It’s fair to say that BC has had some exceptional golfers come through the ranks many of whom have gone on to turn pro competing around the world.

We are hearing that BC or rather Team BC has also turned out exceptional qualified young golfers who are taking major steps to turn pro which we wish them much success.

We recently received the following from Golf Canada and want to share. Enjoy the read and thanks to Golf Canada for the press release!

After consecutive runner-up finishes the past two years, Team British Columbia (B.C.) has reclaimed the Inter-Provincial Team Championship from Team Ontario in the 111th playing of the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO.

Team B.C. finished with a two-day collective score of 9-over, six shots clear of the two-time defending champions to claim the title for the first time since 2022 on Wednesday at The Riverside Country Club in Rothesay, N.B.

The team was represented by Angela Arora of Surrey, B.C., Yeeun (Jenny) Kwon of Vancouver, B.C. and Amy Seung Hyun Lee of Langley, B.C.

“This win means a lot, we all have a lot of B.C. pride and any chance to play for our province is really good and being able to win for our province is a super great accomplishment,” said Arora.

The team mindset was to play smart heading into Wednesday, which has certainly been a requirement at Riverside Country Club over the first two rounds. For Kwon, the team dynamic played a key role in securing the title.

“Our team is very supportive of each other and the team made me feel very welcome and a very positive environment. This team was amazing and worked very well in the tournament,” she said. “Overall, I am proud and happy that I could play on the course with Team B.C.”

Lee, the lone returning player from last year’s team added, “I think it was great, I had really great teammates, and it was nice creating a bond with Team B.C.”

Arora’s back-to-back rounds of 2-over 74 and Kwon’s scores of 73 and 76 counted on both days for Team B.C. The two lowest scores from the three-person team counted towards the combined team total for each round.

Team Ontario finished as runner-up with a combined score of 15-over.

Team Alberta and Team Quebec finished in a tie for third at 30-over, with Team Manitoba rounding out the top five at 32-over.

Pate keeps pace

Day two began with warmer temperatures, but the winds picked up as the day progressed, flipping the script on Tuesday’s opening round conditions.

Macy Pate of Winston-Salem, N.C. maintains a one-shot lead following a 2-over 74 to now sit at 2-under for the tournament, ahead of Kaitlyn Schroeder from Jacksonville, Fla. who shot a 1-over 73 to move up one spot on the leaderboard at 1-under.

Pate began play on the back nine, recording a birdie and two bogeys before heading to the challenging front nine, where the winds played havoc for the field.

After carding a birdie on the fifth hole, Pate struggled with consecutive bogeys before regaining her lead with a birdie on her final hole of the round.

Team Canada NextGen member, Michelle Xing of Richmond Hill, Ont. was one of only two players that shot under par on Wednesday, following a 1-under 71 to move to even par for the tournament to jump up to third. Xing opened with five birdies through her first seven holes.

“I got off to a good start,” said Xing. “Hitting my wedges well and putting the ball well. 

I didn’t think too much of it because it was the morning and was just trying to have some fun.”

Xing added that her putting has been a strong point over the first two rounds of the championship despite some challenging conditions for the field coupled with stronger winds over the first two days.

“It’s been tough, the pin positions today were really tough, the course has been pretty firm, and the greens have slope, but I think there are still some scoring holes, especially the par fives,” she added.

Angela (Yilin) Liu of Irvine, Calif., Eunseo Choi of Auckland, New Zealand, Anna Iwanaga of Hyogo, Japan and Team Canada member, Tillie Claggett of Calgary, Alta. are tied for fourth at 2-over.

Fellow Team Canada member and 2023 Canadian Women’s Amateur champion, Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C. is tied for eighth with four others at 3-over.

The field has been reduced to the top 68 and ties (73 players total) advancing to the final 36-holes with a cut line of 15-over.

In addition to winning the Duchess of Connaught Trophy, the Canadian Women’s Amateur champion will receive an exemption into the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open taking place at the Mississaugua Golf and Country Club in Mississauga, Ont. from August 20 – 24.

The winner will also earn an exemption into the 2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, taking place August 4 – 10 at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Ore and an exemption into the 2026 Canadian Women’s Amateur, taking place at The Toronto Golf Club, July 20 – 24, 2026.

For Thursday’s Third Round tee times, please click here. For the individual and inter-provincial team leaderboards following the second round of the 111th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO, please click here.

