Brycen Ko wins 2025 Axis Insurance PGA of BC Championship presented by GOLFTEC on second playoff hole
Photo: Chelsey Sweet, CSweet Media
August 20, 2025
Victoria, BC
By: Graham Abraham, PGA of BC
Congratulations to Brycen Ko (Musqueam Golf & Learning Academy), who won the 2025 Axis Insurance PGA of BC Championship presented by GOLFTEC in an exhilarating hole-by-hole playoff at Gorge Vale Golf Club.
Ko, playing in the penultimate group, teed off on the 18th hole in the final round at 7-under par. In the same group were Steven Lecuyer (Seymour Creek Golf Centre) and Robin Conlan (Cordova Bay Golf Course), both at 6-under. Playing the 17th hole in the final group behind Ko, Dave Zibrik (Point Grey Golf & Country Club) sat at 7-under, Jonnie Motomochi (Morgan Creek Golf Course) at 6-under, and Christof Appel (The Golf Performance Project) at 4-under.
As Ko teed off, he and Zibrik shared the lead, but Zibrik had a hole in hand. While Ko walked up the 18th fairway, Zibrik got up-and-down for a birdie after a huge drive on the 17th to move to 8-under and seize the outright lead. Meanwhile, Lecuyer and Conlan hit their approach shots on the 18th to the highest, back level of the green. The pin sat on that same level. Ko’s approach came up significantly shorter and settled on the lower, front level, leaving him an estimated 50-footer.
In a knockout blow to Lecuyer and Conlan, Ko delivered the highlight of the tournament as he buried the long, uphill putt, finishing at 8-under for a share of the lead.
“I had a feeling I needed to make it. I was looking at the leaderboard, which isn’t always the best thing to do,” said Ko. “I hit a good drive and I was trying to get my approach close, but it’s tough to get it all the way back there on 18. The putt was tracking halfway, I thought I maybe left it a little bit short, but I was very happy to see it go in.”
Zibrik, needing a birdie for the win and a par to force a playoff, reached the green in regulation to set up a mid-length birdie putt. He just missed the putt, tapping in for par to tie Ko after 36 holes.
The two competitors headed toward the first tee, where they were to square off in a hole-by-hole playoff. The playoff would begin on the par-4 first hole, followed by the par-4 ninth hole, and would alternate those holes until a champion emerged.
Zibrik won the coin toss and teed off first. Hitting a long iron, his ball settled in the rough on the right side of the hole, 111 yards from the pin. Ko's drive flew way to the right, toward an apartment complex and the out-of-bounds line. As Ko walked towards that line, an eagle-eyed apartment resident on the balcony above helped guide Ko to the area where his ball was buried in long, dry grass, still in-bounds and 113 yards from the pin.
“We were fortunate to find it. That’s probably my biggest miss, the wipeout to the right,” said Ko. “The lie wasn’t great, but I was thinking I would hack it out of there and get it as far as possible because there’s a backstop behind the green. It carried the front bunker by a couple yards, and we were lucky to have a look at birdie.”
After Ko’s ball settled on the green, Zibrik hit an arching shot, taking a soft hop off a green-front mound and rolling on. After Zibrik’s putt for birdie missed, Ko had an opportunity to end the tournament there, but his putt came up an inch short.
On the second playoff hole, both competitors sailed their tee shots into the middle of the fairway. Ko’s approach shot came to rest six feet from the hole, while Zibrik left himself an estimated 20 feet downhill. With a gallery waiting in breathless anticipation, Zibrik’s birdie putt glided down towards the hole, then slid just past.
Ko, who was the youngest competitor in the field, stood over his six-footer, composed himself, and calmly dropped the title-clinching putt.
“It means a lot. This is by far my biggest win,” said Ko. “Coming into the event, I wasn’t thinking about winning per se, I was just trying to have some fun. This event is huge, and I’m really happy to be the champion.”
Ko earned $7,500 for the victory. Zibrik took home $4,250 as runner-up. Lecuyer finished solo third after sinking his birdie putt on 18 to finish at 7-under. He earned $3,200. Conlan and Motomochi tied for fourth place at 6-under par, taking home $2,075 each.
The PGA of BC held a concurrent Regional Team Competition in Round One, with four representatives from unique regions of the province forming the teams. The format for this competition counted the three best scores from each team as an aggregate score. Regional teams were determined by the corresponding regional tour's 2025 Order of Merit standings as of August 1.
Team Lower Mainland took the victory by two shots over runner-up Team Vancouver Island with a combined team score of 3-under. Congratulations to Steven Lecuyer, Khan Lee, Kevin Stinson and Mike Belle!
Nike Golf was proud to outfit the Regional Teams in Nike Golf polos. We extend our gratitude to Nike Golf and to Jon Kadin and Mark Lindsay, Sales Representatives for Nike Golf & Mint Green Group, for their great support of our competitors.
Our appreciation goes to PGA of BC Championship Title Sponsor Axis Insurance and Commercial Account Executive Lee Fulsher, whose continued commitment to the Association makes it possible to stage an outstanding event.
The PGA of BC is grateful to GOLFTEC as Presenting Sponsor and values the support of COO & VP Dean Larsen and VP of Finance Calven Wang in helping enhance the championship.
The Association extends its gratitude to the many supporting sponsors and preferred partners whose patronage supports the event and its competitors: CSweet Media; P6R Golf; FG Club Solutions; The Golf Park Company; Hoyne Brewing Co.; The Print Culture; Sandman Hotel Group; Tagmarshal; Thunderbolt Sign; and Vegas Baby.
Thank you to Head Referee Brian Schreiner and Referee Trevor Brown for their tireless efforts to ensure fairness and integrity in competition.
Finally, the PGA of BC owes our appreciation to General Manager Mike Heenan, Head Professional Aaron Grice, the staff, the members, and the volunteers at Gorge Vale for their generosity, professionalism, and attention to detail.
To view the full leaderboard, click here.
To watch the live stream of the full hole-by-hole playoff, please click here.