Top junior golfers from around the province will be calling the Sunshine Coast Golf and Country Club home for two major events in the coming weeks.
The first event is the Canadian Junior Golf Association Veritas World Junior Canadian qualifier March 19 and 20 at the Roberts Creek course.
Organizers expect between 75 and 100 junior golfers from around the province who will play a 36-hole event, playing in their age groups from 12 to 18 with the best two-day winning score being named champion.
This event is a primer for the B.C. Junior Boys Championship, which will be contested July 10 to 13.
This is one of the top three amateur events in the province and will feature 156 players. Past participants of the event include former and current PGA Tour members Fred Couples, Jim Rutledge, Dick Zokol and Chris Baryla.
SCG&CC hosted the event previously in 1999, when Cameron McKenzie of Marine Drive won the title.
"When the CJGA found out that we were hosting the B.C. Junior Boys they thought it would be a great idea to host their event with us and give a lot of the players a good first look at the course," said head pro Jim Pringle.
The championship is a week-long event with a one-day qualifier on Sunday, July 8, to round out the field, a practice round on Monday and then the four-day tournament from Tuesday to Friday. The field will be cut down to 70 players and ties after the first two rounds.
"It's a tournament that, in my opinion, is probably the third or fourth best amateur event in the entire province," Pringle said.
The championship will be the fifth provincial amateur event that SCG&CC has hosted over the years.
"We have a great relationship with the B.C. Amateur Golf Association and have the good fortune of having one of our members, Helen Steeves, on the board, so that certainly helps get interest in us hosting," added Pringle.
"This event goes beyond just great exposure for the club. I think we've earned that over the years, but I think it's just a neat opportunity to be involved in junior golf, which is something we are very passionate about."
