Alec Hubert from the Kamloops Golf & Country Club teeing off for the PGA of BC Championship at Rivershore on Monday (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

PGA OF BC CHAMPIONSHIP

Kamloops golf pros embracing opportunity to compete at home

Aug 23, 2021 | 12:52 PM

KAMLOOPS — The best PGA of BC members are competing the next two days for golf’s provincial crown.

Golf pros, assistants and other PGA of BC members are battling it out at Rivershore for the PGA of BC Championship.

“It’s great to get out here,” said GM at the Kamloops Golf & Country Club Alec Hubert. “I just came off running an event at our course. We did our Sunshine Amateur this weekend, so we just finished that. It’s nice to compete for myself.”

Hubert is one of five Kamloops-based players in the two-day tournament. There’s also Rivershore’s own Kevin Oates and Kate Weir, unaffiliated Ian Henson, as well as Breaking Par Academy’s Brett Burgeson.

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“It’s different. I played in probably 20 of these in Alberta. You get used to [the tournaments], then for three years I haven’t, so it’s a little nerve-racking, but it’s fun, too,” noted Burgeson. “It’s a nervous excitement. It’s cool to have it in our city and there are so many good players here that the scoring is going to be good I think.”

While many of the players want to win this prestigious tournament, the local players have realistic expectations for their games.

“It’s nice to get out amongst the guys and know that someone other than me is going to win and that’s just fine,” joked Oates, who’s the general manager at Rivershore. “These players are phenomenal. We’ve got guys out in this field that are just out of university and have been playing tournaments every week for the past three years and practicing. There are guys that are really competitive and really like this kind of stuff. They’ll be some good scores.”

It’s the second time in the last month that a Kamloops course has hosted a PGA of BC tournament. In July, the Kamloops Golf & Country Club hosted the PGA of BC Assistants’ & Seniors’ Championships.

For her part, Weir is making history this week as the first female head pro to play in a PGA of BC Championship while also the host.

“Yeah that’s pretty cool. I can’t believe it’s taken until 2021 for that to happen,” she exclaimed. “But obviously we now have more female head pros in the industry, so a huge honour to be the first female pro to host a PGA of BC Championship. There have been lots of firsts for me. Kamloops does have three female head professionals, which is probably a record per capita in Canada as well. Very proud to be the head pro here and to be hosting the championship.”

The tournament concludes with the final round on Tuesday.