First Round Leader At The B.C. Amateur Championship At Big Sky In Pemberton, Jackson Rothwell, Grimaces As His Eagle Putt Just Misses On The 18th. The Putt Would Have Given Him A 64 On The Day - Images Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

PEMBERTON -- The tournament round of Jackson Rothwell’s young golfing life has given him the first-round lead at the 117th B.C. Amateur Championship. On a hot, muggy day, the 18-year-old Victoria native scorched Big Sky Golf Club with a seven-under 65. "That’s my best tournament score -- so far,” Rothwell said with a smile after his round. “We’ll see if we can go lower tomorrow.”

Rothwell, who finished third at last week’s B.C. Junior Boys Championship at Fairwinds Golf Club in Nanoose Bay, had eight birdies and just one bogey in his round. He has a two-shot lead on Isaac Lee of Pitt Meadows.

Richmond's Alisha Lau, A Former B.C. Junior Girls Champion, Leads The B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship By Three Shots After The First Round - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Alisha Lau did not quite know what to expect at the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship, her first significant golf tournament in more than a year. Needless to say she was delighted how things turned out on day one. Lau fired a two-under 70 Tuesday at Nanaimo Golf Club and carries a three-shot lead into Wednesday’s second round.

The 19-year-old Lau has been on the sidelines with a right wrist injury since last summer and eventually had surgery last fall. She sat out her sophomore year at the University of Colorado as a medical redshirt. After a long recovery, which required lots of patience, Lau is happy to be back playing the game she loves.

“This is my first big tournament in over a year so I didn’t really have any expectations,” she said after Tuesday’s round. “I am pretty happy with today’s round, for sure.”

BC's Adam Hadwin Finished 4th On The PGA TOUR This Weekend After Briefly Holding The Clubhouse Lead On The Final Day - File Photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Abbotsford’s Adam Hadwin led the way with a solo fourth-place finish and fellow British Columbians Roger Sloan of Merritt and Adam Svensson of Surrey both tied for 15th at the PGA TOUR’s inaugural 3M Open in Minnesota.

Hadwin had a share of the lead early on the back nine and went on to register his fifth top 10 of the year. He finished the event at 18-under par, three shots behind winner Matthew Wolff of Simi Valley, Calif. Hadwin jumped 12 spots on the FedEx Cup points list to 37th. Hadwin has now registered eight top-five finishes in his PGA TOUR career.

Brycen Ko Made It A Clean Sweep Of BC Junior Titles For The Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club With His Win In The Junior Boys Championship - Images Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

NANOOSE BAY -- Brycen Ko couldn’t have had a worse start or a better finish. The 15-year-old from Richmond began Friday’s final round of the B.C. Junior Boys Championship at Fairwinds Golf Club with a four-shot lead. 

Ko hadn’t made anything worse than a bogey in his first 54 holes and started his final round with a double-bogey. He added a bogey on the third hole and suddenly his four-shot lead was down to a single shot.

But just when it looked like his young nerves might get the best of him, Ko gathered himself and won the championship in fine style when he chipped in for birdie on the 18th hole.

Angela Zhang Is Your 2019 British Columbia Golf Junior Girls Champion - Images Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

NANOOSE BAY -- When her putter finally came to life, Angela Zhang had an inkling she was about to fulfill one of her big golfing goals. The B.C. Junior Girls Championship was high on Zhang’s to-do list this summer and she won it in impressive fashion Friday at Fairwinds Golf Club.

The 17-year-old Zhang, who plays out of Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club, rolled in big birdie putts on the 11th and 14th holes to take control of the tournament. “What happened pretty much all week was that I was fighting with the yips,” Zhang said after her round.

“I could putt everything from 30, 40, or 50 feet within a yard or two, but once it got to within six feet I just yipped everything. So for me drain that five-foot downhill slider meant a lot. That really gave me the confidence to get it going.”

Angela Zhang Of Vancouver Caught Second Round Leader Cindy Koira Of Victoria And The Two Are Now Tied Going Into Friday's Final Round At The BC Jr. Girls Championship - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf 

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

NANOOSE BAY -- It’s not often a player can make up ground on the field without a single birdie, but Vancouver’s Angela Zhang did just that in Thursday’s third round of the B.C. Junior Girls Championship.

Zhang, who began the day seven shots out of the lead, played a steady round that included 16 pars and two bogeys at Fairwinds Golf Club. At the end of the day, she had a share of the lead. “It was steady,” Zhang said of her two-over 73.

“I hit super solid iron shots, but all of my putts edged the hole. I was hitting good putts and hitting great irons, but none of them dropped. Unfortunately, it was just one of those days. But you know what, par on this course is good. You’ll take it any day.”