GOLF CANADA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Golf Canada annually conducts more than 30 golf competitions and qualifiers nation-wide – including 11 National Amateur Championships – which play host to more than 3,000 domestic and international athletes from all corners of the world. 

In partnership with our host clubs, thousands of volunteers, provincial golf associations and our proud sponsors, Golf Canada is dedicated to supporting player development through world-class competition since our inception in 1895. Officiated by certified Canadian Rules of Golf officials, 

Golf Canada’s amateur competitions are fully compliant with golf’s international governing bodies and include marquee events such as the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships as well as the Canadian Junior Girls and Junior Boys Championships.

Golf Canada’s amateur championships are proudly supported by BDO Canada, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Titleist, FootJoy, Coca-Cola, Sport Canada, and Levelwear. 

For more information and scheduling visit www.golfcanada.ca/competitions-calendar/.

The post TEAM BC WINS 111TH CANADIAN WOMEN’S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

Knowing this it’s ironic timing that the Vancouver Bandits announce their upcoming 2025 regular season schedule that will see the club open its seventh Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season Thursday, May 15 in Saskatoon. 

The season consists of a 24 game schedule when they tip-off the season on home court Thursday May 22 at 7:00 pm at the Langley Events Centre. 

They will host the Niagara River Lions  which is a rematch of the 2024 CEBL Championship Final game which again will prove to be another exciting season for the Bandits.

Golf Info

Living in the lower mainland we are privileged to be able to hit the links for a good porting of the 365 days given the odd rain-out we might encounter.

Regardless, Golf in BC sets their sights on being committed to golf being played in a safe environment as outlined on all courses in the province.

We recently received the following press release from BC Golf and wanted to share.

Enjoy the read:

British Columbia Golf Is Committed To Safe Sport – With An Inclusive, Respectful Environment For All Golfers.

Sport organizations in British Columbia are committed to creating a sport that is accessible, inclusive, respects their participant’s personal goals and is free from all forms of Maltreatment.

As such, British Columbia Golf fully supports that protecting children and youth is everyone’s responsibility.

As a part of this role we offer access to information on how to report any situation where one has reason to believe that a child or youth is subject to situations where safety and well being may be compromised.

The post Bandits Schedule Released/BC Golf Safe Sport first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

Let’s face it BC has some of the most impressive looking golf courses in Canada and knowing that golfers in the lower mainland can golf year-round.

No just in the lower mainland but also on Vancouver Island as well as BC’s Interior that has some of the most scenic picturesque views in Western Canada.

We received the following from BC Golf which was published on  their site September 2013 and wanted to share the read.

Enjoy the read:

British Columbia retained bragging rights after winning its second straight Indigenous Challenge Match with Ontario at the Bear Mountain Resort in Victoria.

Team B.C. outscored Ontario 9-7 in the two-day match-play event at Bear Mountain’s Valley and Mountain courses.

Christina Spence Proteau of Port Alberni and partner Joan Hinkey of Nanoose Bay won both of their matches. Proteau and Hinkey beat the Ontario duo of Lorraine Elijah and Sophie Malenfant 4&3 in their Tuesday match.

They won their opening match Monday by the same 4&3 score over Kathy Jamieson and Melanie Burgess of Team Ontario. “Joan definitely carried me a fair bit yesterday, so I earned my keep a little more today,” said Spence Proteau, a winner of multiple provincial and national championships.

“We balanced each other out really well and had a lot of fun at the same time. Both matches started off a little bit slow at our end, but we had really great back nines both days.”

Winning was obviously nice, but Spence Proteau noted this event is about much more than that. “Everyone is competitive and wants to do their best, but there’s a collegiality that is different from other events,” said Spence Proteau, who won the inaugural B.C. Indigenous Championship in 2023.

“One of the players from Ontario has brought a gift for each of us the last two years. So I am going to send some smoked salmon from Port Alberni as a gift. There are some friendships being forged across the provinces.”

B.C. won last year’s inaugural Indigenous Challenge Match against Ontario, which was also played at Bear Mountain, by a score of 18-14.

“We’d love to see the other provinces get involved, beyond British Columbia and Ontario,” Spence Proteau said. “I think Golf Canada would support a national match play event.”

Each team was composed of 16 players — four two-person teams in net and gross divisions. B.C. Junior Boys champion Austin Krahn of Christina Lake, who repeated as B.C. Indigenous champion this past spring, played at Bear Mountain with Cody Bailey of Prince George. 

