2008 CANADA BREAD BC MATCH PLAY

First Round | Second Round | Quarter Finals | Semi Finals | Final Match

Sandpiper Saves the day at the Canada Bread Match Play Qualifier!!

Yes, the title is correct – Sandpiper Golf Resort was the host of our first site for the CANADA BREAD BC Match Play Qualifying today!! After an early phone call to Ledgeview Golf Club, and being rudely awakened by the news that the golf course had 2 inches of snow, the Commish needed to spring into ‘PLAN B MODE’. Several phone calls later, and with some great help from our friends at the Sandpiper Golf Resort, we had a site for our Opening Qualifier of the 2008 BC Match Play Team Championships. Now all we needed to do was to get a hold of 40 competitors and assure them that all was a go, just not at Ledgeview.

By about 8:30am, we had confirmed all 20 teams were okay with the qualifying site switch and off we went to Sandpiper for what turned out to be a perfect day – all considering the weather everywhere else in the Lower Mainland.

At the conclusion of play, the top 9 teams from Sandpiper advanced to the Match Play portion of the tournament which starts next Saturday at Royalwood Golf Course. The low qualifying team consisted of the local duo of Chad McAdie and Sean Patrick, shooting a very respectable best-ball score of 65 (-7). Three teams tied for 2nd low score with scores of 67 (-5) and the final qualifying team went to a patient Yves Bisson and Stu Dunnaway who had to wait for the final group to come in before they secured the 9th place qualifying spot.

Another BC Match Play Qualifying has come and gone and we now have 32 teams who will be moving on to the match play draw next weekend starting with the first round at Royalwood Golf Course on Saturday, April 5th. The Official Match Play Draw will be posted on the website by Wednesday at the very latest.

Please find the official scores from qualifiers:

CANADA BREAD BC MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP - Opening Round Matches

Round one of the 2008 CANADA BREAD BC Match Play Team Championship got underway today at Royalwood Golf Course in Chilliwack and at the conclusion of play there were some hard fought battles and surprises in the making.

Least of those surprises was the upset of Number one seeded team Dan Swanson and Richard Kellinton (2007 Champions) as they were ousted by rookie VGT Professional Brandan Price and his partner Tim Mooney 2 & 1. Two more ‘near upsets’ came down to the wire as the local Professional team of Andrew Smeeth and Chris Wood needed a birdie on the 18th hole to force extra holes – and after another birdie on the 2nd extra hole, claimed victory over 2007 BC Junior Champion Zach MacDougall and his partner Hyung Keun Kim. 2005 BC Match Play Champions Matt Palsenbarg and John Shin were also tested to the limits by relative unknowns Justin Day and Graham Twiss. It took a two-putt birdie on 17 by Palsenbarg to square the match and a win on the 18th to finish off Day and Twiss, both in their BC Match Play debut.

Having slightly easier times of their matches were the two teams heralding from Seymour Creek Golf Center. James Legault and Dave Zibrik, teaming up for their first time together in the match play, took little time to dispose of their opponents, professionals Jay Balloch and Dion Sirianni by a score of 5 & 4. The second Seymour Creek duo consisting of Nationwide Tour player Bryn Parry and Kendal Yonemoto had little trouble with their opening match against the father/son pairing of Scott and Connor O’Dell, taking the match 6 & 4.

Please find all first round match results below:

CANADA BREAD BC MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
Opening Round Matches Saturday, April 5th
Royalwood Golf Course
Chilliwack, BC
Par 72, 6934 yards

First Round Results  (Winning teams listed first)

B. Price- T. Mooney (32)  [2&1]  D. Swanson- R. Kellington (1)
C. MacPherson- R. Williams (17)   [1up]  R. Abbenbroek- K. Moody (16)
Haraguchi- M. Makinson (25)  [3&2]  D. Soel- Justin Min (8)
D. Warburton- B. Noon (9)  [1up]  D. Bernard- D. Kapeluk (24)
M. Palsenbarg- J. Shin (4)  [1up]   G. Twiss- J. Day (29)
B. McNair- T. Woynarski (13)  [4&2]  M. Anderson- P. McCormack (20)
T. Duffy- S. Hemingway (28)  [1up]   S. Mattheson- M. Tonello (5)
M. Poje- J. Harper (12)  [2&1]  F. Mulholland – S. Dronov (21)
C. Hughes- Justin Shin (2)  [3&2]  A. Riley – M. McAleer (30)
S. Dunaway- Y. Bisson (18)  [3&2]  B. Bessant- N. Mosher (15)
C. Chambers- M. Good (26)  [1up]  A. Choy- A. Hale (7)
D. Zibrik- J. Legault (10)   [5&4]   J. Balloch- D. Sirianni (23)
S. Patrick- C. McAdie (3)  [1up]  C. Lutes- M. Hobson (30)
B. Parry- K. Yonemoto (19)  [6&4]  S. O’Dell – C. O’Dell (14)
J. Paradis- M. Kitts (6)  [5&4]  Y. Kihara- M. Kidane (27)
A. Smeeth- C. Wood (22)  [20th hole]  Z. MacDougal- H. Kim (11)

