The 2021 PGA of BC Assistants' and Seniors' Championships are taking place Monday and Tuesday at the Kamloops Golf & Country Club (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

PGA OF BC

B.C. assistants’ championship in Kamloops brings hope for better tournament golf season

Jul 19, 2021 | 6:02 PM

KAMLOOPS — It’s been more than two years since some of these assistant pros have played in a tournament.

While some are out at the Kamloops Golf and Country Club to have fun and reconnect with their fellow golf pros, others really want to win.

“This is one for me that I haven’t won yet, but it’s high on my bucket list,” said assistant pro at Kelowna’s Gallagher’s Canyon Golf & Country Club Ethan Danish. “It’s really special and this is a great golf course.”

It’s the first time in five years that the Kamloops club has hosted the PGA of BC’s Assistants’ and Seniors’ Championships.

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The players say the course is in great shape and they could see some low scores during the two-day tournament.

“It’s playing, not necessarily easily, but it is getable in the sense there are a lot of birdies out there,” said Jake Scarrow, an assistant pro at the Chillwack Golf & Country Club. “So my expectation are pretty high. I don’t show up to not try and win, so I’m definitely looking at having a good start, get it rolling, and then if you can make some putts out there, anything can happen.”

For some of the players, it’s a tune-up event for bigger tournaments this summer.

Ethan Danish, for instance, is heading to Quebec next month to play in the PGA Championship of Canada Aug. 3-7 followed by the Canada Cup Aug. 12-15. Danish will also play in some MacKenzie Tour events in Western Canada and appreciates being back to a normal golf schedule.

“In 2019, I played in pretty much everything. I was playing events in Europe and in Australia, and then it just all came to a halt and we only had a few of our local stuff, so this starts to feel like everything is a little bit more normal,” he said. “We can amp up for the bigger events that are coming up now.”

The return to normal is something everyone can appreciate. With golf booming during the pandemic, it’s also a chance for the assistant pros to get away from their hectic jobs and enjoy the game.

“Our season hasn’t really ended in 18 months or something. We’ve just been going straight through, busy every day, so it’s nice to step away and see some of the guys we haven’t seen in a while, especially the guys from Vancouver and the Okanagan,” said assistant pro at Highland Pacific Golf Course in Victoria Callum Ashby.

“We’ve been chatting over text, but for the most part not being able to see anybody, so it’s great to come back and have a little comraderie.”

Most of the field this week is compromised of men, but there are two women holding their own in the championship, including Kat Kennedy, a former Ladies’ Amatuer champion in Alberta from 2018.

“Being able to be one of the two females in the field, it feels pretty special,” she said. “Definitely going to try my best to show the best game I have, and go out there and represent Point Grey [Golf & Country Club] as well.”

The two-day tournament wraps up with the final round on Tuesday. For updated scores for both the assistants’ and seniors’ championships, click here.