They won both of their matches, but had to battle from behind to seal their victory on Tuesday over Team Ontario’s Daylon Gee and Ron Atatise.

“Our match went right to the 18th hole,” said the 16-year-old Krahn. “We were three down through three after a tough start. Then we battled back pretty hard. We were down two with three to play and then we won the last three holes to win it by one. It was a pretty good battle. There were really good shots by both teams. It was just great golf all-round.”

It was a family affair of sorts for Krahn, whose older brothers, Mitchell and David, were also part of Team B.C. “This year the competition was really, really high level,” Krahn said.

“My two brothers and I all had our matches go to the 18th hole today. It was a great experience and you get the same kind of pressure you get in this tournament that you do in the B.C. Junior. It was the same kind of stuff going down the stretch. It was really fun and having the whole family here is really special.”

The other members of Team B.C. included 2024 Indigenous Championship winner Kylie Jack of West Kelowna , Hayley Geremia of Langley, Harry Ferguson of Invermere, James Ivers of Surrey, Josh Charles of Victoria, Robert Louie of Kelowna, Sharon Jack of West Kelowna, Erin Duhaime of Victoria, Gloria Morgan of Vernon and Cherie Williams of Victoria.

Stephen Tooshkenig, Ontario’s non-playing captain, said his team thoroughly enjoyed the competition. “We were tied after day one and B.C. went into a different mode today, played quite well, made some putts and ended up beating us 9-7,” he said. “It was very close all the way through. Several matches went to the 18th hole.”

The post Inaugural Indigenous Challenge Cup first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

Over the last decade, if not more, Laird and I have been privileged to cover various sporting events with the help of some exceptional individuals who have “pitched-in” to assist us.

Our main focus is covering Amateur Athletes who are looking to excel in their chosen sport and win or lose they are “winners” in our circles.

Brook has just competed in her first  Olympics 

We managed to watch a “young” Lydia Ko compete in two of her Canadian Open Championships (2012, 2015) at the Vancouver Golf Course in Coquitlam, BC.  

At the time she was indeed a “young and eager” 15 year old prodigy attending her very first LPGA managing to capture the coveted Championship. 

She has won the LPGA Canadian Open three times; 2012, Coquitlam, BC, 2013, Edmonton, Alberta, 2015, Coquitlam, BC. 

Over the last three weeks a young woman, Lydia Ko, New Zealand stamped her name in golf history with her golf victory at the Paris Summer Olympics and then won the Major AIG Women’s Open at the prestigious St. Andrews Links Course in Scotland this last weekend.  

Throughout my photo career I have met and captured a lot of sports stars in action.  

She was young and single but recently got married December 30th 2022 to Chung Jun, the son of the Hyundai Card Vice Chairman Chung Tae-young, at the Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul.

Laird had the luck and privilege to capture Lydia in two championships who has an upcoming birthday next April 24th and has managed to have a net worth of $25 Million, so practice does pay off!!!!

Congratulations to Lydia from the Sportswave.ca team

The post Lydia’s Journey Through Laird’s Camera first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

Given that the warm weather brings out the best in the golfing world with many taking advantage of the hot sunny weather it’s no surprise that the sport is gaining popularity.

Given that the PGA and LIV have captivated the golfing world by storm and in some cases creating a divide between many of the pro golfers this alone has created a conversation like no other.

Locally Vancouver’s Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club is hosting the 2023 CPKC Women’s Open hitting the links August 22nd to August 27th which continues to be on the Sportswave agenda.

We are hearing that Surrey’s Lauren Kim shot a final round 2-under 71 winning the 109th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Ashburn Golf Club in Halifax.

She was focused on returning back to BC sitting in second for the first three rounds  and was entering Friday’s final round two-strokes behind Brampton’s Brooke Rivers. 

She (Kim) grabbed five birdies Friday finishing with rounds of 67, 69, 73, 71 edging Rivers by one-stroke for the Championship win.

In the press conference following she told the media “I just needed to take down one stroke at a time, it’s hard to stay focused sometimes with the wind out there but I’m glad I came in strong for the last hole and It’s crazy because I haven’t won in a few years and to do it on homeland, and one of the biggest championships in Canada, it’s unreal.”

Kim gets an exemption into the 2023 CPKC Women’s Open and no doubt knows that she will have a strong following of family and friends cheering her on every hole in hopes of yet another championship. 