CANADA BREAD BC MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP - Second Round Matches

CANADA BREAD BC MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
Second Round Matches Sunday, April 6th
Winning teams listed first

Pitt Meadows Golf Club
Pitt Meadows, BC
6549 yards, Par 72

C. MacPherson- R. Williams (17)  5&4 B. Price- T. Mooney (32)
After a hard-fought front nine, the team of MacPherson and Williams worked there way into a 2-hole lead. Pars on hole 10 left the pair at 2-up before the matches’ turning point on hole 11 where Brandan Price had a 15 foot birdie putt to win the hole and bring the match back to only 1 down. A costly three putt suddenly changed the complexion of the match as MacPherson and Williams, now 3-up, went on to win the next two holes and eventually win the match handily 5&4.

M. Palsenbarg- J. Shin (4)  19th hole B. McNair- T. Woynarski (13)
Heading into this match, the 4th seeded team of Palsenbarg and Shin were definitely cast as the heavy favourites over McNair and Woynarski. And after 9 holes, it looked like it was smooth sailing for the 2005 Match Play Champions. However, after a birdie four on the 10th by McNair, the match was now only 1 up and the momentum was slowly shifting to into the underdogs hands. Some more steady play from McNair and Woynarski lead to another series of halved holes until the 16th where Woynarski’s tee-shot landed 4 feet from the stick and after he rolled his birdie in the match was all square heading down 17. Some near-missed opportunities for birdies at 17 by both teams meant the match was even with only one hole to play. All Four player’s tee-shots found the fairway on this normally reachable par 5. After all four players had hit their second shots, it now came down to a pitching contest to see who would win the match. With both McNair and Woynarski’s putts slipping by the hole from 10 and 12 feet and Shin’s doing the same from 14 feet, this left Palsenbarg with only 3 feet to put the match away. When his putt caught the lip and spun out, both teams were headed for extra holes to decide this match. After both Woynarski and McNair both missing their birdie putts by inches, John Shin confidently drained his 2 footer in the heart and this sealed the second match of the day.
Palsenbarg and Shin will face Murray Poje and James Harper in the Quarter-finals next Saturday at Vancouver Golf Club. Their match time starts at 2:38pm for any interested onlookers.

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King’s Links Golf Club
Delta, BC
6797 yards, Par 72

C. Hughes- Justin Shin (2) 2&1 S. Dunaway- Y. Bisson (18)
Both aged 16, the team of Charlie Hughes and Justin Shin are by far the youngest team in this year’s BC Match Play field – and with their 2 & 1 victory over amateurs Stu Dunaway and Yves Bisson, are the youngest team to qualify for the Quarter-finals of this illustrious event in some time. They will have their work cut-out for them in next week’s match as they pair up against the professional pairing from Seymour Creek Golf Center – James Legault and Dave Zibrik.

D. Zibrik- J. Legault (10) 1up C. Chambers- M. Good (26)
In their maiden partnering in the Championship, Seymour Creek Golf Center Professionals James Legault and Dave Zibrik played steady throughout their match against amateurs Carson Chambers and Morgan Good. In a match that see-sawed back and forth, it was Legault and Zibrik who prevailed on the 18th hole to win their match 1 up. When queried about their next match against the Swan-e-set Junior Squad of Hughes and Shin, Zibrik was quick to comment that he was looking forward to the match, which he said would be a reunion of sorts with Charlie Hughes, one of his young junior protégés back when he apprenticed as a Professional at Swan-e-set Resort a few years ago.

The Quarter-final match between Legault/Zibrik and Hughes/Shin gets underway this Sunday, April 13th at 1:30pm at the Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club.

