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CANADIANS ON TOUR August 4, 2003
“That is amazing, because he has done everything. That’s cool.”
“I didn’t feel as comfortable over the ball as I did (Thursday) and I had a couple of hiccups on the front side,” said Lepp. “If I play the way I did today, it isn’t going to be good enough. I think I had a test of the nerves today, so I should be all right for the weekend.”
“It was funny, I didn’t feel nervous at all,” said Lepp, of all the media and fan attention he was now receiving. “It’s good for me to get used to pressure situations like them, with people and cameras around. Playing practice rounds with the pros at the Bell Canadian Open (last year), I was nervous, saying to myself, ’Just don’t chunk it’. But when I got into tournament rounds, I was fine.” Lepp began his final round as he had in two of his three previous rounds, with a birdie on the first hole. He pared the second and bogied the third. Then after a few words of assurance from his father, his caddy for this tournament, Lepp went back to work as only he knows how with his self-taught swing. He birdied the next three holes and from there romped home five shots ahead of everyone, seemingly oblivious to the fact that not only was he the lone amateur in a field of outstanding professionals he was the youngest player going up against young men who are considered the stars of the future.
“I didn’t feel like I played my best but I kept telling myself ‘be right.’ I mean, even when I’m not playing my best I can still play. Sometimes in the past I’ve been like, ‘Oh it sucks, I’m not playing how I want to,’ and I’d just not be as confident as I should be. This week I just kept telling myself ‘I can do it’ “. Lepp’s amateur status was a financial windfall for Nathan Fritz of Greenwood, IN (62-72-68-68—274) and Mark Johnson of Halendale, CA (69-67-69-69—274) who tied for second and were awarded $22,400 each, since Lepp did not accept the first prize of $28,000 from the $175,000 purse from presenting sponsor, TELUS. Scott Hend of Australia and Chris Wall of Dallas TX were another shot back at 13-under. Another surprise performer was Billy Noon from nearby Maple Ridge, BC, a junior teaching professional employed by host Swan-e-set who won a last minute qualifying spot and ended up T12 at (71-71-65-72—279) 9-under and collected $4,025. Brad Fritsch of Manotick, ON and Naniamo, BC’s Darren Griff were in a group of 10 players T20 at 7-under. Another Abbotsford native son, Andrew Smeeth T30 with Woodstock, ON’s Drew Symons at 6-under while veteran Canadian professional Complete results: The Canadian Professional Golf Tour
"This means so much more to me," said Bohn, who earned $81,000. "Making a hole-in-one and winning that money was pot luck. Shooting 58 was pretty special and one I'll never forget but this one is the result of a lot of hard work, both mentally and physically. It all paid off for me, way more than hitting one shot." Bohn also holds a Canadian Tour record for scoring eight straight birdies, accomplished in the final round of the 2001 Texas Challenge. Ahmad Bateman of Windsor, ON T62 at (68-72-73-70—283) 5-under. Rob McMillan of Winnipeg missed the cut.
The Pacific Coast Amateur, one of the premiere US amateur golf championships, is the last tournament before the U.S. Walker Cup team is named. The Walker Cup, a biennial competition between the U.S and a team from Great Britain and Ireland, is scheduled for September 6-7 at Ganton GC in North Yorkshire, England.
The Canadian Amateur will serve as Trudeau’s final amateur tournament. He plans to turn professional in September and attend the Canadian Tour Qualifying School in Ashburn, ON. Julien Trudeau’s great-grandfather and Pierre Trudeau’s grandfather were brothers. Pierre Trudeau was Canadian prime minister from 1968-1979 and again from 1980-1984. Since the Pacific Coast Golf Association began staging the Amateur in 1967, this is only the third time the event has been held in British Columbia. Vancouver’s Marine Drive was the site of the 1970 tournament and 23 years later Shaughnessy got to host the event in the first year that Pacific Rim countries were invited to participate. The Pacific Coast Amateur returns to BC in 2008 to play at Victoria’s Royal Colwood G&CC.
John Bodenhamer, executive Director, PCGA & PNGA with BC Golf Museum Director Mike Riste, (right) the PNGA’S Historian The Pacific Coast Amateur Championship SELLING TICKETS TO SEE THE SHARK SELLING GOLF
COMING UP . . . August 4-7 CLGA 49th Canadian Junior - Royal Quebec GC, Boischatel, QC August 4-8 RCGA 65th Canadian Junior - Country Hills CC, Calgary AB August 5-8 PNGA 37th Pacific Coast Amateur – Capilano G&CC, West Van, BC August 11-13 BCGA BC Senior – Glacier Greens, Comox, BC August 11-15 CLGA 90th Canadian Amateur – Club de Golf Blainvillier, Chemin du Blainvillier, QC August 13-17 RCGA 99th Canadian Amateur – Shaughnessy G&CC, Vancouver, BC August 18-20 BCPGA American Express BCPGA Championship, Quilchena G&CC, Richmond, BC SPECIAL EVENTS Gail Moore Golf Tournament BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum |
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However, Sunday August 3, at the Swan-e-set Resort & Country Club in Pitt Meadowss, BC, after Lepp captured the biggest championship of his young amateur career with a stunning (66-70-66-67—269) 19-under par five shot margin of victory in the Canadian Tour’s Greater Vancouver Classic, he still had to be coaxed into holding his newest prize over his head and kissing the trophy. 
