SEPTEMBER 27, 2022
VICTORIA, BC (PGA of British Columbia) – In a day that started in near perfect 23-degree afternoon in the provincial capital, defending champion Kat Kennedy (Simon Fraser University) finds herself the lead at the halfway point of the 2022 PGA of BC Women’s Championship presented by adidas Golf.
The PGA of BC Women’s Championship is a 36-hole tournament contested over two days in stableford points system. In this unique format, players earn one point for a bogey, two points for a par, three points for a birdie and so on.
In recent year, the championship has been held at very exclusive clubs around British Columbia where the first round of this championship is conducted in a Pro-Am format where amateurs have the opportunity to play alongside a PGA of BC Professional over the course of 18 holes.
Players are fortunate to have the opportunity to play the 2022 edition of this event at the history Victoria Golf Club, where Tuesday’s first round was held in conjunction with the prestigious Barb Doell Memorial Pro-Am. Teams of four Victoria Golf Club female members had the chance to play in a fun scramble format alongside their professional, who played their own ball.
In a day in which Head Professional Lindsay Bernakevitch described to be designed as “all about the fun-factor”, nearly 50 members embraced this year’s “Mad Hatter” theme and spent their day laughing while wearing their craziest hats. The format incorporated the professional’s game, where additionally, amateurs could select the drives of their professionals or even take their scores if it bested their scramble score.
A long-time popular member at Victoria Golf Club, Barb Doell passed away over 20-years ago and in 2002, the Club conducted the first Pro-Am, named in her honour. She is the mother of Victoria Golf Club’s 18-time club champion Craig, who is a two-time winner of the PGA of BC’s Tournament of Champions. He also currently serves as the club’s president.
As the day progressed, temperatures quickly dropped as the cold ocean breeze picked up, making the AV Macan-designed golf course a little trickier for players to navigate along shorelines. That did not stop Kennedy from posting the low round of the day.
Playing as a Par 72 golf course for this event, Kennedy post a 37-point stableford total in a round that featured four birdies and an eagle on the Par 5 11th, her 16th hole of the day in the shotgun start. The Assistant Coach for Simon Fraser Univeristy’s Men’s & Women’s Golf Teams, Kennedy thanked a hot putter for her success.
“I had the putter going today. I haven’t been playing much these days so without knowing where my game was, the strategy was just to stay patient out there.
“It was the first time I played 18-holes (at Victoria Golf Club) so it was nice to play well. The Pro-Am component of the PGA of BC Women’s Championship is so much fun to be a part of and my team were incredible playing partners. They kept the energy level high, which allowed me to play well”, Kennedy added.
Christine Wong (University Golf Club) sits just one-point back after posting 36-points in the opening round. Her day features a steady fourteen pars, two birdies and just two bogeys in tough conditions.
Wong, the 2020 champion of this event, said the golf course is in great shape and there is a lot of strategy to how to play it.
“It got really cold and windy midway through. You really have to leave yourself on the right side of the hole so you’re not left with 80-feet. I hit it well all day to leave a lot of tap ins for par. It was a grind out there today but I’m happy with my round”, said the 30-year old.
Two-time champion Ashley Zibrik (Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club, 2012, 2018), posted 34-points and currently sits in third place.
The final round will begin at 8:00 am, with the leaders set to tee off at 8:20am. CLICK HERE to view complete scoring and Round 2 tee times.
For full information on the 2022 PGA of BC Women’s Championship presented by adidas Golf, please click here.
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For more information, go to their website www.adidas.ca
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For more information or media inquiries, please contact:
Donald Miyazaki
Executive Director, PGA of BC
(604) 723-2247
donald@pgabc.org