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Richmond Country Club
Richmond, BC
6748 yards, Par 72

D. Warburton- B. Noon (9)  1up  M. Haraguchi- M. Makinson (25)
After some very solid play over the first 14 holes, the professional duo of Matt Makinson (representing Vancouver Golf Club) and Mike Haraguchi, Assistant Pro at Capilano Golf & Country Club found themselves with a comfortable lead of 2 up and only four holes to play. However, after some booming drives and clutch putts, the team of Billy Noon and Dan Warburton inched their way back into the match with birdies on 15 and 16 and after one more birdie on 17, were one up with one hole to play. With both teams making birdie on 18, Warburton/Noon had made an incredible comeback and won the match 1 up. Their Quarter-finals match will go against Professional Ryan Williams of Seymour Creek and his partner Clarke MacPherson - amateur member at Semiamoo Resort. Their match will take place at Quilchena Golf & Country Club in Richmond at 2:06pm on Sunday, April 13th.

J. Paradis- M. Kitts (6)  2&1  A. Smeeth- C. Wood (22)
Richmond, BC., The Vancouver Golf Tour's second round of the Canada Bread Match Play Team Championship was a spirited battle held at the elegant Richmond Golf and Country Club on Sunday afternoon. In the afternoon’s first match, the veteran team of Andrew Smeeth and Chris Woods came out hot, taking the first two holes with authority, partly due to their soft touch on the greens and booming drives.
Mark Kitts, a former junior 'A" hockey phenom, and Jeremy Paradis, another hockey standout, battled back to even things up making it all square at the turn. The momentum began to shift after Kitts drained a 20 foot putt on the 12th hole for birdie.
Paradis kept up the pressure with a chip-in on the 14th, also for birdie. Kitts and Paradise closed the door on 17 with another birdie by Paradis that sealed the win for the sophmore duo.
"This is great, it feels good to get past the second round," said Paradis. "We feel really good going into the next round, if we play consistently we can be competitive at this level," Kitts added.
Kitts and Paradis will be paired up against Nationwide Tour player Bryn Parry and his partner Kendal Yonemoto next Saturday at Marine Drive Golf Club. Their match kicks off at 2:30pm sharp.

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Beach Grove Golf Club
Delta, BC
6208 yards, par 71

M. Poje- J. Harper (12)  2&1  T. Duffy- S. Hemingway (28)
The first match of the day featured Murray Poje and James Harper against Terry Duffy and Sean Hemingway. The match was all square with pars until the fifth hole where Sean birdied, but was quickly followed by a bogie on the next that squared the match again. Both teams missed several opportunities to win holes but they matched pars and birdies (9th) until the 14th where James birdied. On the next hole a par gave them a “2 up” lead which they maintained, winning the match 2 &1.

B. Parry- K. Yonemoto (19) 3&2  S. Patrick- C. McAdie (3)
In the second match, the team of Bryn Parry and Kendal Yonemoto shot out of the gate with a birdie on the first hole and were “3 up” over Sean Patrick and Chad McAdie by the fifth hole. However, Chad and Sean fought back to even the match on the tenth. No to be denied, Bryn and Kendal birdied 3 of the next four holes to take command and eventually winning 3 & 2

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CANADA BREAD BC MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP - Quarter Final Matches

CANADA BREAD BC MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
Quarter-final Matches, Saturday, April 12th
 

Marine Drive Golf Club

Bryn Parry – Kendal Yonemoto (19)  4&3  Mark Kitts – Jeremy Paradis (6)
The quarter-final of the 2008 Canada Bread BC Match Play Team Championship between the team Mark Kitts-Jeremy Paradis and Bryn Perry-Kendal Yonemoto was played at the Marine Drive Golf Club today.
Both teams started even. On the 3rd hole Mark Kitt had a tremendous shot onto the green with a one putt which kept that team out of trouble. The play continued up to the 12th hole with Bryn Perry and Kendal Yonemoto staying one or two points ahead. The turning point came at the 13th hole when Mark Kitt went o.b. and his partner only managed a par while the team of Bryn Perry and Kendal Yonemoto birdied the hole and by the 15th hole had won 4 and 3.

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Vancouver Golf Club

Matt Palsenbarg – John Shin (4)  24th hole  Murray Poje – James Harper (12)
The quarter-finals match held at Vancouver Golf Club turned out to be a heated battle of long drives and missed putts as it took the team of Palsenbarg and Shin 24 holes to edge out the team of Murray Poje and James Harper.

