For the second straight year, a Vikes Junior Tour graduate has won the B.C. Men’s Amateur Golf Championship.
But Victoria’s Jake DuVall had to do a little extra work for his title on Friday, winning a one-hole playoff against Bellingham’s Jacob Koppenberg to claim the 115th version of the tournament at Surrey’s Morgan Creek Golf Course.
The 23-year-old DuVall, who follows in the footsteps of last year’s winner, Nolan Thoroughgood of Royal Colwood, rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to win the historic Bostock Trophy.
“This is huge,” DuVall said in a B.C. Golf statement. “I have never really won any big tournament anywhere near the stature of this one. It kind of gives me belief going forward into golf, thinking about turning pro, that I can do it in pressure situations and I am really excited.”
DuVall, who plays out of Uplands, finished Friday’s final round with a 3-under 69, while Koppenberg closed with a 70.
DuVall and Koppenberg finished one shot ahead of Victoria’s Kevin Carrigan, who shot a five-under 67 to move to 11-under. It was the second time Carrigan has finished one shot back at a B.C. Amateur.
“I was super happy with the way I played today,” said Carrigan, in a statement. “I stayed in it the whole way and made lots of birdies. I was doing everything well. I just came up a little short.”
As a consolation prize, Carrigan will join DuVall and Richmond’s Chris Crisologo on B.C.’s Willingdon Cup team at next month’s Canadian Amateur Championship in Toronto. “This is the fifth time I have qualified for the Willingdon Cup team,” said Carrigan, who has won three Canadian Mid-Amateur championships. “And that means a lot … we measure good players in the province based on how many Willingdon Cups they have played in.”
DuVall played his collegiate golf at Southwest Oklahoma State University and is taking a year to work on his golf.
“I am kind of contemplating whether I should turn pro this fall or just stay amateur and play the Mackenzie Tour Q-school next spring as an amateur. I will probably do that.”
Zach Anderson of Nanaimo finished tied for fifth at seven-under with 13-year-old Jeevan Sihota of Victoria. Anderson fired a six-under 66, the low round of the tournament, on Friday. Sihota, out of Gorge Vale, closed with an even-par 72.
Thoroughgood shot a four-under 68 and finished 17th at one-over par.—Times Colonist