Perhaps Lepp was too busy contemplating just exactly what he has accomplished by becoming the first amateur in seven years to win a tournament on the highly competitive Canadian Tour against seasoned veterans and rookie professionals; becoming the first amateur in 27 years to win this tournament that was once the British Columbia Open and becoming the first BC Amateur champion in history to win a professional event in the same year, something that 11-time BC Amateur icon Doug Roxburgh has never accomplished.
Lepp came into this tournament on a special invitation as BC’s reigning two-time BC Amateur champion and was a dominating figure right from the start. After driving the short distance from his home course at Ledgeview in Abbotsford, he drained a 20-foot birdie putt on his first hole of the day, birdied the next two holes and finished the first round two off the lead. After 36 holes Lepp was 8-under par and tied with four others for the lead.
How prophetic that would turn out to be. Lepp missed the cut by two shots when he played in this same event last year after winning his first BC Amateur crown. But with much more experience and renewed confidence this young ‘TIGER OF THE NORTH’ promptly attacked Swan-e-set Resorts’ 7,000-yard par 72 Ridge course and held a two-stroke advantage after 54 holes. 
“This is probably the biggest (win) by far, obviously, but basically what it means to me is that I can play out here (against the pros)”, Lepp told Vancouver Sun Golf columnist Brad Ziemer. 
Ray Stewart, (interviewed by Brad Ziemer) also a member at the Ledgeview Golf & Country Club in Abbotsford, closed with a 4-under 68 to slip into a T34 at 5-under and earned $1,268.
Annika Sorenstam finally won the fourth leg of golf’s Grand Slam for women when the 32-year-old Swedish super star posted a one-stroke victory in the Weetabix Women’s British Open. The victory was her 46th on the LPGA Tour, her 56th worldwide and six of them have been majors. Her next goal now is to win the four grand slam events in the same calendar year, the same goal Tiger Woods is hoping to accomplish for men. Sorenstam (68-72-68-70—278) defeated Se Ri Pak (69-69-69-72—279) by one stroke—the difference being Sorenstam’s par at 18 and Pak’s bogey. Sorenstam now joins Karie Webb, Juli Inkster, Louise Suggs, Pat Bradley and Mickey Wright as a winner of the four majors in a career. Sorenstam might have accomplished the feat in 2001 when she won in Canada for the first time. However, the du Maurier Classic, which had been the LPGA’s fourth major, was forced to give up sponsorship because of a change in tobacco advertising rules a year earlier and the ’major’ status was passed on to the Women’s British Open. Instead, Sorenstam was crowned the first BMO Financial Group Canadian Women’s Open champion. Lorie Kane of PEI spent two days seeing parts of Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club she wished she hadn’t and finished (69-75-70-75—289) one over par and collected $19,913. Canadian Open champion Inkster T41 at 5-over.
Allen Doyle won for the first time in two years and became champion of the FleetBoston Classic in Concord, Mass. After posting a hot start Doyle cruised cruised home for a three shot (68-6367—198) 15-under par victory that earned him $225,000. Dave Barr of Kelowna, BC was unable to put the finishing touches to what started out to be a strong performance but still managed to come in T11 (68-67-70—205) seven shots back of Doyle and earned $33,000, retaining his position as 24th on the TOUR money list with $569,863.
Jason Bohn has done some special things in his golfing career but none more special than coming from fourth place to win the inaugural Chattanooga Classic by one shot at (65-67-69-64--265) 23-under par for his first victory on the Nationwide Tour. Bohn, a two-time winner on the Canadian Tour, picked up a closing birdie at the par-5 18th to clinch the title, one that surpasses the thrill of shooting a 58 at the 2001 Bayer Championship on the Canadian Tour and winning $1 million in a hole-in-one contest. 
Candy Hannemann, a native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil parlayed a three shot cushion and a steady final round of par into her first professional victory in the Hunters Oak Futures Golf Classic in Queenstown, Md., finishing (65-66-72—203) 13-under par and three strokes ahead of Korea’s Soo Young Moon. The victory was worth $9,100 and moves Hannemann into fourth on the Futures money list. Brockville, ON’s Lanie Cahill lost ground the final round but still managed a 7th place finish at (68-71-73—212) 1-under for $2,112.
A distant relative of former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau has been added to the field of the 37th Pacific Coast Amateur Championship teeing off August 5-8 at Capilano Golf and Country Club in West Vancouver, BC. Julien Trudeau, 22, of Montreal, has been invited by tournament organizers to replace former two-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Tim Jackson, who withdrew last week. Trudeau, a recent graduate of Wichita State University, was a runner-up in this year’s Quebec Amateur and two weeks ago won the Diet Pepsi Shocker Classic in Wichita, KS by four shots. 
Following the Pacific Coast Amateur at Capilano, Trudeau (second from the right) will join his Quebec Willingdon Cup teammates at Vancouver’s Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club when play gets underway August 14-17 in the RCGA’s 99th Canadian Amateur Championship. The Willingdon Cup provincial team competition takes place during the first two rounds of this 72-hole medal play tournament. Alberta won the title last year in New Brunswick for the third time in four years.
The week is filled with social activities for the limited field of 90 players. A total of 54 golfers will represent the 18 regional and state golf associations that comprise the PCGA, including Alberta and BC. The other 36 players are issued invitations based on their golfing records and are coming from as far away as Australia and Peru. Annually, one of the social highlights is the opening night Players’ Welcome Barbecue and this year USGA Walker Cup captain Bob Lewis will attend as the featured speaker. Another feature to be enjoyed at Capilano will be a special presentation that has been created by the BC Golf Museum in honour of the history of this event and golf in the Pacific Northwest. 