The match started out in Palsenbarg and Shin’s favor early after Palsenbarg capitalized on a tremendous shot that he needed to hook 40 yards around a tree and lake to reach the green. His shot found the green to 12 feet away and he drained the putt to put his team 1 up after 2 holes.

The match continued in team Palsenbarg/ Shin’s favor when Shin drained a 30 foot downhill slider to put their team in the driver’s seat. When Poje and Harper’s 15 and 10 foot putts failed to find the hole, Shin and Palsenbarg went 2 up after 4. The match went back to 1 up after 5 when both Shin and Palsenbarg missed short par attempts and the 6th hole was halved to keep the match at 1up after Palsenbarg failed to 2 putt from the front of the green on the 620 par 5 and Harper lipped out his 7 foot birdie try.

The few spectators that followed the match couldn’t believe what they witnessed next on number 7 – After Poje, Harper and Shin all struck their 4 irons on the par 3 from 190 yards uphill, Palsenbarg pured a 7-iron to 3 feet and when his birdie hit the cup, put his team back to 2-up after 7.

Holes 8 and 9 were halved with pars – that could have gone either way if the putters had struck a bit hotter – Harper missing a 15 footer on 8 and Palsenbarg and Poje both missing 8 and 6 footers respectively on #9.

After two great shots on the 10th, Palsenbarg had only 20 feet left for his eagle attempt, and having his partner in with a 10 footer left for birdie, he stepped up confidently, and narrowly missed his eagle. His birdie was good enough for the win when Poje and Harper’s birdie putts from 12 and 15 feet couldn’t find the hole. The match was now 3 up Palsenbarg/Shin.

Harper had the best birdie chance on 11, but with his partner in pocket, and his 15 footer being fairly speedy downhiller, left the putt one role shy from bringing the match back to 2 up. The 12th hole was halved with pars and so the match was still 3 up with 6 to go.

Harper and Poje stepped up to the challenge on 13, both striking it to the front of the green in 2 on this 526 yard par 5. Their eagle attempts both narrowly missed, but as it turned out, their birdies were good enough to win the hole when Matt and John failed to get up and down from around the green. Two up with 5 to go.

More birdie chances on 14 from Poje and Harper to win the hole, but both missed their putts from 8 and 12 feet and the match remained 2 up Palsenbarg/Shin. After #15 was halved with pars, Poje and Harper were running out of holes and needed to make some birdies happen. After two great shots on #16 by both Harper and Poje and Harper making his 3 footer for birdie to win the hole, they were only 1 down with 2 holes to play.

After four solid tee-shots and approaches to 17, it was not a battle of the putters to see if this match was over…..or continuing on. Shin and Poje both missed their birdie putts from 20 feet and 12 feet. So it was up to Harper to make, as Palsenbarg was staring down a 5 footer to win if he missed. When Harper made and Palsenbarg missed, the match was back to square with only one to play!

The great golf continued on the 438 yard 18th with three out of four balls now sitting within 15 feet on the green after two shots. Shin was first to play and he stroked his putt confidently in to put the pressure on Poje with his 8 foot uphill slider. Learning from his partner’s par putt from 12 feet on his line, Poje drained his birdie and this match was heading into extra holes!!

A long and tiring match, however did not deter these professionals from continuing to hit great shots over what turned out to be an extra 6 holes of golf. Pars by both teams on 1 and 2 and 4, and birdies by both on 3 and 5 and the teams strode down the 24th hole as it edged into darkness. With his ball being the closest and all 3 others missing their birdies, Shin stepped up and sunk his 10 footer for birdie to win the match!

Shin and Palsenbarg will face Ryan Williams and Clark MacPherson in the Semi-finals at Capilano Golf & Country Club next Saturday, April 19th at 11:45am.

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CANADA BREAD BC MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
Quarter-final Matches, Sunday, April 13th

Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club

Charlie Hughes – Justin Shin (2)  2&1 Dave Zibrik – James Legault (10)
Shooting out of the gate with an team eagle on hole one courtesy of James Legault and a team par on hole two that was good enough for the win, the team of Legault/Zibrik looked like they were going to hand it to the 16 year old duo. However, after some solid play by both teams on holes 3-5 the match remained only 2 up. After winning with a par on 6 courtesy of Hughes, his 7 footer for birdie on the 7th hole proved to be enough to win that hole and the match was all of a sudden back to all square. After a team bogey on 9 by Hughes/Shin however, and Legault /Zibrik had the lead 1 up at the turn.

