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.

Vancouver's Victoria Liu Rode Her Second Straight Round In The 60's To A 3-Shot Lead At The Halfway Mark Of The Canadian Junior Girls Championship - (Photo credit: Golf Canada)

BC Takes Inter-Provincial Team Title For The 3rd Time In 5 Years

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – YanJun (Victoria) Liu of Vancouver carded her second straight round in the 60s, opening a three-stroke lead at the 65th Canadian Junior Girls Championship held at Lethbridge Country Club.

Liu shot 3 under 69, moving herself to 10 under for the tournament. Her 65 yesterday tied the old course record at Lethbridge Country Club – the record was broken by Euna Hanof Coquitlam, BC only minutes earlier. Liu has only committed a single bogey through 36 holes.

“Today was a different round from yesterday,” said Liu. “Yesterday I had lots of birdie opportunities. Today was more of a regular day – lots of up-and-downs and some birdies too. I kept it real consistent today and made many great putts.”

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

It is turning into a 'super summer' for Merritt’s Roger Sloan, who posted another top-10 finish Sunday on the PGA TOUR . Sloan tied for seventh at the Barracuda Championship in Reno, Nev.

In his last four events, Sloan has finished tied for 21st, T15, T10 and T7. He seems to have his game in solid shape with the PGA TOUR’s FedEx Cup playoffs set to start in two weeks.

Sloan finished with 37 points at the Barracuda, an event that uses the Stableford scoring system. That was 10 points behind winner Collin Morikawa, a rookie from Los Angeles. The nice finish in Reno moved Sloan up 13 spots on the FedEx Cup points list to 91st.  Surrey’s Adam Svensson finished 65th in Reno, but dropped five spots on the FedEX Cup list to 171st.

The PGA TOUR regular season wraps up at this week’s Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C. The four British Columbians who are PGA TOUR regulars -- Sloan, Svensson, Adam Hadwin (No.41 on FedEx list) and Nick Taylor (No. 114) -- are all scheduled to play at the Wyndham.

The 2019 B.C. Senior & Super-Senior Champion, Doug Roxburgh - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

VERNON -- This can’t last forever, but in a way it seems like it already has. Doug Roxburgh keeps adding to his incredible amateur record that began way back in 1969, when he won both the B.C. Amateur and B.C. Junior Boys Championships as a 17-year-old.

A half-century later, the Marine Drive Golf Club legend is still winning provincial championships. On Thursday evening at Vernon Golf & Country Club, the 67-year-old Roxburgh captured his fifth B.C. Senior Men’s title. Roxburgh closed with an even-par 72 to finish the 54-hole event at five-under par, two shots better than Jim Shaw of Sooke.

Vancouver's Doug Roxburgh Is Seeking His Fifth B.C. Seniors Title As He Heads Into Thursday's Final Round At Vernon G&CC  - Images Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

VERNON -- Doug Roxburgh has a battle on his hands at the B.C. Senior Men’s Championship and he’s okay with that. 

The 67-year-old Roxburgh will carry a slim two-shot lead into Thursday’s final round of the 54-hole championship at Vernon Golf & Country Club after his one-under 71 Wednesday left him at five-under for the tournament.

Jim Shaw, a longtime Mission-area resident who now calls Sooke home, is second at three-under. Shaw fired a two-under 70 on Wednesday. Nanaimo’s Sandy Harper and Victoria’s Neil O’leary are tied for third at two-under.

Doug Roxburgh (Inset Left) And Greg Bismeyer (Inset Right) Are Your Co-Leaders After Round One Of The B.C. Senior Men's Championship At Vernon G&CC - BC Golf File Photos

A four-under 68 in Tuesday’s opening round gave Vancouver’s Doug Roxburgh a share of the lead as the Canadian golf legend attempts to win his fifth B.C. Senior Men’s title.

The 67-year-old Roxburgh, a 13-time B.C. Amateur and four-time Canadian Amateur champion, did most of his damage on the front side at Vernon Golf & Country Club. He birdied his first hole and three others on the front nine to make the turn in 32.

Roxburgh, who is seeking his third straight Senior Men’s championship, shares the lead with Greg Bismeyer of Mission.

EDMONTON, ALBERTA – JULY 23, 2019 – The 47th annual Junior America’s Cup is set to take flight this week at Blackhawk Golf Club in Edmonton, Alberta.

A field of 72 players from 18 teams representing 12 U.S. States, two Canadian Provinces (Alberta, British Columbia) and Mexico will take to the course at 7:30 am MT on Tuesday in what will be the third time the international competition has been hosted in the province of Alberta.

Duncan, BC's Tristan Mandur (Inset) Will Represent The PNGA At This week’s 53rd Pacific Coast Amateur Championship At The Championship Course At The University Of New Mexico 

Tristan Mandur of Duncan, B.C., Craig Ronne of Klamath Falls, Ore. and Shawn Lu of Honolulu, Hawaii have been selected to represent the Pacific Northwest Golf Association at this year’s Morse Cup team competition, which will take place simultaneously with the 53rd Pacific Coast Amateur Championship held at the Championship Course at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

Doug Roxburgh Will Be Going For B.C. Senior Men's Championship Number Five This Week In Vernon - Image Credit Jurgen Kaminski (JKam Photos)/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Doug Roxburgh will be seeking his fifth B.C. Senior Men’s Championship this week at Vernon Golf Club. The 67-year-old Roxburgh won last year’s championship by 10 shots at Big Sky Golf Club in Pemberton and will be looking for his third straight Senior Men’s title.

The 13-time B.C. Amateur champion served notice earlier this month at Big Sky that his game is in solid shape. Roxburgh finished the 117th playing of the B.C. Amateur at Big Sky with a one-over 73 on a course that was set up at about 6,900 yards for the final round. And Roxburgh said that round could have been much better. “I played well,” he said. “I had good looks at birdie on the last three holes and didn’t make any of them.”

The 2019 Canadian Amputee and Disabled National Open (CADNO) will be held in Okotoks, Alberta at the River’s Edge Golf Club August 13 – 16, 2019. The event will be a 54-hole tournament open to all amputees and people with qualifying disabilities.