Ben Griffen Captures 2nd BC Mid-Amateur Crown

Ben Griffin of Victoria was too hot to handle in the 54-hole championship at the Rosslland-Trail  Country Club, posting an 8-under par 208 total to win his second Mid-Amateur title in the past three years.

And Nelson, BC's Brian De Biasio, who won this  tournament in 1999 and has been a runnerup on five previous occasions, tied for second yet again, finishing at 4-under 212.

However, it was the tenacity of Toth, who first won the Mid-Amateur in 2005 and again last year, that touched many on hand who followed the leaders.

Toth was in obvious pain after striking a root in the rough on his opening hole. His shot came out cleanly and struck the pin some 200 yards away allowing him to start his day with an eagle. Six bogies over a 10-hole stretch didn't help his cause, but determination set in, and despite his discomfort birdies at 13, 15 and 16 brought him back to the field.  Toth finished his round with an eagle on 18 to move into a tie for second with De Biasio.

Di Biasio recorded a timely birdie on his final hole  to claim the Master-40 Division by one shot over Greg Bismeyer of Pitt Madows, BC.

The BC Mid Amateur Championship features two divisions: the Mid-Amateur Division for players aged 25-39, and the Master 40 Division for players aged  40 and above.

For the new Mid-Amateur Champion from Victoria's Uplands Golf Club, Griffin couldn't have been happier with the quality of his play.

“My swing felt really good right from the start and set the tone for the tournament,” said Griffin.” I hit a lot of greens and played them patiently. I missed a few but didn’t let it bother me.”

Representing B.C. at the Mid-Amateur Inter-provincial Team  Championship at Cooke Municipal Golf Course in Prince Albert, Sask., Aug.  17-21 will be Ben Griffin, Brian De Biasio, Greg Bismeyer and Bryan Toth.

The next BC Golf Association provincial championship on schedule is the Senior Women's championship at Meadow Gardens in Pitt Meadows (June 15-17) where the defending champion also happens to be the 2008 Canadian Senior Women's Champion, the two-time defending BC Mid-Amateur champion, the 2008 PNGA Senior Women's title holder and five-time BC Amateur medalist, Jackie Little from Port Alberni, BC.

2008 BCGA BC MID-AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

1     Ben Griffin, Victoria, BC,           67    72    69    208
T2     Brian De Biasio, Nelson, BC,       72    70    70    212
T2     Bryan Toth, Victoria, BC,           72    69    71    212
T4     Brad Harding, Fruitvale, BC,       76    68    69    213
T4     Greg Bismeyer, Pitt Meadows, B.C., 70    72    71    213
6     Norm Bradley, Kelowna, BC,       71    72    71    214
T7     Jeff Dinn, Victoria, BC,            75    72    68    215
T7     Steve Berry, Sooke, BC,         70    71    74    215
9     Justin Nagy, Lethbridge, AB,     73    69    74    216
T10     Jade Dennill, Victoria, BC,         76    71    71    218
T10     Sandy Harper, Nanaimo, BC,     77    69    72    218
T10     Harry Ferguson, Invermere, BC,     73    72    73    218
13     Mark Spooner, West Vancouver, BC, 70    76    73    219
T14   Kevin Dereniwsky, Kimberley, BC    71    80    71    222
T14     Ben Proskiw, Kelowna, BC,         72    78    72    222
T14     Trevor Bloom, Kelowna, BC,         76    72    74    222
T14     Todd Tibke, Snohomish, WA,     77    72    73    222
T18     Daniel Brown, Kelowna, BC,         74    78    71    223
T18     Travis Eggers, Fort St. John, BC,     78    69    76    223
T20     Phil Balzer, New Westminster, BC, 78    72    75    225
T20     Ben Gresley-Jones, Rossland, BC,     73    76    76    225
T20     Wade Hickey, Maple Ridge, BC,     76    71    78    225
23     Andrew Gray, Kimberley, BC,     78    75    73    226
T24     Mike McAleer, Vancouver, BC,     77    76    75    228
T24     Jim Ryan, Penticton, BC,         76    76    76    228
26     Ken Thompson, Nanaimo, BC,     77    75    77    229
27     Ryan Krisko, Kamloops, BC,         78    76    76    230
28     Scott Bennett, North Vancouver, BC, 86    72    73    231
T29     Peter Howe, Crawford Bay, BC,    77    78    77    232
T29     Andrew Mitchell, North Vancouver, BC 77 77    78    232
31     Per Hansen, Vancouver, BC        76    79    78    233
T32     Mike Mannion, Gibsons, BC,     79    80    75    234
T32     James Decker, Vancouver, BC,       80    80    74    234
T32     Derrick Simister, Trail, BC,         79    81    74    234
T35     Jack H. Frank, Vancouver, BC,     77    79    80    236
T35     Bob Olson, Vancouver, BC,          78    79    79    236
37     Shawn Doyle, Kelowna, BC,         78    82    77    237
T38     Chris Andrews, Kimberley, BC,     83    76    79    238
T38     Stu Clements, Gibson, BC,         76    83    79    238
40     Peter Scott, Burnaby, BC,         80    81    78    239
41     Don Gowan, Victoria, BC,         80    83    77    240
42     Bryan Stretch, Langley, BC,         81    81    79    241
T43     Kevin Brett, Kamloops, BC,         81    89    73    243
T43     Dennis Brown, Creston, BC,         79    83    81    243
T45     Trevor Bradley, Victoria,         81    83    80    244
T45     Jim Zalusky, Surrey, BC,         81    83    80    244
T47     Graeme Carlson, Grand Forks, BC, 83    80    82    245
T47     Ken Milloy, Port Moody, BC,         78    85    82    245
T47     Leigh Walker, Creston, BC,         84    78    83    245
50     Don Buchan, Lazo, BC,         82    84    80    246
51     Doug Perry, Chilliwack, BC,         80    86    82    248
52     Shaun Carson, Kamloops, BC,     86    87    76    249
53     Kevin Larsson, Burnaby, BC,         82    83    85    250
54     John Holland, Cranbrook, BC,     83    84    85    252
T55     Sven Kip, Kamloops, BC,         84    88    84    256
T55     Pieter De Bruyn, Fort St. John, BC,     85    86    85    256
T55     Christian Oets, Langley, BC,         82    90    84    256
58     Leif Petersen, Kootenay Bay, BC    89    85    86    260
59     Doug Norton, Delta, BC,         87    84    90    261
60     Robert Williams, N. Vancouver,     87    85    91    263
61     Lukas Brand, Fort St John, BC    104    90    89    283

