It wasn’t meant to be for No. 1 seeded medalist Naomi Ko of Victoria, B.C., who fell in the 36-hole match-play final of the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA) on Saturday to Princess Superal of Sun City, Fla.

Ko’s run at the title was thwarted by Philippines native Superal, who jumped out to an early commanding lead with a string of five out of six holes on the first nine at the Suncadia Resort in Cle Elum, Wash. The 2014 U.S. Girls’ Junior champion kept up the pace afterwards, maintaining a lengthy lead to eventually close with a 6&5 victory over Ko at the 115^th playing of the championship.

After playing 36 holes for three days in row through the match-play bracket, Superal was tired but happy with the victory. “I am a little tired,” she said with a laugh. “I came here to have fun and to get some experience. I really didn’t expect to win. Naomi is a really good player. I putted well, and my short game was working today.”

Ko, a member of Team Canada’s Amateur Squad, adds to an impressive season that features a win at the Cambia Portland Classic Amateur Open alongside qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Open. The 18-year-old N.C. State sophomore was also named the PNGA’s Junior Girls’ Player of the Year in 2014.

Team Canada teammates Michelle Kim (Surrey, B.C.) and Jacyln Lee (Calgary) were also in action at Suncadia Resort, drawing each other as opponents in the quarterfinal. Due to an ankle injury, Lee withdrew to hand Kim the win—who eventually went on to lose to Ko in the semifinal, 3&2.

The Pacific Northwest Women’s Amateur and Mid-Amateur are two of 15 major, regional, amateur championships for men, women, juniors, and seniors conducted annually by the PNGA throughout the Northwest.

Click here for full scoring.

INNISFAIL, Alta. – It was a pressure-packed final round of the 2016 Sun Life Financial Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship. Third round leader, Evan Holmes, battled with Matt Williams all around the golf course on a sun-soaked day at Innisfail Golf Club. Williams, who lead after rounds one and two, put pressure on Holmes by making four birdies on the front nine, making the turn with a score of 32. Holmes finished strong, making birdies on four of the last six holes. That clutch performance on the back nine sealed the deal for Holmes as he eventually won by a margin of three strokes.

It was a popular victory for the Earl Grey Golf Club member, as evidenced by the cheers from fellow competitors and the gallery alike. Holmes commented that, “it’s a big monkey off my back. I’ve been so close for the last few years. I really felt like I was playing well coming into this one so I’m glad that I actually showed it and got it done. It feels really good.” When asked about the strong start from Williams, Holmes said, “I kind of had images of a few years ago. He (Williams) was going low and I had a bad double on ten. But then we both made a lot of birdies coming in. It was a really fun match all day long.”

There was a playoff for the Team Alberta Inter-provincial Squad at the 2016 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship on August 8-11 at the Royal Ottawa G&CC & Eagle Creek GC. Geoff Fry (Glencoe G&CC), Andrew Harrison (Edmonton Petroleum G&CC), and Scott Secord (Country Hills GC) finished in a tie for third at seven under par. The trio headed back to hole #18 to playoff for the last position. Scott Secord hit a beautiful second shot on the par five, nearly holing it for an albatross. He tapped in for eagle and claimed the last position on the team. Evan Holmes earned a spot on the 2017 Pacific Coast Amateur Team to be played at Chambers Bay in University Place, WA on July 25-28, 2017.

For the full leader board, click here.

ABILENE, Tex. – Development Squad member Kathrine Chan delivered a convincing nine-stroke victory on Thursday at the Bob Estes Junior. The Richmond, B.C., product carded a final-round 72 (E) to finish at 2-under-par at the Abilene Country Club en route to recording her first American Junior Golf Association win.

The 16-year-old Chan distanced herself from the field with a second-round, tournament-low 69 (-3), highlighted by seven birdies. The Team Canada rookie ended the 54-hole event with a cumulative score of 214 (73-69-72).

