Our recent heavy rains, cold temperatures and even an early taste of snow, have left little doubt that the golfing season is about done for another year. Sure, there will be some rounds played in the weeks ahead. But the PGA season is over and until next spring local handicaps are frozen just as the greens were on a couple of mornings last week. So this might be an opportune time to catch up on some highlights from the past season on the professional and local golf scene…
Of course golf was in the sports headlines last weekend, with the staging of the Presidents Cup competition in Australia. No trouble with cold weather on the other side of the world and no trouble for the American team captained by Fred Couples to defeat the international squad headed by Greg Norman by a total of 19 points to 15.
The conclusion of the official PGA season saw Bill Haas win the Tour Championship, not to mention the $10-million bonus as FedEx Cup points champ. Speaking of money, Britain’s Luke Donald was the Tour’s top money winner, earning nearly $7 million on the year.
On the local golf scene, congratulations go to this year’s club champions from the Nanaimo Golf Club, where Kerry Davison is the head professional. Kristian Hrabowych was the men’s champ for the three-day event. (He also won the Nanaimo Amateur this season.) Ken Thompson claimed the men’s senior championship crown, with Dave Yule the champion in the men’s super senior division. This year’s women’s club champion at Nanaimo was Kim Evans, while Anna North was tops in the women’s senior championship division.
Still with the Nanaimo club, the overall junior club champion was Zach Anderson. Other junior winners were Graham Sexton in the peewee division, John MacDonald in the divot category and Robert Assaf in the juvenile division. Junior division champion was Michael Hrabowych and the girls’ division winner was Shirin Anjarwalla.
Ian Harper is the pro at Winchelsea View Golf Course, where this year’s club championship was won by Bob Ree with a two-day total of 143. Just one stroke behind for second low gross was Dan McDonald, with third place taken by Ron McWillis.
In an incredible display of luck, I somehow managed to win the low net championship, just ahead of Ron McWillis, Ron Kerney, Nels Symbaluk and Ed Gray.
Out at Cottonwood Golf Course, head pro Winston Michell sends word that Kevin Roden was the men’s club championship low gross winner. Low gross in B flight went to Gordon Smeeton, while Jeff Datoff was low gross champ in C flight and Bobby Uvanile in D flight.
With the ladies, Georgina Hermans was the Cottonwood ladies’ low gross champion this year, with Susie Youle taking low net honours. In the senior ladies’ division, the low gross title went to Lucette Tremblay and the low gross award to Nicole Bourduas.
In other golfing news from the season past, congratulations go to Nanaimo’s Mark Vallier, who led the B.C. team to a gold medal at the Western Canada Summer Games. Meanwhile, Shirin Anjarwalla placed third at B.C. Golf’s bantam girls’ championships. Amanda Baker finished just one stroke behind the winner at the B.C. Women’s Amateur. And Nanaimo’s Tony Hatchwell claimed second place at the B.C. Senior Men’s championships. Among his other accomplishments this season, Nanaimo’s Sandy Harper scored an impressive eight-shot victory at the Pacific Northwest Men’s Mid-Amateur Championships in Washington State.
A tip of the golf cap also goes to the VIU Mariners golf team. The local squad this season finished fifth overall in the Pacific Western Athletic Association standings. Kalli Gordon was the only VIU player to qualify for nationals, where she tied for sixth place in P.E.I.
Whatever your sport, a reminder in closing to play your hardest, play fair and show good sportsmanship.
Ian Thorpe writes about sports Saturdays.