Rivers shot 1-over and finished second in the final round but started with an opening-round  that was a course-record 65 and held top spot after her second-round 69 two days prior.

The third round saw her start by getting two back-to-back birdies on the par-5 second hole and the par-4 third hole but had a hard finish on the front nine with three bogeys in a row but held her lead till the end.

She shot a final round of 74 finishing second while Austin’s Sadie Englemann from Austin, shot an even par, 72 finishing third at 5-under.

While it’s not in the million dollar range she (Kim) gets $1,200 which we hear align with the modernized Rules of Amateur Status. 

Players at the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship competed for a purse of $8,000 Canadian that saw the top-10 finishers and ties earned prize money which includes Kim.

It’s going to be a welcome home for Kim when she takes to the “Links” at the CPKC Women’s Open and if you haven’t got your tickets it might be a good idea to do so sooner rather than later.

The post Surrey’s Lauren Kim Wins 109th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

Golf is around the corner for many, while others have been playing all winter and while not on the course, I am hearing that they have been to the driving range when they were open.

Living on the West Coast of Canada Golfers have the luxury of playing year round which grows the game for golfers of all ages.

This alone attracts up and coming young golfers to various courses that has many coming with their parents, grandparents or buddies.

We are fortunate to have pro golfers such as Adam Hadwin, Adam Svensson, Nick Taylor on the pro circuit who are filling the golf cleats or spikes of Doug Roxburgh, Stan Leonard and even Stephen Ames.

PGA Tour Canada hold a qualifying tournament in Courtenay running this year from June 6th-9th that saw Riley Wheeldon win in 2022 with a -20 and a total score of 268.

One interesting fact that not even Riley knew about when we spoke when he was on tour playing at the Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club was that his Uncle and I went to school together at George Vanier High in Courtenay.

While I am mentioning Shaughnessy Golf Club you should know that they have been selected as the host site for the 2023 CP Women’s Open which has been rescheduled for August 21-27.

We are hearing that the final round of the second PGA TOUR Canada Qualifying event saw Amateur Jonathan Yaun (22) fight windy conditions pulling out the win.

He fired an even-par 72 finishing with a five-stroke victory over a trio of players. 

The win saw him gain membership for the entire 2023 PGA TOUR Canada season with the event played at the Mission Inn Resort and Club.

John Pak, the top-ranked PGA TOUR University player in 2021 was the co-leader after round two, but shot 4-over in the final round, seeing him tied for second with both George Kneiser and Cole Bradley. 

All three finished with a 7-under (281) each earning PGA TOUR Canada status that had others pick up guaranteed starts in the first half of the PGA TOUR Canada season. 

Following the match Yaun mentioned “I’ve won out here (before), so I just had that mentality that I could do it and last week I played in this similar type of wind, so I thought I’d be ready for that, but I didn’t play very well. Today was really tough, I’ve never played this course in that hard of conditions.”

Yaun began his final round with a bogey-6 but bounced back on No. 2 with a birdie. He had a stretch, starting at No. 3, where he made 11 consecutive pars. Birdies and Nos. 14 and 17 offset bogeys on two of his final three holes.

Cameron Willis shot the lowest score Friday with 2-under 70 that saw him  make a huge jump of 25 positions up the leaderboard finishing with conditional status.

Time to hit the links, clean the clubs and get set to “T” off for the season.

Final-Round Weather conditions: Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Wind S at 10-15 mph, increasing to 20 mph in the afternoon. At one point, gusts reached as high as 35 mph.

The post Hitting The Links – Early first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

The past week many have been watching the return of Tiger Woods who shocked the world and hit the greens at Augusta National which drew national attention.

Shock and surprise is how many have explained his return given his recent accident February 23rd, 2021 that had many counting his return impossible.

It’s not the first time he has shocked the golfing world, but this was one for the ages which some classify as a miracle if nothing else.

Woods has let a remarkable life since he came on the scene and given his notoriety and fame it’s no shock he’s still the talk of the golf world come Monday morning.

The Masters is the one main event that draws record numbers of viewers and this year was no different, given the impressive opening they had.

Watching Gary Player (86), Tom Watson(72), and Jack Nicklaus(82) as honorary starters hit tee shots at the 86th Masters along with friendly banter was a reminder that you can play sport and have fun at the same time.

These three are legends in the golf world and while the game has changed, bringing them together shows today’s youth while being competitive you can still be friends.