With the win, Chan hopes to improve on her current No. 17 standing in the CN Future Links Junior Order of Merit. She is slated to tee-it-up at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship from Aug. 2-5 at The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S.

Click here for full scoring.

Blind Bay, B.C. – Harry Ferguson of Invermere, B.C., won his first British Columbia Senior Men’s title at Shuswap Lake Estates Golf & Country Club in a playoff over 4-time winner Gudmund Lindbjerg of Port Moody on the first extra hole.

Ferguson & Lindbjerg tied at even par over 54 holes and Ferguson’s two-putt par when they replayed the 18th was enough to overcome Lindbjerg who nevertheless still took home the Super-Senior Title.

B.C. golf legend Doug Roxburgh finished alone in third spot to take the final spot on the B.C. Team that will compete at the Canadian Senior Men’s Championship, which goes Sept. 6-9 in Niagara Falls, Ont.

Dream Becomes A Reality For Ferguson

Harry Ferguson had a dream about Thursday’s final round of the B.C. Men’s Senior-Super Senior Championship. Trouble was, he woke up early Thursday morning before finding out how it ended.

It turns out there was no nightmarish ending, just a happy one for the 59-year-old oilfield worker from Invermere.

Ferguson beat Gudmund Lindbjerg of Pitt Meadows on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to win his first provincial championship.

Ferguson and Lindbjerg both finished the 54-hole event at even-par on a Shuswap Lake Estates Golf & Country Club track that played tough.

“It’s funny, I had a dream last night,” said Ferguson, who closed with a one-over 72. “I told Shelley I thought it was going to come down to the 18th hole, but I never found what the ending was. Now I know.”

Shelley is his caddie and partner, Shelley Thomsen, who happens to be a club pro at Eagle Ranch Golf Course in Invermere. And it did end on the 18th hole, which happened to be the first playoff hole.

Ferguson said Thomsen helped keep him calm when things didn’t go their way. An example of that came on the very first hole when Ferguson put his first shot of the day into water. They scrambled to make a bogey after the worst possible start to the round.

“You know you are going to make bogeys out there somewhere,” Ferguson said. “It just happened to be on the first hole. You just don’t want to make a double. That is all we were playing for after that.

“I hit some bad shots out there, but Shelley just settled me down. She’d say, ‘let’s go find it, get it in play and try and get it up and down.'”

Lindbjerg, a 67-year-old who won this event four straight years starting in 2008, started the day with a two-shot lead on Ferguson. But he struggled with his ball-striking all day.

“I didn’t hit the ball very good today,” said Lindbjerg. “On that par 5 (his 10th hole of the day) I had a 7-iron in and ended up with a par. I hit three inches behind the ball. That is the story. It was not there today.”

Lindbjerg did not make a birdie all day and ended up shooting a three-over 74. “That never happens,” he said. “I can’t recall any time I don’t make at least one birdie. That is the way the green rubs sometime. It’s his time, I guess.”

Ferguson drew even on the par 3 16th hole (the leaders started on the back nine Thursday) when he drained a 15-footer for birdie. “I said to Shelley, we have to make something and get the pressure on him, otherwise he is just going to waltz in and run us out of holes,” Ferguson said.

“It just happened to go in and it was kind of a momentum shift there. I was pumped when I made that one.”

The playoff ended when Ferguson two-putted for par from the left fringe and Lindbjerg missed a 10-foot putt for par after putting his tee shot in the front bunker.

Ferguson called the win the biggest of his life. He did place third in a previous Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship. “Well, I do have a bronze medal in Canada, but to win a B.C. championship is special,” he said. “I am going to be driving home and I am just going to be pumped. It’s good to have my name on that trophy. It’s something I will always cherish.”

Ferguson will lead B.C.’s three-man team to the Canadian Senior Men’s Championship, which goes Sept. 6-9 in Niagara Falls, Ont. Joining Ferguson and Lindbjerg on that team will be Hall of Famer Doug Roxburgh, who finished alone in third place at four-over par after shooting a two-over 73 on Thursday.

