Preview -- $150,000 City Of Surrey Invitational

By Barry Sharpe

The name, of course, is one thing. Mike Stewart of the West Coast Golf Group, owners of the host Hazelmere golf & tennis facility and two other golf courses in the Lower Mainland, worked diligently last year to convince sponsors and the City of Surrey to keep the tradition of having the Canadian Tour playing in Greater Vancouver alive.

The PGA of British Columbia dropped the ball many years earlier when the BC Open just seemed to dissolve and the Canadian Tour, despite claiming otherwise, seemed incapable of convincing anyone that the Greater Vancouver district, one of the hottest golfing regions in all of Canada, was interested in staging an annual first class professional championship.

Stewart and his team of supporters proved them all wrong.

Another thing that is different this year is the respect the sponsors have for players on the Canadian Tour. After years of slugging it out for four rounds for a total purse of $100,000---money put up by the Canadian Tour, but still the smallest prize purse of the season for four or five years---the City of Surrey Invitational will play for $150,000 this year and there's hope the event, in addition to raising money for worthy Surrey charities, will be able to increase the purse each year going forward.

The Hazelmere course itself has always been an outstanding championship venue, one that truly challenges these players who are working their way toward careers on the PGA TOUR.  This year, once again, the tournament site is in superb playing condition and new course investments continue to make Hazelmere one of the top ranked public golf courses in Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest.

NAMES TO WATCH FOR

With a full field of 156 professionals and amateurs ready to tee-off Thursday morning it's anybody's guess who will jump out to lead the championship after the first round.  Here are a few to watch for.

Hometown boy Adam Sevnsson is only 15 but on Monday he succeeded in qualifying to get into the event by shooting a remarkable 4-under par. He's no stranger to high profile events, having competed as Canada's representative in last year's Junior Worlds Championship in San Diego and scored one victory and a trio of top three finishes this season with the Canadian Junior Golf Association. He'll be the youngest in the field but he's not easily intimidated.

The defending champion is Adam Speirs who captured his first Tour title here last year.

Other notables include Andrew Parr, Wes Heffernan, Daniel Im, Graham DeLaet, Mauricio Molina, Byron Smith and Stuart Anderson. Parr may have missed the cut in Victoria last week but the London, Ont., native qualified as a medalist for the United States Open on Monday so he'll be pumped and ready. Heffernan is always a threat. With four wins and several more top tens on his resume, the Calgarian is one of Canada's outstanding professionals who rarely shoots a big number. Much has been written about Graham DeLaet this past year. Happily settled into marriage, DeLaet won in Montreal near the end of last season, qualified for the World Cup, and made an immediate impact on the Sunshine Tour with a pair of runner-up finishes.

Always a crowd favorite and certainly capable is BC's Ray Stewart, a Dunhill Cup co-winner who has now recovered from shoulder surgery that has delayed his Seniorr PGA TOUR career.

It’s hard to ignore Mauricio Molina who has two wins in five starts this season south of the border.

There's former NCAA champion James Lepp of Abbotsford, an incredible talent waiting to blossom whenever he feels inspsired.

A winner by three last week in Victoria, Byron Smith could make it two for two. He's not missed a cut in five tournaments to-date and he knows Hazelmere . . . he finished second here last year.

Not to be overlooked is Philip Jonas, a highly competant teachcing instructer with proven tournament  credentials from PGA Tours around the world. 

And there's Stuart Anderson, now a resident of Victoria, B.C., with five top-20 finishes this season including a T-4 at the Mexican PGA and a T-5 at the Argentine Masters.

HAZELMERE COUNTRY CLUB
South SURREY, BC
Par 72, 6,806 Yards

The Course
HOLE . . . PAR . . . YARDAGE

1        4        444
2        4        438
3        5        477
4        3        224
5        4        367
6        4        396
7        5        533
8        3        187
9        4        398
OUT  36    3,464

10      4        444
11      5        558
12      4        345
13      4        332
14      5        449
15      3        153
16      3        212
17      4        367
18      4        445
IN      35     3,342

           71    6,806

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