August 19, 2024
SURREY, BC (PGA of BC) - Seeking a second consecutive title in the event, Zach Olson (Chilliwack Golf Club) leads the 2024 Axis Insurance PGA of BC Championship presented by GOLFTEC after Round One. Navigating the gorgeous, tree-lined fairways and challenging greens of Morgan Creek Golf Course, Olson seized the lead with a spectacular display of athleticism and precision.
Teeing off in one of the last groups of the day, Olson wasted no time closing the gap between himself and his competitors. Olson surged to the top of the leaderboard with a stellar 6-under 66, highlighted by a blistering start that included five birdies in the first seven holes. With this performance, Olson takes a one-shot lead heading into tomorrow’s final round. Olson won the 2023 PGA of BC Championship held at Revelstoke Golf Club and will look to maintain the lead to earn his second William Thompson Trophy as PGA of BC Champion.
“I started off really hot, I had a handful of close approach shots early on and then rolled in a few putts. The middle stretch got a little bit shaky, but made a couple birdies coming in. Overall, it was really solid,” said Olson.
“The course was in fantastic shape. Rolling putts out here is pretty easy, they don’t bump off line at all, so I just kept trying to trust the line and hit it.”
Trailing Olson by one shot, Luke Bogdan (Cheam Mountain Golf Course) sits in solo second. Bogdan showed off his steady and dependable play, making an eagle on the par-5 13th and adding three birdies. Three professionals are tied for third place at 4-under par: Steven Lecuyer (Seymour Creek Golf Centre), Andy Lin (Pacific Golf Academy), and Lindsay Bernakevitch (Victoria Golf Club).
“I struck the ball very well for the most part. I think I hit almost all the fairways, put myself in position on a lot of greens, and gave myself enough looks that they started rolling in on the back nine,” said Bogdan. “On the back nine, I had two birdies and an eagle. In fact, it was a highlight eagle.”
Bogdan played in a group with Bryn Parry (Seymour Creek Golf Centre) and Doug Morgan (Richmond Country Club). In astonishing and remarkable fashion, all three competitors made eagle on the 13th.
“I’ve never experienced that before,” said Bogdan. “Once Doug made his putt for eagle, we were all celebrating. We were in high spirits, high fiving each other. It was a cool feeling. It definitely motivated me and the energy was great from that moment on.”
For the Championship, the Association introduced a new Regional Team competition. Teams made up of the top four golfers on each regional tour’s Order of Merit standings represented their region, with the best three scores from each team counting towards the competition. Congratulations to the Lower Mainland Regional Team on their victory: Andy Lin (Pacific Golf Academy), Kevin Stinson (Cheam Mountain Golf Course), Carson Kallis (Pacific Golf Academy) and Curtis Baldwin (Meadow Gardens Golf Club). The team’s cumulative score of 3-under par was enough to outlast the Vancouver Island Regional Team by one stroke. Thank you to Nike Golf, who provided each competitor with Regional Team uniforms, for their support.
The PGA of BC extends our gratitude to title sponsor Axis Insurance, whose continuous support of the Association over the years is greatly appreciated. We also thank our presenting sponsor, GOLFTEC for their patronage of the event, and their kind presence on the first tee today.
Tournament play resumes tomorrow morning at 7:30am. For the full leaderboard, please click here. For tomorrow’s draw, please click here.
