And with that James Lepp of Abbotsford, BC went up to the podium to collect his third consecutive championship trophy in the past four weeks, setting new tournament and course records along the way to winning the Pacific Coast Amateur Championship at West Vancouver’s Capilano Golf & CC on Friday August 8. Lepp is the first Canadian champion in the 37-year history of this International event.
“Yes, I practice lots. I really like to practice out on the course, throwing down some extra balls and seeing how I can do different things, I practice a lot more than I play." No wonder this 5’ 9” 145-pound University of Illinois sophomore was chosen 2003 Big Ten Conference Player of the Year after being 2002 Pacific Northwest GA Player of the Year.
Unquestionably Lepp was having fun during the week. With outstanding iron play and superb putting on Cap’s speedy greens, Lepp shattered the course record by shooting an 8-under par 62 during his second round and with teammates Craig Doell, Victoria and Dan Swanson, Surrey, led the BC Golf Association squad to their first ever Morse Cup victory over teams representing 18 member associations from BC, Alberta, The U.S. and the Republic of China. Their team total was nine strokes better than Southern California and the lowest in Morse Cup History.
Considering the Pacific Coast Amateur provided Lepp with his first visit to Capilano his performance was remarkable and his total of (68-62-66-67—263) 17-under par was a record 10 shots better than California’s Roy Moon. Doell finished alone in third at (69-67-68-70—274) 6-under par while Swanson T11 at (68-71-73-68—280) even par.
The Pacific Coast Amateur Championship
But now, is it putting too much pressure on the shoulders of this 19-year-old college student to expect him to do it just one more time, to be the first Canadian since 1998 to win the Canadian Amateur Championship when play begins this week at Vancouver’s Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club? After all, he’ll be expected to make it through two rounds of medal play before going head-to-head in match play format, something he’s not particularly fond of. Former PGA TOUR member Dillard Pruit comes to Shaughnessy as the defending champion, having defeated Michael Mezei of Lethbridge, AB 6 & 5 in New Brunswick.
However, James Lepp is having an exceptional season ---averaging 67.33 during his last three tournaments--- and with his skill and maturity anything is possible. In fact, James Lepp is creating an exceptional career.
Here is a partial look at what Lepp has accomplished in less than four years:
| 1999 |
|
| BC Junior |
Sunshine Coast, Roberts Creek (72) |
| T25 |
71 75 70 85 301 |
| Canadian Juvenile |
Maple City CC, Chatham, ON |
| 2 |
287 |
|
------- |
|
| 2000 |
|
| BC Junior |
Williams Lake G&TC, Williams Lake (72) |
| 5 |
74 73 70 71 288 (E) |
|
------- |
|
| 2001 |
|
| BC Junior |
Duncan Meadows, Duncan (72) |
| T4 |
71 71 71 75 288 (E) |
| BC Amateur |
Royal Colwood G C, Victoria (70) |
| T3 |
73 65 69 72 279 |
| Canadian Junior |
Ken-Wo Country Club, New Minas, NS |
| 1 |
268 |
|
------- |
|
| 2002 |
|
| BC Junior |
Pitt Meadows GC, Pitt Meadows (72) |
| 1 |
70 69 66 67 272 (-16) 8 shots |
| BC Amateur |
Richmond G & CC, Richmond (72) |
| 1 |
71 70 70 67 278 (-10) 10 shots |
| Canadian Junior |
Saskatoon G & CC, Saskatoon, SA (72) |
| 1 |
272 |
| Canadian Amateur |
Fraser Edmundston Golf Club, Edmundston, NB |
| Match Play |
|
| Bell Canadian Open |
Angus Glen Golf Club, Markham, ON |
|
cut |
|
|
------- |
|
| 2003 |
|
| Copa de las Americas |
Rio Grande, Puerto Rico (72) |
|
(1 - team event) |
75 73 72 75 295 (+7) |
| Ledgeview Amateur |
69 62* 131 (-9) |
| BC Amateur |
Lakes Point G & CC John, Fort St. John (72) |
| 1 |
68 67 68 73 276 (-12) 4 shots |
| Greater Vancouver Classic |
Swean-e-set R&CC, Pitt Meadows (72) |
| 1 |
66 70 66 67 269 (-19) 5 shots |
| Pacific Coast Amateur |
Capilano G & CC, West Vancouver (70) |
| 1 |
68 62* 66 67 263* (-17) 7 shots |
| Canadian Amateur |
Shaughnessy G & CC, Vancouver (70) |
|
Match Play |
|
1--*course record
2--*course & tournament record
3--*tourmament record |
|
With a lead that never dipped below 10 points, Davis Love III could have picked up his ball after putting out on the 17th green and walked in to the club house and still been named the champion of The International at Castle Rock, Colo. Love led wire-to-wire for his 18th career title, finishing with 46 points and won by a record 12 points ahead of Vijay Singh and Reteif Goosen in this event that uses the modified Stableford scoring system. With Love’s fourth win of the season he has now taken over the money winning lead with $5.1 million heading into next week’s PGA TOUR Championship. Glen Hnatiuk, Selkirk, MB made it through three rounds and finished T44 with a total of 10 points. Masters champion Mike Weir of Bright’s Cove, ON T55 with 7 points through 54 holes and Ian Leggatt collected a total of 4 points after three rounds.
