It took some time and the wait includes a noon tee-off time, but the Vancouver Golf Tour has finally come to Burnaby.
The 10-year-old circuit, which shines a spotlight on local amateur talent – young and old – is holding its Murchison, Thomson and Clarke Open on the lush Riverway Golf Course tomorrow (Saturday). The one-day, 18-hole stroke play tourney will feature a field of young and adult golfers, vying for titles in championship, A and B flights, and a women’s division.
VGT president Fraser Mulholland said the timing is right – if not overdue – to have a tournament in his hometown.
“I’ve played the golf course many times in my career as a young assistant pro, with colleagues out here having fun,” said Mulholland. “It’s a good test from the back tees and we’ll stretch it almost to the back tees for the elite, championship flight.
“I think its an exciting time for the amateurs who have yet to play it on our schedule… I know the conditions of the golf course are wonderful.”
With a field of 80 competitors, and a prize pool value of $3,200, the event attracts a strong list of challengers. Mulholland said the aim is to continue sharing the great game and provide a showcase for players, the game and golf course.
“Having a champion, whether they shoot 65 or 75, whether the weather conditions are extremely difficult or benign, to us our tournaments are successful either way.”
Riverway head pro Hal Eremko would have it no other way. The decision to open the public course to a VGT event was all about maintaining a balance, being that the Burnaby course has a dedicated following and a busy summer month schedule.
“We have a lot of people who are very faithful to the golf course, to the product we have and a bunch of other things we do,” said Eremko. “In the course of the day we’ll do 250 players on a good Saturday, we also will teach a number of junior classes through the day… We’ll have 80 (VGT) tournament players, we’ll have 200 regular players, we’ll have comfortably 50 juniors learning the game on the day.
“There are a lot of logistics that go into that so everyone (can feel) they have the place to themselves. As long as we can work those out, we’re fine.”
In the seventh year that the Surrey-based law firm Murchison, Thomson and Clarke have sponsored the tournament stop, the main beneficiaries has always been the players, who in the past have included PGA pros Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor.
Bringing it north of the Fraser is a great way to expand the brand, said lawyer David Patterson.
“(The firm) has been around for 30 years now and its important for us to be involved in the community and give back to the community. It’s also a good opportunity for us to market ourselves in a non-traditional way,” said Patterson. “We know the people involved, we know Fraser, we know Fraser’s team, we see the great job Fraser and his team does in putting this on... … For us this is a special part of our year every year that we look forward to.”
In the south Burnaby flatlands, Riverway has a luscious layout that provides an ample test for golfers of any skill level, Mulholland said.
“There always seems to be a bit of a breeze so if it gets a little windy in the afternoon it could cause some problems for the players,” he noted.
“I’m sure the greens are running fast enough that if you get the balls shortsided above your hole, the speed is so much different from above the hole to below it, that you have to be very careful where you position the ball.”
Although the field is almost full for a noon tee-off, late registrants can sign up by calling 604-980-4653.