Richmond's Brycen Ko Will Try To Hold Onto A 4-Shot Lead In Friday's Final Round At The BC Junior Boys Championship - Images Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

NANOOSE BAY -- The B.C. Junior Boys Championship at Fairwinds Golf Club has been all about avoiding the big number. Brycen Ko has done that as well as anyone and that’s one of the main reasons why the 15-year-old Richmond resident carries a four-shot lead into Friday’s final round.

Ko has made his share of bogeys on Fairwinds’ tight layout, where trouble seemingly lurks everywhere. But he has avoided those dreaded others that have destroyed so many rounds of his fellow competitors this week.

The 51st annual Eddie Hogan Cup tournament is scheduled to take place Friday, August 9th to Sunday, August 11th at the Riverside Golf & Country Club in Portland, Oregon and British Columbia has been represented every single year since its inception in 1969.

BC has won the Eddie Hogan Cup title twice since 1972, with the first coming in 2009 and then again 4 years later in 2013 where team member Kevin Vigna also won the individual title.

The Eddie Hogan Cup is filled with excellent competition from across the USA including Southern and Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Idaho, Hawaii and others as well as British Columbia.

Richmond's Brycen Ko Holds The Halfway Lead In The 2019 B.C. Junior Boys Championship At Fairwinds GC In Nanoose Bay - Images Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

NANOOSE BAY -- Fairwinds Golf Club continues to be a riddle many of the best junior golfers in British Columbia are having difficulty solving, but Brycen Ko seemed to figure it out Wednesday.

Ko shot a tournament-low three-under par 68 to grab the halfway lead at the B.C. Junior Boys Championship. The 15-year-old from Richmond stands at one-under par through 36 holes and has a one-shot lead on Fort Langley’s Jackson Jacob. 

“After my round yesterday, I came into today just thinking put yourself in a good spot,” Ko said. “And I think I accomplished that. I just think I have to be patient. My main focus was just to hit fairways and greens. It is that kind of golf course where positioning is important.”

Courtesy Colin Weston/ModGolf

In Larry Gilhuly’s opinion, the three biggest issues facing the game of golf are pace of play, player enjoyment and economic sustainability. Larry believes he has the solution for all three: “The answer for all of these, in my opinion, are properly placed forward tees.”

This week host Colin Weston speaks with Larry Gilhuly, who is an Agronomist with The United States Golf Association and a passionate advocate of the TEE IT FORWARD program.

Victoria’s Cindy Koira Is Your Halfway Leader In The 2019 B.C. Junior Girls Championship At Fairwinds GC In Nanoose Bay - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer/British Columbia Golf

NANOOSE BAY -- Halfway through just her second B.C. Junior Girls Championship, Surrey’s Angela Arora likes her position. The 14-year-old Surrey resident, who just finished Grade 9, shot her second straight four-over 75 at Fairwinds Golf Club and is alone in second place. She trails leader Cindy Koira of Victoria by three shots.

“I feel like I am in a perfect position,” Arora said after Wednesday’s round. “I am feeling confident. There is a lot of golf left and I feel pretty good about my game.”

Jackson Jacob Of Fort Langley Is The First Round Leader In The BC Junior Boys Championship At Fairwinds GC In Nanoose Bay - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

NANOOSE BAY -- Don’t judge a book by its cover and, as competitors at the B.C. Junior Boys Championship are learning, don’t judge a golf course by its scorecard. Fairwinds Golf Club, all 6,200 yards of it, proved to be a stiff challenge for the boys in Tuesday’s opening round of the event.

When the day was done, only one player -- Jackson Jacob of Fort Langley -- was under par.  Fairwinds’ deceptively challenging layout inflicted many casualties among the 114 boys who teed it up. There were lots of 8s and 9s and even some 10s, 11s and at least one 12 recorded.

Angela Zhang Is Tied For The Lead After Round One Of The BC Junior Girls Championship At Fairwinds GC In Nanoose Bay - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

NANOOSE BAY -- Angela Zhang has come up with a simple game plan for how to play Fairwinds Golf Club at this week’s B.C. Junior Girls Championship. “Stay patient,” Zhang said. “Don’t let the course beat you up. You just have to stay patient and let the putter do the talking.”

Unfortunately, Zhang’s putter didn’t do as much talking as she would have liked in Tuesday’s first round of the 72-hole event. The 17-year-old Vancouver resident only managed one birdie despite hitting 17 greens in regulation. Still, she salvaged a two-over 73 that gave her share of the lead with Victoria’s Cindy Koira.

