Vernon’s Ryan Vest is tied for 94th in the IMG Academy Junior World Golf Championships Boys 11-12 Division in San Diego.
Vest, 11, enters final-round play today sitting at 77-78-155 after rounds on the Morgan Run Resort. There is a field of 141 in his category.
Started in 1968, the IMG Academy World Juniors featured 1,200 players from 56 countries and 42 states.
Joshua Bai of New Zealand leads after two rounds at 66-68-134, followed by Zheng Fei of China, at 69-66-135.
Meanwhile, it took extra holes and some great shot-making by both players Tuesday to settle the Boys 11 and 12-year-old division at the Boston Pizza presented MJT’s Mini-Tour stop, supported by Golf Town, at the Musqueam Golf & Learning Centre in Vancouver.
In the end, Will Lockwood, 12, of Vernon, out-duelled Charlie Derrheim, 12, of Delta, on the third playoff hole with a near hole-in-one. The boys totalled 66 on the day and two more competitors were right behind them at 67.
When asked about his victory, Lockwood said: “I feel very proud of my accomplishment today because I didn’t have my best stuff. But when it came to making the right shot at the right time, I was able to clutch-up and get it done.”
Rain fell lightly at the Musqueam Golf & Learning Centre, however that did not dampen the competition on the course. Each of the six division champions won by only single digits and extra holes were needed for both the Girls and Boys 11 and 12-year-old age groups.
The division champions earned direct exemptions to compete in the 2018 US Kids British Championship to be held Aug. 9-10 at The Celtic Manor Resort in Newport South Wales. The champions also earned exemptions into the 2018 MJT Mini-Tour National Championship to be held Aug. 23-24 at Tsawwassen Springs in Tsawwassen.
In Kelowna, Shadow Ridge Golf Club head James Presnail and Class “A” pro Mark Kitts won the G&G Golf Company & Callaway GolfPGA of BC Pro-Assistant Championship on the first playoff hole after carding a 14-under-par 57 in scramble play Tuesday at Black Mountain Golf Club.
Neither Presnail or Kitts had previously won a PGA of BC championship tournament, and the victory was worth $2,500 for the Shadow Ridge (Kelowna) duo after they defeated Surrey Northview Golf Academy’s Matthew Palsenbarg and John Shin on the extra hole.
Vernon Golf & Country Club head pro Brooks Jones and assistant Bradlee Jones pocketed $431 after carding 66-63-129 for 13-under. Cameron Craig and former LPGA veteran AJ Eathorne of Predator Ridge and Salmon Arm Golf Club’s Jesse Crowe and Kevin Geistlinger (both former Vernon residents) tied at 9-under 133, worth $200.