“I played better today, I just didn’t make any putts,” Roxburgh said. “And I made kind of a sloppy bogey on the last hole.”

Roxburgh and other competitors had high praise for Shuswap Lakes, a course many of them had not seen until this week. “It’s a great course,” Roxburgh. “It is a good test of golf. Even-par won and that’s always a sign of a good course. They had 75 volunteers come out to help, everyone was so friendly and the staff were great. It’s a really nice spot.”

Lindbjerg had to settle for his second straight Super-Senior title, which goes to the top player aged 65 and over. He beat second-place finisher John Gallacher of Burnaby by 11 shots.

For complete scoring CLICK HERE.

NEW MINAS, N.S. – Ken-Wo Golf Club will host the world’s premier female amateur golfers from July 26-29 for the 103rd playing of the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.

Thirteen of the Top-100 players on the World Amateur Golf Ranking will take part in the championship’s return to Ken-Wo, which previously hosted the tournament in 2002. World No. 17 Hye-Jin Choi of Paju-si, Korea will compete alongside No. 40 Andrea Lee of Hermosa Beach, Calif., No. 45 Hannah Green from Perth, Australia and No. 60 Maria Fassi of Pachuca, Mexico. Choi, Green and Fassi represented their countries at the 2015 World Junior Girls Championship at The Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa with Choi collecting medallist honours in leading Korea to the team title.

Established in 1921, Ken-Wo is one of the oldest clubs in Nova Scotia. Its challenging layout developed by course designers Robbie Robinson, Geoffrey Cornish and Bill Robinson boasts a rich golfing history which includes four previous national championships.

“We are thrilled to have the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship return to Ken-Wo and the province of Nova Scotia,” said Host Club Tournament Chair Rene MacKay. “The challenge and beauty of our course will bring out the best in this impressive field. We look forward to welcoming these players with all the care and hospitality of Ken-Wo and the East Coast.”

Montreal’s Lisa Meldrum won the second of her three consecutive Canadian Women’s Amateur titles 14 years ago at Ken-Wo. A new generation of Canadian and international amateurs will now look to continue their legacies by pursuing the Duchess of Connaught trophy.

“This tournament has proven to be a stepping stone for many amateurs working towards joining the professional ranks,” said Tournament Director Mary Beth McKenna. “Eight of our past nine winners, including 2013 champion Brooke Henderson, have gone on to find success as professionals. We are very excited to write the next chapter of the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Ken-Wo.”

The complete contingent of Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad will be in attendance. World No. 37 and top-ranked Canadian amateur Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., will be joined by teammates Josée Doyon (St-Georges-de-Beauce, Que.), Naomi Ko (Victoria), Michelle Kim (Surrey, B.C.) and Jaclyn Lee (Calgary).

A final-round 4-under earned Szeryk a T6 result in last year’s competition at Riverside Country Club in Saskatoon. The 20-year-old – who claimed her first-career NCAA victory this year at the Florida State Match-Up – and Ko have qualified for the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship from August 1-7 at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pa.

Doyon is hoping to build upon a season in which she has already claimed victory at the 2016 Women’s Porter Cup and successfully defended her title at the 2016 NIVO Quebec Women’s Amateur Championship. Lee earned a wire-to-wire nine-stroke win at the Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship. Kim, a University of Idaho Vandal, posted five Top-10 results in nine tournaments to garner Freshman of the Year honours and a first-team all-Big Sky Conference selection.

Grace St-Germain of Orleans, Ont. – the newly crowned Ontario Women’s Amateur champion – and Chloe Currie from Mississauga, Ont., who is coming off a successful title defence at the Ontario Junior Girls Championship will compete in the competition. The pair will be joined by Hannah Lee (Surrey, B.C.), Tiffany Kong (Vancouver) and Kathrine Chan (Richmond, B.C.) to represent the entirety of Team Canada’s Development Squad.