Ilirian Zalli Will Attempt To Get His Hands On The B.C. Junior Boys Championship Trophy For The 2nd Year In A Row This Week At Fairwinds GC - BC Golf Image

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Burnaby’s Ilirian Zalli will defend his title at this week’s B.C. Junior Boys Championship at Fairwinds Golf Club in Nanoose Bay. Zalli clinched last year’s championship at Kamloops Golf & Country Club with a brilliant eight-under 64 in the final round. Zalli finished the 72-hole event at 16-under par and won by four shots.

Vancouver’s Song Bai, who finished second last year, is also in the field at Fairwinds. The tournament begins Tuesday and runs through Friday.

The B.C. Junior Girls Championship is being run concurrently at Nanoose Bay. A new champion will be crowned as last year’s winner, West Vancouver’s Phoebe Yue, is no longer age-eligible.

image courtesy PGA of Canada

Looking at getting more involved in junior golf at your facility? Want to help your PGA of Canada professional with his or her Junior Golf Programming?

This fall Mayfair Lakes Golf Course in Richmond will be the site of a workshop designed to help prepare YOU to be competent in the skills required by a community coach.

This is a great workshop for people looking to get involved in the community teaching junior golf as a volunteer, people who are going to be coaching or helping out with a high school golf team, or just people in general who want some experience with coaching.

 Representing British Columbia Golf In The Morse Cup At This Year's Pacific Coast Amateur Are (L-R), Henry Lee, Jeevan Sihota And Chris Crisologo - Images Courtesy UW/PNGA/BC Golf

The 53rd Pacific Coast Amateur Championship tees off Tuesday, July 23rd at the Championship Course at The University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, NM. This will be the first time in history that the Pacific Coast Amateur will be played in New Mexico.

All players will be vying for the individual Ed Updegraff Trophy, named after the longtime volunteer and standout amateur golfer who played on three Walker Cup teams (1963, 1965, 1969), won the inaugural Pacific Coast Amateur title at Seattle Golf Club in 1967 and was the 1999 Bob Jones Award recipient from the USGA.

Taking place concurrently with the first and second rounds will be the battle for the Morse Cup, a 36-hole stroke play team competition using predetermined rosters representing the 15 member associations of the Pacific Coast Golf Association. The Morse Cup team trophy was donated by Samuel F. B. Morse, founder and developer of Pebble Beach Company and Pebble Beach Golf Links.

Jace Minni Holds The Trophy As The Vancouver City Amateur Champion - Image Courtesy Scott Minni/Facebook

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Delta’s Jace Minni, the reigning B.C. Juvenile Boys champion, added another title to his collection by winning the Vancouver City Amateur on the weekend.

The 17-year-old Minni, who just completed Grade 11 at South Delta Secondary School, finished the 36-hole event at six-under par to edge Trevor Yu of Vancouver by one shot.

Minni, who plays out of Beach Grove Golf Club in Tsawwassen, fired a three-under par 69 in the first round held at Kings Links Golf Course in Delta and then added a three-under par 70 in Sunday’s final round at Quilchena Golf Club in Richmond.

Friday, June, 21st is National Indigenous Peoples Day.

Don't miss the opportunity to celebrate and learn more about the cultural diversity of the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples by participating in the many activities happening across Canada!

As part of the celebrations British Columbia Golf is hosting a Future Links golf booth among the many other activities taking place at The Musqueam Cultural Pavilion, 4000 Musqueam Ave. in Vancouver.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

In Larry Gilhuly’s opinion, the three biggest issues facing the game of golf are pace of play, player enjoyment and economic sustainability.

Gilhuly likes to think he has the solution for all three. “The answer for all of these, in my opinion, are properly placed forward tees,” Gilhuly told the Annual General Meeting of British Columbia Golf at Tsawwassen Springs Golf Club.

For much of his 35-year career with the United States Golf Association, Gilhuly was all about agronomy. His formal title with the USGA is Agronomist, West Region. In other words, Gilhuly is an expert on growing grass. But in recent years, Gilhuly has become passionate -- very passionate -- about teeing it forward. And by forward, he means way forward. “This topic that I am talking about has got me fired up,” Gilhuly told his audience.

It's Two Out Three In B.C. For California's Jake Knapp As He Took The GolfBC Championship Title To Go Along With His Win In The Season Opener At Point Grey G&CC - Image Credit Chuck Russell/Mackenzie Tour

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The guy who shot 59 didn’t win. Greyson Sigg of Augusta, Ga., had to settle for third place after he scorched Gallagher’s Canyon Golf & Country Club with a 12-under 59 in Sunday’s final round of the GolfBC Championship.

It was only the second 59 recorded since the PGA Tour Canada-Mackenzie Tour circuit started in 2013. Sigg finished the final event of the Mackenzie Tour’s British Columbia Swing at 17-under par. That was three shots behind winner Jake Knapp of Costa Mesa, Calif., who closed with an eight-under 63.