BC Golf News and Canadians On Tour

Today the only player in the world with a chance of winning golf's most coveted award for 2003, the 'Grand Slam', is a humble Canadian from Bright's Grove, Ontario who turns 33 on May 12.

Michael Richard Weir, Masters Champion, is one quarter of the way there, the only man in contention and frankly, his chances of winning at least another major championship this season look very good. In the nine events he's entered this season Weir has won three, has five Top 10 finishes, seven Top 25's, made eight cuts and $3,286,625. Although his driving average of 286.6 is ranked 67th on TOUR and he's 47th in accuracy, Weir is ranked 8th overall in putting and his scoring average is 3rd best on TOUR at 69.07. In the past two years Weir has finished T16 and T19 in the US Open. His best finish in the British Open is a T37. In three trips to the PGA Championship he has T10, T30 and T16. He has proven on at least two other occasions he can beat the best in the world by winning the WGC American Express Championship in 2000 and the TOUR Championship in 2001.

Four-time Canadian Amateur champion, Doug Roxburgh, the RCGA's director of Player Development and an astute observer of golfing talent, happened to play with Weir in his final round as an amateur at the 1991 Canadian Amateur and recalled recently a conversation in which Weir stated confidently he believed he would win a major championship within three years. Says Roxburgh; "Mike has worked hard, he had a plan and he proved it can be done and it shows all our young kids in Canada we shouldn't take a back seat to anybody, that if you work hard and you have a plan you can succeed."

PGA TOUR

He was all smiles when he sank his final putt to win the Shell Houston Open by four shots Sunday (April 28, 2003) but when CBS interviewer Peter Costas asked 43-yedar-old Freddie Couples how it felt to come back and win for the first time in five years on TOUR, the ceremonial bagpipes sounded in the background and the interview was suddenly over. Choked with emotion at the realization of his triumph, his first in 87 starts, Couples could not speak and the tears of joy could not be halted. The former University of Houston star from Seattle, the 1978 BC Junior and 1979 BC Amateur champion is clearly one of America's most popular TOUR players. That was most evident as Couples received overwhelming encouragement on his way to scoring a scintillating (65-68-67-67--267) 21-under par, highlighted by shooting four birdies on his final five holes. Hank Kuehne (69-64-72-66), Stuart Appleby (66-70-66-69) and Mark Calcavecchia (68-65-68-70) each T2nd at 271. This was Couples' 15th TOUR win (20th world wide); his first since the 1996 Memorial and the $810,000 prize is the biggest in his 22-year career. Ian Leggatt, Cambridge, ON opened strongly but encountered control problems Sunday and (68-69-71-75--283) T44, collecting $13.986. Dick Zokol of White Rock, BC missed Friday's cut by two shots but appears to be getting stronger following foot surgery during winter. Stephen Aimes from Calgary also was cut.

CHAMPIONS TOUR

Bruce Leitzke won the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf title in Savannah, GA., for his sixth victory on the senior's circuit and his $360,000 paycheck, the largest in his career, was more than his combined earnings for winning two Canadian Open championships in 1978 and 1982. Lietzke finished (70-65-71--06) 10-under par, one shot ahead of David Eger (71-69-67--207) and Dana Quigley (69-67-71--207) and two in front of 1980 Canadian Open champ Bob Gilder. Kelowna, BC's Dave Barr T24 (71-71-72--214) at even par, 15 shots ahead of Arnold Palmer.

LPGA TOUR

Se Ri Pak of Daejeon, Korea used a hot putter to get into a playoff with Australias Shani Waugh, then sank a 15-foot birdie putt to win the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship and $202,500 in Georgia on the fourth extra hole. This was Pak's second win of the season (71-65-64--200), the 20th of her career and was made possible because Waugh (69-66-65--200) drove into water then a greenside bunker on the fourth playoff hole. Lorie Kane, Prince Edward Island, T61 (71-72-74--217) to earn $3,165 while Nancy Harvey, Swift Current, Saskatchewan, T68 (70-71-77- 218) for $2,828. Gail Graham, Kelowna, BC was cut.