Wayne Levi, whose last victory was the PGA TOUR’s Canadian Open in 1990, sank a 4-foot birdie putt on the last hole to win the 3M Championship for his first triumph on the Senior Champions Tour. Levi earned $262,500 for finishing at (68-68-69—205) 11-under par, one shot ahead of Morris Hatalsky and Gill Morgan and 16 shots in front of Kelowna, BC’s Dave Barr (72-76-73—221) who T72 and received $1,277. Barr remains 24th on the money list with $569,863.
NATIONWIDE TOUR
How is this for a fourth wedding anniversary present? Bo Van Pelt carded a final round of 10-under par to finish two shots ahead of the field and win the Omaha Classic at (64-67-69-62—262) 26-under par in front of one of the largest crowds in Nationwide Tour history. Not only did Van Pelt receive a career best $99,000 for his first Nationwide victory but it moves him from No. 20 to No. 4 on the money list and assures him of full exempt status for the remainder of this year and next. More importantly however, it guarantees Van Pelt will finished among the top 20 Nationwide money winners this year and guarantees him a return to the PGA TOUR for 2004. Jim Rutledge of Victoria put up a good finish to squeeze into a T49 at (71-68-72-66—277) 11-under par and won $1,883. David Morland, North Bay, ON and Winnipeg’s Rob McMillan were both cut.
The Omaha Classic was filled with moments of classic golf. At the ninth hole of the first round Chip Beck recorded a hole-in-one, the Tour's first ace ever on a par 4 and just the second in the history of the PGA TOUR, Nationwide Tour and Champions Tour combined. During the second round Craig Lyle posted spectacular 12-under par 60, third lowest score in Tour history. Then Sunday Michael Bradley, Beck’s first round playing partner, scored his own hole-in-one on a par three.
Hee-Won Han collected $165,000 for her birdie on the third extra hole that defeated Wendy Ward enroute to victory in the Wendy’s Championship For Children. Han (68-65-66—199) and Ward (69-67-63—199) both finished at 17-under par in the rain shortened event. Canada’s Lorie Kane was nine shots back and T8 at (68-78-70—208) 8-under, worth $34,020. A.J. Eathorne got off to a great start but then fell back into a T20 (66-73-72—211) with Angela Buzminski at (69-689-74—211) 5-under, both collecting $11,962. Liz Earley and Gail Graham were cut.
CANADIAN AMATEUR TRIVIA: . . . . the last BC player to win the Canadian Amateur was Vancouver’s Jeff Kraemer who finished one shot ahead of Mike Weir at Royal Ottawa in 1991 . . . . in the 98 previous Canadian Amateurs, the tournament has only been held in British Columbia nine times. The first time was 1933 at Shaughnessy Heights when Albert Campbell of Seattle defeated BC Amateur champ Ken Black of the host club, 3&2.
US WOMEN’S AMATEUR: . . . . Virada Nirapathpongporn, 21, of Thailand, defeated Jane Park, 16, of Oak Valley, Calif., 2 and 1, in the 36-hole final Sunday to win the 2003 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at Philadelphia Country Club. Nirapathpongporn, became the 11th foreign-born winner. Vancouver’s Eom-Ji Park missed making it to the final 64 by (79-76—155) two shots. Two-time Canadian Ladies’ Amateur champion Lisa Meldrum, 21, of Montreal made it into the top 16 before being eliminated 4&2. Alana Sharp, Laura Matthews and Christine Boucher, like Park, missed getting into the top for match play. However, all are entered in this week’s 90th Canadian Ladies’ Amateur near Montreal . . . . Michelle Wie, 13, who upset Nirapathpongporn 1-up in a 36-hole final for the U.S Women’s amateur Public Links title earlier this season, was knocked out in the first round. Wie, who hasn’t been home to her Hawaiian residence Since May, is scheduled to tee it up next week at the Canadian Tour’s Bay Mills Open (The Golf channel).
COMING UP . . .
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
