September 15, 2023
RICHMOND, BC (PGA of BC) - Sixty PGA of BC Club Professionals from around the province will square off at Point Grey Golf & Country Club for next week’s Srixon/Cleveland Golf Club Professional Championship presented by Nike Golf.
Competitors will be tested at the site of Pat Fletcher’s 1954 Canadian Open win, where they will be greeted with lush fairways, pristine greens, and world-class practice facilities at Point Grey's The Farm. Established in 1922, the historic club will see professionals battle for the Dick Munn Memorial Trophy on September 18 & 19, with the forecast calling for a high of 18 degrees and the potential for scattered showers.
Dave Zibrik is the Director of Golf at Point Grey Golf & Country Club and Host Professional of the Championship. Zibrik won the event in 2016 and has since been on a five-year consecutive run which has seen him finish as runner-up. He said there’s some motivation to end the streak with a victory, but it won’t be his main focus during the rounds.
“I’ve been runner-up so many times, it would be nice to get a win back again. But, I think the motivating factor is just playing against the men and women in the same kind of positions in the industry, the head pros, the GMs, the directors of golf, and being able to compete against them,” said Zibrik. “We’re looking forward to hosting and showcasing the club. It’s something that our entire staff and I are incredibly proud of.”
Mark Kitts (Shadow Ridge Golf Club) is the defending champion, also winning the title in 2019. Both his victories came against runner-up Zibrik, who defeated Kitts earlier this year to win the Tournament of Champions. With a rivalry brewing, Kitts said he hopes to extend Zibrik’s record streak of second place finishes in the upcoming event.
“The main motivation I really have is to see if Dave can come second again,” he said with laugh.
Kitts recently dominated the Kal-West Mechanical Men’s Open at Black Mountain Golf Club, shooting 63-66 to finish at 13-under and win by four strokes. He followed that up by traveling to Kamloops Golf & Country Club the next day and earning a runner-up finish in the Interior PGA Tour event there.
“I’m feeling good and playing surprisingly well. It’s pretty exciting, with a family and limited practice time I wasn’t expecting such a great season,” said Kitts. “There’s a little extra pressure [as the defending champion], but I’m looking forward to spending time at The Farm and I’m out there to have a lot of fun.”
Kitts and Zibrik come into the tournament as two of the favourites to leave with the Dick Munn Memorial Trophy. Other top contenders include 2021 champion Padraic O'Rourke (Marine Drive Golf Club), 2020 champion Brad Clapp (Ledgeview Golf Club), two-time winner Lindsay Bernakevitch (Victoria Golf Club) and 2023 PGA of BC Seniors' champion Rob Anderson (Kelowna Golf & Country Club).
Professionals will compete for a total prize purse of $20,000. The Club Professional Championship would not be possible without the generous support from our sponsors. The Association extends our gratitude to Title Sponsors Srixon and Cleveland Golf, and Presenting Sponsor Nike Golf for their sponsorship of the event and support for golf in British Columbia. We would also like to thank Point Grey Golf & Country Club, Zibrik and the entire Point Grey team for their gracious hospitality.
The Championship is also supported by Refreshments & Carts Sponsor Consolidated Supply. We thank Consolidated Supply for their contributions to the event.
To see estimated yardages, please click here. To see the draw and access live scoring, please click here.