Patrick Murphy And AJ Armstrong Bring Team Canada And Alberta Flavour To BC Amateur At Fairview Mountain
AJ Anderson, Left, And Patrick Murphy, Right, Are Team Canada Development Team Members Who Will Be Teeing It Up At Fairview Mountain For The BC Amateur This Week - Image Credit Alfie Lau
by Alfie Lau
They’re two Alberta teenage golfers with very bright futures. Patrick Murphy and AJ Armstrong, both members of Team Canada’s Development Squad, are playing in Oliver this week as they try to add the prestigious British Columbia Amateur title to their already impressive resumes.
Let’s start with Murphy, the 18-year-old from Crossfield, AB, just outside of Calgary. A member at Glencoe G&CC, Murphy is committed to UCLA for university.
“I wanted to test myself against the competition in British Columbia,” said Murphy prior to his Monday practice round with a couple of BC champions, Mid-Amateur champion Jordan Belton, and BC Junior champion Jake Scarrow. “I’m looking forward to playing here and seeing how my game compares.”
Murphy finished third at the 2014 Canadian Junior Boys Championship, won the Alberta Junior championship and finished T9 at the 2014 CN Future Links Pacific Championship. Murphy was out four groups after his Team Canada colleague, AJ Armstrong of St. Albert, AB, just outside of Edmonton.
Armstrong is committed to Washington State University and he’s also looking to test himself against BC’s best. “One of my teammates (at WSU) is Zach Anderson,” said Armstrong, who will go against Anderson in the Best Ball competition with his partner, Murphy, while Anderson pairs up with Logan Yanick.
Armstrong has impressed WSU coach Garrett Clegg and Clegg expects great performances from both of his Canadians in 2015 and beyond.
But for the BC Amateur at Fairview Mountain, Armstrong hopes to lift that trophy and be in top form for the Canadian Junior Boys Championship at the Summerlea Golf and Country Club in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Québec this August.
“I'd like to win the Canadian junior, that's my main goal this year,” said Armstrong, who finished fourth in that tournament last year.
image credit alfie lau
Matt Williams Is A Former Team Canada Development Team Member Who Will Be Teeing It Up At Fairview Mountain For The BC Amateur This Week
Armstrong and Murphy’s appearances outside their home province isn’t rare, as Golf Canada Development Team member Jaclyn Lee played the BC Women’s Amateur in Duncan Meadows earlier in July and her teammate, Naomi Ko of Royal Colwood, did not defend her BC Junior Girls Championship last week. Instead, Ko finished T2 at the Ontario Women’s Amateur behind Maddie Szeryk.
It’s all part of a greater plan to have Canada’s best young golfers playing in different surroundings, against different competition. As Team Canada members, it’s not hard to miss Armstrong and Murphy, but a third Alberta player, who used to be on Team Canada as well, is playing the BC Amateur.
Matt Williams, currently going to the University of Houston, was testing his game alongside Jared DuToit, the University of Idaho student who is amongst the highest ranked Canadians in the World Amateur Golf Rankings list; and Jordan Lu, the reigning BC Amateur champion.
A fourth Albertan, Rhys Tosczak, now playing out of Penticton G&CC, is also in the field at Fairview Mountain. These four golfers will play within 20 minutes of each other, as Murphy is in the 12:40 p.m. tee time off the first tee for Round 1, followed by Williams and Tosczak in the 12:50 tee time and Armstrong at 1 p.m.