After Hughes made his par on the difficult 10th hole and both Legault and Zibrik bogeyed, the match was all square again. After #11 was halved with birdies, the momentum shifted into the hands of Hughes and Shin as Shin hit a great iron shot to 2 feet from the pin and prevailed as the only birdie on the hole. A costly team bogey by Legault and Zibrik on #13 seemed to be the turning point in the match. The bogey spurred the youthful team onto another win on 14, the match now 3 up with 4 to play.

After both teams birdied the par 5 – 15th, the match was dormie, but certainly not over. A clutch birdie by Zibrik on 16 kept them in the match, but after failing to birdie the 17th when it was needed, Hughes and Shin prevailed in this one by a score of 2 & 1.

The 16 year-old pair of Hughes and Shin will meet Nationwide Tour player Bryn Parry and Kendal Yonemoto of Seymour Creek Golf Center in the Semi-finals next Saturday, April 19th at Capilano Golf & Country Club. Tee-off for this match is at 11:57am.

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Quilchena Golf & Country Club

Ryan Williams – Clark MacPherson (17)  4&3  Billy Noon – Dan Warburton (9)
The Sunday quarter final match at Qullchena between the Dan Warburton and Billy Noon (the #9 seeds) and Ryan Williams and Clark MacPhearson (#17 seeds) was all square with pars until the 4th hole where Ryan birdied to take a 1 up lead. It was a lead they would never relinquish  for the rest of the match. The next two holes saw both teams exchange bogies each losing a hole, but by the eighth Ryan and Clark had increased their lead to 3 up, in part due to a few excellent chip  shots by Clark. Ryan & Clark continued their pressure and were 'dormie' on the 13th hole. Dan fought back to birdie the 14th from the sand to keep the match alive. However, the 15th was halved giving the match Williams and MacPhearson.

With their decisive 4 & 3 win, Williams and MacPherson will meet up against Palsenbarg and Shin in the Semi-finals at Capilano Golf & Country Club on Saturday, April 19th. Tee-off time is at 11:48am. This match should be an exciting affair considering that Palsenbarg and Williams were partners in last year’s Match Play, reaching the finals before losing to Guilford’s Head Professional Dan Swanson and his partner Richard Kellington of Surrey. One thing is for sure – We know that at least one of them will be destined for the finals again at Northview’s Ridge Golf Course on Sunday, April 20th! Who it is and who they play will be found out in one weeks time!

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CANADA BREAD BC MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP - Semi Final Matches

2008 CANADA BREAD
BC Match Play Team Championship Semi-finals
Presented by North Shore News

Northview Golf & Country Club
Ridge Golf Course
Surrey, BC

Matt Palsenbarg/ John Shin (Northview Golf & Country Club)
3&2
Ryan Williams / Clark macPherson (Seymour Creek Golf Center)

Reported by George Sterling
In the first match, Palsenbarg and Shin took an early lead with birdies on 1 & 2 and followed up with another win on hole #4 when both Williams and MacPherson both bogied. This put Palsenbarg and Shin 2 up after 4. An 18 foot birdie putt from Williams brought the match back to 1 down after 7 holes, however, Palsenbarg brought their team back to 2 up with another birdie on the 8th after driving it on the front edge of green on the 320 yard hole. Pars on hole 9 meant a 2 up lead for Palsenbarg and Shin at the turn. A nice approach from 160 yards out left Williams with a 30 footer for his birdie and with his partner in stiff at 8 feet, drained his birdie confidently and brought the match back to 1 down. Palsenbarg and Williams matched birdie 4’s on the 12th to keep the match where it had been most of the day. A couple of errant shots by Williams and MacPherson lead to bogeys and Palsenbarg’s par was good enough for the win to go back to 2 up with 4 to play. Williams countered with another birdie on 15 to bring the match to 1 down again, but when forced to make a six footer to half the hole, Williams’ miss meant the match was now dormie going down the 17th. Two beautiful iron shots by Shin and Palsenbarg to within 12 feet on a tucked pin put the pressure heavily on Williams and MacPherson. When their iron shots failed to find the green and their pitch shots did not fall, the match had run its course and Palsenbarg and Shin conceded the hole for a 3 & 1 victory on the day.

