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CANADIANS ON TOUR
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21-4-03
PGA TOUR
Davis Love III won a playoff on the 4th extra hole Sunday (April 20) and captured the MCI Heritage championship for the 5th time in his career. It was Love's 3rd win of the year, the 17th in his career. Love was having a solid tournament and appeared destined to finish in the top three when he pitched in from 66-feet for a birdie on the 72nd hole to finish at (66-69-69-67--271) 13-under par. Woody Austin, playing behind Love, parred his final hole (68-70-65-68--271) to get into the playoff. Both players shot boggy-par-bogey their first three extra holes. Then playing the par-4 18th hole for the third time Sunday Love powered a 166-yard 7-iron which landed just in front of the hole and brushed against the flag stick, stopping about four feet away. When Austin's 20' birdie attempt scooted past the cup, Love wasted no time dropping his birdie putt. Love now joins Masters champion Mike Weir and Tiger Woods as a three-time PGA TOUR winner this season and with his $810,000 first prize is now the PGA TOUR's leading money winner this season with $3,685,645. Selkirk, Manitoba's Glen Hnatiuk birdied his final hole to break into the top 10 for the first time this season finishing (69-68-69-68--274) 10-under par and collecting $93,375. Ian Leggatt of Cambridge, Ontario T62 at (72-68-72-72--284) even par, worth $9,540.
NATIONWIDE TOUR
Former Canadian Open champion (1980) Bob Gilder, starting with birdies on the first three holes of his final round, romped to a four shot victory in the Emerald Coast Classic in Florida thanks to a tournament record (66-64-63--193) 17-under par. Leonard Thompson, Larry Nelson and Vicente Fernandez each T3rd. Gilder, who won $217,500 is the eighth different winner in as many tournaments on the Nationwide Tour, which includes Kelowna's Dave Barr who won his first event of the season in February. Barr T12th (67-68-68--203) at 7-under par and enjoyed a payday worth $29,483.
LPGA TOUR
Candy Kung from Kaohsiung, Taiwan recorded a sizzling (67-67-70--204) 12-under par two shot victory in the Takefuji Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada for her first triumph on the LPGA TOUR. Despite a bogey on her final hole Kung, the 2001 US Public Links Champion, finished ahead of Cristie Kerr (69-70-67--206) and Annika Sorenstam (72-67-67--206) and received $165,000. Lorie Kane, from PEI, fell out of contention before the first round was over but her persistance helped her to finish T44 at (75-71-70--216) even par and earn $4,460. Nancy Harvey, Dawn Coe-Jones and Gail Graham were all cut.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
A two-foot birdie on the third extra hole earned Ted Purdy a playoff victory over Chris Tidland and a cheque for $85,500 in the The First Tee Arkansas Classic. Purdy (69-67-68-71--275) and Tidland (69-70-68-68--275) both finished 72 holes at 13-under par. David Morland of North Bay, ON T51 (72-71-74-72--289) and collected $1,603.
EUROPEAN TOUR
Pitching in for eagle three on the second-last hole enabled Fredrik Jacobson to win the Algarve Open de Portugal title by one stroke (64-76-71-72--283 -5) on the European International Tour, the second victory of the season for the 28-year-old Swede.
BMO FUTURE LINKS - PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIP
Ecom-Ji Park of Vancouver did the 'coolest' thing she knows how to do, something she's done with regularity for the past three years. Playing at Royal Colwood in Victoria, BC the 18-year-old golfing sensation won her third consecutive Pacific and fourth career BMO Financial Group Future Links Junior golf championship by a commanding (74-72-74--220) 14-stroke margin. Park now has an exemption into the upcoming BMO Canadian Women's Tour event at Fairwinds Golf Club in Nanoose Bay, B.C. April 27-29. Last season she used her Women's Tour event exemption to help qualify for the BMO Canadian Women's Open, something she's hoping she can repeat since the 2003 Women's Open will be played at Point Grey in Vancouver. "That would be so cool," said Park, when asked about the chance to tee it up again with the world's best in her hometown. "These types of events really help me build my confidence and help me get the skills I need for a career in professional golf. I'm looking forward to building on this weekend and showing well at Fairwinds. Plus, it would be so cool to be in my hometown, play in the Women's Open but still be able to go home for lunch." In the junior boys division, Patrik Ericson, of Langley, B.C. carried a 3-stroke lead through the final round to successfully defend his BMO Future Links title., finishing at (70-67-72--209)1-under par 215, three strokes ahead of Ryan Lidkea of South Delta, BC. The first of six regional BMO Financial Group Future Links Championships, the 2003 Pacific Championship featured 84 of the country's best junior male and female golfers in a three-day, 54-hole stroke play competition. Bantam - BOYS - - 1 Dustin Zhang, Calgary, AB 72-77-75--224 Bantam - GIRLS - - 1 Jessica Wallace, Langley, BC 84-81-83--248
ANOTHER NOTE FROM THE BEAR: . . . . the story has been told and retold many times about Mike Weir as a teenager writing to Jack Nicklaus asking the Golden Bear's advice about whether Weir should remain a lefty or start learning to swing a club right-handed. "I just told him what I would tell any youngster," recalled Nicklaus Wednesday in Texas while attending the opening of his 216th golf course. "If you're a natural on one side or the other, I don't recommend changing. It was just a short letter with my advice, but I don't think I've ever sent one to a future Masters champion before. Of course I wouldn't remember the letter but I was flattered he would keep that and I just sent him a note yesterday congratulating him. Maybe he'll frame that as well."
