Ilirian Zalli And Jennifer Gu Victorious At Future Links Fall Series In British Columbia
Burnaby's Ilirian Zalli (L) And West Vancouver's Jennifer Gu (R) Were The Boys And Girls Division Champions Respectively In The Future Links driven by Acura Fall Series Championship At Sunshine Coast G&CC - Image Credit Chuck Russell/Golf Canada
Courtesy Golf Canada
ROBERTS CREEK, B.C. – Jennifer Gu emerged as leader in the Girls Division and Ilirian Zalli captured the Boys Division at the Future Links, driven by Acura Fall Series Championship at Sunshine Coast Golf & Country Club on Sunday.
Gu, who started the third and final round tied with the lead, carded a 1-over 73 to distance herself from the pack en route to a six-stroke victory. The West Vancouver, B.C., native finished at 7 over par in the 54-hole event.
“I knew that I had to bring my best this week to be medalist against a strong field here this week at Sunshine Coast,” said Gu. “Once I started getting a little bit of a lead I started hitting to the fat part of the greens; I was really focused on my lag putting to play safely which helped me.”
Angela Arora (Surrey, B.C.) and Emma Yang (Langley, B.C.) finished tied for 2nd at 13 over par and will advance to the Canadian Junior Girls Championship from July 29 – Aug. 2, at Lethbridge Country Club in Lethbridge, Alta.
In the Boys Division, Zalli of Burnaby, B.C., completed the wire-to-wire victory with a convincing 16-stroke win. The 2018 B.C. Junior Boys Champion closed at 14 under par (68-66-68) as the only player in the red. “As this was the first fall series event in the west, it was more than just about winning,” said Zalli. “It was about setting the bar for years to come.”
Vancouver’s Dylan Bercan also finished with a 4-under-par 68, lifting him into a tie for runner-up with Zach Ryujin (North Vancouver) at 2 over par.
All three golfers will advance to the the 2019 Canadian Junior Boys Championship from Aug. 11-15, at Covered Bridge Golf & Country Club in Hartland, N.B.
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Results for previous 2018 Future Links, driven by Acura Championships can be found here: Pacific, Ontario, Western, Quebec, Prairie, Atlantic, Fall Series Quebec.