Ken Mariash鈥檚 commitment to golf continues to grow.
The local developer and title sponsor of the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour sa国际传媒 stop in Victoria suggested at a news conference last year 鈥� acknowledging his ongoing financial backing of the Bayview Place DC Payments Open, presented by the sa国际传媒 鈥� that junior golf was his next plan of attack.
That came to fruition on Friday as the Bayview Place and Roundhouse master developer announced his $75,000 investment to expand the Vikes Junior Golf Tour and develop a new Vikes Performance Tour.
That performance tour creates a series of events where Island professionals, top amateurs and now juniors will play with and against each other and replaces the previous Vancouver Island Pro Tour. The top player in each category 鈥� pro, amateur and junior 鈥� will receive an exemption into the 2017 PGA Tour sa国际传媒 event at Uplands Golf Club.
Mariash鈥檚 plan was to bring together as many golf clubs as possible in the Greater Victoria area. Upwards of 20 tournaments (some are still in the planning stages) will be held, the first of which is slated for Feb. 19 at Pheasant Glen in Qualicum Beach, although Mother Nature might ultimately have a say in that one.
Cordova Bay, Bear Mountain, Royal Colwood, Gorge Vale, Victoria Golf Club, Olympic View, Cedar Hill, Cowichan, Arbutus Ridge and Ardmore clubs will all be included in the circuit.
Mariash was not on hand for the announcement, but Paul Corns, the communications manager for Bayview Place, stressed how important the investment is for growing the culture and community of the sport.
鈥淭his would be a very important day for him,鈥� Corns said, sending his regrets from the absent Mariash, who took the factors of youth development, leadership, learning and competition into this decision. 鈥淲e鈥檙e really proud of the partnership and opportunity that鈥檚 been provided to us and acknowledge the great work the UVic has done to get us to this point, and we鈥檙e inviting everyone into that relationship to grow the game and culture within the golf community in Victoria.鈥�
Two juniors who have benefited greatly from the now 10-year-old Vikes Junior Tour are Nolan Thoroughgood, 16, and Akari Hayashi, 14, who were both on hand for the announcement.
鈥淚t鈥檚 meant a lot for me. I鈥檝e developed so much through it. It provides me with competition, I get to meet new people and play [different] courses,鈥� Thoroughgood said of joining the tour at age 13. He is now the reigning sa国际传媒 Men鈥檚 Amateur champion, having earned the title of the youngest ever to win it in its 114-year history last summer.
鈥淲hen I first started I was able to meet new girls. I was able to meet Naomi Ko and she mentored me and she inspired me to be more of an established golfer and be where I am now. I want to be able to do that for other girls. It鈥檚 like a community of golfers and I love that and appreciate that,鈥� said Hayashi, the current sa国际传媒 Bantam girls champion.
鈥淲e strongly believe we鈥檙e not just creating golfers, we鈥檙e creating citizens,鈥� Vikes Junior Tour director Bob Russell told the large group gathered for the announcement.
Tour commissioner Jim Goddard, of Cordova Bay Golf Course, also talked of the history of the program, which will now greatly benefit from the investment.
鈥淚n my experience, the more times a junior golfer can tee it up with a scorecard and a pencil, the faster they feel comfortable in a tournament situation. When they feel comfortable they play better and, ultimately, they learn to win,鈥� he said.
The Vikes Junior Tour also incorporates the Little Vikes program that allows children as young as four onto local golf courses.
鈥淎t present we have close to 200 children participating in our various programs. At least half of them are 12 years of age or younger and, of those, almost half are girls,鈥� added Goddard.
As for the pro side of the event, former VI Pro Tour commissioner Jeff Palmer, of Ardmore Golf Course, said this new partnership is: 鈥淚nnovative, it鈥檚 exciting and we really appreciate the partnership. I think it will be recognized nationally as a progressive growth of the golf movement.鈥�
So Mariash鈥檚 vision of carrying the success of the PGA Tour sa国际传媒 event into the junior ranks has come to fruition.
鈥淜en didn鈥檛 believe that it [the PGA Tour sa国际传媒 support] was enough, he wanted to create more to the junior side of things. That鈥檚 why we鈥檙e here today. It鈥檚 something he鈥檚 so passionate about,鈥� said Bayview Place project manager Chris Reiter. 鈥淭he Vikes Junior Golf Tour fit and was something he could sink his teeth into.鈥�
