British Columbia started out with nine participants in the 2013 PGA Championship of Canada sponsored by Mr. Lube and presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf at Magna Golf Club in Aurora, Ont., and after the first day of action, B.C. is left with three players going on to the second round.
Seymour Creek's Bryn Parry led the charge, with a decisive 5&4 victory over Jeff Chambers of Saskatchewan. Parry never trailed, winning the first hole and then four more before closing Chambers out on the 14th hole.
Parry's win was a small measure of revenge for a 2011 upset loss when the 64th-ranked Chambers defied the odds and beat the No. 1-ranked B.C. resident.
Parry is joined in the second round by fellow Seymour Creek pro Dave Zibrik, who beat Jamie Kureluk of Alberta 5&3 in a match Zibrik never trailed.
Gorge Vale's Edd Boudreau bested Manitoba's Scott Borsa 2&1 in a match the Victoria native never trailed. Boudreau won the first hole and after exchanging wins with Borsa, Boudreau took the lead for good on the eighth hole and closed out Borsa on the 17th hole with a birdie.
British Columbians with bad luck on the opening day of the tournament with a $100,000 purse included:
Brad Clapp of Chilliwack, who won the first hole against Manitoba's Andrew Steep, only to have Steep go on a run that culminated in a 4&3 win for Steep.
Rob Anderson also found trouble in Manitoba pro Dean North, who blitzed Anderson 7&5 in their opening round match.
Richmond's Mark Strong was all square with Quebec's Vincent Dumouchel through 17 holes before a closing hole bogey by Strong gave Dumouchel the hard-fought victory.
Another tough luck story was authored by Shaughnessy's Lindsay Bernakevitch, who won the first four holes against Ontario's Dan Greenwood, only to have the 57th-ranked player in the field make a miraculous comeback, culminating in a win for the Ontario native on the 20th hole. Bernakevitch's par putt on the 20th hole lipped out, giving Greenwood the upset win.
Port Hardy's Kevin Black had a two-up lead through the first eight holes of his match against Ottawa Valley's Graham Gunn, but the plucky Ontario native squared the match on the 15th hole and won the final two holes for a 2-up victory.
Daryl Stubbs of Tsawwassen was even with number-1 seed Brian McCann for five holes before McCann ran away with a 5-and-3 victory.
The 2013 PGA Championship of Canada sponsored by Mr. Lube and presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf kicked off Tuesday at Magna Golf Club in Aurora, Ont and runs until Friday, June 28.
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About the PGA of British Columbia
The Professional Golfers' Association of British Columbia is an association comprised of more than 650 golf professionals who work at and operate golf courses, driving ranges and other facilities across the province. Their mandate is to promote and advance the game of golf, serving the needs of both its membership and the golf public through professional and junior golf development programs and high-caliber competitive events. The Zone Office is located in Richmond, BC.