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Charlie Hughes / Justin Shin (Swan-e-set Bay Resort)
5&3
Bryn Parry / Kendal Yonemoto (Seymour Creek Golf Center)

Reported by Fraser Mulholland
There was a lot of intensity in today’s second semi-finals match between the formidable team of Bryn Parry/Yonemoto (both seasoned Tour players) and the ‘cinderalla story’ team of Charlie Hughes and Justin Shin (16 year old juniors from Swan-e-set Bay Resort). After solid team pars on the opening hole by both teams, it became a battle of great iron shots and the flat stick from there on in. The second hole for instance saw two tremendous iron shots from Shin and Yonemoto on a tucked back pin. After his partner lagged in safely from 30 feet, Shin hammered his 15 footer off the back of the cup, almost chasing it into the hole. Yonemoto then needed to make his 7 footer to halve the hole and he did that nicely. Clutch saves from both Yonemoto and Hughes on the downhill par 3- 5th kept the match at all square after 5. It wasn’t long, however before the match broke loose, as Shin came through again with the putter, this time from 18 feet, putting the pressure squarely on his opponents. When both Parry’s 12 footer and Yonemoto’s 4 footer failed to drop, the youthful duo from Swan-e-set took the early lead. Some great drives and second shots from both sides left some great opportunities for birdies on the par 5- 7th, however it was only Shin and Hughes who capitalized on their chances, putting themselves 2-up after 7 holes. Four nicely played tee-shots on the driveable par 4- 9th left some chip and putt opportunities that were capitalized on by both Parry and Hughes and the match stayed at 2-up Shin/Hughes. On the 206 yard 9th, with the wind blowing fiercely into the player’s faces, both Shin and Hughes made great swings with their 2-iron shots, leaving themselves with a chip from the front edge of the green and a 30 foot birdie try. Parry and Yonemoto looked like they were on the defensive, but after some good bunker play and pitches, were in within 6 feet for their pars. After an errant chip from Hughes ran 10 feet by the hole and Shin’s birdie steaming 7-8 feet past the cup, it all of a sudden looked like the momentum might shift back into the tour veteran’s favour. After Hughes’ 10 footer for par crashed in the hole and both Parry and Yonemoto missed their par attempts, the 16-year old duo had a firm 3-up lead at the turn. The youngsters kept applying the pressure on 10 and 11, as Hughes hit some great approach shots and after capitalizing his 12 foot birdie putt on #11, put their team now 4 up. After Yonemoto missed his birdie try from 20 feet, Shin followed a similar line on his putt and found the hole for yet another birdie. Parry now faced a 12 footer to halve the hole, but lipped out his attempt and the match now sat dormie with 5 to go. A quick birdie reply by Yonemoto from 4 feet and Shin/Hughes missing their 15 and 20 footers kept the match dormie with 4 to play. However, Shin/Hughes kept the pressure on with their pitch shots on 15, both to within 10 feet, and after neither Parry nor Yonemoto could make a birdie happen, the hole was conceded and Hughes and Shin were victorious by a healthy score of 5 & 3. This match would certainly go down as the upset of the tournament to date!

The 2nd seeded team of Charlie Hughes and Justin Shin will take on 4th seeded team of Matt Palsenbarg and John Shin tomorrow morning at the Northview Golf & Country Club Ridge Course. Tee-off for the first round starts at 7:30am with the second 18 holes starting at approximately 1pm. Spectators are welcome this exciting match between the 16 year-old ‘YOUNG GUNS’ as they take on the local Professional team heralding from Northview.

CANADA BREAD BC MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP - Final Match

Northview Golf & Country Club, Surrey, BC
Sunday, April 20th

Matt Palsenbarg/ John Shin (4)   3&2  Charlie Hughes/ Justin Shin (2)
In the morning match, it was a guns a blazing by both sides in this the 63rd edition of the BC Match Play Team Championship. And the action started right out of the gates after both Hughes and Shin both made solid pars on hole one while both Palsenbarg and John Shin made bogeys. Hughes and Shin extended their lead after a great scrambling par from Hughes allowed his partner to stroke his 10 foot birdie putt into the back of the cup to go 2 up. After a couple of close birdie tries on #3 from both Shin’s (John and Justin), John Shin brought his team back to one down with an amazing wedge shot to 1 foot and the solo birdie on the hole.

The match turned once again in the young gun’s favour when John Shin’s bunker shot bladed over the green and Palsenbarg’s aggressive 1st putt from 20 feet slipped 5 feet by, resulting in a 3 putt bogey. The remainder of the front nine holes were halved with some great iron shots being made by all competitors resulting in team birdies on 7 and 8 and the match at 2 up for Hughes and Shin.

