Tee 2 Green with Barry Sharpe - - May 27/09

The amazing success Canadian students have enjoyed playing in U.S. colleges and universities this season is without equal. Never have we seen Canadians dominate the way Matt Hill of Bright's Grove, ON has with 7 victories at North Carolina---6 of those since March and 4 in his last 4 tournaments; and then there's Abbotsford's Nick Taylor with 5 wins at the University of Washington, 4 of those this year.

We've also seen Darren Wallace pick up a win for the UW; Adam Hadwin victorious at the University of Louisville; Maude-Aimee LeBlanc win 1 for Purdue University and Adam Cornelson win for the University of New Orleans.

Canadians attending American schools on golf scholarships began nearly 50 years ago. One of the first may have been Marine Drive Golf Club's Terry Campbell who headed south after winning the 1961 Canadian Junior Amateur. Wayne Vollmer, Morgan Creek's Director of Golf and another Marine Drive alumni, was not far behind after he captured the 1963 Canadian Junior. Other Marine Drive standouts to gain their education stateside included Doug Roxburgh, Jim Nelford and Dick Zokol. The latest is Eugene Wong, now at Oregon.

James Lepp of Abbotsford, in 2005 became the first Canadian to win NCAA medalist honours, but no one, American or Canadian, has been as dominating in one season as Hill during his 2008/09 collegiate campaign.

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Canadian subscribers to GolfWeek magazine were no doubt pleasantly surprised earlier this month to discover that RCGA Director of High Performance and Canadian Golf Hall of Famer, Doug Roxburgh, had been honored as a "Local Legend" in the magazine's annual Amateur issue. Roxburgh's remarkable playing career includes four Canadian Amateur titles, a Canadian Junior championship, a record 13 B.C. Amateur victories, 2 B.C. junior wins and 16 Marine Drive club championships. (Not included were numerous club tournaments around the province). Roxy has his own spot in the B.C. Hall of Fame of Golf and last year was awarded with a lifetime exemption into the B.C. Amateur. The BCGA also renamed its Order of Merit award the 'Doug Roxburgh Trophy. '

On Saturday, the 'Silver Fox' will play his first round of the 2009 season when he tees off in the 21st Annual Marine Drive Men's Amateur Championship, an event he's won a few times as well.

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Since the topic of Marine Drive has come up so also has the name of Stan Leonard, Marine's famously successful Head Professional and one of Canada's most remarkable PGA TOUR legends.

For a man who didn't join the major league of golf until after he was past 40, Stan Leonard fashioned quite a career for himself, a career that has been captured magnificently in the pages of Arv Olson's newest book: STAN LEONARD: Canada's Forgotten Golf Legend.

Until Mike Weir of Bright's Grove, ON became Canada's first major tournament winner with his 2003 Masters victory, Stan Leonard was unquestionably Canada's most consistent Masters performer, even though Winnipeg's George Knudson came in second in 1969. In a six year span between 1955 and 1960 Leonard, then in his mid-40's was in the top-10 four times at the Masters and among the top 24 eight times in nine years. He won three PGA TOUR titles and a pair of World Cup championships and in 164 PGA TOUR starts missed the cut only three times,

But that’s only part of the story about this legendary Marine Drive member that Olson shares with his readers.

An articulate wordsmith during a career spanning nearly four decades as a popular hockey, rugby and golf writer with the Vancouver Sun newspaper, this is his fourth book and his third on golf. His first, 'BACKSPIN, 100 Years of Golf in British Columbia' is the definitive historical resource about the game, the players, courses and clubs that have helped turn BC into the golf capital of Canada. 

STAN LEONARD: Canada's Forgotten Golf Legend, is available on-line or in golf shops thoughout British Columbia. Golf Managers or Head Professionals wishing to have copies for their club are encouraged to contact Arv Olson via email: arvogolf@shaw.ca

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The NCAA Division 1 finals had a lengthy rain delay today in Toledo, OH and only half the field of 30 teams completed their second round. In individual competition, Matt Hill is temporarily T2nd, Nick Taylor is T3rd , Darren Wallace is T23rd and Eugene Wong is T54th. 

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University of Washington sensation Nick Taylor of Abbotsford had just recently committed to playing in the BC Amateur championship July 14-17 at Duncan Meadows GC when he received word Tuesday that the USGA had offered him an exemption to play in the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at the Jimmie Austin/University of Oklahoma Golf Club in Norman, Oklahoma July 13-18.

That's one less challenger Doug Roxburgh won't have to face in pursuit of his 14th BC Amateur title, however, he'll still have to contend with defending champion Eugene Wong of North Vancouver, and 2009 U.S. collegiate champions James Allenby and Darren Wallace of Langley and Abbotsford's Adam Hadwin.

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The RCGA announced today that the 2010 CN Canadian Women's Open will be played at the St. Charles Country club in Winnipeg for the first time since Sherri Steinhauer won the du Maurier Classic in 1992. St. Charles has a proud history of hosting major championships, dating back to the Canadian Open in 1952, the LPGA du Maurier Classic '92 and the AT&T Senior PGA Championship in 2000.