Missed Cut
WD    Imran Gulam, Calgary, AB,          +12                        
WD    Bryan Smithson, Creston, BC,     +16
WD    Bryan Smithson, Creston, BC,     +16                         
DQ    Lui Franzese, Surrey, BC, +18

 
2008 BCGA BC MASTER-40 CHAMPIONSHIP

1     Brian De Biasio, Nelson, 72    70    70    212
2     Greg Bismeyer, Pitt Meadows, B.C., 70    72    71    213
3     Brad Harding, Fruitvale, BC, 76    68    69    213
4     Norm Bradley, Kelowna, BC    71    72    71    214
5     Steve Berry, Sooke, BC,    71    74    215
T6     Sandy Harper, Nanaimo, BC,    77    69    72    218
T6     Harry Ferguson, Invermere, BC, 73    72    73    218
8     Mark Spooner, West Vancouver, BC, 70    76    73    219
T9     Kevin Dereniwsky, Kimberley, BC, 71    80    71    222
T9     Ben Proskiw, Kelowna, BC,    72    78    72    222
T9     Todd Tibke, Snohomish, WA,    77    72    73    222
12     Phil Balzer, New Westminster, BC, 78    72    75    225
13     Jim Ryan, Penticton, BC,    76    76    76    228
14     Ken Thompson, Nanaimo, BC,    77    75    77    229
15     Scott Bennett, North Vancouver, BC, 86    72    73    231
16     Peter Howe, Crawford Bay, BC, 77    78    77    232
17     Per Hansen, Vancouver, BC,    76    79    78    233
T18     Mike Mannion, Gibsons, BC, 79    80    75    234
T18     James Decker, Vancouver, BC, 80    80    74    234
T18     Derrick Simister, Trail, BC    79    81    74    234
T21     Jack H. Frank, Vancouver, BC, 77    79    80    236
T21     Bob Olson, Vancouver, BC,    78    79    79    236
23     Stu Clements, Gibson, BC, 76    83    79    238
24     Peter Scott, Burnaby, BC, 80    81    78    239
25     Don Gowan, Victoria, BC,    80    83    77    240
T26     Kevin Brett, Kamloops, BC, 81    89    73    243
T26     Dennis Brown, Creston, BC,    83    81    243
T28     Trevor Bradley, Victoria,    81    83    80    244
T28     Jim Zalusky, Surrey, BC,    81    83    80    244
T30     Graeme Carlson, Grand Forks, 83    80    82    245
T30     Ken Milloy, Port Moody, BC,    78    85    82    245
32     Don Buchan, Lazo, BC, 82    84    80    246
33     Doug Perry, Chilliwack, BC, 80    86    82    248
34     John Holland, Cranbrook, BC, 83    84    85    252
35     Leif Petersen, Kootenay Bay, BC,    89    85    86    260
36     Robert Williams, N. Vancouver,    87    85    91    263

Missed Cut
WD    Bryan Smithson, Creston, BC,     +16                         
DQ    Lui Franzese, Surrey, BC, +18