Men's, Doug Roxburgh of Vancouver; Senior Women's, Jackie Little of Procter; Junior Boys', Jace Minni of Delta ; and Junior Girls', Michelle Liu of Vancouver .

PNGA Senior Women's Champion Leslie Folsom (L) And Super Senior Champion Holly Horwood (R) - PNGA Photo

Via Press Release

Spokane, Wash. – Leslie Folsom of Tukwila, Wash. shot rounds of 73-76 to win the 33rd Pacific Northwest Senior Women’s Amateur; while Holly Horwood of Vancouver, B.C. successfully defended her title by winning the 8th Super Senior Women’s Amateur, her third consecutive title in this championship.

Both 36-hole championships were held concurrently this week at Kalispel Golf and Country Club in Spokane, Wash., and were conducted by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA).

Visit thepnga.org for complete final scoring of both championships.

RBC Canadian Open (Marcus Oleniuk/ Golf Canada)

Whether you’re a club member, an avid public player or a new enthusiast to the game, spending on the sport of golf drives massive benefit to communities across Canada.

The impact of golf on the Canadian economy is enormous—an economic impact in excess of $14B is only part of the story. Golf courses and the industry at large account for hundreds of thousands of jobs. Canadians and international visitors plan golf vacations to communities that market themselves as golf destinations and resorts offer golf packages that result in millions of tourism dollars.

British Columbia Golf CEO Kris Jonasson And Board President Michelle Collens Were Two Of The First Signatories On Board From A Provincial Association In Canada For The Women In Golf Charter - BC Golf Photo

Courtesy R & A/ British Columbia Golf

(Friday, 27 September, 2019) - To date, 153 organizations have given their commitment to the Women in Golf Charter, pledging to build on current initiatives and develop new projects to increase the number of women, girls and families playing golf and becoming members of clubs, as well as giving women wider opportunities to enjoy careers and volunteering in the sport.

National Coaches Week provides coaches with the recognition they deserve for the time they devote to ensuring Canadians live an active, healthy lifestyle. From September 21 - 29, 2019, encourage yourself to say thanks to the coaches who call B.C. home.

To celebrate National Coaches Week, viaSport is giving away $1000 through our Coaches Week Contest! See below for more details.

 Courtesy viaSport

August 27, 2019 - It's no secret that coaches are a crucial source of support, encouragement and inspiration to sport participants at every stage of the game. While they're often used to building into others, coaches too can always benefit from a bit of motivation and leadership.

The BC Games Coach Mentorship Program is a partnership between viaSport and the BC Games Society designed to support the development of key mentors within sports, thereby increasing the current capacity of sport leaders in BC.

The program supports Provincial Sport Organizations (PSOs) in targeted coach development, through mentorship; builds capacity in coaching leaders in the province and introduces a basic mentorship model in sport that can be used to develop a variety of roles.

A BC Provincial Titleist Jr. Boys Performance Camp will be taking place in early October at the Westwood Plateau Golf & Country Club for junior aged males who are members in good standing with BC Golf/Golf Canada. 

The details of this camp can be found below along with a link to registration and further information. 

Ashley & Dave Zibrik Have Risen To The Top Of Their Profession While Forging A Life Together At The Same Time - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Before they fell in love with each other, Dave Zibrik and Ashley Hogg had already fallen in love with golf. It was the summer of 2005 when they met -- at a golf course, naturally.

Ashley had come home for the summer after completing her junior year at Boise State University, where she played collegiate golf, and had landed a summer job at Swaneset Bay in Pitt Meadows. Dave had just turned pro, was also working at Swaneset and was in the midst of completing the golf management program at Camosun College. Both were 21 and soon they were in love with more than just golf.

Following a free 6 event Fantasy Golf series contest which included The Players Championship, The Masters, The PGA Championship, the RBC Canadian Open, U.S. Open and the Open (British) Championship, the top 10% of finishers in each event was entered into a random draw to determine who would win the Grand Prize of a 2-day trip for two to Bear Mountain Resort (see details below).

The original plan was to have all qualifiers compete in a Fantasy Golf Challenge during the TOUR Championship at East Lake this past weekend but due to unforseen technical difficulties with the content providers for Fantasy Golf Inc., we were unable to hold that final contest.

As a result it was determined that the fairest way to select a winner was to have a random draw from all the series qualifiers. Each contestant was assigned a number in the order in which each had qualifed throughout the 6 events and the winner was drawn Sunday night.

Langley's Erin Lee (L) And Rossland's Xander Bankes (R) Are The 2019 B.C. Bantam Girls' And Boys' Champions - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

They both shot 68 and, not surprisingly, they both won. Xander Bankes of Rossland and Erin Lee of Langley played clutch final rounds in less than ideal conditions Wednesday afternoon to win the B.C. Bantam Boys and Girls Championships at Belmont Golf Course in Langley.

The two 14-year-olds both overcame three-shot deficits heading into the final round to win the 36-hole competition. Lee’s win achieved a rather lofty goal she set for herself earlier this summer. “This year I really wanted to win at least one provincial championship,” Lee said. “I didn’t play my best at Juveniles, so I am happy I played well today.”

All six qualifying events of the British Columbia Golf Fantasy Golf Tour Challenge contest have been held and we have our list of qualifiers for the Grand Prize Final Draw to award the Bear Mountain Resort Grand Experience 2-day Resort Vaction for two.

We regret that the winner of our contest will not be arrived at through the Fantasy Golf Challenge process of picking players for the TOUR Championship as was originally planned, due to technical circumstances beyond our control with the content providers for our supplier Fantasy Golf Tour Challenge Inc., we will not have the necessary programs in place to run a Fantasy Golf event for the TOUR Championship.

