June 24, 2024
Whistler, BC (PGA of BC) - The PGA of BC Seniors’ & Women’s Championships kicked off today at Nicklaus North Golf Course in Whistler, with Luke McKenzie and Taylor Kim leading their respective fields following the first round.
Seniors' Championship
Forty-seven golfers teed it up today for the Seniors’ Championship presented by Honma Golf & Levelwear. Surrounded by the mountainous Whistler terrain, competitors were treated to pristine conditions as the sunshine poked through the clouds to illuminate the gorgeous Nicklaus North fairways.
Ledgeview Golf Club Head Professional Luke McKenzie fired six birdies en route to a 5-under 66 for a three-shot cushion. McKenzie played a flawless front nine, making five of his six birdies there and avoiding a single bogey. He played the back nine at even-par with steady composure to maintain his lead. McKenzie pointed to an adjustment in his strategy following yesterday’s practice round as the catalyst for his pinpoint accuracy today.
“Yesterday, I came out for a practice round and the strategy was to send it on every hole with the driver. Today, it changed pretty quick off the first tee. I noticed some guys hitting different clubs off the tee, I shot a few different yardages and started to think ‘Hey, I’m going to hit it to the bigger part of the fairway,’” said McKenzie.
“Right out of number one, I hit my driver in my practice round, today I hit three-wood to the perfect spot. I continued that mentality all the way around. Whatever I hit yesterday, I did not hit today. I was playing for fairways and hit a lot of three-woods. That was the key to the round. I had a lot of short irons in from the short grass, and that made it easier to score.”
Amidst a flurry of birdies today, McKenzie pointed to a couple of his par saves as the key moments in his round.
“The wind started to pick up a bit on the back. We’re on fourteen tee, and that hole was the pivotal moment. Worst swing of the day, I got up and wiped one to the right. It kicked off the bunker and stayed in bounds, so I was fortunate that my ball was still in play but I had to hit a little sideways punch-out. I managed to get that up and down from 105 yards. I hit a great little sand-iron in there and made the putt to save the par. That was the pivotal point of the round,” said McKenzie.
“On eighteen, which was playing like a beast today into the wind, I hit a three-wood off the tee but still had 180 yards to the pin. I hit a five-iron over the back and managed to get that up and down. I missed a couple birdies that, ahh, I could have made, but I made it up with those par putts."
Trailing McKenzie by three strokes, Seymour Creek Golf Centre’s Bryn Parry sits as runner-up heading into the final round, having shot a 2-under 69 today. Despite a rocky bogey-bogey start, Parry made six birdies to claw his way back up the leaderboard.
Seymour Creek Golf Centre’s Larry Park is in third place after his one-under 70. Park made birdies on the front-nine’s two par-5s to give himself a cushion heading into the challenging final nine. He faced some adversity with back-to-back bogeys on fifteen and sixteen, but immediately followed them with a birdie on the signature par-3 seventeenth along Green Lake.
Women's Championship
Twenty golfers took part in the first round of the Women’s Championship presented by Honma Golf, Levelwear & GolfBC Group. Beach Grove Golf Club’s Taylor Kim leads the Women’s Championship following an electric round which saw her shoot a 4-under 67 and assume a three-stroke lead. With six birdies and only two bogeys on the day, Kim has given herself a comfortable cushion heading into Round Two.
“Overall, I was just very steady. I was hitting fairways and greens and made a lot of putts. I had a lot of fun with my group, and that got the momentum going,” said Kim.
Whistler’s elevation change compared to the Lower Mainland gave Kim a boost off the tee, which aided her overall play today.
“In the practice round yesterday, I noticed that I was hitting it a lot further up here than I do back home. I took advantage of that and ended up with a lot of short clubs in my hand. I focused on keeping things simple, knowing what clubs and yardages to hit and making good decisions. That all helped me to a great round today.”
Mayfair Lakes Golf & Country Club’s Esther Lee sits in solo second after an impressive 1-under 70 today. Lee piled up a bevy of birdies, making six throughout her round. While most competitors found the back-nine to be the harder test today, Lee bucked that trend playing the final nine holes at two-under par.
In third, Point Grey Golf & Country Club’s Stephanie Vanderpas finished at 2-over for a 73. Vanderpas played a flawless front-nine, avoiding bogeys and making one birdie. Despite a rockier second half to her round, she added a birdie on the fourteenth and maintained her standing among the leaders.
The Seniors’ Championship resumes at 7:30am tomorrow morning, while the Women’s Championship resumes at 9:18am. For the full Seniors’ and Women’s leaderboards, please click here. For tomorrow’s draw, please click here.
The PGA of BC extends our gratitude to Honma Golf, Levelwear and GolfBC Group for their sponsorship this week. Their incredible and generous support helps to foster a successful and competitive event.
We also thank Director of Golf Andrew Smart, General Manager Gavin Eckford and the entire Nicklaus North team for their phenomenal hospitality.
