Morningstar Golf Club will be a hive of activity next week when it hosts the 121st B.C. Men’s Amateur Golf Championship.
It will feature more than 150 of the top amateur golfers in Western Canada and the United States.
The event will start on Monday, July 10 with practice rounds. On Tuesday (July 11) and Wednesday (July 12), the game officially begins. The field will be cut from low 70 and ties for the final two rounds on Thursday (July 13) and Friday (July 14).
Defending champion Jackson Rothwell of Victoria will be one of the main draws of the tournament.
Also entered to see action next week is Kevin Carrigan from Colwood, who in 2007, the last time Morningstar hosted the B.C. event, set a course record of 61.
“It’s going to be the best calibre of golf people here are going to be experiencing in some time,” said Barrie McWha, general manager of Morningstar Golf Club. “There’s a lot of ranked college players. The best amateur golfers in Western Canada or the United States will be here.”
Locally, among the talented young golfers from Parksville Qualicum Beach and area that will vie for top honours is Morningstar Golf Club member Gavyn Knight. As a junior in 2021, Knight finished third at the 119th BC Amateur Golf Championships in Campbell River. Knight also won the BC junior championship the same year and went on to join the Boise State University men’s golf team in Idaho.
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Knight will be joined by his younger brother, Jagre, along with Glengarry Golf Course member, Mack Sanderson, who recently won the loss gross at the BC High School Boys Championships with the Ballenas Whalers golf team, and junior golfer Brett Stouffer of Fairwinds Golf Club.
Members of the Canadian amateur team will also be among those competing at the five-day event. The top four British Columbia finishers at the championships will represent Team BC at the Canadian Amateur Golf Championships.
“It’s going to be great golf and we’re all looking forward to it,” said McWha.
The golf club has around 90 volunteers to help the championship run smoothly.
“It’s really an exciting time for us,” said McWha. “It’s a big week actually for the area because it’s not just 156 players, it’s 156 families.”
The Morningstar Golf Club has made a dramatic comeback since it went into receivership in 2018.
Under new management and ownership, it has restored its former position as one of the premier golf courses on Vancouver Island. It hosted the B.C. Junior Golf Championship and is scheduled to host the men’s amateur championships again in July of 2030.