June 5, 2024
Oliver, BC (PGA of BC) - Winning his second COBRA PUMA GOLF Assistants’ Championship in a row, Steven Lecuyer tamed the wild and windy conditions to emerge victorious by one stroke in a hard-fought and grueling tournament at Nk’Mip Canyon Desert Golf Course on June 3 & 4.
The formidable winds, gusting over 40 kilometres an hour, formed a chaotic, rigorous environment for competitors as they attempted to keep their balls in play. Seymour Creek Golf Centre’s Lecuyer did his best to manage the weather and stay steady throughout the two rounds. Lecuyer’s quadruple-bogey eight on the par-4 fourth hole would have spelled doom for most competitors in almost any championship, but his persistence and refusal to shake his competitive spirit powered Lecuyer to the victory at what could be dubbed the 'Insanity at Nk’Mip'.
Following a consistent, unwavering first round where he shot an even-par 72, Lecuyer was one stroke back of the lead heading into Round Two. With his quadruple-bogey early in the final round, Lecuyer fell several shots off the lead. However, he managed to make five birdies across a ten-hole stretch to claw his way back up the leaderboard. A par on the 18th for a final-round 75 with a gallery of professionals and members of the Nk’Mip community looking on was enough to fend off runner-up Lionel Taylor (Monte’s Golf Shop).
“I started out decent, but on four I thought it was over,” said Lecuyer. “I ended up making an eight. I wasn’t as positive as I could be for the next few holes, but I made a birdie on seven and thought to myself ‘Ok, let’s make a couple more of these and I might have a chance in the end.’ It was a grind, it was a very tough day to play golf but I’m very happy to defend and to get the win.”
Lecuyer’s win adds to his growing list of phenomenal achievements over the last couple seasons. In addition to his victory this week and at last year’s Assistants’ Championship, he also won the PGA of BC’s season-long 2023 Kal Tire Cup Order of Merit, recognizing his incredible play throughout the year.
| Steven Lecuyer and Lionel Taylor. |
Finishing as runner-up at four-over for the tournament, Taylor’s one-under 71 yesterday was the most dominant single-round performance relative to the field in a PGA of BC championship of the last decade. Beating the field scoring average by 13.39 shots, Taylor’s showing will go down in Association history as an all-time great display of precision, accuracy and composure.
“I’ve shot 61 before, but honestly today I was just white-knuckling and trying to hold on for dear life. When you put that into perspective, it’s crazy to say but it feels better than a 61,” said Taylor.
“Dallas, my caddie, he had me dialed in. We were making sure we really thought twice about every yardage, every club, and we got most numbers right. That’s a big reason why I was able to keep it level through nine, that front nine was as hard as I’ve ever played. I only made two bogeys somehow, I still don’t know how. I was just out there in the moment, smiling, trying to have as much fun as I could.”
Rounding out the top-three, John Shin (Northview Golf & Country Club) and Khan Lee (GreenTee Country Club) finished at 5-over for the tournament.
The PGA of BC extends our gratitude to COBRA PUMA GOLF for their exceptional support of the Assistants’ Championship. Representatives Hugh Chan and Jimmy Shular went above and beyond to create a welcoming environment for all competitors. Thank you, Hugh and Jimmy!
Thank you to our great team of rules officials: Jack Croucher, Joe Trofananko and Brian Schreiner; and to all the volunteers from Nk’Mip that contributed to this memorable experience.
Finally, we thank Nk’Mip Head Professional Todd Tweedy, Superintendent Kelsey Harder and the entire Nk’Mip team for their tireless work leading up to and during the event.
For the full leaderboard, please click here.
