A plethora of contenders are trying to keep alive the Island鈥檚 recent dominance in the sa国际传媒 Men鈥檚 Amateur men鈥檚 golf championship.
But Patrick Weeks of Vancouver seems intent on throwing a spanner in Vancouver Island鈥檚 run, and on the Island no less. The Shaughnessy golfer led the 119th sa国际传媒 Men鈥檚 Amateur by three strokes Thursday with a three-round total of 8-under 208 heading into today鈥檚 final round at Storey Creek in Campbell River.
Islanders held down the next five spots with Ed Bellrose of Campbell River, John Robertson of Courtenay and sa国际传媒 junior boys鈥� champion Gavyn Knight of Parksville tied for second at 5-under 211 and Ashton McCulloch of Victoria and Greg Koster of Courtenay tied for fifth at 4-under 212.
It鈥檚 been a whirlwind month for the 18-year-old Knight, who recently won the 2021 sa国际传媒 Junior crown on his home Morningstar course.
鈥淢y ball-striking was really good that week and I am trying to make sure I make the same swings here,鈥� Knight told Brad Ziemer of sa国际传媒 Golf.
Bellrose used home-course advantage at Storey Creek to shoot the low score of the third round at 5-under 67. Robertson, a former touring pro from Crown Isle, also made a move with a 3-under 69.
Tristan Mandur of Mill Bay last year became the fourth Islander to win the sa国际传媒 Men鈥檚 Amateur championship in the previous five years by taking the 118th edition in Kelowna. Mandur joined recent past Island champions of the sa国际传媒 Amateur, including Jackson Rothwell of Victoria Club in 2019 at Big Sky in Pemberton, Jake DuVall of Uplands in 2017 at Morgan Creek in Surrey and Nolan Thoroughgood of Royal Colwood in 2016 at Pheasant Glen in Qualicum Beach.
Mandur, a Duncan Meadows member and former Arbutus Ridge golfer, entered this year鈥檚 tournament attempting to become the first back-to-back winner since former NCAA-champion James Lepp of Abbotsford won four consecutive sa国际传媒 Amateurs between 2002 and 2005. But Mandur, the NCAA Pac-12 senior with the University of Utah Utes, was tied for 26th this year after three rounds with a 5-over 221. Among the other former champions, NCAA Pac-12 Oregon State Beavers golfer Thoroughgood was tied for 33rd at 6-over 222 and Rothwell tied for 51st at 9-over 225.
Weeks is looking to hold steady today to have his name engraved on the Bostock Trophy. He would join notable others such as 13-time champion Doug Roxburgh, four-time champion Lepp, two-time champion A.V. Macan, Fred Couples in 1979 and Islanders Bryan Toth in 2006, Gord Scutt in 2000, Darren Griff in 1994, Ed Beauchemin in 1984, Steve Berry in 1981 and Sandy Harper in 1980.
Roxburgh is still going strong at 69 years old and was tied for 40th at 7-over 223.
Thoroughgood was only 15 at the time when he became the youngest player to win the sa国际传媒 Amateur in 2016 and Rothwell, a 2019 graduate of St. Michaels University School, was 18 when he won that year. Weeks is 42 and looking to interrupt the youth wave.
Storey Creek is hosting the men鈥檚 sa国际传媒 Men鈥檚 Amateur for the second time and first since 1999. This is the second consecutive year a club from the Island community has staged a sa国际传媒 Amateur, with the Campbell River Golf and Country Club hosting the provincial women鈥檚 event in 2020.
