B. C.’ s PGA champion earns spot
Summerland’s Greg Machtaler, Adam Cornelson of Langley and Chilliwack’s Brad Clapp all earned exempt status at the PGA Tour Canada qualifying school that wrapped up Friday at the Crown Isle Golf Resort in Courtenay.
Machtaler, the reigning PGA of B. C. champion, closed with a two- under 70 that left him at seven- under par for the tournament and tied for fourth place. Cornelson, who lost his exempt status last year, fired a three- under 69 Friday to finish at four- under par and tied for 11th spot.
The top 18 players earned exempt status for this year’s PGA Tour Canada schedule, which begins May 29- June 1 with the PC Financial Open at Point Grey Golf & Country Club in Vancouver. The remainder of the top 40 received conditional status.
Clapp, who won the 2012 PGA of B. C. championship at Crown Isle, had to survive a six- player- for- one- spot playoff to earn his full card. He shot a two- under 70 Friday to finish tied for 18th at two- under par.
“This is probably the best thing I’ve done in golf so far,” Clapp said. “I hope it’s the start of a good season.”
American David Bradshaw closed with a one- over 73, but still won the event by eight shots with a 72- hole total of 17- under par.
TITLE DEFENCE: Kelowna’s Samantha Richdale will be back to defend her title at the Canadian Women’s Tour annual B. C. stop next week at Morningstar Golf Club in Parksville.
The $ 60,000 event is the first of three to be held across the country this spring and summer. Richdale, a regular on the Symetra Tour, won last year’s event at Beach Grove Golf Club in Tsawwassen.
The 36- hole event begins Tuesday and the winner will receive an exemption into the CP Canadian Women’s Open at the London Hunt and Country Club in London, Ont.
Other notables in the field include world No. 3- ranked amateur Brooke Henderson of Smith Falls, Ont., and Richmond’s Christine Wong. SET TO SURPRISE: The UBC men’s golf team is off to the NAIA national championship tourney in Daytona Beach, Fla., where coach Chris MacDonald says his squad could surprise some people.
The 72- hole tourney starts Tuesday at the Jones course at LPGA International. UBC is ranked 12th in the 28- team event.
“I think it is surprising that our ranking is so low considering in the last little while we beat the No. 1 team in the country, beat the No. 4 team in the country,” MacDonald said.”
UBC’s five- man team at the nationals includes Evan Holmes, Conner Kozak, Nate Ollis, Scott Secord and Jack Wood.
Weyland Baptist of Texas enters the tourney as the top seed. The UBC women have also qualified for their national tourney, which goes May 20- 23 in Lincoln, Neb. The T- Birds were ranked fourth in the last NAIA coach’s poll.
PLAYING THE PIPER: Langley’s Darren Wallace shot rounds of 66 and 70 to win the Vancouver Golf Tour’s Sandpiper Open this week.
Wallace’s eight- under total of 136 at Sandpiper Golf Club in Harrison Mills was good for a two- shot win over fellow PGA Tour Canada regular Ryan Williams of Surrey. Wallace earned $ 1,600 for the win. Victoria’s Cory Renfrew finished third at four- under par.