Returning from last year’s Top-5 are Sarah Burnham of Maple Grove, Minn., and Peru’s Lucia Gutierrez; the pair will attempt to improve upon the T3 results they claimed in 2015.

A practice round will be conducted on July 25 prior to the championship’s opening round. Following the first two rounds of play, the field will be reduced to the low-70 and ties. An inter-provincial team championship will take place in conjunction with the first two rounds of play. Team Alberta comprised of Calgarians Jennifer Ha, Jaclyn Lee and Sabrine Garrison claimed the team title in 2015.

In addition to the 2016 Canadian Women’s Amateur title, the individual champion will earn exemptions into the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship and two LPGA events: the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open at Priddis Greens Golf & Country Club in Calgary from August 22-28 and the Manulife LPGA Classic at Whistle Bear Golf Club in Cambridge, Ont., from September 1-4.

For more Information on the 2016 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship including the full field, starting times and live scoring, click here.

Cle Elum, Wash. – Team Canada National Team member Naomi Ko won a three-way playoff to earn medalist honors and No. 1 seed after two rounds of stroke play qualifying at the Prospector Course at Suncadia in Cle Elum, Wash. at the 115th Pacific Northwest Women’s Amateur; while Christina Proteau earned the No. 1 seed in the 15th Pacific Northwest Women’s Mid-Amateur

Both championships are conducted by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA)

Three giants in the Women’s Amateur field tied at the top – Jisoo Keel, Princess Superal and Naomi Ko – with Ko winning the playoff for the No. 1 seed honors going into tomorrow’s match play format.

Ko, of Victoria, B.C., was named the 2014 PNGA Junior Girls’ Player of the Year, and qualified for this year’s U.S. Women’s Open.

Superal, of Sun City, Calif., won the 2014 U.S. Girls’ Junior, the 2016 Hong Kong Ladies Amateur, and was medalist at the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball (with partner Pauline del Rosario) where she made it to the semifinals.

Keel, of Coquitlam, B.C., recently won the BC Women’s Amateur, and was twice named the PNGA Junior Girls’ Player of the Year (2011, 2012).

Of her play today, Ko said, “It’s feels really good to play well, especially on this course. It was playing really tough, especially yesterday.”

The Women’s Amateur will begin its match-play competition tomorrow, July 21, which comprises 18-hole single-elimination match play for the low 32 players, with the final match being contested over 36 holes on July 23.

The Women’s Mid-Amateur field has been cut to the low 16 players who now advance to match play. Their 18-hole final match will also be held July 23.

For tee times, pairings and to follow along with live scoring for both championships, visit thepnga.org.

“It feels great (to earn medalist honors),” Proteau said. “That was my primary goal at the start of yesterday’s round. Yesterday was really challenging (because of the windy conditions) and I didn’t play my best, so today feels really good.” Proteau shot rounds of 77-70, with her second round being the only round under par of the entire Mid-Amateur field. She enters match play as the No. 1 seed.

Proteau is a three-time PNGA Women’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year (2012-2014).

HAMILTON, Ont. – From the most pressing issues in Canadian golf news, to thought-provoking profiles and jealously-inducing travel logs, the best in Canadian golf writing and photography was showcased Monday at Beverley Golf and Country Club in Hamilton, Ontario as the Golf Journalists Association of Canada (GJAC) held its annual general meeting and awards banquet.

First, second and third prizes were handed out in the following categories: Feature, Profile, Editorial/Column/Blog and Travel. Three prizes for Photography were also awarded.

“Our awards have progressed from where we were 10 years ago, and we really are recognizing the best in golf writing. It’s the Academy Awards of Canadian golf journalism,” said GJAC President Grant Fraser. “I would like to congratulate all of those who participated in the awards, and especially the winners.”

