April 3, 2023

RICHMOND, BC (PGA of British Columbia) - With under two months until tournament play returns, online registration for the upcoming PGA of BC 2023 championship season is now open. We are thrilled to be welcoming you back to competition and can’t wait to see you all as the first event gets underway!

Gallagher’s Canyon Golf Club is the host of our leadoff contest, the Tournament of Champions presented by PING Canada. Director of Golf Lee Alarie is ecstatic for the opportunity to show off the charming Kelowna course. He said PGA of BC professionals can look forward to the bright Okanagan sunshine, lush ponderosa-pine-lined holes and hilly climbs through the steep canyon.

“We’re very lucky to have a beautiful golf course, and there’s never a boring shot out here. This is the start of my tenth season here, and I never get tired of the shots it requires you to hit. I think every participant is going to find a lot of beauty and some challenges,” said Alarie.

Point Grey Golf & Country Club’s Dave Zibrik and Jeff Dagg will look to defend their back-to-back titles at Gallagher’s Canyon, after taking home the Tournament of Champions victory last year at Nanaimo Golf Club.

Championship season continues with the Assistants’ & Seniors’ Championship at Chilliwack Golf Club featuring an expanded field of 120 competitors. Zach Olson is seeking his second straight Assistants’ Championship and is sure to be among the favourites as the tournament heads to his home track. Richmond Country Club’s Doug Morgan hopes to add his third Seniors’ Championship, earning the title in 2022 and 2017.

Golf professionals head East to Cranbrook for the G&G Brands and Callaway Golf Pro-Assistant Championship at St. Eugene Golf Resort & Casino. Chilliwack’s Ryan Tofani and Olson won last year at Crown Isle Resort, besting the largest field in tournament history.

The Jack McLaughlin Memorial Pro-Junior Championship returns with a new regional format. Four events will take place across each region to ease travel and promote participation. For more details, please view the tournament registration page. In 2022, Jeff Hallborg, Gavin Giesbrecht, Nathan Freer and Levi Hallborg of Birdies & Buckets Golf Centre took home the Pro-Junior crown.

The next stop on the tournament tour is at the Revelstoke Golf Club for the PGA of BC Championship presented by Axis Insurance. Cordova Bay Golf Club’s defending champion Nate Ollis will be pushing for another title as he takes on the pristine mountain course after winning in a playoff last season.

The Srixon/Cleveland Golf Club Professional Championship presented by Nike Golf takes place at Point Grey Golf & Country Club. Participants will look to wrangle the victory from our 2022 champion, Mark Kitts of Shadow Ridge. Kitts is seeking his third title at the event. Host professional Dave Zibrik is a perennial contender in the event and will be hungry to double his tally on home turf after winning the 2016 iteration.

To close out a strong, competitive season, the PGA of BC Women’s Championship returns to host venue Victoria Golf Club. Last year’s championship was taken by three-time champion Ashley Zibrik, who will be in the mix as a favourite again this season.

Members are encouraged to register for tournaments as early as possible, as spaces are projected to fill up quickly.

Jared Siminoff, PGA of BC Interim Executive Director, said he is looking forward to a dynamic season and to visiting a wide range of courses throughout BC’s many unique regions. “We are proud to highlight some of our best facilities all around the province this season and look forward to facilitating championship golf for our members."

Siminoff added that changes to tournaments will serve to improve competitor experience and grow the game in our province.

“The PGA of BC championships are a key pillar for many of our members and we have several positive changes to our 2023 championships. Firstly, we are slated to have an average purse increase of nearly 25% for every event on the schedule, with no significant changes to entry fees.”

“A new, restructured regional format for our Pro-Junior tournament will provide an opportunity for our professionals to help support junior golf with a more accessible schedule and less travel. This structure should lay the groundwork to expand our junior golf footprint across the province moving forward. We are also expanding our coverage of women’s golf within the PGA of BC, with an exciting announcement in the coming weeks. Starting with our Women’s Golf Week in late May, the coverage will cascade into our Women’s Championship, capping off our 2023 season.”

All our championships will provide players the opportunity to earn points towards our new Kal Tire Order of Merit standings, along with selected events from each of the affiliated regional tours, with the top finishers paid out at seasons’ end.

The Association is grateful to all our generous sponsors who make the PGA of BC championships possible. For more information, please contact Siminoff at jared@pgabc.org.

To register, please click here.