By: Dan Pino/Golf Canada
Golden, B.C. – The NextGen Fall Series West Championship, fueled by JOURNIE Rewards, wrapped up at Golden Golf Club Sunday with Matthew Wilson of Nanaimo, B.C. and Rosie Bee Kim of Edmonton besting a field of 90 young amateurs to take home the respective Junior Boys and Girls titles.
In the Junior Girls Division, 15-year-old Rosie Bee Kim, a member of Highlands, Golf Club, used a final-round, even-par 72 and tournament-total 3-under 213 (69-72-72) for a 4-shot, wire-to-wire victory over runner-up Erin Lee of Langley, B.C. at 1-over 217. Lucy Lin of Vancouver, B.C. (+3) finished alone in the third while Kelly Zhao of Richmond Hill, B.C. (+5) and Elisa Liu of Richmond, B.C. (+5) rounded out the top 5.
Lin, a 12-year-old who Monday qualified into the 2022 CP Women’s Open last month to become the youngest competitor in the event’s history, used rounds of 76-70-73—219 (+3) to win the (U15) Bantam Division title by seven shots over Eileen Park of Red Deer, Alta. (+10). Earlier this summer, Lin, a member of Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, also won the NextGen Western Championship contested at Pine Hills Golf Club in Rocky Mountain House, Alta.
In the Junior Boys Division, Wilson, who plays out of Nanaimo Golf Club, followed up a second-round 4-under 68 with a final-round 72, and tournament total 2-under 214 (74-68-72) to win by three shots over Alex Zhang of Richmond, B.C. (+1). Wilson, 15, entered final-round play with a share of the lead at 2-under through 36 holes and held off a back-nine push by Zhang as well as a trio of players – second-round co-leader Joshua Ince of Surrey, B.C. (+2) as well as Ryan Vest of Vernon, B.C. (+2), and Caleb Davies of Langley, B.C. (+2) – who fired matching final-round 72s to finish T3 at 2-over 218 for the championship.
Zhang, 14, carded tournament rounds of 69-76-72—217 (+1) to cruise to a 10-shot victory in the (U15) Bantam Division over Brae Rogalczyk of Innisfail, Alta. (+11) followed by Jaden August of Pitt Meadows, B.C. in third (+12).
CLICK HERE for complete final scoring results from the NextGen Fall Series West Championship, fueled by JOURNIE Rewards.
The top three male competitors (Mathew Wilson, Alex Zhang, and , Ryan Vest,) from the 54-hole championship will earn a spot in the 2023 Canadian Junior Boys Championship, presented by BDO (location TBD). The top three female golfers (Rose Bee Kim, Erin Lee, and Lucy Lin) will also earn exemptions into next year’s Canadian Junior Girls Championship, presented by BDO at Hampton Golf Club in Hampton, N.B.
The NextGen Fall Series West Championship conducted by Golf Canada was the final of eight regional junior championships presented in partnership with JOURNIE Rewards.
From May through July, six championships took place across Canada where the region’s best junior golfers competed to earn exemptions into their respective 2022 national junior championships, with two Fall Series events taking place in September. NextGen Championships provide junior players an opportunity to develop and display their skills at the highest level of tournament golf.
For the full schedule of Golf Canada’s 2022 competitions, click here.