The big winner of the day was Jason Logan, the editor of SCOREGolf Magazine, who captured three awards, including a first-prize for his travel story on Casa de Campo. SCOREGolf won six awards in four categories, including a sweep of the Profile category.

Logan’s other awards came in the Editorial and Profile categories.

Other first-place winners included Lorne Rubenstein, for his lauded Q&A with Tiger Woods for Time Magazine, in the Features category, Rick Drennan for Pro Shop Magazine on the RBC Canadian Open in the Editorials category, and Rick Young for SCOREGolf.com on new European Tour CEO (and Canadian) Keith Pelley in the Profile category.

Bernard Brault from La Presse and Golf Canada won two prizes for photography, including the first-place prize.

“We had more submissions than we have had in the past. It just keeps getting bigger and better, and the quality of our awards are first class,” said Fraser, who is concluding his two-year term as president at the end of 2016.

The full list of winners can be found here

Feature

1. Tiger’s private struggles, Time, Lorne Rubenstein
2. Home invasion, SCOREGolf, Robert Thompson
3. Iconic Old Course stands in way of Spieth’s Grand Slam quest, The Globe and Mail, Curtis Gillespie

Editorial/Column/Blog

1. Opening up the talk on our Open, Pro Shop Magazine, Rick Drennan
2. Seeing is believing, SCOREGolf.com, Jason Logan
3. Jordan Spieth has youthful answer to golf’s stuffy image, Toronto Sun, Jon McCarthy

Travel

1. “Razor Sharp,” Jason Logan, SCOREGolf magazine
2. “Perfect in Every Way,” Grant Fraser, Ontario Golf News
3. “Nevis,” Ted McIntyre, Hamilton Spectator

Profile

1. “Pelley’s Mission,” Rick Young, SCOREGolf.com
2. “Straight Shooter,” Jason Logan, SCOREGolf magazine
3. “Pros and Conners,” Bob Weeks, SCOREGolf magazine

Photo

1. “Disabled Golfer,” Bernard Brault, La Presse
2. “Bubba Bunker Boomer,” John Gallaugher, Pro Shop magazine
3. “Silhouette,” Bernard Brault, La Presse

Vancouver – The historic first U.S. Amateur Qualifying event to be held in Canada at Marine Drive Golf Club produced club member Chris Crisologo as its medallist with the 2nd qualifying position going to William Deck from Kelowna.

Two alternate spots were won by two more members from the host club, Jackson Thornley and Conrado Pederes, who beat yet another Marine Drive member, Jordan Lu, in a playoff.

On a day with weather befitting a marathon qualifier, Marine Drive GC member Chris Crisologo was the medallist shooting rounds of 65-69 for a 6-under par score under blue skies and a hot July sun in Vancouver.

The long day took it’s toll on a number of golfers both mentally and physically but the Simon Fraser University product who was earlier this year named Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year and First Team All-Conference, posted a 5-under par 65 in his morning round and was never challenged for the medallist position.

This will be Crisologo’s first appearance in a U.S. Amateur and as he says, “I’m definitely excited, this will be a great experience, I’m really looking forward to it.”

Playing 36 holes in one day can certainly be a tough task and even though Crisologo’s familiarity with the golf course was a benefit, he didn’t get off to the start he would have liked,”It’s a long grind, obviously, I didn’t start off too well, to be honest with you. I was a little bit anxious on the first few holes, I think I was 1-over through my front nine, but knowing this course so well, I’ve been here 10 years now, you start to realize there are some birdie holes out here and you just have to take it for what it’s worth.”

Over his two rounds Crisologo recorded 10 birdies and an eagle to go along with 6 bogies for his 134 total that will now see him travel to Bloomfield Township outside of Detroit Michigan for the 116th U.S. Amateur to be held at the famed Oakland Hills Country Club, previous host to nine major championships including 6 U.S. Opens and 3 PGA Championships.