Meanwhile, we still have a Grand Prize to give out and as we stated throughout the contest, the top 10% finishers from each event have qualified and will now be put into a random draw to receive the terrific Golf & Stay Package from Bear Mountain Resort. 

The draw will take place this weekend and the winner will be announced on Monday, August 26th. 

The 2019 Economic Impact of Golf in Canada study is underway.

The research and economic analysis is being led by We Are Golf, a coalition of golf associations that includes the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association, Canadian Society of Club Managers, Golf Canada, PGA of Canada and the National Golf Course Owners Association.

The goal of the study is to understand the impact of golf on Canada’s economy. We Are Golf is working to get the word out through multiple channels to golfers across Canada to invite them to participate in a short survey.

If your course or business could share the survey links to your patrons or post the survey link to your website and social media channels, that would greatly enhance the overall effectiveness of the survey.

The English link is here and the French link here. 

Should you be a golfer, please complete the survey as well.

Take the survey HERE.

Répondez au sondage ICI.

2019 BC Juvenile Boys Champion Leo Harper - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

PEMBERTON -- Leo Harper came from behind to win the B.C. Juvenile Boys Championship and it didn’t take him long to take control in Thursday’s final round. The 16-year-old Burnaby resident blitzed the front nine at The Meadows at Pemberton, making the turn in just 31 strokes.

After starting his round with a birdie on the par 5 first hole -- which Harper birdied all three days -- Harper kept his foot on the gas. He added a birdie on No. 3, made a bogey on the fourth hole, but then ended his front nine by playing the final three holes in four-under par.

2019 BC Juvenile Girls Champion Alyssa Chang Hoists The Winner's Trophy - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

PEMBERTON -- Alyssa Chang has decided she’ll keep the blue hair for a little while longer. After all, it seems to be a good luck charm of sorts.

The 16-year-old from Surrey got the biggest win of her young golfing life Thursday when she captured the B.C. Juvenile Girls Championship at The Meadows at Pemberton. Afterwards, she gave partial credit to her blue hair, which she has been thinking about dying back to its original colour.

“My parents are not super strict but my mom said she didn’t want me dying my hair until I was 16,” Chang said with a laugh after her round. “So when we got to my 16th birthday I’m like, I kind of want to do something crazy this year and come out of my shell, so I dyed it blue.

"The craziest thing I have ever done. I feel like this year it has been kind of like a good luck charm . . .so I think I am going to keep the blue hair for a while.”

Surrey's Alyssa Chang Has The Lead In The Juvenile Girl's Championship After Two Rounds At The Meadows In Pemberton - BC Golf Image

By Brad Ziemer/British Columbia Golf

Victoria’s William Bishop carded his second straight two-under 70 Wednesday and will carry a two-shot lead into Thursday’s final round of the B.C. Juvenile Boys Championship at The Meadows at Pemberton. Alyssa Chang of Surrey leads the Juvenile Girls Championship after she shot an even-par 72 on Wednesday.

The 15-year-old Bishop, who plays out of Victoria Golf Club, had four birdies in his round Wednesday. He stands at four-under par through 36 holes. Leo Harper of Burnaby and Daniel Bennett of Victoria share second place at two-under par. Harper shot a two-under 70 Wednesday, while Bennett had the day’s best round, a three-under 69.

The Meadows At Pemberton GC - Photo Courtesy Facility

 Alyssa Chang And Katherine Hao Share The Girls Lead

By Brad Ziemer/British Columbia Golf

William Bishop of Victoria opened with a two-under 70 Tuesday to grab the first-round lead at the B.C. Juvenile Boys Championship at The Meadows at Pemberton.

Alyssa Chang of Surrey and Katherine Hao of Burnaby are tied for the lead in the Girls division after firing one-over 73s.

Delta, BC's Mary Parsons (3rd From Left) Was Part Of The Bronze Medal Winning Team From Canada In The Mixed Team Golf Event At The Peru Pan American Games. L-R: Austin Connelly, Brigitte Thibault, Parsons, Joey Savoie - Image Credit: David Jackson/ COC

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Delta’s Mary Parsons won a medal Sunday and came close to earning a second one at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. Parsons, Brigitte Thibault of Rosemere, Que., Joey Savoie of La Prairie, Que., and Austin Connelly of Lake Doucette, N.S., combined to win the bronze medal in the mixed team event on Sunday.

The Canadians finished with a team score of 552, just three shots behind the silver medalists from Paraguay. The United States took the gold medal with a team score of 544. “I think all four of us grinded out every shot to kind of get to where we are,” Parsons said. “We knew coming down the stretch we had to keep pushing because it wasn’t going to be over until it’s over.”

Three B.C. Boys Will Tee It Up In The FedEx Cup Playoffs Beginning This Week. L-R: Adam Hadwin, Roger Sloan & Nick Taylor - File Photos

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

A record five Canadians, including three British Columbians, have qualified for the PGA TOUR’s FedEx Cup playoffs. Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor, both of Abbotsford, and Merritt’s Roger Sloan will join Ontario natives Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes in this week’s first of three playoff events, The Northern Trust at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J.

Hadwin enters the playoffs at No. 46 on the FedEx Cup points list and is in good position to be among the top 70 players who will advance to next week’s second playoff event, the BMW Championship at Medinah Country Club near Chicago. Taylor and Sloan will need big finishes in Jersey City to advance. Sloan enters the playoffs at No. 91, while Taylor is 117th.