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It will be a talented field that tackles Arbutus Ridge Golf Club on Tuesday for Round 1 of the 2016 sa国际传媒 Junior Boys鈥� Championship, among it Zone 5 champ Tristan Mandur of the host club and Royal Colwood鈥檚 Keaton Gudz.
Mandur recorded rounds of 67-69 to defeat Gudz (74-67) by five shots at the recent Zone 5 championship.
Nolan Thoroughgood (of Royal Colwood, 73-72) and Cam Bourque (of Uplands Golf Club, 74-72) round out the Zone 5 team for the provincial tournament, which will run through Friday.
The top 70 and ties after two rounds will advance to Thursday and Friday play at the always challenging par-70 Cobble Hill course.
The locals will be up against a talented lineup that includes 2015 runner-up Ziggy Nathu of the Richmond Country Club and national junior team member A.J. Ewart of Pitt Meadows Golf Club.
The top 18 finishers at the event will advance to the Canadian Junior in St. John鈥檚, N.L., Aug. 1-4.
Gudz is already exempt for that national tournament as runner-up at the CN Future Links Prairie event, as is Callum Davison of Duncan Meadows, the champion at the CN Future Links Quebec event.
Davison should also challenge at the sa国际传媒 championship, along with the likes of Alex Francois of Shaughnessy, Roy Kang of Seymour Golf and Country Club, Henry Lee of Coquitlam, Khan Lee of Langley, Jaewook Lee of Langley and Adam Veenstra, a graduate of Shawnigan Lake School, from Smithers.
鈥淚鈥檓 getting pretty excited,鈥� said Gudz, who shot 65 at the Dairy Queen junior tournament at Royal Colwood on Thursday, defeating Thoroughgood by five shots. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice that it鈥檚 just a half-hour away and that I feel comfortable on that golf course.鈥�
Gudz recently recorded 5-under par 30s on the front nine at Arbutus Ridge.
鈥淥ne of them included a bogey at No. 7, so that could have been a really special day,鈥� said Gudz, 17, who knows there will be some stiff competition. 鈥淭otally, there are a number of players who can compete, but I鈥檓 really happy with where my game is at right now.鈥�
The junior boys鈥� championship is not the only major event teeing it up on Tuesday. The 2016 Women鈥檚 Amateur will be held over 72 holes at Beach Grove Golf Club in Tsawwassen, with Michelle Kim defending her title.
鈥淭hat was definitely a big win for me last summer at Duncan Meadows, especially playing well beside my sister [Taylor],鈥� Kim recently told sa国际传媒 Golf officials. 鈥淭hat was one of my biggest achievements and I鈥檓 looking forward to defending at Beach Grove. I am really excited. The field looks good and I am looking forward to playing my best.鈥�
Missing from the field is Victoria鈥檚 Naomi Ko, who has qualified for the U.S. Women鈥檚 Open on the LPGA Tour. Ko and Taylor Kim are both part of the prestigious field at CordeValle Golf Club in San Martin, California.
It will be the second straight LPGA event for Ko, who made the cut at this week鈥檚 Cambia Portland Classic in Oregon, competing in her very first pro event, playing as an amateur.
In the field at Beach Grove will be 13-year-old sensation Akari Hayashi of Uplands, who takes on the women. Hayashi shot 70-77 to win the Zone 5 Women鈥檚 Amateur last month over runner-up Michelle McCann of Uplands (75-85).
McCann is also in the field along with fellow Islanders Shirin Anjarwalla of Nanaimo; Josee Deslauriers of Morningstar; Mirai Hayashi of Uplands; Nicole Jordan of Sidney, who plays out of Mayfair Lakes; wily veteran Alison Murdoch of Victoria Golf Club; Abigail Rigsby of Crown Isle; and Michelle Waters of Pheasant Glen.
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