Joining Crisologo as the 2nd of two qualifiers from this event is William Deck of Kelowna who opened the day with a fine 3-under 67 of his own, only to see that evaporate on his afternoon front nine where he posted a 5-over 39 when, according to his own recounting he, “Hit it all over the place.”

Deck was able to right the ship, however, when he birdied 3 of his final 5 holes, aided by two hole-outs from the fairway to bring his score back to even for the day and knock another Marine Drive member, Jackson Thornley into 1st alternate status.

The 2nd alternate position was earned by yet one more member from Marine Drive, Conrado Paderes, who defeated the 2014 BC Amateur winner Jordan Lu, who also happens to be a member of Marine Drive, in a playoff.

For complete scores click here.

OAKVILLE, Ont. – CN (TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI) and Golf Canada are pleased to announce the six champions of Saturday’s CN Future Links Junior Skills Challenge National Event at the Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., site of next week’s 2016 RBC Canadian Open.

The National Event, running for the eighth consecutive year, crowned female and male champions from three age groups (9-11, 12-14 and 15-18). Among the 25 participants from across the country, the following six individuals emerged as champions:

• Austin Boge, Golf Mentor Academy, MB (Boys 9-11)
• Kelly Zhao, King Valley Golf Club, ON (Girls 9-11)
• Ben Callaghan, Brian Affleck Academy, NS (Boys 12-14)
• Emily Zhu, King Valley Golf and Country Club, ON (Girls 12-14)
• Marc Sweeney, Wildwood Golf Course, SK (Boys 15-18)
• Alexandra Jucan, Copper Creek Golf Club, ON (Girls 15-18)

The winners of each age group received a champion’s package from Titleist Footjoy. In addition, Marc Sweeney and Alexandra Jucan – winners of the 15-18 age groups – have earned exemptions into their local 2017 CN Future Links Championship.

“It was so exciting and competitive at the same time,” said boys 12-14 winner Ben Callaghan. “I was pretty nervous going into it but I started to build some confidence and am very happy to come out on top.”

Saturday’s National Event tested juniors in a four-part skills challenge which tested putting, chipping, driving and iron play. The participants, split into three different age groups, were invited based on their scores from individual Skills Challenge events hosted at 134 clubs throughout the year by CN Future Links instructors, totaling over 2,200 competitors.

On the Sunday prior to tournament week, junior participants will also have the opportunity to test the storied Glen Abbey layout in an exciting match play format, outfitted by program sponsor Cobra Puma Golf. Following that, participants will be provided weekly grounds passes and have an opportunity to be involved in Monday’s Pro-Am and secure a spot in Wednesday’s CN Future Links Walk with a Pro event during the Wednesday Pro-Am.

“The CN Future Links Junior Skills Challenge National Event is in place to recognize individuals from across the country in three age groups who have accumulated the highest score in our four key skill areas—chipping, putting, iron play and driving,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “The event being held at the RBC Canadian Open for the second straight year made for a very exciting atmosphere for all involved – we’d like to congratulate our champions and thank all competitors for their participation.”

Current CN Future Links programming includes the Learn to Play program as well as mobile clinics presented by ACURA, PGA Jr. League, Girls Club, Field Trip and the CN Future Links Championships. As part of its investment in Canadian junior golf, CN is also a proud supporter of Golf in Schools.

In 2015, CN Future Links junior golf activities were conducted at 518 golf facilities with more than 7,100 juniors registered in the Learn to Play program. In addition, 164 golf facilities took part in the Junior Skills Challenge running more than 3,200 juniors through qualifying events. More than 64,000 youngsters participated in over 1,200 mobile golf clinics presented by ACURA. Since 2006, more than 1.3 million children have been introduced to golf through the CN Future Links program.

Click here for champion and general photos from Saturday’s event.

Mary Parsons cooly rolled in her 6th birdie putt of the day on the par 5 18th and final hole of the tournament at Big Sky Golf Club on Friday to put the finishing touches on her 6-shot victory in the 2016 BC Junior Girls Championship. Parsons finished at even par (288) for the 4 rounds.

Finishing tied for 2nd were Tiffany Kong and Hannah Lee, with halfway mark leader Sumie Francois coming in 4th and 13-year old Akari Hayashi rounding out the top 5.

The win wasn’t without it’s up downs along the way, but Parsons’ perseverance proved to be the difference in the end.

Asked how it feels to be the 2016 BC Jr. Girls Champion, Delta’s Parsons said, “It feels great, having such a strong start to the season. All these girls here are strong players and we all fought our way through this course, so it feels really great.”

Each time she faced any adversity Parsons was able to refocus quickly and invariably make another birdie to get herself back on track. In round one she stemmed the damage from making bogey, double-bogey on the 7th and 8th holes with a birdie on the 9th to rescue her opening nine and proceeded to finish 2-under on the back nine.

She offset 3 bogies with 4 birdies in round two and probably did her best work of the event in Thursday’s third round where her front nine was fraught with potential disaster as every bad break possible seemed to challenge her.

After posting a 4-over 40 on the outward nine, which included a double-bogey 6 on the par 4 6th, followed of course by a birdie on the 7th, she then took on the howling wind and rain that showed up during the back nine. Her 2-under 34 coming home in that 3rd round staked her to the 2-shot lead she would take into the final round and eventually stretch to the 6-shot win.

Of course she couldn’t go through that final round without some sort of bumps in the road to navigate. First, it came in the form of the par 5 4th hole where, having made a birdie on the preceding par 3 and with her lead now up to 3 shots, she was looking to put even more distance between herself and her closest pursuer, Tiffany Kong.

It didn’t exactly work out that way, as she explains, “My alignment was a little bit off starting the round, so when I was going to hit my approach to the second landing patch in front of the green, (on the 4th) I was looking at my feet and I looked up and thought,’hmmm…that tree looks a little bit close…,” she began in recounting her 4th hole adventure.

“But I decided to hit it, ended up hitting the tree. Then I thought, ‘hey, let’s just get through this hole’. Hit it into the bunker… duffed it out of the bunker…so I thought ‘let’s just take it and go.’ ” What she took was an 8 on the hole and suddenly found herself in a tie for the lead with Kong.

But wouldn’t you know it…she made a birdie on the very next hole at the par 3 5th, giving her back a one-shot lead. Over the next four holes Parsons would add two more birdies while Kong played them in 2-over par. Suddenly from having lost her 3-shot lead on one hole she completely turned it around to take a five-shot advantage into the final 9 holes.

With neither Kong nor third place contender Hannah Lee seemingly able to mount anything of a charge on the back nine, Parsons appeared poised to cruise to the win. Not so fast…just to try and make things interesting she hit the ball out-of-bounds on the par 5 13th leading to a bogey. Lo and behold, she birdied the very next hole once more to regain her comfortable lead.

Parsons, who plays out of Mayfair Lakes in Richmond, recorded a total of 17 birdies over the 4 rounds.

This win is the second significant victory of her 2016 season following the one she picked up in the CN Future Links Pacific Championship in Kamloops earlier this summer. She had commented after that win, against a field that included many of the top juniors in the country, that she felt it was going to be a confidence-booster for the rest of the summer.

It certainly seems to have been so far, with this triumph coming just one week after she took runner-up honours in the BC Women’s Amateur at Beach Grove. The win should be a big boost toward Parsons achieving one of her big goals this year, making one of Golf Canada’s national teams.

Parsons has already committed to Indiana University, where in the fall of 2017 she will join West Vancouver’s Alix Kong as a Hoosier.

Joining Parsons on the BC Junior Girls Team going to the Canadian Junior Girls Championship at The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia will be Vancouver’s Tiffany Kong and Surrey’s Hannah Lee.

The 2016 venue for the BC Junior Girls Championship is TBD.