IN THE ROUGH: . . . . how come during February, March and April while the Lower Mainland is experiencing more rain and the fewest hours of sunshine than at anytime on record that Point Grey Golf Club is being hailed as 'the driest course' in Greater Vancouver? "It's because of the $2 million dollars the members agreed to spend over the past eight years upgrading the entire drainage system and top dressing the course," says Greens Superintendent Frank Vargas. "This course had been ignored for a while but we saw what had been accomplished at Sahali (near Seattle) and the members here agreed to make the changes. Now Point Grey is setting the trend for the other privates." Vargas, who started with Point Grey in 1981 and was eventually appointed Superintendent seven years ago, says the course is in magnificent shape despite the amount of rain that has fallen, however, the lack of sunshine is taking its toll in a variety of ways. "It's hard to motivate the staff. Nobody wants to work when it's always raining but, the rye grass is still growing and we still have to mow the fairways, cut the greens and de-compact the bunkers." To get heavy equipment to certain areas of the course Vargas and his crew must lay plywood down in order to drive over sensitive areas. The US Greenskeepers' Association has been impressed with the success of this project, the members are certainly happy and in less than three months the world's top female golfers will likely be playing http://www.bmogolf.com/eng/womens_home.html on the best conditioned course in western Canada.
TOURNAMENTS & WEB SITES: . . . . the BC PGA has used the unveiling of their attractive new web site http://www.bcpga.org/ to announce plans to stage a new provincial championship - - the TaylorMade BC PGA Tournament of Champions. Scheduled for May 12 at Swan-e-set Bay Resort & Country Club, the event will showcase Head Professionals teamed with their respective amateur Club Champions. Approximately 60 two-man teams will compete in this 18-hole Tournament of Champions. A month later the RCGA's Canadian Club Champions Championship will be played in Quebec . . . . the BCGA has also done a web site makeover http://www.bcga.org/ which should come as welcome news to their 25,000 plus members. A description of and access to information and order forms for the Province Golf Club is one of many excellent improvements although the most helpful site for the PGC is still to be found at http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovince/contests/provincegolfclub/ . . . . Murray Poje proved once again that when not busy organizing the Western Canada Junior Golf Tour he's a good man to have on your team. Poje joined forces with Kent Gilchrist (Province Sports columnist), Steve Thomas (Pacific Golf Magazine) and Dan Dodman (Rampion Enterprises) to win the BC PGA Sponsor/Media Golf Invitational at Quilchena G&CC. Quilchena also happens to be the site of this year's American Express - BC PGA Championship August 18-20 . . . . incidentally, Paradise Canyon in Lethbridge, AB is the site of this weekend's 1st Choice Savings Junior event while Swan-e-set Bay in Pitt Meadows hosts the Alcan Junior, with spots from both of these http://www.wcjgt.com/ tournaments receiving a berth in the Calaway Golf Junior World Championship later this season in San Diego.
IT'S TIME TO VOTE: . . . . it'll be interesting to see just who among a host of outstanding candidates will be selected to join 11-time BC Amateur champion Doug Roxburgh for entry into the Golf Hall of Fame of BC later this year. The selection committee meets Wednesday at the BC Golf Museum and among possible nominees worth considering may be Dave Barr, Gail Harvey Moore, Johnny Russell, Vera Hutchings, Doug Bajus, Bill Wakeham, Colleen McCulloch, Grace Moul or Bill Mawhinney to name but a few . . . . Thursday the BC Golf Museum, in partnership with the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame will unveil an exhibit entitled, From The Forward Tee: The Evolution Of Women In Golf. On hand will be special guest, Canadian Hall of Fame member, Jocelyne Bourassa. In 1965, at the age of 18, 'Joce' won her 1st Canadian Ladies' Amateur but for some her most memorable was the 2nd when she beat Marlene Stewart Streit 295-296 in an epic finish at Capilano Golf Club 32 years ago. Two years later she became the first and last Canadian to have her name inscribed on the Canadian Ladies' Open trophy.
HE'S A BIRD DOG: . . . . congratulations and a pat on the head to Squamish Valley's newest employee who has been assigned to the fairway goose patrol. The presence of 'Scooter' will not only speed up play, but undoubtedly make for cleaner fairways. No junk food, please.