NATIONWIDE TOUR

Zach Johnson collected his first win on the Nationwide Tour with a playoff victory over Steve Haskins in the Rheem Classic at Fort Smith, Ark. Johnson carded an (65-70-71-66--272) 8-under par to get into the playoff but on the first extra hole Haskins (69-70-63-70--272) drove into deep rough and never recovered allowing Johnson to collect the $85,000 cheque. North Bay, ON's David Morland IV T25 (72-65-68-74--279) for $3,895 while Rob McMillan of Thunder Bay, ON finished (68-71-68-75--282) T39 and received $2,137.50

FUTURES TOUR

Stacy Prammanasudh of Oklahoma, the Future Tour's leading money winner, moved a step closer to graduating to the LPGA tour with a (69-69-69--207) 9-under par 4-shot victory in the Frye Chevrolet Classic in Wichita, Kan., while earning $9,800. Quebec native Isabelle Beisiegel, a resident of Norman, OK, remained in the chase, finishing alone in 4th at (71-70-71--212) 4-under, missing a three-way tie for 2nd by one shot and collecting $4,200. Among other Canadians in the money: Jan Dowling, Bradford, ON T32 (72-74-75--221) for $445; Kim Adams, Fredericton, NB (73-77-73--223) and Marie-Josée Rouleau, St. Lambert, PQ each T46 for $290; Jennifer Greggain, Calgary, AB T52 (72-79-73) for $241.

EUROPEAN PGA TOUR

A birdie on the second playoff hole enabled England's Kenneth Ferrie to win the Canarias Open de Espana at Golf Campo Adeje in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain thus becoming the seventh first time winner on The European International Schedule.

ASIAN TOUR

Rick Gibson, currently 4th on the Asian Order of Merit ($73,246USD), returns to action this week in the Maekyung LG Fashion Open at Nam Seoul Country Club in Korea.

BMO CANADIAN WOMEN'S TOUR

Many of Canada's top women professionals and prospects began this week at Fairwinds Golf & Country Club in Nanoose Bay, BC seeking exemptions in to the BMO Canadian Women's Open in July. Among those in the hunt for the $30,000 purse are 2002 Order of Merit winner Beisiegel, hometown favorite Shelly Stouffer of Nanoose Bay, current LPGA Tour player Liz Earley, LPGA winner Jennifer Wyatt and former LPGA players Chris Greatrex, Laura Witvoet, and Rouleau. Junior golf sensation Eom-Ji Park, four-time Future Links champion and top amateur on the 2002 Women's Tour Order of Merit, is hot off her win at the Future Links Pacific Championship last week at Victoria's Royal Colwood. Following the Fairwinds event, the Tour travels to Ottawa, Ont. June 2-3 and Ponoka, Alta. June 23-24.

A WEEK TO REMEMBER . . . . when Dawn Coe-Jones is inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame at Point Grey G&CC in Vancouver on Monday, July 7 it will be the start of a memorable week. Last week Hall of Fame member Jocelyn Bourassa hinted at some of the activities the LPGA, RCGA, CLGA and BMO have planned for Coe-Jones but instead of letting the cat all the way out of the bag let's just say this invitation-only event will be an evening the lady from Honeymoon Bay and her many friends will not soon forget . . . . building on the fact that nearly all of the world's top women golfers will be converging on Point Grey for the BMO Canadian Women's Open, curator Dorothy Brown and her staff at the BC Golf Museum (2545 Blanca Street, Vancouver) have unveiled a thoughtful and fascinating exhibit called The Forward Tee: The Evolution Of Women In Golf. It's a perfect upgrade for a museum already recognized as housing one of North America's most extensive collection of golf artifacts. The names, pictures, clothing, clubs, books and many other fascinating mementoes from over the years all combine to highlight the outstanding contributions women in BC and Canada have made to the game of golf . . . . 2002 Canadian Tour Order of Merit winner Kuehne will remember the Houston tournament for two things: using a driver instead of an iron and hitting water on his last hole and for winning enough cash to earn an exemption on the PGA TOUR for the balance of this season.

DID YOU KNOW? . . . . according to StatsCan 18 per cent of the Canadian population played at least one round of golf last year giving Canada the highest per capita total of golfers in the world and making golf more popular than our acclaimed national pastime of hockey . . . . Mike Weir was a two-time runner-up in the Canadian Amateur, finishing two shots behind Vancouver's Jeff Kraemer in 1991 and one back of Darren Ritchie of Saint John in 1992 . . . . Governor Mike Leavitt has declared May 12 to be Mike Weir Day in the state of Utah . . . . according to the National Golf Foundation there are an estimated 50 million golfers worldwide, the average gross score is 107, the average golf handicap has not improved in the past 20 years and 80% of golfers never achieve a handicap of less than 18.

AND THE RULE IS . . . . you've just hit your longest drive of the day on the last hole and surprisingly you have a chance to reach the par-5 green in two with a well-executed approach shot. But alas, as you get closer to your ball you are confronted with a situation requiring a very wise decision. What will you do?