Saanich’s Matthew Broughton proved it’s more important to stay in the hunt then to go all-in from the start.
Broughton shot two-under par on Friday, to win the four-day-long B.C. Junior Boys Championship at Sunshine Coast Golf and Country Club in Roberts Creek.
Not too shabby of a day for the 18-year-old Reynolds secondary grad, who is headed to the UVic Vikes golf team this fall.
Though Broughton lifted the Gordon Bowers Trophy as champion, it wasn’t until the 18th hole that he knew he’d be able to stave off Kevin Ko (second) and Team Canada’s Kevin Kwon (fourth), who he was paired with.
“It was my first time being around the lead on the final day,” Broughton said. “You don’t really think about who you’re playing with or what shot lead he has.
“I did my best not to look at the (scores) being carried around (Friday). I knew the lead was changing back and forth,” Broughton said.
Last year Broughton was 15th at the same tournament, and the last time he won a tournament was a Zone 5 (Victoria and Duncan area) tourney in 2011.
Friday started with leader Kwon, of Pitt Meadows, at six-under par, three strokes better than Broughton. But Kwon collapsed, shooting eight bogeys, which hurt dragged him back to fourth place overall.
Broughton, meanwhile, was the model of consistency, one of three of the 154 entrants to shoot even-par, 72, on each of the first two days. Broughton turned it on with a three-under, 69, on Thursday and 70 on Friday, to win with a total score of 72-72-69-70, 283, five-under par.
The top three finishers, Broughton, and 16-year-olds Ko (second) and Chris Crisologo (third), make up Team B.C., which will compete at the Canadian Junior Boys’ Championship in Bridgewater, N.S., July 31 to Aug. 3. Victoria’s Jake Duvall (sixth), Connor Gann (13th) and Darren Day (18th) also qualified for the Canadian championships.
Naomi Ko was the top Victoria finisher in the junior girls championship held at the Osoyoos Golf and Country Club. Ko was eighth overall, 11-over, just ahead of 11th place Hayley Kruse.