Their time on the circuit is over, but for whatever reason “Tigers” following continues to grow despite some of the naysayers who can’t get over his past.

Everyone has a past that over time has changed pro or con, but to continually be in the limelight as any pro athlete isn’t like a day any of us can expect to understand.

Time doesn’t stand still and in Tiger’s case he managed to finish the Masters with many wondering if and how his body will hold up to compete at the PGA in May?

.Throughout all his comments one thing that stood out is that he plans on playing the Open Championship at the Old St. Andrews on the course he won in 2000.

It’s true that watching Woods walk the course you might not know of his success but he never quit and pulled out, but rather persevered while being followed by his supporters cheering him on.

The Masters this year more than in past years was controlled by Scottie Scheffler (25) since Friday who shot a 1-under 71 in the final round finishing with 10 under. 

That was three strokes ahead of second place Rory McIlroy who holed out with birdie finishing with an 8-under 64 putting him in second place at 7 under.

McIlroy managed to tie the lowest final round score in Masters history which was his eighth 64 on a Sunday with the most recent being Jordan Spieth.

Scheffler carded a double bogey on the 18th after he missed a pair of short putts along with a chip shot on hole three that set him up for the win that saw him shoot 71 in the final round finishing with 10-under for 278.

His first win on the PGA Tour was at the Phoenix Open and has won four times in the last six starts  and now has won his first major championship, the fifth player to win the masters as the world number one.

For those wondering every player who finishes 50th or better takes home a purse of at least $37,800, with this years payout of $15 million to it’s participants.

In 2021 the event paid out $11.5 million which made it the third most lucrative of the PGA’s Tour four majors behind the US Open ($12,5 million) and PGA Championship $12 million.

Scheffler took home $2.7 million in prize money at this year’s Masters tournament and in each of the previous three tournaments, the winner received $2.07 million in prize money, with the winner’s share in 2022 being 18% of the total purse. 

If for example there are any ties in the standings, the prize money will be split evenly among the tied golfers. 

Should two golfers tie for second place, they would take the second- and third-place payments, average them together and split it between the two golfers.

With the spring season upon us, it’s time to get outdoors and enjoy the sunshine at your favorite course and while you might not be a “Tiger” simply spending time with “golfing buddies” makes it all worthwhile.

The post Scheffler’s First Green Jacket – Tiger Shoots 78 first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

Golf is the sport of choice and while many play it for a day out, others play the game giving back to various charities.

The concept of this event arose four years prior when Tournament Chair Fred Clarke and his two sons, Lewis and Scott Clarke were at another event with Eddie Shack and from that event, came this one.

The event also received help from Senator Gerry St. Germain which added additional pull in bringing this event to the area, which was greatly appreciated by everyone.

One such event was the Third Annual Clarke Foundation/NHL Oldtimers Celebrity Golf Classic held at the Northview Golf and Country Club in Surrey.

Each and every event is filled with various pro athletes who donate their time for a charity and in this case it was the BC Children’s Hospital and the Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children in Vancouver.

The third annual event was held on a bright sunny day that saw various pro athletes in attendance as well as several corporate sponsors and invited guests.

Covering the event for Rogers TV in Surrey for the third time was not only fun, but extremely rewarding for yours truly, given the fact that we roamed the course with Hall of Fame NHLers.

While the event was serious with each “hole” on the course being a “give me” par for everyone the day was filled with each one telling tales of games past, either in the heat of the game or a somewhat lighter moment away from the rink.

Stars such as Bobby and Dennis Hull, Bob Baun, Johnny Bower, Paul Henderson, Pat Quinn and Eddie “The Entertainer” Shack had a day of fun.

Former Maple Leaf and now Senator Frank Mahovlich was inundated with autograph seekers after months of preparation, many headed either to the putting green of the first tee.

This event could not have been made possible without the support of the NHL Oldtimers and Vancouver Canucks Alumni Association.

The event was not only a success on the course, but the true winner was Sunny Hill Children’s Hospital

Covering the event for Rogers TV was indeed a day of fun, excitement and golf with many of those in the foursomes having the chance to chat with their “Boyhood Idols” while spending the day away from the office.

 We have to thank Northview Golf Course for their hospitality as well as all the NHL players that took the time with us for an interview.

Enjoy the “look back” at a fun day of Golf with the Clarke Foundation.

The post Clarke Foundation Charity Golf first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.