Tee 2 Green with Barry Sharpe - - July 10/09

For the first time since the BC Golf Association has been selecting players to represent the province in the annual Willingdon Cup competition at the Canadian Amateur one player has been named without playing in the BC Amateur Championship.

George Faithfull, president of the BCGA, has named Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, the world’s top ranked amateur in the R&A amateur rankings, to the team.

“British Columbia has never had a golfer ranked number one in the world,” said Faithfull. “We recognize that it’s in Nick’s best interest that he continues to play in events that ensure he maintains that ranking over the course of the summer. Regrettably, this means he needed to accept the exemption into the U.S. Public Links that runs the same week as the B.C. Amateur.”

A member of the University of Washington Huskies, Taylor won a school record four tournaments his past season and became just the fourth Husky to be named a first-team all-American. Playing in the U.S. Open for the second year in a row, Taylor made the cut and finished as the tournament's Low Amateur, in addition to shooting a second-round 65, second lowest round by an amateur in Open history. Last week, Taylor won the 2009 Sahalee Players Championship.

BCGA by-laws do not specify that the Willingdon Cup team must be picked on the basis of the four lowest scores in the BC Amateur. The BCGA player development committee had already been evaluating the criteria for team selection.

“Clearly B.C. needs to be represented by its best player,” says Faithfull. “Nick has demonstrated that he has a true appreciation of the traditions and history of  the game and a true appreciation of the significance of the Willingdon Cup  competition. It would be a shame if the outstanding amateur career he is having did not include an appearance on the B.C. Willingdon Cup team.”

First contested in 1927, Lord Willingdon's Cup is awarded to the provincial team with the best three scores recorded over the opening two rounds of the Canadian Amateur, being held this year August 10-13 in Quebec.

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Wayne Gretzky's $500,000 Nationwide Tour Classic going on at the Georgian Bay Club in Clarksburg, ON, saw Kyle Reifers jump out to a three shot lead by posting an eye-popping 11-under par 61---eight birdies, two eagles and a bogey on a par three.

In the field of 160, Jim Nelford is 159th, shooting 80.

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Mauricio Molina won two events on the Canadian Tour during this current campaign . . . the Costa Rico Classic back in December of 2008 and the Corona Mazatlan Classic Mexican PGA in Mazatlan in April. But his lead atop the Order of Merit money list has dwindled to just $893 ahead of Byron Smith, who is $11,100 ahead of Saskatchewan's Graham Delaet.

The top five players, plus the winner of the Players Cup, receive exemptions into the Canadian Open in two weeks time. Jim Rutledge, who holds down the fifth spot after two events with $33,600 in winnings, could have gotten into the RBC Canadian Open via that route. Then he was offered a sponsor exemption from the RCGA. However, he's even turned that down, planning instead to focus on getting his PGA TOUR card via the Nationwide Tour Order of Merit. He's going to have to hustle some; In 10 evens this season he's only managed to earn $28,200 and he's well back in 91st place.

Canadian Tour Order of Merit
1.    Mauricio Molina    $59,508
2.    Byron Smith        $57,616
3.    Graham DeLaet    $46,500
4.    Mike Grob        $36,987
5.    Jim Rutledge        $33,600
6.    Rafael Gomez        $31,459
7.    Stuart Anderson    $26,747
8.    Fabian Gomez        $26,038
9.    James Hahn        $25,248
10.    Rob Grube        $23,605

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Leading Nationwide Tour Canadian Money Winners
29      Dustin Risdon       14      $69,831
41      Chris Baryla       4      $58,259
62      Jon Mills             $42,555
91      Jim Rutledge             $28,287
98      Ian Leggatt            $25,966
102      Bryan DeCorso              $24,355
113      David Morland IV       $20,969
148      Adam Short        $8,855
159  David Hearn    $5,949

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From the PGA of BC

Courtney Foxgord has passed his CPGA Class A exam and becomes the Head Professional at Big Sky Golf & Country Club;

Ryan Vaughan has passed the Class A exam and is now the Head Professional at Lakepoint Golf & Country Club

Dale Machesney has passed the Class A exam and is at Salmon Arm Golf Club as an Associate Professional

Brad Woods has passed the Class A exam and is now the Head Professional at Balfour Golf Course

Jeff Liddle has passed the Class A exam and he is now an Associate Professional at Pitt Meadows Golf Club

As of June 24, 2009

Gavin Eckford is now a Non-Resident Associate Professional at Croham Hurst Golf Club in Surrey, England

Openings

An opportunity exists for a new Head Coach Men & Women's Golf Program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University;

The Salmon Arm Golf Club is also looking for an Events & Marketing Coordinator.

Contact: www.pgabc.org