The 10th was halved with pars, and if there was a turning point in the match it seemed to be on 11 where both Hughes and Shin found the water, leaving Palsenbarg the only par on the hole. The match was now only one up and the control that seemed to be in the young team’s court seemed to be just slightly levelled with this turn of events. After two clutch putts from Hughes and John Shin for birdie, the twelfth hole was halved and the 13th too, after the younger Shin had a chance to make an 8 footer to get their 2 up lead back. After his miss, the momentum shifted after John Shin’s 15 footer found the hole for birdie bringing the match back to All Square.

After two more terrific pitch shots that resulted in birdies from John and Justin Shin, it was Justin’s bunker save on the 16th that allowed his partner Hughes to step up confidently over his 12 foot birdie attempt and nail it in the cup to earn yet again that 1 up lead. Some crafty chipping and putting by both teams on a corner pin on the 448 yard 17th lead to a halved hole and the match still 1 up Hughes/Shin going down 18.

The par 5 – 18th hole, normally playing a par 4 in the Air Canada Championship was the site of some great drama yet again. With Palsenbarg’s drive down at the 150 yard plate and his partner’s second finding the water, the 16 year-old Shin struck a 4 iron from 200 yards that never left the flag. When it finally stopped, his ball rested 6 inches from the cup and a tap-in for eagle 3. It was now Palsenbarg’s time to hit and when his wedge hit the green, he was left with 50 feet of green and 3 feet of break. And when his putt left the blade, it looked good all the way. His remarkable putt went in the hole for an eagle 3, to halve the hole and keep his team within one after the morning round. This snake of a putt definitely made lunch a bit more sweet for the 28 year old Teaching Professional from Northview who had until this hole, seemed a bit out of sorts with his game.

"The second 18 began with Charlie Hughes and Justin Shin "1 up". After two halved holes with pars and birdies, bogies by Charlie and Justin allowed Matt and John to win the 21st hole and square the match. Matt and John birdied the 22nd hole to take a 1 up lead and never looked back. Both teams birdied the 23rd and had pars on the 24th. Another bogey by Charlie and Justin on hole 25 increased Matt and John's lead to "2 up". On the 28th hole (a par 4) Matt holed his second shot for 3 up that proved to be the crushing blow for Charlie and Justin. After that, It just seemed that no matter how well Charlie and Justin played, Matt and John had an answer. Amazingly, both teams made eagle on the 30th hole with some clutch putts. Justin birdied the 29th to close the gap to 2 up again, but that was as close as they would come.

Matt and John eventually winning on the 34th hole 3&2."

And thus ended a great run for the two 16 year old Thomas Haney students and Swan-e-set Juniors who should pride themselves for making it so far in this illustrious tournament. Their run included the low qualifying score of 64 at Swan-e-set, and four consecutive wins against some formidable teams, including the team of Bryn Parry and Kendal Yonemoto in the semi Finals. No doubt this tournament has propelled their games to a new level and this experience should prove to be a big learning experience for them both when they tee-it-up in their next tournament.

As for Shin and Palsenbarg, this was their second BC Match Play Team Championship Win as a pair, their first coming together in 2005. Matt will continue with his busy teaching schedule at Northview while pursuing a couple of titles he has come close to capturing the past two years – the BC PGA Championship as well as making a run for the VGT Order of Merit title. John will continue to play as many VGT tournaments as he can until the Canadian Tour schedule comes our way in June where he will start his treck out on the Big Stage.

Congratulations to Matt and John for their 2008 BC Match Play Championship Title and to all the contestants who battled their way into contention at some point in time or another throughout the tournament.

Our continued thanks go out to our Title Sponsor of this year’s event – CANADA BREAD, who without their support the tournament would not have been such a huge success! Final thank-yous need to go out to all the host golf courses who took part in this year’s Championship – In particular Sandpiper Resort who made our Qualifying Round switch from Ledgeview possible and to Northview Golf & Country Club for doing the same for us this Saturday when our Semis match at Capilano became impossible due to snow.

Until next year, continued success to all contestants who participated this year and to all the volunteers and Rules officials who made our events run so smoothly (Brian Small, George Sterling, Bill Schabes, Patrick O’Shaughnessy and Jim Gibson), we thank you for your continued service to the development of golf here in BC!!!